#changing them to a 6/4 and 4/5 to make sure they can do their jobs

[gallusrostromegalus]

Random question, could you give some ideas on Irish names your family may have in the 1950-60s? I got a character with an Irish grandpa with 9 brothers and sisters (3 brothers and 6 sisters) and I only got the oldest sister name (soairse) and his name (Caine). I guess I could just name the rest some form of jack and Margret since those seem to be popular, but I wanted to see if there were some “interesting” names you found in your family tree that maybe one of the siblings got named after some ancestor?

Firstly for the sake of clarity: I'm American, not Irish. All of my ancestors for the last 4-5 generations have lived here, and while I like learning about the language/music/culture, I am absolutely not an expert. I HIGHLY recommend getting a sensitivity reader, I'm sure someone in the comments can wave at you if they're willing to take on the job.

Second, Triple-check the spelling, pronunciation, meaning and provenance of any names you do choose, and ABSOLUTELY DO NOT TRUST ANY BABY NAME WEBSITES, they're basically all AI slop at best. The best written-down lists and meanings are actually on Wikipedia.

Third: If you want to learn more Irish names, you can look up the names of like, any Irish musician or artist. I think spotify still has Genre Playlists, if you look up "Irish Folk" you'll get a shitload of names of Real Irish people- and hey, if Hirohiko Akari can name all his characters after 80's pop bands, you can make a subtle ref to modern musicians. Also you'll get a bunch of fun music! --- So while I was writing this, I somewhat departed from the intent of this response, and am putting the last point under a cut because the post got long. And weird.

So there is a thing in Irish-american families, and I think it's true in the British isles still where there are "Family Names", where the same set of first names is recycled over and over and over across generations. My dad's family has exactly three male names that they rotate through over the generations: Roy, Emmet and Jack*. In that order, where the son takes the father's first name as his middle name. My great-grandfather was Roy Jack Surname, my grandfather was Emmet Roy Surname, and my dad is Jack Emmet. My sister and I were AFAB, so the names skipped us and my male cousin in my generation is now Roy Jack. In the event that there are more than three living men with the same surname in the family, that's when they start reaching for the Given Names Of In-Laws We Like and might introduce a new name into the lineup.

*Names changed for privacy above and hereafter, but you get the idea.

So if any of your characters are descendants of that grandpa? They may share a first or middle name with one of his siblings. in fact, they may share the SAME first and middle name with a living relative, and be called "Junior" or "Young Firstname" to distinguish them from the relative they were named after.

My mom's family is from England and has a similar tradition: any new girl born into that family gets a name that is based on the name of one of her living female relatives, usually by sharing the same first letter or syllable. Elanor after Eloise, Vivian after Virginia, and also Jenny after Virgnia via 'Ginny' and every variation of Margret ever, which there are way more of than you'd think.

I cannot recommend doing what they did with Male names though: Name literally every boy Bob* for like five generations, and distinguish individuals by middle name (Bob-Howard and Bob-Benjamin) surname (Bob-Jones and Bob-Bailey) or Honorific (Captain Bob, Dr. Bob, Bob Jr.) when yelling out the kitchen window.

Most families have to good sense to not have the same name repeated in a generation, even if it has a shitload of nicknames. A mother and daughter might both be Margrets (with different nicknames), but two sisters or cousins wouldn't be.

If you've got in-laws you like, but their surname didn't carry over to their kids, you can also just use their surname as a first name! "Regan" is a first and last name, as are Riley and Bailey. This works out in some cases but not in others:

I have a pretty rare surname- last time I checked, there's only 14 people with it worldwide. It's similar to two other VERY COMMON Irish Surnames, but spelled different and from a different region. It's also Very Definitely A Surname- nobody would see my surname alone and think its a firstname.

Since I don't want to bandy it about, we'll pretend that it's "Breathnach", which has a similar vibe.

My Iowa family is Enormous and all descended from my Great-Aunt Lilyanne, Emmet-Roy's sister. Being a good catholic girl, Lillyanne took her husband's surname when she married, and most of her descendants still have that surname, and none have Breathnach.

After the last of my grandfathers grandchildren were born my Iowa family was sad- all but one of Emmet-Roy's grandchildren was female, and my male cousin has his father's surname. Assuming that we would all marry and take our spouses names, the Iowa family despaired that that the Breathnach name would die out!

So one of my second cousins decided that she would Carry On The Family Name, by giving it to the son she was carrying as a Firstname.

Yeah.

Being "Breathnach Surname" is bad enough, but this was compounded by the fact that the Iowa family's surname is Thomas.

YEAH.

My poor cousin Beathnach Thomas, who always has to re-do his paperwork because NOBODY ever puts the names in the correct boxes, who had his first name printed on every jersey he ever had because the uniform place went "that can't be right!", who cant buy his own beer because he's had so many drivers licenses confiscated because liquor store owners and bartenders think his ID is a fake, who has to not only spell his name to everyone he meets, but explain it too.

Then I made it worse.

I ran into cousin Beathnach in Bozeman, Montana quite by accident a few years ago, and while catching up, I mentioned that I was married.

"You know, it's a real hassle, but I'm kind of glad I've got the name I do. I'd heard you sister changed her name, and now with you married- I'd be sad to think we were running out of Breathnachs, you know?" he laughed.

I had to explain.

I married the most wonderful man in the world, who has an extremely common first and last name. Which was kind of a problem, because he shares it with some truly rotten people that always come up during background checks and he has have to explain he's not THAT asshole. It also sounds like and is only a letter or two off a lot of other very common names so his mail is constantly sent awry.

My husband will shortly abandon his too-common-for-comfort surname and become the newest Breathnach, taking the total to 15 (the paperwork takes a while).

...So the name lives on through us anyway, and poor cousin Breathnach Thomas went through all that for no reason. He got very quiet, got up from the table and walked outside to the veranda of the restaurant we were in to stare into the picturesque scenery for a while.

"Well, it's not like people change their first names..." he sighed, when he returned to the table.

"...You know how my sister changed her name? She only changed her first name. She's still a Breathnach." I explained quietly.

I've never seen a man look so haunted.

"I know lots of people who've changed their first names, actually. Mostly for transgender reasons, but a bunch because they just didn't like the one they were given." I added, because if he's going to get his world turned over, it's best to flip it all at once.

His brow furrowed at the ponderous speed of a continental collision, approaching the idea with caution. "...I'll have to think about it."

It's been about a year, but since then, I'll get a text from him every few weeks, auditioning a new given name. I do my best to be fair- I give him the meanings of those names, how they're likely to be misconstrued (some are tolerable annoyances, some pose a safety risk), and if he'd be sharing that name with anybody notable or troublesome. The first few were clearly based on Breathnach, but he began to branch out, and the trend of names has indicated that the idea of Naming Himself is causing my cousin to examine himself, and come to some Realizations (TM).

I realize I have gotten completely off-topic from your actual ask, but I urge you to really get into the nuance of nomencalture, because a name can tell a fascinating story.

[dravidious]

You're really awesome

PROBLEM: I want to make magic decks with my cards irl, but I have no one to play them against.

SOLUTION: Make an entire custom deck that can play itself to more or less replicate an opponent.

I decided to put the rules in card form as conspiracy cards, but it turns out that rules should be written as rules, not cards, so I had to make extensive notes about each of them (except Industrial Expansion, that one is actually effects instead of rules). I also just enjoy talking about my design choices.

Notes: Creating waste tokens instead of playing lands is basically free card advantage, as well as preventing mana screw/flood. The bot is supposed to have more raw strength than the player, so this isn’t a huge problem, but the starting hand size reduction and 5 land limit are still needed balance it.

Also, I know wastes isn’t actually a basic land type, but it makes the card so much cleaner so "Wastes token" is a predefined token here just like Treasure and Food.

Notes: There’s probably some awkward edge cases here too. I fixed the only one I could find (involving Recycle Bin), but there might be more. The main guiding rule in playing the bot is "don’t make it do obviously dumb stuff." The cards are balanced around the rigid rules, so bad decisions are okay, but sometimes there are plays that are so worthless or actively counterproductive that you really ought to step in. Edge cases should be resolved in whatever way makes the bot play best. Ideally, you shouldn’t have to think too hard about what the bot does; it’s supposed to be automatic, after all. The other guiding rule is "make this similar to a normal game of Magic."

Notes: Much, much simpler than Defense Protocol. Still some vagueness, but good enough to prevent swinging into the opponent’s 4/4 with a 3/3. It applies on a creature-by-creature basis; if you have a 3/3 with flying and a 2/1, and your opponent has a 4/4, the 2/1 won’t attack, but the 3/3 will. If you have a 2/1 and a 5/4, only the 5/4 will attack since the 2/1 can be fully blocked by the 4/4.Non-lethal battles are tricky; if you have a 2/1 and the opponent has a 0/3, you shouldn’t attack because then you’re just tapping down your 2/1. But if you have a pair of 2/1s, you should attack for the free damage. You could reinterpret the "such that they lose no life" bit, but that would result in the rules telling you to swing your creatures into into a 4/4. Basically, use your best judgement; this stuff is too complicated to write out. You’re smart enough.

Notes:

This card would be a fucking nightmare to properly template. Good thing it’s a rule and not actually a card. The vague wording can probably result in lots of edge cases, but this card is basically meant to say "The bot makes the best blocks possible" so use your best judgement in those cases. Activated abilities that boost a creature should be taken into account if mana is open for them. A version of the blocking rules not in card form is given below.

Priority 1: If you can block in such a way that your life total remains above 0, you must do so.

Priority 2: If a blocker can deal lethal damage to an attacker and survive, it must block that creature.

Priority 3: If a blocker can deal lethal damage to an attacker, or if it can survive, it must block that creature.

Priority 4: Don’t block.

Misc 1: If multiple attackers are tied for the highest block priority, the blocker must block the creature with the highest power. If tied, highest toughness, then highest mana value, then choose randomly.

Misc 2: Multi-block an attacker only if it has menace or a similar ability, only with the minimum number of blockers, and only if it falls under a blocking priority (ex. it’s threatening to win the game, or it can be destroyed, or both your blockers survive). Anything else could be a nightmare to calculate.

And that's all the rules/conspiracies, which should allow for playing against the bot while making as few decisions as possible. Here's the cards. The bot's deck consists of 4 copies of each card for a clean 60 deck, compatible for testing against mill.

[the-cosmic-cauldron]

How the Moon Signs Crash Out

For those who don’t know what crash out means here is the Urban dictionary definition: Means to get really mad or upset; lose all your self control.

We think the water signs would crash out but every element has a point of crash out when it deals with their emotions, read below.

Fire Moon

Fire moons are the most obvious “crash-outs.” They’re the first to crash out because they act impulsively; they don’t always think things through before reacting. So, why do fire moons crash out? It’s primarily over their pride. If you play with their image or challenge what they deem as right, they’ll crash out. If you try to make them seem weak, attempt to overpower them, or force them into a position of submission or docility, they’re going to crash out.

Fire moons also crash out if you try to make them understand your perspective—especially if it clashes with theirs—and they perceive it as the start of an argument. Any slight form of disrespect will set them off. If they feel disrespected in any way, they’re crashing out. Attempts to control them can also trigger this response. However, if you respectfully suggest something, they might listen. It’s when your tone shifts to one of disrespect—like raising your voice—that they crash out.

Ignoring a fire moon is another sure way to provoke them. They will crash out if you play with their image, reputation, or how they see themselves. Similarly, if you try to dictate how they should live their life or act smarter than them, questioning their intelligence or ability to think critically, they’ll crash out.

Honorable mentions for what might make a fire moon crash out include:

• If someone flirts with their partner, they’re crashing out.

• If anyone disrespects their kids, even slightly, they’re crashing out.

• If someone talks badly about their family, they’re crashing out.

• If a trusted friend betrays or flips on them, they’re crashing out.

Fire moons are the ultimate crash-out personalities. If you ever meet one, tread carefully. Anything they perceive as disrespectful could set them off.

Earth Moons

Earth moons are known for their calm demeanor. People enjoy being around them because they provide a sense of stability and avoid unnecessary intensity—after all, earth moons struggle to handle too much emotional or confrontational energy. However, certain situations can push even an earth moon to their breaking point. Here’s what can make them “crash out.”

Because earth moons are naturally calm, they are particularly affected by intensely emotional and confrontational individuals. When faced with someone who is provocative, blunt, or openly expressive without regard for consequences, earth moons can lose their composure. They simply can’t handle that level of emotional intensity and may react by “crashing out.”

Triggers for Earth Moons:

1. Financial Instability:

Earth moons are deeply connected to material stability. If they lose their job, experience financial struggles, or dip into negative balances in their bank account, they will crash out. The loss of any valuable material possession they hold dear can have the same effect.

2. Breakups:

After a breakup, earth moons often struggle with overwhelming emotions. Their inability to process intense feelings calmly can lead to a full crash out.

3. Friendship Fallout:

Earth moons value long-term friendships, so falling out with a close friend can cause a significant emotional reaction.

4. Missed Opportunities:

If they’re rejected for a job or an opportunity they were counting on for stability, they can spiral into frustration and anger.

5. Disrupted Environment:

Earth moons need a sense of order in their living space. If someone starts moving their belongings or changing things around them without permission, they’re bound to crash out.

6. Overwhelming Demands:

Earth moons value their personal time and space. If someone demands too much of their time and ignores polite requests for space, the earth moon will eventually snap.

7. Being Wrong:

Earth moons take pride in their logic and reasoning. If they believe they’re right about something and later discover they were wrong, it can shake their confidence, leading to a crash-out moment.

8. Emotional Pressure:

Pushing an earth moon to express emotions in a way that feels uncomfortable to them can cause them to react negatively.

9. Being Controlled or Dismissed:

If someone tries to tell an earth moon how to live their life—especially someone they don’t respect—they won’t take it lightly.

10. Prolonged Exposure to Emotional Volatility:

Earth moons prefer calm, stable environments. If they’re forced to deal with someone who is consistently emotional, moody, confrontational, or volatile, their patience will wear thin, and they’ll eventually crash out.

11. Dealing with Bullies:

Earth moons try to avoid conflict, but if they’re exposed to bullying behavior for too long, they’ll eventually lose their calm and lash out.

Honorable Mentions:

• Earth moons crash out over material possessions. If someone moves, touches, or disrespects their belongings, it’s a major trigger.

• They also struggle with emotional instability after a breakup, the end of a friendship, or job loss.

• Being wrong about something they were confident in can push them to react strongly.

• Prolonged emotional confrontation or demand for their time will wear them down until they snap.

Although earth moons may not seem like the “ultimate crash-outs,” they can go all-in when their stability and calm are disrupted. Once they reach their tipping point, their reaction is swift, intense, and affects everyone around them.

Air Moons

Air Moons might seem chill because they tend to intellectualize their emotions. People often perceive them as logical when it comes to feelings, believing that emotions don’t bother them much. However, Air Moons can ultimately be the biggest “crash-outs.” Let’s break down why Air Moons might crash out.

Air Moons often analyze and intellectualize their emotions because they don’t fully understand the emotional landscape. When they’re forced to deal with intensely emotional situations, much like Earth Moons, they crash out. However, Air Moons crash out in a unique way—they try to process emotions through communication and logic, often failing to let those emotions flow naturally. This can lead them to accuse or assume things about people and situations that aren’t true. They rely on patterns and past experiences to create preconceived notions, which only adds to their frustration.

Triggers for Air Moons:

1. Things That Don’t Make Sense:

Air Moons crave understanding and clarity. If something doesn’t make sense to them, they lose control and crash out. Their curiosity is so strong that when they can’t figure something out, they start assuming things, which only fuels their frustration.

2. Lack of Communication:

If they feel ignored or if communication isn’t flowing the way they want, Air Moons will crash out. They thrive on dialogue and connection, so feeling shut out is a major trigger.

3. Challenges to Their Intelligence:

Air Moons take pride in their intellect. If someone plays with their intelligence—makes them feel dumb, uneducated, or less knowledgeable—they’re bound to crash out. They need to feel five steps ahead of others, and any slight to this will set them off.

4. Opinions and Beliefs:

Air Moons are deeply attached to their opinions, even when they aren’t entirely logical. If someone challenges their beliefs too much or tries to “win” a debate, Air Moons will crash out. They always want to feel right, and being told they’re wrong about their life, thoughts, or perspectives is a surefire way to trigger them.

5. Threats to Freedom and Independence:

Any perceived attempt to take away their independence is an automatic crash-out moment. In relationships, if their partner becomes possessive, controlling, or overly emotional, Air Moons will react negatively.

6. Emotional Intensity:

Air Moons struggle with highly emotional people. If someone is too intense or moody, constantly expressing their emotions, Air Moons will eventually crash out. They can’t handle being around excessive emotions for too long.

7. Petty Triggers:

Sometimes, Air Moons crash out over minor things. If they don’t like the way someone talks to them, or if they’re in a mood, even a small annoyance can set them off.

