#anyways... do you ever think about name meanings

[thomamaru]

Drench in Apologies (Chapter 3)

Synopsis: Just one little text from him was enough to crumble down any healing progress you made. Now, there he was, standing in the rain. You still stood your ground and didn’t let yourself get swayed by his attempts to apologize.

Tags: Rin Itoshi x gn!reader, angst, fighting but not too intense, fluff at the end

previous chapter

The sound of relentless rain echoed through the streets as Rin stood in front of your apartment building, soaked to the bone.

His breathing was labored, each breath heavy with the weight of regret that had been gnawing at him since he saw you at the restaurant—with Sae.

That image hadn’t stopped replaying in his mind, each loop sharper than the last.

His fists trembled at his sides as his teal eyes fixed on your door. This wasn’t how he imagined things between you would ever end up. But he wasn’t about to let it end like this.

Not when every step of his journey, every ounce of his determination, had you at the heart of it.

When you opened the door, you were startled to see Rin standing there, drenched. For a moment, the sight of him rendered you silent, your chest tightening at his disheveled appearance.

But then the reminder of the months of emotional turmoil he had put you through came crashing down, hardening your expression.

“What are you doing here?” you asked coldly, the chill in your tone matching the weather outside.

“I need to talk to you,” Rin said, his voice low but urgent. “Please.”

The word please carried more weight than you thought it would. Rin wasn’t the type to plead. But the bruises on your heart were still raw, and even now, you weren’t ready to give him the benefit of the doubt.

“I don’t have anything to say to you, Rin. Go home.”

“I can’t,” he replied almost instantly, stepping closer but not enough to breach your space. “I… I can’t leave things like this.”

The storm inside you matched the one outside as you fought to stay resolute. “Now you can’t? After months of ignoring me, brushing me aside like I didn’t exist? You don’t get to decide when we talk, Rin. It doesn’t work like that.”

Rin flinched, your words hitting harder than he had anticipated. He nodded stiffly, water dripping from his bangs. “You’re right. I… I don’t deserve to be here. But I need you to understand—”

“No,” you interrupted sharply, stepping back as he tried to step forward again. “You don’t get to walk back into my life and think a simple explanation will fix everything.”

Rin stayed rooted to the spot, guilt weighing him down. “I know I hurt you,” he said softly, his usually composed voice trembling. “I didn’t mean to. I thought I was doing the right thing. I wanted to focus on training, to be stronger for you—”

“For me?” you cut him off, bitterness rising in your throat. “Don’t put this on me, Rin. If it was for me, you would’ve let me in instead of shutting me out. You didn’t even care about how I felt. Did you even think about how I spent weeks wondering why you suddenly stopped trying? Why you started to treat me like I didn’t matter?”

Rin’s fists clenched tightly, his nails biting into his palms. “I did care. I cared so much that it drove me insane. I felt like I wasn’t good enough—that I wasn’t giving you what you deserved. And the only way I knew how to fix that was to focus on being better at everything. I thought I’d lose you if I didn’t.”

“Rin,” you said quietly, your voice thick with unshed tears. “You lost me anyway.”

The words hung between you like a lead weight, crushing whatever fragile hope Rin had carried with him to your doorstep. He opened his mouth to respond but found himself speechless, every word dying before it could leave his lips.

You turned away, arms wrapping around yourself like a shield against the cold. “Do you know how hard it was for me to see you at that match? To call out your name and hope you’d finally look at me the way you used to? I’ve spent months convincing myself that maybe I was the one who failed. Maybe I didn’t support you enough or didn’t try hard enough.”

Rin’s hands reached out but dropped back to his sides, his voice thick with regret. “You never failed me. I failed you.”

You shook your head, bitterness creeping into your tone. “What’s worse is that after everything, the only reason you’re here now is because you saw me with your brother. What was it, Rin? Jealousy? Possessiveness? Or did Sae finally show me the kind of attention you should’ve been giving all along?”

Rin’s face twisted, a mixture of guilt and anger flashing in his eyes. “Don’t say that.”

“Why not?” you challenged, meeting his gaze head-on. “It’s true, isn’t it? You didn’t care until someone else looked at me.”

“That’s not why I’m here,” Rin said firmly, his voice cracking under the strain. “I’m here because I can’t stand the thought of losing you completely. Because I—” He broke off, exhaling shakily. “Because I still love you.”

Your heart clenched at his confession, but the sting of the past months didn’t let you soften just yet. “If you really loved me, Rin, you wouldn’t have treated me like an afterthought.”

Thunder rumbled in the distance as the tension between you reached its peak. The rain had seeped into your entryway, water pooling around Rin’s feet, but neither of you cared.

Rin ran a hand through his damp hair, frustrated beyond measure. “I know I messed up. I was so focused on beating Sae and Isagi that I didn’t realize I was losing the most important person in my life. I… I got caught up in my own selfishness, and I’m sorry. I don’t deserve your forgiveness, but I’m willing to spend the rest of my life making it up to you.”

