#but I’m actually not I’m quite mean and often very petty

[thus-wrote-mrs-zeppeli]

He’s posing like a dad who fell asleep on the couch so I Had to use it lol I already give up on using nice pics for these

-Various jjba characters x reader: Parenting headcanons-

Content, plz read: Can be interpreted as biological or adopted children, sometimes from a past relationship for reader because otherwise I can’t see some of these guys having kids lol, Not the best parenting techniques sometimes, but I don’t think there’s anything triggering in here (do lemme know if I’m wrong though)

Leone is more of a father figure than an actual father, Established relationships, dating/married depending on the character

I love parenting headcanons, they’re really fun to write

Characters: Rohan Kishibe, Bruno Bucciarati, Leone Abbacchio, Gyro Zeppeli

-Rohan Kishibe: You have to wonder if Rohan would Ever be mature enough to be a father-

Like you expected, it’s an ADJUSTMENT for the manga artist.

It’s not that he dislikes his own kid, in fact he has quite a bit of pride in his progeny, but he’s not the best at interacting with even teenagers and adults, so his kid is especially subject to his difficult social skills. But growing up around Rohan means his kid is used to it.

Rohan is super stubborn and struggles to express more sentimental emotions, but you wonder why he gets so shy about saying especially sweet things to even his own family sometimes. Just something about the vulnerability of it makes him uncomfortable. That’s your best guess, at least.

He is a well-intentioned father. He wants to teach his kid curiosity, that there is always more to learn; and he takes a great deal of pride (and is super smug about it with you) when your kid expresses interest in becoming a manga artist like him.

Rohan teaching his kid that little stretch he does, and they do it together-

It’s so cute-

Though you do have to step in on occasion and prevent Rohan from teaching your kid Every ‘artistic technique’ of his…please Rohan…do NOT teach your kid to lick dead bugs…you can’t believe you actually have to step in sometimes and prevent Rohan from instilling some bad or inconsiderate habits…but then again…you’re married to Rohan Kishibe, and you of all people are aware of what he’s like.

Rohan’s kid often has to deal with people trying to get close to them because of who their dad is. It’s a bit frustrating, and they might get a little unjustly irritated at Rohan for being famous, but they accept that it’s not really Rohan’s fault. They know their dad has no interest in the fame aspect of his art, it’s just a side effect of being a brilliant author.

Rohan and his kid are pretty similar, despite how little they care to admit it, and even their fashion sense is pretty reminiscent of each other. Often times you’ll even hear something like: “Dad…is that my scarf?” or Rohan’s incredulous little: “Hey, hey, hey, wait just a moment, those are MY earrings.”

You wonder if you should interfere in their little arguments, but 99% of the time nothing happens and they move on immediately. 1% of the time and they’re genuinely giving each other the cold shoulder or being passive aggressive and petty for the rest of the day.

Parenting technique wise, Rohan is not so interested in tradition. He’s not really strict or especially firm with any rules, because frankly, it is more convenient to enforce curfews and rules with Heaven’s Door, but you really don’t like when he uses it, so at Most it’s used Sparingly. He’s pretty lax when it comes to his kid’s mannerisms and behavior, but he Does expect a certain measure of respect from his kid, for both of you since you’re the parents.

As for how many kids he’d have, probably none, honestly-

But if he was going to have kids, just one is enough for him. He really doesn’t have the disposition for parenting, one is plenty, but the experience was very valuable to him, and he is proud of the person his kid becomes, even though he’s still not the best at expressing that affection. He does somewhat understand the importance of verbalizing his love for his child, and when he does try to, it comes across a bit awkward and forced but…hearing their dad try to tell them how much he actually cares about them is one of their fonder memories of him.

Rohan’s kid recognizes they had a bit of an unusual childhood due to their eccentric father, who was also often away on solo trips. But the stories their father would tell or put on paper, the ones dedicated just to his family…Those ones are very precious to his kid, and even though Rohan’s kid doesn’t visit that often once they moved out, it works out well enough for the two of them. Rohan usually doesn’t speak too much about your kid but sometimes he mentions how he wishes they’d visit or send a text; a comment of a concerned parent disguised as a complaint, very much like Rohan.

-Bruno Bucciarati: Firm believer in 2 kids for Bruno Bucciarati. A man who could see himself raising children of his own. But. Someday, in the distant future. He has the self-control and foresight to know he cannot take on such a heavy responsibility in his current position. If the two of you wish for children, it will have to be after he’s able to leave the mafia lifestyle far behind him. He cannot bring himself to put his family at risk by staying involved in that sort of thing.

As much as he wants to raise children with you, he knows it’s better to wait til the moment is absolutely right. I could see him having children when he’s well into his thirties, once he’s certain the two of you have the means to give your kids what they need to thrive and his past in the mafia has no chance of catching up to him.

He’s such a loving father, motivated so much by the love he feels for his children, and his desire to give them a happier childhood than he had. On the slightly stricter side, but he is very fair, and will always make an effort to understand where they’re coming from even if he still believes they need correction.

Hearing “we need to talk” from Bruno has some GRAVITY to it, especially with that intense tone he uses when he needs to command respect. He doesn’t usually get upset enough to really raise his voice at his children unless they get themselves in serious danger, and even then the raised voice comes from a place of concern and not genuine anger, but a “I am VERY disappointed in you,” from him with his strict tone has much more weight to it than any amount of superficial yelling he could do. Because usually it means he’s going to be vulnerable with them for a moment, tell them how their actions scared him or disappointed him or angered him…and Bruno is a compassionate but guarded man, even with his own family, so hearing him talk about how he feels immediately turn a conversation with his kid very serious.

He knows communication is something he struggles with, no matter how good his intentions are, so when he does decide to be completely honest and express his emotions, he always reminds them that he acts how he does because he loves them more than anything else in this world. And he’s not just talk either. Growing up with him as their dad, his kids had seen all the ways he protected them and taught them valuable life skills so they could protect and take care of themselves.

He always acts so strong, though you noticed he was trembling a bit the first day of school for his eldest child. He didn’t cry, but he was pretty close to it that day, and he really had to make an effort to distract himself so he didn’t worry too much over them while they were away. He picks them up after school (omg just got hit with a vision of hot dad Bruno turning other parents’ or teachers’ heads while he’s just getting his kid from school lol), and asks them about their day while walking them home.

His children have always appreciated and loved their dad. They know he would always protect them, and save them if they were in danger, and he did his best to put them on the path to become kind people, and have a good education.

His children visit often, probably try to live close to him, too. And he is always delighted when his children decide to visit him and you, they will always have a place in his home and heart, and he considers raising them one of the greatest honors he’s ever had.

-Leone Abbacchio: You had a kid from a past relationship, so you immediately assumed a man like Leone wouldn’t be interested in getting serious with you. The idea really cemented in your mind when he started a casual relationship with you, and established immediately he: “wasn’t gonna play Daddy,” to your brat, no matter WHAT. He was just your on again off again pseudo-boyfriend who would come and go as he pleased, and he preferred it that way.

Cue you begging him just ONE time to babysit for you…your sitter had canceled last minute and he was the only other person you could turn to that you actually trusted with your kid.

He literally looks at you like >:|

You simultaneously can and cannot believe he groans at you and rolls his eyes. But he can’t just watch you beg for help when he knows he (maybe) could handle watching your kid for a few hours. His innate sense of justice makes him feel obligated to agree. But he’ll complain about it afterwards when you’re not running yourself ragged from stress.

He’s not the best with children, because he has no patience. Literally as soon as your kid starts complaining about being hungry or bored he already gets frustrated. He makes an active effort not to speak too harshly but he’s so used to saying and doing whatever he wanted now that he might’ve lost his composure a few times.

When you get home, your kid gestures at you to be quiet, before pointing at the couch. You follow their gaze and see that your damn replacement babysitter had fallen asleep.

“Did you grab him that blanket?” you ask your kid with a slightly disappointed but not surprised look at Leone. Your kid nods, and reports he fell asleep just a few minutes before you got home so it’s fine.

According to your kid’s report, Mr. Abbacchio is a bit scary and loud sometimes but overall was an ok babysitter.

Well…that’s about the best you could’ve hoped for-

But the next day Leone receives an angry call from you asking who taught your kid such atrocious Italian curse words.

It takes a while but…the deeper your relationship with Leone gets, the more he warms up to your kid too.

Eventually it even gets to where he’ll ask: “how’re you holding up, kiddo?”and ruffling their hair when he visits, or bringing a small toy as a gift for them (though he’ll deny going out of his way to get it, always saying he just Happened to come across it or it was on sale or something).

He’ll try to keep his distance though. He doesn’t want your kid even getting the Idea of looking up to a bad man like him. You tell him he shouldn’t worry about things like that, but then he asks you if you really want your kid growing up thinking being a gangster was a great idea.

You don’t respond, because you both know the answer.

-Gyro Zeppeli: (the dad jokes are SO BAD please free his children) The way he was raised and his observance of his dad definitely influences his parenting style. There are a few differences, but his deep respect for his father reflects in his own parenting, even when he didn’t agree with him all the time.

For example, he does not raise his voice to scold his children; it’s not something he’s ever even considered because he doesn’t need to. His tone and his words are enough to get his message across. He’s an affectionate and playful father in his own way, but when he is being serious his kids absolutely know and will smarten up. No feeling worse than when Papà was upset at them, not because he was scary or anything like that when he had to correct them, but because seeing him disappointed in them makes them feel so bad. He seems genuinely sad when they do something seriously wrong, and when he’s really, Really upset he’ll get quieter and more reserved for the rest of the day and dinner is awkward and silent, but before everyone retires for the night he’ll probably try to have a casual, calmer conversation with whichever kid or kids got in trouble, and usually they’re able to talk it out and it ends with him playfully ruffling their hair and reassuring them he could never stay disappointed with them.

The Zeppeli family history is long, and their traditions are intricate and serious. He follows those deeply ingrained ones, since he has a lot of pride in his family name. His eldest’s real name will only be known by him and you, and they’ll be trained as a doctor and an executioner. And he’ll teach them the spin, of course. But he’ll also instill in them a different genre of justice from what his father taught him: If something feels wrong to you, then act on it.

When it comes to the amount of kids, he imagines himself having quite a few, but he’s not really given it much thought. He grew up in a big family, with four younger siblings. That’s five kids in total. His parents handled it fine, so that must be a reasonable amount, right?

He’s genuinely confused when you take him saying he wanted five kids as another of his bad jokes.

Give him a break, he didn’t know that was a lot! He’s happy to just start with one and see how it goes.

He’s known from a young age that as the eldest he’d be carrying on the real legacy of the Zeppelis, so he faces parenting with grace and an impressive amount of acceptance. However, having plans to eventually be a father doesn’t translate into being completely prepared. He’s calmer than you would’ve expected but…you can tell he feels out of his element, despite the brave face he puts on.

He is a stricter, more serious father than you’d initially thought he’d be. But he is fair, and makes sure his kids know they can always come to him, and he’s still fun and playful when he doesn’t have to be firm. His children respect and love him greatly, though inevitably he’ll have a slightly different relationship with his eldest child due to the traditions of the Zeppeli family.

He’s not as good at being as stoic as his father, and he knows that shows when he’s teaching his eldest, but you assure him that showing his emotions to his children has gotta be much healthier for everyone involved than trying to be a completely impassive Executioner.

At the end of the day, compassion wasn’t a weakness, even for the eldest child in each generation of the Zeppeli line.

[meryldian]

Hi, i'm loving your work, you're so talented. I was wondering if you could do an arguing with the Kaulitz twins (separate) HC please? ❤

I sure can!! Tysm for the request ִ ࣪𖤐

✶ Arguing with the Kaulitz Twins ✶

♥︎ ♥︎ ♥︎ ♥︎ ♥︎ ♥︎ ♥︎ ♥︎ ♥︎ ♥︎ ♥︎ ♥︎ ♥︎ ♥︎ ♥︎ ♥︎ ♥︎ ♥︎ ♥︎

★ Bill Kaulitz ★

Let’s start softly

This may have been said many, many, many times but it’s true. You guys rarely fight, but! When it comes to little arguments over some petty topics I’m afraid it’s the opposite.

It never lasts long.

You accidentally pulled a loose thread on his silk shirt? He’s going to pout about it for the next thirty minutes

You stepped on him? He will dramatically say you’re plotting against him

Missed a chord on stage? Oh he will be genuinely annoyed for a little while

When it comes to serious arguments though, you need something big to anger him so badly.

It would start just like your usual bickering. Making petty remarks at each other and someetimes avoiding the main issue.

Once his face drops and he goes completely serious you know it's about to go down.

Bill can be very pigheaded so he will stick to his point no matter what. He likes being right just as he likes being in control.

He's the type to speak really fast and cut your word because he feels the need to explain himself.

Is very consious of what he says though, he will never say something hurtful that he doesn't mean.

It's a different story if he actually means it. He's brutally honest and if you did something bad he will tell you without sugarcoating it, even if it can come across as rude.

Bill can take a lot in but there's always a point where he breaks, it's normal.

Look he's not a rude person at all, but he's not one to let things slide either.

A flaw of his is that he may say a hundred things at once and expect you to listen through but there's times when one of your first replies will make him cry or freak out right away. Ofc not always but it's one of the things Bill would need to work on.

He is not that aggressive but is VERY defensive.

Bill doesn't like conflict though, this is really a worst case scenario where something comes up and you guys need to argue it out.

