#but they would all make each other worse actually

[grimmbane]

Yeah, I went the opposite way in my fic. In my fic, there's werewolves, vampires, and humans all over Piltover and Zaun, the main difference is how they're treated. Piltover oppresses werewolves and vampires heavily while Zaun is very open and accepting of werewolves and vampires considering their founding.

I would have made Mel a werewolf in my fic since Ambessa is one, but per the lore of my AU, due to the influence of the Arcane/magic in her, she's a human. I decided that werewolves are more magic based than vampires ofc and i guess slightly different than the Arcane magic so the werewolf magic cannot enact on the Arcane so Mel never becomes a werewolf.

Which is also why Piltover seems more hostile to werewolves as Piltover distrusts/dislikes magic so werewolves are seen as more of a threat than vampires

I'll go more into my lore below the cut. It's still a wip and subject to change.

A lot ofwerewolves in Piltover usually work as Enforcers. It's framed as one of the few jobs actively accepting werewolves, especially during pre-independance Zaun as Piltover is highly prejudiced against werewolves and vampires. But vampire traits are easier to hide than werewolf traits.

So werewolves tend to have difficulty finding jobs due to the full moon transformations. (However, vampires tend to get worse PR) Most of Piltover's werewolf enforcers are assigned to Zaun because of Zaun's werewolf (and vampire) population and the amount of unregistered werewolves. Piltovan werewolves are required to wear collars while in wolf for, and there are a lot of restrictions against shifting in public/being in wolf or half-form. Werewolves are typically shown less mercy in the courts. Very few if any houses have werewolves, the exception being House Talis and probably others I don't know about, but most werewolves are not of Houses, especially not noble.

Piltovan werewolves, however, tend to see themselves as above Zaunite werewolves and tend to see them as feral and violent.

The dissolving of Piltover's Underground werewolf Enforcers unit is actually what causes the rise in Piltover's growing underground and that underground's animosity towards Zaun which we see in "Champion" eventually leads to the invention of "Glimmer" as a Shimmer knockoff and attempt to incite hostilities as part of the agreement between Zaun and Piltover is that Shimmer would not be allowed to be distributed in Piltover.

Vampires are typically more hidden in Piltover and more hush hush, even more fractured than the vampire factions of Piltover before Silco unified them, a step to helping them rebel. However Piltovan laws make it extremely difficult for vampires to get blood because blood parlours are illegal, forcing more Piltovan vampires to buy from Zaun's blood parlours or outright move to Zaun. Most vampires that do live in Piltover are either rich enough or have humans close enough to them to get blood from.

Rations between werewolves and vampires are even worse in Piltover than in Zaun, even worse than how things had been before Silco and Vander rose to power. As they both see each other as rivals and with envy as they believe the other to have things "better" but their both getting the short end of the sticks

Most of Piltover's upperclass and elite are still solidly human. There may be a few vampire and werewolf Houses but tend to be lower class and rarely get any marriage prospects out of fear/distrust.

And in the first chapter of "Champion", we see how many beliefs the humans have about werewolves and vampires that are plainly untrue/lies and also like seeing "Zaunite Vampires" and "Piltovan Vampires" are practically viewed as separate species

There's also the "Piltover has no ides of the existence of hybrids" and Viktor goes to some lengths to pass as a vampire (noting there wasn’t a "hybrid" option on the paperwork) as he's a hybrid but with more vampire traits.

The Arcane fandom loves a vampire/werewolf dynamic but sometimes it’s so obvious the only thought going into it is “rich = vampire, poor = werewolf”

What do you MEAN you think Mel wolf-metaphor, inherited violence Medarda would be the VAMPIRE??? I’m going to die

[jthealien]

Foreshadowing I’ve Found for THAT Reveal

Spoilers for the Season 1 finale under the cut!!!

HI GUYS HOW ARE WE FEELING WOW

I’ve spent the weeks in between the fast pass release and now rereading and looking for every bit of foreshadowing I could find for B- I mean Nox… being a key. (Or at least key adjacent)

Side Note: I’m playing fast and loose with the definition of foreshadowing here. Some are pretty small details or silly observations, but my list my rules :P

So here it is compiled in a massive (vaguely chronological) list with numbered photos!

Also if there’s anything I missed (I’m sure there is) please add it!!

———

1) The literal first scene of the comic is a crescent moon (in a purple background), which we now know is Nox/the villain key’s symbol

2) (Ep. 13) Nox knows “plenty about the keys.” uh yeah I bet you would

3) (Ep. 13) Chase asks if Nox is part of Ex Libris and wants to make the keys more miserable, which seems to make him really upset. It’s understandable, I’d be pretty upset if I was implied to be working with my tormentors to make my own life even worse.

4) (Ep. 13) From the start Nox assumes Chase wants the keys for something selfish. Considering Ex Libris treats the keys like objects, and some of the keys (like Bronze) are pretty weary around people, that’s not an unreasonable assumption. Nox is so accustomed to being used by higher ups for selfish wishes

—This puts his outburst in Ep. 31 in a whole new light, specifically the line about Chase wanting to befriend the keys. He’s so convinced that couldn’t be true because it’s never been true for him.

5) Each of the keys has a specific junk food/snack they like. Silver has cheese, Bronze has peanut butter, Goldie has gummies, and it seems Nox has chocolate :]

6) (Ep. 20) “Every last thing” about the keys is his business in his words

—Guess that includes himself

7) Metals can rust, and Nox isn’t a fan of water (besides baths, but I assume that’s because he can control when he goes in and for how long)

8) When you stick a key in a book, they automatically know the story (as said by Bronze in Ep. 21). This explains why Nox seems to know a book’s plot no matter what

9) (Ep. 28) He says that the keys can take advantage of “certain loopholes.” In that moment, this is a reference to what characters a key can use for their role. But it could also be a nod to how keys can technically use other keys to enter stories. He’d know that since it’s what he’s been doing this whole time.

10) In the infamous “They feed you, right?” scene (Ep. 29), we’ve always kind of assumed that — yeah — Ex Libris just doesn’t feed him often. But in this scene, Chase ALSO says “keep you locked up.” I have a feeling that’s actually what Buddy got upset about. Ex Libris probably did keep him locked up as a key, which has to be really traumatic considering his severe claustrophobia.

11) (Ep. 31) Nox assumes Chase’s wish is just as “self-serving” as his is, which we now know is to be human again.

—(Nox actually projects a lot of his own feelings onto Chase, I’ll talk about that some other time though.)

—Referring back to number 5, during this whole confrontation, Nox is convinced that Chase only wants Narratonin for a wish. As a key, of course he’d think that, because that’s all that the humans usually around him want.

12) ”Nobody should have to accept being the villain if they’re trying their best not to be.” (Ep. 30) and “I get it, you’re the villain around here…” (Ep. 32)

—He literally IS the villain

—(Also I didn’t have room to include it, but Nox gets a really sad look on his face after Chase says that last line. yikes..)

13) (Ep. 32) In response to Chase talking about trusting humans, Nox says “them.” He could’ve said something like ‘people’ or ‘anyone,’ but his wording here implies that he sees human beings as separate from himself.

14) The crescent moon necklace on his outfit in Sick Days, as well as the half-ones on his jacket. If you really think about it you could also count the gemstones near his eyes as representing his gem eyes.

—It’s maybe a little strange that this outfit is the one he decided to make so similar to his key form. But it makes sense considering the previous arc was Beach Boys, where Nox became more trusting of Chase

15) (Ep. 35) He’s never been sick because keys can’t get sick.

16) (Ep. 36) He says “real people” and “person,“ showing again how he might not think of himself as either of those. (See number 13)

17) (Ep. 39) There’s a lock on Nox’s coffin

18) (Ep. 39) I originally thought it was the lighting but nope, his ear is literally gray! Also his hair here is less spiky at the ends, like how it is in his key form

19) (Ep. 39) He looks surprised by his reflection, because he’s only used to seeing his human form while in the books.

—In fact, since you can’t see yourself in the book mirrors, when’s the last time he saw himself as a human?

20) (Ep. 39) The broken key-ring looking thing around his neck

21) (Ep. 49) “Good, that means I’m taller than someone for once.” if only you knew, Chase..

22) The entirety of Ep. 50 confirming that keys can go into books

23) (Ep. 53) He gets really pissy over the idea of his teeth being “baby”. Might be carry over from his grudge against being like 5 inches tall in reality

24) (Ep. 53) His claustrophobia could stem from being stuck in his key form and being put in a box for weeks or months at a time.

—He keeps repeating that he just needs to “wait it out” and “it’s fine” because that’s all he could do and think as a key

25) (Ep. 54) “That moon is too close” following the scene where Buddy decides to lower his guard and work on his harmful behaviors. We now know the symbol of the villain key is the moon, so it could be Nox trying to distance himself from his role as the villain.

26) (Ep. 55) The crescent moon on Bad Cat’s lapel

27) (Ep. 56) “Some people are very good at disguising their true nature” in reference to Nox. It’s quite literal, in this case.

28) All the characters’ eyes are drawn in a very specific way, no matter their color (black shading taking up half the iris, the white shine). Every character except Nox, that is.

—Well, every character except Nox and the key’s human forms. I always thought it was meant to make him seem more intimidating (which it Does), but it really might be a byproduct of being a key. The queen in Friends and Family (Ep. 56) almost has Nox’s exact eye color, and her eyes are still colored in the usual way. So it’s definitely more than a stylistic choice.

—Makes me wonder what Nox looked like pre-key form. ..Did he still have his bright blue high beams..

29) Dreams by Day is about a key having a dream/flashback, and Dreams by Night is.. also about a key having a dream/flashback

———

And that’s all I have for now!! I’m absolutely going to find something else the millisecond I post this but like u said please add anything you notice.

[keeperofthepresent]

Random thoughts and questions on the recent chapters...

So the recent chapter pretty much implies that the trio are dead. Which makes sense. But then I think of Teru's hand holding his sword and I wonder if he's dead or alive. Which also makes me wonder about whether the other two are dead or alive.

And if Akane and Aoi are dead then that would mean that Teru watched Akane get killed before he took the sword from him. And he watched Aoi die too, either before or after that. He watched their last moments, right after exorcising Kou.

And he can be sitting there and processing the grief of it all, or he can be dead too, who knows. Or maybe Akane is alive when Teru takes the sword, and Aoi is dead.

I can't help but think that Akane of this timeline and Nene of the original timeline are parallels to each other, especially with how they both had injuries on their left leg because of the red house.

And in the original timeline, Kou saves Nene and they get out of the house. What if Teru does the same for Akane? Meanwhile Aoi ends up taken as a sacrifice by the house before they can save her? I can't stop thinking of the implications that human sacrifices with her family are still being made in this timeline and how it can all be relevant to their situation.

Or maybe it's actually Aoi who's alive and Akane is dead. And if Akane is dead then what happens? Why did the clock keepers tell him not to die? Does he get erased from all timelines? Does something worse happen? Why do the clock keepers need the keeper of the present to be a living human anyway? What is going on?

Of course, there's the simple and easy answer that they're all dead and that's that. After all, no one is replying to Nene's messages for some reason. But what if...? WHAT IF?

(One thing for sure, at least one of them is dead haha...)

[kaiokentimesten]

I FUCKING LOVE YOU HAJIME HINATA I love how the world he lives in and HPA enable all of his worse traits. Thinking about how he says this in his dream sequence in chapter 3:

Obsessed with the way he sort of lifts himself up and puts himself down at the same time. He deserves to be there—deserves to be someone bigger than who he is now. He gets good grades and does good in sports, but it's not enough. He's not worthwhile enough—not right now. He acts like he's important enough to deserve to go to Hope's Peak Academy, but given the "I just want to become someone who's confident in myself", you can also interpret that as him wanting to go to Hope's Peak to feel like he deserves it. Like he's trying to prove to himself that he really does deserve to stand among the talented like he's one of them

And like. Given how he talks about himself in Danganronpa 3 once he DOES get into Hope's Peak (calling himself a nobody, etc etc), it feels like his confidence gets a bit shaken once he's actually there around talented people. Doesn't help that everyone in the Reserve Course is MISERABLE and they all make each other miserable. They all share in that desperation to be more than themselves, but what sets Hajime apart is that he is SO desperate that he's willing to give up everything to get what he wants—what he feels like he deserves

What hurts the most about all of that is that. When you look at SDR2. And you see how Hajime is in that bubble. He is so loved. Not for his talent, or for what he can do for people, he's just....loved for himself. He's part of the class, even if he can't remember his talent, even if he ends up not having one at all. Maybe if he had been more appreciated before all that, this could have all been avoided. But also...maybe it was always meant to be that way. Maybe Hajime could have had 1,000 friends, but it still wouldn't have been enough. Maybe he would have always felt entitled to and desperate for more. It's interesting to dissect all of those layers. I love you Hajime Hinata

[aplacefordreaming24]

Wawawa! This will be very long, I apologize!

What does your f/o's hugs feel like?

Like home. They're warm and they're safe. I can feel him next to me and I know that he's real and I'm real and that it's safe; it's okay. And I can just sit there as long as I need until I'm ready. To me, that's home.

What are your favorite dates to have with them?

Hmm. I like silly dinner dates! It doesn't have to be anywhere fancy, I'd be happy just going to an IHOP at 3 in the morning for a date. Or park dates!! A picnic or just taking walks around the place while we hold hands. Very simple things like that :3

What are their favorite dates to have with you?