His words broke something inside of you—months of built-up anger and sadness dissolving into bittersweet pain.

Before you could reply, Rin suddenly stepped closer and cupped your face with both hands, his thumbs brushing away the tears that had started to fall. “Please,” he whispered. “Just let me prove to you that I can do better. That I will do better.”

You opened your mouth to speak but froze when Rin leaned down, capturing your lips in a desperate kiss.

It wasn’t like the soft kisses from your earlier days together. It was raw and urgent, filled with the emotions he couldn’t put into words.

For a moment, you let yourself sink into it, the warmth of his lips reminding you of everything you had once loved about him.

When Rin pulled back, his forehead rested against yours, his eyes filled with unspoken promises. “I know it’ll take time for you to trust me again. And I’ll wait however long it takes. But please, just give me the chance.”

You exhaled shakily, your heart torn between the ache of betrayal and the hope of rekindling what you’d lost. “It’s not going to be easy, Rin.”

“I don’t want easy,” he said softly. “I just want you.”

The road ahead wouldn’t be simple, but as Rin pulled you into a tight embrace, you felt a small flicker of hope.

Maybe, just maybe, the pieces of your shattered relationship could be mended. And even if it took time, you were willing to try.

---

Rin wasn't known for surprises, which was why you did a double-take when you opened your front door to see him standing there with flowers in his hands.

"Hey," he greeted casually, but the faint dusting of pink on his cheeks betrayed his usual composed demeanor. He held out the bouquet—your favorite flowers, no less—looking everywhere but at you as he handed them over.

"Rin..." Your voice trailed off, surprise evident in your tone as you accepted the bouquet. They were fresh, vibrant, and so thoughtful it almost didn’t seem real.

"They’re for you," he clarified needlessly, stuffing his hands into his jacket pockets and shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

A small laugh bubbled up from your chest as you brought the flowers to your nose, inhaling their scent. "Thank you. I wasn’t expecting this at all."

He shrugged as if brushing it off, but you caught the slight upward twitch of his lips. "I thought you deserved it. Can I come in?"

You stepped aside, gesturing for him to enter. Rin walked in, taking his usual spot on your couch, his body language relaxed yet hesitant, as if unsure of what to say or do next. You quickly placed the flowers in a vase, letting the water fill as you sneaked occasional glances at him.

When you returned, he was looking out the window, the soft glow of the room's light illuminating his sharp profile. He seemed far away for a moment before he turned to you, his expression unreadable.

“You’ve been doing okay, right?” he asked suddenly.

The question caught you off guard. “Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?”

He exhaled through his nose and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “I just... I know the last few months weren’t great. I wasn’t great.”

You sat next to him, setting the vase of flowers on the table. The distance between you was minimal, the warmth of his presence a familiar comfort.

“Rin,” you began softly, “we’ve been over this. You don’t have to keep apologizing for the past. We’re here now, aren’t we?”

“I know,” he said, his voice a little sharper than intended. His jaw tightened, but he softened quickly, his head dipping. “But I don’t think I’ll ever forgive myself for how I made you feel.”

You tilted your head, trying to catch his gaze. “Then don’t make the same mistakes again. That’s all I want.”

For a moment, the room was filled with the sound of the rain tapping against the window. Rin straightened slightly, his fingers brushing the edge of his knee nervously. He finally met your eyes, the intensity in them making your breath catch.

“I won’t,” he promised, his voice quieter now but filled with conviction. “I’ll do better. For you.”

There was something so sincere in the way he said it that your chest ached—not from sadness, but from how much you cared for him.

“Good.” You smiled softly. “Because I’m not giving you an out next time.”

He chuckled, the sound low and rare. “Duly noted.”

You settled back against the couch, your shoulder brushing against his. For the first time in a long while, it felt like the air between you two wasn’t heavy with words unsaid or hurt feelings lingering in the background.

As the rain outside slowed to a drizzle, Rin’s hand slipped across the space between you, brushing against yours before interlocking your fingers. The action was so simple yet felt so significant.

“You know,” he murmured, leaning back against the couch and looking toward the ceiling, “picking those flowers wasn’t easy.”

You raised an eyebrow, amused. “Oh? Did you agonize over it for hours?”

His lips quirked in a faint smirk, the usual Rin humor breaking through. “Let’s just say I asked someone for help, and it was a mistake.”

You laughed at his exasperated expression. “Well, they’re perfect. And honestly? I’m impressed you even thought to bring flowers.”

“Don’t get used to it,” he replied, though the corner of his mouth twitched upward in a smile. “Special occasion.”

“And what’s the occasion?” you teased, leaning into his side slightly.

He turned his head to you, his gaze softer now. “You.”

The single word hung in the air, your heart skipping a beat as warmth flushed through your chest. You felt his fingers squeeze yours, grounding you in the moment.

“I’m really glad we’re okay again,” you whispered.

