#first time writing him and I tried my best to keep him relatively in character

[riseoftheangstywriter]

And here is the part 2 to this post!! Part one with Donnie and Mikey can be found there! :))) This was a fun ask to answer!

Leo

"Are you sure you don't want help?" you offer with a glance over at Leo's current predicament. On top of a pizza box he balances two soda cans and a small container of donuts from your favorite bakery in the city. Of course he's doing this all with one hand.

"Hermosa, please. I've got this. No need for you to lift a fin-" As he says that, something on the concrete makes him just slightly loose his balance, the soda cans rolling off from their position. Landing right into your own hands. "...ger."

Pausing for comedic effect, you grin, an unspoken agreement being made to not bring up what had transpired.

After all, it was your one year anniversary. Not to mention he had gone out of his way to make the sweetest little set up on the roof of this building so you could watch the sunset. Fuzzy blankets, string lights. and Leo. It's more than enough for you.

You settle in your spot, playing with the chain of your brand new necklace, Leo's present to you. It's hard not to admire the glint of the sapphire jewel pendant. Blue, just like his mask. You knew it wasn't intentional, having an affinity for the gem long before your feelings for him ever existed.

It was ironic however, like your heart had always known who it would belong to. Blue blue blue..

You felt strangely sentimental all of a sudden. Yes, it was only a year, ad yet the two of you had been through a lot, individually and together. Not to mention the years of friendship before that awkward stage of desperate yearning and denial.

You were.. proud. Of him, and also the "we" the two of you had become.

Leo enters your space, shoulder pressed against yours. A strand of hair is pushed away from your face. He had this ability to turn you to goo. Despite his occasional shyness, he knew exactly what did it for you. Frustratingly charming, but also way sweeter than he gave himself credit for.

He takes your hand, squeezing it. "Hey, y/n. You ready?" He coos in that deliciously soft tone he used only towards you. "Thinking about me when I'm right here?"

Lost in your head, you turn at his query. Knowing that his ego was just a front by now, you roll your eyes, returning the gesture as you rub memorized patterns into his palm with your thumb. "Maybe." You remember something suddenly. "Actually, I have a favor to ask first. Could you open a portal to my place? Just a small one right over my desk, need to grab something."

"Oh? Forgot something?" Grabbing a small pen from his handy side pouch, it comes alive with his signature ninpo as he draws a small circle in the air, a bright portal appearing.

Sticking your hand through, you feel around for what you're searching for, grabbing it firmly. What you pull out is a flat box, topped with a shiny blue bow, for a touch of flair.

You present it to Leo, a shy smile on your face. "For you. Happy anniversary, Leo."

His initial shock is replaced by a smirk, a signal he was about to make one of those silly jokes you loved. "A box? Y/n, you shouldn't have. And such a fine material?"

"Searched all over, last of its' kind," you play into the bit, trying to ease your growing apprehension about your actual gift to him.

His laugh soothes it, and you lean closer, wanting to see his reaction.

"Whaaaat...?" Leo says when he opens the box, the humor in his words gone and replaced by awe. "This is... the last Jupiter Jim comic I need for my volume 1-6 collection."

You nod, biting your lip. "In mint condition too."

"Y-Y/n, you shouldn't have," he repeats, and you don't miss the slight shake in his tone.

"Hey, don't worry," You lift the comic out from the box, not letting it crinkle to reveal the same exact one directly underneath. "I was able to find another copy. Not in mint condition, but still nice enough where you can read it! This one is just for display, since I know you've been dying to get your hands on it."

Hoping your explanation would make things better, you let him piece together his thoughts. Giving him all the time he needed.

But, what you get in response is what you least expected.

"I.. don't deserve this," like he can't stand to see it anymore, he attempts to move the box back into your lap. "I-I'll ruin it by accident, or whatever, and then all the effort you went through to get them will go to waste." He smiles, though it's fake, not reaching his eyes. "I appreciate it, you have no idea how awesome this is but- I shouldn't have it. Give it to Donnie, he wears gloves while reading his comics for crying out loud."

"Leo.." you say, softly at first. "Leo?" A question this time, because how could he even say that about something he's wanted for so long, and especially directed so negatively towards himself?

You make him look at you, tracing the stripes on his arm knowingly, comforting him. "I'm listening, and I hear you. But... no. No, I will not be giving this gift, your gift to anybody else."

"But I-"

"But I do deserve it is what you better have been trying to say, Leo," you scold gently. No anger or frustration is felt by you. Just an overwhelming amount of love and the need to tell him how he actually deserves every good thing ever, and if you could be an ointment to any pain he's ever felt, you would do so gladly.

"Donnie is just being Donnie, comics are meant to be read anyways right?" You hold his face, staring into his eyes. "I'm more offended you're refusing the box I thought you loved so much."

That line cracks a genuine smile, and you lean in. "There it is. It's fine, I'm hilarious I know. You can laugh."

He does laugh, after he slots his mouth with yours and savors your warmth towards him in a kiss. "You... are perfect. Have I told you that?"

"Mm," you hum, happy. "Yes." And don't ever stop.

You tap the sides of his face, garnering flushed cheeks and a series of churrs that fill your heart.

"Y/n...." He mutters through affectionate chirps. "You can do this later."

"When's later?" you say, relishing in teasing him for a moment longer.

Leo stills you, grasping your wrists. "After we eat, and after we go through the new issue," he kisses you again, making a promise. "I want to read it with you."

To that you could never say no, so you nod. "Okay. Fine. Truce! I surrender. No more more taps until then."

"Thank you.. not for that. For the gift," setting the box aside, he takes you in his arms, running his fingers through your hair.

"Anytime." You mold into him like putty, feeling grateful and content and Leo.

Even if the pizza ends up getting cold because of how long the two of you stay in the embrace, you can't say it wasn't worth it.

Raph

"Y/n, can Raph ask you somethin?"

You glance up from the book you're reading, the turtle mid-rep with the barbell he's working out with held in the air.

"Yeah, of course." you respond, seeing something was on his mind. Clear by the "Raph-chasm" as his brothers always called it.

Raph sets the weight down with ease, sitting up from the bench. "Do you think.. I'm strong?"

Your knee jerk reaction to his question is an exasperated scoff, but you backtrack immediately, feeling like Donnie for a moment before going full support mode. "Raph, come on, you already know you're super strong that its ridiculous; but that's not bad! It's amazing."

He smiles, but just barely, expression going back to a frown. You wonder what must be bothering him so much that he's questioning his own strength.

"Right. But," he exhales, like he's finally letting something off his chest. "Do ya think I'm, well, big?"

Book snapping shut, you set it aside, abandoning it at the sudden shift in tone of this conversation. Having the hindsight to realize it was an important one.

"What do you mean by that? You ask, wanting clarification instead of making assumptions. It was Raph, your patience could never run out towards him.

The snapper grumbles to himself, the regret and frustration in his eyes making your heart twist. "It's silly, I know I'm big. Just.. am I too big?"

Suspicions confirmed you jump up, going by his side. "No. You are not too big," you reach out a hand to touch his shoulder, feeling protectiveness overcome you "Where is this coming from? Did someone say something?" You'd fight them, if you had to.

"No. Nobody said nothin," he takes your hand, letting the gesture calm the storm swirling in his head. "Don't you notice how many things I can't do because of my size?"

"No," you answer. "Who cares about the things you can't do, what about all the things you can? Oh Raph.. your size isn't a detriment, you know that right?"

He looks into your calm, concerned pupils, sighing heavily. "... I do y/n. Raph tends to forget sometimes, that's all. Specially' when I slow the team down, or break something by accident, or I can't wear neat clothes or costumes like the others."

Heart breaking for him, you hold him close, trying to hug him as tightly as you're able. "I'm sorry. I don't know how to fix this, but I'll never love you any less for being who you are. Actually, it makes me love you more."

"Really?" he asks with a voice so small and an embrace so gentle you'd truly never be able to guess what he looked like if you'd never met him before.

"Really." You reply with the certainty you knew he needed. In the back of your mind however, you were thinking of ways to make his situation better.

........................

"Hey! You coming?" You peak your head into Raph's room, where he's standing over his bed, arms crossed as he looks deep in thought.

"Yeah. Be there in a sec." Tonight was the annual Lou Jitsu marathon, everyone dressing up in various versions of their idols' (and also their dads'?) signature outfits.

Raph is struggling to pick from his small collection of accessories he typically wears during such occasions.

You, with innocent intentions and a smile that seems too wide for no reason, enters to intervene. "I can always pick for you, if you want. Hm, how abouttt," you set down a bag. "This."

"What's this supposed to be?" He pokes a digit in the bag to peer inside, your furious nodding urging him on to actually see what this mysterious package is.

"Surprise!" You shout out the moment the blue and orange jumpsuit appears in his hands. Looking like it came fresh off a movie set.

"Is this..." like he almost can't believe it, Raph holds it out, amazed by the fact it actually looks like it might fit him. "Mine?

"Yes! I got it made for you!"

"You did?" you see him search for words, only able to ask. "Why?"

"Because, I know you said how it bothered you not being able to dress up with your brothers. So.. I wanted to show you that it's possible! Sure, it takes some effort, but I don't mind. I'm more than happy to do something like this for you," you never wanted his size to be an insecurity for him, because he wasn't just the "big guy" to everyone. He's the big guy with the biggest heart and humility of anyone you've known.

When tears start welling in his eyes, you can't help but get emotional yourself, letting him take you up in his arms as your feet leave the ground.

"Y/N.. you don't have to go and do stuff like this for me, but it means a lot. Thanks for makin me feel special, I really love ya," he says while almost cradling you back and forth and pressing kisses on your forehead.

"I love you too," you close your eyes, hoping this put his mind at ease, even if it's just for the night. You'd be there for any tough day after the fact.

When Raph offers an arm to you before joining the others, all dressed up and ready for the reaction he's about to get, you realize there's nowhere else you'd rather be.

[weasleyreidstyles]

Serendipity Headcannons; Mattheo Riddle

series masterlist

A glimpse into our main boy's life leading up to sixth year (where Serendipity kicks off) – eventually going to do them for each character (the ones who are a constant in the series), except meadow since that's more reader-centric but let me know who i should do next (this is me putting off writing chapter 17 because its making me want to rip out my hair)

It actually ended up being so long (i got carried away) that i'll have to do a separate post for the nsfw😏 hcs that i also wrote down - if that's something that people want to see of course

warning(s): cannonical violence, mentions of parental death, menions of torture and abuse (tried to make this as mild as possible), allusions to self harm (literally one bullet point), mentions of blood supremacy/cannonical pureblood madness, mentions of alcohol consumption/drug use, mentions of being sick (sorry fellow emetaphobes), allusions to an ED

Obviously he's Voldemort's son (its a known fact; when his name was called shortly after Harry's during the Sorting Ceremony, people immediately began to fear him for his last name – avoided him in corridors and older students were horrible to him)

His mother died when he was born, so he never got to meet her. But she had loved Tom Riddle with all her heart, despite knowing what kind of person he was (I like the tom hughes fancast for an older version of him – TikTok editors have me influenced)

When he failed to kill baby Harry, Theodore Nott's mum took it upon herself to care for Mattheo (who was only several months older than Harry at the time) – she was close friends with Matt's mum

They may not be related by blood, but Matt considers Theo to be his brother as well as his best friend

Mattheo's childhood (up until he was eight) was relatively acquiescent, but obviously being the heir to the Dark Lord comes with its own traumas – he was plagued with nightmares he swears were real conversations with his father

When Theo's mum died, his father wasn't the nicest to either of the boys; they both grew to resent him – the man either ignored them, shouted at them or beat them senselessly (to build character)

They had a Governess in the years after Theo's mum died, so that they'd be well ahead of their peers once they got to Hogwarts - also a way to keep them out of Theo Nott Senior's way

During his sorting, the hat immediately placed him in Slytherin, but it wasn't as quick to choose, like it was with Draco or Blaise.