I think he likes dates where we get to go to aquariums, museums, planetariums, etc. Places where he gets to watch me be in awe of everything and he has the chance to impress me with all his knowledge on whatever subject we're discussing. That, or more fancy dinner dates! Because I don't get to do a lot of anything fancy in general!

Do you have any songs that remind you of them? Do they have any songs that make them think of you?

We both have a lot of songs that make us think of each other, so I will go off of what's on our shared playlist! The song that reminds me of him is "Furever" by PhemieC! The song that reminds him of me is "Sick of Losing Soulmates" by Dodie Clark!

What's the height difference between you and your f/o?

Hmm, well! I'm only 4'10", and he's 5'9"! So while he's not like, giant, he's still pretty tall compared to me! I only reach his shoulder! Idk the actual math though!

On a 1-10 scale, with 1 being the least and 10 being the most, how much do they like PDA with you?

I'd say about 3 at the start of the relationship, and with enough time, we got it to an 8! He can still be a little jittery around PDA, not necessarily for the public aspect of it, but for the actual physical affection. But he can get pouty if I'm not at least holding his hand <3

What's your favorite feature about your f/o?

Is it cliche to say his eyes? They're such a pretty shade of blue <3 I'd happily sit and stare into them for hours if I could. Or maybe his voice? I love the sound of it, especially when he sings.

What do you think they smell like?

Hmm. Mint. Clean linens. Pine trees, surprisingly. Forests. He smells like winter. It's soothing.

What is your f/os biggest love languages? They don't have to be one of the "five", it can be anything specific they use to show you love.

I think it would be gift giving in terms of showing affection, and words of affirmation/physical touch for receiving affection! He lives off of praise and kind touch. I never pass up a chance to call him a sweet name or give a compliment, or press a kiss to his cheek/touch his hair. Anything to remind him I love him.

As for gift giving, I think it's a default, almost? Being surrounded by wealth for so long, around a lot of frivolous and materialistic people, he might believe that's just how people generally are. Except, I am horrible at receiving gifts. Worse than horrible. But it's okay, he will learn I want kisses and nice touches back! (And work on helping me accept gifts, oops).

Do you guys sleep in the same bed? If so, what's it like sleeping with them?

Yes! It's very comfortable. He likes to be big spoon (is that too much to say?) and generally speaking, it's a bunch of comfortable blankets and being wrapped up in each other's arms. I like to lay on his chest and hear his heart beat while he has his nose in my hair. It's the only way I know how to sleep nowadays...

What's your favorite headcanon about your f/o?

I think my favorite is how selfless he is, hehe! He used to do ballet, only because his little sister was too nervous to do it alone, which was soooo sweet of him! He's very flexible and still good at dancing, and it's fun to tease him about it hehe!!

What is the dynamic that you and your f/o have?

Oh god, here we go again /silly. I have always described it as the same dynamic as Orpheus and Eurydice from Hadestown. A man who fell in love with a woman. Just two people who simply fell in love. One who can help the other see how the world could be, and one who can help the other see how the world is. And we'll fall in love, over and over again <3

What does your f/o do for you when you're having a rough day?

He holds me...... He doesn't do much, though he feels a need to, I'm sure. But I really don't ask for much. I just wanna be held until I feel better. And maybe talk about it for hours until I'm over it, but he's there to listen and get whatever happened off my mind when I'm done.

Do you like to hold hands? If so, what's that like?

It's the best feeling in the world <3

Do they like to give you little kisses? If so, where is their favorite place to kiss? (Face, hands, etc)

He does!! His favorite place to kiss me is my forehead/the top of my head. Or if he really wants to fluster me, he'll kiss my hands and fingers!

Vice versa, do YOU like to give them little kisses? If so, where is YOUR favorite place to give them?

Yes, all the time!!! Specifically his cheek/neck/jaw!

What's your favorite silly leisure activity to do with your f/o?

Nap. Napping. Sleeping. Laying in bed together with no responsibilities for the day, just wrapped up in each other and being warm and happy? Sign me up, please. Napping together because we fell asleep watching a movie? Hell yes. I love naps. We deserve it.

What is your favorite compliment that your f/o gives you? What is your favorite nickname that they for you, if they have one?

Hmm, I can't think of a specific compliment, but he loves to call me sunshine/sweetheart! I am also considering the idea he likes to call me honey <3

What's your favorite compliment to give THEM? What is your favorite nickname to call them?

My favorite compliment to give him is how selfless, kind, sweet, thoughtful he is! I don't think he realizes it or hears it enough. That he's much nicer that he realizes. I call him teddy/teddy bear a lot, but also my love, love, my prince, my knight, etc etc.

I want everyone to have the chance to ramble about their romantic f/os, so I'm gonna make a reblog game where yall can answer the plethora of questions I'm gonna toss down. Any of the questions you want to answer, as little or as much as you'd like!! I'll read them all. PR.O.SHIP DNI!!! AT ALL! GET OUT-

SO!! SELFSHIPPERS! RIDDLE ME THIS:

What do your f/o's hugs feel like?

What are your favorite dates to have with them?

What are their favorite dates to have with you?

Do you have any songs that remind you of them? Do they have any songs that make them think of you?

What's the height difference between you and your f/o?

On a 1-10 scale, with 1 being the least and 10 being the most, how much do they like PDA with you?

What's your favorite feature about your f/o?

What do you think they smell like?

What is your f/os biggest love languages? They don't have to be one of the "five", it can be anything specific they use to show you love.

Do you guys sleep in the same bed? If so, what's it like sleeping with them?

What's your favorite headcanon about your f/o?

What is the dynamic that you and your f/o have?

What does your f/o do for you when you're having a rough day?

Do you like to hold hands? If so, what's that like?

Do they like to give you little kisses? If so, where is their favorite place to kiss? (Face, hands, etc)

Vice versa, do YOU like to give them little kisses? If so, where is YOUR favorite place to give them?

What's your favorite silly leisure activity to do with your f/o?

What is your favorite compliment that your f/o gives you? What is your favorite nickname that they for you, if they have one?

What's your favorite compliment to give THEM? What is your favorite nickname to call them?

Okay I can't wait to see some answers!! Feel free to reblog as many times with as many f/os as you want. ANYONE CAN PARTICIPATE! SEEING THIS POST IS AN INVITATION FOR YOU!!

People I'd like to see answer this off the top of my head (but don't have to!!): @moxanji-real @one-winged-dreams @lovesickvalentines @graveluvr @clawingatmy-enclosure @starshakez @jpeg-indulgence @everynya @tropgothships @selfshipping-tboy @amelielovesamaris @pixel-comfort @fl0ralsxgar

[hiddengiggles]

Let’s talk about consent and smart ways to play

Yes, consent can be revoked at any time. That’s normal and your boundaries should be reexamined regularly as part of your own check ins.

No, it doesn’t mean either party did anything wrong, it can just be a change of what either wants. Shaming either party for changing their mind serves no one. Don’t act like the person who was receiving the action is unfair or a “tease” for changing their mind. Don’t act like the person giving the action was bad or wrong for doing the thing for which they had consent at the time because you didn’t like it.

Yes, it’s awesome to be able to open yourself up and be vulnerable for different activities and kinks. When you don’t have a partner to engage with regularly, it can be thrilling to finally find a person to play with, I know.

No, blanket consent for EVERYTHING right from the jump is NOT a good idea. If you’re connecting with a play partner the first few times, start slow and expand. Feeling enough trust to give consent for some kinks can and probably should take time so uou can be really comfortably vulnerable

Yes, it is exciting to safely meet play partners from the online world when you are BOTH ready for it! When you’re safe about meeting (getting to know them slowly, setting a neutral meeting point, letting a few people know where you’re going and the name of your friend, etc) it can be a great way to get time with your kinks. When it isn’t forced, rushed, or for too long a time period, the organic connection can be magical!

No, you should not assume each party is on the same page unless you’ve communicated multiple times, especially in writing. If you had a phone call a month ago that talked about boundaries and assume all is well, you’re not actually playing safely. Some people write out rules, some BDSM players sometimes make it a “contract”, but a verbal conversation will not protect you or help you if worse comes to worst. This is especially important for partners still new to playing together. Record the hard conversations in some way.

Yes, you can start a conversation on boundaries and kinks with generalization. Example on my end, my husband and I both are okay with pictures and videos taken of us and posting them. In the early days of our relationship, we checked every time we played “Is it okay if I film this?” but after years together we’ve both agreed it’s okay to take them anytime, though we check with each other if we’re comfortable with what was captured regularly.

No, a general conversation is not enough. Continuing my example, we both have boundaries for ourselves and for each other to make sure we’re okay with it being posted (or sometimes sold). Earlier today, I put on a really pretty lingerie set for some birthday giggles. However, I stopped and asked “If you wanted to film this, would you be comfortable with me being seen in this publicly? Our usually boundaries call for a top and bottoms covering”. He paused, considered, and said no, so I put on a tank top and shorts too. Get specific with every aspect of your play, from your comfortable clothing levels, to where content can be posted, to areas you don’t want touched that day that you might normally be okay with otherwise. Assuming you already know the answer is not enough, say it again.

Consent is a lot bigger and more complicated than just this post, so talk about it A LOT with your partner(s). The biggest key to a good relationship in and out of kink (friendship, mentorship, romantic relationship) is to NEVER STOP TALKING. Communication is key, talk about your boundaries and consent over and over and over. They will change and grow, and so will you.

Mistakes and miscommunications will happen, but it’s important to talk about them like the grown people you are. A lot of consent issues with new partners aren’t malicious, they can easily stem from either party being unclear or simply not thinkinh to ask about something that could be a boundary issue. Unless it was a blatant “I KNEW the boundary and disregarded it purposely because I wanted to do it” situation, be an adult and talk about it. If you’re adult enough to be engaging in activities or kinks for adults, you need to follow through and talk about what went right and wrong. Learn and grow from the stuff you didn’t do as well before, accept responsibility for your part, and move on, with or without that partner.

[theomencometh]

Anthony's Realization

Fandom: Smosh Pairing: Ian Hecox/Anthony Padilla, Anthony Padilla & Dan Howell, implied phan Rating: T Key Tags: Feelings Realization, Getting Together, Friends to Lovers Word Count: 5,275 Read on AO3

Summary:

When Anthony’s realization finally hits him, the first thing that he does is take three slow, deep breaths. The second thing that he does is figure out when his next therapy appointment is, decide it’s too far away, and pull out his phone to text an expert.

When Anthony’s realization finally hits him, the first thing that he does is take three slow, deep breaths.  He closes his eyes, inhales, and tells himself that it isn’t a big deal.  And it truly isn’t, not really.  The thing about this realization is that it's not a surprise.  He may not have been aware enough to name what was happening, but by the time he becomes conscious of his feelings, he’s been living with them for long enough that it’s a natural part of him, nothing to be done.  He doesn’t want to fight it, it’s silly to deny it, and there are definitely worse fates in the world.  Still, it’s a huge fucking realization to have, and he takes a second to re-center himself in the middle of the office so he doesn’t do something stupid, like have a panic attack or grab Ian by the lapels of his jacket or start laughing hysterically.

The second thing that he does when he finally has his realization is figure out when his next therapy appointment is, decide it’s too far away, and pull out his phone to text an expert.

There’s no way that he can talk about this with anyone he works with.  Not only are there sometimes complicated boundaries with him being one of the owners, but if this got leaked it would spread around Smosh like wildfire, and he’s absolutely not ready for that.  In that instance, might as well stay away from everyone in the general LA area, just in case it manages to get back to anyone on staff.  Actually, there are too many people who know Smosh members in the entire country, so it’s best to discard everyone in the United States–no, everyone in all of North America entirely.

The answer is obvious.  There’s one other person who is uniquely positioned to understand what he’s going through and who would be willing to talk him through it, and that person doesn’t live in the country and talks more to him than anyone else at Smosh.

Anthony: hey, any chance you’re free to chat soon? could use your advice. nothing bad

He only has to wait a few seconds, which is impressive, because he didn’t consider calculating the time difference before he texted.

Dan Howell (youtube): oh hell

you’re not dying right

30 minutes sound good?

Anthony: no death, 30 min is good. Ttyl

Anthony grabs his jacket and heads out the door, calling a very general goodbye to the office at large so no one thinks he has just been burdened with self-knowledge that he will be obsessing over for the foreseeable future.

Anthony makes it home with no memory of the drive.  He barely has time to kick off his shoes and settle on the couch before Dan’s call comes through.  It’s a video call, but Anthony is still met by a dark screen, only half of Dan’s face illuminated with white light.  He’s probably in his room in the dark even though he’s wide awake, which feels so quintessentially Dan that it eases Anthony a little.

“Hey, thanks for calling,” Anthony says.  Dan squints at him suspiciously from the tiny phone screen.

“Of course,” he replies.  “Not every day I get to talk to my good friend Anthony Padilla.”

Anthony rolls his eyes, because Dan has been busier than him lately and they do send each other memes and funny messages sometimes.  It’s not like they’ve had no contact in the past few months.

“What’s up?” Dan asks, steamrolling past any reply Anthony might come up with.  Anthony likes that about him.  It may be hard to lock Dan into a genuine conversation when he doesn’t want one, but once he’s there he has single-minded focus and doesn’t let Anthony beat around the bush or procrastinate.  Anthony would be almost offended that it seems like Dan wants to get it over with if it wasn’t for the fact that small talk right now would be excruciating.

