#believe whatever they prefer to have heard and then if you correct anything there's more confusion and pain

[inazuma-fulgur]

I like the scent of people but I hate the scent of sex

Like all participants can have showered until just five minutes before, done a deep clean doesn't matter

""Not all odors are bad," Sherry Ross, MD, an OB-GYN" yeah but what if I don't like them

Kids [endearing, joking] it's time to learn about your body and stis

Here's the source for the quote:

[theemporium]

What about Max maxplaining Trouble? Like not to Trouble, but about Trouble to someone. He’s just gushing about her or maybe he’s telling someone that no they can’t do “x” b/c that’s not the way Trouble prefers it done. And everyone is just so confused about why Max knows something so random about Trouble.

kinda made this into a wee sick fic but enjoy! and thank you for requesting!🫶🏽

.

“Max, I’m fine.” 

“No, you’re not.”

“This is ridiculous.”

“Sorry for taking your health seriously. Now, give Danny the phone.”

If someone told you that Max Verstappen was an overbearing mother hen before you met him, you would have laughed in their face. You had heard many things about him, and that certainly wasn’t one you would have believed. Even in the early stages of your friendship, you would have never really pegged him as the type. He was caring, yes. 

But this? This was a whole new level.

You were sick. Nothing crazy or insane, just a simple flu that left you feeling a bit under the weather and longing for your bed. But apparently to Max, it was equivalent to you being on your deathbed. 

Unfortunately for him, he had to fly out to England for a few meetings at the factory that required his presence. He tried arguing Christian over the phone about it, but ultimately lost that battle and was forced to take his private jet out.

You made the mistake in thinking that you would be able to get a few days of quiet rest to recover. Because only mother hen Max Verstappen would send someone to do exactly what he would do if he was able to stay by your side.

“Did you get her a blanket?”

Daniel tried to suppress his laughter and remain serious as he held your phone in his hand, watching Max on the screen scrutinising every little detail about your setup in your bed.

“Yes, I—”

“You got the wrong blanket,” Max stated bluntly.

You sighed. “Max, it’s fine—”

“Stop saying that, schatz, when it’s not,” Max retorted before his focus returned to the Aussie. “She likes the cream one in the hallway cupboard. Should be on the third shelf.”

Daniel nodded. “Right, got it.” 

“Did you get her medicine?”

“Oh yeah,” Daniel said with a dismissive wave of his hand. “I got her some cough syrup from the pharmacy down the—”

“Which flavour?”

“Cherry,” Daniel said.

Max scoffed. “Mate, she hates cherry. You need to get the orange flavoured one.”

“Max,” you groaned as you nuzzled yourself further into the endless amount of pillows your boyfriend had made Daniel surround you in. “Cherry is fine. I just have to take a spoonful once a day, or whatever it is.”

“Three times a day,” Max said, his brows furrowed together. “And you hate artificial cherry flavouring. You said it makes you want to throw up.”

Your cheeks flushed in embarrassment. 

“I’ll get her the orange flavoured one,” Daniel said with a laugh, finding it adorable how caring Max was. “Anything else, helicopter boyfriend?”

“I don’t know what that means,” Max grumbled. “But yes. I have left menus on the kitchen counter, I’ll send you what she likes and what she wants to get but always refuses until it’s in front of her. Also, there should be a list of movies I sent you that are her comfort movies that you can—”

“This is creepy, Verstappen, it’s like you’re my stalker or something,” you muttered, even if your heart was swooning at the small details he remembered about you.

“Lil’ Maxie just loves his Trouble,” Daniel grinned wildly. “He doesn’t shut up about you. He could probably go on for hours if we let him.”

“More like days,” Max corrected before he continued to explain everything you would need to his friend, whilst you laid there with a fond smile on your face.

.

[sparklz02]

Cat Out Of The Box

[Lyney One Shot…🪄]

[Contains spoilers from Fontaine Archon Quest. You have been warned.]

You scanned him very carefully, making sure what he was saying was the absolute truth. “If this is your testimony then…I must go on with the belief and understanding that what you are saying is the truth.”

Lyney gives you his charming signature smile, “I always tell the truth Y/N~. Thank you once again for being our attorney with the Traveler.”

You shake your head and answer politely, “This is me doing a favor for my friend. I believe that you and Lynette are innocent. You guys would never hide something from me.”

Lyney chuckles and flips his hat upside down and says, “Place your hand inside my hat mon ami~.”

You roll your eyes dramatically and place your left hand inside. You begin to rummage around until your fingers feel something very soft and fragile. You grab it carefully and pull it out to reveal a rainbow rose.

Lyney flips his hat dramatically before placing it on his head and asks slyly, “When this trial is over, care to join me for dinner at Hotel Debord~?”

You reply smugly, “Riddle me this Mr. Magician. Is this dinner to celebrate victory or is it a date?”

Lyney chuckles softly and says, “Why not both mon ami~. Or would you prefer mon chéri~?”

You chuckle amusingly, “Whatever helps you sleep at night monsieur. Now I must regroup with the Traveler and Navia. Don’t miss me too much now~.”

Lyney places a hand over his heart and wipes away fake tears with the other, “The idea of being away from you is already enough to hurt my fragile heart!”

Lynette walks in and sees the whole situation and looks at her brother with disgust. She grabs him and speaks to you in a gentle tone, “We won’t be bothering you anymore Y/N. Thank you for helping us.”

She begins to drag Lyney away by force and he whines, begging for Lynette to let him talk to you for a few minutes longer. You giggle at their unique interaction and walk away to regroup with the Traveler and Navia.

🎩🪄🎩

“And you didn’t hear anything else at all? Nothing that might leave an impression of any kind?” The Hydro Archon asks curiously.

Lyney replies with certainty, “No, nothing.”

Time begins to slow as you have come to a realization. You look down at the papers that contain his testimony and the evidence that you have gathered along with Navia and the Traveler.

‘Oh no….’

The Hydro Archon’s expression hardens, “I see, but when the count reached thirty seconds or so, there was a thud—one so loud that I believe practically everyone heard it.”

Lyney was stunned, “Huh!?”

The crowd began to whisper among themselves. Some even had the courage to speak up and testify that the Hydro Archon was correct and there was a thud. You drown your surroundings with the heavy thoughts that invade all of your senses.

You were left in disbelief that Lyney, who you were very close with, lied to you. You began to wonder what else he lied to you about.

The Hydro Archon drops another bomb, “Tell me. Aren’t you and Lynette actually from the House of Hearth?”

Another jab to your heart.

Lyney responds calmly, “That’s irrelevant. Our identities have nothing to do with what happened.”

Your grip onto the papers tightened harshly. The Traveler and Paimon were also left stunned. The crowd slowly gets out of control but Chief Justice Neuvillette quickly demands order.

Neuvillette asks Lyney calmly, “Are these claims true Mr. Lyney?”

Everyone held on to their breaths, waiting anxiously for Lyney to either confirm or deny the claim. Regardless of the answer, more thrill would be added on to the spectacle of the drama that was slowly unfolding in front of them.

Lyney sighs defeatedly and replies sadly, “Yes, they’re true your honor.”

The crowd began to whisper excitedly at the revelation and began to mock Lyney and Lynette. Some even took pity for you and the Traveler who were equally shocked by this newfound information.

Your heart shatters and you begin to shake slightly in anger. The Traveler was also hurt by this deceit and quickly requests for a brief adjournment.

Neuvillette nods understanding the situation, “This trial will reconvene in one hour.”

🎩🪄🎩

All five of you walk into a quiet space and stand there in awkward silence. Paimon and the Traveler cross their arms in disbelief, waiting for the twins to explain themselves.

Your mind was scattered, you weren’t sure if you were defending innocent people anymore. You didn’t have the heart to look at the twins who you held dearly to your heart.

Lyney quickly speaks to break the awkward tension, “I’m sorry—”

You couldn’t take his apology and slammed the papers on a nearby desk and left the room. Everyone flinched at your behavior and watched as you left. Lyney tried to go after you but the Traveler blocked him and looked at him disappointedly.

You left the four to converse if they even managed to get that far. You sit down on a sofa and cover your face with your hands. You sigh shakily as you try to cool your head and look back to the trial and the evidence you found and attempted to find the truth.

After fifteen minutes of recollecting yourself, you felt someone sit next to you and place a hand on your right shoulder. You tear your face away from your hands and look to the side to see the Traveler who had a sad smile.

They ask cautiously, “Are you alright? It’s ok if you want to drop out…”

You exhale deeply and fix your posture, “I’m assuming the twins gave you their true testimony?”

The traveler nods slowly. They retract their hand from your shoulder and say hesitantly, “The twins would like to see you…if you’re fine with it.”

You answer firmly, “I’m fine with it but before that, lay it all out for me. What’s our new evidence that we must present?”

The traveler updates you on the situation and you two brainstorm briefly before reaching a conclusion. The two of you begin to walk towards your designated room.

As you enter, Paimon’s eyes light up in joy and cheers in joy. The twins however looked away in shame. You ask the Traveler and Paimon, “Could you give us some privacy?”

The Traveler and Paimon nod and begin to leave you with the twins. When the door finally shuts close, you look at the twins and cross your arm and give them a sharp look of disappointment.

“How long were you two planning on hiding this information from me?”

Lynette looks down and whispers, “We are truly sorry Y/N…”

Lyney holds onto his hat tightly and also looks down but doesn’t say anything.

You shake your head sadly, “Was our friendship a lie as well? Did you guys become ‘friends’ with me for ulterior reasons?”

The twins quickly look up in shock and shake their heads. Lyney quickly spoke up, “No! Our friendship isn’t a lie! We just….”

“You just what?”

Lyney couldn’t continue his sentence and goes back to finding interest in the floor, same goes for Lynette.

You sigh, “I admit that I can understand why you guys wouldn’t admit this to me. But I want to hear it from the both of you, not from our archon, and not from the Traveler, and whoever else knows of your identity. From you two.”

The twins look at each other hesitantly and finally meet your cold gaze. Lyney holds onto Lynette's hand and answers firmly, "Lynette and I belong to the House of Hearth. We have no ill intentions and only wish to seek a solution to the prophecy that is threatening Fontaine and its people."

Your gaze softens and you sigh, "Well, I'm glad there was no resistance and the truth has been revealed."

The twins look at you anxiously waiting for you to say more. You quickly replace the soft expression to a more serious one, "I will still be your attorney. With the new evidence given to me by the Traveler, I still believe that you two are innocent and that there is something more complex going on."

The twins look at you in relief but before they could celebrate you said, "However,"

They became stiff at the sudden continuation. You continued in a serious tone, "After the trial ends, I wish for us to start all over again."

Their expressions drop. Lyney speaks in disbelief, "But why? We don't have anything else to share so why–"

Lynette tugs onto his arm gently, signaling him to shut up.

You replied seriously, "I feel very betrayed by what has transpired. I believe you two are innocent but only because the facts support this conclusion. My trust is…"

Lyney sighs and gently tips his hat, "I understand. Things could've been worse I suppose…"

Lynette replies quietly, "We perfectly understand Y/N…"

You place your hands on your hip and quickly change tune, "Seems like our time is up. Let's go show everyone and the oratrice that you two are innocent shall we?"

The twins nod and you add in a cheerful tone, “Don’t be too sad. Once this trial is over…how about we start our new journey over a meal at Hotel Debord~?”

[roronoagem]

𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐀𝐒 𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐅𝐋𝐔𝐈𝐃.

characters: strawhats + portgas d. ace + trafalgar d. water law

content warning: genderfluid reader (any prns), general fluff + not proofread.

a/n: hello !! this is very self indulgent, as i am genderfluid myself lol. i thought why not sharing as someone else might find comfort in this or anything, so yeah this is why we’re here — not one of my best works ngl, but as i said i mainly wrote this for myself sooo. i hope you’ll enjoy it & that you guys are having a good day <3

𝐋𝐔𝐅𝐅𝐘.

would tilt his head to the side and try to understand.

“you change name?”

“nope, i just use any pronouns.”

���ooh! alright. i’ll try it right now!”

“guys! [y/n] said to use all pronouns, they… look cool,” he tries, frowning a little. “and he’s the best! she’s smart,” he added then, being sure to use all of them.

is actually very attentive about it and reminds the others to use them all if they keep using the same ones.

𝐙𝐎𝐑𝐎.

“okay. like he and she together in a phrase?”

you nod and watch him thinking about something.

“[y/n] is smart and i like his fighting style and… her face is cute?” he tilts his head to the side, waiting for your response.

“you can use they too, like… they are cute,” you suggest, smiling at him for the effort. “right, my bad darling.”

zoro is very good at switching pronouns and seems to do it without thinking >_<

𝐒𝐀𝐍��𝐈.

“whatever my sweet darling desires! i’m gonna make him all their favourite dishes and kiss her lips and–”

you giggle and interrupt him, or else he would just keep going.

reminds the rest of the crew about changing pronouns frequently when talking about you, he wants you to feel comfortable and accepted and most importantly, yourself.

this is your family, after all.

𝐍𝐀𝐌𝐈.

she catches on pretty easily.

uses all of your preferred pronouns, even asks you if you prefer he or she or they for the day.

i see nami getting paid by whoever keeps using the same pronouns over and over again as a punishment or sum.

she’s no joke.

𝐔𝐒𝐎𝐏𝐏.

super supportive !!

you know what, i think usopp would genuinely buy a pin with the genderfluid flag on it and put it on his clothes, stating proudly that his darling is genderfluid.

has not trouble using any pronouns in the same sentence.

if he knows you feel like using specific pronouns for the day, he goes on correcting whoever is talking using the wrong pronouns.

𝐂𝐇𝐎𝐏𝐏𝐄𝐑.

would genuinely ask more about the genderfluid stuff.

because he wants to learn, and be as supportive as possible.

“i’ll try my best and use them all!”

he, in fact, did use all the pronouns.

jokes aside, he constantly reminds the crew that you use all pronouns — they’re well aware, but still give chopper the satisfaction, you know?

𝐑𝐎𝐁𝐈𝐍.

“oh, i’ve heard about genderfluid people.”

robin makes sure to ask you what pronouns you prefer to use from time to time.

she wants you to feel accepted and comfortable, that’s the least she can do.

avoids gendered terms if you’re more comfortable this way.

would kindly reminds to use all pronouns.

( alr, this ^ is referred to whoever is not part of the crew )

𝐅𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐊𝐘.

“my [y/n] is super! they’re super! he’s super! she’s super!!”

yeah he uses them all the time.

but you can say if you prefer one in particular, don’t worry.

he would inform the others, pretty loudly.

i believe franky would be careful to use non-gendered terms, just like robin.

