#characters who see something in each other they don't see in themselves my beloved

[threetrenchcoatsinatrenchcoat]

we were one word off and it changes everything

ok oh my god so exhibit a: Mercy says "and if we ever somehow get out of this place // then we'll go // it's all new // the light at the end of this tunnel's got nothin on you"

but exhibit b: Swan says "and if we ever somehow get out of this place // then you'll go // find somethin new // Mercy the light at the end of this tunnel's got nothin on you"

it sounds at first like they're finally agreeing, that they wanna get away together and their big someday hopes for each other will fuel the small hopes through the night, right? like i'm always going to see hope where i can see you, right? but only Mercy's saying that.

Swan's really saying (using almost the exact same words!) if we survive, you'll go, you'll get bored and leave me. Swan's saying cause Mercy you're bigger and brighter than any hope i can see at the end of the problems i've pulled you into.

and still. on that line they harmonize so richly. if you asked Swan the character why, she wouldn't yet have an answer, she thinks there's nothing she can offer Mercy.

it takes until Same Train Home for Swan to find out she's wrong.

[gleefullypolin]

The hypocrisy on fandom's reaction of "fell too soon" for friends to lovers

I find it very RICH on the fandoms reaction to S3 and the he "fell too soon" for Penelope. I mean honestly it is a bit spit in your face fantastic the way certain parts of the fandom are wretching on themselves to make that point.

"He didn't like her in season 1." I'm sorry, Can't hear you over "I'm to escort Miss Featherington to the floor" in EPISODE 1. That's what a friend does when a bitch spills her drink on a girl you were having a polite conversation with. Or how about hanging out with her laughing and gossiping like silly goofballs on the side of the dance floor, didn't see him doing that with other people either. Because they were FRIENDS.

"There was no build up previously to show there was a level of friendship there where he saw her any differently than a sister." Ok children...lets move to Season 2. We can talk about the race track and how they spoke about his travels which was very comfortable and very much NOT like a sister. They had an ease, like people who, oh I don't know, had been communicating personally all summer long via letters. And then lets go to Edwina's night where he shares with her that her letters allowed him to get in touch more with HIMSELF. something also so very personal he would not just share that with anyone. (I'll get to this in another point)

"He just suddenly likes her after he kisses her." Big ball of monkey shit here. Colin Sensitive Bridgerton was getting to know himself back in Season 2. He told Pen as much when he gave her the "You are Pen" line. And yes we all gasped and grabbed our pearls at the You are not a woman line, but it was not meant as an insult. Colin inserts his foot so many times throughout the seasons, you would think he could run a mile with his head. He simply means that she is such a dear friend to him he could not forswear her from his life. He has put her in a different category all together in his life. He makes this point when talking to her about Cousin Jack. He calls her constant and loyal and makes mention that their relationship has been so natural to him. He also just soooooo easily makes mention to HER MOTHER that he's been talking to her about things that would make other women blush. Like he doesn't even see it himself that she's just a totally different place for him. He didn't have to kiss her to like her. He already did.

"It all just felt too rushed." I could go on about how they had conversations about their purpose or lack there of, in season 2, more than once might I add, conversations that you would not normally have with members of the opposite sex. The fact that he has told her and proved that he would look after her, he has called her special to him. He has had feelings for her for seasons. Don't get started about the longing stares, they have been there since season 1. You have to actually open your eyes and look at them. Yes there was the whole infatuation of the Marina thing. Of course there was. But if you look at his mannerisms during the entire thing, it screams at you the difference.

But dare I say the biggest and most annoying hypocrisy of them all is that this build up of 2 seasons of them growing friendship, talking and learning about each other, developing feelings for each other regardless if they know what they mean... suddenly is rushed. BUT when compared to other seasons where a brand new face appears and we are to believe that in a weeks time our beloved character is now madly, deeply in love with this person and YOU BUY THAT WITH ALL THE SUGAR IT COMES WITH! Burning for you and Bane of my existence and all????

At the end of the day...live in your trope. I sat through those seasons. I cried through their HEA, I was happy for them. You can dislike the characters for other reasons. Dislike how they wrote parts of the season, don't like the plot points but don't make the excuses above that don't add up.

If you don't enjoy my trope, fine. But please, in the nicest possible way, shut the fuck up.

[necrotic-nephilim]

for the ask game (1)

au where bruce is attracted to his robins and batgirls. he tries not to think about it or act on it, but it's getting more difficult with every new member of his team he acquires. does anyone know? do the robins and batgirls notice his weird behavior? what do they do about it? do they ever find out the truth? who would think it's terrible and who would find it strangely hot/comforting/nice? does bruce ever act on his feelings?

for the ask game!

oh my GOD do i have thoughts for AUs like this, i love this shit so dearly, dirtybadwrong Bruce who's trying to keep a lid on it my beloved.

i think the fun of this AU is if characters would notice Bruce lusting for themselves vs would they notice Bruce lusting for a different Robin/Batgirl. like does Dick pick up on it when it's just him and Bruce? no, because it's just. him and Bruce. he and Bruce are weird and complicated and hold endless bounds of nuance. that's just How Bruce Is, and Dick is the "test run", in a sense. he knows Bruce is new to this whole sidekick/family thing and is giving Bruce grace for being rough around the edges. but when Bruce starts looking at Jason or Tim or Cass that way, that's when Dick starts to notice. it's never enough of a suspicion he feels justified to bring it up, but the thought lingers. he's hyperaware and grows less and less comfortable with leaving them alone with Bruce. it's a weird game of chicken, Dick and Bruce staring each other down when Bruce's touch lingers too long. each waiting for the other to say something first. if Bruce ever broke and actually acted on his feelings, Dick would be eaten alive by the guilt of knowing something was up, but never saying something until it was too late.

obviously, Cass would know. there's no world where Cass *doesn't* know, the nature of who and what she is would immediately clock it. but the issue is, Cass doesn't have a good framework of what family looks like. she doesn't really understand familial vs romantic love bc she has no firsthand experience of what a parent's love should even look like. so she never calls it out. she just watches. i'm a fan of Cass believing this is normal and believing she too can express and act on attraction that's vaguely incestuous. maybe it's with Babs, maybe it's with Dick or Tim or Bruce himself. but she recognizes this as Normal and Accepted within the Batfamily, so it severely fucks up her understanding of familial love and i just. man it's my favorite thing about Cass in Batcest honestly, is how you can play with her lack of experience with love, boundaries, and sexuality.

Tim is the fun one for me. because my favorite flavor of BruTim is when Tim knows, as he agrees to be Robin, that there's a non-zero chance that Bruce is going to be Weird and agrees anyway because he's decided it's an acceptable risk. so Tim knows from the get-go because he's expecting it. if Bruce acts on his attraction, i think it's either with Tim or Cass first, because they're the most likely to confront him about it in a way that isn't entirely negative. Tim has accepted it's a possibility and Cass just seeks being loved and touched so. it leads to the first time someone's ever confronted Bruce about it. and the thing is, Bruce really doesn't like confrontation about his flaws. the first time Tim tries to imply he's okay with it, Bruce would lash out at the idea, tell Tim how inappropriate that is and benches Tim for a week. it'd probably take a united front from Cass and Tim to get Bruce to even *admit* to the attraction. still Bruce wouldn't allow it to happen and he brushes them off until finally, the dam breaks. it's fun if there's a cause like sex pollen, but i think it's *more* fun if it's just. a random fucking Tuesday and finally Bruce is at his limit. he has no real reason, there's nothing particularly different about that day's routine. he just sees Tim or Cass striping armor and sighs and gives in.

i don't think Steph, Jason, or Babs would notice until anything substantial happened. not because they're not wicked smart, but just because none of them were looking for it. Jason put Bruce on a pedestal when he was alive, and when he came back from the dead he wasn't close enough to be noticing Bruce's interpersonal dynamics outside of his narrow scope. Steph has no real framework for what healthy fatherhood looks like, so if Bruce's touches linger, if he stares too long, she just shrugs and assumes it's how it is. and Babs was just never quite close enough to Bruce to notice. if and when she notices, is when actual sexual things start to happen between Cass and Bruce. because Cass would see no reason to hide it. Babs would be pissed, but it'd be tricky to navigate. Cass would be an adult, even if she's only 18/19, so technically, she's old enough to be consenting. if nothing else, Bruce is a careful man. even when he breaks and gives in to his desires, he covers his tracks well. he makes sure he has enthusiastic consent and there's no legal recourse that could be taken. age of consent and all that. there's not much Babs can *do* other than try to tell Cass (and/or Tim) that this isn't normal or okay. not that it gets her anywhere, but god would she try.

by the time Duke comes along (if we venture out of the pre-Flashpoint era) i think it's a sort of. open secret, in the Batfamily. talked about in nothing but hushed whispers and knowing glances. at some point, they've all had sex with Bruce, caving all for different reasons. some more than others. Tim sees it as a duty, Cass sees it as a way of seeking comfort, Steph sees it as getting Bruce's approval for once, etc. it's never forced on them, but eventually, they all come to Bruce sooner or later. and that's the fun irony of it, i think. they try to convince the others not to, but would go to Bruce on their own well. because complicated reasons they can't put into words. sometimes, Bruce is just a messy man who doesn't realize how prized his Attention to for the rest of the Batfamily. that weird duality of not liking him, but also wanting desperately for him to like you. all of them have dealt with it, at some point. so for Duke, it takes a while for him to understand this... whole dynamic. it's Cass who tries to explain it to him, and he's a little horrified, a lot confused. especially when Bruce starts staring at him a little too long as well. i think he'd only want to watch first but well. they all cave eventually.

also fun bonus if we venture into the Dark Knight Returns universe for my bestest girl Carrie Kelley: there's such a like, "i'm fucking around and i'm finding out" vibe to Carrie. like Tim, she's very proactive in just. deciding she's going to be Robin and she's ready for whatever that entails. (IMO canon Carrie is closer to fanon Tim than canon Tim is but *that* deserves its own post-) like she takes one look at the old man that is Batman and goes yup. he's never fucking getting rid of me now. if Bruce started having weird feelings about her, i think she'd have *fun* with it. she's decided she's in it for the long haul and for whatever being Robin means so. she's almost teasing about it, seeing how hard she can push before Bruce snaps. since it's an older, gruffer Bruce, i think he'd express open annoyance at it first, almost a sort of banter about how Carrie behave. but of course he caves and Carrie leans into it, because there's a fun in having all of Bruce's attention to herself. in the main timeline, Bruce is pretty split with so many Robins and Batgirls, but during their era, it's *just* her and him and she's very proud she's got him all to herself.

[arcane-vagabond]

Hey, y’all. Not really sure how to start this, but here goes.

I started using Tumblr in the far off year of 2012, when I was 16. I started off in the Hunger Games fandom right as the movies were coming out, and I made so many amazing friends on here. I eventually moved on to different fandoms, namely SuperWhoLock (The combined fandom of Supernatural, Doctor Who, and Sherlock. If you know, you know). There were ups and downs, but fandom was a community I could rely on. Strangers on the internet were supportive of me, even if we weren't necessarily close, people made an avid effort to interact with each other and have conversations with people on here.

I took a break when I started college, trying to navigate my way through my newly aqcuired adult status, and Tumblr kind of fell by the wayside after a while. But, when I left there was still a thriving community in fandom with people interacting with each other, coming up with theories for things, coming up with theories and headcanons about beloved characters. Comments and reblogs were plentiful, and fanfic, fanart, etc. were a two sided conversation. You didn't even have to write fanfic or make fanart in order to get interactions.