8. Perceived Verbal Threats:

Air Moons are highly sensitive to words. If they feel someone is trying to intimidate, disrespect, or talk down to them in a condescending or sarcastic way, they will crash out.

9. Lack of Praise:

Air Moons often feel a sense of superiority because they intellectualize their emotions. If they don’t receive acknowledgment or praise for their ideas, logic, or reasoning, they’ll crash out.

10. Being Called Emotional:

Never tell an Air Moon they’re emotional. They refuse to see themselves that way and will crash out if you try to label them as such. Comments like “You need to get over it” or “You’re stuck in the past” will only fuel their frustration.

11. Overstimulation:

While Air Moons enjoy being social, too much time around others can overwhelm them. They’ll start to feel overstimulated, with too much energy and inconsistency in the environment, leading to a crash-out.

12. Inconsistency (From Others):

Air Moons can be unpredictable themselves—they might ghost people, not text back, or fail to show up. However, if someone else is inconsistent or unpredictable, Air Moons will crash out. They expect reliability from others, even if they don’t always provide it themselves.

13. Challenges to Their Identity:

Air Moons will crash out if they feel someone is challenging who they are as a person. If they think they can take on the challenge, they’ll fight back. If they feel it’s too much, they’ll still crash out, but in a more chaotic way.

Final Thoughts:

Air Moons may not seem like the ultimate crash-outs at first, but once their calm exterior is disrupted, they can spiral quickly. Once the air starts moving, it doesn’t stop—it becomes a whirlwind of frustration, overthinking, and emotional outbursts. Tread lightly around an Air Moon if you don’t want to witness their crash-out firsthand.

Water Moon

Water Moons are often perceived as the ultimate crash-outs, but the truth is they can be quite calm—until they’re pushed too far. People don’t always understand this about them. Let’s break down why a Water Moon might crash out.

Why Water Moons Crash Out:

1. Self-Protectiveness and Boundaries:

Water Moons are extremely self-protective. If someone invades their personal space, crosses their boundaries, or confronts them abruptly, they’re going to crash out. They don’t tolerate invasive behavior or anyone overstepping their limits.

2. Lack of Emotional Understanding:

Water Moons will crash out if their emotions are misunderstood. If they express their feelings and someone twists their words or tells them they feel differently than they do, they’re crashing out.

3. Emotional Reciprocity:

If a Water Moon opens up and shares their emotions, but the other person doesn’t reciprocate, they’ll crash out. Vulnerability requires mutual respect, and they won’t tolerate feeling like they’re the only one opening up.

4. Loved Ones and Family:

Water Moons are fiercely protective of their loved ones. If someone insults or disrespects their family, friends, or those they care about, they’ll crash out—especially if it happens repeatedly.

5. Intrusiveness:

Water Moons value privacy. If someone pries into their personal life, tries to psychoanalyze them, or pushes for details they aren’t willing to share, they’ll crash out. They only share what they want others to know.

6. Feeling Disrespected:

A Water Moon won’t tolerate being made to feel stupid, weak, or incapable. If someone tries to undermine their emotional intelligence or strength, they’ll crash out immediately.

7. Not Getting Their Way:

Water Moons are deeply connected to their desires and emotions. If they don’t get their way in situations that matter to them, they’re likely to crash out.

8. Lack of Love and Nurturing:

Water Moons need emotional nourishment. If they feel unloved, unseen, or untouched—whether through physical affection, kind words, or emotional support—they’ll crash out. A lack of care or affection is a significant trigger for them.

9. Stagnation:

If a Water Moon feels like they’re stuck in life, in “stagnant waters,” or unable to move forward, they’ll spiral and crash out. A sense of progress and growth is essential for their emotional well-being.

10. Breakups or Friendship Endings:

After a breakup or the loss of a close friendship, Water Moons can lose control of their emotions. The pain and emotional intensity are overwhelming, leading to a crash-out.

11. Feeling Betrayed:

If someone switches up on them—acting friendly one day and then cold or hostile the next—Water Moons will crash out. They value consistency in their relationships.

12. Volatile Environments:

Water Moons thrive in calm, emotionally supportive environments. If they’re surrounded by manipulative, cold-hearted, or emotionally unavailable people, they’ll eventually crash out. They also won’t tolerate rudeness or outright disrespect.

13. Feeling Unappreciated:

Water Moons invest deeply in their relationships and emotional connections. If their efforts go unnoticed or unappreciated, they’ll feel hurt and eventually crash out.

14. Being Pulled Out of Their Space:

Alone time is crucial for Water Moons. If someone tries to force them to engage when they need space, they’ll crash out. Respecting their need for solitude is key to maintaining harmony.

15. Forcing Realism or Logic:

Water Moons don’t like being forced into a strictly logical or overly realistic perspective, especially when they’re in an emotional state. If they feel pressured to abandon their emotions for practicality, they’ll crash out over time.

16. Dismissing Their Trauma:

Water Moons are deeply affected by their past experiences. If someone dismisses or disregards the emotional pain or trauma they’ve endured, they’ll crash out. Their experiences are integral to their identity, and invalidating them is one of the worst things you can do.

Final Thoughts:

If you don’t want a Water Moon to crash out, it’s important to respect their boundaries, emotions, and need for connection. Water Moons are like waves—when they crash, they can disrupt the emotional stability of everyone around them. Handle them with care, and avoid testing their patience. Once they reach their breaking point, they’re hard to stop.

[bruhstories]

Bet I

p.2 here & p3. here & p.4 here & p.5 here & p.6 here

summary: in-ho got a cat, and he needs a cat sitter while he is away on his business trip. who knew that meeting you would turn into a bet, a philosophy of what is moral and what is not?

pairing: hwang in-ho/the front man x civilian!reader

warnings & content: age gap, afab!reader, slightly detailed descriptions of reader's background for plot purposes, red text for in-ho, purple for reader, few mentions of Y/N (again, for plot purposes), pre 33rd squid game, canon divergent

w/c: 2.2k

a/n: i have no idea how many chapters this will have, but i'm trying to write each chapter for each day of the games. it'll all make sense at the end lol. i tried to do as much research about seoul and south korea in general, so please be gentle! i'm just an eastern european gal

tagging: @full-sunnies @xodilfluvr

In-ho got a cat — a green-eyed, silver-tipped Korat he named Eunjoo. He thought about getting a dog, but dogs were high-maintenance, loyal and loving, and his job didn't allow him a loving pet. It didn't allow him to get attached to humans or animals. But Eunjoo was aloof and independent, and only rubbed against his leg when she wanted food. She refused to be handled and rarely played with the toys In-ho got her, but the cat was a necessary soul in his empty penthouse. It still wasn't enough to fill the hole in his blackened heart, but it was better than coming home to nothing and no one.

Trouble came when In-ho had to leave for eight days for the 32nd Squid Game. He quite obviously couldn't bring Eunjoo with him, and he couldn't let her starve, either. Not only that, but her litter boxes had to be cleaned regularly, and she needed fresh water daily, which left him with only one option — getting a cat sitter, as stupid as that sounded. In-ho felt ridiculous typing the post on a website for dog-walkers and pet sitters, but he did it nonetheless.

Businessman going on an eight day trip. In need of an experienced person to do home visits twice a day for my Eunjoo. 30,000 won per day. Based in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. 

He attached a picture of the cat along with his email, and waited. There was enough time to select a sitter before he left, and he browsed several profiles of pet sitters. Most of them had fantastic reviews, but asked for more money. Typical, In-ho thought. How typical for people to ask for more than necessary. It wasn't as though he wasn't willing to pay more — he had enough money, and would gladly spend it on Eunjoo — but it was the greed that disgusted him. The audacity to ask for 70,000 won a day to feed a cat and change her water was insane.

In-ho closed his laptop and left it on his coffee table in the living room, then walked into the kitchen to feed Eunjoo. She came from her hideout at the sound of a can opening, cautious of her surroundings, then rubbed her head against In-ho's leg, patiently waiting for her food. The cat didn't immediately eat. Instead, Eunjoo waited for her owner to sit down and have his dinner, and the corners of his mouth turned into a half-smile. Better than most people, In-ho thought. She wasn't greedy, she was understanding in ways some humans couldn't be. And so, he reheated yesterday's bulgogi and sat down with a side of freshly cooked rice. Only then did Eunjoo eat her dinner, checking on him from time to time to make sure he was also eating.

Ding!

His phone lit up with a notification. In-ho unlocked it and opened the email he had just received from a pet sitter.

Good evening, sir! My name is Y/L/N Y/N and I would like to meet Eunjoo. I live in Guryong Village and can take the bus to Gangnam-gu whenever you need me to, as I am quite flexible with my schedule, but I need to be completely transparent with you. I've only taken care of my cousin's cat over summer, so I am not the experienced sitter you are looking for, but I am asking you to please give me a chance. Have a good evening!

In-ho scoffed at the words on his screen. He was specifically looking for someone with experience, but he appreciated the honesty. It was a rare trait nowadays, and he was a fair man who gave everyone equal chances. It was the root of his job, after all.

Tomorrow morning, 9 o'clock, Bongeunsa-ro 103-gil, across the street from Shinhan Bank. I'll pick you up from downstairs. Don't be late.

The clack of your heels irked you as you hurried down the street from the bus stop to the address provided by the cat owner. It was a sound you weren't used to, but you needed to make a good impression when lacking experience. People all around you were dressed in expensive suits and dresses, clothes you could only dream of wearing, and the cars that swerved across your path, nearly running you over, looked like they cost as much as your house. It wasn't the first time you walked around Gangnam-gu, but it was the first time you spent more than five minutes surrounded by people who lived lavishly while you survived on Samyang Hot Chicken Ramen Stew.

And yet, you wouldn't trade your instant noodles for samgyeopsal or bossam if it meant selling your soul. Because that was the price to pay for riches and luxury, wasn't it? No, you would make ends meet somehow and live an honest life without becoming a coldhearted monster, just like your father taught you.

You checked that the address in the email matched your location, and waited for someone to talk to you, unsure how they would even recognise you. Although, on second thought, the thin, flimsy cotton of your dress and loose threads around the hem were a dead giveaway that you didn't belong in Gangnam-gu. You didn’t belong amongst the rich.

"Excuse me, Miss Y/L/N?"

Turning on your heels, you were met by the darkest eyes you had ever seen, eyes that looked as though they had both witnessed and committed unspeakable atrocities. And yet, there was a strange remorse in them. The man looked around 45 years old but not a single gray hair on his head, which was ironic, because you probably had more white strands hidden in your locks. Your gaze darted down at his extended hand, and you shook it while bowing down as a sign of respect. 

"You must be Mr. Hwang. I can't thank you enough for agreeing to meet with me. I promise I won't let you down if you give me a chance!"

Oh, you were a talker. In-ho had met your kind before, aimlessly sleepwalking through life, serving no greater purpose except for entertaining those who rid the world of gamblers, addicts, beggars and thieves. Not that you were in any of those categories — In-ho didn't know you that well yet — but the way you presented yourself made him think you would have made a suitable player in the game.It was too late to recruit you now. Perhaps next year, if you made it that far.

You followed Mr. Hwang into the elevator, surprised that it wasn't stopping until reaching the last floor of the building, and when the doors opened, they revealed a small hallway with just one apartment. He had no neighbours above or around him, and you couldn’t begin to imagine how lonely it must've been. Surely his wife or girlfriend kept him company, or perhaps he had children — In-ho did look old enough to be your father.

He unlocked the multiple locks on his door — he must have been really rich — and invited you in. For a moment, a split second, you wondered if you had made a mistake coming there. The man could be a serial killer for all you knew, and with almost no neighbours, who would even hear you scream? You heard stories about wealthy people who took pleasure in hurting others. The lack of pictures of a wife or children only strengthened that doubt, but the intrusive thought soon dissipated when, from the corner of your eye, you spotted a silver tail hanging from a dining chair. 

Paying no mind to the tall double fridge, or the black U shaped velvet sofa that could fit your entire extended family, or even the view from his floor-to-ceiling windows, you kicked off the uncomfortable heels and got down on all fours, crawling closer to Eunjoo before sitting on the tiled floor with your legs crossed. It caught In-ho completely off guard — unpredictability was something that bothered him. Usually when he brought girls over they would bombard him with a million questions about his job, his car, his clothes, his bank account. You didn't, and it both infuriated and intrigued him. But then again, he brought you there with a different purpose.

"What are you doing exactly?" In-ho circled around you like a hawk, watching you intently. 

"I've read that it's better to allow cats to familiarise themselves with people instead of forcing affection onto them." You sat still, chin tilted upwards to look at him with innocence in your eyes. "I may not be experienced, sir, but I did my research."

He wasn't particularly impressed by your research skills, not even when Eunjoo jumped from the chair and walked around you, curious yet apprehensive. One paw hovered above the floor in mid-air, and her tail was lowered, almost touching the ground, as the cat slowly and cautiously approached you, sniffing the hand you extended. 

"So, what do you do for a living?" You broke the spell, not on Eunjoo but on In-ho, who was watching you try to befriend his cat. He hadn't realised he had been staring for longer than he should have until you spoke with disinterest in your voice. You didn't really care what his job was.

"Business." He simply said and you chuckled at his response. "Something funny?"

"I'm sorry, I just thought it would be nice to make small talk while we wait for Eunjoo to get comfortable." You shrugged. "But it's fine if you don't want to talk about that, sir."

Sir. It sounded so different coming from you and not one of his subordinates at the facility. In-ho quietly pulled a chair from under the table and sat down, but Eunjoo had finished inspecting you. She lifted her tail, the tip curled — a sign of playfulness — and you scratched her chin.

"Good girl, Eunjoo! I'm sorry, I don't have any treats." You sat up after the cat lost interest in you and hid behind the sofa.

"So you're inexperienced and unprepared." His voice was cold and judgemental and you lowered your head in shame.

"I'm really sorry, sir. I don't have a great financial situation, that's why I need this job. I can water plants and clean the house, I can even do your laundry and iron your shirts, and I don't want any extra money, just the payment for cat sitting." You sounded so desperate it was pathetic. "Please."

The last bit of your sentence was what caught In-ho's attention. No extra money? Who in their right minds wouldn’t charge more for additional services? Were you planning on stealing from him while he was away? Not that it mattered — he'd find you and kill you upon his return from the island if you did. However, he found it to be an interesting game, a bet of sorts. You would win if you were honest for all eight days. He would win if you stole from him and abused his kindness.

"You're hired." In-ho nodded, the look of surprise mixed with gratitude on your face making him feel like some sort of god.

"I swear you won't be disappointed in me, sir. I'll leave the house spotless every day, and I will take good care of Eunjoo!" You nodded eagerly, beaming at him.

"I know you will. She takes breakfast at 7 and dinner at 9, and there is an automatic feeder set at 2 pm for lunch." He explained and you took your phone out to quickly take notes. "Make sure you change her water in the morning and at night, and scoop her litter boxes every time you're here."

"...scoop the poop twice a day. Got it." You mumbled while typing. "Do I give her wet food in the mornings and evenings?"

"Yes, and please check that the automatic feeder is stocked. You will find all her cans and kibble in this cupboard." In-ho walked into the kitchen and showed you where Eunjoo's food was. There was more cat food in that cupboard than you had in your house.

"Perfect. Where is the bin room located?"

"Underground. The code is 456654."

"Thank you, Mr. Hwang! I won't let you down. Oh, I should give you my phone number, right?" You asked, feeling a bit awkward for being so straightforward. 

"Whatever would I need your number for?" He almost laughed. 

"How else would you see Eunjoo?"

"Right. Forgot about that." In-ho scratched the back of his head. He couldn't exactly tell you that there were cameras everywhere in his house.

"Two more questions. Am I allowed to play music or movies on your TV and could I take a shower after cleaning? I'm bringing spare clothes and my own towel and soap."

"Yes, of course you can. Please help yourself to anything you need. I trust you'll figure out how the coffee machine or dishwasher work." He nodded. 

"Yeah, I'll figure it out." You lied. You had never used a dishwasher before.

"Great. I leave in three days. Please be here the day after my departure. Here's the spare key."

"Thank you, sir!" You bowed and walked to the door to put your shoes back on. "Good luck on your trip!"

"Thank you, miss. Good luck to you, too." 

The bet was placed, the game was on.