Friendly reminder that it is necessary in relationships to argue from time to time as long as it stays healthy.

If the argument gets too heated Bill prefers that you both part ways for a couple hours to cool down. Then you discuss again after re-arranging your thoughts.

At the end of the day he never meant wrong, he just wants to fix whatever came up.

Bill would feel terrible after you fight. He genuinely fears you’ll leave him or start hating him.

Would not apologize instantly because his pride plays a big game, but give it some minutes or an hour; worst case a day and he will come back sobbing and asking for your forgiveness, expressing how much he loves you and how he never meant to fight.

You’re the type to be angry at each other but still cuddle at night.

Hug him and tell him he's valid please.

☆ Tom Kaulitz ☆

Tom, Tom, Tom

Believe it or not, Tom becomes quite submissive when he's very emphatuated with someone.

He really is at your mercy.

Yet it doesn't change the fact that he's a bit of a hot-head and just like Bill, he likes when he's right.

Let's not forget Tom was a bit of a punk activist growing up. You get what I mean when I say that be likes to get his point across. (Y'all need to read Bill's book if you speak/understand german it's a GEM. There's also a girl narrating some of it in spanish on YT :)

Unfortunately, arguments do happen often. Sometimes it’s really nothing but other times it can get pretty ugly.

When you guys are mad at each other everyone knows that it's better to leave you be because it will get loud.

Your fights range from small discussions that you have often to actual screaming matches when it gets bad.

It's inevitable for the both of you to raise your voices as each other in these cases.

The reasons may vary. It can be miscommunication, ESPECIALLY in 2006-8 when you were still young teens experiencing the world of fame.

Jealousy, for sure. I can see Tom being skilled enough at hiding it but he’s very possessive still.

And well, it’s still Tom. Again if you focus on his earlier years of fame the amount of girls throwing themselves at him can definitely be a cause of conflict.

Unless you’re very chill about it.

There’s definitely still possessiveness on Tom’s side.

I feel like neither of you would really know how to process the frustration.

A little thing to take into consideration is that you’d be the couple that argues, yell that you hate each other and then 10 minutes later you’ll be back to normal and never speak of it again.

Which you need to work on.

It’s because of this very reason that some of your fighting topics can be repetitive.

From what the twins have confessed, they could get pretty aggressive with their surroundings.

Tom would never, NEVER, raise a hand at you. No need to worry.

But the items around him can’t say the same.

He’s the kind of person that feels the anger in him build up physically and needs some release. When he’s fuming, in the worst of scenarios some tables would be kicked or some object would fly around. Just never at you.

This habit does get worked on throughout time though, he matures and grows.

The only physical fight that would ever go down is a pillow fight. Or play fights. Or in bed. But that’s another story.

A bit similar to Bill, Tom needs some time to cool off, just does it more impulsively.

He would walk out sometimes because it’s far too overwhelming.

Makeup sex is a big thing in your relationship.

Tom would love to express himself better and talk things through he simply needs help doing it.

Maybe you’re the help he needs.

[inawickedlittletown]

All I Want For Christmas Is You (BuckTommy) - 6/8

Summary: When Buck and Tommy pick each other for the 118's Secret Santa, they both realize they know nothing about each other. That changes very quickly. Words: 3.1k Rating: M Read on Ao3 Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five

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Chapter Six

The next week was different. Buck wasn’t sure if anyone even noticed, because Tommy had just reverted back to just kind of ignoring Buck unless it was work related. They were never alone despite Buck trying to catch him on his own. When Buck had tried sending him a text it sat unread for days and then when Tommy did respond it was just to decline Buck asking if he’d want to go see a movie together. 

Buck knew when he wasn’t wanted. He knew when it was better to just cut his losses and move on. It happened to him often enough. There was just something about him that made people think they could do better, or that he just wasn’t worth all the trouble after a romp in the sheets. Tommy had come to that conclusion and Buck couldn’t fault him. So, he stayed away. There were more fishes in the sea and all that. 

At the very least, the time they’d spent together had given Buck a few options when it came to Secret Santa. Although, a part of him — a petty part — wanted to just go out of his way to make the present as mundane and useless as anything. 

He couldn’t quite convince himself to go that route. But, it wasn’t like Buck knew what he would get him. The one thing he was certain of was that once Christmas had come and gone that would be the end of it and he would stop letting his mind drift to thinking about Tommy yet again. Buck would go out and find someone else and just move on. It was what he did and it was what he was good at. 

When the week was over, Buck gave in to the impulse to just go out to a bar and see if he could do something to get Tommy out of his mind. He was barely there a few minutes before he left and wound up at the mall instead. 

Buck had a little over a week left and at least being as alone as he was did mean that Buck really only had to worry about getting something for Tommy. The worst of it was walking into a store and pinpointing things that would have worked perfectly to give to Chim or Hen or Bobby. Not so much for Tommy. 

Eventually, Buck wound up just going into a cafe to pick up some coffee and a snack. It reminded him of Tommy’s excitement for the cookies the other day. He had a feeling he was going to wind up just getting one of those chocolate gift sets as impersonal as it felt. At least Tommy would like that for sure which was something.

When he pushed the door to the cafe open on his way out, he almost ran right into Karen. 

“Oh. Karen, sorry.” 

“It’s okay,” she said with a smile. “Fancy seeing you out and about.” 

“Secret Santa,” Buck said. “I still haven’t even figured out what to get so I’ve been browsing the mall.” 

Karen chuckled. “That’s right. Hen already has hers ready to go. Actually, I’m pretty sure she finished all her shopping. Clearly, I’m not done. I was thinking of going into the bookstore to see if I could find something for Hen. Want to join me?” 

“Yeah. Sure. Maybe something will pop out for me there,” Buck said. 

He ate the muffin he’d picked up at the cafe on the way, but was still holding his coffee when they arrived at the bookstore. 

The whole place had been decorated for the holidays. The window had a display with a small ceramic village complete with a tree and a train that went around the whole thing on a track. Lights and garland covered the shelves and on the door was a wreath made out of tiny felt books. 

At first he and Karen perused together. The store was not just books. They had a stationary area and a shelf full of travel mugs with quotes that probably came from books and next to that a rack that held tote bags. 

The shelves were arranged with signs and Buck wound up heading in the direction of the nonfiction. His first thought was to see if there was anything on art. Or, flying. He pulled out his phone to look at the picture he’d taken of Tommy’s bookshelf. No books on art, but a lot about flying. On closer inspection it looked like they were flight manuals rather than books on planes or helicopters. 

The bookstore did have a few books on different famous artists. DaVinci. Van Gogh. Picasso. Monet. Khalo. Buck couldn’t have been able to say much about any of them and he didn’t think that Tommy would actually have any use for biographies. So, Buck wandered the shelves. A LGBTQ+ section caught his eye. 

Buck had always considered himself an ally. He’d gone to LA Pride the year before. He never had a problem with anyone that identified differently be it their gender or sexual preferences, he just had never looked at himself and thought he could be more than the default. 

On the LGBTQ+ shelf there were plenty of novels, but some non-fiction as well. Self-help and essays and history. 

“Hey,” Karen said suddenly at his elbow. “Find anything?” 

“Oh. No. I don’t think a book is the right way to go.”

“But these caught your eye?” Karen asked. “Wait, did you get Hen as your Secret Santa? No, don’t tell me. I can’t know.” 

“I don’t have Hen,” Buck said. “I just—”

Buck had told Connor. Tommy knew, obviously. He hadn’t told anyone else. Karen though...she seemed like a safe bet to tell and yeah it might make it back to Hen, but Buck didn’t even really care about that. It might mean he didn’t have to say anything to Hen outright. 

“I’m bi, Karen,” Buck said. “It’s…um, it’s new.” 

Karen’s smile didn’t falter. “Wow. Thank you for telling me.” 

Buck took a breath. “I kissed a guy and it was like…like I realized I hadn’t been whole my entire life until then. I’ve always been an ally and now it’s…I guess I’m more. I’m bi.” 

“You certainly are, Buck,” Karen said. “Does that mean you’re seeing someone, then?” 

Tommy flashed in his mind. After that date and the glorious afternoon spent in Tommy’s bed they hadn’t spoken outside of work and Buck knew it was over before anything had even begun. Buck felt dumb for thinking that it could be more and that Tommy might give them a chance. He should have known better. 

“No,” Buck said and then grabbed a book at random. 

The cover was pink and it was apparently a romance novel. He put it back. He could feel Karen watching him. 

“I kissed a guy and we had sex a few times and I never told him that he was the first guy I was with and he basically ghosted me after that,” Buck said. 

It was mostly the truth. 

“Oh, you jumped right on in, then. Hen’s told me stories, but most people don’t do things at your pace.”

Buck hummed. “I guess not. Anyway, it doesn’t matter. It’s over and I don’t think I’ll find anything in here for him.” 

Karen made a noise, but she started coughing. 

“I’ll pay for these,” she said.

Karen paid for the four books she’d picked up and Buck waited for her. 

“Hey, Buck, this does get easier and less confusing.” 

“I hope so.” 

-

He’d sketched Evan into the better half of a sketchbook. His hands. His face. A very rough one of his body while Tommy had been riding him. Other things too, Evan’s smile. His birthmark. Abstract things that were a reminder of Evan. He was clearly well rooted in Tommy in a way that would be hard to shake. Shake him, he would. 

The days following their date had been a little awkward. Tommy had even seen Chim and Hen sharing glances because Tommy had gone from talking to Evan a bit more and including him more to ignoring him again. 

“Did Buck do something to you?” Hen had asked one afternoon between calls. 

“No. He’s still the same impulsive kid.” 

“He’s definitely grown a bit,” Hen said. 

Tommy was glad when they had a call to get to. He wound up sitting next to Evan and was stiff the whole ride there. When they arrived on the scene Bobby paired them together he didn’t even blink. Evan had caught on by that point, at least, that Tommy wouldn’t talk to him. So, he didn’t try though his baleful glances struck Tommy to the heart. 

He and Evan went up the ladder that was extended out to the roof of the house, neither said a word and it felt like a blanket of tension had been laid atop them both. The man they were helping had injured his leg while putting lights on his roof. Even he seemed to sense the tension in the air as they helped to get him on a backboard to transport him down. 

Maybe it was unfair to freeze Evan out, but Tommy didn’t know what else to do. He couldn’t get attached to Evan. He couldn’t be what Evan needed and there were already too many complications that would arise most because they worked side by side. It was better this way. He did hate the kicked puppy look that Evan got when Tommy pointedly ignored him, but Evan would get over it. Evan would go out and find himself some younger guy to get his rocks off with. That or some girl. Maybe a whole plethora of them if that was what he wanted. Tommy would always be the guy that helped him realize that he wasn’t straight, but that was about it. 

One day, they might even laugh and talk about it. Not any time soon though. 

Tommy did still call the guy with the wood carvings and asked about seeing his pieces again. Apparently the Christmas Market was still going, so Tommy drove over on his next day off. 

“Hey, I’m Tommy. We spoke on the phone.” 

“Right. Right. You were interested in something for a friend?” 

Tommy nodded and took a look around. A lot of the bigger pieces were way past the $50 limit but he did find a carving of a dog with a firefighter’s helmet. It was perfect. 

“This one,” Tommy said. 

It wouldn’t be enough, but Tommy had the start of a plan for the rest of Evan’s present. It might even serve as a way to break the ice between them again and put them on a path to being friends. He hoped. Otherwise, it might be awkward at work forever. 

“Thank you,” Tommy said when he was handed the wrapped package. 

“No problem. Hope your friend likes it.” 

He took a quick walk around the rest of the market, found himself buying cookies and this time a hot chocolate at that booth and then he found a tent that he and Evan hadn’t gotten to the last time or that hadn’t been there at all. A rainbow flag stuck out and Tommy found himself smiling a little. 

At one point in his life, he’d abhorred rainbows and everything they represented for him. He’d never wanted to be attached to it, to claim it for his own. Had believed for the longest time that he didn’t deserve the community it provided. Hell, Tommy had never even gone to a pride parade. It happened sometime when he started painting again, where a rainbow had snuck into a painting and then he was adding them where they worked, especially in a painting that was devoid of other color. It felt like finally allowing himself to be more open about himself, a way to accept that he was gay and nothing and no one could change that. 

He approached the tent and found a smiling man behind a small table that served as a counter. There was a display of different colored flags that Tommy couldn’t begin to assign, books on a small bookshelf and novelty t-shirts and tote bags and mugs. 

“Hello,” the man on the other side of the table said. “Looking for anything specific?” 

“Huh, not really. I’m buying for a Secret Santa. The guy I got just recently realized he’s bi.”

“Oh,” the man said. “Well we don’t have a welcome to being queer pack or anything, but you could give him one of our mugs or a book on queer history. There’s some informative ones, some funny ones. But, you know, just because he’s bi doesn’t mean his gift has to be about that.” 

Tommy could tell that there was a level of condescension in the tone and Tommy got it. He got what he looked like and how he passed for straight easily, that he’d leaned on that for a while, maybe so much that he never could be perceived otherwise. 

He picked up one of the mugs. It was cute and a quote he’d seen in a few places, “Harold, they’re lesbians”. Tommy chuckled and put it down again. A few just had a big rainbow going around them, some with gay or lesbian or bi or queer or trans written on them. Then, he saw one with each line in pink, purple, and blue: “Both. Both Is. Good”. On the other side it said: “Chaotic Bisexual”

“This is perfect for him,” Tommy said with a smile. 

