#but he always waits for Ingo to process his thoughts and feelings

[gaysealprobably]

I'm gonna be thinking about closed mouth golbat for the rest of the night.

[leggerefiore]

cw: sawsbuck ingo, fluff, mentions of sex, pokehybrid au

pairing: Ingo/Reader

▲▼▲▼▲▼▲▼▲▼▲

Ingo hated the feeling of his rut settling into his system. Though it was a natural process that came along with being a Sawsbuck hybrid, he liked to at least pretend he was more human than his lower body would make one think. Moments like this gave him a harsh reminder that he was different from how he even thought he was. He grumbled to himself as he wandered around the small camp site that you had taken over as a home with him. He enjoyed the luxury of a human home more than he would ever like to admit. Running water a blessing, truly, even if he could barely fit in the tub to soak for a bath.

He tried to think of anything but the annoying feelings beginning to lap at his brain and the increasing heat of his body. Ingo hated this more than anything. He was a sapient being! Not some animal. Another grumble left him as he graded to your bed to smell the remaining scent of you on the sheets. Everything felt suddenly a lot slower as he pressed himself more into them. You… You had left for work. He understood. He always understood. This situation, however. Ingo wanted to cry. In fact, when he raised his head, a certain escaped his throat. A mating call. He felt like a mess. How long until you returned? Another followed.

He then curled up on the bed to the best of his ability and rested his eyes.

Waiting felt impossible, but it was all that he could do.

~

You walked back to the trail that led to your cabin as you saw two men chatting nearby. Normally, you would not have cared, but the two seemed strangely solemn. So, as you readied yourself for your trek, you listened.

“Did you hear that Sawsbuck earlier?”

“How could I not? Guy could break glass with how loud he was. I'm surprised my ears weren't ringing.”

“Poor thing must not have been able to find a mate.”

“With a voice like that, I think he scared them off.”

You blinked a few times. Loud Sawsbuck? You'd feet suddenly were carrying you quickly through the wooded area to your cabin. When you arrived, you threw open the door. There, you found Ingo completely out of his mind in your bed. The minute his eyes landed on you, though. Well, he could have been mistaken for his brother, even in his mannerisms.

You felt even more exhausted than you already were by the time you both passed out for the night.

~

The next day, you could only watch his flustered expression, and he apologised over and over again for what he had done. You reassured him it was fine and tried to comfort him as he worked through his embarrassment about falling into the control of his rut.

You both spent the day mostly cuddled up and recovering from the absolute work-out you both went through. But, later in the afternoon, you had been scrolling on your phone and spied a local news article. You held back laughter. This had caught Ingo's attention, who peered over at what had caused your reaction. His eyes went wide.

“… Dearest…” he felt the embarrassment come back ten-fold. The article was about a sudden. A report about an impossibly loud Sawsbuck doing a mating call. Many jokes were made about the poor guy not being able to find some doe to comfort him. “… Ah…” He pressed his face into his hands. You felt a laugh escape you.

“Right, I heard some guys talking about it on my walk home yesterday,” you recalled, “Everything thinks you didn't get any.” That was not the case, naturally. Ingo seemed more distressed by that.

“… Please, don't tease me…” he pouted at you, “I had no idea I was being that loud…”

“Well, it's not surprising,” you shrugged, “You were loud when you were moaning, too. But… I guess you didn't really sound like Sawsbuck with that.”

“Please, stop,” his cheeks were bright red. You giggled and leaned in to peck his cheek.

“Well, you got over it, right? So don't stress — no one knows it was you,” you reassured him. He sighed.

“… I suppose that's true, but it makes me feel worse since they think I'm simply a Sawsbuck...” Ingo buried his face into your nape, “Even Emmet doesn't get that loud.”

“Emmet… just…” you shuddered. He did not really need to a mating call with how he hunted down his mate, “I think it's cute, Ingo.” You rubbed his back as he let out a sigh.

Emmet later teased him about it, and they got into an antler fight.

He truly will never live in down.

[noelledeltarune]

What do you think are Ingo and Emmet’s eating habits when working the subway?

in my head i have always thought that emmet really likes cooking but he's also an early to bed early to rise kind of guy and i just can't really imagine him waking up earlier than need be to make food before leaving for work because he probably wouldn't be able to sleep enough if he did LOL.

i figure he probably makes food the night before or meal preps or something because he seems like a proactive guy like that. likes having things ready. also gives him something keep busy when he gets home that he also enjoys doing.....

in my head emmet runs doubles in the morning, he and ingo run the multi lines in the afternoon (most popular line + most busy time of day) and then ingo runs singles in the evening (with regular vs super lines running on alternate days) because i just feel bad imagining them overworking themselves so much even if it's a job they both love LOL

i feel like emmet is a person who generally strives to take good care of himself? he works in a team that puts in so much effort for him and i do think that like. i kind of think how it is in the anime right. when the pokemon are training ash is working out too LOL. it's a team effort in every sense of the word and he's very serious about what he does and takes a lot of joy in battling so of course i think he goes above and beyond in that regard.

i know it's kind of like. most people think ingo is generally in better shape (especially post-hisui) but i just don't believe it LMAO i have always imagined emmet as a guy who like. put more effort into his physical health than ingo

i also just think emmet likes to cook as a hobby because like. it's fun. good to imagine characters having random things they enjoy. with food specifically it's just good to know how to cook for yourself and know you'll enjoy the taste and texture of whatever it is you're gonna eat

in that vein though i kind of think ingo is like. same thought process opposite solution where he would eat out a lot if he didn't live with someone who likes to cook because fast food places always make food he likes and he knows it'll taste the same and feel the same every time. they are men of routine LMAO

i guess in my mind it's like. emmet wakes up, eats leftovers or makes something while he's getting ready for work, gets coffee or something on the way. goes on the train. when ingo wakes up, if there's leftovers he thinks he'll like he'll eat those, otherwise he'll grab food on the way after he leaves. i figure there's pretty lengthy waits at the station between each "run" of the battle trains because i have to imagine there's some kind of like. way they organize carts 1 - 20 / 1 - 48. since obviously not everyone on the trains works at the station. so like at some point while the train is like boarding before the passenger attempts start they probably both buy lunch. then after the multi line is done running emmet goes home and either makes food or waits until ingo gets home and then they order or something?? idk

this is also assuming they live together at all but 🤷‍♀️ idk i assume they both have pretty normal food habits i guess. i think emmet likes to cook more than ingo but i do think they both try to take relatively good care of themselves in general including their eating habits LOL. like i don't think either of them really have any issues with not eating enough to the extent that it would affect their health or anything

[belltrigger]

I posted 672 times in 2022

That's 610 more posts than 2021!

187 posts created (28%)

485 posts reblogged (72%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@glassesblu

@dingo-on-a-farm

@allaboardtheblankship

@eyreyereye

@megadraws

I tagged 630 of my posts in 2022

Only 6% of my posts had no tags

#blankshipping - 500 posts

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#allaboardtheblankship - 31 posts

Longest Tag: 139 characters

#i'm gonna go throw my cat at them because a game told me i can fight someone for eye contact (and they also have to give me money when i wi

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Emmet, Emmet. °˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖°

54 notes - Posted May 24, 2022

#4

Trainer Kudari would like to battle!

56 notes - Posted May 28, 2022

#3

@tsumisan6v9 said my first Kudari was friend shaped! Here is a Kudari that is threat-shaped to balance out! He has been placed upon The Cube tm for maximum gargoyle lurking.

I have come to the conclusion that it's the collar that makes for the threat. It creates a great threat display.

62 notes - Posted May 29, 2022

#2

I bet Ingo sometimes has some questionable coping mechanisms over in Hisui too. On some days he wakes up and sets the table for two people like it's a habit and if that happens he already knows the day is gonna be hell because he will find himself compelled to do certain things that don't make sense. He holds doors open for people who aren't there, insists on making two cups of tea and all in all his behavior becomes a bit reminiscent of someone being compulsive because he INSISTS he has to do this, he doesn't know why, he has too. It culminates with Akari finding him standing outside his house at night, next to the lantern and just all but staring in the distance. "I can't go to sleep before he comes home." He starts before she can even ask the question. "I always wait until he gets home and leave the light on, he gets worried when he can't see the light from the window, so I always leave it on until he gets home.... I know he's not but-" He stops himself and stays silent until he feels her nudging his shoulder. "... Would it help if I keep watch for a while?" The look on his face tells her that he isn't too keen on the idea, but he nods before heading inside for a night of uneasy rest. Hikari spends about an hour keeping watch , lost in thought, before she finally kills the light when she is sure that Ingo has fallen asleep by now.

Over a hundred years later and a thousand miles away from Hisui , Emmet always keeps the light on before he leaves home.

Anoooonnnnn, you're so right. So right.

He's more than once handed something to empty air, letting go without a second thought, only to stare blankly at whatever it was as it drops to the ground. Some of his pokémon have taken to catching the items or picking them up for him, but even then he still has to take a moment to process the dissonance ricocheting through him.

Anytime someone gives him food, he just smiles softly as he splits it in half, explaining that the last time he didn't share, he was given the cold shoulder for hours. Most people assume he's talking about one of his more sensitive pokémon, but he's never seen giving it to any of them.

Him standing outside as he waits for the someone whose identity he doesn't even fully recall is so sad :(( He tried waiting inside, full of nervous energy as time passed and no one came through the door. He couldn't stop bouncing his foot as he waited, waited, waited. It slowly turned into waiting outside for them at night, so as to relieve the worry of this person who floats at the periphery of his memory. If he went to sleep, would they recognize the house as theirs? How would they know he was there, waiting for them? Akari was reliable, though! She would certainly recognize the person he was waiting for, because he had told her of the smile he remembered. If he could trust anyone for the evening shift, it would be her...

One day, each of them think, the light they leave on will be seen.

66 notes - Posted April 14, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

I love the headcannon that Ingo has really expressive eyes but a non expressive mouth/face while Emmet has a really expressive face and emotes a lot but his eyes don't really show much or any emotion. So what if something like the pandemic happens and they have to wear masks and people keep confusing them for each other whenever they're not wearing their hats/coats cuz "oh. The one that never smiles is Ingo so obviously the one with the sparkle in their eyes is Emmet" BUT NO! It was Ingo all along! Idk just a random thought I got at work

Hello Anon! (｡･∀･)ﾉ

Let's not forget that even though Unova is supposed to be based on New York City, they are still very very much 'Japanese Train Men.' Which means, they are likely to wear face masks whenever they are not feeling well, so we can have this kind of confusion whenever we'd like! (๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧

After a while of wearing the masks, the Twins just forget they have them on. When someone calls Ingo "Emmet," he switches tracks instantly, addressing them the way his younger brother would. He doesn't point out their mistake, even though it just confuses the person even more when later the same day, Emmet is seen wearing a completely different outfit.

Emmet, on the other hand, just tilts his head at the person, with a confused "I am Emmet?" Where Ingo seems to understand the easy mistake -they *are* identical after all- Emmet is surprised every time. To him, it's obvious which one of them is which! His eyes don't light up as wonderfully as Ingo's do when they see something they like. Ingo is so so handsome even with the mask obscuring most of his features.

They get a selection of face masks they wear, which are supposed to be specific to each of them so that people can tell. They each get a bunch of different ones related to their pokémon, one for each with their respective triangles. Ingo gets one with a purrloin mouth on it, because they both think it's cute. Emmet gets one with sharpedo teeth on it for the same reason.

But, sometimes, they'll still grab the wrong mask, and confuse people all over again.

113 notes - Posted May 2, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[smallestapplin]

(Chatting) Ficlet is here! Hot off the press!

Adjusting to Hisui had been daunting. It was a different region, a different culture, and even one hundred and some odd years in the past. It consistently felt more like an entirely different world rather than the same world, but an alternate timeline. Wild Pokémon are truly feral here. Very few of the modern comforts you knew exist yet, and the few that do are beyond vintage in form. You suppose that overall, life is simpler here, but it’s more ruthless and fragile. Tremendous dangers lay everywhere here and God himself thrust you into it. Arceus was confident you would conquer the circumstances, but you wonder why he was, it’s just so much. But there’s never time to process what happened to you. What is happening to you, or why. However, you’ve long since decided that the turmoil is worth it because it’s here in Hisui that you were reunited with your dear husband Ingo.

Every day you feel thankful that he’s alive. That he survived the journey through the rift, the subsequent fall from the sky, and the head injury he sustained. Even in your own time that could have easily left him paralyzed, disabled, comatose, or worse. Yes, his amnesia breaks your heart, but it’s a miracle he’s otherwise healthy.

