#he’s the secret third option everyone is always talking about

[chumpy1012]

gangrene? what, do Hank and John have a secret third brother we’ve never heard of?

[uraniumbones]

For those of you keeping up with the book of Bill and it's accompanying website and the bill cypher backstory. THE PARALLELS GOT ME FUCKED UP.

Spoilers incoming.

people love to talk about the dynamic between Stanford and Bill. Sure, interesting. But you know what people aren't talking about? Stanley and Bill. Specifically referencing the website (thisisnotawebsotedotcom.com)

If you input Stanley a bunch it will eventually open a new document instead of eBay pages. The page mocks Stanley and reveals his secrets or whatever. One of the clickable options on this page is "HOW HE BEAT ME". Each time you click into this is an increasingly deranged meltdown about how it shouldn't have been possible. Calling him a "cheap trick loving, past-denying overgrown child protected from failure only by a force field of denial and shamelessness" among other things. And when further pressed accuses you of acting like "those PREACHY INFANTILIZING AUTOMOTONS AT THE THERAPRISM who are SO OBSESSED with getting me to TALK about my "FEELINGS"." After that he spirals further eventually talking about "how much pain I'm in" and only in code admitting "I can still see through the eyes of everyone I've ever..." presumably killed.

If you don't know shit about Euclydia read the wiki page on it, it's not long. tldr Euclydia is bills home dimension, which he destroyed and killed every single inhabitant of in blood and fire. He did so (accidentally?) in an attempt to show them the third dimension which (because of a genetic mutation) only he had the ability to see (with his eye). Please also note when Stanford asks about his home dimension Bill says it was"destroyed by a monster".

In the website's many documents it repeatedly makes reference to Bill's parents and how much they loved him, his home, his childhood (he wore velcro sneakers it's actually incredibly cute), the ways in which he was different and not easily accepted.

Now knowing all these things. A pattern may emerge to you. Are you seeing it? Are you seeing the patterns yet?

Obviously Bill hates Stanley because he's stupid and still he somehow beat Bill. That's annoying, maddening even. But I believe it goes beyond that. He hates him all the more passionately because Stanley reminds him of himself. The poem at the end of the Stanley password on the website summarizes it best "always dragged his family down / One mistake, disowned, denied, / only thing to do was hide." Destruction of his own family, running and hiding from his own mistakes. "Reinvent, retry, reload" trying again in a new life. "When your actions make it worse, / When they see you as a curse," Making things worse where you have tried to make them better. "Give the wheel one last spin, / Take your chips and go all in" this is what weirdmagedon was for both of them. and this is where their lives differ "And lucky stan- the rolls on black, / he got his life and family back. / His big break it finally came, / Redemption from a life of shame." AND THERE IT IS. Stanley got his family back. Bill didn't. (Which is what it seems he was attempting). Stanley got his redemption. Bill didn't.

Stanley was a lonely kid fuck up just like Bill was. And he absolutely hates Stanley's guts for it because he hates his own guts for it. And all this time they're the same, just trying to fix those mistakes, to have their family back again, to be loved again. They both have this facade of untouchable aloof levity, the same insults Bill hurls at Stanley may as well be hurled at himself. "Protected from his failure only by a force field of denial and shamelessness"? "Cheap trick loving, past denying overgrown child"? You can see Bill goes from being outraged and insulting Stanley, to denying a deeper meaning to those feelings (and calling you a therapist), to talking about how much pain he is in (seemingly over all the people he killed in Euclydia), all without any specific prompting. Just pushing. Bill is the one that connected those things. Bill hates Stanley (at least partially) as an act of self hatred. Because he has made the same mistakes and can never forgive himself for them. AND (at least partially) because Stanley is not only just like him, but now just like him if he had succeeded. Stanley got his "Redemption from a life of shame". and in so doing actively prevented Bills.

Now do you see what I'm saying about THE PARALLELS?!

[sc0tters]

Repeated Moments | Quinn Hughes

summary: you and Quinn get a chance to see that your usual summer fling works all year round.

song: August - Taylor Swift

request: yes/no

warnings: bit of swearing, allusions to sex but nothing explicit.

word count: 1.41k

authors note: so the song August actually inspired the In His Arms series and I came up with it before this request came in. So I figured that I’d give you guys what was the other option that I had when building that series main character! If you want to see more of the celly you can find the playlist here!

He was never yours for long enough.

It started back in 2020 one night at the lake house when you two had far too much to drink and you ended up in Quinn’s room with your clothes on the floor and you tangled in his sheets.

There was a joke that you’d end up like that one day, Ellen saw the way you looked at her son. She saw the way he looked at you too. In fact the only people who didn’t see it was Alex, Jack and their other friends.

Luke didn’t see it but he walked in once when you were on Quinn’s lap making out with him and once you swore him to secrecy the youngest Hughes vowed to never tell a soul.

Despite the fact that you sat Quinn down swearing that what happened could never happen again because you believed your brothers friendship was more important than a quick fuck, it seemed to continue to happen.

After the third and fourth time that you landed up in his sheets it was clear that this was bound to be more than just a drunken evening.

Quickly it began your secret, you’d go to bed waiting until everyone fell asleep before you’d make your way to Quinn’s room making sure that you were back in your room by the time Alex was woke up.

Sure there were a few times that you two were almost caught, Jack went to the bathroom early one morning and saw you leaving his brothers room, Alex came to your room to give you a blanket once and was met with your empty bed. Cole thought he heard moans coming from Quinn’s room but he just assumed that it was him being sleep deprived.

The moment it all should have been caught was when Alex saw the hickey on your neck that you chalked off to be a burn from your curling iron, your hair had been straight all week but your brother still offered to get ice for you.

Things continued on for another summer always ending when the first one left the lake house.

A spanner was thrown into the works though when Luke invited you to his debut game because he knew you were in New Jersey for the week. The young Hughes boy had a soft spot for you because when he was like twelve you threatened to punch Jack and Trevor if they continued to tease him.

Quinn didn’t know you were going to there but the signs should have pointed to it. Ellen came with a box of your favourite fudge that only this one small candy shop in Michigan made, you were the only one on this planet Quinn knew who ate it. Jack and Luke had been talking about a girl coming with Trevor and how they were surprised that she willingly had him accompanying her on the flight.

Trevor was the kind of person that you used to put up with, he was nice don’t get yourself wrong but he literally spent the first four years of knowing you trying to flirt with you. Sure you appreciated the fact that he found you pretty but his efforts began to get irritating after a while. To put it nicely you loved Trevor but you loved him even more when he kept his mouth shut.

But recently it seemed that you two had grown close or at least that’s what it looked like to Quinn. The younger boys arm didn’t leave your shoulders when you first arrived. Originally it was because the box was packed and you had the kind of luck that would have you lost within seconds. But after a while it grew comfortable there much to Quinn’s dismay and as a result he forced himself to muster up the confidence to go over and tell Trevor to hit the road.

Every jealous bone in Quinn melted when he saw your face light up ��Quinny!” You giggled as you threw your arms around him, the moment was quickly interrupted with a scoff “how come I didn’t get that reaction?” Trevor pretended to act offended by it as he placed his hand on his chest. A smile formed on your lips as you placed a kiss on your middle finger before you flipped the younger boy off who ended up laughing as he walked off.

You got the chance to turn your attention back to the older boy “hi,” you giggled as you could still see the glare he was shooting at Trevor “Quinn?” You added as you snapped your fingers in front of his face.

Quinn forced a smile onto his face as he looked at you “what’s up?” He asked as you clearly now had his attention.

There was something on his mind that you were trying to figure out “you jealous?” You teased as you hadn’t really seen him like that before.

The boy let out a scoff “why should I be?” He shot back trying to play a defensive hand.

It was all clicking in your mind “you didn’t like how close he was getting to me!” You gasped as the Canucks player placed his hand over your mouth.

Quinn rolled his eyes as he could hear your muffled laugh from behind his hand “okay maybe a little,” he sighed as he dropped his hand “you’re cute when you get all jealous,” you teased as you leaned forward to kiss his cheek.

That seemed to hit a switch in his mind “fuck I missed you.” Quinn confessed as he wrapped his hands around your waist only being allow to give you a small hug as Ellen came over to you two the moment she saw your face.

the next morning

You groaned as you heard the noise of the knocks at your hotel room door “yeah?” You yawned as you swung the door open and were met with the younger of the two Hughes brothers “you know where Quinn is?” Luke asked as he sent you a smile when he held out a cup of coffee for you, it seemed that the boys made a pit stop on the way to your hotel.

Your lips pushed into a thin line “I haven’t seen Quinn since last night in the elevator,” you lied as you sipped the warm drink. You did see Quinn in that elevator, but it wasn’t the last time that you saw him.

Jack sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair “if you see him let us know?” He mumbled as Ellen had sent her sons on a mission to find him and they just thought that his best friends room would be a good place to start.

It was awkward “of course!” You nodded as you shut the door desperate to not say anything.

Quinn popped his head out from the bottom of your bed “you think they noticed me?” He asked as he cocked his head.

You fiddled with the ends of the shirt you were wearing “nope,” you looked like an absolute angel, hair all messy, lips swollen, the clear hickies that were beginning to form, and Quinn’s Canucks shirt.

Jack furrowed his eyebrows as he leaned against the elevator wall “what are you thinking about?” Luke could see that there was clearly something working in his mind.

The middle Hughes boy snapped his fingers “you see that Canucks shirt she was in?” He asked as the T-shirt looked like it came from a team development camp.

Luke began to think about it as he also had your oath he had in his mind “yeah,” it was that moment that the penny seemed to drop “oh my god!”

You and Quinn were totally oblivious to it all as you had both been in the shower to ‘save time’ “come back here!” Quinn’s complaint drew a laugh from your lips.

He wrapped his arm around your waist as he began to place kisses along your neck “Quinn!” You tried to move your head as the feeling of him was tickling your neck.

But all of a sudden when you went quiet the eldest Hughes boy stopped “what?” He asked as he scanned your face that was full of worry.

Alex 🖤: YOU FUCKED QUINN

Alex 🖤: I shouldn’t even be surprised

Alex 🖤: you did call him cute

Alex 🖤: on multiple occasions

Alex 🖤: just no making me an uncle just yet

“you think I’m cute all the time?”

“shut up,”

Maybe this time there will be more than enough time for you two.

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for asking someone out as a joke?

😥🙊

Normally I would never ask someone out as a joke but I thought it would be funny this time because of the situation!

So we are all in high school. I'm the youngest. I'm 16m, and everyone else involved are seniors. There is a girl in our friend group who I was pretty sure didn't like me. "Em".

We don't really get along, but Em's not too mean or anything. Sometimes, she disagrees with me just to disagree with me. An example is one time I was talking about how one of my classes was hard and she said "I don't think it's difficult" I'm in an AP class and she isn't, so she has no idea how challenging or unchallenging my classes are. Another time when she found out I liked dogs, she made fun of me for being 'one of those men who hates cats because I don't understand consent' I don't really know what that means. I like Jack Russell terriers. I wasn't aware that was indictive of some sort or personality trait or lack of boundaries. I also don't dislike cats so I'm not sure where it came from. She also shoots down every suggestion I make on principle. Once I suggested we go bowling, and she gagged, but then got excited about it when someone else in the friend group agreed with me and acted like it was the other friends idea. She's also made negative comments about my body, namely that I don't have a girlfriend because I don't work out and my arms are small. I'm the only one in the group she acts like this with.

I just always got the impression that she just did not like me in any way at all.

Em dumped her boyfriend 3 months before Prom because he was "boring" (her words) and wasn't sure what she was going to do. I jokingly suggested she take me to prom, with the joke being. "You don't like me, imagine being stuck with me at prom." Because we have never once had a normal conversation and I genuinely thought she disliked.

