#how angry and small do you have to be to attack someone who is genuinely only trying to help

[thebibliosphere]

Wait, is Jason in Gotham Knights body horror? Because it doesn't feel like his body even tho he's controlling it? (He died, he came back, it's not the same and never will be)

Or is it more analogous to puberty and feeling like you don't know anything about your body anymore?

Just having thoughts about that boy again

I think Jason in Gotham Knights is very much connected with his physical body. It's his biggest weapon, possibly more so than his guns, given his lasting connection to the Lazarus Pit and the power it gives him.

His backstory talks about building himself up to peak physical condition into the absolute unit he is now, and you can either see that as someone trying to reconnect with their physical self or someone vowing never to be small or weak again.

I tend to think of it as both. It's a reclamation of his physical form but also a transformation into something bigger and stronger that ensures he's the scariest, meanest-looking mother fucker in the room. Basically someone you can't underestimate as a threat.

(Try not to think too hard about the fact that he now largely resembles Bruce in stature, that he is now the group's heavy hitter, the most menacing and the most likely to strike fear into the heart of his opponents, and that Jason molded himself into the person he needed to be rescued by as a child. Don't do it. Do not. I am normal about this.)

But he obviously struggles with feeling present mentally sometimes.

You'll see him zoning out occasionally, touching the J-shaped scar on his face before violently shaking himself back into the present.

He has panic attacks while playing a dance video game with a coffin in it—a coffin his character becomes trapped in because he's not moving fast enough. (hello, trauma)

He's angry all the time and so relieved when Barbra expresses her own rage at something because, yes, finally, someone else is letting their emotions out instead of bottling it up (Dick).

His emails are littered with orders for self-help books, emails from his therapist moving his sessions around, and concerned messages from his friends (Roy comes to mind) saying if he needs to get out of Gotham, they'll make it happen.

Alfred holding him while he sobs over losing Bruce still breaks me every time. I have to pause the game and walk around my house until I feel normal again.

And then there's the cut scene where Dick asks, "Hey, remember that time we all [insert funny thing here]," and Jason admits, somewhat angrily, that no, he doesn't because Lazarus took entire swaths of memories from him and he hates how he can't connect with people the way he used to and he hates the way they all look at him (the way Dick is looking at him now) when he admits he doesn't remember something they clearly loved about the old him: the version of him who didn't have volatile mood swings or made people flinch when he did something as mundane as handle a kitchen knife -- the undead monster he came back as*.

The fact that Dick then contrives to recreate this memory so Jason can be included in a newer version of it -- while also giving him what is arguably a weapon -- fucks me up every time. Dick just yeets a kitchen knife at him, trusting that Jason will catch it, and then just steamrolls over Jason's rightful 'what the fuck' expression with "Hey, we're making food. Get dicing."

And Jason knows what they're all doing. He's aware of it, and he gets the teeniest, tiniest smile before smothering it out. Except he can't quite. He's still smiling as he chops the vegetables. And yes, they're all hopeless at cooking compared to him, and he knows he's going to end up taking over, but that's okay. Because this is for him. He gets to control it.

And that's how Jason gets to make a new memory, one where he is handed a weapon and gets to turn it into a genuine expression of nurturing and care.

Because he does care about them. He wouldn't conspire with Dick to bake Barbara's favorite childhood cookies if he didn't. He wouldn't try so hard to be gentle with Tim triggering the shit out of him while he's struggling with his grief. He just doesn't always know how to express it because he doesn't always know what he's feeling.

Is his anger valid? Or is this Lazarus Pit Rage? Is he being overly sensitive because of his trauma, or is everyone else underreacting because of their trauma? (Should he sign them all up for therapy, quite probably, yes.)

So, you could perhaps argue that Jason experiences body horror in the sense that he doesn't remember all the pieces of who he used to be. (Speaking as someone with severe memory loss from medical trauma, it's certainly a type of horror.) But I don't think it's because he's detached from it physically or doesn't feel in control of his body. I think it's his mind that worries him.

His body he can control. It's his mind that still sparks green sometimes.

---

*Re the scene with Tim when Tim calls the Talons monsters. "What about me? Do you think I'm a monster?"

No, they don't.

But Jason does. And it scares him shitless.

[ronearoundblindly]

Shameless Enjoyment

platonic Bucky Barnes x Alpine!reader

part of Companion Animal (see previous or series)

Image found on Pinterest by @ellethespaceunicorn who thought of Bucky bonding with his new kitty 😻 so OBVIOUSLY I had to run with it...

No warnings, just floofy fluff! Enjoy 😘 WC 625

It's because he has nightmares that he suddenly pops up to burn off unprovoked, fight-or-flight energy. Shirtless, metal arm whirring in strain, covered in sickly sweat, Bucky just goes and goes.

Hundreds of sit ups. Hundreds of pull ups. Hundreds of push ups until his muscles finally fail, and he can (maybe) go back to sleep.

You've watched with your own breed of fear and sadness a few times before, but not tonight. You need him to not feel alone, to notice there's someone (or something) here to help. You need to ease his pain in some small, tiny, probably insignificant way, but you have to try.

So you prop yourself up on his knees during the sit ups, you jump for his rising, crossed ankles during the pull ups, and you shimmy across the floor by the sleek hairs of you back, positioning yourself beneath his head during the push ups.

His eyes are glassy, unseeing of you, his face bobbing closer then farther on and on.

His dog tags clink on the floorboards only an inch away, but Bucky still notices absolutely nothing.

Well, you know how it goes, right? Hear a tink, tink, tink enough times (dozens and dozens so far), and we're all like to be driven a bit bonkers.

You attack them, pinching the flat steel between your paws and bunny-kicking the swinging string, deeply annoyed that you have no thumbs to grab them properly and rip them right off his neck.

Ok. Maybe you're tired and he did wake you from a proper sleep this time.

You bite at the tags, intent on making your own mark on the stamped metal.

Bucky stops, but you only notice when his body remains lowered to yours for longer than the regular beat.

You, in turn, stop mid-thrash.

"Pretty girl..." he growls playfully, though you are anything but 'pretty' with your fangs hammering an unyielding surface, your wide eyes angry and lopsided, and your body twisted to gain the leverage of one-twentieth Bucky's own size.

You pause then growl in kind.

"Are you mad at me? Did I disturb you?"

A back leg whacks at the chain again in defiance.

He chuckles, the harsh lines above his serious brow relaxing as he pushes up, dragging the necklace almost out of your reach.

The smooth plates slip from your paws, and it makes you furious, batting wildly to regain your hold of them.

Bucky seems very pleased with that reaction.

"There ya go, doll. Almost got it--" he lowers again "--yay! What about--" he pushes as far as his elbows will straighten "--now?"

A wet huff escapes your throat when the string goes entirely beyond the extension of your own fury limbs.

"Uh oh! Little higher, Alpine. You can do it," he coos.

Your screech is from genuine irritation, but it amuses Bucky to the point you wriggle some more...just for show.

"Okay, okay, here ya go." Bucky lowers the tags carefully to your chest, delighted by the feral display of savagery he sometimes wishes to impart on the symbols, too. You're sure he doesn't realize he says these things out loud, but you take his confessions as seriously as a priest.

You'll take on his burdens like a golem if that's what helps him sleep through the night.

A few hundred secrets. Let him push them out. And then let him dream of better things. Fluffier, pure white, happy things. If he lets you, you'll fight all the demons and fly from room to room scaring all the ghosts of his past away.