“Me too,” Rin admitted, his voice quiet yet steady. His head tilted to the side as he looked at you. “I’ll do whatever it takes to keep it that way.”

And as he sat beside you, fingers intertwined with yours and the soft rhythm of the rain outside, you felt it too—peace, understanding, and the comfort of knowing he wasn’t going anywhere. Rin Itoshi was here, now, with you. And this time, he wasn’t letting go.

Notes: last parttt, thank you so much for the support i'm crying btw I'm accepting any request, any character will <33

Taglist: @hotdogkongmalaki @mitsurimoshi @rroxii @x-vivi-v @ash1 @kimura-uzuri

[seokminfilm]

like the movies | lee seokmin

🪄 pairing, lee seokmin x reader

🪄 warnings, non-idol au, fluff, established relationship, kissing, physical intimacy (holding hands), pet names (seokmin calls reader 'baby', reader uses seokmin's nicknames), dorky seokmin, reader teases seokmin a few times, seokmin soft hours

🪄 summary, in which lee seokmin (your sweetheart of a boyfriend) surprises you with a weekday dinner date (cringy pick up lines and tipsy seokmin ensue).

🪄 author's note, requested by my favorite cutie's g @realmofclouds!! honestly you are so so real for stumbling upon these pictures & falling in love w him all over again 🤍 these pictures were used in one of my first fics to go viral "boyfriend shaped" so this is bringing back memories for me too LMAO anyways enjoy sweetheart boyfriend seokmin 🙈⭐

🪄 now playing, like the movies, laufey & where or when, laufey

The mood of the authentic Korean restaurant brings a smile to your face as you enter, and you follow your boyfriend to your table, sliding into your seat with ease as Seokmin pulls your chair out for you and takes your coat from your arms (being the gentleman he is).

"I seriously can't believe you actually did this," You say, gesturing to the interior of the restaurant as you glance down at the bouquet of flowers Seokmin had surprised you with when he came to get you from work.

"Of course I did! You've been working hard this week, even if you haven't really wanted to. You deserve a nice bowl of fishcakes and tteokbokki." Seokmin smiles, voice light as you laugh into your hand.

"I was going on a diet," You say with a frown. Seokmin sighs, taking your hand and gently patting the top of it with his other hand. His smile is warm, nearly sending heat waves to you as he juts his lips out in a silly pout.

"A cheat day is made for events like this, you know," Seokmin says matter-of-factly, finger in the air as he pushes his frames farther up on his nose. Laughing at his over-the-top antics, you sigh, nodding and giving up your reservations as you sigh, admiring your boyfriend.

"No one can ever be sad when you're around, Seok." You smile softly, and Seokmin giggles in return, cheeks puffing up in a cute smirk as he pulls away from you, accepting his drink from the waiter. You take yours in a similar fashion, quickly ordering your favorite dish before handing the menu away and sipping on your water.

"So, how was your day, baby?" Seokmin's voice is soft, his dark brown eyes on you as he awaits your response.

"It was okay, just kind of boring. Spent my whole day editing outlines and grammar-checking emails. It's like I'm their human Grammarly or something," You scoff dryly, string your drink with your straw as Seokmin studies you, hand resting under his chin as he listens intently.

"And that mean coworker I was telling you about last night? " You start, and Seokmin interrupts you, finishing the name before you can get it out. "Yeonje, right?"

"Yeah, her─" You pause, sighing as you rub the lines forming on your forehead from creasing your eyebrows. "She threatened to hack into my work email and delete all my contacts." You sigh, and Seokmin frowns, obviously not very happy with your information.

"Who would even threaten something like that?" Seokmin questions, and you shrug, a smile appearing on your face despite the craziness of the situation.

"I don't know, but she said it with a force too. It was kind of funny," You lighten up the mood, and Seokmin smiles, shaking his head as reaches his hand across the table again, taking your hand and caressing your knuckles with his slender fingers as he sighs.

"As long as you think it's funny, baby. If it gets too bad though, call me, and I'll deal with it myself." Seokmin's tone is serious, and you blush, imagining your sweet boyfriend storming into your workplace and giving the manager (and Yeonje, hopefully) a piece of his mind.

"I'll remember, Min, I promise. Plus, it'd be fun to see what you'd do." Smiling even wider at the thought of Seokmin threatening to throw hands, you start to laugh, face turning red with your giggles.

Seokmin doesn't know what's funny, yet he's laughing with you seconds later just because of how cute your laugh is to him, and you sigh after a few seconds, level-headed enough to ask him why he's laughing.

"Because you're laughing, baby! ...Your laugh is funny." Seokmin sighs through his words, sides probably hurting from how hard you two were giggling (you swore you saw an elderly couple glaring at you two).

"Aww, not as funny as yours." You say, reaching your hand over the table to pinch Seokmin's cheek. As much as he hates when people do that, he lets you do it with ease, resorting to squinting and blushing as you coo at him.

