#but this is just not funny to me because it’s simply not true lol

[cicerfics]

#and also yeah lol... like. book Bond was never stated or even implied to be from wealth..#so the assumption that ppl assume he was but isn't is like. not correct lol#for Craig Bond I do think either his family had money and he didn't have access to it#or like. tbh when his father died that was probs the main income they were living off of#having the ancestral land & manor doesn't necessarily mean there's money in it. quite the opposite rly#the estate doesn't make enough money to sustain itself I don't believe#given they had to sell most of the stuff#but yea I think it's like typical thing of. the Bond name may have some history and such attached to it. but no massive fortunes imo#it's funny to me when ppl r like well skyfall contradicts CR cuz he has that estate#well like. first off we don't know that Vesper is correct- her assessment reveals her character but maybe not necessarily Bond's#and also. did we not all see Corpse Bride. or like the fate of many American socialites in the Gilded Age#where they had money but not prestige and the aristocracy had prestige but not money#etc etc (@halfbaked00q)

Oh, okay, wait!! I have more thoughts!!

Yes, very true re: the nobility-marries-money/dollar princess thing! Very possibly Craig!Bond's family had been major landowners/rich people at one time, but the money had ebbed away thorough the 20th century and by the time Bond was born, his family just had the house and whatever his parents earned at their jobs. Possibly they had posh manners/education/connections, but not really the wealth to back it up. Many such cases, etc etc.

(I do think, however, that they were selling off stuff in Skyfall simply because the last remaining family member had appearently died and there was no one left to inherit, so they were just clearing the house of all the furniture and whatnot in order to sell off the property.)

Okay! So! I forgot about a part from On Her Majesty's Secret Service which also provides valuable insight into book!Bond's relationship with money!

Quick recap for those who haven't read it: Bond has fallen in love with Tracy and is going to marry her. Tracy's dad is a rich mafioso type of guy, and he wants to load her down with a massive dowry. Bond specifically refuses this money! He specifically says he does not want to be rich. He says he can support Tracy himself and he is strongly opposed to the idea of his and Tracy's children having fat trust funds!

This is fascinating, no???

"Too much money is the worst curse you can lay on anyone's head. I have enough."

"It will be fun saving up to buy something we want but can't quite afford. That is the only kind of money to have--not quite enough."

"If we have children, I will not have this noose hung round their heads. I didn't have any money and I haven't needed it."

"If I'd inherited money, I'd have gone the way of all those playboy friends of Tracy's you complained about so much."

All this seems to indicate that Bond absolutely did not grow up with any money to speak of, and that he sees people who do come from money as inclined to be frivolous and irresponsible...frankly, like Tracy and her first husband and her old friends, when they were young and reckless and getting into trouble because they had too much money at their disposal.

Fascinating!!!

.... 'ang on, now

On these things he spent all his money and it was his ambition to have as little as possible in his banking account when he was killed, as, when he was depressed, he knew he would be, before the statutory age of forty-five. Eight years to go before he was automatically taken off the 00 list and given a staff job at Headquarters. At least eight tough assignments. Probably sixteen. Perhaps twenty-four. Too many.

"too many." "too many"?? Ooouuuggh, James Bond hates his job NOT an exclusively Craig!Bond thing, it literallyyy comes from Fleming Moonraker?? Book 3??

Like, not surprising to me that Bond is depressed/has depression moments - Fleming writes out Bond's penchant for catastrophizing in the last book - but ough that Fleming literally spells it right, right there. "when he was killed, as he KNEW he would be, before the statutory age of 45."

and then continuing the thing about how there are rly only 2 or 3 missions a year that call for his abilities. the grim, "at least 8. probably 16. perhaps 24. too many."

He, like Loelia Ponsonby, is trapped within the "perpetual concubinage to your King and Country" and, along with Loelia Ponsonby and the other girls, has been locked in his own version of a Cavell-Nightingale world "more securely into the company of the other girls at Headquarters and every day it seemed more difficult to betray by resignation the father-figure which The Service had become."

Unlike Loelia, who actually does think about but dismisses the idea of resigning, Bond doesn't even THINK of it. He just assumes it's inevitable that he will keep running on the job until his time runs out, one of the ways or the other.

like. dang, okayyy. and also. bruh appeals to patriotism whomst?? only if u can't read, perhaps?? lmao

(from Moonraker)

[loderlied]

i haven’t seen them as often but y’know what jokes about gort i also hate besides the making fun of him being middle aged ones. the “he’s so dumb” ones. like it’s. it’s like making ginger jokes about a character who’s fucking blonde lmao. he’s one of the smartest important characters stats wise if we exclude a possible tav/durge. it’s truly like. are we seeing the same enver gortash here. mechanical genius since birth politician/inventor enver gortash.

(not talking about gameplay related jokes like stacking explosive barrels around him. i mean about his actual character.)

[tohruies]

a realisation that home was here. home was now. and it had been all along … 🥺💘

— ☆ 𝐇𝐎𝐌𝐄 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐂𝐇𝐑𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐌𝐀𝐒

alhaitham x ryu. this is obviously a selfship piece for ryuhaitham and it’s in first person. canon au. comfort. fluff. read here if you want more context on us. 0.7k wc

I sat curled on the couch with a blanket drawn tightly around me, staring at the modest decorations I’d strung up days ago when Alhaitham first left for Akademiya business. The lights, the strings of ribbon—they felt out of place here, like foreign embellishments in a world that had no meaning for them.

Christmas. Once upon a time, it had been everywhere—woven into every light, every note of music, every breath of winter air. It wasn’t as though I’d celebrated Christmas extravagantly but the absence of it here made the ache of displacement settle heavy in my chest. Even if I’d only half-participated in the holiday back then, its laughter and warmth had always been a comforting constant.

Teyvat moved without pause. The winds of Mondstadt whipped across snow-buried plains, Sumeru’s ever-shifting leaves played on the breeze and Liyue’s lanterns flickered against a fading sky. It was timeless and unchanging, as if the universe was indifferent to the celebration I longed for. But like the decorations I’d strung up, Christmas had no place here. And in that knowledge, my homesickness deepened, the distance between my old world and this one stretching farther.

Suddenly, the door creaked open, and I startled, my gaze snapped to the figure entering. Alhaitham’s silhouette was outlined against the dim light of Teyvat’s evening and in his hand was a small neatly wrapped package, the paper a rich shade of crimson, tied with thin, silver silk that shimmered softly in the light.

“You’re back,” I mustered, rising slightly from my seat.

“I am,” His gaze swept over me, and a crease formed between his brows. “You look troubled.”

I offered a fragile smile, “Just thinking about… you know.” I trailed off, eyes drifting to the window where whimsy unbeknownst to me twinkled in the inky expanse above.

Without preamble, he extended the gift toward me. “Here.”

I blinked in surprise, looking from his hand to his face. “What’s this for?”

“Isn’t it customary to exchange gifts for… Christmas?”

The word fell from his lips tentatively, as though testing its weight. His eyes searched mine for any sign that he had mispronounced it. Then, a bittersweet ache unfurled in my chest.

“You… remembered?”

He remembered. Even in passing, even if I hadn’t explained it in detail, he had remembered. And more than that, he had acted on it.

“You mentioned it once,” he replied, the faintest hint of awkwardness colouring his tone. “I don’t fully understand the tradition, but it seemed important to you.” He paused, then added softly, “I thought it might remind you of home.”

My fingers brushed the wrapping paper, tracing its edges as a quiet laugh escaped me. “You didn’t have to go to all this trouble.”

“It matters to you. If it makes this place feel less foreign, then it’s no trouble at all.” He spoke as though his sentiment was the simplest truth in the world.

I bit my lip, his words filling the emptiness in my heart like the flickering flame of a candle in the dark. Slowly, I unwrapped the gift, the paper falling away to reveal a delicate glass ornament, its shape a perfect, crystalline star. It caught the lamplight, scattering prisms across the room like a reflection of something celestial—like fragments of a distant sky.

“It’s not much,” he almost sounded apologetic, “but stars seem to hold significance in your world’s imagery for this holiday.”

I stared down at the gift, my vision blurring as the sting of tears welled unexpectedly. The ornament trembled in my grasp, held close to my chest as the first drops slipped free, unstoppable. “Thank you,” I whispered, so softly it felt like the words might dissolve and me with it.

Watching me closely, a shadow of concern crossed his face, as though uncertain whether he had made me uncomfortable. “You’re crying…” His voice wavered, caught somewhere between a statement and a question.

I wiped at my tears, smiling through them. “They’re happy tears,” I told him. “I really needed this.”

Alhaitham sat beside me with the same calmness that defined his every action. The silence now brimmed with a bubbling warmth, deeply felt like a steadfast anchor.

“If you’d like,” he started, “then we’ll celebrate it. Here, every year. However you wish.”

His offer settled gently. “I would like that,” I said, already untethered.

Alhaitham nodded, brushing his hands against mine, the touch so tender it seemed to carry a promise with a three word phrase hanging in the air. As the glass star shimmered between us, the ache of homesickness began to ebb. In its place bloomed a sense of belonging.

A realisation that home was here. Home was now. And it had been all along.

© 2024 grimmweepers — do not repost, copy, translate, modify my work on any platform

divider: @/adornedwithlight

[mocchii-writes]

Hi, could I please request jealous and possessive Chishiya? Thanks

Paring: Chishiya Shuntaro x fem!reader

Warnings: Aggressive guys, reader gets kinda uncomfy, mentions of showering together lols

A/n: Hope headcanons work, totally willing to expand this, tho just lmk ♡

The type to lowkey stalk you before dating

He wouldn't think of it as stalking tho. He would just want to know more about you

He would claim he doesn't get jealous, but he does

Arisu getting a little too friendly? Oh boy

He'll find a good moment to briefly pull him to the side

Arisu is innocent, he just gets a talk

It's possibly a scary one, but better than a random guy touching you up sometime

Don't they know you're his?

Well, they do now!

And he'll try to keep you out of the loop

Though you may question where he got split knuckles, he'll brush you off

He might get a little clingy after

At least, for Chishiya

"You know you're mine, right?" He'd say, not really asking

"Are you jealous?" You smiled

"That's not what I said."

You might decide to hang out at the pool for a little

but you know that never lasts long

After one too many people hugging you, or a few more guys talking to you than Chishiya would prefer, you'd feel two hands on your waist, and a swift exit would be made

He'd have a huge glaring issue

but he doesn't care, nor is it an issue to him

It scares off most problems people, though

He's the type to get silent revenge

He's not one for making a scene, usually, but if it's the easiest option, well...

You were sipping a nice tropical drink, sitting by the pool with your legs in the water, when a boy walks up to you, clearly checking you out as he sits beside you.

"Hey there." He smiles at you. He seems innocent enough, and he probably isn't aware that you're not up for grabs, but Chishiya isn't one for the benefit of the doubt. He knows how this will end, but he watches from the shade to grasp how much he could get away with.

"Hi!" You smile, waving back. The boy quickly breaks his soft exterior and rests his hand on your shoulder, smirking at you. It's almost funny if you weren't so uncomfortable.

"Wanna go catch some shade?" He stands up, pulling you with him a little aggressively. His serenade is cut short, though, as he feels a harsh sting shoot up his calf as he stumbles into the pool. A hand briefly covers your eyes from the splash, and you don't have to think twice when you're being pulled away by Chishiya, leaving a commotion behind you.

"A little aggressive, no?" You ask him. He simply shrugs in response.

He'd almost never get upset at you because you never flirt back with anybody but the man himself

Sometimes, though, he can mistranslate a situation and get upset

He usually gives you the silent treatment until he'll finally breaks, snapping something at you

"Do I not satisfy your expectations? Am I not enough for you?" He'd say angrily.