I came back a couple of years ago, logging in here and there to lurk and read fanfic on my old blog. I discovered Top Gun: Maverick and felt compelled to write my very first fanfiction: Don't Hang'em Til Noon. I was so excited to share it because I saw that no one else had done a Wild West!AU, and I was excited to share my work and talk about it and the actual movie with people on here. I did find people who were as excited as I was, and that was great. But then I got one of my first anonymous messages.

"You really need to calm down."

Calm down? Why? I thought the whole point of fandom was that we were all excited about this one thing? I was so confused.

I kept writing, and the hate anons kept coming. I was accused of thinking I'm better than everyone on here (why, I still don't understand), I was accused of thinking I run the fandom (probably because I pointed very obvious things out), and more. I take it on the chin usually, but of course words still hurt. This was not what I remembered fandom being like, and I found that the longer I kept doing this, the more it started to feel like a chore versus something I genuinely enjoyed.

I get hundreds of votes in my polls for what to update or what to do next, but the notes and interactions are not reflecting this. I got more interactions as someone who didn't create fan works twelve years ago than I do as a content creator now. The attitude towards fandom has changed.

It's no longer a community, it's a popularity contest. People put down others to make themselves feel better, which was always a thing, but not it's more prevalent. It's become a numbers game, and it shouldn't be. People say that they're too afraid to comment or put themselves out there to talk to creators, but guess what? It's terrifying to put your work out there to be seen by so many people and to be judged. And it's discouraging to see the amount of people who like but won't leave a comment or reblog. Do you actually like it? How am I supposed to know?

Some of you are so jealous of others, that you've let it consume you. You attack me for my AUs, claiming that they're boring and uninteresting, and yet? There are some of you who've seen how invested some people have become with my stories and have tried to emulate them. You're not venturing into AU because you genuinely want to. You're doing it because you see that there's a market for it. You're the same people who mocked me for doing it in the first place.

There's a whole group on here that are so bitter and insecure about their own abilities, that they feel the need to put others down, and I'm not mad. If anything, I feel genuinely sorry for you.

There have always been problems with fandom, but not like this. I don't know if this is all specific to the TGM fandom, but y'all? I'm exhausted. I'm tired of putting so much of myself out there to only here crickets or demands for more. What happened to actual conversation? Waht happened to interacting for the sake of interacting?

I've made some genuinely amazing friends on here, and I talk to them pretty much every single day. However, I need a break from this website. I need to find my love for writing again, and I won't be able to do it on here while things continue to be the way they are. So, this is my long ass way of announcing that I'm officialy going on hiatus for a little while, at least the month. I will be focusing on writing We Abide as an original story the way it was originally intended to be. I will not be on during this time. I will not continue to pressure myself to update for you all when you give me next to nothing in return. And if this makes me the villain? Then so be it.

For those of you who've been a constant source of comfort, laughter, inspiration, etc.? I love you. From the bottom of my heart, I'm so grateful to all of you, and if at the end of my month away I decide to come back, I hope you'll still be here to read what I give.

Until next time.

-Liz

[he-calls-me-kitten]

I'm back again <33

I've got more 3am thoughts and scenarios to share >:DD

Ive got 2 options for you, feel free to do the desired one, also this might a bit spicy?....

If you write for the other exchange students :

F!MC x Thirteen

(Desired characters are Barbatos ; Satan ; Solomon and Simeon but you can add or remove whoever your want cuz this is your writing and my opinion shouldn't really matter because your the one working on it and not me. )

Our lovely characters are looking for their darling human all across the RAD grounds since they have been gone since the last class and school's finished. They stroll through the halls to pause at the sounds of a familiar voice...WHIMPERING?!

DUN DUN DUNNNN

JOKING JOKING- LETS JUST CONTINUE

Peeking through the small crack in the door they witness our lovely MC layed down on one of the RAD desk, shirt unbuttoned and thrown aside, skirt flipped up, tears streaming down her flushed face, mascara running, lipstick smudged (I seem to have a thing for smudged lipstick-), quivering and trembling as they softly sob and moan Thirteen's name, their small frame trembling under the reapers touch who planted soft kisses and marks all over their body, decorating her thighs with various hickies and bite marks as she whispered sweet nothings into the humans ear, her hands gently tracing their sheep horns and fluffy tail which caused F!MC to squirm under her touch as their animals parts are especially sensetive <333

I just like making them jealous tbh

OR THE OTHER OPTION BECAUSE I'M A SIMP AND LOVE MALEWIFES :

Barbatos X F!MC X Simeon

X !!PLATONIC!! Luke

(I'LL HAVE TO MAKE THIS SHORT CUZ I NEED SLEEP 😭😭)

Luke seeing F!MC as a mother figure and his dad's just taking it as an opportunity to sweep their beloved human to themselves. Inviting her to have a sleepover at the purgatory hall for a sleepover was only innocent and all.... Till it wasn't

Simeon's bedframe collided with each of their movements, Simeon shushing their Darling with "Stay quiet little lamb, Luke's in the next room" or "Keep your voice down darling we don't want Luke to hear now so we?" While Barbatos is a little more dirty, whispering praises about how MC takes them both so well despite her small and "fragile" form, sweat dripping down their forms as her nails dig into Simeon's back, legs trembling as her brain slowly turns to mush from the pleasure, mindless moans falling from her swollen lips, during the of the moment one of then eventually slips something up like: "You easily accepted Luke as you child, I'm sure you wouldn't mind having more" or "How about we give you actual kids of your own instead?" <333

- M. 🪭🪷

M, SERIOUSLY YOU'RE TOO FULL OF AMAZING IDEAS I CANT WITH YOU😭😭😭 And since it took me so long to reply (again so very sorry) and but because there's a distinct lack of my queen Thirteen...

F!MC x Thirteen

Two Queens in a King Sized Bed

"I'll look over the classrooms once more." Barbatos sighed. "Maybe she fell asleep tired like she does in the library sometimes."

"Yes I'll go check there just for good measure." Satan shook his head.

"MC was supposed to go visit HOL with you wasn't she?" Simeon turned to Solomon.

"Well yes we were supposed to head there after this class- wait, do you hear something?" Solomon inched towards one of the empty classrooms. The rest of them followed.

Not one of them was expecting to see what they did. Their precious MC laid down on the teacher's desk with her shirt practically ripped off her and skirt hiked all the way up to the waist and panties pushed to the side.

"Thirteen..please..." You whimpered and begged underneath the reaper. She looked like she wanted to eat you whole.

"Please what, cupcake?" Thirteen smirked latching her lips to your neck as her pretty fingers plunged into your leaking hole again. You convulsed against her, moaning and clinging onto her arms.

"..too much..." You barely managed to string two words in this mindless state. She had been toying with you for an hour now, determined not to let you leave.

"Use your words, MC." She trailed a thumb over your trembling lips and down your neck and collarbone. "Else I cannot possibly help you, you know?"

"Thirteen-"

"And who knows I might make things worse?"

"Thirteen! Ahh~" You moaned as she caught you off-guard with her thumb pressing down on your puffed up clit.

"Are you perverts done enjoying the show? Cause I'm not willing to let you join." Thirteen side-eyed the door.

Satan and Simeon fall back, scrambling to get back their usual composure. The bulges in their pants are a dead give away as where they were looking the whole time. Even as you try to cover yourself up, you know they've already seen too much.

"Why you- you! How dare you!" Satan musters through unsettled breaths. He's not okay in the slightest. All he feels like doing is ripping Thirteen apart from you like an expired bandaid and lay himself down on you.

"Is a classroom really a place to be doing all this?!" Simeon smiles with gritted teeth. The nerve to just toy with an angel's will like this - to show such an irresistible side of his one temptation.

"Indeed. It is most inappropriate Thirteen. It seems I'll have to put you in detention again, please pack your things." Barbatos pretended to fix his glove as his fist tightened.

"Apologies Thirteen, I think it's almost time for another lesson with my apprentice so it's better if you get off then now." He smiled all the while a vein popped in his neck as he held out his hand to you.

Thirteen rolled her eyes, still holding you close. "Please as if you could ever pleasure MC the way I do. This cutie deserves way better than what you lot have got." She palmed your behind and gave it a gentle squeeze while smirking, watching the men fume silently in jealous rage.

"Thirteen. Detention room. Now please." Barbatos warned again. "Ugh. Demons." She pressed a sloppy kiss against your lips, before she left. "Don't worry, I'll catch you later, cupcake."

Barbatos was planning to put you in an entirely different detention room, somewhere in his quarters at the Demon Lord's Castle. Silk ropes and his ungloved hands awaited you there as he pulled you into the din lit room.

Simeon had lost all sense of personal space. He wasn't allowed you to have you in the way the others could. But there are so many ways to pleasure humans after all. His eager fingers and needy whispers had you begging for more.

Satan pounced on you at any opportunity he got. Against the bookshelves in his room, in secluded corners of the RAD library, even in a hidden alley on the way to HOL. He wouldn't stop until muffled screams slipped through your suppressed voice.

You don't remember the last time Solomon slept in his room. Every night, he towered at the end of your bed, his bare chest and shoulders glistening in the moonlight. Every night he pulled off your nightgown and rebranded you as his. No matter who had you during the day, you'd wake up the next day as his alone.

[flowerandblood]

The Prince and The Fox (9) (End)

[ modern! • Aemond x friend! • female ]

[ warnings: sex content, virgnity loss, smut, bleeding, fluff ]

[ description: After the events of her childhood, despite her best efforts, her neighbor and the younger brother of her friend Helaena, Aemond, does not want to know her. This state lasts until a house party organized by his older brother, Aegon, during which an incident occurs that will change their relationship forever. Slow burn, angst, toxic ex-Alys, rough Aemond. This is several anon requests combined into one fic. ]

WARNING: The main plot between the characters takes place in high school. Yes, in high school. The belief that teenagers wait with an intimacy when they are in love in high school is ridiculous to me. Aemond and the character here are the same age. Don't ask me how old they are, in my country you are of the age of consent in your first year of high school and an adult in the last year of high school, so if it is more convenient for you, think about it that way and decide for yourself. In this story, I am not following the trail that they are magically friends right away, but how they become friends and what that even means. I'm writing this fic to give the perspective of young, lost people, not adult women who want to see exactly themselves in everything they read. If that's all you expect, this isn't the fic for you.

I don't want whining about this in my comments or asks. I will delete these and block you. You have been warned.

Aemond + Evans Series Moodboard

This is my first story that has its own playlist, but yes! Get in the mood!

Story Music Playlist.

* English is not my first language. Please, do not repost. Enjoy! *

Next chapters: Masterlist

_____

From that night onwards, she felt that they were officially a couple; they held hands when he walked her home from the bus stop and hugged at school. They didn't have to talk about anything officially − it was clear they were together.

Aegon laughed at them saying that he wondered how much longer they were going to pretend.

Since then, she spent a lot of time at his place. At first she lied to her parents about going to Helaena's, but then it became too suspicious as she spent days there and finally admitted that she and Aemond were together.

"That's great! He's such a good boy. Invite him to join us for dinner, he doesn't have to be ashamed of anything!" Said her father, patting her on the shoulder; after a moment he looked at her uncertainly, as if he had realised something.

"You know how children are made, don't you?" He asked, she sighed heavily, confessing that she knew and that she did not intend to become a mother at such a young age.

Aemond was very apprehensive about having a formal dinner with her parents even though he knew how much they liked him from the situation with Cregan.

Nevertheless, when she finally managed to convince him and he came with her to her house one day after school, they spent a very nice evening together, her parents asking him where he intended to go to university.