"What are you going to do though, seriously?" You question after a few seconds of silence, mainly filled by you and Seokmin sipping on more of your drinks to recharge after your giggling session.

"Do about what?" Seokmin questions innocently, cheeks puffed with a dazzling smile on his face as he leans in and waits for your reply. Sighing at how cute he looks, you push his face away from yours lightly, causing Seokmin to let out a laugh as you giggle.

"If I do call you to the company one day. Are you going to politely berate them or something?" You question, and Seokmin smiles into his hand, looking to the side quickly before meeting your eyes again. The table goes quiet for a few split seconds, and you can see the gears turning in Seokmin's brain as he tries to think about how he would do that

"How would I "politely berate" someone?" He repeats in disbelief, and you let out a spurt of laughter, head hitting the wooden table as Seokmin's forearm automatically flies out to soften your blow.

"Just be polite like how you usually are. Like this: "You should please stop making my girlfriend's work day harder. Pretty please? I mean, I'd appreciate it, for real!"" You tease, and shake your head moments later, watching how Seokmin's smile grows up at your impression of him.

"You think so lowly of me, don't you?" Seokmin questions, voice warm through his smile as you laugh, shaking your head as you kiss his lean hand.

"I'm just teasing, Seokkie. You know how much I adore you." You smile sweetly, lips curving into a smile as Seokmin leans in, pecking your lips softly with his as he sighs.

"Not as much as I adore you, though." Seokmin combats, and you sigh, letting him win the argument as you shrug. "I'm not going to try and fight you on that, Seokmin."

The laughter that spills from Seokmin's lips sounds like heaven on earth, and you silently thank whatever higher power exists for bringing Seokmin into your life. You'd have surprise dinners like these with him a hundred times over if all that it meant was that you'd get to have Seokmin by your side.

[blue-howlite]

Hello Castlevania: Nocturne S2 ramble coming through! I just finished it half an hour ago and I'm going to make it everyone else's problem.

(Spoilers ahead! Both about Castlevania: Nocturne and the previous Castlevania sequence)

Specifically, I'm focusing on the shadowy entity we see in this season that Olrox calls "Old man coyote" and "Mephistopheles".

Because these two names are associated with tricksters kinda entities. So one would think "Oh, the Devil right?", like Mizrak did.

EXCEPT

Both Olrox and Juste didn't seem to believe it was the Devil. And when two of the oldest/with more life experience characters both seem dubious on something that otherwise looks pretty clear, usually it means there's more to it. Right? (Pretend I'm not going insane thankyou)

(Also, pay attention, saying "the Devil" and "a devil" isn't the same. The Devil, capital D, is the big bad of the Christian faith.)

Some people speculate this entity might be "Death" from the previous Castlevania continuity, the same that Trevor had killed.

Here's what bugs me. People call it Death, even though Trevor states clearly that the entity isn't Death itself. Which might sound weird if one isn't familiar with mythology! Unfortunately for all of you, I really like mythology and especially the death aspects of mythology.

So, why is "Death" not actually death? And if it isn't actual death, what is it?

Ever since I saw in Castlevania the scene where Trevor and Sypha come across the shrine dedicated to death, I thought the writers had decided to include the aspect of "keres".

"Howlite, what the fuck does keres mean?" GREAT QUESTION

"Keres" (singular, ker) is the name of the collective deities/personifications of violent and cruel death in Greek mythology. Sisters of Thanatos (god of death, though he's more precisely associated with non-violent death) and daughters of Nyx, they are described as women (usually depicted with dark wings) who would be present wherever blood was spilled.

HOWEVER: they did not hold the power to kill.

Which is why I thought it would be confirmed that the "Death" we see in S4 was a ker, since it didn't hold the power to kill on its own (it wanted to summon Dracula to do it), nor did it have any control on the afterlife (a ker isn't a ruler of the afterlife or its inhabitants), yet it demanded bloodshed.

And here is where ethymology comes in play!

Keres are more specifically considered "daemones", which in greek mythology loosely meant spirits who were not inherently good nor evil.

However, with the spreading of Christianism and the intervention of the Church to eradicate older religions, the term "daemon" was transformed into the modern "demon", which today means an evil entity whose purpose is to cause harm.

Now. Why is this important to us?

Because in Nocturne S2, Mizrak specifically seems to associate the dark entity to "the Devil". Orlox says it wasn't... however, what's close to the Devil, while also not being it? Demons, who are simply entities that the Church branded as evil because belonging to pagan religions. Sometimes, those demons were gods in their original setting, which would grant them a status on par with the (Christian) Devil. Anyway.

Demons.

Daemones.

Death daemones.

Death daemones that enjoy bloodshed.

Keres.

The train thought needs some oiling but it's not all conjecture.

Of course, Olrox specifically recognising our boogyeman as a malevolent trickster could be either to the sly nature of this ker (or possibly this collective of keres, since the shadow had a fluid, always changing shape, as if multiple entities were present at the same time), the way one would call an annoying, entitled woman "Karen", so to speak, OR due to his own biases, being unaware of what a ker is.