Then, he spotted one with a cartoonish rainbow and “Yup, woke up GAY again”. 

“I’ll take this too,” Tommy said. 

The guy raised an eyebrow. 

“For myself,” Tommy said. 

He saw the man behind the counter nod, lips pressed tight. He was the type of guy that fit the stereotype. Someone that could never have hid his sexuality unless he was really trying and maybe he never had found himself in an environment where hiding was the best option. Some people were that lucky. 

He went to the books next. Several of the titles caught his eye including the flashy looking The LGBTQ+ History that told him Evan would have a kick reading. Then, he saw Bi The Way. He wound up picking both. Over the time he’d known Evan, he knew that Evan liked to deep dive into research about pretty random topics. He mostly did that online. The likelihood was that he’d already gone through every possible site on the internet, but these books would be quirky and fun.

“These too,” Tommy said. 

The man nodded. The mugs he’d put in individual boxes. He added everything into a small bag, but didn’t hand it over. 

“What?” Tommy asked. 

“I’m sorry. I just…I assumed you were just—”

“Just some cis straight guy,” Tommy said. “Don’t worry about it.”

“I forget sometimes that the queer experience looks different for everyone. I hope your friend who just came out is glad he has you to help him along the way.” 

Except that Evan hadn’t actually needed that much help from him when it came to the discovery of his sexuality. He hadn’t asked Tommy a single question about being queer or about Tommy’s own history. It was a little unusual, that was for sure.  

He bought a gift bag at another tent and then when he got back home put every component of Evan’s gift inside. He left it right by his tree and he was almost sad to be done with it. His own mug he took into the kitchen. He placed it inside his cabinet and it looked out of place, but Tommy loved it. Maybe one day he would have another mug in there that belonged to someone that fit into Tommy’s life. He didn’t think it would happen, but it was possible. Maybe. 

He tried hard not to picture the mug he’d gotten Evan. That was definitely not going to happen. 

-

“Looks like someone was up all night,” Chim said. 

Buck didn’t even realize Chim was talking to him, but of course he was. And Buck had been up all night. He’d gone down a research spiral. It had started with him looking a little bit further into bisexuality and what it meant for him, but he’d started thinking about Tommy and then that had led straight into Buck just researching art supplies. 

Apparently there was a lot to learn. Not all paints and colored pencils were created equal. That went for brushes and pigments and clay and so many other things. Buck had seen Tommy’s art room twice and he’d noticed that Tommy had a lot of acrylic paint, brushes, and a cup that held pencils. Considering his sketches were all done in pencil, he didn’t think it’d be a bad idea to get him a set of good colored pencils. And so, Buck had gone on a research spiral, but he’d also managed to order some colored pencils and a few different sketchbooks. 

It didn’t seem like enough, but Buck figured with Christmas drawing closer it was better to have something ready to go than not. 

“You do have bags under your eyes, Buck,” Hen said. “Did you get any sleep?” 

“Some,” Buck said. “I’ll get a nap later.” 

Chim nudged his shoulder. “How hot was she to keep you up all night?” 

Buck felt his cheeks go warm. “There was no girl.” 

“Sure,” Chim said. 

“There wasn’t,” Buck said again. 

Tommy walked into the locker room. “What’s happening?” He asked and didn’t look in Buck’s direction. 

Buck felt the avoidance down to his bones. The worst of it was that Buck had never gotten stuck on someone the way he’d gotten stuck on Tommy and they hadn’t even gone on more than a single date. For a second Buck had thought maybe it was that it was a guy and new, but he knew deep down that it was Tommy. 

“Buck is being surprisingly mum about what he got up to last night,” Chim said. 

“Oh,” Tommy said. 

“Nothing. I got up to nothing but shopping for my Secret Santa,” Buck said and he turned so he could look directly at Tommy. “That and a bit of research. That’s all.” 

Tommy turned away. “We all know we would know all the details if Buck did hook up with anyone, wouldn’t we.”

“I did hook up with someone last week. Really hot,” Buck offered. 

“Yeah, I don’t want to hear about that,” Hen said. 

Buck caught Tommy’s eye and he saw Tommy roll his eyes. Buck turned away and finished getting dressed. He didn’t say anything to any of them as he left the locker room and made his way up the stairs hoping that he could actually get a nap on the couch before a call came in. 

[autumnmobile12]

“You’ve always been so good with children, Mai,”  Rei said.  “But you’ve never talked about having any of your own.”

This hadn’t been the first time someone had asked her about this.

As she searched for the words to a concise answer, Mai pulled her mom’s old house key from her neck and dangled it in front of the baby in her arms.  “What is that, Touya?  What’s that?”  It wasn’t as though she hadn’t thought about it.  Mai liked children, and many of the hundreds she’d rescued or helped rescue had taken a liking to her.  Ayako had often told her she would be a good mother.  And yet, “My Quirk is distressing, Rei.  It's not fire or ice. It's not a power I can just stop using. What it allows me to see and experience is so real and so intense that if I were to pass that along to any potential children, or some variation of it…if I were to wake up in the middle of the night because a son or daughter of mine was inconsolable over a nightmare, knowing I’m the cause, I don’t think I could live with myself.”

Rei put a hand on her back.  “You’ve never told me this.  I knew your abilities troubled you sometimes, but——”

“No, don’t worry about it,”  Mai said with a smile.  “The idea of not having kids doesn’t bother me, really it doesn't.  It just means I’ll have to be content with being an auntie to this little one.  Isn’t that right, you little firebug?”

By now, Touya had grabbed ahold of the key and was trying to tug it away from her.  Mai stuck her tongue out at him.

...

“Tomorrow’s Saturday,”  Aunt Mai said.  “I don’t want you to go to the mountain.”

“But——”

“We’re going to…”  He watched her face scrunch up in search of an idea.  Mom did the same thing sometimes.  She used to.  “The zoo.  We are going to the zoo.”

“What?”

“Yep.  You and your siblings.  We’ll head there tomorrow.”  At that, she pushed away from the table and rose to her full height.  She was a little taller than Mom, so he was barely higher than her elbow, and yet for some reason, he always felt so much smaller next to her.  Bringing her hands together in a light clap, Mai said with a wide smile,  “We’ll go see the animals, we’ll get ice cream, and we’ll all have a wonderful time.  Sound good, Firebug?”

Touya stared at her.  “I’m not five anymore.”

“Neither am I, what’s your point?”  She crossed her arms and tilted her head to one side so that her long braid dangled off her shoulder.  “Don’t go acting tough with me.  I know for a fact you still love polar bears.”

He supposed they hadn’t gone to the zoo, or anywhere fun, in a long time. Mom was never the same after Shouto was born, and Dad didn't have time for any of them aside from Shouto. And from the look in her eyes, Aunt Mai knew it, too.

...

(on phone) "This isn't a good time, Naru."

"This is important."

"Is it more important than teaching my niece and nephews how to make tea, preferably without it winding up in someone's face?"

"..."

"..."

"...carry on."

"That's what I thought. Talk later."

...

If you saw my other post notes on this crossover and read the snippet I wrote with Mai and Hawks, you probably already saw that I have the Ghost Hunt cast aged up quite a bit compared to the usual fandom stuff I do.  To clarify, in the current timeline of My Hero’s canon, Mai is forty-six years old.  (She’s actually a month older than Endeavor. There’s nothing significant about that; it’s just petty ‘I’m marginally older than you,’ fodder and I think that’s funny.)

In this crossover, Mai chose to never have children.  Since Quirks are hereditary, she feared passing her Retrocognition and the Death Dreams that come with it along to potential descendants and what it might mutate into over the generations.  She decided her power was one of pain and anguish and she refused to willingly inflict that on someone else.  That said, she did grow up with Rei, so she is very close with Rei’s children and inevitably got herself entangled in the family’s toxic dynamics.  But here is the conundrum I’m having with exploring avenues for this crossover because there are three ways to look at Mai’s presence and how it affects My Hero’s canon, particularly the events revolving around Touya’s ‘death’ and how Mai’s dreams work:

Scenario 1:  The fire and feeling every second of that experience firsthand through one of her dreams was traumatic enough that she was deceived into believing he died.  Canon events continue as normal.

Scenario 2:  Since Touya wasn’t actually killed by the fire, the incident wouldn’t trigger one of her dreams, and therefore she would know he didn’t die, which firmly lands him in missing person territory.  Investigation ensues.

Scenario 3:  The fire never happened.

The reason for this last one is based on this previous post, but the main part of it is Mai definitely is a character who has the mental fortitude and determination to stand up to someone like Endeavor, and the absence of that character-type is a huge part of how and why the situation in the Todoroki family got so out of hand.  Rei would not stand up to the threat to herself or her children, and the kids were too young to do so for themselves even if they were able to understand their family dynamic was not normal/healthy.  No one was checking Endeavor’s behavior.  Enter the very angry sister-in-law and her, “Fuck around and find out, I dare you,” mentality.

That said, I do have the headcanon that adult Mai is also super wary around kids due to her many, many close encounters with weird kids/ghost kids in canon.  So I think her method of dealing with Touya’s increasingly erratic behavior is probably a mixture of resignation, turning to the other three and saying, “Promise me your teenage years won’t be like this,” and then having to go talk the little pyromaniac down from whatever frenzy he’s worked himself into because apparently neither parent was going to do it.

Bringing us to the million dollar question: Can Mai deal with Touya?

Well…between how quickly she interceded with what the creepy Yoshimi kids were up to and her lifelong career of dealing with arrogant, little shits…yes, yes she can.  If she can handle Naru’s arrogance, Ayako and Takigawa’s bickering, and Yasuhara’s bullshit all in the same day, she can handle a thirteen year old having a crisis.

Plus, I think if she knew he was on Sekoto Peak, waiting for his dad in the dark and the cold, it would probably bring up some uncomfortable memories of what happened to Kenji, so she definitely would’ve gone looking for him.

[laurelnose]

a disorganized pile of ninefox ttrpg thoughts

it is HERE! also it was late in shipping by like, a day? or two? so android press sent me the PDF version also, which was very very nice of them. For this I will forgive them the weird jank in the PDF version’s character encoding. (Maybe like 5% of characters consistently copy-paste as different characters. I think they fucked up the font subsetting somehow. It’s fine, it’s just weird. Makes quoting it a little bit of a hassle. Might be less fine if you use a screenreader.)

So pleased with several little random details which are not at all relevant to like, gameplay or the worldbuilding at large but which I just kind of wanted to know. The calendar months! The full set of Kel rank symbols! Signifiers for Kujen and Tseya! <3 Also, an additional set of symbolism for the factions per the calendar months? If I’m reading this correctly it's Rahal/Wood (!?), Andan/Bells, and Vidona/Knives. [We basically knew the other three, which are Shuos/Eyes, Kel/Pyres, and Nirai/Stars.] As a visual artist I am contractually obliged to be hype about all my little guys getting Symbols, they make my life easy and fun.

This is a slim little volume, so it’s light on lore details that you couldn’t find either a) in the actual series or b) on Lee's dreamwidth. That said, one new bit was that it was not previously clear to me that the nominal arrangement of power in the heptarchate was explicitly unequal between the Liozh and the others — I thought the extant six turned on the Liozh as one of their fellows, not that they deposed the ruling faction. Interesting.

Disappointing: there are no mechanics for the calendar besides the ability to tag the current festival/remembrance. :( I wanted to roll dice about calendrical rituals!! Funnily enough there's a whole little caveat section where he’s like, inevitably someone will want to have space battles, which can be accommodated by keeping them character-focused bc this system is not designed for battle sim crunch. No similar apology for those who might want magic system crunch, if anyone wanted any further evidence that Lee and Jedao are the same guy, lmao.

Other than that I’m not actually that much of a crunchy rules guy myself so I like the system itself fine. I enjoy the concept of every check involving not necessarily skills but character traits. And also the commitment to sixes. You need A LOT of d6s for this game.

If you’re really committed I think it would be fun to play with a set of these (normal d6s except instead of numbers or pips they have clock faces showing hours 1-6):

Jedao’s character sheet is so funny. “Complications: I have abysmal taste in lovers.” BE NICE TO HIM LMAO

It’s not entirely clear to me under which circumstances you wind up the Hexarchate Clock. Is it actually only if Kujen is in play? Does that mean he’s literally required if you want to run a long take-down-the-whole-hxx campaign?

The prewritten scenarios are neat! I don’t have a lot to say about them. They look like they would be fun. I like “The Field of Diplomacy” and the concept of the adjacent polity a lot. Oh also the note at the end of “A Heretical Sacrifice” that is just like “if the ‘human sacrifice’ bit is too vague for you and you want to add more torture, here are some ideas!” is 1) funny and 2) appreciably graphic and wince-inducing. HXX-typical gore: delivered on!

This is a petty note, but excluding servitor PCs on the grounds that this is a game about moral complicity and thus only human faction members can be PCs sure is a Statement. I know servitors are slaves and thus the moral calculus is certainly different, but like, the complicity is the entire point of Hemiola’s arc??? And faction servitors quite obviously often consider themselves to be legitimately part of that faction? The one Shuos servitor we meet is as interested in games as any fox, the assault on Shattered Needles is made possible because the Unspoken Law’s servitors consider themselves Kel, the Aerie interlude with sin 𝑥² is about a servitor who considers itself so deeply Kel it wants to go down with the hivemind. I understand they complicate things mechanically but excluding servitors for thematic reasons is silly.