She agreed, and I thought she was matching my energy and I was like "ok hahaha"

One of our other friends came to talk to me about prom and I said I wasn't going, I'm too young. They said they thought I was going with Em. I replied "that was a joke because she kind of hates me?" And I was told she thought we were actually going to prom together.

The next time we were together I apologized and told her I thought we were joking about prom because she obviously doesn't like me.

She started crying and it was super awkward. She now isn't speaking to me at all. She says I embarrassed her and was needlessly cruel.

Our friends are divided but ultimately decided it's between us.

Some of our friends think it was just a miscommunication and not a big deal because they also thought Em disliked me and got the joke when I made it. Others think I was being a bit cruel to her but ultimately decided it was none of their business. There were secret third options as well but they still agreed that they didn't want to be involved in the drama.

She also left our friend group because the others chose not to get involved instead of backing her up. She sits with different people at lunch now (or so my older friends say).

There are two people who might see this from my friend group so I'm going to just here ask them: hey if you see this please don't not weigh in because you have a bias, thanks!

I also won't get defensive if I'm voted the asshole.

aita?

[shewolfofvilnius]

There is a huge part of me that is curious about dragon age because I love BG3 so much. But idk anything about it? Also none of the characters strike me as interesting (or attractive....) Maybe you could tell me what you like so much about ? maybe talk about the characters so I can give it a chance? I want to like it! but I just don't know!

I DIDN'T FORGET

So for me the first draw of Dragon Age is the incredible lore and worldbuilding that goes on in the games and books. It's arguably just as fleshed out as a setting like the Forgotten Realms despite just being three (soon four) video games and about a dozen books/comics. There's centuries of history. Ancient ruins. Environmental storytelling for days. A little visual cue in the first game that's referenced in optional banter in the third that pays off in the fourth (FIFTEEN years apart). I really appreciate that the first game, Dragon Age: Origins, only exposes you to part of the story. The game's set in a pestilence known as the Fifth Blight, and you're the plucky young adventurer that the grizzled old veteran manages to recruit out of a bad situation just before the end. And you and your friends are all that stand between victory and oblivion. But right off the bat there's storytelling about love and loss and prejudice and honor. There's a noble character who dies, leading to a coward being killed as the stakes are built. (There's also a dog you can pet, and moments to show kindness during armageddon, like a prisoner who just wants a sandwich before he dies, he hasn't been fed.)

And the banter is funny (if some of it's aged a bit unwell), and the gameplay really encourages you to get in the head of whatever character you want to build. Yes you can be the cliche prince charming. You can also be the sibling of a prostitute to pay the bills until your sister lands a high profile john who catches feels for her. From the start it's equal measures hopeful and bleak at the same time. (And as you invest in YOUR character emotionally, you inevitably emotionally invest in your companions too.) And gradually the world gets bigger. A character whose town you watch get destroyed becomes the protagonist of the second game, and they hook you in to. They're a refugee, a very timely story, and if they're a magic user, then they're an especially persecuted refugee. But you still make friends amidst the hopelessness. More of the world gets revealed. You have FUN, somehow. Characters from past games recur, either as cameos or in one very specific case as a high profile recurring character in 3 out of the 4. And you become so glad to see them as they represent continuity of story.

It's a game about family and faith and the lack thereof and prejudice and love and how one counters the other, about how persecuted people often pay the price of things that happened before their ancestors' ancestors were born, and that tomorrow should always be better than today.

That's thematic, though. Maybe you take a shine to Isabela the Pirate and Aveline the Guard Captain (maybe Merrill the blood mage elf, too). The three women basically form one of the best depictions of big/middle/little sister trios I've ever seen in a game. What starts out as cold hostility becomes banterful compassion and love. A lot of folks fell for Solas, an elven apostate whose every word is couched in three mysteries and two half-truths but seems to know way more than he's letting on. When you find out a horrible secret about the honourable Grey Warden Blackwall, do you leave him to his fate, try to redeem him, deliver a sufficient consequence, or outright torture him.

And you won't like everyone. The odds of you liking both the spirit-possessed mage Anders and the anti-magic elf Fenris in the same play of the same game are low unless you metagame it. And sometimes the games even rewards you for someone hating your ass or vice versa, and THAT'S organic. But being mean or having a negative interaction isn't some edgelord thing either, it's just "sometimes people don't get along" or "something you just need to punch someone"

You get to laugh at the tough stern warrior Cassandra getting absolutely beside herself wanting to know what happens in a book that it's writer, another of your companions, hated writing - and that even Cass herself calls smutty literature. Another character, The Iron Bull, is faced with a choice: His found family and the freedom to be who he's become, or the belief system he's known his entire life and that expects him to conform.

Does your character sacrifice? Does your character make the streets run red with blood? Is all you want to make people feel inspired and in something bigger than themselves? Even playing three (soon four) wholly new characters, you get to truly role-play and emotionally invest in these little blorbos, maybe even more strongly in Baldur's Gate. When a character returns you weren't expecting, is it joyful or melancholy? Can your character handle a confrontation of everything they've ever known.

And in the newest game, there's a baby griffon.

I love Dragon Age. The lore is expansive beyond sanity for a franchise with it's commercial output. The characters feel alive, and the game tasks you to emotionally invest in order to reap the maximum reward and suffer the strongest heartache. Plus, in many cases, when the game doesn't tell you, say about your character? You get to roleplay and use your imagination so, so strongly.

[thekingofthenameless]

Is Arthur a character in TKN, and if he is, what kind of role does he play? I know Uther is the Villain King of the story, and I was curious on how you planned to portray Arthur, if at all? 👀

Thanks for the ask! :D

For reference, this is Uther’s appearance in TKN!

He may look cool, but trust me, he’s not a good person at all.

He’s charming (superficially), lacking empathy and a sense of guilt, a pathological liar, inclined to psychologically manipulate, bold, impulsive, narcissistic, arrogant, inclined to violence…

The list goes on, and it’s because he’s a psychopath. The word is overused and misused, but I mean it in the (current) true definition. It can be caused by “genetic and environmental issues, such as neglect or abuse by parental figures”, from Wikipedia’s article covering it.

A few risk factors are also “family history, parental neglect, abuse, or psychological manipulation of the affected child”. And depending on how I characterize his father, Constantine (The Third possibly, but idk lol), he could’ve been a sweetheart who was abused into becoming a monster, or he was the monster all along.

Either way, he destroys everyone around him, intentionally or not. He harbors secret hate towards Merlin and Charlie, because neither of them are like him at all, besides both being blatantly magic.

Realizing there’s so much I haven’t thought about…

Back in Daylight’s Redemption: Emerald Embers, Merlin had been living at Camelot for 100 years when the story started (separated from Charlie at that point; I’ll say more about that in a different post). The order of the kings I had was Vortigern, Constantine, Uther, and Arthur. Vortigern is the only one who isn’t explicitly related to them, but he was who I was going with.

The order of the kings still makes sense to me? But I don’t know how long Merlin and Charlie would’ve been living at Camelot before “present day”. T_T

Anyways, Uther is a sun coded character, like Merlin is subtly moon coded with his earrings!

Camelot has the sun as its insignia, making Merlin’s moon motifs seem like he’s rebelling against the royals’ authority. (He is. Secretly.)

Merlin actually had moon motifs back in Daylight's Redemption, to match Morgana! But when I started The King of the Nameless, I wasn't sure who the brutal sun character would be for a while, since at the "beginning" of the story, Morgana isn't even alive yet. And of course, she isn't the Morgana from Tales of Arcadia. (I'll talk more about her later.) Ignore the tag for Morgana lol; that's for ToA's version, not mine.

Finaly had a stroke of genius and decided it would be Uther! That was before he'd been designed lol, so now that he was going to have that coding, I wanted to finally give him one.

It was... difficult. He was being a bitch to design along with just. being a bitch in general. Forgot he was supposed to be 25, so I kept making dudes in their 40s in the game Dragon's Dogma, and I also couldn't decide if I wanted him to be handsome or ugly. To past me, “the first option would show that evil people can be handsome too, but I don't still don’t want people simping for him. The second option might make it unintentionally seem like 'Oh of course he’s evil! He’s ugly!’”

Made a poll asking if I should make him handsome or ugly, and handsome won! After that, I think I finally gave up and commissioned Merlin's first artist, using some references at the bottom of the post.

That's how his design finally came to be!

Then after that, his backstory that I really need to update at some point went through multiple revisions.

Idea 1: Listened to “Monster” from Epic the Musical and thought of him not always being evil until his father died; (magically related, presumably) he saw his brother, Aurelius, who was the older brother and king at this point in time, struggling under the weight of the crown and blamed it on magic doing this. Then as he grew up with Merlin as one his mentors, he realized that Merlin was insane (read: mentally ill) and felt like he was losing him, and presumed his magic did it to him.

His brother died, and his feelings towards magic taking everything from him only increased. Logical solution is, of course, eradicating magic completely so no one else would get hurt because of it (and starting with murdering Merlin). I had no idea how that would fit in with Igraine.

I didn't want to retcon Uther’s character, but I also thought a kind character becoming a monster was peak. I had no idea who a different character could be though.

Idea 2: Constantine sucked ass and Merlin basically raised Uther, but the latter's biological father still managed to get into Uther’s head that Merlin was crazy. That cued the complicated feelings of not wanting the one who raised him to die, while also thinking he needed to be put out of his misery so he wouldn't suffer anymore, and the misguided offspring betrayal. Seemed like a tragic villain at this point, and once again couldn't figure out how to make Igraine fit. He also started planning the magical genocide behind Merlin’s back because he knew that Merlin would never agree, and his reasoning was that magic took his father and brother, and he wouldn’t let that happen to anyone else.

Idea 3: Make Aurelius the asshole brother to fit the previous two ideas. Or Uther was still an asshole and he was dead. Or he faked his death or something.

@danhengsbestie and I got mixed up while talking about the third idea, and she thought I meant make Uther good and Aurelius evil, but I meant keep Uther evil and Aurelius good. She liked his design and though he could be a good guy, and that I could give him a more heroic treatment. I disagreed because if you know what he did to Igraine (and Gorlois afterwards) in the Legends, then you know.

Made another poll. Uther won, so that's what I kept.

If anyone wants to hear more about Uther, and Igraine, Gorlois, and that whole situation, send me an ask? 👀 There's some dark things there so I'd put it in a separate post so people can avoid it if they need to. Also this is getting a bit long even without their designs and things...

Ending Uther's bit with this: something funny about Charlie’s personality changing is that at one point Uther hated him for “being like him (and he doesn’t realize it)” but now their personalities are vastly different lol.

Compared to Uther’s above traits, Charlie’s serious, brave, protective (of Merlin), compassionate (towards Merlin), as well as fierce but loving and loyal, who sometimes takes a little bit longer to care about people than Merlin due to personality differences. He'll readily state his opinions and start arguments without caring, as well as having no qualms about staring people down while gauging their personality and threat level. Was at first completely normal but is now Fucked Up too.

Arthur:

I... have no official design for this dude yet. But like in many of the Legends, he's the son of Uther and Igraine! He's also the older sister of Morgana.

These are just a few of his portrayals in media, in order: King Arthur by Charles Ernest Butler, N. C. Wyeth's title page illustration for The Boy's King Arthur (1922), The Sword in the Stone (1963), The Quest for Camelot, Once Upon A Time, Merlin (2008), and Tales of Arcadia.

These are a couple of beta designs I made before I realized I wanted him to look younger, like his father, and these are also from before Uther got designed lol.