He can do this routine without shame. He's simply playing with his cat. Bucky's just enjoying his time with you...at any and all hours of the day.

[Next Part: 'Babygirl']

[Main Masterlist; Bucky Barnes Masterlist]

A/N: yes, Lexi's got zero chill. What of it? You all knew that!

@hisredheadedgoddess28 @irishhappiness @fallenxjas @ilovetaquitosmmmm @venunsgirl @fries11 @lovinglimerence @navs-bhat @creat0r-cat @yenzys-lucky-charm @bitchy-bi-trash @supraveng @patzammit @whiskeytangofoxtrot555 @yiiiikesmish @ashesofblackroses @jaqui-has-a-conspiracy-theory @brandycranby @buckysprettybaby @ellethespaceunicorn @late-to-the-party-81 @bigtreefest @mistressmkay @astheskycries @veryprairieberry

[wordpress-blaze-242934854]

Widow Night Out: Reclaiming Joy in the Midst of Grief

There’s something deeply sacred about laughter after loss. For many widows, joy can feel like a betrayal — like smiling too wide might somehow erase the depth of our grief. But here's the truth: joy doesn't replace grief; it sits beside it. That’s what Widow Night Out is all about.

It’s not about forgetting. It’s about remembering that we are still here — still worthy of fun, of sisterhood, of music that makes us dance, and conversations that make us feel seen. It's a space where no one has to explain why they cry between laughs or why their ring still sits on their finger. Everyone already understands.

The Power of Togetherness

Grief can be isolating, but Widow Night Out reminds us that healing doesn’t happen in silence — it happens in community. When widows gather, there’s an unspoken bond, a shared strength that flows from one woman to the next. We tell stories, sip wine or tea, wear something that makes us feel alive again, and most importantly — we show up.

Healing Isn’t Linear

There are no rules for how long you're supposed to grieve or how quickly you're supposed to move forward. But one thing is certain: allowing yourself to enjoy life again is not dishonoring your past — it's honoring you. These nights are gentle invitations back to ourselves.

Why It Matters

Widowhood is more than a status — it’s a journey. And that journey deserves pauses for lightheartedness and reminders that we’re more than what we’ve lost. We are still becoming.

Widow Night Out is not just about going out — it’s about stepping back into life, slowly but intentionally. Whether it's a quiet dinner, a dance night, or just gathering with women who "get it," it’s a celebration of resilience.

To the widow who needs this reminder:

It’s okay to laugh. It’s okay to dance. It’s okay to live.

You are not moving on — you are moving forward.

Keep going, beautifully.

Source: Widow Night Out: Reclaiming Joy in the Midst of Grief

[agalychnisspranneusroseus]

Just how much power did Marcy have over her friends pre-Amphibia? When they throw the kpop puppy party at school, the principal assumes "those two" pushed Anne into it, and Anne kind of admits it. When Anne is about to sacrifice herself, she says "all my life I've followed you two". During her one and only S1 appearance, she's seen maliciously nodding alongside Sasha when Anne steals the box, and with Marcy asking to meet up on Anne's birthday, while Sasha is the one to carry out the order, the implication is that they're almost like... working together. I know she was supposed to be "meaner" when they were working on S1, and I think they changed her personality because Haley Tju made her too adorable(? and maybe also because Matt thought the whole show would fall apart if people didn't like Marcy (considering what a huge impact she has on everything that happens, I'd say he was right). But Anne's line in THT and the flashback in All In implies she wasn't nearly as much as a doormat as it may seem sometimes, at least not as much as Anne.

Or maybe she was? Because you also see her in this place of submission when it comes to Sasha (and also Anne?), especially in BOTB, when she's happy to switch from Anne's song to Sasha's without even hearing the first, only stopping to consider Anne's approval. That scene struck me as her always happy to go along with her friends' wishes and never having much of an opinion of her own. That's why she was so desperate for them to get along during The Dinner, and why she never took a side when Anne told her she and Sasha had a fight. She closest thing to defying Sasha that we ever see her do is when she's working alongside like 10 other people to protect Newtopia from the Toad Army, and she says they had to "defeat Sasha and Grime" specifically, which I think makes sense considering they're attacking the city she's supposed to protect (she's IS a high-ranking member of its military forces AND a close advisor to its king), and not wanting to "defeat Sasha" would rock the boat with everyone else involved, Anne included. Yet we never really see her angry at Sasha for what she's doing, she just wants her and Anne to "work things out". I think it's clear that Marcy struggles with empathy, because if she put herself in Anne's shoes, she wouldn't expect her to "just work things out" with Sasha. In fact, she would have taken Anne's side agessssss ago, but she's way too focused on herself (her goal is for everyone to be happy forever and get along, while Anne and Sasha may want something else). Marcy being self-centered isn't a hot take, and I don't think she's any more self-centered than Anne was during most of S1. In fact, I'd argue Anne was even worse lol. The difference is that Anne made a million relatively small mistakes while Marcy made like two or three very big, very bad mistakes (bringing them to Amphibia, striking a deal with Andrias behind their backs, and not taking a side in Anne and Sasha's fight, which is something I never see people bring up as one of Marcy's most flawed moments).

So... going back to the question I made in the beginning... did Marcy just go along with Sasha's plans so enthusiastically when compared to Anne, who had more doubts and had to be pressured into them, that it made it look like she and Sasha were more in cahoots than they actually were? I think this is very likely. I also think it's likely that she and Sasha genuinely shared a liking for rule breaking back in LA, and her own self-centered-ness prevented her from realizing Anne wasn't comfortable with it. Maybe she never even considered if she liked to go along with Sasha's plans, like, Marcy strikes me as someone who doesn't look inwards much. I think we can rule out both Sasha and Marcy being equally controlling and possesive of Anne, because her relationship with Sasha was very much not one of equals, with Anne as a third wheel. Was she more of a third wheel? We know Anne and Sasha don't share most of her interests and will often ignore her and her needs, and we know she feels like losing them is becoming dangerously easy. We also know Sasha has no qualms taking Anne on some kind of birthday date without Marcy which I'm 75% convinced it's because she had a huge crush on Anne but I digress which, from a doylian perspective, is explained by the fact that they seemingly didn't want to show Marcy too early, but from a watsonian perspective, it just comes across as Sasha not priorizing Anne spending her birthday with both her best friends. Like, you can do with or without Marcy. She doesn't seem to remember Marcy until she texted her, actually.

But then you have lines from Anne about how "if you friend wants to you steal something, you do it, because if you don't, they may not want to be your friend anymore", which, oh boy, if she at least perceived Marcy as pressuring her into stealing the box (rather than it being 100% Sasha's idea) that would shed a whole new light on her relationship with Marcy, because it would seem like she, too, feels like their friendship could fall apart if she didn't go along with the other two's plans. And I do think Marcy at least somewhat participated in pushing Anne into it. It wouldn't be the first time she made Anne do something bad - she told her to lie to Valeriana about stealing the box, something Anne later appeared to be ashamed of, and she insisted of going along with the puppy party when Anne was having doubts. I imagine Sasha (who also pressured Anne into doing very much not so "lawful good" things, in more extreme ways than Marcy) might have come up with the idea of stealing it, and Marcy just supported it. Marcy taking Sasha's side. Possibly over and over again. We know Sasha didn't exactly manipulate her because she didn't have to: Marcy just always did everything she said. Anne was the one who needed a bit more convincing.

