#he has some other strange tastes so i need to know if i should add this to the list

[vonkarmic]

hey guys is it a red flag for a guy to like bungou stray dogs i’ve never seen it

[impeakcharacterdesign]

Just the Tip

— Thomas Hewitt x Fem!Reader —

MDNI!!!

Summary: It’s the 1960s and Luda Mae frowns upon premarital sex like any good Christian woman. You and Tommy are young, hot, and in love but the only problem is that Tommy was raised to wait until marriage and never lets you two go any further than kissing and some groping.

But the devil lives in the hot Texan sun and even God takes a break from the summer heat.

Notes: this is super short, just pure smut, self indulgent I’m obsessed with big boy Tommy 😭😭😭 i swear I’m working on part 2 of my sister Sinclair fic but Tommy has me in a choke hold and I needed an outlet.

No TW that I can think of other than bad smut and maybe ??? Coercion??? Cause Tommy wants to be a good boy and stop before y’all go too far but you flash him and then he’s absolutely 100% in. A bit of religious stuff, period typical sexism but vaguely. Let me know if I should add anything else and I’ll get right on it. Reader isn’t ever referred to using “she/her” pronouns but is described as having breasts and does have female genitalia so I tagged it fem reader to be safe

Enjoy!!!

The early morning sun burned, chasing away what little cool air remained of the night before. While the barn shaded you from the unforgiving sun and hid you from disapproving eyes — or lecherous in the case of the older men of the family — it also trapped in the heat your two bodies gave off.

Thomas pressed his open mouth to your own, tongue swiping over your teeth eager to taste you. Your hands gripped his dark hair, ruining any half-effort attempt he had made earlier in the day to smooth down his unruly hair. He held you in his arms, body pressed tightly against him in an attempt to get as close as possible, his large frame hiding you even further from prying eyes than the shadowed corners of the old barn. The kiss was deep and hungry and served as a brief respite from Luda Maes ever watching eyes. While she had been fine with you living with the family before you and Tommy were married, she forbade you from sharing a room or being intimate, a rule she absolutely refused to budge on and one that Uncle Charlie took a strange glee in ribbing you about. But much like the Texan heat, the heated looks you gave each other were unavoidable and only grew hotter as the summer days went on. Luda Mae wanted to wait until the following spring to make your union official but at the rate the town was drying up, there wouldn't even be a priest to officiate the ceremony, much less any guest to attend. You highly doubted anyone outside of the family would want to witness your union anyway but still, Luda Mae didn't want the few who would to get wise and start counting months.

These stolen moments in the barn were as good as you could get — and by god were they good.

Tommy’s large hands groped at your breasts, pawing roughy at your nipples through the worn fabric of your old dress. It wasn’t long before you found yourself in the familiar position of being sprawled out on the barn floor, coarse hay a discomfort you had long learned to endure for the sake of pleasure.

You desperately thrust your sex up onto his growing bulge, whining when he groaned and pinned your hips with his own, preventing you from getting your desired stimulation. “Please Tommy,” you beg, lips separating, “We don’t have to do too much, I just wanna touch you.” You press open-mouthed kisses to his neck, pulling softly at the flesh with your teeth and tongue dragging across the bites to taste the salt on his skin. Your hands eagerly worked to untuck his faded green shirt and wrap around him, roaming the vast expanse of his back. His whole body shuddered in your arms, an attempt to hold back from eating you whole.

You know Thomas will put an end to your romp soon, the tense lines of his shoulders and the way he shuts his eyes a sign that he's reaching his limit, that if you two don't stop now you won't be able to stop — but that’s exactly what you want.

You're tired of holding back, of this constant edging you have to endure when you’re in his presence and it gets harder every day. Just yesterday afternoon, Uncle Charlie sprayed Tommy with the hose, telling him that he was filthy and needed to get out of those clothes before he went inside. Watching as he undressed by the back door so that you could put his clothes on the line to dry had nearly given you a heatstroke — and if Charlie’s leering grin was any clue, you swear he did it on purpose in an attempt to rile you up. You ran off before you sinned right there in the yard, the memory of Thomas's shirt clinging to his arms, his chest glistening with water had kept you company well into the night.

So before Tommy puts a stop to your roll in the hay you make your move. You lift your dress up past your breast and expose yourself to him, you can see his breath stutter in his chest, this was quickly becoming the farthest you two had ever gone.

“Just watch me, Tommy, watch me,” you say breathlessly.

And he does, he sits on his haunches like a predator, his engorged cock straining against his pants and imagining just a taste has your tongue darting out to wet your lips, his gaze fixated on the movement.

Sliding your panties off your legs, your fingers dip briefly into your wet hole, gathering slick to rub onto your clit. At the very first touch, you let out a shuddering breath and you watch as his shoulders heave.

You begin rubbing your clit at an intense pace already turned on from the earlier heavy petting, not once breaking eye contact with Thomas as you do. With each moan you muffle you see his eyes grow darker with desire breathing with his mouth open as though he could taste your scent in the air. When he finally lets his cock spring free you let out your loudest moan yet. It’s better than you ever thought. His cock is thick and heavy, drooping slightly under its own weight but still undeniably firm. It curves slightly and you imagine that if it was inside you it would scrape against your walls in a way you've never been able to do with just your fingers.

Thomas grips his cock firmly and gives it a few tugs, eyes alternating between hungrily drinking in the sight of your blissed-out expression and your dripping pussy. You buck your hips, desperate to press your clit against your fingers and Thomas jerks his length even faster, rubbing his tip and spreading his precum on his hand.

God, you wished it was you that was touching him.

Thomas settles onto his knees and after a brief hesitation begins to shuffle closer to you. The sight of him crawling to you on his knees with his dripping length in hand made your pussy clench around nothing and you let out a whimper. You remove your fingers from your clit, feeling the heat radiating from his cock as he settles on top of you, legs spreading around his waist, your hips slightly raised and resting on his thighs.

The tip hesitantly pressed against your clit and your moan fills the small space before you can suppress it. This was better than you were hoping and it felt as though you were pressing against the boundaries the lord had set for you. Tommy’s eyes find yours looking for reassurance, asking without words, “Do you think this is okay?”

You find enough comprehension in your lust-addled brain to come up with a coherent answer, “It should be fine, I think,” you stammer out, “I mean, it’s not like — not like you’re putting it in so, it should be fine.”

You’re not overly familiar with the word of God outside of Sunday services and Luda Mae’s lectures, both of which you were forced to attend and spent tuning out in favor of watching the sweat build on Tommy’s brow while he worked through the window.

You think that if God could feel the weight of Thomas like you did, feel the heat like you could, you think he’d forgive the sin of your act.

It seems like that was all the reassurance that Thomas needed because no sooner than the words fumbled their way out of your mouth that he begins to drag the length of his cock against your slit.

God, if this is what hell was supposed to be like, burning and full of decadence, then perhaps you didn’t mind being a sinner.

The way he ruts against you is euphoric. Heavy breaths escape you both and you can’t help the words that spill from your lips.

“God, Tommy, I wish you would put it inside me,” you whine out “‘wanna feel your fat cock in my pussy, wanna get filled,” you might as well be begging at this point, and Tommy's increases his pace to the point that you think he wants the same thing, that he’s desperate to thrust into you rather than against you and —

And then the tip of his cock catches on your entrance and you both stop breathing.

“Maybe — Maybe it doesn’t count.” You stammer out, “It didn’t go in and it’s just the tip, and I don’t think that the tip counts” With the slightest twitch of his hips the tip of his cock has slipped inside.

"It's - it's just the tip it's fine” Your words sound empty even to you but the reassurance is all Tommy needs to push forward and let the head of his cock slide into your welcoming heat

His soul nearly leaves his body when he feels your raw pussy on the head of his cock. He jerks his length furiously and your fingers begin to move against your clit again, eager to meet your high with Thomas.

But it’s not enough. He was right there, right there just one push of his hips he’d be right where you needed him

“Please Tommy” Canting your hips slightly so the tip begins to dig deeper into you, you begin to plead once more, “wanna feel you fill me up, wanna remember the shape of your cock please”

Thomas feels years of control break at your words and with one swing of his hips, he bottoms out instantly. You feel like you've been punched in the gut as the air rushes out of you and you let out a sound like a wounded animal. Tommy stays still deep inside you, shaking and heaving, absolutely drunk on the feeling of your soaked walls clenching vigorously around his length.

You feel full in a way you've never thought possible. His length throbs, its girth stretching you in a way that burns.

When he finally starts thrusting, you’re not ready. He’s like a man possessed, solely focused on the feel of you around him, your skin pressed against his, his blood pounding in his ears.

“Wait— Tommy, ah, slow — slow down, oh god!” You can’t hold back your moans and he can’t stop, both fully engrossed in the feel of each other with no control over your own lust. Thomas crashes his lips onto yours in a halfhearted attempt to keep down your moans, it’s sloppy, clashing teeth and drooling tongues, spit escaping your lips, unlike any you’ve shared before.

This is completely different from what you’ve imagined your first time together would be like. It’s not your wedding night, you're laying on the dirty barn floor and there’s absolutely nothing gentle about the way Tommy is ravaging you. Your pussy is sopping wet and with every thrust, it lets out an embarrassing squelch, your juices and Tommy’s pre-cum leak down your ass and make a sticky mess in his dark pubes.

He doesn’t stop even as your walls spasm around him, cumming on his cock and digging your nails into his strong back. He works you through your orgasm even as your mouth clumsily forms the words to beg for him to slow down or to give you a moment. It’s too much, the sensations completely overloading your brain and all you can do is hold on tightly to him, lost in the ecstasy of your release.

Thomas lets out a deep, guttural groan as he cums, hips stuttering as he bullies his fat cock into the deepest part of your sex, filling you to the brim and your vision goes white.

Boneless, neither one of you makes a move to separate from the other, so thoroughly satisfied and content to lie where you are holding each other, Thomas’s softening cocking slipping out of you and spilling his release onto the ground.

His weight on you is comforting, you gently press kisses to his face and bask in the way his heavy breaths caress your sweaty skin.

“I love you.” You whisper into the shell of his ear and he squeezes you against him, repeating the words in his garbled voice the best he could. Your love is just for the two of you, no one else had a place in your world, no one else had the right to peak in on your affection or gawk at your differences.

This moment in time was just for the two of you.

“Thomas! Where the hell are ya, boy!”

Well, until Uncle Charlie’s voice brought you back down to reality.

[sipho-pearl]

analysis of the soul contract

(if you haven't seen the translation for that yet, look it up or look at my original translation post here)

Major spoilers for the entirety of Gravity Falls and also MAJOR Book of Bill spoilers for like the whole thing so go look at that first, ok? (Seriously, this post makes more sense the more you know about the content of the book...and the series)

**if i make any mistakes within this analysis in terms of existing lore or there's something i should add, send me a dm/reply to the post!! or just rb it with the information lol

Under the cut because it's really long (but contains information that I believe to be very important to the overall lore!!)

There are three really interesting things hidden in the translation for the soul contract that I actually NEED to talk about because I haven't really seen them discussed anywhere else?? (yes it's divided up into sections, don't worry)

The Soulmate Passage

The soul contract passage starts off with Bill's lawyer talking about all of the things that they can legally do with your soul, but then they go into the idea of soulmates, and something about this passage feels eerily familiar.

YOUR SOULMATE WILL NOT RECOGNIZE YOU AND WILL WALK RIGHT PAST YOU ON A COLD AUTUMN DAY, NEVER MAKING EYE CONTACT, NOT EVEN PROCESSING THAT YOU GAVE EYES AT ALL. NO AMOUNT OF INTERACTION WILL MOVE THEM TO A PLACE WHERE THEY CAN REMEMBER, IN FEELING, THE THOUSANDS OF LIFETIMES YOU HAVE ALREADY SPENT TOGETHER, EACH TIME CHOOSING WHATEVER FORM WOULD KEEP YOU CLOSEST LIKE OTTERS HOLDING HANDS IN A TUMULTUOUS RIVER. YOU WERE BIRDS, YOU WERE TREES WITH ROOTS ENTANGLED, DRINKING IN THE SUNLIGHT TOGETHER. WHEREVER WE GO NEXT, WHATEVER YOU CHOOSE, I WILL ALWAYS BE RIGHT WITH YOU.

(sorry for the long quote but it's kind of important here)

He gets way too specific here, even going into the first person to begin talking about how he will always be there for you. In the Book of Bill, the main concept is that Bill is attempting to win over the reader in order to convince them to make a deal with him and, therefore, release him from the Theraprism, and he seems to be doing the same thing here with the reader.

However, in my opinion, because for the majority of this he talks about you using third person pronouns, it can be somewhat inferred that he is talking about himself and his soulmate. Not specified who that is (totally not the canonically divorced couple), but it can definitely be interpreted as him doing some introspection.

The references to loss of memory could also be a reference to how Stanley defeated Bill by wiping his memory, and how up until the last minute, Bill believed that he was back in Stanford's mind.

"THOUSANDS OF LIFETIMES" could be a reference to the trillions of years that Bill has lived and all of his exes, as well as how in every single one, he was the one getting broken up with. And, also, the many other muses that he (unconfirmed) may have had.

THAT'S DONE, BUDDY, CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE CHOSEN BILL INSTEAD.

Moving on!!

2. Bill's control over souls

**As far as I am aware, this is the first time in the canon that we see what control Bill has over the souls that he collects.

GOOD GOD! THE THINGS S I’VE SEEN. ME_ WHO AM I_ OH_ I_M BILL_S PREVIOUS LAWYER_ HE PUT MY SOUL INTO A QUILL PEN SO I CAN WRITE HIS LEGAL DOCUMENTS UNTIL THE SUN SNUFFS OUT LIKE A CANDLE IN THIS SICK UNIVERSE_ SPEAKING OF WHICH_ BILL RESERVES THE RIGHT TO PUT YOUR SOUL INTO AN INANIMANT OBJECT_ A STRANGE CREATURE_ A CONCEPT_ A SENTENCE_ A TASTEFUL BUT RUSTIC MASON JAR WITH WILDFLOWERS IN IT_ IF AT ANY POINT YOU WISH TO HAVE VISITATION RIGHTS WITH YOUR SOUL_ YOU WILL BE SWIFTLY DENIED_

According to this, Bill's control over souls when signed over gives him the ability to, (as first shown in Sock Opera, but in a more limited way) put souls into other objects, take them out of your body. While put in a more simplistic way in this passage, it is clear that he has a lot of control over souls, and, when signed away, may have the ability to do anything with one that he wants.

However, going back to the mischaracterisation present in the first quote where it sounds as if Bill is talking, now that we know it was his pen, it is clear that he also has the ability to control the souls to do what he wants.

The time limit on how long these soul contracts last for is indefinite, as Bill's soul lawyer himself says.

*Side note: it is revealed, in relation to souls, that the human soul is 21 grams.

3. The afterlives of the universe of Gravity Falls

So, later in this passage, all of the places that you can go to after you die are revealed. This is mainly important because you can see more of the in-universe lore, but also because we can see more of what Bill Cipher was hoping to happen when he invoked the Axolotl at the end of the series.

YOUR SOUL MAY BECOME FRACTURED AND PLACED INTO DIFFERENT OBJECTS_ THIS HAS NO  PURPOSE AND WILL NOT RESURRECT YOU IF YOU DIE_ SIGNEE HAS FORFEITED ALL RIGHTS TO ANY AFTERLIFE_ INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO HEAVEN_ HELL_ PURGUTORY_ BIG CORNER_ FLOW STATE_ THE DREAM HOUSE_ THE REINCARNATION PROCESSING CENTER_ AXOLOTL_ S TANK AND CONSEQUENCES HOLD_

A definitive list of all of the afterlives present within universe:

Heaven, Hell and Purgatory

"Big Corner"

"Flow State"

"The Dream House" <- The Dream House could possibly be a reference to either Bill's Dream Realm or Bill's Nightmare realm.

"The Reincarnation Processing Center" <- This is where I believe Bill was hoping to go once he invoked the Axolotl. Going by what he said in the last few moments of Weirdmageddon 3, "A-X-O-L-O-T-L! My time has come to burn! I invoke the ancient power that I may return!" It is clear that he thought he was going to be able to reincarnate by invoking the Axolotl, and by doing this, he would be able to escape going to hell.

"AXOLOTL" <- This is a reference to summoning the Axolotl when about to die, such as what Bill did. Axolotls are known for being able to regenerate, so going back to what I said before, Bill probably believed that invoking the Axolotl would give him the ability to reincarnate or regenerate.

"S TANK AND CONSEQUENCES HOLD" I'm pretty sure that this is a longform name for the Theraprism.

More Notes:

The passage is written entirely in the cipher for the journals rather than any of the codes that Bill often uses (alchemic, theraprism, combined, bill's symbols) which I believe ties back to my theory in 1.

While dogs can sense when a soul is missing, cats don't care. Not important, I just thought that was interesting.

anyway, again: if i got anything wrong in this please rb this and add more stuff!! :3

[herearedragons]

A Waelite Indeed (Secret St. Waidwen exchange 2024 gift for @yelly-ink)

Happy New Year!!!

AO3

For the next hour or two, Aloth has the room all to himself.

The others have gone shopping, and then probably drinking. He claimed to be unwell, still recovering from the blow he'd taken down in Defiance Bay's catacombs — half true; his head does hurt, still, and not just from the usual foreign presence within — and stayed behind, winning himself... some peace and quiet? Not quite.

But, at the very least, a chance to have a conversation in private.

Iselmyr surfaces, as always, with pressure within his skull; it's a familiar and expected discomfort, but even fifty years later, he remembers how badly it scared him the first time this had happened. Part of him thought that his head was going to burst.

Now he knows better, and so he grinds his teeth and lets it come, trying to anchor himself in his own body even as Iselmyr takes some of the space.

It feels like being locked together in a small, narrow closet, with not nearly enough room for two.

Took ye long enough, she says, a teasing edge to her voice.

That annoys him. What he was supposed to do, converse with himself in broad daylight and be whisked away to the sanitarium?

On a better day he might have had more patience for Iselmyr's antics, but today… Today has been strange enough as it is.

"Well, excuse me for having other matters to attend to — such as handling the aftermath of your outbursts!"

Ye mean jawin' with the Watcher? Mayhap it's better she knows about us.

"Telling her… was a relief, yes," he admits begrudgingly — and immediately adds, "It still doesn't excuse you!"

Iselmyr chuckles in his head, her amusement like a taste of too-strong liquor on the back of his tongue.

Come tae, lad. What's done 's done.

That's just like her. Doing as she pleases and never taking responsibility — no, that always falls to him. And what if the Watcher wasn't as understanding as she was? What if she scorned them, turned them away? What would they do then?

He can argue his point until his voice gives out, but Aloth has done that enough to know that it's useless. Some ideas, it seems, Iselmyr just can't comprehend.