It’s been a few months since your accident at Lord Electrode’s seat in the Moonview Arena. You shudder at the memory; yet that’s what made Ingo remember who you were. Which in time led to him remembering more and more about his life in Unova. His brother, parents, friends, and his career back home. The more he remembers, the stronger his determination grows, seeing the conviction in his eyes and how that burning desire bleeds into his actions fuels you. You’re unstoppable together. And no longer alone in your sorrows and moments of weakness. With one another as a source of hope, with your love as your deepest comfort, you two have made leaps and bounds in progress. Arceus above, how did you ever live without that man? How do manage the days and nights missions keep you away from him? This is rhetorical of course; letters are sent via messenger bird, and you know that if he’s not able to accompany you, Ingo will be waiting for you in the Highlands. It keeps you strong. Tomorrow, you’ll be leaving for Jubilife alone again, as you need to submit the work from your completed mission to Captain Cyllene while Ingo has been summoned to a meeting amongst the Pearl Clan Wardens. You just hope you won’t have to wait around in the village awhile before you get your next assignment. Not that the village has been bad to you thus far, quite the contrary, you just want to be in your husband’s presence.

You have a ritual of sorts for this circumstance. You join Ingo in his work with Lady Sneasler and her kits. Assisting him, doting on him in the slower times of the day, then you make and eat dinner together, silently enjoy the walk back to home, and cuddle. Whenever you have a moment alone, you’ll write him a love letter to leave behind in the hut, something sweet for him to find once you’re gone. He seems to enjoy them, always thanking you for your thoughtfulness with a blush, storing them away to keep. You wonder if he rereads them when you’re gone for longer periods of time, but you don’t feel the need to ask. After all, you’re confident enough that he does.

Your thoughts settle as you shift in your shared futon, snuggling into your husband, you melt into the warmth his body offers, and breathe in the woodsy scent that clings to him now. His heartbeat is in your ears, hypnotizing you, if only you weren’t confident that it was almost sunrise. You lay still, the first rays of morning light looming over your closed eyelids, the day’s begun. Ingo stirs, the deep inhale and the long yawn that follows confirms this. His grip tightens on you as he comes to. He whispers, “Dearest?”

You unbury yourself from his chest and move to meet his half open eyes, “Good morning, Hubby.” Ingo hides himself, bashfulness taking over. Your effect on him fills you with pride, but you decide not to lord it over him for now. “Did you sleep well?”

“Yes dear, did you?” You hum in response to this, wanting to cling to the remaining drowsy comfort you feel just a little longer. “Good,” you can feel a small smile against your scalp. You smile widely. You should make the best of today. It shouldn’t be hard given you’ll be spending your day at a ravine with some adorable Pokémon.

You pat his shoulder blade a few times, “Let’s get the day started, shall we? I’m sure Lady Sneasler will be awake and waiting for us before long.” With a sigh, Ingo loosens his grip on you, so you can go about getting ready for the day. Though not without letting his hands linger on you while you move away from him. You know this poor man doesn’t want to let go. Once as you’re on your feet, you turn and offer him a hand to help him up. He accepts with a smile and a soft thank you. The hut gets cold in the mornings, but given it’ll be empty soon, there’s no point in coaxing the hearth fire back to life. Side by side you wipe your faces with a rag dampened in a pail of water. You both fill a mug with the same water, dipping your toothbrush in it before applying homemade toothpaste. When you’re satisfied, you rinse your mouths out with what remains in your rug and spit into the sink. You miss running water.

On top the dresser lays two piles of neatly folded daywear. You hand Ingo his pile and he turns from you to give you privacy like the gentleman he is. Unfortunately for him, you’ll be stealing glances the second he’s out of his nemaki. So, as you slip your underwear up to your hips, your eyes settle on his silver bedhead before working down. Standing upright and looping your arms through your bra straps before pulling the clasps together, you pass your gaze over a sturdy neck and scar-ridden broad shoulders. Two years bearing the unforgiving wilderness of Hisui changed your husband in a number of ways. For starters, he’s no longer the lanky man who waited for you at the foot of the alter, but a towering figure filled out with thick muscle. You slide on your trousers. Unfamiliar scars decorate his new physique. Callouses aren’t limited to the writer’s bump on his right hand anymore, leaving both of his gentle hand rough and ragged. You pull your kimono top shut, left over right, as per custom. You’d never complain about his hands, you enjoy the change in texture, but if you dwell on that now (and the defined line that runs down his back), you’ll not leave the cabin on schedule. You finish tying the obi.

Snapping back to reality, you notice a blush tinging his ears, he felt you staring. Though he wasn’t quick to hide his upper half from you, he did manage to pull on his slacks and belt them before you could blatantly stare at his ass. You smirk and finally give getting dressed your full attention. Unzipping your waist bag, you ensure you have the essentials plus a tasuki to hold your kimono sleeves back later. Everything is ready. Good. You fasten the belt over your obi similarly to how an obijime would be worn. Quickly, you comb your hair before pulling it back. Wrapping up, you hook the small cord that holds your pokeballs to your belt, slide on your socks and apply a moisturizing balm to your lips. Lastly, you smooth over your clothes. You’re ready. In the corner of your eyes, you can see Ingo is as well, wearing his Pearl Clan Tunic and conductor’s hat, putting his shoes on in the genkan. He’s no longer flushed when you join him. His eyes are soft when he hands you your haori, “Are you ready to depart, dearest,” he asks as you don the additional layer of cloth and tie it closed.

“Yep!” you chirp. Picking up one of two rucksacks from the floor. Ever chivalrous, Ingo holds the door open for you and lets you out first. He then exits and locks the door behind him.  He steps next you and offers you his arm, you interlock your own with his, eager for what comes next.

“Next stop: Lady Snealer’s den,” you feel a mouth splitting grin on your face while you prepare to say his catchphrase with him, “all aboard!” The poor birds are disturbed, but you’re filled with newfound motivation.

It takes about 15 minutes of brisk walking to reach the noble Pokémon’s residence when taking the shortcut. Sunlight draped the greenery and lit the entry. The closer you approach, the more movement and mewls you could hear coming from within. You easily recall the first time you were here. You were surprised by the distance between the Warden’s hut and the den. It was Irida who explained that even the line of noble Sneaslers preferred to have their personal space and privacy, hence the clearing around the hut would not do. The young clan leader also mentioned that it wasn’t uncommon for the Sneasels to play in the fields between during the day, effectively making the distance shorter, and that Ingo could cover the full distance in 6 minutes if he ran. It was through his fellow Wardens that you learned Ingo had made a habit of spending days at a time in the den, only going home if it was necessary, prior to you moving in. Needless to say, Ingo got a light scolding that evening and was sworn to take better care of himself from there on. Once inside you find Lady Sneasler laying on her side within her nest, head propped up on a clawed hand, nursing seven balls of fur. Fiery eyes open and glance over. She shuts them again and relaxes. It was only her Warden and his mate. Ingo steps forward, “Greetings, my lady, I trust you are well rested?” He kneels before her, silver eyes inspecting the little ones.

“Good morning, Lady Sneasler,” you add. She hums in response to you both.

The older kits, born last spring, must have heard you both as they came darting forth from the deeper within. They playfully pounce you and Ingo (careful not to cut you with their poisonous claws), rub against your legs, the most outgoing among them evening jumping into yours and his arms. You sit down to be surrounded by small, furry bundles of warmth. Soft giggles erupt from you, and you hear Ingo’s chuckle across the way. You’ve barely petted and greeted all the little Pokémon before a pitiful mewl steals your attention. Between you and their mother, a baby sneasel waddles towards you, milk dribbling from its chin. Briefly, you look to Lady Sneasler who smiles and nods, she’s okay with you interacting with the newborn. To her immediate right, Ingo is nuzzling the little one’s littermate as it chews on the brim of his hat. The sneasel kit is close enough to you now that you let them sniff your hand. The little thing remains interested in you so gingerly, you wipe the remaining milk off its face, and give it some head rubs. It leans in with a purr.

“Have you given these little guys nicknames yet?” you ask your husband. It was Melli who told you that Ingo had nicknamed every single sneasel kit he’s helped raise. Lady Sneasler rises, yawns and goes to where her basket lays. She’ll be ready to leave soon.

“I have yet to, I’m afraid,” your husband starts, “I wanted to observe each of them more and determine their natures before naming them. Furthermore, I was hoping you would help me.”

“You’re adorable, Ingo.”

“Dearest.” He chides.

You meet his sterling gaze, “I would be honored to help you name them. I’m sure we’ll both know much more about their individual personalities after their first bath,” you look down into the bright eyes of the kit you’re holding, “they all seem to be jolly natured as of now.” You rub your nose against the baby’s own.

“Gentle.” It was almost a whisper. You look back at him, head tilting inquisitively. Your husband shies away and clears his throat, “Your nature is gentle.” Heat blossoms in your cheeks yet you snicker.

“Are you sure about that?”

“Hm, perhaps I neglected the bigger picture, you do tend to be impish.” He teases. You set your kit down, giving them a final pet before crawling on your knees to where Ingo sets. You’re feeling inspired. He’s trying not to look at you disrespectfully and you know it. In turn, you’re struggling to keep a smug look off your face. You stop almost right in front of him. You snatch his hat. He jolts slightly, wide eyed like an owl and blinking slowly. Your neutral face cracks into a grin as you put the headwear on. It’s always been loose on you, but you love wearing it anyways. You could drown in the feeling of being his that it provides. It’s for the same reason that you steal his coat whenever you can too.

“Impish sounds about right. Though adamant and sassy are still on the table,” you wink and get on your feet, finally turn from him, “Lady Sneasler, would you like help gathering the kits?” They say never to turn your back on danger, but you think you can get away with having explicitly teased him one more time. Any more of this behavior is questionable though. That’s another thing that’s changed about him; he’s more decisive and authoritative than ever. It’s probably kept him alive. Nonetheless, you’re still debating on whether you want to commit to the consequences of further teasing. It’d curl your toes. It always does.

Elder Emo Anon

SWEET ALMIGHTY ABOVE YOU STILL GOT IT!😩😭🥺

Ingo sweet baby beloved-

I thank you for the early morning food.

I needed this before my early bday trip.

This is amazing, I’m in love, please your writing is so fucking good.

[jadienjaystoriesandart]

Do I Need A Reason?

Warnings: None really, just fluff, other than self doubt thoughts and some dirty talk.

Pov: Second (You/your)

Notes: Continuing on my last idea of Fairy and ‘Dragon’. A scene I talked about with @peachsodama

Summary: Dating was a slow process, but one you loved dearly. Getting to know the other and finding traits you liked. And gosh did you like everything you found about him. If only he could see it himself.

-------

Waiting was hard for things, but for him you were willing. Emmet texted you a while back stating he wanted to have a simple lunch with you once he got off. Giving you a time to meet up and you telling him where you were waiting. These past few months had been sweet, taking time together, just going simple and steady.  First few steps for Emmet had been wobbly and filled with flustered moments, but you would laugh it off and happily lean up to him. Things were slowly working out, and if you made it clear you liked him to others that was your choice. 

There was strange looks you got from anyone, human or hybrid. This ‘dainty’ fairy hybrid leaning in the two arms of a bug hybrid. Stigmas be damned to the distortion realm in your ‘humble’ opinion. Predator Emmet might be, but he was super sweet, and always trying to impress you.  Chatting away about his pokemon battles and ideas he had on them to better improve. You would smile and listen, offering soft input when he would look to you for advice. 

Today you both were going to a park nearby to enjoy the warm spring weather, the flowers today brought out so many pokemon. Your tail moved happily at the thought of curling up next to him on a blanket to watch the sky.  You looked up you saw him easily in the crowd of people. Your heart rate would rise slightly at the sight of his smile. The butterflies in your stomach would start up again, putting away your phone and hugging him once close enough. Your ribbons wrapping around two of his arms as you nuzzled his chin with your ears and face into his chest.

Emmet laughed, “Sorry I took so long.” he said sheepishly, “Ingo wanted to go over something before I left.” he held you with all four of his arms. “it’s fine.” you tell him with a purr, happy to let yourself lean on his right side, ribbons holding his waist and arm as two arms held you close. “Shall we my spark?” you asked him as his cheeks dusted with a blush.