"Chi-Shi, you know that's not true. Stop it!" You'd plead.

"If you're so interested in other people, go on then." He doesn't mean it. He never does. He knows if you tried to leave, he would beg if he needed to. He truly can't live without you, but you'd never hear him say that.

Whenever he's jealous, you can tell.

He'll always deny it, but he's got a darker look in his eye, and he's probably a little clingier

Very touchy, in private more than public

He'll hold you in public if he wants to send a message, though.

When you're spending time with him (often) he probably will struggle to let you up

"I need to shower. Please let me get up." You'd smile, whining.

"Only if you let me join." You wanted to wipe that stupid smirk off his face as you struggled and eventually gave up with a sigh.

A/n: Hope this works, Anon! I was trying not to surpass the line between possessive and yandere, but I assumed it wasn't too big of a deal ˚ʚ♡ɞ˚ also had some NSFW ideas for this too, so lmkkk

~🍡🍡

Send requests!!

[mammoth-clangen]

D’you perchance have any thoughts on the morphological (for lack of a better word?) dire wolves that Colossal Biosciences just revealed to the public? 👀

Oh my god Aenocyon, you can't just ask someone why they're white!

"Morphological dire wolf" my ass. Which is coincidentally where Colossal pulled the white coats from…

Give me an example of a modern temperate/grassland predator that's white*, I'll wait. *Excluding white lions, which are an uncommon but resilient morph resulting from leucism.

I based my Aenocyon design off bushdogs and dholes. They are called Masked Wolves in Kindred's setting, because I enjoy a good pseudo hyena niche uvu-b

Extremely extremely long 'thoughts' below the cut lol c':

Preface: in this discussion the term "dire wolf" has too many meanings, as such I will be referring to them as follows:

Thrones' wolves: for the huge, white, fantasy animals from Game Of Thrones GMO wolves: for Romulus, Remus and Khaleesi, Colossal's creations, Canis lupus Aenocyon: for Aenocyon dirus, the true, extinct dire wolf known from fossils across North America

----

Part 1: That's not a dire wolf-

The first question everyone has been asking is "So, are dire wolves de extinct now?" The answer is an emphatic "NO!" from anyone with knowledge of genetics, palaeontology, or taxonomy.

Aenocyon dirus were actually not wolves, nor dogs, but a secret third thing.

They are canids, but last shared a common ancestor with grey wolves and their lineage some ~5.7 million years ago.

For context, this paper suggests a similar divergence time between genus Homo (humans, Neanderthals and co) and Pan (chimps and bonobos); animals that look and behave markedly differently from each other.

The genomes of Canis lupus and Aenocyon dirus being 99.5% similar may sound like a lot, but again, humans share 98.8% with chimps, and 99.7% with Neanderthals, and yet are very distinct from both.

Skeletally, behaviourally, in soft tissue, etc, you could tell any of the three apart; the same goes for Aenocyon and Canis members.

Additionally, Colossal made 20 changes in 14 genes.

The grey wolf genome has 2,447,000,000 base pairs. Does that maths seem a bit off to you?

That's not even enough to change a grey wolf into a domestic dog, let alone an ancient outgroup!

This would be akin to modifying a lion to have bigger teeth and saying you resurrected Smilodon fatalis.

Or editing a Asian Elephant genome so they retain their juvenile hair and calling it a Woolly Mammoth.

It's a bold-faced lie.

Beth Shapiro says "they look and act like dire wolves" but that, too,simply isn't true.

Visually, the GMO wolves simply aren't what Aenocyon would have looked like. It's what a Thrones' wolf looks like.

Hmmmmm, funny about that, seeing George R R Martin helped fund the 'dire wolf project'...

As with many fossil animals, we don't know much about Aenocyon's behaviour.

You can't say the GMO wolves (who are also still pups) act like Aenocyon, because that's based off nothing.

What we do know is Aenocyon were likely pack animals (from the sheer number found in La Brea Tarpits), and crunched more bones than modern wolves (from their many broken teeth).

Also, crucially, they had Wild Sex Lives (from the many, huge, broken and healed bacula... youch).

Colossal is also being colossally shady by: doubling down on their bs use of the outdated "morphological species definition", blatantly misleading the public with their use of the words 'cloning', 'dire wolves', and 'de extinction', and refusing to share their methods in a peer reviewed paper before going public with a clickbait headline.

Do not trust them with your Red wolves either. They're using coyote hybrids and considering what they deem 'close enough' for a dire wolf, I wouldn't put any money on the quality of their GMO red wolves either...

Also can I just say, whatever genes they modified to "make the skull larger" clearly didn't impact the lower jaw...

No, I'm not sorry for this image uvu-b (But for real look at that poor pup and his overbite jfc)

Part 2: -and if it was, that wouldn't be good either.

I fundamentally do not support de extinction.

No, not even for the Thylacine, not even for passenger pigeons, nor the dodo. Even my beloved Homotherium should be left in the past.

This might be an unexpected stance because I am, surprising no one, a big fan of extinct animals, megafauna and otherwise.

But the thing is, I'm an even bigger fan of actual, living animals.

The animal ethics of de extinction are dubious at best.

The surrogate dog mothers of the GMO wolves likely won't live good lives.

I wouldn't be surprised if they were destroyed after being used, because their bodies could contain feto microchimerisms and Colossal absolutely doesn't want their special wolf genome getting out.

I doubt the GMO wolves themselves will live a full life before they outgrow their hearts, like Ligers.

This would likely be the case for any modern animal genetically modified into megafauna; a body not adapted to deal with the increased size.

Purely conjecture, but I also wouldn't be surprised if Romulus, Remus and Khaleesi have vision/hearing issues from their white coats.

White coats in wolves are associated with hearing impairments, so the gene used for these animals was from domestic dogs. Meaning Colossal has created a very expensive wolfdog.

Again, what kind of life are these wolfdogs supposed to live? As awful pets for the rich? In a zoo? Released to pollute wild wolf genomes? (assuming they're fertile; I hope not)

Regardless, it's not looking good if they ever planned to have them be 'wild animals'

Even true clones (which the GMO wolves are not) tend to have health issues.

Celia the Pyrenean Ibex (bucardo) was cloned, but the clone died after 9 minutes from a deformed lung.

So in 2003, this made the bucardo the first species to go extinct twice, yippee?

There's also the problem of genetic diversity.

How many intact genomes do you have on hand?

For dire wolves the answer is Zero!

To my knowledge, we don't have the full genome coded from one individual, just Frankenstein-ed from many. Which is fine for sequencing the canine family tree's relatedness, but not for cloning.

The absolute minimum individuals to survive a genetic bottleneck is said to be 50 in larger species. Called the 50/500 rule, it states that 50 is enough to survive, but 500 is required to prevent genetic drift.

To which I say, good luck!

Even with well preserved permafrost species (such as woolly mammoths), you'll have a hard time finding 500 individuals with prefect genomes.

And then, where will you put them?

If you were to, somehow, make a breeding population, where are they going? A national park? A zoo? Is their old habitat still available to them?

In Aenocyon, the answer is simply "they don't have a niche anymore".

Unlike the Thylacine or Dodo, humans did not directly cause the extinction of Aenocyon dirus. And even if they had, it was 10,000 years ago!

Would making room for a de extinct species impact the habitat/niche of another species?

Regular grey wolves fill Aenocyon's role as a canine mesopredator, with Puma as the apex (alongside bears as an apex omnivore).

With the loss of megafauna to prey on, a de extinct predator would just compete with other, also endangered species.

Animals also change the environment they life in.

Mammoths will clear trees like modern elephants. This would recreate the Mammoth Steppe, but those trees making up the taiga and boreal forests are themselves crucial habitat.

Other species have moved in since the mammoths' extinction. Siberian tigers, lynx, muskoxen, brown bears, elk, moose, and so many others; many endangered.

Trees also prevent erosion, which is already happening at unprecedented rates due to agriculture and deforestation.

Crucially: What's to stop an extinct animal going the same way it went out last time?

Ask yourself this:

Would the average American appreciate "flocks of Passenger pigeons big enough to darken the sky and whiten ground with their guano"?

Would people suddenly be okay with lions in Europe eating their livestock, when they are champing the bit to shoot Iberian wolves again?

Would Tasmanians suddenly feel the same about the Thylacine, when farmers in Australia still happily kill dingoes and eagles for lamb predation? [citation, I am an enviro technician and have had farmers tell me they shoot Wedge-tails, knowing I'm a toothless lion to stop them.]

I doubt it

At what cost?

Are we going to find 50 thylacine genomes?

If so (doubtful), how much will cloning and/or modifying a relative into a thylacine cost? Now that x50?

Wouldn't that money be better spent on quoll reintroduction?

What about finding 50 gestational carriers for mammoths?

Are you going to use their closest relative; the already critically endangered Asian Elephant?

Wouldn't that time and effort on those elephant mothers be better used making more elephants?

And the social cost:

If extinction isn't forever, what's to incentivize lawmakers to fund conservation?

Really, it comes down to this:

Why bring back the dire wolf when we could put this money into protecting the Iberian and Red wolves?

Why bring back the thylacine when their cousin is dying of a transmissible cancer?

We've already seen the impacts of "extinction isn't forever anymore", with those in power already trying to cut funding to conservation, because you can "just bring them back".

But as we've seen time and time again: there is no Planet B. There is no De-Extinction, not really.

Maybe what was gone should stay gone, so we can focus on what we still have.

[orchidsarchives]

Hellloooo- the only thing I wanted to say about Jason Todd is that he is probably actually really playful and fun to be around. Like it's not too much because homeboy is traumatized but is still one of the most playful in the batfam

Like even in his evil voiceless as red hood there were still some playfulness in his tone,I sincerely believe he is more laid back and chill then dick Grayson.

No because this is so true, Jason is definitely super fun and playful!!Also, this just inspired me to make a little list of silly!Jason headcanons, I hope you like them! Enjoy!

- jason is a pretty serious guy when you first meet him, but he’s actually really funny! i think his humour is very dead pan and sarcasm heavy, but he laughs at most things lol

- sometimes, he makes dad jokes and they’re honestly so bad that they’re kinda funny

- i’ve said this before, but i’ll say it again! he definitely uses humour to cope and he makes a lot of death jokes or he just simply says “kill me again” at every minor inconvenience (real)

- he’s really easy to get along with because he’s super laid back and chill

- he also has nicknames for most people (and things) and they’re really dumb, when he uses people’s actual names they’re like oh shit because that means he’s angry

- he has a really contagious laugh, it’s deep and attractive

- BUT sometimes it’s so stupid, like he’s giggling so hard, clutching his sides and hitting people (im guilty of this) and it’s like bro is it really that funny LMAO

- also when he does this type of laugh it’s usually funnier than the joke

- oh and he definitely struggles to get out a joke if he thinks it’s funny, he’s laughing so hard before getting to the punchline and you’re just staring at him like man finish the sentence please

- i genuinely think he makes commentary when he’s fighting someone on patrol

- he’s very chatty once you get know him

- his voice gets a little higher pitched when he talks to kids and animals, he baby talks to cats (but only when no one is around)

- also cat memes.

[mellosdrawings]

With how Rook stalks Leona and Vil (is it really stalking with Vil if Vil is very much aware and consents enough for rook to be in the open?) if both of them date Jamil, would he also be stalked?

He's already hyper aware of his surroundings so adding rook into the mix feels like he should just get more time to sleep.

Thank you SO MUCH for asking! Lemme introduce you to Vil/Rook/Leona shipping, the sheer potential of Rook-Jamil, and my Rook metamour theory!