I also made a couple of Picrews for him, but now when I look at them I'm like: "Why are you white."

Because this is the color swatch I picked directly from Morgana's skin, and while her original artist said she could be any race or gender I wanted since she was designed to be ambigious, I went with her being Greek after @honeyxmonkey suggested it!

Decided to attempt another design for him while making this post, and I'm not set on it, but for now this is him lol.

I think he looks like Krel from Tales of Arcadia. 💀

Anyways, onto his portrayal!

Or former portrayal. Apparently most of this is not updated information. I'm so sorry to disappoint lol.

Some of this is a combination of Daylight’s Redemption and TKN content.

DR, January: I was thinking about Arthur struggling with trusting his magic his whole life because of Uther’s upbringing, in spite of Merlin and Morgana proving that magic can be good instead of doing an abrupt 180 as soon as Guinevere dies. Because most fics either have him hating magic the whole fic regardless of logical timelines, or have the 180, but I was thinking the struggle would be interesting because it contrasted Gwen, who’s loved magic her whole life and he loves her, Merlin, and Morgana enough to keep trying to fight his father’s opinions drilled into.

Then it’s all thrown down the drain when Bellroc stabs him and the Order makes him the Green Knight.

And Gwen dying also pushed him over the edge of after all his trying and launching the genocide out of grief despite Merlin and Morgana’s pleas.

TKN, January: Despite me starting to change the newly titled writing into a book, Guinevere was still dead due to magical means, and Arthur still started the genocide out of grief.

February: I realized Merlin being more open with his emotions meant he actually told people about his visions, which made it even more gutwrenching when Merlin told Arthur about his vision of the latter committing the magical genocide, and he was so grief stricken he did it anyways because he felt like Uther was right about everything he taught him despite him being dead for years at this point.

March: He was going to be one of four of Merlin’s adopted kids: him, Guinevere, Morgana, and Mordred. Which is very weird compared to now, where Merlin only has Charlie as his adopted kid lol. I’ll elaborate more on him and Charlie in an ask @gaylightisminetocommand sent!

Arthur was adopted first because Uther was severely lacking as a father figure (to say the least). Guinevere came to Camelot every summer to hopefully become friends with Arthur because the two were betrothed (Swan Princess, anyone?). And they did bond pretty much immediately! Morgana was adopted because at that point, she also lived in Camelot, and Uther was just as amazing with her. Same with Mordred.

Currently: Something that will stay the same from my most recent version is Arthur being nicer than some portrayals, such as Once Upon A Time, where, according to the casting call, is “a good and just ruler who, beneath the surface, is a master manipulator who can carry a grudge to the grave, and maybe beyond. He harbors an eternal burning love for Guinevere that can lean toward being a bit... controlling.”, or Tales of Arcadia, where he enacts a magical genocide after Guinevere dies. (Back then, this was because of Merlin’s influence, but if that stays the same Merlin will be more of a mentor figure than a parental one.)

Also, Mordred is still going to be related to him, but he isn’t his son like the Legends. Especially not through his mother being Morgana (or Morgause depending on the version). They’re both Arthur’s half-sisters, and there won’t be any incest in TKN at all. Mordred also won’t bring around the end of Camelot lol. I think.

Also also, he’s a great older brother to Morgana, and he and Guinevere actually have a wholesome marriage! He never has any lovers besides her, and they rule Camelot as equals.

To apologize for the lack of information, I’m also going to yap about Guinevere and Morgana!

Guinevere:

I actually have more of a set design for her!

I could've SWORN she's usually blonde at first, so I made that design first, but most images I found depict her with brown hair. So now… I can’t decide if I like blonde or brunette better. 😭

Back in January, when I was first coming up with new ideas, I thought of Morgana being a teenager instead of a grown woman like usual, and at this point, she was the child produced by ahem. The if you know thing. Her being so much younger when Uther died and being the result of the Uther thing™️ instead of Arthur caused her a lot of insecurity, but Guinevere didn’t care about the circumstances of her birth because it wasn’t her fault, and basically became an older sister to her. When she died, Morgana was shattered.

Debated on if I was going to keep her dead or not as I went through more revisions, and finally decided not to :] She’s gonna live!!!

Back when Merlin had four kids, I was debating on if he possibly would have three instead, since her just coming every summer might not be enough for him to be a dad to her. At the very least, they’d have been friends.

In her current version, she still loves Morgana, and she’s an older sister figure to her like before. And a line in God Games from Epic: the Musical applies to her: “Never once has he cheated on his wife”. The Lancelot affair destroying the round table doesn’t occur, and we love a loyal queen!

Morgana:

Like Merlin, she’s gone through a few design changes.

This was her first design! And I still think she looks cute :) It’s very different from her current one though lol.

This was way back when I first started TKN! I was thinking of inverting Arthur and Morgana’s usual designs, and making him have black hair, and her have blonde hair.

I’ll go through her ton of backstory changes like Merlin and Charlie first and reveal her design at the end!

As I said, originally, she was Uther’s daughter produced by that, a bastard child because Uther wasn’t married to her mother. He hated her because of it, even though it was the consequences of his own actions.

In the og Arthurian Legends, the result was Arthur, but I forgot which sibling it was, so I had to Google it, and I also wanted Morgana angst. Uther also treated her like shit for having magic; she was eight when it first started.

He only let Merlin train her in magic so she wouldn’t become a monster, but unbeknownst to them, he was secretly sending assassins in attempts to rid himself of her (and he might have done it to Merlin too).

Also I wasn’t very smart lol, because then I couldn’t decide if she or Arthur was going to be Igraine’s child but… in Arthurian Legends they’re both her kids. I thought they were half-siblings through Uther, not her. That’s part of why Morgana was the bastard child first, but then I couldn’t decide which one it was going to be, and apparently. I didn’t have to and I’m just stupid.

Like how I forgot Arthur was the original child by Uther in the Legends. 😭 But in my defense, I may have been thinking of BBC Merlin where they were actually half-siblings through Uther.

After my realization, I was thinking about how Merlin would become Morgana’s surrogate father because of her being Igraine and Gorlois’ daughter, and Uther wouldn’t have any claim to take her to Camelot that way; so maybe they would actually die of old age later on, and then she was taken to Camelot. (Uther was possibly still alive because he was forcing Merlin to keep him immortal. Idk. Or Arthur and Gwen were ruling Camelot by then and he wantsd to take in the half-sister he’s never met.) So anyways, she latched onto Merlin because he was nice just like her parents were, and he was magic just like her, and as much as her parents had loved her, they had never known what it was to be magic in a world that hated you.

But then @danhengsbestie said killing them off was rude lol.

Then I thought that maybe actually she could start coming to Camelot every summer or something so Merlin could teach her magic. And then she has three parents.

When Guinevere dies, she and Arthur were both heartbroken, and her grief got even worse when Arthur launched the genocide against magical beings despite her and Merlin’s pleas.

She couldn’t take being in the castle after Gwen’s funeral, and she goes out to the forest, where my equivalent of the Arcane Order at this point found her.

“Nari” sensed her soul and how much pain she was in, and they decide that her grief and young age makes her a prime target for them.

They easily manipulate her into being their pawn, and the “fight” between Merlin and her was him getting her to stand down after he tells her who they truly are.

But no one else was taking her unintentional betrayal well…

Well, that was wild. It’s gonna get even worse with Merlin and Charlie’s post lollll.

Another idea I had was Morgana getting a prosthetic arm later, like how ToA Morgana got the prosthetic hand.

And a day later, I found an adoptable that I decided was perfect! I was so glad they (designed to be an ambiguous gender as well as race lol) were still available, because I would’ve been crushed. 😭 I couldn’t believe nobody had snagged them.

They didn’t have a name either when I got them lol, but I saw them and I was like “Ohh that’s beautiful!! WAIT THAT WOULD BE A PERFECT MORGANA DESIGN”

I thought it was hilarious that I had the idea for her to have a prosthetic arm and then not even a day later bam. art.

I still have to figure out how she loses her arm and part of her left ear, along with getting the scars on her face.

The one thing that’s stayed consistent about her is being a lesbian! :D Like ToA’s is.

Back when Uther was still her stepfather, I had an idea for him being so despicable that he yelled at Morgana after she lost her arm for being that “careless” when she’d just woken up at Camelot after passing out from the blood loss and being bandaged up. Yeah that definitely won’t happen now.

I wasn’t actually going to make her Greek at first, but when I was making a reference sheet for her, her skin color came out as various shades of brown when I used a color picker tool. Before, I thought she was white because of the lighting. I thought it was my mistake, so I asked her original artist if he had a possible race for her, and he said I could decide.

Like I said, @honeyxmonkey suggested her being Greek after saying she looked vaguely Latina lol, and I ran with it! I also made a few Picrews of her during the figuring out her race part, and you can see how she changed! The third one is actually still a little bit lighter than her color swatch lol.

Oh also, she gets a familiar eventually! :D Her name is Willa!

Since Charlie is one of the biggest animal familiars currently existing, she’ll definitely be smaller than him, but other than that I don’t have a current size for her lol.

Artist credits: Soberana Art (on Artstation) MuriWorks (on DeviantArt), inn13art (on DeviantArt)

Picrew credits: brightgoat, romanapologist/hotvanilla, baydews

Links to their individual posts, if applicable: Uther reveal, Original Uther concepts, Uther design poll, Uther moral alignment poll, Original character, (1, 2,) Young Arthas Menethil, 3rd Uther reference), King Arthur, N. C. Wyeth's illustration, The Sword in the Stone Arthur, The Quest for Camelot Arthur, Once Upon A Time Arthur, BBC Arthur, ToA Arthur, ADOPTABLE - Machine Amongst the Flowers (on DeviantArt) Willa (on DeviantArt). (also a few more links throughout the post lol)

Taglist: @gaylightisminetocommand, @the-arson-author-gamer, @honeyxmonkey, @danhengsbestie, @falki-of-the-vanir

[t0ast-ghost]

S3 EP20 (The Way To Eden) Space hippies? I love an episode where someone slightly annoying is on board

Yippee kyack or whatever:

- What. The costume designs here are. I’m not even sure

- Purple hair? I bet they have pronouns too

- CHEKOV LORE?!?

- Time to ask: What the fuck is happening (edit: record time)

- Where did Spock even come from? Kirk was talking to the group and he just walks over to Spock like Spock is just always there. When did he appear???

- Spock picking up on their behaviour and copying it in a way that will get them to respond positively

- The writers created a myth about a planet. And named the planet Eden. C’mon.

- when they just start chanting Herbet it’s like Kirk becomes instantly uncool. I think if a bunch of middle schoolers just started chanting a random name at me I’d cry

- “One of those… was in the academy?” What the fuck Kirk

- I can’t tell if this episode is going to be very against the group (like Kirk is right now) or if their side of the argument will be validated to some extent (I have a feeling they might be validated cause Spock understands them and also stated that they were academic) (edit: it was a secret third option)

- idk I like this photo

- The singing sounds so off from the images, it was most likely added in post production

- “Gonna crack my knuckles and jump for joy, I got a clean bill of health from Dr. McCoy.” Goes kinda hard tbh

- NURSE CHAPEL YEAHHHHHHH. Hiiiiii

- That redshirt who looks at Chekov in the hallway is such a bitch for that look

- Kirk’s tits McCoy cracking the case. Good job👍

- Oh hi Sulu! Don’t join a cult !

- *sits down in chair and crosses leg over knee*

- Spock is so pretty ☺️☺️☺️

- Spock keeping his promise and finding Eden for the others even if the leader is a selfish prick

- We get to see Spock’s room again, I love Spock’s room, like why is there a stone statue water fountain in there? What is that?

