#everyone wish her a belated good birthday!!!

[alarainai]

more than words / wolfstar (one shot)

happy belated birthday, @imsiriuslyreading i love you <3

Remus is far more focused on Sirius in general. Especially when he rests his head on Remus’ lap mid-babble, as though it’s the most normal thing in the world. It is, actually. It’s not the first time that Sirius has used him as a cushion and it certainly won’t be the last. And yet… Is his skin clearer? Has he gotten a new tattoo? Has he changed up his hair care routine? Something is different. Something is new. So why can’t Remus put his finger on it?

or: It takes several all-nighters and an overpriced wedding for Remus to realise his own love story was just a room away.

[igotlovestruck]

fine line [ christian pulisic ]

after finding out the secret you’ve been hiding for years, christian made it his mission to be with his own family and of course, to be with you despite your careers and other obstacles that’s keeping the both of you apart. things are moving too fast and it’s starting to worry you. but don’t worry—“we’ll be a fine line”.

[ 𝗣𝗔𝗜𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗦 ] — christian pulisic x ex!reader; oc!emily, oc!ezekiel, oc!andrew . ⊹ ✶ ㄔ 🫂 °.   *

[ 𝗗𝗘𝗧𝗔𝗜𝗟𝗦 & 𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗡𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗦 ] — insta au, im not really good at dates but just imagine the setting is during the summer lmfao, christian & y/n softlaunching (are they really though 🤨) . ⊹ ✶ ㄔ ℹ️ °.   *

࣪˖ 💭 .. 𝗘𝗬𝗔’𝗦 𝗡𝗢𝗧𝗘𝗦 ⌕ YEAH so ive only got this for now, i haven’t finished writing the narrative scenario BUT FOR NOW enjoy this <3 ALSOOO belated happy birthday to my man who isn’t my man but is my man ❤️🖤

this work is purely fictional. names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. © httpsuniverse, 2023. do not steal, repost in other platforms, translate and/or claim this work as your own.

— in case you missed it: easy on me • read more of my works here!

cmpulisic

liked by masonmount and 299,372 others

cmpulisic summer for the books ✌🏻 ready to go 🚨♟️

view all 382 comments

user wait what

user since anyone isn’t mentioning anything about the 4th and 8th pic, i will. DID I MISS SOMETHING OR....?

user girl you’re wrong, everyone’s talking about it

user you mean, did WE miss something? yeah, we definitely did

user yall maybe that’s just his nephew or something 😭

user i don’t...i don’t think so...

user WHATTTTT

user whose kid is that christian 😭

user this is your year christian 👏🏻

user captain america ❤️🖤

masonmount congratulations brother 🤝

benchilwell my man 🫡

yourusername

liked by emilyemmons and 579 others

yourusername what a crazy summer it has been 🌻 til next time florida!

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emilyemmons 💗 enjoy your journey to milan, my loves!!

yourusername come visit us when celeste is a bit older 😚💗

emilyemmons oh we definitely would 🫶 celeste definitely loved having her godmom around 😌

yoursistersig hot mamas!! 🥵 emilyemmons yourusername

yourusername stoppp 🫣

emilyemmons this summer is the most i’ve seen y/n wear bikinis and she’s the HOTTEST

yoursistersig ikr! that’s what i've been telling herrr 😫

yourmomsig zekey holding the flowers 🌷 enjoy milan, my love 🤍 wishing you all the best

yourusername 🥹 see you soon mom!!

emilyemmons those are from ********* 🤭

yourusername emi!!!

yourmomsig well, they’re beautiful! he definitely remembers which flowers you like 😉

deedee_pulisic come back soon with zeke ❤️

yourusername of course! he and avery can be playmates 🥰

user wait a minute...

user girl are you thinking what i’m thinking

user ...yes...

user is THAT christian 😭

user GIRLLL the tattoo, the beard !!!! it IS christian

YOURUSERNAME HAS SET THEIR ACCOUNT TO PRIVATE.

cpulisicupdates

10,817 likes

cpulisicupdates “I’LL DO MY BEST TO PROTECT THEM FROM THE PUBLIC”

are these hints that christian pulisic is finally off the market? watch christian’s newest interview, click the link on my bio to access it! 😄

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user wait what

user I KNEW THAT KID IS HIS

user we’ll never know unless he confirms it him babe

user girl are you not convinced already lol look closely at the pictures of the kid on the mom’s posts, he clearly looks like christian when he was a kid

user still not convinced

user you do you ig

user “very special people that i’ve recently reunited with” omfg exes to lovers i think

user GIIIIIIIIIIRL 😭 dont do this to me

user dont blame me i finished a lot of movies today

user i dont know which one of you bitches just lied to me and told me i have a chance with this man ... APPARENTLY HE HAS A KID

user this has got to be the funniest shit i’ve read today 😭

user yeah that girl and kid is definitely connected to him, i surrender

user she’s definitely the girl he dated during his dortmund days

user i cant complain though, she’s gorgeous and i dont blame christian for being private with his relationship right now especially if they have a kid together

[faulty-writes]

Hi, I was wondering if it was alright for you to make a scenario or drabble based of of something? Ok so my birthday is coming up and every year there's a meteor shower that happens around the same time, and I've always wanted to have someone sit with me and watch the metor shower. Problem is, it only happens at like 4 or 5 am! So I was thinking that y/n could have this happen to them where everyone is too tired, but Bakugou, the man who goes to bed at 8, is the one that actually joins them. <3

[ Happy Early or Belated Birthday! I know this request took me some time to get to. But either way, happy wishes to you, my dear! Consider this your birthday present from me! I hope you enjoy it! With much love❤️, Faulty. ]

Tsuyu sat next to you on the couch and asked, "Ribbit, what are you reading?" Uraraka was sitting to your left and Kyoka and Momo were sitting in a nearby chair. "Yeah, you've been staring at that pamphlet all night," Kyoka said.

"Is that something for school?" Momo asked as you placed the pamphlet on your thigh and shook your head. "You all know it's my birthday tomorrow, right?" you asked. Uraraka replied, "Of course! We wouldn't forget your birthday."

"Heh," you picked up the pamphlet and opened it to reveal information about something peculiar. "Every year there's this meteor shower on my birthday, and…" you paused, looking at each girl. Before enrolling at Yuuei you attended a private boarding school and never really made any friends.

Not that it mattered because you watched the meteor shower alone for as long as you could remember but this year would be different! "There was something I wanted to ask…" You took a deep breath and pressed your hands against your chest. "Would you mind watching the meteor shower with me?"

Silence followed until Kyoka spoke. "What time is the meteor shower?" She asked, leaning against Momo who wrapped her arms around her. "Uh…oh well…" you rubbed the back of your head, feeling your stomach twist.

Another reason you watched the meteor shower alone every year was because the astrological event took place at "4 in the morning," as expected, their faces twisted with uncertainty. "Uh, huh," Uraraka glanced around, hoping to hear from one of the girls.

It was then that you felt Tsuyu's hand on your shoulder. "Hm?" You looked at her, and her sympathetic smile. "Well, we'll see what we can do, but it's a school night." Unfortunately, you couldn't help but frown despite her good intentions.

"Oh, right…" You looked down at your hands, now curled on your lap. "I…I think I'm going to go to my room," you said, standing up. "Huh? What's wrong?" Momo asked. "Is everything okay?" Uraraka reached out to grab your arm, but you shook your head.

"Nothing to worry about…I'm just tired," you said, stepping on the pamphlet as you walked away. Katsuki was leaning against the nearby wall with his arms crossed as you made your way to your room with your head hanging low.

He raised an eyebrow as you disappeared down the hallway. "Tch," he snarled and followed behind you, his steps swift and silent. Luckily, you seemed too focused on your thoughts to notice him until you reached your door, and he used his quirk.

As soon as his palm touched your door, a loud 'boom' sounded, and you scrambled back into him, eyes tightly shut. There was no surprise that his quirk was blinding, and the noise made your ears ring briefly. "What the hell is going on!?" you growled, blinking once or twice to readjust your vision.

Katsuki narrowed his eyes as he crossed his arms. He took a deep breath and sighed, debating on what to say. After a moment, he spoke, "Your birthday is coming up." You continued to rub your irritated eyes and hissed "Yeah so!?" in reply.

"Why the hell did you ask extras to spend your birthday with you?" Your eyebrows knitted, and your hands curled into fists. Opening your mouth, you were about to yell at him but stumbled back and into your door when he stepped forward.

"You think it'd matter watching some damn meteor shower with them!?" His words made your heart sink, and you curled your fingers inward, feeling your nails dig into your palms. You weren't sure whether you would react with anger or tears.

A lump formed in your throat, and you swallowed hard, trying to ignore his gaze. "Does that matter to you?" Your words were coated in anger. "Usually, I watch the meteor shower alone. I shouldn't have thought it would be different this time."

As painful as those words were, you knew they were true. Are you destined to watch such a spectacular phenomenon on your own forever? You lifted your head, once again ready to scream at Katsuki. However, to your surprise, he laid a gentle hand on your shoulder making you freeze yet stiffen in response.

His serious expression contrasted with the confused look on your face, which would have made him smirk otherwise. "You shouldn't waste your time asking extras anything like that, dumbass!" Your eyes widened and you leaned back, feeling various emotions fill you.

The strongest ones were anger and sadness, and you struggled again to respond to Katsuki. "Y-yeah, I'll remember that…thanks," you said bitterly as he raised his eyebrows. Your response to his questionable expression was a monotone one before you opened your door.

Even though there was a soot stain embedded in the wood of it, you entered your room half expecting him to stop you. Instead, he only raised his hand, wanting to say something but ultimately deciding not to. After closing the door, you slumped against it and sighed.

'Why did I ask them!? I'm so stupid!' Gritting your teeth and putting your hands into your hair, you grunted in frustration and slid to the floor. The fact that it was your birthday tomorrow didn't matter to you, as it now felt even less special. Katsuki may have been right.

If your friends didn't want to spend time with you during your birthday, doing something with you that held sentimental value, then were they really friends? As a potential hero, you know never to let darkness cloud your thoughts or heart.

Nonetheless, it was hard not to let your emotions take over. Taking a look around your room, you sighed again. "Might as well just get ready for bed…" yeah maybe you just needed to sleep this off. After changing into your appropriate sleeping wear, you lay in your bed staring at the ceiling.

Sleep didn't come easily to you, and you knew why. After lying awake for hours, you grunted and pondered whether pacing around your bedroom might finally exhaust you enough to get some shut-eye. However, this was not the case, and you looked at the clock after pacing for what seemed like hours.