Together the two of you walked together, Emmet started to talk about the last battle he had, you listened happily. You picked up when happy Emmet had a habit of clicking more, a sound you came to associate with his emotions. But today there was something under it... not quiet able to pick it up... but it’ll come up no doubt. He let you talk a bit about some things in your work, you worked for a beauty shop in creating hair products and makeup. Your friend actually owned it, you helped them out, everything was organic and you did quiet well for yourselves. You liked the way when you smiled he’d grow warmer. 

Setting up in an area with some shade but still warm all the same. You were right the flowers were in full bloom now. Children sometimes looking around at all the bugs and birds around. The playground nearby was in full swing, it was pretty. You pressed up to Emmet looking at the pretty colors. 

He held you, both just content to sit for a while. You had also noticed he liked to mess with the ribbons on your ear, nuzzling them lightly. He said you smelled nice once or twice, before getting a little embarrassed, apologizing if that seemed weird. You thought it was cute of a compliment, asking how did you smell?

“It reminds me of something my mom made for me.” he’d tell you with a fond smile, “It’s not sweet like I thought, you also have some spice in you.” he’d joke as you’d laugh in agreement.

Emmet has seen you when angry, not afraid of any foe and gave off ‘give me a reason’ energy. Which just made him fall all over again. 

You look up at him though and frowned, “What’s wrong?” you finally asked him, you could feel it, the shift in emotions. Emmet didn’t meet your eyes, “I am Emmet, and nothing is wrong.” he said, but you knew better by now. 

Ingo had told you a bit about his brother, how he liked to keep things to himself when feeling negative emotions. You understood the importance to work through problems, but you also knew that communication was key. “My spider, I know all to well your emotions by now.” your ribbon’s flexed around his wrist, “Please, tell me what’s wrong.” you asked softly to him. “And if it’s a person I wasn’t me if they go missing.” you added.

You felt a spark of amusement at the words which made your smile return a bit. Emmet sighed after a moment before looking at the clouds, “I... I wonder some days... why you love me.” he admits a prickle of doubt and anxiety was there now.

A pause between you two as you gazed at him, “Why wouldn’t I?” you asked, “Do I truly need a reason to love you?” your fingers found his own, curling around them, the claws were long and sharp, yet he was always so careful. You looked up at him and his conflicted eyes.

“I’m not that handsome looking though.” There it was... you made a face at that.

Rolling on your stomach to lean on him you gazed at him, “Is that what this is about?” you asked him, he adverted his eyes from yours and you scoffed. “Emmet if I gave a shit about that, I’d be undeserving of you.” you said firmly to him gripping his hand in your own. 

“And we will not have self deprecating image thoughts here.” you said with a glare to him, “You are more than handsome, beautiful, and I find you cute and sweet.” your tone left no room for arguing as your other hand held his cheek to meet his eyes again. “That is a promise and a threat.”

A twinge of amusement again at your words and the pout on your cute face. “My spark, I don’t need reasons to love, but if you want ones: I love how you click when you’re very happy. I find it adorable the way your movements become animated when excited. The twitches of your fur when I get you flustered or embarrassed are just cute. How you insist on holding me with all four of your arms during movie nights, yet your the only jumping at the scary scenes more than me.” you list off to him as he can only stare, “I crave the way you hiss when you laugh, it make me shiver some days. And by the gods I want more than just the sweet touches.” 

Your blue eyes looked up at him, and at some of the tears in his eyes as your brush them away with your hand on his cheek. Emmet was holding you close by now, “Aren’t you afraid of me though?” he finally asked, voice broken and weak form holding back small whines.

A tsk at those words left your mouth, “I’m not gonna fall over from a tiny scratch or bruise my reluctant spider.” you lean close to him “I want you to tie me up in that web of yours and do as you please... or by the gods of this realm I will do it to you myself.” you weren't some dainty fairy like people saw you as, you took down men bigger and heavier than you. You stared down a dragon hybrid in the face and told him to get out of your shop, and then kicked him out on his ass.

Emmet’s face when red at that as the twitches of his fur were there again. Then he smiled slowly, “Is that what you want plum?” he asked, not going into pet names easily, you squeaked as suddenly he was on top of you. “You really want to be in webbing helpless to a predator like me?” he asked near your ear, your ribbons shiver and tighten around his arm.

“If you tease me and no go through with it tonight, I will make it your problem in the morning.” you bit back with a fanged grin of your own at him. You leaned close, nose to nose, “But yes, I bet you couldn’t keep me down.” you told him, which made his eyes dance with excitement at the challenge.  You snickered and nuzzled him as slowly the tensions died down, last thing you both wanted was some Karen mom telling you to ‘keep it to the bedroom’ in a disgusted tone. Emmet was now holding you with all four of his arms, and whispering soft things into your ear. What he’d do to a pretty fairy like you in his web.

Your ears twitched at that with small bell like giggles from your mouth, pressing close to him. Through your ribbon you sent him your feelings, love love love. Because you did, you loved him, ever part of him. Gosh Emmet felt he was undeserving of you, you wondered how you landed someone like him. You smiled happily, tonight was going to be fun.

[yanban-san]

I love the idea of them handing braincell privileges to Elesa. Especially if she gets to be a regular witness to them going absolutely silly when you’re around them.

Like maybe Elesa tries to get closer to darling to figure out what she likes, mostly because Ingo and Emmet can list anything and everything about darling, but don’t understand the nuances.

I feel like Emmet and Ingo would go wholesale yandere possessive if Elesa told them that darling was into them. Like either they make Elesa take you out so they can hear you confess how much you like them or they just scoop you up and you’re never seen again.

Elesa is avoiding rain in between photoshoots and gym duties and her modeling jobs, and she stops at Gear Station to go to her favorite lunch place- She runs into you, and invites you out with her for some lunch! You agree- and the second you step outside, the rain lets up for the first time all day.

No. No, it can't be- Elesa thinks to herself. That's so stupid. And unfair-

"You guys can stop the rain?" Elesa asks them later, rather exasperatedly-

"O-Of course," Ingo remarks. "That's... it's not that difficult."

Emmet added on, playing with a strange ball of light on his desk, bored out of his mind. Elesa knows better than to ask what it is. "Ye, it's as easy as you lifting your fingers! It's a lot easier than when we manifested the subway, of course, but still- Such things are easy for us-"

Elesa flinched, processing what Emmet said. "YOU DID WHAT TO THE SUBWAY?!"

Oh right. They'd failed to mention that the long-standing Gear Station- the entirety of the Unovan subway system- was actually not that long standing, all things considered.

Elesa had a new understanding of how intense their love was for you, to say the least; No matter how much they insisted it was easy- That seemed insane. All of Unova- No, the entire world- Was being gaslit into thinking there had always been a super cool subway system- the greatest in the world, it was hailed- in Unova. But once she had her memories of how awful bus rides and taxi cabs were, you know what? She was fine with the supernatural subway system.

"Yea, something that was a smidgen difficult was convincing that big blue dragon to come with us back here for Darling. It was being so mean, I had to smack it!"

"B-Big blue dragon?" Elesa inquired- You know what, on second thought, maybe she didn't want to know- Please just be talking about a Salamence, or a Garchomp, or a Hydreigon- Any of the normal blue dragons-

"I believe you humans call it Dialga." Was Ingo's answer.

Revealing that whole thing with Dialga appearing on the edge of Nimbasa City was because of them, for the sake of you- She'd gone faint.

Maybe she could ask the twins to bring her a Raikou, she joked to herself, trying to rationalize it all- Ever since she saw one on a trip to Ecruteak City, she'd been enamored. Getting back on topic though, Holy Hell.

Emmet debates about making her a powerpoint presentation of everything they've learned about you- The only problem is once he starts talking about you, he can't shut up. Ingo can sort of shut up, but Elesa can tell his mind is still elsewhere.

And if they find out you're enamored with them? They can hardly contain themselves. You're probably running into them on your way back to your apartment- And they're going to confess to you right then and there. Or, they might wait for a more opportune, romantic moment. You're going to find out that the hovering-nature of your bosses just gets even worse as their sweetheart- But strangely, you feel okay with it. It feels nice to be in their embrace.

Would they immediately kidnap their darling, whisking her away in their arms to who-knows-where? Mayhaps- Depends on how much you gush to Elesa about how cute they both are, and how just getting to work with them every day is so pleasant- And what strong trainers they are too, their pokemon trust them so completely, and how you could absolutely see yourself spending an eternity with them, and you notice Elesa is... grimacing sort of painfully at your remark, and you think maybe she thinks your admission is a little embarrassing- But really it's because she knows that two blockheads from beyond the edge of reality are listening in, and they don't understand figures of speech.

"Brother, she said she wants to spend Eternity with us!"

A soft, contented smile spread on Ingo's face- Finally. They could have you forever!

"SHE DIDN'T MEAN THAT LITERALLY!" Elesa practically screams across the restaurant- And you're mildly terrified- Elesa makes up some excuse about suddenly being possessed- And you're confused, but still safe.

And of course that still leaves the problem of them making you able to withstand being in the presence of their "true" forms. And also convince you to be okay with having two eldritch-demons for boyfriends; They don't want you to just love their human forms, they want you to love all of them! Extra eyes, limbs, wings, horns, tails, impossible geometry, and extraneous organs of unknown function included. Of course, they can change their human forms to a slightly more comfortable, pseudo monstrous appearance- Even if that's all you can tolerate for now, they'll love holding and cuddling you in those appearances if you'll let them.

[r0-boat]

I may not be of feline origin, however I can give some thoughts as a long time writer of people going into heat. (my a/b/o phase finally coming in handy)

-Kitsune

(side note from future kitsune: I meant to finish this several hours ago however life happened so have it now even tho I think its wholesome hours! fhgfjhgf)

---

Androgenous POV

---

You wake up one morning and find yourself alone in your home. This wasn't unusual, your masters were very busy men who often had to leave to help take care of the subway.

However today the feeling of loneliness was eating at you. Wandering around your home, letting out soft pitiful mews trying to get the attention of anyone. Anyone who could give you pets and loves.

The door seemed to call out to you, but you knew better! you were good and would wait here until masters came home, right? Right?

Well. In theory, yes. However your body seemed to move against your wishes, and soon you found yourself outside the safety of your home. Wandering the streets trying so desperately to find your masters.

In your hazy state, you barely noticed as you bumped into someone. "O-..oh sorry." You muttered passively, about to walk past before a familiar voice filled your feline ears.

"Hold on a moment, are you Ingo and Emmet's little cat?" His voice sounded like honey to your ears, looking up you were met with the concerned face of none other than Hoenn's champion, Steven Stone.

Emmet did mention he was in the region for business.. didn't he?

You couldn't help but nod softly.

Letting out a sigh, he looked around. "Well, we shouldn't be too far from the subway, come on I'll bring you to them."

Your eyes lit up like fireworks, the steel type trainer couldn't help but chuckle softly at how excited you suddenly looked. Gently, he tossed a pokeball up into the air as a beldum pops out and into existence.

"Beldum, would you mind staying by our friend's side to keep them safe while we try to locate their companions?"

The beldum let out a metallic shrill and made a motion you could only describe as a nod, lodging itself in between your arm and your side soon after.

As the two of you began your journey, the ever edging feeling of warmth started to develop inside of you. Your mind wandering so heavily to the mental image you had of your loving masters.. their sweet voices, their gentle touches.. Your body began to ache for them in a way you could only describe as...

Oh no.

You were going into heat.

A panic began to set in your mind as you nervously looked at the back of Steven's head. Could he tell? You knew the beldum most definitely could, the way it immediately glued itself to your side..

Oh no. This wasn't good.

Your instincts were beginning to take control as you tried to keep your legs as closed as possible to keep from any sign of arousal being noticeable.

Your heart pounding in your ears as your tail lashed back and forth anxiously. Now far too caught up in your own mind trying to keep from going into a panting mess in public. With a champion, no less.

You barely noticed walking into the subway, and Steven asking an employee where the two twin subway masters were.

Your vision almost became blurry as you tried so desperately to ignore your instincts, the fact that before you met your two loving masters, you had always admired Steven wasn't truly helping this situation.

The beldum tried to soothe you, with soft chirps of encouragement to try to fight the mental battle you were going through.

Until you heard it.

The so deeply familiar sound of the Subway Bosses train entering the station.

You barely heard Steven's shouts as you bolted towards the sound, the only thing on your mind was your masters and their ever so lovely-

Crash.

In your instinct fogged mental state, you barely processed slamming into the subway train's doors expecting them to just, open.

They did open a moment later, and behind it was the two very puzzled expressions of none other than your darling masters.

Almost crying you pounced on them and nuzzled close the best you could to two people.