𝐁𝐑𝐎𝐎𝐊.

is a bit confused, not gonna lie.

but he’s keen to listen and learn !

uses different pronouns easily, and asks if he’s doing alright and if you’re comfortable.

i think he would avoid gendered terms too? idk . .

𝐀𝐂𝐄.

“that’s amazing! . . what does it mean?”

you have to explain better, but ace is smart he catches on quickly and goes on trying to use all the pronouns in one sentence.

reminds the whole crew that you’re genderfluid and that they should use any pronouns with you.

i genuinely think he would stick to non-gendered terms too, but would use boyfriend and girlfriend or whatever too if you want. ( hope that makes sense lol )

𝐋𝐀𝐖.

would listen seriously as you explain and come out.

“do you want me to avoid gendered terms? i can tell the others to do the same if you’re more comfortable.”

genuinely wants to create an accepting and comfortable environment for you to be yourself *cries*.

pss pss . . . law would buy a genderfluid pin too — and he has the audacity to think you wouldn’t notice.

would kindly remind the others to use all pronouns.

( this one ^, in fact, works for the crew too /hj )

[moviepixie]

Barbie

Subtitle: Is Barbie Worth the hype

Now, I am one of the biggest Barbie enjoyers. I was even contemplating going to watch this in the cinema. I've heard people call this the greatest movie. But I'm here to give you the truth. If you look on the internet, this movie has a three-star review. A balance of five stars and 1 star and hardly any in between. This is my honest review.

********************************************************

To start with, I believe that the movie had some key points. I did enjoy Barbie because she could be whatever she wanted to be. I enjoyed looking at her life and watching almost every movie she had. However, ten minutes into the movie, I had to take a break. One thing people know about me is that I hate when things get political. Even if you must put it in a movie, I'd prefer it to be subtle and not loud.

The start of the movie felt like a lecture. The whole thing about Barbie's life being perfect every day and Ken's day only being perfect if Barbie looked at him felt too far-fetched. To add to that, there was a line saying that a pregnant doll is just too weird. I don't know what they were getting at but I felt like I was being lectured.

I got so tired of listening that I had to put the movie on 1.5x speed to get through it.

I gathered that this movie is more about Men being bad and the patriarchy being bad. It's also about women being good and the Matriarchy being better. Every single stereotype was rolled into a movie and spat at me as a watcher. Not to mention in the movie when Barbie was told that she sent feminism back 40 years or something, she just ran and cried. It also portrayed men as stupid.

It also has this narrative that in the real world, everyone hates women. There was also a part where they said that Ken was absolutely useless. Look I prefer the original series. I never looked down on Ken nor did I look down on Barbie. I loved how independent Barbie was and Ken didn't have to be put down so that Barbie could shine.

The next area of complaint is that when Ken reversed Barbie land and treated Barbie the way she treated him, she broke down about it She didn't like feeling unimportant which is kind of ironic. Not to mention that when everything fell apart, all she could do was lay flat on her face and sob. Nothing like the Barbie that I remember. I don't mind the sobbing but Barbie was never one to give up!

Not to mention that the solution to understanding all this was to rant about how impossible it was for it to be a woman. Now I'm not going to get into politics because I hate it and I hate talking about politics but this movie was a waste of an hour and 48 minutes of my life.

I went in with as little expectation as possible and was met with a word vomit of why the matriarchy is better and why men are bad and women should be in charge of everything. It wasn't my cup of tea and I'm honestly glad I didn't go and watch it in the cinema. I wouldn't have made it to the end.

I know I’m the end there was some sort of reparation but honestly, I’m over the movie.

Look, you can be anything you want to be regardless of your gender and no matter what you do either as a man or a woman, someone is always going to have something to say about you. Life is difficult for everyone and while Barbie does highlight some key struggles, it doesn't paint the full picture. All it does is show a certain portion that will please society. If the film was not aimed at making a statement then it wouldn't be an issue. The movie aimed at making a statement instead of making a correct statement. Men and women are unique in their own ways and face different sets of problems. That is my own opinion.

I wouldn't recommend this movie to anyone but feminists and quite honestly, it was made for them. I wouldn't watch it again and if not for this review, I would have quit at the first 10 minutes. It’s not my cup of tea. You can promote feminism in a way that doesn't come up as lecturing, you can promote feminism in a way that does not put men down. It's safe to say that I'll never watch this movie again. I will never recommend it to people close to me and unless you're really into blatant lectures on why women have it harder than men, I wouldn't recommend it to you. I would rate this movie a 2.9/10 and that's because some parts were funny to me. It’s my opinion, if you liked the movie then good on you.

Crushes from the movie: you guessed it, none.

[lovedrunkheadcanons]

Chapter Contents

(Arranged Marriage Fic) Read on Ao3

Rated M

Having a full day’s rest and doing little to no strenuous activity had done the trick. Satoru was feeling loads better come the next morning, sitting across from Hannah during breakfast. Makoto hadn’t even finished setting the table when the jujutsu sorcerer began filling his bowl with fried rice and smoked sausages, noticing the funny look his wife was giving him.

“Wha?” he said, stuffing his face with food like a chipmunk. “M‘ungry.”

A small smile tugged on the sides of Hannah’s mouth, though it wasn’t mocking. “I can see that,” she said, scooping some scrambled eggs into her bowl. “Suppose this means your headache is gone?”

Satoru caught Makoto’s warning glare as she came back with a pot of coffee, her cautionary way of reminding him to behave like a gentleman, and so as not to incur the housekeeper's wrath, Satoru wisely chose to swallow his food before speaking. “Yeah,” he reached for the sugar bowl as Makoto poured the coffee into his mug. “It’s gone”

Hannah’s face relaxed. “Good,” she lightly exhaled, pinching some fried rice between her chopsticks and bringing it to her lips. “I’m glad.”

Satoru took another bite. “And you?” he asked. “Have you got everything…situated?”

She flicked her eyes to meet his for a brief instant, casting them back down on her food. “Almost. I sorted through some of the clothes yesterday, but it’s going to take me a while.”

“Thought so,” he sighed, propping his cheek in his hand, twirling his chopsticks. “I don’t really know what women like, so most of it was just guess work on my part.”

Hannah looked up at him. He couldn't honestly expect her to believe that, could he? Makoto said everything stored within that closet hadn’t been put there without his approval. Given the fabric selection alone, Satoru’s attention to detail was too educated for him “not to know” what women liked. And the notes he stipulated in the sketchbooks gave his secret away: “Remove the sleeves.” “Velvet, not satin.” “Does it come in red?” Hannah thought he’d make a better stylist, maybe even a better designer, than a jujutsu sorcerer.

“I like the clothes,” she finally said, taking a sip of tea. “You have a good eye.”

All she heard from across the table was a soft snort; the closest she’d get to a “thank you.”

For the remainder of breakfast, the two newlyweds ate together in awkward silence, listening to the ticking of the cuckoo clock situated on a wooden dresser, and the crinkling tatami as Makoto cruised in and out of the kitchen with either dirty dishes or another pot of coffee for Satoru.

Growing quite uncomfortable by the silence herself, Makoto cleared her throat and turned to Hannah. “Ma’am, with the young master feeling unwell, it seems I forgot to discuss something important with you the other day.”

Hannah finished chewing and brought a napkin to her mouth. “Oh? Like what?”

Makoto looked at Satoru before looking back at her mistress. “As you are aware, the young master has informed me of your caffeine intolerance, but I’m afraid that’s all I know. And being the lady of the house, it technically falls upon you to choose the meals we eat.”

“Me?” Hannah’s eyes flitted shyly to Satoru. “Are you sure?”

The white-haired sorcerer nodded and jabbed a lazy thumb at Makoto. “I’ll eat whatever she puts in front of me, so go ahead.”

“Alright,” Hannah folded her napkin on her lap and redirected her attention to the housekeeper, “What exactly did you have in mind?”

“Anything your heart desires,” replied Makoto like it was no trouble. “The young master prefers I cook traditional meals, but I was thinking I might begin incorporating more English cuisine. Just curious, but how would you feel about kedgeree?”

“Kedgeree?” Hannah’s entire face visibly brightened. “Really?”

Makoto stood proudly, eyes shining. “I did say anything, no?”

Satoru raised his hand like a confused algebra student. “What the heck is kadgeree?”

“Ked-geree,” Hannah corrected, trying not to look too amused by his pronunciation. “It’s a breakfast casserole made with rice, shredded smoked fish, and soft boiled eggs topped with spices.”

“So it’s good, is what you’re saying?”

Hannah didn't hold back her smile this time as hazel brown meshed with turquoise blue. “I’d like to think so, yes.” Although she omitted how she only ate the Indo-English casserole when she was staying at Wasserton, breakfast being the one meal where it was appropriate for an illegitimate to dine with their family (except when they were entertaining.) Lunch and dinner were more formal affairs, and so Hannah usually ate her afternoon meals in the servants’ quarters together with the housestaff, but kedgeree had always been her favorite. “We should try it sometime.”

Satoru hummed as though mulling it over, and went back to taking another bite of food. Smoked fish and rice did sound rather appetizing. Makoto turned to her mistress again.

“I’ll write a new menu each week for you to review, and be sure to include descriptions, if that helps any?”

Hannah nodded and offered her gratitude, while the housekeeper took her empty bowl off the table and headed for the kitchen. Satoru gobbled the last of his sausage and hastily swilled his coffee in such a way that made Hannah’s throat burn. He rose from the table and stretched.

“Oh-kay,” he groaned, reaching for the ceiling till he heard various bones separate and pop. “Ugh. Ready to go?”

Hannah winced from the crackling bones. “Go?” she said. “Go where?”

Satoru rolled his eyes, and searched his pockets for his sunglasses. “Training in the heat of the day is a real pain in the ass. Best to do it now while it’s still early.”

“Training?” The food in Hannah’s stomach sank like stones. “You’re serious?”

Satoru said nothing and placed the sunglasses on his nose, giving her a devilish smile. “Serious as a heart attack, Princess.” His head cocked to the door. “Hop to it. We’re killing daylight.”

And just like that.

The next three weeks would become quite the undertaking for Hannah. Like a baptism through fire, her days were spent balancing the many tasks required of a jujutsu sorcerer’s wife. There was no set routine, or light workload. Each day presented a new lesson in need of quick learning.

During that first day of training, Satoru had her running cardio through the mountainous terrain and the higher altitude had Hannah so out of breath, the poor girl thought she would faint. Her feeble legs were shaking from having to propel herself up the steep inclines, Satoru barking closely at her heels. “Sheesh, you’re a turtle,” he jeered from behind. “I know little old ladies with asthma faster than you.” Hannah pretended not to hear him and kept her eyes on the dirt road, panting heavily until they stopped for a short break before continuing onwards.

Some unlucky days he had her jogging with weights lodged in her hands, or tied snugly around her waist like a counterpoise, “for strength conditioning,” as he often put it. Those were the mornings Hannah wanted to fall to the ground and tap out, but Satoru wouldn't let her. “Ah, ah, ah,” he would tut, wagging an admonitory finger. “I thought this was part of our agreement; No training, no Sukuna fingers.” Then her motivation was restored when he added, “You want to save those people, right?” and she would somehow find the energy to finish the mile.

After two full laps around the school, Satoru had her doing push-ups, three sets with 15 reps each, but would only count the ones where her nose touched the ground or else force her to start over. He applied the same rule for sit-ups, demanding she lift herself all the way before starting another. Several failed push-ups and sit-ups later Hannah was sure she’d be sick. She struggled similarly with the lunges, the squats, the jumping jacks. His rationale for the grueling cardio was twofold; endurance training and increasing her muscle mass. “Gotta whip ya into shape before I teach you how to land a decent punch.”

Following that tortious first week, it quickly became apparent that the Six Eyes wielder was missing a few marbles.

Hannah remembered one infamous morning when the white-haired sorcerer somehow managed to sneak inside her bedroom and thought it would be fun to dunk an entire bucket of ice water on her, all because she unknowingly slept past her alarm on accident. Suffice it to say, the little woman was not happy.

“Are you crazy?!’ she cried as she leapt from her futon, wrapping her thin arms around herself to regain whatever warmth she could.

Satoru let out a low chuckle. “Maybe,” and squatted down to show her an innocent, closed-eyed smile. “You wouldn't wake up, so I did it for you. Aren’t I nice?”

Hannah glowered menacingly. “Quite,” she said, shivering from the cold. She looked down at the tin bucket he was holding. Her teeth chattered. “May I ask how y-you got in here?”

The sorcerer gave his usual shrug. “Through the door, obviously.” His smile widened as her glare deepened. “You let me in.”

Her eyes widened. “What? N-No I didn’t.”

“Yeah you did,” he said, grinning ear to ear. “I asked if I could come inside and you said ‘yes.’”

This was met with more scrutiny. “I don’t believe you,” Hannah insisted, rubbing her arms. “Makoto said no one d-dead or alive would be able to enter. You must’ve done something to break the seal.”

His smug grin smoothly faded. Glacial blue eyes lingered on her for a frosty moment and Hannah could do nothing except hold her breath as his Six Eyes beckoned closer; nacreous, spell-binding, otherworldly. He was seeing something her eyes could not, but what?

“I’ll be waiting outside,” he replied, rising slowly from the floor. “Eat your breakfast and come out,” and then she watched him vacate the bedroom, empty bucket in tow, like it never even happened.

Hannah blinked once, twice, a third time.

Forget marbles. Gojo Satoru was undoubtedly the strangest, yet aggravating, person she’d ever met, not only in appearance, but in character.

For one, the man never stopped talking, ever, constantly transitioning from one random topic to the next. One moment they would be discussing modern architecture, and then on a whim they were debating whether Hi-Chews tasted better than Kororo gummies (Hannah couldn’t say), followed by an interesting fact he recently learned about blue-ringed octopuses and how they were no bigger than a golf ball and packed enough venom to kill at least 26 people, “and if they bite you, you’re basically screwed because there’s no antivenom.” He also denied being a picky eater, but Hannah noticed how he would avoid sansho and wasabi like the plague. She made a mental note that he didn’t enjoy spicy foods as much as she did.

