#but i do want it to be acknowledged to some degree that change is taking place

[boopshoops]

TWST OC INTRODUCTION - TCOAV

Aurelia Sidheline - Tales of Scars

Name: Aurelia Sidheline

Nicknames: Aura, Triggerfish, House cat, Sidhe

Gender: She doesn't know or care <3

Pronouns: She/her (But any gendered language is fine. ex: ms. mx. or mr are all good!)

Sexuality: Pan-Greysexual

Birthday: February 10 (Aquarius)

Age: 19 in canon TWST age, 21 in TCOAV AU

Height: 5'4 or 162cm

Voice Claim(s): Emilia Clarke

Twisted from: Captain Amelia of Treasure Planet

Unique Magic: She hasn't found hers yet.

Grade: Junior

Class: 3-D

Hobbies: Sailing, Spelldrive, acrobatics, flying(broom), swimming, reading, studying, sparring.

Likes: Smoked salmon, astrology, astronomy, summer, sunbeams, the ocean, strategy games, dogs.

Dislikes: Any soup, inability to read a room, misplaced immaturity, snap judgements, snow, the unrelenting pressure to conform to the shackles and rules of a inherently flawed system in order to succeed in the eyes of others but allows no room for those who are unable to 'get in line' 👁️👄👁️, sand or glitter✨

Fears: Blood, not meeting expectations, being unable to make a difference in her or others lives.

Summary: Descendant of an esteemed noble family of diurnal fae. She intends to dedicate her whole being and life to regaining her family's pride after being unfairly dishonored due to her beastman blood. Nevertheless, she welcomes these trials as a highly adventurous, passionate, and energetic soul.

Her strength in the face of adversity is something she takes a high amount of pride in, even as it is her greatest source of frustration. She had to work harder than most to get to where she is now due to the lowered positioning of her family, but nonetheless, after an ungodly amount of work for someone her age, she's getting there... no, not got. Getting. It's still happening, and it's exhausting. Her greatest strength is also her greatest weakness: after all, one who is known to show strength in adversity will eventually meet too big of an obstacle.

While she struggles to get a handle on her diurnal side, even being delayed in the development of her unique magic, she still has managed to become the captain of RSA's spelldrive team and amass a large amount of respect from the student body. Her admission into RSA cemented a change in allowing any and all genders to apply to the academy (another thing it did before NRC in my au, har har), to the point where she has become a bit of a celebrity on the island. She actively encourages any crowd questioning her admission as well as their own to "get loud and mad and unapologetic" about how the system was allowed to stay so closed off for as long as it did, because "this is what will inspire change in the world, not changing yourself."

CHARACTER PLAYLIST

Author's Notes: meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow

meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow

meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow <3

Tags!

@lowcallyfruity @kitwasnothere @cecilebutcher @justm3di0cr3 @skriblee-ksk

@techno-danger @the-trinket-witch @thehollowwriter @distant-velleity @scint1llat3

@beneathsakurashade @qsoap @kathxrat-01 @prince-kallisto @twsted-canvas

@twstinginthewind @tixdixl @sillyslipperybananapeel @jadelover69 @inotonline

[phagodyke]

ykw actually I am angry + disappointed w them. I've been pushing how I feel aside and trying to make it my own fault so it's all contained but I think theyve just been mean. and they really should know me better ik I try to pretend I don't expect more from them so I feel less hurt when they do things that upset me but we've been friends for years by this point. like come on.

[heartfullofleeches]

[brief mentions of non-consensual touching]

I kinda wanna flesh out yan cheater and "cheater" reader more. Fuel up the angst. I'm thinking high school sweethearts who promised to be each other's first as they went off to college. Yan sees the whole thing with reader with another person and goes to a friend for comfort. The friend sees this as an opportunity to tear the two apart as Yan was previously going to join their band instead of a straight shot to college. A few drinks down they're kissing the first person who makes eye contact with them at the party, forgetting all about their woes and promises - and skipping town without closure or a proper goodbye to their lover.

Couple years down the line and they're now a big shot - carrying little resemblance of the person they once were. Shows sold out in every venue and a different fan on their lap every night. They all have some feature that reminds Yan of their former flame which they muddle over to the very day their paths cross again.

Their latest tour leads them to a familiar place. A town where nothing ever happened and everything stayed the same. They learn their ex is still working hard for their degree and takes night shifts at a nearby gas station. The tension is thick from the moment they walk in. They didn't even want to be there, but it was the only station in close proximity. What do you even say to someone who's caused so much heart break after all this time?

"That'll be 21.10... Cash or credit?"

That's it.... After everything you put them through. After all those nights they spent crying over you - and craving your warmth in their bed. The future that you pictured together. The life you dream of in each other's arms. You tarnished what little hope they had - and that's all you could say to them...

"A "how've you been?" would've been nice...."

"I have nothing to say to the person who abandoned me. Can't even say that much since you hardly remind me of them."

Really classy from the one who caused this mess in the first place.

"Don't act like you're free of any guilt in this... I saw you with them that day... You seemed a lot more cozy with that stranger than you ever did with me."

"Stranger, what are you...." Your eyes dart around the room as the gears in your head click. Pulling out your phone, you fight back tears as you show them a picture of that stranger. "Is this who you're talking about?...."

Please say no....

They scoff. "So you do know who I'm talking about. You still together or did you run off with someone else same as you did me?"

The sadness and pain just... vanishes. All these years, you thought you had been the problem. Made to many promises. Loved then too much or too little. From what it seemed like now - they were the one who never loved you enough.

"That's my cousin....."

They didn't hear you - they couldn't. Couldnt acknowledge that maybe...

"What?"

"That's my fucking cousin, asshole."

Everything they ever believed was the painstaking truth - was a only a cruel misunderstanding.

"We hadn't seen each other's since we were kids. Their mom had just died... I tried calling you when I got home, but you weren't there. Did you seriously think I cheated on you? And you just ran away?..."

"I....you...." Were their everything. When they saw you that night the pressure of every problem weighting down on them finally snapped. They couldn't think rationally at that time - if only if they'd put the faith in you they always prided themself in having.

"You coward...." You throw their change across the counter, adding issult to injury as you point for the door.

"Get out of my store. Get out of my life."

"Y/n, wait..please."

"I said... GET OUT!"

The foundation of their new self crumbles. After your alleged betrayal they rebuilt themselves from the ground up as an overconfident, self serving individual, but like everything else to this point - it was all a lie. There were always those days they wondered "what if". What if they had stayed. What if they had tried to fix what had broken in your relationship. Knowing the truth, those fantasies return with vengeance. The truth would've came sooner and the wounds to mend would have been lesser. You'd talk over the miscommunication and they'd apologize fully by taking you out to your favorite restaurant. You'd start school together the upcoming fall. You'd kiss and make love and enjoy fleeting youth as one. There'd always be rough patches, but in the end you always had each other.

That's how things should have been.

They spiral - crawling to the closest bar to relinquish their pain the only way they knew how beyond finding someone new to bed. The thought of sleeping with anyone that wasn't you made them nearly lose the alcohol poisoning their system. Had you been dating since then? Had you given yourself to someone? Did they make you feel loved and saved - just as they should've

By the end of the night they wound up too drunk to even stand on their own feet. The bartender asked for a number to call to have someone pick them up. They gave the only number they could remember after all these years - and intoxicated.

The drive to their hotel room is quiet. You had nothing to say while they had the world - but none of it was anything you wanted to hear. You just wanted this night to be over so you could go back to forgetting they ever existed.

You help them into their room and give them some water from the sink. Despite everything they've done, you didn't have the heart to leave them like they did you.

"Drink. You need to flush out your system. You'll probably have a headache in the morning, but that's none of my concern."

".....how many people have you slept with, Y/n?"

You place the cup on the nightstand. "This isn't the type of conversation we should have right now."

"Have you been with anyone - or are you still waiting for that special person? I've done a lot of shit I'm not proud of, but at least they've given me experience. I can make your first the best. I can make love to you better than anyone. I already know you better than they do...."

Their hands creep around your waist, hugging your midsection same as they use to on school nights when their parents forbade guests - and you crawled through their window anyway. They always held you like you meant the universe to them. You still do.

Their lips gloss over your exposed stomach as your shirt crawls upwards, heavy tears staining your skin. "Just one night. That's all I need to prove myself to you. We were made for each other. Let's forget about the past for one night and pick up where we left off. A promise is still a promise - even if it's broken.

Their fingers dip below your waistband. You immediately shove them off you and to the floor. "Are you fucking insane?! You can't forget something like what you put me through. I've been so afraid of connecting with anyone because I'm scared they'd just run off like you did. I'm finally becoming me again- and I won't let you take that back from me. Don't call me."

The door slams as you storm out - reverberations their sole companion in their misery. This is the same thing they did to you. They deserve to be alone, to suffer - but they can't. It'll kill them. They can't live without you...and soon enough you won't be to live without them. You're soulmates, meant to be. They have power now - influence. They can support you however you need-

And destory everything that gets in the way of your happy ending.

[spacegyaru]

cw: reo mikage x sex worker! reader. all characters here are 21+. reader is 22 while reo is 26. reader is an orphan. there are mentions of dr*g use and debts. sex worker. strippers. clubs. there's also an eventual smut so minors, dni! i tried to depict the underground/world of sex work according to what i've seen in documentaries. i also tried my best to depict reo accurately but i might be somewhat ooc. also, i was listening to fine china and the other woman by lana del rey while writing this! 

masterlist

you were a fallen angel— someone who could never have salvation. you had already fallen in the depths of sin and could never be loved; that's what you've always thought— until you met reo mikage, the person who changed your perspective in love and life. 

you grew up as an orphan who was never adopted. you stayed in the shelter for all the years of your life. you never knew what it felt like to be chosen. you felt like the world hated you for giving you to two irresponsible parents.

when you turned 18, you left the orphanage because you were too old already. the caretakers think that you can start living by yourself and looking for a job. you were so excited to finally go to the outside world. but you realized that reality isn't what it seemed.

it wasn't all rainbows and skittles like what the TVs showed. it felt bitter. it felt very tiring. you worked tirelessly day and night. at morning, you worked as a hotel staff. at night, you worked as a bar waitress. with no degree, you could hardly ever find a proper job. it's as if the orphanage threw you in the pits of the hell by asking you to join the ‘real world’.

due to the hardships of living and providing for yourself, you resulted into borrowing from loan sharks and private loaning services. it was already too late when you realized how much you're drowning in debt.

your debt was so big that an illegal loanshark started to threaten you that if you weren't able to pay them at least monthly, they would let you experience hell. you were so scared to death.

and because of that, you were forced to work in this industry. it's a very tough and unsafe job, but it kept you fed. you were able to pay for your debt monthly while still living in a decent one bedroom apartment. it's cramped. but it's better than the space you had in the past.

the club that you worked for is called a strip club. you guys are just asked to entertain guests. but under the table, you would also offer other party favors. and with all honesty, you couldn't take this type of job so before you perform, you would take illeg*l dr*gs to maintain your sanity and efficiency. to bend your moral compass while doing this type of job.

that's how you met him— reo mikage. it turns out that he was a regular in this bar. and also a vip member. given that he is a ceo of a huge company, he goes there to drink and relieve his mind.

reo mikage, the ceo of mikage corp, is known to be more of a watcher and observer. he doesn't indulge in the party favors that the girls would offer. your co-worker said that one time, a girl tried to do offer her by touching his thigh and doing some sexual addvances. after that, he threatened to call the cops on her for soliciting such services. the girl got fired after that.