He forces himself to take a deep breath, master his own irritation. Anger is an unpleasant emotion; when it takes over, finding the line between himself and her becomes too difficult for his liking.

Finally, he says:

"I will admit, I didn't expect such… instant acceptance from her."

He can still see Izel's face in his mind's eye, her big eyes stark yellow against her dark fur, like two moons in a night sky. Staring a hole through him, excited, as she questioned him about his condition.

He had counter-arguments prepared, dozens of talking points to convince her that he was not dangerous; that he could manage Iselmyr enough for her to be a minor nuisance, rather than a large problem.

There was no need for that. Izel simply accepted his story at face value, and when he gathered the courage to ask her for help, agreed to his request within a heartbeat. If anything, the prospect of delving into the details of his condition seemed to excite her.

She's a fine lass, Iselmyr says.

She's a Waelite indeed, Aloth thinks; fascinated by the unusual and mysterious, ever curious.

He's still not sure how he feels about finding himself in the sights of that curiosity.

"You were trying to tell me something, back on the street," Aloth says. "What was it?"

Shortly after they'd emerged from the catacombs. He was still answering Izel's questions, and whatever Iselmyr was trying to say was lost at the edges of his awareness, settling between his eyes as a dull headache; one that would worsen and worsen until he found a safe space to hear her out.

Aye, she says, her voice suddenly more grave. About the Watcher. Fine she may be, but ye should keep an eye on her, lad.

That takes him by complete surprise.

Iselmyr, of all people, urging caution? A short, nervous laugh escapes him before he can fully compose himself.

"You're… worried? About Izel? Just what has gotten into you? Didn't you just say you approve of her?"

Certainly, Izel has been… forceful, somewhat, in her questioning, and it's not hard to imagine it becoming troublesome if she keeps at it.

But, above all else, she's an ally. They've never had a true ally before; even his Leaden Key supervisors have always remained distant by necessity, allowing him to do his own research as long as it didn't interfere with the Key's goals, but never stepping in to lend a hand themselves. Never promising anything.

And, now that they have Izel's alliance, the help of a true Watcher who is Awakened herself, Iselmyr has doubts?

Stop fretting, lad! I dinnae say she was wickt. But ye saw her down there with the Key. She liked what she was seeing.

Oh, there's the reason. Of course Iselmyr doesn't like her attitude towards the Key. Or, rather, to be more precise, she doesn't like that Izel's perspective doesn't align with her own.

"You're just upset that your ravings fell on deaf ears," Aloth counters. "So, unlike you, she's a woman who can appreciate order and discipline. What of it?"

Fye and coxfither to that!

"Now you're just being juvenile."

I was out in the world 'fore your auld man was a twinkle in HIS auld man's eye. An' I know sure as you do those fiends care nye for order - they just dig up what's rotten an' bury it even deeper.

Aloth presses his lips together, stifling the urge to respond with a more biting remark. In the end, all he says is:

"That is your opinion."

They've been over this countless times before. Whatever he says, Iselmyr will never accept it and simply keep at her own line of reasoning. He wouldn't have bothered with this discussion at all, had she not brought the Watcher — currently, their only hope — into the equation.

All I'm sayin' is, if she dinnae see they're foul, she's blind. An' if she saw it and liked it, mayhap we're better off finding a different Watcher.

"There won't be a different Watcher."

He can still barely believe they've stumbled upon this one.

Better nye Watcher at all than a wickt one.

"Izel's not wicked," Aloth says. "She's just… eccentric."

He doesn't want it to sound like a plea, but it does.

To his surprise, Iselmyr hesitates. He can feel the pressure behind his eyes ebb just for a moment, as if… as if her resolve had faltered.

Mayhap you're right, lad, she says finally. She was kind to us, an' mayhap I wirry for nothing. But if she tries somethin' with us, I'll brek those furry little arms.

"Please don't," Aloth says flatly.

Even if Izel did turn out to be evil incarnate, assaulting a woman half his height and half his weight is not the kind of blow his reputation can take.

Just keep an eye on 'er.

He sighs.

"…I will."

[chronosh0t]

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ……𝐒𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐋𝐘 𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐒𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐕𝐄

𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐒: male x Lee, first person pov, alternative universe?, canon-divergence?, soft, fluff, slightly explicit but, really, barely suggestive. if you squint hard enough, you might see some. ㅤㅤㅤ 〔NO BETA〕

𝐒𝐘𝐍𝐎𝐏𝐒𝐈𝐒: okay, but what if Hyperreal got horns like Palefire? or what if Palefire's horns are... actually sensitive? (forget about the canon here, what's that?, so I guess is an au because we know Inver-devices ain't like that, but look away)

────────────── ❁ ──────────────

...

Was it that hard before? If you try enough, you can't for the love of your life, remember when you got so fixated on those two blue horns. So, again, was it that hard for you not to look at them whenever Lee was close enough? Certainly, it is now.

But maybe it's because it has been so long since Lee switched to Palefire so seeing him again, after Entropy and then Hyperreal, one of the —if not the only— strongest frame Babylonia has ever made, immune to the virus itself, making it perfect for fighting Ascendants hand to hand and dealing with dead zones.

So yes, it has been a while since you got to see Palefire again. It is now, too, that you realise how different Hyperreal is from the other two frames. You thought Lee changed after the Tower incident, but you never thought it could also show on his frames as well. The maturity in Lee's latest frame is not seen on Palefire.

Now that you're working with him, the two of you alone, for some reason you feel you're with a younger and more blunt version of Lee. Of course, he just switched just because his new frame needed adjustments, so it's not like his personality will go back to when you both first met. But you can't stop thinking about that detail.

However, your issue is another one, right now. You should focus on the papers in front of you, checking and reading past reports to gather information about some new Ascendants or whatever, but you can't stop your own eyes from going to the words in the page in front of you to land straight to those two blue horns.

You know Inver-devices have started to change, so there's a lot of new Constructs that have them quite hidden, giving them even a more human-looking vibe. Leaving aside some visible metallic parts, like arms, hands or legs, the devices that keep them stable and possible to connect with their human Commandant, are not as obvious as before.

Either way, now you're getting too fixated on them, it's hard to look away, you lowkey want to touch them. You never had the chance, or more like, you never had the urge like you have right now.

ㅤㅤㅤ“You've got some strange taste, Commandant.” The blond construct broke the silence.

oh shit, don't tell me I said that out loud?

You laughed awkwardly, suddenly getting too self-conscious of your own feelings. The embarrassment was trying to take over and you could feel your cheeks starting to blush. You cough, as if that was enough to dissipate those unusual thoughts.

ㅤㅤㅤ“My bad, but I never realise they're quite cute. It add to your charm, Lee.” you replied casually.

You look up and your heart skipped a lot. Not a bit, it was a lot. You thanked the human body for having rib cages protecting the organ because you were sure that, at this exact moment, your heart is too wild and might just leave your body.

Lee is… blushing. Of course, not the first time, he would usually slightly blush after he said something awkward or got praised, but why right now? You thought that maybe he would get annoyed, or just nag at you for saying something so silly and meaningless, so that red crippling over his face was unexpected. He looks even more cute now.

Weirdly enough, there was a second when you thought those blue horns changed colours from a dull one to a bright one. As if reacting to Lee's feelings, just like Punchy. But that's not how Inver-devices work… right?

By the time you could think what your body was doing, your fingertips are now resting on one of his horns. It feels a bit rusty, but for some reason, if it wasn't because you already know what they're made of, anyone could mistake them for real ones. They're indeed cute. Skin itching, your fingers are now slowly tracing them.

Lee's body flinches and you retract your fingers. Oh, what if he's angry now? Why are my body and mind not in sync today?. But, lowering your eyes to check his face, now it's fully red. Even his ears are also of a soft shade of pink. You are hoping it is not from anger, you decide to check.

ㅤㅤㅤ“You are mad, right? I'm sorry, I really don't know why I suddenly did that.” you are now retracting your hand.

Lee sighs, then he said, “it's not… that. I'm not mad, it's just…”

Just what? If it's not anger then wha……oh wait.

ㅤㅤㅤ“Are they… sensitive?”

He doesn't answer, but he doesn't have to, really. You move your body closer, maybe too close for the sanity of both of you, but you have the urge to tease him, just a little bit, because you love seeing him flustered, you adore when he loses his cool and he is a complete mess. So your fingers go back to his horns, slowly touching them, in a quite suggestive way.

And Lee knows. All of that. Is he hating it? Partially but just because he also knows how much he likes it. He never thought he would be so turned on by such a stupid thing, yet, there he is. Puffs of air, his breath is erratic and he knows his body is too hot. Your soft skin touching him in that way is killing him, he is suppressing his voice, biting his lips. Lee is sure that if he stop doing that, he won't be able to control some moans.

ㅤㅤㅤ“Does it feel good?” you ask, you know he does feel good, it's pretty obvious if you look down enough.

You don't waste time. Your other hand is now resting on one of his legs, fingers tracing in circles, slowly moving to his inner thighs and getting close to his dick, already hard. But not enough… And you're surprised when Lee's hips move, trying to get close, he wants to get touched.

Oh boy, you're gonna be the death of me.

You retracted your hands. Lee looks up at you, confused, watery eyes, and face as red as a tomato. It's written all over his face “Why did you stop?” so, before standing up from your seat, you close the distance, your lips barely touching his ears.

ㅤㅤㅤ“Wait a little longer. It will get better at night.”

────────────── ❁ ──────────────

〔 🎐 〕 𝙸'𝚖 𝚊 𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚕𝚎 𝚋𝚒𝚝 𝚊𝚠𝚔𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚍 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚘𝚗. 𝙰𝚗𝚢𝚠𝚊𝚢, 𝙸 𝚑𝚘𝚙𝚎 𝚒𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚐𝚘𝚘𝚍 𝚎𝚗𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑.

[flamemittens]

maybe for morgayne and gortash?

Flower Language prompts from here!

Gortash x F!Durge. 1.3k words. *Act 3 spoilers*.

*Now extended and on AO3*

Black-eyed Susan - "Revenge tastes sweet, and so are you."

The first time she meets with him is shortly after the coronation ceremony.

Her companions do not want her to go alone, but Morgayne insists. It is better this way. There is an inexorable pull towards the man that she finds she cannot ignore, and he seems to have at least some of the answers she seeks—if he is telling the truth. They have heard the rumours—from whispers that coil in dark corners, to braver shouts that ring off the buildings and cobblestoned streets—all over parts of the city and its outskirts; in his rise from upstart lordling to city ruler and protector, he has used everything and everyone—whether at his disposal or not—to ascend.

She finds him upstairs in his office, as promised.

He assures her that their plans can still be brought to fruition. He confidently directs, explains to her what they should do, and Gods, that evasive something in her wants to listen. It is all so frustratingly, distantly recognizable. Hypnotic, in a way.

There must be more to it, she thinks. To them. She recalls the torn page she found in the Moonrise mindflayer colony, and its frenetic, tormented penmanship.

“Lord Gortash. Who were we to each other? Really?”

He seems to wince, for some reason, at her use of his title. After a brief silence, he finally offers his answer.

“I meant what I said in the audience hall. You can use that as a reference if you wish.”

Morgayne frowns. “As strange as it may seem, that does not make things much clearer. I only have more questions.”

“Well then. Allow me to fill in some more of the specifics for you, in a way that leaves no room for interpretation.”

“Please do.”

“Have a seat, then.” He sees her hesitate, and adds, in a strangely gentler tone, “I insist.”

They talk for an hour before she takes her leave.

--

She returns to him again a day or two later. She doesn’t really know what draws her there; perhaps it is this nostalgic, tenuous thread of intimacy and trust that she cannot yet determine the root of.

They talk further.

“How are your memories?” he asks, after a while.

Morgayne sighs. “It’s like trying to complete a puzzle but all the pieces are broken, scattered, and some will forever be missing. However, some things are coming back to me, I think. Slowly.”

Something like delight flares in his dark eyes. Something like hope.

She stays for longer this time.

“How was your Archduke, darling?” Astarion asks later as he sidles up to her on her return to the Elfsong, amusement plain on his beautiful features.

“He is not my Archduke” she counters flatly, feeling none of the conviction she tries so hard to imbue the words with.

--

“I heard you went to the Hells today” Gortash begins the next time she visits him. “You’ve been busy, my dear.”

“Yes” she confirms.

She tells him about it all, of Helsik, of Hope, of Nubaldin. Of what the self-important rock gnome revealed before she was compelled to sear the flesh from his bones, to burn away his smug grin—but not how she later felt she had been told part of the story before. That she keeps to herself for now. She speaks of the Master of the House, and how she robbed him blind.

Any other eyes on the scene would think he is not reacting, but she sees something subtle in the set of his jaw, the rise of his shoulders, the pitch of his eyes. How one clawed gauntlet grips the edge of the table, pressing marks into the oak, how the knuckles on his other tightly fisted hand are turning white. How he won’t even look at her, his gaze fixed on the floor as she talks.

“Raphael is dead” she finishes.

His eyes flick to hers eventually, the tension bleeding out of him faster than it bloomed.

“It’s…curious, isn’t it” he muses.

She doesn’t need to ask what he means.

--

As per their agreement, she goes to him after her duel with Orin.

She tells him what happened, down there in the dark. How she defied her father. How she lay there, drained and dead on the cold, bloodstained stone. How she came to be here now, telling him about it all.

“You have our—your revenge, then. And your freedom.”

She takes a mouthful of the Marsember Blush, lets it linger on her tongue before swallowing. It’s a balmy evening, and the wine is as refreshing as it is spicy.

“Yes. It would seem I do.”

He studies her with an almost unnerving intensity over the rim of his glass.

“I always knew, Mori.” is all he says.

That’s the name engraved on the inside of the ring she wears on her right hand, she thinks.

Her Archduke looks tired tonight.

--

The letter arrives the next afternoon, precisely crafted if a little concise, and mildly fragranced like his coronation invitation. She takes it to a quiet corner to read, drinking in its scent. His scent. It is one line, with an Upper City address at the bottom.

M Come to this address tonight. I can promise you it will be worth your while.” E

Later, she slips away from the others, but is intercepted by Jaheira on the landing outside their rooms. The older half-elf appears concerned. She can’t say it isn’t justified.

“I feel we are losing you.”

“Interesting that you should say that. I feel I am finding myself.” She packs as much of an apology as she can into her smile.

Jaheira looks as if she understands somehow. “Be careful, cub” she says, after a beat.

A short time later, Morgayne reaches the building in question. It’s a sprawling, well-appointed manor like many of those in the Upper City. She glances down one side of the building, spotting a tall trellis thick with ivy that scales up to a balcony. A fragment comes back to her then—heavy rain, gloved fingers slipping on the wood before finally reaching stone.

On entering, she is welcomed and led upstairs; she notices the guards, yes, but also the minimal staff, the thin coat of dust over almost everything—he does not come here much anymore, she recognises.

She is ushered into what she is informed are his personal chambers.

Gortash—Enver—sits at a desk, nearby a large chaise that faces an unlit fireplace. Multiple pages of what looks to be Steel Watcher schematics are spread over its surface. A decanter and tumbler, both half-filled with amber liquid, sit at his elbow. He is casually dressed, save for his golden gauntlets.

“Ah, there you are. You found your way here, at last.”

He rises as she approaches, walking around to stand in front of her.

She sees it all then, plain on his face. Relief. Pride. Desire.

He leans in with a confidence, a lover’s closeness that she supposes he has already earned, long ago. Something clicks into place as she smells the whisky on him—it’s less a moment of realization and more of a punch to the chest that steals her breath away—it speaks of the past, of hushed conversations and affection and trust.

The air seems to become warmer, thicker with every passing moment. He’s orchestrated all of this, she knows now. A tableau of echoes just for her.

She believes it all, feels the truth in it.

He kisses her then, and she kisses him back. It’s clumsy at first, like a musician trying to recall a once beloved tune, but she falls into the familiar rhythm soon enough. He trails his mouth along her jawline and pulls her flush against him, as one hand slides round the back of her neck and up into the base of her braid—the cool metal against her warm skin is…grounding.

“Stay here” he murmurs into her ear. “Where you belong. Don’t go back to them.”

And Gods help her, she stays.

[dragon-age-codex-entries]

Codex entry: At What Cost

From an aged journal found in Frostback Basin:

It still tastes strange. No matter.

Several water-stained pages follow before the text resumes:

Have we traveled through lands more remote than these? We must have. Yet I've never felt so removed from life back home as I do now.

────────────────

T. makes the same arguments as always, though adds a lack of demons as a point in her favor. Lack isn't absence—which I was quick to point out. She called me pithy. There are demons here, though not as many as we faced in those early years together. The Avvar have their mages too. The last were ill prepared for me. I wonder if that's the part that bothers her?

O., as always, was no help at all.

────────────────

We push on. My head aches. The others are singing the song we learned at that lakeside town. I forget the name of the place. I think my eyes are about to explode. Of course, A. has noticed and tells the others he needs to read something. It's quiet now. The journey here took longer than expected. I must take stock of the rations. After sleep.

────────────────

There were more than expected. Everything has been more than expected. A few moments later, and O. would not be standing here. I was able to subdue the mage before things became worse. T. said nothing about it afterwards. She knows O. would have died.

"At what cost?" T. asked me that once. I said it costs nothing, but I don't know. I met a man who'd fought longer than I, but his mind had faded with age, and he could not answer. The point remains that I can do more. I can be more effective. We've all seen the demons, what they did. We've seen what some would do with blood. The better question is, who pays the cost if no one takes this chance?

And no one said it has to be forever. Just until things are settled.

────────────────

"If you count eight times, will the number change?" O. asks. She's been watching me these last few days, whatever she says to the contrary. Damned blue bottles. I did not plan this journey as well as I should.

────────────────

I lay trying to find constellations through the leaves. T. brought me some water. She just smiled, and there was no admonishment behind it. It made me feel somewhat better. As always, A. cooked our dinner while deriding my own ability to produce something edible. O. attempts to tell jokes—Maker, they're pathetic. Why do they make me laugh anyway?

Long days behind. I fear there are fewer ahead. Whatever costs I've paid, they will be worth it. It doesn't matter. This night—safe beside a fire, the three of them singing that stupid song… I am content.

[corie-is-writing]

↳ ❝ [S Y N P O S I S] ¡! ❞

Y/n L/n, a simple minded reader, is one of the biggest fans of a popular web novel, Twisted wonderland. In their shock after finding out it has ended, they froze in the middle of a busy street and got hit by a truck.

Dizzy and confused, they have awoken in a coffin in the world they adore so much, and must use their knowledge to survive and stop the boys from overblotting.

↳ ❝ [M A S T E R L I S T] ¡! ❞

↳ ❝ [THE CRIMSON TYRANT] ¡! ❞

˗ˏˋ Fight for the eggs ´ˎ˗

"Finally, Got them all puréed!" Ace cheers, hands in the air before he slumps his shoulders. Besides him is a tired Deuce resting against the counter.

"My arms are killing me." He silently says.