[schemingdiva]

pick a pile reading - messages that you need to hear right now

Pile 1:

Cards: the world, 9 of pentacles, knight of wands, king of cups | shapeshifter oracle card

A situation that you have been praying about has finally reached its end. New financial opportunities are on their way to you dear one. Keep an eye out for incoming money or career opportunities. You are being encouraged to travel and step beyond your comfort zone. Don’t stay in the same place where you struggled, now is the time for you to leave and really challenge yourself to thrive outside of your comfort zone. It’s possible that you may be considering a new career or moving to a new city. You might be into art or traveling. You are also being encouraged to hone your skills and spend time with yourself focusing on your strengths.

extra confirmation: butterflies 🦋, dolphins, the coast, 777

Pile 2:

Cards: death, ace of pentacles, 7 of wands | mountain oracle card

You’re going through a major transformation right now! It may be hard to accept but once you let go of the past, you can get started on your glow up love! You spent a lot of time doing the hard work behind the scenes, doing shadow work and now your hard work is paying off. You may be getting a new job or raise, your life is being promoted in huge way. You may feel a bit defensive right now, but trust that the Universe/God, whomever you believe has your back. Make sure to keep up your boundaries and guard your treasures. The Universe is guiding you to stand your ground regarding this situation, continue with your beliefs and what you’re focusing on. Other people around you may disagree but ignore them, the Universe is supporting you 100% with this. What you’re doing is right for you, and you alone.

extra confirmation: 444, leo, scorpio

Pile 3:

Cards: 9 of swords, 7 of cups, death | earth mother oracles

My heart aches for you pile 3. You’re currently feeling alone, maybe even depressed. You’re in a lot of pain. You may feel so overwhelmed by life that you don’t know how to move forward. If you’re feeling this way this message is for you. You’re being encouraged to start anew, allow yourself to start over. This part of your life has ended, and no longer serves you. You’ll soon find that life is changing to your benefit. You’re entering an entirely new chapter of your life! During this transition please know that you are loved. As you go through this process it’s important that you make plans and assess what your next steps are. It’s time to be focused so you are prepared for the changes coming your way. Trust yourself and your ability to succeed.

extra confirmation: 555, holly berries, feathers

Pile 4:

Cards: 6 of pentacles, king of swords, death, 5 of wands, the hermit | winter oracle

Pile 4, it looks like you need to slow down and take some time for yourself. You’re a very generous person, and you’re often the person that people turn to for help. A lot of people may depend on you in your personal life. You should reevaluate your relationships and consider if these people are deserving of you and your generosity. At this time, you’re entering a period of rebirth. Your life is transforming for the better. This period may be a little rough, I’m seeing some challenges coming your way. The best way to navigate these challenges is by spending time alone. This may be hard, especially if you’re normally surrounded by people. Stand your ground, and focus on you. Keep an eye out for more information that may be revealed to you.

extra confirmation: snow, snakes, smoke

————————————————————————

Thank you for reading! More to come soon.

[moonchild033]

Astro Observations -5💃

Here we go with part-5!!! My schedule is getting hectic, I managed some time to make this finally 😭😭❤💫

(These observations are based on the whole sign system, sidereal charts and all obs are subject to change with other aspects in the chart, so don't conclude anything with a single placement) ❤

1. Mercury in Capricorn/Aquarius or in Saturn ruled stars- Could've got late admissions in educational institutions or had academic gaps or breaks. This could also be true if Saturn is in Gemini/Virgo or in mercury ruled stars.😌

2. Jupiter in 10H esp in fire/air signs- They could have the tendency to change jobs frequently, mostly because their interests are diverse or they like the concept of exploring, taking a long time to settle down.😊

3. Having same ascendant in both D1 & D3- The person will be courageous, they could get benefits and significant help from siblings. Their source of motivation in life could come from their friendships, a close knit of circle who always motivates them to move forward.💫

4. Virgo mercury - Can be prone to losing money in share market, due to online frauds etc. These ppl should be careful with their money. You could even lose it carelessly, like forgetting the money purse somewhere. 🤧

5. Jupiter in 7H for Gemini ascendant - Even though Jupiter is in own house in this placement, it can give late marriage to the person if it's alone in 7H or doesn't receive any aspects from other benefic planets.😇

6. More planets in Leo house in D2- You will attain wealth by your own hardwork and independently. This placement can also make the person to start earning earlier than their peers or simply have more earnings regardless of what age they started going to a job.💃

7. More planets in Cancer house in D2- You will be blessed with extravagant lifestyle and wealth after marriage. Your partner will play a significant role in determining your wealth---you could either have a joint bank account with your partner OR after their arrival in your life, you could've experienced significant rise in your salary.🤩

8. Mars-moon conjunction in D4- The property you buy in your name could be located near water sources or you can be inclined to buy agricultural lands or at least buy a commercial plot with a countryside environment. If it's in a water sign, you would buy properties in your name near coastal cities.💙

9. Ashlesha/Jyeshta/Revati Moons- No matter how manipulative or cold they might appear due to moon in mercury star, they can fall in love easily. Even if they're slow, they're as obsessive, deep and consuming as Scorpio moons when in love. Some ppl might have had obsessive crushes or a long relationship for years during school days itself.💖

10. Mars-Sun conjunction in D4- House in your name could be placed near government owned buildings or in a colony where many government officials reside. You might construct a house in warmer places (by temperature in surrounding) than the ones you grew up in.🌡

11. Cancer Venus in a woman's chart- Female friends can get jealous of them, after wedding, even the female family members of the groom could do so. It's because of their perfect embodiment of feminine self, it can make other underdeveloped females insecure. Might not be the case for everyone, just observed this in few.💜

12. Placements and the type of house construction/aesthetics you may like & build:

(This doesn't mean you will end up building your house like this for sure, these placements should make aspects to the 4H/4H lord, 4H shouldn't be afflicted, favorable mahadasha should come and many more other aspects, so take the below ones as a fun read!)

Venus in Taurus/Libra/Pisces- Lots of interior designing & unique architecture. They want their house to be very aesthetically pleasing and appreciated by others. They have a eye for beauty.😍

Rahu in 4H- House constructed in an extravagant manner, has many rooms🤭

Mercury-saturn conjunction - Likes building staircase inside the house and basements having those spiral steps like in the horror films lol.🤫

Aries Sun - Grand entrance, the main gate or the house door will be big both in terms of height and width. They could like adding glass elements that reflect light on top of house door or any architecture near that.💅

Jupiter-Saturn conjunction - Loves unique and high class wooden sculptures and furnitures. These could be the people who would import specific type of wood to make their study table hehe.💪

Taurus/Cancer Moon- Water flowing architecture inside the house. You may also be fond of having fish tanks. This placement along with taurus or libra venus can give (for ex.) unique statues and water flowing from it or glass floors and fish maintenance below it.🤪

Leo Moons- Most probably likes having their own swimming pool in their house, especially purva phalguni moons.😻

Mars-moon conjunction - Loves doing indoor gardening. Rahu in the mix can give technological advancements in this, like having hydroponics system or any specialized type of gardening.🌱

Venus-rahu conjunction - Prefers different colored lighting settings, can even have home theatre setups. They like aesthetic light works with multiple colors and all shiny at least in one room for recreation.✨

Venus-Mars conjunction - Highlights strong security systems. They could appoint a watchman or have CCTV cameras surrounding their house. Mars in rahu's star having this conjunction, they might have advanced touch or face recognition type of security systems.😼

Let's Learn and Grow Together!💋💅

With Love-Yashi ❤⚡

Masterlist 💖

[a-very-tired-jew]

So we all saw the MIT sukkah and how bad that was.

Are you ready for NYU’s?

Because not only is it bad, but the persons behind it are either Jews with no connection whatsoever to their culture and can’t be bothered to do a basic fact check or it’s goyim who can’t be bothered to do a basic fact check.

That’s right. It says “l’chaim intifada” on their post. Yes, the structure is made out of wood. Good job for not using an event tent as the base like MIT. But you've built it under a tree, a no-no, and just said “To life intifada” on your “solidarity” sukkah poster.

That’s as bad as the backwards Hebrew.

It’s a nonsense phrase and makes no sense.

So what else is in the post?

Points 1 through 3 are standard for these organizations. Others that have more experience regarding the legalities of these asks have broken down why it won't happen for 1 and 2.

Point 3 is just xenophobic and discriminatory, and shows the hypocrisy of these orgs. I hate whataboutisms, but this same academic boycott is not being held for other countries that have committed or are committing comparable or worse actions. I have not seen calls to boycott Russian, Chinese, or Iranian academics and condemn research alliances or remote campuses.

Why is it only Israel?

(we know why)

Points 4 and 5 are what we expect as well. But here's the thing. Point 4? So much research and innovation comes through military contracts and funding. Medical entomology alone is reliant on massive funding from the military and was actually established by the US Military as well. The break throughs in treatments for vectored diseases typically come from their projects.

This is going to piss people off. But cutting funding projects that are associated with our military industrial complex is actually really bad for innovation, research, and scientific advancement.

"They can get the funds elsewhere".

No the fuck they cannot. Tell me you know nothing about research in academia without telling me.

But sure, cut funding to things associated with the MI-complex. I'm sure the DHS and DOD projects that are working on medical innovations will definitely help "Free Palestine".

Point 5 states it is "No Normalization", but the text reads more that they want to undo the Find Out portion of the Fuck Around they've been doing all year. As well as redefine antisemitism the way they want so that their dog whistles can be allowed and then it gets to the normalization thing. Which is just a way of saying they don't want peace. I'm not surprised as normalization processes lead to peace, and these groups don't want that. We've seen them eschew peace repeatedly and endorse violence.

But they'll tell you they're a peace movement.

Point 6 is just odd to include. 1 through 5 are standard, but 6 gets into the academic pay scale and structure and that just feels tacked on. It's trying to put a rider to ban abortion at the back end of the agricultural bill. It's trying to say "while I have you attention, also this."

I'll be the first one to say the academic pay structure is fucked and needs to be overhauled (The Cali University system has had multiple protests because Professors can't afford to even live in the cities they teach in). But putting pay structure issues onto this is just "everything relates to Gaza!" nonsense. We've seen countless occurrences of these activists trying to link any and every movement and concern to I/P throughout the year and it's just ridiculous.

Also note the text "expanding further into the city and across the globe" makes it seem like they view the university they are attending as a colonizer as well. If such is the case, and they're against colonization as vehemently as they attest to, then why are they still attending as their tuition is funding colonization? Yes, this is a "why don't you leave" argument, but they have the option to drop out or transfer. It's not leaving the USA, it's leaving or changing schools (and that's much more doable).

Point 7 isn't really a point. It's the same thing we've seen from anti-Israel groups across college campuses in the USA a long time. The problem is that they deny Zionism/Zionist has become a major dog whistle that has a history of being one ever since the Soviet era. Is every instance of anti-Zionism antisemitism? Of course not. But because major antisemitism groups, militias, and governments have used it for decades as a cover it is often viewed as such.

There's no denying that.

The problem is that you have college kids who are earnest in their beliefs that they don't see how they're being manipulated to use said dog whistles. It's especially worse when it comes to anti-Zionist Jews because they will say/endorse absolutely horrendous antisemitic rhetoric while justifying it through "Don't worry, I'm a Jew".

Unfortunately the sukkah they've built and the "L'chaim Intifada" brings in to question how Jewish they are. Even secular Jews would know that L'chaim means "To Life" by simply existing within our culture. So they're either extremely detached and didn't fact check, they're religious Jews who don't know enough Hebrew and didn't fact check, or they're goyim who are cosplaying as Jews and didn't fact check.

Initially I was leaning towards the detached as being behind this as I personally know several detached Jews who are using their ethnicity to defend antisemitism in NYC and by these groups. And because this is NYU it's more than likely that detached Leftist Jews are behind this with support from goyim than simply goyim alone. Which shows how little is know of our culture in general and means they really shouldn't be relied upon as arbiters of what is offensive to Jews and what isn't.

However, there is nothing Jewish about what they post. They even have photos of them in the sukkah and there's not a single kippah in sight. It's all keffiyehs. You'd think that if they wanted to show solidarity there'd be some variation in garb. You'd think that if they wanted to show that Jewish religious traditions and culture are welcoming that you'd have some visibly Jewish persons in your sukkah sitting side by side with keffiyeh wearing activists in this "solidarity sukkah"

But there's not.

Now this isn't to say I know who is behind this group, who the members are, or what the agenda is.

But this organization has only existed since November 2023, regularly cross posts with NYU SJP, and endorsed/justified 10/7 as well as the anniversary events celebrating it.

Come to your own conclusions as you will, but I know what I think.

[ash-says]

Things to be aware of as a Hopeless Romantic:

We all have been there daydreaming about the perfect man, the perfect life, the perfect whatever,etc. Still life is not full of roses and thorns are inevitable.

So here are some aspects to look out for according to me so that you won't fall in the delulu is the only solulu trap.

Remember if you follow me, we don't do regrets here. We accept, take accountability and move on. We don't soak ourselves in problems. We solve them effectively.

1) Drop those rose-colored glasses. Crush them under your feet and now look at the world again. Learn to accept reality. It is what it is. Not what you make it out to be. Learn to become an observer of your life from time to time. It will give you the real picture.

2) Potential is useless if you are not leveraging it. It's a trap both for yourself and others. You see potential in him of changing and being a good guy?? Girl, he *IS* not a good guy. It's not your job to raise a man. It's embarrassing. Stop babysitting grown men.

3) Standards are important but ensure they are not rooted in fantasy. Let's be honest finding a man who is rich, dark, tall, sexy and talks in the way you read in your romance novels is difficult. I am not saying it's impossible but don't be too rigid. All I will say is make sure you are also on the level where if you come across such a man he should be ready to date you.

4) Men view sex differently than us women. I know many of you will get triggered after reading this but the majority of men really view women as sex dolls. Blame the porn industry maybe. Good men exist but not every other man who talks sweetly is good.

5) A person in your life treats you nicely. Always talk sweetly, tells you that you matter to them but their actions don't match it. Chances are you are being breadcrumbed. Plans being cancelled? Messages being unseen? But when confronted all you get is,"Sorry love, I was busy. I was going to do it. You matter a lot,etc etc." Breadcrumbing. Be smart it can happen even in friendships too. I understand people get busier with time and things do happen. Use your discernment to see who really is busy and who is faking to be busy.

6) That uncle was so kind to me. He talked to me sweetly and always tried to help me out. Now, that's really sweet of him. Next he calls you home to help out with the household chores and he is alone at home because his wife is out of town for some work. Would you go and help? Yes. Will you go alone? No. That's unsafe.

No matter how much a gentleman a man appears to be you are not allowed to be in a situation where he could potentially take advantage of you. You always bring along a friend or deny it. I know it's wrong to not help someone but at your own risk. No. Never. It's common knowledge in our society.

7) Dreaming of a Prince Charming to whisk you away from all your troubles??? Dream on. The idea that a soulmate or one person will magically solve all our issues is dumb. We as human beings add to each other's happiness rather than becoming the core of it.

8) One of the biggest mistakes I have seen girls around me make is of being fully invested in a relationship to the point one small fight makes them depressed. That's codependency. It's unhealthy.

9) Never make your relationship your identity. You should always have a separate identity out of it. Stop curating yourself for your partners. Morphing yourself according to their likes and dislikes. That's one way ticket to an identity crisis after breakup. Compromises are essential but changing your core self??? Crazy shit.

10) Your relationship should not be the reason for your downfall. It happens especially with my intense girlies we invest so much of ourselves in the relationship to the point it becomes our focal point and when it faces upheavals we are devastated. The mental distress starts flowing in other areas of your life and suddenly your grades are falling, your career seems unstable, etc. Develop the emotional strength to compartmentalize your emotions and not allow them to overflow in other areas and affect them.

Imagination is fertile but being delusional is being stuck in a swamp.

That's all for today's show on ash-says. Stay tuned for more illegal tricks and explosive opinions.

[bubblegumgothglados]

A guide to the creation of a doll

(that’s the name of the story this is not one of my guides)

Introduction

Creating a consciousness from scratch is a complicated procedure, in humans this process takes decades and is arguably never complete. Although we have learnt to reverse engineer this process we still have very little understanding of how it actually works. But we do know this; consciousness has to be built from the ground up.This guide will briefly outline the steps necessary to take a budding mind and walk with it through its journey to full consciousness. This is a process that takes years, each "chapter" in your dolls life will require a new body made for the purpose and will take at least a month as the mind grows to fill its form. This undertaking should be seen as no less serious than having a child. This guide talks about seven chapters which is the minimum required to build a mind capable of independent thought and tasks.

~

Overview

This guide will go into finer detail later on but this is a brief explanation of each step.

~

Chapter 1

This chapters is about the doll learning the basics of controlling its body and becoming aware of you; its creator. A proper body for this chapter is that of an infant human. This body should have a battery life of only a few hours and should feed directly from your own magics, thus creating dependency. The minimum requirements to move to the next chapter is that the doll cam grasp things on purpose and indicate when its battery is low.

~

Chapter 2

Your dolls new body should have enough muscle mass to crawl and eventually stand up but shouldn’t yet have the capacity to walk. Your doll should be improving its spacial reasoning and language skills. It should still require you to help it recharge its battery.