“I’ve, uh, had a bit of a realization recently, and I don’t really want to talk to anyone in the office about it.”

Dan levels him with a flat look.

“Are you fucking in love with Ian?”

Anthony groans, leaning back against his couch and giving himself a moment to cover his face.

He didn’t expect Dan to clock him so easily.  Can everyone tell?  Was Anthony himself the last person to know?  Does he have a flashing neon sign saying IN LOVE WITH IAN HECOX hanging above his head?

“How the fuck did you know?” he asks incredulously.  Dan laughs at him, loud and bright.

“Because if it wasn’t about Ian, you’d be talking through whatever it is with him as part of your “healthy communication” pact, and my largest skill set is navigating how to be a gay youtuber in love with your best friend and business partner. Also, I’m probably the closest gay person you know who isn’t associated with your company.”

Anthony laughs.

“Is it really that obvious?” he asks.  Dan shrugs.

“I know what I’m about,” he replies.  “Now, is it the gayness that’s a crisis or the Ian-ness that’s a crisis?”

“Ian-ness,” he responds immediately.  “Wait, actually…”

Dan waits while Anthony takes a moment, because that’s not right, not really.

He isn’t worried about his sexuality.  He came to the conclusion a few years ago that he would keep himself open to other possibilities, and he’s always been able to appreciate other guys.  The fact that Ian has a dick isn’t a problem.  Sure, he hasn’t felt particularly motivated to give someone a blowjob before, but he’s not bothered by the idea at all.  He’d like to have the chance, frankly, even if he’s bad at it and needs to practice a bit, especially if Ian is the one he’s practicing with.  But the Ian of it all isn’t a crisis, either.

“It’s not–” he starts, then stops.  Dan hums encouragingly.  “It’s not a crisis, really?  It’s Ian, you know?  This is probably the best case scenario for my first time falling in love with a man.”

“Fair,” Dan says.  “So what do you need me for, then?”

Anthony snorts.

“If I didn’t talk this through with someone, I’d probably end up blurting it out in a meeting tomorrow in front of everyone.”

Dan hums.

“Yeah, wouldn’t be the most professional moment, even for you,” he says.  “I take it this means you’re down bad.”

“Oh yeah,” Anthony confirms.  “Hit me like a truck.  Nothing even prompted it!  I was wrapping up for the day and wondering if I should ask Ian to grab dinner like usual and the idea made me so happy I thought something was wrong.”

“That’s fucking gay, Anthony,” Dan says.

“I know!” he groans.  “That was the problem, because that’s how I feel about him all the time.  This is how I’ve felt for months, and I’m just now realizing.  What the fuck?  How does that happen?”

“You were too caught up in the euphoria of being around him again to tell it was a proper crush.  Like a frog in boiling water,” Dan says, nodding sagely.  Anthony mirrors him, grateful that he doesn’t need to elaborate further.  Reuniting with Ian felt like finding a part of himself that had been missing since before he left Smosh.  He had no way of knowing that the rush he felt every time they hung out or the elation when he managed to say something that made Ian laugh was a symptom of something bigger.  It felt like it used to, except better because they’d both grown as people and weren’t emotionally stunted children anymore.  He didn’t realize that love had anything to do with it, at least not romantic love.  Then, once they’d stabilized properly, they bought Smosh and he had more things to distract himself with.  He loved being around Ian, he loved being at Smosh, he loved the fact that he could have both when he had missed them for years.  He didn’t feel the need to examine things closer than that.

“What am I supposed to do?” Anthony asks.  Dan snorts.

“Don’t do what I did, which was stalk the other person to the point where we were friends and then make him do all the romantic heavy lifting,” he says.  “The way I see it, you can either repress it so hard it disappears and you’re miserable, or you tell him in a private moment that you both can escape if it goes badly.”

Anthony frowns.

“Will it go badly?”

Dan shrugs.

“You know Ian better than I do.  What do you think?”

Anthony makes himself stop and genuinely consider the question, rather than respond with knee-jerk fears or defensiveness.  There’s decades of history including their friendship completely unraveling to consider, and Anthony doesn’t think he’ll survive losing Ian a second time.  But Ian has never run away because Anthony wanted too much from him.  He might not respond the way that Anthony wants, and he might not give Anthony the same openness and vulnerability that Anthony would be giving him during a confession, but he can’t see this being the thing that pushes Ian away for good.  It might be awkward for a bit, but they’re both adults.  Anthony can figure out how to manage his feelings, and Ian historically has been great at ignoring elephants in rooms and pretending like things are fine.

“I think it’ll be okay,” he says slowly.  “If he doesn’t feel the same or is weirded out, I think we’ll be able to move past it.  He’ll probably make some bad jokes to deflect, but I don’t think he’ll hate me, or ask me to leave the company or anything.”

“You think he doesn’t feel the same?” Dan asks.  Anthony shrugs.

“Who knows, with Ian.  I know he loves me, but that’s different than being in love with me, and he was repressing the shit out of his emotions for a while there.  I don’t know.  It’s been–things have been really good with us, recently.  And I think he’s in the same place as me, with the sexuality thing.  But that doesn’t mean that he’s in the same place as me with his feelings, too.”

Dan hums.

Anthony tries to imagine Ian smiling at him in that new, soft way he sometimes does, saying something like “don’t be stupid, Anthony, of course I love you, too”.  His heart speeds up at just the thought, feeling like it’s about to skip out of his chest, and he slams that door shut immediately.  No use in getting his hopes up or catastrophizing, not before he knows the actual outcome.  Better not borrow the joy or anxiety of the future, right?

“When are you going to tell him?” Dan asks.

“What happened to maybe repressing it and being miserable?”  Anthony replies.

Even though he can barely see anything from Dan’s side of the screen, he can see the look that Dan gives him.  At least it makes him snort.

“As your friend, I can’t in good conscience actually recommend that route to you,” Dan says.  “Especially because you’d be shit at it and would tell him anyway, but it’d probably be at the worst possible moment.”

Anthony can’t argue with that.  He’s not great at keeping things inside.  If he tries to repress this, it’ll bubble up before exploding, like a soda that’s been shaken then cracked open, spilling his feelings all over the place.

“I should probably tell him soon, then,” Anthony says.  Dan nods.

“Better to get it over with.  Rip off the bandaid.”

“Opposite of what you did.”

“Fuck off,” Dan says, voice high with indignation.  “I’ve been in a happy relationship for over a decade.  You asked me for help.”

“I did,” Anthony concedes.  “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Dan says, smarmy and pompous in a way that makes Anthony laugh.

He directs the conversation away from his realization and toward normal topics, taking his time to catch up with Dan properly.  It’s good to talk to him, just like it always is.  As allergic as they are to phone calls, it’s nice to be able to chat in real time, rather than allowing text messages to get lost in a flurry of notifications.  More time has passed than Anthony realized when another notification pops up at the top of his screen.  He trails off mid-sentence when he sees who it’s from.

Ian: you ok? you left the office pret…

While he’s reading, another banner appears.

Ian: dinner?

“What’s up, what just happened?  Why are you ignoring me?” Dan asks.

“Sorry,” Anthony says, shaking his head to bring himself back to the moment.  “Ian just texted.  He wants to have dinner.”

“The thing that started it all,” Dan says ominously.  “Sounds like the perfect opportunity.”

Anthony feels a dash of panic surge through him before it fades, leaving the hint of a bitter aftertaste.

“Already?” he winces.

“Why, do you need to let things settle?” Dan asks.  “You seemed pretty secure with everything earlier.  Do you think your feelings are going to change?”

Anthony shakes his head immediately.

“I have never been more sure of my feelings,” he affirms.  “I’m in this for the long haul.”

Dan holds his hand up in a there you go gesture.

“Right,” Anthony says.  “Pulling off a bandaid.”

“Guess I’ll let you go get your man,” Dan sighs dramatically.  “Text me what happens.  Whether it’s a celebration or you want someone to listen to emo music and cry with you.”

“Thank you,” Anthony says earnestly.  Dan rolls his eyes.

“Whatever.  Welcome to the gay disaster club.  Have fun.”

“Thanks for having me,” Anthony laughs.  “Talk to you later.”

Dan says a quick goodbye and signs off with a wave, and Anthony navigates over to Ian’s messages before he can second-guess himself.

Ian Hecox: you ok? you left the office pretty quick today

dinner?

Anthony’s thumbs hover over the buttons, not wanting to lie to Ian, but also not wanting to confess his feelings over text.  If he says he wants to talk to Ian about something, Ian might think it’s worse than it is, and Anthony doesn’t want to turn this into a big deal for him if it doesn’t have to be, but if he ignores Ian’s initial question and just asks him to come over with takeout, he’ll still think something is wrong, and he’ll think that Anthony doesn’t want to talk about it with him and therefore it’s something terrible.

His phone buzzes with another notification.

Dan Howell (youtube): you better be replying to him and not PROCRASTINATING like a LOSER

Anthony sends him the middle finger emoji, but it’s the encouragement that he needs.

Anthony: had something on my mind i wanted to think through, nothing bad

wanna come over? bring thai pls

Ian’s reply comes in immediately.

Ian: be there in 20

Anthony locks his phone and sets it down, letting out a long breath.  He scrubs his hands over his face, then through his hair, blinking at the blank tv across from him while he tries to organize his thoughts.

He can’t sit here for 20 minutes spiraling until Ian gets here.  He wants to smoke to offset the nerves thrumming through him, but he doesn’t want to overdo it and lose his sense of urgency, then decide to put the confession off because of it.  He needs to tell Ian tonight.

“Like ripping off a bandaid,” he says aloud, slapping his thighs and standing.  He spots a candle and lights that, at least, then busies himself tidying up.  His home isn’t messy by any means, but rearranging things and breaking out the duster to run along his bookshelves gives him something to keep his hands busy while he repeats a mantra of affirmations in his mind, not allowing any room for the negative and anxious thoughts to permeate.

A sharp knock on his door breaks him out of his thoughts while he’s unloading the dishwasher, immediately followed by his door opening and Ian’s voice calling “Honey, I’m home!”

Anthony’s heart flutters.  If this continues, he’s going to need to see a cardiologist.

“In the kitchen!” he calls back.  “Want a drink?”

“Water for now,” Ian calls back, no doubt setting their take-out up on the coffee table in the living room.  “We’ll see about later.”

Anthony grabs two glasses for them and fills them from the filter in the fridge, adding ice for himself but none for Ian because he says it gets too cold for his teeth these days.  They’re getting older.  Anthony is grateful that he’s present to see it.

“I got you your usual,” Ian says, gesturing to the container while Anthony carefully sets the glass in front of him.  He changed since the office, dressing down in sweatpants and an older Smosh hoodie that they discontinued before Anthony left.  He looks tired and comfortable, like he belongs on Anthony’s couch shoveling rice into his mouth, and Anthony swallows around the lump in his throat.

Yeah, he needs to tell Ian tonight.  He can’t keep living like this.  Self-awareness is a gift, because you can’t change things if you don’t know there’s a problem, but Anthony wishes the problem wasn’t being in love with his best friend in a way that’s overwhelmingly impossible to ignore.

They don’t talk about anything important while they eat, just chatting casually about whatever crosses their minds, from a weird squirrel that Ian saw yesterday to an artist that Anthony found on Instagram and really likes.  It’s easy and comfortable, and Anthony finds himself relaxing with every little joke Ian says that makes him laugh.  Ian doesn’t try to be funny outside of work, but he naturally has Anthony in stitches more than anyone else he’s ever met.  Anthony has laughed more in the two years they’ve been reunited than he did in the entire six years they were apart.

Eventually, the laughter fades away, Ian setting his plastic fork down and leaning back against the cushions, wiggling a bit to get in the most comfortable position possible with a content sigh.  He’s such an old man that way, but Anthony is right there with him, knees cracking when he stretches out.

“So,” Ian says, lolling his head to the side so he can see Anthony fully. “What were you thinking so hard about earlier?”

Anthony sighs.  He crosses his arms, but he doesn’t like how that makes him feel like a kid waiting outside the principal’s office, so he rubs his hands against his jeans instead.

“We don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to,” Ian offers.  “I didn’t mean to pry.”

“No, it’s fine,” Anthony says before Ian can get the wrong idea.  “It’s not–I wanted to tell you, anyway.”

“Okay,” Ian says slowly.  Anthony takes a deep breath, then another one.

“I’m bi,” he blurts.

Not quite what he wanted to say, but baby steps.

“Officially,” he adds.  “I know we’ve kind of talked about it before, but I wasn’t really sure, and now I am.  I’m bisexual.  I like dudes, too.”

“Nice,” Ian says with a grin, leaning forward to give him a high five.  Anthony obediently slaps their palms together, and Ian’s fingers curl around Anthony’s hand, shaking him.  “Let’s go!  Solidarity!”

Anthony laughs, letting Ian break the tension like he usually does.  Their hands fall back against the couch, still clasped together, and part of the laughter dies in Anthony’s throat.

“Thanks for telling me, dude,” Ian says.  “I am, too, since we’re sharing sexualities.”

Ian’s thumb swipes over the back of Anthony’s hand and goosebumps erupt across his arms, thankfully hidden by his sweater.

“Cool,” he manages to say.  Ian smiles at him, open and joyful, and Anthony doesn’t know what emotion is playing across his face, but it makes Ian soften.

