#but i think she. definitely got the lesson learned. so i can't even hold it against her

[kigiom]

it's been. it sure has been a just-over-twelve-closer-to-sixteen hours.

[wonryllis]

𝜗𝜚 'OH' I LOVE LOVE HER?

╰ 𝖺𝗅𝗍𝖾𝗋𝗇𝖺𝗍𝗂𝗏𝖾𝗅𝗒, 𝗐𝗁𝖾𝗋𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗒 𝗄𝗇𝗈𝗐 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗒'𝗋𝖾 𝗂𝗇 𝗂𝗍 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗅𝗈𝗇𝗀 𝗋𝗎𝗇.

𝒏o𝓉ℯs. enhypen realizing it's you 𖥔 ݁ rom-fluff, kinda poetic? LIB? fem!reader requested word count ` 1945

꒰˵ˊᯅˋ˵꒱ love how this turned out!! <3. unedited!

𝐋𝐄𝐄 𝐇𝐄𝐄𝐒𝐄𝐔𝐍𝐆

he doesn't know much about love, he's never really experienced it yet. he has fallen for conventional and unconventional things, things that compliment and things that complete, he's been through the good phases and stuck through bad ones, he held on to things he shouldn't and let go of things he should.

there are a lot of lessons he has learned along every relationship he has been in the lines of yet lee heeseung doesn't believe he's ever been in love until he has been with you.

it wasn't something he knew he felt, but it was surely something he realized in the spur of a moment, in a split second of epiphany. he knew what he felt for you was something deep when he realized that yes he wouldn't hesitate to die for you, but what he wants is to live for you. it's easy to be the first to go but to hold your strength through everything and survive for someone, that is definitely love is what heeseung believes.

"baby, baby calm down i'm okay," he reassures your crying and frantic figure as you scan his injuries, ones he got from trying to protect you from a fatal fall. perhaps it was the situation or perhaps it was realisation of it all.

when he jumped to saved you all he could think about was he'd give his life if it meant you lived, but in this moment he cannot bear to see you so devastated, to think he could've left you like this? no, he's decided he is never going to do it until he can't help it and even then he'd fight to stay with his love.

𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐊 𝐉𝐎𝐍𝐆𝐒𝐄𝐎𝐍𝐆

he has lived his life prioritizing his family over everything else. to him nothing can go above and beyond familial love. he doesn't really believe he can love anyone anything like he loves his family and that is a statement of disappointed in itself. if there's anything he wants to give his best for it's people who have stuck with him since day one.

bonds need to tested by time is the belief he holds dear until his world crashes into yours and time changes from something that defines to something that builds. his relationship with yours is not as long as people he's close to but however long you have spent together seems to strengthen and augment the bond.

his love for you settles into an understanding of his when finds you running through days and nights in the hospital caring for his family after a big blow. a choice to choose, not an obligation to carry out. a crack in his notions you give him a new definition of love.

"y/n? baby come on go and freshen up, i'll watch over mom," his hand rests on your head, soft caresses to wake you up after the long night you spent sitting beside his mother while he ran around for paperwork.

as you leave the room in a rush wanting to come back quickly and take his place so that he can get his rest, jay finds himself seeing you in a new light, telling his mother that he's found an angel. the angel she always told him about, the angel he loves.

𝐒𝐈𝐌 𝐉𝐀𝐄𝐘𝐔𝐍

he has spent years jumping from person to person, reveled and basked in moments of happiness and run away amidst the weights of problems. there is a price to pay for everything and love is no exception but he has yet to accept the fact of reality, the thorns that come along with the scent and beauty of roses.

love gives and love takes, love heals and love hurts. it takes several trials and a meeting with you for jake to understand that.

to him it is a conscious decision, a hard hit and an opening of eyes when he realizes you're the one for him. he has never made it work until you, coming to the conclusion in the middle of the worst argument that you're worth all the trouble. and if wants to have you by his side, he needs to fix this and he needs to cherish you.

he can see himself with you for the rest of his life, one single person he is willing to fight for. for jake sim you are a sphere of acceptance, you redefine love and endurance for him.

"one day we're gonna have kids together and i want them to see that daddy really loves mommy, i'll change for the better i promise," jake's voice softens as he hits the big realization, getting down on his knees, tears falling free. your arms slip around him in a hug and jake swears he'll do all it takes to become the one for you, he'll do all it takes to make this worth it, he'll do all it takes to have you stay. because he's found the one he loves, the one he wants to be his best for.

𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐊 𝐒𝐔𝐍𝐆𝐇𝐎𝐎𝐍

he has always felt a gaping hole in his chest, a feeling of homesickness even when he is home, a feeling of vanity even when he shines bright soaring through all the achievement of his dreams. to him there's something that's always missing.

no he has never thought of love but he has never despised it either. he doesn't dwell on the possibilities of it but the absence and lack of them. until you enter his life completing him like a perfect piece of puzzle, a missing piece of him.

he realizes his love for you in bits and moments of warmth, slowly step by step as you fill the void. from helping him through his hard times and cheering him on in his good ones, sunghoon finds his home in you, a walk so long but finally arriving at it's destiny, where it's always been meant to be.

perhaps he's always longed for love and never understood it. nevertheless, park sunghoon finds it in his moments of mundanity with you. you teach him the power of the presence of love.

"my little charmie, loved your pretty banner," sunghoon leaves a wet kiss on your lips, arms going around your waist as he comes rushing to you a second after winning the championship, cameras all panned on the champion of the season but all he can see is you. you feel like a warm hug on a rainy day, a blanket of comfort near the fireplace. all the anxiety he ever felt, the pressure to be on the top, you took it all and turned it into something beautiful and enjoyable.

𝐊𝐈𝐌 𝐒𝐔𝐍𝐖𝐎𝐎

he has grown up surrounded and so bathed in love, he thinks he knows it all, he has seen it all. every version of love, and everything that exists in between. so confident he'd know it instantly, the one for him, the love of his life.

but love takes time and love find it's loopholes. someone that evokes no romantic feelings could become everything in just a turn of events. kim sunoo never believed or cared to understand that until he felt that something for you. that little upturn of sparkles and butterflies, that intense emotion kindling in his heart when he sees you in a new ambience. a single moment of revelation when he's staring at you talk about things that you love, things that he doesn't like but suddenly he doesn't mind hearing about it.

he knows he hasn't felt this way before for you, there's something different and that difference makes him rethink his entire relationship with you. you become so important to him in a split moment, love so familiar and calm yet unfamiliar and exciting.

"go on i'm listening," sunoo has his head on his hands, eyes shaped crescents, a gaze so loving anyone can see how he feels, so transparent.

the tiny flowers behind you would look so pretty on you, no- you look so much prettier than the flowers, your voice is so pretty, the way your lips move, the way your eyes light up, has sunoo always loved hearing about legos? no. has he always loved listening to you? he doesn't know but he could hear you talk forever.

𝐘𝐀𝐍𝐆 𝐉𝐔𝐍𝐆𝐖𝐎𝐍

he is one who sees love in everything around. the little things and the big things. in the light and in the dark. in memories of the past and in possibilities of the future. there is not a specific instance where he realizes his feelings. to him you are the premonition of love. he knew it from the very moment he met you that you are the one he is going fall in love with. that inner instinct that instantly sparked up when you entered his life.

every day and every second it grows, it piles up, it escalates. the weight of life and the wings of love you make everything easier. one who has always given meeting one who gives back to him.

overwhelmed in an ocean of new eternal verities, a feeling so mad, blind and passionate he finds himself wanting to be bound to you by his every bone. if there's a forever then he wants to spend it with you taking walks by the river, watching the lantern festival with a smile on your faces, so sick in love it makes everyone else sick.

"i wish this wish comes true," jungwon whispers to himself as he watches you walk ahead of him, turning back time and again to tell him how far your lit lantern made with a pretty little smile on your face. he wants to see this everyday, every morning, every night till however long he can and if possible even in his afterlife and all the lives that come ahead.

to be the one to be chosen by you because he for one will always choose you in all forms of reality and at every chance,"baby wait up for me, let's go together!" hand in hand all along.

𝐍𝐈𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐌𝐔𝐑𝐀 𝐑𝐈𝐊𝐈

he has always found himself struggling to express his emotions, words and actions alike. something so inherent in him, he can't seem to overcome it. the sheer desperation to get his feelings through to someone, he's never felt it. he hasn't ever felt the need to feel it. to connect so closely with another is not something he has ever been comfortable with or wanted to be comfortable with.

until you happened and riki's world went through a turmoil of sentiments, wrecking him from inside so intensely he could never go back to before. love is something he has never experienced and something he could never fathom.

it just never made sense to him, how one could feel so much solely for another. but in moments of his silence where you struggled to understand it all, he realized the importance, the willingness to learn to express his feelings.

your tears and your smiles he wanted to be the one to comfort and the one you showed your happiness to. the one you love and the one he loves.

"i've never said this before but you are so special to me, what i feel for you is something i've never felt for anyone else and i don't wanna lose you by not letting you know that. i'm wanna learn to show you that again and again,"

riki smiles through his tears letting himself be vulnerable before you, as you hold the little handmade gift he got. your own tears threatening to fall while you nod vigorously reaching forward to let him know it'll all be okay.