That said, I feel like a servitor hack wouldn’t be too much more mechanically complex. None of the prewritten scenarios work with an all-servitor group, but I think they could all be run with one or maaybe two servitor PCs. You’d have to do some pregaming to figure out how you’d open communication between human/servitor PCs. Lore-wise, the faction traits are clearly not meant to represent the faction exotics or the Shuos wouldn’t have one; they read more like “specialized skills developed as a consequence of picking this faction” than calendrical stuff, so faction servitors could have standard faction abilities, with the caveat that a lot of interpersonal Edges may be hard for Andan servitors to hit on account of social interaction between servitors & humans being, well, you know. Alternatively, no faction abilities for servitors, but all servitors +2d6 to anything involving grid-diving and/or mechanics. Servitors can have ranks just like human PCs, though these ranks are only relevant to other servitors (and possibly moths). Servitors can probably tag calendar traits like humans, they just can’t participate in formations or affect calendrical gradients (neither of which have explicit mechanics in this system anyways). Heresies are the same for servitors as humans.

This really made me want to dig out that calendrical cryptocurrency heist concept I had to see if I can put together a scenario. And maybe also make some cardboard game spinners for a tactile clock experience...

[ryuichirou]

Replies

I have a couple of older asks that need longer replies, and I’ll try to answer at least one of them tomorrow… but today we have a bunch of shorter ones!

furubatsu asked:

In an ask you answered ages ago, you mentioned how Malleus threw off your Top/Bottom radars at first and I was curious, are there any other characters that made you go "their x! No, wait, y!"

Ooh, good question! The only other character I can think of is Lilia, but he wasn’t as confusing as Malleus: his design threw us off, but the moment Lilia opened his mouth, we figured him out lol

We really very rarely have problems with that, because it’s more about feeling the vibe of a character than anything else.

But Malleus really did confuse us for quite some time…

Anonymous asked:

are you two aware of league of legends? maybe the jhin x hwei dynamic would be interesting…

We know of it, but we aren’t even remotely closely familiar with the lore and stuff, but we actually went and read a bit about Jhin and Hwei after receiving your ask and YEP WE GET IT LOL to be honest we’re flattered that you thought that we might like them… they really do have an interesting dynamic, and the fact that it’s rooted in deep feelings about art and has some much despair and inner and outer conflict honestly makes it very spicy.

And Hwei’s design 👌💖💖💖 instantly love him.

Anonymous asked:

Even though Regina George isn't really fitting for Vil, I bet the in universe rps/rpf community loves casting him as her in Mean Girls AUs and frequently make comments about how Vil should've been cast as her in the musical version and/or remake.

Anon, I 100% agree that the in-universe fandom fancasts him as Regina all the time. He should start asking Mira who is the most “he should’ve played Regina in the musical omg” person in the world lol

But at the same time I feel like this is the reason why Vil doesn’t read comments under his posts sometimes…

Anonymous asked:

One of my favorite 'Kalim Overblots' I've read, we don't even get to see him Overblot.

He overblots after an enemy tricks him into thinking he murdered a comatose Jamil right in front of him, leading him to attacking the 'culprit' in a rage with Oasis Maker and then-

Cut to the aftermath.

There you go, another interesting way to make Kalim overblot! I like how it’s still related to him feeling responsibility + despair because of Jamil’s death, it seems like this is the main trigger for Kalim to get an emotional reaction of this magnitude.

Anonymous asked:

Najma and Jamil are basically siblings who like to mess each other but still love each other. I mean Jamil has a better family relationship to her than his parents. That doesn't mean he doesn't like how she often annoyed him.

Azul will likely try to win Najma over for her to accept her brother's relationship to her. I mean having inlaws together is worst.

Aw this is very sweet. I’m glad Jamil has a sister like that.

God I didn’t even think about the Azul-being-into-Jamil aspect of all of it, oh god this guy is going to annoy Najma too, although for some reason I get the feeling that she’s only going to be nice to Azul to annoy Jamil.

But then again, I can’t say anything concrete about her – haven’t met the girl yet.

Anonymous asked:

IDK why but I really like the idea of Ruggie unintentionally 'stealing' Azul's 'boyfriends'. Like Azul is already upset that Jamil prefers Ruggie over him and then finds Ruggie on top of Idia when he arrives at the Board Game Club room (in reality they fell over and accidentally landed in a compromising position).

Poor Azul, this is going to make him overblot again lol  I like how this is turning into a weird romcom, although with how petty Azul is, it could end up turning into an entirely different kind of anime.

Anonymous asked:

when i was starting twst i thought neige was the name of jamils sister

Jamil and his randomly French sister…

[ellitx]

Derisive 2 | Heizou x Reader

Where Heizou decided to investigate and uncover Watatsumi Island's secret, and further investigate the mysterious shrine maiden in his own way.

part 2 of Derisive and one of my birthday fics for him. One year later and ive finally finished it lol. I might make this a series but updates will be sporadic since i still have to draft more outlines for a good plot and progress

fem!reader

artist: max_eera

word count: 6.4k

“Are you really that wary of me, Miss Shrine Maiden? I have told you, I’m here for a little trip.”

Ignoring his attempt in making a conversation with you, you could only huff as you put a good distance between him.

“I have my own intuition whether I trust you or not, Detective Heizou. Sure, you may be the renowned greatest detective in Inazuma but that doesn’t mean we’d let you do as you please.”

Cold fierce eyes, squared-up shoulders, gritted teeth—

“Intuition you say?”

He smirked, looking over his shoulder to peer at your frowning face. Without a doubt, you’re an aggressive woman. It’s a shame you always seem so grumpy and your temple would grow out wrinkles the often you do that.

Quite ironic he detests prejudice yet he’s doing it now. For a young shrine maiden such as yourself, you’re quite the character.

At his silence, you raised a brow at the young man before you in bafflement as he softly chuckled to himself. Whatever he was thinking, you hoped he wasn’t plotting against the island or planning to poke his nose around to where it shouldn’t be. Hearing rumors of him, the only way to silence him is through force— even if he’s the Shogunate’s loyal dog.

The man stopped in his tracks— almost having you bump into him if not for your quick reflex to notice his figure pausing. You eyed him intuitively whilst he stared at the scenery of Watatsumi Island.

Heizou’s breath slowed down. All pastel hues of this island will surely attract tourists to visit this side of Inazuma since the Sakoku Decree has ended. A small smile lifted up on his face before he turned his gaze back to you.

“Say, Miss Shrine Maiden—“

“[Name]. I have a name, Mister Detective.”

“Miss [Name]," He corrected. "Are there any cases arising here? Perhaps cases of a thief who stole a precious item, or mysteries left unsolved here such as the long lost treasure left by the Watatsumi Omikami?”

“There are no cases here and no treasures as well. If you want to go adventuring you’d be better off to go back to Narukami Island and take some commissions provided by the Adventurer’s Guild.”

Your eyes flashed open upon the realization of your words. That’s it! Giving him a case would have him preoccupied and absorbed. Once he’s gone, then the concern is finally out of the way. And you can finish discussing your unfinished business with General Gorou…

“Ah, actually, I do have a case for you.”

Heizou had his attention on you. His eyes glimmered in interest as he folded his arms over to his chest.

“Oh? Do enlighten me, please.”

“I have asked a friend of mine, who’s a traveler from afar, to assist us in finding the Heart of Watatsumi. Perhaps you’d be interested in taking this commission?”

Once his demeanor changed, you knew you caught his attention with your interesting offer. This is the chance he’d stop nosing around, and he wouldn’t bother anyone because after all, the traveler has already—

“Miss [Name], I’m disappointed you have the audacity to lie right in front of a detective. But I commend you for having the courage to do so.”

He smiled— or rather, sneered— at your petty attempt in fooling Inazuma’s greatest detective.

Staring back at him, you drove the corner of your lips to turn up and hid your clenched fists underneath your sleeves. Very cunning, without a doubt, but who said you couldn’t battle him through wits?

However, before the flames arose, a bundle of blonde locks of a certain traveler came into view together with her companion. Disappointing with the turn of events that Lumine unintentionally intervened, yet a blessing that she put an end to the silent fume between the detective and a shrine maiden lest it could lead to another war.

It would bring shame to you as the loyal servant of Lady Sangonomiya if that were to happen after all the efforts of bringing down the Sakoku Decree and the Vision Hunt Decree.

“Heya, [Name]! And hello… um…" Paimon looked over to the man next to you and leaned close to her partner to whisper. "Traveler, do you know who this guy is?”

Paimon asked the latter to her partner, yet both you and Heizou heard it clearly. After all, Paimon is never the type to be discreet and she’s in fact the opposite of considerate. Being conscionable wasn’t necessarily a bad thing yet when you partner it up with the floating creature, it’s much worse than bad.

Lumine berated Paimon with gritted teeth and apologized to you and Heizou on behalf of her.

“Oh! You must be the esteemed traveler!” The detective’s eyes glimmered in excitement as he leaned closer to the said female. “I’ve heard a lot of stories about you. From fighting dragons to saving the nation from a disastrous attack from a god. To see you this close in person, it feels like I am now taking the role of the main character in your story.”

His fingers were settled on his chin as he examined her carefully from top to bottom.

“Uhm…”

Raising her hands to block him from invading another inch of her space, she took a step backward to put a distance between them, yet the universe was conspiring against her as her heels slipped at the unevenness of the surface causing her to lose balance.

She searched for an object to grab onto— anything that her eyes and hands could catch on— and yet she did not do so as she feared you’d be dragged along if she attempted to. Preparing for the worse, she braced herself for the harsh collision with the ground and hoped she wouldn’t fracture any of her bones.

But the concussion has never arrived, for a tenacious pair of arms wrapped around her slim waist and caught her on time before she meets her demise. To say that you’re the one who caught her was no surprise, yet her heart hammered and rang loudly in her ears at how close your face was to hers.

“Are you alright?”

You asked lightly, like the whispers of the wind lulling in the gentle breeze here on Watatsumi Island. Lumine’s shoulders squared up, her face heating up abruptly as she nodded vigorously and held on to your clothes for dear life.

Is it just her or does the lighting behind you make you even more charming than ever? The way you gazed at her with your deep-hued eyes, eyelids lowered as your hand gripped onto her waist firmly, almost slipping out a surprised squeak out of her lips when your fingers grazed against her bare back.

She averted her gaze from you, the tips of her ears yet to cease their steaming warmth from how cool and handsome you looked when you saved her.

“Lumine?”

“Oh! Uh, yeah… thanks, [Name].”

The traveler fumbled as she struggled to stand up straight. She can’t help but think you smelled nice—

No! Now’s not the time for that!!

Meanwhile, Heizou whistled in amusement at the intriguing turn of events. Just from Lumine’s reaction alone, he can already deduce there’s something going on between you two.

Would he use this chance to investigate further? Nah, as much as interesting it was, he wasn’t the love angel, and being a wingman isn’t his kind of field or specialization. He can simply observe from afar rather than confront.

And even if he did ask Lumine, she’d only deny it.

Man alive…

Despite how she finally recovered from her clumsiness and shock, she still swayed albeit unnoticeably whilst Paimon cooled her off with her scarf.

“Wow, you’re all red right now. Do you have a fever?”

Paimon inquired as she flew over to her partner and peeked underneath her burning visage. In turn, Lumine turned her away and forced out a chuckle— a really poor and discernible attempt to brush things off. Even a mere child can connect the dots altogether.

“I-I’m fine— anyways, enough about me,”

Clearing her throat, she turned her head to you, golden eyes displaying a serious demeanor.

“I’m here for a commission to bring Shikanoin Heizou back to the Tenryou Commission.”

A loud click resonated in your head, the spark of plugs roaring into the purr of anticipation when her little partner held out a letter over to you with the eligible and elegant handwriting of the sender.

As your eyes scanned over the significant details of this so-called “missing person”, you can’t help but laugh and jutted your thumb in Heizou’s direction.

“Well, aren’t you lucky? This man right here is the one you’re looking for. Now go on and have safe travels going back to Narukami Island.”

“Woah now hold on there, Miss [Name],”

Heizou butted in and curled his lips. His right hand hovered over to the commission letter you’re holding and lowered it down. His smile gradually became wider and condescending which irked you the most. At this point, you’re like a walking bomb, ready to explode once the time runs out.

“Who told you I was going with the traveler? For all I care, the Police Station can handle themselves when Madam Kujou is there to supervise them.”

Oh how much you wanna wipe off that smug smirk etched on his face.

“And besides, I can send a letter and have Traveler hand it to them. Honestly, I’m really flattered they missed me.”

Heizou drew his shoulders displaying his satirical indifference to the situation. It can’t be helped then… It’s better to have someone watch over him if he insists on staying on this island.

“Fine,”

Heizou didn’t miss the sharp tone in your voice. He can tell you were holding yourself from lashing out at him. Though everything he does is mundane activities and nothing suspicious of sorts, it’s like passing by the lion’s cage and roaring at him.

“Lumine, pardon for this sudden request but please keep an eye on Detective Heizou. I need to get going and assist the shrine maidens.”

Giving them a short and brief bow, you bid your last farewell. “I’ll be taking my leave. If you need any assistance you can always approach General Gorou or any of the Watatsumi soldiers.”

With that, you waved your hand in goodbye to the three and left off as you withdrew from your misadventures with the detective.

“Heizou, if you don’t mind me asking…” Lumine called out to him. “I’d like to know what you’re doing here.”