“Are you going to get emo on me?” he asks, light and teasing.  Anthony chuckles, but it comes out a little wet.

“I didn’t think I would,” he says honestly, blinking up at the ceiling and letting out a shaky breath.  Ian squeezes his hand, just a quick pressure and release, and Anthony returns it.  When he’s centered himself enough to look back at Ian, his best friend is still smiling at him.  It’s a smile that has no pretenses or expectations, just gentle acceptance.  He’s so much more open than Anthony ever expected him to be, even since they reconciled.  They both had to relearn how to read each other in these heavy moments, and Anthony now knows when Ian puts his walls up and why, and when he can give Anthony more of the vulnerability that he always craves.  Now, though, he doesn’t feel like Ian is hiding, despite the jokes and teasing.  He’s just here with Anthony, ready to take whatever confession he gives.

“That’s not all of it,” Anthony says.  Ian shifts, tucking a foot under him so he can face Anthony fully.  He still hasn’t let go of his hand, but Anthony doesn’t want to watch him do so later, so he does it himself, twisting one of his rings around to distract his hands from the sudden emptiness.

“I, uh,” he starts.  Ian’s steady focus on him is distracting, and it’s making his throat close up again.  He clears it, an incongruous sound in the otherwise quiet space.

“I realized I have feelings for someone,” he finally brings himself to say. Ian’s expression doesn’t change, maintaining a careful neutrality that Anthony is all too familiar with.

“Is that a bad thing?” he asks eventually, when too much time has passed for Anthony to fill in the blanks.

“No,” Anthony says quickly.  “No, it’s not– I’m not upset about it.  It’s just… scary.  But I can handle it.”

Ian’s eyebrows twitch with an aborted frown.

Damn, he’s botching this.

“It’s– if I had to fall in love with anyone, it’s best that it’s him,” he tries to explain.  “He’s– this is the best case scenario.”

Ian does frown this time.

“What do you mean?”

“You’re gonna let me down easy.”

Ian stares at him.  Anthony replays those words in his head and heat floods his face, everything burning.  He blinks a few times, but time doesn’t rewind and let him take those words back to tell Ian in a better way.  He’s always been shit at improv; he should’ve scripted this in those 20 minutes while Ian was grabbing them dinner and instead he’s making a mess of things.

“What,” Ian asks, no inflection.  Anthony opens his mouth, can’t get any actual words out, and closes it again.

“Deep breath, Anthony,” Ian commands.  Even though the inflection is still strangely empty, Anthony forces in a breath, then another one.

“Sorry,” he says.  Ian shakes his head.

“It’s fine.  But you need to use words, because I don’t know what the fuck is happening right now.”

Anthony gestures helplessly.

“I love you?” he says.  “In a gay way?”

Ian nods slowly.  Anthony wants the ground to open up and swallow him.  Maybe he can go stay with Dan and Phil for a few weeks or forever, since Dan’s advice got him in this situation in the first place, except he knows that he’s being irrational and everything should be fine once it stops sucking so bad.

He should’ve done this at Ian’s house so he could run away, rather than having Ian come to him and having to kick him out.

“You think I’m going to let you down easy?” Ian asks.  Anthony laughs, a high pitched, hysteric noise that he immediately hates and never wants to make again.

“Are you really going to be mean to me about it?” he asks.  His pulse is racing.  He’s going to die.  He’s actually going to die from confessing his gay love for his best friend.  This is pathetic.  This is terrible.  He’s almost 40 years old and it feels like he’s 15 and getting rejected for the first time, except worse.  Dan owes him so many drinks.

“Anthony,” Ian says, reaching towards him.  Anthony isn’t fast enough to lean away, and Ian’s hands cup his jaw, curling around his neck and threading through his hair to keep him in place.

“Stop freaking out,” he says, thumb swiping across Anthony’s jaw.  “Don’t be stupid.”

Anthony can’t even begin to formulate a response, because Ian leans forward and kisses him.  His brain completely short circuits at the gentle contact, even though it only lasts for a second before Ian is leaning back, carefully eyeing him.

“Huh?” he says.  Ian cracks a smile.

“I love you, too, you idiot.”

All of the tension leaves Anthony in a rush that makes him dizzy.  It’s a good thing that Ian is still holding him, hands anchoring him in the present while Ian gives him that new smile, the one that makes Anthony feel like Ian doesn’t want to be anywhere else if Anthony isn’t with him.

“Huh?” he asks again.  Ian chuckles, but it isn’t malicious, and Anthony smiles with him.

“Dude, did you really not know?” Ian asks.  “Courtney staged an intervention for me weeks ago.  Apparently she and Shayne have been making little bets since you came back.”

“Since I came back?” Anthony asks.  “No way.”

“They were delusional,” Ian agrees.  “I was not in touch with my feelings enough at that point.  I was just happy to have my best friend back.”

“And now?” Anthony asks.  Ian grins.

“I’ve been waiting for you to catch up.  What happened to you being in tune with your mind and spirit, bro?  Why’d it take you so long to get here?”

“Oh, shut the fuck up,” Anthony laughs, hands coming up to circle Ian’s wrists.  “I’ve never fallen in love with my best friend before.  I thought it was just you.”

Ian snorts, ducking his head and finally letting his hands fall from Anthony’s face, tangling their fingers together instead.

“That’s so fucking cheesy,” he says, but he sounds pleased.  Anthony flushes.

“We’re basically a friends to lovers fanfiction, Ian.  This was always going to be cheesy.”

Ian rolls his eyes.  When he looks at Anthony again, it’s through his lashes with a fond smile, like he’s taking pages out of Seduction 101.  Anthony is actually embarrassed at how well it works on him, face heating and breath catching.  His eyes wander down to Ian’s lips, and he forces them back to his eyes in a panic before he remembers that he’s allowed to do that.  Ian made that clear.

“Can I kiss you?” he asks.  “I wasn’t ready when you did it.”

“I don’t know, can you?” Ian replies automatically, then grimaces.  Anthony gives him a look, even if Ian’s immediate regret is clear.  At least they’re on the same page there.

“Yes,” Ian corrects.  “Actually, if you don’t I’m going to be upset.”

That’s all the encouragement that Anthony needs to lean in.  He takes his time, letting their noses brush and settling his hands on Ian’s waist before Ian gets impatient and closes the gap.  It feels entirely different than their first kiss.  Anthony goes into it with intention, pressing as close as he can without Ian's glasses getting in the way, and Ian responds in kind, hands snaking over Anthony's shoulders.  The scratch of Ian's stubble against his mouth sends shivers down his spine, much more addictive than Anthony would've guessed, and he fists Ian's hoodie tighter in response, shifting to try to get even closer.  Ian breaks the kiss before Anthony is ready, but all he does is take off his glasses and dive right back in, matching Anthony step for step.

Being this close is causing Anthony's head to spin, each change in angle and point of contact simultaneously making every nerve in him stand at attention and glaze over.  He can smell Ian's aftershave under the leftover Thai food and burned down remnants of the candle permeating through the living room, and Ian's hands feel incredibly warm through his sweater, even more so when one of them slides up his neck to dig into his hair.  The gentle scratch of nails against his scalp pulls the start of a whine out of his throat unbidden, and Ian immediately deepens the kiss, coaxing Anthony to open his mouth with a brush of his tongue.

Anthony wants to keep kissing him all night.  He could stay kissing him for the rest of his life and be perfectly happy, whether he keels over in a few minutes or a few decades.  This is their first time kissing with intent, the first time where it actually means something, but there's something so familiar about it anyway, the easy way that they move together and around each other, the compatible pressure and comfortable motions.  He pulls at Ian again, wanting to get even closer, and Ian shifts without breaking contact, pushing Anthony back against the arm of the couch and following him down.  It puts their bodies flush together, and Anthony wraps his arms around Ian's back, pinning him there, a warm line along his front.

A vibration in his pocket startles him enough that he breaks the kiss, blinking up at Ian in surprise.  He's haloed by the overhead light, mouth red and cheeks flushed, and he has never looked more beautiful.

"What's wrong?" he asks.  Anthony blinks at him, processing.

The phone in his back pocket vibrates again, loud enough that Anthony can hear it now that he's not distracted.  He forces one of his hands to release Ian's sweatshirt, lifting his hips to access the pocket and inhaling sharply when the motion makes him brush against Ian.

"Anthony..." Ian says, voice thick.  Anthony's phone vibrates again in his hand, drawing Ian's attention to it.  He sits back on his heels, finally giving Anthony room to catch a full breath.

Dan Howell (youtube): how are things?  have you told him yet?

celebration or crying

maybe silence is a good sign??

“Who is it?” Ian asks, tugging on the bottom of his hoodie.

“Dan,” Anthony says.  Then, for clarification, “Howell.  I called him earlier.  He wants to know how the love confession went.”

Ian plucks the phone from his hand in the middle of typing his reply.

“Hey,” Anthony protests halfheartedly while Ian swipes to the camera app.  Any additional bitching dies in his throat when Ian presses his lips to the corner of Anthony’s mouth, taking a selfie at the exact moment.

It isn’t the best picture.  They’re off-center and Anthony’s face equal parts enamored and very clearly caught off-guard, but Anthony doesn’t protest while Ian attaches the picture to Anthony’s message thread with Dan and sends it.  He locks the phone and discards it off to the side, something that Anthony is very okay with once Ian turns his full attention back to him.

“I know we need to talk about this soon, but I kinda want to save that conversation for later tonight and go back to making out right now,” Ian states.

“I’m fine with that,” Anthony says, already reaching for him.  He kisses Ian’s grin off his face.

Somewhere on Anthony’s coffee table, nestled among empty takeout containers and a stack of napkins, Anthony’s phone buzzes again.  Neither of them hear it.  When Anthony finally checks his phone the next morning, he’ll have a litany of text messages, equal parts sincerely happy and playfully disgusted.  For now, he’s more than satisfied to kiss Ian silly, everything else fading away until the world consists of just the two of them.

[sunsetconcert]

nineteen, then. honestly, that just makes it worse.

N is not locked in a cage. he is allowed to go outside and presumably he talks to Pokemon who don't belong to team plasma. he talks to your Pokemon who says "Yeah! I trust them! They're nice to me!" his next action is to decide that you are the outlier and therefore an exception to the rule, therefore he's allowed to continue assuming all Pokemon are abused in spite of the overwhelming evidence that he's completely wrong. (this is mentioned in the epilogue btw, where literally everyone told him he was wrong and he did all that shit anyway) he then goes on to say that even though you and your Pokemon obviously love each other, he eventually plans on seperating the two of you because his dreams and ideologies are more important than yours.

the game ends and he doesn't even apologise for putting you through the wringer. his big character arc literally ends with him saying "The only thing I understood was Pokemon-- No... Actually, I never understood them either." he admits he was full of shit. he admits that the entire time, he was saving provably stupid nonsense.

the backhalf of the game outright has him claiming to be a "Hero" and declaring that he will "change the world without force", only to then turn around and admit that he needs to use force to enact the policies he wants to put in place, like a hypocrite. he consistently puts his own wants and desires over those who he deems wrong and then treats them like dirt because they don't fit into his narrow viewpoint of the world. whenever you agree with N, he sounds sad he has to fight you. whenever you disagree, however, he stops giving a shit and declares that he has to "crush your will".

people think he's edgy because despite his supposed obsession with heroism and saving everyone, it's ultimately just a 1% more benevolent version of what ghestis wants - to seperate people from pokemon and enforce the seperation through overwhelming force. the endgame of his plan is to take a legendary pokemon and use it as a tool, despite his endgame supposedly being to end such things. the fact that he presumably doesn't see anything wrong with this until you beat him for the final time is very telling.

i would tell him to go read a fucking book so he knows how irredeemably stupid his plan is, but i genuinely doubt he knows how to read.

Wow, I can't believe some of the old message boards for Pokemon gen 5, especially for the characters. It's full of people saying stuff like: "All the characters are so awful. N is a preachy hypocritical little neckbeard just like everyone else in Team Plasma, the guy just watched Death note once and thinks he is so edgy", like, you're free to not like gen five or the characters, but these comments just seem like they come from people who haven't played the game in ages and are going off incredibly fuzzy memories, or did the whole story of being raised by wild animals and then being taken in and lied to, manipulated by a cult to be groomed into a puppet leader and the inherent pain and complications that come with it just completely go over their heads? As I've heard, N acts a lot like real people who were raised in cults and them got out of it eventually. Not to mention Bianca standing up to her overbearing father or her and Cheren's issues in general, or Hugh's entire reason he is so abrasive despite being a genuinely good person. I just really don't understand what could have been missed here or why anyone would think there's any reason to genuinely hate these characters?

[zaceouiswriting]

Fairy Prince - Hearts of Leviathans - Ch.47

Character: Sky x male reader, Riven x male reader, Brandon x male reader, (OC) Callisto x male reader

Universe: Somewhere in Winx Club/Saga

Warnings: A little blood

(Brandon)

(Callisto)

Brandon quickly leads us to the landing platforms behind the school. But the closer we get, the more a strange feeling spreads in my stomach, but I think nothing of it, at least not until it gets worse. To calm my anxiety, I dare to look over my rescuer's shoulder, even though I don't think anyone else would attack us. But with wide eyes, I witness exactly what I thought would never happen to us again. Once again, the universe must contradict me.