Marcy's relationship with Anne and Sasha is fascinating. She's definitely the most morally gray of the trio, and possibly the most complex one too, in the sense that she's full of realistic contradictions - an adorkable manipulator, an amoral softie, a self-centered sweetheart who loves her friends more than life itself, a possesive kidnapper with a heart of gold, a very selfish and self-sacrificial person... and it's never just a mask or anything, she's not just pretending to be nice, she really is that way, she really is all of that together. I think that's why people struggle to read her a lot of the times, because so much about her characterization seems conflicting with itself... but I think that's the key to making characters deep and realistic. In real life, we're all walking contradictions and we don't really make sense. Marcy's character doesn't seem clumsily put together to me, like they frankeinsteined all the different character traits she needed to make the plot work without any cohesion between them. I think she's a complex tapestry that sometimes requires a closer inspection to decypher it, and I think the glue holding everything together is her lack of intrapersonal intelligence, her inability to look inwards and notice her own contradictions.

We know she felt unloved by her friends yet desperately clung to them with everything she had, going to extreme measures to ensure they all stayed together, even when it hurt them. We know she's capable of manipulation, scheming and lying to the people that love her most in order to guarantee that goal. We know she's possesive with them, but she also loves them enough to let them go in the rare cases when she realizes she's hurting them (as seen in A Day in the Aquarium). From her journal, we also know she feels very ashamed of these possesive impulses. We know she'll neglect to form her own opinions and ideas to agree always with her friends' wishes, which means she feels completely lost when they want different things. But this also shows that she would never think of an idea of hers as being explicitly opposed to what her friends want. She wouldn't consciously do something that they wouldn't like. Which is insane, because, who would want to be separated from their family and thrown into a different world without any sort of notice? Which leads us to understand that Marcy has zero emotional intelligence and has never looked inwards in her LIFE, AND that her empathy skills are in negative digits because it would have taken her a nanosecond of thought to realize Anne and Sasha probably wouldn't like to be kidnapped. And since we know she never wants to do something they dislike, she must have just... not thought about it at all. No thoughts head empty. It really was just BLANK up there when she made that decision. I think Marcy is a very "true neutral" character who struggles with empathy and humility, who loves her friends but doesn't have the emotional intelligence to really understand them, and who is happy and enthusiastic to be Sasha 2 Electric Boogaloo because... that's what she knows. That's how her friend group works and her goal was never to have a deeper and more genuine connection to them, but to keep it close to her.

So... my conclussion is that, pre-amphibia, Marcy was Sasha's very enthusiastic (but emotionally neglected) right hand man, with Anne as their oblivious victim. It really IS complex because you have to then add Anne always looking out for her, losing sleep over her, yet also ignoring her needs, and Sasha not even bothering to hide how much she doesn't care about Marcy's feelings (which reflects on Marcy not consciously caring about her own feelings). There's also Marcy always assuming the best from them too, despite repeated evidence of their disinterest, and her fear of displeasing them looming over her constantly. Ik I said Anne was Sasha and Marcy's victim, but I meant that like... symbolically, because Anne is not innocent here either. She wasn't a great friend to Marcy before Amphibia. Here's why I always say Anne couldn't develop a deeper, more genuine and open connection with Marcy because of Sasha's oppressive presence and her own lack of emotional maturity. And Marcy couldn't develop a deeper, more genuine and open connection with Anne because of her own lack of empathy and reluctance to face any kind of conflict. So Marcy is Sasha's enthusiastic but emotionall neglected right hand man, who also feels subordinate to Anne despite Anne feeling subordinate to her. That's why they both feel like third wheels at different times. There's an illusion of Marcy with more agency and power than she actually has. In reality, only Sasha is on top, and the other two are two very flawed individuals, one slowly cracking under the weight and the other, less sensitive to the same pressure, trying to uphold the status quo.

[fivelila]

Did Five love Lila before the subway?

Well, this is a question only he knows the answer to, but today I found myself reflecting on a few scenes, and I want to share my thoughts and observations with you...

Season 2

At first, Five pretty much ignored Lila, seeing her merely as Diego's girlfriend from the mental hospital. Later, he sensed she might be lying about who she really was. In the scene where she saves him from the Swede, his expression clearly shows he’s surprised. I think that’s the moment she genuinely caught his attention—for the first time. Of course, his caution won out, and he kept an even closer eye on her. Still, I believe this was a pivotal moment.

During their first fight, Five was clearly the superior one and could have won easily. However, his triumphant gaze at her held something else: he was enjoying it. I think he found her challenging and intriguing, which drew him in.

Five bluntly tells Diego the truth about Lila, even though he sees how hurt Diego is. He throws it in his face, emphasizing that he himself is the reason they got together (more on this in Season 3).

The second fight is far more intense, with Lila determined to kill him. At this point, Five likely believed she was just another tool of the Handler and saw her as a threat he’d eliminate if necessary.

When he learns the truth about her parents, his reaction shows genuine shock. He realizes she has personal, valid reasons for targeting him. This revelation shifts his perspective; from this point, I believe he no longer truly wants to harm her.

Season 3

When Five discovers Lila has returned, she’s the only one he wants to partner with. Yes, he values her skills, but was that the only reason? I think he also wanted her company.

The bathroom scene is a chapter of its own. He must have known she was still angry with him. In this fight, it feels like Five is more focused on defending himself than actually attacking her. When Lila calls it off, he stops immediately and engages with her about the situation. This scene feels like a way to clear the air between them. And honestly, barging into someone’s bathroom isn’t exactly normal behavior—he was really asking for it. And that stance of his while talking to her? Well…

Later, when they argue, Five tells her Diego probably truly loves her. This moment stands out. Was he doing it for Diego? I don’t think so. He likely suspected "her son" might be part of her revenge plan, but why bring up Diego’s feelings? In Season 2, he didn’t seem interested in matchmaking for Diego. Could it have been for himself? To stop Lila from leaving later? Perhaps he knew the only reason she might stay was Diego.

Five understands that, because of her parents, Diego, and his own age issue, he didn’t stand a chance with her at that time. If she left, he might never see her again (I doubt he guessed she was pregnant). Reconciling her with Diego was likely the only way to keep her around. Or perhaps reflecting his own (burgeoning / unacknowledged) feelings?

At the Commission, when Lila leaves the bunker, Five glances at her in a way that suggests he doesn’t want the world to end—partly because that would mean losing her, too.

Later on, it's just small moments, but still iconic, like their dance and the apparent shift towards a truce between them.

Season 4

After six years, we don’t know much about how often Five and Lila saw each other. But given their somewhat normal lives, it likely happened a few times. Even though the first episode of the season makes it seem like most of the characters haven't seen each other in years, presenting some information in the style of family members interacting for the first time in years (well, it wasn't happily done).

The banter between Lila and Five persists, but there’s also trust. Once again, it’s just the two of them teaming up for a new mission. It’s clear by now that he genuinely cares about her and wants to protect her.

When Five talks to Diego about burying something deep and pouring concrete over it, it feels personal. What could he be referring to more than his soft spot for Diego’s wife? He also talks about Lila not giving up what she has - as if he had thought about it before.

He also agrees to her crazy idea. As in Season 3, he likely saw it as an opportunity to spend more time with her while solving mysteries.

And the subway? We all know. Only a blind person wouldn’t see that Five had fallen completely in love with her during those years. Despite the insane situation, he looked happier than ever. His smiles were genuine... and so were his glances at Lila.

So... When did he fall in love with Lila?