TAGLIST ( open. ) @kangseulgithegreat @s00buwu @luvyev @pockyyasii @nctislifue @ashtxrie @miniature-tragedy @jayujus @nanabbg @thoughtsmeander2tumblingblindly

[atlabeth]

all of me | luke castellan

pairing: knight!luke castellan x princess!reader

a/n: sooooooo i know that i said i would work on something else but this hit me and suddenly i could not rest until i wrote something for it so you're getting headcanons since i can't formulate proper thoughts. some of this is dialogue but most of this is pure stream of consciousness. im already kind of obsessed w them ?

wc: 3.7k lollll this got away from me but it was so much fun.

warning(s): parental death, fighting, normal royal stuff. fluff, angst, all that good shit

princess!reader and knight!luke

yeah

and they're childhood friends bc they grew up in the castle together

YEAH

luke is the son of a kingsguard and he wants to be just like his mom 

his father is out of the picture (booo) and his mom never really talks about him but she’s raised luke the best she can

shoutout to may castellan, she was the first female kingsguard! and definitely the first to personally guard the king 

you are the heir to the throne and the only thing you're sure of is that you want luke to be in your life

you basically spent all your time together because he was kinda the only one your parents would approve you hanging out with

most of the crownsguard don't have children and those that do have them live with their spouse outside of the palace, and your parents didn't want you spending time with the children of servants

and luke's mom is your father's closest friend because she's the king's personal knight and so everything’s basically already vetted and they don’t have to worry about you accidentally getting murdered by him 

so you and luke basically spend every moment of your free time together!! 

even when you’re not free tbh 

sometimes you beg your tutor to hold your lessons outside so that you can sneak glimpses at the knights training and luke training alongside them 

whenever he sees you, his face always instantly brightens and he will lose focus in whatever tf he’s doing because he’s only thinking about you now 

and instead of either of you doing what you’re supposed to do, you just spend the whole time making faces at each other and trying to grab the other’s attention 

after his mother tries (and fails) to get him back on track a million times and your tutor realizes that you’re never going to listen to her historical prattles they allow the two of you to talk for “FIVE MINUTES AND NO LONGER MY BOY” and your tutor is all “i ask that you do not delay our lessons any further, your highness” 

and tbf you and luke could notttttt care less. you immediately join up and you start teasing him about his form and how he was holding his sword and he just makes fun of you for having to be a princess

“Your form is horrendous, Luke! How do you expect to beat anyone holding a sword like that?” 

“At least I’ll be on the battlefield one day. You can bore our enemies to sleep with your recounts of Aureldan history.” 

“Oh, I bet I could beat you right now. I’ve got royal blood in my veins.” 

“And I’ve got knight’s blood in mine,” he says. “I’ve at least got a sword. That’s more than you have.”

You huff. “Mother says I have to learn propriety before I even think about picking up a weapon.” 

“Do you want to hold mine?” he asks immediately, his eyes lighting up as he offers it over. “It’s just wood because Mom doesn’t want me to hurt myself, but that means it’s safe for you.” 

you do. obviously. 

You’ve got soft hands, untouched by the world, and the sword feels foreign in their grasp as you realize this is in fact the first time you’ve ever held a weapon. You cut it through the air a few times and Luke is grinning wider than ever 

“I think the role of a warrior princess suits you,” he says.

“It is nice,” you muse as you turn it over in your hands, already growing used to the feeling of it. 

“And you look great with it,” he says. “Powerful.” 

“I’d give myself a splinter before I can do anything with it,” you retort as you hand it back to him. “It’s a nice thought, though.” 

His eyes light up. “You should train with us sometime. My mom is the best at teaching— she’d teach you everything you need to know!”

You glance back at your tutor, who is very clearly eavesdropping, and you sigh as you look back at Luke. “Maybe in a few months.” 

Luke’s mother calls his name and it’s obvious that your time is over. You hug each other and promise to meet up as soon as your responsibilities for the day are over, then go back to your respective duties. 

Your tutor takes you inside because she doesn’t want anymore distractions, and you wave at each other like crazy as you’re walking back into the castle.

so yeah. you’re best friends and you have been since you first met as children, and though it is a battle for your betters to keep you on task if you’re near each other, you just light up when you see each other and it actually helps 

You’re learning dining etiquette and if you get told that you’re using the wrong spoon again, you’re going to lose your mind. 

luke is hurrying through the halls to catch up with his mother and you both catch a glimpse of each other. 

your posture straightens, he stops in his tracks, and you both smile at each other. then luke’s mother calls his name again and he’s on his way again. 

spoons aren’t that bad, you think 

you’re mulling over history books in the library that make you want to fall asleep.

luke just happens to be walking past on the way to his chores, and when he spots you, he yells out your name and waves at you. you wave back, and you both stifle laughs as your tutor shushes you 

suddenly, you’re not feeling so down.

Luke is training on his own out in the yard before dinner and he’s about ready to break his sword over his knee because he can not get this damned move right. 

he hears your voice across the way and sees you, all dressed up and with your parents about to get into a carriage. you’re on your way to a ball, he remembers you telling him earlier, and he finds himself smiling. 

You had been complaining about it, and Luke had told you to just think of the two of you hanging out whenever you were bored. You said you were already planning on it.

His smile widens. He’d be thinking of you too, wondering what it would be like for him to attend with you. Dressed in the same gaudy outfits as the rest of the court, having to go through the same dull niceties that you’d been raised on, listening to stories from other royals he couldn’t care less about. 

Standing beside you as an equal. 

Luke’s young, but he already doesn’t care for nobles and their court. But he thinks he would wear any amount of uncomfortable suits and listen to any number of dull proposals for you. 

for the rest of the night, he trains better than he thinks he ever has. 

and of course, you break the rules together. GOD HELP YOUR CHARGES YOU ALWAYS BREAK THE RULES TOGETHER 

your tutor cannot count how many times you’ve slipped out of lessons and she’s found you in the halls talking with luke, him smiling brighter than she’s ever seen as he listens to you go on and on and on 

your mother cannot count all the times you’ve talked about what you and luke did that day instead of describing to her any of the history or arithmetic you were supposed to be learning 

May always keeps watch over her son, but she’s been known to turn a blind eye when Luke thinks he’s being sneaky to go off and see you. 

and of course, sometimes you actually hang out when you’re allowed to hang out lol 

you’ve run around every bit of the palace grounds together, you ride horses together (with parental supervision of course), and once you’re a bit older, you’re actually allowed to practice with luke and the rest of the knights! 

typically, it’s a shorter session with May teaching the two of you, and typically, it ends with both of you ready to die because you’re just kids and even though Luke is a prodigy, you are sooooo bad at swordfighting. it’s honestly not even funny how bad you are at it the first couple of lessons 

But May just pats you on the shoulder and promises to work with you until you’re as good as her. 

(luke pouts and says he wants to be better than you. you forget that you’re holding a sword and just start complaining at each other) 

(“you CAN’T be better than me luke I’m the princess”) (“YES I CAN MY MOM’S THE GREATEST KNIGHT EVER”) (“SHE PROTECTS MY DAD WHICH MEANS I CAN BE THE BEST EVER”) (“THAT DOESN’T EVEN MAKE SENSE”) (“YES IT DOES”) (“NO IT DOESN’T”) (“I’M YOUR PRINCESS YES IT DOES”) 

(the lesson ends when May has to pry you two apart) 

but we haven’t gotten to the knight part. 

because it’s a bit sad. 

what happens to may in pjo canon is awful but 

May Castellan dies when you and Luke are sixteen. A month after your birthday, in fact. Four months after Luke’s. 

(he’s always held those three months over you, especially as you get older.) 

(it doesn’t seem to matter as much now.)  

rumor has it throughout the kingdom that she slowly went insane and then fully lost it, ultimately dying in an attack against the king during a ball that turned out to be a set-up. 

the only one who knows what really happened that night is your father as he was the only other person there at her death that still lives, but he refuses to talk about it, only saying that “Head of the Kingsguard May Castellan died a hero and shall be remembered as such”. 

Luke… does not take it well 

besides the king, he obviously spent the most time with his mother and it was obvious to anyone that she loved him with all her heart and wanted him to follow whatever dreams he may have had 

she’s given a knight’s funeral and you are beside Luke the entire time, holding his hand or him leaning against you as you listen to eulogies or even just sitting next to each other because your presence is enough for him. it doesn’t matter what—you’re always connected in some way, and no one says a single thing. 

he needs you, and you need him. it’s as simple as that. and no one dares to correct the princess when she’s icier than they’ve ever seen her.

You put on that front to protect Luke—you don’t want anyone bothering him, and you don’t want him to have to worry about you at a time like this. 

Because you know he would. He always does. 

When Luke gives his speech, barely able to hold back tears, he looks at you the entire time. he doesn’t tell you, but you’re the only reason he’s able to get through the day. 

Luke becomes a ward of the royal family. 

There’s no chance you’re letting him leave, and Luke doesn’t want to go either. The memories of his mother all around are painful, but he takes some small comfort that she’ll live on in Aurelda forever. 

Your parents have no objection to it—he grew up in the palace anyways, and he can practically provide for himself. You wouldn’t have let them say no. 

You’re thankful beyond words that Luke is still here. Because everything feels like a mess, and things are a little more manageable with him by your side. 

Someone tried to kill your father. They killed Luke’s mother instead. Both of you are broken in different ways.

Obviously, this sparks the beginnings of war both in Aurelda and in Luke’s entire being. 

but that’s a topic for another day. 

May’s death changes your relationship. 

She was his mother, obviously, but you were close to her as well. you could never forget every time she ruffled your hair and complimented your sword fighting, or every time she would acknowledge you in the midst of a crowd with a smile and a nod, or every time she would act like a mother and not a knight. 

she had the best hugs in the entire kingdom. 

But her death changes your relationship because Luke changes. 

He’s angrier. His edges have all sharpened, honed by his own spirit. He softens when he’s around you, but to the outside eye he’s impenetrable. He thinks you’re the only one that understands him. 

Others pity him, fear him, are jealous of him. 

You treat him the way you always have. Like your best friend. 

That’s all he needs. 

And so Luke throws himself into his training, vowing to become the youngest kingsguard in Aureldan history to honor his mother’s memory. He wasn’t able to save his mother, and he needs to become strong enough to protect the ones he loves from anything. 

(You don’t know it, but he thinks of you every time he closes his eyes and sees the night his mother died. He’s in the place of his mother and you’re in your father’s position, and Luke knows that he would sacrifice himself for you every single time.) 

So you don’t have as much time for each other anymore. Luke is on his kingsguard mission, and you’re starting to come into your own as the Crown Princess of Aurelda. 

You can’t sneak out of lessons anymore to go talk with Luke, because you’re starting to learn about the nuances of politics. 

Luke can’t let you interrupt his training, because he’s on a warpath and he won’t be stopped before he reaches his goal. 