"I was thinking about game and programme design. I'm good at maths and computer science, but my dad says it's not a profession." He confessed reluctantly; her father looked at him surprised, swallowing loudly the bite of roast he had just had in his mouth.

"What do you mean? After all, it's the future! Programmers are being sought everywhere now. Of course it's a profession!" He said with certainty, and she smiled, seeing out of the corner of her eye the blush on her boyfriend's face, who lowered his gaze, embarrassed.

They only touched each other with their hands − he showed her how she could satisfy him with a simple squeeze of his fingers down there. She loved the time of their intimacy and closeness, tender, calm and unforced.

They didn't undress completely in front of each other, but pulled their shirts off and snuggled together, kissing, allowing themselves to feel what it was like to feel the bare skin of their beloved's body nestled against each other.

She felt safe with him.

It seemed to her that the fact that they weren't in a hurry to go anywhere even suited him, that he felt thanks to this that it wasn't just about sex but something more, that their physical closeness was the result of their passionate affection and not the other way around.

One day, when he invited her to his house when no one else was there but them, he locked himself in his room with her.

After a few days in which they had to study and had no time to see each other, he literally threw himself at her, pulling off her jumper, pressing his lips to her naked breasts, leaving her in just her panties, sliding his fingers into them in a confident motion, knowing full well that she needed this as much as he did.

"− wait −" She muttered, grabbing his hand, looking at him with a hot, thirsty gaze. He immediately put his fingers out, looking at her surprised and concerned.

"− something wrong? −" He asked in a trembling voice; she could hear that he needed and wanted it himself, that he had been waiting for it all day. She swallowed loudly feeling that her cheeks were all red.

She thought she was ready.

That she trusted him and wanted to see what it felt like.

"− if you want we can try − you know − for real −" She mumbled out quickly, lowering her gaze, playing with her fingers lying on her bare stomach, unable to look at him out of shame. She heard him draw in a loud breath, surprised, and flinched all over.

"− are you sure? − I mean − I don't know, wouldn't you rather we did it in some more special place or time? −" He asked in a trembling voice, and she felt hot in her heart at the thought that he wanted this to be a unique moment for her, that he was thinking of her first and then himself.

She glanced up at him, looking at him with confidence and warmth in her gaze.

"− it's okay − I feel like I'm ready − you know, wet and all − that we can try, I'm not afraid −" She whispered still not looking at him, feeling her heart pounding like crazy, the place between her thighs throbbing hard.

She felt him breathing anxiously beside her; he was looking at her and for a moment couldn't get anything out.

"− okay −" He mumbled at last, rising to sit down, reaching his hand into one of the drawers, taking something rustling from it. She pressed her lips together seeing that it was a condom and lowered her gaze quickly, embarrassed.

He laid it down beside her on the bedclothes, then took her cheek in his hand and turned her face so that she was looking at him; she saw tenderness, fear, desire and uncertainty in his eyes, the same feelings that were now melting in her heart.

"− if − if there's anything wrong − if you want to stop − just say so, okay? −" He muttered, as flushed as she was, and she nodded quickly.

She swallowed loudly when, with trembling hands, he reached into the material of her panties and slid them slowly down her thighs − she helped him by lifting her hips a little and shaking them off her feet, staying completely naked.

He grunted quietly, taking one of his small pillows in his hand.

"− put it under your bottom − I've read that it's easier in then −" He muttered, and she did so without a word, embarrassed and touched that he had to read about how women experience their first time, what is best for them, what will make her feel less pain then.

She spread her thighs obediently in front of him as he knelt between them, with trembling fingers undoing his button and zipper, looking down at her with his lips slightly parted, panting as she did with emotion.

"− I want you very, very much − you know? −" He asked quietly, and she nodded quickly, feeling nothing but love for him in her heart.

"− y-yes − I want you too −" She confessed with tenderness and warmth in her voice. He swallowed loudly and nodded his head as if he needed to hear it.

She saw him slide off his trousers and boxers, struggling with them a little, and after a moment they were both completely naked, vulnerable, frightened. She pressed her lips together averting her gaze as she heard him tear the foil and apply a condom, deciding that she should give him a little privacy.

She shuddered as he lay on top of her, his hands on either side of her head; they looked at each other for a moment, breathing loudly. He leaned in and pressed his lips against hers in soft, tender, slow kiss, the tips of their tongues teasing each other with the sticky click of their saliva, making her feel the throbbing between her thighs again.

She drew in a loud breath when she felt him guide the fat head of his manhood against her slit with one hand − he heard it and hushed her, placing a wet kiss on her cheek and nose.

"− relax − we'll do it slowly − we can stop at any time − hm? −" He whispered tenderly and she nodded quickly, swallowing loudly, stroking his cheek with her trembling hand.

"− spread your thighs wider − yes, just like that −" He murmured softly; she clenched her eyes shut when she felt his tip pushing painfully hard against her wet, tight walls, sliding slowly inside her. They both sighed loudly, surprised, looking at each other with big eyes.

"− oh fuck − breath deeply, okay? − easy, little one −" He exhaled in a trembling voice. She nodded quickly, feeling the discomfort of such an intense filling, from which her body involuntarily tried to protect itself.

She began to breathe deeply through her mouth, closing her eyes, concentrating on loosening her muscles. She felt that it was a tad better, and he slid deeper into her; he pushed against something inside her, although she wasn't sure what, and she twisted her body, furrowing her brow in discomfort.

"− I need to make a little more violent push now − it might hurt a bit, don't get scared − okay? −" He asked quickly and she just nodded, breathing unevenly, feeling her whole body tremble.

She felt him slide out of her, and then with a sure, hard thrust of his hips he tore something inside her, making her ache as if someone had stuck a needle in her stomach.

She squealed, clamping her hand quickly on his arm, wanting to stop him from moving any further, looking at him in horror. He looked at her in pain, breathing loudly, his thumb stroking her cheek.

"− I know − I know − you're so brave − the worst is behind us − shhh −" He whispered, and she swallowed loudly, feeling the pain slowly pass, but still surging through her insides as if he had caused her a wound.

"− hold on − okay? −" She whispered in a trembling voice and he nodded. He leaned against her, brushing her puffy lips and she put her arms around his neck, drawing him close, needing to take refuge in his embrace.

They just kissed for a while, stroking their naked bodies − she could feel him pulsing hard inside her, but he made no move, breathing loudly along with her.

"− it's better now −" She whispered into his mouth. He nodded and licked his lower lip, sliding out of her slowly only to slide back in, this time filling her to the very end.

They both looked at each other with their mouths wide open and sighed loudly, surprised that it had worked.

"− are you okay? −" He asked quickly and she nodded.

"− a tad uncomfortable − but it doesn't hurt anymore −" She mumbled out with difficulty, filled with this strange, foreign sensation of realising that she felt him so deeply inside her body, that she was completely vulnerable and dependent on him now.

"− I'm going to start moving − okay? −" He asked with excitement and she nodded quickly. He pressed his forehead against hers and slipped out of her body again almost to the very end, only to fill her again with a slow, deep thrust.

She closed her eyes and relaxed completely, feeling a pleasant tingling in her lower abdomen each time his tip rubbed the spot inside her that he usually squeezed with his fingers.

"− yes − right here −" She whispered and he groaned low, she felt him throbbing hard inside her again.

She felt his hips began to move faster inside her, his thighs slapping against her sticky buttocks with a wet click, with each of his surer motions he teased her harder and harder, her lips parted in an innocent moan.

He kissed her slipping his tongue into her mouth, stroking her cheeks and hair, purring down her throat, both of them moaning loudly as he accelerated enough to make his bed creak beneath them.

"− fuck − so good −" He exhaled as if in awe and surprise, and she clasped her hands on his buttocks, impaling herself on him, panting along with him, pleased to feel that her muscles had adjusted to his shape, that she no longer felt any discomfort.

"− Aemond −" She whispered, and he groaned low, gripping her hips with his hands, stretching her hot, wet insides with his length again, again and again, faster and more aggressively, his intense pushes giving her astonishing pleasure, his gaze as he looked down at her filled with nothing but desire.

"− fuck, Foxy − I −" He mumbled as if in embarrassment, she could feel him twitching faster and faster inside her, and she only nodded.

"− it's okay − c-cum when you want to −" She whispered in shame, and he mewled quietly, his mouth parted wide, his eyebrows arched almost as if in pain as he came, cumming into his condom, panting and moaning low.

"− oh God, baby − fuckfuckfuck −" He growled, tightening his lips, falling on top of her, moving inside her for a moment longer, convulsions of pleasure running through his body.

She hugged his naked, sweaty back, smiling and happy, feeling relieved that it wasn't horrible at all, that she felt pleasure most of the time, that despite the pain at first his words of comfort and understanding made her relax.

"− I'm sorry −" He whispered in her ear and she blinked in surprise, snapped out of her reverie and stroked his hair, kissing his temple.

"− why? − it was very pleasant −" She said tenderly, placing gentle kisses on his cheek, his face pressed into the pillow.

"− you didn't come −" He muttered, as if this was his greatest failure, as if it was a cause for immense shame and disappointment on his part.

"− I didn't want to − I just wanted to do it with you − to feel what it's like − next time we won't be so scared −" She murmured, embracing him more tightly, tracing her fingers down his spine, feeling a shiver run through him, his soft manhood still deep inside her.

"− aren't you disappointed? −" He asked uncertainly as if he wanted to make sure, and she shook her head.

"− no − I'm very happy − albeit a tad sore −" She admitted and laughed lightly; she heard him murmur beside her and he finally lifted his face, placing a loud kiss on her cheek.

"− you were so brave −"

They were both horrified and panicked when they saw the blood on his pillow and sheets, not knowing what they should do first; he dressed up quickly and went to the bathroom to get some wet wipes and a towel, while she quickly found a pad in her backpack and stuck it to her panties as soon as she got herself cleaned up, putting them on, not wanting to get anything else dirty.

"− are you sure we shouldn't − I don't know − go to the doctor? −" He asked, looking at her horrified, and she shook her head.

"No, I read that this can happen. It should stop soon, but we need to wash your bed." She muttered, and he nodded, swallowing quietly.

Together they pulled off the sheet and threw it with the pillow into the washing machine, setting it to a quick wash, and then hand-washed his mattress. Fortunately, the blood came off easily, so they simply put on new sheets, changed into pyjamas and lay in his bed, cuddling.

She felt him stroking her back as she snuggled into his chest, embracing her with his arms, both of them silent.

"− do you want me to take care of you now? −" He asked uncertainly, and she shook her head.

"− no, I don't think I'll be able to sit down tomorrow −" She said amused, lifting her head up and meeting his disappointed gaze full of remorse. She stroked his cheek and smiled at him.

"− it was perfect − just as I had dreamed − I was very scared, but thanks to you it wasn't so terrifying −" She said softly; he swallowed loudly and nodded. He looked at her uncertainly after a while, taking a strand of her hair behind her ear.

"− you know that − that I love you very much − don't you? −" He asked in a trembling voice; she smiled tenderly and nodded, a warm, peaceful feeling filling her heart.

"I know. I love you too."

_____

Aemond Taglist:

(bold means I couldn't tag you)

@its-actually-minicika @notnormalthings-blog @nikstrange @zenka69 @bellaisasleep @k-y-r-a-1 @g-cf2020 @melsunshine @opheliaas-stuff @chainsawsangel @iiamthehybrid @tinykryptonitewerewolf @namoreno @malfoytargaryen @qyburnsghost @aemondsdelight @persephonerinyes @fan-goddess @sweethoneyblossom1 @watercolorskyy @randomdragonfires @apollonshootafar @padfooteyes

[fountainpenguin]

Short Version: I don't even know how to begin explaining this, so take these 'fic doodles with no context.