"Stop!" I shout, causing Brandon to stop immediately. My shocked eyes jump to him, only to see him looking at me in complete confusion. His gaze alone makes me realize that he thought I meant for him to stop. I blush at my stupidity. "Sorry, I didn't mean you," I mumble, a little ashamed.

“Who did you mean then?” He asks, still visibly confused, looking like a lost, perhaps even sad puppy.

Unable to speak in the face of such cuteness, I simply look over his shoulder again, but Brandon doesn't seem to understand. I feel his eyes still on me.

My previously yelled words were ignored by the person they were intended for because soon after, a second pair of hands wrapped around me, easily ripping me from the safe arms that had protected my life not so long ago. 

Before I know it, I'm squashed against another chest that I know all too well. Attempting to speak only gets me pressed even harder against those perfectly formed pecs. Sometimes I really despise Callisto for being so damn attractive because even if it were just for a moment, I wish I could just stay there, but if we don't get away quickly, I probably won't be among the living for long.

Seeing no other way out since he isn't even looking at me, I pull my arm back, and with all the strength I can muster, I let my fist fly. 

Although I don't hear an unpleasant crunching or feel any strange sensation under my fist, he still loosens his grip on me. I use this moment to jump out of his arms, only to almost fall to the ground as my knees give way from weakness. I realize that soon, I won't even have enough strength to stand on my own.

Before I can say anything, Daniel is already at my side, with his right arm around my waist and my left arm over his shoulder, where he holds it tightly. I couldn't be more grateful that he preserves my dignity, but there's time to thank him later when I'm not about to die anymore.

"Did you bring a pilot?" I feel dizzy just talking. The situation is becoming increasingly dangerous for my health. I can hear him answering me, but not the actual words. My head is too foggy, so I'm just assuming he gave me a positive answer. "Good, we need to get to Alfea immediately!"

I didn't give them a second thought before dragging Daniel to the Hawke. Daniel is the real hero here; he supports me almost entirely without compromising my dignity like the others did while carrying me. Even though Brandon's arms feel the most comfortable, this arrangement is better because it prevents Callisto from getting jealous. Maybe if he didn't skip gym class so often, his arms would feel as good as Brandon's. 

Even though I'm pretty sure I was only thinking about these things and not saying them out loud, I still feel like the boys are starting to stare at me. It's probably just because I hit Callisto, although it should be normal for them to see that by now since we hit each other quite often, mostly because we know how far we can go without really hurting each other. But sometimes, the boys just act crazy.

Luckily, it doesn't take long until we're finally inside this killing machine, and the uncomfortable atmosphere dissipates, but honestly, my body doesn't feel so good anymore. It feels like my body wishes to sleep for at least a thousand years, but I'm afraid that if I let myself fall, I won't wake up as quickly as before or at all.

As I sit, I lean my head against one of the walls of the machine; my eyelids feel heavy. As I replay the day in my head and think back to the early morning, I remember how refreshed I felt. Even though my eyes are heavy, I close them. It takes a lot of energy to move my head so I can look down at my left hand. Safely inside lies the small homemade stuffed animal. A gentle smile crosses my lips. I lift it to my head and lean against the jewel eyes. I press my mana into my head and let it flow out of it. The jewels absorb it immediately, but it does not stay in them; instead, what makes me so lethargic stays inside them and lets my clear mana flow out again, which I, in turn, quickly draw back into myself.

After a few moments, my head is clear again. I lower the little animal to my heart and do the same. Although I know it is irrelevant because everything will soon be the same as before, walking alone will be enough, at least for a while.

“We’re landing!” suddenly shouts the guy Callisto brought as a pilot with him.

A little stunned, I couldn't believe it had happened so quickly—after all, we had only just started, right? But as I stand up and walk to the front, I actually see Alfea sprawling before us.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” the guy asks me when he sees me coming.

I look at him for the first time. He's not the nerd type like most other pilots; he looks more like a laid-back guy with a light tan, medium-length brown wavy hair, a casual smile, and friendly green eyes.

"You're from Terrenia, right?" The guy stares at me, probably trying to figure out how I know. "It's because of your skin; that's how I know you're from the Reinios region, probably either Bartel or the region's capital, Bautel."

I see him swallow hard, either out of fear or just amazement that I can so easily tell where he's coming from. But for me, it's not even strange; I can do it with almost anyone.

"Yes," he finally replies, his knuckles turning white as he grips parts of the machinery tighter. "What can I do for you?"

I wave him off with an apologetic smile. "Nothing," I say quietly. "If you ever go back to your homeworld, give your guardian fairy and her father, the King, a message from me." I lean closer to him, but as inconspicuously as possible. "The stone never forgets."

Even though my words were vague and most people wouldn't have understood them, his skin turns deathly pale. He must be a nobleman or a member of the royal family. I'm sure they'll show up when I enter into my forced marriage—when I get closer to the throne of my homeland—to try to ease their worries and beg me to stay allied to them. Theoretically, I could be crowned the new King of Gyonos at any moment; as my powers grow, my grandfather's life will slowly end. However, I have always dreamed of wearing the lost stone crown from when my homeworld was considered one of the jewels of the magical dimension.

The death machine lands soon after, so hard that I have to grab the guy's shoulder pretty hard. I quietly apologize before leaving to get out of this disgusting thing. The rest of my group, except the pilot, quickly follows, but Daniel and Vinok overtake me and walk ahead as usual, almost as if they were my guards. They are way too sweet.

I am grateful, though, because this place still scares me, despite having to come here regularly to receive lessons for my awakening and development as a fairy. However, I always wear a hood to avoid looking at those despicable little princesses. I don't speak to any of them, and I stubbornly ignore them even when they try.

But when we get to the gate, it doesn't open. The boys start whispering, but before anyone can get the wrong idea, I quickly weave through the two before me and continue walking. I can hear them shouting at me, but the words get stuck in their throats as the doors open without me having to do anything. I immediately step through, only to remind the others to follow them before the doors quickly close again.

Even as I speak, the doors do just that. Daniel and Vinok jump through, but Brandon and Callisto look at each other. They're one of the few things I really like about the school: they look like the Empress's big fairy wings, rising from the floor to the upper center of the pink archway where they would meet. I gave up hope of seeing them when the doors were already half closed again. Disappointed, I turned towards the building and left without waiting for them any longer. If they don't want to come, I won't force them.

Suddenly, I hear a scream. Fear courses through me, causing my whole body to turn around on its own accord, only to see two idiots flying through the air. I wanted to ignore it and just go my way, but the proximity of the double doors to their legs made that impossible.

When I see the doors closing faster than usual, it doesn't look like they'll make it through. Rolling my eyes, I try to convince myself everything will be fine. But when I feel myself biting my upper lip, I know, even if it's just to calm my worries, that I have to do something to make sure these idiots don't die on my watch.

"Stone Fist!" My summoned stone of choice appears outside the school grounds. It could have been anything, but I really wanted to show them how stupid they were.

With a wave, I sent the stone straight at them. Somehow, I managed to get them at the same height, thus reducing the potential damage. Unfortunately, you can't have everything; perhaps a few broken bones would've given them a sense of self-preservation.

When the stone reaches the two idiots, it's not as close as I feared, but close enough that one or both might at least be injured. Their bodies fly past me quickly. I don't care how they land. I listen with a sickening glee as they slam into the ground with painful groans and wince. Despite everything, I still wander towards them, stopping right next to their heads and staring down at them in disappointment.

"I would ask what you two were thinking, but we don't have time. So why don't you get up and-"

Suddenly, my body aches, and despite my blurred vision, I see the ground much closer than before. It's truly pathetic that I collapsed because of something like this. Although the pressure of the hole in my mana core is severe, it's not the worst pain I've ever experienced. But even on all fours, the pain didn't get any better. Instead, it feels like something inside my body is tearing me apart.

Before I know it, my mouth fills with something disgusting: a metallic taste. It dawns on me. Unable to hold it back, I reflexively spit it out, covering the pink stones that make up most of the place with my deep red blood. The whole world starts to blur, spinning faster than it should. It's not the first time it's happened, but usually not in such a serious situation, but when I try to get up too quickly after waking up.

But before anything can happen, I see the sky again. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Daniel and Vinok holding me upright. Although I want to thank them, I find it difficult to get the words out. But then I hear them talking about how they have to take me to the infirmary. Panic overcomes me.

"No!" I scream, finding the strength to protest again. I can barely move my head to see their stunned faces. Although I am grateful, I tear myself out of their grip. "We are going to see Professor Palladium," I tell them, wiping the blood off myself.

Thankfully, I'm trained for moments like this. The only issue is that my aura core no longer resides within me, making it less accessible than it was back on the battlefield. However, with some concentration and sheer panic, I managed to access it through my ring with sheer force. By empowering my body with aura, the side effects of what's happening to me are almost negated—at least for a while.

As my gaze becomes sharper, I perceive many indignant looks directed at us. With my patience already at an end, I pull myself together again.

"What?" I ask them in a tone reserved for people who deserve social death. "Do any of you gossipy little princesses want to comment on us?"

Almost immediately, all the girls cower, maybe out of fear or, hopefully, shame, but one thing is certain: they wouldn't do it again.

Although I sense the discomfort of the other boys, who may actually be interested in at least some of these girls, I order them to follow me, as I need to speak to the professor sooner rather than later.

Despite blood still partially covering my face, I walk with my head held high, with two of my friends in front of me and behind me as if they were my guards once more, but deep down, I know they just want to ensure I don't kill a fairy or two. I'd be lying if I said that hadn't crossed my mind, but right now, there are bigger problems than a few little fairies.

I walk purposefully through the school as if I know where we are going. And in reality, I do know, although I don't tell them, so they think I'm walking around like an idiot.

Despite all this, no one says anything. Maybe they know, which would be surprising because I often feel like they see me as a little boy who needs an adult to look after him.

But what no one sees is the compass in my front pocket. My hand rests on it. Whenever I feel its vibrations, I know we are getting closer. In the end, I didn't need it at all because the compass vibrates strongly just outside the alchemy lab.

Without knocking, I open the classroom door and get everyone's attention. As luck would have it, it's Stella's class, but I don't glance at her, even though it hurts deep inside me. I can only hope that one day, she will return to being the sweet, whiny child she was when we met.

Instead, I immediately go to Palladium's desk and put the little stuffed animal down.

"It's a... cute animal, but what can I really do for you?"

He knows me all too well. Smiling, I lift the animal. "I need to know what kind of crystals these are."

Palladium looks over my shoulder and gives the class something to do before taking the animal and leading us into another room next to the classroom. Inside, it's cozy, with many hanging, standing, and partially floating plants. The opposite wall is littered with hundreds of books, in front of which is a small table with a cup of steaming coffee and a comfortable-looking chair waiting for someone to sit on it.

At the left end of the room is a wooden desk, messy and different than I expected because Palladium looks well put together.

The professor goes straight to his desk, and as soon as he sits down, the door slams shut. This is followed by a shrill scream that catches my full attention. I look at Callisto with a questioning, raised eyebrow.

“I’m sorry,” he mumbles quietly, “I’m a bit jumpy.”

Hearing those words, so different from his usual cool demeanor, brings a gentle smile to my lips. But then I feel something bubbling inside me. I know exactly what it is, so I take his hand, pull him closer, press my head against his chest, and giggle quietly, hidden by his hoodie.

“I’ll remember that for later,” I whisper in his ear as my laughter fades.

Even though I hear him gasp in what is likely feigned shock, I pull away from him, not only because I fear he might take revenge but, more importantly, because I hear Palladium whispering. Before Callisto can pull me back, I've already jumped around Daniel. Without a word, he steps between us, but not without warning me not to play too hard.

I sit down on the other side of the professor's desk. It's only a matter of time before I get dizzy again. Palladium isn't really paying attention to me; his eyes are focused on the jewels in the little animal Callisto made for me. Just thinking about it makes me smile. I mean, how often does it happen that a male noble can use his hands like that and then use them to help someone?

“Why did you come to me with this?”

Palladium's sudden question almost makes me jump out of my skin. Flustered, I put my fist over my mouth and cleared my throat. I'm so shocked that I almost can't answer him.

"It's the smell of stone around you," I tell him quietly, "like you've lived underground for a long time." 

It's strange that an elf only partially smells like one, and the other half smells like what I imagine a dwarf would smell like. I've only read about them in an old children's book: "The Children of the Stone.“

The older man looks up from the animal for the first time as if trying to understand my words. He smiles kindly and shakes his head in clear amusement.

"You have a good nose there." He lifts the animal up, turns it towards me, and shows me the jewels. "These are Rokonai Paganis Olorods, or the Darkness-Eating Crystals, or, if you want to put it even more simply, Jurikons, a rare jewel, but I think you already know that?"

I feel like a small child found with my hand in the cookie jar at night. I smile sheepishly but nod anyway. Palladium quickly jumps back into action, resting his elbows on the table and looking questioningly.

“That’s not the real reason you're here, is it?”

"No," I shake my head. "I suffered from a sleeping sickness, but I could never figure out why until those two crystals woke me up," I tell him, my smile from earlier gone. "I just wanted someone who knows what they're talking about to agree with me because now I can say with conviction that the Specialist's Academy is full of miasma."

Palladium laughs heartily; it almost seems as if he is about to fall off his chair. Perhaps he thinks it is a weird joke, not only that, but the funniest ever told.