The detective chuckled as he rested his elbow over his arm, deep in his thoughts. “Well, let me think for a moment… It all started a long time ago, during the war…”

Heizou began to explain his purpose for being sent here. The former Tenryou Commissioner, Kujou Takayuki, ordered him to investigate the military capabilities of Sanganomiya. However, the detective wasn’t interested in abiding by his orders and decided to treat his free trip on this island as a vacation.

“As for the mission, I thought I’d just come up with some random excuses or whatever when I reported back hence why I proposed sending a letter to the commission instead of having me go back there.”

Heizou cheekily smiled and chuckled after looking at Lumine’s perplexed state. She can already sense mischief in him and begins to understand why some folks of Inazuma are irked by him— even the shrine maiden of this island was affected by it…

Poor, [Name]…

She internally prayed for you. No wonder why you seemed so aggravated when she came onto the scene.

“So will you be sending a letter then?” Lumine inquired though the detective clicked his tongue at her and wagged his finger. Heizou’s green eyes glinted under the sunlight, his smirk widening— an announcement of sorts that was yet to unveil its magic to his audience— and it was hard to miss that he had something up on his sleeves.

“Nope, but rather, I would like to invite you to come join me.”

“Join you…?” Lumine’s suspicion grew further. It’s best to be cautious and wary around him. And knowing he’s pretty cunning and smart that he can already tell their purpose of being here based on their appearance and demeanor that gave it away, who knows if Shikanoin Heizou is a trustworthy detective as they say.

But what I’m thinking is contradicting… I heard he’s solved hard cases to help those people…

Whatever plan or motive he has, she has to make sure it’s not something dangerous or that would affect everyone here…

Eyeing him in suspicion and doubt only caused him to laugh, not even worrying the slightest bit that in front of him was the famed traveler who defeated a god and saved a nation. For all he knows, he could easily be pinned to the ground by her.

But Heizou knows.

His intuition is telling him that she was the key to solving the mystery of this island.

Walking up to her, he leaned close to her ear and whispered. The words ingressing through her ears had her shuddering as a surge of turmoil coursed through her veins.

—

“The survey status of Great Omikami’s resting place is complete and no sight of Fatui has been detected.”

“The Mouun shrine is still in development and it’s slowly rebuilding to its former glory.”

“The sango pearls are kept in the warehouse. Do not worry, we stored all the high-quality ones in preparation for the shipping tomorrow.”

“The villagers in Bourou Village are having a shortage of goods. We need to transport plentiful of produce as soon as possible…”

The last statement was inevitable given the fact how dense and barren the soils are… You heaved a heavy sigh and took a mental note of the samurais’ and shrine maidens’ reports.

Hopefully, everything goes as planned…

“Thanks. Please report this as well to General Gorou.”

This is bad. Really really bad.

Dismissing all of the samurais, you have a bad feeling something bad might happen. You know for sure the major problem here is the lack of medicines and produce. Not only that, you have to keep the Fatui away from stepping on this land after the Delusion incident that affected all the soldiers who were deceived.

And that detective…

Shikanoin Heizou is one of the major disturbances you need to handle lest he discovers Watatsumi’s affairs… Hopefully, he doesn’t cross paths with General Gorou and have the traveler bring him back to Narukami Island.

—

“W-wh-whoa, hold it right there! Are you saying Gorou’s a thief? As in, he took something valuable?!”

The little fairy hollered. Disbelief and perplexity were written all over her small round face as her brows curled up and her nose scrunched after Heizou’s proclamation.

“It’s not simple, I can’t fully explain it… It’s just my intuition.”

Heizou sighed, crossing his arms over his chest. He then eyed Lumine who was beginning to be slightly uneasy.

“This certainly doesn’t line up with the Gorou I know…” She muttered under her breath. If anything, Gorou is one of the trusted fellows she knows and for anemo-user to say something absurd about him is beyond logic. There’s no evidence of it nor good reasoning as to why Gorou would do such a thing.

“Sure, I trust your judgment. But if that’s still not enough to convince you then what about Miss [Name], the shrine maiden I was with before?”

Lumine felt herself snapping. She silently clenched her fist, her nails digging deep into her palm as she harshly glared at the young detective before her. Hearing your name spew out of his lips and claim you as a thief is even far worse than pointing out Gorou’s suspiciousness— at least by her standards.

She puts you above anyone else she has met in her travels in this vast world.

“What makes you say that?” She asked through gritted teeth and Heizou did not miss the sharpness in her tone, yet he merely brushed off her change of behavior.

“Given from her strength alone, she’s most likely trained in combat. I wouldn’t even be surprised if she’s part of the army guising as a shrine maiden to watch out for suspicious activities happening around here.”

That’s it. Lumine had enough of Heizou’s “intuitive” remarks.

“No, you’re overthinking this,” She grabbed his wrist harshly then pulled him away from the shrine. “I’m going to take you back to Ritou no matter what and investigate this Godot character.”

But Heizou broke free from her brutal grip and stayed put in his place.

Well, this is getting interesting.

“Getting too suspicious, am I?” He rubbed his wrist which was reddening, but it didn’t hurt as much as he expected. He stared at Lumine with the same vigor she was radiating before sighing. It was a big disappointment the traveler wasn’t on the same page as him for taking this adventure and solving the mystery.

“In which case, I’ll stay here and get back to you once I figure out the secret of this place.” Heizou turned his heels and waved them goodbye, taking his leave. However, Lumine rushed into view before him, using herself to stall him and prevent the detective from going anywhere.

“Fine. I’ll go with you on your investigation. But on one condition,”

Lumine, who was increasingly provoked by his previous comments, scorned then turned up her nose, declaring something remarkable— something Shikanoin Heizou himself was awaiting for this specific event to occur.

“If we don’t find any of this secret you keep talking about, you take back what you said about Gorou and [Name] and never interact with them ever again. And if you were right about [Name] and Gorou who are involved in this so-called “theft”, then I won’t get in the way of all of your investigations no matter how suspicious it may be.”

Heizou’s hunch was right. A smirk was itching on his face. One that makes this day more interesting for him than spending his time at the boring Police Station flipping through all mundane and typical missing items cases.

His front was now directly facing the traveler and he rested his hand atop of his chin.

“May I add on that offer then? If I crack the case, then tell me all you know about [Name]. Of course, an equivalent exchange must be done and it would be unfair if I get all the things I want, no?”

Heizou walked towards her and patted her shoulder. Leaning in close to her ear, he then whispered. “Think this thoroughly on what you would add to this proposition you started yourself. I’m even willing to offer myself up to assist you in any way I can, that is if you win, Traveler.”

—

After Lumine and Paimon had a thorough discussion on what to do, they decided to investigate Borou Village late at night and follow Todoroki, the man responsible for the caravans. It’s the best time to trail after them yet a risky job because of how open the village is.

Although, it would’ve been better if the little fairy had kept her mouth shut. Heizou had his hand over Paimon’s mouth to silence lest Todoroki and Tokuda could catch sight of them.

“Keep quiet! We don’t want to be caught when we’re this close to finding out the truth!”

Heizou lightly scolded her as Lumine looked over to her shoulder and took a peek over the fence if the coast was clear. Signaling to the detective, both moved swiftly towards the small house and kept a good distance where they could still eavesdrop on their conversation and note down important details.

Just as Lumine was about to steal a peek at them again, the familiar sight of her dearest shrine maiden was walking to where the two men were. Your hair was tied into a ponytail that swayed as you strolled along the trail. And the big crates you were carrying were hard for her to miss.

Her heart dropped. She knew right away where she was going.

“[Name]?!” she whispered to herself in dismay.

Paimon was startled by Lumine's reaction and turned back to look at her with wide eyes. But thankfully, Heizou was able to suppress her voice and keep her down before she could act recklessly and ruin their cover.

“I guess that’s all of them?” They heard your voice behind the small hut, the sound of a crate’s woods crackling on one another can be heard as well. Heizou deduced you must have stacked them up.

“Amazing as ever, Todoroki! Your intel was spot on!” One of the Watatsumi soldiers exclaimed with a laugh. “We wouldn’t have done this without the assistance of [Name].”

The soldier slapped his hand over your shoulder, earning a groan from you before taking his hand off of you. “Everyone did their part as well. Don’t give all the credit to me.” You remarked.

Todoroki circled the area, checking for any damages to the supplies. “Everything seems in order and the price of the grain in the village has decreased thanks to you.” He hummed in appraisal.

“It’s great you’ve brought medicine for us, Todoroki.” The other Watatsumi soldier said before continuing, “I would have never thought the injuries we sustained in the war would have a lingering effect on our bodies…”

“Don’t push yourself you two,” Patting both of their shoulders, you gave them a lighthearted smile. “The island still needs you and don’t you dare die on me when you still owe me for that drink I made you.”

Both of the soldiers chuckled at your joke and thanked you profusely. You just let it slide and continued, "Oh! I almost forgot!" You turned around to the two men, "The wagons are prepared!”

“Before that, what’s the state of the village's inventory?” Todoroki questioned. The voices faded out from Lumine’s ear, still in disbelief you were part of this suspicious activity. You’re not that kind of person, right? That’s not the [Name] she knows so well!

In the background, you and the soldiers walk away from the scene, giving the opportunity to Heizou and his companions to further investigate the area and in this case they’re dragged with.

“The soldiers seized the Nobushi’s stolen goods?!” The little fairy’s comment made it even more difficult for the traveler.

“And they never intend to return it to the International Trade Association…” Lumine added. Her heart feels heavy and her stomach churning from discovery. Bringing her palm to her lips, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. With everything that’s going on here, it might take some time for her to digest this information.

Heizou eyed her from the sidelines, observing her pale features and change in behavior. He can’t blame her. If he were in her shoes, he’d lose his trust in his friend too. But as a detective, you shouldn’t always trust what’s in front of you and only trust yourself.

Heizou patted Lumine’s shoulder, snapping her out of her train of thought. “Todoroki said he’ll get instructions from Gorou tomorrow. There’s something else behind this.” His touch was almost reassuring her that he’d crack the case and reveal the hidden truth. Lumine can’t help but scoff coldly to herself. It’s ironic, really, that the detective was showing her sympathy despite their recent negotiation about [Name] and Gorou.

But despite all these, she can sense no malice or mockery from his touch. Maybe he has a good heart after all, and yet…

No, I have to focus on this. Snap out this, Lumine! I still know [Name] is a good person! Maybe she has a good reason behind all these things…

Investigating through those boxes it’s mostly herbs and flowers such as qingxin flowers and glazed lilies… And according to Heizou’s deduction, it should be for medicinal purposes. From the corner of Lumine’s eye, she saw a piece of paper sticking out from the crate and faded written letters of “Foreign Trade Association”.

Perhaps a bill of sorts…

“If these crates were to be imported from Ritou, the price would be jaw-dropping,” Heizou remarked.

[Name]’s a good person!

“On top of that, these items seem to lack a tax clearance certificate, meaning they were most likely smuggled.”

That’s right! It’s all those thieves' fault. It had nothing to do with them.

“Did you find anything else, Traveler?” Lumine jumped and shook her head.

“Oh, ugh, unfortunately nothing…” Heizou squinted his eyes at her and she was practically sweating bullets when he never took his eyes off of her. She coughed to divert his attention to somewhere else.

The detective can only sigh and leave her be to give her some space. Across his vision, two figures were coming their way. Oh, speak of the devil. The two soldiers who were with you are now here. Heizou smirked behind his hand, closely observing and listening to their conversation. Now’s the good time to dig for information from them to confirm his suspicions.

—

The goods are prepared and ready to set off. The last thing to do is to wait for the ship to arrive. You sighed and wiped off the sweat rolling down your face with the sleeve of your kimono.

Please let everything go well.

The sun is bright, the corals are more colorful than ever, and Todoroki was with you at the Sangonomiya Shrine. You smiled and the man chuckled, taking in the breathtaking scenery, hoping for a peaceful voyage ahead.

“Today’s a good morning isn’t it?” You began and Todoroki could see the flowers blooming around you because of your positive state.

“Indeed a good morning.”

Huh, that’s weird. Todoroki’s voice seemed so different. “Todoroki did you drink something? Your voice seems younger.” You chuckled and the man looked a bit perplexed but then burst into laughter.

“How odd. I thought I heard someone else when it’s just the two of us here.” He laughed along with you, finding the situation quite amusing.

“Weird isn’t it? Because there’s actually someone here with you, Miss [Name].”

Your eyes were now wide open. The brightness in them had faded and transformed into one of darkness and annoyance. Though the smile on your face remained, Todoroki saw the corner of your lips twitch and the broom in your hand almost snapped into two pieces.

“Oh my. I take back what I said. This is a rather horrible morning.” The man’s laughter slowly died down as he noticed the change in your behavior and the appearance of a new guest— well, three guests to be exact— who was behind you.

The playful atmosphere vanished in mere seconds and he can sense your annoyance. Todoroki cleared his throat nervously and cautiously observed the unfamiliar red-headed man who had a striking smirk donning his youthful face.

“Ahem… uh, who are you?” The old man asked, his brows knitted together.

“Hello, Todoroki and Miss [Name]. I'm Shikanoin Heizou, special detective of the Tenryou Commission.” The detective introduced himself and he never missed the way you glared at him. He simply smiled at you and his eyes glowed as he crossed his arms over his shoulder, preparing the confrontation to finally seek the answers he’s been looking for.

“I believe you two have been manipulating large-scale illegal trades for some time now. Mind if we talk about that for a bit?” He didn’t hesitate to ask. It was now or never when the two main culprits were here before his eyes.