You can’t neglect your responsibilities because they’re more than just etiquette or history lessons. War is going to come to Aurelda sooner or later, and you’ve got to be ready when it does.

You’re only sixteen, but neither of you are children anymore.  

But you’re still best friends. Nothing can change that—it’s just changed the way you show it. 

You take your morning walks with your mother past the training grounds, and Luke always smiles at you and salutes no matter what. You bow your head in a very refined, princess-y nod, and you continue on. 

Luke makes sure he’s always the one that gets to deliver news to you, even going so far as to make deals with other servants and messengers just to make sure he gets to see you at least once a day. 

Most of the time, you end up seeing each other at night. Just happening to end up in the kitchens at the same time for a midnight snack that results in hours of talking with each other. Bringing Luke to your balcony to look at the stars together. 

Even some midnight training has occurred together, though you always end up a sweaty mess and having to make a bath for yourself because you can’t alert your servants. Luke says he likes you best when you have that vicious glint in your eye while you’re training with him. 

Luke still has horrific dreams, and though he weathered them on his own for a while, one night he finds himself outside your door. When you open it, seeing his haunted eyes and disheveled appearance, you let him in immediately.

It’s not the first time you’ve slept in the same bed after nightmares, and you know it won’t be the last. 

(You spent the whole week together after his mother’s death. Not even your parents could complain when they saw the change in both of you.)  

And Luke does it. He completes his training, having become one of the fiercest and youngest warriors Aurelda has ever seen. Traditionally, knights are older, but an exception was made for Luke—he’s got the Castellan name and a childhood spent with the greatest knights in the kingdom to back him up.

You’re the first person he tells when he finds out, and your scream of pure joy must have echoed throughout the entire castle. You hug him tighter than he’s ever been hugged before, and for just a moment, in your embrace, he feels like you’re both kids again. 

Weeks from his eighteenth birthday, your father knights Luke Castellan in an official ceremony. 

Not just as a member of the kingsguard, though—he is sworn in as a knight, and as your personal bodyguard. 

Your father didn’t tell you beforehand, and you thank a childhood of courtly influence to keep the shock off your face. One hand tightens ever so slightly into a fist, and you let it out just as quickly. 

You can’t see Luke’s expression, kneeling and head turned downward. You would pay all the gold in the kingdom to know what he was thinking. 

“Sir Luke Castellan.” Your father’s voice booms through the hall, and a shiver even goes down your spine. “Do you swear to serve Aurelda as her loyal knight, through war and peace, through riches and debt?”

“I do,” Luke says. 

“Do you swear to protect the Crown Princess of Aurelda—” your father says your entire title, and for the fifth time you wonder how many middle names a princess needs, “—my daughter—with everything you have in you, until your dying breath?” 

Your breathing stills for the slightest moment. 

Luke doesn’t flinch. “I do.” 

The thought of Luke dying for you is unimaginable. It’s something you’d never ask of him—you don’t think you could live in a world without him anyways. You know it’s what knights are expected to do—for king and country, my life for yours—but that’s for any member of the royal family—any member of the court. 

Luke is assigned solely to your protection. 

And he doesn’t even falter when he bonds his life to yours. 

As soon as the ceremony is over and Aurelda has gained three new knights, you’re on your way to Luke. You don’t care if anyone else wants to talk with the princess, you don’t care if your parents need to tell you something—royal propriety be damned, you need to talk to Luke.

He doesn’t look surprised when you march up to him, but there’s already a different air about him. 

Maybe it’s because in these past couple of years he’s absolutely shot up in height, maybe it’s because his insane training regimen has toned every part of him, maybe it’s because he’s done what no one else has done before, or maybe it’s just because he actually accomplished his goal. 

But when he smiles at you, that crooked slant to his lips that always meant mischief when you were younger, it’s enough to make that train of thought immediately shut down. 

“Princess,” he greets. “I think we’re going to be spending a lot more time together, these days.” 

“Yeah,” you say, the warpath you’d intended to be on fading away almost immediately with his words (and that goddamned smile that will certainly be the death of you someday.) “Maybe this is our way to make up on all that lost time.” 

“...I’d like that,” Luke says. 

“Can I hug you?” you ask wryly. “Or is that unbecoming of a brand new knight?” 

“I don’t think anyone will tell the princess she is doing something wrong,” Luke says. 

So you do. You hug him, and he immediately wraps his arms around you, and you hate that you had any doubt that he would. You’ve always felt safe in his embrace even since you were children, and now that he’s four times as strong and much taller, you feel it more than ever. 

He truly does look the part of a perfect knight. You remember the days of wooden sword fights and afternoons by the lake, wondering what your future awaited, but sure you would be together no matter what. 

You feel like you’ve aged a century since then.

“I’m proud of you, you know,” you say as you pull away. “You’re incredible. I mean— you always have been, but this… It’s everything you’ve ever wanted. So I’m proud of you.” 

Luke brushes his curls out of his face with a gauntleted hand, his smile turning a bit more genuine. “It means the world, princess. You are… one of the main reasons that I even made it up here. So I have you to thank.” 

You feel your cheeks heat. “I haven’t done anything.” 

“You’ve been you,” he refutes. “You’ve stood by my side through everything, and you’ve always been there when I need you no matter what. You’ve done everything.” 

You’re thankful for the sheer sleeves of your gown, because now your entire body feels warm. And maybe that’s why you practically blurt the question out, but it’s been burning in your mind since the moment it happened. 

“Did you know?” 

He frowns. “Know what?” 

“That you would become my personal guard,” you said. “You’ve wanted to be a part of the kingsguard since you were a child, and now…” 

“Princess,” Luke says, “I asked your father for the honor.” 

That throws you off. “What?”

“Do you think he would entrust your wellbeing to just anyone?” he asks. “It’s part of the reason I’ve been training so hard—I wanted to prove to him that I was worthy of the position.” 

“Luke—” you start, but he shakes his head.  

“War is coming to Aurelda whether we like it or not,” he says. “All I want is for you to be safe. This way, I can ensure it.” 

“You said you would die for me,” you say. “You vowed it.” 

“That is generally how knighthood works, yes—” 

“Luke,” you interrupt forcefully. “I don’t want you to die for me.” 

“The goal is for nobody to die,” he says wryly. 

You cross your arms. “You know what I mean.” 

“Your safety is my number one concern, princess,” he says. “That’s all you need to know.” 

You stare at him. He stares back. 

You win, because Luke sighs and shakes his head. “We don’t have to worry about that at the moment. Right now, you have to get back to change before you sit in on an advisor’s meeting with the king and queen.” 

You frown. “How do you know?” 

“I’m your guard,” Luke says. “It’s my job to know.” 

“You were just sworn in!” you protest. 

“And I am always prepared,” he remarks. Luke holds his hand out in a gesture towards the door. “After you, princess.” 

You shake your head as you start walking. You hear Luke’s footsteps start soon after, much heavier than yours in full armor as opposed to your ceremonial dress. “You are ridiculous.” 

“Which is also my job,” Luke muses.

and so luke becomes a knight, but not just any knight.

your knight.

good luck handling that crush on him you've harbored since childhood now.

[strangersteddierthings]

February 1

rating: G cw: none prompt: Love is letting someone take care of you

It wasn't a lesson Eddie learned easily, or all that willingly. No one had cared for him after his Mama had died. Not for a long time after.

He dad likes to pretend he'd tried. When Eddie was feeling generous, he'd even say he agreed. His parents were so in love it was almost sickening. Losing her must have broken the part of his Dad that knew how to love fully. He didn't turn mean, not like some dads did, but he definitely cared more about his next scheme than he did about the kid that looked too much like his Mama.

Wayne taught him that people who care about you take care of you. They take care of you when you're barely nine and have burned yourself on the stove twice this week, even if you think you should have learned after the first time. They take care of you when you've been caught stealing candy from Melvald's, and skipping school, and flunking senior year (and then doing that again), and even when people accuse you of murder.

Wayne has taught him that people that really, really love you are there when you need them, care for you when you need them.

And Eddie's heart aches that no one seems to have taught Steve that.

Eddie's trying. He steps in to help with "babysitting" duties, especially when Steve looks particularly run down. He started inserting himself into the Platonic Soulmate thing Steve and Robin have going because he wants to be an established replacement Temporary Soulmate while Robin's at college. (Being fair, this was Robin's suggestion. She's worried about how he'll be when she's not around to look after him.)

He's started hanging out with Steve without Robin, too. They get along well, it turns out. Eddie loves to talk and Steve loves to listen. But, more importantly, Eddie's good at getting Steve to talk. As a rule in general, Eddie isn't a good listener, but he could listen to Steve read him the phone book and never be bored. He tries to take an interest in Steve's hobbies. He doesn't have the hand/eye coordination for basketball, or the lungs for swimming laps, but he does have the energy to keep going even when he's bad at those things.

Steve seems to appreciate it, if the soft smiles he gives Eddie is any indication.

And it's not all up hill. Steve's got hangups that seem to crop up when he thinks he's failed at something. He's got a quick temper but it's never physical anger. He's only ever yelled at Eddie twice, and being fair, that first was deserved. Eddie's pushed too far, in his desire to help, not knowing the limit yet.

Eddie gets pissy, too, he's no saint, either.

There's been no fight they haven't gotten through, though.

But the lesson, the thing Wayne was really trying to teach him, comes when Steve gets sick.

No one but Robin has ever seen him sick. She's off at college now and it's just Eddie, fumbling to make soup and not dribble water down Steve's front while he holds the glass Steve is too weak to and Eddie forgot to get some straws at the store.

Steve tried to get him to leave only once. It was the third day in a row Eddie was there.

"You don't have to be here, you know," Steve had whispered, throat still feeling like he ate glass.

Eddie just met his eye and gave a small smile, "I do know."

Steve looks surprised, which is ridiculous, because he had to of known the answer Eddie would give. But then that surprise softens to a new look. Sappier, eyes a bit wetter, and Steve must not want him to see because his whole face scrunches with how quickly he shuts his eyes.

Eddie sets the sleeve of saltines down on the night stand and reached for Steve's hand. Just to give it a squeeze.