"Kids these days are pretty weak.." The mainstreet ghost says, none of you know why he's here but he's been a huge help so nobody really cares.

"Now then," Trey speaks, adjusting his glasses. "I just need to add butter and sugar to the chestnut paste, and a sensible splash of oyster sauce– that's my secret ingredient!"

Everybody snaps their heads towards him, eyes wide and jaws dropped.

"OYSTER SAUCE??" The cards yell in confusion, clearly astounded at what Trey just said.

"Yep. The umami of the oysters gives the cream a deep, savory flavor. I use this one here: Walrus-brand Young Oyster Sauce. All the best bakers use it in their tarts." Trey innocently explains, innocently to them– at least. Already knowing the joke, you instead turn your attention to the chestnuts paste.

'Just a little taste..' You think, reaching your hand out while everyone is distracted. Unfortunately, the ghost catches you and bonks you on the head with a whisk.

With a huff, you turn your attention back to the rest as Deuce speaks. "Really? But isn't oyster sauce like, super salty?"

"Some folks put chocolate into curry, don't they? Maybe it's the same idea." Ace suggests, though the look on his face means he doesn't entirely believe it.

Unable to restrain from smiling, the green haired lets out a boisterous laugh– clearly entertained by their confusion and naivety. "Pfft- Aha!"

The two turn their heads with perplexed expressions as Trey explains. "I'm totally lying! No one in their right mind would put oyster sauce into a pastry."

Ace and Deuce blink, "EH?!" The two shout, embarrassed with how they believed him so easily.

"So you were just yankin' our chain?!" Ace huffs, annoyed.

"Consider it a lesson to not believe people so easily." Trey chuckles, Grim sends a glare at him.

"This guy seems nice, yet he can tell lies like they're nothing.."

Swiftly changing the topic, Trey sets his gaze back on the task at hand. "Now, we take some cream and.. Oh!"

"Something up?"

"I got too carried away and made too much marron paste." Trey says. "We don't have enough cream to mix it into."

"I can go and buy some," Deuce offers. "Is it sold at the school store?"

"Should be. You can find practically anything there. Mind if I ask you to pick up a few other things while you're there? Two cartons of milk, a dozen eggs, some aluminum baking cups, and about five cans of fruit..."

"I don't think I can carry all that alone. Would you mind coming with me, Y/n?" Deuce asks, turning to face you– stopping Grim from rummaging through the fridge.

"Sure thing!" You nod, grabbing Grim with you as you head out the door.

𓆩♡𓆪

Upon entering the store, you are overwhelmed at the sight of various colors surrounding the place. From snacks to trinkets, drinks and rugs, hats, masks, books– you can find just about anything in here.

'My school store didn't even have milk..' You sigh.

"Pardon us." Deuce says, taking a look around in awe. "This place is amazing.. crystal skulls, grimoires.. What kinda texidermy is this?"

"Does this place reallly sell cream?" Grim pipes in, trying to paw at the strange orb on the counter before you stop him.

"Hey, my lost little imps!" A booming voice speaks up, you turn to see an eccentric man clad in purple. "Welcome to Mr. S's mystery shop!" He welcomes, before turning your attention to all sorts of strange things.

"What can I do for you today? A charm for uncharted lands? Mummy of an ancient king–" How does he have that? "Or perhaps some cursed tarot cards?" Why does he have that?

"We've got a list here.." Deuce interrupts, handing him the piece of paper. Sam carefully reads the list and nods.

"You've got quite the sweet lineup, okay! Coming right up." He says, walking off to gather the stuff.

While waiting, you decide to look around the store, you peek through shelved of sweets and sauces, to comics like "That time I got forced into a demon school" or "I woke up as a lowly dumb evil villainous character and slowly leveled up and became a god."

What a mouthful.

Then– Something shiny in one of the boxes caught your eye, you grab it to observe closer. Hard, long, a metalic gray in color, somewhat heavy.. Perfect for self defense, perhaps.

"Y/n, something caught your eye?" The blue haired boy asks, peeking through your shoulder.

You turn around and show him the object in your hands. "I want this."

"...A metal bat?"

"Yep."

Grim and Deuce stay silent in concern, questioning why you would need something like that.

"You're not gonna kill someone, are ya?"

"Grim!"

Deuce shushed the beast, before hesitantly turning back to you– who is just staring at them blankly.

"I just like shiny objects." That was of course a lie.

"I see.." Deuce lets out a sigh of relief, though he doesn't seem entirely convinced.

Sam steps in, carrying the bags. "Sorry for the wait." He says as you take it from his hands.

"Sammy, can I get this bat too?" You ask.

"Sure thing!"

Deuce pays for the ingredients while you pay for your bat, which is surprisingly very cheap. The three of you (with you grabbing Grim before he knocks something off the shelves.) step out the store with a quick thanks to Sam.

"Yuu, that bag of cans looks heavy." Deuce says, turning to you. "Let me take it, there's a trick to carrying heavy bags." He offers.

"There is?"

"Yeah, my mom always bought more than needed during sales. Since I'm the only guy in the house, it was up to me to do the heavy lifting.." He pauses, giving you an apologetic look. "My bad! didn't mean to talk your ears off.."

You give him a polite and sincere smile, "You must really care for your mom.

The blue haired boy seemed takened back by your words and smile, flustered and hesitant to speak. However, as he processes your words, the look on his face is quickly replaced by a dark and gloomy espression. "That's not true, I always made mom-"

Before he could finish, someone bumps into him, causing the bags in his hands to drop to the ground– crushing the eggs inside.

"Agh! The eggs!" Grim squawked, Deuce takes one look at the bag– the yellow liquid oozing out and into the concrete ground below.

"Shit! The whole pack of eggs, destroyed!" He curses to himself.

"Hey, watch where you're going!" The boy that bumped into him says, he fixes his sight onto Deuce and quickly remembers who he is. "Hang on, aren't you the pieces of shits that ruined my carbonara?"

As he says this, his friend blinks and turns to you, squeaking at the sight of your unnerving stare and the tight grip you have on the metal bat near your hip. He grips onto the foul mouthed boy.

"D-dude! Calm down, let's apologize and leave already!" He begs, his voice cracking in desperation.

"What, you scared? Don't be a wuss, they were just lucky that time!" Idiot number 1 responds, but guessing by the sweat forming on the side of his cheeks and the way his eyes frantically switch from looking to you, the bat, and anywhere else, he was afraid.

As if his entire life was enlightened, the one with more common sense threw that sense out the window as he nodded. Turning to you with narrowed eyes and tightened fists. "You guys seriously just can't get out of trouble.."

Deuce stayed silent for a bit, then took a deep breath, "You were the ones who jumped out from behind the corner." He said calmly, though you see from the corner of your eye how his shoulders tensed.

"Even at lunch, it wasn't as if you couldn't eat the egg anymore, and yet you still tried to pick a fight with us. You do realize you just ruined a whole pack of our eggs, don't you?"

"Yeah yeah!" Grim piped in, cheering the navy blue haired on. His claws are out and his eyes are narrowed in a cutely menacing way.

"And? You sayin' it's our fault?" Idiot number 1 says, really reinforcing his idiocy by questioning something very obvious to anyone with half a brain.

"Yes." Deuce flatly says. "Please pay for the eggs, and apologize to the chickens too."

At that, your body shook– not from fear or rage but from the sheer will of your entire mind, soul, and body trying not to burst out laughing as the scene replayed in your head. Your face contorts into a strange wrinkled expression as you took a deep breath.

"Huh? They're just eggs, what are you gettin' so worked up about?" Idiot number 2 says, it astonished you how much of a hypocrite one can be.

"..Excuse me?"

They looked at Deuce with mocking grins, pointing at the eggs– idiot number 1 speaks. "They ain't on the ground, so you can still eat them. Don't sweat the small stuff."

Ah, they weren't being hypocrites, they were being assholes.

'That makes a whole lot more sense.' You turn to Deuce, seeing how he seethed in anger– his fist shook and his whole body looked tense as he looked down with a shadow cast over his eyes.

"We saved you a ton of time breaking them!"

"Ahahaha!"

God, their laughs were as obnoxious as their faces. It took everything in you to not bash in their face right then and there.

"Laughing matter.."

"Huh?"

You really shouldn't, since Deuce is the one who will.

"I SAID THIS ISN'T A LAUGHING MATTER, YOU ASSHOLES!" The delinquents flinched at the volume of his voice– sneering at them with a look of distaste, his veins popping out as he reached his hands out and grabbed idiot number 1 by the collar.

"What makes you think you get to decide what matters to us?! See those eggs? They were gonna become a delicious tart to make up for not gettin' to hatch into chicks! That makin' sense to your thick heads or what?! Huh?!" He spat out in a fit of rage.

Idiot number 1 quickly released himself from Deuce's grip with the help of his friend– squirming back as his heart thumped and face was a sweaty mess.

"E-eek!! What's up with this guy all of the sudden?" Idiot number 2's voice cracked, shrinking back at the intense glare of Deuce.

"If you don't wanna pay for the six eggs you broke.. then I hope you're ready to get punched in that same amount!"

"WHAA?!"

"SQUARE UP YOU PIECES OF SHITS!"

Oh boy this is not safe for work, "GRIM AVERT YOUR EYES!"

[vanikolya]

cw: mentions of death, spoilers for volume 9 of vnc

reader info: meant to be f!reader but i'm also kind of bad at writing for specific genders it never really comes up that much

notes: @rin-idk i posted this early and i had to delete it im so sorry sjdjdjf, i'm basing this off this theory! (spoilers for volume 9). this is also a continuation of my past louis x reader headcanons, the reader will be the same and have that history with louis!

LOUIS DE SADE X READER HCS (AU WHERE HE LIVES)

being domi and noe's friend, it's likely to say you would later go on to meet vanitas just as they did, so you'd reasonably have an idea about the comings and goings of the main plot

although even after meeting a vampire doctor who held the book of vanitas and used it for good... louis "coming back to life" was the last thing you'd ever expect to come out of this

at first it felt a little strange because it had been so long, you'd thought he was dead for all those years, it was hard to just pick up where you left off even with your friendship let alone with any romantic feelings

but alas with time louis being around again slowly felt more natural

he doesn't talk to you very much about things that happened in moreau's lab, it's mostly just kept a secret between him and vanitas as they were both there, you, noe and domi are kind of just only filled in on the basics of "after my head was cut off i was taken to this lab to be saved and i stayed there"

although he does have occasional nightmares that he goes to you about for comfort, though much context of what happened isn't given

not that he doesn't trust you, he doesn't want to upset you, so aside from that he refuses to mention it and if asked will just brush it off and make some joke

of course there's also the obvious thing of him. not being able to speak now. on the offchance he was taught any kind of sign language by moreau and the teacher, he teaches you as well so you can understand him, but otherwise pen and paper works just fine

i feel like i need to add my big headcanon that he kinda just doesn't like vanitas 💀 "(name) why has your taste in friends gone down since i've been away, after seeing you with vanitas it was a miracle to find out you're still friends with domi and noe"

although i guess it's more like frenemies there's no like extremely malicious stuff it's just like "ew it's you" whenever they see each other

sorry this is turning into more "louis being around in the current plot" headcanons

he's very grateful for you being there and staying patient with him whilst he adjusts to Existing Normally(tm) before anything changes in your relationship

whilst he never spoke of his feelings for you when you were both younger, it's quite obvious that he missed you just as much as he did noe and domi

there's no exact spoken moment of "we should be together now", it just happens with a gradual increase of you both being more affectionate, louis being more accepting of your affection towards him, etc

he likes hugs❗️❗️give him lots of hugs. there's something extremely grounding about them and he feels safe in your arms

he'd probably get upset about something and after being comforted and calming down he'd smile and make some joke about how you're the lady, traditionally he should be protecting and comforting you, not the other way around

despite his joking he is still actually quite protective over you, especially considering you both being in a friend group that rather commonly gets involved with cursebearers and other dangerous situations

i've mentioned louis' frenemy type dislike for vanitas but at the end of the day he's very calmed by the fact that if you were to become a cursebearer, being friends with vanitas would give you an immediate cure, rather than you having to go through anything near the likes of what louis did

i also think that louis would have to keep his being alive a secret, domi is the only member of his family to know he's still alive

so being in a relationship with him feels a little easier, he's just louis, not "louis the discarded twin of dominique de sade who the majority of his family dislikes" because you don't have to deal with the opinions of people like veronica and antoine because- louis was executed as far as they're concerned

though the trade off here is that louis has to be more secretive in general, perhaps using different names or not being able to go to altus with you if invited

with you being domi's friend, it would probably also be that he'd have to be kept secret from your family too, not just his own, with class divides and the de sade's being a higher class family, it's pretty much given that to have been such good friends with domi as a child, your family would have to have already known the de sade's and be close with them

it's still a common theme with him that he prefers quieter time with you than a larger gathering with more people around, reminiscent of him preferring to sit and read with you rather than play alongside domi and noe

overall i think he'd be pretty gentle with you and as a partner despite his more sarcastic and, what i'd affectionately call "bastard" personality

[pinkpersonsblog]

Title : The Best

Characters : Ram, Bheem

Summary : Some domestic fluff starting with Ram sharing a meal with Bheem at Bheem's home. Then Ram has something he wants to ask Bheem, and they have a heartfelt conversation. Set sometime not too long after the movie's end.

Word count : 3,224

Ram sat across from Bheem as he tore a piece of naan and dipped it in his fish curry. Smiled at his friend almost cheekily as he took a bite. It was his first time trying Bheem’s cooking and he found that the taste was sublime. They were both enjoying some much-needed quiet time together at Bheem’s home. After spending the day working out and chattering about nonsense, this was a satisfying end to their activities.

“Really, Bheem, you should be a chef. This is just amazing. With just the right amount of spice to add so much kick to it. Whew,” He paused to laugh and wipe at his face. “It’s making me break a sweat.”

Bheem smiled shyly at him as he reached for a glass of lassi. He seemed to be handling the spice level just fine compared to Ram. “I don’t know about ‘amazing’, anna. I’d surely never be able to sell it to people with all the good food around here.”

Ram rolled his eyes. His mouth hadn’t watered this much in so long and his friend was being this modest with him? “Well, I’m just saying that you definitely sell yourself short. I could probably eat thirds of this, it’s so good. Although I might catch fire if I do,” he added as he brushed aside some hair that had fallen in his face.

“Thank you...you are too kind. And sorry about the spice,” Bheem added sheepishly.

Ram shook his hand at him dismissively. “No, I am never too kind. Especially not to you.” His voice held a trace of mischief.

After all the drama, heartache, and agony they’d endured it was so relaxing and enjoyable sitting like this sharing a meal with each other. Just the two of them and no one else. Utterly sweet and strangely captivating. Ram couldn’t help but watch Bheem as he ate with his left hand every now and then, eyes unconsciously softening as they had the first time he’d seen it. His friend brought out this side of him often, though, it seemed. It was like he was the culmination of everything he’d ever sought for in life.

Ram took another bite of the curry. Felt tempted to say something that he hadn’t had much time to think about until recently. Thinking back to when Bheem had told him that his friendship was more precious to him than his life...it was such a profound thing to hear. Lately it had been echoing in his mind non-stop because of how much he loved his friend for saying it. And now he had this desire to let him know how he felt as well. Now that they were sitting like this, he felt like it might be the right time to bring it up.

Finished with his food, Ram wiped his hands. Watched Bheem drink from his lassi and set the cup aside, wiping at his mustache. Before he could speak, however, Bheem said something first.

“Here, try this,” Bheem said, as he took some naan, dipped it in a different curry and held it up to Ram’s mouth. “Goat curry and it’s not as spicy.”

Ram let Bheem feed him and he chewed and swallowed the food, savoring the flavor. Bheem was right. It wasn’t nearly as spicy, but tasted just as good. “Delicious,” he said. “You’ve outdone yourself.”

Bheem waved off the compliment, modest as always. Ram felt an urge to drill it into his head that he was a great cook, but held back as something else rose to the forefront of his mind. What he’d been wanting to say to Bheem.

For the briefest of seconds, Ram hesitated. Something holding him back. Maybe he’d make Bheem uncomfortable? But when Bheem met his eyes in that silence, eyes sparkling cheerfully, he made up his mind. It was now or never.

“Can I ask you something?”

Bheem had begun to clean up the mess on the floor, but paused at the serious tone in Ram’s voice. “You can,” he said somewhat cautiously.

“I just wanted to ask you…” Ram began, feeling as though he might start suddenly stuttering from anxiety. Bheem’s full attention on him made him feel overly aware of his facial expression and even his tone of voice. Something that rarely happened in general, let alone with someone he felt as comfortable with as Bheem. “Did...did you really mean what you said? You know…”

…when you said our friendship is more precious to you than your life…

And he had spoken almost as though he felt that Bheem should know what he meant without saying.

He expected Bheem to be at least somewhat embarrassed, for him to avert his eyes or to even just appear the least bit awkward, but he didn’t. He was completely unaffected in that way, and instead, his face warmed up as his cheeks tinged pink. He smiled lopsidedly at Ram, as he said “Of course, anna. I meant every word. You know I value you.”

Somehow, those words ‘I value you’ held so much weight to them that Ram felt as though he’d been socked in the gut. No one had ever said such a thing to him before. Perhaps because no one had ever truly felt that way about him other than a few people, like his immediate family. But to hear it from someone he admired so much, loved so deeply...it made him want to rejoice all over again. Break into a song right then and there.

Truthfully, he’d almost expected Bheem to deny it. For some reason, he’d been doubtful that he’d remembered what Bheem had said correctly. But now that Bheem had confirmed it, Ram’s stomach was flipping, and he felt jittery. Almost as if he needed to move away from where he was sitting and do something to get away from this feeling. He smiled back at Bheem, knowing he probably was looking at him like he was enamored with him. But he didn’t care. Bheem deserved to have that kind of open adoration.

“That’s…so sweet, Bheem,” Ram found that he’d been trying to sound almost sarcastic, but it had come out sincere. He hated himself for trying to downplay his emotions, but he felt insecure about displaying them at times. Even to his best friend who he loved more than a brother. “I didn’t know I meant that much to you. I was too shy to tell you myself...what you mean to me. And especially after all that’s happened, I feel like you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me. You’re just the best…” For a moment, Ram’s voice caught in his throat, surprising him. Emotion overwhelming him at how that word ‘best’ was so fitting for Bheem. Someone who stirred all kinds of feelings within him, whether it was good or bad—all of it, powerful. “….the best friend I could ever hope to ask for.”

At first Bheem’s eyes were gently appreciating Ram, touched by what he had said. But then he seemed to think about something before he lowered his head and chuckled into a hand.

Ram blushed, thinking his friend was laughing at his earnestness. Even though he should know Bheem wasn’t the type to do such a thing. “What? Did I say something strange?”