Lumine clenched the hem of her skirt. She’s helpless and unable to do anything to stand up for you. Even though things have already been discussed yesterday to clear things up, she still believes in you no matter what.

Todoroki was about to storm off but you managed to stop him. The baffled and shocked reaction was clear and expressive and things may get out of hand if he raged and shouted to the detective. “I don’t understand what you mean, detective.”

The detective's smirk only widened as he leaned in, maintaining his composure despite the tense atmosphere. "Oh, I think you understand perfectly well," Shikanoin Heizou said, his voice calm and collected. “Well let me make it clear for you: we've been closely monitoring the activities, and all the evidence points to the two of you."

Todoroki's face flushed with anger, his usually composed demeanor shattered by the baseless accusations. Clenching his fists, he struggled to contain the seething rage building within him. “Ridiculous! I don't have time to listen to this. Get out of here, you little brat!”

“Todoroki, calm down.” Your restraint on him was tight and firm, though his anger can never diminish at least he held back from lashing out.

You sighed, pinching the bridge of your nose to alleviate the building headache. Your morning started off horribly already before you could even do your usual work.

“I just wanna know and confirm from you personally what we already know to be the truth.” The detective chuckled, seemingly unfazed by your glare. At this point, he’s already grown used to it now.

You cast a worried glance at the old man, realizing the severity of the situation. Lumine, though unable to intervene directly, tried to offer silent support from the sidelines. The detective's gaze shifted to her, and he raised an intrigued eyebrow.

“Argh... Masashi! Tokuda! Arrest these people!” Todoroki shouted, alerting the named soldiers. Masashi and Tokuda hesitated for a moment as they saw the intensity of his anger. They were torn between obeying their superior's orders and questioning the validity of the detective's claims.

Seeing the dangerous situation unfold, you stepped forward, your voice calm but assertive. “Wait no! Put the weapon down!”

The detective sighed, seemingly disappointed by the chaos he had caused. "Oh, but it seems like emotions are running high. Perhaps the truth is finally coming to the surface," he remarked, fueling the fire further.

You tightened your grip on Todoroki's arm, trying to anchor him and maintain control of the situation. "Enough of this nonsense! If you have any evidence, present it properly instead of making baseless claims."

The situation had escalated far beyond your expectations, and you knew that finding a way to clear your names and prove your innocence would be a daunting task. With tension still thick in the air, you hoped that rationality would prevail and that the truth would ultimately come to light.

Heizou tutted, wagging his index finger as if he was a disappointed parent. “We saw you last night, Miss [Name] and Mister Todoroki. You were with Tokuda and Masashi helping to carry the goods.”

Your eyes widened in surprise and you felt your heart was about to come out of your throat. “Well, the Traveler can confirm it for me. Isn’t that right?” The redhead peered over to the said name. Lumine hesitated for a moment, torn between being truthful and not wanting to further implicate you or Todoroki. She took a deep breath and nodded.

You groaned, the defeat sinking into you slowly, eating up your entire soul. You swallowed your pride and sighed heavily. It’s better to clear up the misunderstanding than fuel this fire into madness.

You went down onto your knees and placed your head against the ground. Todoroki's eyes widened in shock, and it wasn’t just him. Even Lumine, Paimon, the two soldiers, and Heizou were surprised.

For you to kneel and beg was unexpected and Todoroki was concerned when you performed dogeza. "Hey, [Name], there's no need for that," he said, his voice softer now, realizing the toll the situation was taking on you.

Gorou came rushing in, his arms wide as he stepped in and intervened. “Everyone, please calm down!” He was panting heavily, running immediately to the Sangonomiya Shrine when he was alerted by the soldiers of the conflict occurring here. 

You ignored Todoroki and pleaded for Heizou’s empathy. “Please, listen to us.” Heizou watched you with a mix of surprise and curiosity as you pleaded for understanding. The tense atmosphere seemed to momentarily ease as Gorou's presence diffused the situation slightly.

The detective crossed his arms, his expression stoic as he considered your plea.

"Fine, I'll listen," he said, though his tone still held a hint of skepticism. You took a deep breath, trying to steady yourself as you explained Watatsumi Island’s current struggle and situation.

“Watatsumi is a barren island. Growing crops here is futile…” It shattered Lumine’s heart to hear your voice wavering. “You can't grow food or medicinal herbs here. And if we buy them from Ritou, we pay exorbitant taxes.” Todoroki added, exasperation evident in his tone.

“My eldest son died fighting on the battlefield. But do you know how my second son died? He died because there was no medicine to treat him! He sacrificed himself so [Name] will be treated!”

Your stomach felt heavy, recalling the smell of rust and heavy stains of red all over your abdomen. The old man's face was etched with grief and frustration as he continued, his voice trembling with emotion. “[Name] got injured during the war and I was able to cure her before things got worse…”

You clenched your fist and bit your lip. You still didn’t raise your head. This was the only way to show and beg for the Shogunate’s mercy and understanding. Rebelling would be useless and you’d be willing to turn yourself in if that’s the only option to save your hometown.

“I beg you, please don’t tell this to the Commission… This is the only thing I ask of you, Shikanoin.” You dropped the mocking nickname and addressed him by his last name. Todoroki hated seeing you kneeling like this. His anger was boiling, fueling his rage, and it was hard to stop himself.

“Gorou, if we detain them today, the Shogunate will never know what we've done. Besides, we're only a few months away now...We will set them free once the new bill is passed in just a few months, and everything will be okay. None of what happened here will be mentioned again, and life on Watatsumi Island will continue to improve.” Todoroki convinced the general. The urgency and desperation were so evident and the gears on Heizou’s head were turning, finally confirming his case.

“I understand you’re worried about them, Todoroki. But they won’t—“

“That man’s a Tenryou Commissioner!" He cried, his voice becoming scratchy. "If we let him go free, then who's to say that the Shogunate won't come after us tomorrow? If they decide to investigate, we won't be able to hide the truth.”

The general furrowed his brows, understanding the gravity of the situation. Heizou's knowledge of the smuggling activities could be disastrous for the people of Watatsumi Island.

Todoroki looked like he was giving up. No matter how much he argued and convinced Gorou, it’ll all be useless. He’s a simple farmer and he has no power commanding the island’s government.

The atmosphere was gloomy and tense, it almost affected Lumine as well. But her eyes lit up recalling what Todoroki said.

“Wait, what is the bill you just mentioned?”

“It's a new commodity tax bill currently being drafted by the Kanjou Commission. The bill exempts taxes on goods that are in short supply on Watatsumi Island. Once the bill is introduced, we'll be able to buy commodities that we need from regular marketplaces…” Gorou explained.

Then everything clicked. Heizou chuckled and shook his head. "Oh, I see. Man alive… These all make sense now.” He settled his gaze back to you and your eyes made contact with him. Just one look at him and you can feel the dread eating you up whatever that might come out of his lips.

“Alright, in exchange to keep everything here a secret, I’ll stay here a little bit longer.”

“YOU WHAT?!” Hearing you scream at the top of your lungs and standing up surprised everyone.

Oh that shit-eating smirk is back again. The vein on your forehead was noticeable and Lumine calmed you down by pulling you back.

“Oh you heard me. I’m staying here and I’ll be able to see you more, Miss [Name].”

Your heart sank as you realized the implications of Heizou's words. He was willing to stay on Watatsumi Island, watching and wandering the coast area. You’d see him all day while you work and just the thought of it is enough to make you gag in disgust you’ll see this man.

The relief you felt about the bill that could potentially help the island was overshadowed by the fear of having a Tenryou Commissioner in your midst, ruining your peaceful life.

“Oh, come on, Miss Shrine Maiden. What’s with that look? Surely you must have noticed that, aside from being a detective, I am also an ordinary tourist who likes to enjoy good scenery?”

The annoying nickname was back again. You couldn't hide the disdain in your eyes as Heizou's smirk grew wider. Your heart sank further as you realized that the detective's prolonged stay on Watatsumi Island would indeed be a constant source of unease for you.

It wasn't just his involvement in the smuggling investigation that bothered you; it was his nosiness that annoys you the most that there's a possibility he'll take confidential information about the island and use it against you leading to another war.

Gorou and Todoroki, however, seemed unfazed by Heizou's decision to stay longer. The general saw it as an opportunity to further strengthen the island's ties with the Tenryou Commission.

"I'm glad to hear you'll be staying a little longer, Detective Heizou," Gorou said, a hint of gratitude in his tone and Todoroki nodded in agreement.

You forced a smile, not wanting to cause further tension. Deep down, you knew that they were right – accepting Heizou's presence was necessary to buy time until the new bill could be passed. Still, it didn't change the fact that you dreaded the days ahead, knowing that you'd have to endure his watchful gaze while trying to go about your daily work.

Heizou's eyes locked with yours again, and you could sense the amusement in his gaze. "Oh, come on now, Miss Shrine Maiden. I promise I won't be a bother," he said teasingly.

You gritted your teeth, suppressing the urge to retort. There was nothing you could do but play along and hope that the situation would resolve itself once the new bill was in effect.

Until then, you'd have to be on guard and keep Lady Sangonomiya close and safe, all while enduring the presence of a suspicious and nosy Tenryou Commissioner on Watatsumi Island.

[oathofoaksart]

gotta give gi some love too: 💔😓🍔

i’m so mad because i drew their ACTUAL hand underneath the bubbles before realizing i’d have to erase some of it and i’d liked the way the hand came out. anyway—

💔- what are three of your oc’s negative traits?

a. volatile: gi goes from 0 to 100 at the drop of a hat. it’s not that their temper is hair-trigger…exactly…just that when they’re provoked they have little control over their actions. they lash out violently and often without warning since there’s rarely any lead up. someone has to know them pretty well to anticipate what they’re gonna do next or shit WILL be hitting the fan.

b. inflexible: gi has a very black and white view of the world-- not when it comes to morality, but their own biases. if they like something, they like it. if they don't like something, they don't like it. if they want to do something, they will, if they don't, they won't. this very basic way of thinking doesn't leave them with much use of nuance and they won't allow anyone to try to convince them otherwise. this makes them a very rigid person-- nearly impossible to reason with.

c. immature: gi is ruled by their emotions and isn't the best with coping with them. they can be petty or vindictive against someone they feel slighted them, possessive of those close to them, and is mopey when things don't go their way. they dislike the idea of any kind of responsibility handed to them and quite frankly, can be very childish in their tantrums.

😓- is your oc open-minded or stubborn? are they inquisitive or do they prefer to keep to their bubble of knowledge?

despite the answers to the question above lel gi is open-minded when they have a clean slate to work with. given the opportunity, they are a very curious mind who likes to learn and get to know all sorts of things. the weirder, the better, really. their time in space definitely helped with that.

they only dig their heels in once they've made an opinion, but if something interests them, they like to see where it leads them.

🍔- is your oc good at cooking? are they good at baking? which one do they prefer?

they cook! in general, gi likes to do things with their hands and they get to eat afterwards, so it's a win-win. they're really good at it, too. they're trying to get into baking, but since it wasn't a necessity for them growing up, they just didn't take to it as much as they did cooking. they make a mean chocolate-chip cookie, though.

more asks? here

[simplyreveries]

Congrats on the 500 followers I love your stuff so its well deserved!!! If I could please have a matchup id be over the moon! 🌺

My pronouns are She/Her. Im short, chubby, and adorable! I have fluffy curly hair, glasses, and I love wearing dresses and skirts or cozy sweaters. I usually wear bright colors or vibrant patterns a-la miss frizzle think pink skirt with grapefruit print or dress with cacti/dinosaurs but then I pair it with cute combat boots and a leather jacket.

My hobbies are baking and video games. But I also love taking walks, gardening (born and raised farm girl), going to museums, and learning new cool facts to add to my fact hoard. Basically I will watch documentaries for fun usually while also baking brownies.

Im an ambivert and flip flop from leave me alone in my bed nest to recharge to going up to strangers to tell them I love there makeup or hair. I try hard to be a kind genuine person who brings joy into the world but admittedly I have a petty ice queen side to me, like it takes a LOT to piss me off as im very patient and forgiving (messing with my loved ones is a fast track tho) but once I’m there I will take them down and they wont see it coming as I can be quite the sneaky ‘manipulative’ type. I do use my evil powers for good sometimes like helping 3 couples meet/confess.

I’m very loyal, but take a while to trust others and open up. Once someone has gained my trust and friendship I am very loving and affectionate this includes cuddles, massages if permitted and hugs. My love languages are Acts of Service and Words of Affirmation, so friends can expect random bombardments of genuine compliments or if they mentioned something they wanted / needed done consider it taken care of.

Despite all this and often being called the ‘mature one’ or ‘the dependable one’ by my friends I am actually very shy and easily flustered, I cant handle compliments of flirting without combusting. I will go from serious and put together handling things like a boss to squeaking and completely falling apart if someone says something really nice to me. I cant handle getting gifts either.