Wish Fixers, my chronically unhelpful beloved...

Long Version (City Lights AU #ridspoilers beyond the above implication. Mentions of death and trauma; it gets pretty dark)

Nalooksthrough, I tag you below because I cited your co-dependent toxic friendship comic and said it was cool- If you don't want to click, that's all the tag was :)

So I started outlining my Dale backstory 'fic (Lemonade and Papercuts) since I am the most predictable person alive and of COURSE I can't resist 7 years of trauma and intimacy anxiety <3. But planning a 'fic like this requires many pieces and many questions.

First and most obvious- How did Vicky lure in Dale? From previous planning, I've already decided that since they're the same age (maybe one year off), they probably knew each other in school or activities.

Ex: Squirrely Scouts & Cream Puffs... Not unreasonable- Throughout the series, many kids participate and the organizations seem to have a big following in Dimmsdale. Vicky's sister Tootie is in the Cream Puffs and Vicky is seen bossing them around in the Season 0 episode "Scout's Honor" ("Oh Yeah! Cartoons"). There's a comic by the same name depicting Remy in Squirrely Scouts (after "Fairy Fairy Quite Contrary" but before he gets his memories back in "Remy Rides Again" and I always thought it was cute). I mean, look at him:

Pictures courtesy of the FOP Wiki

It's not unreasonable that Dale - who's also rich - might've gotten into that (especially since Doug is big on the cowboy theming and of all the rich parents, he's probably the one most okay with his son playing in dirt). Something scout-related could be an option even if Dale and Vicky went to different schools.

A friendship that gets increasingly toxic until it spirals into full-on abuse sounds really interesting (and @nalooksthrough portrayed this idea beautifully imo in THIS comic I can't stop thinking about).

Sounds fun to write, so let's go with that. What's next?

Hey, remember when 7 years ago, I headcanon'd H.P. as Dale's godfather because of this doodle in Da Rules that specifically refers to Pixie godparents and depicts a fluffy-haired kid in a purple shirt?

I recently found out I still had Dale listed as a godchild of H.P. on his full character profile on my fanfic sideblog. I was waffling over whether to retcon that (since I hadn't yet done anything with it), but I started brainstorming whether I COULD do anything with it.

I've always written Wish Fixers in 'fic [e.g. Origin of the Pixies] as a therapy business run by H.P.'s dad (which H.P. bought off him out of spite despite not being licensed for therapy) but, like...

Does Jorgen know H.P. isn't licensed? I can't see why he would... As far as he knows, H.P. owns and runs the place- especially given my lore that Wish Fixers has been in his family for many generations. Sounds qualified to me!

In "School's Out! The Musical" (episode that Da Rules screenshot is from), we learn Pixies are at the back of the line for godparent work, even under creatures like unicorns (Hence the Musical's plot requiring them to remove magical creatures from earth before they could assign themselves to Flappy Bob).

I said in a recent liveblog post that I'd always imagined this was a punishment given to them due to H.P. absolutely failing as godfather to Dale- Thus, the origin of the doodle on the page for that rule. But... I never decided what happened.

See, Dale SEEMS like a guy who would qualify for a fairy. He was probably pretty miserable under Vicky's 7 years of torture and he's still holding onto that trauma in his adulthood.

DID he have a fairy?

I'm just saying, we know from S4's "Wish Fixers" that H.P. is legally(?) allowed to make contracts that swap a fairy godparent with a pixie one if godkids choose to sign of their own free will... Hmm... I'm connecting dots I don't think I like... (I am lying).

I mean?? Dale clearly did not get out of the pit due to magical interference. If I'm committing to the doodle being Dale and reflecting an actual godfather-godson dynamic between him and H.P., then something sure went wrong there. I can't NOT make Dale suffer...

What on earth could've made Dale sign a contract for something a fairy couldn't give him? We know from "Nectar of the Odds" canon that he wished to see his dad, and thanks to previous liveblogs, I DO already have a headcanon of Dale being extremely desperate for his dad's love... Hmm... I can work with that.

I went down a rabbit hole trying to answer the question of how Vicky secured lemons for 7 years for Dale (and other kids) to work with. Here are some lemon tree facts:

- Lemon trees bear fruit after only a few years - They can bear fruit multiple times a year (depending on variety) - A single lemon tree can produce 1,500 lemons in one growing season - Dimmsdale is in California - a state known for lemon orchards.

That feels likely... An orchard of even a few trees can keep you going for a while.

But lemonade doesn't sell for much compared to other things Vicky could've set a kidnapped child up to do (Ex: In "Microphony," she has kids doing a bunch of other tasks like answering phones for her babysitting service, painting houses, and washing cars).

So... WHY lemonade? What is going on that makes this the thing Vicky has Dale do for 7 years?

And who owns the orchard? I need Vicky to obtain lemons without being stopped for 7 years.

Is it a Dimmadome orchard? Maybe, but several episodes imply Vicky's not familiar with the Dimmadomes - and she probably would have turned Dale in for cash reward if given the chance - so those are two things I need to keep in mind.

Does the orchard belong to her family? That's a possibility- Vicky is shown drinking lemonade after "Nectar of the Odds." She definitely could've bought it - It can't be too expensive unless prices were jacked up after she lost her cheap labor - but it's a drink she's seen with in multiple episodes. She definitely likes it.

And we know from "Timmy's 2D House of Horror" that Vicky's parents are terrified of her. It's not likely they'd stop her from taking lemons from the family orchard.

One problem... If Dale goes missing when he's about 9 (Closer to 7 or 8 in my planned timeline), Vicky is also 9 or younger. Are her parents scared of her when she's that small and inexperienced in the ways of the world?

In "The Switch Glitch," she's 5 and seems mild and sweet until 10-year-old Timmy mistreats her- She clearly didn't have memories of Timmy, implying she totally regressed to how she acted when she really was 5. Worth pointing out she goes off the deep end and chains up Cosmo and Wanda, so... she IS mean even at age 5. But also, she's 5. She wears the same purple hair bow in "Switch Glitch" (at 5) that she does when Timmy drains the meanness out of her in "Vicky Loses Her Icky," which is interesting.

So that begs the question... Can I turn my Dale backstory 'fic into a double story of Dale abuse AND Vicky going from a pretty innocent child to Totally Messed Up? Keeping in mind that according to Vicky in A New Wish, Vicky IS the one responsible for abusing him and he "spent 7 years' worth of Saturdays in a factory underneath a lemonade stand."

If that's the way I want to play it... Something happened to send Dale and Vicky down the dual victim-and-abuser path, destinies intertwined. And for some reason, Vicky stuck with the lemonade theme.

Dale just says he spent his Saturdays "in a factory underneath a lemonade stand." It's not out of the question he and Vicky made more lemon products than just lemonade, especially given Vicky's love for money (and those 600 lbs of lemons one tree can produce in a year). We can assume they changed locations a few times or someone would've found the trapdoor on Timmy's lawn. Plus when Dale started his abuse, Vicky hadn't started babysitting Timmy, whom she only met when he was 8.

So, I've set Dale up to be lured in by Vicky because they were friends. I like the idea of things gradually getting worse as Vicky slowly morphs from a friend into a very cruel person. If Vicky was bullying him, what stopped him from just... leaving?

Vicky's transformation was probably subtle if he stayed for so long..... I also pointed out in a recent post that Doug's underground milk empire where he uses hypnotized people for labor bears a striking amount of similarities with Vicky's lemonade stand, even down to the general vibes of "trapdoor entrance" (although it's implied there's another entrance in small building).

And if we want to be technical about things... We don't know if Doug and Dale pressed charges against Vicky. She clearly continues to babysit Timmy and other kids after "Nectar of the Odds" (Season 2).

In Season 4 ("Channel Chasers"), Doug remarks that Timmy's parents should've guessed Vicky was evil because of the Chip Skylark song "Icky Vicky," but he doesn't mention Vicky kidnapping his son. That's.... sus. He even offers to buy a car from her in Season 3's "Engine Blocked" (after Dale's escape).

Why would such a powerful guy let all of that slide? Did they just not have enough proof? Did Vicky wipe the place clean? Did Dale "not want to make a big deal about it" because he was so exhausted and grateful, he just didn't want to think about it or struggle with the legal system? Was he covering for her?? Was he scared to speak up?

... Did Dale not tell his dad the whole truth about where he was?

What if Dale was - in some vague and early concept way - in on the lemonade scheme from the beginning, back when he and Vicky were friends and she wasn't so cruel? Maybe she turned on him and sentenced him to the pit before long?

Why the underground-ness of it? Why the lemonade, which probably doesn't turn much profit... as lemonade. Unless you have unrestrained access to tons of lemons that you can turn into multiple products - Dale DID call it a factory - and no one is stopping you from accessing them...

... but how do you set up a situation where kids have access to a whole lemon orchard - presumably carefully maintained - and the adults don't take it away from them (Because... surely they would've found Dale and multiple other kids if they strayed close).

And Dale didn't leave. He does in "Nectar of the Odds" - apparently of his own volition - but not before. Was he kept there mentally as well as physically?

We KNOW Vicky can't be monitoring him 24/7 because "Nectar of the Odds" is the only episode depicting her paying attention to him, while others show her doing many other things in many other places (though it's worth noting Dale says in that episode that "Vicky's kept him locked up for so long").

Did he stay so long because it was the perceived better fate up until he miraculously crossed paths with his dad (via fairy magic) and took the risk? Would he have gone back in?

Maybe it wasn't supposed to get this out of hand. Dale and Vicky were young when this started... Somewhere between 7 and 9 (given that Dale was kept there for 7 years and Vicky is 16 when he escaped and he tells 9-year-old Dev this happened when he was Dev's age).

Maybe there was an accident. Something not just Vicky, but even Dale felt the need to cover up, especially in regards to the orchard and the fact that it needs to be Vicky's consistent source of lemons (and not something she lost out on before Dale's escape... an illusion of ownership maintained. Kids can't own the orchard, but what if they fooled people into believing it wasn't owned by kids?)

Hmm... some kind of accident that got two mostly innocent kids into huge trouble, thus setting up a horribly intertwined fate where if one of these toxic co-dependent friends backs out and squeals, even the squealer might suffer worse compared to trucking along on the cruel existing path.

tl;dr - if Vicky and Dale accidentally killed the orchard owner but they were kids and terrified to tell an adult lest they go to jail for life so they hid the body in the basement (or like ?? threw it to the coyotes or hyenas that inexplicably lurk on the fringes of Dimmsdale??) and are trying desperately to wipe their hands of this by pretending the lemon orchard is still operational so no one investigates until they can figure out a plan, and then Vicky hardens herself as a trauma response and manipulates Dale into believing it was solely his fault and she'll pin him with murder charges if he gets cold feet and turns her in, and he's miserable and gets a fairy (then loses his fairy via Pixie contract through Wish Fixers, presumably in an attempt to negotiate a way to protect himself from Vicky and somehow not gaining the ire of his father) and then H.P. (lawyer and unlicensed yet de facto therapist pulled two ways) is suddenly Dale's godfather and trying to comprehend what the flip is going on between misery and manslaughter while he's also juggling Gary, Betty, and Flappy Bob at the same time in preparation for the Musical because we know he spent 37 years on that plan...

... Would that be one messed-up yet hyperspecifically canon-compliant 'fic or what?

These thoughts have been haunting me all weekend and I HAD to get my "I'm not that kind of lawyer or therapist" joke out of my system, so there's your context. #Sorry. Is this the direction the actual 'fic will go? ... It's not the direction I really had in mind, but ?? It's off the wall and therefore I must shake it in my teeth. I can't not write Dale backstory this horrific. what. hey.