Harry had unconsciously made him public enemy number one when he found out who he was (I mean his dad did kill Harry's parents so) as well as Draco and co

Mattheo doesn't believe in the blood supremacy that is spouted around pureblood families – has never used 'mudblood' to insult anyone (draco take notes fr) – but thats only due to theo's mother and the way she raised her boys – also it would be so hypocritical because he's a halfblood (i think, idk the twisted lore of purebloods too deeply)

Professor Quirrell took a particular interest towards Mattheo (his dad was literally playing house on the back of the guys head)

He found out that Quirrell was Voldemort (?) pretty quickly when the Dark Mark was burned onto his left forearm – something that continuously happened in his nightmares so he thought he was in one when it happened

Partly why he didn't say anything – he was also weary that no one would believe him

He tried everything to get it off his skin – burning, scratching, spelling, even carving it out, but nothing worked. The Dark Mark was engraved onto his arm like it had buried itself within the very cell structure of his skin

He didn't gain as much attention as Harry did in first year. He went practically under the rader after the first couple of months, only interacting with his small group of friends (Theo, Draco, Blaise, Enzo and Pansy) and competing for the top academic spot in class – when Theo's father found out that both boys were being beaten for first place by a muggleborn (go Hermione!), he used the cruciatus curse on both of them - moreso on Theo :(

Second year was a completely different story however

When the Chamber of Secrets opened, people whispered that he could be the heir of Slytherin (because his father is literally Voldemort so technically they weren't wrong) and he didn't go as unnoticed as before

He developed a thick skin towards the insults and returned them with steely looks that sent people scurrying the other way

He began physically fighting some people when his restraint snapped at times though – he didn't have a way to relieve the tension from all the agression at this point

The only people who spoke to him with no fear were his friends

When the first student was petrified, he was brought into Dumbledore's office for questioning

During the dueling session, he watched in awe as Harry spoke to the snake but didn't dare say a word

He was the only one in his group that didn't bad mouth Harry at this time or call him the 'heir of Slytherin'

He's actually really smart (not at Ancient Runes though lol) and is among one of Professor Flitwick's favourite students

When Harry and Ron posed as Crabbe and Goyle you (Meadow) had posed as Pansy and he had thought it was strange to see her with the two of them, but she had a small crush on Draco in first and second year so he brushed it off as her trying to impress his friend

But he knew it wasn't her when Draco had mentioned Hermione (calling her a mudblood) and 'Pansy' had gone deathly still

He's been skilled at Occlimency for as long as he can remember, as has Theo. But Mattheo has a certain affinity (he calls it a curse) for hearing people thoughts without even uttering the spell – also why he's so good at preventing people like Dumbledore from using it on him

Wasn't aware of his father's diary being used to lure Harry to the Chamber of Secrets, but at one point he heard the whispers in the pipes and vehemently ignored it until it eventually stopped (big mistake, cus voldy holds grudges very well)

Once Ginny was rescued from the Chamber, he felt incredibly guilty even though he literally had no control of the situation – sent her an 'anonymous' gift basket as an apology (he knew it would never make up for what happened to her, but he hoped it would at least make her smile) – it did, she thought it was a gift from dumbledore though

One of the only times he was even a little kind to the Golden Trio and their friends

The summer after second year was hellish for him and Theo

The basilisk was obviously meant to kill Harry so Theo Nott Senior was angry that his master's big plan had failed (2 years running🤝)

Third year was more mild than the last (thank God, honestly)

Mattheo had made it onto the quidditch team now that half of them had left the year before

He's a beater and proud of it – lets out all that pent up agression on the field, which makes him one of the best in his house (dare i say whole school🤭)

Quidditch became his whole personality basically (he's a teenage boy duh – it's like the football obsessed idiots in the pub levels) and he came to love the attention it brought him – he was starting to be noticed by girls outside Slytherin and making enemies with the rival players

He decided then that he wanted to play quidditch professionally in the future – he would not be caught dead behind a desk in the Ministry (they probably wouldn't hire hom anyway, simply because he's a Riddle)

Because he was on the team, he was invited to more parties which he also enjoyed – the man can drink!

But he wasn't one to jump around like a madman like some people he saw at the parties. He and his friends (those on the team – Theo, Blaise and Draco) would sit around the sofas and play drinking games with others who were sat down – including you and some of your housemates at times – but never the Gryffindors

Sirius Black was on the loose which took the pressure of being Tom Riddle's son off his shoulders somewhat – no one actually dared to fuck with Mattheo now that he was a beater either

Buckbeak took a liking to him, surprisingly, as did the thestrals that only he, Theo and so few others could see

The dementors affected him as much as they affected Harry – he could hear his own mother's cries

During the boggart lesson, he was apprehensive of what he would see – would he see what he sees in his most horrifying nightmares? Or would it be something as trivial as a grindilow or something?

Safe to say he was glad that Professor Lupin stopped the lesson after Harry's turned into the dementor

Speaking of dementors, one of the only spells he cannot cast is the Patronus Charm – even his happiest memories are not strong enough to envoke the magic

People thought he helped Sirius into the castle at one point (absurd, i know)

He and Harry got into some arguments at times – Mattheo liked to provoke him for the fun of it, mostly so that competition on the quidditch field was filled with extra tension, but also because Harry and Ron are dickheads who like to talk shit about him and his friends (hypocrites because the Slytherins literally do the same thing lol)

This is the point where you're on his radar a bit more frequently – you, Ron and Hermione went to Hogsmeade a lot and were frequently in the same places as Mattheo and his friends

He does not like you at all, partly for the fact that you follow Harry and Dumbledore so blindly but also – you are one of the reasons he and theo get so much stick at home, along with hermione being top of the class, you are as well so he grows to resent you a little

He's always there when you're yelling at anyone who says something against your friends (usually Crabbe or Goyle – our mortal enemies fr)

When Sirius escaped the dementors people genuinely thought he helped (again, absurd i know)

Moving onto fourth year...he went to the Quidditch World Cup with Theo and Nott Senior disappeared after the match ended and festivities began

We all know what happened but when the Dark Mark appeared in the sky, Theo, Draco and Mattheo all looked at it in absolute horror, having heard the harrowing stories first hand from their families

Mattheo had a panic attack at the thought of his father returning – after the run in with him in first year, he's been certain that Voldemort isn't really dead, and this confirms it for him (because why the fuck would his father's mark appear out of nowhere?)

Because of that, the school year is off to a great start

He gets into fights left, right and centre – especially since quidditch has been cancelled in favour of hosting the Triwizard Tournament (i've obviously aged up the characters but lets pretend the age limit still exists in some capacity)

The Durmstrang students practically worshipped the ground he walked on – which was ego boosting to start with, but Mattheo quickly grew irritated by their constant infatuation with him – especially Karkaroff who always compared him to the great Tom Riddle or the 'Dark Lord' interchangeably

Whenever Professor Moody stared at him for too long, he got an odd sensation on his left forearm, where the mark sits, like spiders were scurrying and crawling around – he decides after the very first DADA lesson (unforgivable curses) that he did not like this professor.

There was just something off about him, but Mattheo couldn't quite figure out what – foolishly tried Occlimency but obviously it didn't work on the most infamous auror

Wasn't even surprised when Harry's name came out of the Goblet – he is coined 'Saint Potter' by the friendgroup (started of course by Draco)

He and Theo snuck out to the forbidden forest to see the dragons up close before the first task – almost got caught by Charlie Weasley, had Hagrid and Harry not showed up with Madame Maxine mere moments before he could spot them

He took a random girl from Beauxbatons to the Yule Ball because he did not want to deal with the hassle of Hogwarts gossip – but everyone gossiped about it anyway (busybodies)

Rumours went around about the two of them (you know like how Snape caught two people in the carriage🤭)

At this point, you were just his arch nemesis' best friend so you were not fully on his radar past sneering comments and jibes, but a small part of him can admit that you looked beautiful in your glittering dress (think Feyre starfall dress vibes)

The rest of the year went by uneventfully – he got on with his school work and remained one of the top of class except in Ancient Runes which theo tried to tutor him in....unsuccessfully

In the months leading up to the third task, Mattheo noticed Moody's skittish behaviour (also Karkaroff and weirdly...Snape) especially after Crouch was found murdered in the Forbidden Forest after the second task

On the day of the first task, he had the worst gut feeling he's ever felt – bigger than the day he found out that his surrogate mother had died

Sitting in the stands with his friends, near the back of the stadium, his arm begins to burn so painfully that he has to fight physically crying out at the crippling pain (Voldemort just got resurrected as a noseless alien)

Excuses himself to his friends' utter confusion and concern – Theo stops Pansy from running after him, letting him have space, somehow just knowing what Matt's sudden departure meant (he saw Mattheo cradle his left arm while he walked away)

Just before Mattheo walks through the exit, Harry apparates back with the trophy (portkey) and Cedric's dead body beneath him screaming that "Voldemort's back!"

He couldn't hold back the contents of his stomach at the statement because he knew it was true. He just knew it deep in his bones.

He had to hide behind the bleachers of the quidditch pitch while everyone was stampeding to leave, where he just sobbed and sobbed because he knew then what his future would be.

Theo found him an hour later and together they mourned for the future Mattheo had desperately always wanted

That summer was the worst he's ever experienced to date.

He met this snake-like version of his father, his only other memories being of a handsome man (Tom Hughes vibes) not whatever this thing was.

His father thanked Theo Nott Senior personally for taking such good care of his heir – this was such an ego boost for that horrid man

Mattheo was tortured into the perfect soldier that summer – tasked with training other Slytherins/purebloods into the regime

Its not very discernable but if his hands are still for long enough, they begin to shake unconsciously due to just how many times Voldemort used the cruciatus curse on him

His nightmares had become a reality that summer – he no longer slept, and only ate when Draco had to force him to

There was one silver lining at least

No one believed Harry Potter.

So Voldemort's army grew exponentially in secret, as did their knowledge of certain prophecies

We know that Professor Trelawney had the vision but Voldemort has a seer of his own – who made him aware of the order being in possession of a siphon but not able to say who it is (its meadow of course🤪🤪🤪)

His fifth year marked the start of the war, even if the otherside didn't know it just yet

At school, Harry started many explosive arguments with him, that he admittedly fed into a little bit out of pure amusement

His stoic facade was ever present this year. Not an expression painted his handsome face in the public eye. Rarely did anyone catch a glimmer of joy in those onyx eyes.

It was around this time, when he discovered that Harry was being taught Occlimency that you were doing some studying of your own

He heard the soft whisper of your thoughts in his head – a pleasant sound – mumbling little bits and pieces about the art, as if you were revising them over and over like a broken record

He knew you were Theo's patrol partner because Theo would not stop complaining about having to deal with one of Saint Potter's loyal followers (the two of you did not speak for 5 whole patrol sessions – lets say between September and November)

Thats when the idea sprang

Admittedly it started out as a way to satisfy his curiosity

He wanted to know why you were learning Occlimency and actually doing surprisingly well, despite not having someone to actively practice it on/with you, while Potter was not taking it seriously at all

So he asked Theo to try and befriend you – when asked why, he explained that he was curious and wanted to know if he hunch he had was right – his gut feelings are almost never wrong

Theo begins his task of slowly befriending you and relaying anything remotely important to Mattheo – no progress at first, until the two of you happen to bond over your hatred for the new DADA professor

He joins the Inquisitorial Squad because Theo's father wanted him to, and by extension said that the Dark Lord wanted his son to set an example too (lets not forget, in his prime Tom was literally the smartest in the school – was definitely head boy as well as an academic weapon)

This is how he finds out what Umbridge's detentions truly entailed

Speaking of Umbridge (she deserves her own tw actually), she had shown particular favouritism towards Mattheo and his friends, to anyone who was against Harry, really – never gave them detentions and let them off easily, even defended Mattheo's honour against Harry's 'heinous' accusations

But back to the detentions – both he and Theo found out about the blood quill around the same time

He was waiting for Theo to finish patrols so they could go smoke in the Astronomy Tower, when he overheard Umbridge talking to the two of you

Well actually she was talking to you – because apparently it was now against the rules for prefects to walk around past curfew (even though thats their literal role?) and she gave you a detention for it

When you asked why in Merlin's name Theo wasn't being treated the same, she said it's because he's on the Inquisitorial Squad and was therefore exempt from her detentions

You had detention the next day and did not show up to your next few patrols, but Mattheo saw the hints of a glamour covering your non-dominant hand (he would know because he's had a glamour over his scarred forearm for years)

Theo told him that you refused to admit that something was wrong - you hadn't even told your friends about whatever was bothering you

They found out by chance – a first year that had gotten lost was cradling their hand and the boys saw the words of the boy's own scrawl etched harshly into the flesh of his hand

When Matt was observing you in the library one day (happenstance, he's not a stalker lol), he was deducing how far along you were with Occlimency but found that you winced and held your head when he actively tried to enter your mind – not good for how long you'd been teaching yourself the art

So he gets Theo to talk to you mentally and the first time it happens is actually comical – you drop the contents of your potions incredients onto the floor out of shock before you whack Theo across the head with your hardbacked potions textbook

That's really how the two of you became friends, your friendship with Pansy following soon after

Now you're slowly building up the tolerance for Occlimency with a little help from a friend

Leading up to Christmas, the mark burns wickedly against his skin at all hours of the day

Then Arthur Weasley is attacked and Mattheo is surprised that no Weasley has come to deck him in the face for simply being Voldemort's son

Obviously no one does because everyone (barring you and Hermione) have been swept away to 12 Grimmauld Place

After Christmas he does get decked – George sends a bludger his way that most definitely had the power to break his entire arm (and definitely a few ribs); after the abysmal Christmas break he's had, he's almost tempted to let it happen – but his beater instincts kick in and he's pelting the bludger and all its momentous energy towards one of Gryffindor's chasers instead

His Dark Mark burns every time his father fails to retrieve his and Harry's prophecy

He begins to suspect that you are the siphoner when you perform wandless magic like its a second nature during breakfast one morning (you're using your magic to flip through the pages of your book, while you leisurely sip coffee, probably awaiting Granger's arrival)

His suspicions are more than confirmed when your magic seems to literally pulse like your pulling more of it from the air – it's almost indiscernible, but if he paid attention, he could see the symphonic ripple of your magic and the Great Hall's magic mingling in the air (and he knows Dumbledore can see it too)

He explains this to Theo without telling him so much that'll get him involved with what knowing this will mean for his brother

He passes all his O.W.Ls with a plethora Outstanding and Exceeds Expectations grades, except for Ancient Runes where he gets a mere Acceptable (which somehow still allows him to retake the class in his N.E.W.Ts options, funnily enough)

What's not funny is Voldemort's reaction to this anomaly of a result :(

Lets rewind to june 18th (aka battle of department of mysteries; RIP Sirius Black you icon, you legend)

The DA have just been busted (like two weeks/a week prior to the date above) and you're all in detention writing out the line "I must not disobey the Ministry" over and over again – to the point where it has become a permanent scar that you see everyday

Exams are happening and Harry has just been delivered a vision by Voldemort (he just passed out in a DADA exam🫣)

Saint Potter and his band of followers try to break into Umbrige's office and fail exponentially

The Inquisitorial Squad catch you all in the act of guarding the corridor outside her office while Harry, Ron and Hermione try and contact Sirius

You're all trapped in the office and everyone (including the Inquisitorial Squad) is shocked when she goes to cast the cruciatus on Potter – internally Matt is cringing and fighting the instinctive flinch

"You can't do that! It's illegal!" Your defence of harry is ignored as Umbridge puts Fudge picture face down – Matt swears your eyes burn a violent indigo, but it's gone in a blink

Hermione and Harry end up taking her to where 'Dumbledore's secret weapon' is and you lot are now all stuck with the Inquisitorial Squad

Theo actually only holds you loosely, and he's the same with Ginny – not forcefully holding her, but also not allowing her to break free at the same time

Crabbe and Goyle take Ron's bate and eat the Puking Pastilles from the Weasley twins' personal collection and you all escape

Then the battle eventually takes place and everyone knows that Voldemort truly has returned

Now onto the current timeline of Serendipity!!