- Chekov don’t tell her how the ship works. Do not divulge important information

- This is like the Star Trek tos musical episode, isn’t it?

- SPOCK Yes! Please play please please please please llssezz

- I like when it switches to the redshirts on the bridge just straight up jamming

- C’mon man. LOOK AT HIM

- HES JAMMING OMG SPOCKS JAMMING

- I need McCoy and Kirk to witness this

- Spock is done at the function. He leaves.

- “Adam, you know I reach you. I believe in what you seek. But there is a tragic difference between what you want and what he wants.” Spock really connects with them and it’s upsetting to see him have to witness them being misled

- At this point that guy is gonna blow up the ship

- Kirk doesn’t fuck around. If the door is locked Scotty’s gonna phaser through that fucker

- I can’t with Kirk’s faces rn

- I love the singing playing through the ship with everyone passed out, it’s such a perfect amount of eerie

- Kirk checking on Bones 🥹🥹🥹

- hiii McCoy hiiii

- I never noticed that the scanner could be uncapped and used as a healing device?

- Adam ate a pear lol

- I did NOT want to see that foot shot

- I like that Spock has such a soft side for the younger people in the show. Like he always has a sense of pride towards Chekov and cared so much about everyone in the group this episode

Thoughts are: Spock is good with kids, Kirk is terrible with kids, and McCoy is just himself always so there’s a reason he’s not a paediatrician but he’s still good with kids

Masterpost

Teleplay by Arthur Heinemann

Story by Michael Richards & Arthur Heinemann

[king-bumis-armpit]

Best Friends

Written for Maiko Week 2024 - Jealousy

Summary: For as long as he could remember, Mai has loved Zuko. This was ingrained in him, just as he learned that fire is very hot and not safe to touch. It has always been a plain truth and one that upsets him. Zuko also loves Mai, he assumes. But Tom-Tom knows that he loves Mai the most. 

Alternatively: how Mai’s little brother perceives her relationship throughout the years.

Author’s Note: Big stretch of the prompt this time, lol. I love Tom-Tom so much and I have THOUGHTS about Mai’s relationship with him. It’s actually one of the things that I think the comics portrayed well. Also, this is a third person perspective, but I tried to write with Tom-Tom’s tone kind of. I hope it’s not too distracting.

Cross-posted to Tumblr and AO3 <3

WC: 2,234

For as long as he could remember, Mai has loved Zuko. This was ingrained in him, just as he learned that fire is very hot and not safe to touch. It has always been a plain truth and one that upsets him. Zuko also loves Mai, he assumes. But Tom-Tom knows that he loves Mai the most.

When Tom-Tom was really little, he vaguely remembers that he wasn't as close with his older sister. Both of his parents still lived together, and they would shower him with affection whenever they were around. When they weren't, he was usually left under the supervision of the household servants. However, they didn't watch him as closely and that suited him just fine. He was free to crawl around his house and see things most people didn't. He crawled under the dining room table and found some knicks from Mai fiddling with her knives at meals. He went into his mother’s closet and tried on her big pointy shoes. He snuck into his father's office and ate his secret stash of sizzle crisps. He knew he could have gotten in trouble, but what else was he supposed to do? It was boring in that big house with no one to play with.

Despite his exploring, he often wished for a friend. Everyone in the stories his mom read him at bedtime had a best friend. Mom definitely didn’t qualify. She seemed to think that playing was letting him hold his stuffed platypus bear while she talked with her friends. And dad was always busy working. Mai normally had school or was at the palace with the princess, but ultimately he decided she was the best option. 

When she was at home, she would stack all of his blocks into tall towers and they would take turns knocking them over by throwing things at them. One time, he wanted to stack ALL of the blocks into the biggest tower possible. He wasn’t tall enough, but Mai helped and she even held him up so that he could reach the tip top and place the last block. Mai let him have the first throw, and when he failed to hit the tower she missed on purpose to give him another go. Tom-Tom knew that Mai let him win sometimes, but he wasn’t too proud to accept her help. On his next toss, he hit the base of the tower and came down in a deafening crash. He laughed and Mai smiled, which in and of itself was pretty rare. Then she helped him clean everything up before mom came home. Normally he left his messes for the servants, but he liked doing things with Mai. She was the most interesting person he knew.

At the end of that day, he asked her the all important question. He pointed to her and then himself: “Best fwends?”

Mai nodded. “Best friends.”

— —

When he came home from New Ozai– no, Mai told him to call it Omashu– it seemed like his sister was always busy! She went to the palace almost every day. Apparently she was “dating” the new Fire Lord, whatever that meant. 

Before, when he would ask her to spend time with him, she always said that she didn’t have anything better to do. But apparently, Zuko was better than best friends. 

Sometimes mom would make Mai take him on these dates. He had to admit they were kind of fun. Zuko would take them on picnics and Tom-Tom could chase glow moths while Mai and Zuko talked about boring adult stuff. And Zuko alway packed Mai’s favorite foods, which were also Tom-Tom’s favorite foods.

But Tom-Tom still preferred the days when Mai would take him out alone. Instead of talking with her stupid boyfriend, she would catch moths with him. Or– if it was still daylight– she would show him her blades. She wouldn’t let him use them, but she would set up targets for him to practice hitting with sticks. It was just like their block game!

Maybe Zuko was her new best friend– he was too afraid to ask– but she was still his.

— —

Mai was crying. Mai never, ever cried. Tom-Tom didn’t know what to do. Mom told him to leave his sister alone, but when he cried he didn’t want to be alone. She had broken up with Zuko yesterday. At first Tom-Tom had been thrilled, but now he felt like his happiness had burnt out. He needed to make sure that she was okay.

He opened the door to her bedroom as carefully as he could. It was tricky because he could only just reach the door handle, but he managed to make his way inside. Mai sat on her bed holding a picture of herself and Zuko. 

When she noticed Tom-Tom, she set the picture aside and reached out for him. He ran into her arms. They sat like that for a few minutes while Mai slowly stopped crying. He used his pudgy palms to wipe the tears off her cheeks. 

Mai attempted a smile. “How do you feel about ice cream?” 

They spent the day in the market. It started with ice cream. And then they had to balance out the sweetness by getting fireflakes. But the fireflake stand was next to the toy store. And the toy store was next to the bookstore. 

Tom-Tom babbled happily the whole time. He knew it was important to keep his sister distracted so she didn’t get sad. Mai didn’t say much, but she listened intently as always and she let him cajole her into one stop after another until it started to get late. 

“We should probably head back home, kiddo,” Mai said. He could tell her eyes were getting glassy again.

And then something caught his attention, at the end of the street, a portrait painter was beginning to pack up for the day.

“One more!” Pleeeeeease!!” Mai followed his gaze.

“You want to get a picture?” she asked.

“A new picture! With us! No Zuko.” 

He looked up at her hopefully, and Mai let out her first real smile of the day. “Okay, kiddo. Let’s go.”

She asked the painter if he could do one last portrait for the day. She gave him a handsome tip, and he happily obliged. That night, Mai and Tom-Tom hung the picture in her room together. 

When Mai tucked him into bed, she gave him an extra forehead kiss and whispered, “Thank you for being my best friend.”

— — 

When Mai and Zuko got back together, Tom-Tom tried to learn to appreciate Zuko more. He liked how Mai always smiled when he was around. And he liked hanging out with Kiyi while Mai and Zuko had their dates. And Zuko always sent fruit tarts to their house. As the years passed, they got closer. Nonetheless, Tom-Tom was still surprised when he received an invitation to go to the palace after school one day. 

He was 10 years old now, and he was very pleased with how things were going. He finally had his own group of friends. He didn’t need Mai to sit with him to fall asleep (unless he had a nightmare which was very rare, thank you very much). And his studies were going well. 

So, he didn’t like the prospect of a royal summons shaking things up. To make matters worse, the invitation arrived during his lunch period and all of his friends saw him receive a letter with the royal seal. How embarrassing! 

Now he was sitting in his final class pondering what to do. Ignoring a royal summons had to be illegal, right? Would he end up in prison like his dad? No, Zuko probably wouldn’t lock him up or anything, since Mai would be angry. On the other hand, mom would be super upset if he had an opportunity to “network” and he passed it up. Tom-Tom sighed. It didn’t help that Zuko’s portrait was staring him down from the front of the room. At long last, the teacher dismissed them, and Tom-Tom decided that he had to see what Zuko needed. After all, it would make Mai happy.

He had been to the palace loads of times, but never without his mom or his sister. It was strangely daunting. He handed his invitation to the guards at the gate and he was made to stand in line with a lot of older people in very official looking robes. He tugged awkwardly at the sleeve of his uniform.

“Hiya Tom!” Thank Agni, Kiyi appeared to rescue him.

“Hey Kiyi, do you know why your brother needed to see me?” 

Kiyi smiled brightly. “I’ll leave that for him to tell you. C’mon, he definitely didn’t want you to stand in this line.”

An old man with a very long beard glared down at them. Tom-Tom shifted nervously under the scrutiny. “Umm… It’s okay. I don’t mind waiting.”

Kiyi laughed, “Trust me. It would be good for Zuko to talk to you as soon as possible.”

She grabbed his hand and dragged him away. Kiyi was very headstrong, and she always pushed him past his comfort zone. Sometimes Tom-Tom found this liberating, a nice counter balance to all his mom’s rules, and sometimes he found it extremely unnerving. This was the second case. They marched straight past nobles and ministers and Fire Sages until they reached the front of the line. The attendant at the door to the throne room bowed to Kiyi and let them in as soon as the current petitioner left. 

Zuko was sitting at a low table beneath the dais. His hand was a fist and he was chewing his thumbnail nervously. He normally kept the wall of fire unlit, except in ceremonial situations, but today the flames were sputtering in and out. It was very distressing to see the ruler of his nation in such a vulnerable position, but Kiyi laughed out loud. 

“Stop worrying, Zuzu! Tom-Tom is here to help.”

“He’s here?” Zuko stood up and the flames behind him died. “Come in. Come in. Take a seat.” As Tom-Tom approached the table, Zuko shoved a stack of very official documents on the floor and called for a servant to bring tea. Thankfully, Kiyi stayed and sat with them.

She cleared her throat, prompting Zuko to speak. “Hi, uh, Zuko here.” Kiyi snorted, but he continued. “I’ve been thinking a lot about my relationship with your sister.”

At this point, Tom-Tom was internally having a panic attack. What was happening? Why was Zuko freaking out? Was Zuko going to use him to break up with Mai? He had heard that Zuko broke up with her over a letter the last time. Even at ten years old, he knew that was a huge mistake. Maybe Zuko thought breaking up by proxy was more honorable. But what should Tom-Tom do? He would probably have to fight him for Mai’s honor or something. Spirits, this was going to be a disaster. 

Tom-Tom tried to imitate Mai and filled his voice with as much steel as he could. “Go on.”

Zuko visibly tensed up at his tone. “I– I know that you’re the most important person in her life, and so I need your help. I… I want to propose.”

Tom-Tom first felt relief, and then a new panic. Mai already split her time half and half between the palace and the flower shop. Now she was going to leave him behind completely. His whirlwind of emotions must have been visible on his face because Zuko quickly continued: “I know this is going to be a big change for you. But Mai and I talked about this a little bit in the past.” His face flushed. “And we agreed that you and your mother are welcome to move in with us. Your aunt too, but Mai figured she would want to stay near the flower shop. You can have your pick of any of the bedrooms.”

Tom-Tom took a breath and composed himself. “Of course! Mai’s going to be so happy.”

Zuko brightened up, and the fires behind him blazed, seemingly without his notice. “You really think so?”