Satoru was definitely not a morning person and was normally the last to arrive for breakfast — Actually, he was last to arrive for just about everything with a designated time — Although he was probably the fastest speed reader on the planet coupled with a photographic memory, which Hannah discovered one morning while waiting for him at the dining table. She was immersed in a Bible passage, enjoying a fresh cup of chamomile tea, when out of nowhere Satoru swiped the RNJB straight from her hands and demanded she reveal what it was. When she told him, his expression soured. “No way, this is it?” he flipped it open, “I thought it would be bigger,” and then he took the holy book, beginning to end, and permitted the pages to cascade through his fingers like a large stack of playing cards. Hannah watched his blue eyes shift rapidly from side to side, the paper awash in a blur as he neared the Book of Revelation. Wait a minute, was he actually reading that? No one could read that fast.

“Wanna make a bet?” he challenged when Hannah unconsciously spoke this out loud. He closed the Bible shut. “Quiz me then. Ask me something only a person who bothered to read this thing would know.”

And quiz him she did. Hannah asked the hardest thought questions her scrappy little brain could muster; “What items were stored in the Ark of the Covenant?” “Who replaced Judas Escariot after the Ascension?” “What was the name of Adam and Eve’s third son?” To her immense frustration, Satoru answered every question she hurled at him like a reputable scholar, quoting the exact Bible verse and chapter, verbatim, just to rub it in her face.

“But…But that’s impossible,” she floundered once she could think of nothing else. “It takes decades to study on that level. Surely you’ve read it before.”

Satoru had to force down a smile as he handed her back the Bible. “Yeah, no thanks. I’d rather have my eyes gouged than read that crap again,” and finally sat down to pour himself a mug of sugary coffee.

His words were a saber. Hannah attempted to mask her hurt as she kneeled to join him. While Satoru probably meant nothing by it, he had a habit of being brutally honest to the point of sounding cruel. She didn’t share that same perview when it came to his beliefs, but then of course, their personalities were basically night and day. She wondered if anyone knew how devoted he was to Buddhist meditation.

As the young wife confided in the ceiling one night, frustrated at how hopeless it was to fall asleep, her nose recognized the pleasant aroma of charred sandalwood and benzoin, the smell of burning incense. She checked her watch for the hour, 2:43 am, and sneakily cracked open her door to investigate. Having to squint as she crept along the dimly lit hallway, she saw a room glowing a tad brighter than the others and recognized it was the parlor hosting the Buddhist altar where the Gojo ancestors were commemorated next to the kamidana. Tiptoeing ever closer, she peeked around the corner to see Satoru sitting upright in the Lotus Position, eyes closed, legs folded as he softly chanted the mantra, “namu amida butsu,” over and over again in a hypnotic rhythm, a thread of prayer beads looped inside one palm. She observed him like that for a few minutes, the lanterns illuminating his broad physique and white hair like a sunset on untouched snow, a crystal Buddha. Even when he wore a plain black t-shirt and sweatpants, she was arrested by his beauty. A few minutes passed. Then, like a flower petal floating in the wind, she quietly made the journey back to her room, settled into her futon, and fell asleep to the words, “namu amida butsu,” in her head. She would repeat this early morning ritual more than a few times, knowing her husband would likely be awake during the hour, meditating. He hadn’t caught her in the act thus far. Fingers crossed.

When Satoru wasn’t around for her to stalk, Hannah’s main priority was familiarizing herself with the estate; going over finances, responding to congratulatory letters, and memorizing long family histories under the sagely council of Makoto. She learned that much of the Gojo’s wealth came primarily from stock market exchanges, buying low, selling high. However, for several generations, the Gojo clan was one of the top sumo wrestling profiteers in the nation, training the winningest fighters across the land, but a bitter dispute against a rivaling family changed everything and the Gojo’s were pressured to sell their livelihood before making it big in the timber industry. The career change paid off. Sumo steadily went on the decline, but the Gojo family did not. Hannah discovered there was not one, but four additional properties tied to the Gojo name; an opulent townhouse which used to be the main Gojo estate in Kyoto, a tobacco merchant’s home in Osaka, a minka farmhouse in Gokayama, and a beachside cottage overlooking the Pacific on one of the Kyushu islands. As the current figurehead of the family, Satoru chose to live in the Tokyo residence, the newly appointed crown jewel of the family, which to Hannah’s surprise encompassed not only a tea garden, but fourteen acres of strolling gardens with huge sections of graveled karesansui framed around a ginormous lake.

Each week, a team of gardeners would mow the grass, trim the hedges, and sweep dead foliage off the stepped-stoned path, connecting the physical realm with the spiritual. The raked gravel could symbolize the vast open sea, while a rock, smooth or jagged, could be a towering mountain, a sleeping tortoise, or a crouching tiger. Hannah knew that to enter the Japanese garden required “mindful abandon.” To humble oneself to the elements.

There was nothing she found more humbling than watching gasps of koi swim underneath a red soribashi bridge that adjoined a small island where a traditional teahouse lay hidden, or feeding fresh grapes to the mallard ducks grazing peacefully beside a raft of water lilies, splashing their tail feathers and diving their bottle-green heads into the murky water below. The strolling gardens were a horticulturist’s dream come true. They had everything; dogwoods, cherry blossoms, Japanese maple, black pines. A Chinese orangery cultivared in succulent mandarins and apricots that would be plucked from their boughs come summertime. Trimmed bushels of rhododendrons and azaleas and miniature wisteria trees. Hannah loved the stone lanterns sculpted to look as though they were donning wide-brimmed hats, and would close her eyes and listen to the bamboo chimes sway gently in the breeze, the trickling of the waterfall, and take in the sweet, sweet perfume of wild lemongrass. For years to come this garden would be her sanctuary, her safe space. Her nightmares couldn’t haunt her here. She could be content, safe from the night terrors.

Jujutsu High was once part of the Tokyo estate, until Satoru’s great grandfather donated the land to build a jujutsu school on par with that of Kyoto. By affiliation, this made Hannah an honorary member of the educational board, and by the end of the month she attended her first meeting on Satoru’s behalf. She didn’t have to talk too much - thank God - except introduce herself and take a seat, but the elders in the room made for an unpleasant welcome, eyeing her coldly and whispering in each other’s ears before the proceedings began. Were these the higher-ups Satoru warned her about, she thought. If so, what would they have to ridicule? She hadn’t done anything inappropriate or spoken out of turn. Makoto even dressed her in kimono, a seafoam houmongi with pearlescent butterflies stitched at the bottom.

Unless required to leave school premises, which was strictly reserved for Sunday mass, Hannah started wearing kimono on a regular basis. Every morning, after her training sessions with Satoru and a warm bath, Makoto would instruct her young mistress how to wrap the nagajuban and kimono just right so the ground wouldn't dirty the skirt, and how to tie an obi into a “drum knot,” and how to walk in zori sandals without twisting an ankle. She would also delegate to her which color combinations were best suited for each season and which combinations were to be avoided. With enough practice, Hannah was soon able to dress herself without help.

“Woah,” said Satoru when she stepped out wearing a blue striped komon, accentuated by a navy sash covered in daisies.

Hannah was startled to see him standing in the hallway and froze. “Does it look alright?” she asked nervously, giving the kimono a once over. “I can change into something else if you want.”

A furtive blush dappled his cheeks. “No,” he hastened his eyes to the floor. “You look goo — er — nice,” the sorcerer cleared his throat, “You look nice.”

Makoto also began straightening Hannah’s hair using a special heating technique called “thermal reconditioning.” Hannah had to sit very still as the housekeeper mixed, worked, and washed the straightening solution from her hair, then flatten it several times with a hot iron to permanently break down the keratin structure, leaving the auburn strands glossy smooth. The time consuming process would need to be repeated again in six months, but Hannah didn’t mind listening to Makoto relay stories of her past while she maneuvered behind the mirror.

“When I was first hired as one of the nannies, the young master was no taller than a boxwood shrub,” she chuckled, running the hot iron through Hannah’s hair. “Used to follow me everywhere I went, begging for sweets, making me laugh. I was the only servant he liked so it seemed, though I couldn’t tell you why. He was prone to all sorts of mischief at that age.” She shook her head. “Some things never change.”

Hannah suddenly looked up at both their reflections. “The only servant? There were more?”

The housekeeper halted her ironing. “For a time, yes,” she replied, holding a lock of warmly pressed hair. “But when the young master became clan leader, he sent most of them away.”

“Except you?”

Makoto glanced at her mistress through the mirror and smiled. “Yes, ma’am,” she said modestly. “Except me.” The housekeeper carefully switched the hot iron for a fine-toothed comb. “Now, let’s finish straightening this long hair of yours. I think I’ll want to tweak your eyebrows too while I’m at it. They’re looking a bit uneven.”

Upon putting the finishing touches to her hair and perfecting her eyebrows, Makoto also placed Hannah on a strict skincare regimen that she was to uphold morning, noon, and night, on top of learning how to curl her eyelashes, apply foundation with a kabuki brush, and color her lips. By the end, Hannah had to admit that she felt more presentable, but the housekeeper’s beautifying efforts weren't solely for aesthetics. It was important that Hannah master all her faculties in preparation for chanoyu.

As it were, the tea ceremony was no ordinary social event, but the epitome of Japanese culture, where people from all walks of life sat together to participate in a ritual meal and drink tea as equals. For Hannah, hosting a Japanese tea ceremony would become her greatest test; A trial by which the whole of jujutsu society would serve to judge. A successful ceremony would bring honor to her new family. Anything less would bring ruin. She had much to study, but Hannah couldn’t have been given a better teacher.

Like a love-struck poet, Makoto spoke of Japanese tea as though it were a deity, revering the camellia leaves like one would French wine or an expensive Scottish whiskey. How could one person be the housekeeper, the butler, the chef, the maid, the valet, a kimono teacher, a beautician - essentially a Swiss army knife of service and dedication - and now also a tea master? Hannah sat in awed silence as the woman went into grand detail about the history of tea and how it was first brought over to Japan from China, later inspiring the “Land of Wa” to create its own tea ceremony, with its own structure and rules, till Sen no Rikyu emerged in the 16th century and began introducing the idea of wabi-sabi, laying the groundwork for the tea ceremony as it’s practiced today.

Makoto would teach her the subtle nuances between Japanese teas and how to tell them apart by leaf, fragrance, color, and taste. Since most were quite caffeinated, Hannah took tiny sips of each and tried memorizing the mouthfeel, flavor, and sweet umami on her tongue. Makoto had her drink various sencha teas, two seperate culinary and ceremonial grade matcha teas, high quality gyokuro grown in Uji that had been hand picked from the fields, and common bancha teas found in local grocery stores sold around the country. Even though the tea ceremony only used matcha, tasting and differentiating other teas was integral because Hannah would have to select these teas when housing guests.

There were also the tea utensils and how to correctly use them during the actual ceremony. For example, when cleaning a tea scoop, the host was to take a silk cloth, called the fukusa, and fold it into a long triangle, making sure to tug on the ends for a slight “pop,” before turning it vertically on its side and using the circumference of her hand to wrap and fold the cloth into thirds, which was then used to wipe the tea scoop exactly three times. Because her hands shook from nerves, this step became very difficult for Hannah to get right. “Mistakes are a part of life, ma’am,” Makoto would say each time Hannah folded incorrectly and the cloth came undone. “Ganbatte kudasai.”

But sometimes “doing her best” was a hard ask when in the midst of their tea lessons, Satoru would unexpectedly pop in to show off his vastly superior tea-making skills, executing the steps without error. However, during non-tea-ceremonial-related occasions he would randomly appear, looking to satisfy his burning curiosity when his wife was alone.

“So what’s the difference between a Western sorcerer and a jujutsu sorcerer?”

Hannah peered up from Sei Shonagon’s A Pillow Book to see Satoru’s tall frame looming over her, shaded by the old fig tree she was relaxing underneath. Makoto had released her from her tea lessons for the day.

Her head tilted. “What do you mean?”

He stuffed his hands into his pockets. “I mean, why are they classified different? Aren’t they the same?”

Hannah folded the corner of the page she was on so she could easily find it again and closed the book, giving him her full, undivided attention. the book, giving him her full, undivided attention. “No, I don’t think so. Jujutsu encompasses a darker type of magic, right?” Satoru affirmed this with a nod as Hannah continued. “And I don’t believe jujutsu sorcerers have ordained exorcists at their disposal either.”

Satoru’s face scrunched in confusion. “Ordained? What, like monks or something?”

He watched the woman lightly bop herself on the temple. “Ah, that’s right,” she laughed dryly. “Shinto and Buddhist priests perform exorcisms too. Though I’m guessing you don’t give them fancy titles like ‘Monsignor’ or ‘The Honorable Reverend.’ I’ve met a few exorcists with those titles.” She lifted her head, looking up at the rustling fig leaves. “I wonder if Fr. O‘Malley is a monsignor and doesn’t want anyone to know, given how unpopular the title is nowadays.”

Satoru lifted an eyebrow. He didn’t know what the heck she was talking about. “You’ll have to ask him — and for the record, not all monastics perform exorcisms,” he sat himself beside her, playfully poking her in the arm, “and you still haven’t answered my initial question, so spill.”

Hannah's face grew warm at the gesture. That was another oddity about Satoru. The man saw no issue getting up close and personal with people, be it stranger or otherwise. They were now bucked shoulder to shoulder. She could smell the incense and coffee on his clothes. “Well, the way I see it,” she began, fiddling with the pages in her book, “there exists two kinds of Western sorcerer; An ordained exorcist, whose primary job is to cast out demonic spirits from a possessed person, and a ‘true sorcerer,’” she made air quotes, “who then uses magic to eradicate those demonic spirits. They also eradicate Curses and — ”

Satoru waved for her to stop. “Wait, wait, wait, I'm lost now. You’re telling me demonic spirits and Curses are different too?”

Drat. Hannah realized her mistake yet again. She had used the Japanese word “yokai” (strange apparition) as her translation for “demonic spirits,” when she should’ve used the more appropriate word “akuma” (devil). It was hard for her to remember all these complex definitions. In Japanese folklore there existed a bevy of supernatural creatures, each with their own unique characteristics and narratives. There were oni, sometimes pronounced “ki,” who were frightening looking ogres with protruding fangs and long horns, often wielding heavy clubs and could be both evil or benevolent depending on the encounter. In early February during Setsubun, one might witness the “cleansing” of these ogres with the throwing of beans and the phrase “Oni wa soto, fuku wa uchi” (Oni get out, luck come in). There were also akuma, which were more akin to the Western image of demons; a being that existed within a fiery, evil hellscape. And then there were the most fascinating creatures of all known as yokai.