Mattheo decides over summer that he wants to help the otherside desperately

Especially because Draco is now a Death Eater

And Enzo and Theo are set to become Death Eaters the following Christmas – punishment for what happened during the battle in June

Proposes the idea that he teach you Occlimency in exchange for you helping them get out – the group agrees and Theo and Pansy set out to persude you to help

Roll on the Serendipity plot where he slowly begins to actually care about you (scary feelings; unknown territory)

He's never felt this strongly about someone before, not in the way he feels about you

At first he enjoyed how infuriated you became with him; he also despised how many questions you would ask (but that was your nature and he grew accustomed to it)

You're the only one whose ever called him Théo, after the death of Theo's mother, the name was as good as dead to him, until you started calling him it – he never wanted you to stop

The feelings you invoke in him are what finally allow him to produce a full patronus – when the majestic form of a Hippogriff bursts from the tip of his wand, swirling and spiralling at the thought of you, he let out a genuine laugh

He's so soft for you – his persona changes in the blink of an eye at times – from cruel and brooding to gentle and compassionate

His friends have never seen him happier – admittedly were surprised to learn of your relationship, but when they watched the way the two of you interacted after you'd become a pariah to your old friends, they understood.

Mattheo is so protective of all his friends, and somehow he's even more protective of you – he had wanted to incinerate Harry and Ron on the spot for how they'd made you feel, but knew you would never forgive him for it, despite how badly they'd hurt you

He'd burn the world down if it meant you'd be safe, especially because you had the one power that his father desired to have in his ever growing arsenal

Mattheo always has to be touching you in some way (he's a physical touch kind of guy), whether that be a hand on your thigh when you're seated; an arm wrapped around you as you walk; interlocking pinkies, etc. He just loves feeling you near him.

You're such a typical Slytherin/Ravenclaw couple – your intellect amazing him all the time, and he's no longer miffed that you always beat him for a spot at the top in class – his ambitions and adamant loyalty are something that you admire dearly, and hold close to your heart

You both know without having to voice it that your love is unconditional and eternal. Its a love as rare as your magic.

~∞~

taglist:

(striked out users are ones that i couldn't tag)

@camille-1019 @lovelyygirl8 @xluansstuff

@babeylover @thejadeazalea @undercover-smutlover @adhxmoony

@dreamingofonceuponatime @thepassionatereader @urmomsgayforme5 @aphroditeisamilf

@devotedlycrookeddonut @purplegirls-posts @nofacenonamelikekira @foxboyapologist @lafrone @lovely-maryj

@nromanovaswife @leeknows-wife @dracygf @wildlyobserving @ravenclawprincess33 @melllinaa @vellicora @lantsovheiress @emiliahoward @stunkbiggu @vcosette

@prongsprincessworld @mattiesgirl

@rachmmb @x-kermit-x @sun-fiower-seed @cas-planet @certaindreampost

@weirdowithnobeardo @mikalovesicecream @benwadsworthsgf

@rainy-darling @faeriepigeons

@lovely-blackinnon @hiireadstuff

@gimalo135 @elsafromcabinsix @moonlightreader649 @blueshome

@nopedefe @spencerreidsthings

@navs-bhat @agent-tempest

@magimtz23 @y0urm0m12

@sbrn0905 @leona-hawthorne

@whatsupb18

[necrotic-nephilim]

for the ask game, an AU where (somehow…) jason and tim (begrudgingly) team up in the search for a hero/battle for the cowl era (either when jason says tim should work with him on the gang stuff or when batman jason asks tim to be his robin) :]

for the ask game!

god, Search For A Hero my beloved. for the Search For A Hero version of their team-up, I think I'd write it something like this

I think the biggest reason Tim says no when Jason asks him is Jason asks Tim too early in the arc. as the storyline develops, Tim gets more and more desperate to best Ulysses, which is what pushes him to make the mistake that gets Ulysses' siblings killed. he's in a tight spot and he misjudges the situation. (i think the guilt he carries from that moment is one of the biggest inciting incidents for becoming Red Robin) so, i'd introduce Jason to the plot just a little later. just as Tim is on the edge of desperation. Tim isn't entirely adverse to working with villains if he thinks he can stay on top of them. so instead of sending Jason to prison, i think if Jason came to Tim at the right time, Tim would begrudging accept Jason's help

part of Tim's plan would be leveraging Jason's power with the mafia/mob scene in Gotham. they'd agree that topping the gangs would just cause a power vacuum (i'm pretty sure that's actually addressed in SFAH but i could be misremembering) so it's more about a balancing act, which is where Jason thrives. Tim is right on the cusp of being willing to do more morally questionable things, so it'd be a fun internal war for him to second-guess himself at every turn.

there would be such a delightful lack of trust in their partnerships. TIm has *zero* reason to trust Jason, and while Jason likes Tim enough, i don't think he's naive enough to put any trust in Tim. so there'd be moments where they don't fill each other in on aspects of the plan. Jason kills people behind Tim's back, Tim keys in his cop friend behind Jason's back. it builds the tension between them with a lot of hot arguments that get more and more charged.

the jealousy. there would just have to be a scene where Jason gets wildly jealous over Ulysses' complex over Tim. Ulysses tries so hard to pit himself as like, Tim's biggest adversary, his opposite. and Jason would *despise* that. sure, Jason is working with Tim, but part of the fun is that they're still enemies as they do it. i think it'd be sort of fun to have the moment where Ulysses blows Tim up be something Jason witnesses and he raises unholy hell about. because if anyone is going to kill Tim Drake, it's going to be him. and that angry possessiveness is what makes the romantic/sexual tension something neither of them can ignore anymore.

Tim deciding to put on the Red Robin suit to fight Ulysses would be where Jason just. goes full tilt possessive "he's mine i marked him that's my suit. see. mine. i said so." and Tim would push back but. what ground does he have to stand on bc he could've picked any suit with any cowl to protect his head after the blast, but he did choose Jason's. it was his own open invitation to Jason in a way. and well. they fuck nasty about it. and then Damian becomes Robin, so why not Tim keep the suit and just maybe, keep Jason in his back pocket.

and!! for the Battle for the Cowl version. man on one hand i love "Tim accepts Jason's offer to be his Robin" fics but i feel they lack a bite to them, so this is personally how i would try to pull it off, while being relatively in character.

so the biggest thing for me is, TIm agrees to be Jason's Robin not because he trusts or likes Jason, but for the same reasons he became Robin in the first place: to keep Batman stable. being Jason's Robin isn't about wanting to work with Jason, it would be Tim knowing there's no world Jason is ever going to stop and seeing Jason slowly tip over the edge of madness and well. if Tim was self-sacrificial enough to do it for Bruce and attempt to do it for Jean-Paul, he can do it for Jason.

him agreeing would i think startle Jason. like, Jason's offer was never particularly serious because he's at the point he knows Tim wants nothing to do with him. so when Tim says yes it sort of. snaps Jason out of the rage BftC puts him in. he's so startled but enticed by the thought, he willingly agrees to stipulations Tim sets, like no murder. like even if just to see where this goes, Jason jumps on the chance.

i'd really want to keep Dick and Damian as Batman and Robin, and the weird divide that would exist with Dick/Damian and Jason/Tim both running around as Batman/Robin and how off kilter that puts Gotham. like Gotham is so baffled by it, it actually makes criminals easier to handle. because they have no clue if they're getting the Batman who needs Robin to keep him in line, or the Robin who needs Batman to keep him in line. people know there's two Batmans, two Robins and no one knows quite what to do with that information. who's the "real" Batman? who's the "real" Robin? and on the personal level, the divide between Dick and Tim would be unmistakable. Dick would know what Tim's doing and try to convince him Jason is a lost cause bc well, Dick at this point *really* believes Jason is a lost fucking cause. So Dick's genuine care and concern for Tim just drives a further wedge between them.

i think there'd need to be a scene where Tim flat out asks if Jason even *wants* to be Batman. in a sort of attempt to slowly ween Jason off of being Batman, but also because i don't think Jason ever really wants to be Batman, he just wants Batman to be what his vision of justice is. and it'd be the first real heart to heart they have, discussing the legacy of the Robin and Batman mantles and how it's affected them. it'd be heated, but it'd be their first real conversation as just. Jason and Tim.

to me, i think the end goal of this AU would be Tim successfully "taming" Jason, and not in like a soft way, but in like a manipulative way, where even Jason knows that's what Tim is doing, but he just goes along with it because it's the first real human connection he's had in a while. also, i would work in Scarlet, Jason's sidekick in Batman & Robin (2009) as like. a pseudo daughter figure for them to help Jason find his humanity a bit. so it's not just Tim as Jason's rock, but also this misguided girl they'd both try to help. and well, then they ride into the sunset and all that, but still have a complicated, toxic dynamic they're both aware is unhealthy, but as balanced as it can be.

[galactic-magick]

Never Be Her: Peter Quill x Reader

Summary: You go with Peter to visit Earth, trying to navigate your seemingly one-sided love for him.

Words: 1.1k

Warnings: SPOILERS!!

Author’s Note: First fic after graduating college! I’m VERY obsessed with GOTG3 rn so I will be writing a lot for those characters to start out now that I have more time!

-

-

-

You’ve accepted that this will always be a one-sided love.

In your mind, it’s not even a real option, just a fantasy that you daydream about more often that you’ll ever admit. Even sitting next to him right now, he feels so far away.

As a fellow human from Earth, you agreed to accompany Peter for his visit to your home planet, as you probably had some family and old friends there as well. You’ve been apart for a couple weeks since you first landed, but now you’re seeing him again.

You sit beside him on a bench in a lovely park, eating some lunch from a food truck nearby. You tell each other all about how your visits with your respective families have gone so far, both of you nearly crying from happiness. You’ve both found the piece of home that was missing from your lives and connected to the past you tried to forget for so long.

But there’s still a sadness in his eyes, a sadness that you wish you didn’t understand. You can see the longing in his expression, and you know he still misses her.

Her.

You knew her too, although not nearly as deeply as he did. You understand why he loved her so much, and you can’t blame him for not moving on. She was an extraordinary woman—and she still is—despite not technically being the same person anymore.

After lunch you go your separate ways, but you agree to keep meeting up every so often to check in. It becomes something you look forward to just as much as you look forward to going back to your relatives. It even begins to happen more frequently, from every two weeks to once a week, then almost every day.

Several months go by, and you’ve tried just about every restaurant and coffee shop in both of your hometowns. Today you’re at an ice cream shop, just for something different.

“You know,” Peter starts. “We’re always telling each other about the people we found, but maybe it’s about time we actually meet each other’s families,”

“Really?”

“Yeah, I mean you could come meet my grandpa tonight if you want,”

“Wow,” you never even considered he’d want you to meet his family, but you welcome the opportunity. “I’d love to.”

-

He takes you home with him, opening the door with a huge smile on his face.

“Hey Grandpa! I’m back!”

“I’m in here!” he yells from the living room, and the two of you follow his voice.

You give a friendly wave and introduce yourself, and his Grandpa’s face lights up.

He shakes your hand and looks back at his grandson, “Is this the one I’ve heard so much about?”

“Grandpa,”

“What?” he looks back at you, “I’m not joking, he doesn’t shut up-”

“We’re going to check for leftovers in the fridge, okay?”

His Grandpa puts his hands up in surrender and you laugh, following Peter into the kitchen.

“Don’t mind him,” he shakes his head. “But he’s not wrong, I really do talk about you a lot,”

“Do you now?”

“Yeah, I mean, you’re my best friend. Don’t tell Rocket or Drax I said that, though,” he winks.

You grin, taking the food he hands you. You’re glad he feels as close to you as you do to him, even if it’s not the way you wish it was sometimes.

Peter’s Grandpa joins you at the table after a few minutes, contributing to the conversation. He tells you how happy he’s been since Peter came back, and how he’s happy Peter found a family out in space too. He asks you about your story and your own family you’ve been visiting, and of course he keeps joking about how Peter loves to talk about you.

For a few moments, you have a flicker of hope that maybe, just maybe, Peter feels something more for you than he’s letting on. It feels so natural being with him and the last of his family, and his Grandpa seems to like you and enjoy your company.

You stay much longer than you thought you would, late enough that his Grandpa goes to bed while you and Peter stay downstairs and put on a movie. You can sense him looking at you more than he is the TV screen, but you refuse to meet his gaze, terrified of the consequences. You’ve long accepted that this could never happen, and the reality that it could is still hard to believe.

You finally give up and catch his eyes, and honestly they’re too soft for you to be scared. The sadness you used to see is gone, but there’s still something else there.

“What are you looking at?” you chuckle, attempting to brush off the anxiety.

“I’m just glad you’re here,”

“Me too,” you nod. “I really should head back soon though, don’t want anyone to worry,”

“No-” his fingers brush against your hand, although not quite grabbing them. “Not yet. Please,”

There’s almost a desperation in his expression, one that hurts your soul.

“Peter,” you sigh. “You know how much I care about you. So what is it you want from me?”

There’s a silence, his lips moving like he wants to say something, but can’t quite get it out.