[kiwiana-writes]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

A big ol' fuck you to @rmd-writes for the tag xoxo

1. How many works do you have an AO3? Lol. Lmao even. 289.

2. What's your total AO3 word count? 914,620 on AO3, but that includes co-writes as well as things I've podficced where the fic and pod are in the same work. My actual personally-written wordcount, per my Batshit Spreadsheet, is 771,819.

3. What fandoms do you write for? Mostly RWRB these days, though most of my back catalogue is Schitt's Creek. Also The Pairing and various other things scattered about.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Kinda think that I might be his type aka Alex and Bea fake date coming in at the top spot, which will never not bewilder me. Don't get me wrong, it's a lovely fic!! But I am always surprised that it was a few hundred more kudos than:

With so much of my heart (that none is left to protest), the Much Ado actors AU. My magnum opus, my beloved.

We were supposed to find this - baby's first soulmate AU and my first RWRB fic. The brainrot really took hold with this one lmao.

All the Lonely Starbucks Lovers, in which Henry takes 'open mouth insert foot' to a whole new level.

Warm like the glow that you feel head to toe, the age gap fic with older Senator Alex and younger Prince Henry. This is probably the only one in my top five that really surprises me, considering age gaps are... divisive.

5. Do you respond to comments? Always always always.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? I mean I did write that one MCD fic in Schitt's Creek, though I maintain the other five parts in that 5+1 are in fact angstier than the MCD ending.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? Uhhhhhhh, the rest? The Doylist answer is any of my fics where the HEA is literally forever rather than 'till death do us part'; so, the Schitt's Creek afterlife AU and the RWRB zombie!Alex AU. (Is that all? Am I forgetting one?)

8. Do you get hate on fics? Yeah, sometimes. Weirdly, more through tumblr anons than on the fics themselves? A lot of them I just delete, sometimes I'll give them a bit of a public scolding etc. Frankly at this point if you come into my ask box to be a cunt on anon I'm going to assume you have a public humiliation kink and will indulge you accordingly.

9. Do you write smut? Who's to say.

10. Do you write crossovers? I'm more inclined towards a fusion than a crossover (love a good media fusion) but I did write a short RWRB/The Pairing crossover for VoiceTeam.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? Not to my knowledge.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? Nope. Someone did ask recently, so we'll see!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? HEAPS. @ships-to-sail is an ongoing collaborator, but I also did a bunch of "each write a chapter" type collabs in Schitt's Creek. Currently co-writing something truly fucking incredible with @indestructibleheart.

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? IDK if it's a WIP by the strictest definition, but every day the likelihood of the SC kink!verse series being completed slips further away lol.

16. What are your writing strengths? Rae, you're the worst.

Smut, I guess? Giving people new kinks, apparently. Character voice. Also a very specific type of world-building where I explain nothing because the characters already live in that world and let y'all infer how it works, which came up a LOT on one of this year's Kinktober fics in particular and led to my spouse saying "okay so you're basically the Brennan Lee Mulligan of tree fucking", which is sure not a sentence I expected to ever be directed towards me, but here we are.

17. What are your writing weaknesses? Anything original, apparently. Good thing I didn't quit my job to be a writer or anything OH WAIT.

(In all seriousness, though, I am genuinely shit at, like, plotting. And action sequences.)

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? If it makes sense for the character, sure! I'm enlisting someone who speaks it for anything more complicated than, like, a pet name - I've seen what Google Translate tries to spit out for my second language and therefore don't trust it lmao.

19. First fandom you wrote for? terf queen mcgee's property.

20. Favourite fics you've written? The RWRB fic specifically based on the episode The Husbands of River Song from Doctor Who. Hands down the best thing I've ever written.

I also fucking LOVED the Much Ado actor AU. My love letter to Shakespeare and theatre and queer joy.

-

Tagging @blueeyedgrlwrites @cactusdragon517 @cricketnationrise @firenati0n @getmehighonmagic

@hgejfmw-hgejhsf @indestructibleheart @inexplicablymine @notspecialbabe @orchidscript

@piratefalls @sherryvalli @sparklepocalypse @stereopticons @whimsymanaged and, as always, anyone who wants to play! 

[beanghostprincess]

I've been thinking for a while about why I like Sabosan so much as a ship (even though I don't talk much about them. My mistake, honestly. I should do it more). Because we all know that out of the ASL brothers, Ace and Luffy are the ones who seem to make more sense when it comes to shipping them with Sanji. But there's just something about Sabosan that makes me go insane...

(Long post)

Lusan is quite obvious: Captain x His cook. Cook who starves as a metaphor for selflessness and who's always giving instead of taking x Captain who devours the whole world because he appreciates selfishness and freedom but is willing to starve to save his cook. Careless x Anxious. Sun x Ocean. Both are always sacrificing themselves but Luffy is at least aware of the value of his own life while Sanji sees himself as dispensable. They both work so well together because Luffy sees Sanji as kindness itself and what a cook truly needs to be (keep in mind that food is crucial for OP's story and it represents happiness most of the time) and he makes him want to seek freedom and his own desires. Sanji is a dreamer and he's hopeful yet extremely pessimistic when it comes to his persona, and Luffy is equally as hopeful but he despises his nakama seeing himself as unworthy of being in his crew. They both get each other's weaknesses and strengths and, okay, Luffy might not truly get Sanji completely but he doesn't need to as long as he sees the kindness in him and realizes everything he does, he does it for others. While Sanji sees Luffy as an escape from the prison he's always been locked in. My beloveds. Perfect dynamic (not going to make a whole analysis because I already talk about them enough here).

The thing is, Ace is also a perfect match for Sanji for a lot of reasons: You see, I think we can see a lot of similarities between them, especially the ones Luffy can't understand by himself but can link to both. Ace's way of dealing with depression and self-deprecation is to lean on his brothers and find a reason to live on them. If they love him, then at least it will have been worth it being alive. The same thing goes for Sanji, I think. It's not that he's actively suicidal. I don't think either of them seeks death, but they do think about it a lot and what the world would be like without them. Sanji sees himself as dispensable while Luffy can't believe a word he's saying, but Ace? Ace understands. He's been years thinking he shouldn't be alive. That he was a mistake. And the same thing goes for Sanji, growing up in a family that constantly told him he shouldn't exist and even faked his death. Once again, same thing with Ace and hiding his identity from the world. Ace knows he's loved, even if he has a hard time admitting why people like Sabo and Luffy would love him. But they do. It's a fact, even if it's hard to believe. And he keeps going thanks to their love and to protect them. Ace, although his personality might seem cocky and selfish and careless at first (which it is, but you know), he's extremely selfless when it comes to the people he loves. He literally lives thanks to them. Sanji basically does the same thing. Both of them cope with sabotaging themselves and they don't really value their lives unless it's someone else (cof cof Luffy cof cof) the one giving them a reason to keep going. I think Acesan works great as a ship because, from a more psychological point of view, like- Ace was born to be a brother. His whole character is created and introduced as Luffy's brother. Of course, he's more than that, but his chill and laid-back personality with sprinkles of emotional maturity only comes from growing up too fast because he desperately needed to take care of his little brother. Sanji desperately needs that type of connection with somebody and instantly feels attracted to protective people because he has never been protected before. Sanji has only been hurt by his brothers, so of course it's natural that he's astonished when he sees Ace for the first time being oh so kind and loving to Luffy. That's what he wanted. And it makes his heart melt instantly. Besides, going for a more personality thing here, Sanji is pretty repressed (when it comes to his memories. His gender. His sexuality. His feelings) while Ace (although he hides a lot of issues) is wayyy more proactive when it comes to what he wants. Sanji is scared to walk on earth, and Ace takes the world as his personal playground because he wants to be something that people remember that won't include mentioning his father. He wants to do something for himself. And talking about fathers, even if their daddy issues aren't the same, they both have grudges. And you know what else they have in common? Their gorgeous, blonde, dead mothers who died for them. Instant bond. They fit perfectly.

Now, about Sabosan:

If we're starting with the things they have in common, this is gonna be a wild ride. Both are nobles born in a family that absolutely did not love them but wanted them anyway for different (failed) purposes. They both escaped from those families but people thought they were dead for a long time, and their parents easily just found a substitute for them without caring much about what happened. Saying they have trauma is an understatement. They both escape from those lives completely, form new bonds with new people, and start a family somewhere else. And then they have to deal with that again and, not only that but suffer from the beautiful survivor's guilt that comes from not being able to save their siblings. I know Sabo's survivor's guilt is even worse because his bond with Ace was way stronger, but I think there's a part of Sanji who feels awful for Reiju and what she chooses to be a part of when she's actively different from their brothers too. Once again mentioning the self-sabotaging behavior and self-sacrificing acts because they're extremely selfless and have strong morals that lead them to these things. It's fundamentally different because I think Sanji is way more of a feeler than Sabo, but-- But the core of their personalities really is being extremely protective of the things they love and their ideals. It's not only the fact that they could bond over their pasts (and could easily be the only people understanding each other completely) but also the fact that their personalities fit perfectly. They balance each other. They're not the most mentally stable people in the world, but I think Sanji's issues are more similar to Ace's, and Sabo would know how to handle them. While Sanji is a natural caretaker and would not hesitate to take care of Sabo's breakdowns and episodes (because, sue me for being realistic, I think this guy has a personality disorder and depressive episodes and a bunch of other stuff. Just like Sanji, really. I mean- To me they're a very people pleaser BPD haver who has probably an eating disorder and anxiety x very overprotective Bipolar insomniac with memory issues. Maybe that's just me and my headcanons).

I am not going to be a nerd about them. But I am going to be a nerd about them. *pulls out MBTI profiles*

Sanji prioritizes connecting with other people. He's extremely empathetic and his core needs are to be liked and to help others. His ideals are focused on the suffering of others and how to help them. He's very structured when it comes to what he wants to achieve, but he often puts others before his own needs instead of actually taking what he wants, and that affects him negatively. Not to mention his sense of depersonalization and hatred towards himself and where he comes from. And how that makes him sabotage himself and think he's not worthy of the love people offer him. This is kind of exactly what Ace goes through too and that's why I think Sabo would be able to help him. He's loyal and trustworthy and he would do anything for his loved ones and morals. Something that, again, matches Sabo completely. His sense of ethics is very intense and focuses mainly on empathy. He seeks love, attention, and praise from others. And he's also extremely hopeful for his dreams. He never stops believing in the All Blue or Luffy, just in himself. Which shows his sense of trust and loyalty but also his low appreciation towards himself.

Sabo, on the other hand, is a more meticulous person. I know he seems like he loses control often, but he doesn't follow his feelings as much as it looks. He's more logical and he doesn't follow what he wants but what he thinks it's right for others and society. That being said, he also will do whatever the fuck he wants if he feels like it because he's chaotic like that. He has very strong morals and focuses on finding solutions to the world's problems. Instead of focusing on one thing, he sees the whole picture and specializes in many things at once and chooses what to fight for instead of following his feelings. He often has to make difficult choices regarding his loved ones, and even if he would do anything if Luffy was in trouble when it comes to the greater good, he doesn't hesitate to do what's more reasonable regarding his ethics. However, he has a strong sense of protection and his anxiety also is a huge part of his personality, so that's pretty much when he loses control. He feels mostly responsible for what happens around him and always wants to be the one in control and fears losing the ones he loves.