There's also a chance that in the Castlevania universe, the keres took many forms over the ages in order to survive. But this is already dipping into fanfiction world building/AU area.

Regardless, I am convinced that "Death" in the first Castlevania sequence was a ker. It makes sense, given the context clues and its objective.

For the entity in Castlevania: Nocturne jury is still out, it could be a ker but it could also be some other entity fucking around (and possibly finding out if we get a third season). Maybe they made up a general trickster guy that conforms both to North American native pantheon and Christian demonology and probably many other mythologies/religions.

However, given Olrox' life experience it could be his bias speaking, since he's likely unfamiliar with indo-european religions and belief systems; he knows of his own deities and those of other native american populations because he was born and raised there, living there until he came to Europe to kill Julia Belmont; he knows of Christianity because of the colonisers and it being the dominating religion in Europe at the time (and likely in America too by then). We don't see him talk much about Sekhmet or Egyptian culture either despite it being central to the story, which could further confirm this idea.

Adding to that, in CN it was clearly stated that "a god shouldn't cross into another's domain" (paraphrasing), so it would be a little contradictory to have Old man coyote and Mephistopheles being the same deity, despite belonging to completely different beliefs and separated populations. Also, small parenthesis, Mephistopheles wasn't even in the bible nor any of the Christian holy texts, he only appeared later in the legend of Faust and was from then used in following works of fiction and art as an archetype. Which... adds onto the "Olrox isn't an all knowing vampire and actually is affected by his own biases" theory.

Unless of course the CN writers have decided to disregard infernal entities' background entirely and just use them as "big bad evil guys"... which would be disappointing, but not surprising.

Anyway thank you for reading this, comment your thoughts (if you still have any and this word freight train didn't run your brains over, in which case I apologise; I struggle to words things clearly when I'm excited about them).

[issilya]

I hate answering this because it's something I really go back and forth on when it comes to Esha.

Like, she's a crow. An alienage elf with a fucking death wish. She probably doesn't see a reality where she doesn't die young.

It's not that she wants to die - fuck no she doesn't! Before death takes her, she will break her fingers clawing out of its grasp.

But. She's a pessimistic realist, if that makes sense. She doesn't allow herself to dream of the future, because the future is unsure and cannot be trusted. She accepts the reality she is in - the reality of being Viago's bloodhound. The reality of having to cheat death on the regular. She's fearless, but part that fearlessness on the job? It's not being resigned to her fate. It comes from the fact that she's afraid of being alive. She's afraid of the future. She's afraid to dream. She's afraid of the good times because the good times always end and hurt so fucking much when they do. So it's easier to not have them. Just resign herself to the here and now.

And then, despite all of that, she actually does enjoy what she is. She enjoys the thrill like the adrenaline junkie she is. And she's aware of it.

So it's not that she's really *opposed* to getting married. But she's also not really that into it. She never thinks it's something that happens to her, period. That's it, move on.

If that ever comes up between her and Lucanis, she goes full panic and full denial mode. Like, what do you mean? She's an alienage elf. He's the goddamned First Talon. Doesn't matter if they killed gods, there is a gap between them that makes this difficult. Uncomfortable.

And then it means actually committing to something long term. It means looking to the future. It means dreaming. And that's not something she ever allows herself to do.

All that not even taking into the account what it would mean politically. She's a de Riva, not a Dellamorte, she will not become a Dellamorte regardless of how devoted she may be. Names are who you are and what shapes you, and she would not change hers. It would be like erasing her identity. And then, what does it mean for the First Talon to marry someone who will not give him children? Because even if she ever wanted to, she can't. Does she want to? Eh, probably not, but it's not like she ever considered it knowing she can't anyway. It doesn't bother her, but it does carry weight once *marriage* is a question. Like, do you think Caterina doesn't care about having her bloodline continue? Because I'm sure she does and family pressure is helluva drug (poor Lucanis).

So I think the answer to that is... I don't know. I think she *would* get married, but it would require a lot of work to break down all the walls and shatter all the fears she has.

But once she's okay with it - oof, then there's issues about Andrastian rites vs elvish rites and all that shit. She's not disconnected from her roots. Even after all that, she still sees is as something that's important. It's not about gods, fuck the gods - it's about the community. The rites that keep the community together, the history that gets carried. She understands that, and she's not willing to just play the part of an Andastrian wife. What does that even mean for these two? How Andrastian is Lucanis, anyway?

Jokingly, maybe they almost break up over this and then decide to elope. Have a ship captain marry them because ship captains can do that. I have no idea. They're a tangled mess of opposites and conflicts and I love them. I'm not even sure they get a happy ending after all.