It was just past midnight and you growled, frustrated with yourself. "Is there something wrong with me?" You hissed, ready to scream when you caught a glimpse of the night sky through the window curtain. Slowly pulling back the curtain, you were bathed in the gentle glow of the moon.

As you stared at the brilliant sparkling dots that adorned the sky, the world froze, and you breathed a sigh of contentment. Something unusual, however, stood out among the stars. As you leaned toward the window and pressed your hands against the cool glass you knitted your eyebrows trying to make sense of it.

You realized what you were looking at after a moment and clasped your hands together in glee, before exclaiming, "A shooting star!" Like a child, you believed in the concept of wishing on a shooting star. On the basis of that, you closed your eyes and wished for what your heart desired.

There was nothing more simple than wanting someone, just one person, to watch the meteor shower with you. The shooting star was nowhere to be found when you opened your eyes, but you smiled anyway. The next morning went as usual, you received a few birthday wishes and a few small gifts, but nothing major.

It's not like you expected a big party. As a matter of fact, you didn't give a damn. You were only looking forward to the meteor shower. After a brief sleep that night, you awoke promptly at three in the morning. Before climbing onto the roof of the student dorm building, you changed into a different outfit and gathered some supplies.

You shivered as you laid the blanket down on the roof, luckily you brought some hot chocolate thermoses to warm you up. You sighed contently as you drank one and let the steam caress your chilled face and your nose inhale the sweet chocolate aroma.

After a minute or two, you picked up your phone to check the time. "Almost…" you said, putting it away. After another sip of hot chocolate, you capped the thermos and pulled your knees up to your chest. When you finally saw the first meteor soar through the sky, you gasped in awe.

The rest soon followed, illuminating the otherwise dark sky. You were so absorbed in the moment that you didn't hear someone approach you until one of your shoulders was touched. A hand clamped over your mouth when you screamed out in surprise.

"Shut up! If you don't, you'll wake everyone in the building, and I don't need that damn Deku bothering us," your eyes widened, and you immediately recognized the voice. You pulled his hand away from your mouth, turning to look at him.

"Bakugou?" you asked in disbelief, unable to see his facial features clearly but feeling his glare nonetheless. After a few seconds, you turned back to watch the meteor shower. At the same time, you notice the temperature of your cheeks increasing.

If it were lighter outside, Katsuki would see that said cheeks were dusted a soft red color. "I just…I didn't expect you to join me," you said, briefly remembering your wish. Regardless of whether it was the shooting star or Katsuki's own decision to join you, your heart was racing.

For once you weren't alone watching the meteor shower. As he sat beside you on the blanket, you tensed up. "Just…you're normally the person who goes to bed first, so…" you swallowed heavily. "I'm just surprised to see you up at this hour."

As his eyes followed the meteors' path, he replied, "Tch, oh yeah?" He grumbled and brought one leg up to his chest, resting his elbow on it. "When those damn extras you call your 'friends' refused to watch this with you I…" He clenched his jaw. He wasn't used to or thought it appropriate to share his feelings.

Yet somehow you felt like a completely different case. What could he say he felt when he saw the look on your face when your 'friends' denied your request? On your damn birthday no less, it struck a chord. No…not a chord, more like a nerve in him.

It was impossible, he thought, for them to say no to you and still consider themselves your damn friends. Dumbasses are what they are, dumbasses who are not worth your time. Hell, he couldn't say all that. Instead, he glanced at you or at least in your direction.

When he moved his hand, his fingers brushed across the top of yours, making you gasp and snap your head toward him. You caught a glimpse of the smirk on his face. More than likely, he was proud of himself for causing such a reaction in you.

He looked back at the sky, which was still filled with meteors. Taking a deep breath, he watched it evaporate before him. He almost forgot how cold it was outside for a moment, but maybe that was because your warmth radiated through him.

"Look…" he began, "I don't do friendships but…" Okay maybe that was a lie, but the "friends" he had, like Eijirou and Hanta just forced their friendship on him, it's not like he asked for it. "As far as I'm concerned if someone you know is in need and asks you for a damn favor, you do it," he said with a growl.

"And if they refuse to do that damn favor, screw'em! They aren't worth your time and…yeah y-you're not my friend but I…care about you," he admitted, glancing away. "But don't tell anyone about that!" He snapped, making you jump in response. "I…I won't!" you replied, holding up your hands.

The tension between you two seemed to fade as you continued to observe the phenomenon before you and exchanged a few words over hot chocolate. Towards the end, your hands became intertwined and the distance between you grew smaller until you found yourself resting your head on his shoulder.

He tensed up a little at this simple act of affection but made no move to push you away or tell you to stop. Despite his quirk which many would think would give him rough skin, his hand was smooth, warm, and comforting.

Your chuckle broke the silence between you two. "Hm, what?" He demanded, and you shook your head trying to muffle your laughter. "N-nothing it's just...uh, f-funny," you said, continuing to snicker. He raised his eyebrow.

"What's funny?" he demanded, thinking you were laughing at him. You lifted your head, gazing into his eyes that were somehow visible in the dark. "I'm sorry, it's just that you told me not to waste my time with 'extras' for something like this." Your laughter died down.

"But you are the one watching it with me because you care," you said, smiling. After he blinked, almost as if he was trying to process the information you gave him, he leaned down and pressed his lips against your cheek, which made you squeak.

"Yeah well, I already said I care about you damn it, or did you miss that?!" He snarled, but you didn't react to this. Instead, you pressed your hand against your burning cheek. "A-and that kiss was?" He grumbled, rolling his eyes.

"I…I don't know. Consider it a damn…birthday gift…I guess," he replied and stiffened when you laughed again. "What is it this time!?" He snapped, and you shook your head. "Uh…nothing, just I…I wished on a shooting star I saw last night," you exhaled.

"Well, I guess you are my birthday wish so…thank you." His eyes widened and although you couldn't be certain, his cheeks seemed to light up. "Yeah well…whatever, just finish watching the meteor shower so we can go back inside. I'm losing sleep over this, dumbass…" he muttered, although part of him knew he didn't mean it.

Despite losing sleep, he was happy to spend time with you like this. A few hours later, he helped you pack everything you brought to the roof, walked you to your room and said goodnight. Although you felt incredibly tired by the time you got up from your short slumber, ate breakfast, and stumbled into class hunched over like a zombie.

The smile on your face was evident that you were still happy. Out of everyone who could have chosen to watch the meteor shower with you, Katsuki showed how kindhearted he was and frankly, you couldn't thank him enough. Taking a seat, you slumped down in your desk until you could see the ceiling.

Upon noticing your abnormal behavior, Ashido walked over. "Hey," she said, smiling before scratching her cheek. "Sorry, I missed your birthday yesterday. Uh, how was it? Did you have a good time watching the meteor shower?" She asked, slightly embarrassed.

"Hm? Oh…uh," you groaned, sitting back up and yawning loudly. "I mean…it was…" You glanced around the room, letting your eyes settle on Katsuki who was currently sitting at his desk with Eijirou and Hanta who were chatting his ear off.

However, that wasn't what made you smile, it was, yet again, remembering what he did for you. "Hm?" Ashido placed her hands on her hips and looked in the direction you were staring at. "What are you looking at?" She asked before scoffing.

"All I see is Bakugou over there," her response made you laugh, and she turned her head back. "What?" She demanded but you shook your head. "Nothing, nothing," you said, suppressing your laughter. "Yeah, I had an amazing time watching the meteor shower. Honestly, my birthday was…better than I could have wished."

[kazukazuhas]

hii, I hope you are doing well. if you are taking requests, can you write something reader x ninja. where it's the reader's birthday, and they do small affectionate things to celebrate her? it can be hcs or a small drabble. it's actually my birthday, so this prompt would be perfect. thank youuu✨️

˗ˏˋ ꒰ 💌 ꒱ birthday edition, ninja┊ ˚➶ ｡˚ ☁️

  ୧ ⎯⎯ SYNOPSIS ;; what do the ninja do on your birthday? [feat. the ninja and pixal + three extra ]

  ୧ ⎯⎯ WARNINGS ;; profanity ;; written incredibly platonic ;; some silly goofy things ;; reader leans female but majority gender neutral ;; some slight angst

  ୧ ⎯⎯ NOTES ;; happy belated birthday <33 fun fact, it was also my dog's birthday. also, kai being so big brother and excited to celebrate someone's birthday is so true

  ୧ ⎯⎯ ZANE JULIEN

#✧ zane told everyone the night before (after you vanished for a while) that it was your birthday today. but with the way he so casual woke up on your birthday, at the usual times he did and everything, it took you a good minute to realise, hey. i'm old today.

#✧ and being the wonderful nindroid he was he made you several little trinkets, from a little charm of your element to several badges of things you like– because, well you're the only ninja missing them on your gi (he and jay made them for everyone and disrupted them on each person's birthday). but the moment he saw cole scheming something, zane held back on gifting it to you.

#✧ so to make up for it, he turned into a brother (kai probably coded it into him) and showed you small affections through the day. ruffling your hair, patting you on the back, hugging, everything. not that he doesn't on a daily basis, he's a little less expressive normally.

  ୧ ⎯⎯ COLE BROOKSTONE

#✧ he remembered it was your birthday, yes but the hard part was what to get you. he opted for something easy and simple, cake. and because he had so often bought cake (for himself a lot of the time), you didn't quite suspect him getting it for you when you saw the box in the fridge, pushed to the back. cole got you a small one in your favourite flavour and colour, with “happy birthday, [name]” written in cursive on the top in your gi's colour. the sun had barely risen at the time when he got it.

#✧ that was when it hit him, whilr driving back home from the store, that they should have a small party at night. so to be a substitute for now giving you a gift throughout the day, he decided to (harmlessly) use dad jokes on you. (and it's the bad ones to.)

#✧ when you finally show up for morning training, he's the first (after zane) to wish you. engulfing you in the warmest and biggest dad hug of the damn century with the silliness jokes and laughter as he wishes you.

  ୧ ⎯⎯ KAI JIANG

[ HEADCANNON ;; kai is half indian (maya's side) and half chinese (ray's side). and if you ever met an indian, if it's not real gold or diamond– then what you doing?? ]

#✧ nya held him back for the while —swapping with zane to hug you herself— everyone was wishing you; because he was going to brother hug knock you out. (figuratively, literally: he was not going to let anyone wish you because he'd be too hyper to function properly, like usual on someone's birthday.)

#✧ something something he definitely bought you gold jewelry, something simple like earrings, a nose ring or a simple necklace. and kai spent no worry to have expensive it would be to get it custom made, he literally had it made like a whole half year and and a few months in advance before your birthday.

#✧ but since cole had the plan of the party, he substituted to annoying your guts instead of gifting you the jewelry. safe to say that it was your villain origin story...