He finds he can't take his hand back when Steve tangles their fingers together and drags their joined hands to his face, where Steve rests his feverish forehead against Eddie's hand.

Steve teaches him that, yes, love is caring for someone. But sometimes, it's also letting someone else take care of you.

-

@steddielovemonth @i-less-than-three-you @nburkhardt @afewproblems @skepsiss

[spop-romanticizes-abuse]

(i kept forgetting to make this post for a while and only remembered when i was reading @antispopausandstuff 's recent post; sorry for the tag!)

i have to say this: catra having a mental breakdown basically every single season was pathetic.

usually villains have a third-act breakdown where they realize that they're losing to the heroes or they're losing control over their own allies, and they spiral into anger and desperation.

azula's spiralling in s3 of atla is a clear example of this, as she goes from the level-headed, cunning prodigy to a child who has lost everyone in her life and is desperately trying to use fear to keep people around. it's tragic because yes, she's a horrible person who enjoys torturing people and seeing them in pain, but she's also a 13 year old who was groomed into the perfect soldier by her father.

not all third-act breakdowns are like this though. sometimes instead of feeling bad for the villain, we feel satisfied seeing their downfall, because they weren't a sympathetic character in the slightest and they deserved to have that realization right before getting their ass whooped.

with catra, i get neither of these. i guess i felt a little bad for her the first time and i felt satisfied the second time, but then it just got boring.

there was no need for her to have a meltdown in every single season, only for the writers to use it as an excuse to make catra do even worse shit and hurt more people.

not to mention, her mental state wasn't consistent enough during these breakdowns. let me explain. let's take the s3 one, for instance.

catra is clearly rattled by the knowledge that shadow weaver picked adora over her (which.. wow who would have thought. but whatever). she is dissociating as she walks back to scorpia, there are tears in her eyes, she's devastated.

but then, as soon as catra reaches the horde with adora as her prisoner, she seems perfectly fine. she's calm and smirking proudly as she throws a bound adora to the floor.

and then when entrapta tries to oppose catra's attempts at opening the portal, oh no! catra is not mentally well again and she electrocutes entrapta. and she threatens to do the same to scorpia.

and then she goes right back to being calm and tells hordak that entrapta betrayed him (i'm sorry i don't care how good at lying someone is, i doubt they can deliver such a convincing lie when they are in a poor mental state) and mocks him for trusting entrapta.

and then throughout the portal sequence, catra is oddly calm. not just during the false reality, when she was pretending that everything was normal, but even after that when she starts sadistically torturing adora.

this doesn't seem like a character who finally snapped and is doing horrible things in a desperate attempt to regain control. it reads as a character who always wanted to do horrible things and finally got the chance to do it.

i can't view catra's breakdown in s3 as sympathetic because her actions seemed so intentional. the writers didn't even try to make it look like catra was going through some serious mental health issues and was only making such a dangerous choice because of that.

coming back to my original point, repeating a trope (especially a one-time trope like this) quickly gets stale. and it's even funnier when you think about the fact that catra basically had a dedicated mental breakdown every season and still didn't learn her lesson.

you stop feeling sorry for her and start rolling your eyes, wondering what atrocities she's going to commit this time. it's just the same thing over and over again, and it's funny that the writers used this as a way to keep reminding viewers that catra is a poor traumatized baby who definitely didn't make the choices that led to all this.

it's just bad writing. sure, in real life, people may have multiple breakdowns if they going through some shit. i can certainly attest. but it just doesn't work from a story point of view, especially when the writers refuse to hold catra accountable for your actions. mental health issues or not, you are responsible for your actions and you should work on changing your unhealthy coping mechanisms.

[irkimatsu]

AHHHHHH I love Husk and your content is by far my FAVORITE 😍 the sweet, the smut, the little bit of both...I love it all.

So I have a cute idea for this one. Neko!reader x husk. The reader isn't fully cat, but has the ears and tail, a cat-like face and of course the mannerisms. Husk is crushing hard and thinks that she (or they, whichever pronouns :) ) is cute and nonchalantly points out that it's adorable when her ears twitch. And then she's like, "And you wonder why we're always messing with you, eyy Kitten?" which makes him all flustered and he can't even say anything.

I can just picture them doing the equivalent of holding hands only their tails wrapped around each other 😚😚

Thank you so much for enjoying my writing!

I envisioned Reader as an anthro like Husk; I'm hoping that's what you meant with your description! Reader gets drunk and rants to Husk about cat instincts, Husk offers some advice, light flirting and flustered Husk ensues. I hope this is close enough to what you wanted! 1.2k words, SFW, female reader!

---

You’ve had way too much to drink.

It’s not like you’re inexperienced at drinking; you knew the hard stuff you were knocking back would be enough to get you wasted. That was the point.  Maybe if you got drunk enough, you could shut off the stupid cat instincts that hadn’t left you alone since the moment you died. The exercises you’ve been doing at this hotel for the past few months may have taught you things like not stealing and believing in the power of friendship, but there hadn’t yet been any lessons on how to stop swiping at your own tail every time it entered the corner of your field of vision.

You’re not sure if the alcohol has turned off the instincts, but it sure has turned on your mouth. Without thinking about what you’re saying, you’ve been ranting to the bartender for the past thirty minutes, barely pausing to take a breath. Surely he doesn’t mind, right? Not only are bartenders supposed to listen when their customers want to bitch, but he’s in the exact same position as you are as far as species goes!

“...and the fuckin’ hairballs!” is the latest thought in your stream of word vomit. “I thought mucus was bad! Hairballs! They get stuck in my throat, and they itch like hell until I can cough ‘em up!”

“They sell stuff down here to take care of that,” the bartender says, pouring you another drink without you asking. “It tastes like shit, but it works. I don’t get ‘em anymore unless I forget to drink it.”

“And what about shedding?!” you continue on as if he didn’t say anything. “It’s impossible to keep my room clean! It’s like the more I clean up, the more fur there is!”

“Niffty’s been helpin’ me with that since I met her. She gets pissed about the fur I leave everywhere otherwise. She ain’t gentle with that brush, though.”

You take another gulp of your drink and slam it down onto the bar. “Fuck, think I just swallowed some fur…”

“You haven’t even been dead for a year yet, right?” Husk asks. “ That’s barely anything. Don’t worry, you’ll have plenty of time to get used to being a cat. Some of the bullshit never goes away, but it becomes part of you.”

“Do you like being a cat?” you ask.

He laughs at your question. “Hell no! But what choice do I have? There’s no going back to bein��� human for any of us. May as well learn how to deal with it.” He takes a gulp of his own drink, not even bothering to pour it into a glass. “If ya want, I can take you to a good supply place sometime. They’ve got good products if you can put up with the fact that it looks like a fuckin’ pet store.”

“Hmm…” you neither accept nor deny his offer. You only take another drink, swallowing more damn fur in the process. That’s definitely gonna lead to some late-night hairballs. “It’s so annoying…” you whine as you plop your chin on the bar. “Why couldn’t I have been something cool? You know I saw a giant lizard the other day? Lucky bastard…”

“Bet they have a hell of a time findin’ clothes,” he says. “Or even gettin’ into places to begin with.”

“And even you got wings…” you continue on.

“Yeah. Wings. I get to clean up after fur and feathers, and if I don’t find the perfect position while sleeping the fuckin’ things go numb.” He takes your glass away, but you’re too lost in your own self-pity to protest. “We’ve all gotta get used to our new bodies when we get down here, and I doubt it’d be any different if we somehow got into heaven. Just gotta make the best of it.” He turns around to put away some bottles. “Besides, it’s not all bad. At least you’re cute.”

“...what was that?” you say, not expecting that word out of Husk’s mouth.

“I said you’re cute. Everyone thinks cats are cute, don’t they? Even I liked ‘em when I was alive. I don’t want to be one, but you can’t resist their mannerisms, can ya? The big eyes, the soft fur…”

He turns around just in time to see your right ear flicking in annoyance from the condescension. “The twitchy ears…”

You smirk, knowing the weight of what you’re about to say next but too drunk to stop yourself. “So now you get why Angel and I are always commenting on your mannerisms, eh, kitty?”

“Whoa! Hey!” His fur bristles, and you know you shouldn’t find his own agitation cute, but you can’t help yourself. It helps you understand the way he was just talking to you, at least. “That’s different! You’re a young lady! You died at, what, 25? You’re supposed to be cute! I’m an old man who drank myself to death. Nothin’ cute about that.”

“You’ve still got the big eyes and the soft fur…” you continue on.

He groans in response. “If you were a stranger saying that shit to me, I’d kill you.”

“So what makes me so special?” Your tail waves playfully behind you, and he’s obviously following it with his eyes and blushing.

“I…” he starts, but never manages to come up with the rest of the sentence. “Jesus Christ,” is all he has to offer before grabbing a couple of glasses from the shelf. He fills them both with water, then carries them around to the other side of the bar.

“Here,” he says as he sets one of the glasses in front of you. “Drink this. You’re gonna feel like shit in the morning. May as well not be dehydrated on top of everything else.”

You stare at the cup as he takes a seat on the stool next to you. “How do you resist the urge to knock cups over?” you ask.

“Lots of self-control,” he says with a smirk before guzzling his glass in one go.

You place your paw on the side of the glass, originally intending to pick it up, but an overwhelming spark takes over your brain, and you start easing the cup toward the edge of the bar. Husk grabs it and places it back where it started before it can crash to the floor.

“You’ll get used to it,” he assures you. He’s finished his water, but for a reason you can’t determine, he’s still sitting next to you.

“How long have you been down here?” you ask. “A couple years?”

“Mmm… fifty?” he guesses. “Almost as long as I was alive, at this point.”

“Fifty years?!” you exclaim. “And you still have to deal with cat instincts?!”

He shrugs. “Like I said, it never goes away. Just gotta get used to it, take the good with the bad.”

“The good…” you repeat. “Like being cute?”

“Oh, shut up,” he says. “...but in your case… yeah. Like being cute.”

