#except the train i dislike the train greatly

[that-foul-legacy-lover]

pspspss hey everyone would y’all be mad if i just asked for brainrot today? i’m bone tired and need some Foul Legacy thoughts to relax ;-;;;

[yandere-fics]

Lady Selene

♡ "My dove, can't I be forgiven for a few indiscretions when I merely thought I was doomed to not have any companionship for a thousand years?" ♡

She's an aggressive and needy yandere, nothing is wrong as long as it's between mates and you should just forgive her because she's your mate. She is also secretly very worried you'll take off on her one day because of her horrible reputation. She thinks she was completely justified in having a few flings over the years, even if some of her exes were complete bitches, she just didn't want to be alone while waiting for a soulmate who might never show up knowing how much the other gods hate her. She'll do anything to keep her dalliances from reaching your ears though if she can help it and if not she was already planning on killing anyone she slept with in the past just to make sure you know she's changed her ways since meeting you.

♡ "Soulmates should call each other by their names should they not, it would greatly displease me if you were to call me by my title.... hmm though i would prefer you would call my name a bit sweeter than that, it will have to do for the moment." ♡

Her title is Lady Selene, goddess of the werewolves, she would be very upset if you didn't call her by her name though, would hold you in place and only release you once you call her by just her name, will melt if you call her a sweet nickname like Selly or something of that sort.

♡ "I'm almost 800 years old my dove, I became goddess shortly before the war began, I am the youngest of the gods." ♡

She killed a large majority of the minor gods during the war and was the instigator in the war to begin with since she couldn't control her temper. She was cursed to not find her soulmate for a thousand years as punishment for causing the whole war so she decided to sleep around for awhile cause she thought she would just clean up her act closer to when she was actually going to meet them but the other gods decided it would be an even worse punishment if she met her mate when she wasn't expecting it and didn't have time to clean up her reputation so they lifted it early without telling her.

♡ "My dove, I would never have eyes for anyone than you again, I swear my liaisons with those other women meant nothing." ♡

She's a lesbian and she slept around alot before she met you.

♡ "Job? I'm a goddess, I need no job, I simply do as a please, occasionally I train the pups who want to guard the temple. Simply put, my attention can all go to you." ♡

She does nothing useful as a god except once a year she visits the city for a month or two for diplomacy cause if she didn't she's terrified The Boss would wipe her out for attacking the city during the war but other than that she can focus the entirety of her time on you and she would like you to do the same and will be sad if you don't do the same since soulmates are the most important thing in her opinion even though she didn't really treat it that way before she actually met you.

♡ "I have a fondness for sparring on occasion, it never hurts to stay honed even if those around me can't keep up with me. I also have been known to enjoy alcoholic beverages from time to time. The thing I would say I enjoy most however is you." ♡

Before she met you she also enjoyed sleeping around and picking fights, but now that she actually has you she tries to avoid conflicts and running her mouth because she wouldn't want her fellow gods to make her look like a fool in front of her mate more than they already have. Yes she blames them for her looking like a fool even though it's her own actions that led to this.

♡ "I dislike fools who reject the mating bond and pursue people who are not their destiny. I also dislike when my dove denies me what is rightful mine, your affection." ♡

She doesn't realize how hypocritical that is, after all it's not like she enjoyed any of the people she slept with, it was merely to kill time waiting for her true mate and she thought you would never know because she could hide all the evidence closer to when she was actually going to meet them. Despite the other gods hating her guts, she doesn't hate them, she might not be fond of them especially since they did this but at the end of the day prior to the war when she went a bit crazy slaughtering thousands, they used to be close friends. She does hate The Boss.

♡ "I can do a myriad of things for you, dove. That's the beauty in being with your soulmate, someone who isn't your soulmate could never do what I can do for you." ♡

She's particularly adept at hand to hand combat. She's not as good at tracking because there was a lot of burning during the war and it really fucked up her nose, if she has an item of yours or is very intimately familiar with your scent though then it'll only take her slightly longer than the rest of them to come find her. She's still great at running, it only fucked up her sense of smell but her lungs themselves healed up.

♡ "You're not allowed to leave me, soulmates STAY together, forever. So get your pretty ass back over here and let me love on you." ♡

[sotwk]

hi! in the spirit of showing oc love, I was wondering if there's a particular oc you're looking forward to introducing to people in upcoming projects?

I'm tripping over myself to answer this Ask! (Thank you thank you thank you, Ace!)

May I please introduce two?

I've been shy about sharing these because they're not only Silmarillion OCs (I'm still intimidated by the Silm fandom, even though I have many lovely Mutuals from there, you included), they're OC WIVES of Silm Canons. Two of the most popular Silm canons. I'm pretty sure OC creators have been flogged for that.

But since you asked... onward with SotWK AU reveals and spoilers! The stories are tragic because that's the First Age for you!

Velcálë Vanandur

Wife of Maglor and grandmother of Elvenqueen Maereth (wife of Thranduil)

SotWK Fancast: Zendaya Coleman as Velcálë

Her name means "flame doer" in Quenya.

Velcálë had one child with Maglor, a daughter named Laurinwen, who was born and grew up in Tirion.

She was a Noldorin apprentice who served directly under Vána, and was thus given the prestigious epithet "Vanandur" (Servant of Vána).

She was a great tender of gardens, and her songs could cause plants to immediately flower or bear fruit.

Only out of love and devotion to Maglor did she decide to follow the Fëanorians in Exile, taking their daughter with them.

Velcálë was greatly affected by the violence of her kin and constantly homesick for Valinor. A lover of light and warmth, she suffered in the harsh lands where her family dwelt.

The toll of her heartbreak muted the strength and power she possessed in Valimar to nearly nothing, although she did her best to help sustain their people by cultivating the lands for limited-scale food production.

Because she tried to hold Maglor back from "necessary" violence and constantly made him question his commitment to the Oath, she was disliked by all of her brothers-in-law, except for Maedhros.

Velcálë was eventually slain in the battle of Dagor Bragollach when Himlad fell, leading to a permanent estrangement between Maglor and his daughter, Laurinwen.

Elemírë

Wife of Glorfindel and twin sister of Elenwë (wife of Turgon) 

SotWK Fancast: Vanessa Kirby as Elemírë

Elemírë had a fierce warrior’s spirit, but violence of any kind was considered unbecoming by her family.

She joined the Exile because she did not want to be separated from her sister Elenwë, a gentle spirit whom she always sought to protect.

She was loved by her childhood friend, Glorfindel. Although she reciprocated his feelings, he was the more passionate and demonstrative one. Elemírë factored in Glorfindel's own decision to (reluctantly) join the Exile.

Elemírë nearly died trying to dive under the Grinding Ice to save her sister, but she was held back by Glorfindel. This embittered her heart towards him. Instead of following Turgon to Vinyamar (and eventually Gondolin), she decided to join Fingon’s people. 

Over the course of the decades, she grew into a skilled cavalry rider, and was accepted into the ranks of Fingon. She became devoted to Fingon for personally mentoring and training her. 

During the Long Peace, Glorfindel (who had missed and yearned for Elemírë all those years), sought permission from Turgon to leave Gondolin so he could seek her out.

He came to Hithlum reaffirming his love for her and seeking her hand in marriage. Elemírë would not say yes, but could not bring herself to refuse him either. Glorfindel committed to staying for as long as needed to convince her, and this courtship lasted for nearly half a century.

Eventually, Fingon himself encouraged Elemírë to realize and follow her true desires for peace and love. She betrothed herself to Glorfindel and returned to Gondolin with him.

The couple married and bore one child, a son named Ingwil.

As the Lady of the House of the Golden Flower, Elemírë was also one of its fiercest warriors. She fought alongside her husband for the first time in the Nirnaeth Arnoediad.

Elemírë died during the Fall of Gondolin, rescuing her son from an attacking fire drake, which she successfully slayed before perishing.

Thank you again for the ask @hobbitwrangler, and for encouraging my foray into the Silm fandom. I hope you (and anyone reading this) enjoy learning about these OC ladies! Maybe with the right amount of courage, time, and motivation, I may someday even write some actual one-shots including them!

For more SotWK AU headcanons: SotWK HC Masterlist

Elves HC Tag List: @a-world-of-whimsy-5 @achromaticerebus @acornsandoaktrees @aduialel @asianbutnotjapanese @auttumnsayshi @blueberryrock @conversacomsmaug @elan-ho-detto-elan-15 @entishramblings @glassgulls @heilith @heranintomyknife23times @ladyweaslette @laneynoir @lathalea @quickslvxrr @spacecluster @stormchaser819 @talkdifferently6 @tamryniel @tamurilofrivendell

Special Moots who might be interested tag: @emmanuellececchi @from-the-coffee-shop-in-edoras @scyllas-revenge @g-m-kaye @quillofspirit

Other useful links:

Introduction to SotWK

Fanfiction Masterlist

Fanfiction Request Guidelines

[kimetsu-chan]

I feel bad for requesting something considering how busy you are with all the art. There’s absolutely no rush for you to do this and I encourage you to wait until you get all the art done before you even think about this.

Can you do TanjMilo angst to fluff where maybe they get into a lil argument about Milo constantly overworking herself? She’s never told him about how Sanemi treats her and overworks her when they train together and she forces herself to overwork herself just because she wants Sanemi’s approval as an older, more experienced hashira. Maybe Tanjiro catches this happening one day and right as he goes to help Milo passes out?

You can ignore this if you want to:) there’s no rush for you to get this done and if you don’t want to do it just let me know!:3 I love you Kimmie! Take care of yourself!<33

~Overworked~

A/N: Hey, don’t feel bad! I feel bad because you had to wait so long to get this— thank you for your patience Larz! And thank you hun for the detailed request— (pls ignore the awkward beginning, and the fact I made Sanemi real dislikeable-)

Also, I know, I’m so creative with the names for this fics 🤩

Edit: I’ve just realized I have forgotten the argument you asked for, I am so so sorry, please let me know if you want me to add it (Me? Lazy? Never-)

It was a nice peaceful day for Tanjiro Kamado.

Well, it was peaceful for the most part. Milo had informed him that she was training with the wind hashira today. Now, normally this wouldn’t be that big of a deal, except for the hashira’s very aggressive and violent behavior. Tanjiro knew he’d be pushing Milo further than she could go. He always did. Not only did he feel frustration and anger at Shinazugawa, he also felt concern for Milo. He knew that she wouldn’t defend herself from the scary man, and that worried him.

Shinazugawa’s harsh words would also often affect her way of thinking. She would often push herself to train harder, even when she was training by herself, which always resulted in her getting violently sick. Then she’d feel guilty for having someone care for her and being out of commission.

Tanjiro felt frustrated because he needed her to see that she was good enough as is. That she didn’t need Shinazugawa’s approval to be a good hashira. He was so wrapped up in his own thoughts that he hadn’t realized he had arrived at the Suzuki estate. Because he was there so often, the few kakushi that were actually there didn’t bat an eye at his presence. He slipped past them with a small bow of the head and made his way to the back garden, a small plate of food in hand.