Bheem shook his head as his chuckles died down. His eyes were soft and warm. “Oh no, anna, you didn’t. It’s just that I can’t believe how lucky I am to have you in my life. You say the kind of things I’d always wanted to hear, you know? That’s why I laughed. And sitting here like this, with you...I’m so glad I met Sita in time. You don’t know much I thank God for that.” Bheem’s face darkened unexpectedly, his face turning away from Ram, hands squeezing his crossed knees. The atmosphere changed drastically as Ram could practically feel the anger reverberating from Bheem’s end. “If I’d been too late, I would have—who knows what I would have done. I’d have wanted to die, surely. Maybe, in a way, I would have.” His fingers gripped his knees so tightly that his veins in his hands bulged. He was slightly hunched over as though he were trying to cave into himself.

Ram’s eyes creased in affection, hating hearing such words from someone who he’d seen endure torture by his own hand. He placed a hand on Bheem’s soft cheek, turning his friend’s face ever so slightly so he’d look at him. “And I’m glad that you met her on time so we could sit and eat together like this, just enjoying your cooking and each other’s company. Simple joys like this mean so much more to me now after all we’d been through.”

They sat silently together for a moment as Bheem seemed to process the situation, even nodding slightly to himself as Ram’s words appeared to settle within him. But he surprised Ram as he gently pulled his hand away from his cheek, grimacing and looking deeply pained. His face aged beyond his years as it seemed something was tormenting him internally.

Ram frowned. “Bheem? What is it? What’s wrong?”

Bheem shook his head, his eyes glossy and wide as his lips wobbled. His voice trembled as he spoke. “You don’t understand...I feel so horrible for stabbing you in the chest that night, anna. So ruthlessly, so brutally, as if you were no different from those British dogs. I’ve hurt you so much...it kills me inside.” Bheem placed a hand over his heart, fingers digging into his skin.

Ram lowered his eyes, not because he was agreeing with what Bheem said, but because it was making him think of what he’d had to do to Bheem—that lashing. He knew Bheem didn’t hate him for something that was somehow necessary, but he was still haunted by the sound of that cracking whip, the gashes that marred his friend’s back...and how it felt like he’d been tearing at his own soul the entire time.

“Bheem, you idiot. You’ve endured more than enough pain to have no right to be upset about such a thing. We’ve both hurt each other so much. Neither of us is innocent. All that matters is that we made up and all misconceptions were put to rest. You’re my brother. More than that, even. You always were and you always will be.” He still felt a phantom pain as he remembered that terrible ripping agony as Bheem had stabbed him, though. He wasn’t sure if it was the physical pain of being wounded that hurt so much or if it was because of who had hurt him. He shuddered in remembrance of it.

“I’m so sorry, anna...for everything,” Bheem whimpered as he crawled awkwardly on his knees around their plates towards his friend. He wrapped his arms around him, holding him tightly. Ram felt Bheem’s tears drip onto his chest as he held him. It was enough to make his heart twinge with regret. He rubbed Bheem’s back, consoling him gently as his own eyes welled with tears. He was so touched by his friend’s compassion for him.

“I’m sorry, too,” Ram said, voice cracking with emotion he didn’t even know he was capable of expressing. He’d been a zombie practically his whole life compared to the man he’d become after meeting Bheem. Now his heart was constantly filled to the brim with heartfelt affection he felt for his doting best friend. He made him feel so much...

As Bheem pulled away, sniffing and rubbing at his eyes, he gazed at Ram reverently. In a way that made Ram’s heart ache and also chilled him deep inside. Sometimes he felt like he didn’t deserve to be looked up to by his friend. But he also wished he could live up to the idealistic view of him that he seemed to have. He just wanted to be the best possible version of himself for someone as lovely as Bheem. Ram loved him too much to want to settle for any less.

“Also…” Ram continued a bit hesitantly. He wasn’t sure if he’d hurt Bheem’s feelings with what he was about to suggest. “You don’t have to call me ‘anna’ anymore. If it’s alright, I’d like you to call me Ram.”

“Ram?” Bheem’s eyes were wide, so full of innocence that it made Ram’s ragged heart swell. He loved this side of his friend. Despite being so strong, he was so sweet and unassuming. Realization dawned on Bheem’s face, as though his friend’s name was processing in his mind. Bheem wobbled his head from side to side, a smile spreading across his face. “Okay, if it will make you happy, I will call you Ram from now on.”

Hearing his name uttered by Bheem’s lips lit a fire in Ram’s heart. There was something so special about Bheem saying his name that he couldn’t quite describe. It just sounded so beautiful, as if its definition had changed.

Ram grinned as he patted Bheem’s shoulder, squeezing it. “Great,” he said. He should have known he could always count on Bheem to have an open mind. His friend was so kind and accepting, after all.

And as Ram helped Bheem clean up their mess, he found that he was unconsciously smiling the whole time, as though just this mundane task was made thrilling because of who was beside him. It wasn’t just Bheem who valued Ram, but Ram valued his friend as well. Almost painfully so.

He loved Bheem so much it hurt.

Once they were done cleaning up, and Bheem began washing dishes, Ram stood beside him, combing his hands through his hair unconsciously. Bheem was able to see him in the mirror that hung on the wall above the sink. Ram winced a little as his fingers tangled in the knots. Bheem placed a plate on the rack to dry as Ram watched.

“Your hair’s a mess, Ram,” Bheem said.

“I know. I hate it. Maybe I should cut it.”

“No, don’t,” Bheem said a bit too hastily. He even looked embarrassed for his quick response as he placed another clean dish on the rack. “You really shouldn’t,” he said, this time more calmly.

Ram figured he might as well take his word for it. Perhaps Bheem had a good eye. “…it’s just so knotted, it’s a bit annoying at times.”

“You should brush it.”

Ram sighed. He had to deal with this often since his hair had grown out. “I don’t have a brush with me. It’s not a big deal. I’ll just wait until I get home.”

Bheem placed the final plate on the rack, turned away from the sink and towards Ram. He looked strangely serious as he crossed his arms. “I have a hair brush.”

Ram felt a bit bashful for some reason. He wasn’t quite sure why. He’d never used such a personal item of Bheem’s before. “I don’t know...I don’t want to get my hairs on it.”

Bheem placed his arms on Ram’s shoulders, and turned him around. Pushed him gently, guiding him towards his bedroom. “Don’t be silly. I couldn’t care less about things like that. Don’t you know me by now?”

Ram was guided into the bedroom, where Bheem let him go as he fished in a drawer for a hairbrush. As he pulled it out, he grinned at Ram as he gestured towards a seat that was in front of large mirror. Ram realized what this meant. Bheem was going to brush his hair for him. He felt a strange tingling sensation at the thought of Bheem doing this for him. Somehow, he was strangely looking forward to it, like it was an exciting event.

As Ram awkwardly sat down, he saw Bheem’s reflection beaming at him. His friend seemed so eager to do this that it embarrassed him a little. And as Bheem combed his fingers through his hair, preparing him for the brush, Ram couldn’t help but smile. It felt oddly nice, being pampered like this by his best friend. He was being so careful not to hurt him that it was sweet.

Finally Bheem began pulling the brush carefully downward through Ram’s thick hair. He played with the strands with his free hand. Ram watched Bheem in the mirror enjoying seeing his friend’s face creased with concentration, even biting his lip as he worked. Ram had to admit that it was very soothing, sitting there like he was, being doted on by Bheem. The hair brushing almost felt like a scalp massage, that even eased tension in the rest of his body.

“You have such beautiful long hair,” Bheem said as he began working on the other side. “It really suits you.”

Ram had to look away, embarrassed by the compliment. It made him feel shy hearing something so kind and even a little intimate. Especially from Bheem. “Thank you.” He could have said so much more about Bheem’s hair and how adorably fluffy it was, but he chose to bite his tongue instead. For some reason, he felt that Bheem might have read his mind yet again, as he had a slightly amused smile on his face. He wouldn’t put it past him, anyway. His friend’s ability to know what he was thinking should have made him uncomfortable, but instead it was reassuring and comforting.

Ram liked it.

Once Bheem was finished, they both admired his handiwork. Ram’s hair looked nicely smooth with fewer flyaways compared to before. It was satisfying to look at, and Ram thanked Bheem as he stood up and across from him.

“You’re very good with your hands,” Ram said shyly. “You didn’t tug too hard at all. If it was me, I would have been ripping that brush through my hair, tearing my hair out.”

Bheem smiled at him. Ram basked in it, loving the way Bheem’s face glowed when he was happy. Making him wonder briefly how he could have ever been able to bear seeing him in such anguish before. “Now I have the magic touch, it seems,” Bheem teased, referencing what he’d once said about Ram.

Ram chuckled. His friend could be so endearing at times. “Yes, Bheem. You have the magic touch,” he said, as though he were teasing a child.

Bheem’s eyes crinkled tenderly as he smiled at him, sat on his bed, relaxing. The entire day had been peaceful and Ram loved spending it with Bheem. It was like Bheem’s positive energy was contagious and was filling him with so much warmth the more time he spent with him. Even Lacchu, who he occasionally felt slightly awkward around after what had happened between them, was kinder to him than he’d expect. But that was a relationship that was gradually mending with more time spent together. Ram just felt so grateful for the power of forgiveness and healing in his life.

He’d never forget how amazing he’d felt when he’d heard that rhythmic knocking while he’d been in that horrifically tiny cell. How it had reignited his hope and made him mad with desire to rejoin his friend above ground. And now they were spending lazy days together enjoying them to their heart’s content.

It was the best feeling ever.

[echantedtoon]

A Champion Time For The Heart Ch9 Travels To Hulbury

(This chapter will contain a small time skip of events as well as a past fight between y/n and her mother in the story.)

You swore you needed both a doctor and a nice bed to sleep away the pains of soreness racking your body.

Ever since you four left Turffield it had been like the time you left Motostoke except a bit longer. Walking, camping at night, taking time out for resting between walks and gathering food. Mostly from berry trees or snacking from whatever nonperishable foods Leon had given you. Some night Victor managed to make one form of curry or another. Mostly bean or apple curry which you didn't mind too much but the apples tasted a bit strange in the curry sauce, so you fed them to your sobble which you noticed had now taken a habit of laying in your lap any chance you were sitting and expected to be fed whenever you held any kind of food. Oops. You might have ended up spoiling it a bit. Oh well. You didn't mind too much. It's smiles and noises were pretty cute, and at least Gloria was able to add a few more curry entries to her book. After what had happened at the pokemon Nursery back in Truffield you decided to fill in Gloria and Hop about the mysterious band of rock star wannabes, but they seemed to be as confused as you were about who they might've been working for and who they were. Hop even suggested that maybe the eccentric costumes were disguises to they're real identities, which seemed a bit farfetched but hey. You were transported into the video game world of pokemon, traveling along with a few of the characters, and for all you knew could still wake up at any moment to your mother scolding you for being late for college. It wasn't really too out there to rule out yet. While you four traveled every so often you'd rest and Hop and Gloria would scamper off to have a battle or more likely try to catch some new pokemon from where you were at. So you weren't all too surprised to find out Gloria caught herself a wild Dottler and Hop's Grookey evolving from the....seventh or eighth day now as you four traveled. You lost count or couldn't remember how many days had past after seven or eight. You were mostly tired now a days with a heaping dab of soreness in your back and neck from your uneasy sleeping schedule and the rocky ground poking you from the floor of the test. Or the fact the only thing you had for a pillow was your backpack, but you never complained. If it meant getting to Hulbury faster then you could deal with it. It was like when your mother insisted you stay up a few extra hours to study or when you had to work late at the radio station after that. You yawned more, movements slowing a bit, and you had gotten noticeable bags under your eyes. Buuut the three teens must've noticed because on what was the ninth day Gloria decided to point it out to you.

"Hey, Y/n. I really didn't want to say anything but are you feeling ok?" She pointed at your face. "You've been yawnin' ever since we left Turffield like a week ago. And you've gotten bags under your eyes big enough to carry luggage for a full week's vacation. "

In response you yawned again before looking to her. "M' fine. Jus a bit tired I guess." You stretched out your back as you walked making it pop. "Haven't really gotten much sleep just laying on the ground like a rock."

"Hey. I have good news." Victor all of a sudden held up his phone. When did he pull that out? And held it up to all of you. "There's a small town up ahead about another day's walk. It has a convenience store, hotel, and a few other things." He looked at you. "I think we should stop by. We can restock up on supplies and rest for the night at the hotel. That might help out Y/n's situation and prevent her from dropping from exhaustion anytime soon."

"Hey. I-I'm not that tired," you lied stifling another yawn....But the promise of a bed tho- "But you're right about needing some more supplies. I don't know how much food and necessities we have left, and it wouldn't be a bad idea to stop by and restock."

The food Leon lent would only last so long anyways. It was best for all parties involved. So it was decided the four of you would stop by the upcoming small town. It took another day and night of walking and resting (giving you another night of uncomfortable sleep) and then shoving off he next morning for the town. It took half the day but the four of you managed to happen upon the small town. And you do mean small. It couldn't have been much bigger than Postwick actually. There was around maybe twenty buildings and most of them were homes or doubled as homes as well as stores. As the four of you walked through the small town a few people walked by or waved, and you could hear a few children laughing. It certainly was very peaceful wasn't it? The peace made you even more tired- You were shaken awake when your sobble chirped loudly and smacked you with it's tail, making you stumble as you walk and if it weren't for the two boys catching you you would've faceplanted the road again. Which ended up in the three kids making up a decision for you.

"Let's go find the Inn first."

The inn turns out was one of the first buildings you came across when you took the small side road off of Route 5 here and the only building in the town that had three stories. It was more like a tall house than an Inn when the three of you entered, Gloria helping to steady your sleepy self. The inside looked very similar to Professor Magnolia's house. Very homey and welcoming. The elderly lady looked lightly surprised when the four of you came in with you fighting to keep awake for a little longer. Ok. So maybe the little sleep over nine or ten days was starting to get to you a little bit you haven't been this tired since studying for college entry exams in high school.

"Oh my. Are you children alright?," she ended up asking lightly standing from her seat seeing you lightly sway a bit.

You waved her off. "I'm fine. Just really tired."

"We'd like to book two rooms please with double beds," Victor explained to the lady throwing you a worried look. "Do you have any available?"

"Oh. Yes, we do. Come. I'll show you to your rooms. By the looks of your friend there, she's in dire need of a good rest." Whelp. No argument there. Luckily the rooms she had the four of you follow her towards a long hallway a little aways from the front desk before stopping and opening one door. "Here's the young mens. Bathroom's through the door on the left. And as for the two young ladies." She turned to a door right across from Hop and Victor's room and opened it. The room was pretty much as you suspected. A simple large room with two beds on each side of it, a shelf, window looking out onto a field, Tv, and a white door that you supposed led to a closet. "This'll be yours." She pointed at the door. "The bathroom is through there. We also have a laundry mat attachment in the adjacent building to the left if you youngsters need it. If you have any further questions please don't hesitate to ask."

"Uh yes actually. Do you happen to know where your town's convenience store is?,'' you heard Victor ask but you were too busy to deduce what else was said.

You managed to stay awake enough to take a quick shower and change before walking to the closest bed to you and just flopping face first on it. The soft cushions hugging your tired and sore body, and it was natural for you to fall asleep almost as soon as you hit the mattress. So it was no wonder that by the next time you woke up it was night time. Confused and dazed you managed to sit up blinking confused at the darkness around you, the only source of light coming from the moon shining through the window outside. Vaguely in the dark you could just barely make out Gloria's sleeping form on the other bed on the other side of the room. Her baby toxel at the foot of her bed. Your body was still tired with it being night so it was easy for you to fall back into slumber when you slowly laid your tired self back down, barely registering your sobble squirming next to you as you fell back asleep. And came to a strange sight. A sight you witnessed before in your life. One you were all too familiar with too. ....You...You were back in your room. Well a younger you at least. You were about sixteen then just minding your own business sitting there and playing games. Couldn't remember which one just that you were enjoying yourself playing and sitting on your bed playing the day away. Until younger you looked up at footsteps approached your room, the next thing your younger self knew your door flew open with a bang and it started the younger you so much you ended up dropping your old switch on your bed jumping from the sound. And there she was. Your mother standing there with an angry scowl on her face.

"You're playing those stupid games again!?," she snapped at younger you, stomping over and quickly wrenching the switch from your bed.

In an instant your hand was reaching out for it. "HEY! Give that back."

But instead of that, your mother only held it up higher with her angry face. "Is THIS what I work to provide for you!?"

You had stopped. Frozen in surprise at the words foaming at your mother's mouth and the game she waved at your face.

"Is THIS what you think is fair to me!? I work day and night to provide a roof over your head, food in your stomach, and clean running water for all you do is to sit on your behind and play these mind rotting things!? To make the electricity bill higher than Mount Everest with you staying up all night playing this day in and out!?"

"M-Mom! C'mon! I'm sorry," younger you backpaddled.

"You should be! I'm not raising you to be lazy and unresponsible!" The game was tossed back onto the bed with a small thump before she pointed at you. "Work and studies should be your number one priority right now! I don't want to catch you slacking off wasting time again! Do I make myself clear?"

Younger you looked at your mother's angry face for a long moment before looking away and nodding. "Yes, Mom."

"That's good. Make sure it doesn't happen again. Alright, Y/n?"

.....

...........

"Hey, Y/n!," a distant girl's voice called, "Are you awake?"

"I dunno. Maybe we should just let her sleep? She was really tired when we got here yesterday," a young boy's voice said worried.

"Hop's gotta point, Glory. Let her sleep in. She'll need all the rest she can get for traveling."

"Ah. You guys are no fun."

Silently the world of younger days faded away to black and the voices became murmurs in the dark abyss that was sleep until you finally woke up from your now dreamless slumber. Which wasn't too long. You slowly woke from your sleep and was greeted with the sunlight making your tired eyes blink as you rubbed them and blinked at the surroundings around yourself at the simple room that wasn't your younger self's from the dream. What the-....Where were you? Did you finally wake up from the pokemon world dreamland you formed up? Were you back home? Did you move into the college dorms and forgot you did? Is that why this room looked strange to you? That hope was all but dashed in a moment when movement under the blanket next to you caught your attention and you looked. A small lump under the blanket the size of a small cat moved around until it moved towards the end of it near your arm and your sobble poked it's head out blinking tiredly and gave out a yawn crawling the rest of the way out. You gave a sigh, shaking your head before smiling and holding out your arm and letting the sobble crawl into your hands. You were still tired but rather than go back to sleep, you opted to tossing the blanket off yourself and got up with your sobble in your hands holding him up to your face.

"Well, I guess it's time to start the day huh?"

You managed to get a few things done. Morning shower, got dressed, and made your first stop the laundry mat across from the hotel after asking the elderly woman at the front desk for directions. Just something to do to help take your mind off the strange dream that had happened. You had started to wonder where the three children had run off to now but it was only after you were coming back with your now cleaned clothes and your sobble curled upon your shoulders did you run into them. Or Hop at least. He was just walking past the door when you opened it and almost ran into him. Thankfully stopping at just the right moment as he paused and blinked.