Uhh idk how to finish this so fun fact time I guess:

Did you know that certain chicken breeds can lay naturally occurring blue eggs? I raised several and those chickens are often very independent compared to other breeds. They still like getting hugs and pets tho! Also the eggs taste mostly the same but the yolk has more flavor.

i match you with trey clover!!

you two give me unintentional couple that are the parents in a friend group? whenever there's some trouble going on, especially within heartslabyul you two are someone like deuce usually comes to for advice. i'd imagine you two would always be baking with each other-- he'd be in love with someone who enjoys it as much as he does. only better for the dorm because that means twice the amounts of sweets obviously...

with what trey does in the science club, he does have a knack for growing plants in the school's botanical garden. as he also uses it to grow his own fruits and such for baking. he'd gladly show you what he's doing, he is particularly proud of his strawberries for tarts hehe.

it's funny because though trey thinks the world of you-- giving any kind of romantic compliments is so difficult for him. i mean, he's canonically bad at flirting. he can't help but feel bashful whenever you yourself seemingly shower him with praise. he tends to show his affection through acts of service like you, he wants to be someone that actively goes out their way and does something for you to brighten your day. trey wants to be reliable to you, because he's such a mess bringing it into words, he shows you all the time.

trey is affectionate but around others its very discreetly, hand on your back, playing with your hair, he likes holding your hand, he'd urb his thumb over the back of it too.

[oh-my-hubris]

Loyalty Of Angels 4: Badge Of Honor

Jhonny moves in with Logan two years after getting a job (nominally with the Seraph)

1324

The Seraph headquarters bustled without feeling hectic. Jhonny liked it, it was comforting in a way he still managed to be surprised by. People came in and out with their problems, petty criminals were moved around. The office itself was brightly lit, large glass windows let the light in to dance on the clean stone tiles. Logan’s personal office was in the back, a smaller room with dark paneled wood that held a desk and papers, but not usually Logan himself. 

Logan stayed out with the ‘grunts’ and with the rest of the Seraph. It was part of why he was so generally rooted in reality and in the job.

It probably helped that his office was miserable. After less than a year with the Seraph, Jhonny had become pretty sure that was on purpose. Now he knew it was.

He had a cup of tea on his desk and was going through Logan's schedule for the next month and noticing again that the man didn't believe in breaks unless they were going for a walk with Queen Jennah. 

But everything he was doing had to be able to be taken over by other people in case of an emergency. 

So, over the two years he'd been with the Seraph, Jhonny had worked to gain the respect and trust of the people he worked with. This had given him the ability to scheme with Lieutenant Francis and Sergeant Tailor and start moving things around so Logan had to sit down for twenty minutes every now and then. 

Logan, who complained about always working, had not entirely taken the change in stride.

The shadow fell over his desk, immediately recognizable, and Jhonny didn't bother looking up. He lifted his mug of tea to his mouth and took a drink before setting it back down and returning to his papers. “No, I'm not giving you back Tuesday's patrol route. You're lucky I'm not making you take the day off.” 

Logan huffed a little laugh. “I know. Francis already lorded it over me. You can't stop me.” 

Jhonny looked up with an unimpressed eyebrow to find Logan smiling. “I could drug your tea but someone might actually need you for something.”

Logan set something on the desk. 

“What’s this?” Jhonny asked as he picked it up. It was a small metal wing on a chain. He turned it over in his hands. In miniscule print it read: J. Jackson #1541. 

“It’s an identification badge,” Logan said, even though Jhonny had been with the Seraph for two years and definitely knew that. “Keep it on.” 

“This is a Seraph badge,” Jhonny said, not pulling his eyes from the inscription. Logan had included his last name. He’d only had a last name for two years. It still felt strange—like he belonged somewhere. And Logan putting this on his desk implied that he belonged here.  “Logan, I’m not a Seraph.” 

“You work for the Seraph,” Logan said. “You deserve a badge.” 

“No, I mean I’m pretty sure I’m not allowed to have one," Jhonny clarified. "These are to identify Seraph if they die. If I’m wearing this and I kick it someone will assume I’m Seraph and notify my… I don’t have any next of kin. Well, Andrew and Petra I guess, because I live there.” 

That’d irritate Katsulas. 

“They’d notify me,” Logan said. “As your friend. As your… roommate.” 

Jhonny blinked. He looked up at Logan. 

They… didn't live together. 

Was Logan asking him to move in? 

The idea was warming. Thinking that someone liked him enough to want him around more often. It did seem like a strange move from Logan though. 

It would also make his job easier and give him time to actually sleep.

Jhonny’s mouth flapped a little, brow furrowing with a question he couldn’t quite figure out how to voice. 

Logan's smile was just a little awkward and it was completely endearing. “You live in the attic of a tavern on the other side of the city.” 

“It’s… not a bad attic.” Jhonny hedged, slightly overwhelmed and trying very hard not to show it.

“And I could use the company,” Logan admitted.

Jhonny could count on one finger the number of times he’d felt truly touched by something. And he knew that if he opened his mouth he’d make a mess of things. So he didn’t open his mouth, not at first. He slid the chain over his neck and tucked the wing into his shirt alongside the half of his parent’s amulet. 

Then he swallowed. 

Then he thought. 

And then he spoke. “Sounds like fun,” he couldn’t help the brightness of his smile. “I don’t exactly have a whole lot in the way of belongings. I can be moved in… tonight… if that’s alright.” 

“That’s perfect,” Logan said. “I’ll get you a key made in the meantime.” He reached over and gave Jhonny’s shoulder a squeeze. “You’re important to me, Jhonny. I consider you a true friend.” 

“You make me cry in public and I will sully the moment I swear.” 

Logan chuckled. “Well, that is something you're good at.” 

“A man needs to contribute something to society. In my case it's mostly just bad jokes and stupid one liners.”

[localplaguenurse]

Ah. Gotcha. I tend to try and plot out every point of my story which unfortunately doesn’t work out that well. Obviously need to change something.

Still, it was nice knowing that the writing process is often very fluid eh heh.

So gotta ask a question relating to You’ve Got My Eyes, but….

What exactly is Mizuki’s problem? In the story, Mizuki is the one often provoking Chibana and being a general pain in the butt, but the latter could care less about her and just wants to parent Kei? Did she just never grow out of her high school years or did Chibana unintentionally offend her or something? I gotta give props for Chibana being the adult in the situation because I know I definitely would have punched Mizuki in the face long ago if I were in her place.

I’m saving the exact Incident that caused their friendship to fall apart for the fic, but I can at least explain why she’s still such a bitch to mama even after all of it.

Basically how I like to imagine it is that Mama was always 100% ready to support Mizuki in her endeavours even if they personally made her uncomfortable. Sadly, because Mama didn’t quite fit in with Mizuki’s new “fun” friends, it was easy for Mizuki to get persuaded/manipulated into dropping Mama from the friendgroup because it’s just one friend compared to a whole group of friends, who cares, right?

Mizuki kinda realizes her fuck up whenever she sees that despite having very few friends aside from Hana, Mama’s actually doing pretty good all things considered. No one really plans on unexpected single parenthood but seeing that Mama has her shit together and an admittedly very cute baby causes Mizuki to short circuit. Friendgroup falls apart, Mizuki has the classic realization of “I threw away my one actual friend for a bunch of girls that didn’t even like me that much,” but she’s too ashamed but prideful to admit it. She’s also envious of Mama because arguably her life is more stressful than Mizuki’s, so why is she so much happier? Plus, Mama wants nothing to do with her after all of that, because her priority is Kei.

Tldr: was manipulated by a group of mean girls and realized too late she picked the wrong friends, but has become too petty, prideful and jealous to actually admit it. Mama wouldn’t even take her back if she did apologize.

[kukuandkookie]

Man I should’ve gone to sleep ages ago or at least enjoyed myself by reading more danmei or manhua before I do so but…

I ran across a tweet asking if there’s any Chinese actors who can compare visually to a specific Korean actor and it did kind of strike a nerve with me.

But that wasn’t even that big of a deal. Some people like Korean actors and some people like Chinese actors. You can share some pretty Chinese actors and see what others say, whatever.

Ignoring the political tensions OP may have been stoking—as in, I’m of Chinese descent and I always hate seeing any Korea vs China posts crop up; besides being more popular than China anyway, I just have bad experiences in the past with nationalists spiralling this kind of thing out of control and making me sad to realize that quite a number of Korean people actually really hate/look down on China. So ignoring all that, who cares, right?

Except I found some care being piqued when I saw a qrt pretty rudely claiming Chinese actors are so weak they can’t lift their female partners and that they also can’t sing or act—and if OP could have, I’m sure they’d claim they can’t dance either.

Like hello??? We’re really pretending a country of 1.7 billion people isn’t going to have some skilled or strong people in acting??? Hell, some of these so-called “can’t sing/act” Chinese actors have actually found success in Korea for doing the thing that person thinks they can’t (eg Wang Yibo, literally). So is this apparent Korean entertainment fan just going to ignore that fact about the Korean entertainment industry???

Even all of that is technically whatever, but what rubbed me the wrong way was that they sounded so petty and weird about it too???? It’s one thing to say, “I don’t think Chinese actors are that impressive because they’re not very strong or skilled at their craft”—that’s still a bizarre claim to make even as an opinion (because it’s written as a broad, generalizing, sweeping statement instead), but it nevertheless sounds a lot less asshole-ish than whatever the hell their actual tweet is:

So this time I was petty and ended up responding ffjhskdjs.

Idk if they’re going to start arguing with me but hey at least it led me to find some cute clips of actors carrying actresses:

I also found some fun facts about actors; some of which I knew, and some of which I didn’t: Song Weilong knows martial arts, Luo Yunxi knows ballet, Li Xian dives, Wallace Chung plays sports (volleyball, tennis, baseball), Huang Jingyu does Brazilian jiu jitsu…

Like those are all skills that just so happen to require strength.

And even skinny people can be strong (Luo Yunxi can be easily labelled thin, but he’s not without muscle. Like ballet isn’t an easy sport at all).

Then we have the opposite side of the spectrum with the fact that China has a whole martial arts movie industry. Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, Donnie Yen… Whether you think their strength is practical or not, martial arts still takes a form of strength.

Plus you know how Asia is about “men needing to be manly.” Even with the flower boy trend in both China and Korea, there’s still an emphasis on some traditional gender roles, and quite a number of Chinese men do work out.

There’s just so many different forms of strength.

My younger brother works out and he can physically pick me up (he actually did it today to force me to get out of bed lol), but he’s often lamented being skinny, so the muscle doesn’t show—or take form—as easily. In fact, both my brothers are their own forms of gym bros so I know a bit about physical strength, and there’s obviously the fact there are many different kinds of strength.

A man who works out regularly and has visible muscles can likely pick up a woman, but that doesn’t mean he’ll necessarily be great in a fight or at a certain sport (eg my brother is good at working out, can lift heavy things to be fixed or carried, is technically alright at basketball, but cannot really do long-distance running).

My older brother then looks bigger than my younger brother but he can’t easily beat him in an arm wrestling match. My dad isn’t that muscular but he can also hold his own in an arm wrestling match against my brothers.

It’s almost as if different bodies and different types of strength exist! The exact same way that beauty is in the eye of the beholder!!

Back to the flower boys thing—with there being a trend in China where people prefer more “delicate” men (remember when Simu Liu got cast as Shang-Chi and a number of articles came out about some Chinese netizens not finding him all that attractive?), then of course Chinese actors may not be as bulked out as some western ones. But that’s also whatever—it’s a cultural difference.

As I already described, there are Chinese actors with muscles, or who work out, or who are strong in other/not immediately obvious ways, or who can carry actresses…

But whether they can or can’t, including whether they’re muscular or thin, I don’t think it matters. In fact, if anything, I’m glad that despite the government’s efforts to “ban” flower men, the blur between masculine and feminine—at least when we follow the western standards—still exists in China.

And I emphasize that even more since China and Korea can buy into beliefs about gender that imo are too traditional. So I am glad that even if Chinese men are “smaller” than Korean men—or at least the actors are (in that person’s eyes), they’re defying gender expectations somewhat. Especially what with Korea fervently continuously getting the spotlight for misogyny in the workplace or by fans/incels (eg recently with Arknights’ more independent Korean division despite Arknights coming across as rather feminist, the whole ordeal with Furina’s designer, the whole 🤏 controversy, actual sexual scandal cases…).

And well oops that went into another tangent.

Technically it’s not that serious, but it is also a slippery slope. And anyway, the tweet in general was just baffling enough it made me want to respond lol.

[cottoncandyjester]

Could we get more beta oc head canons?

Also how’s life been? We’ve missed you! Hope your doing well!