First, I'm a big Vil/Rook/Leona shipper. I call Rook/Leona the Hunter/Hunted ship. Who's the hunter? Who's the hunted? Who knows. As @aria-faye (THE Rook connoisseur who made me love Rook too lol) said, they both come from the same place, have the same culture, and are both somewhat outsiders in their own way. Rook doesn't really fit the Sunset Savanah stereotype or the Savanaclaw mentality in full. Leona doesn't fit the ideal of a prince and gets ostracized by his own people. Both of them work really well as a ship with Vil and it makes this funny Pomefiore-to-Savanaclaw pipeline with Rook in the middle, having been in both dorms.

For Jamil, once more quoting V "I feel like Rook kind of already keeps an eye on Jamil, a bit. He watches things he finds beautiful, and Jamil is definitely beautiful." Plus there didn't seem to be any adverse reaction from Jamil toward Rook for the entirety of book 5. And Rook is so desperately honest and true to himself that it contrasts completely with Jamil who still struggles to find himself after a lifetime of lying. He'd be a good push for Jamil to be more honest too, a good influence.

In relation to the N2 squad, here's my answer : METAMOUR. I'm already polyshipping 24/7, it might not yet be completely obvious in my blog but I ship more OT3 than actual couples. I work better with 3+ characters relationships than regular couples. So since Vil, Leona, and Jamil are already dating, why couldn't I add Rook too? He's not part of the N2 squad, but he's such a constant shadow to Vil that it's hard to imagine them away from each other. Leona and Jamil would start dating him fully knowing Rook is there and not leaving. Really, Rook would probably be Vil's first boyfriend before Leona and Jamil become a thing.

That doesn't mean Leona and Jamil would necessarily start dating Rook though, and that's where the metamour happens. They all share Vil, but whether there is a relationship between Leona and Rook, or Jamil and Rook is up to... my mood, mostly xD Or reader's interpretation I guess. Maybe they just get comfortable simply sharing Vil, maybe they have a sort of queer platonic relationship, maybe they're all dating.

I tend to treat Rook as a bonus when it comes to N2, because he doesn't fit the group, but it's hard to imagine him away, and he's so stupidly supportive that he'd probably be a good influence on forever-depressed-Leona and desperately-confused-Jamil.

Tldr : Jamil and Leona would start dating Vil knowing Rook would be there anyway, so if they ever feel uncomfortable about it they can only blame themselves.

(Who'd you think held the camera in those illus?)

[ogmrs-hatake]

jjk men and their toxic traits

warnings: love bombing, obsession, silent treatment as punishment, purity culture, possessiveness, mentions of drug and alcohol addiction, self harm, suicide attempt, self loathing, stalking and younger man x older woman.

a/n: idk what to tell you besties. i did have fun writing nanami's tho, and i think sukuna's the most accurate lol tell me what y'all think :D

Toji: Indifference 

after dating Toji for years, putting him with his recklessness during his assassination assignments, watching him bleed on the bathroom floor while shiu poorly stitches him up, having to move apartments every few months because someone with a grudge or an enemy hunts him down. 

dealing with all of that crap, you’ve exploded once you’ve reached your boiling point.

as much as you love toji with all of your heart, want him to see the beauty of the world and feel alive again, you simply cannot stand by while the man you love kills himself.

that’s why you gave him an ultimatum; change careers and he fixes his life  or you walk out.

you’ve known from the start that toji’s a stubborn mule but you didn’t think that he’d choose his job over you. 

though heartbroken at first, you eventually end up packing your things. maybe now that things have gotten serious and toji sees you slowly removing pieces of yourself from his life, it’d serve as a wake up call.

toji doesn’t even bat an eye.

he’s lounging on the couch, mindlessly watching a baseball match from the television set he’d stolen from his family.

even when you block his view — hands on your hips and all — he just scoots aside and continues watching.

“you knew what you were getting yourself into from the start.” comes toji’s monotone voice after your yelling, “i’ve warned you and you accepted who i am.”

silence fills the room. you stare at him, hoping that once toji sees the heartbreak, rage, frustration and that little bit of moisture glistening your pretty eyes, he’d see the error of his ways.

but no such thing happens.

instead, toji continues to sit on the couch with his mesmerizing forest green eyes, the very ones that made you fall in love with him, are glued to the screen.

when you march to your bedroom to drag out your luggage, toji doesn’t even offer a goodbye. he doesn’t even watch you leave. toji doesn’t bother to chase after you when you’re halfway down the stairs.

Satoru: Love Bombing and Obsession

having been born as the blessed one, nothing really impresses gojo satoru. 

he has mountains of money in his bank account, a stream of endless good luck and women kissing the ground he walks on. with a snap of his fingers, he can have whatever he desires at the palm of his hand.

yet, once you reject him, something inside satoru snaps. no one, no one has ever rejected gojo satoru. it’s always the opposite. 

when you reject him for the fourth time in less than a week, satoru draws up a plan that will surely win you over.

it starts off small. he sends breathtaking bouquets of flowers to your work place with cute little notes praising your beauty. whenever he sees exquisite jewelry, he’s sending them to your house, asking you to wear them. when he’s feeling very d̶e̶s̶p̶e̶r̶a̶t̶e̶  determined, satoru will wire you almost 8 million yen. satoru is then showing up to your work place with the excuse of wanting to take you out for lunch. embarrassed by the glances not so subtly thrown your way and the loud whispers haunting your ears, you agree.

and, honestly, satoru isn’t that bad. he’s got that boyish charm to him, he can be pretty funny and he’s intelligent. maybe you were too harsh with him…is what you initially thought until satoru’s true colors started to show.

he will call you throughout the day asking you what you’re wearing, what you’re eating, what will you eat, who are you with, who were you with, who did you talk to, who are you talking to, who will you talk to and you get the idea.

satoru goes as far as installing tracking devices in your car, home and work place just to stay updated. he even threatened your male co-workers, relatives and friends from talking to you as he strongly and firmly believes that he’s the only one you need.

gojo satoru is like a disease you can’t escape.

Kento: Silent Treatment

nanami kento’s biggest hatred in life aside from the corporate tyranny is adults who are quite immature.

and you know this. but sometimes your emotions get the best of you.

like the other night, you had a pretty nasty fight with kento. you had accused him of flirting with another woman at the end of the year party the company kento is working at hosted. when kento defended himself and explained that the woman was all over him, you yelled that he did nothing to get her to back off.

it was a heated argument which consisted of you yelling your head off and kento constantly defending himself.   

“i’ve had enough of this.” kento mutters as he snatches his pillow and blanket from your bed to go sleep on the couch in the living room. 

come the next morning, you realized your mistake. you barely slept a wink the night before, tossing and turning at your immaturity. guilt lodging itself deep into your soul as you accused kento of infidelity when that man is crazy over you. he works a job he hates just so he can provide for you and for your future family.

with a clearer head, you send him a text.

wanna grab lunch after work?

my treat 🥰  

hopefully, the warm and cozy ambiance of your favorite restaurant will remind you of just how loyal kento is, which will then allow you to apologize and trust him even more.

you go about your day; showering, eating breakfast, cleaning the penthouse. all the while you keep glancing at your phone. you’ve worried your lips so much that they’re bruised and cut, metallic flavor dancing on your tongue.

when kento doesn’t return home, you call him about twenty times until it goes to voicemail.

kento only returns at around nine in the evening. he doesn’t greet you, doesn’t even glance at you. it’s like you’re a ghost. 

you convince yourself that kento is still angry and probably needs some time to cool off but when this behavior continues for almost two weeks, you’re at your wit’s end.

“baby,” you stand in your walk-in closet, reeking of desperation, as kento is busy tying his tie for an important ceremony at his company later that evening, “talk to me.” you plea but he’s silent as the dead.

tears blur your vision as kento continues to ignore you while adding the finishing touches.

“please.” you stand in front of the mirror, obstructing the view of his reflection. “don’t ignore me, kento. please. i was wrong. i shouldn’t have accused you and i shouldn’t have doubted your love for me. i let my insecurities get the better of me. i’m so sorry.”

for the first time in weeks, kento looks at you. actually, looks. his hands tightly grip your waist and lift you off the ground to place you away from the mirror.

dejected by his rejection, tears are crashing down your cheeks like an angry waterfall. 

you try to sand in front of the mirror but kento stops you. just as it feels like the last piece of your heart is about to shrivel up and die, kento leans in and kisses your cheek.

you’re so surprised by the gesture, you don’t notice kento leaving.

it’s only when you hear your phone buzzing on the nightstand that you’re brought to your senses.

i’ll be home late. don’t wait up.

tonight is the first night you’ve had a well rested sleep since your fight.

Sukuna: Purity and Possessiveness 

purity is everything to sukuna. he’s in a relationship with you because of your innocence, how you’re blissfully unaware of the carnal desires of man. having to rely on sukuna and be taught of one’s sexual desire is a huge power trip to sukuna. he guides you every step of the way; teaches you what he loves and shows you what you need. 

it’s such a euphoric world to live in that it’s difficult to leave it. yet it’s something you have to do. sukuna’s licentiousness is overwhelming. his malevolent behavior frightens you and you no longer feel safe in his arms like you used to.

you’ve managed to hide from him for almost three years but sukuna never stopped searching for you. when he finally finds you, it’s with a grin of victory and of mania glowing in his ruby colored eyes.

until his eyes land on your stomach, that his. instantly, he is sneering at you in disgust. sukuna’s insides curl in protest at the repulsive fact that not only are you with another man, mistakenly believing he can ever satisfy you better than he did, you let him plant his seed in you. 

you are–were sukuna’s possession and he doesn’t like to share what rightfully belongs to him. 

why should he take you back when you’ve been spoiled, polluted, by the dirty hands of another man? sukuna doesn’t go for sloppy seconds. and there’s no way in hell he’d raise another man’s child. 

as quickly as sukuna has reappeared in your life, he’s out of it. 

Suguru: Self Sabotage 

the road to recovery is a long and arduous one. but geto suguru is proud of his accomplishments. the challenges he had faced were insanely difficult but meeting you has made things much easier. 

it has taken a while but, eventually, suguru doesn’t feel his fingers twitching for his next fix. he no longer drinks himself to sleep to silence chaotic thoughts. suguru also managed to throw out all of his blades and his arms and inner thighs haven’t been marred in quite some time. 

yet all of suguru’s hard work goes to waste when the two of you had your first major fight. it was cruel. it broke both of your hearts. it forced you to leave suguru’s apartment for a few days to calm down. had you known that your fight, that you leaving suguru, would come with major consequences, you wouldn’t have left. 

you receive the call at around three in the morning. suguru’s in the emergency room after a drug overdose and slitting both his wrists. you’re in no condition to drive as you can’t stop crying, wailing your lover’s name, so your best friend had to drive you to the hospital. 

the doctors inform you that suguru’s chances are slim and you believe their words because you’ve never seen suguru so pale. even when he first met him, he wasn’t as ashy. his face wasn’t sunk in like it is now.

it’s your fault!

you broke him! 

you ruined him! 

you killed him!

you don’t deserve him!

you don’t deserve anyone!

menacing thoughts abuse you throughout the early morning. by the sun comes out and the nurses stop by suguru’s room to check up on him, you’re dead on your seat. 

thankfully, you’ve been rescued from your torturous thoughts by none other than suguru. he stares at you with a haunted expression. his tongue darts out to moisten his chapped.

“y/n,” he croacks your name and you hurry to silence him lest he irritates his throat any further but one glance from suguru has you sitting back down, “i’m so sorry.”

suguru’s voice is so low that you have to lean in to hear him.

“please don’t leave me. i can’t live without you.”

a sickening wave of terror welling up from y/n’s belly at each word suguru uttered. how could she have been so stupid? why did she fight suguru when she knows just how sensitive he is!

shame washes over y/n like tidal waves.