You finally manage to pick up your water without giving into the desire for destruction. As you take a sip, something feathery starts to tickle against your tail. You look over at Husk from the corner of your eye. He’s trying to be nonchalant, not even looking at you, but there’s only one thing that could be brushing against you right now.

Without looking, you shift your tail, allowing it to curl around Husk’s. Husk curls his around yours in turn, your tail tips forming a spiral that just barely reaches the floor.

It’s the closest he’ll get to flirting for now. You’ll take what you can get.

[sun-stricken]

i love gray's friendships with female characters, at least through tenrou arc! like that he's at once the "cool guy," sweet underneath, kinda flirty, and embarrasses a little easily - it's very easy to come up with HCs for his female friendships and you can't often say that about the cool rival guys(TM) in anime!

like for cana - -they're were the OG kids in the guild and i like the idea that cana felt like she could complain about boy troubles to gray -they were also friends with benefits at some point 👀 they broke it off very amicably and cana still rants to him about "girl stuff." he always finds it boring when she starts but eventually he gets invested and starts ranting with her, by this point mira also joins in on their gossiping <3

for erza - -she was definitely his first crush/love around his own age and one of the reasons he responded so strongly when he saw her crying alone, was because he was reminded of when ur used to do the same thing since she lost ultear (like the flashbacks in tenrou island arc of her sobbing while clutching ultear's old baby clothes). except back then, he didn't know how to help and just pretended he never saw anything, and it's one of his biggest regrets. so he decided to do something about erza even if he was really clumsy at it. -eventually he learned ice-making and wielding all those weapons because he asked erza to help teach him (even if he had to swallow his pride to do it). at first it's just between them but eventually a lot of the guild gets invested and watches their sparring sessions - levy helps him find books about specific swordplay techniques based on erza's recommendations -once, erza criticizes his fighting style and says she can read every move because he keeps playing it safe and is constantly on the defensive; she urges him to be more spontaneous and unpredictable because that kind of creativity is well-suited for maker mages. so during the fight, she's got him pinned (as usual) and the guild thinks it's over until, on a whim, he suddenly kisses her... and in erza's shock he manages to unpin himself and hold his own ice dagger at her throat instead. the guild's holding their breath and thinks erza's gonna beat him up LMAO, and gray also immediately tries to apologize and grovel, but erza simply brushes it off and says he was the smarter fighter that time, so he won fair and square. they both don't know that it was the other's first kiss 👀 -to thank erza for training him, gray gifted her those diamond-knife earrings (i figured bc he also wears that cross necklace and occasionally earrings...) - he's not really sure if she even likes them because she didn't show too much interest in jewelry/makeup/anything that isn't strictly practical, but to this day, he's never seen her take them off -erza made him quit smoking lmao, he used to be smoking buddies with mira until they both quit. he still doesn't do it but sometimes at a town event or similar occasion, he might indulge in a cig or two - nothing more. but he never does it in front of erza -gray standing up to erza in galuna island arc is like a guild legend now. people always bring it up when they introduce him to a newcomer; gray feels kinda embarrassed and uncomfortable by it and tries to apologize to erza about it, but she says she doesn't mind at all and he taught her a valuable lesson that day

for lucy - -sometimes he sits in on her and levy's discussions about the short stories she's writing and her eventual novel. he doesn't really throw out too many ideas, he just prefers to listen because he's reminded of the tales of adventure that ur used to tell him and lyon after dinner. sometimes lucy asks him about his home country and stuff so she can write short informational articles about it in sorcerer weekly, and he's happy to reminisce. -he really does find lucy's apartment comfortable because it has multiple thermostats. lucy always keeps the laundry area a little cooler just for gray whenever he drops by, since she knows he likes sitting there

for ultear - -it's a little hard to look her in the eyes sometimes because she resembles ur so much, but gray always appreciates her presence. sometimes ultear asks him to talk about little things about her mother, like her favorite foods or a story about her, and gray's always happy to indulge. lyon joins in too when he can! -once lyon hit on her in front of gray much to the latter's complete mortification, but ultear just burst out laughing and lyon turned brick red (there's an unspoken plea from lyon to never bring that incident up, but gray's just waiting for the chance to use it against him) -he always feels a little jolt in his chest when there's something ultear subconsciously does that's just like ur - they both put their hands on their hips the same way when they're pleased, she dots her "i's" with big circles like ur did, and they have similar tastes in food. gray doesn't know whether to feel pleased or pained -ultear thinks gray's stripping habit is endearing -ur was kinda gray's first puppy crush in the early says of being her student (before she became like a mother to him), and sometimes he wonders if he might end up feelings similarly about ultear if they spent more time together -ultear gave him a very rudimentary communication lacrima where you can tell the other person's mood/general state of mind if you let a little of your magic flow into it. sometimes gray uses it at night to see if she and crime sorciere are doing okay <3

i love exploring Grays relationship with others so much, also this is so long and as much as i love it i cant think of things to add on to it

but this absolutely needs to be shown to the world and praised bc holy shit this great and im definitely stealing at least 90% of these

[fangirlanxiety74]

TELL ME ABOUT TED. Headcanons you have for him, anything... Can be silly or serious.

Someone... SOMEONE'S ASKING ME ABOUT MY HEADCANONS?! IT'S BEEN YEARS SINCE SOMEONE'S ASKED ME ABOUT MY HEADCANONS!! HOLD ON, I MADE A DOCUMENT!! /ref/hj

In actuality, I did genuinely make a google doc. But it's not ready to be shared yet, so I'll share the highlights.

First off, the game manual lies. He is NOT 44. He's 33 at OLDEST. I kind of consider him more like 29/30. Just barely.

He grew up in South Carolina hehe, farm boy

Bisexual disaster but I think this is kinda just obvious.

He is the oldest between him and his 5 siblings!!! And adding onto this, he is SUCH a good older brother. I don't care if everyone else disagrees, he could be the worst man alive but the one good thing someone could say was that he took care of his siblings.

If you know Ayano from Kagerou Project, I think he's a lot like her when he's younger. Like 8/9 years old. He tried so hard to protect them all from their parents and keep them happy. He'd sacrifice so much for them, it's why he kinda,, went into the extreme of being so,, entitled as a grown up. Ykwim???

Just imagine. With the ice caves, moving without thinking to save the others before himself? His brain subconsciously doing what he knows best; sacrificing what he has for others.

Selflessness as a core trait for Ted, please.

Another thing relating to his siblings: He knows how to do ballet!! And he's REALLY good at it. He actually has a lot of fun doing it. One of his sisters wanted to, but she was too afraid to take lessons alone, so he went along with her in secret. Didn't get caught for years. (She stopped lessons once he got forced out of them)

He talks a little like a New-Yorker, or at the very least, that transAtlantic accent (yk like from the old movies?) to try and play off as that kind of guy like Great Gatsby.

His actual accent is Southern. Sometimes it slips out when he's like, extremely flustered/angry, but it's such a rare thing.

He can't stand the sound of someone crying, it immediately makes him angry. Take that, and yk, Ellen or Benny constantly crying... Yeaaaah. (This is also due to his siblings).

This is obvious, he forces himself into doing a lot of masculine things that he doesn't like to appear older/wiser/better, insert whatever word you wanna use that translates to "I am insecure about myself" lol

Okay this last one is really important to me and like. It. Needs its own special paragraph. He is a creative person in his soul. He loves to learn, he loves to write, he loves to read and dance and sing and draw and he has such a huge imagination and love for creativity. You can see it in his psychodrama with how it plays out like a full-blown Grimms Fairytale, the monster he imagined that no one else could see, the line in the radio drama "Am I the last storyteller, telling the last story...?"

He's a storyteller. He has so much to say and share, and he would've done something creative with his life if he had the option, but the abuse he faced and the societal expectations placed on him forced him to,, give it all up. Made him realize he could never have that. Which is why, at least in the game, AM chose him. Ted had so much potential to create, and just... gave it up. For seemingly nothing. Why wouldn't that make AM mad, who can't create, can't even imagine or wonder?

AKA Theatre Kid Ted canon, let it be known

I have like, also. I have a somewhat-AU of Omori for the ihnm cast, and Ted takes the role of Basil. I think Dream Basil vs RW Basil fit a lot of what he is as a kid vs an adult, or at least aspects of both due.

I also have a Hadestown AU of him with my self-insert where he takes the role of Eurydiceeee.... Like. Guys, Hadestown fans, hear me out. Ted singing "Flowers." AM singing "Hey Little Songbird" to Ted. PLEASE HEAR ME CAN YOU HEAR ME??? ARE YOU LISTENING??? /J

There's so much more I can say but this is getting so long I will definitely share more if people want nfjkdc bUT THANK YOU FOR ASKING!!!

[treason-and-plot]

REPLIES TO SAFFY LAMBASTING LIAM

@windermeresimblr

Wow! There's Saffy's backbone.

Yeah she's not known for holding back!

@drudragonrose

She's with a boy her own age that she actually likes. Be gone worm!

@ivorycrayon

Man, you write shades of grey so well. It’s hard to root for anybody, but it’s also hard to condemn anybody completely because all your characters’ actions are way too complex. “He’s wrong but..” “She shouldn’t have to deal with this but..” I could use your characters if I ever taught ethics class 😂 (except for Anita, that is, I always struggle to find any redeeming qualities in that lady :P)

Thank you so much Ash! I love writing morally grey characters who have questionable (but hopefully relatable) motives so it's extremely heartening to read your comment. And I love how steadfast you've always been in your opinion of Anita, lol!

@keoni-chan

I don't like this one bit. I hope Liam's brand new backbone doesn't evolve into an "if I can't have you..."-situation 😱

who knows what might have happened if fate hadn't intervened....

@dresdendarlin

Oooh it’s his snapping moment. He’s gonna do something drastic and crazier next.

@batsheba

Ok, now let's see if he, the creep Liam, can process this information?! Whatever happens I hope Saffy will be ok... I'm worried Liam will do something utterly stupid and potentially dangerous.

@oasislandingresident

Ooooh shit's about to go down!!! 🍿

@kimmiessimmies

I'm with @batsheba, this is not going to go down well with Liam...