He didn’t hear any yelling from the wind hashira, had their training ended early? He cautiously listened for any noise. None. Not even the swing of a sword. He then sniffed for a scent. Shinazugawa’s wretched smell was absent, so at least there was that.

His relief was cut short when he finally reached the normally serene and calming garden. His eyes widened as he took in the sight before him. His hands forgot he was supposed to be holding something and glass shattered on the stone below him as he saw Milo’s unconscious body laying on the pebbly ground.

He rushed towards her in a panicked frenzy. His first instinct was to check for a pulse. Phew, there was one. He quickly got to work in picking her up. He carried the unconscious girl bridal style all the way to her small room. He laid her down on the futon and rushed for a washcloth. Once he got the washcloth, he ran it under cold water and went to drape it over her burning forehead. He had no idea how long she had been out like that for, but the idea she’d been outside under the beaming sun for hours upset him greatly.

Tanjiro always loved being around her. But now, he felt a sense of urgency to be with her 24/7. How could Shinazugawa have just left her there? What if she got heat stroke! His thoughts were, once again, interrupted when he heard a small, weak voice calling out to him.

“T-Tanji…? W-Why aren’t I outside? I-I’m supposed to be training-!”

Tanjiro placed a hand over hers and gave her a sympathetic smile.

“Angel, you need rest. I don’t want you getting sick. Nor do I want you to pass out again.”

Milo started to protest, but Tanjiro shushed her with a finger over her lips.

“Before you even start, you’re not any less competent because you don’t live up to Shinazugawa’s unrealistic standards. You’re perfect the way you are, I don’t need you to be any better than you already are. No one does. And I can promise you that we all prefer a happy healthy Milo over a Milo who is draining herself.”

Milo started to tear up. She didn’t think she deserved such loving and comforting words. But she knew better than to deny them. She sat up shakily and buried her face in his shoulder.

“T-Thank you, Tanji. Thank you for loving me so much.”

Tanjiro smiled and returned her hug.

“Of course Angel, now please rest.”

A/N: kshdjdbdjsbdj they’re so cute, I love TanjMilo (I got the name right this time 😎) once again, I apologize you had to wait almost two weeks for this. I hope it was worth the wait! (I’d love to see/read Milo’s reaction to this btw, only if you’re up for it tho :3)

[matston]

city life....

exams... exams... oh! and more exams! my life has turned into one big rabbit hole that I can't get out of! to think, it was only seven weeks ago that I was halfway across the world in my favourite city of London, and now I'm back home in my messy apartment up to my waist in task notifications.

and yes, sure! I do admit that perhaps staying out until the wee hours of the morning on a "school night" is not the most responsible action taken by yours truly, but I can't help it! live music waits for no one.

and laundry, laundry! the situation has gotten so dire that I am seriously considering burning my clothes and starting fresh (which is not really an option considering I just bought the cutest Tommy Jeans tank for only $20)

ok, it's not my fault that in every area of my life, I am the busiest I've ever been. my weeks are looking like;

rehearsals, catch the train, study, write an essay, study some more, buy an overpriced oat cappuccino, listen to lana del rey, put on some eyeliner, more rehearsals, more emails, call boyfriend (who's not my real boyfriend) more. study. more essays. catch more trains.

why, even now, i'm writing this blog post to escape writing my modern history essay! how fun. how joyous.

i am vowing to (from now on) to commit to the cute school style, you know? pleated skirts, early mornings, black coffee, tidy notes, books on books on books!!

speaking of books, here is the next section of this post (inspired by my very very favourite podcast Emergency Intercom) is

media of the week !!

Books: Currently reading A Little Life and I am up to page 218 and wow!! I so, completely get it. It is so insanely beautifully written and emotionally impactful and incredibly heartbreaking (please no spoilers, I want to feel an immense amount of sadness when I finish it) I'm also just starting everything I know about love by Dolly Alderton and I highly rate it!! Lastly, I began reading Girl in Pieces (and some of you are going to hate me for this) but I really am disliking it. I'm considering a DNF but I might stick it out.

TV: Not much to note except I'm rewatching the big 3 (Gilmore Girls, Gossip Girl, Pretty Little Liars), plus a little bit of SATC and Suits on the side. (which seem weirdly complimentary? is it NYC?)

Movies: I watched Fracture with my family this weekend and honestly, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I also watched The Craft and let me just say, I can't believe I didn't watch it sooner. As a child, my favourite movie was Disney's Hocus Pocus and it really feels like a natural progression. I want to frolic in the meadow with my girls and get revenge on people who have done us dirty. (p.s follow my letterboxd; matildawatches)

Music: Charli XCX's brat has really been speaking to me, most notably talk talk and mean girls. quickfire songs; Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl, Once in A Lifetime, Black Beauty, Rose Blood, Low, Get Back. some sad some random (elite reference) (p.p.s follow my spotify; bonnie-278)

anyways everyone! if you've made it to the end of this post i greatly appreciate! hope everyone is having a fabulous june and here's toa better july.

-B xx

[skeletons-eat]

I watched 'the last Jedi' for the first time (for real not only clips n stuff) and here are my thoughts.

Okay can we please talk about the last jedi????? Because!???? I just watched it and I absolutely loved it ngl. I am huge fan of the force awakens but hadn't watched the last two of the sequel films due to the hate n stuff but I adored this film, especially the end.

So let's start at the last scene of SW:TLJ.

That kid telling his friends about what we had just scene beforehand (or perhaps another part of Luke's life as a reference to this moment?), then grabbing the broom with the force and then afterward showing him in a 'Jedi pose' with the resistance-symbol-ring ? Amazing. Especially with the Context of Luke saying beforehand that kylo was wrong when he stated that there will be no more rebellion and jedi.

We as the audience think in that moment of our protagonists i. e. Finn, rey, Poe, etc, but what I believe is more significant is that there will always be people out there who wish to do good and who will rebel in the face of oppression. Neither the Empire nor the first order or any sith in the galaxy can destroy all hope there is because that's something that will never die!

And hope is in star wars synonominous with the light and the Jedi, thus making it the major statement that comes with this movie.

This is also underlined with Luke's final ending in that movie.

When we were I triduced to him in the sequels he was supposed to mirror Obi-Wan from the OT, which we dont think makes much sense at first because we still know Luke as our Luke. The one who redeemed Vader. The one who beet Palpatine. Our chosen one who helped rebalanced the Galaxy and who rebuild the Galaxy.

What we as an audience begin to understand is that even paragons of light like Luke are able to fail. Are able to make mistakes and hurt others in a persute to do the right thing. That even they will be affected by traumas and fears no matter what.

And I believe that that was the right thing to do. We saw Luke in his prime so it was good to see him at his lowest simply because he was able to heal from that. And only because someone believed in him. Someone he had never met but had a undeniable connection to. Which again reflects what he did for Vader in RotJ.

I also loved Finn and Rose in this movie they were amazing and funny and cool and no I dont take criticism.

I also really liked Poe's character development from what one would consider overconfident soldier to true leader that we saw in the movie especially since it manifests to us that these characters are actively growing.

And I can't leave before mentioning rey simply because I love her for her character and hate how the made her pretty dependant to kylo as a character. I am a person who dislikes kylo/Ben and this whole ship since I'd find it better to have more of her alone and less of him but anyway.

Rey was figureing out a lot of stuff in this movie, though I enjoyed her actually verbally beating the shit out of Luke since she has no social etiquette which is AMAZING.

Her whole development with the force training and stuff was also really cool and I simply loved her screen time (except for Kyle).

Getting to my least favourite part (though I kept to the major points here);Kyle Ron/Ben.

I personally greatly dislike him as a Person. The idea behind his Character though is quite good if you think about it. The whole point of the ST is to mirror the OT and twist it up weirdly in the which comes off as 'history rhymes but is ever changing', but in this case it twists it in a way which makes the first order seem rediculous and pathetic.

Which makes sense since eveil generally is.

I like how they made the bad guys actually unlikable and weird and only out to do what is best for themself and don't understand how horrible they come off as, because evil isn't smart ( at Keats not in most cases) .

And it mirrors the Empire in way which worsens that very image because this empire is this big machine of terror and power and the first order just...tries to be that even though they can't. It's truly as easy as that and I love how they redicule evil and make it seem stupid. Because that's what it is simply put.

[1tsjusty0u]

whats zeldas + link's + the champions' opinions on animals

OK! link and urbosa are huge cat fans. if link saw a cat he would pet it no matter the consequences (unless its someones pet and they state to not pet it). he is a cat man at heart. he also likes dogs but hes more afraid of them due to being Big and also going up to him fast and licking him. urbosa would like dogs more probably, both more than cats and against link. theyre just Neat. zelda isnt really afraid of cats but she just doesnt usually approach them, she likes dogs but honestly she wouldnt really want a pet i think. unless it was like. a fish or a guinea pig. she also would leave dogs alone unless they go up to her. but shes mostly neutral on them Unless its for studying. oh she’d make herself a robot animal honestly. just like as an assistant. i feel like a dog would be too obvious for that? but maybe something like an owl/bird/something she’d have as like. a sixth divine beast almost (though its not for divine/calamity purposes). also she probably wouldnt really enjoy the work that comes from taking care of a cat/dog so. yeag. link may get one but would most likely just visit strays than fully adopt one. plus he cant really look after a pet. urbosa wouldnt have many problems though. mipha and revali arent really the biggest.. fur fans? like i think cat/dog fur would feel weird on miphas scales and on revalis feathers. itd probably be more troublesome for mipha than revali though. so mipha would try to pet a cat but feel sad that she cant because it feels Bad. honestly she could be allergic to them, though i need to think about how sever it would be. revali isnt a fan of most animals, Especially dogs (way too heavy for him + need lots of attention that could be used for Training!!) . revali would probably get like. a low maintenance pet like a fish and then vent all his problems to it and would get So Upset when it dies (which augh yeah fair..). i dont know if mipha would have any pets in general (not even aquatic ones). maybe a plant as a substitute honestly. zelda gifts her frogbit or skunk cabbages (though those smell apparently) and she just takes care of that. daruk .. hm. honestly i dont know if im going to make him scared of dogs/cats/animals? like. hes not scared of birds (some of them frequent the mountain for those berry plants i mentioned in the flower post), lizards hes also not scared of (small and he is Bigger.), the butterflies he likes to look at but once again, no fear. but animals not on the mountain such as deer, boars, dogs, cats and foxes and maybe even herons? hes slightly scared of. also bears. he both respects the concept of a bear and greatly fears the powers of a bear. OH YEAH HORSES. daruk would get used to them eventually. and cows. but its kinda like being afraid of bugs except those animals are less dangerous except for bears. also fun fact with the cups and pottery theres actually stone/sculpted flowers in goron city!!! theres one in yunobos house look