“i’m sorry, baby.” y/n whispers as reaches for suguru’s hand. she places a gentle kiss on the gauzed wrapped around his injured wrist. “it’s all my fault. i won’t do it again.”

y/n searches suguru’s amethyst eyes for forgiveness.

“promise?” suguru asks, sounding so scared.

“i promise.”

Yuuta: Stalking

dating yuuta is like dating an overgrown puppy. 

he’s so loyal to you that one might actually call it blind devotion. yuuta will jump through burning hopes to please and satisfy you. in his eyes, you’re the most beautiful woman blessed on earth.

dating yuuta can be exhausting as well. since he’s five years younger than you, he’s quite energetic. which is exactly what you’ve been searching for after being married to your lazy husband who barely lifts a finger to scratch his ass.

and it was fun at first but now you’re exhausted to the bone and can barely keep up. that’s why you decide that it’s time to hit the gym. you need to build up your stamina if you want to keep up with your good little boy. 

“good luck with gym today!” yuuta is standing at the apartment genkan to send you off. the tail only you can see is wagging in excitement, ready to hear a compliment for doing a good of packing your gym back.

“thank you, my little puppy.” yuuta beams at the baby voice you use and is as light as a feather when you peck his lips not twice but four times.

“be a good little boy while mommy’s gone.” yuuta fervently nodding his head sends you into a fit of giggles at just how adorable he is. 

yuuta waits about ten minutes before he’s sprinting into your bedroom to quickly change his clothes, yank the apartment door open where he takes the stairs by twos and hops on his bicycle, cycling as fast as his legs can allow him. 

he’s stopping right across the street from your gym just as you drive into the basement parking lot. state of the binoculars at the ready, yuuta enters the abandoned building next to your gym and makes his way to the rooftop.

yuuta isn’t stalking you. really, he isn’t. he just…follows you around to make sure nothing happens to you. 

it’s just like he did before he started dating you. yuuta would follow you around town, patiently waiting for him to plant himself in your world like a may flower. he knows all of your favorite places; restaurants, cafes, stores, etc. yuuta knows where you like to go when you want to be alone and he even knows where your parents live despite the fact you’ve been dating for only two months and you have yet to bring up your parents. 

Yuuta’s grip tightens on the binoculars. he despises the fact that there aren’t any male instructors at your gym. he has to watch from the side as your male teacher comes closer and corrects your posture. yuuta’s eyes zero in to make sure that the instructor’s touches don’t linger. 

after about an hour, yuuta receives a text that you’re going to grab coffee with the girls from your pilates class, girls yuuta has pulled up all and any information on them to ensure they aren’t harmful, that they won’t corrupt you.

okay mommy ♥️

yuuta will a good boy and wait for you 😇

yuuta’s on his bicycle, subtly following your car to your favorite cafe by the riverside. 

[jackass-jones]

I’m getting kinda feral about Ryuki today so I wanna bring up something else

Since the entire Ryuki side of the story is pretty much just everything he tells Mizuki about what happened 6 years ago, this begs the question: is his summary including the parts that are from the future, or is this just a writing error?

It’d make sense if it was just an error like. First off if Ryuki could see the future that’d be a whole mess, plus the future he’s seeing here isn’t even in the right timeline, it’s all what happens on the B side. Plus, the whole twist of not knowing what the proper timeline is is already a pretty iffy twist because it’s only a twist to the player, not to the characters. Since it’s kinda flimsy to begin with, I can see how the writers could’ve just completely fucking forgotten to fix the Ryuki side to make sense with this twist. They kinda forgot about Ryuki a lot in the second half of the game after all and a lot of the writing around him is messy as hell so I can believe it

But, let’s pretend this all WAS intentional, that Ryuki DID include information about the future in his story to Mizuki. This would go perfectly with the idea that Ryuki is a frayer and that he’s being haunted by knowledge from the past and future and is incapable of distinguishing the two. It’s already true that Ryuki has trouble telling what year it is (during the practice launch on the Mizuki side we see Ryuki in a trance waiting for Shoma to get off the ferris wheel even though that’s an event that happened 6 years ago, Ryuki makes constant references to Date being disappointed in him,etc) so it’d make sense if he got his wires majorly crossed when telling Mizuki what he remembers about the case from 6 years ago. If this is the case, then Ryuki’s powers can extend across not just past and future, but also multiple timelines

It’s not like Ryuki is the only one with this power. Date remembers when he was hospitalized in the Mizuki route during the true ending and gets confused about why he’s remembering things that never happened. Mizuki is able to remember Jin being referred to as the almighty despite her not hearing about it in that timeline. But it is interesting that Ryuki is the only one who seems to be plagued by his knowledge. The other two protagonists will be just kinda weirded out by their ability to know things that didn’t happen, but they recover pretty quickly. Ryuki though, he doesn’t know what timeline he’s in and he’s constantly speaking and thinking in riddles and drowning himself in liquor to forget everything and is only able to function in the A side BECAUSE the somnium failed and he wasn’t able to remember tearer’s true identity

Basically Ryuki cursed with evil timeline powers and it makes me wonder if he’s an unreliable narrator on purpose or on accident and honestly, I don’t know if I wanna know

Had an epiphany last night and I haven’t seen anyone talk about this (maybe because it could be just so obvious no one felt the need to but shhh) but look here at the veeeery beginning of the aini flowchart

We got the Ryuki somnium as the first split and as we know, this split happens based on whether or not you (or ryuki in this case) know the name of Tearer. You can only get the Mizuki side of the story if you have played the Ryuki side and have heard Tearer’s name. The somnium will also be much more complex and dangerous

So essentially on the B side, the psync is unsuccessful. Mizuki doesn’t really help Ryuki, and she barely learns anything about the hb case. Ryuki is left in the same mentally unstable state he was before, and he can’t hold a conversation without babbling and laughing maniacally. This leaves Mizuki to do her investigation without any of the past help at all, which is how the true route of the story is supposed to go

This isn’t anything new, we know this. What I do wanna revisit is the A side, where Ryuki doesn’t remember Tearer. The psync is actually successful and the results are significantly different than the B side. Ryuki sobers up and is able to tell Mizuki everything that happened to him 6 years ago. So basically the Ryuki route (the parts from 6 years ago) is everything that he’s telling to Mizuki

This means that there’s a whole separate version of the story in this timeline where Mizuki learns everything about the past, including what happened to Date. And what’s getting me feral about this is. How did the investigation proceed afterwards??? Did the two of them work together to finish the case? Did Mizuki get a chance to mourn Date? Did she lash out at Ryuki? Did Ryuki even mention his involvement with Tearer or Bibi’s existence at all? How would everything had changed if they worked together?

IM GOING INSANE I NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE A SIDE TIMELINE DAMMIT-

[zvezdacito]

Ranking Malleus's Valentines Messages from 2021-2024🔥

People finally got the 2024 ones so I decided to make a list like this. Mostly based off which ones have both the most interesting contents and which ones are the sweetest(?) in a sense to Yuu lol. Terminal Malleyuu brain + and I mean they are Valentines cards after all.

Going from least to most personally favored:

4th: 2023

Text: "To my dear friend-

Thank you. Never did I envision someone presenting me with the gift of sweet treats. It would be a shame for me to eat them all by myself. I think I'll share them with you. Would you be willing to provide the tea to go with them?"

Very broadly friendly and nice I guess, but the message of the text is basic and the design of the letter card is also kinda basic🥀 like tbh if you changed the color of this card you could mistake this for something Riddle wrote instead. The ones for this year really just felt like they ran out of ideas and gave up, this is the only one on this list I can say I definitely don't really like that much

3rd: 2022

Text: "To my good friend-

A gift? For me, of all people? Your tastes are...distinctive, I must say. Worry not, though- I enjoyed it, of course. What would you like in return, I wonder? I shall take great pleasure in speculating the answer to that question."

Definitely more interesting than the 2023 one and his personality really comes out in the writing here. Though because of how his closeness to Yuu is characterized here I now feel like it would make more sense if this was the first card and the 2021 was the second one, since if you take the cards to be written in a chronological timeline it kinda feels like Malleus's closeness to Yuu regressed out of nowhere

Not saying people can't change or grow apart later on, but here it kinda has the vibe that he straight up hasn't met them much yet so its as if this was earlier into their relationship. Basically feels if Book 3-4 Malleus got the gift, while 2021 is like Book 6 and onwards Malleus getting the gift.

I really like this one both for the yuu crumbs and it's characterization of Malleus himself, but it's number 3 simply by default of me personally liking the next two more. The gap between it and 2023 is huge😭

2nd: 2024

Text: "To my good friend-

Thank you for your gift. Hmm... This fragrance is meant for pleasure and relaxation? What a tasteful choice. I rather like it; perhaps I shall take more of an interest in these things. You would be welcome to pay me a visit, by the way, should you feel so inclined. I would enjoy sharing an old tale or two."

These are probably the most fun design for the letter cards so far. I think after last year (the 2023 one) they realized they really did run out of ideas for box shaped letters lol.

In general I just like the very sweet and casual friendship implied in this card. As usual he is doing everything in his power to invite Yuu to his place at any given opportunity. Cute how when they hang out they'll tell each other chismis stories, and that Malleus is gonna commit to getting into something just because Yuu gifted it to him. TLDR he's very comfortable around Yuu here that's awesome

1st: 2021

Text: "Dearest,

My thanks for such a truly wonderful present. It is only fitting that I should give you something in return. How about the gift of beauty? Perhaps the gift of song? Or... Well, never mind. Just a joke based on the legends, you know. I shall give you something I picked out myself."

I don't really think anything will ever fully top this one tbh. The greeting just being "Dearest" was so powerful they had to pull bro to the side and tell him to tone it down for the next 3 years🥀

The "gift of beauty song or..." lines can be taken as just him being 3 seconds away from jumping to smooch Yuu (given in the movie the last gift was true loves kiss related after maleficent cursed the baby) which is honestly kinda funny. Down bad /j

Ok back to the main point and minus speculations. This is tied with the 2024 one with showing how close and comfortable (shown by how forward and playful he is here no concern of maintaing image or such) this point of his relationship with Yuu is. This is also the card where he feels the most excited and energetic I guess which is why it's still my overall favorite. Displex had no choice contain the raw Malleyuu power in this one to avoid bias accusations idk

If you want to read into it more I think it's also kinda funny that this could lowkey be taken as him saying we suck at singing/look ugly. And the reason he stopped before revealing the last line is because he realize the joke had already come off as insulting to a human not familiar with the Briar Valley even if his intention was just to be playful as friends do.

Although that would be consistent with the characterization of Malleus as being honest if anyone's performance in something (even Yuu from what we see in voicelines) is lackluster.

He is constructive tho. In these same voicelines usually offers to help teach them to get better and acknowledging it as a feat/compliment itself when they slightly improve, instead of the fanon characterization (usually for masterchef comics) that once he finds out Yuu is behind something he will autonomatically just see it as good quality already.

So yeah idk that's nice and awesome

↑ Drive compiling of the rest of the 2024 Valentines letter pics I found on twitter. There's still some characters missing + trying to look for a clearer picture of the Malleus one lol

[felibrary]

WITH LOVE: your summer thing

PAIRING: Michael Kaiser x Reader (gender neutral)

SYNOPSIS: "Granted, you’re more than aware that you’ll regret this later on, but where’s the fun if not doing something reckless once or twice—or well..always whenever you're with Michael."