so nobody tries to offer him some other services. everyone acknowledged the fact that he is just a watcher. why would he sully his body and reputation by availing such services from a sex worker?

you've always seen him, but you never talked to him. until one day, you were asked to come to the vip lounge and perform on their table… privately. your co-worker said that it takes a lot to get his trust, but if he starts liking you, you're gonna get an insane amount of tip from him.

but unlike the usual, instead of asking you to perform a dance for them, they want you to sing. you were shocked by the sudden request but you did it. after three songs, instead of asking you to go, they wanted your company more. so you stayed and talked to them. it seemed like reo liked the way you carried yourself.

well, reo was with his two friends— a white-haired one named nagi, and a redhead named chigiri. they were both shy, but reo was much more of a chatterbox and didn't seem to mind showing that to you.

since then, reo became a regular. instead of asking you to dance naked for them, he would ask you to sing, then you would talk to him for a while after. you started to learning that reo is actually an heir of a huge company. when you asked him why he frequented on these places instead of hanging out with other women of his status, he just shrugged both his shoulders, saying he finds no excitement in entertaining them. unlike in this type of place, not a lot of people knew about him. he's just a normal guy who tips a lot if you make him happy.

reo’s his visits became more often, and during his visits, he would give you lots of gifts and tip you more than enough. one time, he brought you a limited-edition luxury bag. you were shy and was hesitant to accept it, but he insisted. he said that you were his favorite girl— you actually made sense whenever he talked to you. you felt like human rather than a sex bot. you would tell him what you think, and you had the power to comfort him with your words.

during those visits, you were slowly falling in love with him. reo even paid extra and requested for the owner to never let you cater to anyone. when you told him you did dr*gs so you could handle the type of job you have, he was desperate to give you the help you need. this made you very happy, and your feelings deepened for him.

one day, it was his 27th birthday. instead of going to the bar like the regular he is, he asked you to join him in his private jet going to germany. you were hesitant and shy at first but eventually, you agreed. you accommodated him during the trip. and everything was paid for by him.

the same day of his birthday, reo asked you to be his girlfriend. it was in a simple garden, but he asked for nice catering. there was an orchestra playing while both of you enjoyed some champagne and steak.

during that night, you spent the most amazing time of your life. while you worked as a prostitute, you always refused to kiss your client no matter how much they offer. but tonight, you gave your first kisses to reo mikage— even your first french kiss, and your first time of making love— not just having sex for money, but this time, you were handled with love and passion.

the queen treatment you received from him was out of this world, even after the romantic trip. you still worked at the bar, but only catered to him. all of a sudden, loansharks stopped threatening you. it turns out that reo paid for everything. you even got into an argument with him over it, but he said that he insisted because he loves you.

reo's love felt like heaven to someone like you. you were spoiled rotten, went to luxurious trips with him, were always given the most expensive luxury bags, and you never had to worry about the bills cuz he got everything in his hands. he promised to take you out of this type of life that you have— until eight months later, he disappeared.

for the first time, reo did not come to the bar without telling you. you texted and called, but he stopped responding. he was never like this. it seemed that he disappeared into thin air, and it was driving you crazy.

after two weeks of breaking down, your colleagues and friends from the club asked you to watched the news. you were wondering, what were they so hysterical about? when you opened the tv, you felt your heart shattered into pieces.

you saw reo once again— but this time, the glow in his eyes disappeared. he wasn't wearing the smile he always wore when both of you were together.

the news headlines said ‘son of mikage corp engagement to another heiress from a multi billionaire company'. the girl looked so happy, but reo looked very distant. it's as if he left his heart somewhere else.

you gasped and broke down in tears as you watched everything unfolded right before your eyes. just like how other men treated you in the past, you were just someone to pass time with. you were never a lover.

and now, you're left alone again, with those broken promises he gave you.

a/n: sorry guys another angst shfhfjsksks i cant stop thinking about this while listening to lana del rey. if lana del rey didn't play in my spotify, i wouldn't even bother continuing writing this 😭🙏

[buttercupjosh]

The Perfect Proposal (the 4 times you expected that Mat was going to propose + the 1 time he actually did)

(Gif credit to @mattymartin)

word count: 1,968

genres: established relationship, fluff, self-insert

warnings: none

A/N: This story is based off of the song “Joy of My Life” by Chris Stapleton and I make references to this song throughout the story. I highly recommend listening to this song before reading my story. This story is short, sweet and fluffy. It’s not set at a specific moment in time (It’s taking place in a fictional future but you could also say that it’s set this upcoming season or even a past season). It’s written with a female reader in mind because I’m a female of color but the reader doesn’t specifically have to be a POC or a woman and there’s little dialogue. This is not a sequel to Your Favorite Secret (which you can still read and check out and if you want this to be a sequel to that, you can interpret it that way). As always, I’m open to any and all feedback, comments or questions; just put them in my inbox or dm me. Thank you so much in advance for reading, I appreciate it😌

(P.S. I have other stories (linked here) that I have written for other players as well if you want to check it out)

“Someday it will come right on cue.” -Somewhere Love Is Waiting for You from the Schmigadoon TV series soundtrack

Prologue

Meeting Mat changed your life in the best way possible. You took Mat’s breath away when you met up for your very first date and since then, you continued to take his breath away in small doses every time you saw him. He added so much goodness and love into your life and you did the same for him. Mat felt so grateful to have you in his life and even though he made millions, being with you was his greatest treasure. You and Mat deeply appreciated each and every moment you had together, no matter how big or small it was; the two years that you had been together so far were some of your greatest times. You were both so smitten that you always looked at each other with such deep love and devotion and couldn’t get enough of your significant other’s presence. For a while, Mat knew that he wanted to propose to you but he just needed to figure out the best way how to and time when to ask that all-important question.

————————————————————

It finally happened. After 3 challenging years, you finally completed law school and earned your Juris Doctor degree from NYU. All of your friends and family came into town to celebrate your accomplishment. In order to accommodate everyone, Mat graciously rented a large AirBnb house in the Hamptons to host your graduation party. You handled some aspects of the party planning while Mat handled the rest and the party went very well. During the congratulations portion of the evening, Mat wanted to give a quick remark to acknowledge your achievement.

“For the past 2 years, I watched this wonderful person ambitiously work their way through law school. There were a lot of late nights, early mornings and so many case reviews and vocabulary study sessions that I think I could go get a law degree. Y/N, to say that I am proud of you is a massive understatement. My love, you are so amazing and you did it. I love you so much. Because I love you so much, I have a surprise for you.” Mat spoke.

This moment seemed like it was the right time for Mat to ask for your hand in marriage; you had been dating for a while, you lived together and blended your families together, and he had just finished a great speech that made all of the party’s attendees realize how much he was in love with you. Instead, Mat handed you an envelope. Inside the envelope was a copy of a check for the exact amount that you owed in student loans and a letter informing you that your loans were fully paid off. You couldn’t believe what was happening and began to cry.

“How did you do this?”, you mustered out through your tears of joy.

“So you know how you gave me access to your book of important information in case anything happened to you? Well, I asked Liana to call the loan office to pretend to be you and ask for your account balance”, Mat cheesily revealed.

Mat saw firsthand how much distress and frustration law school caused you so he wanted to help out someone he deeply loved by eliminating the stress of having to pay for a student loan; this surprise was better than an engagement ring.

————————————————————

After your graduation party and after the Islanders were eliminated from playoffs, it was the official start of the off-season. This year, it was a milestone birthday for Mat’s dad so the Barzal family decided to do a European summer vacation to celebrate. You were important enough to their family that you had been invited and Liana, Mat’s sister, also invited her best friend to accompany her on the trip.

Hand-in-hand with the man you considered to be the love of your life and his family, for 3 weeks, you explored England, France, Monaco, and Mat’s ancestral homeland of Italy. In England, you indulged in English culture while Mat hilariously attempted a British accent. In France, you shared plenty of kisses with your lover in the City of Love, swooning every time Mat spoke French. In Monaco, you and Mat felt like the protagonists of a spy thriller while hanging out in the city.

Once you arrived in Italy, you got to see a different side of Mat that rarely came out. He had been to Italy several times before but he was thrilled to share all that he knew about that special place with you. Mat glowed differently whenever you got authentic gelato together or when he swam in the waters along the Amalfi Coast. Of course, throughout the trip, you still spent plenty of time with Mat’s parents, sister, and her friend and attended a lovely birthday dinner on a boat for Mat’s dad while visiting Sicily.

On the plane ride traveling back to Canada after your whirlwind European tour, you thought to yourself that you were going to come back to North America with a new jewelry addition to your left hand; you did have a lot of date nights and one-on-one time with Mat on the trip. However, your wonderful boyfriend did get you a gorgeous Cartier love bracelet from the official store in Paris and you were returning back with the gift of good memories that were created with your future in-laws.

————————————————————

The remainder of the off-season went by so quickly; between weddings, summer holidays, and other events all happening, you and Mat were swept in so many different directions. Time flies when you’re having fun and soon, it was already time to return to Long Island for the hockey season.

The usual ups, downs, and chaos of the hockey season lingered in your household but you navigated through it together. As the season went on, you spent a lot of time studying for the Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam and Universal Bar Exam, which allowed you to become eligible to be admitted to the New York State Bar next year. Even though you had those responsibilities, you still supported Mat at most of his home games. One of the things about Mat that you loved was how he would always quietly tiptoe into your shared home after a late game but he loved how you always waited up for him to come home after every game, regardless of what time he returned. Before you both knew it, the year was winding down and it was almost Christmas time. You and Mat had decided to host Christmas this year and both of your families were coming. This wasn’t the first time that both of your families had been together to celebrate an occasion; they were there all together for your law school graduation earlier in the year and both sides enjoyed being together as one cohesive unit but for some reason, things felt different to you this holiday season.

You spent hours preparing and making sure that everything was right for the arrival of your guests. Christmas came and went wonderfully. It was so nice to have your families together during the holidays. You gifted Mat a new game day tie and a gift card to one of his favorite road restaurants; Mat got you a nice bag to carry all of your work things and a personalized padfolio for you to take all of your legal notes in.

Yes, you were secretly expecting a diamond underneath the tree this year but it was okay because you still got other great gifts as well. Despite wanting something else, you still deeply cherished the time you got to spend with your loved ones.

————————————————————

After the holidays were over, you and Mat settled back into your respective routines until it was All-Star Break. Mat was not chosen for the All-Star Game that year and some of the Islanders players and families decided to go to the Bahamas for their team All-Star Break trip. The time away gave you and Mat both some essential rest and relaxation. At the end of February, you were scheduled to take the Universal Bar Exam but you took a break from studying to enjoy your mini-vacation. You stayed with your lover and company at a phenomenal resort; you swam with dolphins, relaxed at the spa, and ate so much tasty food. You also enjoyed lots of group activities with Mat and his teammates and their respective significant others. During the trip, one of Mat’s best friends’, Anthony, and his long-term girlfriend, Emma got engaged. It stung a little to see someone else reach the relationship milestone you deeply desired to share with Mat and you had expected that it was going to be you and your lover’s turn to share that special romantic moment on this trip, however, you were happy for your friends.

————————————————————

One evening, you came home from a long, exhausting day of work. After passing both the Universal Bar Exam and Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam and completing some other requirements, you were admitted to the New York State Bar last month and got a job as a junior attorney. It was a pleasant surprise to see Mat cooking; he was subtly singing in the kitchen and tenderly caring for some handmade pasta. You couldn’t quite make out what song Mat was singing but it didn’t matter what it was because you had caught him singing songs that you’ve played around the house and pop songs from the radio plenty of times before. You smiled to yourself as watched him in his element before slipping away for a much-needed shower.