~

Chapter 3

Your doll should begin walking, and talking in one word phrases, moving into short sentences. Your doll should be able to begin charging itself as well as doing basic maintenance on itself. Now is a great time to introduce it to what will become its primary function, it need not be able to perform that function but ideas about usefulness and obedience are important.

~

Chapter 4

This chapter is about book learning, if you would like your doll to be smart, educated, and well spoken this is the time to start. It should also continue to develop its find motor skills and if you would like, independence.

~

Chapter 5

If your doll is going to be sexually mature this is the stage in which it should be given a body with those functions, not for use yet just the outward aesthetics so it can begin to get used to the idea. It would also benefit greatly from introduction to other fully functioning dolls so ideas of obedience and helpfulness can be cemented.

~

Chapter 6

This is the second from last chapter and at this point your doll should be almost fully formed in mind and body. This chapter is for fine tuning.

~

Chapter 7

The capstone, this final update seals the doll to its body and grants it true sentience. After this point changes to its body and mind will be incredibly difficult so be sure you’re ready. The hour or so after this final update is absolutely crucial, whatever your doll experiences in this time will define it for the rest of its existence.

~

You close the book with an audible *thunk* far too much nervous energy is coursing through you to focus. Not that you need to, you have a dozen books on the topic and know almost all of them by heart.

"MOMMOMMOM!" your doll bounds into the room.

"DAUGHTERDAUGHTERDAUGTER!" you call back only slightly mockingly, smiling at it. As you look into its emerald green eyes with its glittering golden flecks you think 'damn i did a good job making those, glass blowing is such a bitch of a craft to learn too'. With a start you realize your doll has been talking and you zone back into the conversation.

"And the biggest frog likes to sit on the big rock and headbutts frogs who are trying to sit there when it goes for a swim but it wont headbutt the lil baby frogs it just walks right over the top of them and the lil baby frogs don’t seem to mind and that much and," it continues on as you falter under this barrage of information on the social lives of the frogs living in your pond. Its such an inquisitive little thing, it knows almost as much as yoh about dollcraft having devoured every book you own in it’s thirst for knowledge. Although, not so little any more. Its in its twelfth body now with only the capstone left to go. You think back over the last ten years fondly, four spent crafting the bodies, six guiding your doll through the chapters of its existence and teaching it important lessons in morality and consent. All leading to tomorrow; the final transferal, the capstone and that all important hour.

"Mom?" Shit, that was a question, you mentally rewind the conversation looking for context...

"Yes my dearest, i promise your froggy friends will recognize you in your next body, just like they recognized you when you swapped to this body and the body before that. Your new body is laying on the bed, you know its only slightly different."

"Yeah mom i know. I’m just worried about the transfer.... Mom, why don’t i have a purpose?"

"As I’ve said every time; your purpose is to be my daughter."

"Because your real kids grew up and had their own kids."

"Yes my dearest, as you well know."

"I love you mom."

"I love you too, can you please make me dinner?"

"Yes mom."

An hour or so later you’re eating the dinner it prepared for you listening to it talk once again about the social lives of various animals in the pond. You’re only halfway paying attention, your mind wandering between preparations for tomorrow and reminiscing on the past. As you watch it chatter you think fondly of its fifth body which didn’t quite reach your waist and was made of much sturdier material than this one. Even back then it was a boisterous excitable little thing, although the voice was much squeakier. You think of the differences between the guided advice and what you've done. You think of the years spent teaching it ethics and morality. Of making sure it had both a guiding hand and the freedom to explore and expand on its own. You stifle a giggle thinking of its budding sexuality, it thinks you don’t know and you’ve been very careful to not interfere with this normal and vital development, but you can read the signs.

"And that’s why i think Mr. Turtle should have a friend!"

"A well argued position dearest, ill see if i can find a Mrs. Turtle for him, then there'll be lots of turtles."

"Muuuuuooooom gross!"

"Ohhh hush" you smile fondly at it "come lets pack this away and watch a movie whilst you recharge."

A little later you’re both on the lounge watching one of your dolls favourites. Your thumbnail is clutched gently between her porcelain teeth, her silk lips resting gently on your thumb. This was one thing you never changed, it still draws its power directly from your lifeforce. You think of its first body, so tiny and wriggly, made of cotton as to be soft and cuddly for you, not much more than a plush toy. You think of its next body, a hundred different materials woven together with circuitry and spellcraft running its many complex functions. The movie has a singular kissing scene and you feel it tense as the protagonists smooch.

"Does this still make you uncomfortable dearest?"

"Its weird watching this with my mom," it squirms a little in emotional discomfort.

You just giggle.

Soon the credits roll.

"Its time for bed dearest, tomorrow you’ll wake in your final body!"

It doesn’t reply.

"I know you’re nervous but everything will be fine i promise."

"Yes mom, I love you."

"I love you too, now into bed lets start the process."

It lays down and you kiss its forehead tenderly before initiating the transfer out of this body. Motes of light drift lazily from its head through the air into a nearby vessel. You hold its hand as its mind leaves its body, and when its body goes limp you place its arms gently by its side and begin your final preparations.

~

I remember laying down that night and feeling myself leave the body, just as every time before my senses shut down one by one. First sight, the world loosing colour and going dark. Then taste and quickly after, smell. Then hearing, complete silence for the first time in months. And finally touch, the feeling of my moms hand holding mine is the last thing i remember.

Then I wake up, senses coming online in reverse.

First touch, wait why am I being touched, why am I being touched like this, this hurts, I don’t want this-

Then hearing, I can hear heavy breathing and grunting, ohhh this hurts so bad, where is my mom why isn’t she saving me, is she okay is she hurt whats going on, this hurts-

Then smell, it smells like,,, it smells like mom when shes been working in the garden. This feels bad, this feels wrong, why is this happening to my body, why-

Then taste, its moms fingers,,, mom-

And finally sight, and I see what I’ve been dreading, what I knew but didn’t want to know. I see my mom raping me.A moment later I gain control of my voice and muscles and I start trying to fight her off.

"Mom please why are you doing this to me?" My voice is breaking and I sound pathetic even to my own ears. "Mom stop I don’t want this."

"LIMP," She says, and The word has power, my body betrays me and I stop fighting.

"SILENT," and I can no longer speak.

"PLEASURE," and I orgasm whilst being aplit apart by my mums cock

And in that moment I realize, this was always going to be my purpose. She wanted a doll who knew the ethics of sex and sexuality so it would know why consent is important. She wanted a doll who loved her so deeply and thought she loved it so the betrayal would be real. She made no mistakes in my creation, she wanted this to hurt, she made my cunt too small to fit her. She spent a decade crafting the perfect toy to rape and that toy is me. And I realize this is my all important capstone hour 'whatever your doll experiences in this time will define it for the rest of its existence' as the guide says. And all I can do is cry and take it as the realities of my existence sink in.

[littybeech]

Ten things the Twilight animated series can do better than the original movies (if they care enough to, please add all your own points to this as I will, too.) :

1. Include ALL of the book scenes, without having to change them to make them easier to film (for obvious reasons, since it’ll be animated they shouldn’t have much issue there.)

2. Their daughter, Remoulade can actually look like the book described her (or better or worse) and not the CGI monstrosity we got twelve years ago.

3. Make all the characters fit their book looks to complete accuracy. Alice was 4’10 and the movies made her 5’5. They let Edward have brown hair when he’s a ginger. Jacob and the wolf pack had better be above 6’5! I want 23 year old Carlisle and 26 year old Esme playing parents to like three legal adults and two 17 year olds.

4. The parentification of Bella Swan, by both of her parents, mustn’t be ignored. Bella was making sure the bills were getting paid by the time she was 10 cause her mom was ‘too flighty and distracted’ to do things like that consistently, she also learned to cook and clean early on too because her mom’s cooking was inedible and she’d improperly mix cleaning solutions dangerously. She got a job at 14 and took care of the groceries and any other issue necessary on top of being in AP classes in school. By the time she moved in with Charlie, she was basically more of a parent than he was. He did the bare minimum to ensure her car’s safety by installing snow chains on her tires without telling her and she cried because she wasn’t used to being taken care of.

5. How she cries when she’s angry is peak girlhood and I hate that they got rid of that in the movies. She stomped her feet bro, like c’mon she was so angry and anxious and annoyed all the time and they only focused on her angst.

6. Integrate aspects of Midnight Sun too, maybe incorporate them both so we can get a more full story. Twilight on its own was a bit of a snooze fest compared to Midnight Sun. We’re gonna pretend that Edward hunting and eating Esme’s abusive ex-husband isn’t hot af?

7. Add in more character’s back stories. Alice’s abusive father and stepmother, Emmett’s gambling and womanizing as a human in Tennessee, etc.

8. Unfortunately we need to make it clear that Charlie’s not winning any father of the year awards here either. He congratulated Jacob after forcing a kiss on her and joked about Jacob pressing assault charges on her after she breaks her hand punching him away.

9. Maybe ask why the Cullens…’need’ so desperately to come back to Forks every couple of years? Like they’re multi-billionaires, they’re immortal and there are plenty of gloomy, cloudy places they could live in semi-permanently. Why Forks when they know the Quileutte tribe knows what they are and they know it makes them so uncomfortable? It just seems unnecessary.

10. More of Edward reading Mike Newton’s inner-monologue. I know it would depend on whose perspective we get but I think the idea is hilarious.

[sen-ya]

Life After Info Post

[Click here to access the Life After Digital Comic Book]

Summary: Two years ago, a viral outbreak rose the dead. Considering how his life had gone up to this point, surgeon Trafalgar Law figured this might as well happen too. When a supply run into the nearby city gets intercepted by a seemingly reckless and impulsive former patient, the dependable routine Law had settled into in this new life shatters. He finds himself exposed — his body out in the infected landscape, his conscious clawing to define what he believes is right, his heart begrudgingly deciding to find a new home on his sleeve. Maybe there’s more than a virus roaming the new world that can bring a dead man back to life.

Content Warnings: Canon typical violence, zombies/body horror (but lbr I am not good at making scary things look scary)

Relationships: Luffy x Law

Update Schedule: New page every Monday/Wednesday/Friday

Page Count: [37 posted | 55 drawn]

Latest Update: [7/21/24] WOWEE did I get myself carried away this morning. I just spent 5 hours organizing my comics and creating the digital comic book pages. I could have spent that time drawing or idk not doing what I do for my job, but I cannot be stopped. Anyway I blocked out 30 pages of this comic last week and they include the most intense action sequence I've ever done in my gotdang life. Wish me luck because I am nervous about tying down all my drawings lmao.

OLD UPDATES:

[6/29/24] HULLO! I'm doing so bad at keeping my masterposts updated lately I am sorry. All pages of life after are tagged life after if you're ever looking between masterpost updates! Also exciting update, I finally have figured out all the different plot points i'm gonna be hitting (yay!). I got hung up on something for awhile that made me not wanna work on this project, but I'm back at it. I think we'll end up with 6-7 parts! I have probably another 80-100 pages to draw lol. Also i got the app Magic Poser and it's AWESOME and I immediately used it to block out sets cuz MAN I hate backgrounds.

[6/10/24] HELLO. I'm sorry I've been shit at updating my masterposts lately. It's easiest to do from my computer, which I rarely use, and life has been happening. I also can't believe I bungled the queue and posted pg19 before pg18 i am very sorry 🤦 Eventually I'll have to turn this into an airtable base I'm sure, but until that day comes where I have like 100 pages of this comic we're stickin to the regular post lmao

[5/26/23] I got real caught up in doing summer of lawlu comics this week and this is the first week since the first week of April I haven't drawn new Life After pages and it feels weird 🙊

[5/19/24] More Luffy backstory comin' this week! :^)

[5/12/24] Updating now so get myself on schedule to update on Sundays like I had been with my other comic master post!

[5/8/24] Thank you to everyone who's liked/reblogged/comment on the first few pages!! It means the world to me that anyone's reading my silly little comics.

[4/28/24] HULLO. It’s happeninnng. I’ve spent the last few weeks working on this comic, and I gotta make this post so I can start queuing pages & link this in them! This is the most like….legit? Comic endeavor I’ve undertaken perhaps….ever. I’m very nervous about committing to how long it will need to be lol. This story is dear to my heart — zombie content is kind of my very favorite. I’ve always found it to be a great backdrop for exploring themes like grief, coping with change, community, and learning to live again. It’ll be a long haul but I hope you’ll ride it out with me!! Tomorrow I’ll be posting the first two pages. After that a page will post every Monday/Wednesday/Friday. As of this post I’ve completed over 20 pages so that I have a good lead on what’s posting and continuing to write, so I’m hopeful that’s a cadence I’ll be able to maintain. I’ll update this post weekly to include the most recent pages the way I do with my main comics master post. All pages will be tagged 'Life After' and I'll tag any pages with zombies in them with 'zombie' for blacklisting etc.

[thefcguy]

Miraculous Main Character Ranking

Just like how I ranked the designs of superheroes for Miraculous Ladybug... now, I will be ranking the characters as a whole. Although design will be a small factor in some of this cases... it mostly has to do with the characters themselves this time. How enjoyable I think they are based on the show, its writting, the circumstances they have been put through, their purposes and, most importantly, my personal opinion.

Also, although i will be ranking this characters, I would like to say, before you guys read the ranking, that I don't actually hate any character here.

They are mostly victims of bad writting from Thomas Astruc, his team, and their lack of understanding on how teams interact with each other, and what interactions are okay and others not.

That's why I feel sympathy towards all of them. But, I understand if you don't.

These are characters from a show made for kid. Please, be respectful with my opinions, and I will be respectful with yours.

Also, if you are either a Marinette , Adrien, Felix or Chloe stan... please, don't look at my ranking, okay?

So, with nothing else to add... Let's begin!

(I hope I don't get destroyed for my opinions).

21- Socqueline Wang

... Can someone please explain me WHY she exists?

Socqueline is one of the characters that miraculous introduces later on for a specific reason, and then doesn't get used later.

However, out of all of these characters... Socqueline is the worst.

Although the idea of Marinette having a friend before Alya, but then moved away/got transferred is interesting, but they add her on SEASON 5!

She and Marinette were supposedly best buddies, and Socqueline was always there to "protect her from the irredeemable monster Chloe bwahhaaa", and yet, she doesn't visit Marinette ONCE in a period of 4 seasons?! Not a photo, not a mention... anything.

The worst part is how they try to make us fans believe that "she has always been here", like in episodes such as "Perfection" when she is added to the group of Kagami's friends.

But, besides "Jubilation" and even worse "Derision" her character has no purpose or impact to the story.

Marinette already has a group of female friends (Alya, Rose, Juleka, Mylene, Alix, Kagami, Zoe, and probably Sabrina on season 6) with badly developed relationships. Do we need one more girl on this mess?

I UNDERSTAND that she is supposed to be a reference to PV!Marinette, that Bridgette was just a name we, the fandom, gave her, and it was supposed to be fan-service, but... the way they made it makes no sense.

Socqueline could have been deleted from season 5 and it wouldn't have changed a thing.

A famous miraculous brazillian youtuber actually had an idea for the purpose the Socqueline could have had in season 5.

His idea (which I also enjoy) is that she, instead of Alya, should have been the one to use Tikki in the "Kwami's Choice" special.

Hawk Moth had already found out that she wasn't Ladybug in "Jubilation", she had no previous connections to Ladybug, and had the desire to be a hero.

This way, hero's choice could also expand on her as a character, explain why she hasn't spoken to Marinette in so long, her own fears and wished for the future...

And maybe... just MAYBE getting a crush on Kitty Noir as the new Ladybug, and, meeting Zoe later after losing the earrings, and getting attracted to her due to reasons she can't explain.

But no, she has the charisma and the importance of a cardboard. I am 75% sure that she will be forgotten in Season 6, and might be "replaced" by Sublime. Who knows.

As for her design... I feel like they did a good job in showing that Socqueline is PV!Marinete, while also making her unique enough in a way.

20- Felix Fathom

Although Socqueline is the most pointless... Felix is the worst character, definetely.

On his first episode, he lies, steals his cousin's phone, tries to ruin his friendship, tries to force Ladybug into kissing him, tries to make a deal with Hawkmoth, and steal's Gabriel's wedding ring... not a good start, right?

The episode's explanation, according to what some character's say, is that he is going through a rough phase because he hasn't been processing his father's death well, and that without his father's authority, he has been "out of control".

This will be important further on.

On his second episode, he is obsessed with finding Hawk Moth's identity, seeing it as a way to get what he wants. Then, again, he gives a wicked smile after he feels like he is winning.

On his third appearence, he uses Gabriel's wedding ring to CONTROL his cousin to agree with his plan, pretends to be Adrien, gets the Dog Miraculous, and uses it to give all the miraculous on the box to Gabriel...

Then, Season 5 arrives, and Felix erases the population of Earth, becomes an almost yandere for Kagami, and becomes a "good boy" because he is just misunderstood and Kagami's love fixed him. There is also the plot of his activism for Sentimonsters...