The universe seems to resent you. Being dumped by MICHAEL KAISER was apparently not nerve-wracking enough—the two of you were never quite ‘a thing’ to begin with. So, how come he worms his way into your life once more, and worst of all, on your birthday?

wordcount: 2.3k | content & warnings: consumption of alcohol (both), mentions of drinking & slightly smoking (not by either of them), they kiss like once, ngl #situationshipfinalboss#bothkindatoxicbutwhocares#cancelsitout (who can relate), one suggestive/nsfw remark (not explicitly detailed); oneshot

author's note: i proofread this i swear! (i scream as they drag me to the psych ward) well talking of psych ward, my therapist recommended me to go there again cause she had the impression i was doing worse but HELL NO also sorry writers block been eating me alive. had this in my drfats for like 4 months LOL

“So Meguru, mind telling me, why did you think announcing my birthday party and leaking my address in the local newspaper was a good idea?”

What was supposed to be a peaceful evening, hosted and arranged by your closest friends, in honor of your birthday, (which was only supposed to be celebrated in your small social circle) quickly turned into an open house party—all because Bachira couldn’t contain his excitement and wanted to share the news with everyone. 

Which leads you to this predicament: your ex of a situationship (or summer thing—how he’d call it), standing right before you. There’s a boyish smirk slapped onto his face, as if he found the whole situation too funny to be true, and seemed to enjoy your disapproval of his presence.

Bachira tried exchanging apologetic glances with you, but you simply dismissed them. “Well, you see, I now of course realize it was a mistake, but I just thought it’d be a nice surprise to have people congratulating you.” He lets out an embarrassed huff. ��Though now, I see why that might not have been a great idea.” 

Meguru presses his lips into a thin line as he looks at Michael awkwardly, before turning his gaze back to you. “Sorry, I was so excited that I didn’t think about the consequences and how it could possibly affect you.”

Although it was a reckless decision (and idiotic if you may add), you didn’t want to be mad and put all the blame on Bachira. “I suppose there’s nothing we can do now, it’s fine.” The exasperated sigh that leaves your lips tells otherwise, but you weren't going to start arguing with one of your best friends on your birthday—especially if it was done out of good intent.

There’s loud 2000s pop music filling the atmosphere. People dancing along to the sound whilst shouting the wrong lyrics across the room.

The smell of cheap alcohol and poorly rolled blunts reeks in every corner of your place, accompanied by the whistles and claps of barely legal adults playing party games — spin the bottle, seven minutes in heaven, two truths, one lie—you name it.

Cleaning everything up was going to be a mess, but that’s a worry for later.

There was one thing you were sure of, though: If you stay here any longer, you’ll lose your mind.

So, before you let the blond jerk (Michael) open his chatty mouth and leave some insulting remark, you take your leave. Grabbing the red plastic cup filled with some mixture consisting of a random fruit soda you found on the table and vodka, you then try to leave in hopes of finding a quiet place to put your mind at ease.

(Preferably your bedroom if it isn’t already occupied by some strangers who locked the door to make out.)

But, perhaps, the alcohol has messed with your head that it slipped your mind just how insufferably determined Michael can be. “Der Spaß hat doch gerade erst angefangen und du willst bereits gehen?" "Sei doch nicht so lahm drauf, ist doch dein Geburtstag, hab Spaß!” his laughter fills the space. …and just when you thought things couldn’t get any worse.

You shoot him an irritated look, eyes wandering from his flushed face down to the tight grip his hand has on your wrist. “Man, what are you saying?” 

Out of nowhere, and if on command, Alexis chimes in. “Well, he basically said that you’re kinda lame for already leaving, despite the fun only having started, and that this is your birthday party, exactly why you should enjoy it!” Ness finishes his translation of Michael’s gibberish before adding a remark of his own:” And I couldn't agree more.” 

There’s a somewhat prideful smile gracing his lips as he agrees with Michael’s statement, and you’re not sure whether to feel impressed that Michael has someone who’s this devoted to him or if you should pity Alexis for being this devoted.

“Whatever. Just don’t do some stupid shit and don’t even fucking think about talking to me.” The sour words you spit are full of sincerity. With the amount of people approaching and congratulating you (even though they barely even know you—same goes for you, though) you’re already overwhelmed enough, and if then, Michael out of all people, started talking to you, you’d probably start malfunctioning. 

Michael just stares at you, fully captured in a haze as he looks at you through a blurred vision. “Mhm, can’t keep any promises,” he simply tilts his head to the side and grins. 

At that, you can’t help but scoff. “Yeah, I’m quite aware.” You hint and take your leave. 

“What was that all about?” Alexis asks, confusion written all over his face. “Not important,” Michael mutters under his breath, and suppresses his groan by biting down on his tongue, before disappearing into the crowd—Alexis running right after. 

Luckily and surprisingly, your room was unoccupied and left untouched. With a sigh of relief, you slump against your bed. Exhaustion fills your limbs, and your body feels heavy, not to mention the relentless stinging in your head.

If this continues, you're certain you'll fall asleep at any given moment.

Buzz

Drowsily, you open your eyes, patting your pants to find your phone. When you do, you see that Isagi sent you a message.

Isagi: dw about michael btw. me and the others will keep an eye on him and make sure that he won’t bother you

A small smile creeps onto your face as your eyes skim over the text.

: thats rly nice of u guys. i appreciate it. : thank uuu :)

Not even a second later, you already see Isagi typing a reply. 

Isagi: only natural, dw.  Isagi: btw megs apologised for basically inviting michael over again

Your smile softens upon reading the message, and you send Isagi a small message.

: it’s all good : tell him not to overthink it : guess we'll just have to manage w his ass for the time being lmfao

Isagi: haha, ill tell him that Isagi: rest well :)

You react to the message with a heart before tossing your phone somewhere on your bed. 

The red plastic cup sits on your drawer, and you reach out to grab it. It smells horrible. Honestly, you wouldn’t even be surprised if you got alcohol poisoning from it and the other questionable mixtures you consumed tonight. 

You ignored the smell and gulped it down in one go, face contorting into an expression of disgust as you tasted the alcohol on your tongue. 

But it wasn’t merely the taste nor the smell that made you dislike alcohol so much—it’s what it did with your body and mind. 

Reckless decisions and impulsive actions were always guaranteed when drinking, not to mention how much you started overthinking your entire life, love life, to be precise.

Never in a million years would you’ve thought that you’d see Michael Kaiser again. If someone told you that he’d appear at your birthday party, with that all too familiar smile plastered on his face, which you fell in love with, you would’ve simply dismissed the comment.

After all, things were a total mess when he broke it off. From then on, you tried to avoid him as much as possible. Walking different routes to your classes, intentionally looking away when you’d pass by him on campus, not attending any parties you knew he’d go to, and not visiting any of the football games your school held. 

Because you knew that if you saw him, you’d start to crumble. 

Michael always knew what to say when it was about getting a reaction out of you. Whether it was bringing a smile to your lips or dropping snarky remarks where he knew that they’d tick you off and make you snap.

Truly, you convinced yourself that you despised him. The feeling of hatred coiled in your stomach whenever his name slipped into a conversation. 

What you hated more, though, was the effect that he had on you—how he’s able to spark a reaction despite not being in the room. The mere mention of his name was enough to send you over the edge.

There were days when you thought that Michael was the person for you. All the things you never told anyone, which you were convinced you’d take to your grave so not a single soul will ever know—they were all laid bare when you were with Michael.

But that wasn’t because he forced you into it. In reality, he was the first one to open up. Admittedly, you still don’t have an explanation for that and how it happened. But it somehow did. 

Little did you know that by doing so, you’d started growing weak around him, eventually telling your secrets, too.

Those countless nights where you were wrapped in his arms, barely able to move because he hugged you so tightly as if he feared that you’d flee from his hold if he were to let you go—they’re priceless memories that led you to believe that things were progressing positively.

But perhaps you were too caught up in your imagination that you didn’t see the changes in him and yourself.

Sometimes you think that Michael planned out your whole relationship. Playing the role of a picture-perfect boyfriend only to end up leaving.

While he seemed to be more than just fine—maybe even better than before, you were contemplating whether all of those moments you shared meant anything to him.

Why were you the only one who seemed to be affected by this?

Your thoughts are interrupted by a loud knock on your door and you snap your head towards it. “Who is it?” You yell out, hoping it reached the person on the other end of the door.

It doesn’t because they just decide to enter without answering, and you look up.

There he was.

Long blond hair with fading blue tips, hands loosely stuffed into the pockets of his denim jeans, and the same smile that never failed to make you falter.

His unevenly cut strands of hair fall perfectly on his face. You always laughed about it. Telling him that he should go to an air dresser instead of letting Alexis mess with his hair but Michael always insisted. 

Looking back, it seemed really endearing.

At the sight of him, you can’t help but let out an annoyed groan. “What did I say about not getting in my way? Fuck off.” You demand him to leave, and your eyes dart to the door. 

When everything you wanted was for him to stay. 

For him to explain his reason for attending, if he’s thought of you too, if he had any regrets—all the things you never dared to ask, because some things are better to be left unsaid for the sake of peace.

Michael and peace don’t belong in the same sentence. Whenever you spent time with him, things were anything but in order. Sure, he stirred chaos, but somehow always managed to make it pleasant—it was messy, but in a good way. 

You feel your body tensing up as you watch him, but he doesn’t leave, doesn’t budge a little. Instead, he leans against the door, closing it by doing so. “Isn’t it obvious?” A smirk finds its way on his face. “I wanted to see you.” He says, as if it were the most natural thing ever, pointing it out as if it were in his nature.

“Ugh,” you can’t help but groan. “Shut up, for once, will you?” Michael seems to be caught off guard for a moment before smiling. “Hm? Why should I? I thought you liked it wheneve—” “You’re annoying” you butt, then proceeding to lay down on your bed.

Silence fills the room, and you scoff in amusement. “Never got told to shut up or what’s with the silence?” you snide. He chortled at your comment before seating himself on your bed, the mattress slightly dipping as he set his weight on it. “Guess so. You’re always my first one.”

You let out a dry, almost mocking laugh. “Mhm, enlighten me, will you?” Michael looks down at you, and if you were sober enough, you’d say that he’s almost admiring you with fond eyes. His blue eyes glint with fondness, gazing at you as if you hung up all the stars in the sky. “Well, if we wanna start with the get-go, you were my first ti—” 

“You’re insufferable,” you exclaim in embarrassment. Unlike you, Michael seems to find enjoyment in your flustered state and reaches his hand out to your face, cupping your cheek and brushing his thumb over your flushed face. (It’s from the alcohol and not his touch, you convince yourself.)

His fingers graze your face gently, lingering for a moment before he tucks the stray strands of hair behind your ear, his touch tender and quiet, but enough to make you soften. 

Granted, you’re more than aware that you’ll regret this later on, but where’s the fun if not doing something reckless once or twice—or well..always whenever you're with Michael. “Man up, and kiss me, will you?” you grumble in annoyance. 

You should’ve known it was a bad idea when you saw Michael immediately smirking. “Thought you’d never ask, but I thought the atmosphere would be more romanti–” For the third time this evening, you shut him up, although not with a snarky remark or a rebuttal, but with a kiss—and in every case, you catch him off guard.

Michael’s eyes widen in surprise as he feels your lips press against his. With no hesitation, he reciprocates the action, closing his eyes and kissing you back. He’s quick to grab the hem of your shirt, his hands move beneath the fabric, and he starts roaming around on your bare skin.

You despise how good his touch feels, but what you hate even more is how his touch feels the same. How everything is the same, as if nothing has changed. His messy kisses, the familiar scent of his cologne, and how he’s still able to make you sway. 

You’ll most likely regret this in the morning, but hey, at least you know birthday wishes aren’t always so far out of reach—the impossible is possible, after all.

© FELIBRARY 2025. stealing, copying, translating, reposting my works on other platforms or feeding them to ai is not permitted.