I think, It likely built up over time, like a snowball rolling downhill, starting from the very beginning. But the subway gave him the chance to fully embrace those feelings, and their greenhouse gave him the courage to act on them.

What do you think?

[localtelephonebooth]

Thoughts on Kieran’s relationship with Ogerpon as a previously obsessive teenager:

(I did not proof read this. I just woke up, had the urge, and now it’s here.)

Kieran, to me, is a very relatable character. He is a shy, and quiet teenager in a small town. He lacks friendships and possibly meaningful connections with those who do spend time with him. He’s probably isolated due to the fact that he lacks a phone. Any friends he does make are likely school based only. So, Kieran latches on to anything he can to feel less alone in life. And of course he latches onto Ogerpon. Ogerpon is just like him. A sad “monster” all isolated and alone in the mountains. I’m certain that Kieran has fantasized about meeting Ogerpon and getting into wild adventures with her. I did the same thing with characters I enjoyed.

Princess Luna, for example (sorry to whiplash anyone with that), was a character I heavily related to. She was alone and isolated due to her previous actions. She struggled with fitting in and having a healthy relationship with her sister for awhile. To say I didn’t form an obsession with a character who understood my feelings would be a lie. I think Kieran is the same.

He became obsessed with Ogerpon. He become obsessed with the ideas he crafted of him and Ogerpon. In a way, that fantasy was VERY real to him. So when we come around and lie about meeting Ogerpon, and inevitably become friends with her behind his back, of course he freaks out! We stole his fantasy of him and Ogerpon! And that’s the key point here that people tend to not realize. We didn’t steal Ogerpon from Kieran, we just stole his fantasy and made it our reality.

With my obsession with princess Luna (again, whiplash), if anyone said they loved princess Luna it was a fucking attack on me. Princess Luna was my best friend, and she could only love me! Everyone else was just a jealous thief.

As an adult looking back on this mindset, it’s horribly embarrassing. It’s a mindset I carried into my real life, when I actually started making friends, that ruined so much for me. I lost friends because I was so angry that my fantasies were not reciprocated. I really do think Kieran does the same. He grows sad and frustrated over what happened with Ogerpon. His fantasy is just a fantasy, and that’s fucking with him. So naturally, he finds a new fantasy to, hopefully in his mind, make a reality. And so he chose battling and winning against you. The thing we used to “steal” Ogerpon away from him (Even though Kieran technically suggested battling for Ogerpon, I don’t doubt he used it to rationalize why she didn’t want to come with him). To him, being the best battler will solve everything. Kieran will get his revenge, he’ll finally be recognized, everyone can’t lie to him because they fear or admire him, and he’ll prove to Ogerpon he was the right choice.

.

Now, I want to say something about Kieran. A detail that, for whatever reason, people don’t like to acknowledge: He’s just a kid.

I’m not saying “He’s a widdle baby. He can do no harm!” No, Kieran’s an asshole. He became a bully. I can have empathy for his emotions, but not excuse his actions. He’s a dumb and entitled teenager with issues. And, quite obviously, he doesn’t really have a way to deal with his issues in a healthy manner (seriously, his school is based solely on battling. Anyone who’s going or gone to a specialized school can understand how toxic people can get in that type of environment. And don’t even get me started on the incompetence of the adults in Kieran’s school).

Kieran is a teenage boy growing up right now. He’s got a lot to work through, and a lot of people he’s gotta confront about his behavior. He was an asshole, a bully, and genuinely a bad person for minute. But that doesn’t mean he isn’t growing past that. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t deserve recognition for his growth. You can recognize someone has changed and not forgive them.

Kieran is a really intriguing character and holds a valuable lesson in obsession. And I really wish people would recognize that he’s not just an irredeemable prick or an innocent little guy. He’s a kid learning. He’s going to make really stupid and bad mistakes. Just like how I, and probably you reading this, did.

Anyways, hopefully we see him interact with the Area Zero buddies. I think those three have amazing lessons that Kieran can learn from. Maybe Kieran can teach them a few things too!

[if-underourskins]

What would the ros do if they were in the relationship stage and they overheard someone telling the mc that they weren’t good enough for them and that they didn’t deserve said ro? Assuming that the mc is kinda insecure about themselves and wouldn’t defend themselves

thanks for the ask!!

Victoria would tear them to pieces. She was raised as a rich kid who went to school with other rich kids – she knows how to use words alone to ruin someone's self-esteem. She'd belittle them, attacking their every flaw, calling out their every wrong till they run away crying, because no one, and she does mean no one is ever allowed to talk to you like that.

"What are you talking about?" Blaine would step in, eyes dark and eyebrow quirked up. She/ He had been watching for a while after first catching the conversation, and you can see in the way that her/ his lips press together that she/ he is not happy. She/ He wouldn't even bother to hear the person's excuse before starting to rant about how amazing you are and why she/ he loves you, tugging you closer by the end of it and staring the person down till they fled. Afterwards, she'd/ he'd shoot you a small smile, directing you back to the party. (or wherever y'all are at)

Elexis likes to watch people, and when people-watching, he observes many things and comes to many conclusions, ones that are often right. He'd slid down from wherever he perched, voice quiet, but his words are enough to hit the person hard. No one enjoys being called out, especially not when someone is as insecure as them, and they'd probably huff and run away while Elexis simply shoots you a small smile.

There's something about Seraph that always have people scared. They'd sidle up to you, not saying anything, amber eyes just locked onto the person with a bland smile on your face. Their voice falters as Seraph speaks up – "You were saying?" – and they quickly stammer out an excuse before running away, leaving Seraph to turn to you, smile turning into a genuine one. Behind the scenes after however, Seraph is planting the seeds to ruin their life. No one will ever speak to you that way again, not unless they want the consequences.

Brooks storms into the conversation immediately, eyebrows furrowed, and fists clenched. "What nonsense are you spewing?" You could tell he was controlling himself, holding himself back, and he quickly tugs you behind him, staring the person down. "Get lost," he'd spit, just as the person stammers, and he looks so genuinely angry that you think he's about to punch them otherwise.

[thepenguinweeb]

Hello hello this is Sweet from Thus-Wrote-Mrs-Zeppeli (it’s a side blog so I’m on anon sorry) and I saw your thing about Valentine’s Day matchups and I totally wanted to get one before remembering my blog name kinda makes the choice obvious haha-

But ok if you don’t mind ignoring the blog name and going purely off my information I’d love a matchup! This is my first time ever requesting something like this so my apologies if I do it wrong-

I’d like a matchup with a male, from jjba or Mashle, no preference! I’m genuinely curious what you think!

I like to think I’m pretty approachable and easy to talk to, and even though I struggle with understanding others I try to be kind when I am interacting with people, because I like talking to people and making friends. I like expressing myself through how I dress, so I put a lot of effort into my hair and I pick my outfits and accessories carefully, with an emphasis on stuff I think are cute or stylish.

I have been told time and time again that I am much too hard on myself, because I put way too high expectations on myself in most areas of my life, whether it comes to my performance on anything that can be graded to even simple tasks I have been assigned. Making a mistake or being told I did something incorrectly or poorly affects me very deeply. I tend to be quite harsh on myself even if the mistake is very small. Doing something wrong or not understanding something the first time makes me feel like an immediate failure, but it does spur me to do better. And that means hearing I did something well and right makes me feel good.