Ingo and Emmet shared a puzzled glance, before they looked over and saw a panting Steven finally catching up.

"Damn, they're way too fast." He panted out as he leaned foreword, trying to catch his breath.

"Steven- what are they doing here?" Puzzled Emmet as him and Ingo wrapped an arm each around their darling cat.

"I don't know, I found them wandering the city while I was trying to find a place to eat. It took a moment before I recognized them, but when I did I knew I should bring them to you both."

Ingo looked down, gently petting your hair as your face flushed red, breathing in their two scents with your tail lashing back and forth jaggedly.

Emmet nodded. "Well, thank you so much, I would have hated to know what would have happened if you hadn't found them." He said, deep appreciation in his voice.

"Yes, I'm glad I found them too, honestly." Steven then finally put the pieces together in his head. "Well! I best be off then, now that they're safely back to you! Come along, Beldum!" He stated quickly, and awkwardly, before turning sharply and leaving.

Emmet looked even more puzzled by the swift reaction from the steely champion, usually not quite so quick to make an escape. At least, till he felt his cat's deep purring and nuzzling.

Looking down, he chuckled softly and scritched behind your ear, now finally alone, he spoke up again.

"Naughty kitty, couldn't you have waited till we got home? I suppose it's now time for a 'punishment'." Leaning down to almost growl the last word into your ear.

Your knees finally gave out and you leaned against them, letting out small needy but down right pitiful mews.

Ingo made sure to catch you before also letting out a hum. "Well, let's bring our kitty somewhere more private, shall we?"

Emmet couldn't help but nod as the two half carried half walked you to a deeper part of the train cars, where they knew they wouldn't be disturbed...

ADSGBJKK

You know when you give me stuff like this I can't comment it's already perfect :,)

[ihaveatheoryonthat]

Part of what took so long with Faces that You Know’s third chapter was that I was, apparently, in some kind of mood when I wrote its original intro. The tone didn’t match, and it took me entirely too long to realize what the problem was.

Still, there are a few passages I really like that didn’t fit in the final product.

---

Emmet woke on the floor with a Sneasel in his face and an arm steadily numbing as he used it as a makeshift pillow.

The blanket he’d tugged down from the bed had been haphazardly arranged to fill its intended purpose, and beyond the wall of fur, he could vaguely make out the top of Gliscor’s head through the darkness, sprawled out at ground level.

His other hand was still occupied, fingers twined loosely, a gentle rise and fall suggesting it was being held to his brother’s chest.

He had exactly enough mental energy to utter a brief, “Holy shit.”

Then he passed back out.

---

He woke up, properly, absent the Sneasel and all feeling in his left arm. Though it remained impossible to tell time through the tent, he was certain that it was unforgivably late in the day-- until he processed the fact that Ingo was still out cold, too, head ducked beneath a leathery wing and pressed to Emmet’s collarbone.

Around that point, Emmet decided ‘unforgivable’ was a bit harsh. He wasn’t convinced his twin had slept for three consecutive hours since he’d found him; could he really begrudge him-- either of them, really-- one late morning to recharge? It wasn’t as though they’d be late for work.

Technically, their careers didn’t exist yet, and wouldn’t for a very, verrrry long time. What an odd thought. What a boring existence. When Ingo was feeling up to it, he’d have to ask how he’d managed in a culture without railways or standardized battling. For now, he was beyond content with the progress they’d already made.

…how long had it been since he’d had a morning without the routine of pushing off the heavy shrouds of loss and apathy, or the summer veil of single-minded determination? His logical mind had an answer-- had never stopped counting, even when friends and family insisted that it was setting him back-- but the rest of him rebelled against it; he had to have lost time in there somewhere, surely it had been longer than that.

The internal debate could wait for another day. What mattered was that it was worth it to be laying on the ground in the frozen depths of ancient Sinnoh, so long as his brother was next to him.

Emmet wasn’t entirely sure what happened-- if he’d made a noise or moved without realizing it-- but Gliscor abruptly stared him down with one luminous eye, gave it some real thought, and clicked once. If he were to judge solely by the intensity of the bat’s stare, Emmet might have thought he was being cussed out, but there wasn’t any measure of hostility in it. Amusement, yes-- particularly at the muffled [groan] that sounded from beneath its wing-- but not a lick of irritation.

---

Ingo had become quieter in their time apart.

It was only to be expected; an absentminded soliloquy to nobody in particular could only drive reality home when there was literally no one to speak with. Compared to what his own normal had become, Emmet would gladly take their companionable silence, but a part of him would miss the distracted chatter. If push came to shove, he supposed he could always pick up the slack. Maybe it could even be helpful-- a low-intensity way to help catch his twin up to speed.

Or maybe it would just be overwhelming; there was really no way to know until something went horribly off the rails. But, even then, there was no guarantee it would be off the table for good.

Emmet legitimately had no idea what had changed between the Icelands and that morning in the tent. He wasn’t complaining by any means, but it would be nice to understand-- if only to apply the knowledge in the future.

[awellboiledicicle]

I fear posting lil wip snips has wildly misrepresented how my writing process works.

Because my first drafts are often wildly different from final, but also wildly shorter and sillier.

Ending the snippet with someone saying something isnt good or going 'welp' is basically shorthand for "theres only a lull here because I'm sleepy and I dont wanna write more rn but I'm typing on my phone and if I don't hit post it might be lost in drafts'.

Or like. I worry that ppl take my talking about Echo being blunt/having communication errors with the twins and like.. assume I'm saying shes dumb, or that I'm not considering that shes a solo woman rolling up on two men she doesnt know and that would be Dangerous.

Which is weird because shes the only oc I have that is just.. i dont want to write her being afraid of them. I want her to be friends, and I dont want to think about my personal anxiety that situation would cause. Paranoia is my thing? So o thought about it and said no.

Also because I think it's more interesting that this character, whose whole thing is finding Utopia/her family/a place to live on dry land, finds two people who are sort of lost in their own ways right then. And accepts them.

Emmet starts out hyper focused in on having Ingo back, but doesnt know how to really cope with the fact his brother doesnt have the same instant familiarity. He doesnt know how to process that Ingo is several years older than him, technically, now. He doesnt know how to process that Ingo didnt seem the same level of 'drop everything and go' when he came to get him. Hes still processing that Ingo is and is not the same man who went missing. Hes not accepting very well that he missed so much of his brothers life and as far as he knows, Ingo didnt even know he existed most of it. He doesnt know if Ingo missed him. He doesnt know if, should he never have gone, Ingo wouldn't have even been that bothered in Hisui. Then, they're somewhere ELSE that isnt home and once more Ingo isnt really phased. And that's good! Keeping calm is good! But he doesnt know Ingo worked on not talking as much/just didnt while in Hisui. He doesnt know the lower volume of voice and words isnt ingo being mad. Hes happy. Hes sad. Hes mourning the brother he thought he was saving. Hes celebrating the brother he has back. Hes dismayed. Hes confident they'll figure it out. Hes afraid they wont.

Ingo loves his little brother, always, full stop. His memory is still foggy at the edges, but he remembers the broad strokes. He remembers he SHOULD match Emmet. He remembers their home, their pokemon, their family, their friends. He remembers the subway as a whole, and the city. A million things, but memory is a living fabric made from a trillion threads. A million feels like nothing. It feels like everything. He knows his brother was disappointed by his delays while he settled things. But he had responsibilities and relationships. He had a home. He would, of course, leave it many times to go home with Emmet. Always. But it was hard. It was all hard. It was hard restarting AGAIN, from nothing, once they realize the island is truly isolated and then they're rescued. It's hard leaving things, expecting a thing you sort of remembered, and getting something new. It's hard being so scared that the sneasle he was entrusted with might come to harm. Hard seeing his brother try badly to pretend hes not anxious. To be why his brother is anxious. And harder still not to have a purpose waiting. Unova, he could relearn his job. Hisui, could have kept being a warden. Here? A world where things have gone terribly, terribly wrong? Where the encouragement is "Come with me, and live." Its hard. And he doesnt know how to describe that OR how odd it feels to be so far from Emmet in appearance. In how they view things, now. He remembers they usually agreed, but that might have changed. People changed all the time. He worries Emmet came back for him in the way he fought his brain to come back to the identity of the smiling man-- chasing what used to be. He worries Emmet is disappointed by the brother he found.

Meanwhile Echo is less than three months out from barely surviving a hurricane that ripped her home apart. Moving along as a scout because the other option is to lose hope. She has to find Utopia, or someplace dry and sustainable, or she is convinced she'll never see her family again. Shes scared she might never see them again anyway. She is alone, excepting the chickens and llama. She was never alone before. She does not want to be alone again. And so she sails for anything like life. Any note, hint, signal. Any two dipshits stranded on an island.

I'm just. I have PLANS and I'm worried ppl think I'm only thinking as deep as the scribbles

[anhed-nia]

BLOGTOBER 10/30-10/31 (IT AIN’T OVER YET!): DISCONNECTED (1984) + PERSONAL SHOPPER

One night on a double date at a local night club, sweet, shy Alicia (Frances Raines) tries to tell the foursome about a strange experience she has had that day: She let an old man into her apartment to use her telephone, but he mysteriously vanished before she could let him back out. Her friends are not interested. Her boyfriend Mark (director Gorman Bechard), a smug radio DJ, dismisses her story as some sort of misunderstanding, and her vivacious twin Barbara Ann (Raines) cuts her off entirely by flirting openly with Mark, insinuating that she was with him that afternoon. This is the last straw in what appears to be an ongoing problem for Alicia. Outside in Mark's car, she refuses to accept his denial of sleeping with Barbara Ann, beginning an agonizing breakup process that drags out for days. Even at her job, Alicia can't seem to establish any personal boundaries; an awkward young stranger called Franklin (Mark Walker) visits during her shift at the video store, and reveals that he doesn't even own a tape player--he just found out who she was and where she worked from other club patrons the previous evening. Alicia rebuffs his unseemly advances at first, but with the insulting drama still festering between Mark and her manipulative sister, loneliness sets in. She could use some company to help insulate her anyway, since their town is plagued by a killer of young women...and stranger still, Alicia's telephone has taken on a mind of its own, broadcasting otherworldly sounds into her apartment, slowly driving her mad. She has a difficult decision to make about who or what she can trust, but it may be that there is no correct choice.

Gorman Bechard's atmospheric 1984 oddity DISCONNECTED follows in the footsteps of CARNIVAL OF LOST SOULS, joining a subset of subdued psychological thrillers about women alone. In Herk Harvey's 1962 classic, Candace Hilligoss plays Mary Henry, a withdrawn young woman who moves far from home after a traumatic accident. Where she hoped to find peace, she is stalked by a spectral male figure, and receives no help from the locals, who are all suspicious or covetous of her. The boundary between the living and the dead begins to dissolve, mirroring her increasingly ambivalent relationships with other human beings. Mary is torn between her longing for solitude and her fear of impending doom, having to choose between an intrusive suitor, and being left alone with her cadaverous stalker. Mary's unforgettable journey through her desolate surroundings, her isolation interrupted only by enemies both open and hidden, describes an experience that many female viewers have found familiar. Social life portends various threats--judgmental elders who pick at your morals and appearance, jealous females, emotionally and physically violent males--while solitude offers obliterating blankness, like a desert whose expansive monotony renders meaningless the defining lines of past, future, and self. In modern times, this distinctly female experience is complicated by the evolution of personal communication media. The telephone in particular--which has been historically and rather demeaningly associated with girls--is both a channel through which to reach out and touch someone, and an opening through which unwanted attention can insinuate itself into our lives. Two years ago, I saw DISCONNECTED--a loopy microbudget slasher movie from Waterbury, Connecticut--and one of my first thoughts was that it was somehow just like PERSONAL SHOPPER, Olivier Assayas' heady cyberpunk-flavored thriller from 2016, in which a servant to the stars receives threatening text messages from someone who may or may not be among the living. I've been trying to put the two together in writing ever since.