After you came out of the shower and changed, there was a beautiful plate of pasta waiting for you on the table. Mat tapped deep into his Italian heritage and made a delectable dinner for the two of you. You shared with Mat the details of work and although, he may not quite fully understand everything you were expressing your feelings about, he still listened to you as you rambled on. After dinner concluded, you and Mat were going to share a box of bakery cannolis and watch a movie on the couch but Mat told you to wait at the table and suddenly got up. He returned to the room with a look of nervousness on his face. You asked Mat if he was okay but you could tell that he had something important to say.

“I’ve been holding onto this ring for a while. There were so many other times that I wanted to ask but there’s just something that feels so right about this moment. Sitting here, I realized something very important. I want to spend the rest of my life, making you dinner when I can and listening to you speak. I want to continue to come home from my games to you and wake up next to you. I have the greatest honor of knowing and loving you. You have the sweetest heart that’s made of gold and you are like an angel brought down to Earth from Heaven. I want to be by your side forever. Y/N, you are the joy of my life. Will you marry me?” Mat declared while holding out the engagement ring of your dreams in a Tiffany blue box.

You were speechless because Mat was right; this was the perfect moment. You looked straight into Mat’s green eyes that you admired so dearly and accepted his marriage proposal; you were both super excited to embark on this new journey in your relationship. You and Mat swayed with each other to the sound of your fiance’s voice, serenading you to “Joy Of My Life” by Chris Stapleton, the same song Mat was singing to himself earlier. Patience was an important virtue and all of that waiting paid off at the right time.

[my-darling-boy]

I say this as a design student myself but like…. Design As An Academic Degree would be far more enjoyable if lecturers believed in design as a creative problem solving measure that can take whatever forms of creative approach it wants and actually encourage a wide variety of subject matter, style, and ideas and Not design as in a monolithic cliquey subgenre of modern/contemporary art defined by white collar avant garde collages profiting off of aestheticising systemic issues, governed by some of the most socially ignorant people you’ve ever met. The entire ethos of this course is pretty much “I don’t know how to tell you what design is, you just have to know how to do it” and then going “No that’s not it” to anything you show them and when you ask them why not they give you a different answer Every Time. This is the only course I’ve ever done that’s given me like negative net information if that’s somehow even possible. My only take away is that whoever runs these degrees isn’t actually teaching design, they’re just teaching you how to be trendy. This is exemplified by the fact not once in two years did we ever take a class or discuss what design even is, how to do it, how to contextually and realistically apply it, and how it has changed over the centuries, yet had an entire year long module, twice, on social networking and gallery exhibiting. Doesn’t help the whole lot is made worse by the fact that lecturers who refuse to acknowledge their style bias will stop at nothing to impose that onto a project to the point you’re nearly having to appease them over the client. Hoping it’s just where I live but I’m sadly gathering this is not an isolated issue

[burningcheese-merchant]

I know that it is highly unlikely that it is the case, but come and give it a thougjt with me (Yandere Spice with a twist).

What if: Burning Spice, despite being completely obsessive and being the sadomasochist he is, routinely cuts off the heads of animals and cookies and brings them to her the first time with a love letter (he used to be the Herald of Change, so I'd imagine he's got- and retained- some brains, enough to at least write a psychotic obsessive love letter).

Now, Golden Cheese is obviously gonna freak the f out and gape as he shoves the head into her arms (probably throw it into the air and back up in panic) while Burning Spice- though displeased at first, just grins manically at her reaction soon enough (maybe even laughing), before he grabs it and shoves the letter and head onto her hands again and leaving.

Golden Cheese, having noticed his reaction to her throwing it, becomes concerned with what he might do if she doesn't accept the 'gifts', decides to keep it (She flies hella fast and enters through her window and hides it in a secret compartment in her room, before creating a hidden room the other gifts in the future).

Now, here's the twist:

Despite the shock and horror she displayed to Burning Spice's gift, she knew that deep down... She fucking loved it. She silently revels in it, even. At having so much of the Beast- A cookiebeing you could practically almost consider primordial and all-powerful-'s attention and taking up so much of their headspace. To be obsessed over adored by someone like that, so much so that they would go out of their way to behead someone and something and write a love letter daily, just to give it to her as a gift-

In short, she absolutely loves the attention she will never say it and will keep that to her grave and Burning Spice and everyone else is none the wiser of it. Of how she'd kept every letter and laminated every single one with the care and cautiousness and love one would use when holding thin glass, of how she intentionally goes out alone every day for a few minutes just so Burning Spice would 'see an opening' and give his gift, where Golden Cheese would then act terribly disgusted and horrified, and then keep the gifts. Ignorant of how she has a room full of the 'gifts' he's given her- which she'd taken the time to personally taxiderm each and every one, before hanging it on the wall like a reward or trophy. Of how she'd come to the room every night to just adore it just the sight makes her want to coo and purr in delight for a few minutes to an hour, before going to bed and resting.

Sorry for the rambling and the long paragraphs 😅😅

This is such a horrifying (in a good way) concept that I MUST acknowledge it and give my take!!! Gonna put it under a cut because this is particularly dark

Yandere Spice basically acting like a cat is so fucking funny to me lol I love it

I'm so glad you think Spice is a smart guy due to having been the Herald of Change/History, because I think that too! He simply HAS to be intelligent, even wise to a degree. It would be ridiculous if he wasn't; being buff doesn't automatically mean you're dumb. And I LOVE the letter thing, I've always headcanoned Spice (the "normal" one, not the yandere one) as writing Golden romantic poetry (and her liking it lol. It helps win her over).

Now, with the murder gifts: of course Golden is horrified. Not only has Spice ended innocent lives, but he did it for her. In a way, it's her fault, and she feels horrible. Animal, person/cookie, doesn't matter, Spice has killed again and he gives the fruits of his sinful labor to her as a declaration of "love". It's sick. No matter how deranged she finds him, he finds a way to sink lower. (But... one thing: he never hurts birds. He has never once brought her a dead bird, because even he knows that's a step too far and she REALLY won't like it. It's the one little drop of care and tact that he possesses.)

But that twist: somewhere beneath all those layers of shock, disgust and righteous anger is... flattery. Sick, twisted flattery. There's nothing Golden loves more than being praised, than being worshiped, than being showered with attention and gifts... and Spice is doing that. He's feeding her ego, albeit in the worst way possible. And so great and terrible is her ego, no matter what she does to temper or suppress it, that somewhere deep down inside, she enjoys what he's doing. That he'll gladly kill for her. That he'll show off his hard work in search of her praise and admiration. She is a goddess and he knows it. He is giving her the adulation she rightfully deserves.

Now, of course, this contradicts her normally altruistic nature, and she has a massive crisis of conscience. She keeps everything Spice gives her, she keeps the heads and the letters and stores them all properly, because... Well, she tells herself that it's better this way. If she refused them, he would retaliate, if not against her then against another innocent. If she preserves the heads, she can later discover who they belonged to and hopefully return them to the person's family (and it was the least she could do; clean them up, give them back even a fraction of their grace and dignity...). If she reads the letters, she'll have better insight into his mind and how he thinks, and thus be able to formulate a better response to him and his behaviors. These excuses are what she mutters under her breath over and over as she sneaks the heads into her room, through the window so no one sees her. As she tidies and laminates the letters, and stores them in a secure folder that she tucks into a box under the bed (which eventually becomes boxes, the more and more letters she gets). As she expertly taxidermies the heads and places them on nice shelves in a hidden closet in her room. It's better this way. She has to do this.

...and these are all true, they really are. But at the same time... Existing alongside this pain and terror and crushing guilt, is the sick joy in knowing that she has someone wrapped around her finger this completely. And a Beast, too. The Beast of Destruction, no less. Burning Spice himself, heads over heels in love with her, willing to do anything to have her. It shouldn't please her to have a monster practically at her beck and call, but... it does. It really, truly does. And no matter how much she hates herself for it... It's never enough to make it stop.

Sometimes, she'll hint at a specific person she doesn't like - usually a known enemy of her kingdom - just to see if he'll do what she thinks he will. Sure enough, the next time they meet, he has that person's head ready for her, all but puffing his chest out in pride and grinning that hideous, face-splitting, cruel grin of his. She acts upset, but she's actually pleased to know that she was right: he WILL do what she tells him to, just to please her.

Sometimes she'll stand there admiring her ever-expanding taxidermy collection, congratulating herself on her hard work; she does a better and better job every time. (And when the guilt comes bubbling to the surface, asking her why they're still here and not with their loved ones so they can have a proper funeral, she tells it that Spice will lose it if he catches her giving them away. Or she'll be made out to be the one responsible, since she's the one who has them. Or they're dead, their souls have departed to the afterlife, what happens to their mortal vessels matters not anymore...)

Sometimes, when she's in bed at night, she'll pull out the letters and read them. Sometimes she'll read one, sometimes a few, sometimes all of them. Some are surprisingly sweet and romantic, full of oddly gentle and doting words; she can feel the warmth and affection soaked into the page. Others are downright vulgar; she feels her own face catch fire as she reads through what are obviously his fantasies, the list of ways in which he wants to pleasure her so long and graphic that she suspects he wrote them one-handed, if you know what I mean. The rest are just flat-out deranged: feverish rants about his ownership of her, how he hated and wanted to get rid of those around her, how she took everything from him (his power, his sanity, his heart, his soul) and he was willing to pardon it if she gave him everything of hers in turn. How he will never stop hunting her. How he will slaughter thousands to get to her. How he will bring the world to ruins just to have her to himself. Madness. All-consuming delusion that she fears is incurable.

But the worst part is... she doesn't know if she wants it to be anymore.

All she can do now is... hope he never finds out. Hope he never knows she feels this way. That she relishes his kills, his gifts. That she has a godforsaken trophy room now. That now she's as starved for his attention as he is for hers. (And he will. The idea is simply too tantalizing. He WILL find out eventually, someway, somehow - and when he does... Oh boy.)

TL;DR: Golden is so greedy that her greed has warped her into being as bad as Spice, at least in her own way. They probably deserve each other at this point. Pure, incorrigible arrogance and psychopathy all the way down. God/Witches have mercy on us all

[sexy-monster-fucker]

Heyy. I love the way you write Mark Hoffman so I'd like to request a little something.

college!mark hoffman x afab!reader who's still a virgin and has never been kissed. They're his bestfriend since highschool and he didn't know she's never been with anyone before. He changed that if you know what I mean

You don't have to write this, just a cute request

SUPER CUTE~~~ I love this request!!