Anomalous, shape-shifting, and spooky, there was no single way to define yokai. They were believed to be mysterious spirits or monsters that roamed the outskirts of Japan, waiting for an unsuspecting human to accidentally stumble across their path. Stories were told of scaly turtle-like imps (kappa) that lured young children to their ponds before drowning them, or shape-shifting fox spirits (kitsune) who bewitched and possessed people, commonly taking the guise of a beautiful woman, or spiky leafed trees (ninmenju) that sprouted human heads instead of blossoms and bled when cut.

Given the striking similarities, it was an ongoing debate as to whether Curses were separate from yokai, or whether they were ostensibly one in the same. Regardless, such arguments held little sway in the eyes of the West, who harbored its own forgone conclusions about supernatural creatures, especially when discussing angels and demons, who were shapeshifters like yokai, but were strongly divided amongst the forces of good and evil, something yokai and Curses were not — Anywho, the whole thoroughfare was very complex and made for a terribly long conversation, which Satoru gathered from the look on his wife’s face and brushed the question aside.

“Okay, scratch that. So a jujutsu sorcerer is equivalent to a ‘true’ sorcerer, and an ordained exorcist is its own thing? Is that it?”

The seer pressed her lips together. “I suppose. Although there are ordained exorcists who can also wield magic, so the two are often conflated, if that makes sense.”

Satoru grunted, finding her explanation unhelpful. Since Japan outpaced the rest of the world’s sorcerer population by a scale of 9/10, many were convinced that the existence of sorcerers and Curses were strictly Japanese phenomena. In other words, everyone knew about jujutsu sorcerers, more or less, but that couldn’t be said about other populations. Satoru was inquisitive by nature. He didn’t like not being in “the know,” and finally here was someone who could answer questions that long ago would’ve earned him a cold hard slap on the wrist.

That was the thing about Hannah.

To her credit, she wasn’t the spoiled brat he had originally imagined. While she was horrendously shy, lacked self-confidence, and tripped on her own two feet, she was also attentive and sincere and went about her business unobtrusively. She wasn’t fond of loud, overbearing colors and hardly, if ever, asked him for money. She was purposeful when she spoke and was quick to forgive when he pushed his boundaries, like the incident with the ice water, and she didn’t become annoyed when he asked a question. Rather, she engaged with him and listened to what he had to say, even when he knew he was saying the dumbest shit. Something he was slowly coming to appreciate. Truth was, he liked how much she cared.

And this sense of compassion wasn’t exclusive to people. He couldn’t forget the one time she found a gangly-legged huntsman spider lurking in a corner and not knowing what it was at first gave a loud, girlish shriek, prompting Satoru to rush in and squash the said spider, whereby Hannah began to cry, aggrieved that he felt it necessary to maime such a “harmless creature.”

“I didn’t want you to kill it,” she sniffed, wiping her teary eyes. “How would you like it if someone came along and squished you?”

Satoru could only stand there and take it on the chin. Women; Damned if you do, damned if you don’t. But irrespective of her unnatural empathy for creepy-crawlies, he found it a little cute that she was waking in the middle of the night just to spy on him. Silly girl, of course he knew. The Six Eyes saw past everything, even when fully closed, though a part of him didn’t want her to know that for fear it would scare her off. One way or another, that’s normally what happened; people were always afraid. And if it was any consolation, he’d been spying on her too.

Whenever he heard her singing in the bath, Satoru couldn’t resist taking a quick peak, using the Six Eyes to see through the bathroom walls, but kept the erections to a minimum…Well, he tried to anyway. Sometimes when she hit a particular high note and turned to him full frontal, his mind would draw a massive blank and the contracted muscles bundled around his groin would involuntarily relax, allowing blood to flow inside the spongy cavities and take hold. Stretching. Expanding. Oh so good. Unlike the previous times, however, the sensation left him feeling a tad…icky. Hannah wasn’t some no-name porn star he could heedlessly jerk off to and then forget like a used condom, and yet he was treating her no different. If she ever found out, what would she think? What would she say? Probably nothing nice. Despite how things started between them, he wanted her to like him, or at least willingly talk to him. There was so much she didn’t know about everyday life.

Take technology for instance. The woman knew next to nothing about technology. Earlier that month, he’d gifted her a brand new iPhone 6 and not until he saw her lost expression did he understand she had no idea what she’d been given. “I wasn’t permitted to have one,” she said sheepishly, as though attesting to a crime. Satoru spent the duration of that evening hovering over the little woman, teaching her how to open the lock screen, how to dial a phone number, and how to type a text message and search the internet. Still to this day, his wife is unable to text using both thumbs and holds the phone flat in her hand while using her pointer finger to tap on the keyboard, which for a while drove him insane, but he’d eventually make peace with it. Although her knowledge of pop culture was inexcusable.

“C’mon, you’ve had to have seen The Godfather.” he stressed when the subject came up. “You know? The greatest motion picture ever made?”

Hannah shook her head.

“Star Wars?”

Again her head went left to right.

“The Dark Knight? Lord of the Rings?…Elf?”

Every Hollywood blockbuster Satoru listed, Hannah responded with a negative, except for Men in Black weirdly enough, which wasn’t close to being the best Will Smith performance. Nor did it cover Japanese staples like Spirited Away, Hara-kiri, or Bayside Shakedown. It killed him.

“Really, you haven’t seen any of these films?” he said, hands falling to his sides in disappointment. “Nada one?”

Hannah bit her lip and glanced at him warily. “I’ve read most of the books,” she squeaked. “Does that count?”

From that day forward, Satoru made it a priority that once a week Hannah sat down to watch a movie with him and, as an act of goodwill, would let her pick the genre. “Except romance,” he emphasized, making an “X” with his arms. “We’re not watching any of that garbage.” Though he must’ve been joking when he said this because a good quarter of his collection were rom-coms.

Unfortunately, Hannah couldn’t say these movie nights were particularly enjoyable since every few minutes or so, Satoru would forget where he was and spoil the scene, or worse, spoil the ending, but she didn’t have the heart to tell him to stop, nor condemn the obscene amount of butter he drizzled on the popcorn because in a physical sense he appeared alive and well, but Hannah knew he was tired. She knew how hard he’d been working; traveling, exorcizing Curses, haggling with the higher-ups, waking at the crack of dawn to train her, and doing it all over again. If watching a movie one day out of the week was his way of relaxing, then she would do her best not to complain. After everything that transpired over the last month, things had begun to take a turn for the better.

Aloof, scatterbrained, and eclectic, Hannah initially thought Satoru a tough nut to crack, but after spending an inordinate amount of time together, perhaps a better analogy was a rough diamond; only until you looked under the light, very closely, could you see the tiny fractures sparkling within. That being said, he had difficulty opening up, jabbering for hours on end without saying really anything at all, never personal, never too deep. Although sometimes when they got to talking and the film credits rolled, the mask would slip right off.

“I fuckin’ hate this job,” he admitted to her one night, resting his long legs atop the coffee table, while massaging his aching eyes.

Hannah’s own eyes deflected from the television screen, the half-empty popcorn bowl sitting comfortably in her lap. They’d just finished watching Disney’s Hercules and were about to watch The Aristocats next. The hollowness in his voice worried her. “What makes you say that?”

Satoru sighed deeply through his nose. He’d lost interest in the movie roughly forty minutes ago. “Curses are conjured from negative emotions wrought by humans,” he said, staring blankly at the scars lining his palm. “Envy, revenge, anger, despair. We could excorcize every Curse in this country, find all the Sukuna fingers before they fully manifested, and it still wouldn’t be enough,” he balled his fist, “Maybe Suguru was right. Maybe humanity is too far gone to save.”

“Suguru?” Hannah’s brows contracted. “Who’s that?”

His eyes quickly flicked to her. “Nobody,” he muttered, before looking at the television. “Just some guy I used to work with.”

Hannah bowed her head and slowly leaned forward. “Well…would you like to know what I think?” She placed the popcorn bowl on the table, enticing him to listen. She caught a slight trace of turquoise blue focused on her. “I think what you do is important. Because of you a mother didn’t have to bury her newborn baby, a little boy didn’t have to get his leg amputated from a curse infection, and an old man got to live longer to see his grandchildren grow up. People like you make a difference, Satoru.”

But as she said this, the sorcerer turned away. He’d heard the same speech before. “What’s the point? We can’t save them all,” he murmured.

“No, you can’t,” Hannah whispered sadly, knowing his words were true. “Like you said, there's terrible evil in this world,” she placed a hand on his shoulder, “but there’s also a lot of good. And if there’s a way to protect even a little of that goodness, doesn’t that make the fight worth it? Don’t you think having a little good in this world is better than having none?”

Satoru wheeled his head to look at her, Six Eyes blue as a cloudless sky. Is that what she told herself when the nightmares became too real? When she would cry out in the dead of night and beg someone, anyone, to come save her from the monsters she faced in her dreams?

“I wish I never had it,” he recalled her saying, and now several weeks after the fact, Satoru was beginning to understand what she meant. He couldn’t confirm to what extent, but Hannah’s visions were afflicting her almost every night, seemingly more morose and violent than the last. The walls weren’t soundproof. He could make out her whimpers emanating from across the halls. “Please,” she would weep in strained English, “help me.”

Gravely concerned for her mistress, Makoto once tried breaking the seal with a counter charm, a powerful disarming spell inked on a white tag, but the incantation swiftly rebounded upon making contact with the door and nearly engulfed the hallway in an inferno of bright purple flames. It was no good. The seal was indestructible. Sorcerer or not, nobody was getting in from the outside. They’d have to wait for Hannah to awaken on her own. It worked once with the ice water. Perhaps it would work again.

Satoru didn’t have to wait long to find out.

Late one night when he was returning home from another mission, trudging tiredly up the dimly lit hallway, his ears detected the sound of Hannah crying in her bedroom. Had he opened his door too quickly and closed it shut, he would’ve missed it.

“Sa…”

Satoru froze stiff, fingers hooked around the latch. Could it be — was she?

“Sa…u”

He glanced cautiously towards the other side, seeing her tiny figure through the walls on the ground, thrashing under the blankets like a butterfly tangled in a web, desperately wanting to be freed. The thought reminded him of that lousy hair clip he returned on her nightstand weeks ago. He walked over and pressed his ear to the door, her voice clear as a bell.

“Satoru.”

Nope. He wasn’t imagining things. That was definitely his name she was calling. But was it enough? Would it let him in like last time?

His hand gripped the shoji handle and yanked it gently to the right.

The door cracked a tiny sliver.

Ha! Success.

Quickly, he stepped into the room brimming with paulownias and looked down at his foreign bride, her pretty face contorted as though in pain; skin sweaty, teeth gritted, glistening tears streaming down her cheeks. His chest lurched. She looked so frail, so weak, trapped inside that limbo state of neither sleep nor real consciousness, but Satoru knew his orders. He was not to wake her. He was not to disturb or inhibit the visions by any means. He could do nothing except watch the little woman go it alone. The inaction made him feel powerless, a horrible mixture of both pity and subdued agitation.

“No,” she cried out again, voice breaking from the violent sobs that overcame her body. “Ple-e-ease.”

Fuck. It had been like this for weeks. Orders be damned. Those old fogies could go drown themselves at the bottom of the Sumida river. Satoru knelt on the floor.

“Hannah?” he said, cupping her cheek and tapping it lightly. “Oi, you’re dreaming, Hannah,” he grabbed hold of her shoulders and shook, “Hannah. Wake up.” Her head lulled. Auburn hair clung to the sweat and tears on her cheeks as more sobs followed. She squirmed in his hold.

Running out of available options, Satoru was tempted to place two fingers on her forehead and disrupt the vision with Cursed Energy, but found himself reluctant to do so. He didn’t know the effects of using spells on people during powerful visions. It could easily backfire similarly to the charm Makoto placed on the door. What if he gave her irreparable brain damage or made her permanently blind? Maybe it wasn’t good of him to come here after all.

“No,” Hannah begged, her hand grappling for air as though reading his mind, “Please don’t,” she sobbed harder, “don’t go.”

Without a momentary thought, his palm found hers, tracing the smooth skin with his thumb in an effort to soothe, giving it a tender squeeze. This woman had shown him actual kindness when few else did and asked nothing in return.

“I'm not going anywhere,” he whispered, caressing her dollike hand in the moonlit dark. “I promise.”

Refusing to leave, the sorcerer stayed by her side the whole night, holding her hand, until the sun trickled in the next morning, secretly making his exit before those innocent hazel eyes flitted open.

Like always, Hannah would remember none of it.

Chapter Contents

[mistydeyes]

I’m not sure if this is the correct way to ask for a mw3 pairing, if it’s not the correct way then I’m sorry. I’m also sorry that this ask will be so long..

Appearance

. Red hair, shoulder length, feathery layers with bangs, waves that curl( ?)

. 5’3

.Green eyes

.Fair skin and freckles

. Nails are most often painted black

Personality

.INFJ-T

.introvert

.Anxious

.shy with ppl I don’t know but I open up after awhile of knowing the person and that’s when I can actually relax and have fun

.not smart in the math category or anything like that

.puts other people before me, no matter how much I want something or whatever, the person I love will always come first

.gets overwhelmed easily in crowds or in places with loud noises or bright lights

.night owl, literally nothing helps me go to sleep anymore lol

.overthinker

.willing to try anything at least once

.tries to be nice to everyone even if they have done me wrong

.very oblivious when it comes to ppl flirting with me

.prefers staying in then going out but if I’m comfortable enough with the person who wants to go out I’ll be happy to go with them

Things I like

.bones and different oddities

.Old things

. Any iceberg video over something disturbing, something I can watch for hours over something I find interesting

.horror movies that make me think

.cats

.ancient history and archaeology

.museums and aquariums

.metal/rock music

What I like in a Partner

.someone older, taller, and stronger than me, i like it when I can feel protected and safe

.someone who has strong opinions cause I have hard time making decisions

.someone who doesn’t yell often or someone who isn’t loud cause loud noises stress me out

.I do like the mysterious and edgy types I can’t help myself

.someone who enjoys the same music I do

Future Aspiration

. I would like to be a forensic psychologist <3 or something similar

Simon "Ghost" Riley

How you met: Military Your time in the military was unconventional. While most people would picture you all geared up in the heat of battle, you had a different image of your time. Instead, you sat in a private office helping soldiers and their families following retirement from the army. You loved your job, your forensic psychology degree had trained you to do many things but you found this to be the most satisfying. As you looked at your next soldier for the day, you realized it was the famous Captain Price. He entered your office soon after, followed by three men. "Um, I thought I was seeing John Price today?" you asked confused. "Here to support, ma'am. Want to make sure our Captain is all set!" one of the shorter men with a mohawk replied. You gestured for them to get comfortable as you began to ask Price what he needed before returning home and provided him with a plan to stay active and happy. The whole time you lectured him, you couldn't help but notice a man with a signature ghost mask listening to your every word. You heard whispers about how he was handsome underneath it which you now believed seeing how his eyes sparkled in the afternoon light. With your last few words, you dismissed the men. The ghost masked soldier was the last to leave and he turned to you saying, "You do good work doc, we need more people like you."