[pretty-circa006]

Unhealthy Attachments pt.2

His Favorite Student

◀︎ previous part

Coach! Negan x Student! F! Reader

summary Negan becomes your safe space, but he can't keep you safe all of the time tags mentions of bullying/ bullying, second person pov, mild sexual thoughts, age gap as per usual lol, vague mentions of religion

wc 2.7k

*you are responsible for your own content consumption. if this is something you DO NOT like, simply DO NOT read or interact! :) *

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚⋆ ˚｡⋆ 

Those lunches with Coach Negan made your spring semester more bearable. Of course, the bullying didn’t stop or anything, but you could almost ignore it now that you had an escape. That 45 minutes in Negan’s office splitting a sandwich was the best part of your day, the only time you felt safe at school. You couldn’t deny that you were growing closer to the man. Through the conversations you shared during the short periods of time, the two of you grew closer, even though he’d never admit it. Your blossoming relationship with the handsome man gave you butterflies. Perhaps, it was because you were just happy to have a friend outside of the church for the first time in what felt like forever. 

“Hey, Coach,” you greeted upon entering his office. After the second week of your visits, you stopped knocking and just let yourself in and he didn’t seem to mind. You handed him a paper bag with his own sandwich, something you started doing recently to show him you were grateful for his kindness. You took your usual seat and started eating. 

"Lookin' forward to spring break, kid?" he asked, leaning back in his chair. You shrugged your shoulders. You didn't have anything to do but sit around and help out in the church all week. Even if you had any friends, your dad wouldn't let you go out with them. 

"No? What kinda fuckin' teenager doesn't look forward to spring break," he laughed. You rolled your eyes. 

"One whose only friend is a forty-something year old man," you deadpanned. He snorted, not because he thought your retort was funny, but because you thought he was your friend. 

"Look, kid, just because I let you eat in here does not make us friends. I am your goddamn teacher! This thing between us is purely professional." His words shouldn't have stung as much as they did. Everything he said was true, but a small part of you  hoped he wouldn't take his job so seriously and just be your friend. Seeing the happiness fizzle out of you because of his words stung, but Negan couldn't risk things going any further than this. He was already nicer to you than he was anyone else, which could cause room for suspicion of inappropriate activities. As much as he liked having you around, he liked having a job a tad more. 

 You didn't speak again and instead tore off bits of your sandwich and nibbled on them until the bell signaling the end of the lunch period rang. Negan watched as you cleaned up your trash and gathered your things. You lingered by the doorway, fiddling with the sleeves of that hideous sweater you had on. 

"Um, if you have time, maybe you can come for the church's service on Easter Sunday?"  

"Kid, you know I don't believe in that shit." 

"I know, but..." You didn't know how to tell him that you just wanted an excuse to see him during the break, because you knew you'd miss him, so you didn't.

"I understand," you said instead before leaving. 

...

 You didn't want to go to PE. The thought of seeing Negan again after that awkward lunch made your stomach churn. But you went anyway because you knew you'd be in a world of trouble if you didn't. 

"You're here early, miss me already, kid?" Negan said as he came out of his office wearing his bright, dimpled smile. You glared at him, angry at how he can be so normal after practically ripping your heart out then smushing it under his shoe. 

"Stop calling me that!" you snapped. 

"What's got your panties in a bunch?" he asked once he was standing before you, towering over you. His vulgar words set your face ablaze with heat. 

"C-coach, that is not how you speak to someone you have a professional relationship with!" You clutched your backpack straps and hurried to the locker room to change. Negan just shrugged his shoulders and went back to waiting for his other students to file in. 

 Negan never cared to take attendance, so when it seemed like most of the class was there, he started the class by blowing his whistle and getting everyone's attention. He didn't feel like orchestrating an activity that day, so he just just let the class have free time and play around the gym. Everyone broke out into their own groups. Some students shot hoops while others bounced a volleyball around in a circle, some played badminton or just sat around chatting with their friends. He was about to slink off to his office to get some work done, but then he saw you. You stood around looking clueless for a second before walking over to the group bouncing a volleyball in a circle. Every time you tried joined in, someone would move to close the circle, effectively pushing you out. You grabbed a racket to join in with the badminton group but when nobody hit the birdie your way, you put it back and sat down on the bench outside of his office. He wanted to leave you be, just moping like you usually did. But he felt drawn to you. He wanted to bring out the you that he saw in his office during lunch hour and block out everything that left you feeling empty. He had to keep a solid boundary between the two of you. Your attachment to him was already becoming unhealthy. But there’s nothing wrong with a teacher talking to his student. 

 You quickly wiped your tears then glanced up at the handsome man when he took a seat beside you. 

“You look fuckin’ depressed,” he cheerily observed. He immediately regretted his tone when he saw the harshness of your glare. 

“I’m fine,” you snapped. 

“Then why’re you cryin’?" He asked, sounding genuinely concerned this time. You looked up at him with sad, doe eyes, wanting to pour your heart out to him, like you would a friend. But Negan wasn’t your friend and he made that clear. 

“Just leave me alone!” You muttered. You were sick of Negan. He said one thing with his words, but did the complete opposite with his actions a minute later and it made your head spin. You stood up and started to leave, but his hand grabbed your wrist, gently enough for you to pull away, but firm enough so you wouldn’t just slip through his fingers. His touch sent tingles up your spine. You looked around to see if anyone saw then relaxed when you realized they didn’t. You snatched your hand back and sat down again, this time a little closer. 

“Look, ki-“ he stopped himself from saying ‘kid’ and used your name instead, causing warmth to blossom in your cheeks. Your name so flowed nicely from his mouth. 

“What do you want, coach?” You asked. 

“Jus’ came to keep ya company.” 

“Why? It’s not like we’re friends or anything,” you bit back. 

“That is correct. I am just a teacher checking on his goddamn student,” he said smugly. You looked down at the floor and blinked back tears. You didn’t need him rubbing salt in your freshly inflicted wound. 

“Hey,” he tilted your chin up with a bent finger, making you look at him, “We are not friends, but that does not mean that I do not care about you. I dislike you the least out of all my students, so I am going out of my goddamn way to make sure you are okay.” He wasn’t always the nicest, but when he needed to be, he sure was genuine. That was your favorite thing about him and it made you feel a little better. Even though this was his first time saying it, you always felt that he cared about you. 

“So, I’m your favorite student?” You teased, a smile returning to your previously sullen face. 

“That’s not what I said,” he deadpanned, but you could tell he was suppressing his own smile. You nudged him with your foot and he gently smiled at you. He patted your knee as he stood up. 

“Go do something with the rest of the period and stop sitting around like a damn bum.” 

 You walked back inside once you heard the bell ring. You spent the remaining 45 minutes of the period walking around the track outside. The cool and breezy air conditioning felt great against your sweaty body. Going for a stroll in the sweltering Virginia heat wearing a sweatshirt and sweatpants wasn’t a bright idea in the slightest, but you didn’t want to lose your position of being Negan’s favorite by defying his request. You beelined to the locker room, eager to shower and get out of your sweaty clothes. You grabbed your original clothes from your locker and walked to the showers. At least tried to, but you were stopped by a crowd of girls. You tried to squeeze by, but they wouldn’t let you through. 

“Could I get by, please?” You asked politely, not wanting to start anything. 

“Are you fucking Coach Negan?” One girl blurted before being immediately reprimanded by her friends. Your eyes widened in shock as your face burned with embarrassment and anger from such a ludicrous accusation. 

“Wh-What?! No, why.. why would think that?” Your shock was real, but for some reason, you felt like you were lying. 

“Don’t lie. We saw the way he acted with you. How he was looking at you. How you look at him!” A different girl chimed in. You were at a loss for words. You floundered, unable to even think for the sake of forming a response. "Yeah. And we've seen you eating lunch with him, like, every day," the first girl concluded.

“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about! That would- He wouldn- He’s m-my teacher!” You stammered. 

“Uh huh, just cut the act, Virgin Mary. No shame in trying to get a good grade.” The girls broke out in a chorus of laughter before pushing past you and leaving the showers. You wished you had some clever response or really any response at all, but you were dumbfounded. You set your things down on the bench before getting undressed and setting your dirty gym clothes aside. You hopped in the shower and let the warm water splash over you as your mind reeled.

  You couldn’t fathom why those girls, why anyone would think you and Negan would engage in pre-marital coitus. Or any form of physical intimacy. Sure, he was good looking and whenever he grazed or brushed against you, you felt all tingly inside. And you wouldn’t mind doing such things with the older man, even if, according to your father, you’d be damned to hell for all eternity. Your mind wandered to a place you fought so hard for it to not go. A place where you imagined how Negan’s large hands would feel all over your body, how your name would sound coming from his mouth as he whispered dirty things into your ear as he undressed you. You felt warm down there, a throbbing sensation that often happened when you thought of him for too long. You turned the handle, changing the water from hot to cold in order to ground yourself. You shouldn’t be having these thoughts, they were sinful and inappropriate. You turned off the water and wrapped yourself in your towel before stepping out of the shower. 

 Panic filled your chest when you saw the bench you left your stuff on was empty. This can’t be right,  you thought to yourself, rushing to the locker you had inside the locker room. Nothing. It felt like your heart stopped beating and it became hard to breathe. You were stuck here. You couldn’t leave the locker room in just your towel, that would be humiliating. And even if you did leave, you had no other spare clothes. 

“Hello?” You called out, hoping there was still a girl in here who would help you somehow. When no response came, you called out again. “Is there anyone in here?” Silence. You sat on the bench in nothing but your towel, not knowing what else to do and cried. Cried because you had no idea how to get out of this situation, cried because you resented yourself for letting people treat you this way, cried because it felt like the entire world was plotting against you. 

 On the two out of five days of the week you had PE, you had it as the last class of the day. After every class, without fail, you’d give Negan a little wave on your way out to say goodbye. It quickly became something he looked forward to, so when he didn’t see it in the crowd of students leaving, he grew concerned. At first he brushed it off, figuring you were still upset by what he told you at lunch. But when he saw your backpack on the floor as he was closing up the gym, he immediately knew something was wrong. He couldn’t believe he was actually about to do this as he walked toward the girl’s locker room. 

He called your name as he banged on the door. “You still in there?” He asked. “Yeah,” came your shaky reply. “Y’alright? Need me to come in there?” He asked apprehensively. “Yeah.” He walked all the way in, a hand over his eyes until you told him “You don’t have to cover your eyes, I’m decent.” He removed his hand and saw you sat on the bench in your towel, looking up at him with red, puffy eyes.

“It’s almost five o’clock, the hell are you still doing here?” If you hadn’t cried out all your tears earlier, you would have burst into tears once again. 

“My clothes are gone,” you admitted, ashamed. 

“What do you mean they’re ‘gone’?” He asked. You sighed, too exhausted to feel anything. “I got out the shower and my clothes were gone. Checked my locker and they’re not in there either,” you explained. He let out a disappointed sigh. For a split second, he found himself wanting to beat whoever did this to you into a bloody pulp, but he couldn’t go around beating up high schoolers. But he did sure as hell want to cuss them out, give him a piece of his mind, maybe an in school suspension too. He had never seen you look so helpless and defeated before. You’ve been down before, but now you just seemed like a weak shell of yourself. You couldn’t even look at him, and that’s what hurt the most. 

 Without another word, he pulled off his own crewneck sweatshirt. You happened to glance over at him as his t-shirt underneath rode up too, revealing his toned stomach. You quickly glanced away, once he got the sweatshirt off. He stood there in his white t-shirt and tossed the sweater at you. 