/edit

Yeah after considerations it's not about whether or not she wants it or how she wants it, if they get married, it would be Lucanis pulling some shit like asking her and then within 10 minutes having the ship's captain marry them, because if she has time to think, her brain will overload on panic - gotta get her while she's still in shock lmao

Hey, hope you all had a good weekend! Unfortunately, it’s Monday =/ Fortunately, it’s time for Rook Intro Hour! 🍀🌺🌼🌸

How it works: I ask you a question about your Rook(s) and you answer it with as much brevity or verbosity as you desire. You can do this whenever you want, and I’ll reblog it + add some comments! There’s no time limit— if you want to do the older ones, they are collected here! (The post is updated on Fridays!)

Today’s Question(s): Does your Rook want to get married to their LI(s)? Do they care about where? Is there a specific tradition/traditions they want to follow, when they do? Who would they invite? What would they wear?

Have fun & thanks for sharing!

[weministertomonsters]

The Alien Emissary - 2

➤ Wordcount - 1.2k

You wake up startled because you fall out your bed. Well, not your bed. This isn't The Collective's mothership. You're in a cramped space, lying on a cramped cot. You recognize the interior to be the inside of the Vathri shuttle.

Right, I passed out.

You sit up slowly, rubbing your temple in an attempt to get the room to stop spinning. Your hand brushes against electric cuffs hanging loose on the wall. That must have been the restraints used on the Vathri you saved. You lift one and grimace at the thin metal prong on the cuff. For electricity to be effective on a Vathri it has to get to their skin, which is under a protective layer of armor-like scales. The prongs are designed to be forced underneath. You've always wondered if it feels like getting needles shoved under your nails, in which case it would hurt badly. When you stand up, you bump your head on the ceiling. Frowning you rub your sore head.

"This room is practically pocket-sized," you mutter. "How'd they even stuff him down here?"

"You are awake." The Vathri's voice floats into the room through the open hatch. "Come up, we are reaching our destination."

You climb up into the cockpit. The Vathri is seated at the controls, looking far more familiar with it than you did.

"How long was I out?" You ask, folding your arms and watching him work.

"A quarter of an hour. Not long." His voice still has that mysterious buzz in it. Rather than being eerie, you find it sort of soothing.

"Is that normal? It was like I was on a bad trip."

"I have never seen a human use the cloaking, but I am not surprised. Even Vathri young find it difficult on their first try."

You step closer and surreptitiously look him over. Thanks to their biological armor, the Vathri appear fully covered and often go around wearing loose pants and some jewelry, and not much else. He doesn't have either. When your gaze dips between his thick, muscular thighs, he snorts.

"Looking for the princess destroyer, I assume?"

The startled sound you make is hardly elegant before you burst out laughing.

"The what now?" You snicker. "I had no idea your kind could be funny."

"This is all a bid to lure you in," he replies, busy fiddling with the controls.

"I was just curious. Sorry." You clear your throat. "Have you… Heard about me?"

"You are certainly a blip on the gossip radar."

"Shit. Attracting attention is a surefire way to get killed," you grumble.

"Perhaps you should not have slept with the Emissary of Luscen then?"

You scoff. "The rumors are exaggerated. We didn't get that far. We got caught, as apparently, all of the galaxy knows. It was my first time in space and I was excited and optimistic and horny about everything."

The shuttle's engine grumbles and the Vathri croons to it. While his native tongue sounds harsh to your ears, you can pick out the intention behind it.

Come on, just a little further. You can do it, you little hunk of metal, you think.

"Csami? What does that mean?" You ask, picking out one distinctive word.

"Lady."

"Cute." You grab a hold of the armrest of the pilot's seat as the engine begins to stall.

Not a big issue. You can see the planet you're heading for up ahead and you're pretty sure you're going to make it, even if the landing is rough.

"That is the shuttle's name. Csami-kïy."

"Lady-8," you muse.

"You are taking Vathri lessons?"

"Yes, I love learning languages. Luscen was pretty easy and I'd say I'm conversational with it now. Vathri has some sounds I don't think I can produce, though, so my speaking probably won't ever be good."

"Tell me, are you not even a little afraid of me?" He suddenly asks, turning eyes that burn like small orange suns in your direction.

"Of what you are? No. That's what made me a good fit as an Emissary. I'm more curious than anything. As for your jailbreak, I feel like we're in this together. For now, anyway. Besides, I tend to trust my gut."

"And what is it telling you?"

"That we're cool. You might be trouble, but not for me."

The Vathri makes a noncommittal sound. "I see."

You look down at his wrists, searching for the abrasion from the handcuffs. It's right there. The smaller delicate scales on his wrist aren't sitting quite right, having been rudely shoved aside by the prongs on the cuffs. He doesn't turn away from what he's doing but he can tell you're looking because he angles the injury away from you.

"Does it hurt?"

"It's unpleasant. You might want to sit down," the Vathri says.

But there's only one seat, and in the sleek design of the interior, there's nothing much to hold on to. As he starts to nose the shuttle down, you grab a hold of his shoulder to anchor yourself and the warmth of his scales seeps into your fingertips. Brazen, maybe, but you like being in one piece. When you nearly fly off balance, he takes one hand off the controls for a second to perch you on the arm of the chair.