You cut him off before he can respond, “I can be here for you wherever you go, Earth or anywhere else. We’ve found what remains of our lives here. But you still seem like you’re always yearning for something else, or someone else, and I don’t know how to help you with that,”

“But Y/N, you do help me. What are you talking about? Earth is so much better when you’re here with me too,”

“It doesn’t seem like enough, though. I know neither this planet or me can heal the things you’ve lost, Peter,” you look down, “I know I’ll never be Gamora,”

Peter tilts up you chin with his hand and presses his lips to yours, so quickly that you barley register it happening. He cradles your cheek gently and wraps his other arm around you, pulling you close to his warmth. A few of his curls fall onto your face, and you giggle when they tickle your skin.

He pulls away to look at you and your stunned expression, smirking at how flustered you are.

“You’re right. You’re not Gamora. You’re you, and that’s who I want,”

“Really?”

“Hell yes. I’ve wanted to tell you for months but I didn’t know how. I didn’t think you felt the same,”

“Of course I do! I thought you didn’t feel the same!”

“Well, communication isn’t our strong suit, then,”

You laugh, running your hands up his arms and resting around his neck, “I think more kissing would suffice as good communication,”

“Oh yeah?”

You nod, your body tingling as he leans closer again.

-

-

-

Read this to make a Guardians request!

[captainremmington-13]

𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖉𝖆𝖚𝖌𝖍𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝖔𝖋 𝖉𝖊𝖆𝖙𝖍 - 𝖔𝖗𝖎𝖌𝖎𝖓 𝖘𝖙𝖔𝖗𝖞

show!Luke Castellan x daughter of thanatos!reader

DISCLAIMER: I don’t own the image above or any of Rick Riordan’s characters/world-building.

⚠️Warnings⚠️: attempted murder, swearing, parental neglect, overall sad vibes

A/N : this post is to set up context for the rest of the series (i have to set up the lore so everything makes sense lmao). this is my first time writing for luke, i promise i’ll get better at it with time :))

you essentially grew up at camp, having arrived at the young age of five

monsters began creeping their way into your life ever since you learned to speak. death seemed to be drawn to you.

first was the dracanea disguised as a nanny that tried to eat you while your mother was out of the house (she was a florist that prepared bouquets for funerals). you only survived because the dracanea was interrupted by your mortal older brother. when he saw you on the ground with the nanny about to wrap her hands around your tiny throat, he screamed so loud that the dracanea fled immediately. he then called the cops on her, but she’d long since disappeared. you were only three at the time.

the final straw was when an Aeternae attacked you on the preschool playground. it lept out from the large bushes near the fence and nearly ripped your face off. you would have died if your teacher, a satyr in disguise, hadn’t scared it off. 

your preschool teacher, Mr. Maciolli, escorted your to camp the next day. he had a long talk with your mother, who didn’t put up much of a fight to keep you at home. you attracted trouble that she had no time to deal with. 

with that, you were uprooted from your normal life and transported into the world of the Olympian gods. 

you were the youngest camper by far. the older campers took you under their wing, helping you adjust to camp life as best as they could. they gave you a wooden sword and taught you the basics of combat. they made sure to keep you away from anyone who could cause you harm. and most importantly, the many unclaimed demigods that you met while staying in Cabin 11 taught you that the gods didn’t give a flying fuck about their kids.

though it was difficult at first, you were happy. sure, you missed your mom sometimes, but you reminded yourself that she hadn’t been interested in keeping you around anyways. 

your first five years at camp were relatively peaceful. you developed your personality and learned your likes and dislikes, just like any “normal” kid. 

however, there were occasional incidents that were absolutely unexplainable. 

the worst one of all was this: a son of ares kept throwing pebbles at you while you were supposed to be picking strawberries. no matter what you said, he wouldn’t quit. after a particularly large pebble hit you in the back of the head, you turned around and screamed “stop it!”

the kid immediately collapsed, his skin turning pale. the other campers rushed him to the infirmary, and the apollo kids immediately got to work. 

they concluded that his heart had stopped. he had been dead to the world for almost a whole minute. if not for the nectar that had been poured down his throat, he probably wouldn’t have made it.

campers did their best not to anger you after that. nobody could explain what had happened, but clearly, you had caused the son of ares to have a close brush with death.

you were claimed by Thanatos, the god of death, at the age of ten. 

your social life turned on its head after that.

basically everyone except for Chiron and Mr. D avoided you like you were the walking Black Plague (which you kinda were)

after getting claimed, your powers increased. you could touch a small plant and kill it instantly if you wished to. wherever you sat, the grass would wither around you. you could even kill small animals with a simple touch (only if you wished it to die). 

nobody wanted to risk crossing you and getting killed. so nobody tried to get close to you. they would say the occasional “hello”, but that was it. 

you grew to resent not only your father, but all of the gods. they had everything, it seemed, while you had nothing. they didn’t even have the heart to check in on their own children. 

you learned to thrive without any companions. you spent your days sparring against invisible enemies, building muscle, and developing stamina. you rarely conversed with the other members of Cabin 11, staying in your bunk in the far corner of the cramped space. during your down time, you killed flowers, dried and pressed them, and used them to make collages. 

things were relatively stagnant for awhile.

until you turned fourteen. 

at age fourteen, luke castellan arrived at camp, and changed your life forever. 

Thank you for reading! Pls let me know what you think in the comments!!! I plan on making this a series, but I’m not sure how I’m going to format it yet. Stay tuned for the first official installment!

Let me know in the comments if you want to be added to the taglist!

[straykidsnerd255]

Your request is open and you writed for saint Seiya too?!! Sweet!!!! Bless you baby~❤️😘

I've been looking for a blog that writes about Saint Seiya for a very long time so, you are my last hope 🥺.I don't know how many characters you can write so I only asked for five characters to be written😄. Dragon shiryu, pegasus Seiya, Cygnus hyoga, Phoenix Ikki, Andromeda Shun ( from classic saint Seiya ) with Fem s/o who has the same attitude as them and is understanding.... ( Separately) please 🙏

Thank you so much for been here,thank you so much for your hard work and this flower is for you 💐❤️

💐❤️🧁

Oh my gosh, you are so sweet!!! Making me giggle as I read this request!! Thank you for requesting and I hope you enjoy!!

Pegasus Seiya:

He’s the guy that cracks the most jokes and tries to get everyone to laugh. When he met you for the first time, he finally found someone who could make him laugh just as he made other people laugh. He stuck close to you, not wanting to leave your side and you were ok with that. You like him being around you and enjoy the feel of him being around you. The day he came to you with tears running down his face, you immediately asked him what was going on. He told you everything and immediately laid his head on your lap. You snorted but let him, knowing he needed this comfort more than anything after telling you about what had happened. “It’s gonna be ok Seiya. I will stay by your side.” 

Dragon Shiryu:

Shiryu is always calm and collected. Never lets anything get to his head. So when he meets you, who is just as calm and collected as him, he becomes happy. You two become best friends in no time. Doing homework together, watching movies, even going out and just getting something to eat. One day, you were out in the forest, painting the nearby animals that walked through when you felt Shiryu’s presence. However, you could feel a sense of sadness. Placing your things down on the ground, you stood up and walked over to Shiryu. You stopped in front of him and immediately opened your arms up. He immediately walked into the offered hug and wrapped his arms around you. He needed the hug and you were happy to give it to him.

Andromeda Shun:

After his brother had left, Shun had no one. That’s when he met you. You both were shy but you tended to snap at people when they irritated you. Shun would always stick near you and keep himself relatively close to your side when he needed your presence. You never minded as it gave you someone to talk to when you became bored. One afternoon, Shun came running to you with tears falling down his face and you knew what happened. As if on cue, the people responsible for his tears walked in laughing but stopped when they saw you staring them down and glaring. They tried to argue why they did what they did but when they saw you eyeing them up and down they immediately turned and walked away. Shun gave you a soft smile before moving over to watch what you were doing.

Cygnus Hyoga:

People would describe him as cold, and unapproachable but it was the opposite. You have him were very similar in terms of emotion and the way you acted. He would always stick next to you. Even when you both were kids and training to be saints of Athena, you were always drawn near each other. Eating lunch, you both are sitting next to each other. When you were sitting on a bench just behind your little house reading, you heard someone walking back towards you. You knew who it was by the sound of the steps. “Hyoga, what are you doing here? I thought you had a mission?” You called out, just as he rounded the corner and appeared in your view. When he didn’t say anything, you knew something was wrong. You motioned for him to come over and sit by you. You didn’t have to say anything to know what was going on.

Phoenix Ikki:

Ikki was always a harsh person. After he trained to get the Phoenix armor, his personality and attitude changed. He was harsher. Angrier. Meaner. However, he never got angry or upset with you. He never said anything harsh are mean to you because he knew he would never forgive himself he did that. You were his best friend and had always been his best friend. You both stuck together when you were kids. You helped him raise Shun when he wasn’t able to. You protected each other. You protected Shun when no one else would. Sitting at the stream that ran past the old orphanage where he and his young brother used to live, he wasn’t expecting to see you. You stood at the stream, washing some clothing before lifting your head and making eye contact with Ikki. “Ikki, you’re home.” You whispered. He watched the different emotions flutter across your face before you settled on smiling up at him. He immediately stood up and walked towards you. He wanted to feel your hugs again. He missed them.

[the-french-laundry]

The Problem with Claire Bear (and how to fix it in S4 without making Clairmy endgame)

This critic is focusing on the writing and is not meant to be an attack against the actress in any way! Also this is my personal opinion.

I must confess, that i am relatively new to the fandom, but 'the Bear' has a chokehold on me for a couple of weeks now. The way it has so many different characters and tries to explore their personalities, their shortcomings, their problems and anxiety, hooked me from the start and i loved to see how they developed over the three Seasons, we have now. But then there's Claire. And she just doesn't work at all.

The number thing and Claire accepting anything

When she first appeared in the supermarket and had that talk with Carmen Berzatto, i couldn't shake off the feeling that this whole scene was very awkward and almost non-human. Of course, we know that Carmen can be socially awkward and seeing his old childhood friend, which he ghosted, is a weird situation for a lot of people. Given his own difficulties to deal with situations like that, it makes sense why he gave her a fake number. I know, she asked multiple times if it is okay, but the whole number thing is a clear sign that he is either avoiding contact, because he doesn't feel ready enough to deal with a past relationship or that, deep down, he doesn't actually want it and uses it as an excuse so that he doesn't have to say it out loud.

Seriously, if i would've been Claire, that would be a RED FLAG for me and i'd stop trying to force any contact. But the script wanted a romance, so it literally made Claire an all forgiving person. She just takes Carmen's bullshit and never truly questions it or tries to make him question those things. She always reassures him, that he's doing good and all, which is supportive and cute, but it doesn't help Carmy's broken personality in any way. It never questions, it never tackles his character to move past this. And in the end, it doesn't help Claire too because this relationship feels very one-sided. She's always there for him, tries to keep the contact, supports him, confesses her love first (even though if it was via voicemail), but Carmy isn't able to give it back to Claire in any form.

Claire got no personality

This is very obvious, but it needs to be said. The script gave Claire nothing to create an interesting or engaging personality. After i finished Season 3 i did a small recap in my head and all i could say about her is: She was Carmy's girlfriend and she is working as a doctor. That's all. And it made me bonkers somehow, because 'The Bear' has so many well-written female characters - Sydney, Tina, Natalie, Donna, Chef Terry. Even Jessica and Tiff, without having much screentime, had more developed character traits that made them stand out. But the script is not able to give Claire something that would make her more than just Carmy's forced relationship!? We rarely see, why she even has this crush on him - maybe due to their childhood friendship, any special moments they'd shared in the past before they met again at the supermarket? No, nothing and i think this is sad. Because with all that, Claire becomes a character, that can be easily written out of the script, without leaving a hole in the story.

Carmen would still have his New York David Fields trauma, mixed with the death of his brother Michael, he would still pressure himself. The rest could be easily explained through the dynamic he has with Sydney and the team - the fear of letting them down, of being not good enough, of not deserving happiness at all etc.

An environment of forcing it

Now it gets a little bit personal. When i was younger, i had a best friend, whom i really liked - but just as a friend. At one point however he started to have feelings for me and asked, if we shouldn't just try and see where it gets, which i didn't want out of fear that it might ruin our friendship. A lot of friends we both known at that time, told me multiple times that we would be such a great match, that he really cares for me and we would be cute together. It gaslighted me into the believe that, well... maybe i should just try. Also because i didn't want to disappoint my best friend. In the end, it was a mess and it ruined our friendship. But why am i telling this story? Because Carmy's and Claire's relationship kind of reminds me of that.

The people around Carmy are constantly talking about Claire, about her being a saint and that she is good for him, that they totally match and that he has a crush on her (e.g. in the conversation with Richie and Michael during the Christmas episode). Yet it never really feels like Carmen loves her deeply enough to make a long-term relationship work. He cares for her and likes her, that much is clear, but i feels forced, whenever they share moments together - not from Claire's side, but from Carmy's side. As if he always has to reassure himself, that he indeed loves Claire. And my theory about his flashbacks of their time together, is that it is more because of his own guilt. He never wanted to hurt Claire and he understands that what he said was deeply painful to her. Confessing that to himself is hard and an apology is needed. But i don't think it would be good if they straight up reset their whole relationship.

What can S4 do to save this mess?

The apology is a big thing that is in fact needed. To jump over his own shadow and to find piece for himself and for Claire, Carmen needs to apologize to her. By talking about what happen and recognizing how bad he'd treated her during the walk-in freezer incident, he also gives her the chance to close that case for herself, so that she doesn't think it was her own fault and therefore she can move on with her life. But it would also make sense that Carmen reflects if he really loves her as deep as he thought he would. In my opinion, the script didn't give us enough to undermine the argument that he does. So looking at that, it would be great to see how he confesses to her, how he'd always thought they were meant to be, but in the end his feelings were not enough for that to happen, that he got carried away by the expectations of those around him and his own anxiety. And maybe we learn, that Claire experienced something similar to that, realizing that they could've been great friends but weren't meant to be more.