Tom-Tom smiled back. “I do.”

Zuko sighed in relief. “That’s good. Mai always says that you’re her best friend, so I trust your opinion more than anyone else.” Tom-Tom finally started to feel calm again. Mai obviously loved Zuko, but she loved him too. She had made a place for him in her future plans. And she considered him to be her best friend.

“So what do you need me for?” Tom-Tom asked.

“I had some ideas, but I was hoping you could help me come up with a plan to ask her.” 

The tea arrived and Zuko dismissed the rest of his visitors for the day. Kiyi had someone send a message to his home to let his mom know that they were having an impromptu playdate. The three of them began masterminding Mai’s perfect date.

— — 

It was almost dark out by the time Tom-Tom arrived home. Mai greeted him at the door. “I was getting worried about you, kiddo. It’s late.”

“Sorry, Kiyi and I got a bit carried away.”

Mai smiled. “That’s okay. I’m glad you two are friends.”

Tom-Tom felt a wave of happiness wash over him. “Yeah, but you’re my best friend.” 

She pulled him into a hug, “Always.”

[wordsbymae]

"They ain't lap dogs you know, they're working dogs and you spoil em too much" but mousey is for sure his lap dog lmao

so now farmer finally has them. what now? would he propose, not like in the the other AU when he is older? or would he just start going around the town telling people about his little wife/husband/spouse? because, what is little mouse supposed to do? they just can't say no to the only person that is so nice to them, the only person that takes care and protect them (or so the farmer say). mousey must return the favour.

I literally was going to answer about an hour ago but got completely distracted by making a mood board for the farmer's two dogs cause you reminded me of them. whoops!

Anyway!

Oh for sure!!!! He doesn't need his boys to be his lap dogs when he has the prettiest thing all to himself.

There is no way on God's green earth he will ever actually propose. Don't get me wrong, he wants nothing more than to marry his little mouse and put a ring on it. But actually courting them? Actually having to be vulnerable and open himself up to rejection?

Never ever going to happen.

I can see this going really two ways, there is a third secret option but that's for later.

The first way is he just starts acting like you're married. Tells everyone in town he can't stay too long or the missus/ his partner will be getting worried. Gushes about your cooking to anyone who will listen makes it clear that he's got a sweet little thing waiting all for him back at home. Carries a Polaroid picture of you hugging Pancho, with a big wide smile and while Lefty sooks in the corner. He'll show it off whenever he has the chance, talking about you and your boys.

Those who watched you two that day at the farmers' market just nod their heads with smiles and wish him all the best. He probably starts even wearing a plain gold band. Proud to show it off.

Meanwhile, the reader is confused when the very rare times they leave the farm everyone wishes them congratulations (and asks if any kids will be coming).

Mouse brings it up to the farmer and tells them they don't want people getting the wrong idea. They're just friends. The farmer just laughs at this.

"It's a bit too late to stop them from getting the wrong idea Mouse"

He practically gaslights them, I mean what's the big problem? Who cares if a few town folks think they got hitched. They are living together. You do act like a homemaker. You can't blame anyone for thinking you two had been married for years. The only thing stopping you two from actually being seen as truly married is the lack of a ring on your finger and you not being in his bed.

And would it really be so bad? Being his?

He's been so good to you. So kind. Like how a real husband would act. He looks after you and protects you. Buys you the prettiest things and asks nothing in return.

But now he is. Now he's asking for payment. Be his little homemaker in law as well and he'll take care of you like he always has.

You can't say no. You quit your job when your cottage burned down, just as the farmer told you to.

"I'll look after you mouse. Until you get back on your feet of course"

No one is hiring in town and even if you did get a job you wouldn't be able to buy or even rent a house. There was nowhere to go. There was taking the chance on living on the streets but wouldn't it just be easier to just say yes?

He was kinda right. You've already practically been his stay-at-home sweetheart, how bad would it be if you put a ring on your finger. This is everything you've ever wanted. To be his pretty spouse, him all to yourself.

So why did it feel so wrong?

The second is mostly fem reader but he would not be against baby trapping. If for even one moment he thought you would say no to being his wife, he would resort to baby trapping. I always view this fic set in the 60s or 70s (maybe even 50s) so there would be no way you could leave him with a babe in your belly. You would have no husband and no support. So of course you don't really have a choice. You're already on thin ice living with a single man, but that was something you could cover by explaining why. But a baby? That can't be hidden, can't be explained away. So as soon as you knew, the farmer would have a priest ready and waiting.

Tag list: @floraroselaughter

[sureokyeahwhatever]

i finished vampire the masquerade bloodlines after chipping away at it for a couple weeks after work. Those first 2/3rds of the game are a genuine masterpiece, but man, that last third gets really, really weird and racist.

The thing is, is that I actually have very little to say about that first 2/3rds. It's just good. The design is great, it's well balanced, it's open ended, it has great characters. It's wonderful. This part of the game feels like a real, worthy successor to Deux Ex. There's just nothing more to say, I think.

...

And that's why I almost have a hard time believing it's written by the same people as the last bit. The whole game up to that point (up to just before chinatown) is pretty darn smartly written with some relatively cogent social commentary. The quality of the missions also takes a really, really steep dive in that section too (lots of run and gun hallways, lots of extremely buggy areas, shitty boss fights, etc. But that's honestly understandable because balancing the endgame of an ImSim is practically impossible). Idk, it feels like a totally different game. I could almost just forgive all of that though, if it weren't for the ungodly and seemingly genuine racism with regards to the east Asian vampires.

Like. Ok. If we're being VERY charitable and we just flatly forgive all of the misguided-though-not-malintentioned 2000s era attempts at humor-via-stereotype (dialogue options referencing "tentacles" directed at a young japanese woman; old chinese guys who are always loud and drunk; jingoistic WWII-surviving japanese soldier; Chinese businessman speaking in riddles and mentioning the I-Ching; so on and so on) the whole handling of the "chinese vampire" storyline is psychotically racist.

You first hear of these guys -- the Kuei-Jin, which I learn from the wiki is a portmanteau of the Mandarin word for ghost and a the Japanese word for person, which... ok. -- as being basically like animals. They slaughter who ever they see, lots of people in the bourgeois faction see them as a nuisance, the people in the anarchist faction see them as "invaders from the east," which already had me like "Jesus fucking Christ, maybe these anarchist guys aren't cool after all". But anyway, you go to Chinatown to talk to them and -- by my estimation -- they were basically the same as everyone else. They're protective of their territory, they're secretive, they're paranoid of outsiders... I mean, yeah, they're fucking vampires and apparently all the other vampires see them as sub-human, so yeah, I'd be paranoid and secretive around me too.

The thing is, is that you have this anarchist friend who you tell everything to -- Jack -- and I wanted to go tell him "hey, I don't think these guys are so bad. Maybe we misjudged them" or something like that. And there was a dialogue option along the lines of that, but when I said it, his response was something to the effect of "don't let them sweet talk you with their 'spiritual path' bullshit. That stuff ain't for /us/". Which, I heard and again, said "ah! Interesting writing decision! We're learning that Jack ALSO has flaws like everyone else! he's not just some perfectly cool, levelheaded badass -- he has unjustified prejudices just like everyone else!" So I continued the story under the assumption that, yes, while the surface level of the whole "Chinese vampire" thing was being handled in a really immature, racist way, and in-universe all the other factions seemed to see them as exactly that -- racist stereotypes of conniving, backstabbing Chinese mafia goons -- this was all setting up an interesting "let's all learn to put our cultural differences aside and defeat those rich assholes who want to rule LA"-style ending. This would not be the case.

There was a moment towards the end that I THOUGHT confirmed my suspicion. You are told by the leader of the bourgeois faction to convince the anarchist faction to ally with them so they can, together, take down the Kuei-Jin. Around this time you also are intercepted by the leader of the Kuei-Jin who straight up warns you "hey, that bourgeois guy set me up. He's about to set you up too. Be careful. I hope we can be friends in the future." So I get this information and go straight to the anarchist faction with the intention to say "Ok, bourgeois guys are obviously doing a power play. Now's the time to join with the Kuei-Jin and take them out. We'll settle our petty differences later." (Side note, yes, I understand they were recently at war, but war happens in these situations. The best way to prevent another war is actively making peace. Not by just constantly threatening to go BACK to war). But no such option was available. Instead, all the options were different variations on "Let's join with the bourgeois faction and kill those Chinese guys!" What? But I don't want to kill those guys! And I don't really trust either of these other factions either because the anarchists are racists and the bourgeois guys are, well, bourgeois guys.

So eventually the "ending-tron 3000" comes up in the form of a conversation with a taxi driver which, as far as ending-trons go, is pretty cute. If you decide to ally with the Kuei-Jin two things happen: one, everyone hates you because it's completely impossible to convince anyone that they are anything other than parasites, and two, they kill you in a cutscene and you die in the ocean, which, all things considered, is probably the worst possible way this whole story line could have been handled. There was an opportunity here to have an exceptionally interesting moment where you bring people together to fight in solidarity against those who seek to concentrate their power over the city and all it's inhabitants. There could have been an ending where you work together with the Kuei-Jin and the anarchists to get rid of the bourgeois faction, render the "anarchist" faction system redundant, and allow LA vampires to establish their own federated society where people can live where and how they please without the iron fist of some Ivory tower pretty boys telling everyone how to live their lives. You could establish a system of vampire democracy across LA, with all the benefits and negatives that it brings. Would LA then be crushed under the heel of the bourgeois faction coming in from other cities? Or would it be able to stand the test of time and serve as an example for other cities to rise up and do the same? There's some interesting stuff here, both politically and for individual characters as perhaps you have to work extra hard to get Jack and the rest of the anarchists to believe that the Kuei-Jin are, despite superficial differences, just vampires like they are and that they all share common interests.

Instead, the game goes hard in the other direction. It calls you an idiot for trusting those eastern invaders and basically says "you should have listened to everyone else when they were mumbling under their breath about how you can't trust those Kuei-Jin as far as you can throw them". i.e., you were an idiot for not being racist enough. Like, I can understand the general theme of "trust no one", since it permeates through the whole game, but to literally introduce a faction of "conniving foreigners" who everyone hates, and then to have that hate be perfectly justified just feels boring, hateful, and honestly like a waste of a third of what was otherwise a great, great game.

Anyway. The game is good. Great, even! It's really hard to make an ImSim, so even though the last third has some rough (ROUGH) design flaws and bugs, I'm happy to look past that. However, it's really easy to not just put Chinese people in your game and make them evil stereotypes that everyone rightfully hates, so that's harder to look past.

I would say the ideal way to experience the game is to marathon the first chapter up to downtown, play less and less frequently from downtown up until the end of hollywood or so, and gradually lose interest around the time that you're asked to go to Chinatown. I think if you did that, you'd end up remembering the game very fondly.

[soupthatistohot]

BSD: An Absurdist Analysis - Chapters 7 & 8 (Part 2)

There is always hope

[Masterpost]

We’re going to ignore that part 1 of this analysis is from 5 months ago and that I said I’d follow up with part 2 “soon.”

Anyway! Chapter 7 opens with Kyouka, a fourteen-year-old girl, attacking Dazai. When Atsushi expresses his concern about Dazai’s absence, unknowing about the reason for it, Kunikida says this:

This is probably a hint at the fact that Dazai let himself get captured, which is revealed a bit later. To me, this is Dazai being an absurdist protagonist at its finest: using his quirk (for lack of a better term) of consistently attempting suicide as a cover so the ADA doesn’t intervene on his behalf with the mafia. If he’d proposed this plan, they likely wouldn’t have let him do it, so he just “disappears” like he usually does. It's unconventional — absurd, even — that he plans things out like this. 