"Professor, please take this seriously," I tell him sternly, but he still doesn't quite believe me. "It's not the first time I've come into contact with miasma, but it's the first time I've almost died because of it."

"Are you serious?" Palladium's horrified face would be priceless under any other circumstances. He must have seen the seriousness in my face because he quickly changed his demeanor. Sitting upright, he looks at me. "Miasma is a big umbrella term for many magical situations; we need to find out what kind of miasma it is first to—"

"Twisted chaos, Miasma," I quickly interrupt his rambling. The professor looks at me in shock and seems at a loss for words. "I'm sorry, Professor, my family is at war with a race of lizard people invading our planet through a twisted chaos portal."

"Okay," Palladium trails off. 

I can see how much he is struggling with this information. I know it's hard to believe. It's supposed to be impossible to enter this dimension, even through portals like these, since we are under the protection of the Fairy Empress and Emperor, beings more powerful than even the Leviathans. But somehow, these lizards could break through.

"The war has been happening intermittently for longer than I have been alive, but the mana on my homeworld is so pure and protected by a guardian fairy that the chaos miasma doesn't have much effect there. But here?"

“Since Magix no longer has a magical protector, it is easier to be influenced by this miasma,” Palladium finally finishes my conclusion.

"Correct, and whoever started this did it in the place with the least magical protection on this entire planet, the Red Fountain Academy, once known as the Wyvern Riding School, but now nothing more than a training facility for specialists," I explain further so even my friends can understand. "And while Saladin seems to be a powerful mage, he is too old."

The professor looks me up and down; I can clearly see distrust reflecting in his eyes, but not towards me.

“Who is planning all this, you know that, don’t you?” he asks sternly.

I look around to ensure no one is around except those I trust the most. I beckon Brandon closer, take his hand, and gently stroke the back of his palm.

"The Black Hand," I finally admit; it hurt to pass it over my tongue. Once a day should be enough, but twice? It feels like blades are cutting deep into me. I sense Brandon's discomfort, his hand stiffening and his breathing erratic. Most shockingly, however, when I maintain eye contact with Professor Palladium, I see nothing but confusion on his face: he seems to have no idea who they are. He's old, probably older than this entire dimension, but somehow, he's never met or heard of them.

"They are an assassination group from ancient times that should have been eradicated long ago, but their existence was reconfirmed when they tried to kill me when I was a child." Even after this explanation, he doesn't seem convinced. I take a deep breath and prepare to reveal a well-kept secret. "They were involved in the extinguishing of Domino's eternal flame."

It became eerily quiet. I'm afraid I didn't say a word, and it was all just in my head until a chair scrapes hard across the floor, followed by a loud sound of wood crashing to the floor. Palladium's eyes are crazy. Very few people remember Domino these days, and even fewer know what happened to it. Although the "Black Hand" was involved, they were not the main culprits, just the ones who weakened the defenses so the real culprits could overwhelm the planet's protectors.

"How do you know that name?"

Daniel has come between Palladium and me because he seems completely out of control.

"It's a state secret," I tell him with conviction. But his crazy look doesn't disappear. Instead, a hint of understanding appears in them.

"Can you use his powers?"

Professor Palladium has a knack for asking questions that baffle me. Of course, he knows about it. He was probably there when the Leviathan War took place. He may even be older, making him almost as old as our Empress and Emperor.

Clearing my throat, I try to ignore it, but I sigh when I feel Palladium's magic acting out.

"Yes," I murmur quietly. "Partly, anyway. It's a long story, but I'm sure you've noticed. I do everything I can to never touch a book." As I let my words sink in, Palladium strangely calms down again. "Because magic is everywhere, every time I touch a book, I wander through the story it tells, from spells, who and how they were created, to when, who, and where potion ingredients were found, which is how I know there were dwarves at one point in time."

Palladium walks over to his chair, picks it up again, and sits back down. Smoothing his hair, he ties it into a ponytail. He folds his hands and keeps his eyes down for longer than necessary. When he looks up again, he seems different, almost as if he is ready to be himself and not the silly Potions professor I always thought he was.

"Chaos Miasma can only be cleared by one's body's mana production," Palladium explains calmly. "Usually, if it was this bad already, it would be a death sentence. But since you're a guardian fairy with an aura, magic, and a fairy magic core, you should be able to clear it rather easily in a few days, maybe weeks, but you'll need to be in a place where there's either no or very little natural mana production."

"But how?" I ask him desperately. "Everything, even stone, produces natural mana! Where could I go to do that?"

Palladium clears his throat as he looks deep into my eyes. He shows genuine desperation, almost as deep as my own. It's evident he cares about me even though he doesn't know me. This could be because of the unusual beginning of our acquaintance.

"The deep sea caves of Andros could be a good place," he suggests. "There are corals that absorb all the mana around them."

While I'm not a huge fan of that much water, it may be the only place I can recover and heal from it. But Palladium has opened a box he shouldn't have.

"Kerrass has a Molcussel tree that also has no mana in its root caves because it rises all up to its evergreen leaves," Daniel suddenly jumps in.

Not to be outdone, Vinok steps forward. "Felrenios has a jewel grove surrounded by countless eucalyptus trees, where the jewels absorb all the mana."

I feel a deep warmth, watching their clumsy attempts to get me to choose their home worlds to rest. But one is particularly quiet. When I turn to Callisto, he seems rather reluctant to interfere. So, with amusement, I ask him if there isn't such a place on his planet. But his cheeks suddenly turn deep red. He closes his eyes and exhales rather hesitantly.

"If you want, you can stay in my bedroom," he says quietly, cringing at his own words. "The walls are set with columns of pure white marble, held together with blankier diamond mortar, which, when combined, also absorbs all mana in the area."

Did I understand him correctly? He's joking, right?

Suddenly, Callisto sighs in exasperation. "My grandfather rebuilt our estate after his throne was stolen and made sure that not even our guardian fairy could harm him in his bedroom, and since I am now the Duke, I live in the same bedroom."

“You would do anything to get me into your bed, wouldn't you?” I ask him boastfully.

"You truly have no idea what I would do," Callisto murmurs, staring straight into my eyes, his cheeks still burning. "But in that case... I would gladly sleep in a different room if it would make you more comfortable."

I stand there, stunned, my mouth slightly open. I couldn't believe that he would not only offer himself and his home to me like that but also express his affection right in front of Professor Palladium. I want to agree and see where this takes us, but suddenly, someone else catches my attention. I've seen Brandon try to offer something earlier, but he's been interrupted several times. I turn to him and give him a hand signal to continue.

Brandon nods shyly. "My family lives in Star Valley on Eraklyon," he tells us, visibly embarrassed. But I have no idea what that means. He clears his throat when he sees my obvious confusion, seemingly trying to hide his uncertainty. "There is absolutely no mana."

His words sound so strange that I can't believe him. But Palladium suddenly chimes in and agrees with Brandon, explaining it as one of the "Zero Zones," extremely rare pheromones of magicless centers in the middle of natural, beautiful places.

"A long time ago, a star fell on Eraklyon, leading the population to believe that it was the reason for the magic-free zone, but that is not the case; there was no magic in the area to begin with."

Brandon quickly agrees. "I have to visit my family anyway; I have a few weeks' vacation to help them."

I turn to the others, and although they are clearly disappointed, they agree that it is for the best. Callisto, in particular, seems almost relieved. A strange feeling runs through my body, an uncomfortable mix of emotions. I wonder if he didn't want me to visit his house. Is he afraid that I won't want him around after this?

Unable to keep to myself, I dive into him and clasp our hands in front of everyone. His blush returns, but his gaze has softened. Without hesitation or breaking eye contact, he raises our hands. With a certain provocation in his shining eyes, he gives me an intimate kiss on the back of my hand.

I start to blush and try to look away, but I can't. Luckily, Palladium breaks the tension, telling us to get going. Otherwise, I wouldn't have much time left.

I silently thank him, but he just shakes his head, hands me my little plushie animal friend, and leads us out. No one seems to have gotten up in the classroom, but somehow I feel uncomfortable there. But I shake it off, believing I just imagined it.

[Masterlist]

[trisnomials]

hot & heavy - pt. 2/2

pt. 1 link

...in which: hazel hosts a party for the fight club in her basement, but your drunk boyfriend won't leave you alone.

...pairing: hazel callahan x fem!reader

...warnings: portrayal of a toxic relationship (not hazel dw), underage drinking, cursing + the f slur, cartoonish homophobia, comphet

...author's note: this is a songfic inspired by hot & heavy and christine by my queen lucy dacus!!! AAAAAAAAAA OMG for my first actual fic, im super super happy w how this came out!!!

Hazel grabs your shoulders- cool, slender hands against your anxiety-warmed skin, and stations you around a corner in her house, tucked out of sight from the doorway. “Stay here,” she mumbles, softly puffing from their sprint upstairs, “I’ll take care of it.”

True to her word, she turns on her heels to attend to the pounding on her door. You hear bits and pieces of the reverberating chatter between Hazel and the booming voice of your boyfriend. The familiar ache of fear pools in your stomach.

It washes through your veins next as guilt.

You tore this girl away from her own party to help you with your toxic boyfriend, when you shouldn’t even be with him in the first place. It’s your own fault, really. Even worse, you shouldn’t feel the way you do about her. Sure, Hazel’s a lesbian, but she’s not just gonna fall in love with every girl she knows. And you have a boyfriend. You’re straight. Hopefully.

You slide your back down the wall as the world seems to close in on itself. The conversation crescendos, then halts. The sound of a door slamming shut. The growl of an engine outside. Hazel returns to find you in a ball, and she crouches beside you. “He’s gone.” she declares with some amount of pride. Her voice coaxes your head out from between your knees. She sifts through her short brown hair, still feeling the adrenaline down to her fingertips. “What did he say?” you ask, regaining your composure.

“Let me talk to y/n. You faggots are all fucking each other down there and I'm taking her home.” your boyfriend slurred, slumped against the doorframe. Hazel puffed her chest, face hardening. “She can be wherever she wants. And I’m not letting her get in a car with you, you’re drunk off your ass.” Hazel bit out with arms crossed over her chest. The conversation ended with lots of yelling, and a promise from your boyfriend that you were going to “get it” when he sees you next.

Hazel purses her lips, eyes narrowing. She shakes her head. “Y’know what? Don’t worry about it. How’re you feeling about all this?” she sits next to you against the wall, your sides pressed together.

“I'm gonna break up with him once he's sober.” you sigh, running a hand down your face. “He can be nice… sometimes. But I’ll admit that he’s not what I had in mind.”

“And thanks for talking to him for me, even though I know it probably sucks that I had to drag you away from the party like that. You didn’t have to do it, but you did, and that means a lot to me.” You offer her a shaky smile.

Hazel swallows, something hesitant in the way she looks at you- cautious, yet so sure. “I think that I’d do… um, anything.”

The world that was crumbling around you moments ago suddenly seems to expand into widescreen.

“Hazel, you-”

“Honestly, y/n? I’d rather lose my dignity than lose you to someone who won’t make you happy.” the girl confesses, her face now reading as almost desperate. “I mean, anyone would be so lucky to have you! I know if I dated you, I would be so grateful ‘cus you’re, like, a goddess, but I’m not saying that you should date me… unless you… wanted to… ‘cus I want to…” she clears her throat as the word-vomit comes to a stop, squirming smoothing over where she was clutching onto her shirt fabric. “...but it’s fine. All good.” she finishes. Smooth.

The two of you sit there in stern silence, shoulders and knees and arms still pressed together but neither is bold enough to move away. You shuffle your sneakers. She picks at her nails and rings. Basement music pulses from the floorboards.

“I’ve never dated a girl before,” you state softly, eyes glued to your shoes, “I’ve been afraid of it ever since I realized that I do like girls. But I think with you, I don’t feel so afraid anymore. Of a lot of things, actually.”

You can feel Hazel’s wide and wild eyes on you. As always, you can’t escape them, so you submit and look over to her. “So what should we do?” she asks quietly.

“Can I kiss you?” You couldn’t look away even if you wanted to.

“Um- yeah. Yeah, go for it-” and you take her by the face.

Kissing Hazel Callahan is like breathing- albeit, labored breathing- but life supporting nonetheless. Her hands fumble around your elbows, then your neck, before settling securely on the cinch of your waist. As her lips ease into a steady rhythm against yours, you can’t decide if the sensation is entirely too much or not enough. You’ve kissed and been kissed time and time again, but not like this- genuine and gentle.

“You taste funny.” Hazel whispers, smiling against your lips. No doubt it’s the result of Sylvie’s mystery drink

And you feel hot in the face once again.

[alexandraisyes]

Peachy, my beloved, you missed so many.

First off, Eclipse Observers. This is my son. The guy everyone claims I am in disguise, that fucker. Fans of him want him to die again, want him to get a happy ending, or just like tearing into him because he's pathetic as fuck. So many "I always come back" jokes, and people like to take him and both put him in a blender and make him the blender.

Moon Cheesers. This is my other son. I will hear no slander against him. The name is because the moon is made out of cheese. Jokes on you if you believe that though because that's just a conspiracy theory and everyone knows the moon isn't even real. Most of us want him to get worse. Mostly so we can say we were right. Some of us are glad he's forming connections and somewhat learning how to function in a family unit without purely relying on Sun. For other's it's a mix of both, with apprehension that he's just going to start slipping back to how we met him, scared, paranoid, and lashing out at the only person he cared about because he didn't have a support system. Him and Sun were really bad for each other and a lot of fans of him love to exploit that in fics and fanworks.