In PERSONAL SHOPPER, Kristen Stewart plays introverted American Maureen, the virtual slave of supermodel Kyra (Nora von Waldstatten). Maureen is a stranger in a strange land, travelling relentlessly around Europe to procure garments and jewels for her boss in Paris, and on her personal time, conducting a psychic survey of her late brother Lewis's mansion. Twin mediums Maureen and Lewis promised one another that whoever died first would send the other a sign from across the divide; Maureen has been waiting since his untimely heart attack for him to hold up his end of the bargain. So far she has only witnessed some scattered poltergeitic activity, along with the manifestation of a ferocious, unknown female specter, but the clock is ticking, as the manse is mid-sale to Lewis’ friends. Furthermore, it is her employment with the tyrannical Kyra that allows her to stay in Paris and wait for a sign from Lewis, so Maureen’s freedom also is dependent on the resolution of this situation. When she meets Kyra's arrogant lover Ingo (Lars Eidinger), he inappropriately insists that he can get her a better job elsewhere, but she explains that she can't change her life until she has closure with her brother. Shortly after this unpleasant encounter, Maureen begins to receive intrusive texts from an unknown caller. Due to her unusual relationship to the dead, she can't be sure if her new stalker is a part of her world, or not.

PERSONAL SHOPPER has very much the flavor of William Gibson’s speculative fiction novel Pattern Recognition, in "cool hunter” Cayce Pollard has the extra-sensory ability to detect what new designs will become popular next. Cayce’s special power manifests as a crippling allergy, and so she tries to remain in timeless, fashion-neutral clothes and settings whenever possible. Psychic Maureen feels a similar kind of existential ambivalence toward the super luxe materials she excels at curating for her client.

Maureen spends much of her screen time alone. Most of her personal contacts are with salespeople; she virtually never sees Kyra in person, and her boyfriend Gary (Ty Olwin) lives in Oman, which may as well be another world. Her chief relationship is to her dead brother, who is literally in another world, and who responds with frustrating ambiguity to her pleas for a clear message, even as his mansion rumbles with unexplainable activity. This void of connection seems somehow related to Maureen's tenuous sense of personal identity. With no close connections, she cannot accurately detect her own contours. Maureen is totally sublimated into Kyra's life, simply an extremity that grasps for whatever Kyra needs. At the same time, she is subject to Lewis's will, unable to make any moves--even to protect herself--until her late brother deigns to give her peace. Maureen's identity is entirely determined by other people, including the mystery caller who lures her into a confessional conversation with him. Although this third figure is the most predatory of them all, he is also the one who teases out the threads of Maureen's fraying individuality. When she admits to trying on Kyra's clothing, just because she's not allowed to, he entices her to stay in Kyra's bed while she's away, further feeling out her own limits. This is the only way Maureen can establish a self that is independent of the context of others: by violating the taboos established by those others. The rule-breaking method of finding oneself is an integral part of the human condition, as explained by media theorist Marshall McLuhan in a discussion of the self in the age of social media:

"Yes, all forms of violence are quests for identity. When you live out on the frontier, you have no identity. You are a nobody. Therefore, you get very tough. You have to prove that you are somebody. So you become very violent. Identity is always accompanied by violence. This seems paradoxical to you? Ordinary people find the need for violence as they lose their identities. It is only the threat to people’s identity that makes them violent. Terrorists, hijackers - these are people minus identity. They are determined to make it somehow, to get coverage, to get noticed."     

By breaking Kyra's rules just on principle, Maureen moves toward self-actualization. Unfortunately, this comes at a cost, as the mystery caller who encourages this process wants to possess her just as much as Kyra and Lewis already do.

Maureen's phone has become a ouija board-like portal to another plane, through which alien forces can cross over and affect our fate. In DISCONNECTED, Alicia suffers from a similar problem. Alicia's social isolation, and the increasingly meaningless division between life and death for her, is underlined by the fact that she lives on the edge of a cemetery. Her phone is her connection to the world--to the ambiguous Franklin, to her sister who she can neither accept nor reject, to Mark who she can't quite leave behind. She can't get rid of this device, even when it starts to ring almost constantly, with a horrifying, vaguely vocal-sounding barrage of electronic noise on the other end. As in PERSONAL SHOPPER, Alicia is largely seen alone, pacing in her apartment, wandering teary-eyed in the depopulated streets of Waterbury, and eyeing her phone with nervous anticipation. She finds herself living out an appalling version of the classic Twilight Zone episode "Night Call," in which Elva, an old widow longing for her late husband, is harassed by increasingly disturbing phone calls from beyond the grave. Like Elva and Maureen, Alicia also suffers from the conflation of companionship and otherworldly threat: Just as she doesn't understand the source of the distorted calls, she also doesn't know that Franklin--her potential savior from this dark chapter of her life--is a serial murderer, planning to have her for his next victim. When Barbara Ann makes a move on him, perpetuating the cycle of sororal abuse that started with Mark, Franklin kills her instead, removing one of Alicia’s few contacts with the rest of humanity.

BTW, even though Alicia eventually takes a liking to Franklin (center), her experience at the video store--here, trapped between an aggressive suitor and a similarly aggressive porn consumer--forms the most realistic portrait of retail hell for girls that I have ever seen in my life. When Franklin first arrives, announcing that a) the movies there aren’t good enough for his refined tastes, b) he doesn’t even own a video player, and c) he’s only there because he’s stalked Alicia from her local watering hole, his intensely condescending attitude and presupposing come-ons gave me a hardcore PTSD reaction from the many years I spent behind the counter of a comic book store. Yuck.

While Alicia doesn't understand what is happening until it's almost too late, Maureen's situation escalates horrifically when her latest jewelry delivery brings her face to face with Kyra's mutilated corpse. As she reels from this gruesome sight, she also detects a malevolent presence vibrating deeper in the apartment that sends her fleeing in terror. When she goes to the police, her mystery caller suddenly becomes more sinister, demanding to know whether she has told the cops about him. In short order, the caller tries to blackmail her into meeting him in a hotel room, but this climactic union is circumvented by the police: It was Ingo guiding Maureen's journey of self-discovery, and Ingo who killed Kyra. The revelation is enormously painful, not because Ingo is so important, but because he managed to victimize Maureen using her most uniquely personal characteristic: her relationship to the supernatural. She believed that something personally significant was happening to her, according to her special understanding of the world, but she was merely being preyed upon by a violent narcissist. Her profound belief in her own paranormal sensitivity--the one thing she is sure of, that distinguishes her from others--is what made her vulnerable to the insistent texts begin with: She wondered if it was Lewis texting her. Ingo exploits Maureen's convictions about herself to perpetrate a deadly fraud, leaving her violated and humiliated. Even though we witness the presence of an unseen entity (Lewis? Kyra?) moving through the hotel, perhaps influencing Ingo's capture, Maureen is left to suffer for being gullible and vulnerable, to mourn her own privacy.

Of course, Maureen's journey is not over yet, and Alicia receives a similar shock with a full half an hour to go in DISCONNECTED. She is rescued by her own screams on her last date with Franklin, as the sounds of their skirmish draw the police to his apartment where they summarily execute Alicia's would-be killer. Now she is left with almost no worldly connections at all--save for the malign presence that keeps calling her phone, blasting her with waves of mind-melting noise. To make matters worse, there seems to be a new victim in the rash of murders previously tied to the late Franklin. Alicia plunges into a spiral of nihilistic despair, in which her closest relationship is with her conniving ex--mediated by the phone, and by his radio show where he dedicates songs to her--second only to the mystery caller who dials her number several times an hour. Craving a human connection, Alicia eventually relents and lets Mark take her out again, and things seem to be on the upswing...until Alicia returns home to find that something worse than electronic fuzz has entered her home, to put an end to her misery. We don't share her final vision, but we do see the mysterious old man (William Roberts) from the beginning of the movie, the fellow she let in to use her telephone, strolling into the cemetery--presumably, from whence he came.

Like Alicia in the aftermath of Franklin’s death, Maureen also has to find a new way to survive after an episode of shocking violence. For Maureen, the only way through is out. As she prepares to leave Lewis' mansion, she encounters his widow's new beau, Erwin (Anders Danielsen Lie). This encounter crystalizes the movie's themes regarding time. Early in PERSONAL SHOPPER, Maureen is turned on to the visionary paintings of Hilma af Klint, a 19th century painter who claimed that she made her art at the behest of ghosts. She mandated that her work only be revealed to the public after her death, creating a communication channel between the deep past and the distant future. Maureen argues with her doctor about the future; he insists that her brother's heart attack was purely anomalous, but Maureen sees no reason why the same thing couldn't happen to her. She sees no future for herself, and is chained to the past by the ghost of her brother, who withholds the spiritual message that would allow her to move on. Lewis thought a lot about the future, Maureen remarks cynically to her doctor, despite the fact that he was ultimately deprived of one. Later, Lewis' widow Lara (Sigrid Bouaziz) explains that she feels the future is in flux and unknowable--a desirable quality, in her book--and so she is moving on to be with Erwin. So, when Maureen encounters Erwin on her final night in Paris, they have a pointed conversation about the shackles of the past and the fossilizing force of guilt on one's life. Lewis's ghost cruelly teases Maureen at the end of the scene, demanding attention but refusing to reveal himself. With nothing to show for her devotion to her brother, she flees Europe.

In both DISCONNECTED and PERSONAL SHOPPER, the archetype of the twins is used to describe opposing states of being, and the threat of having one’s life usurped by another version of oneself. Alicia's sister Barbara Ann is lively, sensuous, and self-serving: everything that Alicia is unable to be, and the consumer of everything Alicia wants for herself. With her unrealistic desires for honesty and compassion, Alicia is the more death-oriented twin: cut off from social life, deprived of pleasure by more ambitious people, and vulnerable to parasitic attacks from both sides of the mortal veil. Alicia even dreams of Barbara Ann murdering her, and literally taking her place in bed with Mark. Maureen's twin Lewis is described by his survivors as passionate and living on the strength of his own convictions; Although Maureen still lives, she is inert, somehow chained to him, slavishly waiting for him to grant her release, though he is content to torment and manipulate her. The protagonists of both films are subjugated to these duplicates who refuse to stay on their side.

Maureen flees to Oman to reunite with her boyfriend Gary--heretofore only a pixelated image in a video chat who begs her to give up her commitment to the kingdom of death, insisting that only the material world exists and is waiting to embrace her. Of course, when Maureen arrives in Gary's placid and spartan world at what may as well be the end of the universe, her problems have followed her. We will never see Gary in the flesh; he has left a written note of welcome for Maureen, which she reads just as she detects a supernatural presence in his dwelling. Hoping against hope that Lewis is finally reaching out to her, she asks out loud: “Is it you? Are you at peace? Are you not at peace? ...Or is it just me?” And, hauntingly, she hears a ghostly knock in the affirmative for every question.

The ambiguity of this ending has troubled some viewers, although multiple interpretations present themselves which are not mutually exclusive. In the most literal sense, Maureen can be seen as a terminally frustrated Carrie White-like figure who causes material disturbances with the power of her own inner turmoil. The paranormal phenomena she perceives are, indeed, “just her”. On a more metaphorical level, we can see that Maureen is haunted by her own grief, over her brother, and also over her failure to forge a life of her own. In her mind, her brother was a superior life force to which she remains subservient; she identified herself entirely as a receiver for his message, and without his active participation in her life, she loses all sense of purpose. She scrutinizes ghostly disturbances and the spiritual conduit of the telephone to inform her place in the world. Without an internal, independent reason for being, people like herself, and like Alicia, are forever haunted.

[anotherlifefic]

Chapter 3: Broken Bones

During the days after his encounter, I could barely focus on my work. I still did everything I could, but Malon had do snap me out of my thoughts more than once, after she caught me freezing up in the middle of mucking out the stables or feeding the animals. And every day after my usual work was over, I retreated to my tiny chamber to work on the tunic for Link until my candles were burned down, forcing me to go to bed. One day, while working on the tunic again, I heard a soft knock on my door. Malon entered with a bit of bread and dried meat on a plate. „Here, I brought you some food. You were so busy that you completely forgot to have supper with us.“ I looked up. „I did?“ Then my stomach rumbled insistently, confirming that yes, I indeed hadn't had supper yet. My cheeks burned with embarrassment. „I'm so sorry, Malon.“ She sat down next to me, gently placing the plate on my desk. „Is something wrong?“, she asked gently. Malon and I had known each other for so long that she had no trouble picking up on things like this. I bit my lip. „I don't know. I just keep thinking about Link. He's so very kind, but at the same time, also kind of strange.“ I pulled the tunic closer to me. It was almost finished; just one last seam needed closing. But since it was a tunic for formal occasions, I considered adding some embroidery. I just wasn't sure what kind of embroidery Link would have liked. Realizing that I was drifting off again, I shook my head. „I's just... weird. He only just met me, but he bought this expensive silk for me, and he is always so kind to me...“ „I admit that the bit with the silk is kind of strange“, Malon admitted. „But don't be so concerned about him being kind. That's just the way he is.“ „I mean, I really enjoy his attention. Who wouldn't? But you know me. I'm just not used to being the center of attention for pretty much anyone.“ „Yes, I remember that I had to hold onto you so you wouldn't just run away when you introduced yourself to Ingo and my father“, Malon replied dryly. Then she lowered her voice. „Stop me if I'm being too nosy, but could it be that you have a crush on Link?“ I turned beet-red. „What? I... I don't know. How would I know such a thing? I have never... had a crush before.“ Malon chuckled softly. „Ah, Rebecca, you're so innocent. Well, let's go down the checklist then, shall we? So, do you keep thinking about Link even if he's not around right now?“ „Yes, I already told you-“ „Okay. Do you get a warm fuzzy feeling when you think of him?“ I looked off to the side, too embarrassed fully face her. „...Yes.“ She grinned. „Do you get really happy whenever you see him?“ I nodded, too stunned to say anything. Now that Malon was so calmly listing these things, I felt like a complete idiot. It was so obvious that I had a crush on Link. „Alright, you have a point. But what do I do with that? I can hardly run up to him and tell him that I love him.“ „Of course not“, Malon said as if she was talking to a slow-witted child. „But it's an important thing for me to know. Because now, I can support you in any way I can.“ „You won't try to play matchmaker for us, will you?“ She grinned, her arms behind her back. I knew full well that she was probably crossing her fingers when she said:„No promises!“ I was about to say something when a loud, panicked whinny interrupted me. Malon and I looked at eachother, pale with shock, before jumping up and running out of the house.