College!Mark Hoffman x Virgin!Reader

CW: first time, p in v, unprotected sex (genuinely wrap it up),

a/n: why do I feel butterflies when I see gifs of costas when he was around my age?? sometimes I forget I’m around the age people graduate college at since I dropped out lmao 😵‍💫I’m gonna be naming random characters in this just to give their friends names, sorry if any of yall know someone personally by these names or if one of them is yours lol

~~~

You slouched over your far too expensive textbook. Looming feeling of your midterms creeping over your shoulders. Not that you had not studied, just the idea of failing sending you into a panic of studying.

Your friends all sat around you. Discussing their recent escapades. Talking about going down to the local bar and picking up hot dates. One girl going on about her long distance boyfriend in the military. Another already planning to propose to his girlfriend. Something you were unfamiliar with. You had always been more concerned with school than relationships. Leading to you still holding on to your virginity.

You felt the small bench you sat on weigh down beside you. Pulling your attention from the book. Mark Hoffman. Your best friend since High School. Both of you had pursued the same degree, going as far as to go to the same college. Deciding to move in together to save on the price of living. Not that there was anything more between you. Simply friends.

Mark greeted you with a bright smile. Arm absentmindedly rested close to your leg as he leaned into you, “Did I miss anything interesting?”

“Not unless Ryan hooking up with some older lady from the bar is interesting to you,” you grinned at him.

“How old?”

You leaned closer to Mark’s ear, “Old enough to be his mom.”

Mark’s eyes widened at you. Smiling as he tried to hide his laughter at the facial expression you made.

You and Mark had been flirty with each other for many years now. Starting when you were teenagers and blossoming throughout your adulthood. Sometimes sharing intimate moments when either of you were having a bad day. Resting your head in his lap after a rather long day. His hand stroking your hair kindly. Mark would flop onto your bed after a grueling late night shift. Curling up beside your body wanting for your hands to massage him. Neither of you willing to acknowledge the swirl of butterflies in your stomach that you would feel in these moments.

“You look good today,” Mark whispered in your ear. You smirked at him meeting his devious grin. Placing his hand on your thigh discreetly under the table. Shivers danced up your skin at his touch. “Don’t start games you don’t wanna play, Hoffman,” you leaned close to his ear, breath trickling down his neck. Trying his best to avoid the thoughts taking over his mind of you.

“What about you Mark?”

Ryan’s voice brought the two of you back into the situation at hand. Both of your cheeks growing in color realizing you had not heard the question asked.

“Sorry, I didn’t hear what you asked.”

“Been hooking up with any hotties lately?”

Something about that question sank a pit into your stomach. Confused by the feelings overcoming you. Not wanting to admit it was jealousy.

“Oh—“ Mark awkwardly laughed, looking at you and how your body language completely changed at the question, “No. Unlike you, Ryan, banging old bags isn’t my top priority.”

Your friends sitting beside Ryan shoved and poked at him, erupting in laughter.

“And we all know Y/N isn’t cranking you, she’s never been with anyone before!” Tasha chimed in. Your cheeks flooded with embarrassment. Gritting your teeth together, eyes like daggers into Tasha’s face. Immediately realizing her mistake. “OH!— I mean— sorry, I didn’t mean—“

“Never?” Mark questioned you quietly.

You hid in your arms on the table. Embarrassment overtaking your body as the boys prodded at you for answers. Angry that something you had drunkenly told Tasha at a sleepover was brought up now. Thinking it was a secret between girls.

“And on that note, I am heading home,” you abruptly stood up. Grabbing your things from the table and loosely shoving them into your book bag.

“Nice going, Tash!”

She shrugged making an awkward face and shaking her head, “I thought everyone knew!”

You rolled your eyes. Saying goodbye to everyone with a swift wave. Hurrying down the hallway out the building. Feeling a familiar hand on your shoulder. Stopping in your tracks when his voice called out to you. “Are you okay?”

“I’m going home,” you coldly said. Too embarrassed to talk to him about what had happened.

“I’ll see you at home then,” Mark flattened his hand against your shoulder, rubbing down your arm slightly.

You left the building. Taking the long walk to your apartment.

…

The lock on the door clicked. Hearing your roommate enter, causing you to sit up and look over the back of the couch. He had a grocery bag in his hand and takeout in the other. Greeting you with a semi-awkward smile as he held up the bags. Sitting them on the counter next to the door. You laid back onto the couch, covering your face with a pillow. Dying to crawl into a hole and disappear.

“I got your favorite,” he called out to you, pouring himself a cup of water. You groaned into the pillow not really acknowledging what he said. Mark walked over to you, leaning over the backside of the couch. “Oh, c’mon,” he pulled the pillow from your fingers revealing your flushed face, “It’s not that serious. I’m your best friend.”

You locked eyes with him. Pouting.

“Sit up and I’ll bring the food in here,” Mark smiled widely at you.

You grunted with a sigh. “Did you get the sauce?”

“Of course I did.”

You and Mark sat together on the couch enjoying your favorite takeout. A movie on the TV that neither of you really paid attention to. Talking about midterms. Mark catching you up on the rest of the gossip that was shared after you left. Your legs rested in his lap. One of his hands rubbed up and down your legs.

“So,” Mark started, “Why didn’t you want me to know about you… Y’know, never hooking up with anyone before?”

“Oh God, Mark,” you leaned your head back against the couch awkwardly stretching your neck as your eyes squinted shut. Begging for him not to ask.

“I haven’t seen you get that embarrassed since we were teenagers,” Mark laughed. You sat up beside him, scooting yourself closer practically in his lap now.

“I guess it’s just… I don’t know— you and I, we flirt all the time. I didn’t want you to start treating me like I’m naive just because I’m a virgin. I like you, Mark— I mean—“

Mark’s mouth formed a smirk. Cockiness painting his figure as his hand roamed higher up your thigh, snaking around and under you. Pulling you even closer to him, your bodies pressed together. “Like me how?” His tone darkened as he teased you. You awkwardly stammered unable to form words.

“Like me, like this?” Finishing his sentence with his lips kissing your neck. Your jaw hung open as his plump lips kissed your burning skin. Your hands instinctively sprawling against his chest.

“Mark, I—“

“I’m in love with you,” Mark admitted against your throat. That sunk into your stomach. Swirling around with the arousal he put there. Desperate hands held your body close to his. Kissing gently up to your jawline. Deep blue eyes meeting yours.

Lips crashed together. Your hands cupped both sides of his face as he readjusted to be even closer to you. Tongues prying into each other’s mouths. Soft smiles between kisses as his hands roamed your body. Large hands led you onto his lap, legs straddling him as you wrapped your arms around his neck. Romance filled eyes examined your body, unable to wipe the wide grin off his face. His hands rested on your sides, adoring you. His growing erection pressed against your clothed core. Lips pressing back together as your hands cupped his face. Fingers sprawled against his jawline and cheeks, feeling the heat that had rose to his face.

“I’ve never kissed anyone before,” you softly admitted between kisses. Cheeks filling with embarrassment. You really had no experience with anything.

Mark smiled as he continued locking lips with you, “Let me be your first everything.”

Passionate desperation overtook him. No one had ever consumed him like you did. Even when he had gotten drunk at a party and hooked up with some girl from another college your freshman year, she was never you. Regretting you not being his one and only. Hating that he had given himself away to someone else when you were there as soon as he got home. Your bright smile greeting him. You were his everything.

Mark shuffled the two of you, leaning your back against the couch. Gentle fingers pulled at your button and zipper. Eyeing you to make sure everything was okay.

“If this is too soon—“

“No—! No… I’m just a little nervous. Excited too,” your shaky voice reassured him. Mark shimmied your pants and panties down your legs. Fixated on your wet opening. The outline of his cock was growing more prominent in his pants. Catching your attention causing your mouth to water. You wanted him more than ever. Needing him to fill the need you had.

Mark leaned down, planting his lips upon yours again. Tongue parting your lips. Hands removing his own pants and boxers, throwing them onto the floor with yours. Shirt shortly joining them. Throbbing cock prodded at your entrance. A soft moan fell from you when his member touched your folds. Mark chuckled softly at your response. “Do you want me to get a condom?”

Your brow raised, “Do you just have them on standby?”

Mark cocked an eyebrow at you, “I picked some up at the store. Was gonna give them to you.”

You laughed, “Knew you were gonna get lucky tonight, Hoffman?”

“I sure was hoping,” he smiled. Both of you sharing in your laughter. Kissing in between giggles of a new relationship. Taking a huge step into new territory for both of you. Dancing around each other for years. Finally coming to a new move.

“I’m on the pill,” you whispered to him. Chills ran down his spine at the idea. His hands ran up your body, hooking under your shirt and guiding it off you. Plump lips ghosted down to your breasts. Sucking against the exposed part above your bra, his hand groping the other. You moaned for him. Reaching around your back to remove the clasp. Fumbling with excited hands. Chuckling into your skin when his hands would not cooperate with him. Finally feeling the garment loosen. Pulling the straps down your arms and leaving you fully nude.

You blushed up at him. Feeling fully exposed for the first time. Vulnerable in this state. Wanting to run away and hide. But when his lips fell onto you, all your fears washed away. He was being gentle with the nipple he took between lips. Softly rolling the other in his fingers. Making sure to take his time to get you turned on.

“I’ll be easy,” Mark’s deep tone promised. Cock in hand as he dipped just the head in. Gauging your reaction. Your eyes squinted shut as you moaned for him. Mark took his time, slowly entering you until your hips were pressed together. “Fuck, Y/N,” Mark huffed.

Your eyebrows were furrowed together as he held still inside you. Blue eyes scanning your face. Darting around to make sure you were not in any sort of pain. Noting your silence as facial expression.

“Hey,” he whispered, getting your attention, “I want to make this perfect for you. Tell me what you want me to do, baby.” Tender tone as one of his hands caressed your face. Thumb rubbing circles on your cheek.

“M-move…” you softly spit out. Words almost leaving your brain entirely. Overwhelmed with the feeling of him inside you. Body begging for some kind of stimulation. Mark smiled above you, eager to please. Rolling his hips slowly testing out a rhythm he thought would work. It was like heaven. Every single inch of him stretched and filled you perfectly. Squeaking with each movement as your body finally attempted to relax.

Mark had you in pure bliss. Fucking you at the perfect pace to have you craving more. You wanted to hear skin smacking together. Wanted to see his body covered in sweat. You wrapped your arms around his neck, “Faster— Mark, please!” You moaned into him. Your wanting of more had Mark turned on even more. Quickening his hips to snap upward.

Finally hearing the sound you had craved. Sloppy noises where the two of you connected. Curve of his cock reaching a place inside you that had never been touched. Mouthing words that you could not form. Face contorting and flushed.

“Goddammit,” Mark huffed, “You’re so fucking tight.” His finger found its place on your clit. Rubbing small circles into the tender bulb. Causing you to arch your back into him, a whine escaping you. Moaning out at the electricity shooting through your nerves. Swearing you would finish any moment now. Mark placed open mouthed kisses against yours, breathing heavily as he continued inside.

"M-Mark, I'm gonna— fuck" you whined trying to form a cohesive sentence before being taken over by moans. Nails digging into his bare back. Surely leaving puffed up claw marks along the tender skin.

"I want it. Come on, sweetheart," Mark breathed out, eyes meeting yours. Tears pricked at the corners of your eyes. Wet lashes fluttered up at him. Cheeks flushed and sweat beaming along your brow. Mouth hanging open as your face scrunched in pleasure. Finally succumbing to your orgasm. Calling out his name over and over like a prayer. Holding him as close to you as you could get him. Walls convulsing around his cock. Coaxing him further inside you. Kiss swollen lips praising you as he savored the feeling of you being wrapped around him.

Mark's lips trailed down to the base of your ear, allowing you to come slightly down from your high. "Gonna let me be the first one to fill this pussy up?" he breathlessly asked. Slowly pulling his hips back and rolling them back into yours. Frantically, you nodded your head barely able to give him a low 'yes'.

Mark straightened his back, hiking your legs over his shoulders. Giving him the perfect angle to fuck up into you. Causing your already sensitive walls to spasm once more. Only taking a few more thrusts and moans to have him coating your walls. Shooting white hot inside you. Your name a thoughtless promise on his lips.

You both stayed in your position for a moment. Chests heaving and eyes squinted shut. Bathing in the afterglow. Swearing you would never experience something so pleasurable again. Finally relaxing your body and allowing every inch of you to shake. Trembling from how overwhelmed you were.

Mark leaned down and placed a tender kiss to your lips. "So pretty," he complimented before slowly pulling out of you. Causing your brows to knit together at the loss of warmth. Feeling him spill out of you. Mark scooped it up with one of his fingers, gently pushing it back inside you. Causing a ghastly moan to escape you.

"I'm gonna grab a towel to clean you up with," he stepped off the couch. Leaving you to catch your breath. Every inch of your body hot and energized. Heart pounding in your ears only drowned out by his footsteps back to you. Kneeling at the side of the couch and gently dabbing up the mess from the couch. Smiling as he leaned up to kiss you once again. He could never get enough of the feeling of your lips on his. Holding your hand loosely as he rested his head on your stomach and partially the couch. Your free hand absentmindedly played with his messy locks. You swore Mark had never looked so lovesick before.

"Wanna go get comfortable?" he gestured towards the hallway that led to your bedrooms.

You nodded. Hesitantly sitting up, body still overstimulated and tired. He laced his fingers through yours, walking as slowly as you liked to his bedroom. Kissing you in the doorway before helping you get into bed. Feeling yourself beginning to doze off as soon as your head hit the pillow.

"I love you, Mark," you smiled, half asleep.

He kissed you sweetly, "I love you, sweetheart."