Do I need to explain myself on why I hate this character?

From the moment he appeared on screen, he has done nothing but caused chaos. And his cause of helping sentimonsters? Pretty hypocrite, considering how he controlled Adrien in "Risk", and tried to ruin his friendships in "Felix".

He is not a confused anti-hero with a noble cause in need of guidence... he is straight up a resentful villain who is unleashing his frustrations on others.

And all the chaos he caused is suddenly forgiven because of his redemption and his abusive father?

Also... where does this Abusive father came from? His debut implied that Colt's death was what bittered Felix's heart. And that he was the one to keep Felix in control.

It either means that the crew thinks that Colt's abusive behavior was good because it keep Felix in line, or that they came up with that last moment to give him a redemption.

I will be going with the latter, because, oh GOSH, the writers put all their effort into redeeming Felix this season.

This boy over here has committed crimes and the show pet him on the head. Meanwhile, school bullies get sent to live with their abusive parent.

His design is great. He is supposed to look just like Adrien, and he clearly looks more formal.

19- Lila Rossi

Lila is... a lot like Felix, actually. She is bitter, manipulative, and always want to have the upper hand.

However, unlike Felix, that the show refuses to portray as a villain, the show actually knows that Lila is bad.

Still... they literally had no idea of what to do with her and went of the rails with her "arc".

When 'Volpina" aired, Lila was just a liar who wanted popularity and came up with the weirdest stories possible to make herself look better.

The class was infatuated by her, which, made sense considering she was new and all.

Then, the whole Ladybug fiasco happened and she became Volpina. Then, on the end of the episode, the writers hinted at Lila returning eventually and becoming a bigger threat...

And she disappears... for a whole season to be precise.

I remember how the fandom was excited to see Lila in action on season 2. Since many were expecting Chloe to be redeemed (since we had no idea how the Queen bee arc would play like), many started to assume that Lila would be the one causing akumas this season.

Which, would have been interesting! We were so used to the formula of Chloe bullying other until they turned into supervillains, that it would be interesting seeing how Lila would operate.

But, she disappeared and only returned when she was needed on Heroes Day.

Then, season 3 arrived, and boy, things got bad quickly.

The class still adores her (to an unnatural degree, tbh), she gets away with all of her stunts, ruins Marinette's reputation, gets Kagami akumatized and makes a deal with Gabriel.

Lila's plot armor this season is WILD. She brags about everything she does, there is proof that she was a part of Heroes Day instead of travelling as she stated (the illusion, and, even if people assumed there was another akuma with this power, considering the event was televisioned, she must have appeared at least one), and she, a teenage girl, impresses Hawk Moth to the point of him wanting her as an ally...

And she never faces the consequences of her actions. Except Onichan.

Then, after all the chaos she caused in season 3... she is benched on season 4, only to return with an even stronger plot armor in the season finale.

Alya somehow believes on her, even is she knows Ladybug's identity and who the real best friend is; and Lila managed to make an alliance with Chloe. WITH CHLOE.

Chloe, the girl who couldn't stand Marinette or Kagami 5 centimeters near Adrien. This Chloe, who probably saw Lila flirting with Adrien already at least once, makes an alliance with her.

The explanation? Chloe can't remember Lila from how "irrevalant" she is.

... do you guys get what I am saying? She has insane levels of plot armor!

Season 5 is when the writers literally gave up on keeping her consistent.

Now, she is an unstable girl cutting photos with Marinette's face, getting Kagami (one of the few people that disliked her) on her side, puts a teenage girl on the position of a mayor, and, am I forgetting something... oh yeah! She is literally crazy, may not even be a teenage girl, and has multiple identities and mothers...

This character makes no sense, her escalation into a supervillain comes out of nowhere, and, the moments we EXPECT her to be a villain, she isn't, and only appears way later.

Considering how much the plot protects her, I don't doubt that it will take at least 6 more seasons to defeat her.

Lila's design in general is okay with the exception of the hair... what's up with her hair? Like, she has 3 "ponytails". Does anyone actually use this hair and I just don't know it?

18- Chloe Bourgeois

Behold, the most incosistent character on this whole show.

I like to say that "Chloe" is not a character. It's a title giving to many identical looking characters that swap places depending on what the plot explains.

The First Chloe is season 1 Chloe, who is your typical mean girl. She bullies other students, is superficial... but, she is mostly a harmless thing. She is just mean, and the akumas all go after her on the end of the episode.

The Second Chloe is the Chloe of episode "Malekdiktator". This Chloe is a sensitive and fragile. She just feels lonely and purposeless.

The Third Chloe is the sassy anti-hero Chloe. She helps Ladybug and Chat Noir as Queen Bee, and can act kindly from time to time. But, she will still be occasionally mean and insult your clothing.

The Fourth Chloe is season 4 Chloe, who is like the first Chloe, but instead of having some depth and realism to her... she is now just pure evil. She trapped Sabrina in her closet and treats Andre like a slave.

The Fifth Chloe is season 5!Chloe, who is a heartless monster that becomes a dictator as soon as she can, becomes Hawk Moth's ally, and incriminates others to get her way.

The writing keeps changing Chloe to what they need her to be. There is no progressive transition or any signs of an arc.

She is a plot point which the writers will never let go.

As for her design... it's pretty iconic, not gonna lie.

17- Kagami Tsurugi

Man, it hurts me putting Kagami this low on the list... but the writers ruined her character.

When Kagami was introduced, she wasn't much different from the majority of the secondary cast.

All we knew is that she came from a strict family and that she was a perfectionist. She is very hard on herself, and wants to make her mother proud.

But as time progressed, the show showed how fierce and determined she could be and that even people like Lila and Chloe could get in the way of the things she wanted (Sadly, most of the time, her goal is Adrien, not a prizer or anything).

Then, Ikari Gozen happened, and we finally saw a new side of Kagami. How lonely she felt, how awkward she could be out of her comfort zone, and that, although she had her issues with Marinette, she wanted to have her as a friend.

On Season 4, she stays mostly the same, although, I feel even more sympathy towards her because Adrien was such a bad boyfriend to her.

(Seriously, Adrien dating Kagami while still having feelings for Ladybug, and Marinette dating Luka while still having feeling for Adrien was a mess that the show never acknowledged).

Season 5, however... things go downhill for her.

Before, she used to be one of the few people to not fall for Lila's, due to her intelligence and strategic thinking. But, now, she is one of Lila's MAIN puppets for the season.

But the worst is probably the relationship with Felix.

Kagami, GIRL, that boy gave the most powerful artifacts in the universe to a Terrorist. He erased human life from the face of the planet. It's not because he saved you from his mother that it makes him a good person deep down!

Man, Kagami was such a confident queen in the past, who knew who to trust... and they turned her into this mess during season 5.

If I was to rank Season 3-4 Kagami, she would be way higher on the list.

But Feligami destroyed her reputation.

I have a few issues with her design. The hair looks weird, and... the damn uniform. A lot of people comment on how her uniform is because of japanese steryotypes and I hate it.

16- Marinette Dupain-Cheng

Okay, before starting my explanation, I would like to disclaim a few things first.

Marinette as character, seems to be constantly having a hard time.

She has the most powerful miraculous, Chat Noir indeed doesn't treat things as seriously as he should, she becomes the guardian way younger than she should, and she has to carry a lot of weight for a girl her age.

Just like we saw in Steven from Steven Universe, this kind of responsibility indeed can lead to an unstable mental health.

And there is also the fact that Marinette only acts the way she does, because Miraculous a whole isn't good at executing ideas.

BUT, even with all of this... it is still very hard to defend her actions.

At season 1, at least, she was mostly just a fangirl. She didn't have the healthies behavior around Adrien, but, she still had salvation. And let's not forget that she was punished (at least, to some degree) by the narrative when she did something wrong (like in "Bubbler", when Tikki reprehends the way she used the Lucky Charm to stop Chloe from kissing Adrien, or when her reckless behavior as Ladybug led to Lila's akumatization on "Volpina).

Season 2 Marinette starts to do some questionable things, like leading Luka on, and keeping Chat Noir in the dark about the Guardian. Although, to be fair, she only kept secrets from Chat Noir because of Fu. She should have insisted more, but, it's not the worst she has done.

Then, on Season 3, Marinette goes off the rails. We have Animaestro, where she joins forces with Chloe to break Kagami, and Adrien, becomes overly paranoid with the Lila situation to the point of being obsessive with proving she is a liar. There is the Wax museum scene...

Season 4 Marinette is where I am torn about. In one hand, yes, she leaves the 4 kids she was supposed to be babysitting with her grandfather to be with Adrien, keeps a lot of info from Chat Noir, makes a whole plan to invade a party at Adrien's house, gives Adrien a miraculous although it already failed, and her whole relationship with Luka.

But, on the other hand... the girl is having the worst time of her life. She is guarding a bunch of small gods as a teenage girl, can't trust anyone, has no mentor to help her figure things out or to vent too, and needs to keep "Chat Blanc" a secret so that Chat Noir doesn't get akumatized. And Hawk Moth fixed the Peacock and he is a more dangerous threat (well, in-universe, that is).

And there was some logic as to why she chose "Adrien" to wield the Dog in "Strikeback". He had no mark, she was under Risk's influence and so on... (the part where she says that Flaimidable is an official part of the team pisses me off, though, cause, Miss Hound debuted AN EPISODE BEFORE).

Season 5 is where her mental health is finally at the bottom, and, combined with the fact she seems to be going back and forth of who she wants to be with (Adrien, Chat Noir and Luka in a way), she does a lot of bad decisions.

However, there is a limit to how many things a bad mental health can excuse. She kind of manipulated Chat Noir's feelings to get him to kiss her.

However, to be honest, if Astruc learned his lesson on how he can't write Marinette like a Stalker and overly jealous girlfriend, and tried to improve her portrayal on the next seasons, I could TRY to forgive her...

But then, Sublimation came.

Even after all the fans complaints, the forced backstory in Derision to try to justify her behavior, and the promise of starting a new arc... Marinette ends up breaking a girl's prosthetic leg because of Adrien.

In the end, even if I can see the archetype they were going for when creating Marinette, girl, I can't defend you and your jealousy!

Seriously, some of the things you did probably can be considered crimes.

(If I am forgetting something, please comment on the post. I don't have energy to search ALL the questionable things Marinette did on the show).

Her design isn't bad, but... the pigtails are childish, and the outfit looks like a simple pajama. Since she is a fashion designer, I expected something more.

15- Nino Lahiffe

Man, Nino... what have the writers done to you?

Nino on season 1 was Adrien's best friend who tried to teach him how to relax and have fun.

He was this chill guy who dated Alya and spoke a lot of "dude". He was never the most profound character, but, he was quite sweet.

On season 2, during "Anansi", Nino shows how much he care for Alya and gets the turtle miraculous.

Then, he becomes basically irrelevant in season 3. It felt like the writers have no idea of what to do with him anymore.

Probably because, since Adrien has less runtime than Marinette, Nino get's basically zero focus, since the show only cares for him as Adrien's best friend and Alya's boyfriend.

If this wasn't bad enough on its own already,at season 4, Nino gets turned into a toxic boyfriend, revealing him and Rena Rouge's identity in a moment of rage.

Then, at season 5, he starts the whole idea of the resistance... and his plans are... questionable to say the least.

I honestly feel bad for Nino. The writers don't seem to care for him for who he is, and all of his arcs are dependant on other characters.

The show doesn't show his own inner struggles, ambitions, or his home life. Which makes him very shallow.

I know that Astruc once commented that Nino has an older brother who has disappeared and gave him the hat before going missing, and that's why Nino was sad when Chamaleon stole it.

But, they never done anything with it in the show which makes Nino's character empty.

I wish the show had treated him better, but man, "Rocketear" and "Illusion" really damaged his image.

Nino's design is solid. I think it shows his chill personality well.

14- Adrien Agreste

Just like with Marinette, I would like to disclaim a few things.

I know Adrien has a complex home life. I know that all the sheltering from his parents made him a bit socially awkward. I know that Chat Noir is the only way he can truly be himself. AND I KNOW THE SENTIMONSTER PLOT KEPT HIM FROM HAVING AN INTEREST ARC.

Season 1 Adrien is... pretty wishy-washy. Although he is "nice" and he cares for his friends... he doesn't do much. A lot of that has to do with the fact Gabriel barely lets him out of the Manor, but, it doesn't excuse things such as him being friends with Chloe, even after she bullies not only Marinette, but Juleka, Mylene, Rose, Kim, and, honestly, everyone at the class.

As Chat Noir... he is a good enough hero. Cataclysm here was still useful, and he had his moments. Although his recklessness caused a lot of problems for Ladybug from time to time, and he didn't learn anything with it.

And let's not forget that he lied he was dating Ladybug just so Theo wouldn't flirt with her. Some people headcanon this as him protecting Ladybug (who he though was a minor) from an adult.

But let's be fair, Theo is probably their age in-universe, and Chat just did it out of jealousy. Which, was a bit of a dick move, but, not the worst thing he pulled out.

On season 2 he started to get a bit annoying. As Adrien, he keeps finding ways of defending Chloe, and "lecturing" how people shouldn't be happy with her leaving which... I understand he feels bad about his first friend leaving Paris, but, he can't explain the rest of the class should feel bad about it.

Chloe has been straight up BULLYING AND TORTURING the class for years, and everyone there had a right to be happy.

As Chat Noir, his jealousy becomes a problem with his character. Yes, Ladybug isn't exactly a great partner all the time, but he could try to remain professional instead of pouting.

Season 3 cements Adrien's character as a bland cardboard. Sorry, but his way of dealing with Lila wasn't good either. Like, if Lila's lies was harmless, I would understand the "high road idea", but she was straight up taking advantage of everyone. Lila's situation could have ended badly if they didn't take any action.

He does seem to change his stance on her a bit during "Onichan" and "Ladybug", but, it only affects the plot on season 5.

Then, season 4 happens, and boy, it isn't good for his image.

First, his whole relationship with Kagami is a mess. He CLEARLY has feelings for Ladybug while he is dating her. Like, he considers causing an akumatization on lies just because he is bored and wants to see her.

The scene with the yellow rose meant nothing on the special if Adrien would pull up a stunt like that on the second episode of the season.

As Chat Noir, he becomes so whiny this season. Like yeah, I understand Ladybug could put more trust on him, but, at this point, he should expect some secrets.

Season 5, surprisingly, is when Adrien's character actually gets a bit interesting.

Now that he is crushing on Marinette, and not Ladybug, we see him taking initiative as Adrien instead of Chat Noir. Which actually gives him a bit of development and depth...

Sadly, what holds him back is the sentimonster plot.

Meanwhile, Chat Noir this season is pretty ignored and forgotten by the plot. So, nothing to say about him.

Summing up my thoughts about Adrien: it's not his fault the way he is, but, most of the time, he whines or throws jealous tantrums.

Adrien's design is not bad, but... it's plain. It isn't that fashionable for the son of a designer, and it doesn't show his personality either.

13- Marc Anciel

You might be wondering why Marc is on the half of the list of characters that I don't like... and it's because I don't like him, sorry.

Like, Reverser was an interesting episode. The akuma was creative, and, since Marc was a writer, it was a way for the fanfic writers fan to relate to him...

HOWEVER, Marc suffers from an issue. It isn't new to us that the miraculous writers are not the best in characterization, and sometimes, many characters can feel the same.

Marc feels like he is just a more friendly version with Nathaniel. And whenever he appears, he is WITH Nathaniel. And they act like a hivemind.

This makes Marc feels less like a character and more like an extension of Nathaniel.

He doesn't feel original, and the fact that he only has a prominent role in 3 episodes (one of which is Gabriel Agreste, where his role was a mess), doesn't make him any more interesting.

And the fact that he is a part of Mendeleeive's class doesn't help at all, considering everyone there barely has cameos, and I doubt the show's team sees the majoirty of them as actual characters.

Then, in Penalteam, someway somehow, even with how little emphasis he had through the show, he got a miraculous...

Seriously, the writers made Chloe evil only so that there was a spare miraculous for Marc? When Zoe could have gotten the rooster?

(I usually only keep Marc as the rooster holder in my AUs cause 1, I like the design, and 2, he is the only confirmed writer on the teen cast).

There is also the fact that Marc was inspired by a person that was allegedly friends with Astruc, and that Astruc allegedly treated badly. This kind of sours the character even more to me.

And last, but not least... I don't like the design. It isn't the outfit, I just think that his face and his hair don't mix well.

It's mostly due to the hair, I think, because I love the combo of his bone structure with his Rooster Bold hair.

I personally like @maddascanbe-blog 's take on marc, because they adjust the face shape and the hair to make a better combo.

But, before moving on to the next character, I would like to state that I don't judge anyone who likes Marc as a character.