  ୧ ⎯⎯ NYA JIANG

[ HEADCANNON ;; nya is half indian (maya's side) and half chinese (ray's side). ]

#✧ the moment she hugged you, she might have broken your back–

#✧ like kai, she got you some jewelry custom made for you, a matching set with what he got but it's distinct enough to be something she got you and stand on its own. she had to made towards the end of the previous year when she, zane and pixal go to buy everyone's gifts for the next year.

#✧ but for the time being, she and lloyd at some point (he was too because it pay back for last year when they did the same thing for a while week before and after his birthday) were helping you hide away from kai and cole being absolute menaces to your sanity. but it's all in good fun, shows it gonna be a good day.

  ୧ ⎯⎯ JAY WALKER

#✧ one of the two people that forgot it was your birthday, despite the fact he was finishing up the whole ass bike for a whole ass year was quite literally your birthday gift. jay didn't have a very good memory (it doesn't even come near to rivaling wu's though) and when he did realise, boy appeared next to you immediately while apologizing for forgetting and wishing you. he may have short circuited a little when he used his element to speed himself up so he could hightail it from the junkyard to the monastery.

#✧ on the topic of the gift, he was working on it at his parents' junkyard instead at the monastery because it was so much easier to hide it in the junkyard. throw some tarps and cover it up with some junk and you got it.

#✧ but being the loving brother he is, he sat back and watched you wreck your brains over the terrible dad jokes and annoying shit kai was pulling, stepping in to annoy you even more at some point before he disappeared to go and get the damn bike.

  ୧ ⎯⎯ LLOYD M. GARMADON

#✧ he forgot, but it was expected. he never really cared for birthdays —darkley's never celebrated him and they only matter when he joined the ninja— and he has the worst memory —caused by his seasons worth of trauma— so the moment he remembered, he pulled you to the side and apologized for wishing you so late (that being towards midday) and not getting you a gift (that is a LIE. he hoards so much that he definitely has a gift to give, no matter the occasion.)

#✧ teams up with nya to protect you from kai and cole because it's his revenge for last year (september is his hell, because of his birthday), though it is after he finds an acceptable gift to give you. he figures one of his trillion handmade bracelets (a coping mechanism) can work so he finds a little box and wrapping paper in someone's room and stuffs the paper in the box and puts the bracelet on it and asks nya to keep it with her.

#✧ is the most little shit ever, helping you prank the hell out of kai, cole and occasionally jay back. from dropping water on them to scaring the hell out of them and all the stops. at some point, he drags you and nya to play video games while they get reprimanded by wu. (being wu's gets him out of a trouble.)

  ୧ ⎯⎯ PIXAL

#✧ girl showed up a little earlier than the time of the party with a whole ass basket of snacks and foods she thought you'd like. hands it to you and when you return from hiding it from lloyd, she drags you out and takes you out on her samurai x mech for a bit, flying around the city with you in the mech's hands, nya tagged along on the mech's back.

#✧ she big sister's you so sweetly, talking about all of the random shit with nya. it's honestly a cute experience, and really homely and nostalgic of back when you were with your friends as a kid and before you became a ninja.

#✧ takes you to above ninjago city, on the top of borg tower and then to the quieter streets by the port where they took you out to eat at some stall (like an all girl thing.)

  ୧ ⎯⎯ WU

#✧ his gift was literally just no training– but in all seriousness, he had a small something to gift to you. he usually gifts the same thing to everyone, but it is personalized to each person. and no one still knows what he's gifted them, so, it's a mystery. (lloyd is praying it's not some clue to the next conflict.)

#✧ he's laughing with zane as he watches his students annoying you, at some point he playfully reprimands them before letting them go to set up the party after pixal and nya take you out for a while, helping them sort the banner pixal brought with her for the party that read “happy birthday [name]!”.

#✧ he's watching over them with his brother and sister-in-law beside him as the boys mess around and set up the little party.

  ୧ ⎯⎯ GARMADON

[ for plot purposes, he's sensei g. not lord nor emperor g. ]

#✧ man is having a ball while watching the boys annoy you, he dropped in once (multiple times) to casually slide in some embarrassing comment and single-handed wiping everyone out by turning them red. he's here for a fun time and apparently a long one too. but he's a sweet old guy who just showing affection for his uh- nth child.

#✧ garmadon, being the dad he is, most likely got you something silly that you and him have an inside joke on (he has atleast one inside joke with all the ninja and pixal). he had gotten it a long while before your birthday, that or he got his hands on something that you were dying to get but either it sold out or was no longer being made.

#✧ when he wished you, he probably pulled you into a hug that dad's give (safe and comforting, warm and protective, all at once) and tells you how proud he is of you, that you're still around and breathing, pushing on and how much he loves and cares for you.

the wind felt nice; despite the night breeze being so cold, it felt good against your skin as you sat securely in the samurai x mech's hands, listening to pixal and nya ramble as the nindroid flew you three in back to the monastery. the lights were dim in the courtyard and the only light was from inside, not to mention it was quiet– too quiet...

“guys– it's too quiet,” you mumble back to the ladies wking beside you, stopping as you pull the water ninja's sleeve to get their attention. nya shoots you a firm look, noting it herself while pixal looks around before looking at you.

she shakes her head slowly, “my scanners say there is no danger.”

reluctantly you nod, but trusting in her eyes and judgment. they both continue walking in, nya taking your hand in hers gently and tugging you along softly as she smiles warmly with comforting eyes. “there's nothing to worry about, don't worry, okay?”

“..okay.”

you walk in beside nya, tensing the moment someone covers you eyes and everywhere darkens for a moment before the light returns and pixal's squeezing your shoulders lightly.

“surprise!” they all say as everyone beams at you. there's curly ribbons in your colours (your gi and favourite colours mixed in them), the banner looks beautiful, there's little presents in different boxes behind the small cake. you swear you're about to cry when you realise that hey, this is for you.

it's been hell, and no one's actually celebrated their birthday for a hell of a long time before the conflict and missions you held as the ninja; ninjago's protectors. you say quiet for a moment to properly register it, the fact you're alive and loved. it a sweet feeling, giddy.

“thanks guys,” you say after a while, hugging pixal, who's hugging you from behind, back with an appreciation tone and smile. “thank you guys so much.”

“c'mon, kai, light the candles; we have one more embarrassing thing to do. and there's sing happy birthday,” jay laughs pulling you over to the cake, with a comforting smile, as he sits you down in front of it.

oh fuck. you're screwed now.

  ୧ ⎯⎯ MORRO WU

[ for plot purposes, this is in the past before morro died. he fleed the monastery and found another elemental master and you two stuck together, meaning he's alive to atleast see his teenage to adulthood years, depends on your age. you're the same age ]

#✧ morro is probably the only one who doesn't get you a gift, but he wishes you surprisingly heartfelt. it's the one time he hugs you and says something soft and sweet– the complete opposite of him normally.

#✧ your birthday is the one day that he and you goof off on. you're jumping into a lake together and play fighting together, stealing sweets and some food and he's sneakily taken a cupcake and candle to celebrate you a little bit. he probably steals a necklace or bracelet he thinks you might like and gifts you it.

#✧ overall, it's really sweet the way he worries for you and actually celebrates your birthday, taking out his time to give you something worth remembering unlike the other days and his own birthday (one of which he refuses to celebrate, and you respect his wish despite being who started the birthday cupcake tradition and upholding it every year.)

  ୧ ⎯⎯ NOTES ;; morro unfortunately gets no drabble– i wrote too much already. this was the first time i wrote for anyone but lloyd and morro's part is my favourite!

  ୧ ⎯⎯ TAGLIST ;; @spoopy-fish-writes // @spoops-inliyue ;; @decaffeinatedcloudkryptonite // @shaantiofher ;; @sunangelstears ;; @comicbookweirdo ;; @candy-letsbereal42

˗ˏˋ ꒰ 💌 ꒱ kazukazuhas copr. 2023 darling┊ ˚➶ ｡˚ ☁️

[archivalofsins]

So-

Happy belated birthday to Kotoko Yuzuriha.

She had a very interesting one, right? So, here are my thoughts on her interaction-

Contents warnings for discussions about domestic violence and suicide beneath the cut.

I was talking about how I felt in private about the timeline interaction since yesterday. I didn't really want to give a kneejerk reaction. However, it really sucks to be Mahiru. Everyone is rightfully concerned about Haruka due to his threats to harm himself. However, I have one question in regard to that-

Why would he need to discuss his plan with Kotoko at any point in that process?

In the discussion I had the only valid reason given was to avoid having his death look like anything other than a suicide. However, this is pretty easy to contradict. In the first Milgram novel we read the equivalent of someone committing suicide by cop in a hospital room. Now the novels are not a playbook for how the web series is going to go.

However, both books are an indicator that the staff is well aware of every method one could conceivably commit suicide. Both books cover the concept of self-harm in depth for various reasons. Haruka is not asking Kotoko to assist him in any way in fact it's quite the opposite. He is asking for her to not intervene with what he is going to do.

Now to be frank we all already know how Kotoko feels about the other prisoners. Especially given her second trial CD that came out. However, she's consistently been shown to have a soft spot and respect for Haruka. For reasons that have yet to be illustrated to us.

21/12/15  (Kotoko’s Birthday)

Haruka: Ah…… H-happy birthday, Kotoko-san.

Kotoko: ……thanks. You’ve definitely changed a bit. Do you remember before? You could barely even talk to me. Haruka: I-is that so? Now that you mention it, I, I maybe have got a bit better since then. ……m-maybe I’ve got more used to being around people. There’s other people here who are interested in me, and, um, in particular Mu-san pays a lot of notice to me…… I… I’m enjoying myself here…… Kotoko: ……hmm. It’s just a theory I have right now, but I get the feeling the outcome of Milgram’s judgements are having some influence on our mental state. Well, I only noticed because I happened to be last up though. Good for you, then. This must mean that you’re fine. ……I’ll accept those birthday wishes.

Even going as far to extrapolate on her own observations about Milgram without any actual prodding from him. Something she did not do with the first individual she discussed this situation with.

21/10/24 (Shidou’s Birthday)

Shidou: ……oh, Yuzuriha-kun. It’s unusual so see you around this early. Wishing me a happy birthday…… probably isn’t the what you’re here for, huh.

Kotoko: No, it is. Happy birthday, Shidou. Though it’s not like I bought you a present or anything. But while I’m here, I’d also like to ask you something. Has anything changed for you recently? Having nightmares, hearing voices, feeling anxious…… anything like that. Shidou: Not especially, no. ……ah, so this is about how Kajiyama-kun and Shiina-kun have been strange recently? And she’s been trying to hide it, but Amane too…… We’ve been living in these conditions for a while…… it’s not unusual for there to be an impact on us mentally. Are you worried about them? You’re a very caring person. Kotoko: Hmm, so you noticed? If nothing’s wrong with you, then that’s good. ……if I’ve understood properly, that means you’re safe…. Once again, happy birthday, Kirisaki Shidou.