~~~

[END]

// Thank you so much for reading! This fic has been in my drafts 80% finished for MONTHS and I finally got around to finishing it. It's almost strange to write Mark happy lol. Reblogs and Comments are appreciated!! //

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[battle-of-the-brothers]

I Feel Like All of Branch’s Big Brothers Are Incredibly Supportive of Literally EVERYTHING He Does, But it's All to Varying Degrees

Branch: *Fixes the TV*

Floyd, wagging his tail: Wow, you’re pretty handy.

Branch, half paying attention: Yeah, well, living alone ya kinda have to be.

Floyd: Do you fix everything around here when it breaks?

Branch: Yup. Every single thing.

Floyd: That's incredible!

Branch, suspiciously: *Turns to Look at Floyd* Am I being babied or genuinely praised right now?

Floyd: Branch, I was the first one to acknowledge that you've grown up. *Chuckles* I'm being serious. What you do takes skill and knowhow some trolls can only dream of having. I'm proud of you.

Branch: *Blushes and Turns Back to the TV* Yeah, well... *Wags His Tail Slightly* Good for you, I guess.

Floyd, knowing he's made Branch happy: Yeah, good for me.

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

Clay: Need a hand with those sticks?

Branch: Nope. I've got everything under control.

Clay: Oh! Alright. What, uh... what are they for, exactly?

Branch: *Sighs with Slight Annoyance* Spears. I may not need to hide from Bergens anymore, but-

Clay: There are still predators out here that you could take down with just one?

Branch: Uh... Y-yeah.

Clay: Nice. Always thinking ahead, that's my baby brother!

Branch: ...Riiiiiight. Anyway, I'm gonna go whittle these, now.

Clay: Okay, okay.

Branch, after an uncomfortable bout of silence: Do you... want to help?

Clay, excitedly: YES!

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

Bruce: And then, after you mix the eggs, you- WAIT, NO! DON'T TOUCH THAT YET!

Branch: *Accidentally Flips On the Giant Mixer and Gets Covered in Unfinished Cake Batter* Whoops.

Bruce: Ah, geez. Brandy's not gonna be too happy about that one.

Branch: Ah, sorry. I'll clean it up and-

Bruce: What? No! You go clean yourself up! You look uncomfortable.

Branch: Please, I've been covered in worse stuff than cake batter.

Bruce: *Chuckles* I'm sure, but trust me when I say it is not fun when it dries. Working with anything sweet doesn't feel good once it dries or compacts.

Branch: I take it you know from experience?

Bruce, grabbing a towel so he can clean Branch’s face: *Snorts* Plenty of it, trust me. *Pauses for a Moment to Appreciate Branch’s Presence* You know I love you, right? Nothing’s gonna change that.

Branch, deadpan: You just want me to feel less responsible for the mess.

Bruce, smirking: Maybe. Or maybe I just want my baby bro to know he's loved, even when he makes mistakes. I don't think enough people have told you that.

Branch, blushing: *Clears His Throat* Being the village recluse kind of makes that a bit hard to come by.

Bruce, finishing up with Branch’s face: Well, now you have people who care about you enough to say it. In their own ways, but you'll know when they mean it.

Branch: Mhm. Alright.

Bruce: Don't worry, Branch. You'll see it someday. Now you should seriously go clean up, Brandy's coming!

Branch: *Yelps and Races Towards the Bathroom*

Brandy, walking into the kitchen: Nice one.

Bruce: Eh, ya learn a thing or two with 13 kids.

Brandy: No need to assure me. You got this, or do you need some help?

Bruce: Nah, I've got it. Thanks though.

Brandy: Any time, love.

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

Branch: *Wrestles Down an Agitated Flockodile That Stormed Into the Village*

John Dory: WHOO! YEAH, BRANCH! YOU KICK THAT CRITTER'S ASS SO HARD IT'LL WAKE UP AND REGRET COMING OVER IN THE MORNING!

Clay, freaking out: JOHN! What the hell are you doing?! He could get hurt!

John Dory: What? Nah, he's fine!

Bruce: JD, he's fighting a giant reptile!

John Dory: And winning! Look!

Bruce and Clay: *Look to See the Flockodile Tiring Out and Falling to the Ground*

John Dory: YEAH! THAT'S MY BABY BROTHER! BRANCH! BRANCH! BRANCH! BRANCH!

Poppy, walking up to the unconscious Flockodile: *Playfully* Looks like you have a number one fan.

Branch: Ugh, don't point him out, his hearing is as good as mine.

John Dory: THAT'S MY BROTHER!

Poppy, giggling: He seems pretty proud.

Branch: Yeah? Well I'm pretty busy dealing with this thing.

Delta Dawn, trotting over with a smile: Don't you worry about that, hun. The Country trolls can take this right off your hands!

Branch: Ya gonna eat it?

Delta Dawn: *Smirks*

Branch, slightly impressed: Alright. *Leaps Off the Flockodile* Have at it.

John Dory: YEEEEEEAAAAAAAH!

Branch, blushing heavily: JD! SHUT THE HELL UP!

Poppy: He's just trying to be supportive, honey.

Branch: In front of the entire village!

Delta Dawn: Hate to be the bearer of bad news, darlin', but that's just part o' havin' a siblin'.

Branch: Can I trade that one in for a better model?

John Dory: I HEARD THAT!

Branch: *Sighs* I miss when I didn't have this big of a support system.

Poppy: No you don't.

Branch: *Glances Over to See Bruce and Clay (Attempting to) Restrain John Dory* Hmm, yeah. I guess you're right.

[briebysabs]

I’ve been deliberating for a couple days now and have decided to discuss in-depth about Kim Dokja and the tendencies of putting his life on the line. For most of the novel, I was split on whether I should view KDJ as a self-sacrificial bastard or a suicidal character. And by the end, I’ve reached the conclusion that he is both.

Before I elaborate further, it should be noted that while we all meme about KDJ’s dying count, he actually isn’t that careless with his life. What I mean is he sacrifices himself usually as a last resort, plans A to F didn’t work and it’s the only option left to hope for kimcom’s safety-ditch effort. Usually. We’ll circle back to that when we bring up OD. But his sacrifices are always done as granting his companions salvation, utterly blind to how they feel about it. But to understand his constant need to do this you have to first start with where he learned how to love. Lee Sookyoung’s love was sacrificial, she’d take the brunt of her husband’s rage to shield KDJ, she’d take on blame for his death and be incarcerated for years so Kim Dokja won’t discover the truth. All of this, in my opinion, unbeknownst to KDJ, imprinted onto him this interpretation of love. As nobody else until the scenarios began had loved him (Yes HSY technically but he doesn’t know that). Which gives the irony that multiple characters KDJ resent in the story such as Kim Namwoon, his mother, the constellations are ultimately revealed to be reflections of himself.

Another component to his self-sacrificing is “Kim Dokja the reader”. I’m not going to dive deep into how orv interweaves dissociation and escapism into its narrative, I’ll do that some other day. But KDJ views himself as the reader, an outsider, the sole member in the audience watching the story unfold before him. Yes he grants commentary, the players notice and acknowledge his existence, but he isn’t part of the play. So if he decides to step out of the auditorium for a while, if he decides to leave a bookmark where he left off and close the book, nothing should change. The story will continue in his absence, the characters cannot possibly miss him because Kim Dokja was not a character. He was not part of their world so even if he’s gone, the ending will still happen. And that is something I want to stress here.

KDJ says “he wants to see a certain story’s epilogue”. Specific choice of words, “see”. He doesn’t say he’ll be part of it,that he’ll be with them, or any close variation of those phrases.

This is where I want to diverge to talk about KDJ's suicidality. You can say “Ok then, KDJ has a clear goal in mind to reach the ending he desires. Yes he may feel the need to step out of the story every now and then, but he does so reluctantly. So obviously, he doesn’t want to die.” And you wouldn’t be wrong really but that simplifies it to an overwhelming degree. That’s how I initially thought of it until I realized how complicated it actually is. Because most people who deal with suicidal thoughts aren’t searching for death but rather feel there’s no other choice. It often isn’t as clear cut as 1863 YJH who, anyone that read this arc will say with certainty that he was suicidal. Yes KDJ isn’t chanting in his mind over and over that he wants to die but why does he want to live? To see the proper ending of a web novel that stopped him from attempting again to begin with. Over the course of orv he finds people he loves and who love him back deeply. People he longs to live for but despite that because of the disconnect between them, his self-loathing, accompanied with what I said before, believing he has no other way out of these threatening situations. Yeah it’s to save his companions but in the end Kim Dokja still feels the need to die. Even if you do not see KDJ as a suicidal character, it is undeniable that so much revolving him, the impact it has on those who care for him, and the visceral descriptions used to convey their thoughts, is a direct metaphor for that.

Or in a few cases, straight up what’s going on and now we arrive at what I think was the final straw for Kim Dokja. Meeting the Oldest Dream. For me, this is THE scene of orv. The biggest twist and what finally irreparably broke KDJ. Prior to this, Kim Dokja had become the “Enemy of the story” but it was unlike his previous dances with death. This time he truly had no intention of dying, he wants to be a part of the ending with his companions, he understands now that his sacrifices do hurt them. That according to him “I, someone of no redeeming quality, could be loved by the others.” That he is a character and that just maybe, he does deserve to live happily ever after with them. And then Kim Dokja meets a 15-year old boy with the same face as his, doodling in a notebook his ideas for Ways of Survival and a notification tells him to ���Please end the Oldest Dream’. All of that progress is shattered in an instant.

KDJ tries to excuse himself by recalling his promise to SP to kill OD but we all know if that was any other kid, he would not have tried to kill them. He would’ve hesitated much more, he’d look for a loophole, he would’ve tried talking which is his biggest strength for every corner he gets into. Killing them would not be the first option but now it is. Because this isn’t an instance of sacrifice anymore, KDJ is sick of himself. OD is a presence that confirms KDJ’s worst fears. That he’s meant to be weak and pitiful and alone, that he was always an outsider, that he unintentionally causes pain and misfortune to people he loves, that everyone would be perfectly fine and better even without him. And Kim Dokja is the physical manifestation of them: a monster. And there’s only one way to get rid of this monster.