Earth Lovers. These people are either down fucking bad for her, trying to justify her relationship with Monty, defending her rights to be respected as a woman, or trying to kill Monty and shipping her with literally every single character but Monty. I have seen some fun pairings for her. These people care the most about female representation and respect in this fandom and would rather eat a shoe than disrespect a woman. A lot of her newer fans have also found solace in disability representation in her.

Dazzle Holders. Hold gently like hamburber. Some of these guys just like child death let's be real (we are in the fandom that is a smaller fandom of the child death fandom so this is to be expected). Most of them just want her to be happy, safe and loved by her dad and all her aunts/uncles. She is an angel and saying otherwise is social death no matter what part of the fandom you're in.

Ruin Connesiuers. You either love or hate him and there's no in-between. A lot of his newer fans sympathize with his trauma and the fact that he did bad things in order to protect himself (woah who could have seen that coming -> has been screaming this from the rooftops since March). Older fans consider that to be a cherry on top and just like the fucked up lil guy. Ruin fans and Nexus fans have beef over who's worse. Dunno why they're both fucked up little guys in a youtube show but pop off chat.

Monty. . . Watchers. These people tend to enjoy really crude humor even if it doesn't fit the rhythm of the show and aren't able to understand, or maybe they just enjoy, how toxic all of his relationships tend to be. People who enjoy him past that tend to enjoy having a "good guy" in the show that's kind of a piece of shit 80% of the time and isn't someone that you can easily side behind without putting in the work into themselves. Also, they're so gender and gay for their wife; joy and whimsy on the planet Urath.

Foxy's Crew. People who love Foxy tend to be grouped with FC fans. He's the dad ever. He's also a semi-realistic take of a first-time parent in stressful situations trying to do the best he can. Again, the dad ever. He's a wet rat of a man and he is doing the best he can, and we love him for that.

Puppet Poppets. You know what she's a femme fatale, let her cook. She's tragic and a lot of people who really understand her character understand how it feels to have your childhood stripped away from you and be expected to handle responsibilities you weren't ready for. Her fanbase is kinda tragic like that. She makes mistakes and she's annoying and she's perfect actually, 10/10 stars, thank you Matt for giving us this wet mop of a woman. She's also gender so bonus points, 11/10 stars.

Astral Jury. Yeah that's right y'all are a fucking jury. (I'm on it too it's fine). It varies between "they're so pretty ough" and "I love how fucked up this is from the perspective of a human let them cook." People put them in situations a lot. We need more astral ships so like slay ig.

Cre-Daters. Why do you exist but also can you please come invade my inbox with why you like this fucking BRAIN. Some cre-daters mostly just like Sven. Other's like the brain. And the smart ones like Nao. I mean what, who said that. Trashcan man is grouped in here, that's his husband. Anyways moving on.

Solar Flare Protectors. THIS IS MY SON. AND HE IS PERFECT. I MISS HIM. I know like 3 people who love him enough to be considered a fan, including myself. The other two are @jackobbit and @deadbloodzero

Stitchwraith Babysitters. This is just @kenmarlenn. There are others but. This is just Ken.

I rest my case.

something I find funny is that within the tsams fandom, there are also little subdivisions of the tsams fandom.

there's the Lunar Freaks (I say 'Freaks' with much love). they simp for Lunar like no other and will defend him with their lives. they also like making him kiss as many astral beings as possible.

there's the Solar Enjoyers- who can commonly be found with the Jack Lovers. they're like a package deal. the Solar enjoyers simp over him and are prone to ignore his flaws (which like. fair tbh, joy and whimsy), and the Jack lovers just miss their boy.

the Bloodmoon Fiends are just over in the corner punching the walls and trying to escape their straight jackets, maybe biting on some raw meat too idk

the Sun Cult are spinning in a giant circle, half of them cheering and whooping for more angst while the rest of them are sobbing their fcuking eyes out

and. as a member of the Nexus Fanclub. I can just say there's like me and 9 other people here, we all see each other in the tags and wave at each other all the time, and we see you other cliques and point and laugh cause imagine having to worry about if your fave is gonna die or not lol (Note: the Bloodmoon Fiends are excluded from this)

[bbrissonn]

𝐬𝐨 𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧 - 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝟑

✩°｡⋆˚⁺ you're really cute

✩°｡⋆˚⁺ real life

✩°｡⋆˚⁺ gabe perreault x camila yanez

✩°｡⋆˚⁺ au masterlist

✩°｡⋆˚⁺ my babies finally interact !!

‎‧₊˚✧[ SEPTEMBER 29, 2023 ]✧˚₊‧

➻❥ tallahasse, fl

"okay, cami, i think you've had enough." your teammate laughed as she reached for the drink you had just taken from a cooler. your team had played a game earlier in the night, easily winning 2-0 against miami university, meaning they were still unbeaten this season. the girls had decided to have a little get together to celebrate the win and the end of the week. it was something small, just the team, a couple of girlfriends and partners, no more than 40 people.

since the beginning of september, you guys had played a game almost every 5 days, but you now had almost a week until your next game, meaning this was the first opportunity to let lose this semester.

"give it back, silly." you giggled as you tried to grab the drink back, resulting in a couple of teammates laughing at the situation.

"come on, lets go home." you roommate said as she grabbed your hand. you attention quickly shifted over to her, a wide smile on your face as you followed her. you all bid your goodbyes before making your way to your dorm, the campus quiet as the two of you walked hand in hand.

"you were like amazing tonight." you gushed, smiling at the defender who had saved your team's butt more times than you can remember.

"so were you, cami." the girl smiled over at you, her eyes looking at you with admiration. you had scored the two goals for your team, which now brought your total to 7 this season.

"i missed you so much this summer!" you exclaimed, swinging your hands together, making your roommate chuckle. this was your second year rooming together, meaning the two of you were insanely close.

"i miss you, too, stargirl." she laughed, making your smile grow even bigger.

"this summer was actually crazy." you sighed, thinking about how surreal it all felt.

"so i've heard." she smirked as the two of you approached your dorm building, making you look over at her with a confused look on your face.

"what do you mean?"

"you know damn well what i'm talking about, girl. that little hockey guy all up in your likes, and all his friends in your comments!" she exclaimed, making your face turn a deep shade of pink.

"it's nothing."

"right, that's why your red like a tomato right now." she joked as the two arrived at your dorm, making your way inside your room.

"shut up."

"look, its quite obvious that you think he's cute too, i mean all your friends were up in his comments, so you guys like have to get married now." she joked as the two of you changed into your night clothe. "and you both know sober you is too shy to make the first move, so i say you should dm him, or at least started by following him."

"now?"

"yes, now. i know i'm supposed to stop you from doing stupid shit right now, but you guys would be cute together. so i say go for it." she explained before getting in bed. you stood at the edge of your bed, her words replaying in your head.

she was right. the boy was clearly into you, so truly what's the worse that could happen. and you would be lying if you said a part of you hasn't been hoping you would see a message from him appear in your inbox.

you softly got into bed, the two of you wishing each other good night before your roommate fell asleep. meanwhile, you laid in bed, your eyes wide open as you stared at the celling.

fuck it.

―┆✦ʚ♡ɞ✦ ┆―

➻❥ chestnut hill, mass

gabe was currently sitting on one of the couches in one of the senior's house, a cup in hand as he watched some of guys mess around with each other. will and ryan were sitting next to him, the blond boy between the two. it was the last weekend before the season started, meaning the upperclassmen claimed they had to make the most out of it.

but gabe still wasn't used to partying every weekend, his body still tired from all the practices this week, and honestly he did not want to be here right now. he wanted to be in bed, watching his show until he feel asleep. but here he was, the early hours of saturday rolling around, sitting in the chaos of drunk college students.

his phone buzz in his pocket, making his brows fur slightly. the only people who would text him this late are in the same house as him. his family was certainly asleep, and his friends from home never texted this late.

his confused look soon turned into one of shock as his eyes read over the two new notifications on his home screen. there was no way this was happening right now.

"holy shit." the boy gasped, making his two best friend look over at him.

"what's up?"

"holy shit." the boy repeated, his body not moving an inch.

"gabo, what's going on?" ryan asked, reaching over will to wave his hand in front of gabe's face. the boy didn't answer them, instead clicking on the first notification, his phone opening and his instagram popping up on his screen.

➻❥ camila_yanez started following you

"oh, shit." will gasped with a smile as his eyes looked over at his friend's phone. in a moment of panic, gabe closed his phone quickly, throwing it into the blond's lap. ryan was quick to snatch it, opening the home screen to put in the boys password, but the remaining notification caught his eyes.

➻❥ camila_yanez wants to send you a message

"oh... my... god!" ryan laughed, handing gabe his phone back. the boy just looked over, looking clueless as ever.

"what do you want me to do with that!"

"open her message, duh." ryan said, making will look over at him. he hadn't seen anything about a message. the blond was quick to grab the phone, his eyes quickly finding the notification, his eyes growing wide.

"dude!"

the commotion between the three freshman had quickly caught the attention of some of their teammates.

"what's going on over here?" cutter asked, as he, along with a couple of juniors and seniors, approached the three.

"the girl gabo's been crushing on followed her back!" ryan was quick to say, a smirk on his face as all the guys quickly looked over at gabe. he still hadn't moved, his eyes staring at the ground as millions of thoughts raced through his mind.

"she dmed him, too!" will added, earning gabe a couple of slaps on the back.

"atta boy, gabo!"

"is he okay?" eamon asked, poking gabe gently on the cheek until the boy finally looked up at them.

"huh?" the french boy said, snapping out of his trance. the ground around him chuckled slightly, teasing smiles on their faces.

"you okay there, bud?"

"yeah... yeah i'm okay. i should... um." the boy trailed off, looking for his phone. he snatched out of will's hands quickly before standing up. "i should go." he finished, will and ryan quick to follow him as he left the house.

"what do you want?" gabe asked as he turned around. at first he thought his best friends were just going to go somewhere else in the house, but as his feet hit the sidewalk and he still heard them giggling behind him, it was clear they were following him.

"we're coming with you." ryan said before placing his arm around gabe's shoulder, forcing the boy to keep walking. will appeared on the other side, a grin on his face.

"why?"

"dude, we've been here since day one. we gotta know what she said."

"you're not knowing shit." gabe said, making the two boys scoff slightly.

the two eventually convinced gabe to be there when he opened the message, he accepted mainly just to get them to shut up, but still. this led to them all sitting on gabe's bed in his and will's shared dorm room. it was almost 2 in the morning, and the boy was debating wether or not he should just wait until later in the day.

"dude, just do it!"

"okay, okay." gabe mumbled before finally opening your dm.

cami

hiiiii

ur like reallyyyy cute yk ☺️

"what do i say?" gabe freaked out as he showed the two boys the messages. will chuckled slightly as he read the message, while ryan almost snorted at his friend's behaviour.

"well first, you can greet her, you know." ryan said, pushing the phone back towards the perreault boy.

"right, yeah."

"and then tell her she's pretty!" will added, his smile growing as he watched gabe type on his phone, a look of concentration on his face.

GP

heyyy

ur reallyyyy pretty yk

"why'd you just say the same thing she said?" ryan asked, almost wanting to hit his friend across the head.

"you said to tell her she's pretty!"

"yeah, but not like that, dude. now you just look desperate."

"she answered!" the boy gasped, making the two other boys light up.

"dude, you cannot fuck this up."

cami

awhh ur so adorable

thank youuu

wait why are you up so late 🤨

GP

why are you up so late?

cami

😮😮

toucher

had a little night with friends

"okay, you can leave now i've got this." gabe mumbled, shooing his best friend away before looking back down at his phone. ryan and will has a silent conversation with their eyes as will made his way over to his own bed. ryan eventually gave up, rolling his eyes before slapping gabe on the knee, a way of telling him goodbye, the boy barely reacting. he then dapped up will before leaving the two alone.

will made himself comfortable as he opened tiktok, scrolling for a bit while his eyes kept looking over at the perreault boy every couple of videos. he hadn't seen him smile this big in a long time, the last probably being when they won the gold medal at the u-18 worlds.

GP

special occasion?

cami

no no

just wanted to have a little fun after our game

GP

how'd it go?

you guys had won 2-0, he knew that, he also knew you had scored both goals.

cami

not our best but we won

GP

how's the season been?

he knew that too. you guys still had not lost a game so far, but there was no way he'd ever admit to knowing that.

cami

couldnt of had asked for a better start honestly

its been amazing

what abt urs?

gabe found himself blushing at your question, although he didn't really understand why.

GP

we start next weekend

cami

oh 😭😭

honestly i dont know much about hockey

GP

im guessing it's not really popular in spain?

cami

oh so yk where im from 🤭

GP

pretty hard not to

you were everywhere on tv during summer

cami

you watched?

GP

im gonna be totally honest i just turned it on cause there was nothing else

but then you kinda made an impression...

cami

did i now

you and your friends have made quite an impression too

GP

im sorry about them

they can be a little... out of control sometimes

cami

😭😭

its all good

honestly im flattered

it appears im quite famous in your circle

care to share why that is?

GP

have you looked in the mirror lately?

cami

im flattered truly ☺️

have you taken a look in the mirror lately?