"Oh. Hey, Y/n!," he greeted with a smiling and shifting the box in his hands, "Glad to see you're awake now."

"Hi," you greeted back before raising a brow at the box he held. "What's that you're carrying?"

"Oh this?," he asked holding up the box and you nodded. "The old lady needed help clearing out her old storage room. She offered to pay me to help out so Im taking this to the broom closet down the hall here. Glory and Vick are doing some Pokejobs too." The confusion must've doubled on your face because he seemed to take notice. pokejobs?? What the heck are pokejobs?! "OH! Right. There's no possible way you could've known what those are. I keep forgetting you're not native to Galar. Pokejobs are jobs people upload into the rotomis."

".....Say what?," you asked still totally confused to what Hop was even saying.

He sighed. "Pokejobs. How do I describe them?....It's kinda like how newspapers have ads. If someone has a job they need help with they send a post to their rotomi profile, then if someone wants to make some money they can look on the Pokejobs Rotomi Forum for a job in their specific area. There was a few listed in the Rotomi at the town's covience store." He held up the box again. "Like this one. We figured it wouldn't hurt to make a little bit of money in case of emergencies too."

"That...sounds like a great idea. But where are the other two now?"

He shrugged. "Glory took a job that involved babysitting and I think Victor's helping someone here with a garden."

Well that sounded like a good way to earn a bit of money while you were waiting. As to pass the time you decided to help Hop once you had finished returning your clothes to your bag. The elderly woman seemed rather grateful for the help provided. In the manner of speaking it wasn't too difficult work. Most of the boxes were pretty light mostly filled with cleaning supplies or old blankets. That explains why she was having Hop move them to the big supply closet down the hall. When you asked about it she explained she had wanted to turn it into another bedroom for the busier traveling seasons, makes sense. One extra room to rent means one extra way to make some money. You helped rehome the boxes and cleaned it out by dusting and sweeping to pass the time away. When it came to paying you declined the money offered and made sure Hop received it instead. After all it was originally his job, you just helped to pass time, and it'd be wrong to piggyback on his hard earned money after all. But you did however accept the free room service for later when she offered instead. Free food was a reward you had no trouble accepting, especially considering you hadn't eaten anything since you woke up and all the exercise you had done in helping to clean out the room. Hop though was thankful for your help and expressed so as much. It was when the two of you were heading out did you finally bump into said twins. Gloria was carrying two large paper bags but you had to do a double take when you noticed Victor looked....well remember how dirty you were after being bowled over by Milo's wooloo? Victor looked like he got ran over by ten wooloo during a sand storm.

"Whoa. What happened to you?"

He grabbed his hat and shook the grey beanie out letting dirt fall to the ground. "Well. As it turns out the ad for 'helping to remove unwanted weeds and debry from the garden' also happened to include a wild munchlax who didn't want to leave. I had to half wrestle half chase the thing out."

"Oh wow. Glad to see you got paid tho."

He huffed but Gloria smiled holding up the bags in her hands. "But on the bright side we managed to stock up enough for the rest of our trip to Hulbury! Glad to see you're up and feeling better too, Y/n!"

You nodded. "Yeah. Feeling better thanks-"

"OH! That reminds me!" You were cut off when Gloria suddenly shoved one of the bags into your arms as you blinked. The inside held food and other things you'd have to use in order to get to Hulbury. She went digging through the other bag, eventually pulling out a rolled up, sleeping bag looking thing that must've made up half that bag's weight. "Here! I noticed you probably weren't sleeping well cuz you didn't have one of these here. Turns out the convivence store is also a supply store, so I was able to get you one of these."

You slowly took the rolled up sleeping bag from Gloria and gave it a look over before looking back to her. "I-...Thank you. But you didn't have to get me this. I would've been fine without it."

"I know but you would've just kept getting bad sleep if I didn't, and it won't hurt me from what I earned from winning against Milo's anyways. Besides, I can now call it even from when you saved our hides back in Postwick."

You smiled and decided to accept this gift with a nod. "Alright. We're even. But have you decided when you wanted to leave yet?"

"First thing tomorrow morning. After seeing you stumble 'round like a zombie with a headache, we decided to let ya sleep in since you were so tired. But since it's getting later anyways, we figured we'd spend one more night here and leave early in the morning."

"Oh that's a great plan cuz Y/n got us some free room service from helpin' out around here."

Gloria's eyes widened at her friend's words. "Wait. REALLY!?"

"How about we let Victor get cleaned up first before we do anything?"

The four of you did just that for the night. Packed away all the goods they brought back with them. Hopefully it'll last enough for the rest of the very long walk to Hulbury. And after everyone was done packing their share and Victor was cleaned up, you ate. No surprise it was more curry but you chose to accept that at this point that curry was a very important part of Galar's culture and hey. Free food was free food. Nothing to complain about here. And if Gloria could fill in more of her Curry Dex book then it was good enough for you too. Luckily it seemed with the new sleeping bag things might get easier for you when you all start traveling again. Which is exactly what happened. The very next morning the four of you set off as soon as Victor paid for the two day stay at the front desk, and it was back onto Route 5 the four of you went walking. And walking and walking. It was basically the same as before until night came and the four of you set up camp in a small clearing, giving you the chance to use the new sleeping bag Gloria had gotten you. And it worked like a charm. You still had to use your arms as a pillow but otherwise it was much more comfortable to sleep now. And then the next day the four of you were at it again. This time listening to Victor's adventures traveling around since he had started his own journey at least a year before Gloria's. Mentioning of all the different places and events around Galar he had been so far and you were impressed at his tales of capturing so many wild shiny pokemon in his photos, going so far to show you all a few places he took photos of. One being the giant clock tower back in Motostoke.

"So does that mean you've been to Halbury before?," you asked curiously glancing at the pictures in his hands.

He nodded. "I've been there once, but not for long. I did see the Hulbury Water-Type Aquarium and Research Center. They have every water type pokemon you could imagine, some of them are from different regions as well. That's where I got most of the photo's of water type pokemon I gave to Glory. Nessa was a huge sponsor for it's development. It's also a research department to study water-types as well as their environments and biology." He hummed and looked up. "I think it's also where most Professors get their sobbles for starting trainers."

You gave a look to your sobble. "You hear that? Looks like we're heading to your home town." In response it smiled and gave a small chirp. "Does that mean you've seen Nessa before?"

He shook his with a sigh as you all walked. "Sadly no. But I've heard she's so busy between her modeling and gym leader duties she'll only do one gym battle a day due to her busy schedules, and that's considering if there's nothing important going on for her."

"So depending on the time and amount of trainers heading for Hulbury right now, we could end up waiting longer than we did for Milo's gym battle."

"Ah man!" Hop leaned back putting both arms behind his head. A habit you learnt he did whenever he was annoyed or thinking about something. "That could take forever then....but considering Nessa's Gym would've been one of the farthest from the Turffield Stadium, I'd like to bet not a lot of people would go for hers first and instead went back to Motostoke to challenge Kabu or someone else who was closer....Hm. I wonder if that's why Mr. Milo suggested we go see Nessa after our battle with him. We haven't run into any other Gym Challengers yet. Route 5 is less trafficked."

"Or those rockstar blokes," you thought as you gave another look around at the half field half forested areas you four were traveling past. But that was probably a good thing you hadn't seen them. You wouldn't want them causing you more trouble.

"There Hop goes all smart again!"

"H-Hey! Im just makin' an observation!"

"Well make an observation on that map. How much longer until we get there?"

Hop answered that after pulling out his phone and turning it on, pressing a few buttons. "...About two and a half weeks left."

This...Was going to be a long trip.

And you weren't wrong. Most of the trip was the same day in and day out. Eat, sleep, make camp, walk lots, stop for breaks, maybe a battle would happen every once and a while between Hop and Gloria or maybe they'd try to catch a pokemon every now and then. And you watched her start to carry around that baby Toxel more, usually in her arms like a cat but sometimes in her bag too with his little head poking out looking around. Victor making the comment that now the both of you would be pokemon taxis. It took quite a while of this old routine before you four even got to another town, with a train station. Breaking out of a small wooded area there was clearings now of flat land and Route 5 lead you all to a crossing across the railroad tracks and lead into a small town...Well you weren't sure if you could call it a town per say. It was more like a few homes a little bit a ways from the obvious train station the four of you took refuge in for a break. In the mean time Victor took out his phone once more and decided to flip through the rotom phone he had on your four's location.

"......Hey!," he shouted making you all look at him as he held up the phone all towards you. You leaned closer to get a better look at the screen he pointed to. "According to the map we're a four day walk away from Hulbury. Nearly there!"

"Oh thank Arceus!," Gloria sighed, "I was getting so tired of just walking around like a migrating murkrow."

"And you wonder why I was worried about you rushing into your journey."

"Hey!"

The next few days weren't very eventful or memorable. Just the same rinse and repeat scenarios your small group had been experiencing for the past month or so, until you FINALLY saw it. Well smelt it first would be more accurate. You all were walking up a steep hill that the path was connected too and that's when you smelt something like salt air. You had only been to a beach a few times but there was no mistaking it. Saltwater. And then you heard a very loud horn. It was loud enough to startle your Sobble into ducking behind your head and you perk up. If one had to guess, you would've said it sounded either like a train's whistle or a boat horn. Blinking as shadows flew overheard, you realized they were wild wingulls. ...Wait. Weren't those bird pokemon always like close to water?? You blinked. Shaking your head and hurrying your pace up the hill until the four of you finally made it. From the high point the view was high enough to let the four of you look a good ways ahead and still far but much closer now, maybe a day's travel. What was unmistakenly the glistening blue of the ocean as far on the horizon as you could see, that lead to the coast that clashed with the beginnings of it. The horn you heard was most likely one of the many boats you could faintly make out on the glistening blue and the unmistakable town that was nestled up against it all. It wasn't too big by the looks of it. Definately not Motostoke size, but it was definately bigger than Turffield and Postwick and you could make out the unmistakable structure of a stadium way over there.

Victor pointed with a smile towards the faint town. "There's Hulbury! We're nearly there!"

"Good. Let's get stepping before it gets too dark. If we hurry we'll be there by tomorrow."

And indeed you all were. Traveling until it was sundown, and you decided to set up camp for the night, only to pack up quickly and leave at the first sign of light the very next morning. It was somewhere around ten in the morning when you all finally made it. Seeing the town and beautiful ocean coming into view and getting closer, and closer the more and more you walked. Until you all finally arrived. First walking under a bridge connecting between two large hills, on top of one hill leading to a train station, the familiar pink building of the pokemon center greeted you next as the dirt path of Route 5 changed into concrete streets. Another loud horn shot off to the right of you and as you all looked over there was a giant port with as you suspected lots of ships and boats. Bigger than in game you imagined too. You inhaled a long sigh, the taste of salt on your tongue. If it wasn't for the many boats near the port and other people, you wouldn't have minded just standing there for a moment in the road. But since you didn't want to waste anymore time you sighed and turned to Gloria.

"So." She looked at you and blinked. "What's the plan here?"

"We go to the gym-"

"We head to the hotel-"

Both twins looked at each other for a moment, before Victor cleared his throat.

"I think we should head to the Hulbury's residential hotel first. Just in case one of us have to wait for a gym battle to open we'd have somewhere to stay tonight."

"Well I think we should head to the gym before anyone else gets here," she countered back one arm holding her Toxel and the other placed onto her hip. "It's still pretty early in the morning. If there's a chance no one got there yet one of us could get a spot! Right Hop?"

"Actually, personally I'm kinda hungry and wanted to check out that famous restaurant Hulbury's supposed to have." he mumbled but got ignored by the scowling twins.

You sighed again shaking your head. Teenagers. "How about this?" You held up a hand catching the three's attention. "We'll split up." You suggested. "If we do that we can get things done faster. You two can check out the gym and your brother can get us situated for the night because personally I'd like to take a break from camping, and then Victor can check into the gym as well. Then we can meet back up and get some breakfast..." You looked up towards the sky. "Or lunch depending when we're done."

Victor hummed. "...That doesn't sound like a bad idea actually and it could actually save us time. Now that I think about it, we're probably low on supplies anyways. While we're doing that Y/N can take a list of what we need and get it from the local super market here."

"I like that plan! We can meet up at the Light house."

And so it was agreed. After going through your inventory, and having Victor quickly scribble down a list of things you all needed, the four of you split off. Victor heading in the same direction as the other two with his phone's map out (you guessed the hotel and the stadium must've been down the same road) and you towards the docks list and borrowed money in hand. In all honestly you were just as hungry as the others but that could wait. It didn't take you too long to find Hulbury's local convenience store, it didn't take you all long as well to fill up the considerably large bags of travel foods and start carrying them off back off towards the direction of the light house. ....Only...there was one problem. You had absolutely no idea which direction the lighthouse was in, and with the giant bags of supplies to be split between the four of you obstructing your view, it made it harder to see by all accounts as you tried peeking around and over the large bags. Stumbling a bit and almost bumping into a few people walking past you, they gave you an odd look before carrying on. Certainly didn't help when your sobble gave a small chirp before literally climbing into one of the bags to which you panicked a little. The last thing you needed was him eating the food you just bought especially since it wasn't bought with your money!

"Hey! Bad pokemon!," you shouted jiggling the bags a bit, "You get out of there right now! You're not supposed to be in there!" The sobble peeked itself out over the edge of one of the bag's hearing it's master's voice as you frowned, and you didn't see where you were walking as you walked. "I'm serious! You can't just crawl in there! Out no- Oof!?"

"HEY!?," shouted a woman's voice.

You rammed into something or someone solid and you stumbled back, by some miracle not dropping the bags, and up righted yourself for a moment. Blinking you turned sideways to look at who you bumped into and were met with another woman who was looking at you with a bewildered look like everyone else who saw you walking around like this. The woman had a dark skin complexation with dark black hair with pretty blue streaks and eyes that were bluer than the ocean. What looked like a sports uniform adorned her body. She blinked at you as you stared before you seemed to blink and shake your head.

"Oh. Sorry about that, Miss," You apologized shifting two off the four bags in your arms. "I didn't see you there."

"Uh..Yes, I could tell." She ran an eye over the two bags in your arms and the other two hanging off your elbows. "That's a lot of groceries you're carrying there." Her eyes stopped at the little blue pokemon poking out of the top of one of the bags as it shoved a blue berry into it's mouth.

"Oh. It's not just for me actually. I'm traveling with some others and we needed this stuff." You followed her gaze and you gained a frown when you saw the sobble shove another berry into it's mouth. "HEY!" It fell back into the bag startled with a chirp....but slowly peeked the top of it's head and eyes back over to look at your scowl. "I said NO. Now you get out of there right now! If you're hungry I'll get you something else."

"Oh. Is this little one yours?," both of you looked over as the woman attempted to reach out and pet the sobble. Which resulted in your sobble giving off a sound of fright and immediately scuttle out from the bag in a hurry.

"HEY-" You leaned your head back as it jumped on your head and clung to your hair giving the other woman wide eyes of worry. You grumbled...but sighed and nodded. "Yeah. Sorry 'bout that. He's not used to strangers I guess."

With a smile, the woman placed a hand on her hip and studied the two of you. "Most sobble are, but it seems this one has become very attached to you."

You blew the sobble's tail from your face. "Believe me you don't know the half of it. Say. Could you tell me where I can find the lighthouse? I'm supposed to meet my friends there."

"Sure. I was actually heading towards the stadium actually. The light house is right next to it," she gestured to your bags. "I could even help you if you'd like."

You gave a relieved sigh. "Really?! Yes, thank you. That'd be a huge help."

You happily let the woman take two of the bags you were carrying and you followed her as she motioned for you to follow her. Gloria and Hop were most likely already waiting for you as they had first gone to the stadium and possibly Victor if he hadn't gotten side tracked or anything. As the two of you walked you took the chance to look around at the town. Seemed like the beach down you had gone to before the few times you went to the beach. As you glanced at the woman helping you out you couldn't help but...notice something. Did she seem familiar to you somehow?....You shook your head. Nah. Must've just been your imagination. She must've just looked like someone you've seen before. That's all. The both of you walked from the docks, past what looked like a restaurant of some sort, back towards the Pokemon Center before taking a right and heading down the same path the teens took when the four of you parted ways. From that point the two of you walked down a road with houses on one side and a fence overseeing the ocean on the other. There was a LOT more houses than you remembered in game so it took a good twenty minutes before you even saw the stadium as both of you passed a flight of concrete stairs leading up the hill towards the train station. You looked up and at the stadium as it's shadow loomed over you as you both walked past it. Unlike Milo's stadium this one seemed rather quiet right now even if it was as HUGE as his was. The gym leader mustn't be battling anyone right now where ever she was. As you two continued to walk past it, you blinked seeing a tall structure up ahead which was unmistakably a light house, letting you sigh in relief. FINALLY!! You sighed in relief at seeing the structure and sped up your pacing a bit as the two of you rounding the corner the path lead towards the lighthouse and that's when you noticed the figures standing there. One or two strangers were there taking a picture next to the statues or the ocean view, but there was three you recognized easily as the twins and Hop. They all seemed happy to see you at first. But soon those happy faces turned into surprised and shocked ones the closer you walked. Victor even shaking his head and blinking as you approached.

"Uh...Hey, Y/n. Whatcha got there?"

"Our supplies," you replied arms all sore and tired from the long walk over. Victor blinked as you shoved the two bags you were holding into his arms. "Here. Take these. Im beat." They continued to stare at you even as you turned to the woman and take the other two heavy bags from her. Your brow rising as you turned and saw their wide eyed looks. "....Are you three alright? You all look like you've seen a ghost."

"...Y/n. Do you even know WHO that is?!," Gloria asked pointed towards the woman and you turned to look at her again..before shrugging.

"She helped me out. Thanks by the way."

She nodded. "It was my pleasure."

"Don't you even know who that is!?" Gloria groaned at your utterly confused face as you blankly stared and as a result pointed right at the smiling woman next to you. "You literally don't know!? THAT'S NESSA!! Like the Gym Leader Nessa! The person we traveled all the way here to see!"

You blinked before looking back to Nessa as she glanced at you. "...Oh. Thanks for the help again. It was very nice of you."

She nodded again. "Your welcome. And you." She glanced over to Gloria who still stared in disbelief at her. "You must be a gym challenger right? You're one of the ones endorsed by Leon right?"

Gloria stared at her a little longer before Hop nudged her making her flinch. "HUH!? I mean- Y-Yeah! O-One of them." She gestured to Hop next to her. "And he's one o' the other ones."

"Hello, Ma'am." Hop smiled and waved. "I'm Hop and this is Gloria and that's Victor. You uh...Weren't at the stadium when we went there."