Even though i don't like the character of Claire, given the fact that she is in the series now, it would only be fair to close her character arc with an apology and a wholesome conclusion for both her and Carmy before they part ways.

-

Thanks for coming to my short TED Talk. Feel free to tell me your thoughts or add the things i might've missed.

[writethrough]

Hello ^^

I saw that your requests are open, so if its okay may I ask for a Eddie Munson x reader? In which reader is trying to escape Vecna but the music stops, so Eddie continues it by singing it for her?

Track Two

(Eddie Munson x Female Reader)

Warnings: Vecna, mutual pining, angst, mean Eddie for a hot sec

Word Count: 2863

A/N: Holy shit, I did not think I'd get this done before the new year. Thank you so much for your patience! This is my first Eddie fic so I really wanted it to be at its best! I loved writing his character and I look forward to doing more in the future. I hope you enjoy!

*featuring "Dreams" by Fleetwood Mac*

You had just returned from your accidental visit to the Upside Down. After Steve was pulled in, it didn’t take long for the rest of you to follow. You hadn’t thought it could be more frightening than the first time you were there, but you were wrong. The red flashes of thunder, the vines covering nearly every surface, the knowledge that Vecna could pop up at any minute? It terrified you.

You’d never been so thankful to be back in Eddie’s trailer. Still, your second home felt far from that with the gate in the ceiling.

You had to focus on the positives: you were all safe, relatively—Max was nowhere near out of the woods. Eddie was with you—you could tell he was on edge, but when he met your gaze, he seemed to relax a little. At least he wasn’t alone in that boat house anymore. And you were on your way for supplies. If Vecna wanted to try and take one of you, you weren’t going down without a fight.

Eddie sensed that you were going too deep into your thoughts, so he knocked your knee with his.

“Penny for your thoughts,” he said, leaning close, his shoulder touching yours.

The corner of your mouth tugged upward. “They’re worth a nickel, actually.”

He whistled. “Wow, inflation’s no joke.”

You giggled—leave it to Eddie to make light of a dire situation.

“There it is,” he said softly, glancing from your mouth back to your eyes.

You rolled them. “Yeah, yeah, you and your dumb jokes.”

“I thought that was pretty clever.” He pouted.

You pushed your shoulder against his lightly. “Wasn’t bad.”

He pushed back. “So, you gonna tell me what’s up?”

You sighed. “Just…thinking.”

“Don’t,” he urged. It still surprised you how well Eddie knew you, even after all these years. It was like he could read your mind. Which, given that El existed, isn’t too far-fetched.

“Can’t help it.” You gave him a sad smile. “Not when all this shit is affecting you now.”

“I’ll be fine,” he said. “We’ll both be. Long as we have each other’s backs.”

“Yeah.” You tried to sound convincing. “We’ll be fine.”

He wished he could wipe the doubt on your face away. But this wasn’t one of his campaigns that he could erase and start from scratch. This was…This was unbelievable.

Your head tilted, eyes narrowed as you stared at the RV wall.

“(Y/N)?” Eddie asked. “You okay?”

You inhaled sharply, not daring to look away.

“I see it,” you whispered.

His brow furrowed. “See what?”

“The clock.”

—

You had stayed in the RV with Eddie and Dustin, trying to keep your hands from trembling. They tried to convince you everything would be okay, that they would kill Vecna before he could touch you. But their voices muffled as you lost yourself in every scenario.

When your group had piled back in, it was decided you’d make a quick stop at your house to pick up your favorite song and cassette player. None of it registered, though. You were too consumed with your imagination to hear anything they said.

You pulled up in front of your house, both of your parents at work. Eddie led you, Steve, Nancy, and Robin through the front door. Nancy had ordered the kids to stay there. She knew your dad kept survival tools in the basement and figured it couldn’t hurt to have a few more weapons and maybe a first aid kit.

She and Steve went to get that stuff as the rest of you went to your room.

Eddie was hesitant to leave your immediate side.

“(Y/N)?” he asked softly. “Look at me, please?”

You did. Those pretty brown eyes did little to warm you like they usually did.

“We’ve got this,” he said. “Nothing’s gonna happen to you.”

You nodded slowly, not quite believing him.

“Hey,” he grabbed your hand, “I mean it.”

His hand in yours drew you back to reality. He always had this innate ability to make you feel better—to make you feel like you weren’t alone. It was one thing that never ceased to impress you. He had never not been there for you.

“Thank you,” you said. “Don’t know what I’d do without you.”

His lips tilted up slightly. “I do.”

“Oh?” You tilted your head.

“You’d let me take the fall for the murders.”

Your eyes narrowed. “...What are you talking about?”

He shrugged. “If you didn’t know me, you’d believe I was the one who killed everyone. You’d think I was a murderer, too.”

You shook your head frantically. “No, Eddie. I could never think that. Not even if we weren’t friends.”

“You can tell yourself that, but it doesn’t change the truth,” he said, sliding his hand to your wrist.

“Why…Why are you saying all this?” You wanted to rip your arm away, but his grip tightened, forcing you to stay put.

“Because it’s the truth,” he said. “Even if you’re not ready to acknowledge it.”

His voice deepened.

You blinked.

And when you opened your eyes, your room was gone. Eddie was gone.

And Vecna had taken his place.

—

The beginning of your senior year was a week away. The beginning of Eddie’s second attempt to graduate had him anxious. And when that happened, he fidgeted. And when he fidgeted, it was usually through your stuff.

“I need to get you some real music,” he said, pushing aside whatever cassette he was holding.

“I need to get you some real taste,” you quipped, glancing up with a smirk.

He faced you, hand clutching his chest and mouth agape. “Ow!”

You giggled. “Just pick something! You may like it.”

He scrunched his nose. “I may have to if your stash doesn’t get any better.”

Rolling your eyes fondly, you lay down on your bed, staring at the ceiling. The faint tapping of cassette case against case created a rhythm. You were unconsciously moving your foot to it when it stopped.

“Now this, I can get behind.” He held up one of your Fleetwood Mac albums, promptly putting it in your stereo.

“Play track two,” you said, closing your eyes.

The opening notes to the song filtered through the air as Eddie lay beside you, arms brushing.

“You ready for next week?” he asked quietly.

“Physically or mentally?” You turned your head to him.

He shrugged. “Both.”

“I guess. Just not ready for what comes after.” You were always comfortable around Eddie. He didn’t judge you for what you wore or how you acted. You told him everything. Well, almost everything.

He didn’t need to know your feelings for him. They were better kept in a box deep within your heart. You didn’t need to complicate something that was already near perfect.

“I get that,” he said, lying on his side. “I just hope I���ll have those anxieties with you.”

You gave him a soft smile. When he got the news about repeating senior year, he was more frustrated than you’d ever seen him. He wanted to get out of Hawkins, make a name for himself besides “The Freak,” and play music for whoever would listen.

He had come to your house afterward and worked himself close to tears with his head in his hands. You didn’t know what to do, so you talked to him about everything you’d do together as seniors—how you both had another year to be “kids,” so to speak. And that seemed to calm him down. He was just happy he had you with him, a thought he would express many times throughout the coming school year.

“I’ve got you, Eds,” you said, squeezing his fingers.

He gave you a grateful smile. “I know.”

—

“Shit, shit, shit!” Eddie panicked.

“What’s wrong?” Nancy asked as she and Steve arrived in your room. Your whitened eyes were enough of an answer.

“Get her song!” Steve urged, looking at Eddie already searching through your music.

He let out a string of curses. “I forgot she told me she needed a new one!” He held up the cracked cassette. You accidentally dropped it when switching it out and didn’t have the heart to throw it away before you got another.

“What do we do?” Robin asked.

“Does she have another favorite song?” Steve moved to help rifle through your collection.

“She’s literally been listening to this for years! I don’t think she knows other songs exist!” Eddie said, gripping the roots of his hair.

It had been on whenever he saw you. If it came on while you were hanging out in his room listening to the stereo, you turned it up. You threw it in when he’d pick you up. The only reason he knew the song was because of you. The only reason he could sing every word of it was that—!

Eddie scrambled to get as close to you as possible. Standing so he could hold your biceps and look into your whitened eyes.

“What are you doing?” Steve’s brow furrowed.

“I’m gonna sing it,” Eddie said, trying to pump himself up.

“Do you think that will work?” Eddie could hear the doubt in Nancy’s voice.

“It’s the only shot she has,” Eddie said.

This was his best friend. The person he went to with his campaign ideas, when he needed comfort, or when he passed a test—really anything. You had always been there for him. No matter what was going on in your life, if he needed you, you were there. Now, it was his turn.

This had to work—he had to save you. He didn’t want to imagine how he’d make it through life without you. You were it for him. He had a feeling since he spotted you in the hallway wearing a Black Sabbath shirt. Then, he knew for sure when you cussed out Jason Carver for being “the dumbest douchebag with the longest stick up his ass” when he wouldn’t quit harassing Eddie.

His time with you was his favorite. Whenever you weren’t around, he wondered when he could see you again. He’d do anything to make you laugh. He’d do anything to protect you.

He inhaled deeply, slowly nodding to the beat in his head, and then, he sang.

“Now here you go again, you say you want your freedom…”

—

Red lightning flashed all around you, Vecna’s voice the thunder.

“It will be over quickly,” he said, the wet squelch of his feet getting louder.

Vines tightened around your wrists and ankles, pulling you taut against the trunk of them behind you.

You tried to surge forward, to rip them off and run, but your muscles burned, and it hurt to breathe. This was it. Vecna was already so close. There was no way Eddie or the others would save you, especially without your song.

You wanted to smack yourself for not replacing it. You would die because of one little choice to leave it to another date.

At least you got to spend your last few hours with Eddie. Even if it was preparing for Vecna, you still got to be near him—you got to talk to him one last time. You only hoped he’d remember you as you were and not the broken pile you’d be once it was all over.

You hoped his name would be cleared, he’d graduate, and he’d live out his biggest dreams. And stay safe. You just needed him to be safe.

As Vecna stood before you, you settled on an image of a smiling Eddie, that big grin he’d give you when he wanted to play you a song he taught himself. It only widened when you applauded as if you were in the front row of one of his concerts. You could almost hear him saying, “Prettiest audience I’ve ever played for.”

…

Wait…

…You could hear his voice.

But he wasn’t being his cheesy, flirty self.

…He was singing.

“...Well, who am I to keep you down…”

Your song. He was singing your song!

With Eddie’s voice, the air in your lungs fueled you. It was enough distraction for Vecna to glance over his shoulder as a portal opened. That was all you needed.

The vines loosened, or maybe you had a surge of strength. Next thing you knew, you were running. Running toward the portal, running toward your friends, running toward Eddie, standing right in front of you, and singing.

“You can not escape me, (Y/N),” Vecna said, sending the vines after you.

But you barely heard him. All you could focus on was Eddie’s voice and how each lyric sunk deep into your bones and propelled you forward. 

The vines gained on you.

Your feet were sore.

He was right there.

You reached out, and the shimmering tickled your fingertips as his voice faded and a vine slithered around your ankle.

“...When the rain washes you clean, you’ll know…”

—

The new year was just around the corner as you and Eddie holed up in his room for the day. You’d taken a year off to save up some money for college, and Eddie was a few months into his third senior year.

He was furiously scribbling at his desk: a new campaign, he said. You never minded these days. You enjoyed the peacefulness of simply being in the same room as Eddie, doing your own things.

The stereo was set to a hum—background noise helped him concentrate. When the music stopped, you got up to switch the cassette. You knew Eddie’s collection like your own: Metallica, Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden—if it was metal, it was here. That’s why this new album took you off guard.

You held the Fleetwood Mac cassette up. “When did you get this?”

Eddie glanced over his shoulder. “Last week.” He shrugged. “It’s a good album.”

He turned back to his campaign, hoping his voice sounded normal. He didn’t want you to know he bought it so you’d always have that song with you. He didn’t want you to know that when you weren’t here, he listened to it like you were. He really didn’t want you to know that it had slowly become one of his favorites because you listened to it when you were both together.

And maybe he had imagined swaying with you to that song. He’d light some candles, hold you against him, and wish he could stay like that forever.

But that’s all it was, just some wish.

He could hear the smile in your voice as you spoke. “Looks like you finally got some taste.”

And though you couldn’t see it, he rolled his eyes, a smile on his own lips. “Guess you’re a good influence on me.”

—

You gasped, knees buckling as you returned to your body. Eddie quickly caught you, lowering you to the floor where he pulled you close, one of his legs behind you and the other under your own.

Tears streamed down your face as you curled as best you could into him. Your arms wrapped around his neck as you buried your head in its crook.

You had been so cold there, even though all you saw was red; it was like the place tried to freeze you solid. Eddie’s warm hands rubbing your back pushed the chill in your bones away. His grip was the only thing grounding you, telling you that you were where you belonged.

One of his hands moved to stroke your head. “I’m here. I’ve got you now." He breathed you in. "You’re back, sweetheart.”

He tried to bring you closer, placing his head atop yours and holding you by your shoulder and knees—like he could keep Vecna from grabbing you again.

So, when you calmed and began to pull away, he almost yanked you back to his body.

Once you both rose from the floor, the others urged you back to the RV, Eddie’s arm around your waist.

He took your hand when you sat on the back bench as the rest of the group discussed the plan. Nancy had thought to grab your walkman and headphones, and Max had thrown all her music in her backpack and had a copy of the album you needed.

Your headphones rested around your neck, the song softly playing. You wanted to help everyone figure out how to kill Vecna, but the only thing you could focus on was the phantom vines encircling your wrists.