@wannabecatwriter

Be careful, Saffron. He's in a weird mindstate now.

@bool-prop

Oh no. He's going to snap.

@muses-circle

🤦

@muses-circle

Liam will either have a meltdown right there, in the parking lot, or he'll wait until he's in the middle of class and doing something worse. I'm worried about what his breaking point will look like.

@muses-circle

And Saffron, men DO leave their wives. It's call divorce, honey. Life isn't as black and white as you think.

I didn't write Saffy's speech very well...what she was trying to say was that it's a well-known fact that married men never leave their wives for their side-pieces! She was actually quite enraged that Liam turned out to be the statistical anomaly, lol. That was the last thing she wanted to happen!

@echoweaver

Woo. Saffron's right, but wow she's still got so much growing up to do. OTOH, Liam seemed to be with her in large part because she verbally abused him. It's such a messed up puppy.

Yeah, he seems to derive a perverse satisfaction from being the victim and indulging in self-defeating behaviour. It's also not an accident that the two women in his life routinely humiliate and criticise him.😬

@sweetnovember77

Saffy's words can devastate ANYONE with strong emotions toward another person. It's like a knife to the heart.

Yeah, Saffy can be very acid-tongued. He probably deserved the wake up call but Saffy can count herself very lucky he didn't snap or do something as drastic as Stephanie.

@anamoon63

😮 This is not going to end well. I wish Saffy had been a little more diplomatic. 😔

It definitely did not end well, but fortunately for Saffy she was not the one who was impacted the most! I hope at the very least she learns some important life lessons from this whole sorry experience.

@simsaralove

I really hope this will make Mr. Yucky realize he better go live in the Twinbrook swamps and not make him do something stupid and ruin Saffy’s happiness 😭

@justanothersimsblog

I'd tell her to slap him but I think he likes that so... maybe knee him in the balls then lol

lol he is such a pathetic masochist that he would probably enjoy that too!😆

@greywardenconsort

He's a monster thru & thru

A sad, spineless, loser monster.

@streetlites

That's gotta sting. Bwahahah. Also, what did he think she was going to do? Leap into his arms? She was never like that toward him to begin with.

@mysimsloveaffair

They are both better off without each other. Saffy is doing him a favor and he doesn't even know it. SMH

Liam was always doomed by his poor life decisions and victim mentality. I'm also thinking that it was possible he had affairs as a passive-aggressive form of revenge, but didn't count on falling so heavily for Saffy. In any case, I think he got what he deserved.

[mercymaker]

Does your ascended astarion get other consorts following his first? How does my lovely lady handle the others!!!! I gotta know the teaaa

Eventually, maybe? As a way to spite her, I guess? But there's more to it.

I definitely see him surrounding himself with a retinue of beautiful men and women, some spawn, some not, that would do anything for him. However, 'the dark consort' I see being a sort of a title, a position within the household, it's his right hand, his closest spawn, his favorite. One, that while not being his equal in any way, holds power over others in his absence. And that seat belongs to Maleane. Even when she is eventually banished to her chambers and kept away from 'court', she still has that title. Because in Astarion's wretched black heart, she still holds that position, the closest thing to love he can even conceptualize. Because when he performed the ritual, that was the person he genuinely loved. And sure, that love got twisted and skewed into something entirely different, something possessive, obsessive, and dark, it's still there and nothing can change that.

And, I think, that's a source of a lot of contempt, eventually. When, in his eyes, she's being ungrateful and does not deserve everything he's given her, he can't replace her. He tries, of course, but nothing scratches that itch, nothing fills that void in his heart, yet he's too prideful to ever admit it. So he punishes her instead. Like a petulant child, like an ungrateful brat that can't learn her lesson. Because he, in his own twisted way, just wants her back. Because he thinks if he only shows her how bad things can get, she will understand how good it can be. If only she listened, obeyed, they could be together, like the good ole days!

As for the other, uh, "mistresses" (both male and female) Astarion has? Mal, at first, sort of clings to the idea of being the consort because it does make her somewhat uneasy. I see her as a pretty jealous and possessive person and that doesn't change with undeath, so she doesn't like sharing her lover. It's not so bad when all of them get involved, but when she's left out of the equation, it stings, that's for sure. And it gets worse with time, because while at first there's that excitement about power and new experiences and decadent balls and passionate orgies, as years pass she grows tired of it all.

I don't see her as being particularly friendly with most of them, since Mal wants to remain the top dog and if there's anything she's learnt is to keep distance (have no equal something something repeating cycles something something) and I think it's eventually what contributes to her torment when Astarion locks her away. She has no one to turn to but him, and she contributed to that by not developing any meaningful relationships with others.

I do think, however, that there's a fraction of people in the household loyal to her or ones that at the very least like and admire her because at the end of the day she's charismatic and charming and that naturally draws people in. AND her proximity to power, of course.

TLDR: I basically see their arrangement as the good ole court dynamics. A king with all the power, a queen consort, and then a bunch of mistresses that can do a lot with the king, but they can't officially replace the consort (unless she dies, idk).

[an-aroaces-harem]

Xeno Chapter 1

DISCLAIMER: I just deepl and google translated my way through this because I wanted to know what's going on, so there are definitely mistakes but I believe I managed the general gist of the story. Anyway, it's just a fan-made translation solely for entertainment purposes. Morganatic Idol belongs to Cybird and ABC Frontier, Inc.

He is the strongest shining star. A jewel of cold and frozen mystery.

I feared its brilliance and was attracted to it at the same time.

Yes, I'm sure that from the moment we met, I couldn't resist.

I would soon learn that the lonely gem of ice had a passion that was more intense than any other.

I'm trapped, and I have no choice but to be burned by those thoughts--

The next day, I received an unexpected and shocking proposal from Sakura-san.

I took a sudden paid day off and looked up at the high-rise apartment building that loomed before me with a sense of disbelief.

(I can't believe I'm living here with exe Creed from today onwards ... ...)

I have done as I was told, but I am full of anxiety.

(But this is for the success of the presentation. Now that I've decided to do it, I have to do my best ...!)

Clasping my hands, which had grown cold with nervousness, I stepped into the apartment.

Rina: I'm looking forward to working with you from today on.

Sakura Eito: Yes, it's nice to meet you, Kawanaga-chan.

Sakura Eito: That's a lot of luggage. I told you to come with just your clothes.

Rina: No, that's not how it works ... ...

(I have a lot of luggage, even if it's just the bare minimum of clothes and work stuff.)

Sakura Eito: I have a lot to explain, but first, let's go to the lesson room.

Sakura Eito: The apartment has its own training and lesson rooms.

Sakura Eito: We're in the middle of a dance lesson. Some members are away on business, but can you say hello to everyone first?

Rina: I understand.

Sakura Eito: Follow me. Oh, your luggage is probably heavy, so you can leave it somewhere nearby.

Rina: Eh!?

(Even if it's said to be okay, I feel uncomfortable leaving about leaving my luggage just here.)

Lost in thought, I put my luggage in the corner of the room and followed Sakura-san with only a small bag in my hand.

Sakura Eito: Hey you three! Look over here.

Three people: ... ...

As soon as Sakura-san called out to them, their gazes turned to me ...

Sakura Eito: This is Kawanaga Rina from Aegis Public Holdings!

Sakura Eito: As we agreed yesterday, she will live here with you from today on. Be kind to her and get along.

Rina: I-I'm looking forward working with you!

I bowed my head vigorously.

Ivy: I'm sorry things got so weird. If you have any questions, just ask.

Rina: Thank you very much!

Ivy-san says this to me as if to ease my tension.

Hugh: ... ... ... ...

Hugh-san looks away and remains silent. What is he thinking? I can't tell from his expression.

And ...

Xeno: ... doesn't matter.

Xeno-san seemed completely indifferent and spat that coldly at me.

Sakura Eito: Hey, Xeno, can you not talk to her like that?

Xeno: At least for me, it's not worth giving up practice.

Xeno: We don't have time for this. If you're done talking, get the hell out of here.

Xeno: Hey, let's get back to practice. We don't have time for idle chit-chat.

Hugh: Yeah ... ...

Ivy: Sorry, I have to go, I have to practice.

With that, the three quickly returned to their practice.

Sakura Eito: Good grief ... you're not very sociable.

Sakura Eito: They are like this. Don't worry too much if they say something.

Rina: Y-yes ... ...

Even so, I was filled with anxiety.

(I wonder if I can really work here ... ...)

We returned to the living room for an explanation.

Sakura Eito: Yes, I have to tell you this first.

Sakura Eito: This presentation extension is a special deal just for you, so don't tell anyone about it.

Sakura Eito: Of course, no matter what others say at work, it's a secret. Can you keep it?

Rina: Yes. I won't say a word.

Sakura Eito: Yeah, that's good.

Sakura-san smiled at my response.

Sakura Eito: Well, let's talk about the specifics of the job right away. First, what being a housekeeper means.

There are several housekeepers working in this condominium, and they seem to share the responsibility of cleaning the common areas.

In addition, each member was assigned a room.

Sakura Eito: I'd like to put you in charge of one of them, but do you have a preference as to whose room you'd like?

Rina: I'd like ...?

I couldn't reply to Sakura-san.

Sakura Eito: You can choose someone with whom you feel comfortable talking about your presentation, or you can simply go with someone who is interested.

Sakura Eito: You can choose anyone, but I want you to have a good relationship with the members in charge first.

Sakura Eito: The impact of your interaction with the members ... that's what I'm looking for.

Rina: Umm ... ...

(What should I do? I'm not sure if I can decide for myself ...)

Sakura Eito: If you're not sure, why don't you pick one of the three who were here earlier?

Sakura Eito: I think it's easy to talk about things with Ivy.

(It's true that Ivy-san is the leader and was the nicest to me among the three.)

(He might even listen to my presentation.)

Despite my mind's desire, I couldn't help but think of those icy, piercing eyes.

(The one who remains strongest in my heart is that man ...)

As if drawn by that strong light, I opened my mouth.

Rina: I ... would like to be in charge of Xeno.