A peek into your relationship: "Why do you watch this crap again?" Ghost asked as you were glued to another disturbing films iceberg video. You were settled comfortably in your bed, him with a book and you with your Youtube videos. You paused the ramblings of Wendigoon to answer your partner. "Because it's interesting," you responded before he laughed and placed a kiss on your forehead. "You're an odd one, love" he said. "You didn't say that when I brought our two kittens home" you replied defensively, now turning to face him. "Ah that's right, there is a reason I picked you," he joked before giving you a more loving kiss. "Mhmm now let me get back to this, I wanna see what's at the bottom" you said triumphantly before Ghost returned to his book, loving his life with his unique significant other.

[trip-tuckers-hyperspanner]

The Time During Neuropressure - 5

5 Times Trip Was Dumb + 1 Time He Wasn't

Trip sat in front of T’Pol as she moved her fingers down his back, exacting her knowledge of Vulcan neuropressure as precisely as she did every time they had a session. “Have you been sleeping better, Commander?” she asked him, just like she had every night they did this. She carefully pressed down on each correct nerve. He groaned happily.

“Yeah,” he answered honestly. “This has really helped me.”

“I’ve heard humans sleep better when they are in the company of those they care about,” she said. She was attempting to initiate a type of human flirtatious conversation. In every other instance she had made this attempt, Commander Tucker had never reacted to it accordingly. When she asked Phlox what might have been the reason, he had only told her the atmosphere might not have been ideal. She took his advice to heart — he was an emotional creature with very successful marriages. “Perhaps you would like to stay the night.”

Tucker chuckled. “Me? No way.” He looked up at the ceiling. “That’s more about… copulation than actually sleeping.” He craned his neck to see her. “Plus, people will talk.”

“Let them talk.” She moved down beneath his shoulder blades. She pressed her thumbs into his skin as thoughtfully as she could. “If someone has a problem with what we are doing, they can take it up with Captain Archer.”

Tucker let out another low sound. She was satisfied knowing he was deriving pleasure from this experience as well as relieving a sufficient amount of stress. “That would be a hell of a way to get in trouble though, wouldn’t it? If someone thought we were involved?” 

“Your amusement is misplaced.” She applied more pressure beneath his shoulder blades now, focusing on his mid-back.

“Is it?” he asked. He only squirmed slightly when she found a ticklish spot. “Oh! Hey! Be careful back there… Anyway, it would be hilarious. How’d we explain that to the captain? ‘Sorry we were caught half-naked together, sir, T’Pol’s just helpin’ me sleep’? He’d never buy it.”

“I would not find it ‘hilarious,’” she said bluntly. “He would more than likely believe whatever we tell him. He trusts us both, does he not?”

“Even if we lied and said we weren’t doing anything?”

“Vulcans do not lie,” T’Pol lied. 

“It would be a pretty big secret. Just imagine if we’d done something untoward in here.” His teasing tone was a large indicator he was feeling more comfortable around her. Perhaps her flirtation skills were improving. 

“What would you consider untoward?”

Tucker was quiet for a moment, collecting his thoughts before speaking. “Between me and a human girl, I’d say makin’ out, hanky-pankyin’, or getting into a rough-’n’-tumble would be pretty far out there. But between you and me? I think I’d blush if you just called me by my name.”

“Commander Tucker?” she asked. He wiggled once again as she hit another ticklish spot. “Please remain still; it’s not my intention to make you uncomfortable.”

“No, no, not Commander Tucker,” he said with a shake of his head. “Like Charles or Trip or something. You don’t use those names unless you’re introducing me to someone else.”

“Would you prefer it if I called you either of those?” T’Pol moved down to his lower back. “Please change your position to lying down.”

Tucker moved and allowed her to rest on his legs as he lay flat on his belly. “You know I prefer Trip most times, but if you really want to call me Charles, I’d let you.”

“Then perhaps I’ll save it for special occasions. Who knows when something… untoward might happen.”

Trip laughed at that. “I don’t know why people don’t think you’ve got a sense of humor. You’re probably the funniest woman I know.”

“They simply do not understand.” She massaged his hips, just above his buttocks. “Tomorrow we will focus on the arms and thighs. You’d be surprised how many knots and nerves can become a distraction.”

“I’m coming back tomorrow?” he asked. “How are we almost done?”

“I assumed you would be uncomfortable lingering since you believe I have made further progress with my candidate.”

“Oh. Well, have you?”

“I have. I would estimate any week he’ll be primed for my proposition of matehood and courtship.”

“So then you’d be right,” he said shortly. He kept as still as he could as she went up and down his back. Occasionally, he would writhe again but tried to stay still. She did her best not to tickle him. “It’s not right for me to be hanging out with a beautiful woman without my shirt on for no reason. Not when you’ve got yourself a boyfriend, anyway. I mean, I don’t know how territorial Vulcans are of their… mates… but humans usually tend to be.”

“We often tend to be territorial of ours, as well. Are you not going to inquire after him like you so often have?”

“I just figured you’d eventually tell me who he is.”

Intimacy wasn’t really discussed on Vulcan. She almost didn’t answer him as she worked up his back. His skin had smoothed underneath. She was, for lack of a better term, proud of her work. It was surprising how he couldn’t draw a conclusion when she put so much effort into his comfort. So, because of that one fact, she replied, “I do not believe you’re ready to hear.”

“What? What are you sayin’, missy? Are you implying I wouldn’t handle it well?” he squawked. He twisted his head back as far as it would go to shoot her an incredulous eye. “’Course I’m ready to hear!”

“Commander.”

“Okay, well maybe I’m not, but I am curious. It doesn’t matter if I’m still getting used to the idea or not.”

“Commander.”

He put his head back on the floor, releasing a huge sigh. “I think I should at least know what department he works in. You know? I deserve that at least.”

T’Pol had worked back down to his mid-back. “Are you certain you want me to tell you anything? I understand your attraction to me might make the news difficult.”

She had caught him off guard. “Are you saying I’m jealous?”

“That goes with the observation of your attraction.”

He grumbled unintelligible nonsense before letting out a defeated sigh. As she had suspected, he had no real comeback for her accusation. “I might be attracted to you, but I ain’t jealous. Now tell me: what department is he in?”

“My candidate serves in Engineering.” The corner of her mouth twitched. She was thankful Trip couldn’t see it; it would have been instantly recognized and scrutinized. 

He softly swore. “Now I know who it is! It’s Kelby! I should have known.” T’Pol released him and he turned over onto his back. She sat beside him and watched as he did the mental calculations. 

“Lieutenant Kelby is your first assumption?” she asked, lifting her whole brow. “What about him makes you believe I would desire him as my mate?”

“I don’t know,” he huffed, crossing his arms. He gave her a small glare. “You’ve gotta admit he’s kind of cute, right?”

T’Pol had to confess, even secretly, she found his range of emotions intriguing to study. His jealousy, density, and pride were certainly heavy features during this phase of their relationship. Any logical conduction would find it was him she was describing. Lieutenant Kelby was not ‘cute,’ nor in any way aesthetically pleasing to her. She said nothing and did nothing.

“Wait, he’s not cute? Then why do all the younger women hang around us when we’re talking by the warp core?”

There was that soft eyebrow quirk again. 

Trip’s jaw dropped. “What? I thought he was the chick magnet!”

“I would not agree with that statement.” She sat back against her furniture. “I can list several other people on this vessel who are far more valuable to other females than him. He is also discordant with my own tastes in males.”

“I betchya have a whole list of men on this ship with their pros and cons,” he said, moving his head back and forth softly. He laced his fingers over his chest and let them rest. “Only you, T’Pol.”

“Would you like to peruse the list?”

He laughed again. “I love… I love when you tell jokes,” he sighed with a small coo. She did not miss his near slip. “Don’t ever stop.” Trip closed his eyes and let his hands slide to his sides. 

She studied his hands. They were powerful for a human male’s. The fact that he had not yet chosen a mate was the only thing T’Pol did not understand about Commander Tucker. He was well-suited to her; if he had been born Vulcan, he would have been the perfect husband for her. She was going to take him as her husband despite his birth, and logically, if he was going to be her mate, soon, she might as well let him be more intimate with her than he had been. 

She hesitantly pushed her fingers across the floor. Trip’s were warm. She had never touched human skin without a specific purpose; it was an odd experience, but pleasant. She looked forward to being able to more often in the future… but not nearly as much as he might enjoy. Still, she had reasons outside of neuropressure to look forward to. 

“D’you need me to move my hand or somethin’, old girl?” he muttered, not opening his eyes. He was adequately relaxed in her quarters; it was shocking how much he allowed T’Pol to do. He smirked to himself, then, adding on, “That’s what Malcolm calls Hoshi. I just realized. That’s funny.”

“I am not old,” she reprimanded him. She yanked her hand back, crossing her legs. She sat up. “I will only be sixty-six my next birthday.”

Trip’s eyes snapped open, dumbfounded. He slowly sat up. “…I can’t believe you told me that.”

“You accused me of being old,” she huffed, looking away from him. He sat up on his knees and leaned closer to her.

“C’mon, T’Pol, I’ve been trying to get you to tell me since we left Spacedock. Why now?”

“Certain information is… considered intimate,” she ground out, but took a deep breath in to cool herself. She was letting this plan become stressful; it was against the Vulcan way. Trip’s eyes went extremely wide. Finally, he would understand what she had been trying to do for weeks, now.

“So… Does Captain Archer know?”

“He does not,” she clarified. “I cannot think of a reason why he would.”

“How many people do know? Does your ‘candidate’ know?” he questioned, going deeply red in the face as well as adopting a look of concern. “Are you alright?”

“I am perfectly fine,” she reassured him. She gently sat him back down. “The only people I have told are the ones whom I believe will be involved in a more permanent role in my life.”

“Oh…” He blinked, exhaling harshly. He was obviously having a hard time digesting the information she had given him. “Wow. Um, I love you, too, T’Pol, but what about that guy you’re gettin’ involved with? Is that part of your intimate information thing?”

She swallowed a minute fraction harder than normal. She had gone to extra lengths tonight to let him know whom she was talking about, and still, he appeared to be clueless — or at the very least, in denial — about the information she was presenting to him. “You will know as soon as I have made my proposition, Commander.”

He nodded. “Okay.” Tucker stood slowly. “I’m going to go, now; I promised Travis we’d have time to play a board game, so… Do… Do you need me to stay, or…?”

T’Pol lifted her head. “Goodnight, Commander,” she said. “Thank you for understanding.”

“I’d always understand,” he said, yanking his shirt back on. “Call me back if you need anything, ’kay?”

“I will not require anything else, but thank you for the offer.”

He smiled. “Goodnight, T’Pol.”

[army-of-bee-assassins]

back with more questions regarding image descriptions!!

let's say there is an artwork for a fandom that is specific to one country mostly. (Czechia in this example) since the thing the fandom is based on is in Czech. should I write the image description in English or in Czech?

also I've heard somewhere that proper writing should be used in them, is that true? like if the original text is caps lock I should put it to regular. or when no punctuation is used, I should add it.

i hope these aren't stupid, questions. I'm thinking of adding descriptions to all pictures on my art sideblog and I want to do it right :)!!

hi there! sorry for the late response on this one!

so for your first question, i would write the image description in czech in that case! generally speaking, i would write in the language that most of the post's audience will be using. or perhaps whatever language the op was using. you can also do the image description in more than one language (like english and czech for example) if you want. but one language will generally be sufficient.

in terms of proper grammar in image descriptions, i am not sure that it is vital (tho people are welcome to correct me on this), but i believe that it is preferred by some people. i usually use proper capitalization and punctuation in my ids. but again, any id is better than none.

as for correcting punctuation and capitalization when transcribing text, usually the rule of thumb is to transcribe the text as-is, without editing anything. the main exception would be for an honest-to-god typo (like fully a mistake, not a misspelling that was added for comedic effect) that may affect the post's legibility. in that case, you can usually correct the spelling. but otherwise i wouldn't edit the capitalization, spelling, or punctuation. if something would be truly incomprehensible for a screen reader (like something with a lot of words intentionally misspelled), then you might transcribe it as-is, followed by a "translation"/plain text of what it's meant to say.

when it comes to things that are in all caps - there are some mixed thoughts on this. i think these days most screen readers will read all caps just normally, but certain words may instead be read as an acronym. for example, "it" in all caps might be read as "I-T", like the acronym for "information technology." another thing to note is that no screen reader (as far as i'm aware) will make any note of something being in all caps. this means that when all caps are used for emphasis, a screen reader user has no way of knowing that the emphasis was there. lastly - and maybe this is just a personal preference and doesn't extend to other people - i find it kind of difficult to read a long stretch of text (like, more than a few sentences) that is in all caps. for all of these reasons listed, i often like to transcribe all caps with normal capitalization, just with a note that indicates that it was in all caps. for example: "The sign reads: [in all caps] 'do not enter'". these sorts of notes can also be added when all caps are used for emphasis. however - i'm honestly not sure if there's an agreed best practice on the transcription of all caps text. or if there is, i still need to learn about it.

just as a general note for alt text and image descriptions - a great way to learn a bit more about how screen readers work is to try out the screen reader on your phone! pretty much all modern phones have a screen reader in the accessibility settings, and you can set up a quick shortcut to turn it on and off with ease. for my phone, i just hold down both volume keys for a few seconds to turn it on. once the screen reader is on, swipe left or right to change what is highlighted and being read, and double tap to select what is highlighted. there are more settings than that, but that's what you need for just basic navigation. once you've figured out how to use your screen reader, try it out on different tumblr posts to see what it's like, and try it out on alt text or image descriptions that you write to see if they read well.

thanks for the thoughtful questions again!

[abandonedpie]

I was taught to chase my dreams, but whenever I think about it for two seconds, I realize my dream is unrealistic and actually kind of selfish, so like. Guess I'll just meander through my life with no big goal to work towards, unless I manage to come up with a more achievable dream that I'd feel is worth fighting for.