As for my type…I don’t say I have any Specific preference haha, but I’ve always found intelligence a very attractive trait. I’d like someone who will encourage me to continue improving, firm, who won’t coddle me when I struggle but instead inspire me to do better with advice and constructive criticism. Someone I will always continue improving with, whether I’m literally learning something or growing emotionally and mentally.

This might’ve been my first time thinking that hard about what I like in a person wow, I hope I didn’t ramble too much haha~

Thank you in advance!

With love,

Sweet

💌 Your Valentine Matchup is...

[ Diego Brando !! ]

[ A/N : UMM HELLO ?? THE SWEET MISS ZEPPELI FROM HIT TUMBLR BLOG @thus-wrote-mrs-zeppeli REQUESTING FROM ME ?? what did I do to deserve such a blessing 😭 ]

[ This is the second time I had a heart attack from a request haha don't mind me. First time writing for Diego, hopefully it's in character 🙏 ]

So! Considering your type, Diego is a very good match for you. He is intelligent - annoyingly so, actually - and he makes a point to show that off because he knows you find it attractive (always a show-off smh (affectionate)). He's a perfectionist and constantly training to stay on top, so if you want someone who will push you to improve, you got him. He's very firm, kinda expects you to be as good as him.

"What are you doing?"

"No, not like that- you do it like this."

"It's not that hard, come on. Try again."

Yeah, he's a bit of an asshole about it. When you actually succeed, he might mutter out a 'good job', but won't make a big deal out of it.

...though, if your success benefits him, he makes sure to make you feel as good as possible and give you a lot of praise.

He's not a very approachable person. Like, at all. Which makes it quite entertaining to introduce him to others as your partner. Or even just going out with him somewhere where you might bump into new people.

You stand there, smiling and making small talk while Diego just scowls like an angry dog behind you. If it's not the press or his fans, he doesn't see the point in appeasing strangers.

If you tease him about it, he'll scoff and grumble something about it being "pointless and dumb anyway".

But, if you want him to make an actually good impression on someone, just ask him in your sweetest voice and he'll oblige. He hates it and will never admit it, but he finds it impossible to say no to you like that.

And even if he insults you for it, he likes that you're fond of talking to new people. Dating a famous jockey like Diego brings with it some consequences, and one of them happens to be the fact that you're in the public eye now. And it's quite convenient for him if you can handle that.

Now, on that note, he also loves that you put effort into how you look. He'll claim it's all for the public - and, in a way, that's not wrong. It's only to his benefit if his partner looks good next to him.

But Diego is an inherently selfish man. If you look particularly nice that day, you'll definitely catch him staring a little longer than usual.

He's not a big PDA person, but when it's just the two of you? Very different story. Absolutely shameless about the compliments and comments he makes. And very touchy as well, so get ready for that.

Speaking of touchy, he's surprisingly cuddly too, when he's in a good mood. There are weird periods where he just clings to you in bed with a death grip and does not let go. Don't even try to get out of it, you're stuck until he feels satisfied.

"Diego, come on. I really need to get up."

"Mmm.. no."

Won't admit it for the sake of his tough guy persona but he loves being the little spoon. He feels truly at peace when you stroke his hair while holding him close.

Oh, also. Love bites. Lots of them. And don't cover them up. He loves seeing them on you.

Diego isn't very good at comforting, to say the least. So no, if you're being too hard on yourself, he won't be much help.

He's much too used to having high expectations of himself and getting frustrated if he makes mistakes. He understands how you feel - he simply doesn't view it as a problem. It's natural for him. The most he can provide is a glance that says 'i get it'.

You'd think Diego wouldn't be too enthusiastic about Valentine's. He wasn't a sentimental person, after all. Thus, you didn't expect much for your first Valentine's Day spent together.

But the man is full of surprises - this happened to be a particularly pleasant one.

He stands there at your door, an expensive bouquet of flowers in hand, a grin plastered across his face. He doesn't even give you time to speak a word before roughly shoving it into your hands.

At your bewildered expression, he just scoffs. "What? Don't act surprised. You thought I wouldn't give you anything for Valentine's?"

You hesitated with your reply. "Well.."

"Don't finish that sentence, actually." He puts his hand over your mouth to silence you.

"Diego, really, I'm- will you let me speak."

He gives in and releases you, though begrudgingly. He likes when you're annoyed with his antics. But if it's to sing his praises, he'll do what you ask.

You stare at the bouquet for a moment. It's fresh, untouched. Adorned with beautiful flowers curated just for you. "I'm touched.. really. I just thought you wouldn't care for a day like this."

Diego snickers and waves his hand in dismissal. "Oh, I don't care much about sentimentalism such as this. But I know a lot of others do." He pulls you close to himself, wrapping his arms around you. You could faintly feel his nails dig into your skin. "I'd only give myself more work if I let any other fool think they have a chance with you. My precious little dove."

"Dove?" You repeat, registering the new pet name. Then it clicks. "You're doing the pigeon thing again, aren't you?"

He hums, that annoyingly arrogant grin back on his face. "Maybe." He pauses for a moment, simply observing your facial features. "But you are more valuable than a mere pigeon.. More refined. A dove."

You aren't sure if he's being sincere or if he's trying to mess with you. But he doesn't look like he's joking.

He finally lets you free, though his gaze lingers on you for another long moment. "Now," he starts, "I know you've been nagging me to ride Silver Bullet for a while.."

You perk up. "You'll let me?"

"Yes." He sighs. "But you're not riding without me."

I was so torn between Diego and Rohan. Intelligent assholes <3 but the Dino man won in the end !!

[weabooweedwitch]

Most women your age are getting married and starting their families and you've never even had a bf 🤡 it's so over for you better get used to coping with ur crippling loneliness with maladaptive daydreaming, yandere asmr videos, drugs and self-insert fanfic because that's all you'll ever have now. Your youth is gone and you're still fat af even after you lost weight (probably gained it all back by now lmao). You could have made something of urself whem you were 20 by losing weight and going to college but instead you laid around and wasted all of your youth and now it's too late. No man will ever want to deal with your baggage of being poor, old, unwanted, uneducated (lmao how do I have more education than you and I'm 10 years younger? dumbass doesnt even have her GED), cringey age-inappropriate hobbies, mentally ill and not even having the decency to go to therapy and take meds, fat, ugly face, loser and loner with no irl friends, crazy family, looking old for your age, whored yourself out on a sugar daddy website, rotten teeth due to your own laziness, thinning frizzy hair and gross bulky glasses, drug addicted alcoholic who's probably going to be homeless for the majority of her life, mean person attacking minor aged rape victims like jesus christ you're so fucking worthless SO many red flags so much baggage no-one will ever want to deal with that. You don't even know how worthless you are

You know, every time you send me a message like this, I think of the person from your friend group who came forward a while back. You know, the one you don't like to acknowledge tried to apologize on your behalf. Anyways, every time you insult my appearance I just think of what your friend said

So i get it sweetie, youre mad at mommy and daddy and you're lashing out. That's why half the time you're repeating things i previously said back to me and parroting shallow insults with a very small vocabulary. The second i call you fatherless, you call me fatherless. I use thw word maladaptive and, suddenly you know that word too and juat HAVE to use it as well. I get it. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery

You're honestly just making yourself look so pitiable. You realize you've already painted yourself as such a dumb jackass that every single time you do this I basically just laugh and ignore you, and then people who know me and are friends or WANT TO be friends with me see how you treat me publicly and they all say "yeah wow who's this absolutely demonic little cunt acting like this without any reason". Like. What is the end goal here. Making yourself look as petty and stupid as possible. Meanwhile, what did someone else in your friend group say? The ones you lied to? Including Callie, the actual victim whose trauma you're basically trying to appropriate for yourself

Anyways yeah I just wanted to like show you the actual screenshots of the conversation I had with your friend back in June, which also to everyone else, yeah June, that's when she lied to her own friends and said she would stop doing this. She lied to her friends because all of them told her this was making them massively uncomfortable, so now she's. Being an internet troll in secret behind their backs 😂 they were going to tattle on you to your mom so you lied so they wouldn't check tumblr anymore because you're such a weird angry little freak that this has become a hobby for you

I'm sad? I'M sad? I don't even know your fucking name meanwhile you've scrolled through all of my blogs repeatedly for months cataloging details about me for the sheer purpose of trying to poorly insult me.