The chain of events from him swinging his sword at OD, trying to stab himself with the blade only for YJH to stop it desperately with his hand, everyone restraining and begging him to stop, KDJ crying and screaming for SP + the other Outer Gods to kill OD. Everyone else is forgiving him and KDJ is only thinking of getting a blade.

This is Kim Dokja’s relapse. It’s real, it’s harrowing, and he never recovers from it. He reaches the conclusion that he has to be alone, it’s his atonement, it's what he deserves. So he splits himself 49-51. I interpreted this when I first read it as presenting 49% of what you believe people want to see. More real than a facade but it’s not the true you. The true, fucked up version of who you are is trapped in a prison of your making, trapped in a darkness you feel you don’t deserve to escape. Which is why it’s so powerful that KimCom went after that 51%. They didn’t want just their version of KDJ, they wanted everything KDJ is including the larger side of him that he wishes didn’t exist. But the plan fails, they managed to turn that full stop into a comma but they couldn’t save KDJ. Because you can’t drag someone out of that train, out of that mentality, you can’t force someone to love themself. All you can do is reach out to any corner, every worldline you can and let them know you’ll always love them. That you’ll always love every aspect of their story and hope that perhaps one day, they’ll accept your hand and believe it.

[ID: Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint art by Blackbox: first of Kim DOkja smiling, seen through a space in a bookshelf, and second of astronaut Yoo Joonghyuk floating upside down as letters float around him. End ID]

[sarnai4]

This has been heavily on my mind for a while, so I finally want to make this post. Minor spoilers for "Siblings of War." I'd like to use this to describe how I see the different ways that Ares's siblings now view him.

Dionysus: I think he's the least hostile of them towards Ares, but he doesn't like him. At this point, Dionysus mostly believes that being around Ares causes problems, so he avoids him. Even when he can't, he uses others to decide how to respond (like how he waited for the others to decide if Ares was guilty or not). He views Ares as a control freak and isn't much of an aggressor himself, so he'd rather not be around him.

Apollo: He is more hostile, but he takes not being bothered to a higher degree. Apollo will avoid Ares even to the detriment of others (such as the older god's kids). Apollo has basically disowned him and Ares might as well be dead to him. He won't heal his brother or even acknowledge his existence unless he feels obligated to.

Artemis: She feels very bitterly towards Ares. To her, he's everything that she hates about men. She sees him as a mindless brute. Essentially, he's the antithesis to Apollo in her mind. She wants him to be taken down several notches at least and doesn't mind being directly involved in this.

Hermes: He thinks that Ares is a bully. With the war god being the eldest brother and the best fighter alongside Athena, Hermes sees him as a threat. To him, Ares uses his strength and skills to force the others to do what he wants. The first chance he gets, Hermes rebels against him. He loves the thought of Ares being humbled.

Hephaestus: Of them all, he hates Ares the most. All the resentfulnesss he feels for his parents not accepting him and his siblings moving on without him is directed towards his brother. He feels like Ares is cruel, manipulative, and wanted him to be viewed as the scum of Mount Olympus. He would go out of his way to make Ares miserable and has.

Athena: She's the one who can't fully forget what she shared with Ares. It's the reason why she tries to act so coldly now. Her friendship with her brother meant everything and she can't understand why it changed. She hates that, but she doesn't hate him. Despite that, she has had some of the most heated moments with him because of how far their relationship has fallen. She constantly feels hurt and betrayed by him, choosing to pretend to feel nothing so that he won't hurt her anymore.

[seresinhangmanjake]

The One I Want: Part 2

Jake "Hangman" Seresin x plus size!reader

Summary: You’re new in town and some guy named Jake is about to be your roommate. Being skeptical of new people keeps you lonely and uninterested in any entanglements, but Jake is desperate to change that.

Warnings: Judgment related to weight. Cursing. Fluff. Angst. Eventual smut (alluded to/or other). Self-esteem issues.

Words: 2010

---

He shakes his head, like clearing the fog from his brain, and steps forward. “I’m Jake,” he says, reaching his hand out toward you. 

It’s done in such a casually confident manner that it dares you to take a step back, out of his reach and far from his influence. You take his hand anyway. 

His palm against yours creates a slight buzzing sensation at your fingertips making you pull your hand away and tighten it into a fist before tucking it behind your back. “That makes more sense than the pretty brunette.”

“Oh, don’t flatter her. She’s not that great,” he says. There’s a light chuckle as he slips his hands into his front pockets. On any other man, you’d acknowledge the hint of nerves accompanying the action, but with this man in particular you brush it off. There is no way this man has ever been nervous a day in his life. “I’m surprised you’re up. Are you okay with your room?”

You glance down at the suitcase not far from where you stand. “I didn’t look for it. Seemed like snooping.”

“Oh, shit. That’s my fault.” Hand flying out of his pocket, he runs it down his face again. He blows out a breath that feels like some form of self-scolding for letting himself neglect you, then bends down to wrap his fingers around the handle of your suitcase. “You can come with me.”

The apartment, while nice, isn’t overly large. The door to what you learn is your room can be seen from your first few steps through the front entryway, but still, you’re glad you didn’t peek on your own. You could’ve found yourself face-to-face with his private space and unable to avoid developing opinions of him based on the first-glance contents of his room. 

With a turn and a push, Jake opens your door and stands back against one side of the frame so you can enter. Side-stepping past him, though, is a bit of a squeeze and you can’t help the way your breasts brush across his chest. You don’t miss his flinch and the sharp intake of air through his nose.

“Sorry,” you mutter. 

Whether or not he heard you goes unknown as he sets your suitcase down once you’re inside the room and begins his mini tour. “Um, bed,” comes out a little gritty. He points to the largest piece of furniture in the room like you’re a two-year-old learning the names of basic household items. With a cough to clear his throat, he continues. “That door over there is the closet,” he points some more. “And that one’s the bathroom. It’s small, but I hope it’ll be alright for you.”

There’s a pang in your stomach from his last two words. For you. An unnecessary addition with so much power. Power you refuse to let yourself dwell on. 

“It’ll be fine, thanks.”

“Right, well I’ll, uh–” Those eyes do their scanning of you again. Lips, breasts, hips. Blink and you would’ve missed it. “I’ll let you get some sleep,” he says. "It's nice to meet you."

You would say the same, but he’s gone before you get the chance. Shutting the door behind him, you toss your suitcase onto the bed and begin to unpack. 

—

The funny thing about these towns—while each one is different from another in appearance and people, they always reveal themselves to share a core component. Your willingness to stay put, and for how long, lies with this component. It is a matter of how intense this component—this judgment—is, and whether or not it infects enough around you to transform everything into a reminder of why you do not belong. While many things have the potential to prove you right or wrong as far as the degree to which you might be judged, what remains a constant disappointment is your attempts to obtain a job. 

It doesn’t matter where you look. You get the same once-over, the same raised brow, the same unspoken questions lingering in the air. Are you lost? Did you stumble through the wrong door?

In one day you’ve been turned down by three jobs with ‘help wanted’ signs stuck on the inside of their building’s front window. What’s worse is that, in following typical company policy, they don’t shoo you away at the door. They take your resume, they sit you down, ask you a host of questions, and eventually declare you’re not right for the position. 

A restaurant manager did not see you fit for a waitress. Neither did a cafe owner find you capable as a barista. The most painful, however, was also the riskiest. The head of the sales floor at the lingerie boutique who seemed to think women of a certain size aren’t in need of lacy fabrics that accentuate their best bits and pieces because surely they don’t have sex.

That was the one that did you in for the day and now has you moseying back to the apartment. 

You walk through the door and shed yourself of jacket, purse, and shoes, likely looking as exhausted as your new roommate did when you first laid eyes on him the night before. You knew you recognized something in the weariness of his eyes. While unexpected, last night Jake Seresin was tired because someone—or many someones—had worn him out. 

“Hi.”

You jolt upright, head instinctually turning toward the voice. You’re not used to sharing your space, and obviously so since Jake immediately raises his hands in silent apology for startling you.

“Hi,” you reply, the word riding on the sigh that passes through your lips. 

With as much as you can muster for him, you offer a smile before aiming for your bedroom. But you don’t get far. 

“What have you been up to all day?” he asks, halting you. 

He’s not going to let you go, you realize, not without giving him something in return. Though, seeing as he’s your new roommate who took you in on short notice and charges you pennies to stay, you figure you can oblige. 

He’s sitting at the island in the kitchen, now with a beer in one hand and his phone in the other. His thumb taps away at the screen, but when you near him he quickly sets it down to offer you his full attention. It’s then that you notice his missing shirt. Your mind must have filled in that blank. You’d assumed some sort of tank top was hidden by the angle at which he sat when you entered the apartment; that the fabric’s color was not so different from the tone of his skin. Looking at him in his bareness now, you can’t ignore how ridiculous that thought was.

You also can’t ignore him; sitting there without shame, practically taunting you to run your eyes over every ridge and valley of his sculpted form. And it is sculpted. Artwork. 

But you don’t allow yourself the luxury. Instead, you answer, “Looking for a job.”

Jake sits a little straighter. “I can probably help with that,” he says. “I’ve got a friend who owns a bar down the street, and–”

“No!” you snap. The hope that it wasn’t as harsh as it sounded is snuffed out by the slight widening of his eyes. “Thank you,” is softer, “but no bars.”

He watches you a moment longer before he nods and repeats, “No bars. Got it.” Another moment of silence fills the room until he breaks it. “I’ll ask around.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll figure it out.” You wave away the thought and shake your head, aiming to get off the topic. Solidifying that is your immediate shift onto him. He seems like a guy who probably enjoys talking about himself, anyway. “So, you don’t fly on the weekend?”

“Not unless I have to.”

“Have people stopped traveling on Saturdays?”

Blond brows pinch as he twists the beer bottle in absent-minded circles with his fingertips. “What?”

Crossing your arms, you step further into the kitchen until your stomach is resting against the edge of the island. “Your friend said you’re a pilot. I just figured you’d be working a lot.”

Jake’s face doesn’t change; still the epitome of confusion, and you don’t know how to fill the painfully long beats while he examines you. Why you let him examine you must be a slip of the conscious mind, but you keep still. Then his face settles. He takes a sip of his beer, sets it down, and, instead of simply looking at you, stares hard into your eyes. 

“You’re not from around here, are you?”

“Wh–” you pause, readjusting your stance. “What makes you think that?”

“Anyone who says ‘pilot’ in this town—or frankly, even close by—assumes Navy, not airline,” he says. If he’s insulted, it doesn’t show. “I’m far from some Delta guy.”

Internally you curse. That err in knowledge peels back a layer of your paint, inviting curiosity and questions. And by the gleam in Jake’s eye, you’re sure you’re going to get plenty. “You’re in the Navy.”

“I am,” he confirms with a single nod. “And most people here have ties to it in some way. But not you, it seems.”

You fidget in the gap between his statements. 

“So, where exactly did you come from,” he continues, a wry smile stretching his lips, “And how did you end up here of all places?”

When you meet his stare, you don’t care for the sparkle peeking through. “I drove.”

His head throws back in laughter. “That’s all I get?”