You kept expecting them to be there when you looked away from one of your friends. Eddie must have noticed you weren’t paying attention, his knee nudging yours as he furrowed his brow in concern.

He knew you weren’t okay. Neither of you were okay. So, he did the one thing he could think of and squeezed your hand before pressing a kiss to your temple.

You leaned into it, needing him more than you could ever express.

“I’m right here,” he whispered into your ear.

You turned your head slightly so your foreheads were together.

“You always are,” you whispered back. As long as you had Eddie by your side, you would fight. You would win. And maybe afterward, you’d tell him you loved him.

[nokstella]

— wip whenever.

saw @imogenkol posting for wip whenever and I got struck with the urge so, have this. working on self-indulgent fan adjacent stuff, and right now I'm writing some new characters, hence why it's in first-person. typically I write in third-person, but I like using first-person to get into characters heads and get a feel for their voice.

With a groan, I fell back against the door. All at once, whatever remained of the adrenaline that had carried me out of the main house and all the way back to my modest home was fading, and fast. I felt light-headed and jittery, exhaustion kicking in as my magic began to react to my emotions. Every nerve in my body was alight, buzzing uncomfortably just under my skin, and I fought the urge to scratch at it. No amount of digging into my flesh would help. I'd learned that long ago. Instead, I breathed. In and out, slow and steady. Held it in for as long as I could, and then longer still, until my lungs burned and my chest ached. Then, I let it out, and repeated the process. Over and over, until I no longer felt like I was drowning. It helped being here, at least. The entire Greene property was my home, for all intents and purposes, but this was mine. My magic was embedded here, in every nook and cranny. In the walls and along the floorboards, stuck between mismatched couch pillows and between every dish stacked in my cabinets. Even the plants littered about the place were infused with my energy, from the tips of their leaves down to the deepest roots. It wasn't much, but it was all I truly had to call my own. And best of all? There were absolutely no traces of wolves here. The cabin was dark. Off to my left, I could hear the familiar tick tock tick tock of my clock, the little black cat's tail swaying in time with the hands. Outside, I could hear the howling of the winter wind, singing her song of longing. Tree branches creaked and cracked under the weight of freshly fallen snow, and each one whispered to me, calling me as they always did. But right now, I couldn't make out the words. Not over the din in my own head, an endless loop of memories that I couldn't seem to stop, no matter how hard I tried. Jeremy saying, They're pressuring him to take a mate, his relatives in Caswell. Isaac saying, Her name is Haley, I think? She's from somewhere down near Idaho. Tessa saying, If she keeps doing that fake little laugh I'm gonna throw my drink right in her face. Elliot saying, She's just here on business, nothing more. I promise. And me just standing here, saying nothing, because what was there to say? I should have said something, anything, but I didn't. All I did was keep my mouth shut and my head down. All I did was run, run, run.

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[poetryofyouth]

My thoughts about Dragon Age: The Veilguard (Spoiler free)

After 67.5 hours of playtime, I have finished the fourth Dragon Age game. Overall, I give it a solid 7/10.

I loved

The performance. I have a good gaming laptop, but it is still a laptop. Veilguard runs buttery-smooth, never had any lag or framerate drop or anything. Didn't have any annoying glitches, some very minor graphics bugs two or three times. I know this SHOULD be the bare minimum, but considering it has become the norm to launch games that are basically unplayable because of the number of glitches, this is something to point out!

The overall story, tone and writing. Yes, these were criticised by many people, but I don't think that the dialogue was that clunky, and I certainly did not think that the tone was "not dark enough". Genuinely, people saying the game was too lighthearted and not "dark fantasy" anymore must have played a different game than me.

The look of the environments. Inquisitions landscapes were beautiful, and Veilguard manages to top that in certain areas. Arlathan Forest is absolutely beautiful, and other places you get to explore are horrifyingly, disgustingly vile and haunting and terrifying.

The Character Creator. So many details and so many hairstyles!!! And GOOD, long hairstyles, too!!!

I liked

The Companions. Rook's interactions with the companions is different than in Origins and Inquisition, most similar to DA2. You can't just always come talk to them. But they interact with each other far more than in previous games!! And I am glad there isn't a party banter glitch like in Inquisition - the banter triggers early and often. No hourlong running around in dead silence! And I also liked all the companions as characters, a lot!

The voice acting. Again, I don't really get the complaints so many people seem to have over the voice acting. Really solid imo!

The Combat. I did NOT think I would ever say that. It took a long while to get used to it because I am simply not used to playing action combat games. I only played on Keeper difficulty (2nd easiest), but that was ideal for me to figure everything out. I played a duelist rogue, haven't tried other classes. And I appreciated the uncomplicated respeccing. Especially because I was really intimidated by the complicated look of the skill tree. For rook and the companions, you can respec any skill at any time, so you can play around and try what works best for you.

Exploring. The game is not open-world and I think it was a good choice. But the relatively small areas are packed full with treasures to find. There are little puzzles everywhere. I am a sucker for that kind of stuff. Love puzzles and riddles. Only not putting this under "loved" because it kind of messed with the pacing for me in certain quests. ("Someone's in mortal peril? Sure, hang on, lemme get that treasure chest first")

Certain lore revelations. No spoilers! But we learn some big stuff. I think this was done well for the most part.

I was fine with

The look of the Characters. I was VERY worried about that at first because in general I am not a big fan of the cartoonish artstyle. What was odd is that not all characters seem equally cartoonish? Emmrich seems much more cartoonish than Davril, for example. That is an inconsistency that I found quite annoying. In general, could have been better, could have been worse. I really miss the DA2 look of the Qunari. That Arishok... still thinking about him.

The romance. So I have only romanced Neve, and it was nice. I know other romances are different, they might give you a bit... more. Again, don't want to spoil anything but.... There could have been more.

Cameos/tie-in of established characters. I want to keep this spoiled-free so I won't go into specifics. It was nice meeting some of them again, some of them were.... NOT done right. Yeah I'll reblog this post with a few spoilery thoughts on that. This could have been done a LOT better.

I did not like

Lore inconsitencies. I don't mean major, story-relevant stuff here, just some minor details. It's expected that they will get some stuff wrong but.... ugh. still annoying!!!

The villains are very black-and-white. When I think of Dragon Age Villains, I think of complex characters like Zathrian, Loghain, even the Arishok or Prince Bhelen. Characters you can empathize with, feel sorry for, even side with. The game is very lacking in that kind of complexity.

Lack of impactful, difficult choices. In previous installments, I AGONIZED over so many choices. Harrowmont or Bhelen? Celine or Gaspard? Kill or spare the Architect? Choices I took a long time to think about, choices where the game (and other media) gives you little snippets of information, not enough that you know what the right choice is for sure, but you have a lot to think about and to consider. This does not exist in this game. At all.

Rook can't be evil. I know Rook needs to be the hero. But so did the Warden, Hawke and the Herald. I personally don't like playing the "bad guy". But I like having the choice! If you have the choice to sacrifice Feynriel to the Sloth Demon, it makes the decision to do the right think just so much more meaningful.

And Rook's dialogue options are quite flat, too. The game uses tone indicators like in DA2 and Inquisition, but the tone barely even differs. The joking/sarcastic replies are not that funny (purple Hawke i miss you you will always be famous). The "aggressive" replies are really not that aggressive. Overall, that makes Rook feel quite flat.

I am VERY unhappy with

Okay. Deep breaths. No spoilers. But this game has... issues. For a game that has been in developement for such a long time, there are many aspects that are just unfinished. The Lords of Fortune for example. The entire faction makes barely any sense.

Ignoring most of the worldstate choices... This has been discussed at length before the release, so no need to get into it. But I have always admired Bioware for how they managed to tie in choices from previous games - even if they were just "throwaway oneliners". That was what made the world of Thedas feel real. That's what made Dragon Age special.

The lack of conflict and how slavery in Tevinter is just glossed over. Okay hear me out. I do NOT want more fantasy racism because I think it is cool or whatever. But we're in Tevinter for big parts of the game!! The dreaded empire that everyone in southern Thedas is scared of, where slavery is normal and they do blood magic for fun. All that worldbuilding and the setup is just... basically ignored. The venatori are throwaway enemies just like in inquisition, the politics of Tevinter are almost entirely ignored. And that is, I think, where Veilguard fails to be a proper Dragon Age game. DA was always about mirroring real life conflicts, adressing themes of prejudice, war, racism, homophobia and mental illness directly or through metaphors. Making you think about morality, both your PC's morality and your own as a player and a person. This game... this game doesn't challenge any sort of believes you might have as a person in that way. This is, in my opinion, the biggest failure of the game. The critical look at the real world, through the lense of a dark fantasy game. And if a Dragon Age game is missing that, then it just... misses it's heart and it's soul. Unfortunately, glitches can be fixed but there is no way to patch this.

Final thoughts

Okay, back to a bit more positivity. I enjoyed the game. I really, really had a lot of fun. I screamed, I cried real tears, I felt for the companions and I laughed at the funny moments. Dragon Age: The Veilguard is a good game. Not perfect. And it is perfectly understandable to be critcal of it, unfortunately a lot of criticism gets lost in either "it's too woke" or people who clearly have not played past the first act.

But in general, I think both Dragon Age fans and newcomers will enjoy it and have a good time.

[8aji]

you're the sunflower, i think your love would be too much. // m.c.

a collection of spiderman!chifuyu hcs + drabble of you finding out about spiderman's real identity

pairing. spiderman!chifuyu matsuno x reader

wc. 3.7k (hcs - 1.8k, drabble - 1.9k)

tags/cw. spiderman au, fluff, very very minor angst, mentions of injuries, implied violence, mentions of doubt and insecurities, mix of past + present tense for story telling purposes (hcs), a little ooc, not beta-ed (?) + please let me know if i missed anything !

a/n. second time writing bullet hcs !! it was definitely an experience and im definitely up for creating more short-format content im the future. this story was inspired mainly by @/_slvx0 spiderman!chifuyu fanart and my recent tasm obsession. PSA. chifuyu’s character was adapted to fit my vision of spiderman instead of fitting spiderman to who he is. this means his character might be ooc. bear mind that this is my first time writing for chifuyu and so im not a 100% with his characterization — i apologise for any ooc-ness in that regard.

m.list ˖ tags ˖ byi/dni

Got so insanely giddy when he found out about his powers. He was so close to making a group chat with all of his friends to break the news to them. Thankfully he managed to stop himself from sending the message because he had already created the group and come up with the lamest excuse to cover his tracks

Comics and Shonen manga become his personal bible. Every superhero-related thing he did was likely inspired by one of those. That included the way he patrols the city at night and the ways in which he hides his identity. Too bad none of them show how to balance superhero-life along with his college one, a step-by-step guide would be of great help

One time, when swinging through the city, he forgot to shoot his web at another building and just found himself freefalling for a bit — he almost gave himself a heart attack that day

Found out about a video of him going viral while he was eating a sandwich on top of the Tokyo tower. He was so taken aback he almost lost his balance; in his defence, it was a really cool video of him. And deep down, reading the comments underneath the video gave him a sense of relief. He had always wondered if his job as a night vigilante was worth it, often doubting whether he had any sort of positive impact on people, but the support he was flooded with was enough reassurance for him to keep going

For a while, he favours Spiderman over Chifuyu — he wasn’t particularly insecure per se, but he found out that he felt the most comfortable and confident when he was wearing the mask, he felt a lot more freedom whenever he did.

Kazutora was the first to find out about Chifuyu being a superhero. It was 3 in the morning and he was sitting on their living room couch doing some homework when Chifuyu came through the window, almost crashing against the coffee table and knocking over a flower vase. The two of them stood frozen in place, tension rising by the second. Kazutora was getting ready to call out for Baji because a random masked man wearing a leotard had just broken into their living room, never mind the fact that it was a relatively famous and beloved superhero. But before he could, Chifuyu took his mask off in a panic AND BAM Kazutora was flabbergasted, speechless, unable to comprehend the fact that one of his best friends was risking his life protecting the city — ‘Tora then proceeded to beg Chifuyu to let him be the man on the chair.

Being a vet student isn’t of much help when it comes to making superhero equipment, so he follows multiple youtube tutorials whenever he wants to make improvements to his suit — the first time he tried to follow one he fucked up so bad he was tempted to spill his secret to Mitsuya just so his friend could help him out with the suit design.

One of his favourite pastimes is finding the tallest buildings and reading manga or comics while sitting at the top. He will sometimes listen to music as well. Makes a playlist titled ‘Rooftop reading’ or something corny like that

His favourite superpower is his ‘spidey sense’, he would pick the web shooting but it still freaks him a little.

He met you one night after getting home from his patrol when he swung onto the fire escape. As far as he knew, everyone in the building was asleep and the apartment next to his was empty. But of course, he had been wrong and instead had given you the fright of the century by coming out of nowhere and landing right in front of your window. — you ended up recognising him as Spiderman right after he apologised, and intrigued by his presence you asked him a couple of questions along the lines of ‘Why the fuck are you outside my apartment at 4 in the morning’

From then on, he makes sure to be more careful whenever he returns home. Though every now and then he will purposely make his presence known by landing a little too roughly on the iron platform or by knocking on your window just so the two of you could chat for a couple of minutes. Bear in mind that he only does it when the lights are on, which is more often than not; turns out your sleep schedule is just as messed up as his — and with the schoolgirl crush that has his heart 

Sometimes he will add a few ‘trapeze-esque’ moves to spice up his swinging routine. Makes him feel more like a superhero — and yes, he also learned those from youtube video tutorials.

His enhanced vision comes in handy whenever he finds himself too busy being Spiderman to study for exams. Tries not to feel bad about it, and has to remind himself that Baji and ‘Tora have both done the same thing to feel better

He becomes a little too chismoso because he can’t help but hear the gossip no matter how much he tries to tune it out and turns into somewhat of a picky eater.