Epona stood in front of the house, her coat shiny with sweat and the whites of her eyes showing. My heart skipped a beat. Epona was here. Panicked and maybe even injured. Where is Link?, I thought as my feet were already in motion towards the exit of the farm. „Rebecca?!“, Malon asked thinly. „You need to find a way to calm down Epona. I'll go look for Link!“ I ran towards Hyrule Field. Normally, I would have taken Glory with me to cover more ground. But it was too dangerous to get her out with Epona thrashing so close to the stable.

The sun was almost gone. I had to act fast, as long as there was still some light to guide my way. Luckily, Epona's path was easy to follow in the soft soil of Hyrule Field. I followed the trail until I heard a low groan and saw Link in a heap on the ground. I ran up to him. „Link?! Link, what happened?“ He looked up, a small trail of blood running from his hairline over his left eye. Then I saw his right arm and gulped. I was no physician, but even I could tell that arms aren't supposed to bend that way. Broken, I thought. „...becca... Rebecca...“, Link mumbled. „Something... something spooked Epona. I fell. I think I hit my head.“ „It's okay. I'm here. And Epona is at the ranch. She's safe.“ I felt tears sting in my eyes. What should I do? Try to get him to the ranch and then call a physician? But what if I only did more damage when trying to take him there? I couldn't stay there and hope for help to arrive, either. The sun had almost completely set, and soon, monsters would emerge from their holes. „Link, I need to get you to safety. Look, the ranch isn't far off. But I'll need you to help me. Do you think you can walk if you lean on me?“ „I... I think“, he said, but he sounded so tired, so horribly tired. I somehow managed to pull him to his feet, even though he occasionally yelped because his broken arm moved to much. But finally, I could half carry, half drag him over to LonLon Ranch. Malon was white as a sheet when she saw us approach the house. „Malon“, I said, trying to keep my voice calm. „Go get me a splint for Link's arm; it's broken. And I think he hit his head pretty badly, too.“ Malon ran into the house, seemingly too horrified to reply.

We kept some medical supplies for emergencies, in case one of us got hurt and there was either no time or no way to get a physician from the city. So after we carefully placed Link on a bed in the guestroom, Malon took care of his broken arm as I cleaned the laceration at his head. Link was barely concious through the whole process, which was probably a blessing, given the amount of pain he must have been in. „Blast“, Malon hissed after she was done putting his arm in a splint and was now rummaging through our medicine cabinet. „I told Ingo that our supply of healing potion was running low, but he hasn't bought any more yet.“ I bit my lip in frustration. While healing potion wouldn't have erased all of the damage, it would have done enough so Link could get through the night without pain until we could go get the doctor to check on him. What worried me most was his head injury. I didn't know how bad it was, but given how out of it he seemed, it had to be really bad. I carefully wiped his hair aside, now stained red from his blood, when suddenly, his head fell to the side and landed directly on my chest. I wasn't embarrassed. He was just mumbling something completely incoherent into the fabric of my dress. So all I felt was concern. I looked up to Malon, who looked extremely tired after all of that excitement. „Go to bed“, I told her gently. „I'll take care of Link. And if I need help with anything... well, your room is right next door. I'll come and get you.“ Malon looked at both of us. „Promise?“ „Promise“, I confirmed. She came over to me and planted a soft kiss on my cheek, then on Link's, before leaving the room.

Now being alone with Link, I felt tears sting in my eyes. He looked so vulnerable now; like even someone as weak as I could break him. „...s-sorry“, he said softly, his face still resting on my upper body. „I wanted to save them. I wanted to save you.“ I lowered my head. „Link? What...“ Before I knew what was happening, my dress was wet with tears, both his and mine. Whatever he said after that I couldn't make out anymore, but it seemed to upset him. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, trying to hush him. After a long while, he seemed to fall into a restless slumber.

I probably also fell asleep at some point, because when I opened my eyes, it was already morning and Malon was sitting next to me at Link's bedside. She had freed him from my embrace and carefully placed his head on the pillow. He was sleeping soundly. She touched my upper arm. „Everything alright?“, she asked. „Yes. Link fell asleep at some point, and after that, I must have nodded off myself.“ „Your dress is wet.“ I looked to the sleeping man. „He said something about not being able to save someone. It seemed to upset him so much that he cried.“ Malon gently rubbed my back. „You were up long enough. Don't worry, I'll get the work done on my own today... somehow. Father already went out as soon as the sun rose when I told him what had happened. He should return with the doctor any minute now. And you should go to your room and catch up on some sleep.“ „But who will take care of Link while you're working and I'm asleep?“, I asked. „I should at least wait until the doctor comes.“ „No, you will go to bed now“, Malon said firmly. „That's an order.“ I looked at her for a moment, biting my lip like I do whenever I'm nervous, then I sighed in defeat. „Fine, but you'll wake me up if something happens. Promise?“ „Of course“, Malon said gently and shooed me out of the room. „To bed with you now. See it as a vacation day.“ „I'm pretty sure that farmhands don't get...“ The door slammed shut behind me. „...vacation days.“ I sighed and went down the stairs, to my room.

I saw the almost finished tunic on my desk, and again, tears filled my eyes. What if Link's injury was worse than Malon or I were able to tell, and he would end up only needing the tunic for his funeral? I shook my head as if to get rid of these horrid thoughts. I was tired and that made my thoughts go wild. Of course Link wouldn't die. I had seen his scars; he already went through much worse and survived. A little bump on the head and a broken arm wouldn't kill him. I let myself fall onto my bed, deeply inhaled the scent of the straw my mattress was stuffed with. Sleep. I needed sleep. When I woke up, Link would be awake, too, and Malon would be done with the chores for today and we would all laugh about this little mishap. I soon drifted off, but my sleep was haunted with the sound of a panicking horse and Link's pale, unconcious face.

[deutscheshausnyu]

INTERVIEW WITH WRITER-IN-RESIDENCE VEA KAISER

© Ingo Pertramer

You published your debut novel Blasmusikpop when you were only 23 years old and it made you instantly famous, in Austria and beyond. How did you experience that time? Did the success of your first published novel come as a surprise to you?

I think one would be absolutely insane not to be surprised about one’s first novel becoming a bestseller. Actually, I expected the opposite. I was so freaked out about finding a publisher willing to publish my book that I didn’t care too much about what happened next. I was just happy that my words would be printed and planned to make ends meet by teaching Latin and German. As soon as the book came out, I had to forget all my teaching-aspiration (to the benefit of Austrian kids) because I found myself in the eye of a hurricane. I had to do book-signings, book-presentations, TV-, print- or radio-interviews nearly every day for more than a year. There was so much to do that I didn’t have the time to think about it. And for that I’m very grateful! If I had realized what was happening around me I would have gone nuts.

When did you know you want to be an author? What inspires you to write?

I never really cared about being an author. I have always wanted to tell stories. I remember this one moment in my childhood that seems to have changed everything. I must have been 6 or 7 years old, my brother 2 or 3 – it was late in the evening and he ran through our apartment, slipped and crushed his chin on the edge of a stair. He hurt himself very badly, his chin was cut open and bled like hell. My brother screamed, I screamed, our mother screamed. Since we were living in the countryside and it would have taken too long for the ambulance to get to us, she put us on the backseat of her tiny car, made me hold a towel against my brother’s wound to stop the bleeding and rushed to the hospital. My brother was crying very badly so I started to tell him a story. As I continued he became calmer and eventually stopped. Before he went in to get stitches he said to me: “When I am done, I want to hear the end of the story!“ 

That was the moment when I realized how powerful and how important stories are. When we travel, when we’re sick, when we’re sitting in the waiting room of a hospital, there is nothing better than a good story to keep us company or to cheer us up when we feel lonely. And that’s also my inspiration: to know that there are people out there, who need a good story.

Could you tell us a little bit about your creative process and your work routine? When and where do you prefer to write?

Unfortunately, I can only write in the mornings. Actually it HAS to be the first thing I do before having a shower (and after making coffee), or otherwise it doesn’t really work. If I’m under a lot of pressure because of a deadline, I sometimes can work in afternoons or evenings, but the morning’s output is always better. Usually, I switch off the Internet on my computer, my tablet and my phone for 4 to 5 hours and try to sit down as concentrated as possible. Sometimes that works, sometimes I start crying. But even crying is important – I realized it’s not about how much you get done in a day but how much you sacrifice for your writing.

Where I prefer to write is a tricky question. If I had the choice, I’d choose a different place every day. I love changes, I’d love to experience different libraries, coffee places, bars while writing there. Unfortunately, that doesn’t work. I badly need routine. I can write everywhere – but only when I’m returning. New places always distract my attention. So I have to do what I actually dislike: return to the same places. Like in the movie “Groundhog Day.”

Makarionissi spans many centuries and connects many places around the world. One destination your protagonists travel to is the U.S. What made you choose Chicago as the city of interest in the U.S., and what fascinates you about Greece?

Greece is the cradle of culture and democracy. Today Greece is not much more than rock, beach, villages and a lot of blue sea, but the whole world is still talking about it. How could that not be fascinating? And because of Greece Chicago became my city of interest in the US. In 2014, I had the chance to discuss my book at the University of Chicago. Afterwards three very nice students of the German Department took me out to Greektown for lunch. I was really impressed how vivid its Greek culture and tradition was. Some months later while writing Makarionissi I realized, my heroine had to leave Greece and go somewhere abroad to earn money. She was a single young woman, poor, very smart, brave but poorly educated. Suddenly I remembered the Walgreens drugstore in Chicago’s Greektown – all of its signs were in English and Greek. So I thought it would work very well for the story, if my heroine’s family had a 3rd degree cousin who had moved to Chicago 30 years ago and could now help my heroine move to Chicago, find work and earn money there.

Another Greek writer, I appreciate a lot, Aristotle, writes in his Poetics that when creating a story, you should always be concerned to make the story likely. And when writing about a Greek family, it makes sense to include the United States and especially Chicago.  

The two Greek settings depicted in Makarionissi, actually do not really exist, compared to other real places you feature, like Hildesheim, Chicago, or St. Pölten. Could you explain why you chose to do that and not refer to Greek cities or islands that really exist?

Actually, both settings depicted exist, but in reality they have different names. I decided not to reveal the name of Varitsi’s model-village because it is very small. Its inhabitants were extremely friendly, shared all their stories with me, also their hurtful stories, and I wanted to secure their privacy. The (fictional) island Makarionissi, after which my book is also named, is based on a real island, but while writing the story I had to alter its size, its economy and other “facts“ to make my story more “likely.” Unfortunately, today’s readers use Google. Especially German readers. And Germans LOVE correcting you. No matter if you crossed a stop sign with your bicycle or if you didn’t stick to reality in a novel – Germans will love to correct you. So I wanted to spare them the work of googling my island and writing me letters about which details of my novel are “wrong.” It’s fiction. And that provides me with the rare freedom of switching between reality and imagination. A freedom we novelists should always defend.

One of the chapters in Makarionissi is titled “Die Schönheit und Erotik der deutschen Sprache.” Would you mind sharing what you love about the German language and do you have any tips for our students for mastering the language?