Despite her conversation with Shidou tentatively confirming her suspicions about Milgram. She decides to not disclose her observations as she willingly chooses to do with Haruka despite his unclear interest in the topic. I don't know if she's behaving this way towards him because she has a soft spot for him or due to her not taking him seriously as a threat.

Add to this Haruka's behavior and statements prior to Kotoko's attacks and well that's when things get interesting-

22/06/22 (Haruka’s Birthday)

Mu: What’s wrong, Haruka-kun? Did something happen? You shouldn’t look away like that when you’re together with me. Haruka: Ah, s-sorry, Mu-san. Um…… No, it’s nothing. I just, suddenly got a feeling. That something is about to happen. Mu: Isn’t that because it’s your birthday? Or perhaps it’s a sign the guard is about to wake up again soon? Fufufu, I bet they’ll be really surprised at a lot of things. Haruka: That, might be true. But, I want the- The guard to see. ……the new, me…….

Then directly after this the attacks happen. That's some convenient timing. Except it's not really, is it?

The entire prison is a panopticon, the cells and rooms go in a full circle. So, much so that in Es' voice drama the cells are referred to as times on a clock. From one to midnight. In that sort of set up and being as out in the open all the time as Mu and Haruka are stated to have been by multiple prisoners.

Well, it's not out of bounds to believe he saw Kotoko preparing and said nothing about it. It's a good reason for her to be so accommodating when it comes to being asked to look the other way herself now. We know from her voice drama what cooperation is to her. It's being able to do the things the other can't. So, the fact that she's agreeing to cooperate at all in any capacity means there is something she can get out of it by cooperating.

Which already shoots the idea of this being a suicide out of the water because if it was that- Would such an idea really illicit this response from Kotoko?

Kotoko Birthday TL Translation (12/15/2023)

Haruka: ...Please, be quiet about this. And you, please don't get involved. All I can do is ask this of you... Kotoko: Fufufu, fufufufufu. You're thinking some outrageous things. To be frank, it's abnormal. But I don't dislike it. If only all sinners were like you. Haruka: No... That's not it... I don't mean it that way... This isn't for me... it's to protect... so, Kotoko-san... please... Kotoko: Eh? Yes, yes. Well, I promise not to interfere with your plans. Even though I'd like to do it myself, I'll leave it to you. What happens after that... depends on Es, doesn't it?

To be frank like Kotoko, I don't believe she would give one's rat's ass about what Haruka does to himself and neither would Milgram. It's been illustrated (again in the novels) that the prisoners can self-harm within the facility. Also, that they can partake in self-harming behavior during the trial.

Again, the novel isn't a playbook for how the web series goes but Jackalope plainly states to Es and the audience the only restriction during the trials is the prisoners cannot fight each other. Never adding on any other restrictions to this.

We also see the characters partaking in harmful behavior towards themselves over the course of the trial be it mentally or physically. Like Milgram wasn't stopping Haruka from holing himself up in his room and not eating. The only person who intervened with that was Mu. So, honestly if he was worried about Kotoko interrupting his attempt he has the perfect time to do it right now as she cannot attack him as the trials are still going on and he is free to do whatever he wants to himself.

I'm not trying to be crass or dismissive of his threats of self-harm. Suicide ideation is a real issue and can cause great harm to an individual. However, there's a difference between threatening to harm yourself in order to protect another person/get something and actually facing this very serious and severe mental health issue.

What Haruka did is a manipulative tactic that people in all sorts of relationships use to get what they want. Validating that with his desired response would have been morally incorrect in my opinion.

This behavior is incredibly bad and emotionally manipulative full stop regardless of how much I like Haruka as a character. Takeaway here is never let someone else purposely leverage their physical wellbeing against you to get their way. Yes, you feel like the bad guy if they do it, but you aren't obligated to do things you don't want to or are uncomfortable with to avoid a threat, they put on themselves.

That's not how that works. That's just manipulation. Doing what Haruka did in this trial is a form of domestic violence. Here's some sources on the behavior-

What to Do If an Abuser Threatens Suicide

When Your Partner Threatens Suicide

How to Deal with Coercive Suicide Threats

As someone who has personally struggled with suicide ideation and depression. As well as someone who has had the above done to them several times by multiple parties it feels incredibly disrespectful and gross to have this sort of manipulation legitimized in any way. However, it makes sense that it's being legitimized. Because that's the point of making coercive threats like these.

The point is expecting the other person to be better than you so much so that'd they'd want to do anything to avoid having another person be hurt or die. The point is going prove you care more about me than your personal beliefs, security, emotion and physical health. Then if you say no I'm not doing that you're the bad guy, you're the uncaring heartless piece of shit that'd rather hurt two people by voting one guilty at the expressed expense of another's life then just forgive another person.

I forgave Haruka because I understand how he got here and empathize with that. However, that does not change the fact that what he did is textbook domestic violence and manipulation tactics. And it's so fucked up that people are still going if he does anything it's our faults when no it's his fucking choice nobody forced him to make that threat. That is a reflection of his character.

Furthermore, as shown through this if he wanted to, he could have by now. No one can stop him during the course of the trial. If he was worried about it not looking like a suicide because Kotoko attacks him well, she fucking can't right now. This is actually the best time to do that not during the intermission where the chances of it appearing ambiguous are highest.

Sooo what does this timeline mean?

Well...

It means exactly what it meant the last time he pulled a I think something is going to happen right before someone else's birthday.

22/06/27 (Amane’s Birthday)

Kazui: What’s up, Shidou-kun? You’re looking pretty down. I guess you must be tired, I’ve been relying on you a lot lately. Shidou: Yeah, I just remembered…… today is Amane’s birthday. I’m just getting a bit sentimental. Kazui: Hmm, it’s unfortunate, but at the moment we can’t worry about that. ……you understand, right? There’s something that you need to do right now. And if you tried talking to her your words definitely won’t reach her. Don’t look at me like that. We’ll just wait until the situation changes. Let’s do our best. Shidou: Yeah. I’ll do what I can. I can’t have a child making a face like that. Even though we’re “murderers”…… we’re also the adults here.

Everyone is here rightfully worried about Haruka. It's human instinct to just jump to tunnel vision onto the easiest threat to perceive. However, the audience only perceived this threat because he made it. He continued to make it during all of trial two. That doesn't mean he has the intent to follow through and it's a disservice to people who have actually been manipulated in this fashion and those who actually struggle with suicidal throughts to have their experiences and struggles compared to someone acting in such an overtly manipulative way.

Especially someone who very clearly stated these things for all to see-

The fact that he talked to Kotoko and asked her not to interfere with what he was going to do only cements that for me. Because the only thing that Kotoko cares about that she would interfer with or come into conflict with someone about are people interfering with her self-given job of prison deputy.

Meaning if someone were to do what she considers to be her job or intervenes with it they will immediately come into conflict with her. Regardless of whether they are Innocent or Guilty. She is then going to have an issue with that person even if it does not escalate to violence.

Something shown here-

22/08/05 (Kazui’s Birthday)

Kotoko: ……Mukuhara Kazui. Thanks to you, I wasn’t able to properly serve justice to those who did something unforgivable. I’m currently acting as an agent for our prison guard Es. Don’t get in my way next time. Kazui: Oi oi, don’t be silly, Yuzuriha-chan. There’s no way I could just look away from your outrageous display of violence. Anyway, even disregarding the fact violence against those voted guilty isn’t a part of Milgram’s system, what you’re doing is just acting recklessly based on a broad interpretation. As long as I’m free myself, I’ll stop you. Kotoko: ……what a pointless argument. Hmph. Since Es forgives you, I have no choice but to forgive you myself too. If you to keep to your words, then you’d best do what you can to keep being forgiven. If you’re not, then next time you’ll be one of my targets. Kazui: Oh, how scary. That girl truly is frightening. ……well then, I wonder what the guard will decide to do with me. That’s the one thing I really can’t make out. Honestly……

Attacking the prisoners she's meant to be in charge of while Es is asleep would technically be stepping into her territory or trying to take her postion. Something that would immediately have her and whoever tries it come to blows regardless of verdict. So, him talking to her at all about not interfering with whatever he has planned is already incredibly suspicious and makes me severely doubt it has anything to do with harming himself or harming himself only.

Ultimately this timeline could mean a lot of things and only highlighting a threat Haruka put on himself is exactly why he put that threat there to begin with. It's difficult to think of him hurting someone else when he's already very vocally committed to harming himself if a certain outcome was not given to him.

Yet instead of highlighting the audience not taking that threat seriously in a told you so way now. It's important to recognize the fact that the threat existed and was one he made at all speaks volumes about the sort of character he is. regardless of if you like him or not. It's important to recognize that people who do this to get their way are emotionally neglectful and harmful to those around them and such behavior should not be incentivized/rewarded ever.

Either way whatever Haruka has planned is going to be interesting and may not be happening on Mahiru's birthday since trial two won't have closed by then and if he is planning to attack another prisoner, he cannot do it before the end of the trial. Which is why he's planning ahead by discussing things with Kotoko so far in advance.

However, that's just my interpretation of everything that has occurred so far. I could be wrong, and it could just be about him doing that. Still doesn't change the fact this is a very awkward timeline interaction to come up right before Mahiru's (a person who has only gotten sicker and sicker over the course of trial two) birthday.

So, here's hoping Mahiru has a decent birthday next year.

[simslegacy5083]

NSB (Straud Legacy) Gen 9

Today's (7/31/2024) Episode: The Birthday Girl

The household was grieving Peachy’s departure for the afterlife, but time refused to stand still  for those left behind.

The very next day was Noemi’s birthday. Fielding condolence calls and messages from friends and family wasn’t how they wanted to start her special day, but with Peachy having been opposed to “some fancy memorial shindig”, it was the best closure they could offer his loved ones.

Luigi’s baby made him miss his dada even more. Peachy had been so excited to help Skye try new activities and foods, but never got the chance. When Luigi found Noemi and Valentina in the nursery, celebrating his son sitting up for the first time, he had to work to suppress a strong wave of resentment.

Just a day earlier Peachy would have been able to enjoy the milestone with the rest of them… that boy of his couldn’t pick the right time for anything!

The unfortunate ending to Luigi’s birthday party had prevented Noemi from giving him the special gift she’d arranged.