“Put this on. I’ll try to find some pants for you in the lost and found.” With that, he left and you hastily put on the garment. It was still warm with his body heat and smelled like him too, which was oddly comforting. After a minute or so, he came back and tossed you a pair of sweatpants. You looked at them suspiciously, not wanting to put on strange pants when you didn’t have any underwear. 

“They’re new. Had some spares in my office.” You put them on once he turned around then stood up. 

“Thank you,” you muttered. He had so much he wanted to say, so many questions he wanted to ask, but he left it alone, not wanting to upset you further. “Not a problem.” You stood there awkwardly and he did too. The unsaid words between you two were forming a thick cloud of tension that fogged the air. You opened your mouth to say something, but instead of words coming out, fresh, hot tears sprang to your eyes. Negan opened his arms for a hug because he could tell you needed one and gravity pulled you into them like a magnet and you just sobbed into his shirt much like you did all those weeks ago while he held you tightly and repeatedly whispered it’s alright. Negan tried to pull away after he felt that you calmed down enough, but you clung to him. 

"I missed the bus. My parents are gonna be so mad!" you whined. He sighed and patted your head. 

"I'll give you a ride home." 

next part ▶︎

[siennaditbot]

Sethos x Reader: Sun & Moon

Hehe, look at me actually finishing it lol. Been ages since I've written x Reader stuff but I hope yall like it. Sethos needs more love <3

Female reader but I hope yall can still enjoy it lol :>

Getting to know each other, helping each other, soft pining, subtle affection

Masterlist

Sethos was a people person. He could talk to everyone and make them forget that they hadn't just met him, seamlessly integrating into any group he wished.

He had a good facial memory, so he could strike up a familiar conversation with most of the citizens.

But there was someone in Sumeru City that he had never properly caught for a chat. A humble cleaner girl, who seemed to hate him for some reason.

Whenever he tried to start a casual conversation with her, she focused on anything but him, her body language telling him she did not want to talk. Her replies were curt and he had to try hard to keep the conversation from dying.

He was pushy, yeah, but he knew not to push his luck. She was practically holding a weapon she could smack him with, after all. An everyman’s polearm - a broom.

So, he stopped approaching her. They just coexisted, him passing by her sweeping the streets sometimes, offering a polite wave as he jogged past her.

Then, on one rainy day, Sethos was caught enjoying the shower between his errands. He stood in the middle of the empty street, eyes closed and face lifted skyward as if to hug the rainfall.

But the rain suddenly stopped.

He opened his eyes in surprise and briefly met hers, before she handed her umbrella to him and dashed off. He was left there, staring at her disappearing form and the splatters of water as she ran.

He was confused, but shrugged the absurd encounter off with an amused smile.

“Heh, guess she doesn't hate me, after all. Interesting.”

Sethos loved being in the city. It was full of fascinating people, especially within the Akademiya. He loved learning about them, their stories, ideas and passions.

And now the curt sweeper girl had caught his interest.

He still politely greeted her when he passed by, and her responses were curt as ever, usually simply nodding and letting him pass. But now he read her behavior as shy and awkward instead of hateful.

His polite smile became a bit more genuine when he understood.

He kept noticing her in other places after that, too. She was often found sitting in random spots, holding a notebook she was very focused on, not paying attention to anyone who wondered what her deal was.

Sethos was one of them. He curiously eyed her every time he saw her, but she never lifted her face from her notebook.

One day she was sitting on a box behind Lambad’s Tavern, hand going wild as she worked on the notebook in her lap. Sethos noticed her, and decided to approach her for once.

She jumped when his voice cut through her concentration, having broken into her bubble.

“Soo. What’cha working on there?”

She immediately shut the notebook and looked away, clutching it to her chest.

“Heh, you were really into it. Sorry for spooking you.”

She didn't reply, no idea what to say, so she literally waved it off. He got the message, leaning against the railing next to her.

“You're a funny one, you know. I can never expect where you'll be sitting with that secret tome of yours. I’ve heard people call you a local cryptid because of it.”

That made her snort, and she immediately threw a hand up to cover her mouth.

His smile widened, proud of drawing a new reaction out of her.

“It's true, though. I've seen you on several branches of the Divine Tree, on a roof or two, and I swear I caught you behind a bush once. What's up with that?”

She scratched her cheek shyly, not expecting anyone to pay attention to her.

“...Inspiration”, she finally managed.

“Inspiration, eh? What's so inspiring about sitting behind a bush?”

She chuckled lightly in response.

“I just like switching spots. Different angles.”

"Riight, right, that makes sense. What do you need that inspiration for, then? Writing, drawing, homework?”

She turned the cover of the notebook towards him. It had ‘sketchbook’ written on it in fancy letters.

“Ohhh, an artist, I see. That's cool. You got the whole ‘vibe’ down too, now that I think about it.”

She drew the sketchbook back to herself again, shrugging with a small, amused hum.

“Quiet and mysterious. Who knows what's going on inside those covers”, he explained with a playful grin.

She was still curt, but her small smile gave him confirmation that she definitely didn't hate him.

“I’ll let you continue, then. Can't stop an artist when inspiration hits, after all.”

After seeing her nod and timidly wave at him, he stood back up with a satisfied smile. He waved in response and walked off, arms stretched behind his head as he went to continue on with his day.

From there on, he stopped to bother her for a moment or two whenever and wherever he caught her. She didn't seem willing to talk about art or her secret sketchbook, so he kept the conversation alive, talking about whatever. She was still curt and shy, but her snorts and amused huffs became a more common occurrence as days passed.

One day, after he was done telling one of his stories, she seemed particularly thoughtful.

“What's up? Remind you of something? Oh, oh, did I give you inspiration?” he grinned excitedly, pointing at her.

She took a moment to formulate her reply.

“..How do you always have something to talk about?”

He didn't expect that. She didn't seem annoyed, though..

“Heh, I’ve just seen and heard many interesting things. I like sharing mine, and learning more from the people I meet.”

“That simple?”

He shrugged casually.

“I’m a people person. I like talking and listening.”

Her face formed a strained smile as she looked away.

“My brain always goes blank when there's people around. It's like there's not a single thought in there.”

That seemed to confirm his assumption of her treatment of him before. She was just shy. Or socially anxious.

“Ah. More of an introvert, then?”

“...No, I want to be around people. I just… short circuit. Not very interesting company.”

“I think you're plenty interesting”, he stated matter-of-factly, “you've got me curious.”

That surprised her, and she turned to look in the general direction of his face, but still not meeting his eyes.

“You’re curious? About me?”

“Sure am. There's the sitting in random spots thing, your mystery book, how you're so focused you don't react to people gawking and talking about you right next to you…”

He counted with his fingers, amused but genuine.

“There's obviously a lot going on in there. I’m curious about what sorts of ideas you have. Art isn't exactly the biggest thing around the city, after all.”

She had to take a moment to take in his words.

“It's nothing special, really. Just stories, imaginary situations and encounters.”

“A bit of fantasy added to the ordinary, eh? That's fun. Care to give me an example?”

A bit nosy, maybe, but he was interested.

She looked away for a moment, not sure if she should or whether she even could produce an example for him. He seemed genuinely curious though, so she tried, and inspiration hit when she gazed down at the docks.

“Um, like, a long-awaited reunion happening down there. A tearful embrace…”

She suddenly felt very embarrassed.

“..That's dumb, isn't it? I can-”

“No, no, no, don't worry. I can see it. A bit of a romantic, aren't you?”

She blushed a little, but shrugged with a noncommittal chuckle.

“Comes with the whole art thing, I think.”

“Heh, makes sense. I like it.”

A moment of silence. It was comfortable to him, but she felt the need to fill it.

“U-um, thanks, for, you know, always talking to me.”

He wasn't expecting that, either, and hummed in question, grinning curiously.

“...I like talking to people. It's just..difficult”, she continued, wanting her thanks to reach him properly.

“Well, I’m always down for a chat. I'll keep stopping by to bother you, then?”

“You aren't bothering me. But yeah. I'd like that. Maybe I’ll learn some tips and tricks from the master of social skills”, she joked with a soft smile.

“Sounds like a plan.”

And so they continued their occasional chats. He often ended up stopping people to talk with them, anyway, but it was nice to have confirmation that he actually wasn't bothering her.

His company gradually helped her relax and learn to imitate some of his social techniques, like asking questions and using more open body language.

Eye contact was still an issue for her, though. And to Sethos’ surprise, it bugged him a little.

He was straightforward and social, so eye contact came naturally to him. Not everyone he talked with looked back into his, so he knew it wasn't easy for everyone. And, to be fair, his eyes were kind of intense, which was a blessing and a curse sometimes.

Yet, somehow, he couldn't shake the thought of wanting to meet her eyes. She was always looking somewhere else when they talked. Usually her sketchbook.

He had only met her eyes once, by accident that time she handed him her umbrella. They were bright and curious, almost striking in the muddiness of the downpour.

He remembered them clearly.

Still, he didn't want to make her uncomfortable, so he did his best so she could relax when they chatted. He wouldn't push her, make her feel like she had to do it.

So, instead, he focused on learning more about her and her ideas and visions, and loved telling her his stories since they seemed to inspire her to some extent.

He learned to pick up on the change in her expression when she moved from listening to him to formulating an idea.

It was cute.

He thought positively about people, appreciated their qualities, both inside and out, but it wasn't often that he considered a person cute.

That thought lingered in his mind, too.

He didn't think it affected how he interacted with her, but he unconsciously became a bit more friendly, almost flirty at times. He often grinned when they talked, initiated playful physical contact - like poking or gently kicking her - and couldn't help but give her tons of honest compliments, especially on her art.

Her reactions made her even more cute to him. She blushed at times, yes, but she was playful in return, smacking him with her pencil or broom or rolling her eyes with that amused smile of hers. And she gladly showed him her work now.

One time after their brief chat when she was working, he was left with a single thought in his mind:

“Heh, shucks. I like her.”

It wasn't a world changing revelation, just made him connect the dots and realize how much his way of interacting with her had changed.

…And he was pretty sure she liked him too.

He kept interacting with her like usual, honestly just enjoying what they had. A comfortable friendship with banter, intrigue and plenty of laughter.

But it would be a lie to say that he wasn't also gauging more on what she could be feeling.

He picked his best stories, told them with a bit more flair, and gave her more casual compliments.

And, well, if their knees happened to touch when they were talking, or his playful pokes lingered on her skin a moment too long to be read as platonic, he didn't make a big deal out of it.

One day Sethos caught her sketching on a sturdy branch of the Divine Tree, easily accessible but not immediately visible to the townsfolk.

He chuckled and approached her, nimbly making his way to her in the tree.

“You're an enigma, you know that?” he grinned as he sat down next to her.

“It’s simple, really. The view is great from here. So many people to see, so much inspiration to gather.”

He looked down. The citizens were enjoying their evening activities; entering and exiting the tavern, boats docking, adventurers returning to get their rewards for their daily commissions.

It was interesting. He preferred to be mingling down there with them, but stepping back and watching the hustle and bustle from a different angle made him appreciate it in a new way.

He might not have lived in the city for long, but watching all those people do their thing made him realize how lucky he was to be around so many people nowadays. He grew up in the desert, with only the people of the temple as his company, after all.

He was gazing down with a gentle and slightly solemn expression, happy to be where he was now. He had friends, connections, and now… her, too.

He turned to look at her, about to share his appreciation for the view too, but to his surprise, he met her eyes. She had been watching him, curious about how quiet he went and what he was thinking of.

Her eyes held a hint of worry, but enough affection to make him stumble with his words. This time it was Sethos who broke eye contact, turning to look back down.

“Y-yeah. I get it. All those people have their own lives and stories to tell.”

“Exactly!” she chuckled and pointed the end of her pencil at him. “A gold mine of inspiration and ideas.”