“That’s all you need,” you stress. It’s his own fault for not asking those questions following your email answering his ad. He had an opportunity. He didn’t take it. That’s not your problem. And the longer you stand here, clearly providing him with entertainment, you're once again struck with the desperation to get his attention off of you. 

Without much to grasp, you go for the obvious. You allow your eyes to trail downwards and morph your features into a forced grimace. “Don’t you wear clothes?”

“Oh.” Looking down at himself, a gulp bulges his throat. “My bad. It’s been a while since I’ve had to wear a shirt around the place.” Is that disappointment in his tone? Maybe. Who in the world wouldn’t be insulted at the request to put on more clothes instead of removing an additional article? You certainly have been, so who is to say Jake Seresin—who undoubtedly has never faced such a request—wouldn’t feel the same?

To your surprise, he hops up immediately and rounds the island for his room; a move you would appreciate much more if it didn’t reveal the gray sweatpants settled low on his hips. There’s a defined V and a line of hair that disappears below the waistband. You hate that V. You hate that dusting of hair, blonder against his tan skin. Men with Vs and an irritatingly perfect amount of hair there are trouble. Each and every one of them. 

“I’ll go get that shirt. Don’t go anywhere.”

For whatever reason—one you’re unwilling to dissect—you do as he asks. But then a light flashes in your peripheral vision. The screen of his phone in response to a new message. 

You don’t want to look, not really, but you can’t help yourself. Years of people whispering behind your back, sneaking glances, chuckling, has planted the evergrowing seed of paranoia. Inching closer to the phone, you tap the rectangular block on his screen that reads Nat. Though the phone is locked, the notification expands to reveal the full message. 

See, Paranoid is an interesting label. It accuses you of misunderstanding, of being too suspicious, too anxious, or even crazy; and you won’t deny you’ve probably been wrong before, assuming people are talking about you who haven’t spared you a thought. But sometimes, that label is unfair. Sometimes—often, in fact—you are right. 

And when you read ‘Not what you expected, is she?’ followed by a tiny smirking face, you know this is one of those times.

---

A/N: I hope you liked it! If there are typos blame that on my anxiety. I've got a life-defining procedure tomorrow so wish me luck

tags: @wkndwlff @kmc1989 @sagittarius-flowerchild @dempy @oliviah-25 @rosiahills22 @xoxabs88xox @matisse556 @hardballoonlove @ssa-sadboi @lynnevanss @pono-pura-vida @tgmreader @amgluvsbooks @ravenhood2792 @djs8891 @shakespeareanwannabe @sailor-aviator @penguin876 @rogersbarnesxx @nani-kenobi @tgmavericklover @athenabarnes @elite4cekalyma @buckysteveloki-me @shelbycillian @kissmethric3 @fox-bee926 @hangmandruigandmav @waltermis @fandom-life-12 @a-serene-place-to-be @bruher @cehenyne @tngrace @mamaskillerqueen @emma8895eb @benedictsvestcollection @blackwidownat2814 @himbos-on-ice @entertainmentgal8 @hookslove1592 @whoeverineedtobe @alwaysclassyeagle @chaytea06 @cherrycolas-things @turtle-in-a-tornado

[kurishiri]

why team alice (as a whole) suffers compared to the others, other than the fact they r "starter routes"

DISCLAIMER: this post is not meant to undermine those who like team alice or any of the chars in that team; this is just a post i am making bc ive been thinking and theorizing a bit on especially why en doesnt seem to like will, harry, and liam as much as the other suitors as a whole. and i wanted to try to put it into words. but i'm also not really a professional when it comes to these matters and the statements i make boil down to my personal opinion (despite how i may phrase things), so take my words with a grain of salt. im open to hearing other opinions and welcome discussion, provided it remains civil!

long post + late night thoughts below

clarification: i am not including victor in this post as a part of this the aforementioned “team alice”, as i consider him a separate entity from the other teams altogether, symbolizing “the end” of fairytales, rather than a char of a fairytale. when sold in story sets, he often gets put into sets with team sleeping beauty anyway. i do acknowledge that victor is fairly often seen with william and harry, though in my personal opinion — and this may change with victor’s route release, who knows! — they do sort of fall short a bit for the same reason that i will mark with an asterisk (*) in this post.

especially ever since i started translating, and after al's route release, i feel ive become more conscious of the concept of "favoritism". even in the source material, favoritism is present to an almost painful degree. like, it wont take you long to realize liam literally has no (solo) 95k stories, while jude has the most out of the entire cast. which then leads to the question, which i ask as neutrally as i can: why? why is liam so unpopular? why is will not popular? or harry? and conversely, why is jude and ellis so popular? why does team alice seem less popular than the other teams? after some thinking…

basically, my thought just all boils down to the "lack of chemistry".

i dont think the issue lies so much with the chars themselves. i feel a lot of community doesnt really hate them as chars, they just like the others more. all that to say — will, harry, and liam r all charming in their own right.

they r good-looking, kind to kate, they r intelligent, they r all affected in some way by their curse, and they all possess development arcs especially following their main story, which i feel may be a symptom of the "starter route syndrome". where their main stories may fall a bit short, they may make up for in basically all of the following events. they r all flawed, thus making them feel human and authentic.

as individuals, they r all actually quite well rounded, in my opinion.

but when you look at them as a team or group, this is specifically where they fall apart.

the thing is — its not just abt the individual. its also abt how they see the things around them, how they interact with them; you can have very well-made chars, but if they don’t interact with others, how can we, as readers, get to know them? and of course, when i say "interact", this includes other chars in the cast. they say dialogue can make or break, and while there r some things team alice does well in dialogue, i think in other areas it also falls short.

now part of it may also be that the team as a whole didnt know each other before they all congregated at crown, while all the other teams have known each other in some way in the past, with team snow white (and, i think swan lake) especially having an extensive history. so i think in this sense, there is some inherent disadvantage team alice faces here at play as well. but this is not the only factor, considering they actually manage to tie liam and harry pretty well together as a combo. their friendship feels quite authentic.

as for will…we dont see all too many opportunities for him to interact much with harry (if they do, harry is often with someone else, like liam). but we know they r probably on good terms, though harry sometimes may feel a bit unsettled,,? by will. but the key is: they just dont interact much as a pair. in this sense, there is little opportunity to develop them as a pair, thus integrating will as a whole into the team. as for will and liam? these two share more interactions, but said interactions r not always executed very well, in my opinion*.

for example, will sort of treats liam like a cat. he even calls him a cat in dialogue. but thats all it seems to be between them. their dynamic feels somewhat flat, and it doesnt help that will is even opting to tell (rather than show) the reader what he thinks of liam, thus taking away the ability for the reader to dig deeper into their relationship. thus, it may feel harder to empathize, sympathize, or find it relatable — the chars dont reveal much abt each other. their dynamics feel surface level, so even though they have distinctive personalities, traits, and struggles, it feels like we r only getting half of them. bc again, much of how we get to know chars is their interactions, dialogues, and thoughts abt other chars, similar to how we cannot really understand ourselves without the presence of others (like the "looking-glass self" which sociologist cooley coined).

i probably sound like a broken record by now, but basically what i wanna say is there is not much of a good way to integrate will into the team — or the way they try to do so isnt done very well. the dynamic then may feel "incomplete", like drawing a half circle and attempting to call it a full circle.

to give a point of comparison, we can take a quick look at team snow white and sleeping beauty, looking at what made them relatively more successful compared to team alice. i wont be looking at team swan lake due to them being jp only chars (as of the making of this post) and also just not having much info on them. but, sometimes it does help to look at "successful" cases to better understand or feel what had fallen short.

TEAM SLEEPING BEAUTY

ok so, quick disclaimer: team sleeping beauty isnt really my strong suit (if yk me, im prettyy biased toward team snow white personally ndhjsffgjdjfjsg), so to speak. so if anyone else has anything to add here, feel free. but i will try my best.

basically, i think team sleeping beauty has one prevailing advantage over other teams, which is they r a two-man team.

they can keep the dynamic compact, if thats the word. there r physically less ppl to have to "integrate" into the team. in this team, it is centered around ellis and jude's relationship with each other. but to put it simply, they r foils — and the fact they use such a literary device in and of itself adds to their charm, specifically bc foils r meant to bring out each other’s similarities and differences…traits that we readers digest and can potentially empathize with.

one wants to make the other happy, obsessed with the notion of "happiness", while the other is basically cursed (as a byproduct) to never be the happiest. there is this theme of happiness revolving around those two, entangling them to a relationship that can inherently "never end". this in turn highlights ellis' tendency to "restrain" and jude's cycle of hatred. they sort of go together like yin and yang — two opposing forces who still end up working together. they have a distinct role to play in each other's lives.

on the other hand, team alice characters r sort of more independent from each other and feel a bit like a hodgepodge. this results in the reader potentially finding more difficulty finding how they may affect one another…risking their role as chars in each others stories being rendered vague.

and if the role of chars is hard to be established, it is easy for them to "fall out" in terms of the storyline.

TEAM SNOW WHITE

so here is the three man team that makes the three man team work. and the biggest thing that team snow white has that team alice doesnt is distinct, complex dynamics established between all three chars in the team. in other words, they have a "full circle" whereas team alice has a "half circle".

ALFONS & ELBERT: ah yes the pairing that would become a couple if they were not labeled as love interests for kate in an otome game /lh but in all srsness these two do share quite an interesting dynamic. they were sort of there to share each other's pain, and even just as chars, they seem to reflect things abt each other. for example, through elbie, we learn of how "hopeless" al can feel despite his smiley front; and through al, we see a lot of what elbie was truly seeking and why. and how, despite al being a mirror that reflects others' desires, elbie is the mirror that keeps al grounded to his self, and reflects what makes al as a char. they share a close relationship of "two lonely and broken souls finding solace in one another", but there is also quite a bit of subtext in the semantics of their dynamic and dialogue together as well.

ELBERT & ROGER: considering elbie's fear of doctors, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that, despite the fact roger had never actually laid a finger on elbie the same way his father's doctor did, elbie still feared roger, bc roger still embodied the concept of what had deeply traumatized him in the first place. roger had to go out of his way to earn elbie's trust (as a doctor), and they had gone out of their way to depict this. in this sense, through roger, we can see just how deep-rooted this trauma is and its severity — time cant heal all wounds.

ROGER & ALFONS: theres quite a bit to unpack with these two. they r deeply intertwined in each other's lives, whether they like it or not. its not that al gets along with roger or views him as a "friend", per se, but he finds it easy to place the blame of his suffering on roger, implies through subtext that he still holds some hope for roger that he can fulfill his goals, and shows his own version of an act of kindness by erasing his memories when he decided to, well, off himself. on the other hand, interestingly enough, roger is the one who basically took away al's childhood, but at the same time, in the present, he is the one who is able to bring out al's most childish side.

all in all, team snow white seems to rely a lot on subtext, which is another device to create mult layers and complexities in the dynamics created between all the characters in the team.

tl;dr: team alice has individually interesting characters, which is why they r not really disliked necessarily, but their interactions with each other as a team fall short compared to the other teams, which in turn has an impact on how "relatable" they may be perceived by the reader. and this is basically why i think team snow white and sleeping beauty r more favored than team alice as a whole by the (en) fandom.

wrote most of this on my phone nfjsjhfhsgs will end the essay here

[icyg4l]

PAC: Is Your Circle Trustworthy?