Her old robotics club friend Kenzie had become a Computer Engineer, with access to computer glasses that only those in her field could craft. Gaming and computer enthusiast Luigi had been trying to find some for awhile and was overjoyed upon opening his fiancées cheerfully wrapped present.

“Happy belated birthday love,” she said as he excitedly slipped them on. Luigi gave his girl a warm thank you kiss, exclaiming:

 “I’ve always loved how you just “get” me. Hopefully the big day and BIG gift I have planned for you will make you just as happy!”

The couples first stop on Noemi’s “party train” was a meetup with their island friends. The group had intended to take all the kids to enjoy “Family Funday” but as they were leaving Luigi got a text from Rhys telling him they’d discovered the event was geared towards older sims.

Deciding to skip the festival this time around the household met their friends at a nearby beach cabana instead, where the always unfiltered Beau saw Luigi and blurted out “You look ridiculous!” before a mortified Breanne could stop him. She quickly elbowed his mirth into a halfhearted apology.

Luigi knew the tech glasses looked odd but refused to show how the tactless comment had stung his pride and instantly tainted his joy. “Envy doesn’t look good on you friend.” he smirked instead before turning his emerald gaze pointedly to Isra and Rhys in greeting.

After shyly accepting everyone's happy birthday wishes Noemi settled in a quiet corner with a sleepy Skye while Luigi kept the conversation going.

Isra was happy to report that her 3rd trimester was progressing smoothly. When she asked if anyone else was planning to join her in having a second child, both Luigi and Noemi shook their heads. “Skye is quite enough for us. Besides, with your brood he won’t lack for playmates!”

Overall, Luigi was glad his and Isra’s relationship had worked out like it did. He was quite happy with one child and, clearly, she wouldn’t have been.

Beau spoke up then “well his highness might be one and done, but if all goes well Bruce will be getting a little brother or sister soon”, explaining that he had an appointment scheduled for another insemination attempt. As everyone wished them luck Luigi glanced at his friend's elder wife with concern. He hated to imagine any kids going through what he had losing his papa, but he couldn’t think of anything to say that wouldn’t offend Beau.

When they finished up at the beach the pair made a quick stop at the house to drop Skye off with his grandma before grabbing a teleport to Chestnut Ridge. It was finally time to get his birthday girl that extra “BIG” gift, the horse he’d promised her the evening they got engaged.

Amaya met them at the park just outside the exhibition center, wrapping Noemi in a big hug and exclaiming “Happy, Happy Birthday pretty momma! Are your ready to go pick out your new best friend!?” At her enthusiastic “let’s do this!” the girls headed inside the center while Luigi hung back to play with his new toy while he waited, telling them “I know nothing about horses, so I’ll leave this to you two experts.”

A surprisingly long time later the ladies finally emerged, although the horse trailing behind them wasn’t quite as large as he’d imagined.

Noemi introduced the tiny foal: “This little guy is Roach – I thought you’d appreciate the name”. Luigi chuckled “You thought right.”

“Are you going to grow up to be as faithful and sturdy as your namesake?” he asked the soft nosed creature as he gently stroked it, mimicking the animation from one of his favorite videogames. “Look” he grinned, turning to Noemi “gaming skills DO translate to the real world sometimes!”

Amaya took Roach back to her ranch to wait on his new parents while Luigi and the birthday girl enjoyed a nice romantic walk. The teleporter wasn’t far, but taking a less direct route gave them more time to enjoy each other’s company and the lovely summer evening.

Finally arriving at Amaya’s ranch, they were met by Valentina and Skye. While oohing and aahing over each others tiny offspring Luigi convinced Miguel that his little Greyson simply must have a kitty companion, and he just happened to have the perfect kitten for the job….!

Finally, Valentina pulled out the uneaten cake crafted by Peachy with love the day before and lit fresh candles. Noemi wished to stay healthy, FINALLY start her new career, and get back in shape as she blew them out and spun her way into the next life stage in front of her friends and family.

It had been a wonderful day and she looked forward to many more with her two favorite boys by her side.

For anyone not familiar with the reference, Roach is named after the faithful steed of the main character in The Witcher videogame series.

View The Full Story of My Not So Berry Challenge Here

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Vil, Jade: Wanting to Shine

Schoenheit mama lore 👁️ Mmm, somehow TWST keeps managing to impress me with just how diverse its families are. There are characters with bad relationships with their guardians, characters with good relationships with their guardians, and then… non-existent relationships altogether. Ruggie is one such example (since his mom died before he had the chance to know her), and now we have Vil as well… I wonder why he feels so impersonal toward his mother?? 🤔I hope we can find out more details someday.

Aaanyway, sorry that this is so late, I got super busy with irl things 😅 but happy belated birthday, Vil!! (xbjsvsjwnz Right as Ruggie’s Broomquet art was revealed too lol) ***WARNING: spoilers for episode 6 of the main story!!***

A Boy in Bloom, and his Flowering Future.

“What would you like to do this next year?”

Jade glanced up from his clipboard. “If the answer is to come from someone as tenacious as yourself, Vil-san… Your goals must be ambitious indeed.”

“Ara, is that so? Sharp, aren’t you?” Vil tucked a finger under his chin. “You would be correct in your assumption.”

“You’re but 18 years of age, and one age my senior—yet you’ve already accomplished a great many things, much of which the common man can only dream of. “Modeling for the top fashion brands, playing the lead roles in a number of feature films… Many, many accolades,” Jade chuckled, his voice dropping to a gentle purr. “What more do you hope to do?”

“My, you’ve got quite the grasp on my resume.” Vil’s brows pinched slightly. “However, you misunderstand one key point.”

“Oya? And what might that be?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Vil laughed, tipping his head back with a smirk. “This is nowhere near the pinnacle of my career. No—there is much more that I will achieve.

“For starters, I wish to expand the scope of my presence on set. I’ve dabbled in directing and producing my own modest works through my Film Research Club, but there is still much more for me to learn. Before I graduate, I would like to leave my mark in that area.”

His lips pulled into a smile—small but proud and genuine. “At present, we are working on a short film. The plan is to submit it to a contest and to take home the grand prize.

“Everyone is putting forth their best effort to make that dream into reality." Vil's deep-set amethyst eyes twinkled with fire. "Life makes no promises, so we must seize our stories and write our own fates."

"Spoken like a true leader--how commendable. We underclassmen truly have a wonderful senpai to look up to."

Vil allowed his broom to lean into the crook of an elbow. "I'm no stranger to compliments, but I shudder to hear it coming from you. It's far more benign coming from Rook or Ortho."

"Ah, that reminds me. Ortho-san recently joined the Film Research Club, yes? How does he fare under your tutelage?"

“Need you even ask? Of course I've welcomed him with open arms. He is proving himself to be an excellent asset for our productions. There are many things that only Ortho is capable of doing, from special effects and audio to getting clear aerial shots.

"His acting has also improved considerably. A bit clumsy at first, but with time and observation he has quickly learned. It's impressive just how much Ortho's 'heart' comes through in his performances."

"Oya, such high praise. Idia-san must be a proud big brother."

"Indeed, Ortho is a star on set." Vil tossed his hair over a shoulder. He still smiled, but there was now a cold, lethal beauty edging his lips. "He's setting a high bar for the other spudlings--but I won't be outdone by him, nor by anyone else.

There was a hesitance, the soft sucking of breath through teeth, and then... "Do you recall when I returned from Styx? The state that I was in?"

"How could I forget? Why, you were so old and withered, we barely recognized you as the same glamorous Vil Schoenheit that graces magazine covers and TV screens. It was very memorable, fufufu."

"Stop that grinning before I smack that smirk right off of your face," Vil snapped. (Jade immediately obliged.) "As I was saying, that experience... it opened my eyes to a great number of realizations."

"Oh? You don't say."

Vil nodded. "It was like my life was flashing before my eyes. A full 18 years of memories and feelings colliding at once, and the chilling thought that I would soon be robbed of what little life I had remaining, my future stolen from me... It was terrifying.

"But you know what? I'm glad for having gone through it. Unpleasant as it was... I looked into that mirror and walked away with a glimpse of what lies far ahead for me--and I am here now, able to make the most of the present.

Vil lifted a hand, cupping the stars above in his fingers. "When I live, I want to shine. I want to put my best effort into every piece, every production, that I am a part of. With my name and face out to the public, I can reach more hearts, inspire more people. Then..."

He lowered his hand, fingers closed in a fist--as though he had fished a precious piece of starlight right out of the sky. Vil's lashes were heavy, fluttering like petals in the wind upon his cheeks.

"... That would most definitely carry on into the future. Not just into my future, but into the futures of all I have impacted through my acting. My spirit has become a part of them--and through the lives I have touched, my spirit is alive, and I will continue to shine. That is the power of art and media: it persists long after the creators are no longer with us."

“I see." Jade spoke delicately, as though he, too, were bewitched by the beauty before him.

Such raw, overwhelming charisma and determination. Such… power.

The eel suppressed his mirth.

“In that way, you would be leaving a piece of yourself with the organization. Long after you have graduated, your legacy will still live on in the Film Research Club and through your countless fans."

"You understand."

Vil held his interviewer's gaze. There was a solidarity to their silence, a knowingness, a mutual agreement, between the two. The night, its moon, and the stars, were their audience upon that shared stage.

"My 'beauty' will be eternal, no matter the age I am. I'm certain of it."

His declaration was loud and resolute against the night.

Above the duo, the hands of a grand clock tower turned, locking them--and Vil's promise--into place. Bells roared to life, ringing in a new hour with their deep, reverberating song.

Bing-bong, ding-dong! Ding-dong, bing-bong!

The time of reckoning had arrived.

"I believe that's my signal to exit stage left." Vil swept his broom in an elegant arc. Pink, violet, and maroon particles fell from the bouquet affixed to one end.

"Yes, we wouldn’t want you to keep your beloved fanbase waiting.” Jade took a step back and dipped into a bow. His eyes humbly lowered to the ground, he said, “I wish you safe travels—and the best of luck with your endeavors.”

“Hmph, just who do you take me for?” Vil planted himself on the handle of his broom. He folded his arms, assuming a haughty stance. “I don’t need luck, I’m confident in my own abilities to see my goal through to the very end.

“Now then… Be sure to sear this image into your memories. There won’t be many opportunities for you to witness me at the height of bloom.”

“As you wish.”

With that, Vil departed, his broom rising steadily before sailing off into the darkened sky. Poised, and as close to perfection as he could manage.

A wayward spring breeze tousled his flaxen locks. Silver moonlight wove itself into the gold of his hair, seeping into the cream of his skin.