other animals!! horses. link loves horses and his horse is the best to him, urbosa isnt really familiar with horses but she respects them, and she got her own horse when traveling not the desert. mipha revali and daruk dont really use horses (mipha might though more using carriages, she’d most likely utilize the rivers). revali doesnt really care about them, and mipha likes them. zelda having horse problems + link liking them probably has her try to avoid them mostly. she doesnt hate them but she does dislike whenever theyre around. otherwise though i think she’d be interested in how gentle/wild type horses work maybe. probably intersect the horse logic into something else. cows theyre all decent fans of, mipha especially because she can point at a water buffalo and go ‘hey i have those where i live :D!!!!!’, and link would just miss the cows at hateno village and pet the stable animals. boars.. i think theyd think theyre neat. theyre probably the most hunted animal when they do hunt, but usually they dont have too much of an opinion despite the ganon connotations. though link specifically would see it as an omen. not of bad luck or good luck but of Something. urbosa might too honestly. bears, range from Lets Not Interact with it to HELL YEAH BEAR :D. revali would actually like bears because he’s seen them in hebra and they pose no threat to him. link has almost never seen a bear in his life so hes both mildly afraid and BEAR :D. urbosa has heard of bear tales in the gerudo highlands and of bokoblins riding them (which they can do), but othwrwise she would probably stay away from them because she doesnt want to deal with a bear. mipha would have a sweet spot for bears but also avoid them. shes seen like. 1. and they are Big. daruk has already been mentioned. zelda would think bears are neat especially because of how few of them there are. crows!!! sign of many things (apparently the number of crows can mean something?), usually universally meaning Death. daruk isnt too off put by them especially because theres some near the lost woods, urbosa doesnt know about the connotation to death so to her its just ‘cool bird’, mipha is vaguely aware of it however shes never really experienced it. revali is Suspicious of crows due to him only seeing them circling satori mountain and Only that mountain, zelda does her best to . not avoid them but be aware of the superstitions. she wouldnt like the association with death, and she wouldnt like crows as a result. link would Also not like crows, less of the death superstition and more of how they were in the lost woods. to him its more like a sign of bad luck, if they guard something its best to just leave it be. it makes me wonder how theyd view the crows at satori mountain. also the in game description notes that theyre feathers are seen as a bad omen and they also steal crops. nothing much more except because of the crop thing i feel like link would slightly fear them. give them a crop whenever he sees them. foxes!!! just little guys :D. revali would complain that the foxes in hebra are better (blue coats instead of orange and all that jazz), but not much of an opinion overall. post calamity i think link would never really hunt foxes. the noises they make are sad and he sees them frequently to the point theyre like. not friends but friends. goats!!! if one tried to headbutt urbosa she'd try to flip it over, so sometimes thats why they have meat to cook. daruk isnt a fan he doesnt like how it charges at him. mipha is cautious and revali doesnt care. zelda likes them! link has no opinion. wolves/coyotes! urbosa views them as mostly a nuisance. everyones usually ok with killing them which is. kind of sad. actually its a bit funny how wolves are in packs in botw, considering the lone wolf saying. herons! food/pretty. mipha likes how they fly, and zelda is curious on why the pink and grey ones stick together sometimes. and also why theyre ON THE ROAD. meese/moose! Big. scary. mostly feared. RHINOCEROS :DD!!!!!!! zelda would Love these things -

link and mipha would be interested in the horn. revali would like it a lot, its a cool animal in His region. urbosa would be interested in them, especially because they were in hotter regions. daruk just sits back and lets everyone else interact with them. pigeons!! camping friends, theyre chill. i think post calamity link would like to think a pigeon or two would be rhoam watching the plateau in his old areas. he doesnt see pigeons in most areas, after all. rainbow pigeons would interest zelda and revali, and revali would collect their feathers either for luck or for decoration (a different color feather meaning something different), and zelda would just be interested in how/Why its colored like that. daruk thinks theyre neat! otherwise cool but meh to everyone else. (also looked at the wiki AND APPARENTLY THERES A FIREPROOF PIGEON…..). snow pigeons dont really mean anything to everyone else, but to revali theyre a symbol of cleverness/survival. if you see one its thought to mean that camping will be fruitful. theyre calls probably mean something, but it varies. ducks!!! link and mipha like them, for mipha theyre hunting partners, and for link they remind him of hateno, to him its like they visit him. daruk would enjoy them, urbosa wouldnt mind them. revali would like them. zelda also wouldnt mind them. island hawkers!!! revalis favorite animal he Loves to fly with those things. they visit medoh too and circle the village sometimes. mipha would like to watch them, urbosa would get annoyed at their shadows, daruk wouldnt mind them and neither would link, and zelda would like their patterning. seagulls!! for link specifically theyre also an omen, he mostly saw them on the beach/the abandoned ship him and aryll found. he doesnt know what the omen is though. otherwise not much to say besides being food stealing Bastards and mipha would absolutely punch one if she saw it. shes heard of seagull tales…. ALSO post calamity he uses them for fish indicators. not much else. SAND SEALS. urbosa loves them dearly and she makes fun of everyone else for not having them. theyre sledding Pros, and zelda finds them fascinating. mipha is also curious about them because shes heard of seals from the sea, so shes interested if theres a connection!! but also the sledding is a new and weird thing for her. to link theyre like horses but not. traveling buddies, but he still misses his horse……… though dont tell his horse this but he actually really does like the sledding thing. its fun. daruk would try to outrace a sand seal i think, and he likes em! revali would probably just leave them be in all honesty, its just not his thing. i think sand seals would be a sign of Winning if that makes sense. cuccos!! link would hit them three times for eggs and would scare everyone half to death. zelda wants to study their hatred/ability to attack. actually i think she’d do that youtuber thing of putting cuccos against lynels. also revali would have mixed feelings. like on one hand they look so stupid but also a mountain is named after them??? why?? but yeah chicken. fish would also have some significance like salmon for revali, sizzlefin trout being traded from the gorons to the zora, hearty bass being miphas pride to hunt, sneaky river snails being really cool to zelda, frozen porgy being a snack for urbosa, and mipha just. liking crabs. not eating them as zoras dont do that usually? but enjoying their presence. also zelda would catch bugs . alsoalso off topic but theres always a bird motif throughout hyrule castle. this is probably due to their symbol and loftwings and such but i think zelda would have Some kind of feelings towards a specific bird, i just dont know which one…. its more like the stone birds being. not an omen but a reminder of where she is. and a bird similar to the stone ones would freak her out i think

[fowlblue]

I know we've discussed their pokemon so many times but: Tim, Jon, Butler? Maybe just from the new dex?

Here we go!

Tim:

Liepard-

Ability: Limber

• Assurance•Shadow Claw•Fake Out•Hone Claws•

Tim’s first Pokémon, and the closest of all his teammates. Liepard has been with him through everything, and it is an experienced and vicious fighter- it has a habit of playing small pranks on the other Fowls, much to its owner’s amusement. Following closely at his heels, the leopard cat is not above swiping at anyone it feels disrespects it or its owner, and many who curl their lip behind Tim’s back quickly find themselves backpedaling when Liepard unsheathes its claws.

Houndoom-

Ability: Flash Fire

•Incinerate•Comeuppance•Torment•Snarl•

Houndoom is Tim’s heavy-hitter in battle, blasting fire across the arena- at home, however, Houndoom is dedicated to its self-appointed role of guarding the Fowl Family, alongside the tasks Tim has taught it in order to help him in his day-to-day after his rescue, such as fetching items or providing support for him to lean against. At night, it sits with him by the fireplace, keeping a watchful eye as ever.

Honchkrow-

Ability: Super Luck

•Dark Pulse•Nasty Plot•Swagger•Air Cutter•

‘Every Fowl must have a fowl’- a running joke among the family, true as it may be: every prominent Fowl in the family history has had a bird pokemon on their team, and Tim is no exception. Together, Honchkrow and Liepard play vicious tricks on those they dislike if they feel they can get away with it. Most times, however, Honchkrow prefers to roost beside Tim’s desk, tousling Tim’s hair with a wing at times as if he’s one of its former ‘henchmen’.

Butler:

Corviknight-

Ability: Unnerve

•Steel Wing•Iron Defense•Brave Bird•Flash Cannon•

It is tradition for every Butler serving the Fowls to have a Corviknight- Butler himself is no exception, though he acquired the Pokemon under tragic circumstances. Found injured alongside the body of The Major, its recovery is ongoing, leading Butler to prefer using other team members when it comes to battle. Despite this, Corviknight will still leap into battle if it feels it must to protect Butler or its charges, at times detecting danger before even the bodyguard himself- the steel-clad bird refuses to retire just yet.

Lucario-

Ability: Inner Focus

•Close Combat•Work Up•Swords Dance•Counter•

Riolu was Butler’s first Pokémon, caught on his 10th birthday to train alongside him to be the perfect bodyguard. Lucario has never lost a (fair) fight at his side, and its ability to read others’ emotions have given it a strong sense of who is trustworthy and who is not- if Lucario doesn’t trust you, Butler doesn’t. Much like the bodyguard himself, however, Lucario has found it difficult at times to mind Artemis, as the shift from a life of constant combat to that of service at the boy’s side, alongside his habit of running headfirst into danger (and dragging Butler with it) is something it hasn’t wholly adjusted to.

Tyranitar-

Ability: Unnerve

•Rock Slide•Screech•Stone Edge•Dragon Claw•

His newest party member, Tyranitar is still adjusting to life at a trainer’s side. Haughty and Lax by nature, the kaiju-like Pokemon often dozes off when not battling, and Butler is working hard to gain its trust- it enjoys training alongside him at the dojo, however, and is surprisingly tolerant of Artemis’s attempts to study its earth-shattering strength and behavior. It also greatly enjoys Butler’s cooking.

Arcanine-

Ability: Rock Head

•Fire Fang•Take Down•Rock Slide•Howl•

A gift from The Major for Butler’s 18th birthday, the bodyguard is still not entirely sure where his uncle managed to find such a rare regional form, but Arcanine (once Growlithe) is a beloved member of his party regardless. While as ferocious as any of its teammates in combat, Arcanine prefers the time spent away from battle, and has adjusted best to the slower life of the Manor. Following the bodyguard around (and keeping a watchful eye on Artemis), the Pokemon enjoys the simpler tasks of helping him cook in the kitchen with its fire, or patrolling the estate during the nightly rounds.

Jon:

Luxray-

Ability: Intimidate

•Night Slash•Discharge•Electric Terrain•Swagger•

Shinx was Jon’s starter Pokemon, and it has grown into quite the vicious feline at his side, watching haughtily from the corner of the room during each meeting or public conference. Despite its tendency to rush into battle and its easily-sparked temper, however, the electric cat still curls up at his feet whenever he settles down for the evening, purring up a storm. It remembers its days spent with him making mischief in the neighborhood, and casting mean glances at disliked coworkers during Jon’s early days in the company, and it’s more than happy to continue striking down enemies and protecting the businessman that befriended it long ago.

Arbok-

Ability: Shed Skin

•Thunder Fang•Crunch•Glare•Poison Jab•

Like Luxray, Arbok has been with Jon a long time, and has bared its teeth at many an enemy and felled many a foe. If Luxray is not able to be out at Jon’s side (such as within the lab around sensitive equipment), then Arbok instead takes up the task of guarding him. Despite its frightening appearance, however, it’s a goofy creature at heart, and many meetings are interrupted by Jon falling from his chair when the massive serpent attempts to curl up in his lap like a small dog might, forgetting that it is no longer the tiny Ekans it once was.