Like genuinely 90% of the reason I'm answering this is to basically wave a flag saying "hey everyone if you've ever seen or received weird asks of photoshopped porn of me or pictures of my actual family taken from their facebooks or saw the transphobic racist fake dating profile she made with one of my selfies or you ever received a bitch lasagna or Zalgo text, it was this cringey little lolcow right here"

But I also wanted to show you screenshot proof that you make your own friends super uncomfortable and that they started talking about your personal business to defend me over you. So. Yeah I guess that stings huh?

[irregularmelody]

Hello. A while ago, I said I would bring my analyses about Null Baldi's Basics originally posted on Twitter here. Well, I'll be doing this now. The following is my first analysis ever, where I wrote about Null's behavior.

Click here if you want to see the original post.

Frustration does not equal hating someone.

[Trying to understand Null's behavior.]

Ever since I entered the community, I have noticed a little detail: it appears that most of the people have entered into a mutual consensus that Null feverishly hates the player.

I genuinely think that's not the case. At all.

Analyzing his apparitions throughout the game, one event always happens – Null warning about the game, telling the player to quit “before it's too late”, “before something bad happens” and “before something terrible happens to you [the player]” and to destroy it in its entirety.

That's his utmost priority, make sure the player leaves the game and never returns. Hence why he pleads for you to trust him and listen to him despite the inability to fully express what is the supposed danger lurking around Baldi's Basics, something he himself muses over twice:

“I wish I could say more…”(Classic style)

“I wish I could tell you- Just tell you, hehe, but I can't…”(Demo style)

This hints at the possibility that, if it weren't for the glitching plaguing over Null's speeches, he would tell the player what's so wrong with the game but cannot do so because “some stuff is classified” and needs to resort to being intentionally vague.

In Party Style, in the middle of freaking out while the entire school is slowly being swarmed and demolished by the red Baldloons, Null still has a piece of mind to focus on the player and tell you to get out and never touch on the game again. God knows what the hell would happen to him while the schoolhouse is being obliterated but he instead begs for you to leave first.

It's understandable that Null increasingly starts to lose his patience when all of his warnings for the player tend to be ignored or unceremoniously fall flat. Imagine trying to constantly warn someone about an impending danger but they simply don't listen to it? Null could've given up at any certain moment but he doesn't. Even with his frustration and anger, he kept going out of his way just to try and maintain the player away from the game or get you to destroy it.

Yeah, he was being a little shit in Demo style but even so, he goes as far to personally force closing down the game himself just to keep you away from it despite saying he could get in trouble for doing so but does it anyways.

Then, NULL style. At this point, it's crystal clear that Null will stop the player from advancing furthermore and get you to leave the game for once and for all. If resorting to chasing and taunting the player is what needs to be done, then he will do it. Upon closing the last exit, Null once again tries to reason with you and goes into an extensive monologue in order to get you to stop and leave.

But one small detail I personally find kind of interesting is that, despite his patience running thin and becoming more frustrated by the second, he decides to patiently wait for the player to leave the game by themselves. He screams his lungs out and instead of ending everything right and then there, Null is willing to wait for an eternity just for you to quit. Amusing as it is, he even suggests the idea of the player remaining there with the lines of “or you can just… Stay here… [...] While nothing happens” before brushing it aside and saying that you should go ahead and quit the game.

The boss fight solely starts unless the player attacks him first, otherwise, Null wouldn't chase nor attack you, he would (awkwardly) stand there and wait for who knows how long.

Now in the Developer's office, Null goes after you to talk once again. Even though he is extremely angry about the whole ordeal, he manages to calm himself down to probably try to explain why the game needs to be destroyed. If it weren't for the fact that he got snatched from reality in the middle of it, he would go into a heated ramble about either the game, getting the player to leave and destroy it, the “bad thing” or something else. As of now, it is currently unknown what it could be.

Null's frustration isn't born out of hatred, not for the player, but for the fact he cannot get his warnings to be taken seriously. As I mentioned before, imagine having a person messing around something potentially dangerous and you want to make them aware of it but they continuously keep brushing all of it aside as if it meant nothing? I myself would be angry too. All he wanted to do was maintain the player away from the game and get it destroyed because he saw a threat in it. Sadly, his efforts were never recognized nor did they work. Instead, he got sent somewhere. Or died. I prefer to think he's still around somewhere.

When I understood this, it made me confused on why so many people think he genuinely hates the player. He doesn't hate you, he's annoyed and frustrated with you. Frustration does not equal hating someone. If you give out a warning to someone about something, it means you want to make them aware about that. It means caring. It's natural. If he didn't care then why would he bother going out of his way and hassling himself with all of that trouble just to make the player leave and destroy the game? He kept doing that until the very end. Talk about determination (and stubbornness).

No, I won't lie that I don't think about the fun idea of Null and the player beating the shit out of each other but, for me, he mildly so suffers from the curse of a little something called flanderization: the act of taking a certain detail about a character and exaggerating it so much it becomes the only thing prominent about them. That's the case with Null, that his anger is everything about him.

I beg to differ. That man is a walking enigma, we barely know a proper, substantial thing about him. And despite his role in Classic Remastered, the few minutes of his appearances were enough to set down a certain aspect of his personality but that doesn't mean it's all of it. I mean, take a look at his dialogue. Ironically so, he sounds like the conversational type of person, willing to yap your ear off. At the same time, he knows how to be sarcastic and lowkey an asshole but that's what makes him special. Sometimes, he even sounds kind of awkward, not really knowing what to say next.

Hell, I am talking about the guy who says “jeepers” unironically!! Like, who does that? He's a weirdo, he's a goddamn dork and got himself sent to the contraption because he cared so much. That was his mistake, he cared.