Hello beautiful people! I am so sorry for the wait, I've been busy with just enjoying what life has to offer. I really hope that you all are doing good! Today's reading is inspired by the people that are/were in my life that I've considered friends. I think that we all go through a period of time where we're questioning the people in our circles. Maybe it's because we're going through a period of transition, experiencing successes, experiencing painful moments, etc. I think that there is nothing wrong with this because we're all human at the end of the day. What aligns with us will stay, what doesn't will go. Also, please check out my Five Dollar Friday sale. It would mean a lot to me! Thank you! So with that being said, please pick the quote that resonates with you, my dear!

Top Left-to-Bottom Right: (1-4)

Pile One: I think some of you work in an elderly home/nursing home. Maybe you’re working on getting your degree in nursing. I heard the line from Beyonce’s ‘Hold Up’ where she says “Something don’t feel right / ‘Cause it ain’t right”. I don’t think you guys have a good discernment. You don’t trust yourself so in return, you attract some questionable people. I get the feeling that you guys are like the friend that doesn’t know how to say no, so you end up getting taken advantage of. You guys remind me of a friend that I had once. I think that you need to start owning your power, realizing your worth. You can do this by spending more time by yourself. Once you start seeing how people interact with you as you step into your true self, you will see who stays and who will go. There is nothing wrong with a fresh start. You need to get real though. You need to clean house, babe. Nothing is permanent, so don’t force yourself to stick in a situation that you don’t need to be in.

Cards Used: 8 of Swords (RX), The Moon, The Devil, Queen of Discs, Strength, 4 of Swords, The Chariot.

extras: “the underdog”. independent not by choice. meditation. saturn in the 1st house. looking at the moon. empire (2015). solar system. planetarium. “they don’t wanna see me smile”. oh happy day.

Pile Two: I feel like you guys are going to a concert soon. You could have made up with a friend that you fell out with and now you’re wondering if they have good intentions this time. They have changed for the better, I see. It takes two to tango is the energy that I am getting from this. There’s no fingers to point here. You both did your dirt but after some time apart, you’ve come to acknowledge your part in the ending of the friendship. I think that you guys have a good circle around you within this friendship and outside of your friendship. But you guys do not need to befriend your co-workers. Keep that to a minimum. This goes for any classmates that you think are cool too, lol. I see that you’ll be turned off by their behavior very quickly. But you have a good circle overall, just don’t let your ego ruin your friendships. Check yourself before you wreck yourself.

Cards Used: 5 of Swords, 6 of Swords, Ace of Cups, 9 of Cups, Temperance, The Sun.

extras: childhood best friends. autism. “stand back!” thumbs down. 2009. new boyz.

Pile Three: For this pile, I heard “divinely orchestrated”. I think your circle is perfect just the way it is. You are spiritually bonded to the people that are your friends right now. They have pure intentions. This could be your chosen family. You’ve chosen correctly. For some of you, your circle consists of mostly your biological family. Your guides approve of the people around you so much. I think that you will be lifelong friends with these people. I am seeing some distance between you and these people though, physical distance to be exact. Did you move or are you planning to move? I feel like your circle wants you to make the move if you haven’t. They see that you are bored and fed up with your current environment. They will always be there for you. You’re right where you need to be and you have the support around you, just do it!

Cards Used: Temperance, 10 of Pentacles, 7 of Discs, King of Cups, The Hierophant, Ace of Discs.

extras: polaroid cameras. divinity. todrick hall. twitter memes. “fall flat”. chasing fame. smalltown girl.

Pile Four: At one point, your circle was perfect for you. But I think that you have outgrown it. I feel like at the beginning of this friendship, you were insecure. Perhaps, you and these other people bonded over traumas or a common enemy/disdain for something. Maybe you were both impulsive teenagers who hated the world. Now, you don’t want this friendship in your life anymore. You’ve done some soul searching. This person is still on the same shit. Now there is some tension that has risen between the two of you. You want more for yourself, but this person doesn’t. If you don’t cut this person/these people off, they will take you down with them. I feel like this person is immature. They lack the emotional maturity to see how their lack of growth is detrimental to this friendship. They don’t really appreciate it like they should. I feel like this person has ego trips that you’re just now noticing. I heard, “Don’t save her / She don’t wanna be saved”. This person is judgmental and it’s best that you get away from them for your own good. I am channeling the energy of Nancy from The Craft. This person could be doing witchcraft on you if you know they engage in that stuff. Be careful, Pile Four.

Cards Used: Judgment, The Empress (RX), Justice, 2 of Discs, The Moon, The Hierophant (RX), 10 of Discs, The Hermit.

extras: beignets. spiritual/religious awakening. take me to church by hozier. army-bound. powerful.

[bairdthereader]

Charlie Spring, An Appreciation: Part 1, Courage

Nick Nelson gets a lot of love, and justifiably so; I'll be the first to admit that he's amazing (see my many Nick-related posts as evidence). But I hear all too often that Charlie is leveling up by being with Nick, or that Nick is too good for Charlie. I beg to differ—vehemently—and here's why, part 1 (of 3, maybe?).

I often find myself in awe of Charlie during some of the quietest and least dramatic parts of the Heartstopper show and comics, because his bravery, resilience, and tenacity are displayed in ways that seem inconsequential, but are actually incredibly meaningful and telling. This boy has a thread of steel running through him, whether it's obvious at first glance or not.

We see this almost from the very beginning, when Charlie is assigned to a new form and told that he'll be sitting next to Nick, "one of the rugby boys," and, "I'm sure you'll get along swimmingly." Here is not only Charlie's worst personal nightmare, but also a teacher who is blithely unaware of the terrible position he's just put Charlie in--being placed in close, daily proximity to the type of person Charlie associates with the darkest time of his life. But we don't see fear on his face, or even that much dread—this tells us so much about him in just a nanosecond. There's resignation and bitterness, yes, but Charlie knows he can withstand this, because he's been there before and survived. This is borne out in later conversations with Nick where Charlie assures him that "I'm used to it." This is a horrifying injustice, one Nick rightly calls out, and it shows Charlie's resilience in the face of a degree of cruelty that many people never experience.

This little moment outside of the changing room is another revealing scene. Charlie knows exactly what he's walking into, exactly the kinds of comments and sly bullying he's going to experience in that room. He knows he will have to have his guard up every second, that he will have to prove himself to this group, even though he shouldn't have to. He also knows he'll be fighting his own self-doubt, and so this experience will be a battle on two fronts. (Three fronts, if you include trying to hide his feelings for Nick.) But he does it anyway. Sure, you could argue he's doing it solely to be near Nick, but I think this is also his way of making sure that those boys don't dictate his actions or his life. This is Charlie taking a stand. And this is just one example—he does this over and over and over again, in many different settings and situations.

Case in point, calling it off with Ben. Charlie has been the victim of what is essentially brainwashing and abuse from Ben for months. Ben has told Charlie verbally and shown him physically that Charlie means less than nothing to Ben, and that Charlie can never expect anyone to ever want him or care for him. And Charlie often, tragically, believes him. That Charlie is able to break free of this vicious cycle and take the steps to distance himself from Ben shows his immense inner strength. You can see on Charlie's face (thanks to Joe Locke's inimitable talent) that he can't even believe he's done it. And we have to keep in mind that this happens long before Nick is a real possibility, so we can't say Charlie does this for Nick. He does it for himself.

I do have to include one of the more iconic scenes, because this ⬇️is Charlie's clarion call, his hope, his banner, for the rest of this story. He knows he has a lot of problems to work through, that he's complicated and sometimes hard to interpret, so it's easy to see this scene and think Charlie's words come from a place of insecurity (and of course that is some of what's happening here). But he's strong enough to both acknowledge it and ask honestly that Nick not let those parts of Charlie become the focus of their relationship. He requests, even during this moment of almost brutal honesty and vulnerability, that Nick see him completely, as the whole person he can be, because Charlie knows that person is there inside himself. The self awareness and bravery this takes is enormous.

There are a million other moments like this that I could write about, both big and small:

But I'll end this already lengthy post with this: When one considers the amount of sheer courage Charlie has to exert just to live his daily life, it almost defies understanding. Charlie Spring is a gladiator of the mind and heart, completely worthy of any good thing.

[acesw]

Knowing our Arcanists 6: Bkornblume

Welcome to entry six of my series: "Knowing our Arcanists"! This is a series in which I introduce and tell the stories of our fellow characters in Reverse: 1999. Today's character is: Bkornblume!

Bkorn's got a funny nickname, since its just a mash-up of blue and kornblume. (cornflower) However, she's got quite the short yet nice story, so I'll at the very least make it worth. Lets get started.

Bkornblume is a German arcanist born in the 1980's, born on February 9th. While I have no direct understanding of her arcane skill, I can at distinct that her skill involves sound, and is able to hear smaller sounds (like whispers) that are usually left unheard in the bigger melody.

She's a spy who works under the Ministerium für Staatssicherheit, known in English as the Minister of Security, or more commonly known as the "Stasi." They were the state security and secret police of East Germany, who placed eyes everywhere in the former state.

East Germany has been known for its oppressive rule and its insistence for uniformity. The Stasi were meant to maintain state authority at the time but it was notoriously known as being one of the most oppressive police states, overlooking the lives of the state's civilians with intense surveillance, torture, and intimidation.

Most will conform, some will not. Of course, Bkornblume was not one of the people who wanted to immerse in her part of the role in this era. She's merely a listener who does her job as one.

Bkornblume grew up in Berlin, becoming part of the Stasi and is well-known for her arcane skill. She doesn't enjoy this job very much, but she also does to some degree as she's a good listener. She'll leave a bit of unheard commentary about everything she'll hear.

Her daily life tends to be just her listening and transcribing, but it can be said that she enjoys distracting herself and tends to delay her travels to work to take in the scenery. She's also spied on too. But she feels that she would be more uncomfortable if there weren't any eyes on her.

At one point, she had purchased her scarf (and the elk brooch that came with it) in a shop that was closing down. While not remembering the price, it costed a month's salary "and a funny joke which was rarely heard in East Berlin."

Bkornblume is a conformed and optimistic individual. However, she holds a quiet rebellion in her heart, dreaming of a world where everyone can practice freedom of speech. But with a colourful dream far away because of the dull walls around her, she'll only ever do the little things that she could do in her job. Calling for help, making that commentary, but especially endlessly writing. Even then, she's aware that she can't change everything in one go, so she'll try step by step as she speaks out for others.

It can't be denied that Bkornblume spent most of her time "alone," but she enjoys having those eyes on her. She would have wondered if she were dead if not. Like I said earlier, she's greatly optimistic in everything she does, and even believes that she's some sort of "undiscovered radio host." She wishes to become one in the future to comfort others in late nights. Bkornblume hopes that she's at the very least observed and acknowledged.

She's also a greatly mundane and relaxed person, enjoying the simplicity of life and even interacting with simple "contraband" that never really seems to be harmful, like flowers.

Bkornblume finds admiration in the pieces of wildlife that bloomed from old cracks, identifying them time to time such as cornflowers and chrysanthemums. She'll always find some in the most niche places and will share where to find them.

The cornflowers—kornblume in German—are why she took up her current nickname, as she had wanted to distinguish herself from the "countless other unfeeling names" like SCH KA/#.

She empathizes with others greatly and wishes to help them directly, but she can never cross the monitor to take action now can she? She'll shift around the stories of other people in her reports, and no beneficiary ever thinks twice about it as her reports are detailed and easily convincing. Her kindness reaches quite far despite her ways of wanting to express it being a little unethical.

She'll hear anything and everything meant to be hidden away, but hopes for a free world and will choose to grant peace and freedom to the innocent and defiant against such oppressive control.