First of all, the German language is fascinating because of its variety. I grew up in the Austrian countryside and spoke the Austrian version of German, as well as the local dialect, which differs a lot from the German language. And that is something I love: “German” is a language full of variations. Every native speaker will sound different or be able to speak a very different dialect or various variations of this dialect, especially if they are coming from Austria or Switzerland. But that shouldn’t scare students – when people realize German is not your native tongue they will always try very hard to speak slower and clearer and without using their dialect. But those dialects are very fun and full of curious words. For example, there is no better way for swearing and cursing than using the Viennese dialect.

The title „Die Schönheit und Erotik der deutschen Sprache“ is a little ironic. As every other language there are beautiful things about German but also very bad things. The worst thing is that it’s impossible to write about sexuality in German. I never wrote about it in one of my books and I guess I never will. German is not an erotic language and writing about making love in German ALWAYS sounds like there was an embarrassed biology teacher talking. But if I want to talk about it I always use Viennese. It is the only language in the world providing about 50 different words for the female sexual organ and probably 100 of words for reproduction. I think it’s not a coincidence that psychoanalysis was founded in Vienna.

Besides that, German is a very fun language. There are a lot of rules and those rules have a lot of exceptions – what may seem strange at the beginning but makes a lot of sense as soon as you get into it. What I really love is the unique ability of German to create new words by combining existing words. The cutlery drawer of the dish washer would be called Geschirrspülerbesteckschublade. It’s a very playful and especially witty language. Its beauty lies in long sentences, that make you expect something at their beginning but surprise you with something very different in the end.

Finally, may we ask: Are you currently working on a new book? And if so, would you mind sharing some details? Maybe one of your future projects will even feature New York City’s unique vibrancy?

Right now I’m working on my third novel which is supposed to be released in the beginning of 2019. Unfortunately, it seems to be the most voluminous book I’ve written yet and therefore it’s a lot of work. But please forgive me: I’m very, very superstitious and I fear that it’s bad luck if I talk about something I’m writing in that very moment. I’ve done that several times and it always went terribly wrong – the Olympian gods punish those who cannot keep secrets and don’t have patience. There is a time to write and a time to talk. Because of my superstition, I also can’t say what the future brings, but it could easily happen that this unique city will play a part in a future project. It seems that it takes me some years to make something I experienced fruitful for my writing. But in my “smaller projects” New York already plays an important role. In my weekly column in the Austrian newspaper Kurier, I write about my life here, and in my quarterly column, about drinking wine, I wrote about how New Yorkers drink wine. Nearly every day I keep a lot of notes on New York in my note book, we’ll see what happens to them.

All together this city inspires me because of its people. People here don’t care about what others think of them. They follow their dreams, they are creative in how to make ends meet, they are very brave, open minded, witty and unique. Yesterday, I met a guy dressed up as a unicorn. He told me that he actually works in finance but on the weekends he usually dresses up as fancy animals to bring joy to the people around him. And for people like him I adore New York.

[belltrigger]

Tell us more about dead dove au!

Hello dear Anon! I'm sorry for waiting so long to talk to you about this! To be quite honest, I felt kind of unsightly about my dead dove AU! It didn't have much of a story, simply an AU where I could try out any dd content that might have intrigued me. Ingo was not the kind, gentle soul he is in canon or any of my other AUs, including the ones I collaborate on.

I was hesitant to talk to anyone about it, and I'm still pretty anxious about how it will be received, even now.

However,@glassesblu is the literal best, and he talked steadily with me about the AU over time, and *now* there is so much more to it. I'm going to cut here, since this will definitely get long. Because Tumblr, I won't be discussing the dd parts in great detail. But, as you can imagine from that tag, I will mention things including dub-con, non-con, and other things of that nature.

Apologies, but no-one under 18, please!

The original thought process for this AU started in response to all of the Yandere Emmets out there. I thought it might be interesting to have an Ingo that considers Emmet so much a part of himself that he doesn't recognize any boundary between them. This is Emmet and Emmet is an extension of him, and he wants to try things so Emmet will try them. To him, because they are twins, they were originally one person - it should not hinder their life now, just because they got forcibly split into two bodies. They are One.

Ingo started out pretty normally. When they were very little, he and Emmet were always together; Ingo instigated holding Emmet's hand, and Emmet seemed to reciprocate wanting to be close. They didn't play with other children without each other, but had no trouble interacting with others as long as they were side by side. Emmet was more likely to seek others out, but Ingo never complained about it. They shared their toys, and insisted on dressing as alike as possible. Even their starter pokémon were shared between them- they still had two, but both pokémon were theirs. No one really questioned it - they were twins and twins are 'just like that' was the general consensus.

But Ingo was always watching Emmet, even as they played side by side.

Now, something to understand is that in this AU, Emmet is an empath. He legitimately feels the emotions of others - when he and Ingo are so close all the time, he naturally connects to the feelings of his twin brother. As such, he would cry with worry when Ingo was hurt, and laugh so sweetly when Ingo was happy. He would stress himself out over Ingo being sick so much that he would, in turn, get sick as well. He went along with things that Ingo liked to do, because when Ingo was happy, he could feel that happiness! It was nice, and he knew when to cheer up Ingo, because he would feel sad too.

Unfortunately, all of this only further succeeding in proving to Ingo that he and Emmet were one person split into two. His confirmation bias took all evidence given to him and twisted it to his own view. Ingo saw it as he wanted to see it; instead of them having a strong enough bond that allowed them to be this close, Emmet's feelings were literally his feelings. Emmet displayed tears when he was hurt because it hurt. Emmet smiled when he was happy because they were one person who was happy.

When they were in their mid-teens, Ingo had his sexual awakening, with his hormones igniting his awareness of urges in general as well as towards his twin. For the first few years, he took care of things himself in the privacy of their room. It wasn't long before he sought out his brother, but instead of doing it properly, he would instead touch him during the night when he was still sleeping. Because he was doing his best to avoid waking Emmet, it was some time before Emmet even realized what was going on. It never went beyond touching Emmet, besides using his twin's hand on himself, but Ingo definitely thought about it many times.

Eventually, Ingo did bring it all up to his brother, and used their closeness to draw Emmet into doing things. To be fair, Emmet was open to such a progression of their relationship, because he and Ingo had been together for their entire life. It made sense that they would only get closer the older they got. He doesn't realize the level of Ingo's obsession towards him, or how his twin has come to see him. At this time, he thinks there's a reciprocated affection and gentleness between them, and that his older brother has fallen in love with him. Emmet doesn't have much time to consider his own thoughts on how he feels before Ingo takes his agreement to heart. Of course, Ingo didn't expect anything different. They were one and the same, and if he thought it was a good idea, naturally Emmet would too. He got more and more bold, wanting to experiment with more and more things as the excitement of more mundane things wore off. Much of the time, Emmet was the one who had to experience the things that Ingo wanted to try.

This is where the true problems started. When Ingo wanted to try something, he did not take no for an answer. As a note to the original use for this AU, during this time pretty much anything goes. Over-stim, electro-stim, and orgasm denial were some of the more mild things that happened. It escalated to a few situations involving others, without Emmet's knowledge or consent. Everything was meticulously controlled and curated- the other men involved were not just pulled off the street and given the go-ahead. Ingo rigorously investigated all of them, insured they had no transmittable issues, and strictly enforced particular situations that they agreed to be a part of. Nothing happens that Ingo is not aware of.

The only thing missing was informing Emmet, but this was not a concern. After all, Ingo knew. And to him, at that time, that was all that was necessary.

In short, Emmet did not like any of these scenarios. The first (and only) group encounter distressed him to such a great level that he cried intensely, causing Ingo to step in and stop the entire scenario. Unfortunately, the only changes that came out of this was Ingo developing an aversion to crying, and deciding to not do anymore group scenarios due to it being too difficult to control.

Emmet struggles to put a stop to this happening, both because there are legitimately things that he would enjoy if he were being treated as a partner, and because Ingo is quite manipulative. Ingo knows just how to stimulate him, and he finds himself aroused in many of the situations. However, the feelings conflict with how violated he feels - some things are too much, he can't say refuse, nor direct anything to make him enjoy it more.

You may have seen in Riso's art that Emmet has a chunk out of his ear. This was from when one of his earrings was ripped out - Ingo did not do this, but was very clinical in how he treated the wound and was not comforting at all. As part of his 'ownership' of Emmet, he also got numerous tattoos on him. They were black, and, unbeknownst to Emmet, Ingo also got the same tattoos. Well, almost the same - his tattoos are blacklight tattoos that glow white under the right light. The one on his wrist also has different writing than Emmet's does.

Eventually, a situation became so intense that Emmet feared for his life - I haven't actually thought of what the situation was, but needless to say Emmet was exhausted. Just as he thought it was too much, a portal appeared to him.

Desperate for escape, he did not hesitate as he threw himself into the portal.

Seeing his twin, his *other half* fall through a portal and disappear obviously did not sit well with Ingo and before it closed, he managed to make it through as well.

However! They did not both end up in the same place.

Emmet tumbled his way into Gear Station and was immediately stumbled upon by Normal AU Nobori and Kudari. Normal AU is essentially almost the canon depiction of the Twins, minus PLA occurring. This part of the AU is long and takes time for events to unfold, so I'm gonna condense some of it for the sake of this overview.

They bring Emmet to their home and want him to stay with them because he has clearly been greatly mistreated. Although he agrees, he is quite awkward and anxious. He stays there when they go to work at Gear Station, afraid to touch any of their things or do much of anything there.

Nobori, of course, wants to help Emmet, but the man that looks like his twin seems to be afraid of him. In addition to that, Emmet seems to take anything he says to either be a command or leading statement of some kind. More than once, Emmet puts himself into a vulnerable position, as if expecting Nobori to want to use him. This is certainly not something that Nobori *ever* had in mind, and he's quite troubled by the entire thing.

Kudari sees all of this happening, and after talking with both of them individually, comes up with a great plan! Emmet clearly wants to trust Nobori, but is struggling. And he sees that Nobori doesn't want to hurt him, but it's so hard to get past his natural responses.

So, eventually, when Emmet feels he is ready, the plan is put into action! When Nobori goes to bed the next night, Kudari finds an excuse to stay up a bit later, saying he will come to bed shortly. Instead of Kudari, however, Emmet slips into the bed. The night passes and Nobori does not try to force himself on Emmet and does not wake him in the middle of the night with inappropriate touches. At most, the man that resembles his twin drapes an arm over his waist, murmuring sweetly in his sleep.

In the morning, barely awake Nobori gives him a soft smile, wishing him a good morning and offering him a sleep-fogged kiss, which Emmet returns so as to not give away that he is not Kudari. Slipping out of the bed while Nobori still dozes, he switches places again with Kudari who'd been missing his brother all night.

As Emmet goes to breakfast, he sees Nobori give Kudari another kiss, and is so impressed by the love and affection they show each other. He finds himself becoming jealous that he did not have such affection from his own twin, but more than that, he's so happy that he's been welcomed into their house.

The idea that he wishes Nobori loved only him occurs soon after, and he retreats from them again for fear of being too much like his brother. The thought that he would steal away Kudari's twin after his counterpart was so kind to him made him disgusted in himself. But, the NAUTwins loved and cared for him and coaxed him back from where he had withdrawn from them. They also get all of his tattoos removed, and he begins to dress however he likes.

He found himself falling in love with them both, and they happily envelope him into their relationship. All three of them live together peacefully, taking care of each other. He can't find it in himself to work at Gear Station anymore, and he instead joins Elesa's gym. Due to his strength in battling, something he *was* allowed to do in his own universe, he quickly rises in the ranks and is one of the people you have to battle just before getting to Elesa. He finds his own fashion, keeping his earrings and painting his nails, dressing differently enough that people do not mistake him for Kudari. People, of course, realize that he is related to the Twins, but most believe he is their cousin.

As for Ingo, well. Although he follows his twin through the portal, he finds himself in a completely different universe, despite also landing in Gear Station. Coming upon Emmet, he believes it to be *his* twin until he gets close enough to realize that it is somehow a different version of Emmet. The uniform is the same but there are very distinct differences. Finding this to be an interesting turn of events, he decides to 'play' with this Emmet a little bit.

He approaches him with indecent motives, and only in little bursts. Each time, he teases this Emmet in inappropriate ways, jumping him in the subway and selfishly manhandling him a bit. And each time the Emmet goes to his own Ingo pouting with a tear in the corner of his eye, telling his Nii-san that he *didn't* appreciate it! Of course, that Ingo is completely confused as to what his precious baby brother is talking about.