The main difference between them, I'd say, is that Sabo is pretty much revengeful and his personality has a strong part of hatred towards humanity and the ones who have hurt him and society. His whole thing is fighting against them, too. Unlike Sanji, who even if he is able to hate people, he doesn't seem to be able to actually hurt them in a meaningful way because his kind personality makes him unable to do so (unless the people he's fighting go against his morals. Like having hurt a woman or wasting food or whatever). Not that Sabo isn't kind, but he knows how to stand up for himself and his morality and he can tell perfectly between right and wrong in a very black-and-white sense, while Sanji (even if he goes to extremes quite a lot) lets himself be used and he doesn't harm others the way they harm him (not to confuse with "played with" because Sanji is not that easily manipulated. He knows what's going on all the time. He just lets himself be used if it will protect the ones he loves or if it goes against his kindness and morality).

So I think (and this is the part where I explain how this relationship would work) that Sabo would be able to protect Sanji. It's not that Sanji needs protecting because at the end of the day, he can fight back and he can stand up for himself, but that's only when it comes to fights that don't have to do with him personally and only with his morals. Sabo has a very calm facade. A very gentleman-like personality, even if he's still as chaotic as his brothers. But he's more gentle. He's softer, too, in a way, because he analyzes what people need. He approaches things in a very protective but soothing way. Like, he could burn disgusting men alive for Sanji, turn around at him and say everything's fine and Sanji would straight-up believe him and then blush uncontrollably and then hit him for being reckless. In that order. I don't think Sanji likes feeling weak, because he has this thing in common with Sabo in which he doesn't like not being in control. But I think he needs this. He needs to be held and taken care of sometimes. He needs to let himself be weak around others. And Sabo wants somebody to protect because he couldn't do it with his siblings. I think Sabo would be gentle and patient with Sanji while also bringing silliness and the typical brightness the ASL brothers have in common. He'd be chaotic with him and Sanji would definitely get mad at him for stealing food or wanting to do the deed (keeping it safe for work my pals, but yeah, Sabo would be horny 24/7 and would not let Sanji cook. He wants to fuc-) while he's busy. But! But also Sabo would take care of him and would analyze the patterns. He would notice when he eats. What he eats. If he eats at all. He would worry about his sleep schedule and whether he's overworking himself or not (because surprise! He does the same thing). And Sabo would also love every part of him and have such deep hatred for the ones who have hurt him. I think Sabo would want to take revenge but Sanji would strongly refuse and Sabo would absolutely love that about him. "You're better than me, I would've set your family on fire. But this is what makes you so kind" type of thing. Basically, Sabo is fucking batshit crazy but he's silly and kind and talks like a revolutionary French man in the 18th century and Sanji loves him. Also, Sanji has a history with craycray people because Pudding is not okay mentally either and look at him, being down bad. Sabo loves Sanji for the same reasons Luffy does, he's just kindness itself and Sabo is so full of hatred that he truly, really needs somebody like him.

And Sanji? Sanji just absolutely loves how protective Sabo is. When it comes to his family and his friends and his morals and beliefs. After being surrounded by people who did not care about anything during his childhood and also being extremely scared of ending up being like them, Sanji appreciates that strong sense of protectiveness and the humanity that comes with loving something/somebody so much. That's what Sanji needs, basically. Sanji likes that Sabo is caring and gentle and always keeps an eye on literally everyone and everything. He likes the brightness and joy that comes with Sabo too, because he might be calculative but he's also impulsive when it comes to his needs and likes. Luffy might be the representation of liberation in a godly way, but Sabo is the realistic personification of freedom. And as much as I love Lusan and making religious imagery metaphors, I think those fit Zolu way more because Sanji needs to be realistic with this and Sabo is the one who can make him see life this way. He would also care a bit too much about Sabo's health because everyone knows it's fucked up and he's willing to die if it's for the revolution. It's not like he doesn't appreciate his life, in fact, he does. He knows he is crucial to society and can't die. But if it's for the greater good he would leave Sanji and Koala and Luffy behind and die. He doesn't want to do that to them and he'd desperately try not to because he values his worth, but... Y'know. It's not that he doesn't care about living, but he cares too much that he ends up hurting himself and overworking. And Sanji does that too, but seeing it from the outside with an empathetic personality like his is just... Painful.

So while Sabo shows Sanji how to be free and feels hatred for the both of them, Sanji is the kindness in the world Sabo is looking for and gives him something to put his mind at ease when it's filled with demons. And also, they get each other's pasts and trauma on a fundamental level that not a lot of people do.

I don't know how their relationship could start, really, but it could happen in a simple way such as: Sabo pays a visit to the crew (fuck the timeline btw, choose whichever arc you like or just ignore canon) and meets Sanji. Offers to help him cook (fails because he fucking sucks at cooking and he just wanted to help and actually he just ends up flirting with him and eating the ingredients) and stays with him to clean the dishes (something he can't do either because he won't stop talking and being overly distracted). And Sanji just- He's just so similar to both Ace and Luffy but in a more mature and gentle way, somehow? He brings peace to him but there's just something wrong with him deep inside Sanji can't quite catch, but feels connected to. Like they both just get each other, pretending they're fine but knowing they're not and also just enjoying each other's presence. Sabo feels captivated by the cook because he feels like there's just so much more he's hiding from him, and Sabo has always liked analyzing every little thing (<- writer behavior. We as a society need to talk more about how Sabo wants to be a writer canonically). Maybe Sabo starts visiting more often or stays for a while, but the thing is they grow closer because they keep wanting to know each other more. Perhaps a fight against some marines happens and Sabo goes full protective of him or Luffy and Sanji is extremely turned on by that (who wouldn't after seeing Sabo break skulls like eggs). And maybe they end up fucking, and it's not rough, but it's not extremely soft either? It's the perfect mix of possessiveness and care and somehow Sanji still feels in control all the way through. And I don't want to mention the cigarette of doom but Sabo lighting up Sanji's cigarette for him would be extremely intimate but also would make Sanji worry because every time this happens, he ends up creating a strong bond with that someone and something goes wrong. So they like each other a lot but there's always this layer of anxiety? Like they care too much for the other to say what they are but they refuse to lose each other. And Luffy either keeps telling Sabo to not still his cook or teasing Sabo for liking his cook, no in between. But yeah, let's make them go into a relationship:

Clingiest mfs on planet earth. Can't stand them. Sanji is down bad and is turned on by every little thing Sabo does but also can't stand him when he gets annoying and ends up yelling at him like an angry housewife. Sabo often takes that as flirting and starts teasing him more, being really into PDA and also being extremely soft. Sabo says the most romantic things in the world and expects Sanji not to fall for him??? Okay. But it's not only Sanji who blushes because then he keeps feeding Sabo his favorite food and smiling at him and Sabo suddenly feels dumb and weak in the knees and has the need to laugh like a high school girl in a rom-com. Sabo is extremely possessive and I think as a fandom we all agree on that, but it's not even in a toxic way. Sanji likes it. Let them be like that. And as I said, they'd take care of each other when one is overworking himself or having nightmares or not being able to sleep or function properly. They'd be each other's anchors and they would completely understand the other.

I don't know, I just think they fit perfectly <3 Killer Queen and Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy? Yes. Anti-Hero and Mastermind? Yes. Sky x Ocean? Of course, fuck other dynamics, this one hits different. They mean the world to me 🩵💙🩵💙🩵

To end this, I gotta say that they also look extremely hot together. I think the post would've been shorter if I just said I want both of them to kiss because it would look good, but I love analyzing the shit out of my favorite characters.

Tagging my awesome mootie @tinukis because he gave me the idea for a Sabosan analysis!!!! Thought you might be interested <3 Also, here's the post that made me think about it !!!!

[theshadowsingersraven]

something i appreciate deeply about my fellow shippers—whether you're a gwynriel, azris, elucien, multi-shipper, or just someone who enjoys exploring different dynamics is that we'll entertain concepts and even art/fics that might not center our ships, even if it's an OTP of ours. i feel like there's no question that any of you guys have most likely made up a majority of my fics' audiences despite the Az/OC pairings.

i love how i can tell that people in these sections of this fandom are truly invested in the development of the characters themselves and what their HEAs will be.

example: i'm sure some of my fellow gwynriels (even if they aren't my mutuals/aren't on tumblr) have read my fic even if the gwynriel relationship is platonic because they genuinely care for gwyn and azriel as characters both independently and while being part of the same ship. (and i also don't pit women against each other in this house so gwyn is tight af with solara in ACOSAR)

i'm sure azrises have read my work, too, because i'm leading up to eris being involved in ACOSAR and ACOAAS, and fleshing him out with the love and care he deserves--facing beron, mending his relationship with lucien, seeing who he is beneath the mask he has to wear in autumn, etc.

my fellow eluciens are getting fed soon so i know y'all are here and also being patient af, and i love you for it ;) elain is also getting her own development, and lucien is getting SO much overdue love in ACOSAR! like gwyn, elain is not pitted against any love interest in my works because we are girls' girls here.

and of course, my beloved azriel stans above all else--i hope i'm keeping you all fed and happy in my effort to give our man all the love, appreciation, and development he deserves.

just wanted to send love and appreciation to all of you as individuals for having genuine love and affection for these characters and how people like to develop them through their art. you guys are what makes this fandom still feel like a place where i can share my writing and passion and they actually get appreciation ♡

[gorbalsvampire]

TALK ABOUT HORNT VAMPIRES, PLEASE!!!

This is about the Compulsion thing, isn't it?

OK. Compulsions are born out of the Hunger - they are a consequence of Messy Criticals - but they are also evidence that the Beast isn't about the Blood and only the Blood and nothing but the Blood. The basic Compulsions "form the core of the vampiric personality" and they are Hunger, Harm, Paranoia... and Domination.

Vampires want control. It's how they stay safe, it's how they stay fed, it's one of their core drives. Of course they're going to lean on one of the cores of the human personality to establish that control, and they're going to Discipline their prey - what a choice of terms for the vampiric power set! - to maintain it.

We can talk about the raw power of the Lasombra - they're stronger than you, they can break your mind to their whim, and if you will insist on struggling, the deprivation of sight and movement and the critical but not lethal pain offered by various iterations of Obetneblivion.

We can talk about the horror that is Auspex and a mental Discipline. Tremere, Malkavians, Tzimisce and especially Toreador can read your desires off the back of your head and compel you to fulfil them and, in the latter case, you won't even necessarily know you're being played. Everything will feel... natural. For all that I love the overt hypno-kink potential of the Tremere in particular (it's wired into their relationships with each other, either part bound to enable Dominate or reliant on it because they can't bind), it's the Toreador who I find most horrifying and alluring here. My Ravnos and Setite characters wish they were that good.

We can even talk about meat crimes, if you want, but the rest of Vampire fandom on Tumblr has kinda got that part down already.

Let's go deeper, though, and get into the Compulsions of specific clans.

Judgment. Look, I don't want to spell this out for you, it seems too obvious. Transgress, and a Banu Haqim can't help themselves. They are responsible for you, you awful brat, and you keep on baiting them like this. It's a dangerous dance, working your lover's levers like this, but if you're into punishment you're going to get bitten.

Rebellion. Feral Impulses. I'm loading two Anarch pillar clans together because what unites the Brujah and the Gangrel, for our purposes, is their brattiness, the urgency and spite of their desire. The Gangrel one even goes so far as to mention that clothes are constricting: there's an exhibitionist thing waiting to get out here.

Morbidity. Don't even start me on the snuff movies. That's easy street. The Hecata can kill and resurrect something more abstract - like the desires of the jaded and the weary. When nothing excites you any more, when you feel like pleasure has lost its edge, here's a sadistic fucker with a bite that'll give you some perspective on yourself. A dangerous game, especially for mortals, but - OK, now we can talk about the snuff movies.