Sakura Eito: What? Really?

Rina: Yes.

Sakura-san opened his eyes in surprise.

(A natural reaction, I know. I was surprised myself.)

I couldn't talk to him much earlier, and he's been saying a lot of harsh things to me ever since we met.

(I know it's going to be hard, so why not? That cold gaze burns into me and won't let me go.)

Besides, there are other reasons to choose him.

Xeno-san is the absolute center of exe. He is always perfect and precise. His singing ability is highly appreciated worldwide.

His strong influence on the other members can be felt in their conversations.

Rina: Xeno-san is the toughest, but if I can convince him, it will be a shortcut to a successful presentation.

Sakura Eito: I see ... yes, that's true. It makes sense, considering what you're trying to do.

Sakura Eito: I'll put you in charge of Xeno, then. He's a very strict man, so be careful.

Rina: Yes!

And then ...

Xeno-san and the others returned from the lesson room, perhaps having finished practice.

Ivy: Phew. Just a break.

Hugh: I'm tired ...

Xeno: ...

Sakura Eito: Xeno, from now on Kawanaga-chan will be in charge of cleaning your room.

Xeno-san halted and looked at me expressionlessly.

Sakura Eito: The two of you will get along well.

Xeno: What's the point of getting along? ... Hey, Aegis.

Rina: !?

(Does he mean me with Aegis? Is it because the name of the company is Aegis Public Holdings?)

I was at a loss for words because of his attitude of not even trying to remember my name. Xeno-san looked at me sharply.

Xeno: Your purpose is none of my business and none of my interest.

Xeno: But since you are going to be a housekeeper, you have to do it perfectly. I will not tolerate half-heartedness.

Rina: I understand. I'll aim for perfection.

Xeno: I'm telling you to be perfect. It's not enough to just aim for it.

(I'm still afraid of this guy ...)

The words were harsher than I had imagined, and I broke out in cold sweat.

(I have to be firm. It's my decision.)

I looked up at him with a resolved smile on my face.

Rina: I will do my job to your satisfaction, Xeno-san!

(For my dreams, too ...)

Rina: I will make it happen. Please take care of me!

Xeno: Prove it with your actions. If you don't, I'll kick you out immediately.

With that, he grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator and left again.

Rina: ... Did I offend you?

Ivy: No, he's just going back to the lesson room. It seems he wasn't satisfied with the practice earlier.

Hugh: I did the solo part many times.

Sakura Eito: And again, no breaks ... none at all.

Ivy: Xeno is the main vocalist, and the new song is difficult, so I guess he wants to make sure of a lot of things.

Rina: Really?

Hugh: New song ... The theme song for 'strange game' ...

Rina: Eh? That popular foreign drama series!?

Ivy: Yes, I wrote it after receiving the offer.

'strange game' is an international drama in which exe sings the theme song.

It was a very popular original that was distributed exclusively through a global video distribution service.

The series is also famous for being directed by a well-known filmmaker, and for its unbelievable production budget.

Although the sheer scale of the event may surprise some, it does not seem to be particulary surprising to them.

Xeno-san says that the fact that he spends all his time practicing without taking any days off is "normal thing" that has nothing to do with the size of the job.

Ivy: I don't have a choice. I told him to take a break, but he wouldn't listen.

Sakura Eito: I like his seriousness, but he should take a break at least.

The sighs of Sakura-san and Ivy-sa echoed heavily in the living room.

Late at night that day. I wake up suddenly.

(I was supposed to be organizing my luggage, but I fell asleep before I knew it. I guess I was tired from all the tension.)

The guest rooms are splendid, just like a luxury hotel.

(But it's unsettling ...)

When I'm alone in a room, I feel crushed by anxiety.

(Maybe I'll watch the news on my phone. Come to think of it, I've been so busy that I haven't had time to watch it at all.)

(Huh? It's not here!)

I rush to my bag. I look in my jacket pocket and everywhere else I can think of, but my phone is nowhere to be found.

(Did I drop it somewhere? I have to look for it!)

I was too uncomfortable to turn on the light, so I searched for my phone in the darkened living room.

(I can't find it, what should I do? Any other places I can think of ... where I went today?)

(Oh, I went to the lesson room, too ... I really hope it's there!)

When I arrived at the lesson room, a few lights were leaking from the room.

(Who's there?)

I gently open the door and peek inside.

(Is that Xeno-san over there? You've been practicing till this late? It's been hours since then.)

Xeno: ...

He was staring at the smartphone in his hand.

For a moment, I thought it was mine, but it wasn't. It was more likely his.

(What's wrong with that stern expression?)

I was so curious that I leaned forward and heard a small creak coming from the door.

Xeno: !

Immediately, I was confronted with a sharp, hostile look.

Xeno: You ... why are you here?

Rina: Ah, I ...

Xeno-san approached me swiftly.

Rina: Ah!?

He roughly grabs my hand and pulls me closer.

Rina: ...ng

Xeno: What are you up to?

A cold voice chastised me. I was held down by a strong force, and there was nowhere to run.

Rina: X-xeno-san! Please let go of me.

(Why are you looking at me like that? I'm scared ...!)

His eyes had been frozen, but now they were burning with an emotion I had never seen before.

(I can't believe this person hus such strong feelings.)

As much as I want to run away because I'm scared, I'm blinded by the intensity and drawn to him.

Xeno: Answer my question!

A handsome face approached me. I just gasped and stared at the cold, intense fire ...

[karolinswritings]

Hi 👋🏻 I’m so happy you’re writing fullmetal alchemist it’s really rare this days 😞 I really like to request envy x she/her reader who’s taller than him she is really kind and strong but doesn’t like hurting anyone or anything and thinks that every living being deserves to be treated with respect 🩷

Heyy ^^ Thank you for the request, I would like to recieve more requests for Envy!

Fullmetal Alchemist Envy Headcanons: Envy x fem reader who is taller than him, strong and kind

Envy can literally shape-shift, therefore he can change his height in an instant, if he wishes to. But, I don't think he would see a reason to change his height if reader is taller than him. His preferred height is not an insecurity for him at all.

He is very confident in his strength and her being strong would once again not be a problem for him at all. In fact, he would even prasie her for her strength.

But! Without underestimating how strong she is, he would always have the habit of making sure she doesn't carry heavy stuff, isn't over-working herself physically and etc when he is around.

Knowing Envy, he would be a bit taken aback by her kindness at first. He would be confused as to why someone so strong doesn't use that strength to her advantage? If someone bumps into her, instead of apologising to them, she could just hold them accountable, knowing she could easily make them learn their lesson if they act up. Why is she so nice?

Her being nice to animals makes him get quite fuzzy and warm on the inside. Watching her pet stray cats and feed them tasty food, be carefull not to step on snails and feeding birds. All that makes him feel kind of..warm for some reason. He himself isn't very sure what it is about it. He just feels at ease around someone like that.

If reader is nice to him before they get together he would be a little suprised, but if they meet and talk several times he would eventually get used to their kindness and not think about it too much, because whenever he does think about it, he can't help but feel all fuzzy and warm again. And he doesn't know what that weird feeling is. So, he would much rather ignore it.

But, ignoring the problem won't make it go away. In fact, it just got worse and worse, and Envy can definitely feel it. At some point, he can no longer hold back. He starts to overthink every decision he makes when it comes to her. Should he come over to see her today? At what time? He doesn't want to wake her up too early in the morning, but also no to keep them awake too late at night. Maybe he should bring something, he always visits empty handed. But he doesn't know what food or treats she likes.

When it comes to her good heart, every time she does something good for him, no matter how little it is it makes the homunculus uneasy and red-eared. Even just asking him about his day, his opinion on a movie or how he is feeling, he takes that gesture to heart.

To put it simply, being in love is confusing to Envy and makes him a bit too much of a tsundere. And naturally, the other homunculi also realise it pretty soon. The ones that do know about his free time activites, like maybe Lust or Gluttony, especially Lust, would say something of the sort, just to see him all flustered:

Lust: "Looks like Envy is head over heels for this little human girl he has been visitng~ She is cute cute, I don't blame him."

Envy, already feeling uneasy just by the tought of her: "..."

Gluttony: "Can I eat her?"

Envy: "NO!"

[loonyrose]

thoughts on Ahsoka ep8

Spoilers!!! You've been warned!!!

*

Morgan being given "the gift of shadows" by the night sisters was so cool. And then her getting mother talzin's blade thing!!

Kanan reference!! A more in depth one this time!! I was already crying by this part 😭

And Ahsoka talks about Anakin so much in this show I'm not well. Ahsoka and Ezra holding up the ship with the force was epic btw.

"For Dathomir". Chills.

I love how thrawn is so scared of anakin and anyone trained by him in this show it's an awesome reference.

I knew the night sisters were reanimating some of the troopers with magic! I knew it!

No no guys don't split up please haven't you learned your lesson

Sabine using the force properly for the first time in the same way as Luke >>>

Didn't expect Sabine to stay behind and help Ahsoka, honestly. But now I see that it was the same choice she had to make earlier. First it was either leave behind Ezra, or risk releasing thrawn back into the galaxy, and this time it was help Ezra defeat thrawn, or save her master and friend. Sabine still can't let go of the people close to her, even when it has terrible consequences.

"one wonders, just how similar you might become" anyone else been picking up a bit of dark-side indulging Ahsoka vibe in this show? She definitely channeled the dark side during her fight with baylan on seatos, and she sith eyes for a moment in the world between worlds (which is more likely symbolizing the dark side in her of course).

Also thrawn calling Ahsoka a ronin!! Can we all just say ronin or Jedi ronin now instead of grey Jedi it's so much cooler.

Sabine and Ahsoka literally swapped places with Ezra omg 🥲 but now they're friends with snail turtles now yay ig

I really do feel bad for shin at this point tbh. Whatever path she's on now isn't good for her or anyone else, she needs her master back.

The statues of the mortis gods!!! I literally screamed when I saw them!!! I wonder if the fact that the sisters head fell off and it's the most damaged statue has to do with anything? And I think Baylan standing on the father statue really symbolizes that he isn't partial to the light or dark side, he's fairly balanced. Also I really have no idea where his character is going, he's too mysterious and the actings too good. RIP Ray Stevenson.