"My apologies," Nessa apologized as you turned back to her. OH! Now you could recognize her easily. She was on the cover of that magazine Gloria showed you and you vaguely remembered seeing her back at the entrance ceremony. "But I just got back from a boating shoot and I've already promised someone else a battle for later today. But I must say, you've become something of a hot topic among the gym leaders."

"Wait. We are?"

She chuckled. "Are you kidding me? Leon never stops talking about how awesome his little brother is and how he's just the smartest kid ever to come out of Postwick."

Hop coughed and scratched at his head in embarrassment. "Well...I wouldn't say that."

"I mean. He's not wrong. You're pretty smart."

"Glory! Don't embarrass me like Mum please!," he begged red faced.

You decided to help give him a break. "I had no idea he spoke so highly of Hop." You spoke to Nessa. Although you wouldn't be surprised considering how hyped up Hop got about Leon, and how loving Leon was to them.

She chuckled again before reaching behind her and pulling something out of her pocket. Well two somethings. "Here you go, Ms. Famous. I already heard about you, so you should learn more about me too." She held out what you made out as cards to Hop and Gloria as the two wide eyed teens took them in disbelief.

"OMG! Another League Card!! Thank you so much, Ms. Nessa! Does this mean you'll be able to battle one of us tomorrow?"

She nodded. "Sure. Just speak to one of my staff at the stadium and we can schedule a battle in the next two days for three." She then pointed behind her. "But I had better head to the stadium. I can't delay my scheduled battle anymore than I've already had."

You nodded in understanding. "We understanding completely, Miss. Thanks again for the help."

She nodded towards you. "I love fishing, but I love pokemon battles even more and I'm itching for a battle with you. Hopefully we'll get to battle real soon." With a wave towards you four, Nessa turned on her heel and began to walk away.

You waved back before turning back to the three teens staring back at you. ".....What?"

"HOW COULD YOU NOT KNOW WHO THAT WAS WITH YOU!?,'' Gloria shouted gesturing to where Nessa walked off to which you shrugged again.

"Sorry? I was a little busy with something more important at the moment and I guess I wasn't paying too much attention to her. But she seemed very nice. But how did your guys' lil trip go?"

"I managed to book us a hotel here for a couple nights," Victor answered before gesturing his head over towards the other two. "And we're all set up to fight, but someone already beat us for a spot today."

"Oh. Who?"

"The Mareep Head!," Gloria huffed one hand one her hip and the other waving the small League Card in the air. Mareep Head- OH! She must've been referring to Bede. He must've been the one Nessa was rushing off to battle then. "We just waltzed on in and there he was acting all smug like he jus' won the whole challenge already. He even asked if I "Got Hatenna's good side' on camera. Psh! He's such a stuck up mudbray!"

You could only nod juggling the groceries in your arms. "I...see. Well since there's nothing we can do right now for the moment, why don't we just go back to the hotel Victor mentioned and take care of these?"

Victor nodded in agreement tugging his own bags along as you both turned with Gloria mumbling behind you all the way to the hotel.

[dream-meister-translations]

WONDER TEA PARTY OSCAR CHARACTER CARD #1

━

Wondermare is a place shrouded in mystery and oddities. Currently, I am at a table in the middle of the woods. There is a tea party going on. Quirky looking pastries scatter the table. OSCAR : The first sip of tea is a delightful combination of the tartness of royal berries, and the rich sweetness of chocolate. OSCAR : The second sip has the bitterness of coffee and then somehow the delicious flavor of biting into a medium rare steak. EMMA : Tea that tastes like coffee and steak!?

OSCAR : It is to be expected from Wondermare… EMMA : I know it's a little late to ask, but are you sure that is safe to drink? OSCAR : It is perfectly safe. There was a sign on it that said, "Feel free to eat and drink." I'm unsure who it was that prepared it, but it is a privilege. EMMA : I'm worried about the "I don't know who prepared it" part. I laugh and watch the steam rise from the teacups and swirl fantastically into the air. It spells out the words, "Bon appetit." EMMA : (This place is so strange…) It all started when I received a request from a certain royal family to produce a tea party. Volks had coordinated the costumes, Rogue was in charge of the entertainment and music, and Oscar was in charge of the menu. EMMA : (It was difficult to get the approval of the client, so we all complained over drinks…Then somehow we found ourselves in this forest…We were with others but got separated…) EMMA : I need to get in touch with Volks and Rouge. I tried to call them already on the Keeper's Board, but there's some sort of delay… Probably don't get service out in the forest. I hope they are safe and sound… OSCAR : I see. I believe this forest itself may be causing this strange phenomena. Speaking of strange phenomena… Oscar's gaze turns to me. OSCAR : Are those ears growing out of your head? EMMA : Seems so. I tried to yank them off, but they wouldn't budge. OSCAR : You're a white rabbit…I can't explain it, but that makes sense to me. I wish my costume was lighter. This is hardly suitable for wandering around the forest at random. EMMA : It suits you perfectly, though. OSCAR : Anyway, this pudding is quite good. You should try it. EMMA : What? OSCAR : The dried fruits and spices add a unique taste and texture. Scooping the spoon into the pudding, he filled it up then held it out to me. With a small, shy nod, I ate from the spoon he offered. EMMA : Wow. It really is delicious! OSCAR : There may be more unknown gastronomic delicacies in Wondermare… He squinted his eyes in thought, not seeming perturbed by the situation in the slightest. In fact, he seemed rather excited about it. And as he smiled I couldn't help but feel the anxiety I had been harboring fade into the distance. With that, I flashed a smile back at him. The sweet taste of the pudding still tantalizing my tastebuds.

[hazelcephalopod]

So I started watching Mayfair witches on AMC. IMHO, it’s not very good. So I looked up the plot and uh. The main issue as I see it is, if anyone is going to make this show they need to be ok just delving into the disturbing. Also I’d say the only channel that could really adapt it would be HBO, it any other wants to they need to embrace the darkness, this is not angsty Charmed. This is gothic supernatural horror -even more than Vampire- with what could be a good side of camp depending on a lot of factors.

I’m baffled by what they changed as well. Or really any number of adaption choices and I just read a Wikipedia summary. Like I get that changes have to be made in an adaption, if it makes for a good show that’s fine imho. This doesn’t. The books sound good, admittedly maybe too fucked up for my personal taste but the show is a wet noodle with some sprinkles on desiccated chicken.

I have more thoughts below on some things I kinda liked and some more I didn’t and what I woulda changed (to add to the pile I’m sure)—

Likes: Ciprien, in theory was a neat character -I know he’s a mesh of different characters that people woulda liked to see so that understandably will vary but he was alright. I liked the slightly more diversity of having the family having non-white members. I liked Jojo. Also I surprisingly enjoyed the Talamasca stuff.

My main change in terms of all that would have been to make Ciprien a very new agent.

Didn’t like: Deirdre and Rowan’s book relationship is far more interesting than the strange adoptee thing. It’s a common trope sure but at least it’s good, and fits the whole genre. Estranged mother dies and daughter has to go confront the past. Weird gothic horror magic shit ensues, don’t make it more complicated going in! There will be enough complication later give it a good stable easy to understand base.

We didn’t need the modern witch hunters. Maybe just a singular killer might have been used in a cool way but what we got was dismal even for a pretty overdone trope.

I know not everyone in New Orleans has an accent but I don’t think anyone did! Or at least too few imho. Fix that. Aside I liked that Sip spoke a little french creole, more of that.

Overall I think they should have made a gothic horror show first and witch show second. If they wanted a introduction to the world character imho there were theee choices. A) Use Micheal as in the book -idk if getting rid of Sip or maybe changing his role so he could be in a spin off Talamasca show would be better there’s many options there; b) Sip is a very new and inexperienced agent who isn’t getting a lot of support, this would sacrifice little with the dynamic withthe eh Tal, maybe his one friend is the only helpful one and she has limited power int he org; c) Rowan still and I like this one a lot and I’ll get into it, this would keep her solidly as the focus of the show for us to connect with.

The main change is don’t make Deirdre comatose, make her a real dynamic character for a few episodes. Maybe with a complex relationship of both loving Lasher and trying to contain him and keep him away from Rowan. If Rowan is introducing us to the world have Deirdre kept her away from the witch stuff and sent her away as a child/teen which could keep some elements of the adoption storyline if that’s what they really wanted.

Overall just new writers and directors and some recasts possibly for an overall better execution of everything. Bc more than any changes or other deviations and new plots and characters the issue is execution. Look how intrinsically IWTV was changed and is still a good show -arguably not a very accurate adaption but it feels closer to the story than this and is executed quite well.

[mako-designated-driver]

Day #13: At What Cost

It still tastes strange. No matter.

Several water-stained pages follow before the text resumes:

Have we traveled through lands more remote than these? We must have. Yet I've never felt so removed from life back home as I do now.

T. makes the same arguments as always, though adds a lack of demons as a point in her favor. Lack isn't absence—which I was quick to point out. She called me pithy. There are demons here, though not as many as we faced in those early years together. The Avvar have their mages too. The last were ill prepared for me. I wonder if that's the part that bothers her?

O., as always, was no help at all.

We push on. My head aches. The others are singing the song we learned at that lakeside town. I forget the name of the place. I think my eyes are about to explode. Of course, A. has noticed and tells the others he needs to read something. It's quiet now. The journey here took longer than expected. I must take stock of the rations. After sleep.

There were more than expected. Everything has been more than expected. A few moments later, and O. would not be standing here. I was able to subdue the mage before things became worse. T. said nothing about it afterwards. She knows O. would have died.

"At what cost?" T. asked me that once. I said it costs nothing, but I don't know. I met a man who'd fought longer than I, but his mind had faded with age, and he could not answer. The point remains that I can do more. I can be more effective. We've all seen the demons, what they did. We've seen what some would do with blood. The better question is, who pays the cost if no one takes this chance?

And no one said it has to be forever. Just until things are settled.

"If you count eight times, will the number change?" O. asks. She's been watching me these last few days, whatever she says to the contrary. Damned blue bottles. I did not plan this journey as well as I should.

I lay trying to find constellations through the leaves. T. brought me some water. She just smiled, and there was no admonishment behind it. It made me feel somewhat better. As always, A. cooked our dinner while deriding my own ability to produce something edible. O. attempts to tell jokes—Maker, they're pathetic. Why do they make me laugh anyway?

Long days behind. I fear there are fewer ahead. Whatever costs I've paid, they will be worth it. It doesn't matter. This night—safe beside a fire, the three of them singing that stupid song... I am content.

(A: Inquisitor Ameridan; T: Telana, Ameridan's mage lover; O: Orinna, Ameridan's dwarven warrior companion; The entry is written by Haron, a templar)

[punkscowardschampions]

Jali Pt.1

Ali: Having fun?

Johnny: Giving it a lash, like

Ali: Is in the spirit of things 🥳🥳🥳

Ali: Should ask if he is, birthday boy and all

Johnny: You’ve more knowing of the answer there, birthday boy and all

Ali: Sure, should be a crime to be sad on your birthday

Johnny: He’s in no danger of committing crimes of that sort

Ali: and he gets a free pass with the rest today, yeah

Ali: So I’ll be seeing a smile when I see you later, will I?

Johnny: Maybe

Ali: There’s me picking my outfit for you on a maybe

Johnny: I’d have a smile were I picking it but as I’ve no

Ali: You’re too busy being a good big brother to dress me

Ali: have to trust me

Johnny: I do trust you know what your duties are and who to

Ali: I already missed you

Ali: and I know I’m not trying to piss you off with my choices now

Johnny: It’s not on a maybe then

Ali: 😁

Ali: you can admit you were never just pissed off, if you like

Johnny: Can I? Oh, like that, is it?

Ali: Mhmm

Ali: as I’ve not a soul to tell, your secrets safe with me

Johnny: Secrets when we see each other later then

Ali: I’ll make you feel like we’re alone, even when we can’t be

Johnny: We’ve a place to be safe & alone when we can be

Ali: Does it feel strange to you, being in your ‘van when we’re not in ours

Ali: it feels weird to me, whenever I’m at Carly’s or whatever

Johnny: Whatever I’m doing without you don’t feel right, even this

Ali: Yeah

Ali: wouldn’t make myself very popular, just happening to pop in to [whatever pub they frequent]

Johnny: I’ll add now to the rest of the times I’m thinking of you while I’m not to be, all the wheres, whens it’s so

Ali: I told myself I’d just send you the one message

Ali: I could say sorry but I don’t feel it right now

Johnny: Told myself I wouldn’t reply, same when I’ve work on

Johnny: there’s no sorry in me neither

Ali: Maybe it’ll stop when we’re old and used to each other but I don’t want it to

Johnny: I don’t know about getting used to you, I don’t reckon it’s a maybe 

Ali: Will you promise?

Johnny: It’d be a lie any other way, you’re never something I can view as a sight I’ve had my eye on all my life, commonplace suddenly

Ali: You’ve known you were special to me from the moment I saw you

Johnny: And long as we’ve got together isn’t to change it, can’t

Johnny: for proper special things keep on being, my man Jesus already promised

Ali: He had some good points and lines

Ali: biased but right now I like yours better though

Johnny: Sure, make a convert of you yet, girl

Ali: No maybe in what you can make me do, boy

Johnny: Tell me how you do feel

Ali: like I keep rereading what you said, how much better it was than any other promise anyone has ever given me

Johnny: My best for you is what I’m made for, to give it for what you’re made to give me

Ali: Lucky, too, too lucky

Johnny: No, I feel that myself

Ali: I can’t let you have it without a fight, not when I’m so obviously luckier

Johnny: I can’t fight no obvious girl, you’ll need to hide it again how you have before

Ali: Hide the bruises or hide that I’m a girl?

Ali: have to change my plans if you mean the latter

Johnny: I’m already looking forward to your plans as they was

Ali: They can’t be changed then

Johnny: Unless it’s a detour to here to me

Ali: I wish

Ali: but aside from picking fights with you, I’m all about the behaving, I swear

Johnny: It weren’t a test of your plans nor your resolve to behave, passed though you’d of

Johnny: I only want to see you with nothing behind saying it ‘cept for honesty

Ali: I’ll be unfashionably early

Johnny: You’ll be late for everyone else, I’ve plans of my own

Ali: Plans for me

Johnny: Yeah

Ali: Can’t decide if that will make later when I can only look at you easier or harder but

Ali: answers the same either way

Johnny: Both maybe

Ali: now you’ve danced with me, I can imagine it all night

Johnny: We’ll dance tonight

Ali: 😍😍😍 I’ll make sure the tunes are better for you

Johnny: I’ll admit you’ve some taste, in some things

Ali: You can’t get away from being the only proof needed of my excellent taste, you’re so perfect

Johnny: I miss you too, you know, and you’re causing it to be worse, you are

Ali: This is why I’m not supposed to talk to you when you’re busy but

Ali: you say too many things I need to hear right now

Johnny: If you want us to stop you talking, I can look over your outfit like your daddy should but won’t himself

Ali: You don’t want the surprise?

Johnny: How am I about surprises?

Ali: You want to see me more, okay

Ali: In fairness, if I’ve not done right, I’d rather deal with your disappointment now than see it when I see you in person so

Ali: [do give him spoilers of your wedding chic here]

Johnny: Do you suppose you’ve not done right?

Ali: No, I’ve tried my hardest

Johnny: There you go, don’t doubt yourself

Johnny: you’re about to be shown how much faith I’ve in you, soon as I look in person and can’t away

Ali: I love you, you know

Johnny: It’s a good dress to swear you do in

Ali: You can keep your work clothes on, doesn’t matter to me

Ali: I just need to see you

Johnny: I’m of the mind to dress nice for you as well as

Ali: of the mind to kill me, then 🥺

Johnny: Only 1 of us wearing church clothes wouldn’t be proper and what else can we call what you’re dressed in if not that?

Ali: You’ve always known exactly what I’m trying to say with you without speaking it

Johnny: You’re clear with the secret messages you wear, for want of a veil you’re my little girl off for 1st Communion 

Ali: Fuck

Ali: am I too old for it, really?

Johnny: You’re not too old or young for the other reason girls dress themselves up like that

Ali: Just right?

Johnny: Perfect for it and for me

Ali: It’s only going to be you

Johnny: It has to be me

Ali: I’m yours to keep

Johnny: Having your name’s keeping me from being a bad brother in a mood the same, I feel you here instead of away home where you are

Ali: I’m always with you

Ali: if I could shrink myself any smaller, I’d be in your pocket all the time

Johnny: I’d break you being smaller

Ali: I thought that but you haven’t yet

Johnny: Just right again, as you are

Ali: We go good together, you fit over me like you were meant to be there

Johnny: I am, I told you, God’s decided we’re for each other and he created us as that

Ali: I believe

Johnny: I asked when I didn’t know what to do and here we both are, it’s all meant to be

Ali: You did?

Johnny: And now we want the same

Ali: I never meant to be such a headfuck

Johnny: It isn’t your fault

Ali: Is it better now, not as headfrying and 

Ali: you know

Johnny: It’s worked itself out for the best

Ali: I’ll make you happy it did, that we’re two halves

Johnny: I’m happy, Ali, there’s no more for you to do with convincing me

Ali: I’m sorry

Ali: I’m being weird

Johnny: No, you’re not

Ali: I don’t want it to end, you to go

Johnny: You’re mine to keep, I’m keeping you

Ali: You’ve told God about me, that must mean something, like

Johnny: He’s the daddy I can tell, if telling of the other’d not mean the opposite to what I want, I would him too

Ali: If converting was enough, to let it be known

Ali: you know I would, even if mine would be after disowning me for it

Johnny: What I said stands, we’ll go, if that’s how it has to be

Ali: I just wish you could be proud

Ali: and not for my ego or anything

Johnny: I’ll never be ashamed, we’re past it

Ali: Whatever it takes, I’m not backing down

Johnny: What we can have matters

Ali: It’s everything, it can be mine

Ali: I can’t ignore this, pretend it’s not what I want

Johnny: Being with them today, every man of my family, my head and heart’s still full of you

Ali: Soon

Ali: how long can we have before you’re missed?

Johnny: [an actual well thought out and real answer to this cos he’s clearly been thinking about it realistically since arriving at this pub basically]

Ali: Said as if any amount of time you said would be long enough but

Ali: we can make that work

Johnny: I want more myself

Ali: I want more of you too

Johnny: I won’t be missed at all before long, soon as they all get more drinks inside ‘em, I’ll be inside you as much as we both want

Ali: It’ll get hectic fast, can count on that

Ali: how much it hurts right now, doesn't feel like it should be real

Johnny: I’ll count, by God, I’ll need to

Johnny: nothing could be realer than how it hurts being apart from you, I can’t put it aside, that’s meant to only be a girl’s trouble, yours, not mine

Ali: I can’t hack this alone, you have to feel it too

Ali: I’d go the bad kind of crazy if you didn’t give a fuck

Johnny: I warned you, I care

Ali: It’s the best thing about you

Ali: though maybe I shouldn’t commit to THE best when so many others are gonna come to mind

Johnny: You haven’t them in mind now?