"Lean into me," he says. "The landing might be rough."

You do. The shuttle shakes so violently that you're surprised nothing falls off as you land in a puff of dust. Once the shuttle comes to a screeching halt you lift your head and unclench your jaw. There's an arm looped around your side and holding you in place, except both his arms are in front, so that's not possible. You look down to see that it's his tail. The tip of it ends in a stinger that looks like a cross between a blade and a barbed arrow. It looks deadly and your little animal brain immediately wants to touch it.

"Can that kill me?"

He pulls his tails away and it flicks lightly against his calf. "Not unless I intend so. Poison is manually generated, much like spitting on someone."

You file that information away for later. He unclips the seatbelt and stands. When he reaches for something over your head, you flinch a little. He looks down at you, his hand still raised over your head.

"I'm not afraid," you say quickly.

His mandibles twitch. Vathri faces don't really make expressions, but you can practically feel his amusement.

"Humans are easy to read," He replies.

And what's that supposed to mean? You think, but he's already ducking out of the exit hatch.

You realize he's bigger than the Vathri who first exited the shuttle. None of them had to duck. You're busy wondering if they were all small and he's just big when you walk right into his back.

"Oh, sorry-"

He's frozen, his tail flicking in an uneasy way that immediately affects you too. If something larger than you is scared, you're dead meat.

"What's wrong?" You peer around him to see a huge angry-looking alien storming down the landing towards you.

"Another of your enemies? You killed his family or something?" You squeak.

"I fucked his boyfriend."

"What!"

"Get back inside," the Vathri says without turning to you. "I am about to take a beating."

You don't need to be told twice.

──────────────────

If you're wondering why I'm posting much slower right now it's because I've been busy on Patreon. You can read free stories on there that I haven't posted anywhere else, like Contents Under Pressure, Soft Heart, Bad Things and Vile And Vulgar (my favorite).

[aberfaeth]

pov you’re star detroit lions wr2 jameson williams playing in a divisional championship game in the nfl and for some unknowable reason on first down trailing 10 in the fourth quarter after three other turnovers your offensive coordinator decides now is the time to pull what might be the most insane trick play of the season and calls a flea flicker landing you—star detroit lions wr2 jameson williams—with the ball twelve yards behind the line of scrimmage and you throw your first ever forward pass in the national football league and it’s a 26 yard bullet that lands directly in the hands of the commanders rookie cornerback umich graduate mikey sainristil and puts the penultimate nail in the coffin of your very short playoff run and then to add insult to injury on the next drive your offensive coordinator is having you do 80 yard sprints for shits and giggles and then you (plural you) don’t even get to hail mary because you (plural you) get picked off in the redzone again and you lose to the sixth seed after a 15-2 season and you get home and presumably some well meaning soul is sending you screenshots because you really shouldn’t be on social media right now but anyways you—star detroit lions wr2 jameson williams—get home and see this tweet which might be your first communication or acknowledgement from arguably the best wr in the league winner of the triple crown ja’marr chase with not one not two but four laughing crying emojis next to your name and Wait. Wait Wait Wait Wait hold on. i just registered the time stamp and oh my god post CANCELLED this tweet wasnt even about all the shit i just said it was about the hingle mccringleberry excessive celebration reference. ohhh my fucking god that might be even worse. i think i would move to antarctica

[alicecorpseliddell]

PLURAL ASK GAME 2* (45 questions)

*inspired by some of our headmates

Remember to practice reblog karma!!*

*reblog karma does not apply to us/the original post

🪳 — Does anyone with a "problematic"/"bad" source identify with their "problematic"/"bad" actions from source?

🤍 — Is there anyone who has a distinctly different voice/accent than the rest?

🪒 — Is there anyone who's probably bigender but is putting off thinking about it? If so, why?

🅱️ — is there anyone that people outside of the system perceive as intimidating but inside the system is just seen as a silly guy? (/gender neutral)

⭐ — are there any headmates who when fronting cause your energy/spoons to drain faster than others?

🟩🚫 — is there anyone who spends most of their time fronting complaining about missing their s/o from source?

🌹 — has anyone had to explain queerphobia to another headmate?

🌸 — is there anyone who either fronts super frequently or you don't see for months and months on end?

🚂 — is there a resident RPF freak™? (/sil)

🍋 — is there a resident Swiftie?

🔋 — is there one double that is distinctly different from the other doubles of their source?

🌫️ — anyone who really shouldn't have any kids, have any kids?

🩰 — anyone who's entire personality is formed around a hobby you picked up briefly in childhood but never gained an actual interest in? If so, what's the hobby?

🦴 — if you have individual playlists, who's is the longest runtime wise?

🏷️ — anyone who uses unconventional first person pronouns (something other than I/me/myself/etc)

🎻🎵 — anyone sourced from a fanfiction?