Kilowattrel-

Ability: Volt Absorb

•Spark•Uproar•Acrobatics•Roost•

After The Needle’s construction, Jon was surprised to find that some wild Pokémon seemed to take the skyscraper as a new home, and Kilowattrel was one of those Pokémon. When Jon grew tired of the massive bird chasing his pilots away from the landing pad and sending thunderbolts down at any who dared approach the balconies, he caught it, and now the fierce creature can often be found perched in his office, sending sparks flying at any poor staff that open the door unannounced. With time, it is learning to accept that others call The Needle home too- it’s not above sending even Arno running, however, if it feels like it (or if it sees anyone walk by with a snack it wants to steal).

[charlatxn]

My Mass Effect Characters Masterpost

So I figured I should probably have a master post for my Mass Effect characters; my Shepard, Ryder, and OCS with basic information about them. * = will add more about this character

Original Trilogy

Commander Athena Shepard

Earthborn, War Hero

Infiltrator

80% paragon, 20% renegade

Childhood best friends with Lillith; they're practically sisters in every aspect except biological

Was an orphan living on the streets until Lillith's aunt took her in

Romances Garrus

Survives the Reaper war

Lillith Caine

Earthborn, Sole Survivor

Infiltrator

60% paragon, 40% renegade

Her parents died when she was an infant and her maternal aunt took her in and raised her alongside her family

Childhood best friends with Athena; they're practically sisters

Romances Thane

She does not like Jacob

Her entire biological family dies to the Reapers on Earth. She finds out a day after Thane's death

Does not survive the Reaper war; goes to the Citadel in Athena's place and dies choosing the synthesis ending

*Cielle Winters

Spacer

Adept

95% paragon, 5% renegade

Romances Kaidan

During the events of ME2, she and Kaidan were on a break (caused by her joining Chakwas on the Normandy) so she went on a date with Jacob. It didn't go well (he flirted with the waitress. A lot), which caused Lillith to greatly dislike the man.

Is Doctor Chakwas' intern; is in training to become a warship doctor - something her parents disapprove of

Survives the Reaper war

Andromeda

Pathfinder Taliyah Ryder

Infiltrator

Casual and Emotional

Twin sister to Finn

Cousin to Scott and Sara

Romances Reyes

Has a remnant VI bot named Tars and an assault turret named Admiral

*Finnigan "Finn" Ryder

Engineer

Casual and Logical

Twin brother to Taliyah

Cousin to Scott and Sara

Romances Vetra

Has a drone named Kase

*Scott Ryder

Vanguard

Casual and Professional

Older brother of Sara

Cousin to Taliyah and Finn

Romances Cora

*Sara Ryder

Adept

Logical and Professional

Younger sister to Scott

Cousin to Taliyah and Finn

Romances Jaal

Left the Milky Way engaged, and left the Nexus no longer engaged. Her experience with her ex-fiance left her very hurt and weary of new people, so she built a wall around herself to protect herself. She also had no intentions of pursuing any romantic relationships for the foreseeable future. That is until Jaal joined the Tempest.

[cathygeha]

REVIEW

Onyx by Freya Barker

GEM #3

This series could go on and on forever and I would read every one of the books BUT I have a feeling this could be the last book in the series, and I will have to think about the characters instead of reading about them in the future. I will miss them.

What I liked:

* Rajani “Raj” Agarwal: AKA Onyx, GEM operative-employee, difficult backstory that motivates her in her current job, young love lost impacted her greatly as did the trauma s he experienced at the hands of predators and abusers, strong, smart, survivor, lead on this case, closed off but intrigued by Jacob and Hamish

* Jacob Branch: owner and head of GEM, invested in saving missing and exploited youth, suffered more than one trauma in the past – physical and mental, strong, resilient, wealthy, intelligent, has many assets to work with, drawn to a woman and has loved her a long time, intriguing man

* Hamish Adrian: scars from burns suffered in a stable fire at a horse training facility, horse trainer, ex-military, brother-in-arms to Jacob, more to him than meets the eye

* The development of the relationship between Raj and the man she ends up with and how it unfolds – they so deserve to be together

* Bernie: a woman who has had Jacob’s back for many years

* Getting to see how Kate & Mitch and Janey & Fisher are doing

* The plot, pacing, and writing

* Being able to hate the evil characters

* Knowing that GEM and CARD managed to bring to justice some very evil predators and hopefully save some young people, too

* All of it except for…

What I didn’t like:

* Who and what I was meant not to like – and there were quite a few to dislike

* Knowing that there are evil people in the world willing to harm others in the pursuit of their own horrific lusts and desires

Did I enjoy this book? Yes

Would I read more by this author? Definitely

Thank you to the author and Buoni Amici PR for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

BLURB

GEM: a privately-funded organization operating independently in the search for—and the rescue and recovery of—missing and exploited children. Although, at times working in conjunction with law enforcement, GEM aims to ensure the victims receive justice…by whatever means necessary. ____ Onyx; balanced, strong, a guardian She’s the voice of reason, advocates, and strategizes. Supporting the team from the background, Onyx rarely goes out in the field. However, when a widespread child exploitation ring is discovered, her particular skill set is needed to get close. Unfortunately, her boss—a man she’s never laid eyes on before—is dead set against her taking the lead. Outvoted, he finds a way to keep her in his sights, risking his own exposure. It’s only a matter of time before the final truth is revealed, and they’re forced to face the past and secure their future.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Hey all!

Just a few words from me!

First of all, thank you so much for your interest in my books.

I started writing January of 2014 without any idea what was going to come of it. That first book, Slim To None, released in August of that year.

It was only supposed to be a one-time thing, but I discovered I had more to say and my passion was born.

Writing is therapy for me, and through my stories I hope to share a little of what it has given me: HOPE.

My dream is for my readers to find that same ‘hope’ in my words. Not just for love and romance, but for a good, happy, satisfying life, regardless of current circumstances. To show through my characters that despite roadblocks thrown in our path—with an open mind—we can learn to see and move beyond our limitations. That we can stand strong in the face of adversity, and sometimes as a result of it.

Believe in yourself—in your worth.

I hope you enjoy my stories, and I hope you’re able to take something away from them.

Happy reading!

xox Freya

USA Today bestselling author Freya Barker loves writing about ordinary people with extraordinary stories. 

With forty-plus books already published, she continues to create characters who are perhaps less than perfect, each struggling to find their own slice of happy. 

Recipient of the ReadFREE.ly 2019 Best Book We’ve Read All Year Award for “Covering Ollie, the 2015 RomCon “Reader’s Choice” Award for Best First Book, “Slim To None”, Finalist for the 2017 Kindle Book Award with “From Dust”, and Finalist for the 2020 Kindle Book Award with “When Hope Ends”, Freya spins story after story with an endless supply of bruised and dented characters, vying for attention!

[theshapeshifter100]

ALTR 04859

Listen alright no one who’s done these knows who the hell I am but damn it if I don’t enjoy a fun writing concept. I believe @tracobuttons started this

---

ALTR 04859 was first spotted in late 2017, and evaded capture for a full year before being brought into IRIS custody. No harm came to IRIS operatives during this time, although some were throughly embarrassed.

ALTR 04859 has the standard form is a stocky humanoid female standing at 155cm with blonde hair. Whether this is her original form is unclear, as the primary ability of this ALTR is the ability to change form.

There appears to be a preference for canid, lagomorph, feline and raptor forms. There is no known pattern to why she shifts to these forms. Upon being questioned, ALTR 04859 merely shrugged and stated ‘because I feel like it’.

In human form, ALTR 04859 is fidgety, particularly with her hands. A foam stress ball has been provided and was gleefully received. In other forms she displays similar behaviour through other means, such as tail swishing and wing flapping, but the stress ball is still used. It has has to be replaced three separate times at time of writing.

When left alone, ALTR 04859 will sing, no matter what form she has taken. Observers greatly dislike when she does this in the form of a cat, or a fox. However, being prohibited from singing caused an increase in stress, so ALTR 04859 was merely advised not to sing in such forms, and has so far cooperated.

Intelligence appears to be on the same level as an average human, and retains the same cognition and awareness no matter the form taken.

ALTR 04859 displayed recognition when some other ALTRs were described, but claims to have never interacted with them. The Watchr cameras told us that she was being truthful.

The one known exception is ALTR 0899, whom ALTR 04859 appears to enjoy the company of greatly. The two ALTRs are not to be left unsupervised with each other, and given their propensity to mimic each other when changing form, measures are to be taken to ensure the correct ALTR is returned to the correct cell.

A steady supply of fiction books is to be maintained in order to distract ALTR 04859 and lower stress. ALTR 04859 has expressed great enjoyment of certain tropes found in fantasy and science fiction novels, although has also stated a great distaste of the romance genre, and romantic plot lines in general. Despite IRIS’s best efforts, there are a limited number of titles that fit those requirements, but there has yet to be any great discontent over the matter.

Despite clear curiosity, and potential pleading, ALTR 04859 is not allowed any non-fictional resources we have about magic.

Whilst in IRIS custody ALTR 04859 appears mostly calm, and sometimes amused. There is the concern that ALTR 04859 will attempt to escape using her ability, and while many security measures have been put in place, we are not yet certain of her full capabilities. It is unlikely that ALTR 04859 will display them willingly.

Future tests of ALTR 04859′s abilities are still under board consideration.

There is to be constant monitoring of ALTR 04859′s cell and any new forms shown are to be reported immediately. She is to be allowed supervised exercise in an enclosed space once a week, and if well behaved, is allowed light training with the guards. ALTR 04859 appears to have some level of skill in unarmed combat, but is not allowed to properly train, in case physical restraint is required. Under no circumstances allow ALTR 04859 to know of the location of IRIS’s weapons stores, let alone allow her to use them, no matter of assurances that she ‘just wants to look’.

In the event of escape, food is one potential non-violent method of recovery, as ALTR 04859 appears to have trouble turning down food. Sweet food and chocolate are recommended, however given the clear preference for predator forms, having meat on hand is also recommended

[beyondspaceandstars]

Fireworks

Relationship: Bucky Barnes x Reader Warnings: mentions of anxiety, mental health, angst, worry (but happy ending!) Summary: The sound of fireworks in the middle of the night shakes Bucky awake so you try your best to comfort him. A/N: a little fourth of july fic inspired by my own dislike for fireworks but it works well here i think!

Masterlist

You awoke suddenly when you realized something was off. You were alone in the normally shared bed.

You had just barely registered this when you went to cuddle into Bucky but ended up finding, well, nothing. Nothing except for his half of the comforter that smelled like him. You frowned, forcing your tired eyes open in worry.

Frantically, in the dark, you sat up and searched for any sign of Bucky. You were really hoping he went to use the bathroom and you were just a paranoid girlfriend but then you heard a sniffle. It was so faint but you knew you had heard it. And it was coming from the…floor?

You peaked over on Bucky’s side and sure enough, there was your boyfriend shaking in fear on the floor. Heart-wrenching tears filled his eyes. A cheap blanket covered his lap. He barely looked up at you for a second before turning away, shoulders drooping in shame.