GP

depends

why're you asking

cami

you make quite the impression as well gabe

the boy felt his heart skip a bit slightly as his eyes read his name over and over. he knew he shouldn't be reacting like this, after all his name was in his user, so it was a given that you knew. but still, he couldn't help it.

GP

yeah?

what abt rn?

still making an impression?

cami

definitely

GP

good

cami

i gotta go, my roommates abt to throw a shoe at me because phone time is over or wtv :(

GP

it's all good

cami

am i gonna hear from you again?

GP

do you want to?

cami

duhhh

why do you think i message you pretty

GP

good night cami

cami

night night gabe

[ladysomething]

i was re reading the chapter where pierre and lando come over so they could ‘smooth’ things over, and while i don’t particularly like lando in this book since i mean he’s causing chaos for charles and max however i can see landos point of view. i understand him completely and i don’t think his reaction is a little too out of the ordinary, to lando, charles has a perfect life who gets to have max and anyone he wants all to himself and everyone is always so inlove and all over him since he doesn’t know about the auction, the yatch party and how the fact that everyone is so inlove and all over him isn’t actually a good thing for charles. lando just wants what charles has. and while everyone here collectively hates lando, i think it’s great that we can also see his view on the situation. i’d love to see that if lando ever was to find out about the auction or how charles truly feels if his view on charles would change. i know you have mentioned that this book is a symbol of gender representation (i think??) and i think you are doing such a great job of it. you have truly done an amazing job of showing how women are always jealous and envy each other and will always be against each other instead of trying to understand and i think the way you captured it with lando and charles is just immaculate. honestly a fantastic chapter (and book) though and i cannot wait for what’s to come !!

controversial take, but I love lando in wygig. not like I love Charles and Max, but like how I love Cersei Lannister. I want to study him like a bug. maybe that's also a little bit because I know where his character is going lmao.

but what do you MEAN he's been in love with somebody for years who just used him for sex

what do you MEAN he's just trying to protect Max from somebody he thinks is using him

WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE DOESN'T UNDERSTAND HOW OMEGAS ARE TREATED IN THE WORLD AND IS THIS JEALOUS OVER SOMETHING HE CAN NEVER BE OR HAVE

lando has never been told no once in his life and does not understand that Charles has been put in a terrible, terrible position, and as such is so incredibly misguided. but lando, sweet lando, wants two things in his life, and that's Max and a Championship and Charles STOLE them from Max and cheated to do it!

he's jealous and envious but has never had to step a mile in Charles' shoes, and it's making him do terrible, awful things, because he is incapable of any level of reflection on the situation.

and Charles ... Charles took one look at Lando, and got so jealous of HIM, that he said "if you go low, I'll go lower."

they're caught in a death spiral, and they're both actively making each other worse people because of it. an intriguing dynamic!!

(ps. yes, this is my dissertation on gender dynamics, and thank you so much for saying I'm doing well!! it's very hard haha)

[qoldenskies]

Just saw your post about enabler Raph and like yeah your totally right and so was the post below it, but like i couldn't see that and then just NOT think of ccverse like.................my brain is literally exploding thinking about them

ENABLER RAPH BUT ITS CC DONNIE LIKE AAAAHHHHHHHHHH like he (Raph) would be even worse, but on top of that, so would his entire family like,

ccverse family to donnie: here my sweet child have whatever you desire whatever you want, just say the word and it is yours, you could do no wrong, anything you desire under the sun is yours, just tell us

cc donnie: i want *insert anything that would cause him anguish and misery because he now believes he deserves it*

ccverse family: anything but that

every little donnie related thing just makes me go "how can i canary continuity this" these days so i COMPLETELY understand. and oh my god they are going to be such horrible enablers for him. this isnt only because of guilt and the soul-crushing trauma that came from hurting him, its also just because cc!donnie is the most polite considerate person ever, even if the REASONS come from such a horrible place. i honestly think he'd be that kind of charming to people who DONT have that kind of baggage with him, especially because he'll give a lot (maybe too much) and expect literally nothing back. ive also been completely certain that this is going to cause some overprotectiveness if he ever gets outside friends/a partner (although good chance they'll back off immediately if he actually expresses his boundaries, because they will ALWAYS part way for him if he asks for something unless it is obviously, overtly self-destructive.)

he's a really vulnerable person and he's lost the ability to cover that up with his old bite, and even once he starts to develop a more refined sense of humor again, its really hard to get genuine joy out of him, especially when he shies away when he's the center of attention and doesn't like surprises much. they want to hype him up SO bad all the time but that'll usually just freak him out LOL

and oh boy raph would be the absolute worst about it. like even as he's been shown in CW, its pointed out in the way that he thinks about donnie that he cares SOOOOO much about his approval. if raph thinks donnie is upset with him he will turn into a kicked puppy pretty much immediately and mope about it for like a week. raph will forever be too weak to say no to him.

honestly all of them have this in common, ESPECIALLY coming out of their fight with kitsune; the disparity between the way they act with donnie vs the way they act with people who might be a threat to him is so obvious that they almost look like different people. the dynamic between donnie and his brothers is a constant battle in an attempt to make their relationships with each other like 90/10 and somehow once things calm down that SOMEHOW makes it 50/50, its VERY funny to me. i love when concerning dysfunction combined somehow makes things level out and work somehow

[pleasantspark]

HelluvaHazbin Selfaware AU Rewrite: Mammon Sticks It To Beezlebub.

The room was silent as Mammon stood back, he seemed to be quiet, he tried to ask Leviathan (albeit awkwardly.) about catching up as they haven't been hanging out in awhile at all. But Levi mistook it as him trying to flirt with him.

That's when that fat shaming son of a bitch Beezlebub chimed in. "What's wrong, Mams? Mad because no one will fuck you? Look at how sloppy and disgusting you are."

Mammon's hold on the bucket of chicken he had tightened as his face turned a shade of red, he didn't let it bother him. No. He had better things to do instead of worry about what people said.

"Oh piss off you tosser!" He shouts back at Beezlebub, "Aren't ya the one who indulges in yerself? I thought the point of Gluttony was to pig out! Why are ya JUST now directing your disdain of me, a male indulging in my whims? I'd thought you of all people would be in support of it, or is it because rules of thee does not apply to me."

Silence.

It was far worse silence then Fizzarolli attempting one of the many, many, many tricks he had him perform only for the same imp to fail each and every time leaving Mammon to punish said imp for failure. Something he never liked to do, but had to do. Something he regretted.

The Silence dragged on until Asmodeus' smooth voice broke them from their respite.

"Actually, Mammon is, correct. Morally speaking why do you get to decide if what he was indulging in is gross? Come to think of it, aren't we all sins? Aren't we all just bad people?" Asmodeus asked.

"I have never thought to see the day where Asmodeus sees eye to eye with Mammon of all people." Satan rolled his eyes.

"Hey, we may have bad blood back from the days of the circus, and how he treated Fizz, but I won't hesitate to call out hypocrisy. I just don't get why it's okay for other people to do things that Mammon's doing, but when they do it, it's morally acceptable."

"Sometimes there's no real logic in way things work Asmodeus, sometimes you just have to accept that things are the way they are. This may be Hell, but that gives no excuse for people to be disrespectful to those without warning. Reminder, Hell doesn't give you the excuse to be far worse. You are your own person. You're not some person in a show that was centered around one point before turning into a literal fanfiction. Or written by someone who lacked basic actual context clues. You are a being that is in control of his own actions."

As Satan says this, the group looked towards the screen. Before turning back to their own works.

"It feels like I am written by someone who lacks basic understanding of nonce who thinks that all Aussie's are evil mustache twirling POS who are fat and unoriginal." Mammon said.

Before anyone can answer. The door opened, Satan expected Stolas to arrive but what he didn't expect was one of his kind, an imp.

"Who is this?" Satan asked, as the imp made her way up to Mammon and sat on his lap. She gave him a kiss on her cheek.

"Oh her?" Mammon smiled, "This is my wife, Seraphina."

Watching as Beezlebub's mouth drop open, and Mammon spoke again.

"Now, what was that about how, 'No one will fuck me' Bee?"

A/N: I hope you liked it, if you are all aware, my AU (the self aware au) is supposedly gonna affect everyone BUT Stolas, as this is meant to be for shits and giggles. This is tied to my @seraphinacriticizes and @mammoncriticizes accounts, I generally wanna get into rewriting the series and redesigning them. So if anyone wanna work together feel free to ask me in inbox or dms! I wanna work on redesigning everyone and adding new characters + characters from Zoophobia! The Criticize Blogs are somewhat of a group effort, I know I left the critic community but I would be around somewhat to talk about critical stuff or even making rewrite/redesigns! Let me know how this was.

[fandom-puzzle-peaces]

CREATIVE PROMPTS LIST: CURSES

As we know, LCF/TCF has curses in it. We heard about them and how good a certain ex-priestess is at slinging ‘em around. However, we have never actually seen one used throughout the entirety of the novel so far except for the White Star's reincarnation thing and the Crossman one (the first of which I count more as a divine punishment and the second being completely fake as it was more of a word of warning). So I made some up!

Here is a list of curses, both silly and very much not silly, for those who need a little creative juice. None of them are designed to kill and for the serious list they will be put in descending order of how painful/effective they are. So the ones at the bottom are the absolute worst to get hit with in my opinion.

I will be honest in stating that a good chunk of these I made up with a certain character in mind (cough Cale cough), and it might be a little obvious. But you can use them on whoever, just have fun and I wanna see what ya'll come up with. ENJOY!

Silly:

Curse of No Filter

Like the Curse of Unveiling, but with thoughts instead of emotions. The afflicted will be compelled to literally speak their direct thoughts whenever they speak (does not make them compelled to do the act of speaking, but when they do…oh boy).

Do you like dissing people in your head? Better be prepared to get slapped or worse. Do you like swearing in your head, but not verbally? Get ready to start swearing up a storm. How about internal screaming? Better get earplugs cause you will be loud and your vocal chords shall be missed.

Curse of Babble

Like the tower of Babel, the afflicted will switch to be able to only understand either an actual other existing language no one else knows or a made up one. They can only speak, write and understand anything in that new language. Everything else is just gibberish to them.

I imagine they speak Sim

Curse of the Damsel

Get ready to embrace your inner Disney Princess cause the afflicted will feel compelled to sing and frolic through the fields dramatically and somehow befriend all manner of the small and fluffy.

Whether their singing and dancing are any good is up for debate

And of course, you can’t forget being kidnapped on an almost daily basis

Curse of Shrimp

The afflicted will suddenly get minisculed and start seeing shrimp colors

Curse of Worm

The afflicted gets turned into a “worm on a string”

The epitome of “would you still love me if I was a worm?”

Ultimate Curse

It’s a bottle of glitter you can throw at another and curse them with eternal sparkly-ness and humiliation. It will never leave.

Now here are the angst ones

Very much NOT silly:

Curse of Conveyance

The afflicted will be cursed with a sickness that will not fade unless the conditions are met. The conditions being that the afflicted and the caretakers must communicate effectively with each other. The afflicted must be honest with their condition throughout the effects of the curse so the caretakers can provide needed support. The caretakers must also listen and be transparent with the afflicted on what they think is needed.

is meant to help facilitate trust and camaraderie between both parties involved through effective communication, so whether it is actually a curse or not is up for debate. It is believed it was created as a way to help mend relationships

Curse will only fade after proper communication has been achieved and kept up for 2 days

in other words, you will learn to talk with each other and you will like it!

Curse of Unveiling

The afflicted will have any-and-all emotional control stripped away from them. So, if the afflicted is a person who is usually calm and composed or repressed, they will start showing their emotions regardless of how hard they try to control themselves in the moment.

Lasts for a week

Curse of Wretchedness

The afflicted will suddenly have any-and-all past events they remember that caused them pain to be drawn forward and they will not only emotionally, but physically feel the pain they cause. So, if their history is particularly traumatic, it will hurt like nothing they have ever felt before

Believed to have been created as a form of torture

The only reason this curse isn’t rated higher is because it only lasts an hour

Curse of No Rest

The afflicted will be cursed with the inability to sleep. No amount of laying down, closing eyes, or taking any other form of rest will give any relief. The afflicted will slowly but surely be drawn down by an exhaustion that cannot be fixed while the curse remains. They cannot die via exhaustion, for the curse will not let them. However, they can get to the point just before then and they will be kept right at that precipice of almost too much until the curse is broken

Curse must be broken to be removed, or it will stay for the rest of the afflicted existence

Not even in death can they escape from this curse, hence the name

Curse of Isolation

The afflicted will slowly but surely lose all their senses starting with smell, then taste, hearing, sight, and finally touch. Once all senses have been removed, the afflicted will be unable to perceive anything outside of their own thoughts; total isolation from the world outside their own mind.

Curse must be broken to be removed, or it will stay for the rest of the afflicted’s life

For those who aren’t sure how to work with touch being removed, think of your foot falling asleep. I have tested it before on myself cause I was curious, but my foot literally couldn’t feel anything when I touched it. Not even pressure, and I pressed down kinda hard. So no sense of pain or pressure or even where it could be in relation to the rest of your body or surroundings. Now imagine that but full body in conjunction with having lost the rest of your senses. That’ll be terrifying.

For a bit of extra oomph if ya’ll want you can also make it to where, when the appropriate sense is lost, the afflicted can no longer perceive anything extraneous such as Ancient Powers, Elementals, mind speak, or even the Divine. That option is up to you guys.