🪞 — you got any uhhhhh.... Manipulative MILFS?

🗿 — anyone get reformed in an... unconventional manner?

🚨 — anyone front triggered by Emergency Service Alarms or other similar alarm systems?

🎵 — anyone form while you were hospitalized (for anything)?

🎻 — anyone who is the exact complete opposite of their source in every way possible, but still identifies with it?

🏥 — have you ever accidentally deleted a fully made profile (on anything) for a headmate and had to remake it from scratch?

♋ — anyone from a source you don't know have a high ranking/very important role within your system?

🩷 — anyone who bears a strong resemblance to a character but is not sourced from them in any way shape or form?

🖊️ — anyone who has "no concept of emotions"? (whatever that may mean to you)

🦪 — has anyone been forcemasc'd?

🪸 — anyone who picked an emoji/symbol/name/etc just because they liked the way it looked, and not for any real reason?

🐸 — anyone communicate either primarily or entirely in [a] random sounds? And if so can anyone understand them?

🚥 — anyone who is most definitely queer but is refusing to admit it?

🍄 — has anyone gotten you banned from a specific website or app?

🍴 — does anyone type in a different font as a typing quirk?

🐮 — do you have anyone who shifts through face claims and apparences frequently? (not including multisourced folk)

🌲 — is anyone's emoji/sign off/front indicator an inside joke from their source?

📼 — is there anyone who's only like 80% sure of their source but still goes with it like it's fact anyways?

🦋 — is there anyone who enjoys math but isn't particularly good at it?

💣 — is there a lesbian who's obsessed with [a] fictional men?

♎ — is there anyone who when fronting with other people makes pain worse but when fronting alone makes pain lessen?

🌋 — anyone who is almost constantly crying? If so, why? Is it a disorder? An aesthetic choice? A trauma response? Something else?

🎙️ — do you have any tween/early teens gatekeepers?

🎤 — do you have any introjects from a series you haven't touched but was popular with your friends?

🧽 — do you have anyone who has an endless appetite when fronting? And what are their favourite food(s)?

🐲 — has anyone woke you up in the middle of the night to announce their presence then proceeded to never front again?

🥝 — is there any who is unreasonably funny for who their source is?

🔞 — is anyone addicted to candy crush (or similar styles of games)?

🍦 — is there anyone who's "just happy to along for the ride :)"?

[ PLAIN TEXT ] We Are A Diagnosed Traumagenic DID System We Are Pro Endogenic And You Will Not Change Our Mind If You Harass Us You Give Us Consent To Harass You Back

[mortellanarts]

time passes us by

[sforzesco]

"Since you've named yourself after Julius fucking Caesar, perhaps I'll follow in your lead and choose one of the conspirators." "Interesting," says Giuliano. "Should I worry about finding you at the center of some kind of conspiracy that ends with my death?" "Not from me," replies Ascanio. He sounds tired. "Not anymore."

informally, some kind of. conversational follow up to the last comic. I'm trying to get the atmospheric conversational whimsy out of my system because I have a vision of the vatican as a body in active decay, a point of infection spreading out and poisoning the well, a jaw unhinged that people walk into over and over, and I am so close to figure out how to convey this visually. maybe.

[luck-of-the-drawings]

[<==PREV PAGES] [NEXT PAGE==>(not out yet.wait a year.or maybe more.imagine.]

saw alot of comments on prev pages; saying 'i HATE that mean teacher! im gonna FIGHT HIM!!' & i LOVE the energy!! it WOULD be nice. to have that catharsis. but the story of young tidestrider is Not one of catharsis. it is a story of being so small and so special and sucking so bad.

[penumbralwoods]

lays down and stares at the ceiling. really wish it was as easy for me to ignore casual exorsexism as it seems to be for so many of you

[natjennie]

i want to explain my mental illnesses to robin and have him like nod and grunt along while i talk and then hum really sagely and give some beautiful touching life advice like "brain not bad just.. different. I've seen a lot of people. we all different. world would be big boring if everyone was the same. you just better at some things and worse at other things. that why we all work together, help each other. sometimes you fight mammoth and sometimes you stay in cave with babies. it all come out in the wash."

[gorespawn]

also while we're here i would like to share the two iterations of tumblr user gorespawn that have existed since i abandoned this blog back in like early 2021. Who wants me

[boatboys]

A whole variety of things that have not managed to get posted, of varying significance, completion, symbolism and and canon...nicity. Canonness. Canonitude.

[moonchild-in-blue]

I haven't really done much art for tumblr (at all) lately, cus life, but! Here's a lil something I've been working on (it's a Xmas gift) 💙

(also peep that lil January calendar painting 👀 i did mini squares for each month for myself, because I need to have a physical one always, and they each have their own colour 🥺)

[quietwingsinthesky]

the apartmentverse urge to make the assassins weird immortals due to interacting with the apple who all survive to the modern day and have to Deal with mundane things like public transport…