“Bucky?” You asked, worried beyond belief. “Is everything okay?”

He kept his eyes trained on the wall adjacent to the bed. “Yeah,” Bucky answered, weakly, “I’m fine. Go back to bed, sweetheart. I didn’t mean to wake you.”

You ignored his dismissal and raced off the bed. You knelt in front of him but Bucky still wouldn’t look at you. “What happened?”

But then that’s where you heard it. The unmistakable boom of fireworks.

Brows furrowed in confusion, you looked over at the clock which was reading just a few minutes past midnight. On July 4th. Your heart sank. You had completely forgotten what day was upon you.

“The fireworks…” you sighed. “Bucky, I’m sorry, I forgot-,”

Bucky shook his head. “There’s nothing you could do, honey.”

“I-I could’ve stayed up with you or-or-,”

He cut off your panicked rambling by placing his hand in yours. Bucky finally looked at you - really looked at you - and your heart shattered. He looked so exhausted yet panicked. Sad but angry. And as if on some super cruel cue, another firework exploded in the sky, lighting up your shared bedroom in a flash. Bucky winced.

You sighed. “I really can’t do anything for you?”

“Just…” Bucky took a deep breath. “Just stay with me. Please.”

Wordlessly, you nodded and sat on the floor next to Bucky. He had a blanket situated on his lap which he offered half of it to you. You accepted and snuggled into him as another explosive pop rang from outside.

After a moment, Bucky surprised you and spoke again. “You know, I used to love fireworks.”

You hummed, curling your arm around his bicep, hugging him. “Yeah?”

Bucky nodded, now staring towards the window which was suddenly lit up by another display. "I and Steve liked to go watch fireworks," he explained. "We’d go for his birthday and, wow, how they would light up the night. I thought it was the coolest thing ever when we were kids. The city put on some crazy shows."

"I’m sorry they’re not so fun anymore," you mumbled, completely unsure of what to actually say. Glimpses into Bucky’s life before the incident were so rare but you tried to treasure every one of them. It probably didn’t help in the slightest that his brain correlated Steve with fireworks. When was your boyfriend going to catch a break?

But Bucky just shrugged, shaking his head slightly. "What about you?" He changed the subject. Natural deflection. "Do you like fireworks?"

"I never really hated them but they did use to annoy me," you admitted. "Mainly because they’d scare my dog and that always made me upset."

Bucky let out a light chuckle which caught you by surprise. You held his gaze for a moment, shooting him a small smile before the moment was crushed by another firework exploding in the sky. You groaned.

"Why do people do this?" You huffed. "I get it, it’s the fourth of July, but it just hit midnight. Is it even legal around here?"

"You going to rat them out if it’s not?" Bucky teased.

You playfully rolled your eyes. "Maybe," you shrugged. "If that’s what it takes."

Another boom rang out and Bucky shifted towards you. "I’m sure they’ll be done soon," he said to you but it sounded more like he was trying to convince himself. "They can’t go all night, right?"

"You might be underestimating the American spirit."

Boom! Pop!

Bucky sighed in annoyance with each electrifying sound. "Yeah, you may be right."

That was enough for you. Just sitting here with him wasn’t really cutting it. You needed to do more.

"Maybe we should get out of here," you suggested. Bucky looked at you, confused, so you explained, "I read somewhere once that it may help to be farther away from the firework displays. Off in nature or something like that."

"I’ll take any suggestions you have at this point," Bucky admitted something shined in through the windows of the room. You were quite relieved he was willing to do more than sit on the floor. Not to mention he was actually letting you help him. You gripped Bucky’s hand tightly and you two stood up.

Foregoing any proper attire besides your everyday pajamas, you two packed some water and snacks before heading to your car. Bucky let you take the reins with driving which you didn’t mind. You only had a vague idea of a place on the outskirts of town that would work but, at this point, driving anywhere away from the chaos of the neighborhood was totally fine with both of you.

You drove about thirty minutes out of town until you hit an open woodland area. It seemed like some normal forest grounds filled with hiking trails but the specifics didn’t really matter. What it really offered was a lack of fireworks. Sure, some could be heard in muffled fashion and even seen way off in the distance, just above the tree line, but they were no longer right next door. You looked over at Bucky who was taking in the area. He already looked much more relaxed.

"This is nice," he commented.

You smiled and turned off the car. You two grabbed water from your packed bag. "I’m glad you like you," you said. "I was kind of worried there’d be campgrounds of tourists lighting more displays but it seems like we’re in the clear."

Bucky nodded slowly as he took a sip of water. His eyes were looking around lovingly at the trees. He even watched a few fireworks lighting up the sky back towards town. The sound was reduced greatly making it just a pretty mirage of colors. Even you were getting into it.

"Thank you," Bucky whispered.

You frowned. "Of course, Bucky. I just wanted to help."

"Y-You shouldn’t have to, though-,"

You shook your head insistently. "Don’t. I wanted to help. I’m so glad you’re feeling better out here."

"God," Bucky sighed, "what would I do without you?"

You let out a light laugh. "You wouldn’t know this cool forest existed."

Bucky agreed, "I guess that’s true." A beat. "But in all seriousness, sweetheart, thank you. I’m actually beginning to enjoy this Fourth of July."

"We could come back here later," you thought out loud, "and bring food for a picnic or something. That could be both fun. And certainly, keep us out of the action."

"I think that could be perfect," Bucky mumbled and looked over at you. When your eyes met, your boyfriend didn’t hesitate to lean in, stealing a kiss from you. You smiled, pulling him in for just one more.

This could even be a make-out spot, you thought. Picnics. Make-out. Lack of colorful explosions. Maybe a new Fourth of July tradition was in the making for you two.

[mimicofmodes]

“The Ladies Waldegrave” by Joshua Reynolds, 1780 (NGS NG2171)

I’ve complained before about two very big pet peeves of mine - corset stuff and Regency women being dressed in 1770s-1780s clothes - but one that may dwarf them because of how frequently it comes up in historical and fantasy fiction is the oppression of embroidery.

That’s probably putting it a bit too strongly. It’s more like ... the annoyance of embroidery. Every character worth reading about knows instinctively that sewing is a) boring, b) difficult, c) mindless, and d) pointless. The author doesn’t have to say anything more than “Belinda threw down her needlework and looked out the window, sighing,” to signal that this is an independent woman whose values align with the modern reader, who’s probably not really understood by her mother or mother figure, and who probably will find an extraordinary man to “match” her rather than settling for someone ordinary. To look at an example from fantasy, GRRM uses embroidery in the very beginning of A Game of Thrones to show that the Stark sister who dislikes it is sympathetic and interesting, while the Stark sister who is competent at it is boring and conventional and obviously not deserving of a PoV (until later books, when her attention gets turned to higher matters); further into the book, of course, the pro-needlework sister proves to be weak-willed and naïve.

Rozsika Parker, in the groundbreaking 1996 work The Subversive Stitch, noted that “embroidery has become indelibly associated with stereotypes of femininity,” which is the core of the issue. "Instead embroidery and a stereotype of femininity have become collapsed into one another, characterised as mindless, decorative and delicate; like the icing on the cake, good to look at, adding taste and status, but devoid of significant content.” 

Parker also points out that the stereotype isn’t just one that was invented in the present day by feminists who hated the idea of being forced to do a certain craft. “The association between women and embroidery, craft and femininity, has meant that writers concerned with the status of women have often turned their attention towards this tangled, puzzling relationship. Feminists who have scorned embroidery tend to blame it for whatever constraint on women's lives they are committed to combat. Thus, for example, eighteenth-century critical commentators held embroidery responsible for the ill health which was claimed as evidence of women's natural weakness and inferiority.”

There are two basic problems I have with the trope, beyond the issue of it being incredibly cliché:

First: needlework was not just busywork

A big part of what drives the stereotype is the impression that what women were embroidering was either a sampler:

sampler embroidered by Jane Wilson, 14, in 1791 (MMA 2010.47)

or a picture:

unfinished embroidery of David and Abigail, British, 1640s-50s (MMA 64.101.1325)

That is, something meant to hang on the wall for no real purpose.

These are forms of schoolwork, basically. Samplers were made by young girls up to their early teens, and needlework pictures were usually something done while at school or under a governess as a showpiece of what was being learned - not just the stitching itself, but also often watercolors (which could be worked into the design), artistic sensibility, and the literature, history, or art that might be alluded to. And many needlework pictures made in schools were also done as mourning pieces, sometimes blank, for future use, and sometimes to commemorate a recent death in the family. A lot of them are awkward, clearly just done to pass the class, but others are really artwork.

Many schools for middle- and upper-class girls taught the making of these objects (and other “ornamental” subjects) alongside a more rigorous curriculum - geography, Latin, chemistry, etc. At some, sewing was also always accompanied by serious reading and discussion. (And it would often be done while someone read aloud or made conversation later in life, too.)

Once done with their education, women generally didn’t bother with purely decorative work. Some things that fabric could be embroidered for included:

Jackets 

Bed coverings and bedcurtains

Collars and undersleeves 

Pelerines 

Neck handkerchiefs and sleeve ruffles 

Screens

Upholstery

Handkerchiefs

Purses, wallets, and reticules

Boxes

Book covers

Plus other articles of clothing like waistcoats, caps, slippers, gown hems, chemises, etc. Women’s magazines of the nineteenth century often gave patterns and alphabets for personal use.

(Not to mention late nineteenth century female artists who worked in embroidery, but that’s something else.)

You could purchase all of these pre-embroidered, but many, many women chose to do it themselves. There are a number of reasons why: maybe they wanted something to do, maybe they felt like they should be doing needlework for moral/gender reasons, maybe they couldn’t afford to buy anything - and maybe they enjoyed it or wanted to give something they made to a person they loved. That firescreen above was embroidered by Marie Antoinette, someone who had any number of other activities to choose from. It’s no different than people today who like to knit their own hats and gloves or bake their own bread, except that it was way more mainstream.

embroidery patterns from Ackermann’s Repository in 1827 - they could be used on dresses, collars, handkerchiefs, etc.

Second: needlework wasn’t the only “useless” thing women were expected to do

Ignoring the bulk of point one for now and the value of embroidery - I mentioned “ornamental subjects” above. As many people know, young women of the upper and middle classes were expected to be “accomplished” in order to be seen as marriageable. This could include skills like embroidery, drawing, painting, singing, playing the piano (as well as other instruments, like the harp or the mandolin), speaking French (if not also Italian and/or German), as well as broader knowledge and abilities like being well-versed in music, literature, and poetry, dancing and walking gracefully, writing good letters in an elegant hand, and being able to read out loud expressively and smoothly.

This wasn’t a checklist. As the famous discussion in Pride and Prejudice shows, individuals could have different views on what actually made a woman accomplished:

“How I long to see her again! I never met with anybody who delighted me so much. Such a countenance, such manners! And so extremely accomplished for her age! Her performance on the pianoforte is exquisite.”

“It is amazing to me,” said Bingley, “how young ladies can have patience to be so very accomplished as they all are.”