Petals scattered around him, swarming the birthday boy in a storm of flowers. Vil caught one between his thumb and forefinger—a petal so rose-red it was like blood upon freshly fallen snow. He planted a tender kiss upon it before releasing it back to the wind.

The illuminated face of the clock tower cast him in a heavenly glow. His silhouette, sharp.

A beautiful promise for the future.

Jade smiled after him. Not warmly, but not coldly either.

I’ve learned many things about Vil-san today. Yes… many, many interesting things.

[shakespearefreak]

🥳 Happy (Belated) Birthday, Makena! 🥳

Sunday (August 25th) was Makena’s birthday! It was insanely hot in the daytime, so we went out for Chocolate Shoppe ice cream 🍨 once the sun set and it was a little cooler (it was still 80° F even then!). I gave her her present (a pair of rhinestone butterfly 🦋✨ earrings), and then we went home for cake 🍰 and a movie 🎞️ with Evette and Maritza — it was between The Devil Wears Prada and Cruella, and after watching trailers for both Makena decided on Cruella; despite the poor reviews, it’s a really fun film, but I ended up being too tired to finish it that night, and yesterday I had a doctor’s appointment plus a mini-crisis at home (long story), so we’re finishing it later today.

“What kind of ice cream do you like?” Marley asked.

“Chocolate!” Makena responded immediately. “Everyone thinks it’s boring, but it’s my favorite!”

“Okay, so this place has the most chocolate-y chocolate EVER.”

“Oh, wow! I’ve gotta try that!”

They both got Zanzibar Chocolate (though Marley also sampled a Black Licorice flavor, which was delicious).

“Okay, yeah, that IS the most chocolate-y chocolate ever,” Makena said after her first rich, decadent spoonful. “What about you? What’s your favorite?”

“Blue Moon!” Marley said eagerly.

“I think I’ve heard of it… what is it?”

“The best ice cream flavor in the world, that’s what!”

“That’s… descriptive,” Makena said, laughing a little.

“Well, we’ll just have to come back sometime so you can try it!”

(I made that doll-sized ice cream tub out of some printouts glued to an old medicine dosage cup! I wish I’d gotten a better photo of it before throwing it away, I thought it turned out really well.)

Makena tore off the sparkling purple gift wrap to reveal a jewelry box. She opened the lid and saw the silver rhinestone butterflies gleaming against the black velvet backing. “These are awesome, thank you so much!” she said.

“Happy Birthday!” Marley returned with a grin, then snapped a photo of Makena showing off her new earrings.

“This movie didn’t do very well,” Marley told the girls before starting it, “because I think a lot of people didn’t get it.”

They watched in companionable silence for a while, then Makena commented, “It’s a good movie, but… does Cruella de Vil really need a sympathetic backstory?”

“This is actually an alternate universe to the animated film. It’ll become clearer later on,” Marley responded.

“Oh! Okay, that makes more sense,” Makena said, then suddenly, “Ouch!” She whirled to see Spork pawing at her braids. “Hey, quit it!” (The cat did, reluctantly.)

[xylaes]

November DWC Day 3 - Unresolved

This was quite possibly the best that Xylaes had felt about himself in a long time. Yes, the situation within the Emerald Dream was rather dire, his relationship with Garren was rocky at best, and there was a lot of unresolved conflict with Fiorenze, but dammit he felt useful again. After so many losses, it was definitely a win in his book! 

He had already spent a handful of years as a part of Talonoa’s mercenary crew, but had never really found his niche with them until this particular campaign. The Shadowlands was a hot mess, everyone could agree on that, even if all of that had led to him finally reuniting with his son, Garren, and having more time with his late wife, Callia. However when it came to the mercenary work, at that time he was considered untrustworthy and unreliable thanks to excursion alone into Maldraxxus. The heart wanted what the heart wanted, and he would have likely made the same choice today even with everything he knew that would happen. Getting captured by the House of Constructs and having an arm replantation had been worth it in the end; at least that’s what he told himself. The trauma it caused is another story, but that is neither here nor there.

He had finally worked himself into Talon’s good graces, and the retired Argent actually saw his potential and willingness to be challenged. Xylaes was given more missions, more scouting, especially in some of the more dangerous areas because he could handle it. This is what he was accustomed to, and what he had trained for during his days in the military. This was absolutely where he belonged, not working in some brothel and slowly wasting away between the legs of the rich who wanted to have a go with a ‘hardened criminal’ because it felt taboo. Fieldwork had always felt like more of a home to him than any actual living space ever had.

Plus, he had his son here with him. He had never seen Garren this focused before, but he knew why. Everyone knew what this meant to all of the Kaldorei, and Xy would do everything in his power to ensure Amirdrassil would have safe passage into the real world.

He had been away from the main encampment for about a day now, returning early in the morning to deliver his report to Talonoa before retiring to his tent. There was a small box waiting for him, with a note that read ‘Enjoy!’. This was Fio’s handwriting, and within the box was a rainbow chip cupcake - his favorite. Huh. Maybe she had gone to Fancy Cakes the other night and left this for him like she used to. He smiled to himself and dropped his pack before heading over towards the communal area to see who was up and about, and luckily she was there.

The two had a brief exchange where he thanked her for the treat and she mentioned it was for his birthday. Right, it was the end of November wasn’t it? Not that he had celebrated the occasion in decades anyways. It was just another day as far as he was concerned, but he also hadn’t realized it was already almost December. This also meant that he had definitely missed her birthday as well, which wasn’t unusual for him. A pretty purple seed he had found in his journeys was offered with a belated birthday wish and the two parted ways. A brief, but pleasant exchange.

He was tired, he was dirty, and he was 100% in ‘war mode’ while out here, leaving him oblivious to her body language and tone, and focused only on the task at hand. They had a lot to talk about still, but this was neither the time nor the place for it. Surely she was on the same page.

@fio-renze @talonoa @garrennorassin @daily-writing-challenge

[carmenized-onions]

First of all HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY!

I just reread everything for the THIRD time and I finally built up the courage to send my thoughts. I am OBSESSED with this story! You had me hooked from the very first chapter you posted. I don’t think I’ve ever read a fan fiction that was this damn good. Every single detail is so well thought out, you have captured these characters perfectly. I can’t believe that you are writing this one week at a time (we need to get you in the room when they write season 4). Every character is written so well throughout this story, I can tell that you really get this show. I’ve always felt disconnected when reading fan fiction because the writing style is usually so different from how the actual show is scripted, but man… you nailed it. I feel like you understand these characters better than the actual writers of the show. Nothing you’ve written so far has felt out of character. I’m actually furious that this story isn’t cannon because it’s so damn good! I won’t make you read every single thought for every single chapter because that would take me forever to write and I’m not that great at writing. I will however share with you my overall thoughts on chapter 13:

Holy shit! This was THEE chapter. I love a flashback episode and this was PERFECT (I think you should be very proud on how this turned out holy moly). It is mind blowing how well you’ve fit Chip into this story. I’m sorry I couldn’t give you a more detailed review of this chapter but next time I promise to write out my thoughts as I read. I am very excited to see what happens next. Have a lovely day!

THANK YOU DEAR, sorry I’m late to all these birthday wishes myself, I’ve got like 20 asks in my inbox, my apologies for my lateness loves, a bitch has been busy. 

THIRD re-read is WILD!! I wish I was still on my once a week release man, I was in my BAG. Hopefully after the move I can finally get back into it. ALSO listen, if anyone knows, how to get in that writers room, i’ll make myself so available. I’ll go anywhere. I’ll meet you on Huron and Orleans right now storer please. (though I do think they already filmed a majority if not all of S4? Which,, I’m not gonna lie I am worried about. They need Joanna Calo back like fucking yesterday. God i’m so in love with her). It really really means a lot to me though as a screenwriter being told so often that I should be in the room. So sincerely thank you!!

AS WELL AS THE STYLING YES!! I consider myself pretty versatile in terms of being able to switch my tone based on what genre I’m working with, but as a little fucking freak, The Bear lends itself very well to my own frantic stream of consciousness constantly over the top writing, I think. So I’m happy about that. And thank you thank you for saying I understand the characters, I’m always always trying to do their personas justice cause they’re !! just so !! I love them. They’re all very rounded out and managing all those little people quirks is always so fun and interesting. I can’t deny I also wish Chicago’s Kindest was cannon. It would be so interesting to see it play out in show perspective, rather than y’know having it as almost always Tony’s perspective going through her days. Ahhhh I can’t think about it for too long or I’ll lose it. 

AND THOUGHTS ON CHAPTER THIRTEEN THIS WAS ABSOLUTELY THEEEE chapter,, I think that’s why i’ve had so much trouble with Chapter 14 honestly, because it was like oh christ. That was my magnum opus. It’s all downhill from here. Hopefully that’s not the case, but we’ll see. I need everyone to gas me up so much when CH14 comes out. Chip is so woven in to the story at this point and it’s gonna personally hurt my feelings so much when S4 comes out and everything I wrote is not possible in future canon because Christopher’s gonna do that to hurt ME personally. Jkjkjkjk. But it is a secret fear I have. It’s fine. 

Thank you so much for your thoughts!! Also listen, I love getting peoples play by plays, but never feel pressured to do em!! Honestly hearing like people’s analysis’ of scenes as a whole that stuck out to them is probably my favourite shit to see— I LOVE IT ALL THOUGH— I DON’T KNOW— ITS ALL VERY GOOD AND I’M THANKFUL FOR ANY AND ALL THOUGHTS I GET!! I’M GONNA SHUT UP NOW!! Hope you enjoy the next one when it’s out see you then !!

[ducktoonsfanart]

Donald Duck with his family and his best friends - Happy New Year and Happy Holidays! - Modern Three Caballeros and Quack Pack

I wish everyone a happy New Year 2023! And happy holidays!

This is one of my first drawings I did for the year 2023 and if this was supposed to be in the previous year but oh well. Yeah, sorry it didn't turn out the best, but I drew almost all of my favorite characters that I love from the Duckverse in one drawing. Like last year, or the year before last, I mostly draw characters gathering together celebrating holidays, including Christmas and New Year's celebrations. As I unfortunately didn't get to do Three Caballeros Week last year, this year I will do as much around them as I can.

So since I drew the Quack Pack the other day, I decided to draw the Three Caballeros again, but in modern clothes with my friends and my family. And that's mostly in the Quack Pack AU version, which I like to imagine. Yes, they met three caballeros again, but now they are in modern clothes and this is more of my headcanon. I merged Brazilian comics, The Three Caballeros, Legend of the Three Caballeros, European comics and Quack Pack into one. Of course, in my own way and in my own style. Everyone, together with their family and friends, is celebrating Christmas (behind them you can see glowing lamps, mistletoe and a Christmas tree) and preparing dinner, so everyone will enjoy a beautiful night together.