But you know, a dream is still a dream, and I won't give it up entirely. I'll keep chasing it in small and incomplete ways, devouring what pieces I can, like a ravenous pigeon after breadcrumbs. Bread is a tasty treat, after all, but as you may have heard, it doesn't carry any nutritional value for pigeons, or birds of any kind, really. So you see, while it's not inherently dangerous for birds, it fills them up with, effectively, nothing, when the nutrition they need to survive lies in other food, such as birdseed. Now, I'm not an expert on birds; this is all information I've picked up from the internet, but I do believe it to be factual, and more importantly in the current situation, relevant to the point I'm trying to make. What point was that again?

Ah, right, I was using it as a metaphor, in which I am this figurative bird and the bread represents my dream. So you see, even if it's not realistic to live off said dream, I can't resist a tasty piece of bread every now and then. And who can? Well, I suppose those who are gluten intolerant may have an easier time resisting bread, though from what I've heard, many such people still face temptation despite the negative effects bread has on them. And if that's the case, they must understand the struggle, even more so than I do. Or perhaps it's more accurate to say our struggles are different, even regarding the same subject.

Of course, I'm sure there are people out there, both with and without gluten intolerance, who simply do not like the taste of bread. Even though I myself do like at least some types of bread, it's understandable that not all people share my tastes. You know, I've never understood why so many people make such a fuss about others enjoying food that they themselves dislike, or others finding their food preferences unpleasant. For example, pineapple on pizza. Whatever your opinion of pineapple on pizza is, I find it simply unreasonable to expect, or desire, everyone else to share your tastes, as though there were a "correct" and "incorrect" way to experience food, or indeed, anything else in life.

The fact of the matter is, nobody experiences anything in precisely the same way, and we certainly didn't choose to experience things in the ways that we do. What I mean to say is that everybody is different, and that isn't a bad thing. We are also fundamentally alike in other ways: that is, everyone is human, and so in essence, we are all birds—or perhaps other animals, say, a hippo or an elephant, or even some form of nonliving or otherworldly entity deserving of respect, if you so identify—in any case, we all desire and find meaning in a tasty treat, whatever form that may take for you.

[thesunshineriptide]

Coming out to the octatrio as trans

AKA very self indulgent headcanons I wrote because I’m trans and my hot take is that jade is agender and floyd is genderfluid

Ft. Trans octatrio and various different flavors of trans. octopuses and eels in particular are all hermaphroditic so by the very nature of their merforms they aren’t cis boys and that’s why I’ve decided to go through with the trans agenda and-

Azul:

“I’m a trans man and use he/him pronouns.”

- “of course. This is an all boys school, isn’t it? Do you have a preferred name? Oh, excellent! I’ll make sure to address you as such. Thank you for telling me, Prefect.”

“I’m a trans woman and use she/her pronouns.”

- “Good to know, thank you. May I ask your preferred name? Ah, it’s beautiful. If you need any assistance in your journey, please do let me know, ma’am.”

He’s completely chill, not particularly surprised. Trans people are quite common in the Coral sea, particularly ftm and mtf due to the nature of, yknow, fish.

“I’m genderfluid and use any pronouns.”

- “Oh? I’ve heard of that. Floyd was mentioning something about this the other day. Would you mind explaining it to me? If not I can research on my own, but a first person source will likely be more accurate.”

He’s supportive if a little lost. He’s doing his best to adapt on the fly though and doing pretty well!

“I’m non-binary and use they/them pronouns.”

- “Interesting. I’m quite familiar with that, I believe Jade is much the same. Do you have a different name you wish to go by? Ah, such an…intriguing name. Thank you for sharing this with me.”

He’s judging your verb/object/fictional character based name but trying very hard to be nice. It’s okay, you’re in good company. He literally never fucks up your pronouns because he is also a they/them pronouns enjoyer, and so is jade, so it’s just normal.

“I’m a Demigirl and use she/they pronouns.”

- “Ah, interesting. I’m on the other side of this coin, I suppose. Do you prefer gender neutral terms or more feminine ones? Or perhaps a mix of the two?”

He’s a lot more casual with this. As far as he’s concerned, this is basically just normal. He is not yet aware cis people exist /hj

“I’m a Demiboy and use he/they pronouns.”

- “As am I! I’m glad to have someone to commiserate with.”

Azul is demiboy energy and he is absolutely vibing. You two are besties now he will follow you around more than he does with Jamil. Emotional support human

“I’m trans and use neopronouns.”

- “oh? Neopronouns…interesting. What might they be? Oh! How interesting. I will do my best to implement them accordingly, please correct me if I make a mistake.”

It takes him a beat to get together with neopronouns but he’s trying hard. He ends up writing it down in the blackmail folder he has on you just so he doesn’t forget. He also probably gets you a personally made pronoun pin (he says it’s a gift, it’s to help him remember more than for you though)

Jade:

“I’m a trans man and use he/him pronouns.” & “I’m a trans woman and use she/her pronouns.”

- “A pleasure to make your reacquaintance. May I ask what name you wish for me to refer to you with? Ah, thank you. Is there anyone you don’t wish to know yet? I can keep a secret quite well, you’ll find.”

Their reaction isn’t really any different depending on what gender you’re transitioning to, because what is gender? They just give you their little sly smile and give you a drink half off, listed as a mistake on the receipt so Azul doesn’t get suspicious.

“I’m genderfluid and use any pronouns.”

- “Oya, thank you for telling me. Floyd is much the same. Is there anything you need me to adjust in this new period for you, aside from your pronouns?”

They adjust fast, after so much experience with their twin, and happily do whatever you request of them in regards to your transition. They may ask you to talk to Floyd on a day that he’s having gender dysphoria though

“I’m non-binary and use they/them pronouns.”

- “Oh?”

Literally doesn’t know how to respond. They kind of stare for a few moments, unsure if they should come out as well. They don’t mean to be rude, they’re just surprised. If you end up feeling awkward and leaving, expect that Jade will invite you personally to an outing with them to come out in response, as well as apologize for making you feel weird.

“I’m a Demigirl and use she/they pronouns.”

- “Ah, thank you for telling me. I will do my best to keep that in mind for you. Is there anything else you’d like me to know about this topic?”

They aren’t super accustomed to demigirls but they know Azul pretty well and they’re a demiboy so this musnt be too different, right? Understands the assignment but fails to understand that being casual isn’t necessarily the best reaction for someone who doesn’t know all that

“I’m a Demiboy and use he/they pronouns.”

- “Fufufu, you should speak with Azul then, you’ll find you two may have a lot in common in that aspect. Oh, no, not about a contract. I wouldn’t recommend that, I doubt they would either.”

Sometimes being a charming moray means sending everyone with a similar gender to your octopus bestie. Anyway they’re obviously gonna treat you like the royal you are bb don’t even worry about a thing

“I’m trans and use neopronouns.”

- “Neopronouns? How innovative. Very well, I will gladly call you by the terms you’ve chosen. May I ask why you picked them?”

If given a few years to explore gender expression more, Jade would probably use neos too. For now though they’re sticking with they/them, but are very intrigued by your pronouns! Another one who adds them to your blackmail file in order to remember them. Might practice in the mirror in case they run into you.

Floyd:

“I’m a trans man and use he/him pronouns.”

- “Haha, we got one boys! Another convert.”

You think Floyd hangs out with cis men? No, no, he’s on basketball team. None of those people are cis. Anyway they’re delighted to find out you’re trans and immediately you are invited to every basketball game and also into the locker room and to their sleepovers (they’re not sleepovers, it’s just Ace and Floyd crashing in Scarabia forcefully)

“I’m trans woman and use she/her pronouns.”

- “oh, nice! I use those too sometimes. Are you keepin’ your name the same or are you changing that? Just wanna stay in the loop.”

Supports you. Every time the octatrio goes off campus, Floyd’s texting you pictures of every dress/heels/femme outfit they see in the window of a store and asks if you want it. You’ll have to pay the price (it’s to go swimming with her) but she’ll gladly get it for you because he knows you’ll look bomb in it

“I’m genderfluid and use any pronouns.”

- “haha mood. Hey wanna go get a slushie?”

Like I mentioned before, Floyd is also genderfluid and uses all pronouns. Does not think twice of this, just internally sets your pronouns to all. Might text you later to ask for more details but mostly just vibing with you

“I’m non-binary and use they/them pronouns.”

- “hey, Jade too! Small world, huh?”

Another casual response because this is, again, just normal. He supports his sibling, so she’s gonna support you too. Aggressively. Probably sends you the same memes they send Jade about stealing gender n shit

“I’m a Demigirl and use she/they pronouns.”

- “oh dope, sometimes I am too. Hey, do you know how to do nail polish? Cause we should get matching colors.”

She’s in a good mood and wants to celebrate. Also can’t do their own nails because her hands are shaky. Please help them.

“I’m a Demiboy and use he/they pronouns.”

- “just like Azul! That’s so fun. But yeah, sometimes gender do be hittin like that.”

Expect a squeeze and also to be carried directly into Azul’s office and plopped in front of him. Will encourage you to tell Azul too because, like jade, he thinks Azul needs another emotional support person. Two insane eels are not a therapy group makes

“I’m trans and use neopronouns.”

- “Ooooh! Sounds fun, maybe I should try some! Hey, hey, what do you think about Fin/fins?”

They’re so on board with neopronouns. They end up not using them, because he keeps forgetting what he chose, but she never forgets yours! That is a saved file in her memory bank and going absolutely nowhere until you update it.

Bonus:

“I’m trans”

- “That’s fine you’re still a fuckin shrimp.”

[simp-city-sirens]

BatFam Reading Habits Headcanons

*I’ve been getting back into reading lately and it got me thinking about the bat families reading habits or tastes. These are just my headcanons - feel free to disagree or add on your own thoughts - I’d love to hear ‘em!*

Jason Todd reads the classics but not in a snobby way. I mean, we already know he reads Austen. He’s also into classic poetry in addition to the novels and he’s secretly really into annotating and analyzing such. On the flip side he is also a massive nerd who loves to read comics and manga as well (he’s more into shojou than shonen but he won’t tell anyone that)

Bruce Wayne on the other hand is into classics but in a decidedly much more snobby way (if it’s not a classic is it even worth his time). He has definitely read books such as Frankenstein, Crime and Punishment, the Iliad and the Odyssey, and The Divine Comedy. He’s into anything with really nihilistic tones and he almost certainly is one of those dads that reads history and political books. 

Dick Grayson reads whatever’s popular at the moment. He wants to stay current and it’s very “so this is what the kids are into these days?” energy. If the book is blowing up on tiktok you can be sure Dicky boy has or is reading it. He’s also a comics nerd and get’s into heated debates with Jason over them.

Barbara Gordon is a nonfiction girly for sure. As far as fiction goes, though, she’s giving me high-fantasy vibes. Don’t know why - but I’m convinced. She’s also definitely into true crime thriller’s, growing up as the police commissioner’s daughter and all and then later joining the bats and their detective vigilantism. It just came naturally.

Stephanie Brown is in it for the spice. She reads smutty books and nothing will convince me otherwise. Trashy romance is her thing - she’s in it for the drama - the twists - the turns. She definitely rants to the other bats about the books she’s reading a la “and then you wON’T BELIEVE what this bitch does next!!! She-”

Damian Wayne is into sci-fi and fantasy. He just is. After Jason has him read Austen, though, I think that he secretly really really enjoys romance novels way more than he thought. He would sooner die than admit this - but he definitely has a secret guilty pleasure stack of romance novels hidden away where no one can find them (spoiler alert: someone found them. Which bat family member was it though?)

Tim Drake is someone I struggled with a bit but I think he reads mostly true crime thrillers, though he gets bored with them easily as the plot twists are just SO predictable. If the book can blindsight him in a good way with it’s plot, though? That’s a winner. A truly god-tier book. Also manga. Definitely manga. Tim Drake is a fucking weeb.

Kate Kane gives off horror vibes. She definitely reads horror. She also is down to read anything sapphic. Is it outside her preferred genre but it’s sapphic? Give it to her. She is very critical - with good reasons - of the representation in said books, though, and she only keeps books of the highest gay quality.

Duke Thomas is one of the ones I struggled with the most (along with Cassandra) but I think that I’ve landed on the idea of him reading sci-fi. I couldn’t tell you why - but it feels right. He is also a MASSIVE nerd on the same scale as Jason and Tim who definitely reads comics and manga. He flips between being into the really mainstream popular shonen manga and really obscure shit no one (but Tim) has heard of.

Cassandra Cain I definitely struggled with the most out of anybody so feel free to jump in and add your headcanons. I feel like she would mostly read contemporary literature with very well written characters and social relationships and dynamics??? Why??? I’m not sure. I also like the idea that she likes to explore more of her culture - which correct me if I’m wrong but we don’t have any concrete canon information on but it’s heavily implied she’s Chinese - through reading Chinese literature.

[ta0ken]

p-psyku asks: wowoaow wouldnt it be like so sexy if u wrote scaramouche x male reader (he/him) and it was hanah- /JJJJ HDHSAKG ok but fr. scaramouche x male reader, he/him, (hydro claymore?? if that matters), where the reader finds out scara's real name n calls him that for the first time?? idk why i feel awkward i know u and its just a rq HFKLDSHG HELP IM LOSING IT /J

warnings: genshin impact spoilers (maybe?); maybe ooc because i don’t know how to write scaramouche

: ̗̀➛ SCARAMOUCHE “I’m sorry, what?”

- at first, he’s confused, lost; how did you find out his name? - he’s kept his real name a secret for the longest of time, how did you find out? - yes, you may be able to stand him, but how? - he’s arrogant, he’s not quite liked among his fellow colleagues, but you... you’re able to stand him; he doesn’t want you to know about his past or anything like that. - so please, don’t call him by that name. - he prefers scaramouche, that’s it. - he doesn’t want to be reminded of his past. - but thank you, for telling him. - at least, now you know. - and you can just use his preferred name ‘Scaramouche’.

At first, you weren’t sure if that it was his actual name - was it his real name? Questions ran through your head, your eyes scanning the male before you as you tried to understand if it was or not. He’s been your partner for a long time, so surely, he would’ve told you his actual name or not, right?

Yet, why do you feel like his name isn’t ‘Scaramouche’? (It probably wasn’t, and you know he once admitted that it was just a mere alias.)

You stared at him, looking down at the grounds of Inazuma, a slight frown placed upon your lips. You didn’t want to question the man, but you also did; it was difficult, it was hard, but you weren’t even sure of yourself at this point.

“And now... Hm?” the indigo-haired male paused, noticing your silence. “[Name], what’s the issue? You’re supposed to be listening!” he said, annoyed by your clear ignorance of his talk about the day (it really matters to him, okay?).