Meanwhile I don't really care about the people who HC's him hating the player, that's just a little nitpick of mine. I might be bullshittting even. I miss him.

tl;dr: guy aggressively cares about your goofy ass but gets himself fucking killed

[mahlersgirl]

more on princess mizu itoh hcs (a part 2 of this)(this accidentally became a small fic as I got invested) (tagging @roninzuzu bc who else shall feed on the dynamic between these two)

as mizu becomes a young woman there are talks of her being married off, but there's the obvious question of what noble house would accept a wife with eyes of an onryo

takayoshi is genuinely worried about his cousin and writes to her about it

her short and angry answer was "worry about your own wedding, I'll be nobody's wife"

it's around this time she runs away from home and takayoshi is sure he had something to do with it and blames himself for mizu being somewhere out there doing god knows what

and for this mizu I think it would be a lot like how akemi ran away to help taigen, except mizu is seeking revenge against the white men and doesn't want to use the itoh family's resources (lots of resentment for being treated like a monster)

it wouldn't be easy at all and she involves herself in lots of trouble that makes her realize that living as a princess, even a neglected one, is still skies above what a commoner samurai would have to go through (again this is akemi arc but add violence)

eventually she would cross paths with mikio (🤮) and maybe he would take her under his wing and care for her after she's severely wounded? it will also evolve into the romance we're acquainted with

now, after the telltale moment in which mikio calls her a monster for handing his ass on a plate during sparring, instead of the bounty hunters being sent to kill her, I can see it being the _itoh family soldiers_ sent to retrieve their princess who had eloped with some good for nothing farmer it seems

not only that, takayoshi is there with them, having missed his sister for a whole year and just relieved he found her again

"how did you find me?" she hissed with slitted eyes full of ire, knife secured in hand ready to decimate his whole troop if he dared to touch her. maybe she would even make him bald for his petulence

takayoshi blinked in astonishment

"you wrote to me, mizu" he said reaching back to get the scroll, his familiar stutter making her feel nostalgic, but not less mad. "you asked me to take you back and bring gold to you and your husband."

and mizu suddenly understands, as mikio materializes by her side, looking unaffected by the number of armed soldiers on his property. she was made into a fool. when mikio looked bewildered she would trade a life of luxuries for revenge, he was in fact envious of her position.

the man mizu loved was a fucking bastard.

he was also the one who first met her blade, to the shock of everyone watching her, a bride covered in the blood of her own husband. she looks at the closest soldier next, looking ready to attack, but takayoshi was faster:

"do not raise your blades at her!" he yelled out his authority, the trembling of his voice diminishing with the loudness. "mizu, let's go home... I'll intercede with my mother on your behalf. we can forget this ever happened."

"takayoshi, in respect of our friendship and the only familial bonds I ever respected," mizu said finally raising her eyes at him, blue meeting brown, the color of the sea and the summer sky who meant a childhood of laughs and promises. "forget I ever existed. this is not your battle to fight. I was never a real part of the itoh family and you know it well. leave me alone and spare me the sin of spilling your blood."

and takayoshi understands, unfortunately, that this was never about both of them being different. mizu was always the one who was hurt the most by her origins and he could never truly know what she went through. he was still the second son of a powerful house and no stuttering or insecurity could take that away from him.

at times, to love someone also meant to let them go. mizu had chosen a path in which he was nothing more than a nuisance. the least he could do was let her be.

he makes his men retreat, but not after putting down the treasure of gold and jewelries he had brought because of the message. he didn't know if she would use any of it, but he wouldn't, either.

"the winter palace will be open." he says before stepping into the carriage. "if not as a cousin, a brother or a friend, perhaps you can still reach me out as an acquaintance. I would enjoy having tea with you once again."

she didn't offer him another word of farewell as his caravan disappeared in the hills and she was bathed by the rain, too mentally exhausted by a reaction. no husband or family, she was fated to be a lonely monster, in the end.

only revenge could keep her satisfied.

[voxxisms]

Guilt

physical headcanon questions ( always accepting! ) guilt - if they experience guilt, what are the signs that they feel guilty? do they avoid eye contact, go quiet, try to avoid what they feel guilty about? do they feel guilty for the action and how it affected others, or for being caught? can they ignore their guilt?

so vox is not one who is often wracked with guilt in the first place. the number of things that actually go against his moral code enough to feel guilty is very small. he is not above stepping over most people to do whatever he wants or needs to do.

however, he is fiercely loyal and very insecure. he puts a lot of expectation on himself, so he will feel guilty if he thinks he failed you somehow.

this guilt is impossible to ignore and he externalizes it in the way he changes. he will learn from his mistakes, whatever it takes to do so. if he failed to protect someone, he will become stronger. if he disappointed someone in not rising to an occasion, he will go above and beyond next time. he doesn't wallow - he fixes it as best as he can, unless that door is closed.

when guilt over something cannot be overcome (i.e. situations with alastor), he becomes wildly emotionally charged. he can have panic attacks, he can become irrationally angry, he may self isolate and become depressed and work harder than ever to compensate elsewhere.

work is his best friend for distractions!

when interacting with whomever he feels guilt with, he is overcompensating. too much attention on you, watching your every move to ensure he reacts accordingly. it reads as trying too hard to win you over, but it is genuine. if he cares about you at all, it is only selfish in the sense that he wants you to be happy with him.

Thank you for asking!

[asteral-feileacan]

You might want to block and report that @/legalandnotease account. They keep deliberately going into the Sam Wilson and/or sambucky tag and spamming people with bigoted hate. They HATE sam and only ever comment on him to hate him. They’re so pissed that sam/anthony got his own movie and have to complain nonstop about it under our posts to try and ruin our excitement because they’re racist and angry. They also use extremely offensive language and intentionally degrading language to attack people while picking fights either in the form of reblogs or in comment sections. They’re going out of their way to target people, especially when searching the tags of the characters they don’t like. Just a heads up

Look, I don't really want to get into this drama, and I'll admit I have invested very little time into this issue, so I'm not up to date on the latest tragic-fantasy-girl scandal that a small portion of the fandom is freaking out over. I will say this, tiredly but with love - I don't think it's right that you're making all of these claims about this person when:

You've provided no evidence, yet want me to block her not only by word-of-mouth, but also because you don't like her.

I have seen pretty much this exact "heads up" cross my dash three or four times now. I don't know if it's all you, but it really rubs me the wrong way that YOU (assuming you're the one sending all of those) are the one going out of your way to find people to copy and paste the same thing to. Maybe you genuinely just want to help, but people curate their own experiences on the internet and should be able to make their own decisions without someone trying to whisper in their ear on who's okay to talk to and who isn't. * edit to add: I also have no idea why or how you came up with me to send this to. What was my crime, reblogging something she wrote?

From what I've personally seen, you're trying very, very hard to make things up and misrepresent anything she says. If you have such a strong case against her, you shouldn't need to twist evidence (that you haven't provided) to make your point. If someone can possibly be such a problem in the fandom, you don't have to feed them the way you are doing.

Do I agree with everything she says? Probably not. Do I agree with the way she handles her arguments? Not usually. Do I have enough free time or energy to waste on this matter to care very much? Hell no. This is the internet.

You don't have to turn a blind eye if you genuinely have reason to believe that someone is a bad person who is actively harming others. But a random person on the internet who annoys you doesn't have to become your obsession.

[sweetfirebird]

No-Stabbing Wednesdays

This is for Lynette who gave very generously to a food bank and asked for more of Gavin and River, after River has gained more self-confidence.

Content tags: spoilers for Firecats. OC. Someone hitting on Gavin. Some small jealousy. Shout out to Parker and No-Stabbing Wednesdays. How to (Not) Train a Firecat and the charaters in it are mine (mine mine)

No-Stabbing Wednesdays

The Wren was one of the nicer inns on the way to the city that had sprung up around the largest palace of the Durii. Jaks preferred it to others when he was traveling to and from the unofficial—but official—capital of the Three Kingdoms. It was cleaner, for one thing, but also had a nice, big public room full of other travelers who were often inclined to Jaks’ notions about shared beds for a night or two and then going back on their way.

The public room also had a strictly enforced rule about no weaponry that meant travelers like Jaks could relax without worrying over fighting or tensions between nobles and their betters, or haughty runi upset over the different “perverse” ways here, or wizarding students raising a ruckus.

The students of magic didn’t need weapons, of course, but a wizard attacking someone unarmed? They’d be kicked out of their school once word got out. The Queen and Rabil, her wizard, didn’t tolerate that kind of thing.