Ali: Getting more vivid by the second

Johnny: Commit to telling them all to me

Ali: I’ll have to, you’d run out of room on your body for me to write ‘em down

Johnny: Everyone’d be reckoning I thought it were halloween again already, the bleeding you’d have us doing through my decent clothes for trying

Ali: Now I know the church is all about the bleeding, all year ‘round

Johnny: Open up my palm new and they’d never notice but words everywhere on my body’d be talked on

Ali: Hmm, okay

Ali: I suppose I’ll behave

Johnny: Ah, suppose I’m not after good behaviour 

Ali: Then you’ll have to get me out of my dress first

Johnny: The look of an angel not for the 1st time, true enough

Ali: You’ll make me blush

Johnny: You can wear on your face what I can’t on mine for the now, a rush of blood while I think how I’m to spill yours and from where

Ali: I have every faith in your poker face, though I’m in awe of how you manage 

Ali: It feels like all my thoughts about you making me bleed for you are as blatant on my face as the flush of pink right now 

Johnny: Show me your face

Ali: [send him a 😳 selfie with the same energy as when you wanna look away but can’t]

Johnny: Alright, you’re not to play poker ‘cept with me and the rules to be taking off clothes for each hand you lose

Ali: I should be very offended at your lack of belief in me but…

Johnny: Maybe I’ll teach you how

Ali: Oh yeah?

Johnny: Yeah

Ali: Like you let me help you?

Johnny: Exactly

Ali: 😏

Ali: It’s such a pisstake that men don’t take selfies like women do, how am I meant to stalk you right now

Johnny: On your bike, that’s how men stalk

Ali: Very runaway bride right now

Ali: Maybe I will

Johnny: I don’t know it

Ali: I’ll have to subject you to it, make you come over for a sleepover

Johnny: Or the next DIY job I’ll let you help with for our place

Ali: Even better idea

Ali: We’re so close to not needing to leave for nothing now

Johnny: Soon I won’t even feel slightest bit bad locking you in alone when I’m not there

Ali: Not sure I believe you’ve ever felt bad about it but that’s okay

Ali: Where I want to be

Johnny: Where I want you, but could be too much time to be left alone with the thoughts keeping your face red

Ali: I should probably go to school every once in a while, yeah

Johnny: While you can, like, before you’re too busy keeping our home nice and the rest

Ali: Yeah

Ali: see if they can teach me anything before then

Johnny: I reckon you’ve most the learning you’ve need of, more or less, but it’s probably best your parents aren’t told you never go into school until we’re ready to leave

Ali: It can’t hurt to keep flying under their radars, we’re doing it here so well

Johnny: It’d hurt us if your daddy started acting as 1

Ali: They’re too busy

Johnny: They’ve need of their heads testing, letting a little girl like you do as she wants

Ali: They’ve littler to worry about, or more worrying girls, anyway

Johnny: They’ve lost their chance, you’re mine to worry myself about now

Ali: I love being yours

Johnny: I love you’re dressed for it

Ali: I knew you would

Johnny: See, school’s useless to you, you’ve knowing of everything that’s worth

Ali: Since we met, all I’ve wanted is to know everything about you

Johnny: Before we met I’d have said you’re to let a man have some mystery about him, but I’d instead have you know me

Ali: What’s better than having someone you can tell it all to, ‘cos they get you, no judgment

Johnny: You love comparing yourself to my man Jesus, or his mammy

Ali: Here, I can’t help the comparisons coming easy

Johnny: You’d never be quiet long enough for that comparison, but sure, what comes out your mouth’s a help to me, true, I can’t deny it’s so

Ali: 😲😶

Ali: Vow of silence incoming, boy

Johnny: Lasting all of a second, girl

Johnny: I’ll get plenty sound from you, I’ve my ways

Ali: So’s the 😈 but I’m a good girl now

Johnny: No, you’re tempting us

Ali: I’m allowed though

Johnny: I’d take a vow of silence of my own before I’d say I don’t allow it

Ali: I won’t be able to handle it if we stop talking again, I barely did before

Johnny: We’re stopping nothing

Ali: I will open up your palm to make you swear it

Johnny: Go on, I’ll swear in God’s place and ours, in front of yous both

Ali: I just fucking love you, that’ll never change

Johnny: It can’t, I’ve told you, I need you, Ali

Ali: I’ll always be there for you, it’s not optional at this point, that’s how I feel

Johnny: I believe it, blood or no

Ali: You know you can have whatever you want from me, blood is only the start

Johnny: Only the start of what I’m after, but a good one

Ali: As long as we keep the dress clean, can’t look like we forgot what month it is, remember 🎃

Johnny: I’ll behave myself, I’ve not forgot I have to later

Ali: 😣

Johnny: Come on

Ali: I know, I know

Ali: you have to and he deserves it

Johnny: Tomorrow we can keep on as we were

Ali: It’ll be good, just not as good as being alone with you

Ali: but nothing is so

Johnny: [tell her however long it is til y’all can be alone because you both need the reminder that he’ll sneak away as soon as poss]

Ali: Counting down the seconds

Johnny: Maybe I’ll hear you

Ali: As I lasted longer than a second

Ali: can bin off the vow of silence and be extra loud, like

Johnny: As long as you don’t let on how loud your praise is for me instead of my man Jesus, be frowned upon and that’s not how I feel at the minute

Ali: I don’t want God to go off me, having his okay is important

Ali: If I have to keep it quiet that you’re my favourite, I will

Johnny: You’ve me to put in a word for you whatever happens

Ali: You’ve done your hours in church, fair

Johnny: And in you, who better to prevent anybody going off you?

Ali: 🤞 that weren’t quite the same experience

Ali: Not sure I wanna think of it being a chore you’re put through

Johnny: You’re thinking of it wrong, what you’re being compared to’s a religious experience 

Ali: Oh

Ali: That’s, yeah, that sounds right

Ali: How can you be so romantic

Johnny: It’s important, I like you

Ali: I like how your brain works, what you reckon matters

Johnny: My head carries on louder than you some of the time, and used to act up worse, but you manage to quiet it for us

Ali: I know what you mean, being with you gets rid of so much bullshit for me too, safe has always felt boring before

Johnny: Nobody else knows what I mean, you know, not as what they’re after, be a chore if they had worked any of it out

Ali: I wish you had more people who did, can’t be selfish and want to be that special

Ali: I thought I had people but now I don’t know

Johnny: But you are that special

Johnny: why you’ve got me and we’ve no need of others

Ali: I see that now

Ali: No one is going to get me the way you do, it’s another thing I’ll swear

Johnny: Scales fell from your eyes, bang on to call this a religious experience, you feel it yourself too

Ali: You’re the one with the words right now but there really is no other way to describe how it’s felt since the off

Johnny: It’d be grand to do more than talk but the countdown isn’t done

Ali: [an updated version]

Ali: I’m proud of you, having to be around people right now

Johnny: Words I don’t reckon you’ve said before, or at least they’ve not made me feel what they’re now

Ali: I definitely should have told you before now, you make me really proud

Ali: maybe I didn’t feel like I could claim it until you did me

Johnny: Christ, you’re making me hate that I’m not on my own 

Ali: 🤐 or do you find a way to be alone for five minutes?

Johnny: I’ll show you where all my blood’s rushing to, will I?

Ali: Please

Johnny: [go to the bathroom so you can send her photographic evidence of this, even though I imagine you won’t get a moment’s peace because this pub is overrun with gypsy boys clearly]

Ali: Shit

Ali: I need to be with you

Johnny: It’s cruel of you to be anywhere else

Ali: Johnny

Ali: Does it hurt?

Johnny: Yeah, bad

Ali: Is there anywhere I can come meet you

Johnny: [Suggest somewhere/some places nearby that could feasibly work even if it’s like a layby or a field lol, whether she can realistically get there or not is debatable]

Ali: Okay, I’ll leave now

Ali: putting on makeup was impossible anyway

Johnny: You look best without it, s’only hiding you

Ali: You mean that

Ali: you say things lads say but don’t ever mean but you really do

Johnny: I don’t want it, you covered over by layers of all that from me, how am I to recognise you as my little girl, still?

Ali: 🥺 I don’t want to hide from you

Ali: I’ll only put it on sometimes, when you wanna ruin it

Johnny: There’s times you do need ruining

Ali: You have, for anyone else

Johnny: Holy fuck

Johnny: hurry yourself and come to me, I can’t wait no more

Ali: I promise you I am going as fast as I can

Johnny: Go faster

Ali: Okay, you need me

Johnny: Please

Ali: I need to see your face too, I miss it as much

Johnny: More’s what you’ll say

Ali: You are being mean and not showing me so yeah

Johnny: I’ve no privacy for showing you

Ali: Now you’re making me laugh

Ali: you showed me your dick

Johnny: And the eejits kicked the door soon as I shut it

Johnny: women take selfies up the bar, men don’t

Ali: And Moses

Ali: I’m glad you’re you

Johnny: [a sneaky pic outside while he’s having a smoke, looking serious and intense like the one he took on her phone that time cos always lol]

Ali: I love you I love you, I’m gonna focus and go flat out 

Johnny: Then it’ll be me proud of you

Ali: Don’t know if I can handle someone as handsome as you being proud of me

Johnny: I know you can, I’m thinking of how well you’ll handle it right now

Ali: You’re my man, I have to match you, give just as good as I get, what you deserve for being the best daddy ever to me

Johnny: You do have to

Ali: I know what you need

Johnny: And you want to give it

Ali: No one is more shocked than me by what I want to give you

Johnny: It still shocks me

Ali: I don’t know why no one has told you how special you are before me but

Ali: Not mad that it’s my job

Johnny: I’ve been told all my life as the oldest boy, but it’s different when done by you, how you mean it

Johnny: I’d hear more of that and not be mad neither

Ali: I hope it is a 🤏 different or I need to work on my chat, yeah

Ali: It’s not who you are to me, because that wasn’t anyone, maybe shouldn’t have been, it’s just who you are, end of

Johnny: I know how to live up to who I am to you, what you want from us, you don’t make me feel like I can’t

Ali: What I want is what you want, and back the other way, that’s why

Johnny: Yeah, and there’s no need of you working on your chat

Ali: 😌 Oh good

Ali: I can’t be scared of saying the wrong thing now, we’re too on the same page

Johnny: You’re not to be scared of anything

Ali: I thought I wasn’t

Ali: but you make me feel safe in a way I don’t want to be without again

Johnny: Safe’s what I’m put here to make you feel, if we’ve jobs, that’s mine

Ali: I swear I feel you more, closer you get

Johnny: [guess how geographically close she might be based on how you feel, using whatever nearby landmarks or whatever there are]

Ali: Suspiciously good 🤔

Johnny: You’ve no faith I feel you myself?

Ali: More that I know how good of an eye you keep on me too

Johnny: Good answer

Ali: I’m trying to keep up with you

Johnny: ‘Course you are, smart girl

Ali: I need to stop looking at your picture though or I might crash

Johnny: I keep too good of an eye on you, but you’re to hurry up ‘cause I’m only repeating myself so many times, like

Ali: And only so many cigarettes you can chain without looking like you’ve something you need to get off your chest

Ali: See you in [a generous estimate given how chatty you two are but you mean it lol]

Johnny: Right

Ali: [gonna let you show but say when you first pull up you can see people from the site and are like umm, let me do another lap here]

Ali: I’ve parked [somewhere further away but not that far from where he said]

Johnny: I’ll be there to find you now

Johnny: [and do come and find her as ASAP as you can get away without it being suss because the desperation to see and be with her cannot be overstated]

Ali: [like this girl should not be driving on the roads, neither should you but you know, law unto yourselves vibe yet here we are, simply had to, not sorry, also the visual of you in this dress on this bike, stunning, 10/10, running up to him so dramatically because you’re certain no one is around so you don’t have to care now]

Johnny: [my boo says she is a baby and this is so dangerous and she’s so right for that and yet, you’re welcome that we didn’t let you crash, even though, and lbr because, it feeds into his god shipping them narrative that he’s currently living by and for, I love the visual and he’ll certainly be taking his sweet time to appreciate it as she runs up, never has there been a more LINGERING one of his LOOKS, and that’s just as well given that basically as soon as she reaches him there’s gonna be the most feral quickie energy ensuing, like, I can imagine it lasting but minutes and that’s ridiculous for how long it took her to get here and the risks she took, but that’s the mood we’re in]

Ali: [oh it’s all fun and games whilst we believe that god is about this, dying when we have to do that sharp 180 on you Alison, so sorry, focus on right now and how you literally/as near as crumble under how he’s looking at you so it’s a good thing he’s going to grab you for this quickie or you’d be falling to the floor is how it feels]

Johnny: [truly, everything is iconic rn while y’all’s only issue is the frustration at the time it taking to undo his fly and pull her dress up feeling like forever, that u-turn is gonna be savage and none of us are ready, but jali are for the most frantic and quickest hookup they’ve ever had happening rn literally wherever they are standing, the way it’s gonna be pure unhinged noise and incoherent prayers from him for as long as it lasts, really living our best lives feeling chosen by god on this day in and in this era]

Ali: [have no idea where you are, whether this is a full rural in the middle of nowhere ish pub or one on a lil high street but as per, not a thought given to where we are and the fact that this is like tea time so even if it’s dark given it’s November, it’s not like people aren’t around, soz not soz for any of it world, including the unhinged way we are grabbing at him everywhere and everywhich way we can to stay upright here because it feels impossible with how much we wanna launch ourselves at him, even in the minutes this lasts before you both explode]

Johnny: [me just knowing how quick and frantic this hookup is is the only reason y’all aren’t being caught by someone and you’re welcome for that, I also just know that if the psych ward car park moment had been allowed to escalate into a full hookup instead of him running away it would’ve been a similar vibe, so again y’all are welcome cos as much of a mood and a moment it is rn, for y’all’s first time and Alison’s first ever, what we gave you was everything, in the here and now though, as if to make sure it really happened and he wasn’t just thinking about her and touching himself and fantasising because it was all so quick and frantic, as soon as it’s over, pushing his fingers inside her, which then unthinkingly becomes him then fucking all his cum deeper into her, moving his body to use it to move hers, keeping her legs and feet as close together as they can possibly be and still let him do this feasibly, and I vote that when these antics are occurring is the first time he’s kissed her since she arrived, just cos]

Ali: [mhmm, y’all are welcome including that random person who does not need to witness this insanity because you’re just trying to go about your day sir or ma’am and these two are just doing their intense bonding as per, plus with her reactions as there’s been no kissing until this point, ‘cos 100% look and sound like you’re crying even if you’re not literally it’s just that overwhelmed and don’t know how else to express it energy ‘not stopping’ as something you’re saying into this kiss and is mumbled but still understandable, ‘cos thinking how he doesn’t, by y’alls rules, have to pull out of you ever again and you’re DYING anew]

Johnny: [imagine, a stranger thinking they are witnessing an assault on a child, nobody going about their day needs that and neither do y’all just because you’ve got even less chill by the second, speaking of, he’ll also be DYING at that fact again hitting when she says it and this kiss turning into him biting her because cannot deal, me like PLEASE don’t cover this dress in blood before the party has even started, but thankfully he’ll be so tightly attached to her face whilst his hand is now giving her all the clitoral stimulation that hookup couldn’t guarantee that there’s no danger of anything spilling anywhere]

Ali: [switching between saying ‘yours’ and ‘mine’ with glee, not making any attempts to move from him so you’re undoubtedly biting him back too at some point, having the most deranged makeout because it’s still the mood y’all are in but also you know somewhere in the back of your mind that he has to go back to the pub/be with the lads before long here so you haven’t got time to be anything but cray, helped massively by how he’s touching you and you’re then moving against his hand]

Johnny: [mhmm, neither of you need an excuse to be feral ever but you genuinely have one in the legit borrowed time you’re on because there is only so long he can be out here and if y’all had any chill whatsoever you know you shouldn’t be risking it for all the reasons my boo said above, hence I’d like it noted that the entire time this insane makeout sesh is happening his free hand is in her hair like he’s planning to rip some out and take it with him, absolute scenes wherever they are]

Ali: [think we’ll have to say you hear some of your loud ass family/friends near enough by looking for you that you have to run because otherwise y’all will get lost in this and you simply need to be reminded that you can’t, doesn’t mean you need to be spotted or even think you have been, you get the vibe I mean]

Johnny: [I agree, it’s too realistic for the vibe of this pub gathering for us not to and I don’t feel too bad because we haven’t cockblocked you pre-hookup and been evil and made her come all this way for nothing/to be interrupted which we so easily could’ve under these circumstances]

Ali: [y’all are welcome that we let you relieve some of that pressure, even if it’s never enough and you’re still gonna be salty lol]

Johnny: [soz guys but you’ll have more opportunities to sneak away when the party bit is in full swing and everyone’s distracted and you’re welcome we didn’t fully wait until then to see each other so, get back inside sir and do some more drinking and socialising]

Ali: [I’m sure there’s all the bants of the fact you clearly just went away to hookup with someone but no one knows who so you can deal with that, meanwhile I’m thinking we go back to the caravan because there’s no point you going home at this o’clock but you don’t wanna be like HI I’M HERE quite yet so, send him a pic when you get there like honey I’m home]

Johnny: [me FOREVER like lads why aren’t you more nosy?! You’ve heard this boy hooking up with potentially, for all you know, a lot of different girls now at different points, omg I’d want that tea]

Johnny: Back safe

Ali: Safe but jealous that they get your company now

Johnny: I miss yours

Ali: Sure, no offence to ‘em but they’re not giving you all I am

Ali: s’why I didn’t want to go find Carls or anyone yet

Johnny: I’d be jealous to get you an animal or I would

Ali: What will you be like when there’s a baby to contend with

Johnny: That’s different, that’s mine

Ali: That makes sense

Ali: I don’t think any came out, you got it all inside me

Johnny: Animals run wild, like Moses, they’re not to know about family or what’s important, they value their own survival, no more

Ali: Domesticated animals are loyal

Johnny: They’re broken in, don’t mean they care

Ali: Okay, no pets

Ali: wouldn’t make much sense, on the move all the time

Johnny: Maybe a horse, if we’ve ever a traditional caravan to pull

Ali: It’s got a job

Ali: I’ve a cat but I’ll have to leave him for my sister anyway

Johnny: You can bring it if you want, babies learn off being with animals, how to treat ‘em and not to have fear, we’ve all of us kept them ‘round for that

Ali: Are you sure you just don’t wanna give me everything I want? 😋

Johnny: It’s my job

Ali: And you like it

Ali: 🤏

Johnny: Sure

Ali: I suppose I’m to be good and stop teasing you, let you enjoy your pint in peace

Johnny: What will you busy yourself with, grabbing every site cat up to look which you’re after, is it?