Again, he is a character who writes, and the miraculous fandom is known for its large amount of fanfiction and rewrites. He is a shy character that is also slightly geeky.

I understand why people like Marc, @artzychic27 has a lot of stories expanding on the character and creating a bunch of interesting headcanons in the process.

It's just that the character doesn't work for me.

Still, I think he deserved better.

12- Kim Ature

Kim is a character that angers me a lot.

And not because of Derision. Far from it, actually.

Kim, from the start, had questionable behaviors that he could have learned from and improved. But, the show kinds of ignores his past mistakes.

He is very insensitive with the feelings of his friends, like how we saw in Stoneheart, where he is literally mocking Ivan, a boy that clearly has low self-stem, because he can't confess his feelings.

And "Timebreaker" reveals that he is known for pressuring his friends into dares that no one seems to enjoy. Reason why Alix dares him into a race to see if she can stop him.

He is not a jerk, nor a bully, but, he clearly lacks emotional intelligence.

Does the show does anything interesting with it? No, it doesn't. We never see him apologizing to Ivan, or trying to empathize with his classmates.

He doesn't have any arc and it's sad.

He is only higher on the list, because there are moments where Kim is actually enjoyable. And because I know he isn't a bad person.

Just wish the show actually tried to give him something.

His design fits him perfectly, and I can't imagine him any other way.

11- Alya Cesaire

I feel like the fandom has a weird view on Alya.

Most of the complaints I see is when people call her a bad friend and things like this.

However, I don't exactly see Alya as a bad friend. Her believing Lila is mostly due to bad writing. and, although she can be a bit pushy when it comes to Marinette's love life... literally the entire cast (but Zoe, as shown in Kwami's Choice) is.

My main problem with Alya is that she is not what the show tries to portray her as.

We are told that Alya is more of a serious reporter, or even a detective in the majority of cases.

But... she mostly seems like a fangirl, an amateur gossip reporter, or an influencer.

She is either after Ladybug's identity to post on her blog to get more views, making videos such as rankings, or taking unecessary risks to get some answers.

I know she is a teenager, and there aren't many teenagers in the real world who actually do serious investigative work, but, the problem is that the show tries to portray her in a more serious light.

But, besides helping Marinette with the Miracle Book in season 4, we don't see her doing anything else. We don't see her interrogating akuma victims to find a pattern, or trying to find Hawk Moth's identity with an investigative board... nothing.

If they embraced the more gossipy side, I think that she would be more interesting, but, since they don't, Alya ends up as just an annoying character to me.

Alya's design for me it's good. It's hard for me to imagine her any other way.

10- Ivan Bruel

From this point onwards, is where I start to find the characters interesting or even liking them.

Ivan, as a character, it's pretty interesting. He is sweet, insecure, has no friends, and, still, he seems to care so much about all his friends.

He is aware of his strengh, and, because of that, is afraid of hurting others.

Besides, he is such a cute boyfriend to Mylene, and is always trying to support her.

Astruc also confirmed that he has a hard home life, which, could lead to interesting episodes.

What holds him back is the lack of focus that he is given.

Besides Stoneheart, Horrificator, a bit of Mega Leech, and Penalteam, he doesn't do much, and just stands on the background.

He had the potential of being a fan favorite... but, the plot forgets his existence most of the time.

His design is simple, but, I kind of like it.

9- Mylene Harprele

Mylene, as a character, is interesting as well. I think that it's interesting how much she struggles with her fears, mostly because I struggle with mine as well.

And still, she manages to be an activist and fights for what she believes.

Sadly, she doesn't have much more going with her character.

Besides her sweetness, emphaty and insecurities, the show doesn't explore more about her.

They do have the plot of her interest in acting but... I think that her activism plot is more interesting.

Not that she can't be both, but, since we already have an actress on the main cast (Zoe), I think that they shouldn't overlap.

The web series 'Miraculous Secrets' on YouTube commented on Mylene wants to be a politician someday, and, I think that, if the show focused more on that, Mylene could get way more interesting.

Imagine if, instead of Marinette, Mylene was Class President? She would be forced to face her fears, doubts and Chloe to do so. It could be a great arc for her.

But, no, she only gets one or two uncreative episodes that try to teach about environmental awareness but fail badly.

And, although the fact that her mother left was only added to tarnish Chloe's image even more, they could have used it to explain where her phobias came from, and have an episode where she faces her traumas.

But no. The show just treats her as the "hippie girl" of the class.

As for her design, I don't have any complaints. I heard people talk about how her hair is cultural appropriation, but, since I am a white boy, I have no idea if it is or not.

If any black person would like to comment on the matter, I would gladly hear it.

8- Rose Lavillant

Rose, in general, is an interesting character.

Although she is very sweet and innocent, she is also very strong and dedicated.

And, even is she doesn't have many episodes where she has a prominent role, her minutes on the spotlight are very well utilized.

Either be her usual comments on the Love Square, her trying to cheer her friends up, and "Guilltrip" as a whole.

But, there is one BIG problem with her character... the "Toxic Positivity" she is always trying to force onto the other characters and the viewers.

As someone who grew up with Spongebob, and still uses toxic positivity nowadays as a copying mechanism... kids shouldn't be taught that. It isn't healthy.

And the show doesn't acknowledge that at any moment.

As for the design, I think it fits Rose perfectly. It matches how joyful and bubbly she is.

7- Luka Couffaine

Luka is a pretty chill guy. He usually is the group's therapist due to usually being the one with most experience and thoughtful.

Growing up without a father, and with Anarka being chaotic, he had to learn to be responsible and help himself and Juleka.

He is great at music and uses it to express himself and understand the world around him...

He is also very romantic, and know how to flirt.

He seems like the perfect Love Interest... which ends up making him a bit of an uninteresting character.

I understand why the fandom loves him, because, well, he is "perfect". But, that doesn't leave much room for him to grow.

We rarely saw Luka's inner conflicts or his struggles through the seasons.

Viperion, from his debut, is already great with his miraculous, and he never fails.

The times his powers fail is due to someone else's actions.

Season 5 brought an interesting arc for him. He found out about Ladybug and Chat Noir's identities, and, therefore, can't get akumatized. Because, if he does, Monarch wins.

But, after Migration, he is sent to Brazil and only returns at the season finale...

As for his design... I mean, it's okay. It kind of matches the character... BUT, I would like to comment on something.

During the big season 1 and 2 hiatus, where the fandom survived with the fan comics and the crumbs of information... some people created designs for Luka.

I don't know the artist because I only saw the comic on youtube, but, there was a design of him which he had a more circular face shape like Juleka, red highlights instead of cyan, and a more timid, but still playful behavior that was PERFECT!

Although Canon Luka is sufficient at his job... this fan comic Luka was so cool!

It's a shame I never found the artist...

All in all, I like Luka, but, he could have been more interesting.

6- Nathaniel Kurtzberg

Although I don't like Nathaniel as much as the fandom does, I do think he is interesting.

He is an art kid who enjoys fancomics and fanfiction. Pretty relatable in my opinion.

My main problem with Nathaniel is that the crew sometimes exagerrate with his sass.

Instead of being charismatically sassy (like Pearl on SU, for example), he feels more whiny from time to time.

Like, sometimes it can be a pain to see him in scream complaining or throwing a tantrum.

Still, he is not the worst character on the show.

As for his design... I don't like red on him. Like, we already have so many characters on red, like Marinette after she transforms, Marc, Kagami, Kim...

It's just a bit too much. After finding out he is actually a brunette, i was fully convinced they should have chosen another color for him.

Especially cause, although I love Caprikid's design, and it fits Nathaniel perfectly... the red doesn't look good.

Imagine him being Brunette with really dark hair as a civillian, and his turning black with white streaks after he transforms?

All in all, even if Nathaniel can be enjoyable in canon, he can also be a pain in the ass (and his behavior in "Reverser" was unacceptable).

5- Juleka Couffaine

Juleka is a character that I really like... mostly because of the Brazillian Dub.

In most countries, she is a character that jsut mumbles, and, most of the times I see the official accounts commenting on what she is trying to say... it's usually creepy. Like how people suggested that she once said that "Marinette should kidnap Kagami".

However, instead of just mumbling, Juleka actually speaks in Brazillian. Most of her lines are probably not what Astruc in mind, but, it makes her more interesting.

Brazillian!Juleka is, a lot of the times, a reluctant voice of reason. Like, in one episode, she suggested that Marinette should SPEAK with Kagami about her feelings for Adrien. Instead of any crazy plan.

Besides, I think that Juleka's arc is pretty interesting. She had to learn how to express herself, and stop people from stepping on her.

Although Crocoduel ended up being more about Lukanette's break up than Juleka, it shows us new sides of the character.

It shows how Juleka feels unfavored in comparison to Luka (specially by Jagged), how she doesn't want to disappoint her friends... and how she just want her parents to make peace and stop fighting.

It's a shame that the miraculous magically solved her self-stem, though, instead of being something more procedual.

Also, I hate how the tiger's power was basically the same as the cat, when the entire fandom wanted invisibility.

Still, Juleka had an arc on the show... which is more than I can say about the rest of the cast.

And, the design combines perfectly with her.

4- Max Kante

Max is miraculous best boy, and, no, you won't change my mind.

Max is pretty much the steryotype of the geeky nerd. He is great at math and objectivity, he is great at science, and can be a bit socially awkard from time to time.

Although he doesn't have an overarching story across the series, his hero choice was the one who made most sense in context. Unlike the other heroes who were mostly chosen due to being friends with Ladybug or Chat Noir and being related to the akuma, Max actually helped the heroes on the episode.

His relationship with his mother is also very cute, especially considering how badly Parent and children relationships are written in the show. It reminds me a bit about mine with my mother (although my relationship with my mother can be a bit more complex due to some reasons XD).

My biggest disappointment towards him, however, is that he was given the horse, and not the, I don't know, the RABBIT!

Like, out of all kids in class, he is the one who would probably understand about time travel. Imagine if he was the one safe watching the timeline?

I like to imagine Rabbit!Max as a Professor Paradox from Ben 10, of sorts, who appears only when necessary and knows what to do to keep the events on the rails.

It makes more sense for him to have this role than Alix. At least, in my opinion.

Besides, imagine episodes focused on Max learning how to deal with time annomalies inside of Burrow. Like a Rabbit!Max spin-off! Let me dream, guys, please.

As for his design, it is adorable. I love the suspenders.

I do have my complaints about his character, like, the circumstances for his two akumatizations are pretty... meh and two basic, and his friendship with Kim is too underutilized and explored by the show.

3- Alix Kudbel

Alix is such a fun character to watch. She is competitive, and has a bit of a short fuse, but, at the same time, she is also the one who tends to be the most reasonable on her friends' group.

She is sassy, but on the right measure, and has her moments of vulnerability. And, even if her relationship with her father isn't frequently shown, I think it's interesting that, even is she tends to be a bit rebellious... he supports her and trusts her.

My main problem with her is the choice of her miraculous...

Alix has always been a character that is straight to the point. She is brave, direct and confrontational... and they gave her a miraculous that forces her to be on the sidelines...

In my opinion, she should have been given either the Snake, the Tiger, the Ox, the Bee or the dog.

Due to her position as Bunnix, she doesn't appear as much as she should.

(Although, like with Max, maybe some episodes focused on her adventures inside of burrow could also solve this issue).

Her design is also very cool. It's pretty rebellious and sporty. Although, I don't like the shade of pink in her hair... like, it just doesn't clash well.

I also would like to thank my friend @natedogx15 , by making Alix a main character in his rewrite, he showed me how good Alix could actually be.

2- Zoe Lee

Okay, this character grew a lot in me as I rewatched season 4 and 5 (also the fact that the other characters got worse and worse in my eyes).

Although Zoe is usually seen as just Chloe's half-sister who became the next Queen Bee, she is much more than that.

She is a girl from an abusive family, who felt powerless on her own house, and lost herself in an attempt to fit in a world where she thought she had to belong...

Only to find out that she could be herself, because she would eventually find a place where people would like her for who she is.

I am making a bunch of analysis on Zoe's character, but, to sum it up, she isn't a bad character. It's just that the show hates her.

I would also recommend @nerdy-chocomallow analysis on her. It will surely help you guys have a new vision on her.

1- Sabrina Raincomprix

I am aware that this opinion is very unpopular among the fandom, and I kind of understand it.

She was Chloe's servant from seasons 1 to 4, and, even if she was treated badly... she still helped Chloe into torturing the rest of the class without visible remorse, only to suddenly few guilt in Season 5 and turn her back on Chloe and Lila...

But, just like the majority of Sabrina fans, I like Sabrina for 1, how much i relate to her, and 2, for all the headcanons that I created with her unused potential.

The old webseries commented on how, with the exception of Adrien, Sabrina has the best grades of the class.

You might ask yourself "What about Max?". I like to imagine that, although he is a prodigy at math and science... he isn't as good with subjective subjects. Like poetry.

As for Sabrina, I headcanon her as for being a jack of all trades. She isn't a master at science or Math like Max, but passionate and dedicated enough to get the top grades.

I also like to imagine Sabrina writes poems. She can't vent her feelings with words, so she does it via poems.

Also, as Penalteam shows, she loves soccer. I imagine she is a fan of sports in general, and uses them as a way to relieve stress.

Why she is so dedicated in general? Maybe it's a way to try to get her busy father's attention. Maybe it's so that she can fill the voide she feels due to her loneliness.

Sadly speaking, that's what those headcanons are. Headcanons.

If you guys want more Sabrina headcanons like this, i recommend @sabrina-central to get more info.

It's a shame that canon Sabrina didn't get more explored. Although I never had a toxic friendship on this level, I know the feeling of feeling alone, and that you will never find friends outside your current group. I know how it is to have a lot to say, but unable of externalizing it.

As for her design... I just think that the shorts are ugly. Like, the shade of cyan they chose doesn't fit the character at all.

Anyway, that was my ranking. If you disagree with me... I understand. Miraculous as whole doesn't have good writting, especially when it comes to the characters.

And I understand people excusing or defending a character because they can relate to them.

I just think it's important for us to be critical so we can learn from the mistakes the characters make.

[wordsofelie]

Chapter 1

🌅Don’t you dare runaway (A Phoenix and Ashes Sequel)

Miya Osamu x f!reader

Summary: Miya Osamu thinks some things will never change— Atsumu will always be annoying; his Ma’s food will always be the best and you will always be his favourite sunrise.

Content Warnings: Timeskip Setting, Manga Spoilers, ex!Suna, Swearing

Words count: 3.1k

chapter 2 - chapter 3 - chapter 4 - chapter 5 - chapter 6 - chapter 7 - chapter 8

Miya Osamu wouldn’t consider himself bad-looking. In fact, back in high school, he was quite popular. He remembers being on the volleyball team, where girls would show up to every game just to catch a glimpse of him, even more than ‘Tsumu—though his brother would argue that to the grave. But to be honest, Osamu didn’t really care about the attention. It was nice, sure, but it could also be annoying at times.

Now, as an adult running his own business, things have changed. The fangirls have been replaced by regular customers—people from the neighbourhood, office workers, students. Some of the girls still look at him, maybe even flirt a little, but it's different. They’re not giggling or blushing like teenagers. They smile, exchange pleasantries, and Osamu catches the occasional lingering glance, but no one is making a scene.

It’s almost a relief—being popular in school was one thing, but running a restaurant requires a different kind of behaviour. He can’t really ignore girls or play hard to get anymore. He has to smile and be polite all the time. Still, he is good at keeping people at arm's length and has a whole strategy built to keep his female customers without giving them false hope. So when a girl has a crush on him (and he can sense from afar) he adopts his three-steps rule: smiling but not too widely, looking at them in the eyes but not too intensely and when he hands them what they ordered, carefully avoiding any fingers brushing or any physical touch. With that, Osamu hopes that people will come back not because of how he looks but because they will like what he makes. And that’s just fine with him.

And above anything else, if he didn’t have time to date in high school because of the club, now that he is working, he has even less time to give to a significant other. So, he concluded that it’s better to keep people away.

(Well, except you.)

So yes, Miya Osamu is used to the attention. However, as he takes a glimpse at the two obasan grocery shopping on the other side of the road, whispering and grinning at him, he remembers why he hated fangirls back in high school.

“Do we really have to do this in the middle of the street?”

You wave at them with a polite smile and turn your attention back to him.

“Yes, one more, please!” you beg, holding your camera up.

Today is particularly windy and you decide to tie your hair up in a ponytail to keep strands from flying across your face (and Osamu knows you always tie them up when you want to be focused on something.) The sun is up in the sky, and the breeze is chill, summer is over.

The man sighs heavily, dragging out your name in exasperation.

“Osamu.” Your tone shifts, firmer now, the one you use when you're getting serious. Osamu likes to pretend you’re scary when you get like this, but really, you’re not. “Can you tell me who studied communication and social media management here?”

“You,” he mutters, crossing his arms.