A good absurdist protagonist succeeds by subverting expectations, and in this instance, Dazai does so by allowing himself to get captured, the very thing Kunikida says is highly unlikely. This is similar to what I talked about in the previous post with Kyouka, who uses her appearance as a young, quiet girl to her advantage when making use of her deadly ability. 

Next: Kaiji and his motivations.

In his introduction, he declares that death is an experiment, and in doing so, he is representative of the absurd reality all humans are subject to, a reality in which someone can decide to bomb an entire train just to get to one individual, a society in which one can take the lives of others in the name of “experimentation.”

Of course, as explained in my prior analysis post, Yosano quickly puts him in his place with her refusal to give into this insane concept that innocent people’s lives are so expendable.

And finally: Atsushi.

Essentially, he is put in a rather difficult position: either give himself in to the Port Mafia, or allow an entire train of people to be blown to smithereens by Kaiji’s bombs. 

Of course, as our absurdist protagonist, Atsushi refuses to do either of these things and carves out his own secret third option: save everyone on the train and defeat Kaiji. Luckily, Yosano completes the latter portion of this task, leaving Atsushi to deal with the train’s passengers — and this includes Kyouka.

Kyouka begins attacking Atsushi, easily overwhelming him. It’s important to note that at this point in time, not only does he have very limited experience with combat, but he also hasn’t explored his ability fully, meaning that he is woefully outmatched by her ability, Demon Snow. 

Atsushi begins to have his doubts, as is characteristic of him. He often wavers in these moments of vulnerability, almost succumbing to the idea that it isn’t worth fighting back anymore because of his inexperience and apparent weakness. It is in this moment, though, that he has one of his famous orphanage flashbacks that will steel his resolve.

After this, the narration of Atsushi's inner monologue reads: “At that moment, an idea suddenly popped into my head. It may be a stupid idea, but at least it won’t leave me alone. If, by any chance, I can let the passengers return home safe and sound, does that prove that it’s okay for me to live?”

And, as if by a miracle, Atsushi is able to activate his ability to fight back against Kyouka.

In reality, it isn’t a miracle, though. It is Atsushi’s rebellion against the hopelessness of his current situation that pushes him to continue to fight back, allowing him to tap into his power and harness it. In a world where he and all the passengers will die a meaningless death, he creates his own purpose despite the seemingly dire circumstances. This is a theme that will recur again and again throughout the manga (even up to chapters being currently released), it is at the core of this story that when things seem the bleakest, there is always worth in continuing to fight back. 

Then Kyouka reveals the bomb, and subsequently, Akutagawa reveals that it cannot be diffused. Atsushi is saved the strife of having to figure out this one, though, when Kyouka takes things into her own hands and decides to sacrifice herself.

And Atsushi could stop there. Kyouka jumping from the train could be the conclusion to this story, as it would save both himself the passengers, but he refuses to believe that a fourteen year old orphan forced to murder against her will deserves to die, and so he makes the borderline suicidal decision to also jump in order to save her…

… and he succeeds. 

Because there is always worth in trying — there is always hope.

[Previous] [Next]

[igotanidea]

Still waters run deep: Dick Grayson x f!readear

Summary: Here are some things I heard about myself: Kind of a girl that looks young, innocent and harmless. Kind of a girl you know is the weakest link in direct combat. Kind of a girl you tend to ignore beacuse she is no threat. The girl you feel the need to protect. (ironically, completely different than the previous one). A sensitive one. A shy one. Well, tonight I'm going out in sole purpose to have some fucking fun, cause life has been a mess lately. So, let's see if I'm going to act like shy and sensitive one after a couple of drinks. Oh, Dick's not going to like it.......

Warnings: cursing, a bit of smut (minors DNI!), mentions of illegal activities,

First person POV

This has been a hell of a week.

Between fighting with titans and keeping my secret identity a secret I also had to deal with day-to-day regular job and it made it twice as much energy consuming than for everyone else.

Of course, my thoughtful (and a bit too possessive) boyfriend tried to convince me to give one it up and commit to the Titans fully, but  much to his disappointment (to say the least) I refused , trying to balance it all.

So, can you blame for being stressed and drained?

Given all that I had two options – lay down, getting all my emotions suppress me or quite literally shake it off. A little party was just what I needed. But going out alone was not something I enjoyed, so the plan was to somehow convince Donna and Dawn to have a girl’s night out.

“I’m out” Donna muttered, not even raising eyes from the book she was reading

“Oh, come on” I whined “all work and no play…..”

“Don’t.” she cut me off, warning in her voice and instinctively I looked down moved by her harsh tone “Sorry Y/N. You know I don’t mean in in a bad way, but seriously. I really need some time alone, all right? I’ll join you next time.”

“Fine. I won’t push you. Hopefully Dawn will be up for the party.”

“Sorry, Y/N, I’m staying too. Hank has been going through something and I need to get him to talk before it gets out of hand.” Dawn chimed in

“Right. Can’t risk the big guy losing control.” I muttered getting her point but still disappointed

“No hard feelings though, right?” the blonde asked putting a hand on my shoulder, reassuringly

“No, no, of course not. I guess I will just go alone than.”

“Is your boyfriend not up to some dance with you?” Donna smirked knowing well enough how Dick felt about any and every party. Bruce had him discouraged during the years when he was forced to attend Wayne’s yearly galas. Therefore, I was not even going to ask him.

“Such a surprise, right?” I rolled my eyes ironically

“You know, maybe you should give him a chance.” Dawn suggested “I’m pretty sure he will go anywhere with you.”

“The point is, I want to party, not watch him eye everyone in search of a potential threat, so…. yeah, I’m going alone.”

“Stay safe than” Donna muttered, back into lecture

“She knows how to handle herself.  Have fun Y/N.

It took my quite a while to get all dolled up, wearing the dress that surely drew attention and was far more revealing than the hero suit I was used to, and putting a bit more makeup than on a daily basis. Truly, even with all my self-doubts and modesty, I had to admit I looked hot as hell. This is going to be a good night. I though as I sneaked out the tower.

***

Dawn was only partially right. I knew how to handle myself, but still all I heard from people was that H/N was the weakest link in combat. That Y/N was that kind of girl that pose no threat and the one you don’t really give attention to. It always made me …. sad and a bit angry for being seen like this. There was so much more to me they never seen. But tonight, tonight I was going to let it all go and just let loose. Knowing well enough, Dick would never approve of my plan for the night. Well, I was not his possession, was I?

***

Third person POV

Dick was working out, not surprising to anyone. He needed a good training after the whole week of stress, anxiety and fast action not that it was going to change anytime soon. He was truly hoping this will clear his mind, but clearly it did not.  So the other option was to find his girlfriend and let her soothing presence and her soft touches calm him down. He truly had no idea how she ended up with him. He was rage, she was clear thinking, he was impulsive and a bit reckless, she was always the one with the plan and clear vision. He missed her. For the last days they didn’t really spend much time together and when they did it was usually just sleeping together, tangled with other, trying to get as close as possible without disrupting the rest they both so desperately needed. Passing by was not good for the relationship and she pointed it out once, when instead of spending time with her he was up late, but he never listened. Until now. With the best intention to make up for his negligence he started searching the tower for her, but the girl was nowhere to be found.

“Has anyone seen Y/N? I can’t find her anywhere.”

“Seems to me like she finally broke.” Hank muttered with mouth full of some crazy dish he made “got to admit, she was pretty resistant in ditching you.”

“I’m serious. Did she left the tower?”

“Do you think you can keep her a prisoner here? She’s a free spirit, a fierce woman with ……”

Since Hank was not helping, Dick decided to ask Donna and Dawn if they knew anything. At first, they kept their mouth shout, not revealing the plan their friend made, but seeing his sad puppy eyes and real worry on the boy’s face they gave in.

“She went to a party” he repeated a bit confused. Why? Why would she go without him? Why wouldn’t she tell him a thing? Was she going for a one night stand? “Where?”

“She wasn’t specific about that, but knowing Y/N she joined the first club on the way.”

“I need to find her.”

“No, you don’t. She deserves fun.” Dawn objected

“It’s not like I’m going to destroy it” he stated, crossing arms on his chest “what?” his face dropped a bit upon seeing girls’ mocking expressions

“Not at all, Dick. You’re just a party animal.”

“I….” he tried to say something, but at the same time his phone rang and he was fast to pick it up seeing it was Y/N calling. “Y/N? Baby, where are you? are you all right? Did something happen? I will pick you up just tell me….”

“Dickie….” She slurred “I’m having so much fun! All those boys are just so friendly, you know. Wish you were here, boyfriend. TIME OF MY LIFE!” and then she just hanged up on him.

“Was she drunk? She never gets drunk.” Dawn was now a bit concerned about her friend safety

“Are you sure that she knows how to handle herself now?” Donna was obviously sarcastic on the outside but quite as much worried inside “she has no real fighting skills and if some creeps are all over her…..”

“Stop it!” Dick felt his blood boil at the mere thought of any other dude touching or even getting close to his girlfriend. If anyone were to cross the line and to hurt her,  he would have no mercy and no hesitation in permanently hurting all of the perpetrators “We’re getting her home. I’ll track her phone. “ he rushed to the elevator grabbing his jacket on the way, ready to fulfill his knight in shining armor duties.

“Do you think we should go after him?” Dawn looked at Donna. Dick was really in the state of mind in which he was capable of everything.

“I’m not his babysitter” Donna scoffed “And neither are you.”

 “But maybe we should make an exception and just this once follow him?” Dawn insisted

“What about Hank?” Wondergirl asked

“What about me?” said boy came through the door, a bowl full of food still in his hands.

“He can join.” Dawn shrugged, not really giving the boy any liberty to decide for himself

“What exactly are you girls getting me into?”

“A party, apparently. Main stars being very drunk Y/N and very angry Dick.”

“Well if that’s the show I’m all in.” Hank was already halfway to the door. “Are you coming or what?”

***

First person POV

I made a really, really good decision to come here. After a couple of drinks all of my inhibitions dissolved  and I wasn’t the quiet member of the team anymore. Oh no! Now I was the star of my own show! Dancing like there was no tomorrow, moving my body, showing my best moves. Old, quiet Y/N was long gone, the sex queen raised. Apparently I was not solitary in that opinion as a couple of guys, I was eyeing for some time now, came closer to me, following my dance moves. One of them grabbed my hips from behind as the other put his on my waist. Shit, they were both so hot and I giggled seductively trying to imagine how surprised Dick would be right now if he saw me. Not a good girl anymore! Not the one he could omit and neglect and left high and dry, unfinished . This was not a revenge or a payback, this was my way of getting what I needed, what I wanted, what I deserved. If my boyfriend wasn’t up to the job I needed some other forms of entertainment.

The song changed into something far more sexual and  the guy moving behind me started to pull me closer as his friend leaned in, his faces inches from mine. I did not stop him as his lips crashed on mine, his hands started roaming my body, caressing my skin pulling me off the dance floor. I let him fully take control of me. After all, like I said I was eyeing him all night, giving signals to come closer and have his fun.

“come with me, baby. Let’s go somewhere private and quiet, shall we. I’ll make you feel good, you look like you need it”.

“Less talking, more action” I whispered in his ear “I want to get you all alone, loverboy.”

The last sentence finally made him grab my hand tighter and get me out, downstairs. Apparently the club was situated above some old bunker, not that I cared when I picked it as my nightly destination.

Third person POV

  ***

WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT!?