Emmet finally gets a good look at ddIngo and realizes it is not his own twin. When this happens, ddIngo decides he's going to bring this Emmet back to his own universe.

At the same time, this Emmet's Ingo manages to trail his twin and catches ddIngo in the act of hassling his brother. Ingo saves Emmet and just verbally destroys ddIngo about not taking Emmet's likes or feelings into account, telling him he can't dare call Emmet his brother if he'll act like that.

Having been thoroughly chastised, ddIngo departs through a new portal to continue his pursuit of his own Emmet. This continues for some time, ddIngo creating a portal whenever he decides that his Emmet is not in a particular universe.

There are, of course, a few notable encounters he has.

He falls from a portal into the ocean and has his first encounter with Mermmet and Wife Ingo. This is, of course, during their actual lives so Mermmet is less aware of his own vices. ddIngo thinks he's going to take advantage of the situation but Mermmet just floats above him, shows his shark-teeth in a wide grin and says that his new wife will "be verrrrry fun." Mermmet considers ddIngo a "free guy that looks like his wife" and a "good deterrent to the sharks." Eventually, ddIngo frees himself and hops to another universe.

ddIngo stumbles into Oemmet and Yingo's universe. Much of ddIngo's advantage has been being able to get close to the various Emmet under the impression that he is their twin. But Oemmet all but instantly recognizes that ddIngo is not Yingo. Refusing to let ddIngo control the situation at all, he grabs him and drops ddIngo to the ground, holding him down with his knee to his back and his arms pinned behind him. ddIngo is into it, much to his own surprise. Turns out he actually likes getting manhandled by Emmet. Oemmet all but throws ddIngo out of their universe, uncomfortable by this odd Ingo that suddenly appeared. Yingo comes upon him acting a little shaken, and although Oemmet does not tell him what happens, he accepts Yingo's efforts to calm him down.

You all may have seen @tsumisan6v9's super cool comic about it, but he *also* runs into Changeling Ingo. They manage to talk a little, and ddIngo decides that he and Cringo actually feel much the same about Emmet. They both consider Emmet to be theirs, and feel a possessive hold over their twin.

A thing to note is that any time ddIngo has come across any Ingo and Emmet that did not *exactly* match the canon twins, he called them inferior and told them to be ashamed of themselves for not being perfectly identical. He calls Changeling Ingo a Beast to his face before he determines they are alike.

But, despite this, he finds an imagined kinship with Changeling Ingo that Cringo does *not* appreciate. Cringo tries to dismiss ddIngo with words alone, but when he does not get the hint, he actively attacks him. ddIngo does actually get hurt here, and retreats through the portal before Cringo can do too much damage. It leaves Cringo feeling even worse about himself, and it's up to his Emmet to help him feel better.

After this, ddIngo continues to hop between universes, having decided that the only Emmet he wanted was his own. Eventually, he comes to a deep void, dark as pitch with no other portals to go through. It is here that he wanders for time immeasurable; even ddIngo does not know how long he was there. To him, it felt as though centuries passed, but he never aged. There were long stretches where he wasn't sure that he was even moving.

As time continued to move forward, he began to pathetically call out to his 'lost' twin, begging for Emmet to return to him. Feeling his strength begin to give out, he continued forward, wanting to see his brother before the death he was sure was going to overcome him. Eventually, he collapses, a haze taking over his vision as he lay on the 'ground.' Passing out, he doesn't see the white shoes step into what would have been his field of vision.

And then he wakes up on the train, and so the Death Train AU begins.

[smallestapplin]

So, uh, confession time, I love pegging. And Ingo, being the darling, there for you boyfriend/husband he is, I can see him trying it (for you). Of course you're really gentle and go his speed but DAMN ☺️🥰 The noises he makes and so on!!!

If you're into that I mean

I’m gonna go feral I love this shit.

🔞18+🔞

-

-

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🔲Ingo🔲

- Honestly he probably has never experimented with such things. He usually keeps it simple.

- You’re the first to bring it up and ask him.

- And while he does get a little nervous at the thought he does his research! Looking up clean up, after care, what should be expected, etc.

- He always looks up new things before agreeing.

- And after doing do he agrees to try it out with you.

- He takes his time making sure he is clean and relaxed, mentally preparing himself for this. He knows if he is uncomfortable you’ll stop.

- But he is kind of excited and nervous at the same time.

- So when getting down to it. Your lubed fingers gently pressing into him, he can’t help but squirm.

- It’s an entirely new feeling, he isn’t use to having something inside him.

- You have to hold him down when you press against his prostate.

- The second you pressed your fingers to it his hips slammed back against your hand and back arching. His moans and whimpers echoing in the room.

- When you finally got him all stretched out you pull your fingers away and lubed up the strap on.

- Ingo’s dazed mind only question if that was going to fit.

- Oh but it does.

- It slips inside him so well.

- His dick twitches at the weird but pleasant sensation of being full. You have to pin his hips in place or else he keeps squirming. The feeling of the strap on filling him up bit by bit.

- He is touched you’re pushing in so slowly for him, but it all goes out the window when you bottom out and the blunt head presses against his prostate.

- You almost lose your hold on his hips with how he thrashes.

- You sit still, waiting for him to calm down and to relax, shushing him through it and tell him to take deep breathes.

- This whole process is making him love you more.

- “Okay….okay you can move.” He pants.

- You pull about half way out and slowly push back in.

- The response is immediate.

- You chuckle softly at how loud he is being.

- His arms around your shoulders trying to pull you closer.

- But it gives you a better angle to hit his prostate dead on.

- Even with you taking it slow, Ingo sounds like he is being completely ravaged.

- His nails digging into your shoulder with each gentle thrust of your hips.

- Tears pricking the corners of his eyes, his face is completely coated in a heavy blush.

- His silver eyes are completely glazed over and shimmering with lust and unshed tears.

- Ingo is drooling everywhere.

- “Ah! Ah! Ah! Mmfuck!”

- He can’t help his sounds, his eyes are rolling back.

- You give his hips a little more give just to see what he’s do and instantly he is fucking himself against you.

- “M-more! Please, s-so good!”

- You move one hand and stroke his leaking cock.

- “Please dear I’m so close!” He cries.

- His whorish sounds are accompanied by his lewd face.

- With one last thrust he was sent over the edge, squealing and crying before falling limp against the bed.

- His cum covering his heaving chest.

- You place soft kisses all over his face before his lips “how are you feeling?”

- “Amazing…great..fantastic, super bravo.”

- You giggle, “you did so well for me.” slowly pulling out of him, moving around to get him all cleaned up and coming back with a glass of water and some fruit snacks.

- “Do you want to take a bath or stay here for right now?”

- Ingo doesn’t say anything but holds his arms out.

- Looks like cuddling it is.

[returntorule]

try as i might to keep it together why is recovery taking forever? fool the whole world, just until i get better i’m terrified i’ll be faking forever

hope of morning - icon for hire

Name → Emmet Closed character, played by Avery Age → 29 Occupation → Subway Boss Affiliation → Intepol Pokemon Team → Eelektross, Galvantula, Garbodor, Archeops, Durant, Togekiss Aesthetics →

Ethereal. First impressions leave others thinking of Emmet as otherworldly; his angelic complexion and delightful, selfless nature only fuel the image. Emmet is the warmth of sunshine, a stroke of inspiration, and the person who would drop everything just to lend a helping hand. White. A color of profound mourning. And so, like the tidally locked moon, only one of Emmet’s faces is ever seen. Silence is Emmet’s language now, and he dares not speak of experience nor sincere emotion. He has a tainted black soul forged in fire and an iron will hellbent on revenge.

Bio →

(sexual assault cw)

From the very beginning, Emmet and his twin were inseparable. They developed an extremely close relationship and put each other above all else. The two grew to become interdependent on one another. Together they breezed through any challenge that came their way and chose to pursue their mutual interest in technology and engineering in higher education.

Emmet developed a knack for generating elaborate designs. Always an idealist, he could easily picture how everything would come together in the end, but getting any process started was something he struggled with. Fortunately, Ingo’s talents developed to perfectly complement his own. Together, they were an unstoppable team and excelled in their classes and earned their degrees as certified engineers.

The two caught a lucky break after managing to make a name for themselves–they were recruited to design Nimbasa’s next big attraction for trainers. The two formulated a plan from what had previously been a passing thought, and saw to the design and construction of Gear Station. The project was a huge success, and after getting the establishment off the ground, the two became attached to it and have been running the station together since its opening.

Half a year after Gear Station’s successful opening, Emmet’s world turns upside down. Romantic attraction is something he hardly feels and doesn’t understand, and he is notoriously bad at selecting romantic partners. More often than not, it is a frivolous arrangement of convenience to better reputations. He does not find kindness among anyone who holds status like he does, and Vincent is no exception.

What was meant to be a casual celebration of the station’s success turns into a nightmare, when Emmet unexpectedly sees the malice in his lover’s heart and is forcibly taken advantage of.

Little can be done to cover the bruises or the tremendous pain and turmoil Emmet finds himself in, and he attempts to seek justice. But when he places the report about the incident, he is accused of lying and promptly loses faith in the authorities and falls into a deep depression.

It eventually lifts when his disposition turns towards anger as he mourns everything he lost that night. However, by the time he feels functional again, it is far too late–every attempt to track down Vincent to retaliate is fruitless, and every indication reveals the strong likelihood that Vincent has fled Unova altogether, and gone back to his home region of Sinnoh, rumor has it to put his electrical engineering degree to good use.

There’s little Emmet can do then but brood and seethe. He declares that he’s fine, and closes that chapter of his life prematurely, speaking little of how insignificant and broken he feels, and swallows the growing negativity and anger, and constructs a flawless, convincing, cheery facade and becomes extremely selective in picking the people who need to know the truth.

But that vow to avenge himself never truly fades, even as he goes about the life he shares with his identical twin, and he uses his Double Battles at the station to vent some of his unresolved emotion.

It isn’t until rumors of Team Galactic’s return reach his ears, that Emmet has an even more difficult time remaining still and complacent with his work at the station–a job which he has been growing weary of doing–he felt a compelling drive to do something given the circumstances, but more importantly–to do something that might ease his mind.

He acts on an impulse, giving his twin brother little notice before he seeks out the nearest branch of the International Police, where he finds Colress, who functions primarily as a researcher, but still Emmet pleads his case, stating that he’s a powerful trainer, cunning in strategy and highly intelligent, and fully capable of thinking on his feet–the perfect sort of person to have as an agent.

His plight works, and he is directed through the proper channels of the organization, and with his reputation, he is accepted as an agent, and Emmet seems to excel in what little field training he’s been given, and finds himself assigned to exciting—– ….Desk work. Well, it isn’t what he expected. He’s still being tested, being assigned to investigate rumors of the very dead Team Plasma, of all things. He dreams of assignments of espionage, in particular–of getting close to Team Galactic, though not necessarily to fulfill the International Police’s wishes, oh no.

Emmet’s reasons are deeply personal: call it a hunch, but he is convinced he will find Vincent amid the ranks of Team Galactic. Only then can he finally have his revenge, and more importantly–find peace of mind.

For now, he exists in the interim between his position as a Gear Station Subway Boss and his low, entry-level position as an Interpol Agent, balancing his time between jobs while he waits for someone worthy to take over his title as a subway master. As time goes on, he aims to rise in rank in Interpol and sever his ties with Gear Station altogether.

Connections →

Ingo. Identical twin. Platonic soulmate. Ingo is Emmet’s closest and dearest friend, and the person around whom he has built his life. The two are largely inseparable and know everything about one another. They are an unstoppable team in every aspect of their lives, and together they can achieve absolutely anything they put their minds to. In all situations, they have each other’s back and care for one another above anyone else.

Grimsley. Close friend. Romantic interest. Perhaps it is against his better judgement that Emmet has decided to trust Grimsley, given the absolutely rotten reputation Grimsley has made for himself… But it’s been a couple years now, since Emmet first caught Grimsley’s interest and he has resigned himself to the fact that… Grimsley is nothing if not persistent in maintaining contact and companionship with him.

Colress. Acquaintance. Tense relationship. Despite being the person whom Emmet first contacted within Interpol, he remains wary and suspicious of Colress. He remembers all too well the role the scientist played in Team Plasma’s revival, and he’s noticed that Colress’s loyal coincides only with whomever provides the funding for his research–and he questions Interpol’s decision to bring him in, given that he could easily switch sides.