There's Donald and Daisy Duck, Panchito Pistoles, José Carioca (Zé Carioca), Rosinha Maria Vaz, Aracuan Bird, Gyro Gearloose, Fethry Duck (Donald's cousin), Dugan Duck (he's in front of all those characters, so he looks a little bigger than usual, sorry, otherwise he's Fethry's nephew), Huey, Dewey and Louie Duck (Donald's nephews), April, May and June Duck (Daisy's nieces), Zico and Zeca Carioca (Ze's nephews), Newton Gearloose (Gyro's nephew), Bolivar the dog (Donald's pet) and the cat Trixie (Daisy's pet). Everyone celebrates the New Year together! Also Donald is in a love triangle with Daisy, Cabs and Gyro, while Zé is in a love triangle with Rosinha, Panchito and Donald. I hope you like this drawing and this idea!

I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2023! With good health and happiness! And I hope to draw more than last year! Especially this version.

¡Feliz navidad y próspero año nuevo!

Feliz Natal e Feliz Ano Novo!

Merry Christmas and happy New Year!

P.S. Also, this is my gift for my friend @you-big-palooka @isabellanajera, I wish her a happy belated birthday and happy holidays and I wish her lots of happiness and health. I hope you like this gift of mine!

[alescendants]

My Disenchanted thoughts

I know this blog is called alescendants but Disenchanted is still Disney and it makes sense to write my opinions on it here. These are my personal opinions, everyone is entitled to have their own thoughts on this movie.

I wrote a lot so it’s all hiding under the readmore:

PROS

Finally, we know why Giselle was living with animals in the woods!

Morgan calling Giselle ‘Mom’ was so pure ngl

Seeing Giselle, Robert, Edward, and Nancy all being friends years later was so sweet, and the latter two being Sofia’s godparents? My heartt 😭😭

And finally Nancy sings! I keep repeating “For through this wand from Andalasia flows the magic of our magic world to here”, and also Love Power obviously lol

"Congratulations on the increasing size of your progeny." and "Hogwashery!" in this film vs "I don't know what ‘melodramatic’ means" in the first film. Bless you, Edward, you're academic now and I am so proud of you

“Morgan, if you want to be mad, you be mad at me. But you do not talk to your mother like that!” >>>

Robert is the blueprint for all men I swear

Morgan hating the move is all the better when you remember Robert said she’s shy and doesn’t have many friends. I feel you, Morgan, I suck at making friends too 😀🤝

I don’t get why people don’t like the music, I loved all of it! It saved the movie imo.

Maya Rudolph can SINGGGGGGGG

“Nobody ever would bother to tell a tale with Maleficent and with Cruella.” That was good honestly.

Gabriella Baldacchino is so good in this! She can really sing, good for her.

CONS

Everyone saying ‘the whole cast is back’ when Nathaniel wasn't in the movie (as well as Narissa for obvious reasons) felt very weird and wrong to me

Why was Edward barely in the movie?? His himbo energy is a big part of makes the first film so great imo, and while he did steal the three scenes he was in (yes, three), he deserved to be in the movie more. Also this is a personal issue but I hate how he’s never called ‘King Edward’, as I was hoping his Disney Wiki page would be able to be retitled to that lmao. His name is King Edward of Andalasia, put some respect on his name.

And I was hoping he’d have a scene with Morgan detailing his own experiences with wicked stepmothers. But he and Nancy were missing for the whole middle act 😭, AND James Marsden deserved to sing more!

Robert too. Why did they make him an idiot knight? He’s not endearing like Edward, he just annoyed me. And they obviously kept him out of most of the film because True Love’s Kiss would undo Giselle’s wish. It pissed me off how nobody thought of doing that lmao

“We bring love from Andalasia and offer belated birthday cheer.” That was in the trailer, they filmed a part for it. It and the rest of the lyrics are in the official Spotify song, so why was it cut out of the film? So unnecessary.

Same with the Monroeville portion of the opening song, it should’ve been kept in.

The 2D animation sucks, and why did Nancy look so different? She and Idina both don’t have blue eyes, where did that even come from?

I wanted Giselle to go back to Andalasia and for Robert to go there period. We need to fully see how he looks in 2D and how Giselle changed.

And I dislike the implication that Giselle has never returned to Andalasia and shown Robert and Morgan where she grew up. As IF she’d never say goodbye to the animals who raised her. And since Morgan always asked for stories about Andalasia, why not TAKE her there? Literally what is stopping her? It’s bad writing.

And speaking of Morgan, yes teens are angsty but it still hurt to see her fight with Giselle (their relationship in the first movie is precious).

And I’m confused about the whole wicked stepmother thing? “It’s not true what they say, I have met so many kind and wonderful stepmothers.” What happened to that?

But ignoring that, Morgan calling Giselle her stepmother in the argument hurt bad. Because she knows how Giselle (apparently) feels about stepmothers and she was obviously trying to hurt her.

Giselle could’ve done her animal call and it either doesn’t work or ravens and other animals portrayed as villains (snakes, rats like in Lady and the Tramp) show up. That’d fuck her up and it’d be cool to watch! And Morgan sang the animal call in pt 2 of Fairytale Life, she should’ve done it for real.

Malvina was disappointing. I was expecting her to be an Andalasian who Narissa banished, like Giselle. Maybe they’re related (like Ursula and Morgana) and/or she was threatened by her magical competition so she sent her away. And with a name with Malvina, it made sense to me that she’d be Andalasian. Clearly that was the intention and I don’t get why the team behind the movie would trick the audience like that bc it’s the opposite of a good plot twist. Queen Narissa had way less screen time and I prefer her way better.

Plus it’d keep Narissa relevant to the plot which was not the case and I was deeply disappointed.

I predicted that with Monroeville’s slogan literally being “Your Fairy Tale starts here!”, it’d be designed by Malvina to be a trap for Andalasians to find out how they left Andalasia and if she can take their portal back there. Like there was so much potential that went wasted.

And where the hell is Malvina’s husband? (He’s on the billboard with Malvina and Tyson at the entrance of Monroeville, so he definitely existed at one point.) If he’s dead, at least just mention it once?

Why was Morgan and Tyson’s song cut? It’d give him + their relationship much needed development and it’s a cute song.

Rosaleen and Ruby were annoying. I love YNB and Jayma but their characters aggravated me.

Sofia crying after Morgan was pushed down the well could’ve been a chance for Giselle to break away from her evil self to care for her daughter. I thought that’d happen. We all did, right?

There’s probably more but I’ll stop here lol

[commsroom]

Happy belated birthday! Just wanted to hop in again saying I love your posts about Wolf 359. They’re all so good.

I’m on a relisten again and am at the end of season 3. And I’m thinking about how fascinating it is that Hera remembered the Thanksgiving with her at the table physically. And in a post if yours I read recently or you posted recently you talked about Hera getting a human body and I think that scene kinda hints at maybe wanting to be physically there? Idk.

If you’re up for it you can share your thoughts on this. I just wanted to wish you a happy birthday and leave you with some of my Wolf 359 thoughts.

Sending you good vibes over the internet.

thank you; you're always so sweet!! 💙

we're absolutely on the same wavelength here, too!! that scene in particular is a big reason why i feel like hera would want a body - what it says about her self-perception, sense of physicality (even without experience to contextualize it), and... as a result, that she experiences physical loneliness. and, notably, that all of those things are subconscious framing in what she misremembers. i've posted about that scene before here, and in my... way too long essay about hera here, which i'll try to paraphrase a bit. and in other places, too, probably! i think about it a lot.

so: i think there's a big difference between existing differently (which can be isolating in itself, but... through lack of understanding) and feeling like she's always being kept away from the others - somewhere else, physically. she clearly conceptualizes herself in that space as within the hephaestus, separate from it and the systems she runs, the same as everyone else. that's the difference between "other people need to change their attitudes" and... well, other people still need to change their attitudes, but there is also something fundamental about her circumstances that she's unhappy with and needs to change.

(and, obviously, like... because you know i see hera as a trans woman, i think some of the parallels you could make to medical transition are pretty clear in that framing, too.)

minkowski says “you weren’t here with us [...] we were over here, and you were over there” but minkowski would never actually say that - from her perspective, hera was as there with them as she's ever been. but if hera doesn't feel that way - if - like the sound design suggests - she's always hearing their voices the way they hear hers... if she's always felt that she's somewhere else... then it's hard for me to imagine there's a way to resolve that without giving her the autonomy to physically interact with the others, to be seen the way she sees herself - and that's something i think is really highlighted in the finale, too.

[sentient-rift]

Happy Birthday, Welch Vineyard!

(And Happy Belated Easter...)

"Hello, everyone! It's April 1st! And ya know what that means...?"

"April Fool's Day?"

"Well, yes... That, too, but...

"April 1st is also my birthday!"

"Really? Happy Birthday, Welch!"

"Thanks, kiddo! You can all expect a special Birthday Discount at the Item Creation Shop!"

Hey, everyone. Dante the Administrator here. Happy belated Easter, and Happy April Fool's. As Welch said earlier, April Fool's Day is also her birthday. I'm still on semi-hiatus, and couldn't do anything for Easter (Resurrection Sunday) yesterday, but if you send some birthday asks in, I might be able to have Welch answer them later on. Again, my time is limited, so I'm sorry if I don't get to them all today. I'll probably still have her answer some tomorrow if I have time. Anyway, I have to go now, but feel free to wish Welch a happy birthday, and when I try to come back later, Welch will respond to as much as she can. Keep up the good work, everyone, and God bless.

[theoraclenextdoor]

for kalliope

Happy belated birthday, Kalliope! A thousand thanks for participating in my tarot ask game! This feels random but the question I chose for you is sort of Halloween inspired, sort myth inspired since your name is greek inspired. I thought it was fun so I really hope you enjoy it!

(fluid: he/him, she/her, they/them | libra sun, cancer moon, gemini rising | dealer’s choice: “If Kalliope were a mythological creature, what sort of figure would they be?”)