“All young ladies accomplished! My dear Charles, what do you mean?”

“Yes, all of them, I think. They all paint tables, cover screens, and net purses. I scarcely know anyone who cannot do all this, and I am sure I never heard a young lady spoken of for the first time, without being informed that she was very accomplished.”

“Your list of the common extent of accomplishments,” said Darcy, “has too much truth. The word is applied to many a woman who deserves it no otherwise than by netting a purse or covering a screen. But I am very far from agreeing with you in your estimation of ladies in general. I cannot boast of knowing more than half-a-dozen, in the whole range of my acquaintance, that are really accomplished.”

“Nor I, I am sure,” said Miss Bingley.

“Then,” observed Elizabeth, “you must comprehend a great deal in your idea of an accomplished woman.”

“Yes, I do comprehend a great deal in it.”

“Oh! certainly,” cried his faithful assistant, “no one can be really esteemed accomplished who does not greatly surpass what is usually met with. A woman must have a thorough knowledge of music, singing, drawing, dancing, and the modern languages, to deserve the word; and besides all this, she must possess a certain something in her air and manner of walking, the tone of her voice, her address and expressions, or the word will be but half-deserved.”

“All this she must possess,” added Darcy, “and to all this she must yet add something more substantial, in the improvement of her mind by extensive reading.”

Mr. Bingley feels that a woman is accomplished if she has the ability to do a number of different arts and crafts. Miss Bingley feels (or says she feels) that it goes beyond specific skills and into branches of artistic attainment, plus broader personal qualities that could be imparted by well-bred governesses or mothers. And Mr. Darcy, of course, agrees with that but adds an academic angle as well.

But what ties all of these accomplishments together is their lack of value on the labor market. A woman could earn a living with any one accomplishment, if she worked hard enough at it to become a professional, but young ladies weren’t supposed to be professional-level good because they by definition weren’t going to earn a living. All together, they trained a woman for the social and domestic role of a married woman of the upper middle or upper class, or, if she couldn’t get married, a governess or teacher who would share her accomplishments with the next generation.

(To be fair, almost none of the trappings of an upper-middle/upper class male education had anything to do with the kind of career training that college frequently is today, either. Men were educated to know the cultural touchpoints of their class and fit in with their peers.)

There are reasons that an individual person/character might specifically object to embroidery, but it was far from the only “useless” thing that an unconventional heroine would be required to do against her inclination by her conventional mother/grandmother/aunt/chaperone. Embroidery stands out to modern audiences because most of the other accomplishments are now valued as gender-neutral arts and skills.

“The Embroidery Frame”, by Mathilde Weil, ca. 1900 (LOC 98501309)

So, some thoughts for writers of historical fiction (or fantasy that’s supposed to be just like the 19th/18th/17th/etc century):

- If your heroine doesn’t like embroidery, she probably doesn’t like a number of other things she’s expected to do. Don’t pull out embroidery as either more expected or more onerous than them. Does she hate to sit still? I’d imagine she also dislikes drawing and practicing the piano. Would she prefer to do academic subjects? She probably also resents learning French instead of Latin, and music and dancing. Does she hate enforced femininity? Then she’d most likely have a problem with all of the accomplishments.

- If your heroine just and specifically doesn’t like embroidery, try to show in the narrative that that’s not because it’s objectively bad, and only able to be liked by the boring. Have another sympathetic character do it while talking to the heroine. Note that the hero carries a flame-stitched wallet that’s his sister’s work. Emphasize the heroine’s emotional connection to her deceased or absent mother through her affection for clothing or upholstery that her mother embroidered - or through a mourning picture commemorating her. There are all kinds of things you can do to show that it’s a personal preference rather than a stupid craft that doesn’t take talent and skill!

mourning picture for Daniel Goodman, probably embroidered by a Miss Goodman, 1803 (MMA 56.66)

[maliceinborderland]

Hey! On the topic of kids, a thought: how do you think the AiB main cast would act and what would they do if they found a young kid in the Borderland?

I’m answering this hella late, but I’m finally in a place where I don’t feel cautious about going into my ask box, sooooo here it is!

Arisu, the shining poster child for all things moral, would 100% take the child under his wing and do all he can to protect the kid from any dangers, and quite literally do anything that he can to make sure the child lives because, let’s face it, no one wants a child’s death on their hands. The child would probably have a lot of questions and Arisu would do his best to answer them whilst doing everything he can to not scare the kid.

Usagi… if we’re talking about Usagi at the beginning, she probably wouldn’t think twice and leave the kid behind. She has one goa in mind and one goal only: survive. She doesn’t care who has to die as long as she lives, even if it’s a kid. They’d just have to tough it out. As the series progresses, Usagi’s sense of unity seems to grow, thanks to Arisu’s presence, and she’d probably go along with anything he decides. She’d initially be hostile towards the kid but eventually develop a sense of responsibility towards the child and look after it.

Chishiya, I honestly don’t see him bothering to care for a child. He’s an “every man for himself” sort of person and a child is no exception to the rule. A child is too much responsibility and too much of a hassle to take on in the Borderlands. If others are around he might feign interest and care for the child, but if it ever came between his life and the child’s he wouldn’t hesitate to sacrifice the kid. Hands down. Despite being a resident at a hospital working to become a full fledged doctor in which you are required to swear and take an oath to protect human lives, Chishiya isn’t one to really care. Keep in mind, this a man who took a dying man’s final letter to his family, promising to get it to them, and threw it in the trash. This is who Chishiya is.

Kuina, like Arisu, is a person with a strong sense of morality and quite sensible. Since she is her mother’s caretaker outside of the borderlands, so being a caretaker comes naturally to her. She’d shield the child from any harm and offer to care for it. Despite having spent a lot of her time with Chishiya, Kuina is shown to have a stronger sense of right and wrong, and is works as a conscience for Chishiya, often expressing her dislike for his cold decisions, so this would greatly reflect when taking care of a child. She’d probably try and teach the kid some self defense moves, just the basics, enough to survive. I feel like out of all the women, she has the strongest maternal instincts of them all.

Hatter, this dude would 10/10 mold the child in his likeness. Take it under his wing, take it along with him in every game, making sure the militants protect them both. Hatter had a close relationship with his father, so he has a strong paternal instinct, as well. The child would be at his side at all times, even when showing “justice” to immigrants at the Beach so that the child would know that despite being cared for, that there was a hierarchy to follow.

Aguni… [SPOILER ALERT]if you’ve read the manga, you’d know exactly how he’d act if he came across a young individual in the borderlands, he’s not one to sugarcoat things and will call out childlike behavior as a nuisance and a disrespect for the lives that have been taken while the young individual remains. Aguni is a man of power, so he’d train the kid in order to gain more power and leverage in the games. Aguni had a tough childhood, and no real father figure, so I don’t think he’d be a perfect picture father figured but he was an SDF officer, and there’s a strong sense of camaraderie in the military.

Niragi, this may come as a wild card, and as shitty of a man he might be, I don’t think he’d stoop so low as to kill a kid or to leave it to die. Niragi is aware of the circumstances they’re in and if anyone belittles the kid and shoves them aside with little to no importance, I think Niragi would snap. He knows what it’s like to be cast aside and over his dead, charred body if anyone mistreats the kid under his watch. Niragi’s never really had friends and his relationship with his parents is quite strained, so he’d be flying blind when taking care of the kid. In his mind food, water, and a place to sleep we’re all the essentials to taking care of a kid. If they were old enough, he’d teach them how to use a gun, but not so that they’d be a militant. It was only to be used if they really, really needed it. In case of emergencies, ya know? He’d probably lose his marbles if in the middle of a game, he was stuck with a losing hand and fighting another player, and the child shot the other player. It’s not the fact that the kid fired the gun that has Niragi losing his shit. It’s that the kid fired it with their eyes closed and without even aiming properly.

Last Boss… sigh. What do we do with you, Takatora? This man gives no fucks, okay? 10/10 would slash the child up like butter. No fucks given. He lost any sense of human feelings after clearing his first game in the borderlands, this is something he himself admits.

Karube, I feel like he’d be like Usagi. Initially, I’d feel like he’d be a bit apprehensive about looking after a kid in the borderlands, but with Arisu’s intervention he’d probably give in and help watch over the kid. Would probably teach the kid how to use a switchblade or a Swiss Army knife, just for defense. I don’t see him wanting to establish any sort of emotional ties to the kid, though.

Chouta, we all saw how he warmed up to the schoolgirl from the first game and how he reassured her when she was scared. I like to believe Chouta wasn’t a total creep(as for manga Chouta, well…), as he seemed to show genuine concern for her, so I feel like he’d demonstrate similar concern towards a child.

[illumilu]

“there’s only one bed” - chrollo lucilfer x reader

a/n: a very stereotypical cliche for fanfics, but, yk what? cringe is heavily underappreciated. so here, have my drabbling of what would happen if you were to spend an unwanted night in the same hotel bed as the adultrio. for the last part, we’re taking a look at chrollo lucilfer! also! this may suck!

summary: you arrive at the hotel with chrollo, your childhood friend and colleague, but to your horror (wink wink), there’s only one bed. this is part three of a three-part series, with the adultrio. hisoka and illumi are already written so i suppose that concludes the series!

warnings: no particular trigger warnings, lowercase intended, a lot of fluff! and cuddling! chrollo being his usual self, charming but kinda dead ,,, except this time he’s not using you (cough neon nostrade) ... no nsfw :)

chrollo lucilfer:

- chrollo lucilfer was an undeniably enticing man.

- you two had just exited the train station, and were now walking to your hotel. 

- why had this trip been planned? well, chrollo had bought reservations, claiming he “had something private to say” one night. honestly, he made you nervous sometimes. just what you expected from the leader of an internationally renowned murder gang.

- the refreshing cold air chilled your face, as you walked along the damp pavement. the large, multistory hotel loomed in the distance, like an upright torch in a sea of gray. you turned to look at chrollo. 

- “it’s cold, isn’t it?” 

- “astounding observation.” he smiled audaciously.

- growing up alongside them hadn’t been easy for you; after all, meteor city was dilapidated. after leaving the place, you had found the estimated population to be around 8 million people. funnily enough, it had never felt like that many.

- you still remembered the day chrollo had formed the phantom troupe. you had watched as he set out the rules standing proudly on the trash-pile; as he described the metaphorical spider and its immortality. 

- personally, you hated spiders. too many legs.

- either way, you stayed there, listening, observing - you had seen them running around the city before, laughing and playing together. how could people be so happy in such an obscure place? 

- meteor city; it was almost... suffocating. the fact that no one acknowledged the residents, even as a collective percentage, chilled you to your core. you wanted to be known. you guessed that was why you were still alongside chrollo today.

- you supposed the only way to get through the maddening sense of compression was with friendship. alas, you didn’t really have many friends. it was always hard to find them. therefore, you would check to see what chrollo’s group were doing together, but would never join unless invited.

- that fateful night, the ignition of the troupe; truly a day to remember. 