Getting the signal from her phone took Dick just  a few seconds and getting to the place where it came from, mere minutes. He was quite relieved to realize she wasn’t far but the view before his eyes made him regret getting here so fast. His love, his sunshine, his girlfriend was practically making out with some dude, that wasn’t him. In the middle of the club! What happened to the girl reluctant to any form of PDA!?

FUCK!

This fucking guy was touching her in the way no one else but him was supposed to! Getting his dirty hands on her perfect hips, trying to sneak them under her dress to feel her soft, smooth skin. For a while his mind was blurred with the memory of her naked body underneath him, whining and squirming in pleasure only he was capable of giving her. The flashback of her begging him for more, more…. Of her hands all over him, pulling him in, her soft moans as he was getting her high, her quiet words assuring him that she loved him so, so much and that he was doing so, so good…..

I need more, Dick…… please…. I need you so bad…..

I love you baby, I love you so much. Tell me you’re mine.

I’m yours, Dickie. Only yours…..

And I’m yours, baby. Let me show you…..

FUCK! FUCK! He was going to kill him for even looking in her direction! His poor baby girl. Seduced, probably drugged and used! The sudden movement, coming from the direction where she was, made him come back to reality and as he saw that lapdog drug her out into more secluded part of the building, the Robin with his ruthlessness took over his mind and action. Oh, this was going to be a bloodbath. 

Just a couple minutes later, the rest of the Titans team entered the club. At first glance everything was fine, but Dawn was quick to pick up on Dick’s figure disappearing behind the back. It took her  a second to figure out his posture was now different, more stiff, more grim, all his muscles tensed and fist clenched. The only things he was missing were mask and cape, but besides that, he wasn’t Dick Grayson anymore.

“Fuck!” Donna hissed realizing the same thing.

“What? What is going on?” Hank wasn’t even half as fast in recognition as girls, confused and lost in the situation.

“Just shut up and hurry or someone will end up hurt!”

***

First person Pov

“Where are you taking me? “ I giggled almost tripping over my legs, letting the stranger guide me

“Patience, baby, we’re almost there.

“I need you now” I whined, not being patient.

“I now, sweetie, I know. But trust me, once we’re in the safe place you won’t get rid of me….” He trailed, something dark in his voice

“I surely hope so…..” I started but didn’t get a chance to finish the sentence as something dark and stinking covered my head, my face included cutting off the oxygen supply and making me black out.

Oh, fuck….

***

I have no idea how long I was unconscious but I woke up to the sound of a few male voices, three or four most probably, but the extreme headache I was now experiencing did nothing to my evaluative skills. Oh, and I was also tied up, not able to move, my hands above my head, facing all the capturers.

“how many pills did you give her?” one of the man said

“One as planned.” The other replied

“Well, if it was one she would be up by now, you idiot! I’m serious, how many!?”

“One or two additional may have slipped in.”

“You dumbass! We need her aware of what’s happening! It makes everything far more funny.”

“I agree with him. The screams and attempted fight just spice the whole act” Ok, that was the third

“All of you shut up now!” the last one. So my calculations were right. There were four of them. Despite the situation, I congratulated myself in the back of my head. I groaned a bit and it got their attention “Oh, the princess is finally waking up. Welcome back to the land of the living, sweetie.”

“Where….. where am I?” I muttered narrowing my eyes. Gods, why all of the kidnappers always had to use the brightest light available.

“Well, it really depends from the point of view. From mine, you are on the verge of heaven, from yours probably first step of hell.”

“Are you the boss?” I looked him straight into the eyes

“ Are you always so eloquent?” he crouched next to me and grabbed my face painfully “and here I was thinking you were only  a pretty face and a nice ass” he slap my back and I flinched. What did I got myself into?

“What are you going to do to me?” I sobbed, tears falling down my cheeks now.

“Oh, there it is. You are finally realizing what is going to happen to you, don’t you?  Such a pathetic little bitch. Probably forgotten by a busy boyfriend, am I right? Desperate for entertainment and attention. Those are the easiest catch.”

I shook my head abruptly, the mascara smudged all over my face, vision blurry.

“Don’t cry princess. Where we are sending you, you’re going to have plenty of boys ready to thoroughly devour your attributes” the man laughed viciously. “Am I right boys?”

“So what is it? Some sort of trafficking ring? You sell girls to the brothels?” I gasped in terror, my eyes growing wide and mouth falling open in awe.

 “You little pinhead” he cooed “you’re lucky you’re pretty, because sensibleness is not your strongest suit. Yes, we will send you to one of our massage parlors. The clients will love you. And hey, another good thing. You will get to meet with some other bitchy hoses like you. After all, you were asking for it, weren’t you, you little slutty whoredog?” he leaned across, his face inches from mine.

“Ok, I think that’s enough.” I stated, becoming calm and sober in a blink of an eye. Before any of the guys wrapped their heads around the situations I did a flip, kicking their boss straight into the jaw, probably causing the ostectopy and sending him flying back. One out, three to go. The second one came right at me but I used my strength to hoist up and wrap my legs around his neck.

“Here’s a taste of your own medicine” I spat, now causing him to black out due to the lack of oxygen. “Not so nice is it?”

Two to go.

The third man came from behind me with some stick in his hands, his gaze fixed solely on my face. Oh, poor one, he thought he got himself some crazy weapon. Fool. It was way too easy to just trip him up, causing the guy to make friends with the floor.

“You bitch!” right, there was the last one. Probably the smartest (irony of course) observing my moves and trying to get the best strategy to get me.

“Please, tell me you are at least a bit better in fighting than those scumbags” I sighed in desperation. Honestly, my hands was becoming  a bit sore and I wanted to get over this situation.

“You bitch!” he yelled again. Definitely wasn’t the one with wide stock of words, but what can you expect in his profession. Taking cue from his friend, he tried to gather himself some gear, settling on a rusty chain laying nearby, spinning it over, almost hitting me. I just moved a bit to the right and then to the left and then a bit more to the wall, the man following me closely still playing with the chain. In the final moment I ducked and the weapon bounded off the wall hitting him right in the face, knocking him out. So, all four hurt, unconscious and defeated. The only problem for now was getting out of the rope that hamstringed my wrists.

“Do you need help with that?” a familiar voice and a familiar face egressed from the shadows.

“Nah, not really. I can handle myself” I smirked casually. In some other circumstances I would probably add a shrug but it was a bit impossible now.

“Mhm, I see” Dick came closer, stopping just a foot away from me. All of a sudden the closeness made me away of my vulnerable position. Ironically, I was not scared standing with my hands up in front of four dangerous men, but became paralyzed in front of my boyfriend. And shit if he didn’t; know that.

“Did you follow me? How much did you see? Wait, how long were you creeping there?” I tried to take control of the situation.

“Long enough to see you to do some improper things with someone that wasn’t me.”

“I bet he learned his lesson by now” I pointed my head towards said man lying on the floor, stepping from one foot to another. The position was getting more and more uncomfortable with every second.

“Oh, not even close. It’s me who will give him a lesson. When I’m done there will be nothing to pick.”

“Dick….” I whined, now really in pain.

“You got some moves baby” oh, this jerk really enjoyed having me on his mercy “why did you never show it in the tower?”

“You know, I’m really living by the still waters run deep rule. I…..” I groaned a bit and his eyes darkened at the sound “I like the element of surprise.”

“Do you? Well, this really was a surprise to me. In more than one way.” His face was now inches away from mine and I felt my cheeks (and not only them) growing hot.

“Dickie…..” I whined again

“By the way, are those the guys who were engaged in human trafficking? The one who sell girls to brothels?  The ones we were trying to track for the last month?”

“Yes…. I…..”

“So this was your plan all along?! Did you know how much danger you were in!?” his voice grew a bit more angry now. He was probably imagining all the things that could have happened to me. It served him right! “What if they were stronger than you? What if you weren’t able to defeat yourself? What if…..?”

“Grayson!” I yelled in frustration cutting him off.

“What is it babygirl?” he faked innocence.

“Can you… can you get me out of this ropes? Please? It hurts now. ”

“Don’t know. I saw you doing some things I didn’t like tonight. I think you deserve a bit of punishment for that” he smirked.

“Dickie….. please, please…” I moaned in that special way and it turned him on at once as he crashed his lips on mine, one of his hands lifting me up motioning to wrap my legs around his waist, the other untying the rope finally setting my arms free. As soon as he did both of his hands circled around my waist pulling me closer to his chest, squeezing me against his body while his lips and the kiss became faster, hungrier, more passionate and predatory. Not that I complained as my own fingers ghosted over his arms and chest, going down to the hem of his shirt, slowly peeling it of him. He groaned and pushed me to the wall to enable himself to pull that useless piece of material over his head. God, he was so well built it took my breath every time I saw him shirtless. He was so warm and strong I instantly felt safe, craving his touch, his attention and affection tossing my own shirt away.

“What happened to you?” he muttered against my skin, his lips moved to my neck and shoulder covering it with kisses and hickeys.

“What…. What do you mean?” I gasped as he found one particularly sensitive spot.

“We are practically in a public place. Everyone can nail us going so physical” his lips ghosted over my half-exposed breast “you were always so private, babe…..”

“I missed you” I confessed “and I honestly don’t care anymore. I need you. I want you. I don’t care who can see us…. Make love to me…..” I whispered and felt his pulse raise.

“I missed you too…..” his hands reached towards the clasp of my bra, letting my breast free “I’m gonna make you feel so good babe….”

***

“I don’t want to see anymore of this. I’m gonna be sick” dark haired girl standing in the corner turned on her heel and rushed out.

“Well, I am quite enjoying the show” the muscular boy let out a laugh but being hit through the head by his blonde girlfriend crouched and they both left the room as well. The only people present were two very longing for each other young adults, too busy with themselves to care about the rest of the world.

@somest1 @pinksirensong - I'm sorry to drag you through this ..... 🙈

[nerdieforpedro]

A Walk with your Pilot

Security Log Drabbles part of the Secret Springs Shenanigans

My entire masterlist and blog are for readers 18+ MDNI. I do not consent to my work being used in AI, recommended on TikTok, borrowed or plagiarized.

Summary: It’s been slow for security, until a silent partner makes her presence known and a new Marcus is discovered. Chloe tried to apologize to Frankie.

Warnings: possible kidnapping, allusions to smut, banana 🍌, Frankie being a sweetheart, Ezra being a scoundrel but also that money 💰

Word Count: 1k+ (an actual Drabble!)

Notes: I made liberal use of @pedropascalito ‘s wonderful Ezra Moodboard. Ezra is a scoundrel in this one, but in their Moodboard he’s a sweetheart. The counter is totally legit, this version of Ezra is Nerdie aka NP’s fault. 👀

Main Masterlist/ Frankie Morales Masterlist

My security logs have been scant…not for lack of reporting. Everyone is well behaved, enjoying themselves. It’s very good, meaning less work for all of us, though I have a few concerns.

Our silent business partner, let’s call her NP. She apparently was at the Secret Springs without giving me or Dave a heads up, she also took a third Marcus who came down from one of the surrounding mountain ranges (that is a mystery on its own) for an interrogation and neither of them have been seen for the last few days. Then suddenly this morning, the third Marcus is sipping orange juice with the Mayor and the other two Marcus’s. Dave and I were perplexed and the only message we got from NP was:

He’s solid. He’s firm. He responded appropriately. He’s got quite an appetite. I handed him over to the Mayor in good condition.

I’m not an idiot, but I’m also pretty sure that kind of questioning (if you can even call it that) is entirely illegal. Roman Marcus doesn’t appear to have any complaints and says a real man shows you better than he tells you. I did not need to hear those words while he’s eating a banana shirtless but I’ll tell him I will keep that in mind. Mayor El says happy for all of our through work. I can only nod and take the compliment. It’s only been a week here.