©️2023. cancersstellium

Bottom of the deck: King of Coins. From left to right: Seven of Cups, Page of Wands, Ten of Wands. For you, Kalliope, short story: You would be a genie. Not like Genie from Aladdin. Yes, you’d be blue, but you’d have free will— no lamp or anything like that— for the most post. You travel where you want, when you want. You had hobbies, interests. It’s just that you do have to grant wishes. It’s part of the whole “genie” thing. Ridiculous, I know. For a while, you tried not granting wishes, but it quickly became apparent as to why you had to. It was a dark time. So you make it work. You have fun with it. Mostly, you can be found need on shores, near bodies of water. And living forever has its perks. In ancient Greece, you stumped Hermes—though, he wasn’t that bright anyways— literally. After a bad wish, you turned him into a tree for bit after you saw him chasing dryads. In 16th century France, Descartes almost bested you (but not quite). And in today’s time? It’s a bit less fun, because everyone usually wishes for the same thing. But on occasions, you’ll wander into a random town— usually a small one— and ask the first person you see what they would wish for if they could have anything. Even predictability can be fun sometimes. The guy wishing he had a fast car to impress his friends? Granted. He is now one of the fastest cars on the market. You changed him back after a year. No harm, no foul. The woman who wished to win the lottery? Clearly she’d never read of The Lottery by Shirley Jackson. But you had. And so on. However, it was this, surprisingly that made you appeal to modern mortals. They began to seek you out as a way to “test their wits” against you. So for years you offered a deal. Three guileless wishes to the first mortal that could best you. You became a sort of legend, which was hard in 21st century. And in truth, it was good fun. Of course, no one ever did best you, but you never expected them to. After a millennia or so, you have up your corporeal form, something genies rarely did, opting to become myth and legend. The other option I got from this is a sort of dark genie. You have no name, no one form. Or, at least, if you had either of these things, the mortals didn’t know. In the early days, you dwelled in a cave, made of lapis lazuli and clear quartz. There was a town nearby and as small towns do, a rumor began. Apparently one that encouraged thrill seekers and those seeking wealth to ransack your dwellings. It was widely known that no one ever made it back. Illusions were your specialty. Once someone crossed the threshold of the cave, they found themselves ensconced in an illusion depicting their greatest desires. And the illusions you cast depended entirely on the character of the one who had ventured in. If they were pure of heart, they saw their desires and dreams exactly as they had always imagined them. But if not… And in truth, they rarely were good at heart. Not many “pure of heart” go wandering into caves that promise riches at the cost of “never returning”. Actually, sometimes you returned them to their town, though usually a decade or two had slipped by before you realised they had been there. (After all, you had better things to do then pay attention to dazed mortals.) Other times, they grew old there, trapped in illusion. please let me know how or if this resonates, as much as your comfortable with. i value all feedback, long or short.

🚪 from the land of kings and monsters, eden

@venusiankalliope

[lothiriel84]

Reserve and Respectability

Aroace-spec!Darcy, as seen through the eyes of those close to him.

A Pride and Prejudice ficlet. Aroace spectrum!Darcy.

On the eve of Fitzwilliam’s twelfth birthday, Mr Darcy summoned his son and heir to his study, and proceeded to enlighten him on creation’s greatest mystery, the act of procreation; he then made sure to impress upon the boy how it was his duty as a gentleman to attend to his own needs without imposing on vulnerable females within his employment, or – heaven forbid – ruining the reputation of unmarried ladies of good breeding.

Young Master Darcy listened very attentively, as he always did, and promised to do his best to comply with his father’s instructions. Then he begged leave to go and visit little Georgiana in the nursery, and the entire conversation was soon forgotten.

.

“Oh, yes, George, like that,” the milkmaid murmured encouragingly, and he dipped his head lower to press his mouth to her creamy bosom. As the son of Mr Darcy’s steward, he had his pick of pretty young females willing to share their favours with him, and he was determined to enjoy every second of it.

His hand was creeping steadily up under her skirts, and he had very nearly reached his goal when a pointed cough came from somewhere behind them, and Ann – or Mary, or whatever her name was – promptly let out a horrified shriek, pushing him away and hastily covering herself up in a belated attempt at modesty.

“Miss Parker, allow me to escort you back to your father’s,” Fitzwilliam Darcy had stated calmly, turning a cold glare on his childhood friend. George had glared right back, adjusted his ruffled clothes, and stalked back through the woods.

Just because the proud scion of the Darcy line was uptight enough to shun female company, it didn’t mean he was entitled to ruin everyone else’s fun. It would do him a world of good if someone were to teach him a much needed lesson, one day.

.

“She’s the most handsome woman I have ever seen,” Captain Fitzwilliam whispered in his cousin’s ear, turning a discreet glance across the room. “Surely even you cannot disagree on that.”

Darcy stiffened at his side, and replied in a distinctly offended voice. “Even I? And what could you possibly mean by that, Richard?”

He sighed, and made a mental note to watch his tongue more closely. Relations or not, it wouldn’t do for him to unwittingly insult a man of Darcy’s station; still, he valued their friendship too highly to let the matter slide completely, and as the elder between the two of them, it was his duty to guide his younger cousin where he could.

“Only that you don’t appear to take much pleasure in female company, that’s all.”

His cousin had the good grace to blush, but he could see the way his shoulder hunched, almost defensively. “If you mean to imply your brother was correct in his assumptions, I will have you know – ”

“Not at all,” he cut in with some urgency, raising a placating hand for good measure. “My brother was way out of line last night, and I do apologise for the way he conducted himself. Rest assured our father took it upon himself to check his behaviour in this regard.”

“Thank you,” Darcy replied stiffly, and it was testament to the length of their acquaintance that Richard was able to detect a modicum of warmth carefully disguised under the sharpness of his tone.

.

“Mama will hear none of it, as you can probably imagine, but I do not think I wish to marry at all,” Anne sighed, shaking her head somewhat dejectedly. “I do not feel strong enough to – to subject myself to a husband’s attentions, let alone providing him with the heir he surely requires. And I believe you, of all people, might understand how I feel.”

Her cousin pressed his hand to her own, and offered her one of his rare smiles. “Even your mother has no power to make you marry against your will. For my part, I will never consent to her scheme of uniting our estates in such a way, and she will eventually have to accept that.”

“Thank you, William,” she smiled weakly, leaning back against the couch and reaching for her smelling salts. “I wish you every joy.”

.

Never in all her – admittedly short – life had Georgiana Darcy experienced such grief as during the ride back to Pemberley after the whole Ramsgate debacle. Her dearest, most beloved brother had been sitting beside her the whole time, and yet, it was as if the distance between the two of them had been progressively increasing with every mile.

At last, when she felt like she couldn’t bear it any longer, she dared to glance up, and was met with a look of such undisguised sadness on her brother’s face that she all but cried out. “William, words cannot express how ashamed I am of causing you any pain, and I will not blame you, should you wish to send me somewhere far away from your sight.”

Her brother looked momentarily startled, and quickly reached between them to gather her hands in his own. “It is I, and I alone, who ought to be ashamed of myself, as I deserve the worst censure for failing in my duty to protect you.”

“Do not say so! How could I expect you to, when I was foolish enough to conceal my true intentions from you, and forgot myself so entirely as to throw all propriety to the wind for the sake of a mere infatuation? It’s a wonder you’re still willing to recognise me as your sister, for I am sure you would never conduct yourself in such an indecorous manner.”

“No more of that. You are the only family I have left, and the one I love more dearly in this world. If our dear parents were still with us, I feel sure they would have done better by you, but alas, I fear I share neither Father’s sense nor Mother’s sensibility when it comes to – matters of the heart.”

“What I have done to be blessed with such a kind and honourable brother, I do not know,” Georgiana declared in between her tears. “But I thank God every day for bestowing such a generous gift upon me.”

.

“Oh, come on, Darcy, it was just the one kiss,” Charles Bingley protested most vehemently, as his friend closed the door to the study and stood before him with an air of cool disapproval.

“Yes, I am sure that is why Miss Harriet was half reclining on the chaise, with her stays untied and her petticoats all bunched up around her knees. You do realise, had anyone else walked in the way I did, you would have had no choice but to marry her, do you?”

Bingley paled a little at such an unappealing prospect – yes, Miss Harriet was charming, and he had been more than pleased with how willingly she had welcomed his attentions, but – marriage was for all one’s life, and he couldn’t see himself embarking upon such an endeavour anytime soon.

“I will have to be more careful in the future, that is clear,” he sighed, valiantly ignoring the blush that was undoubtedly colouring his cheeks at this very moment. “But I am only flesh and blood, after all, and I feel sure you understand – ”

“I do nothing of the sort,” Darcy replied haughtily, and for a moment there, Charles was left to wonder whether the rumours concerning his friend were, in fact, much closer to the mark than he ever had reason to suspect.

.

“Oh, Mr Darcy, if only you could bring yourself to dance, I feel sure you would put everyone else in the room to shame.”

If the man at her side all but winced, she put it down to the foul mood he had appeared to be in all week. Caroline Bingley felt nothing but optimistic when it came to her pursuit of Mr Darcy’s hand and heart – well, she could do without his heart, she thought, if only he could bring himself to overcome his natural reserve and acknowledge the mutual advantages of choosing her as new mistress of Pemberley – and the sooner she could get him to offer for her, the better.

“I thank you, Miss Bingley, but as I fear I would not do my partner justice in my present state, I shall not impose my poor company on any of the ladies present at this ball.”

Caroline sighed – making sure to put her décolletage to full advantage – and resigned herself to yet another disappointing evening.

.

“Fitzwilliam!” Elizabeth Darcy laughed giddily as her husband leaned down to press a heated kiss to the side of her neck. “You promised you would behave.”

“I’m sorry, my love, you look way too appealing in this dress. It ought not to be allowed.”

“And whose fault is that, I wonder?” she chided him, still laughing. “I seem to remember a certain gentleman having it made most especially, and sending for it all the way from London.”

“Mmm. Such a scoundrel,” Fitzwilliam murmured, his fingers tracing a deliberately teasing pattern along the underside of her breast. “Whoever he is, I should call him out for being so daring as to disrespect my wife like that.”

Elizabeth closed her eyes momentarily, but she knew she was fighting a losing battle, and when all was said and done, it was one defeat she was most willing to concede. “You ought to see to your wife, Sir, for I have reason to believe she will disport herself most wantonly, should you fail to check her.”

“Minx,” her husband said with the utmost delight, and proceeded to demonstrate just how much he appreciated the way her dress put her pleasing figure to the best of advantages.

.

Bennet Darcy frowned as his father calmly explained everything there was to know about the caring of sheep, and how – as his eldest son, and the heir to the estate – he was expected to be knowledgeable on such matters. At nine years of age, it had never come upon him to question where lambs came from, until they had happen to be riding along a field where a ram was busy seeing to the ewes, and his father had thought it prudent to talk his son through the entire process of lambing.

“Father?” he ventured to ask at length, as a most peculiar thought dawned upon him. “Is that how you got my new brother or sister into Mama’s stomach, as well?”

Ben was suddenly faced with the most incongruous sight of his father’s cheeks colouring to an alarming shade of pink. “I – that is, well – your mother will be much better at explaining than I am, I feel.”

“I will ask her, then,” he nodded, and spurred his pony back to a trot.