- as soon as you had turned around from behind some abandoned trash, chrollo had slowly turned to look at you. you had been listening as he mused about the phantom troupe’s intentions. he had personally seen you around the junkyard many times. always watching. waiting for something? no, just observing. here you were, eyes on him, yet again.

- a pause. you could feel everyone’s eyes on you. but it wasn’t humiliating; it was exhilarating. 

- you still remembered the way you had cursed yourself for thinking like that. why had you come out from your hiding place? you didn’t want anything to do with this group; killing people, stealing things, wandering astray from the path of morality... what was this?

- “did you hear everything?” he had asked.

- “yes.” you whispered.

- your eyes lifted to meet his. you knew almost nothing of where that day would eventually lead you. you shared a long stare that night, almost childish, waiting for him to say something. you could swear his eyes were boring into your soul.

- “you don’t want to join, do you?”

- you gulped and looked at the dirt beneath you.

- “no.”

- things had changed since then.

- you had never did end up joining the phantom troupe. it was too chaotic for you. but, you did end up sticking around and, somehow, you came to know each of the troupe members extremely well.

- whenever they’d rendezvous and cause destruction, you’d always be there, observing from the sidelines. chrollo liked to call it your “unofficial bond”. having spent a lot of your time with the interchanging 13, you knew their likes and dislikes, and often helped them out when they couldn’t get information. for some reason, you felt as if chrollo trusted you with this greatly. 

- rarely, you got to spend time with him alone. you two were undoubtedly closer than any other pairs from the troupe, yet it was more of an unspoken connection than a full-blown one. compared to, let’s say, nobunaga and uvogin, and no one would have even speculated chrollo and you being as close.

- nevertheless, you loved when you got to spend time with him; whenever he loosened his idiotic “i’m the leader and we’re going to kill hundreds of people now!” demeanor, he was actually quite the gentleman. 

- back to the present, you scoffed and continued walking; each breath made a little cloud in front of you, making you grin a little. when you were younger, you had always pretended to smoke whenever it was cold enough for it to happen.

- “you’re such a child.” chrollo said, adjusting his beige headband. you often wondered why he decided to get a tattoo on his forehead. troupe matters, you supposed. finally reaching the grand entrance to the hotel, chrollo pushed the gold revolving door, with an ironic “after you” look. you went through hastily, raising an eyebrow at him on the way in.

- the lobby was truly extravagant, full of grandeur that you had never seen before. you could only begin to fathom how much money the troupe got from stealing. 

- honestly, you really felt like smacking chrollo. what right did he have to take you to such a huge place? with his own laundered money? that he probably earned from making someone else’s life hell? you opened your mouth to protest. he promptly interrupted you.

- “be quiet, y/n. you know have money to spend, so why shouldn’t i spend it on you? just this once?”

- that was a lie. he knew he would definitely do something like this again.

- your mouth closed, knowing the same thing. you sighed momentarily and went off to sit on a weirdly smooth velvet couch in the lobby.

- while absentmindedly checking in, chrollo began thinking about what exactly he was going to say to you. truthfully, there was no real reason for him bringing you here, to the hotel. it was just, lately, he had been feeling strangely drawn to you. you had a certain warm magnetism that contrasted his philosophical coldness. whenever you sat together, he felt some sort of strange exaltation, just by looking at you. whenever you smiled, he couldn’t help but smile back. he had also become considerably happier.

- “wow, boss~ you seem jokier these days~”

- the thought of hisoka made him wince, driving him back to the clerk in front of him. 

- as he stared back at you, who was currently trying to figure out whether you could take the hotel magazines for free, he closed his eyes and let out a light breath. 

- you jolted as chrollo stood before you, tapping you on the shoulder. loosening your grip on the cheap magazine, you glared at him. 

- “keys.” he said, dangling them above you.

- “chrollo. don’t tell anyone. but i think have a plan.” 

- “what? y/n, y-”

- you grinned, grabbed the keys and started towards the stair doors, yanking chrollo’s sleeve along with you. he ran behind you, making quite the commotion as you two thundered up the switchback stairs, shoes scuffing along the floor. through ragged breaths and giggles, he asked you why in god’s name you were going so fast.

- stopping abruptly to catch your breath, you told him to look at your hands, with an impish look on your face.

- the hotel magazine, crumpled in your hands.

- he furrowed his brow at you, laughing confusedly at your antics. you often helped him unwind with your spontaneous, stupid acts, and he was grateful for it. chrollo was someone who didn’t recognize how much they needed a break until they got one. he truly enjoyed how you just treated him as a normal person. since you weren’t part of the troupe, he wasn’t your “boss”. he supposed he was your... friend.

- you slowly made your way up to the room with him. despite him being unnervingly annoying sometimes, you enjoyed every moment with chrollo. every look you shared with him, every joke you had made.

-  even when he was being serious you couldn’t help but admire his twisted resolve. often, you’d brush hands and sparks of ecstasy would rush to your heart. you guessed that was what happened when people were close. but what was “close”? you often found yourself mulling over the classifications of love, even if it wasn’t specifically about him. of course, you could love someone as a friend; what was romance, anyways?

- if there was one thing you had in common with chrollo, it was your interest in human emotion.

- chrollo had always been fascinated by the human psyche; so much so that it seemed like he knew what people were about to say before they even uttered a word. he too found himself musing over love; occasionally, you two would sit together and debate where each emotion stemmed from.

- however, no matter how equal you were, chrollo could always predict what you were about to say, never vice versa. he chalked it down to knowledge and experience, yet he found it ironic that emotions were his interest. he speculated the reason for it, and once, very wisely, said that “humans are always interested in what they do not have.”

- you reached the room fairly quickly, roused from the race up the stairs. half of you had already forgotten about what chrollo “wanted to tell you”; he opened the door and walked in first.

- “hey, wait out here for a second, i have a surprise.” he said, closing the door so it was only jarred open a little.

- nodding, you turned around, waiting in the lit hallway.

- chrollo turned to look at the room.

- wait.

- shit.

- a singular queen-sized bed stood in the middle of the room. 

- chrollo blinked.

- he could have sworn he asked for two twin beds. blinking a few more times, beginning to sweat a little, he jolted as your voice came from the door; “chrollo, is it ready?”

- “no, not yet, stay there!” he shouted, pacing towards the hotel phone, frantically dialling room service.

- “hello?”

- “good evening. how may we help you?”

- “yeah, uh, so you see, i’m in room 444 and i definitely, most certainly booked two beds, not one - would you mind checking?”

- “no problem! it says here that you booked one queen sized bed, with two reservations. are you sure you didn’t misclick? perhaps the room was booked by someone else?”

- suddenly, chrollo remembered; shalnark did all his computer work. that bloody, meddling... no, he shouldn’t say that. he had nothing but gratitude for all the troupe members. some were very, very, very difficult to like, however.

- “are there any spare rooms around?”

- “yes, of course! but moving will cost around-”

- “chrollo?” you interrupted, peeking around the doorframe. 

- you blinked. 

- the bed was... larger... and more... singular than expected.

- “y/n! there’s been a mistake... just; bear with me, okay? everything will be fine. i just need to pay a-”

- darting to where he was, you grabbed the phone and slammed it back onto the receiver. you grabbed chrollo by the shoulders, shaking him violently (rather dramatically, too).

- “what do you think you’re doing? i tell you to stop spending money on me, and here you are, spending the money you got from murdering people?” 

- you did not like the idea of sleeping in the same bed as chrollo one bit. however, you hated the idea of having him use his dark money on you way more. here he was, about to spend it on a simple matter. the persistent bastard.

- “whatever you say.” he murmured.

- “look, just think of it as a fun sleepover. no need for things to be awkward.”

- you were right. nothing would happen. childish as you were together, both of you knew boundaries. despite the recent appeal you had to him, he knew that your comfort was more important than anything.

- both agreeing to get some sleep, you changed into more comfy clothes and met back at the bed. 

- something you often overlooked was how pretty chrollo was. grayish-brown pupils that, to the gullible eye, seemed neutral and boring, but to you seemed like a world of wonder and speculation. his eyelashes seemed almost delicate, unaware of how beautiful they were. his lips always looked cold, with a reddish tinge, yet somehow fit harmoniously with the rest of his features. it was no secret that his muscles were extremely defined, as you had seen whenever he wore his coat. somehow, his skin was smooth and pale all over, not comparable to porcelain, but better; it had the duality to glow with pride or to appear a solemn gray. his hands were almost never without a book, yet when they were occupied with something else, you couldn’t tear your eyes away from his elegant fingers. his hair, admittedly odd when slicked back, wisped across his face, fluffy as always. your eyes riveted on his.

- “what did you want to tell me?”

- shit. in the heat of all the issues, he had forgotten to think of something.

- what did he want to tell you? everything about himself, honestly. who he was, what he wished to do, his own personality, his philosophies. the dilemma was, he did not know himself. 

- who am i?

- the pressing question that bugged him so, that tugged at his sleeve like a child he wished he could ignore. the word that fit chrollo best was, “enigma”. he truly wanted to find himself, but what did that even mean? he spent his life growing from nothing, becoming nothing and, despite having the largest reputation in the world, still feeling like nothing. yet, it was something that was locked within you that opened him. the buzz of emotion he had felt from you; that had been something. pride and happiness were good, all in all, but you defined him. you gave him something to live for. of course, chrollo still stood by death as if it was an old companion, but some tiny part of him would feel remorse if he ever died. remorse for leaving you behind. that had never happened with anyone else. the closer he became to you, the more he had a meaning. he contemplated; were you his meaning? two souls meant to be intertwined? 

- “y/n.”

- “hm?”

- “love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind; and therefore is winged Cupid painted blind. do you know who wrote this?”

- a silence met the air.

- “it was william shakespeare. a midsummer night’s dream.” he continued. “yet i wonder, what would one do if they had no mind? if love looks with the mind, yet had nowhere to look from, how would it see?”

- somewhere within you, you sensed he was talking about something very relevant. 

- love would find a way. it would shoot from every outlet it could, from one soul to another; love would find a way to reach someone. conscienceless or aware, love would perpetuate through every single molecule left in someone’s resolve. two ribbons that were meant to find each other would undoubtedly find each other if they their love was strong enough. that is what you thought as you sat there with him, mutually mulling over the question.

- “i think it would find a way, wouldn’t it?” you said.

- “probably so.”

- “that was random, chrollo?” you questioned after a few still moments.

- “i suppose so... i miss times where we talked about the philosophies of the mind.”

- you nodded. you missed them too, even though they were frequent. you yawned tiredly; it was getting late. chrollo advised you to get some rest, which you quickly heeded. slowly, you headed to the left side of the bed. he took the right.

- “do you mind if i turn off the light?”

- “i think i’ll read for a while.” he smiled. typical.

- you turned to your side, dreams of the awaiting night already outstretching their comforting arms. eventually, you slipped into a peaceful sleep.

- chrollo cocked his head to the side to look at you. he watched your chest rise and fall for a few seconds, before promptly returning to his book. 1984 by george orwell. his eyes skimmed over the page, blurred names and metaphors flying indifferently past his eyes; he wished to find the quote that resonated with him every time he had previously read it.

- bingo. 