They both loved getting ideas from people, huh? Their ways were different, sure, but maybe they were pretty similar, after all.

Stories, curiosity, ideas and inspiration. They worked well together.

That train of thought suddenly made him feel the need to communicate his feelings to her. Like his soul was calling out, wanting to connect with this girl whose company he had been enjoying more and more.

“You know, you remind me of the Moon sometimes”, he started, fittingly artistic for what he was about to do.

“Sounds fun and poetic. Care to elaborate?”

“You're always present, I just gotta know where to look. Mysterious, but mesmerizing.”

“Hehe, thank you.”

She smiled, but didn't seem to catch the full meaning of his words, so he continued.

“What I’m trying to say is, I like you. You draw my attention in a way no one else does.”

Well that definitely caught her attention.

“You do?”

Their eyes met again, and he nodded, not ashamed or embarrassed, but ever so slightly nervous.

She cleared her throat to answer him.

“...I always thought you were like the Sun. You're warm, fun, and easily draw people to you.”

She wasn't as calm as he was, but hoped her indirect poetic message reached him too.

“Does that mean what I think it does?” he couldn't help but ask, a hopeful grin on his face.

She moved her gaze down and nodded.

“I-I like you too. I feel like I can relax around you.”

Both sat in silence, soft and giddy grins on their faces, taking in the big words hanging in the air.

They turned to look back down at the citizens buzzing around the streets, the shy mood eventually becoming comfortable again, and moved on into imagining what kinds of adventures the people below them had experienced today.

Their fingers soon found each other and intertwined slightly as they sat together.

[ssahotchnerr]

girl dad aaron AMUSEMENT PARK EDITION!!!!!!!

he would spend all his money at the ring toss just to get his girl the prize she wants. he would hold her hand on the swings. he would give into her begging to go on the big drop ride. he would ride in her bumper car, whispering, “c’mon. let’s bump into mommy. it’ll be funny.” he would make sure to smear her in sunscreen. he would let her wear his sunglasses. he would buy her dippin dots and funnel cakes and cotton candy. he would carry her on his shoulders. he would get wet on the water rides with her. he would guarantee they get to sit in the back or front carts (it’s only appropriate to sit in the front on some rides. other rides, it’s only appropriate to sit in the back. he would know which ride requires the back seat and which requires the front because he’s asked around because he wants his girl to have the best experience on the rollercoasters she can.) he would pack so much water to make sure everyone stays hydrated (he’s also got a fanny pack. i don’t make the rules.) he would pose for the cameras with her on the rides (silly faces, bunny ears, kissing her cheek, etc.) and he would obviously buy them and hang them on the fridge until the entire fridge is covered in them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

aw aw awwww are you trying to make me cry?????? 😭💞💞💞

baby girl's his ride buddy of the day 🥹🥹🥹 it works out perfectly too. i feel like aaron's not too keen on rides - he gets nauseous easily and can only take so much 😭 whereas you're still okay - so you'll go on the more extreme rides with jack. as the two of you are doing that, aaron's on the more tame rides with baby girl, or standing on the sidelines with her in his arms, pointing out you and jack on the ride 🥰 and for the kiddie rides that don't fit an adult, jack happily goes on those with her hehe <3333 best big brother

aaron's hand is always in hers, she's in his arms, or in a stroller, just always accounted for. he's terrified she'll somehow wander away (although she knows not to) or he knows how easily someone could come swoop her up and take her far away (mosley lane 😭😭😭😭) and STOP the visual of her on his shoulders, in his sunglasses that are far too big for her, gripping onto his hair or his head as she chatters away - pointing out what she sees, what rides she wants to go on, what snacks smell yummy, or simply talking about anything <3333 sobbing

when it comes to the prizes, aaron's definitely paying way more than what that item probably cost to make, and knows it's 'lowkey' a waste of money 😭 but there's no price when it comes to baby girl's happiness, he'll do whatever it takes 🥰 the smile that forms on her face when she finally gets the plushie she wanted??? priceless and it's a memory they'll both hold onto forever - aaron takes full advantage of those type of memories 🥺

the bumper cars!!!!!!!!!!! the true highlight of the day 😭 aaron's with baby girl, you're with jack. hehe you peer over as aaron's sneakily whispering to her and eyeing the two of you👀, you know what he's scheming and tell jack the very same thing 🤭 "we gotta get dad and your sister". the laughs that erupt from both of them as they bump into each other 😭😭😭😭 it's contagious, you and aaron are equally as giddy and are loving every second of it 🥰 they even both insist on riding multiple times just to crash into each other LOL

and omg aaron's prepared and stacked for every scenario possible. extra clothes, shoes, socks are in the car (for each family member) for after the water rides. he packs dramamine, ibruprofen, bug spray. he also strategically plans out when to eat snacks or food - to prevent upset stomachs after eating and going on rides 🥴 he brings a tonnn of sunscreen and applies frequently. omg the four of you are pulled off to the side, drinking water and taking a break - you unscrew the top of a water bottle for jack, simply turn your head, and are met with aaron's hands on your face - applying sunscreen generously for you too 😭😭😭🫶🏻 he also brought hats for extra coverage - jack has a baseball cap, baby girl has a cute lil bucket hat 🥰

and AWWW the pictures 🥹🥹🥹 aaron's sure to get multiples too - one for the fridge, for baby girl's room (a pic of them on her bedside table 😭😭😭😭 especially useful when she misses him when he's gone on a case and she just wants her daddy🥺) and his office 😭<3333

as the four of you leave the amusement park when night falls, baby girl is absolutely zonked 😭 her face is smushed into aaron's neck, arms around his neck, maybe even drooling a bit, completely out. hehe so aaron veryyyy carefully places her into her carseat as to not wake her up 🥹 ugh she had the best day <333

[anniflamma]

have you read (or did you enjoy) madeline miller's song of achilles? your post about the shitty book made me think to ask, cause i've been wanting to get into retelling/modern writing, but don't know where to start lol

So I don’t think I’m the right person to ask whether you should read The Song of Achilles or not. XD

I have read the book… buuut… I kinda didn’t finish it. Thing is, the book is good, no, really! Even though I dropped it, that doesn’t mean it’s a bad book per se, it’s just that I realized it wasn’t really written for me, and I lost interest in continuing.

There are a lot of good things in the book that I makes me genuinely recommend it. Miller has a fantastic way of describing emotions in a poetic, almost abstract manner. She paints scenes and moments beautifully, and I think that’s true the highlight of The Song of Achilles. So my verdict is you should give it a try! If not, then I'll could recommend you The Prince’s Psalm by Eric Shaw Quinn. Simply due to it's one of my favorites.

If you looking for something shorter, then Medusa by Jessie Burton.

Here’s the "nag section" (in case anyone’s curious why I dropped The Song of Achilles):

So the downside? The way Miller writes the queer relationship between Achilles and Patroclus is… very… very… heteronormative. It’s extremely clear that Patroclus is the "woman" and Achilles is the "man" in their dynamic. When they’re intimate, Achilles is the one doing and spurting, while Patroclus experiences "floral feelings" in his nether regions. The book isn’t explicit, but the text often accidentally describes them having straight sex. XD

There were so many moments while reading where I’d pause and think, "Oh, I can tell this is written by a straight woman who really likes the idea of a housewife." That’s not necessarily a bad thing, it’s just the vibe I got. For comparison, when I read The Prince’s Psalm by Eric Shaw Quinn, I kept thinking, "This is written by a gay man who really loves tall, broad-shouldered, masculine men who make him feel small." It’s oddly similar to each other, Patroclus and David share the same character traits. Both are small insecure men, it’s just that the authors take different approaches to how they depict it.

The reason I dropped The Song of Achilles was that I just wasn’t interested in Patroclus being portrayed as this sweet, insecure, self-hating boy who sits in the tent all day and gets happy when Achilles comes back after a hard earnd work in the battlefield. I expected something more fluid in their dynamic. Don’t get me wrong, insecure protagonists are fine! For example, in The Prince’s Psalm, David is insecure too, but he also resents being seen as fragile by other men around him. The book explores that tension in David and Jonathan’s relationship. David kills Goliath not out of honor or duty, but because he wants to prove Jonathan wrong, even spite him, he did it out of anger. David is insecure, which also makes him envious. He gets angry easily but also quick to forgive. He is an romantic person, who loves the idea of Jonathan proposing to him and being swept up but he also wants to be seen as a "manly" man. He is faithful but when he have the conversation with Jonathan about their bounderies, they come to the conclution together who they can sleep with, no men and only women if you are married to them. David changes and the irony with it is that his change is also a cause why Jonathan died.

For Patroclus, I think he is very flat. He is incesure and he is a good boy. And sadly I really don't remember if there was anything else than that. Most of his reaction is based on Achilles actions. The reason why he is good with fighting is cuz gods are helping him. The reason why Achilles like Patroclus so much is... I don't know really, the text only describes how pretty Achilles is, it very superficial. Patroclus likes Achilles becasue Achilles isnt Patroclus.

Here’s the funny thing…

After all that, I still recommend The Song of Achilles! There's a reason why there are so many retelling books now. I genuinely believe The Prince's Psalm wouldn't have been published if The Song of Achilles hadn't existed. The book is a romanticization, and it was written around 2008 or so. That explains why Miller wrote them like that. I see the heteronormative dynamic between Achilles and Patroclus as simply a product of its time.

[mayapapaya33]

I just watched episode 107 and it is so fucking funny to me that half of these characters are so up their own asses that they somehow missed that the Archeart is trying to prevent Calamity 2: Electric Boogaloo with his plan, not save the Gods from Ludinus. The Gods apparently already have a Plan for dealing with Ludinus. That plan is to break the Divine Gate (I assume) and smite his ass. But the second they do that, it's game over and mortals are FUUUUUUUUUUCKED.

He basically said "Hey, you saw what we did to Aeor, we are about to do that to Ludinus as well, and there's going to be a LOT of collateral damage. Hurry the fuck up and chase us out of here or come up with a different plan already. Do something before Ludinus does, because we will make the decision for you at that point, and you will NOT like it."

The Archeart is actually much humbler than Bells Hells, this is wild. If I'm reading this situation right, he basically scanned them all up and down and figured them all out instantly; all of their resentment and anger and went, ok I know exactly how to act around these people. Then did what needed to be done to save his children from themselves and their own egos and resentment, because he knew they wouldn't listen otherwise. Amazing. I watched a switch flip in his eyes as he talked to Ashton, and it continued with Dorian.

Dorian in particular is so deep in his grief fueled anger and pain that there's no real way to reach him with logic right now, and I think the Archeart can feel it. So he just goes with it, 'whatever gets you moving in the right direction beautiful, I don't have time to deconstruct your vaguely racist (deist? no, deicist? lol) clumping of all the Gods together under the sins of one of us'.

I watched Calamity, I know what the Gods can do, if they feel like it (Vivid flashbacks of Zerxus getting his face ripped off). Dorian is throwing a temper tantrum because his brother is dead and he's sad and angry. He's feeling reckless and powerful because the Gods need his help, this is his opportunity to be cruel and spiteful and regain some control of his life and make the Gods feel small like he feels small! The Archeart knows that, and simply smiles and calls him beautiful.

With Ashton, the hilarious "Does it make you hard?" turns into a seemingly sincere confession of needing their help. It is true that he needs their help. But the help he needs is on their behalf, to save mortals from a second Calamity and free them from the Gods presence in their lives. The presence that, no matter how far removed or diminished in the world, some people will never stop seeing as a tyranny, truthfully or falsely. He's sacrificing his own pride and dignity to ask mortals to help him help themselves and being insulted for his troubles. And people still wonder whether the Prime Deities care about their children!