“Ah...” you blinked, looking at him, “...Hm, it’s nothing.” You shook your head, trying to refrain from asking his real name, because it wasn’t your business. If he wanted to tell you his actual name, then he’d tell you upon his own accordance: curiosity would always kill you in the endgame.

He scoffed, crossing his arms, narrowing his eyes towards you. “You take me for a fool?” he asked, raising a brow, “I would know when my partner is lost in his own thoughts, no?”

Your lips went into a thin line, a crease forming between your brows. Of course, you wanted to ask him, but it went against your beliefs and your morals. You didn’t want to intrude into his life or privacy - it’s his own (but he keeps edging it on, making you want to ask, but you shouldn’t).

He let out a small sigh, turning to face you fully, head tilted upwards (trying to make it seem like he was looking down on you), eyes narrowed even more. “As my partner, you are to tell me your thoughts, fully. And I demand to know them, right now,” he stated, his gaze hardening. “I will not leave until you do so.”

You stared at him, frowning.

“...But, Scaramouche...” you tried to protest, arguing back weakly, “It’s not important. Whatever’s troubling me isn’t important.”

“Your troubles...” he muttered quietly, “are important to me.”

Hands clenched and unclenched, before you released a quiet sigh, shoulders relaxing. “...Okay,” you nodded, “I’ll tell you; just, don’t get mad, okay?”

“Hah!” he threw his head back in mocking laughter, “As if I’d get mad!”

...You do get mad, you bit back your response, deadpanning, before letting out another breath. “...Is your name... Kunikuzushi?“

The silence you received is the only answer you can take before he said:

“I’m sorry, what? Just where did you even obtain this information?” he asked in disbelief. He’s unusually quiet, his eyes glaring into you. “If you heard it from the other Harbingers, then you must know that it’s a—”

“No, I... I found out, myself,” you said quickly. “I just... didn’t want to intrude into your personal life, that’s all. I wasn’t going to ask you about it until you... told me to...” Your voice lowered into a soft and quiet tone, not sure of what to say. You awkwardly looked away, rubbing your arm.

“Sorry,” you apologized, “if what I asked made you uncomfortable.”

“It’s...” he sighed heavily, hands falling limply to his sides, “It’s fine. It doesn’t bother me as much as it did before. If you had asked me a long time ago, you wouldn’t even be standing.”

You let out a laugh full of disbelief, sweating profusely, “I... I would never, Scaramouche.”

“...Thank you,” he breathed, “I don’t quite like the name Kunikuzushi anymore. I prefer... Scaramouche more, now. My old name reminds me of my past, and I don’t want to think about it anymore. It fills me with...”

You cut him off, giving him a small smile, “It’s okay. You don’t have to talk about it; the past is the past, correct?” You put your hand on his shoulder with uncertainty, not sure if he’d allow you to touch him or not. When he didn’t make any reaction, you continued to speak, “We’re partners now, therefore, what matters is now. Thank you, for at least telling me what you prefer.”

Scaramouche stared at you, eyes widening a smidge before they went back to its original state, and he lets out a huff, a hint of a smile on his face. He closed his eyes, crossing his arms as he looked down at the floor.

“Heh,” he chuckled, looking back up to you, a smirk placed upon his lips, “Since when were you good with words?”

“Since always,” you deadpanned.

“I don’t believe that.”

There was a certain weight lifted off of his shoulders, but he didn’t want to tell you that. He’d tell you that for a different time, considering what mattered was now (your words, not his); he’d make the best of it, for now.

Thank you, [Name].

He’d also tell you that sometime later.

[more-than-a-princess]

Sonia's eyebrows raised in curiosity: it had been a long time since she'd heard Gundham refer to his all-seeing eye. The simulation had replicated who they'd been before The Tragedy to the best of its ability, but it paled in comparison to her memories before Chiaki was killed and they'd all given in to Junko's elaborate plans of despair. Besides, the simulation only served to remind her of the horrible ways her former classmates perished, Gundham included. Gundham having been the most significant, the one that had rattled her the most, the one she'd sunk to her knees and begged and sobbed for that terrible bear to change his mind, to spare him from whatever grand death the punishment time had in store for him. The one that had her shut away in her cabin for days after, in disbelief, in deep melancholy. She'd realized early on in the simulation that her new friends were going to die: she just never had thought that Gundham would've been a victim or worse, a culprit.

No, she'd thought he would always be there, until the very end, with his unique vision of the world and how they all existed in it. Maybe that wish hadn't completely failed to come to fruition, albeit far more fractured than she'd originally envisioned. "If you are sure..." She replied hesitantly, stepping aside to give him better access to the popcorn machine. She didn't doubt his ability to make the machine work, or to do anything really: it was more the glimmer of the person he used to be shining through, and she wondered if she could trust it. That something, anything, from the blissful school life they once had would return. "I certainly would not mind some popcorn. Thank you, Gundham."

She'd been right to believe in him, at least where the popcorn was concerned. Soon, fresh, hot kernels bubbled over from the metal pot they'd been cooking in, filling the base of the machine with popcorn. "Yes, that is correct," She nodded. Many things had changed, but her love of chocolate was eternal. And for him, though that she kept secret: they had enough to contend with on Jabberwock Island. Unwanted affections did not need to be added to the mix. "I think the flavorings are still good, at least. I have yet to sample them, but the ships to and from Tokyo provide fresh stock to the various storefronts, as well as any mail or parcels sent directly to recipients." Of which she received plenty. Sonia felt a bit uncomfortable by the amount of items sent from Novoselic, particularly when so many of her friends had no one left away from Jabberwock Island to send them anything. Whenever she could, she tried not to fill her cabin with knick-knacks from home, preferring to share with the rest of them: at the hotel's dining room and lounge, packets of candies, crackers, condiments, and various beverages were often to be found, fresh from Novoselic.

Balancing her treats in her arms, Sonia followed him into the empty theater: dingy but clean, she didn't protest as he chose two center seats, depositing her concession stand offerings into nearby drink holders. "Do not misunderstand me," She assured him, leading the way back to the projection room. "It is a good film, though rather harrowing at times. But it tells a very epic story, with so many situations at play. Beyond natural needs, it can be overwhelming. Still, it is a good choice." At least none of them were scheduled to take any trips on a boat soon. Sonia had put off her own nautical journey for as long as she could negotiate it: Gundham's revival and clean bill of health had been one of her top stipulations before she could even consider going home.

She nodded, showing him how the reels were set up in the projector, including where to thread the film in order for it to feed through easily. "There, just like that," She spoke as she worked, straightening and nodding in satisfaction when she was done. "There are several minutes of previews before the film begins so we have ample time to return to our seats. Admittedly, they are all around twenty years old or so, thus it is rather comical to see them listed as 'coming soon.' Let us go watch!"

Sitting as comfortably as she could in the worn theater seats, the film started leisurely enough, or so she remembered. But transported into 1912 was something far more familiar to Sonia than the scenes from the late 90s: she inhaled deeply the moment Rose insisted she was being taken back to America in chains, she shifted her weight when Ruth laced Rose into her corset and reminded her daughter of her responsibilities to her family, she dropped the kernels of popcorn she held when Rose looked over at a young girl being instructed how to take tea. Over 100 years ago and, to Sonia, they felt like yesterday: the same sorts of people she needed to impress, the people who controlled everything around the world while everyone else could only look on.

Periodically, she glanced over at Gundham during the film. She expected such things wouldn't have the same effect on him as they did her: she'd lived through similar circumstances. But Sonia hoped that, at the very least, the sinking scenes wouldn't bring about more sadness. At least the waters surrounding Jabberwock Island were warm, rather than the frigid temperatures of the north Atlantic.

Gundham's brows furrowed at her words as she took her leave. His animal army had been quite adept at destroying entire countries on their own, although Junko enjoyed having him team up with Kazuichi of all people. He'd had his own robot army, so combined with the animal army, they'd been practically unbeatable. They'd first toppled Tokyo, the breeder taking the life of the Prime Minister himself. Shanghai, Berlin, New York City, and of course, Novoselic, were some of the places he could remember having a hand in the downfall of. He knew there were much more than that.

He hadn't heard much about the state of the world currently. He hadn't been awake for all that long, and he'd been so busy with rehab, and then the farm, that he hadn't looked into it much. Really though, he knew those were excuses. He didn't want to know. Here he was, going on a date, when he should be out there, rebuilding what he'd broken. He tried to ignore the overwhelming guilt, as he made his way back to the former Princess.

He noticed the way she placed the chocolate topping down in defeat. The male surveyed the machine curiously. It seemed simple enough, not that he'd ever attempted to make popcorn in such a machine, but he'd always been a proficient cook. After all, he'd had to prepare many nutritious and tasty meals for the animals he cared for. "Ah yes, with my All Seeing Eye, I believe I understand how this contraption functions. Our viewing experience would not be the same without popcorn." Since he'd hardly been to the movies as a kid, he'd always enjoyed the fresh popcorn they had there, with extra butter.

He'd made stove top popcorn at home before, and although it had been missing that certain extra something that the movie theater popcorn seemed to have, it had been enjoyable. Due to that experience, he knew how many kernels to add for roughly two bags of popcorn. After adding the kernels, he set a couple of levers, and it began to pop into the glass window. While Gundham waited, he looked at the rest of the snacks the place had to offer. He grabbed some redvines, and a bottle of water.

Soon the popcorn was done. "I assume you wished to add that chocolate sauce? Or did you want a different flavor?" Whichever flavor Sonia would choose, Gundham would add the popcorn and flavor into a bag, mixing it well, layer by layer. He handed her the bag, and began to do the same for himself, choosing a curry flavored spice, as well as some butter from the nearby dispenser.

Once they entered the theater, the breeder headed to the center seats, figuring those would be best. Although it was a bit eerie to see an empty theater, it was also nice to be able to choose from any seat, and they wouldn't have to deal with those annoying people that talked constantly. He set the refreshments down onto the chair. "But of course we may take a break." He hadn't realized the movie he'd chosen would be so long. Of course, he didn't know anything about it.

"So we place the reel in the gadget?" He began to head to the door in the rear of the theater, that seemed like it would lead to the small projector room. He'd never set up a movie in such a way, but he wanted to look accomplished, and maybe show off a little bit. At least he'd successfully figured out the popcorn machine.

[merakiui]

(im sorry if this is too dark)

but i always wondered how the immortal characters (venti, zhongli, xiao if thats okay) would be with an s/o whose suicidal or has attempted suicide.

Venti, Zhongli, and Xiao with a Suicidal S/O

cw: mentions of suicide and depression

🍎 Venti 🍎

He doesn’t like it at all. He’s stopped you from committing suicide before and it tore his heart to pieces when he witnessed the broken look on your face, tears freely falling like a waterfall.

Venti doesn’t like seeing you in pain. Sure, he’s seen thousands of pained expressions over the course of his existence, but yours is by far the worst. He can’t stand seeing you fall into such an inescapable depression.

He does his very best to keep you happy, always offering to sing and play for you when you’re having a tough time.

Venti has a lot of time on his hands and so he dedicates it to cheering you up when you’re feeling down. He makes you promise him to never attempt suicide again.

If he lost you to your depression, he’d be absolutely devastated. He wouldn’t be able to go on if you weren’t in the world to grace him with your lovely smile and amazing personality.

After your attempt, he’ll be a lot more clingy than before. He’ll follow you around everywhere, promising to never let you out of his sight. He even stops his excessive drinking to make sure he pays attention to you.

An underlying fear of his is losing you as a result of his own mistakes. If he were to get drunk and you wandered off to end yourself... Venti just hates thinking about it.

In order to keep your mind off of depression and suicide, he’ll encourage you to go outside and get some fresh air with him. The two of you can take long walks around Mondstadt or you can come with him to the tavern.

Anything you want, he’ll get it for you. Whatever makes you happy! Venti will be at your beck and call to help you, and if you’d prefer to lounge around inside he’s okay with that too!

Every morning when the two of you wake up, cuddled up together under the duvet, he’ll shower you in affection, assuring you that the day will be great. Even if it seems cloudy and sad, he’ll be your eternal sunshine during those occasional rainy days. 

So for his sake, please keep living! 

🔶 Zhongli 🔶

Zhongli becomes quite concerned after he prevented your first suicide attempt.

Since then, he’s gotten extra protective of you in an endearing way. He’ll linger around you when you’re doing something, refusing to look away in case you happen to hurt yourself again.

He seems a little awkward at first as he struggles to find a way to broach the topic without bringing up unpleasant memories for you.

Zhongli will sit down with you, wanting to know exactly what brought you to such a low point. He hopes it wasn’t his fault and if it was he’s willing to do whatever he can to correct it.

You’ll assure him that it could never be his fault. When he hears about your depression and how it’s started getting difficult to deal with, he promises he’ll do what he can to help you out of that dark hole.

He can’t bear the thought of losing you to something as heartbreaking as suicide. He would feel so lost without you.

Zhongli helps you through these rough patches as best as he can. He’ll soothe you with his presence and talk to you about random things to take your mind off of the depressing stuff.

No matter what happens, you can always confide in him. Even if it seems like no one will listen, he’ll always be there. He’s got all the time in the world to hear you out and he’ll always be ready to console you.

Zhongli makes sure you won’t attempt suicide again in the future by removing all sorts of harmful objects from your grasp. He may not be able to get rid of all of them, but he wants you to know that life is worth living—even if it becomes difficult and tedious.

Zhongli will always love you and he can’t imagine going on without you by his side, so he’ll do everything he can to prevent you from slipping into a suicidal mindset.

☁️ Xiao ☁️

Surprisingly enough, when he catches you trying to jump from the highest point of Wangshu Inn, he feels so many emotions at once. It’s strange. His heart tightens and he feels suffocated, absolutely crushed under the weight of this dreadful sight.

He jumps into action at once, seizing your wrist just as you’re about to jump. Xiao practically wrestles with you once you’re on solid ground, wrapping his arms around you to keep you locked in place.

There’s so much he wants to say, but words escape him in that moment and he ends up holding you in his arms, just silently hoping you’ll get the message.

He’s not usually this emotional, but when he saw you teetering on the edge he felt so incredibly panicked and worried. If he had been a second too late, you would’ve fallen.

Ever since he saved you, he refuses to let you do anything by yourself. It’s a little patronizing, considering Xiao practically looms over you like an overprotective parent.

You’ll have to continuously promise you won’t try to kill yourself like that again. And until he believes you won’t, you’ll have to keep repeating it.

You’re Xiao’s entire world; he loves you so much. So to ever think about losing you to suicide—it’s the most painful thing.