Transgression. What's a Minister without a boundary to kick down and slither over? You say vampires don't fuck and half the Setites have their kit off just to spite you. This is to say nothing of religious adulation, the stereotype of the serpent queen adored by pliant, presenting bodies. I actually find this one a bit tired - I'd like to see a Minister who's more of the World and the Devil than the Flesh.

Delusion - the Malkavian sensory overload, writhing in the embrace of imaginary lovers and less able to resist further... stimulus. You don't need to touch a Malkavian to set them off. But you know what I really think of, when I think about Malkavians? Power. She's beauty. She's grace. There's pain writ on her face. She carries such a terrible burden but with you, beloved, little one, with you she can let go. Unmask, and bask in the sensations she spent all night repressing. Why was Malakai so close to brother Saulot and brother Set? They both wanted to help her release. Set just wanted her to do it in public.

Cryptophilia - what does your Nosferatu lover want? What do you want? They're not going to be happy until they've turned over the deepest stone in your soul, put you in your space and found the tick you didn't even know you tocked. You lucky monsterfucker. You're going to be here a while.

Tempting Fate. Oh, Ravnos. You always want what you can't have. You just have to kiss the diva while you're taking off her necklace. You just have to make sure the Seneschal's secretary really wants to come and find you a second time. And a third. And... look, Ravnos have trouble with the word no and they can make you have trouble with it too.

Affective Empathy. Was there ever a clan so cursed as the Salubri? Ever a Kindred so driven to share, to ease, to comfort? The Salubri sex worker. The Salubri surrogate. The Salubri who cares for you so much. Won't you find solace with them? Please? Please? There's a desperate selfishness to their kindness that feels deliciously complex.

Obsession. Covetousness. The Toreador admire your beauty for itself. The Tzimisce admire it because it's theirs. They want to transform you, enshrine you, possess you absolutely. Hope you like being spoiled. Hope you like feeling beholden to the object of your Desire in a way the others will never understand. Only you appreciate it truly. Spoil it. Cradle it. Never let it go.

Perfectionism. Ruthlessness. I wasn't expecting the Tremere and the Lasombra to have so much in common, but both of them want to do the thing right. Again. Again. Again. Until it's perfect. Critically, it's them doing the thing - for all that they like giving commands, their Compulsion finds them wanting to fulfil them, to exceed them even, and Lasombra aren't the aloof hands-off kind of domme. Leave that to the Ventrue. They're going to work you over.

Arrogance. Basic as ever, the Ventrue love being the boss, but there's a catch. The order has to be given without supernatural aid. So this Compulsion forces the Ventrue to cultivate loyalty, respect, obligation, love and lust like a human, just so they can feel more like a good vampire. This is how you crack open the dignitas and get under their skin. This has a lot more potential than you'd think. If the Ventrue doesn't understand the limitations, at first, the poor bastard could be grinding his fangs night after night wondering why the cold instruction of Compel or the deliberate cruelty of Entrance isn't doing it for him. What does the Beast want that its powers do not provide?

God, I'm thinking about the erotic potential of Clan Ventrue now. Eff Emm Ell.

And Duskborn? You're mostly human anyway. Most of you are walking around with a thrill in your very veins! It hits like vitae, just about, but with no consequences. You gorgeous little snack packs. You have something the old thiccos want, and can't admit to taking. Isn't that delicious? Isn't that almost power? Isn't that how you get your Mawla sugar daddy? Isn't it fun to look these "real Kindred" over and realise that their Hunger is your Dominance? Who really has the power in this room: is it really the person giving all the orders?

[unclewaynemunson]

Jeff is one of my favorite characters and I think we should start a post of all our favorite Jeff headcanons. He and Freak get left out in almost every Eddie-centric fic I read, with his "best friend" being either Gareth or Chrissy, and I'm tired of it. Jeff is wonderful. Here's my hc's:

- Jeff and Eddie have been best friends since middle school. They started CC and Hellfire together.

- they went to the Snowball together and rigged the bubble machine to spew bubbles during the slow dance songs. The dance had to end early and Jeff and Eddie never got caught

- Jeff's parents loves Eddie. They used to have sleepovers at each other's place almost every weekend.

- Jeff was the first person Eddie came out to. Jeff tried to be surprised and "that's great, man, thanks for telling me!" But Eddie saw right through that.

- Eddie is afraid of geese and spiders. Jeff thinks this is fucking hilarious.

- post-Vecna, Jeff is the one Eddie reconnects with first. Eddie tells him everything, despite the NDAs and Steve's warnings. Jeff believes him, because he knows there's wacky shit going on in Hawkins, and he's seen Eddie's wounds.

- they have that kind of friendship that nothing can break. Even if they don't see or talk to each other for years, because Life Happens and people lose touch, they'll always have part of themselves carved out for their best friend.

Ok, that's all I got for now, and sorry for the long ask! I just love Jeff so much and he (and Freak, too, because Freak gets ignored because of fatphobia) deserves just as much love and attention as Gareth gets.

What are your Jeff and Eddie headcanons?

I am loving this Jeff love and your headcanons, thank you so much for sending this to me!!! <3

I think with Unnamed Freak things are a bit different bc, yaknow, he doesn't have a name. For me at least that makes me hesitant to write about him so I don't wanna go as far as to say it's all bc he's fat (even though I'm not gonna deny that that probably also plays a part in how popular he is in this fandom urgh). Anyway, yes this fandom certainly does Jeff dirty. I think it's this gross combination of racism and people copying a lot from already existing stories, characterizations and headcanons without much critical thinking of their own (which baffles me, if you're creative enough to write a story please use that creativity for some originality ffs). Anyway, this is gonna turn into a rant again can you tell I'm still annoyed? so let's turn to something more positive now, like my headcanons for our beloved Jeff:

He was the first person in Hawkins (after Wayne obviously) that Eddie got close to. For Jeff it was kinda the same, being a black, nerdy boy in this town had been very isolating for him and Eddie was his first real friend.

Unnamed Freak made their duo into a trio a bit later. All the others in the group (including Gareth) were Eddie's "lost little sheepies" who he sought out to protect. This means that Jeff and Unnamed Freak are the only people who don't borderline worship Eddie but see him (and love him) for who he is including all his flaws. They're also the only ones not afraid to call him out on his bullshit.

Jeff's mom is really cool. Her name is Pauline and she's not like Jeff at all (she was a cheerleader in high school). Despite their differences they love each other a lot. (Jeff's mom is actually heavily featured in one of the fics I wrote so I got her all fleshed out lmao)

He has two little twin sisters. They're friends with Erica, one of them is one of her friends we meet in the mall in s3. He has this typical hate-love relationship with his sisters: they fight a lot, but at the end of the day, he would die for them.

HE'S BISEXUAL

While he can't wait to get out of Hawkins and to a place that'll be more accepting of him, he doesn't want to move too far away from his family.

He's the most loyal friend in the world, 100% a ride-or-die kinda guy

While he does love metal a lot, his guilty pleasure is Tina Turner

Tell me all your Jeff headcanons i wanna hear more about him!

[shinyzango]

Greetings!

Hope you have a wonderful day. Need to admit, for a long time my thoughts have been occupied by some questions, if you don’t mind:

How do Hans and Clara feel about their own bodies? For Hans I mean the human form, for the Nutcracker everything is clear thanks to your comics.

And I don't even mean this in a sexual context.

But when they are alone with themselves, when they take off their clothes to change for bedtime, how do they see themselves? Do they think things like, “Well, I guess I'm pretty good-looking, I'm comfortable with the way I look,” or “I'm self-conscious about my body for one reason or another, I don't think I'm attractive.”

Or maybe those are thoughts like “Yes, I’m not completely perfect, there is something about me that doesn’t suit me (scars, moles, etc.), but I think that I look quite beautiful to others.” Not in the narcissism or self-praise way, but calm recognition and acceptance.

And the following question is: once they have already discovered their feelings for each other, do those thoughts change? Does each tremblingly assume that the other will want to share physical warmth with him/her, or is he/she sad, not finding himself/herself good enough for the beloved to look at?

(I apologize in advance if these are too sensitive questions. Frankly, I’ve been thinking hard for some time now about drawing a short comic about such mental tossing, SFW, of course. But I’m very afraid of making a mistake with the character analysis.)

Oh no problem at all! These are particular questions that you don't get to think of often for characters (me at least) but I'll see what I can cook up.

For the first question... hm, I would say Clara is quite comfortable with her own appearance, which she is also thankful for since she's the daughter of a highly stimated family so she doesn't have to go too out of her way to be a pretty presence in meetings and the such, but she does tend to feel a little "too simple" when she's near other girls and women who look a lot more regal and beautiful than her. Nothing bad mind you, it's just a thought that crosses her mind. As for Hans... in pre-curse he's incredibly nervous about his own appearance. He does look fine, but since he's been raised in the Royal Castle, he has always thought of himself as unworthy, a simpleton. Always surrounded by royalty and highly stimated people made him feel out of place with his appearance, if that makes sense. In post-curse he has scars on his body, and at first he thought they ruined his image even more, other than reminding him of the terrifying Mouse King he had to fight. And still felt out of place in Clara's world, fearing people could tell he's not from their world and questioning him about it. Eventually these opinions get better as time goes on thanks to Clara's company and support and spending time with people who he feels closer to his own status.

As for the second question, well Clara doesn't really have thought about that, but Hans would definitely feel not worthy of her attention, especially when he's a nutcracker (for obvious reasons) and fears that Clara will be disappointed when she will see what he actually looks like.

I hope these answers satisfy your curiosity! I don't get to think about this kind of topics so they may sound off or incomplete, apologies ksjdng

[storiesandthingsofthatnature]

To Feel Adrenaline

Part 2

Summary: Pino ventures to a district that is new to him and meets a stalker that is quite the character

Word Count: 1.3k

Pairing: Pinocchio x G!N!Reader

Warnings: Violence but that's about it :3

Disclaimer: Nothing to report~

A/N: Hey there! I'm back with a Lies of P fic! This is going to be a series based on feelings so if you guys have an idea for a prompt around a feeling do let me know and I could add to the series ^^ As for the Leon x reader series, I don't think I will be continuing with it. I dunno, it all depends really. I just don't have any further idea for it and I honestly don't like how the writing came out. But, like I said, we shall see.

Btw, the district I mention is just one I added. Gemini talks more in here because he deserves more lines, the reader is a very...Interesting character and just know that this is set after the puppet king defeat as that's where I'm at in the game so no spoilers please :'D

Anyways, enjoy! And do let me know what you think ;; Comments, reblogs and likes are always appreciated as well <3 Thank you!

Pino walked on soft footsteps, the puppet trying to evade the more basic frenzied puppets to preserve his stamina. He was currently out scouting an area that he hadn’t traversed yet, Gepetto wishing his son a safe trip but not before leaving him with a warning. “Rumor has it that there is an elite stalker in that district. I hear they keep to themselves and don’t really associate with anyone, but I have no idea how they will react if they figure out who you are and who you are with. Please be careful, my son.”

So far there were just the usual maid and butler puppets with the occasional harder opponent. But it was nothing that Pino really had to worry about, his swordsmanship and defense sharpening evermore with each battle. Each encounter something that he kept with him, memories that helped him along the way. However, he was not lax. His father’s words were still in the back of his mind and it seemed that Gemini was thinking the same thing as well. “What do you think they’re like, this “elite stalker.” Gemini mimicked Gepetto. “I’ve heard about that one woman who is supposedly the best of the stalkers, but I didn’t know that there were others. Hmmm, we shouldn’t take this lightly, huh?” 