EZRA IS BACK! FOR REAL HE WAS ON HOME ONE! I love how chop immediately knew it was him. "Is it you? Is it you Ezra?" 😭 and also DAMNIT DAVE WHY'D YOU HAVE TO CUT THE SHOT THEY WERE ABOUT TO HUG

I can't wait for Ezra to find out about jacen! I really hope jacen doesn't go to Luke's academy that would not end well.

"thrawn got away"

"and thanks to you, Ezra got home"

NOBODY TALK TO ME IM HAVING A BREAKDOWN

Sabine sensing her force grandpa. Grandfather in training? What exactly are we calling this?

His smile. HIS SMILE. IM SO HAPPY.

UNFORTUNATELY no zeb Kallus or rex, but hey we still have season two perhaps?

[sokkastyles]

Hi,

Hope you are doing well. Thank you for the response on my question regarding Azula.

I had a query. In the season 3 episode where Sokka and Toph have a conversation regarding Katara's mothering nature, after Sokka says that when he thinks of his mother's face, Katara's face is the one he remembers. I remember Katara's expression as sad. Is this because she realizes that Sokka seems to have moved on from their mother's death or he has compartmentalized it so well, whereas she still has that grief and is unable to get the required closure. I am asking because this conversation might have made her even more sad than earlier regarding her mother.

I would like your thoughts regarding this.

I think we're meant to interpret her sad expression as her feeling guilty about her antagonism towards Toph, and, in extension, Sokka and Aang, for the ways they take her as the "mother" of the group for granted, given that in the next scene it motivates her to apologize to Toph.

I don't necessarily disagree with the message, which is supposed to be that it's okay for Katara to be motherly and that their reliance on her is something they value about her and see as a strength, but the problem is that Katara is the only one who has to learn a lesson about it and Katara is the one who is forced to feel bad for trying to hold on to her lost childhood, and that chafes especially considering how that circles back around in The Southern Raiders. Katara's own feelings, and the fact that she is justified in feeling frustrated that the others don't see her as the child she is, that she never got to be, gets lost because she has to take up that mother role yet again.

It would be one thing if Sokka had told Katara himself about how much he relies on her, but he didn't, and he and Toph agree never to tell her. Of course, this last bit is framed as a joke, but the effect is still that Katara's perspective takes second fiddle, that Katara has to learn to accommodate others and feel guilty for the rare times she gets to be selfish, and she's supposed to understand how much the others rely on her without expecting any thanks from them unless she overhears it accidentally.

All of that %100 feeds into Katara's feelings in TSR, especially how she reacts to Sokka. I think she very well might subconsciously feel resentment at Sokka replacing their mother's face with hers in his mind, especially since, again, this is a secret that she's supposed to understand but never be told, a strength she's supposed to have but never get thanks for or complain about. Katara probably can't ever forget her mother's face, especially on that day, and may even wish she could. I think that's also subtly shown in her emphasis on making Yon Rha remember, something that Zuko also emphasizes because he picks up on it. Katara needs people to remember because she needs to remember, and Sokka needs to forget, to not think about it. Katara wants to talk about it whereas Sokka doesn't. And the fact that this is something Sokka has never shared with her except in an overheard conversation definitely leads to that resentment. What Katara says in TSR to Sokka is harsh, but I think Katara, while coming from a place of pain herself, can be forgiven for concluding that Sokka must not care as much when Sokka actively avoids talking about it with her except to scold her for feeling the way she does about it, and that goes back to those feelings of guilt she carries too, because she cares so much for others and because it's so hard for her to give herself permission to feel selfish, until she just can't hold those feelings back anymore.

[freezeyourchill]

I need to appreciate Mario's characterization in Luigi's Mansion 3 for a sec. It's probably the most in character and on brand I've ever seen him and we only even see him at the start and the end so get ready for me to not shut up about it (this is gonna be a long one folks hold onto your hats)

We first see his dynamic with Peach. They're sitting together and clearly he's very talkative and tries to make her laugh! And they're probably busy mutually pining as usual

As always, he's trying his hardest to be a gentleman for her. Not that he ever really knew how to treat the Princess because of his lower-middle class upbringing, but he does his best. After their ride gets a bit rough and her crown almost falls off, he's concerned for her and checks to see if she's alright before they both laugh it off (albeit Mario a little more nervously).

As soon as they arrive, he makes a beeline for the cakes and snacks, which is a nice reference to things like the Super Show and Superstar Saga where he's shown to eat a lot (good for him! Eat up king!! Having to be the world's hero all the time must take a lot of energy!!)

Once they head off to their rooms to sleep, he says nightnight to Luigi which they've definitely done ever since they were little (source trust me on this one i would know). Small interactions like that really showcase how much he has always cared for and loved his little bro!! More on that later

The next time we see him is after Luigi saves him, and this man just FLINGS himself at his brother. He's so happy to see him again!! I've also always loved how Luigi has to bend down a little whenever they hug. Short king!! Mario was probably feeling so many emotions man. Relief, joy, pride in Luigi all in one happy ball. He's so guy

But just like that, he's off again. This really shows one of the most admirable and maybe concerning things about Mario- how quick he is to dust himself off and immediately help others. No matter how scared he might have been in those moments when he was portrait-ified in his room late at night, no matter how tired from relief he might have felt after being saved, he more or less told Luigi that they had to save the Princess in the same breath that he thanked his bro for saving him.

The contrast between the bros here really make them stand out individually. Mario runs ahead leaving Luigi to follow, both because he's anxious to save Peach and also he's a headstrong protective little fool who wants to check that the road ahead is safe for his bro. He hasn't learned his lesson from when he did that in LM1, I guess? And once he sees the coast is clear, he runs back to make sure Luigi is still there. I love how excitable and energetic he is here! The man really can't stay still. Welcome to this week's episode of 'Is it because after saving worlds and running around all the time he feels the need to be constantly doing something otherwise he feels useless or does he have ADHD?' (It's both)

He's also really speedy at getting to the top of building, good LORD. It shows how much he's grown accustomed to platforming, and how capable he's become after all this time! But once Luigi gets the top as well, things get interesting:

He frantically asks Luigi for help. Now that I think about it, has he ever seen someone he cares about trapped inside a painting in the same way that Luigi has? This could well be his first time. And for once, the infallible and 'invincible' hero can't do anything at all about it. He knows Luigi can get her out, but he's still so worried about her. Poor Mario :(

Once she's out, King Boo appears again. This small detail got to me ever since I first saw this cutscene– he puts a hand in front of Peach!! He feels like he always needs to be the one protecting her, even on a subconscious level. He knows he doesn't have the equipment to deal with ghosts, and a simple hand in front of her won't do anything to stop King Boo, but the gesture is instinctive. As if he's trying to say 'Don't worry Princess, I'll handle this!' like always, even when he knows he can't. Always so quick to take on the hero role.

But despite his best intentions, he and the Princess end up trapped again. He probably felt really silly after being freed again, knowing he couldn't do anything to help her this time around... but Luigi had it handled!

And finally, a picture from the credits. The fact that he and Peach were immediately willing to help rebuild the mansion shows both their collaborative and forgiving nature- even though these ghosts had effectively helped in his capture, he was fine with working with them right away. And it all turns out for the best, because the game begins and ends with him and Peach sitting and laughing together. Mommmm they're pining again

TL;DR Mario is energetic, loving, and most of all protective. Whether it's his big bro instincts or wanting to be his love interest's heroic knight, he really can't stop himself from doing everything to protect others. Man I love Mario Mario

[wiseatom]

How do you think Joyce will feel about Will and Mike dating? Like, what kind of mother will she be in this scenario? And how do you think Hopper will deal with their relationship, initially and in the long run?

so the thing is i simply think there is nothing more joyce byers wants in this world than the happiness of her sons, and i think that she has seen mike wheeler treat her son w love and tenderness and care and authenticity the entire time she has known him, so she would be Delighted to see will have something he clearly thought he was never going to have, even if she had any reservations about it. i think joyce definitely has opportunities as a mother, especially where jonathan is concerned, but i do also think that in terms of how she would treat byler, i think she'd make an effort to tease will about it the way she does jonathan with nancy in s3? like the breakfast scene in the first episode. i think she would make it clear that she is comfortable w the relationship through teasing. almost normalize it through sweetly poking fun at him? just to give will that reassurance that yes, she really does love him even if that means loving the boy he brought home in kindergarten in more ways than what everyone else thinks is okay.

the hopper/will relationship is genuinely one of my favorite things to think about, and i know a lot of people have Opinions about hopper, but also like. i simply love a flawed character!! i do!!! i think his good outweighs his bad, and i could go on about s3 characterization, but that's not what you asked, so i'll save it! i think hopper loves will and mike both so much individually that i cannot see a scenario where he doesn't support them together. since he's gotten involved in the byers' lives, he has been a champion for will's safety and will's happiness. even on a surface level, he has gone out of his way to protect him and make sure will knows that he is in will's corner. obviously he's had more of a plot with mike, but i think he has, for the most part (aka ignoring s3), really made an effort to understand mike and has come to accept him by the end of s4. i think this guy just genuinely wants mike to be happy yk. i think it depends on how the mlvn breakup goes, and what cards mike plays, but i also can't fathom a scenario in which el holds resentment towards byler happening, yk? i don't think she's going to be jumping for joy, i think it's going to take time, but i think there's going to be a *finn voice* mutual understanding and acceptance there, and i think that seeing that, coupled with the fact that hop loves both will and mike and wants to see them happy, will make that transition easier.

i do think hop learned his lesson in s3 lol but i think similar to joyce, he'd apply similar rules that he did to mike and el so that they reinforce the idea that mike and will's relationship isn't Wrong yk. so they definitely get the 3 inch rule, and hop def acts exasperated over mike's existence, but i think there's also an undercurrent of, "you let me know if anyone messes with you" and "i've got your backs no matter what." i just lov hop <3

send curious anons (or don't) <3