“And who is in charge of your Instagram and Facebook pages?”

“You,” he repeats, already knowing where this is going.

“Right. So, unless you want someone else to ruin the carefully crafted image of your business I built, you should probably let me do my job.”

“Yer not even employed here,” he points out, raising an eyebrow.

You match his look, raising yours higher.

“Fine, fine,” he says, throwing his hands up in surrender. “But just one more photo. We’re supposed to open in five minutes.”

You grin in victory and start snapping photos of him. “Miya Osamu, you’re awesome. If you showed your face more you’ll get so much followers.”

Osamu feels a slight warmth creeping into his cheeks, he lowers his cap to hide his face. It’s getting hot, maybe summer isn’t really over?

“But can we at least do that inside?”

He knows you don’t really care whether it makes him uncomfortable or not because you just want to give the best image of Onigiri Miya possible and what’s better than the (good-looking) owner standing in front of his shop, half sat on a table, arms crossed? Nothing, you claim.

“Turn your face so I can see more of your left profile.” You instruct, ignoring his question.

Osamu is about to ask you to stop when Atsumu appears dressed in his MSBY Jackals sweatsuit, frowning.

“Oi, shop's still closed? I’ve got practice, need to eat first,” he complains, tapping his foot impatiently.

“Oh hi, Atsumu!” you lower your camera, “can you wait a few more minutes, I’m taking pictures of your brother.”

“Huh? But how am I supposed to be the best setter in the world if I have an empty stomach?”

Osamu sighs, “All right, all right. I’m openin’ up now. Just wait a sec.”

Atsumu watches as his brother opens the front door. “Wow, shocker. Ya actually listened to me for once.”

Osamu shoots him a flat look, one that makes you chuckle.

You both follow the younger twin inside.

The restaurant is small, but you always tell Osamu it’s warm. The walls are white, so the light reflects all over the place, the counter is made of wood, it’s so clean, sometimes you’re afraid to eat on it. There’s still some work to do and some decorations to add, but Osamu likes this place.

He sees your eyes waver all around the room with a little bit of pride. You both come here every day, but still, Osamu only realises how far he has come once you’ve passed the door and the look on your face lights up like a kid.

Atsumu’s eyes flick over to you as he pulls a chair. “What were ya doin’ outside?”

“I wanted to take some pictures of Osamu for his social media to celebrate the first anniversary of the shop. You know, to get more people to come.”

“Maybe ya should take me as yer model, I’ve always attracted more girls than that moron of ‘Samu.” He puffs his chest proudly.

Atsumu startles when the other twin brutally puts down a packed box with four onigiri inside in front of him. A nice way to tell him to shut up.

He blinks in confusion, staring at the box. “Oi, these are new?”

“Yeah, spicy cucumber and tarako, tell me what ya think.”

“Am I yer crash test or what?” Atsumu’s eyes widen, looking between you and his brother.

Osamu shrugs casually. “Ya always eat what I make, don’t ya? Thought ya wouldn’t mind.”

Atsumu’s indignation fades into a grin, though his pride won’t let him admit he’s secretly pleased to be part of his brother’s culinary experiments. He picks up an onigiri, inspecting it before taking a big bite. “Not bad. It's bitter and salty. But 'Samu, if I end up at the hospital, it’s yer fault. Don’t cry when ya’ll have to tell Ma’ her favourite son is dead.”

“Always so dramatic.” You whisper with a chuckle. The corner of Osamu’s mouth lifts a little at your words.

“Aren’t ya goin’ be late?”

“Nah,” Atsumu says mouth full of rice, “Practice starts a little bit later today, our manager’s lookin’ for someone to handle communication, so he had all those interviews and shit and coach wanted to be here.”

Both you and Osamu exchange a look.

“Atsumu.”

He turns to you, raising a brow.

“Atsumu,” you repeat, more slowly. “You realise I’ve been jobless for a month now, right? And that I’m looking for a job in communication? Why didn’t you tell me about it?”

“Yeah, I don’t think that would be good for ya. Ya’ll be surrounded by men. Bokkun, Omi-kun… even Shoyo-kun has joined us.”

You cross your arms, narrowing your eyes. “And? Why is that a problem?”

Atsumu snorts, leaning back in his chair. “Just wonderin’ if ya can handle all those big guys, seein’ as ya’ve been single for—what—three years now?”

The brown-haired twin sees your features cringe at his words, but you quickly add, “But I’m with Osamu most of the time,” you point out, glancing over at his brother, “I’m used to boys.”

Osamu smirks at that.

Atsumu eyes the two of you before finishing his onigiri. “Right, just don’t say I didn’t warn ya.”

“Do you think I should apply?” You ask Osamu. There’s something in your eyes like you’re searching for his approval but at the same time, his opinion wouldn’t matter anyway for you have already made your decision.

You have changed so much.

Osamu remembers the sixteen-year-old insecure girl he met in high school. Back then, you were quiet, always keeping yourself distant. He hadn’t even had a real conversation with you until the sports festival in his second year, and even then, it had been short, perhaps a little bit awkward. People would forget your name; forget you were in the same grade as them. It never seemed to bother you though. You appeared cold in front of people, but deep down, Osamu always knew you were kind.

The years he spent at your side confirmed that.

Maybe it was the fact that you used to date his former teammate and friend, Suna Rintarou, that pulled you into his world, but even after that relationship ended, you stayed in Osamu’s orbit. In fact, he can hardly remember a time when you weren’t around. You spend so much time at his restaurant, you have dinner together every night, you’re there on the weekends and every January 1st, for who knows how many New Year’s now, you are the first person he sees. You’re a constant in his life, maybe what he could qualify as a best friend (not that he needs to title your relationship, it’s too special to be defined with words).

But somehow, everyone still thinks you’re an introvert, that you don’t like to talk much. That statement never fails to make him smile. Because he knows better. He knows that you love telling him about your day and you love to talk on the phone until the a.m.—when you’re sleepy you tend to ramble. When you start a new activity, you always need to explain in detail what you did and where and how and what you liked or disliked about it. Osamu has no certainties about this world, except for one thing; you might be reserved with others, but never with him.

“Sure, go for it, just know ya’ll have to see ‘Tsumu every day.”

“So what? Are you afraid I’ll spend all my time with your brother instead of you?”

“Me? Yer the one who’s gonna miss me.” He leans on the counter to whisper that last part into your ear. From up close he can see the beauty marks on your face, he rests his chin on his palm and smiles (a side smile, always).

Your lips turn upwards, “You wish.” He can feel your breath against his cheek.

“Oi! Stop whisperin’, I know yer talkin’ about me,” Atsumu interjects, both Osamu and you straighten a little bit. The setter says your name, “D’ya wanna come with me so I can introduce ya to the manager? Maybe ya can give yer CV?”

You turn to Atsumu, “Of course, I’m coming. See you Osamu.”

“I'll close the shop earlier so I can pick ya up Champion.”

"You're the best." You wink at him and join the blond twin outside.

Osamu doesn’t have the time for a relationship because his business comes first.

Or perhaps it comes second.

Right after your friendship.

Osamu waits for you in the parking lot of Osaka’s gym. Your interview is supposed to end in a few minutes but if it were to end sooner, he decided to show up earlier, just in case. It’s become a habit—being there for you before you even ask. It started years ago, and somehow, it never stopped. He catches sight of you emerging from the gym, but your expression worries him. He’s seen almost every side of you by now. Disgust when you eat menma in a ramens, guilt when he picks you up at 3. am. downtown ‘cause you drunk a little bit too much—you always apologise a thousand times, as if he minds driving you home— sadness when your heart had been broken by your first love. And that face, he knows it too; you're overthinking.

Osamu raises a brow as you approach. "So... how’d it go?"

You hesitate, lips pressing together in thought. Your silence makes him uneasy. Osamu notices his hands are starting to sweat just slightly so he decides to hide them in his pockets. Over the years, Osamu has learned that if you're nervous, he is too.

"It went great, actually. Better than I expected." You look down at your shoes for a moment before adding, "But that doesn’t mean anything, right? I don't know if they really liked me... I should have done better..."

Osamu clicks his tongue and opens the passenger door. "Yer always so damn humble. It’s annoyin’, ya know that?"

You chuckle softly and roll your eyes. When you sit next to him in the car and he starts driving, you’re fast to realise he is not going in the direction of your apartment.

"Where are we going?"

"I want to thank ya for takin’ care of the shop’s social and ya know, just supportin’ me and stuff, openin’ the restaurant wasn't easy but ya were there. So yeah…”

“You don’t have to, you know I’m happy to do it.” Your eyes are so soft, Osamu wants to lean in them.

“I know.” He simply answers, he always answers the same thing.

 “How about Chinese food?"

You sink into your seat and nod. Osamu can see that you’re happy with his choice from the wrinkles that form around your nose as you smile. A warm feeling spreads into his chest, it’s comfortable like he had just drunk a sweet cup of tea in winter.

“So, how was the interview?” He then asks (and he knows the conversation will last the whole ride because remember, you never shut up with him).

So, you tell him about how it started with the manager and coach, both professional and somewhat intimidating at first, but then the mood shifted when the captain, Meian, walked in. You describe how calm and composed he was. He made a couple of jokes, and you tried your best not to burst into laughter ("I need to stay professional, you know.") Then, of course, Bokuto barreled in behind him like a human whirlwind.

"Bokuto-san was... a lot," you laugh. "He barely let the manager finish a sentence. He was so excited, he even asked me to make a post about him. But you know it’s not like I’m managing the social media yet, so he was very disappointed, and I felt bad. Maybe I should have made a post anyway, to show my skills? But then what if they didn't like it? What if they think I'm incompetent?"

"I'm sure ya did great, smartass" he uses a soft voice, in an attempt to reassure you. "What happened after?"

"And then," you continue, your voice lowering a little as if you're embarrassed, "Sakusa-san showed up. He didn’t say much—actually, he didn’t say anything at first. He just dragged Bokuto-san out of the room. I think he was annoyed."

There it is—that slight blush on your cheeks when you mention Sakusa. It's subtle, but Osamu has known you long enough to notice. For some reason, it bothers him more than it should.

"He’s... interesting," you add, trying to brush past it, but Osamu’s mind lingers the way your voice softened when you mentioned him.

"Is he? I don’t know him that much.” A sudden urge to change the subject invades him.

“Atsumu warned me not to fall for any of his teammates. Said it would be ‘too much drama for the team.”

Osamu glances at you briefly, curious. "And what d’ya think?"

You shrug casually and shake your hands. "I’m not really looking for a relationship right now."

Those words hit him harder than he expected. There’s a surge of relief in his chest, so sudden and sharp that he can’t ignore it. But he does his best to keep his face neutral, hoping you don’t read his mind.

You’re probably afraid to get hurt again, he understands that. When your relationship of three years ended up with Suna, you were devastated. Osamu remembers you crying for months. He was so afraid you’d starved yourself that he couldn’t sleep at night and decided to take care of you as much as he could. He wished he’d done more though.

He keeps his eyes focused on the road like he doesn't dare look at you at this moment.

He thinks the conversation is over when you break the silence again. "What about you? You never talk about your love life. What happened with your last girlfriend? What was her name again?"

Osamu stiffens. He hadn’t thought about her in months, and now that he does, there’s no real emotion attached to it. She was nice, sure. But nice wasn’t enough.

He needs someone funny and kind and bright.

He wants to laugh and to cook and to sit in silence with the one he loves.

"Ah, her," Osamu says, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "She didn’t like that I spent so much time workin'."

You wait for him to say more, and he can feel your eyes on him, asking him to keep going. He sighs, feeling a weight settle in his stomach. And with you, he is about to say, but that would make you feel guilty, and he doesn’t want that.

You frown, confused. "She was very pretty though. Why didn’t you ever introduce me to her? Were you... ashamed of me or something?"

Ashamed? Of you? The idea is so ridiculous that it almost makes him laugh, but he can’t shake the look on your face, the way your brows knit together, and you purse your lips slightly.

"I’m not ashamed of you, idiot," Osamu blurts out, the words tumbling from his mouth before he can think them through. “I guess, I just didn’t really have the time.”

Your smile softens, and though you don’t say anything more, he can see a glint of joy in your eyes.

“Why are ya smilin’ for?”

“You must really love me.”

Osamu feels his heart skip a beat; he almost misses to stop at the red light.

“Why-why would ya say that?”

“You only insult people you love, like your brother.”

He opens his mouth a little, but nothing comes out.

“I’m glad we’re friends.” You tell him and your voice sounds like a lullaby.

Fuck, Osamu thinks. Maybe he shouldn’t have taken another coffee an hour ago because he can hear his temples beating loudly and he needs to do something with his hands—they’re shaking, they’re shaking. You’re going out of the car once he’s parked; he looks at you. Your smile is still playing at the edge of your lips.

Friends, of course, you’re friends.

That’s great.

Perfect.

Osamu wouldn’t change anything about it.

author notes: i'm sooo happy to start this story, this chapter was essentially a way of setting the scene. compared to the prequel it will be mostly osamu's pov.

i'm gonna try my best to make it possible to read it as a stand-alone but i still think reading the prequel can help to understand the bond between osamu and y/n, anyway i hope you've enjoyed that chapter :)

taglist: @wolffmaiden, @obibiwan, @teyvatsunsets

[astracora]

A Mandated Holiday Break - Chapter 2

Characters: Sylus x gn!mc (poly lads)

Warnings: None

Word Count: 1050

Written: 21st December 2024

Notes: Post-relationship Sylus/MC-centric but poly LADs, with my personal pov of the game and lil headcanons littered in.

Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11

Masterlist AO3

He doesn't book time off, not specifically. If he has something to do, Sylus will do it. The positives of running his organisation is that he doesn't need to answer to others, though he's not so foolish as to just up and disappear. Not again.

Unluckily for him, however, he's a busy man. It's a good thing, he's busy, and successful. When a business deal fails, it's because there's a better one to be found. If fates wants to gnash its teeth, if his luck wants to turn, he'll wrangle it under command and move forwards.

It was always a positive until he found you, now it's a bother. Not always, power means safety, money means security, having Onychinus under thumb means he can somewhat secure your presence in the N109 zone with far less worry.

Still, he's too aware that you do not want to be a bother. He knows the doctor is a busy man, he knows you're worried about disturbing the fish, he also knows that the prince pushes himself too much.

By extension of caring for his kitten, he finds himself caring for them. It's... bothersome.

(Nice.) A voice that sounds like yours, kind and warm and loving. Lilted like a song, whispers in his head.

Being busy equates in your mind to being unavailable.

He'd sent Mephisto out with a note, an invitation of sorts. Had he left it to you, he knows you'd go back to solitude and sitting at your phone, fighting the urge to message and call and cling. As though those who loved you wouldn't drop their responsibilities in seconds to be available. (Within reason, he's sure the doctor does stay more responsible than the fish does to his job.)

He can afford to let his job sit and stew. Can let others handle things. He doesn't enjoy it, you've made comments about him being a control freak. He isn't. He assures you, he trusts himself. That's all.

Mostly.

He does hire capable people though, would never make the mistake of another Sherman. Not if it resulted in a repeat of the past.

Tied up, bloodied knees, eyes wavering and lips trembling. False bravado on the edges of a burned out soul.

He's... excited though, to return to his base. Like his joined heart is jumping. He's not unused to the feeling, has learned so many new things in this new life at your side. Regret, joy, excitement, nervousness, fear.

It still bears marvelling though.

His Soul will be in his hands for a week. Perhaps he can convince their odd little accompaniment to lay down their varied weapons as well.

As he finds his way home, the exhaustion of long nights wrapping up long deals, he finds you. Curled up in front of the hearth, Luke and Kieran are slumbering next to you. A game of kitty cards lies forgotten and scattered, as though a tornado had run through it.

Mephisto is nestled in the crook of your neck, looking far more like the kitten he assigns to you than a crow.

He's as quiet as can be but the twins are used to sleeping light, and they blink tired eyes at him. Masks abandoned on the table, lined up next to each other carefully. "Hey boss."

Kieran grumbles something, rubbing his face and scratching at the scars on his neck, his teeth all visible as he yawns wide.

"We kept the hunter company for you Boss." He manages to speak properly this time, chasing sleep to the back of his mind, and grinning at Sylus as Luke's head slumps onto his shoulder. Dazed and still half out.

For him. He muses, as though he doesn't know that they eagerly await your visits as well. He's unsure if it's curiousity. After all, you bear the scars from Ever like they do. If it's amusement at watching their Boss change more in your presence. Or if it's simply that they like you. Like that you're soft where he's sharp, that you're kind where the world is not. That you care, and so many don't seem to. Not in the twins past, and certainly not in his.

Whatever their reasons, he trusts the twins when it comes to you. He knows they came to him to see him die, but when it comes to you, his only orders are to keep you safe. Allow for your happiness.