Learning how to keep his superhuman strength in check was the hardest thing in the whole ‘Spider-acclimatization’ process. Before he figured out how to, he had already broken multiple glass jars, splintered the window and broken the hinges off of three doors before — Though the thing that hurt the most about not being able to show his super strength was knowing he could easily win an arm wrestling match against Baji but not doing so to keep his identity hidden.

Still, Baji had a hunch that something was going on with his best friend. With both, the superhero and the man on the chair. He had seen Chifuyu return to the apartment through the fire escape very late at night and managed to catch a glimpse of the red suit underneath an oversized hoodie and sweatpants, and he had heard the incoming ‘disturbance reports’ through the radio in Kazutora’s room. But in spite of his own curiosity, he refused to press his friends for the truth — he ended up officially finding out when he saw Chifuyu coming out of the bathroom fully dressed in his suit.

No doubt he will most definitely use his costume for Halloween, and absolutely adores it when people compliment it because ‘omg it looks literally the same as Spiderman’s!’

Freezed the first time he met you face to face without the suit, unable to apologise when he bumped into you by mistake. He just stared, and his friends were the ones to break the awkward silence when they recognized you as their neighbour.

He was ecstatic to finally be able to talk to you without having to wait for the early hours of the morning. For some reason, he hadn't thought about introducing himself as Chifuyu, but now the four of you hang out pretty often.

He would follow you around like a lost puppy around uni, force himself to do his homework to spend some time with you in the library and bring you coffee every time you met up. Whenever Baji and Kazutora had classes during the afternoon, think 6pm to 9pm lectures, you would get together at one of your apartments and watch movies — though these hung outs ended before 11pm max. he would come up with a very believable excuse and bolt out of the apartment, running down the fire escape to not be seen until next morning. 

That didn’t stop you from growing even closer. By then you had alrwady started to develop something a little more than a platonic fondness for the blond and his childlike excitement.

He was adorable, almost reminding you of someone you had met before…including his unusual nighttime behaviour. It always got your mind wandering, but you stopped yourself before it did any further. You could be a bit of an overthinker, and you missed your ‘spider-friend’.

It was true that the closer the two of you grew, the more spaced out his ‘spider-visits’ im not sorry for calling everything he does spider-something became. It got to the point he stopped showing up at your apartment for a month. He was too lovesick and too focused on being Chifuyu to notice that you missed his alter ego’s company

He found out you did one day when he saw you sitting on the fire escape. You had been bottling up your feelings for a while and just needed to let it out. Of course, you didn't tell him you it was Spiderman you were missing — he would probably think you were insane. So instead, you told him you missed a friend and after a little thinking, it clicked for Chifuyu.

At first, he felt a little self-conscious. Was his company not enough? Would he ever live up to what Spiderman had become? But then it clicked, once again, that you had no idea that both Spiderman and Chifuyu were the same person. Plus, you had explained how the person you were talking about had been your first-ever friend when you moved to the city — the melancholy in your voice was enough for him to promise himself he was going to visit you one last time, and maybe if he made up his mind, he would tell you his secret.

But of course, the night he planned to come clean was the night he got into ‘real’ trouble as Spiderman for the first time. Getting ambushed by 7 people at the same time was no joke — Both Kazutora and Baji, the newest member of the ‘man in the chair’ club, had warned him about the dangers of confronting the group of armed men, but he had let his ‘spider-ego’ get in the way of his rational thinking and now every muscle in his body ached as he made his way home.

So in retrospect maybe it hadn't been so bad, his body was just achy achy but other than that and a couple of cuts on his arms and legs he was fine !! And he was still determined to carry out his plan.

But he hadn’t taken into account how exhausted his body truly was. He ended up miscalculating the distance from the neighbouring building to the fire escape.

Thank whatever higher power that your window was wide open because he crashed straight into your apartment, falling right into your coach and knocking over a lamp.

But ! you ! were there ! Glued in place, the movie you were watching still playing in the background and popcorn laying all over the floor

“I love Wall-E!” he exclaimed while dusting himself off and wincing as he raised his arm to point at the tv.

“What the fuck are you doing in my house.”

He winced again when he tried scratching the nape of his neck in embarrassment. He thought you would’ve been a lot happier to see him, maybe jump into his arms and tell him you had missed him so much. Maybe you would even pull his mask up enough for you to kiss him — though thinking about it, the idea didn’t sit well with him. He wanted you to kiss Chifuyu, not Spiderman.

“You’re hurt.” You pointed out once the initial surprise had worn off.

“It's nothing I can't handle, give me a couple of minutes and I’ll be as good as new.” He was proud of himself for the confidence he had exuded with his heroic nonchalance, though he was dying on the inside and most definitely needed to lay down.

“How many minutes?”

“Huh?”

“Until you’re ‘as good as new’, I mean.”

“Um,” he wasn’t prepared for you to question him on his healing factor. It wasn’t exactly something you would ask someone you hadn’t seen in a while — ‘it’s nice to see you again! By the way, how long exactly does it take the cells in your body to regenerate? Just curious, toodles!’. Imagine someone asking you that, wouldn't it be weird? You were weird for asking him that, definitely weirder than the random man who jumped through your window and forced you to spill popcorn all over the ground. “Maybe, uh, 120 minutes for the cuts and then a little over 480 for the rest of my body?”

You looked unimpressed.

“So ten hours in total.”

“I promise it's usually a lot quicker than that, it's just been a rough night.”

When you rolled your eyes at him, he was sure you were gonna kick him out of the apartment — and start locking your windows at night. But instead, you gestured for him to sit down before rummaging through your kitchen cabinet for a white box with a cross on it.

“You a first-aid fan?” he asked when you sat down next to him, cringing at the stupidity of his question.

“All apartments in the building have one.” You brushed off, chuckling, and pulling out some gauze and hydrogen peroxide. He swore he could melt against your touch, the pain of his injuries melting away. And maybe it was the glimpse of a smile, the comfort in the creasing of your eyes, that turned him stupider than he already was.

“Ours doesn’t.”

He joked, forgetting for a minute that the version of him sitting in front of you wasn’t Chifuyu. But as soon as he saw your hands freeze in place, your gaze locking with his in confusion, he could feel the colour drain from his face.

“Wha– what I meant was that my, you know, apartment, which is somewhere that’s not here, because I don’t live here–”

“So you live here.”

“Well, I just said I don’t–”

“And you still couldn’t bother telling me you were going to suddenly disappear.”

“I’m sorry I–”

“You’re unbelievable.” You scooted further away from him, brows furrowed in simmering frustration. “All this time I was worried about you.”

Frustrated, annoyed and pissed off. He had seen you like that before. Annoyed at people who walked too slowly on the street or at men who couldn’t bother moving out of their way, bumping into you because they expected you to move. Pissed off when you received a ‘bad’ grade according to your standards, or when one of your groupmates refused to respond to the group chat even when the project was due the next day.

Frustrated, annoyed and pissed. He had seen you like that before. But never had it been directed at him.

“I understand–”

“No you don’t!” you interrupted him. “If you did, you would’ve said something, and it’s not like it’s hard to put on your costume and climb down a couple of floors to let me know that you were okay.”

“It’s not a costume, it's a super suit…” he trailed off, and you sighed in response, letting yourself fall back against the backrest of the coach. The growing silence between the two of you only fed the tension dense enough to be cut with a butter knife. And it killed you to feel the tangible difference between your previous interactions and what you now thought would be the last one.

He had become a very important person in your life, the first friend you ever had after feeling desperately lonely without your family or friends in a new city. And of course, there was always the possibility of him not feeling the same about you. Maybe you weren’t as important to him as you would’ve liked.

“I’m sorry,” he mumbled, “I know I should’ve let you know I wasn't coming as often.”

His voice had curled onto itself. It was strained as it tried to make its way past his throat, like he was trying hard not to choke on his own words. It made your heart ache in return. And maybe it hadn’t been nice for him to just disappear, but he was a superhero for fucks sake. Were you really expecting a super-fucking-hero to make some time in his ‘saving the city’ calendar for you?

You thought he had been unfair, and now you were taking it out on him. Hypocrite; you complained about him not being nice to end up being not so nice yourself.

“I know…I know you’re busy doing hero stuff and all, I'm sorry for snapping at you.” You mumbled, gaze stuck on the ceiling. “And I’m sorry for making fun of your suit.”

He smiled at that, and like a peace offering, you nudged his arm with your hand, asking for permission to help patch him up. It made his cheeks flush underneath the mask, biting the inside of his cheek to stop himself from squealing at the fluttering in his stomach. It was true that he had been primarily reading action-hero manga and comics, but that didn’t mean his love for shojo was cast aside. Sometimes, he couldn’t help but imagine he was the main character of a romance story, and, in spite of how cheesy it sounded, he really wanted that with you.

“You know, I,” he tried to swallow the lump in his throat. He wasn’t sure if it was too soon to be revealing a secret of such magnitude. Especially after the tension that had risen between the two of you. But his goal was not only to apologise but to offer you a proper explanation. “The reason I wasn't coming here as often was, um,”

You stopped dead in your tracks, the gauze soaked in hydrogen peroxide lingering over one of his cuts. Still, you avoided meeting his gaze, eyes stuck on the ripped edges of his suit as if scared of what he was going to tell you.

“It was,” breath in, breathe out. His quickening heartbeat was so loud it wouldn’t allow him to hear what he was saying. Breathe in, breathe out, maybe he couldn’t do this, maybe this was a bad idea. Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out, “because I was already over all the time, just not as Spiderman…”

Your head shot up in the blink of an eye, and even he was surprised you hadn’t somehow given yourself whiplash. But never mind that, because the sudden familiarity that flashed through your eyes as you mentally pieced together every single event, clue, hint and theory you had discarded along with the new information you had received, was enough to let him know you recognised who he was.

“You are–”

“Yeah,” he nodded, biting his lip in anticipation. “It’s me–”

“Keisuke.”

“What? No, It’s me, Chifuyu.”

And as if to prove his point, he pulled off his mask, revealing the tousled mess of blond locks and the purple bruises underneath one of his eyes and his lower lip.

He had to hold back a whine at the ruined grand reveal.

“No, I know.” you deadpanned, and he had to hold back a whine at the ruined grand reveal. Had it been any other circumstance, he would’ve felt proud to be mistaken for Baji. But when it was the love of his life doing so, it felt more like a flat-out rejection instead of a compliment.

“Chifuyu,” you called out to him, effectively pulling him out of the self-pity spiral, and pointed at your window. “I mean ‘Keisuke?’”

“Sorry to interrupt,” Baji waved at the two of you from outside, “were you about to kiss?”

“No!” “Not yet.”

“Oh okay, cool,” he shrugged, pointy canines sticking out as he smiled. “You were taking longer than usual, we figured you had gotten in trouble or something.”

“Yeah!” Kazutora poked his head from behind the wall, hair tied in a messy bun. “But then we heard your voice coming from here and we thought we’d check it out.”

“Well, I'm fine, so you two can,” he made a gesture with his head, urging his best friends to leave the two of you alone. “You know, go.”

He hadn’t expected it to work. They weren’t ones to pass on the opportunity to tease anyone, especially him, being the younger of the group and all. But to his surprise, all they had done was send a wave your way with a promise to hang out tomorrow night and left.

Now the two of you alone, all he wanted to do was stare at your face all night while you patched him up because if there was any trope that concocted the perfect mix between action and romance was when someone took care of another person's injuries. And wasn’t it one of the sweetest displays of affection? Just taking care of the one you love? Even though he wasn’t a hundred percent sure you liked him like that, at least he could dream, right?

“Wait,” remembering what you said earlier, it felt like an ice water bucket was poured all over him. Suddenly, the giddiness inside his tummy had returned with full force, and he could feel his cheeks straining with the inkling of a smile. “You said ‘not yet’.”

You hummed in confusion, biting on the inside of your cheek. Sure, Baji and ‘Tora had spared him from the teasing — although one could argue that showing up had been the teasing itself— but you could always make up for it with a sprinkle of intentional obliviousness. “What do you mean?”

“When Baji asked if we had kissed, you said ‘not yet’, does that mean you want to kiss me?”

“I don’t know,” you shrugged, a cheeky smile on your lips as your fingers traced aimless patterns up his forearm and bicep, to then let your hand rest on his cheek, your thumb caressing the soft skin. “Do I?”

He leaned closer to you, prompted by your touch, and you were quick to follow through, letting your leg rest against his. He looked so cute with his eyes sparkling with excitement, lips parted in contained desperation as he waited for you to say ‘I do’.

“Can I kiss you?” He whispered, breath mingling with yours, and lips barely brushing against each other. He looked so pretty sitting on your couch, the light of the tv casting shadows on his face, and absolute lovesickness coating every single inch of his body.

You nodded in return, smiling as you basked in the taste of him, the man behind the mask, because even though he had his own waves of doubt, it had always been him.

It would always be Chifuyu for you.

© 2023 SHINACHIRO ; Do not repost my work. Do not recommend my work outside of tumblr. Do not translate my work. affiliated with @tokyometronetwork​

[ineffable-opinions]

Unknown - Review

An adaptation that worked better for me than the source work, to an extent.

Priest is a highly regarded danmei author. When I discovered the author through fans, I really wanted to partake in all that awesomeness too. But time and time again, Priest’s writing style failed to resonate with me. I could never immerse myself in any of her works, truly get into them, be moved by characters and their action. Nothing Priest ever wrote seem to impact me. I always felt like I was at bus stop waiting for a bus that would take me to a destination that everyone else seemed to be able to reach and praise so highly about. I would board every bus that said it would take me to my destination but somehow, I couldn’t reach there.