Speaking of, I took Frankie to lunch to apologize for trying to go through his belongings and passing out drunk in his room. Neither were my best moments. I try to explain that I am a sane person, but the quizzical look he gives me informs me otherwise.

“Most people would try to be nice to the guy flying them halfway across the world. Or at least be more discreet about it. Are you sure this is the job for you querida (sweetheart)?”

“That’s why I’m taking you to lunch to apologize. That’s nice and I am excellent at my job! You’re the problem, I’ve been off kilter trying to-“ He’s sitting across from with his arms crossed, a slight lean and his lips curling into a grin. I feel like calling him a jerk, but he’s just being himself I assume. I can’t fault him for that. “Never mind. Just, see you around Frankie.” Retreat is always a viable option and one which I plan to use as I get up from the table. He grabs the hem of my white blouse, it’s lose and my yellow bathing suit is sticking out of the top near my neck.

“Hold on there Chloe, how about we go for a walk? You can do some more rounds and we can talk. Ask me anything you want to know.” His suggestion is a good one, but I should stay focused. But also maybe be a little selfish on my part. I agree and we begin our stroll.

I soon forget how nervous Frankie made me originally. He explains that he settled in Florida after serving with the Special Forces during his time in the military. One of his brothers in arms recommended this gig to not only make some extra money but for him to get away from usual business back home. Morales said that it was nice not having to worry about gators at all.

We passed by Ezra’s Beach Shop and I said hello. That usually leads to at least a five minute description from the owner about everything that could have happened this morning. Today’s answer was not a ramble but succinct, curious, I asked him if anything was the matter and he replied there was not. Suddenly, two women pop up from under the counter which he was seated behind. One bumped her head and both stared at Frankie and I. They each kissed Ezra’s cheek and left him some money on the counter, carrying a small plastic bag each with them. About twenty dollars from each woman.

“Should I even ask if that’s the stuff you keep under the counter that they just paid for in addition to the small items they have?”

Ezra scratches the exposed part of his chest above where his tank top scoops down. He’s never not sweaty, to be fair it is hot. He stands and thankfully his dark green trunks are not disheveled. He gathers the money with his one hand and plops it in a lock box he has next the small register. “The ladies were sought out some shelter from the blistering sun and I did not have ample room under my umbrella. I did advise against going under the counter but that is what they chose.” He presses his palm on the counter and snickers, “As to why they left me such a large tip, I cannot say. You’re well acquainted with my gift of gab, they also could have taken pity on an unfortunate man such as myself.” His explanation is hot air, but he adds a wiggle of his right residual limb to add to his point.

I know there’s no merit in arguing with him, whatever happened, I didn’t see it directly. “Keep your tips to the monetary kind Ezra. I’ll be back.”

“And I will look forward to it my dear straight laced Chloe. Enjoy your time with your gentleman here. Maybe he’ll introduce you to a tip.” Ezra ends as we walk away.

Frankie looks back and the shopkeeper waves goodbye. “Seems pretty cheap for your tip there. Maybe they didn’t get enough bang for their buck.” His snicker makes me lean on the nearest tree in laughter while I hear Ezra click his tongue in annoyance.

I like Frankie even more, he managed to get the last word in on Ezra.

Those who may adopt the M.O.P method: @maggiemayhemnj @goodwithcheese @secretelephanttattoo @undercoverpena @megamindsecretlair

@fhatbhabiee @tinytinymenace @morallyinept @readingiskeepingmegoing @survivingandenduring

@inept-the-magnificent @604to647

Ending day seven log:

Violence - None

Public intoxication - None

Public Nudity - None (still suspicious of what goes on under that counter)

Destruction of Property - None

Injuries: Minor = possibly 10+ (I only saw Roman Marcus’ upper body. It was a mix of old and new marks. I’ll have to reach out to NP later)

Chlóe’s well-being: On the mend. Turns out lunch and walks are solid remedies

Security Log One. Security Log Three

[charmixpower]

Other queer headcanons:

Icy -> Asexual Lesbian

She just has ace vibes to me. Darcy's whole manipulation thing by attraction is so useful but also she does not understand how it works even a little bit

Darcy -> Bisexual

She has a preference for men but it's not super strong. Shes always knew she was bisexual, baby Darcy was always aware. Smart girl hours

Stormy -> Aromatic Het

Stormy is so aromantic to me!!!! She has that aroallo energy of being hot, idk what to tell you. I literally could never see Stormy in a romantic relationship, like she'd have a platonic life partner but dating isn't real.

Sky -> Questioning (Bi pref women)

Brandon has once 100% offered to kiss Sky to see if he's bi, bc he had a crush on him and Sky still didn't realize he was bi. Like Eraklyon palace is not the place to try and question your sexuality and being attracted to people who could turn out to be spy's or he had a fuck ton of explicit power over was scary so he never figured out his sexuality until like s2~3

Brandon -> Gender Neutral, Pan, Poly

Brandon doesn't have a gender. He's completely gender neutral. Like he doesn't experience gender. He doesn't get gender euphoria or dysphoria. If he suddenly turned into a girl literally nothing would happen. He just doesn't experience gender, no gender here, godbless. He'd probably say Gender Neutral but there's other words for that

He's pan bc when he goes into the smooch competition with Stella, no one is off limits. Like I said with Stella, if they met someone they both wanted to date asking them out is a done deal

Timmy -> Gay Ace

This is just 100% vibes. Tecna is busy not dating him and Timmy needs something nice for himself. He just has the ace "I'm tired of you allos acting stupid as shit" energy in my thing, and he's gay bc he deserves nice things

Riven -> Bisexual

He's bi with a preference for women, and he would of known sooner but he was so far into the fucking closet that he had become one with the clothes. Musa helps him come out of the closet and they talk about hot people together I love them

Helia -> Alterous Transman

Alterous attraction is basically just attraction that isn't platonic or romantic vs aesthetic or sexual. It can be between them or be a secret third thing (like it is for me). Helia's alterous attraction is between platonic and romantic, and between aesthetic and sexual, everything is really fuzzy for him. He doesn't get strong anything but he still gets the feelings and impulse, it's just weak and most of the time he can't tell if it's actually platonic or aesthetic

He's also trans, this is just true. As soon as he learned what a boy and girl was he was telling his parents he was a boy. Like he knew very very early on, and he socially transitioned at a young age. Gender win for Helia

Nabu -> Gay

THIS MAN IS A HOMOSEXUAL!!!!! He and Sky make up the "raised rich and wears shiny ass earrings once they realized being GNC is an option" club, and good for him

Daphne -> Queer (Lesbian)

Daphne was WAY too busy fighting the ancestral witches to ever figure out her sexuality but she was aware of the fact that she wasn't cishet, so she just grabbed a macro label and kept it moving

Mirta -> GenderFluid Lesbian

It came to me in a dream. If she can use fairy and witch magic fluidly in canon what if her gender was fluid in my thing??? I am a fucking genius. Her hair is so non-binary. Haven't decided on pronouns yet, and Mirta just is a lesbian.

Diaspro -> Questioning (Pan)

Diaspro absolutely didn't have a single crush growing up in Eraklyon bc everyone there was a asshole and hatred her and she hated them back more. She was kinda punched in the face by her attraction to Bloom. She figures it out as soon as she leaves and talks to some normal people for like a month or something in s2 or s3

Roxy -> Agender AroAce

Roxy reminds me of my bestie who is agender, so they're agender, and I think it's funny if Roxy was watching the Winx do their relationship nonsense abt to throw up bc ew allo people. They are very repulsed, and I love them. They are literally a teenager trying to be cool and not understanding why everyone is dating or doing this gender shit. Triple A battery

Selina -> Trans Lesbian

Look at Selina's fucking ugly green hair and outfit, that is a trans lesbian if I've ever seen one

Krystal -> Bisexual

She just is, I can't explain. It's the Flora

[hellomagicalsouls]

Hey! so,

I saw this reblog you did of a post where you said you "will rant with any green light given to" you about how the handler is the only person Five is afraid of, and I would absolutely love to see someone talk about this (because it's one of those uncomfortable things in canon that are never addressed, and those are always great topics for meta), so...

idk, consider this an open invitation to rant, I guess. take it, leave it, or discover a secret third option. I just really like reading the kinds of meta posts the writers refer to as rants.

Either way, have a great day!

hello! you are my new favourite person ✨

i think one of the main things that makes me think this is that he bites back to the handler and other people but towards the handler he's slightly held back or tries to stand away from her. he can barely look her in the eyes at some point which is unusual for five who has always been straight forward with literally everyone. he barely looks at her until she says something to make him react.

also a big telling thing about five is that he doesn't seem to like being touched. but she touches him and scats jazz. (the grossest scene) and he lets her. he looks uncomfortable but he doesn't react back to her touching him. where as when his brother, klaus, holds his arm in front of him when diego and luther are fighting five smacks back at it. he doesn't let his own brother touch him but he does this woman

my guess was that something happened and five being five has pushed it down and pretended it didn't happen and avoids feeling it and doesn't bring it up to others because it's five. he doesn't do stuff like that.

i probably have more to say so I will add it in the comments if I do.

thank you for the question, have a great day!✨✨

[polyhexian]

I thought of a secret third option for Darius having/not having a palisman. Or perhaps a "why not both?" option, I guess.

Darius having a palisman carved but it never awakens. Not for a lack of trying. Darius probably went into it as confident as Luz had but ended up spending weeks, maybe even months, spouting whim, after wish, after want, trying to connect to his palisman. Eventually he just stopped trying. His pride probably kept him from confiding in anyone about it, after all, it's hard not to find the fault with himself when that's the only possibility available. Probably told people he didn't even have one carved until he nearly believed it himself.

But, same as the palistrom wood itself, even unawakened palisman contain magic. And as far as Darius knew, his future at the top was more important than a piece of wood gathering dust for years (he wasn't bitter or anything)

And, if we're talking MH or even late-game Eventually!au, retrospection on that decision... doesn't feel great. Considering he now knows what exactly the emperor did with them coupled with the fact that Jasper and Hunter are essentially witch-shaped palisman, in a way. Maaaaybe something that gets brought up with his therapist years down the line. (BI Therapists unfortunately probably see a lot of patients who had given up their palisman to the empire, willingly or unwillingly)

I feel like a palisman has to be awakened to be Eatable for the emperor. But I'm still vibing hard on the "Darius has never possessed the self actualization to awaken a palisman because he has spent a lifetime lying to himself and everyone around him about what he is, what he wants, what he knows"

I'm imagining something a bit simpler I think.... oh! I've also said before that he was somewhat poor growing up. Perhaps they couldn't afford Palistrom wood and instead of admit that, Darius threw himself into telling everyone that he was just SOOOO good at magic he didn't need to CHEAT by using a palisman and he had abominations to do anything a PALISMAN could do AND they could do it better. And he says this over and over and over until he almost believes it himself. Except then he DOES have the money to get some! He's a big shot now! So he gets some... quietly... under the table... cuz he doesn't want to lose his rep... and he carves something cool maybe, but it just won't wake up. No matter what he does or says. Almost like it's ALSO judging him like everything else always has. But Darius is a liar, he lies to himself, he lies to everyone about himself until he doesn't know it's a lie anymore. He sells himself on poise and confidence and fake it till you make it energy.

But the palisman won't wake up because Darius has no idea what he actually wants. He never does, not until he's too late.

And maybe he does hand over this unawakened palisman when he starts working in the castle proper as a show of loyalty. Maybe he doesn't admit it was for himself but that someone made it for him even though he OBVIOUSLy didn't need it... maybe it woke up for someone else? Maybe it got tossed in a pile of contraband. I dunno!