Ali: Not a bad idea

Ali: should’ve bought treats, so unprepared

Johnny: Too prepared for me instead

Ali: Only always

Ali: maybe I’ll just stay here and try to remember exactly what you felt like inside me

Johnny: Thanks a million for putting the memory in my own head

Ali: I’ll stop before I attempt a recreation then, got it

Ali: I cannot start the party like this, they didn’t give you long enough

Johnny: I’ll have to be changing before the party, they can’t rush us through that

Johnny: wait where you are for me

Ali: Right, you wanna dress nice for the party

Ali: I will, your brother is with you so I’ve no party to rush for until you lot are back

Johnny: And you’ve a meal to put on the table before going anywhere, that’s your job

Ali: In this dress?

Johnny: Take it off if it’ll be in your way

Ali: How did you find it?

Johnny: You remember

Ali: Yeah I do

Johnny: When I can manage not to ruin it, there’s no excuse for you not opening some cupboards

Ali: Truth is, doing anything in this dress is distracting now the way you looked at me in it is burned into my head

Johnny: How you looked in it is in mine

Ali: We can both do it

Ali: I just want you to know, the effect you have on me

Johnny: You know I want telling how you feel

Ali: for when you can’t feel it yourself

Ali: I miss you too

Johnny: It weren’t enough, looking at you that long

Ali: It’s like my eyes weren’t doing a good enough job, that I missed something and my memory isn’t real enough, you enough

Johnny: What are we to do?

Ali: We know what we’re going to do, just that we can’t yet

Johnny: What am I to do ‘til we can?

Ali: Just

Ali: tell me you feel it too so I don’t feel so ridiculous for how much I miss you already, when I’ve just seen you and will see you when you’ve pre-drunk enough

Johnny: Harder than I’ve felt anything before now

Ali: Okay

Ali: and you know, everything I feel

Johnny: There’s no chance of drinking a pint in peace, I’ve only peace with you

Ali: Peace was definitely shooting for the moon

Ali: I feel guilty, for how I distract you from everyone else, I can only comfort myself so much with the fact you do the exact same for me, and I know how much I don’t even care, however hard I try

Johnny: I need pulling away from them or I’ll get myself in trouble for how I’d bring each back into line

Ali: You do, you can’t be trying your hardest with them if they’re not going to at all, not appreciate it

Ali: I’d love a brother like you, without being weird about it

Johnny: You need looking after and yours don’t, but you’ve me for it

Ali: They’ve always had their own problems and priorities, I weren’t included

Johnny: You’re 1st for me

Ali: So are you for me, that’s how it is and how I want it

Johnny: So I’ll ask you again, girl, what am I to do?

Ali: You know what

Johnny: No

Johnny: if I’m to be having the ideas, we’re away and there’s no party, no nothing

Ali: Alright, you have your drink, you come back with the first people heading, actually get changed and I will have made something for us, okay

Johnny: Alright

Ali: It’d seem personal if we went today, and it isn’t so we can’t

Johnny: We’ll go soon

Ali: As soon as we can

Johnny: [tell her the updated total of the money you’re saving up, which I love because this is the first update you’ve given about that]

Ali: Damn

Ali: Gutted my paper round doesn’t pay better

Ali: that’s amazing

Johnny: It’ll be somebody else’s paper round before long and you’d have already given it up, it was down to me

Ali: I know you don’t like it but I want to at least help a little

Johnny: I’ve told you how you help

Ali: It’s hard to get my head ‘round

Ali: like you said, when we’re gone, I won’t be able to do it anyway

Johnny: Still?

Ali: I am trying, I don’t want to let you down

Johnny: I am you if you won’t even give your paper round up

Ali: It’s not like that, I have the time now, until we’re away, that’s all, I don’t want to feel like I’m doing nothing and you everything

Johnny: What it’s like is you’ve not converted for proper yet

Ali: You have to explain it to me better

Ali: not a job for right now though

Johnny: When you’re convinced I’ll provide for you, you’ll do as you’re told, but you don’t reckon it’s real this minute

Ali: I know you could

Johnny: I’ll show you day after day and you’ll not have doubts then

Ali: I don’t doubt you

Ali: it just makes sense to me to do something whilst there’s no baby

Johnny: You’ve school, you could go more if you’re worrying yourself about being at a loose end

Ali: Well, it’s before school but yeah, that was the plan

Johnny: I don’t need telling by you when it is, I’ve sent you off

Ali: I remember

Johnny: Why do you need other plans?

Ali: Until we go, you agreed it was for the best

Johnny: I wouldn’t have done any agreeing over you biking ‘round in the dark chucking paper’s at gorjas front doors

Ali: I know you worry about me

Johnny: I’m to drive you the route ‘til we leave or you’re to stop

Ali: Okay, I’ll stop

Johnny: There don’t have to be a baby for me to worry about you, you are 1

Ali: I forget how different you are

Ali: everyone else, the more I can do, take on, the happier they’ll be

Johnny: They’re wrong, I’m right, easy to remember

Ali: When you put it like that

Johnny: When you’re after something paying for, ask us

Ali: It’s not about the money

Ali: I’ll help you in the ways that you want to be helped from now on

Johnny: What’s it about?

Ali: Making you proud, making your life easier

Johnny: Come on, Ali, you’re a good girl, you do

Ali: Okay, I’ll believe you

Johnny: You should, just heard me say I’m right

Ali: Yeah and that was hot too

Ali: think you did it on purpose if I didn’t know how obsessed with you I am

Johnny: Maybe, nothing I’m up to’s an accident no more

Ali: I could see it

Ali: Had divine guidance and everything so

Johnny: And I’ve finished my drink so I’ll see if I can get any of this lot to head for home

Ali: I’ll have your dinner on the table when you get back 

Johnny: Your turn to be hot

Ali: Hotter than the food if they take their sweet time

Ali: I’m excited to see what you’re gonna wear tonight

Johnny: I’m coming home to you not the food ‘cause you’re the hottest, and as good at this as I said you’d be

Ali: You bring out the best in me

Johnny: They best not take their sweet time, I can’t handle being somewhere different from you

Ali: I’m literally pining for you

Johnny: If pets took their learning from you I’d not mind some

Ali: I’d be the jealous one then, I reckon

Johnny: I’d get rid then, dog, cat, don’t matter what

Ali: Awh, I’m to learn to share

Johnny: No

Ali: You’re just for me

Johnny: We’ve to enjoy our time just us ‘til there’s babies running everywhere

Ali: They’ll be ours, I won’t be jealous of them loving you so much

Johnny: Maybe when there’s 13 and we can’t move for ‘em or see each other ‘round where they’re carrying on

Ali: Maybe

Ali: but we’ll have our own place again, like now

Johnny: The same place, only ours, I’m not having nobody else live in it wherever we are

Ali: We’ve put too much of ourselves into it, I can’t see it go to someone who doesn’t know how much we loved it

Johnny: I’d burn it out 1st, you’re not to worry

Ali: I can’t think about that, I’ll cry into the dinner

Johnny: It’s ours, we’re keeping it same as I am you

Ali: You have to keep your bike too, even when you fancy loads of newer, flashier ones, sorry

Johnny: Ah now, it’ll stay on as my favourite

Ali: You’re mine, forever and from that day

Johnny: You’re hurting me again with this talk

Ali: I’ll be good 😶

Johnny: But you’ve not said it yet

Ali: Said what?

Johnny: Am I to tell you what to?

Ali: You want to hear it?

Johnny: Yeah, bad

Ali: I love you, Johnny

Johnny: How much?

Ali: Enough to run away with you, leave everyone else behind

Johnny: Enough to spend the rest of your life with me

Ali: Let you teach me how to be a good wife for you

Johnny: You’re too fast of a learner

Ali: Just right for you

Johnny: I stand by that

Ali: You tell me you want me under the table, that’s where I’ll be, I can show you I’m taking this serious

Johnny: I’d be a dope to turn it down now you’ve had the idea

Ali: You’re never that

Johnny: There you go, it’s where I want you, true enough

Ali: [take a picture as evidence here]

Johnny: Stay, you can be my pet yourself ‘til we’ve 1

Ali: No need for a collar, I won’t move from your side

Johnny: I’ve trained you decent

Ali: I belong to you, nothing is too much if you want it from me

Johnny: When you’ve had your birthday and belong to us the most anybody can you’re to ask what you want of me too

Ali: You already know what I want, I might be little but you know what I’m like

Johnny: It’s your lucky number, I’ll give it you, all you’re after

Johnny: be cruel of me not to

Ali: And you’re such a kind daddy, even when you’re turning me black and blue

Johnny: I care for you too much to behave otherwise

Ali: I know how you feel about me

Ali: I wouldn’t marry anyone else

Johnny: You’ll marry me

Ali: I want to be married to you right now

Johnny: When you’re old enough, I’ll marry you

Ali: I’m old enough to give you babies

Johnny: And you will

Ali: It’s not fair 🥺

Johnny: There’s an order it’s done in, you don’t want God going off you

Ali: You tell me what to do, not him

Johnny: It’ll be your birthday before we both know

Ali: Just 3 months

Johnny: Ring’ll be bought for you, and I’ve not ruined the surprise ‘cause there’s still to be one in the look of it

Ali: You’ll kill me

Johnny: And if there’s a baby, he’ll look the other way ‘til it’s born

Ali: Sure, it’s called betrothed 

Ali: as long as you’re going to, he doesn’t mind

Johnny: Told you you’ve no need for other plans, ours here’s perfect

Ali: You can’t think I want anything else, not now

Johnny: What we want’s the same

Ali: I don’t think I can see you do this with someone else, I’ll not survive

Johnny: Don’t think about that, it’s not to happen

Ali: Me and you, end of

Johnny: [why not use your spookily good timing to return like yep, I just love that he’s immediately coming to see her even though he’s supposed to get changed first because of course he is, no chill has been found]

Ali: [not you under the table like you said you’d be ‘cos duh, so you can’t even get up to see him even though you’re so !! it’s radiating from you in the silence]

Johnny: [not him just sitting down at the table like it’s casual despite obviously being as !! and STARING at her down there the most intensely he has ever]

Ali: [making a !! noise that almost sounds like surprise when you make EYE CONTACT because nothing could prepare you for it in this moment]

Johnny: [Biting his lip at the noise she made but his own still managing to escape because he’s likewise that !! about this and the EYE CONTACT, reaching to hold her face how he do despite the awkwardness of that from their positions because neither of you want to move rn]

Ali: [when what you had planned is obvious but now you’re too emotional and this is INTENSE AF so you can’t simply just start but you are also not willing to make a single move, beyond nuzzling your face into his hand with ridiculously !! energy, then taking to rub your face up and down both his legs like a cat on heat]

Johnny: [catch this boy doing the BIGGEST hair strokes he has ever done while she’s doing all her antics because likewise in his emotions and that’s all he can do over and over with the same !! intensity]

Ali: [when you can’t speak for the reason you’d set out of being pet but also as blatantly that you can’t verbalise what you’re thinking or feeling right now anyway, just making 🥺 noises whilst making that EYE CONTACT still]

Johnny: [mhmm, he’ll be STARING back at her forever and ever like he’s got all the time in the world and isn’t supposed to be getting changed rn, we love to see it]

Ali: [thank god you don’t have to be at parties the second they ‘happen’, especially at this age where it’s giving hang out more than event from such a time to another, not that y’all can take as long as you want still, that’s a given, hence nudging his arm towards the food on this table like you gotta]

Johnny: [I love the idea of him eating like it’s casual when she is in fact under the table not at all casually, iconic, we all know he’ll be feeding her things with the vibe of sneaking a dog scraps off your plate though]

Ali: [how audibly turned on you are should be EMBARRASSING but of course it’s not because you’re you and he’s him, clearly whatever you made was not a five-course meal but good luck lasting all the same]

Johnny: [it’s fine, he visibly would be cos boys have nowhere to hide like that, nobody is embarrassed at or under this table atm, thank god he hasn’t gotten changed though cos you’d risk wearing half this food since he’s not taking his eyes off her while he eats it, just don’t drop any on her dress please and thanks]

Ali: [you’re both living your best lives about it as per, we know this, hence we’re on page 30 and the party hasn’t even started lol, god bless, we all know you’re not waiting for him to be done here to give him a blowjob where you’re truly putting your all in so go ahead and be feral lads]

Johnny: [I appreciate the attempt to carry on eating that’ll inevitably just turn into every attempt to be quiet because you are supposed to be getting ready for this party and you don’t want anyone who is about on site, especially because it’s just girls and mums and aunties etc hearing you being feral instead lol, but we all know how impossible it is for him at any given time never mind when feelings are this high so eventually, before she can be done with her blowjob antics (but hopefully when he is with this meal because it’ll be a miracle if he doesn’t flip the table with the !! of it), going from gripping said table and dying through gritted teeth to pulling her up onto his lap with the hottest move, immediately kissing her so he can MOAN her name into her mouth, probably almost headbutting her back off his lap by accident with how hard he’s LAUNCHING himself at her, and turning this into a hookup] 

Ali: [honestly well-done hun because we are not making that easy at all but can’t be sorry because we simply gotta try to kill you right here and right now, it is the only appropriate action we can think of taking, hence your pout when he doesn’t let you finish, a pout that is immediately replaced with your own MOAN and GASP at this contact, meaning you have to be kissing him without any space between you for a pout or anything else]Johnny: [love that the first thing he’s said since coming back is to MOAN her name, how appropriate, as is the fact that he’s obviously touching his name on her chest with so much !! while they kiss and hookup like their lives depend on it because he probably didn’t manage to during their earlier one where he was mainly keeping them both upright and just clutching her for as long as it lasted, he’s being DELIBERATE about this, but gentle so he doesn’t open the wound up and get blood all over her]

[paralianprince]

For now, Peter was strangely without words. Which is, to be honest, sort of a weird and uncommon state for him to be in, considering his recurrent and incurable case of Never Shuts Up Disease.

Though said rather matter-of-factly by Latvia, it fills Peter with an odd sort of... helpless melancholy, soaking in at his heart's edges like a book dropped into the slow-flowing rivulet off a rainy kerbside. With the nature of nation-folk being what it is, it's an unavoidable feeling for one who must watch it all from the outside, his nose pressed against the windowglass to the mysterious, centuries-strong guilt and grief he can't ever do anything about. Or even fully wrap his head around, most cases.

Peter figures it's probably bad form to go researching that kind of thing. To go looking up someone's pain and mistakes without asking, without them even knowing, is not a great look. But, sometimes, especially on those emotionally weird, empty-horizoned nights, Peter just can't help needing to know. He pretends not to, forever plays dumb to whatever history he's learnt before or after meeting somebody. It's a hard thing to pretend to not know.

So it's a strange feeling, to just stand there sort of stupidly with a mouth full of clumsy insufficient words, while Latvia just straight up tells him. Like, it's... still not a lot. Peter's heard worse. But it's also true that they met, like, maybe half an hour ago, if we round up.

And then Latvia adds that bit there at the end! As if everything else hadn't been enough already! As if that's worth putting on a timeline alongside everything else.

"Er, it's not-- I don't," he fumbles, shrugging in a breezy way he hopes counteracts the fact that his voice is faltering too now. Good grief.

"I don't think that at all! I'm some kinda hardcase, alright-- I'm absolutely brilliant, I'm cool as hell. I've got the best taste in music anybody's ever seen and I can smack the Royal Navy so hard it puts their engines on backwards. I couldn't think lowly of myself if I tried."

"How-bloody-ever."

It's an assertive segue way in theory, but, he hesitates.

"... Like... okay. There's always, for ever and ever, going to be this, unavoidable awful shit goin' on-- I do know that, I don't think there were ever a time I didn't know-- but, like... you all as people still have got a choice in how to treat each other. Knowin' full well that the other guy's not got any real say in any of this, either. You know?"

"And you're tellin' me they take the chance to, I dunno, empathise I guess-- and they decide to say that to you instead. They don't say you ought to hang out here because they agree I'm cool as hell, that's not what anyone else sees of me and you know it-- they're sayin' that all of this,"

Peter has well and truly begun to upset himself by this point, though he keeps steady through it, intending to at least get to the point; he runs his fingers across the long line Latvia had drawn for himself, then looks up at him again, right in the eyes.

"This doesn't count, is what they mean. What you'd been put through-- apparently means you don't qualify? You and everyone you fight for. I could think as highly of myself as I pleased, and that wouldn't change anything about me in anyone else's minds. I know the way they see me, alright, it ain't a compliment, it just is what it is. But they've all been through their own private hells, they should know better! But to go the opposite way and use it as a cudgel instead. It's cruel is what it is. And for what? Like, who gains anything? It's cruel and pointless. They all know better."

Oh. Oh, that's a lot of post-it notes and new information to rapidly memorize. He's totally silent as Peter explains, looking from one image to another to Peter's face to his phone. Godzilla is familiar, but the others are entirely new. Will he be quizzed on this later? If he messes up, it will seem like he's not listening. Giant Pterosau, three-headed dragon, giant moth, Godzilla. Fighting. Huge. 2014 Godzilla is 68.3% - no, 68.8% the size of an Arleigh Burke-class Destroyer- When the timeline begins, the information is tossed aside in an instant as he makes sense of Peter's scale, fighting the urge to correct certain milestones and markers. The point remains the same: Raivis is a kaiju and Peter is a lizard of the non-giant-monster variety. It takes a moment to sink in, head tilting to the side. "Y-You're intimidated... by me?" His naturally-soft voice was even more hushed than usual, face teetering somewhere between amused and concerned to make a queasy sort of smile. "I'm the Godzilla?" Slowly he looks down to the timeline beneath him and, after a moment of consideration, lightly taps a bit to the right of 'Paper Invented'. "That's me, I-I think. More or less. Arthur was not around before dinosaurs, though. I think I may actually be older than him, though I'm not sure." The topic of age is a sensitive one if only for the fact that it stands in such stark contrast to how old he looks. All of his former peers have long since aged past him while Peter, who takes up such a tiny portion of the timeline, looks closer in age. Hell, the height difference would probably make most people assume Peter is the elder of the two. Again, a stretch of silence before he gingerly takes the marker from Peter, making a line nearly at the end of the paper, right of Peter's. 'Full independence'. Then, sliding back, back, all the way to a bit after gunpowder. Another mark: 'Livonian Crusades'. "This is the time I have been living directly under people, and this-" he moves back to the first mark he made, writing '1991' beneath, "-this is how long I've been able to live for myself, a-aside from a short period in the early 1900s. So, in a way, you have a headstart on that." He regards Peter once more and meets his eyes if he gets the chance. Might be staring a bit more than intended, actually. "You haven't been around for very long," Raivis relents. "That doesn't make you any less important as a person. L-Like I said before, if you think you are not important to the - to the kaijus," he sets a hand on his own chest, "if you aren’t important to them, then maybe they are the ones not worth your time. D-Do you really think so lowly of yourself that someone being told to spend time with you is an insult? Um, you don't need to be answering that. Is only meant to be something to reflect on." Once more on the timeline, he puts a mark at the very, very end. 'Met Peter.'