Xiao will do everything he can to protect you. If you want to go into town to shop with a few friends, he’ll come with you, albeit at a covert distance. And if you want to wander near mountains or high areas, he will practically crush your hand as he directs you to an area that’s the safest.

For a while, he doesn’t like seeing you anywhere near heights. You’ll be under his watchful eye whether you like it or not. And even though it’s suffocating you know he's just looking out for you.

Xiao may be more action than word, but he does suggest taking up new hobbies to clear your mind. He’s heard similar advice from Zhongli and he offers all sorts of fun alternatives: painting, stargazing, and even writing.

Whatever it is, he wants you to stay alive and continue living despite the hardships you’ll face. He’ll be right there to help you through it, so it’s okay if you depend on him every now and then. 

[bloodyhell-lucifer]

Daddy is the devil | Lucifer Morningstar

Pairing: Lucifer Morningstar x fem!reader

Summary: Reader is one of Chloe’s best friends and they haven't seen each other for a long time so the decision was made. Finally a sleepover at Chloe’s house since Chloe has a day off of work and Dan took Trixie with him to have some dad-daughter time. What they didn't know is that Lucifer will come with unexpected visit and reader’s shirt will cause such a mess.

Warning: language, smut, unprotected sex (wrap it before you tap it), praise kink, daddy kink, +18

Based on this request: Hello, I hope you are doing well, I would like to politely request a one shot (or more if it inspires you, you do you) from Lucifer, you can do whatever you want with it, reader insert, oc, smut, no smut, totally up to you but I would like it to involve Lucifer meeting/seeing the reader/character (preferably female, gender neutral is also fine) wearing that crop top from Blackcraft that says “Satan Is My Daddy” please and thank you

Notes:

Thank you so much for this request sweet anon! I couldn’t wait to write it down because this idea was so cool.

To be honest it’s my first real one request so I’m pretty excited and also this is my first smut so I’m not so proud about it. I think I don’t know how to write them. Someone teach me?

If there are some mistakes let me know because English isn’t my first language so as soon as possible I’ll correct it.

If you would like to send me a message, ask me about something or send me a request about imagine then the link is in my bio so feel free to message me! I would like to know you better and read your ideas and write them down😄

If you guys like my shitty writings you can follow me for more. I’ll be posting new things sooner than you think and thanks for so much activity under my posts and all the follows, it means a lot and I love u so so much xx

You and Chloe had everything planned for tonight. When you were talking on the phone to discuss the details you decided to have a movie night with some alcohol. You bought some wine, chips and sweets for you and your friend to have some snacks. Feeling of excitement was huge about finally seeing your friend after such a long time. You showed up at Chloe’s door about seven pm ringing a bell to her door. After few seconds the door were open and Chloe lean out from behind of it.

“Oh my god hi girl, so good to finally see you.” she enveloped you in a big hug wrapping her hands around your neck.

“Hi Chloe, long time no see.” you hugged her back. With a gesture of her hand she invited you inside and you stepped in.

After two hours you two were slightly drunk and making fun comments over character that was on the screen of tv during the movie.

“So tell me Chloe, some time ago you were taking to me on the phone about that guy you were working with that just have some attitude and always have something to tell and joke about. What was his name again? Lucian?” You asked her taking other sip from glass of wine.

“Lucifer to be exact. His name is Lucifer.” on her face appeared frown and she raised her brows. “Why you asking?”

“Just asking. You like him?” Hint of concern could be felt coming from your lips.

“Of course I like him. I work with him. He’s my partner.” she responded and nervously began to rub her hands against her thighs.

“You know that’s not what I meant. Is he that handsome that it’s bothering you?” you got up from the couch and headed to the kitchen to pour yourself another glass of wine since you finished the last one.

“Please stop. He’s definitely not my type. He’s arrogant, has got a big ego and always have that stupid smile on his face every time we go somewhere.” She folded her arms over her chest and rolled her eyes.

“Oh I hope I’ll meet him someday. I want to know who’s working with my best friend.” you winked at her and laughed along Chloe.

“Some day for sure.” Chloe was praying that this whole Lucifer topic will end with that. “Tell me you have someone?” She tried to change the topic of that conversation.

“Of course not. Some time ago I had a date with this guy named Brian but it didn’t go well and I lost hope for finding someone.” You said going back to couch and putting your glass on the coffee table that was in front of you. “Listen I’m gonna go and change because this jeans are so uncomfortable and I’m losing my shit with them” You grabbed your bag and went to bathroom to change. You picked your normal pjs which were just crop top with caption ‘Satan is my daddy’ on it and black bottoms.

“Oh Jesus Y/N what a shirt” Chloe blurted as soon as she saw you.

“It’s just a crop top Chloe. Can you just chill? We are already drinking a second bottle of wine and you still seem so stressed about something.” You declared after seeing her sitting so tense. One of the movies you’ve chosen was still playing in the room and none of you was watching it so Chloe switched it to music channel.

“Y/N I’m so sorry. I know I screwed this up. I’ve been stressed about work and Trixie and I don’t know what to do. I hoped I will invite you, we will have fun together after long time and this feelings would go away, but I guess it doesn’t go away and I can’t have fun. I messed up” she sighed and got up from the couch to just stand in front of you having her hands on your shoulder.

“We’re all humans after all, Chloe. I get it and I understand. You don’t have to worry. We can talk about it if you want and we still have time to make it fun. Go get change into your pj’s and and I’m expecting you turning back with a smile on your face.” You smirked to her and went up to set new snacks on coffee table.

When Chloe returned she didn’t have time to say anything because the bell from the door rang immediately.

“Did you invite anyone else?” You asked curiously.

“Of course not. Just you and me. No one else.” She added going to the door to check who was that. You were just standing right behind her.

She opened the door and Chloe saw the the last person she wanted to see today.

“What are you doing here?” She hissed and it was obvious that she didn’t want that person’s presence. You still couldn’t see who that person was.

“Oh don’t be so rude detective. I was in the neighbourhood and I thought that I’ll stop by with a visit.” You heard men’s strong deep voice with a British accent.

Chloe was so tired of this. She didn’t have strength to fight with that man and let him in and then you saw him. The man was a lot taller than you, shit he towered over you. You were so shock seeing that handsome man that you though that you were having a hallucinations seeing a Greek god. He had pitch black hair with little stubble. His hazel brown eyes were twisting into yours like he wanted to see every inch of your soul. Of course his devilish smile was there too to give him another hundred points to looking too fuckin’ good. He was dressed in fancy black suit and black button up that hugs his body so perfectly. You could see from distance that under all that suit he must be having a nice, trained body. Is that legal to look that handsome? You though to yourself.

“Bloody hell detective, I didn’t know you were having a company.” He sent you an evil grin and came into your way. Chloe stood there and she was about to say something when that man spoke to you.

“Hi, my name is Lucifer. Lucifer Morningstar.” He stepped closer to you and took your hand in his. He kissed the top of your hand.

“Like the devil?” You asked and you didn’t know if to laugh or to start panicking.

“Don’t bring my dad into this darlin’. Yeah, like the devil.” He still was having that smirk that could knock you off of your feet by any second. “And you are?”

“I’m Y/N” you gulped suddenly feeling naked under Lucifer’s gaze.

“Oh that’s a real beautiful one” he responded and lean in just to be few centimetres away from your figure. He took one of strands of your hair and put them behind your ear whispering to you. “I really like your shirt baby.”

You wanted to say something, anything but you just couldn’t. You didn’t want to believe that is was that guy Lucifer that you were asking Chloe about.

“Okey enough, Lucifer. Leave Y/N alone. What do you want?” Chloe closed the door behind him and asked Lucifer with frown on her face and furrowed brows. She had her hands on her hips and she really looked like she was not in the mood for such things.

“I said loud and clear I came just to check on you, but now as I see your friend I might want something.” He chuckled and looked at you again. You were so intimidated by his presence that you were looking down at the floor in that moment with blush creeping onto your cheeks.

“Can you stop being the perv that you actually are? If you don’t stop you’ll have to leave.” She urged staying in the hallway. Chloe really was pissed off.

“Okey dokey.” Lucifer raised his hands up in a gesture of surrender and he stepped back from you and went to the living room and you and Chloe follow along.

“Okey ladies, let’s start the night properly” Lucifer loud voice echoed through the room and you already had known that you gonna regret it later.

Chloe told you and Lucifer that she had enough of drinking and that’s it. She was not the one to convince so you and Lucifer were left to the alcohol that still was in the house. After another two bottles of wine and another two hours later in the night Chloe’s phone started buzzing and within moments she went to grab it and answered the call leaving the room. You knew you two were pretty drunk but you could still manage with yourself. Lucifer on the other hand after that two hours ended up with his shirt half unbuttoned and messed up hair after you challenged him to do so. You couldn’t get your eyes off of him sitting like that with his legs spread out and your whole body was screaming to straddle his lap. You though you were going to drool yourself at sight of his muscular torso. You felt pretty damn wet in your panties after sights like this.

“Guys I’m leaving for now. I’ll be right back but Dan called me saying that Trixie is burning up and probably having a fever. I’m going to pick her up. I have already ordered a taxi. Please don’t do something stupid. Y/N, I’m counting on you” Chloe shouted to you putting on her shoes, already changed and slumming her front door shut.

“Guess we have some time alone sweetheart.” Black-haired man said to you turning his head towards you. He put one of his massive hands on your thigh and you sighed after his touch touching your sensitive skin. Your knees were touching and you felt shiver running down your spine. His face was millimetres away from yours. The pad of his thumb running across your bottom lip making you tremble. Your breath hitched as Lucifer smirked at you.

“What do you say baby girl? I know you want me.” He seductively admitted. His deep voice echoing through your years. You felt like you were in trance. Thoughts and consequences be damned, you wanted him more than you’d ever wanted anything, and fuck anything that was in your way.

His thumb moving away from your lips as he was leaning in closer to you. His lips ghosting over yours. His hands cupped your face with his two hands caressing your cheeks. Both of you starred at each other. Your eyes fluttered closed as Lucifer laid his lips on yours. He kissed you passionately, your lips moving in sync. Lucifer’s eyes fluttering closed as well. He grabbed a hold of your hair pulling at them causing a moan felt from your lips as the kiss began to got deeper and needer. You decided to make a move and straddle his lap. His fingers moved from your jaw to your hips digging into them harshly. Your fingers quickly unbuttoned the rest of the buttons on his shirt. Your hands didn’t waste time to trail down his muscular torso what made him groan into the kiss. You broke the kiss first moving your head down towards his exposed chest, pressing your lips against it. You trailed wet, sloppy kisses down his chest, then down towards his stomach. Stopping above the waistline of his pants. Lucifer smirked down at you, as you got on your knees. Looking up at him, as you undid the button of his pants, then unzipped the zip pulling his pants down, as well as his boxers, you freed his growing bulge. Lucifer let out a hiss, as his cock sprang up, while you bit your lip. You stared at his big cock in awe making your way back to the couch to sit next to him.

“You like what you see baby girl? Would you like daddy’s cock in your tight, little pussy of yours? He asked grabbing a firm hold of your jaw making you look him straight into his eyes.

“Hell yes, please daddy” you said arching your back to get some friction from your actions.

Lucifer lowered you to the mattress, your back met the rough material of the living room’s couch. It felt so inviting, so intimidating. You wanted that so badly, your entire body screamed for pleasure. You felt air leave your lungs because of the handsome man has begun to kiss your neck. Your chest were heaving, you raised a hand to the base of his neck and held him there as he sucked strong marks onto your skin. Little moan left you, while your body began to surrender to him.

“You’ll be in hell soon darlin’. Sorry baby but this shirt needs to get out with rest of your clothes but it’s so beautiful and welcoming.” He quickly made you get rid of your clothes quickly. When Lucifer bended down while still keeping his brown eyes locked with yours his tongue swiped a lick atop your breast, then immediately took your stiffened tit in his mouth to suck. His other hand worked on massaging your other breast and you forgot about everything around you and let your body take over as your mouth produced another groan. That’s when he decided to pull your nipple lightly in between his teeth.

“Oh, fuck,” you exhaled the curse in ecstasy.

“Naughty girl aren’t you.” Lucifer grinned, but his tone suggested he’s aroused with your language. His hand ran down the plane of your stomach and slipped down to feel your pulsing desire. You could see it in his eyes how pleased he is at the amount of slickness he felt coating his fingers. He toyed with your clit in deliberately slow circles, and you whined at his touch while moving your hips to receive more stimulation. But Lucifer’s fingers went on to explore further inside you, and you couldn’t hold back the gasp that left your lips as he began to stretch you. He bended down again so that his face is above yours, cologne so strong yet soothing. Lucifer’s kisses were hot and needy. His tongue made a reappearance and became acquainted with yours. Your next gasp bled into a groan into his mouth when he added another finger.

“Yeah, please daddy, I want your cock so bad inside me.” you practically begged.

His fingers may be removed from your sopping heat, but in their place, Lucifer’s bending cock slided between your legs to coat it with your wet pussy. Dark haired man finally entered you. Your back lifted off the bed as you let out a lust-filled cry. It was a tight and delicious fit with your muscles constricting around his eager girth. The man’s lips twisted up at the sound and creates his own unbridled groan.

“Spread your legs wide, babydoll. Take the devil all in.” He was so big you didn’t even know how you can adjust, but your body found a way to relax enough for Lucifer to slide in deeper.

Your eyes squeezed shut at how he stretched you fully, but your voice begged him to move, to give you more. He went on to create a steady rhythm with his hips and all with that filthy comments on how tight and perfect you felt around him. You made another desperate noise as you continue your ascent, which prompts him to ask between grunts, “Speak, love. What do you need from daddy?”

“Your big hands with your fingers daddy” you somehow told with filling voice your need amidst your hedonistic sounds.

“It’s going to the direction I didn’t know it’s going” Lucifer laughed with devilish smirk upon his face.

It was what you need after all, the extra stimulation to bring you closer and closer to what could be the strongest orgasm of your life. In a series of ‘yes’s and curses, you reached another plane of existence. Flashes of white light grew behind your eyes while your mouth widened. Lucifer, in turn, exhaled a shaky and pleasurable moan as your body repeatedly constricted and pulled around his cock.

“Oh shit, doll, just right there.” He came inside you, hot and fast, and you feel the descent of your high flow through you. Every part of you was warm and exhilarated and thoroughly pleased. When Lucifer pulled out from you, he rolled over back onto the couch. His grin read that his own desires have been fulfilled. You knew you got yourself into a deep shit and there’s no way going back.