When live-action adaptations came out, I chased them, in multiple languages (I tried Mandarin, Tamil, Hindi, Malayalam in that order; Indian language dubs can be found on MX player). But then even Malayalam dubbed version of Word of Honor was a chore and I gave up.

When I heard of Unknown based on 大哥 (da ge; Big Brother) (a work I found reprehensible at certain points due to pretty normalized racial and heterosexist psychological depictions) I had no interest in checking it out. Things couldn’t be so simple. I heard Huang HongXuan (Kurt) was going be in it. Now, I must watch it for he had rizz in spades in VIP Only and I wanted more of that. (Spoiler alert – I think the Unknown by focusing on Wei Qian missed out on cashing that sweet charisma except for glimpses of it in the last few episodes.)

That’s how I ended up watching Unknown in the first place. It is safe to say I am glad I did. I never thought Da Ge will become something like this. I am impressed by the meticulous cultivation that source material underwent. That little carp really crossed the gate to become a dragon.

Da Ge is a popular and critically-acclaimed work. IMHO, it was for most parts a classist, 金手指 (golden finger) plot with half-baked versions of then popular danmei tropes. For context (I don’t want to say comparison), 弟弟 (didi; younger brother) by 人体骨架 came out in 2011, two years before Da Ge. In BL, newer don’t necessarily mean better. 

What Unknown managed to do was tone down the golden finger bits and keep things realistic to an extent.

Wei Qian got the funds he dearly needed not from killing and snitching on gangsters but from gang-boss Le ge who was Dr. Lin’s senior. Le ge defied some gang codes and sorta wronged his own underlings to that the plot can turn in favor of Wei Qian. The whole triad bit was decent enough that I didn’t mind the snitching part much – I chose to ignore it.

Removed three female characters who were there for man-pain purposes in the novel. Instead gave Wei Lili, pavam xiao baobao, time to shine.

Did not airlift Wei Qian into the waiting arms of a benefactor with sufficient connections in Mainland who would rescind everything in grief, right when Wei Qian could take over and reign. Instead, Unknown let Wei Qian build a company with San Pang and Lao Xiong which fits right into Taiwan’s SME-heavy capitalism.

Didn’t include anything that I found reprehensible in the novel.

Gave relatively explicit intimate scene.

Toned down novel Wei Qian’s Valliettan-aura to build a warmer, more sensible relationship between the Wei siblings.

Made passing mentions of novel events, in ways that was more connected and believable.

Didn’t make villains into caricatures who loose brain cells to benefit Wei Qian. Instead fleshed out Le ge and his relationship with both his underling and his junior. Made him interesting.

Got us a character with blacked out tattoos. I have listed this one at the last but this is the best thing about Unknown for me. Here’s why…

While organized crime is a popular setting in BL, it is rare for BL characters to have visible evidences of their criminal pasts after leaving it for a civilian life. Usually, they either hide it with full-sleeves and what-nots. But here’s a character in a BL with blacked out tattoos trying to make a living through street-vending. Tattoos are customary, ceremonial and meaningful in the context of organized crime, triad in this case. While involved in the triad, tattoos signal trust and loyalty, etched into skin. But it is a burden too. It is part of the cage that leaves no way out. As Le ge’s underling emphasizes, it is not easy to get away having once involved oneself with the triad. Moreover, the tattoos evoke fear among civilians – so ex-gangsters can forget prospects of finding jobs. Even if one is to be self-employed, tattoos doesn’t signal anything good and are effective in scaring customers away. In Unknown, the blacked-out tattoos signal a dark past he has shut door to; all symbolisms that meant something in the context of triad has been wiped out by ink.

There are points where I felt Unknown was rush through the plot, some others which I felt drag. But overall, it was a good BL and a surprisingly enjoyable adaptation of a source novel I didn’t enjoy at all.

[emma-is-swaggy-and-epic]

DISCLAIMER THAT THIS IS THE 3RD TIME I'M FUCKING UPLOADED THIS PIECE OF SHIT BECAUSE TUMBLR KEEPS FUCKING UP MY IMAGE LAYOUT WHENEVER I POST IT SO IF THIS SHIT DOES THAT AGAIN I'M NOT GONNA FUCKING FIX IT BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO HAVE TO EMBED ALL THE LINKS TO THE BASES I USED AND WRITE DOWN ALL THE TAGS ALL OVER AGAIN

X / X / X / X / X / X

Ngl it was relatively easy to think of pony names for these characters since i've had the idea to make this for a while so i've had a lot of time to think about it lol

For yuriko: i chose the name "flawless lace" because in her regular form, i specifically chose the name "yuriko" for her because it means "perfect" so i wanted to try and include that aspect into her pony name. Some considered names for her were "perfect storm" and "lily lace" since the "yuri" part of her name means "lily" (though i decided against it bc i remembered that's the name of an actual pony in MLP...) the markings on her legs are meant to sorta mirror the stockings she wears in her usual form

For sprite: i chose the name "baby carrot" simply because that was a actual name i considered for her normal form before i decided on "sprite" (which is kinda funny since a big part of sprite's character is that she likes apples.....a food that is basically as different from carrots as it can get) she is a goat-alicorn hybrid because she's normally a deltarune OC, specifically a fankid of kris and ralsei; with the latter being a prince from the dark who is also a goat monster

For carrie: a big part of her backstory is that she named herself, she's literally a carrot that decided to be human one day (...or pony, in this case) and is trying to fit into civilsation as best she can; so i tried to give them a pony name that sorta fits that, and so i named them "carrot mulch" because i could totally imagine her trying to introduce themself to someone and doing that one trope in movies where the main character doesn't want to share their real name and just looks around the room for things to call themself lol. I also decided to make her a blank-flank since she probably hasn't spent that long a time as a pony and therefore wouldn't have a cutie mark despite appearing fully grown

For makeighlyn i feel like my choices are pretty straight forward, the character is a girls' flash game mascot created by a christian fundamentalist cult who somehow escaped into the real world and now works as a demon slayer so i decided to give her a name and cutie mark that reflects that. The only thing that i feel is worth mentioning is that i find it interest how the amount of pink in her design makes the blue in her hair look a lot darker...either that or i might've accidentally hue-shifted it or something

Choese is another pretty straightforward one, he's a flirty cheese-themed mouseboy so i gave him a heart-shaped cheese cutie mark and named him "gouda squeaks" because he's a fucking rodent. (Sidenote: i love smoked gouda so goddamn much omg)

Lastly for crystalline i decided to make her a breezie since she's normally a fairy and y'know....breezies are just the MLP equivalent to fairies....i also decided to name her "fee-fee breezie" since breezies usually have really cutesy names in the show (some of them straight up have references to their species in their names), the "fee-fee" part of her name is short for "feelings" since crystalline is an emotion fairy

Y'know when i first created crystalline back when i was like, 10 i was going through a phase where i just VIOLENTLY hated things for no reason (specifically things from MLP such as the vampire fruit bats, flurry heart and the manta hawk from the IDW comics) to the point that i would make them out of polymer clay JUST so i can make my pony toys kill them (i was a weird kid, needless to say) one of these things being the breezies....so ngl i feel like the fact that i made crystalline a breezie is really fucking ironic lol

[dulcewrites]

I mean, I don't think they shied away from portraying Rhaenyra in a bad light, they're just doing it slowly, she literally put a bunch of blood relatives from the smallfolk to be burned to death and is coming to see herself as tptwp, they'll certainly go deeper after Jace dies and Aegon disappears. As for Alicent, it was pretty obvious she was gonna betray team green and choose Rhaenyra/Helaena. She never wanted to forsake Rhaenyra and we see in the season is her being over her head in the war—she tries to turn back time, she sleeps with her teenage crush, she seeks absolution from her father (that's why I disagree with you she sees Otto as someone who pimped her out, she merely points out she followed him blindly, not that he abused her, he's still someone she loves and respects), she feels bitter towards her children and prays for Lucerys (not to make Rhaenyra look good, if that's the ga interpretation whatever, it's to show she's a kind person who despises violence) and, by the end, after seeing her daughter physically attacked by Aemond, the person who cut her power, she turns for Rhaenyra in an effort, perhaps naïve, to turn back time, "speaking from a distant dream", wanting to run away, and trusting Rhae because she risked her life going to the Sept and because she feels punished by the gods. It's fine if you didn't want it but it is good writing and people were already clocking this since she chose to put her kids at risk rather than kill Rhaenyra. As for being under subjugation, she was under Targ subjugation in KL under her misogynistics sons... Rhaenyra came before, was the first choice, first friend, first love. There's never complete freedom for any woman in Westeros, but she chose Rhaenyra out of her own desire and volition. I think some people just wanted to keep her life meaning and actions tied to her children and...

I did say that my problem with it wasn’t the choices made but how we got there… and I still believe that. It’s lazy writing at best, poor at worst imo

“I’m sorry but even as someone who has gone on record to say that I think the change they made to Rhaenicent was the best, I can’t just let poor execution slide. I don’t even think Alicent having little legion to Aemond or Aegon comes out of nowhere. She has constantly, to a fault, reaffirmed her trust in Rhaenyra.” - directly from my previous anon about how felt about s2

I’ve noticed this since the final ep was released, I hope this doesn’t come off mean bc I appreciate your opinion, but when people push back on the writing. You have a faction of being like “oh, you just don’t understand Alicent.” Nope, I get what they are going for. I just think it’s incorherent writing, and the quotes given by the writers themselves sort of only further prove that to me. People seem to act as if this plot is some sort of revelation or favor to Alicent as a character… when it is not. Not a fan of her arc, or lack thereof in s2 🤷🏽‍♀️.

[herbs-and-poultices]

Lately my dash has been full of appreciation for those wonderful moments when hurt and comfort collide at full speed, and it has spawned a whump-without-plot bunny for a couple of characters I don't even know properly (only from the work of a handful of h/c fanwriters).

I cannot Write it, could not if I tried. But I need it to be someplace other than bouncing around in my brain, so I have done my best to Describe it instead.

Fandom - Resident Evil Warnings - Major Character Death

Characters: Leon, and one other. Piers might be good - He’s new, hasn’t had a chance to become numb to The Horrors. He looks up to the older guys, relies on them for their knowledge and skill, and also for a sense of (relative) safety and surity that he would never admit how lost he would feel without. He trusts Leon completely, respects his judgment; but Leon could also pull rank (or threaten to) if ever that’s not enough.

The two of them are out on a mission or whatever, and… Leon’s been infected by something. It’s incurable (at least with what they have available in the critical time window, or maybe that time has already run out). Leon’s pushed through as long as he can, but he’s used up the last of his strength and they’ve had to stop and hole up somewhere. Leon knows he doesn’t have much time left, and it’s going to turn him into something really dangerous, or else just something he really doesn’t want to end up as. So he asks Piers to kill him. (Asks, begs, orders, whatever it takes.)

And for whatever reason, guns are not an option. Maybe they’re completely out of ammo. Maybe they’re running so low a single round could mean life or death out there for Piers, and Leon won’t let him waste it. Maybe they’re hiding from something and can’t make too much noise. So Leon gives Piers his own knife, shows him where to put it. Leon would do it himself and spare Piers the agony, but he’s too weak on his own.

Of course we could have the classic with Leon lying on his back and Piers kneeling over him, but maybe instead: Leon lying partway across Piers’ lap, head cradled in the crook of his arm; or Leon leaning against Piers, back against his chest, head resting in the curve between his shoulder and neck. Maybe they’ve been that way since Piers half-dragged Leon in, to keep him from the cold and hard and damp of the floor. Maybe they kept professional distance at first, but when Piers eventually resigned himself to going through with it he couldn’t help but pull Leon in close, and Leon didn’t pull away only gave Piers’ knee a comforting squeeze before handing over the knife.

Piers’ hand is shaking, holding the knife in the empty air. Leon wraps both of his hands over Piers’, feeble but steady as ever, and guides the knife home.

His last breath is a whispered, “thank you.”

[cr-noble-writes]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love ❤️

oooo this is a hard one ngl. Partly because I have a *lot* of posted fic that I really love, but also because I have a *lot* of fic I haven't posted yet that already qualifies as favorites lol

I guess I shall start at the beginning, and go from there

Falling Apart

Supernatural, Destiel, rated T

This is the longest complete fic I've ever written. It was my first ever bang fic, and probably the first time I ever actually wrote multiple drafts before publishing a thing. My writing style has changed dramatically since I wrote it, and when I read it now, I can see all the ways I could improve it, but its still one of my favorites, because it was the first time I finished a story, looked at it, and was like "this is my baby."

Lust

Supernatural, Michael/Crowley, rated E

This one is a favorite because I just had a lot of fun writing it. It's kinda fucked up and kinda wholesome and it was just a blast to create. It's also a favorite because it came with some incredibly dope pinch hit art by @slytherkins (which you can find here, because I think I embedded the art with discord links that no longer work).

You Should See Me In A Crown

Supernatural, Destiel, rated E

This one is a also a favorite just because it was so fun to write. I really embraced the action movie aesthetic for it, and just kind of let go of needing things to make real world sense, and as a result I had such a good time. Also because it was fun to write a fic where I used real places that I've actually been, because now every time I go to those places I'm going to think about this awesome story I wrote on top of the cool memories I have there from real life :D

Vicissitude

Mass Effect, mShep/Coats, rated M

This literally just may actually be the best thing I've ever written tbf. I got to explore telling someone's story in a way that I'd never tried before, and I loved it! Also, I might be a little biased because I am actually full obsessed with my own OC lol

Growing Pains

Mass Effect, rated G

This one is a favorite because it was the writing of this fic that made Alex Shepard who he has ended up being. I had written like 40k of ME1 timeline stuff for him, and realized that I didn't actually know enough about him to keep writing, so I went back to the relative beginning, and he's become a much more complex character since then.

Thank you so much for the ask! I am always happy to self rec lol