Decided to use betas I really like some old some new lol

If you wanna see a beta I didn’t do of course leave an ask

Warning this contains: talk bout sex, mention of drugs

Beta theo:

Is a very skilled sex therapist

Is also a cam boy on the side

He is very popular in the bdsm community

This man is FILTHY

Is so skilled with his mouth it should be a crime

Kisses or oral from him is like heaven ✨

Loves horror movies surprisingly

Can be quite foul mouth especially when it comes to dirty talk

Is chaotic as hell

Prank calls scammers by moaning on the phone

Has loving parents thay are divorced but support him despite his..hobbies

Is a “don’t make me fuck your mother/father” type of man

Once slept his college professor’s husband as petty revenge for failing him

Sometimes he teaches sex education classes at the university

Lots of his students thirst after him

He has a half sister that he adores..and loves to playfully embarrass her

Beta tiago is like his bestie

They hang out almost all the time

They also call each other anytime either of them knows any gossip even during work or 3am

Their darlings have to deal with double dates a lot cause the two are super close

Beta zeke:

This man is a mix of punk and goth and it scares a lot of people

Behind that though he’s a dork like huge dork

Date nights with him include watching a horror movie,cuddles and lots of pausing the movie so he can monologue about the special effects

Zeke does a lot of things to occupy his time which includes making music, practicing special effects make up, go to concerts and more

He is pretty hardcore and deathly terrifying when he wants to protect something or someone

Has spent many nights in a jail cell due to his aggressive nature

Once went to jail for headbutting a guy trying to hook up with his ex at a concert

Is constantly being scolded by his brothers for being reckless and stubborn

Is the family black sheep

Is a druggie but doesn’t tell his family or friends how bad it is

Rough in bed LIKE ROUGH

I’m talking biting, choking and absolutely overstimulation

he has a lot of pent up anger that he uses during sex so his partner usually ends up with bruises and bite marks

Beta prince:

Has a love hate relationship beta zeke..it’s mostly hate

He reminds prince of a wounded dog that lashes out cause it’s hurt

The two argue whenever they are together

They spend time together often since they both play dnd with beta tiago

He usually is quite cynical and quiet but is intense during dnd to the point where he becomes a whole different person

DND Sessions with him gets so intense it once led to beta dante getting his stomach pumped

He is downright manic during his comic making to the point where he has pressed the undo button over and over before nearly smashed his drawing tablet several times in anger cause he feels like he’s not good enough

He is a virgin who is touch starved

It’s so bad that he will cum from just heavy making out

A drooling whining mess needing to hump something

Plays bass when bored

Beta Tiago:

Works as a professional submissive

Literally gets paid to be tied up and whipped and even sometimes fucked for a good price

He often deals with clients with big egos who he has to butter up

Is very popular at bdsm parties both working there as a tool to be used and as someone to guide new comers

Works with beta theo often teaching alongside him or even doing cam shows with him

Plays dnd in his apartment with friends as a way to keep zeke out of trouble

Is the mom of the group

Keeps snacks, feminine products, band aids and more in his bag at all times

Despite his job he’s actually a switch

As a submissive he’s playful yet totally submissive but is a pleasure dom which means his partner is cumming at least 6 times while he is praising them the entire time

Has a deep seeded breeding kink

Gained cooking and hair styling skills from his parents

His parents were hardworking yet loving people so he helped raise his siblings which led him to gaining lots of domestic skills as well as keeping his brothers in check

Has two cats one named bacon and the other named eggs

Horny 70% of the time

Him and beta theo has had several sex contests which led to them both passing out and having to go to the hospital due to dehydration..fun times

[terrence-silver]

Does Terry teases beloved about the height difference between them? I’m sure almost everyone he knows is shorter than him cause, you know, men is a walking tree, but if beloved and him was a big height difference cause beloved is short in general, does Terry teases her about not being able to reach certain things that are on higher shelves and how he’s so huge compare to her? 

I can see him being amused seeing beloved getting mad with the jokes he does about her height 

---

I think it is quite the opposite.

Of course Terry relishes being tall. Statuesque. Fit, for lack of a better word. Of course he internally beams with delight whenever someone is but an inch shorter than him and he makes a petty, self-apprising, triumphant mental note of it, taking delight each and every time he's the biggest man in the room all while casually flaunting it, making it pretty impossible to ignore even when he doesn't, feeling it is a personal victory of his, simply because it is just another silent power move, another way to have the upper hand, because it feeds his ego among a great many other things and because it is a way to be the apparent alpha and a way to control the environment, but controversial opinion, he's smarter than to be awfully brash, cocky and open about it, even when he actually is, deep down.

Terry Silver's long con is that he always appears humble. About everything. We all know he isn't, far from, but the people he deals with do not (for the most part?) because Terry ensures that is the case. Remains the case, if he can help it and he always can, one way or another. Because he's a chameleon. Because he doesn't really wear his actual opinions on his sleeve like that. He is seemingly humble about his accomplishments, his wealth, his connections and yes, even all the way down to things such as height.

In fact, rather than teasing anyone outright about anything, beloved or not, he might just appear the noble guru and he'd go as far as encourage them concerning their shortness, whoever this 'they' might be --- could be anyone ranging from a student, to a friend, to a loved one, to an enemy. It doesn't exactly matter. Whether it is done in an environment such as a dojo; where he could easily say any body has the potential to be a deadly weapon if honed properly --- and both mean it and not, depending how foul or fair his end goals are. Whether it is between business associates, at some corporate, say, cocktail, or wherever the rich mingle, where Terry Silver seems downright egalitarian for show praising all these body types which aren't quite like his, and the whole room coos at just how kindly Mr. Silver is (not realizing how easy it is to act all-inclusive when you're on top where ableness is concerned), or if he is oddly enough, encouraging an enemy he wants to do more harm to than good that yes, going up against a foe twice one's height without preparation totally won't decimate them in combat and have them beaten up. All's possible if you only believe. Just go for it! Honesty, compassion and fairplay! It will be just like the story of David and Goliath.

Often, Terry Silver's intentions are utterly dishonest. Sweet-sounding and fake.

Neatly packed as good intentions (paving the road to high hell).

And very rarely, they're genuine, with the right people.

But, regardless, seldom are his tendencies to tease, mock and prod that apparent or crudely transparent. They're hidden. Beneath layers of meaning, double entandres, posturing, wordplay and good publicity. Even if Terry Silver did make fun of someone's height, the jab (both malicious and benevolent alike) would be so slickly and well concealed that it would almost seem like an uplifting comment initially. A couple of years later, once the charm offensive wears off, one realizes Terry Silver's been making fun of them and hitting them with backhanded remarks the whole time.

[irradiatedcatboy]

Commissioned art of my Courier Julius made by DrowzyDeer.

Courier Julius

Stats:

Strength : 2

Perspection: 6

Endurance : 2

Charisma : 7

Intelligence : 6

Agility : 7

Luck : 7

Tag skills: Repair, Science, Speech, Sneak

Traits: Skilled, Wild wasteland

Companions: ED-E & Vulpes (I love mods)

Name:

He barely remembers anything from before he was shot by Benny. When he joined the Legion Caesar gave him a new name and identity: Julius

(I usually just call him courier because I’m lazy.)

Age: 26-28

Gender: Trans male

Karma: Evil

Disclaimer! I changed some stuff since the canon and honest hearts sucks. First I made Caesar trans because why not? I think it makes his character and ideology much more interesting. Also Joshua and Caesar were lovers and Vulpes is their biological son. Fox boy doesn’t know it. Pretty much everything else is the same tho.

Backstory:

He grew up in a vault separated from everything. (Yes I gave him the same backstory as the lone wanderer) He’s mean, holds grudges and has superiority complex towards most people of the wasteland. He views them as dirty and uncivilized. In the vault he received standard education and learned many useful skills that would later help him survive the outside world.

He left the vault few years before in the hopes of better life. He was a spoiled brat and had no idea how rough things would be outside.

His new focus in life is finding a place to stay and maybe have a stable life at some point.

During the game:

He’s a petty person and wants to destroy the Strip because of Benny. The fact that one bullet was enough to fuck up his brain and steal his memories makes him furious. Helps the Omertans with their little terrorist attack as well as returns the White gloves to cannibalism.

Other fun things his done: blow up the brotherhoods bunker, sold Arcade to legion, got everyone killed in Sierra Madre, nuked NCR etc.

Fighting is something he tries to avoid, but not because he’s a pacifist. He’s just a coward and knows most people could kick his ass in combat. His extremely lucky to be alive.

NCR has declared him a terrorist, Mr House is dead and he’s too lazy to go with the yes man route so Legion was the only option for him. He’s quite curious about their ideology since he has no home, family, friends or anything left. He hopes to find purpose for his life there.

Most companions don’t like him at all and Boone, Arcade and Veronica hate him. Raul is the only one willing to tolerate his bs. Oh and Julius won’t travel with Lilly since he’s afraid of mutants. But he’s okay with Cass, Rex and ED-E.

Caesar sees him as useful pawn so he gives the courier a new name and purpose. He’s seen as a helpful outsider (and a degenerate) by most of the Legion but they tolerate him. Vulpes is assigned to protect and make sure courier stays loyal.

During his time serving in Legion Julius ends up visiting Nelson quite often and meets someone very special to him. He’s lonely and traumatized man looking for comfort and Dead sea sees him as an opportunity to move up the ranks. I mean if Caesar likes this new guy so surely sleeping with him would be beneficial, right? Well not exactly, after Caesar figures out why courier is so eager to visit Nelson as often as possible he makes sure to remove Dead sea permanently.

Dead sea is killed and Julius is told his lover was promoted and send to another outpost. Thinking his lover has abandoned him Julius doesn't question what he’s told. He has no reason to doubt Caesar.

After the break up with Dead sea Julius is more focused on his newly found career and doesn't start new relationships with anyone. Vulpes is fully aware of what actually happened to Dead sea but he won’t talk, he has no reason to question Caesar’s decisions.

Caesar is a dying man with god complex and in his head the courier and Vulpes are meant to be the future leaders of the Legion. (Just like he and Joshua were supposed to be) Vulpes is his flesh and blood after all, and the courier caries the same anger and pain as he does. Surely these two would be a good choice to lead semi-militaristic cult.

As long as Julius gets to enjoy the benefits of being favored by Caesar he’s very loyal. However if he ever stopped receiving the special treatment he wouldn't hesitate to stab Caesar in the back. And if he ever found out what happened to Dead sea, he would kill Caesar.

The only time he ever considered running away was during his final delievery job. He was told to find the burned man and give him letter written by Caesar. Julius was nosy so he read the letter with Vulpes and they found out who fox bois parents were. Caesar wrote the letter because he thought he was going to die and wanted to say goodbye to his former best friend and lover. (I hate honest hearts so I changed it.)

After Hoover dam:

Julius helped Caesar with the tumor problem and was in front lines during the battle for Hoover dam. He gained good reputation and respect among the Legion. And since Legion has very cult like mentality, the courier was viewed as almost religious figure after all he’d done. Caesar saw this as an opportunity and against his wishes, Julius was forced to take even bigger role in Legion.

His new ”job” or rank would require him to works as an ambassador and convince as many people as possible that Legion was the right choice. The education he received in the vault and his somewhat charismatic personality made him a convincing preacher. At some point he started believing what he was saying, maybe Caesar really was the son of Mars and maybe what they were doing was right.

Eventually all the violence and destruction he saw in the following years took it’s toll. There was no courier anymore, only Julius who was created by Caesar was left. Vulpes stayed by his side all those years as a loyal guard dog. Their relationship was close but not romantic.

Due to his desperate need for a home and family, he had accepted his role in Legion and started spreading the word of Caesar through the wasteland. Where he went the air smelled of decay, ground would burn and turn into ashes.

Julius started slowly becoming more and more deranged with his preaching and used brutal ways of converting and executing those who refused to obey. The story of the burned man had stick with him and it became his signature way of execution. It was the price of his own freedom.

8 years after the battle of Hoover dam, Caesar died and Vulpes was supposed to become the new Caesar. However not everyone was happy with the new leader so Lanius challenged him to a fight in the arena. Vulpes got destroyed. The next problem was Julius and his followers. Lanius saw them as a threat so the logical decicion was to order his execution.

Julius had collected decent following during his time as a preacher and his fanatic followers were willing to die for him. In the end Lanius got what he wanted and Julius was crucified at the same place as Benny was. Most of his followers were either crucified or burned alive.

After the couriers death some of the legionnaires continued spreading his story around the campfire. The people who witnessed Julius burning down towns and commit crimes in the name of Caesar also remembered him in their ghost stories.

The Legion fell apart few years after Caesar's death and the land could start healing.

(I got tired of trans characters always being victims or pure saints so I wanted to make something else. Sorry this was a mess.)

[aggressivelyarospec]

The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux (1910) as an aro unfriendly book.

I’m not very familiar with the various adaptations over the years, so I can’t speak much on the aro-friendliness of those. But the main story is about romance - sometimes romanticized, sometimes properly shown as toxic and unhealthy, and often a mix of both of these. So if romance stories and/or toxic relationship stories aren’t for you, then you likely won’t enjoy any version of this story.

As for the original 1910 book, which I am specifically warning for…

(Mild spoilers below!)

The lead female character Christine declares towards the start of the book that she doesn’t want to marry, nor will she ever marry. Only for it to be revealed later that she was lying when she said this. The only reason she said it, was because she was being blackmailed and was not allowed to marry. She does fall in love, and desire to marry, and end up marrying at the end.

(That said, her quote is still badass: “I am mistress of my own actions, M. de Chagny: you have no right to control them, and I will beg you to desist henceforth. As to what I have done during the last fortnight, there is only one man in the world who has the right to demand an account of me: my husband! Well, I have no husband and I never mean to marry!”)

The book also contains a love interest that spies on Christine without her knowing, and is violently jealous of what he perceives as competition for her affections. He refuses to believe her when she says that he misunderstands the situation, and refuses to back down despite her asking him to. He acts extremely entitled to her, just because they were childhood friends and because he now romantically loves her. He does this all in the name of “protecting” and “loving” her, and these actions are never called out. He’s shown as the healthier option (and indeed the other option is worse, but the story does condemn the other’s actions and entitlement, while not doing so for this love interest) To make things worse, his hatred of the other love interest turns out to be warranted, as the other love interest is dangerous, but his hatred only came from petty jealousy and not any actual knowledge of the dangers the other man posed to Christine.

Christine ends up in a requited romantic relationship with the less-toxic love interest at the end of the story, despite him never apologizing or making up for his toxic thoughts and actions.

The book is good in its own right and has many good things about it (For example, Christine is an excellent example of a well-written damsel in distress) but these elements are major negatives to it, and make the story quite aro-unfriendly.

Additional Information: Fiction, Horror, Romance Trailer: N/A

Added!