They had only just beaten The Puppet King not too long ago, Gepetto practically forbidding Pino from continuing on his journey for the moment. “My son needs his rest. And I just want you to be safe, for once.” His father had said and Pino had agreed reluctantly but on the condition that he was still helpful to Gepetto and the others in other ways. So here he was, scouting out a district that was a little bit past Malum district. He knew he shouldn’t go out too far and go to places that aren’t really necessary, but was mostly curious as to what was out here. 

Pino wondered if he would actually stumble upon this stranger but suddenly, the amount of puppets in the area began to dwindle as he traversed further into the district. Further until there were none and just the sound of the sprinkling rain pattering against the cobblestone street was all that was left. A nervous chirp sounded from Gemini,” I dunno if I should be grateful that there are no more puppets or suspicious…Be careful, pal.” For assurance, Pino reached back and gently patted against the top of Gemini’s lantern. He may get annoyed with the cricket puppet at times but he was still a very beloved companion. 

Suddenly, fast approaching footsteps crept up from behind Pino, the puppet jumping to the side to dodge an incoming attack. “I thought I had rid this place of you guys. Ya’ll just don’t quit!” The newcomer said, obviously annoyed at Pino’s presence. They shouldered their weapon as they recentered themselves from their attack and turned to Pino. “Well, you’re an interesting one! You’re obviously not like the others either.” While they mulled over this, Pino couldn’t help but tilt his head as he observed the stranger’s animal mask. He knew that stalkers usually wore masks to show rank but he had never seen this animal before!

“Hm?” You question the puppet’s curious look, your free hand aligning with his line of sight and you meet your mask. “Oh! Ah yes! Not the usual get up, right? I thought - Donkey mask? Bunny mask? Those are quite boring. I had to go for something more, well, me!” It was a dinosaur mask that you adorned. More specifically a T-Rex mask. “I would have gone with a velociraptor, but I found out that they’re smaller than I originally imagined so, T-Rex it is!”

There was a moment of silence and Pino could swear that this was probably one of his most strangest encounters. “Eccentric. The answer to my earlier question is eccentric.” Gemini chirped, Pino giving a small nod in agreement. You give a hum,”I’m actually quite curious as to why you’re not attacking me right now. I had heard a rumor that there was a puppet made by Geppetto that is actually good but…I just don’t know. Sorry, but, do you mind if we have a sparring session? I see a person’s character better that way.” You bring your weapon back to hip height, the candle light from the street lanterns creating a gleam across the blade. 

It was nothing spectacular in appearance but when you wield it, it didn’t require aesthetics. “Well at least they were kind enough to ask.” Gemini surmised, Pino giving a single tap to the glass. A sign that he needed Gemini to be silent from here on so he could concentrate. “Good luck, pal.” Was what he left Pino before settling into his lantern further for the fight.

Pino unsheathed his weapon as well - The Puppet Ripper that he had received from Alidoro after defeating The Puppet King. He wanted to try it out and now seemed like a good time. You hum in amazement from the looks of the scythe. “Woah, that looks terrifying. Please mind that thing would ya?” You laugh and Pino couldn’t help but knit his brows at your odd wording. But suddenly, he felt your presence behind him. He noticed just in time to block your advancement, you giving a small sound of amazement. “You actually blocked that! Impressive!” You praise and then jump back, landing lightly on your feet.

Pino had no idea how you had gotten behind him so quickly, but he didn’t have time to think it over before you were coming at him with another attack. Your jabs were super sonic, your slashes nearly invisible. Pino was having a hard time keeping up, receiving small hits of damage as his blocks weren’t perfect. “I wonder how long you can keep up with me.” You say as you hit him with a heavy blow, Pino sliding back until he hits a wall. You advance quickly, hot sparks of iron lighting the area you two fought in as your blades hit with such ferocity and determination. 

Pino could feel his stamina reaching its max, the puppet needing to find a break in the fight to have a small rest to regain it but you were adamant on keeping him from doing just that. He had no idea where you kept all that energy but he really wished he could tap into it somehow. He could feel the ergo that surged within him pulsing rapidly, like a heart rate that was skyrocketing. Even with the pupper king he hadn’t felt this sensation before, the fear that he may not be able to pull through this if this keeps up. 

However, your hits subsided and your blades crossed, scratching metal a cacophony in both of your ears as you created a stalemate. Your eyes looked deep into Pinos’, [e/c] meeting iridescent blue that held hints of worry yet shone with a burning fire that screamed “I will fight until I can no longer move.” You give a breath of a laugh and jump back, the young puppet practically collapsing from the broken tension. “You have some sharp skills there.” You praise once more as you sheath your weapon. “Thank you for the sparring session! I really needed that.” You walk over to Gepetto’s puppet, Pino swearing that if he held the ability to breath he would be doing so very heavily right now. You hold out a hand, a small smile gracing your lips. “Nice to meet you. My name is [Y/N] The Fossil. I hadn’t thought that I would meet a well mannered puppet ever again but here you are.” 

Pino felt like he just experienced whiplash, the sudden change in conversation throwing him off. But yet, he took the outstretched hand, a small shake creating the catalyst for you and Gepetto’s puppet.

[amplexadversary]

@fighting-these-demons Yeah okay so. The friend who got me into the game said the same thing. "ehh she's pretty weak you're not going to want to use her later on"

That is absolutely not the case, people are sleeping on this girl, and she saved my run in one of the challenge modes when I picked the game back up recently. While I will be the first to admit this game does not like control characters (in the high-level content it seriously favors single-target DPS), when there is more than one enemy on the field, my Sucrose is quite appropriately for the game's theme a god among women.

So the "wind" element in this game has a neat little feature where if you have slapped some fire, water, ice, or electricity on something, hitting it with some wind will spread it to adjacent foes, and deal extra damage. Hitting something with wind will also remove the element you slapped onto the enemy, unless you have two of them, in which case you can just keep doing extra damage until long after the cooldown ends on the other party member who slapped that element on in the first place.

Sucrose uses the one type of weapon where every normal attack she performs is elemental. She also, crucially, has a gather (crowd control, sucks enemies in) for both of her non-normal-attack abilities.

If I put Sucrose. Perfect beloved Sucrose. On a team with three characters that do some combination of fire, ice, water, &or electric damage while off-field (hell, I even throw in Collei, the plant user I ship with her, on the team because her skills react with the water and electricity), with equipment that gives her a high crit rate and which uses that to generate energy which charges her and her teammates powerful second ability (a "burst" in game terms), and I then pop off everyone else's off-field abilities, the result is a self-refreshing maelstrom of bonus damage that, rather than being rate-limited by how fast I can recharge everyone's burst, is capped by the cooldown on the bursts themselves, which you only even see if you have an absolutely stupid rate of recharge. The other elements react with each other. The wind reacts with the other elements. Numbers everywhere. Enemies up to the mliddle-levels of chonkiness can't do anything about it. The heavier enemies still take the damage. It's absolutely hideous.

I'd only had the "base" Sucrose for the longest time, and this system worked swimmingly. I have since got ... I think two? of the upgrades you get from getting another copy of the character, which increase the effectiveness of this strategy marginally, by giving her two enemy-gathering abilities more uptime (the first of which is a huge QoL upgrade but not that much more powerful). If I were to find myself with two more of her, she gets an ability where her already fantastic basic attacks effectively feed into this system (well, moreso than they already do with the weapon that turns critical hits into delicious burst energy), creating more wind bullshit and getting everyone even more energy, faster.

I don't usually get to use her in the optional hardest levels of the game because lazy development means the enemies tend to be one giant sack of HP that's immune to crowd control with a timer slapped on it, but in both the overworld, the levels that give you equipment and materials for leveling up, and in the earlier challenge levels, she is a monster.

Also the blond boy is actually her boss, they're both alchemists with adjacent fields of expertise.

I don't know what the popular pairings for her are, but I really really like her with the girl below (these scenes are from an event that's ended because this stupidass game loves FOMO. But looooook at theeeeemmmmm. The other girl has a history of medical abuse but she has a meet cute with this scientist and feels more comfortable around her than with most people! They're precious.)

[ace-malarky]

Happy Blorbo Blursday!

No question today, just give us a ramble about a character you don't usually get a chance to ramble about!

Beloved, I have so many characters I have never rambled about but also ok we're doing side characters with Relevance now so it's Drassa's turn

by the time of any story we see her in, she's a retired adventurer, well respected if distant member of society, definitely nobility if a bit strange, and

of course

our boy Jasper's mother

(and also the character I played in the game that spawned them both. No I don't know why Jasper then got the limelight but it's better this way because I can just allude to all of Drassa's stuff rather than having to write it)

Except! no one knows she is Jasper's mother because she is Unwed and Respectable and Surely Drassa Would Never so he's obviously just like. a foster child or a distant relative's because she is so Sweet and Noble, of course she would Help Out to give him a good start in life

but anyway. She starts life as like. almost a normal kid, actually! She's friendly, she has a family! There's no tragic backstory here, she's just kinda bored with it all. She just has a hankering for something more and, being stubborn and unwilling to listen to people telling her to cool her jets and also No, she just strikes out with whatever group is going and learns fast how to fake everything. She isn't a fighter but my god can she talk her way into and out of everything! In a world of elves and orcs and lizardfolk where they haven't quite forgotten that humans are only so many generations out of being colonisers, with no access to the magic of the world, she's got to be smart about it and she is. She moonlights as a thief for a little bit (this is how she meets her main party/friends) but rather than stealth, her strategy is to act like she owns the place and not give anyone an opening to suggest that she doesn't

Her main party/friends are a lizardfolk & elf couple who have their own enemies-to-lovers arc already sorted by the time they meet Drassa, and they become very ride-or-die in the... ten or so years that they hang out together. despite claiming that they themselves are retired at that point. they couldn't resist Drassa's charm either

I am still somewhat hazy on how she meets Jasper's dad. it was probably just for a good time! Jasper definitely wasn't planned! (and had she known about the curse, she probably wouldn't have gone there but my god she would have liked to have known before it all explosively comes to light)

but when she realises she's pregnant, she figures she's got to make sure the kid isn't like. caught in the little circle of enemies she's getting known by? So she enlists her friends to help her get off world (fraud is committed), sets herself up as Rich Aristocrat (crimes are committed, but politely), and settles herself in for a life of refined ease. There is absolutely never a moment where she goes "ha this kid is going to be someone else's problem I'm too busy" she just fully adapts to being a single parent

but ok yes, she's looking after a kid and settling into her place in society with her big house and her garden and the servants that she pays to help out when she has to, and as Jasper grows up she finds she's just. she's missing it all! She wasn't aiming for retirement this early, but she's got a kid, man, and by god is he going to grow up in safety and with the freedom to get into whatever the fuck he wants!

so she might still be doing some light facilitating and blackmail and information gathering on the side. Oh I need to write in her and Nuvian knowing each other, that's a necessity. You know she's working with our travelling crime merchant! He's definitely fencing stuff for her!

and she doesn't exactly keep this quiet from Jasper & Llinos but I think they're definitely mostly laboring under the idea that she's retired (or at least only still has like the vaguest of historic links to it all), so when they come back to find that her past has come back to bite, they're a little surprised to find that she's holding her own in whatever form the fight has taken haha

Tamhas and Tadhg do not know any of it, and this is for everyone's safety. It's bad enough that they wriggled their way into crime as it is, but at least it's where Drassa can keep an eye on them. This is why they panic when they realise that Drassa is in trouble, and like while she appreciates the back up it was not entirely necessary! She'd got herself out of tighter fixes before and she'll do it again