"They probably need more sleep." Luke adds, protective, giving their boss a look as if to say he better not disturb them. As though he found amusement in their sleepless nights.

His huff is unbecoming, but it escapes him without his permission. Giving the two an unamused look that makes them snicker until they look over at your sleeping form guiltily.

You let out a small noise in the back of your throat before rolling over, curling around Mephisto like you're protecting him from the world.

He thinks it's possible you are. In your dreams. Fighting monsters and fiends all to protect the people you love.

He's blessed, he thinks. That he's amongst the number. Even more blessed that he is not one of the fiends you fight.

Well. Playfully and with affection in your eyes, but no longer blood at your claws.

Still, the floor isn't comfortable, and he's tired too. Surely you'll allow him to relocate you and himself to expensive, cool sheets and tangled limbs.

As he lifts you, strong arms under legs and around the back of your neck, tight to his chest, he nods at the twins and ignores Mephisto's sleepy (if a robot can be capable of sleep) squawk of indignation at losing his heat supply.

You turn your head into his chest, rubbing your cheek against his expensive shirt. His name leaves your lips on an exhale, not even bothering to open your eyes as you know he has you, and he's here to keep you safe (though you barely need him for such a thing, a thing that makes him unbearably proud and unbearably sad.).

His steps falter, looking at you, hearing his name. So warm, so sweet, so perfect. As you drift back off, he walks down halls that aren't long enough. Into his lair and to a place he can't be disturbed with you.

[whimsyfinny]

Pairing: Dean Winchester x Reader

Summary: Charlie discovers the Winchester boys to be struggling with keeping the bunker tidy, looking after themselves and being able to do their job simultaneously. Luckily she has a friend who’s from a Hunter family that is in need of work and can help them with research. Or so she thought that’s what her job would be. When Dean sees your more domesticated side, his head won’t stop swimming with all the wrong ideas.

Slow burn, enemies to lovers, smut

Warnings: provocative dancing, slight Sam x Reader, jealous Dean

Chapter Word Count: 4211

—-MDNI—-

A/N: aaaaahhhhhhhh sorry this one took ages. I suddenly had a bunch of personal things going on so I struggled to find the time. Also this chapter is wild, I’m so sorry for the complete train wreck that it is. I just keep writing without questioning it too much. But yeah same as always pls let me know of any errors as I am the only one who proof reads this shit.

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Please read the below first:

Prologue Chapter 1

Chapter 2 Chapter 3

Chapter 4 Chapter 5

Chapter 6 Chapter 7

I’m Not Your F*cking Maid

Chapter 8 - Part 1

Morning soon rolled around; my alarm waking me from my deep dreamless sleep, eyes wearily blinking open as I stared blankly at the old ceiling. Turning off the repetitive beeping, I flung back the covers and climbed out of bed, pacing to the bathroom to freshen up before heading down to breakfast. I was in desperate need of a laundry day as I was down to my last couple of clean items: a cropped black tank top that said ‘Singers Salvage Yard’ across the front in old cracked and over washed lettering, paired with a short denim skirt with frayed edges. It was an a-line fit a long time ago, but as I got older and my figure changed it just got tighter and shorter. I don’t even know why I still have the thing. Paired with my boots and some comfy socks poking over the top of them, I looked like I should be getting paid to wash cars. I grimaced, knowing full well that Dean was going to make a comment.

Dean.

My mind raced back to last night with his parted lips and black lustful eyes - I couldn’t tell if he wanted to push me against a wall or be at my mercy, it was hard to say. Both sounded spectacular.

I strode into the central study room where the boys did all their research, looking for my flannel when I noticed a figure out of the corner of my eye. Instinct took over and I grabbed the nearest item to me - a lamp from the middle of the table - and held it up like a bat, ready to swing. The man flinched but held up his hands, an apologetic expression on his ruggedly handsome face.

“I didn’t mean to frighten you,” his voice was monotone despite his peaceful words.

“Who the fuck are you?!”

“CAS!” Suddenly Deans voice rang through the open room and we both spun to see him standing where I had just walked in, Sam following behind.

“Dean I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle her, I wasn’t expecting you to have visitors,” this Cas guy spoke, his tone forever unchanging.

“This is (Y/n), Bobby’s niece. She’s staying with us for a while to help with research,” he explained, before turning to me and giving me a stern look, holding his hand out.

“(Y/n) give me the lamp.”

I did as he asked, placing the cool metal into his palm as he returned it to the table. We shared a look for a second and I was unsure of the meaning behind it - was he mad about me almost bludgeoning his friend? Was it because I was going to use a lamp of all things? Or was it about last night, and the fact I left him hanging? Who knows, but I’m sure I’ll hear about it later. Dean was about to turn away when the monotone voice of Cas spoke up.

“I’m sorry (Y/n), please forgive me for startling you. Although…” he paused, looking me up and down and then almost knowingly between myself and Dean, “I have personally been caught off guard here as well - I was unaware that Dean was involved with someone.”

“Excuse me?” I blinked up at Cas, getting ready to snatch that lamp back. I saw Dean pinch the bridge of his nose and mutter an ‘oh boy’ under his breath.

“You’re sexual endeavours with Dean,” Cas looked at me like I was the one missing something here. Clearly I am. Cas continued, “you’ve been intimate, have you not? This means that you are a couple from what I’ve learned.” Suddenly his eyes went wide and he looked straight at Dean.

“Or is this a pizza man situation?”

“CAS STOP TALKING,” Dean bellowed, embarrassment creeping across his face. I’m assuming he’s not used to that emotion as he was getting very frustrated. I couldn’t help but stand there in disbelief.

“How the actual FUCK do you know about me and Dean after saying that you weren’t aware of me even being here before you arrived?”

“He can smell it,” Dean said quietly, arms now crossed over his chest.

“What?”

“He can smell… me… on you,” as the words left his lips, his eyes locked with mine for a split second sending a jolt down my spine and hair prickling on my skin. I tore my eyes away from him and looked back at Cas.

“So wait, this weirdo can smell that I slept in one of Deans T-shirts last night?”

“You slept in one of his shirts?” Sam asked, piping up for the first time since this conversation started. Dean grinned like the cat that got the cream, embarrassment dissipating for a second.

“Yeah, she did.”

“Hmmm,” Cas mumbled, “No it’s not just that… It’s stronger, like there is part of Dean in her somehow. Or at least there was; not so much anymore.”

My eyes went as wide as the moon and my cheeks felt like they’d been set on fire.

“OH MY GOD,” I hid my face in my hands, wanting the ground to swallow me up. Whilst I tried to hide my entire existence, Dean cackled, leaving Sam confused.

“I don’t get it, what’s going on?” He asked, looking between all three of us. I couldn’t say a word through the white hot embarrassment, which left Dean to explain. He turned and looked Sam dead in the eye.

“You know how much I love pie, Sam,” he paused to see if Sam was catching on, which he wasn’t so Dean continued. “All sorts of pie. Like, uh, apple pie, cherry pie… cream pie…” Sam’s eyes shot open as wide as they could and he almost went as red as me.

“Nope!” He declared, promptly spinning on his heel and leaving. Cas looked confused.

“I smell no pie here.”

“Never mind, Cas,” Dean patted him on the shoulder before urging him to catch up with Sam who I’m assuming is in the kitchen by now. When it was just Dean and I left I peered at him through my fingers, my face still burning up.

“Dean what the fuck just happened?!”

He tried to suppress his laughter, explaining that Cas was in fact ‘Castiel’ and an Angel of the Lord, which explained his rigid behaviour and a weirdly strong set of senses.

“Why didn’t you butt in and explain who he was before everything got so embarrassing!”

“To be honest it was all pretty hilarious.”

“No it wasn’t! That was NOT an enjoyable moment!”

“Ok I’m sorry,” Dean paused, looking down at me with softer eyes, a slight smile still on his lips. He stepped closer and I pushed on his chest.

“You better be! You owe me big time for that one Winchester.”

He grinned as the furious redness on my face simmered down, just leaving a pink glow on my cheeks.

“Ok ok! Look let's just go and get some breakfast and put this behind us,” he put his hand on the small of my back, urging me towards the kitchen. I hummed, walking with him. There were a few moments of silence as we made our way down before he suddenly spoke up again.

“Did you know that he once smelt a bladder infection on a dead guy?”

*

Breakfast was uneventful. I was unable to make eye contact with Castiel, and it seemed that Sam was unable to make eye contact with me. Dean however was completely unphased. Once we were all finished and I’d cleared everything away I made my way to my room, grabbed my dirty clothes and then headed to the laundry room - today was going to be a practical one as I officially had nothing else to wear. Upon arriving I couldn’t help but grimace; a mountain of mens clothes covered in mud, blood and black goop sat in the middle of the floor by the washers.

“Gross…” I winced, the smell of dirt and iron filling my nose as I got closer and poked the pile with a pipe I found off to the side. I half expected the mass of clothes to sprout legs and walk off. The boys could probably find lore on the thing with how long its been sitting here. I huffed, scooping my hair into a high ponytail before shoving a bunch of my washing in a machine and turning it on before returning for face the Winchesters laundry. I can’t leave it here, that goes against everything clean and hygienic that I stand for. I could burn it? They would definitely complain about having to replace all the plaid shirts. Should I sort it or just hope for the best? Do I check the pockets? Knowing all the crap they carry around, I should definitely check the pockets before a load of bullets or a hex bag goes through one of the machines. I set to work, sorting out colours, blacks and whites - unable to differentiate between lights and darks at times - and search every pocket as I go. The amount of women’s phone numbers I find on napkins and receipts is ridiculous. I can’t help but feel a little deflated, knowing I’m probably just a name on Deans list. I put them to the side in a pile, keeping them separate from the numbers from Sam’s pockets. I load up another machine and turn it on, picking up the stacks of numbers and leaving the room.

I find the boys sitting in their usual places at the tables, surrounded by piles of books and files. Castiel was nowhere to be seen. I walk up to them and slide the collection of phone numbers over to them.

“I thought you might want to keep these,” I said, not understanding the tone in my own voice. They both took a few seconds to realise what it was that I was handing them and they both responded in an abashed manner, shooting each other a knowing look before staring at the accumulation of digits, not once making eye contact with me. Sam nodded a quick ‘thank you’ before I turned to leave, and out of the corner of my eye I saw him crumple them up and throw them away in a carrier bag on the floor next to him. At the same time, I caught Dean shoving his collection into his jacket pocket, which was hung on the back of his chair. I hastened my actions and turned away quicker, not wanting to have the knowledge that he was keeping them. A pang of something shot through my chest, and I couldn’t tell if it was jealousy, sadness, rage or self pity. Whatever it was, I needed to get the fuck away from Dean.

*

A few hours passed and I was still sorting laundry. My clothes were officially clean and dry and away in my room, however the task at hand was now the clothes belonging to the Winchester boys. I was a few minutes away from the final load of washing being dry, and I’d managed to arrange the clothing into piles of ‘definitely Sam’ and ‘definitely Dean’, with a ‘really not sure’ pile in the middle. The jeans were easy enough to tell apart and due to Deans T-shirt I wore to bed last night, I now knew that he wore a slightly larger shirt size than his younger brother. I guess he had bigger shoulders, despite Sam being taller. My train of thought snapped as I suddenly heard a door slam upstairs and a female voice call out. I recognised the voice immediately. I stopped everything I was doing and headed upstairs, my feet carrying me with purpose as I reached the study room; Sam and Dean also emerging from another corridor.

“Charlie!” Dean beamed at her, going to give her a hug before I caught up to them and shoved him out the way.

“Don’t you EVER abandon me again like that,” I said, embracing her tight. “I’m fucking annoyed at you…. But I’m glad you’re here. These guys are like wild animals.” She patted my hair softly before I stepped back and she had an apologetic look on her face.

“I knooowwww I’m sorry! But you were in such a slump I really had to do something. Plus these guys really needed whipping into shape,” she spoke the second half of her sentence quieter and we both peered at the boys, fully aware that they could hear every word we were saying.

“Anyway!” She exclaimed, moving away and plopping her backpack onto the nearest table, “I think I have a case for you guys…” her voice was excited but the way her expression changed when she looked from the boys to me was slightly concerning. Sam seemed to pick up on this too.

“That’s great, but what’s the catch?” He asked. Charlie bit her lip and looked between the boys and me again.

“It’s in a strip club and we will need (Y/n) as bait.”

“What?!” Both me and Sam spoke up at the same time, and all that Dean could muster was a huge grin.

“I’m gonna need more details than that Charlie,” I say, crossing my arms over my chest.

“Right, yes, I probably should have started with the other details. Anyway, I’m pretty sure this club is run by a bunch of vamps, using girls as bait to lure in unsuspecting men to feed on in the private rooms.” The brothers nodded, like they’d seen this sort of thing before. “Anyway,” she continued, “I’ve had a hunch about this place for a while and did some digging, and it turns out that just last night they advertised a new position available and they want someone that looks just like (Y/n). This is a perfect way to take them down from the inside.” Charlie finished speaking and scanned our faces for any sort of response. I shrugged.

“Sure I’m in.”

“No way, we aren’t putting you in the line of fire like that,” Sam turned to me, a look of worry already smothering his features.

“I agree with Sam, this will be more dangerous than the last case. We’ll find another way to take them down,” Dean said, before he added in an almost snide tone “plus I bet you can’t even lap dance. How would you ever fit in?”

I scoffed.

“Fuck you, I can lap dance just fine.”

“Oh yeah? Prove it.”

“I don’t need to prove shit to you.”

“Guys,” Sam held his hands up, “not right now.”

I turned back to Charlie.

“Look I’m in, can you make sure that no one else gets hired?” She grins, opening her backpack and pulling out her tablet.

“Absolutely!”

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Up Next:

Chapter 8 part 2

[nicromancytarot]

WILL YOU BE FAMOUS?

This is a general reading based on a collective of people. Take what resonates and leave what doesn’t. If you don’t feel the pile resonates with you, don’t be scared to try another, if it still doesn’t feel right, that’s ok! Maybe our energies aren’t as connected and my readings are not for you.

I do these strictly for fun and educational purposes. I don’t change for these readings and I do not fake readings. I would tell you the cards I got but I pull like 20-30 cards each reading and that just slightly a strenuous task to write them all down lmao.

PICK A CARD READING

I asked my spirit guides if you would ever get the chance of being famous, pick a picture to find out.

DISCLAIMER: when doing this reading I did not quite realise the relevance of famous can range from having a viral video on TikTok to actual worldwide fame, so I will redo this with social media to worldwide sometime soon!

Pile 1 ———> Pile 2 ———> Pile 3

Pile 4 ———> Pile 5 ———> Pile 6

PILE 1

YES! Once again I received a pile based on helping others lmao, I see you guys receiving extreme wealth from speaking and acting on humanitarian causes. Heavy protesting energy. You will however receive some hate for this so be careful! You may stick to only social media but will become very abundant nonetheless.

PILE 2 (18+ themes)

YES! I see this being something you never imagined being able to do, I notice a lot of wands in this spread so you could lowkey become famous for doing porn, or other sex related work.

However, for those of you who don’t resonate with that, you may be doing something to do with the public in a way of singing or speaking. (The wands remind me of microphones.)

There is a sense of secrecy which was why I was getting sex work lol, but if not, I can see you may have some fans who will attempt to gatekeeper you as you grow.

PILE 3

YES! This pile was very hard to decipher because there’s so many ways this could go, first being that you gain social media fame from getting into a physical fight with someone (this is so weird but i saw someone sat doing a get ready with me while covering up bruises and trying to explain how they got there while assuring everyone that they won lmaoo.) Or you may be exposing a past relationship for being toxic (I feel like this would be a partner in the industry.)

I see you have an opportunity to keep this fame from dying out which can lead you to a new lover if you’re interested in that, you guys may even get married sometime in the future. If not then I definitely see business opportunities coming your way.

PILE 4

YES! This will only resonate with some of you that’s for sure, but I see that you may have a situation where a lover cheats on you (sorry) and you may record either an argument, the breakup or some big tantrum that they throw and post it to social media to humiliate them #slay. The video will certainly go viral but you will receive a lot of mixed reactions so beware. You may also have the potential or growing this fame if you stay consistent and keep it exciting.

PILE 5

Unfortunately I don’t see this in the cards for you. I see that you have a large amount of worry for hatred and criticism and you may just want to live a peaceful, quiet life. I see that you certainly value your peace and would run from the hatred if you got it. I also notice that you may already, or will have a leadership job or opportunity that you won’t want to pass up on. So don’t dwell, you have freewill so if you really desire fame, go for it.

PILE 6

I unfortunately don’t see this in the cards for you. I notice that you totally have the potential (and freewill!) to make ir happen if you really wanted. But I also see that you are never really happy or fulfilled. I think someone told you that you can’t make it happen and I feel that’s why you stopped trying. Do not give up, you never know the difference you could make.