- “if you loved someone, you loved him, and when you had nothing else to give, you still gave him love.”

- chrollo had everything to give to you; yet you did not enjoy any of it. he found that you seemed happiest when you just sat together with him, ruminating, or joking or just sitting there in silence. perhaps the only thing he hadn’t tried was the simplest; the most human. maybe the answer to his infatuation with you was right in front of him.

- a few minutes later, he thought it would be best to sleep. closing the lights, he lay there quietly, falling into a passage of thoughts that soon turned sleepy and incoherent.

- the night passed.

- when morning came, things, once again, were different. 

- chrollo was the first to wake up; fluttering his eyelashes, he soon became fully aware of his situation.

- he was on the other side of the bed.

- something was clinging to him.

- chrollo was clinging back.

- oh my god. he felt your arm wrapped low around his waist, with his doing the exact same around yours. almost like... you were mirroring each other. it was like you were hugging, except, when he looked down, you were still fast asleep. 

- shit. this was weird.

- what did he do? he couldn’t just wake you up and cause a commotion; it was him who had thought “nothing would happen”.

- so much for a goddamned “sleepover”.

- your head was buried in the crook of his chin, so you were cuddling into his chest; the bed had been long enough for you to shuffle down and start hugging him? not to mention, somewhere in the night, you had entirely switched places.

- he couldn’t exactly get up to roll you away, either.

- what a conundrum. silently and rather awkwardly, he waited, still embracing you. this definitely made things exponentially more complicated than they needed to be. 

- after around 10 minutes of waiting, you began to stir a little. 

- blinking a few times to clear your vision, you murmured something unintelligible.

- chrollo, about to pull the biggest bastard move of the century, shut his eyes and pretended to sleep.

- what a jackass.

- pushing away from his body, you stared at him, taking a few moments to register the situation.

- and so, your internal panic monologue began, rapid as ever.

- why the SHIT were you in chrollo’s arms not less than 5 seconds ago? and why had it felt undeniably cosy??? did you hug him? did he hug you? of course he was still sleeping. maybe he wouldn’t get to know. why were you on the other side of the bed? did anything happen? no, you would have remembered. you couldn’t roll him over, either. what the shit. 

- chrollo inconspicuously pretended to wake up, theatrical fake blinking and all. 

- “oh.” he stated blankly.

- you scrunched your face; that was the only thing he could say? meanwhile your soul was rapidly disintegrating?

- “chrollo, i have no idea how that-”

- “certainly interesting.” he interrupted.

- the best decision was to leave it. right?

- “huh? what? looooook... i think i’m going to go change...” you said, suppressing your fluctuating heartbeat. 

- chrollo sat up, nodding.

- as you left, you began speculating what to do; because you definitely couldn’t ignore this. when you woke up, you had felt safer, more comfortable. why was that? as much as you wanted to, you couldn’t drop the feeling that chrollo and you were something more than friends.

- chrollo, still on the bed, mulled over the various quotes and lines he had picked up. he ruminated over fond memories with you, and that buzzing feeling from earlier. he noticed it had skyrocketed. he felt... meaningful. bottling up his feelings wouldn’t do any good, would it? he had to say something. but it was dangerous. getting into matters like this may get in the way of the troupe. was it worth it? somewhere, he felt as if he already knew. this matter wasn’t exactly trivial. so, would he do it or not?

- subconsciously reaching for 1984 once more, he flicked past the cover and turned to a well-loved page of his. 

- “at the sight of the words, “i love you”, the desire to stay alive had welled up in him, and the taking of minor risks suddenly seemed stupid.”

- as people usually do at urgent times such as these, he realized what had to be done.

- let’s just say; chrollo’s library began to harbor a lot more romance.

dear reader, i sincerely sincerely apologize if ur here rn. i wrote a wholeass 3554 words and i dont want people wasting their time LMFAO, this was so dumb?? i am SO SO sorry for being inactive for weeks, i’ve had exams, but i kind of felt obligated to finish off this series. which once again. i am so sorry for. this one felt even MORE tedious than the illumi one. i feel like the characterization was poor, even though i tried  ,,, but i guess we all take Ls. i’m gonna just let this one be chalked down to my sleep deprivation and hopefully(?) continue writing. thx <3  

either way, likes or reblogs or whatever are super appreciated, but don’t feel forced to or anything! either way, i feel like no one’s gonna see this with my reach LMAOO but anyways thank you for reading, if you made it here! feedback and tips for writing on here are always helpful :)

[yohangaontdj]

Fictober 2021 (Gahan) Day 16

Prompt No Day 16 - "Not this again."

Fanfiction Fandom: The Devil Judge (TVN), Gahan, Lawful Husbands, Kang Yohan x Kim Gaon

Rating: General Audience

Warnings: Missing scene. Alternate between Gaon's POV and Yohan's POV.

(Takes place after Gaon walked out on the dinner with Yohan and Jinjoo in Ep1/2.)

Not this again.

Gaon groaned in his head, careful not to reveal any of his feelings as he bowed and greeted Chief Kang politely.

He hadn’t want to be near Chief Kang after walking out on the dinner they were having with Judge Oh. And he had made sure that their paths wouldn’t cross unnecessarily (except when work-related) by avoiding the main passageways frequented by most.

And yet, here he was bumping into Chief Kang for the third time today and it was like this theory he had read somewhere – the more you dreaded a thing, the more it would happen to you in the worst sort of way.

“Going home so late?” Chief Kang enquired as he stepped into the lift Gaon had just stepped into (which was why he couldn’t stepped out, it would be too obvious.)

“Yes, sir.”

Gaon replied, tone flat and dispassionate as he kept his eyes trained on the metal doors as if they held some mystery which greatly fascinated him. He could feel the weight of Chief Kang’s stare as he stood slightly behind him. And Gaon couldn’t help but shift his shoulders slightly to alleviate the uncomfortable sensation of eyes boring into him.

“So how’s your weak stomach? Is it better now?”

Of all things to talk about!

Gaon squashed the urge to grit his teeth cause the polished metal doors would have reflected everything. And it wouldn’t do to show such reactions to someone who was actually your boss.

“Your concern is much appreciated, sir, and I do feel much better now.”

Replying him, courteous and formal, Gaon wished that he would stop talking. He wasn’t at all interested in being friendly and his dislike grew even more as he remembered the words that Chief Kang had spoken, words that had hurt and stung him.

“Excellent. Let’s go grab a bite then.”

And Gaon’s impassive demeanour finally cracked as he turned and stared in disbelief.

The smile that Chief Kang gave showed that the invitation was but a bait. He wasn’t at all interested in dinner. He just wanted to make Gaon show some reaction other than the cold formality he had been expressing.

Is that how you want to play.

Anger bubbling inside, Gaon smiled, a dangerous glint in his eyes. He then softened his expression till it was displaying utmost gratitude and regret.

“I’m deeply honoured, sir. However, with the delicate condition of my digestive system, there are very few places that my stomach can handle. So if you don’t mind, can I be the one to decide the place?”

Eyebrow arching, Chief Kang looked at him with a mix of surprise and bemusement.

“By all means.”

He nodded his acquiescence and Gaon bowed, hiding his smile which was not very nice.

-

Under Judge Kim’s direction, Yohan drove away from the glitz of central Seoul, entering what was obviously the sleazier side of town. Litter and graffiti were a common sight and so were the number of shuttered shops and worn-out buildings.

What are you up to?

Darting a quick glance at Judge Kim, Yohan couldn’t help but admire his cool confidence as he directed him without the need for GPS. There seemed to be more to his associate judge than what he had read in his file and Yohan smiled, utterly intrigued.

“You seemed excited.”

Judge Kim finally spoke and Yohan turned to look at him, noting the curiosity which had crept into his eyes, lessening the hostility that was so evident earlier.

“I’ve never been here before.”

Which was actually not true. Yohan had been to many such places including where he suspected Chief Kim was bringing him to.

“Aren’t you afraid? I might be after your money for all you know.”

Ah...classic scare tactic. So you’re trying to get some payback over what happened during dinner.

Deciding to play the I-trust-you-so-much card, Yohan frowned, expression hurt.

“You’re my associate judge, the person seated on my left. Why will I ever think that of you.”

Continuing to look distraught, Yohan could feel Judge Kim staring at him, pondering over the words he had just spoken. He was disappointed when Judge Kim told him to pull over, revealing nothing about how his words might have affected him.

"We’ve to walk a bit,” Judge Kim looked at him after they had gotten out of the car. There was a quick flash of a smirk, a hint of a taunt in his eyes,. And Yohan finally understood the kind of game he was playing.

So you think I’m a pampered prince. And you think I’ll be so appalled by where we’re going that I’ll run away in a panic.

Deciding to play along, Yohan acted as if he was dismayed and scared by how dangerous everything felt when he already knew which restaurant they were heading to. From the corner of his eyes, he caught sight of Judge Kim making a silent fist pump in victory. And he tried not to laugh at how terribly mistaken his associate judge was being.

-

Gaon had to restraint himself as they picked their way through the dark alley which seemed to have no end. Chief Kang must be frightened out of his wits by now and the desire to see his expression was so strong.

Not yet, let’s drag it out for a bit more.

Which was why he had chosen this route instead of the shorter one from another street to get to the restaurant that they were going.

When they finally reached a T-junction, Gaon couldn’t contain himself any longer.

“You okay back there?”

Turning around, expecting to see a petrified Chief Kang, Gaon was taken aback by the transformation that had taken place.

Somewhere along the way, Chief Kang had lost his waistcoat and his tie was gone too. His shirt had been unbuttoned, sufficient enough, to reveal a glimpse of his chest without coming across as crass. But the greatest change of all was what he did to his hair. Instead of the slicked up version he used in court, they were now tousled and disarranged, bangs hanging over his eyes. Throw in the rolled up sleeves and the way he used a finger to hook his jacket over a shoulder, Chief Kang looked like one of those ruffians frequently found roaming among these streets.

And Gaon realised that he had been had.

“When did you know?”

“I had my suspicions when you told me to stop here.”

Instead of being angry, Gaon had to admit that it had been well-played. It seemed that Chief Kang wasn’t who he seemed to be and Gaon had lost because his assumption of him was wrong in the first place.

Looking at Chief Kang in a new light, Gaon was startled when he suddenly offered his hand out to him.

“I will like to apologise for my rudeness during dinner the other day.”

Is this another trick?”

Gaon scrutinized him and was surprised by the genuine sincerity he found there. Making up his mind, Gaon grasped the offered hand, giving it a shake.

“I wasn’t very nice either, especially with...”

He gestured at the place they were in.

"Dinner’s on you then.”

“Shouldn’t the boss be the one paying?”

And the two of them chuckled, sensing a change in their attitude now that they had managed to clear the air.

“So you know Foreman Cho?” Gaon finally asked as Chief Kang led the way with a familiar ease.

“We have a long history.”

Chief Kang had replied with a wry smile before he asked in return.

You?”

“I used to work for him until he kicked me out.”

Realising how little they actually knew of each other, a curiosity began to blossom in each of their hearts.

(For more Fictober2021 (Gahan) - Read here.)