So, after a week’s worth of walking and a quick bath in the bathing room, Jaks was more than ready to settle down with a meal and an ale and maybe find a companion for the night if he was lucky, although food and ale were far higher up on his current list of needs.

At least, until he saw the broad figure in wizard’s robes still dusty from travel, seated alone at a table in one corner. The wizard was duad, and very likely tall, judging from the size of him, with sleek dark hair worn high on his head and a growth of beard that was probably a result of travel more than his usual style, unless he was only just beginning to grow it in. His eyes appeared dark as well, and his hands large, and Jaks wouldn’t mind those hands pressing him down into a mattress, no he would not.

Unlike many of the other visitors to the inn, the wizard sat back with easy confidence. Used to some travel, then, and more than likely able to take care of himself if things grew tense.

Jaks scarcely had the thought before the wizard turned to reach into a bag at his side. He pulled out a scrap of paper and a book—and the book opened itself a moment before a candle in the iron chandelier which must have gone out burst back to life.

That kind of absentminded power made Jaks pause, his heart beating faster. But then he thought of that power might be like when applied elsewhere and moved toward the charming wizard without stopping to order himself some food.

“Have you visited the Wren before?” Jaks asked even before stopping, even before the wizard had looked up, and then winced to himself at what a horrible opening that was.

But the wizard turned to him and looked up, eyes dark as Jaks had predicted and rather lovely. He was very focused, the wizard. The intensity of his look didn’t fade when Jaks smiled.

“I’m here fairly often and I’ve never seen you before,” he added in case the wizard was angry or annoyed. It wouldn’t do to annoy a wizard.

“I’ve never stopped here,” the wizard answered after a pause. “Usually we travel straight through to my—to the palace with everyone else.”

“A royal wizard?” Jaks asked with genuine interest, taking the opportunity to slide into the chair next to the handsome stranger.

The wizard gave a start, then glanced down over himself before shaking his head. “Ah. Of a sort. But this time, there’s no larger group, and I wanted a hot meal.”

“Fine food here,” Jaks agreed. “It’s one of the reasons I choose the Wren.”

“What are the others?” the wizard wondered immediately, blinking in surprise when Jaks inched forward.

Their eyes met. The wizard’s really were lovely. But then within a moment, they were directed away from Jaks toward the counter at the other end of the public room where… well, Jaks understood the distraction.

The figure at the counter was small but noticeable. From the bits of livery visible, he had to be a guard, and probably a palace guard considering where they were. But he wasn’t dressed like the rest of the guards Jaks had seen. He wore a jerkin and undershirt, but the undershirt had no sleeves, leaving muscular arms bare for all to see, the skin decorated with some scars as well as bright lines of ink. A runi then, judging from the tattoos and their size. Jaks hadn’t known they let runis become guards of high rank, so this one must be fierce indeed.

Fierce and pretty, Jaks could admit. Almost startlingly pretty with short, shorn hair that only made the wide eyes and full lips more obvious. The runi filled out his tight leathers well too. He had no visible weapons, not in the Wren, but Jaks was willing to bet he still had some on him. It was in the way the man moved, following the barkeep to a different side of the counter as though someone near them had been loud. The runi guard slinked, for lack of a better word. Jaks half-expected to see a tail behind him, like one of the Durii’s cats.

“You do, don’t you,” agreed the wizard, as if Jaks had said part of that out loud. He turned to Jaks with a friendly smile.

“He’s pretty,” Jaks said next, to find out how the wizard felt about men, but also with some disappointment because Jaks did all right, but he wasn’t anything like that runi guard, if that was the wizard’s taste.

The book closed gently as the wizard turned to give Jaks a closer study. Perhaps Jaks had offended him.

“Though not as pretty as you,” Jaks added quickly, in case. “But I have to say, you’re pretty in an entirely different way.”

“Pretty?” the wizard echoed, sounding as if he’d never heard the word before. “I’m not… how am I pretty?”  

He seemed a bit too sincere for it to be flirtation, but whether it was a game or not, Jaks was willing to play along.

He made himself sound thoughtful but kept his tone light. “He looks like danger. You look like trouble. But I always did like a bit of trouble.” He smiled again.

It earned him another startled pause, and then a puzzled, but charming, frown. “I’m not trouble.”

“Oh yes you are.”

The interruption made them both turn.

The runi guard stood on the opposite side of the small table, not quite looming because he was too small for that, but watching in a way that was as near to looming as he could probably get. His words were teasing. His expression was blank.

He had a mug, probably full of ale, in one hand, and his other hand at his side, where, Jaks somehow knew, a weapon usually hung from his belt. Jaks felt he was being deliberately reminded of this.

But without sparing a glance for Jaks, the guard addressed the wizard. “They don’t serve your tea in here.” At this, the wizard gave a suffering kind of sigh which only made the guard continue calmly as if he’d expected that. “You’ll have to make do with a pot of what everyone else drinks.”

The wizard grumbled something about how he wasn’t spoiled just for liking certain kinds of tea more than others.

The guard ignored that like the sigh, and turned to Jaks. “I’m not sure what your friend wanted.” The words were cool. His eyes were not.

Jaks had seen eyes like that before. In processions toward the palace or on their way elsewhere, some royal or noble visitors would show up with their guards in tow, and some of those guards walked alongside the big, red and gold cats of the Durii. Firecats.

They’d looked right at you sometimes, as though considering whether or not you should be lunch. The cats, that was. But Jaks supposed the guards did too.

He almost flinched as he looked to see if one of those cats had followed this guard inside, but of course, not even a royal guard would do that. No weapons meant no firecats either. A firecat would probably dwarf this runi not that it mattered. That hot stare said clearly enough that the runi didn’t need a firecat to hurt Jaks if he wanted to.

“He’s not an assassin, River,” the wizard remarked, giving Jaks a reason to look away.

“Oh, I know,” River answered easily, then sat down with effortless grace. He didn’t take his gaze from Jaks. “That’s why I didn’t stab him.” Jaks jumped in his seat. River put the mug down with a tiny smile. “Wouldn’t Faddal be pleased at my progress?”

“He wouldn’t stab you.” The wizard faced Jaks, apparently trying to reassure him. “He doesn’t know that you think he’s pretty.”

“Pretty,” River scoffed. “He didn’t sit here to tell me I’m pretty, Gav.”

But he glanced away from Jaks to exchange a look with the other one, his Gav, his expression sort of knowing and pointed, like Jaks had stepped into an old argument between them.

“But he didn’t…” Gav replied at last, only to trail off. “I’m so sorry,” he said to Jaks, who stared blankly back at him. “We’re only just returning from our first assignment away from my m—from the palace, and I’m still not used to people approaching me.”

“Been hiding in castles too long,” River muttered under his breath.

“And when they do,” Gav continued over that, “it’s usually not for….”

“Interest in just a fuck?” River supplied helpfully. He gave Jaks a smile. It was a smile with teeth but it was still a smile. “Thank you for that. I keep telling him he’s beautiful, and he insists that’s my fondness for him talking. That no one would take one look at him and desperately long for his hands on them.”

“River.” Gav was suddenly sharp and stern. And it didn’t matter that a royal guard who had a firecat was across from him, he was a wizard. A royal wizard, very likely, with such power that he didn’t even notice it. He could carry out any threat he might make.

River shifted in his seat but was otherwise undeterred. “I’m thinking of it right now, in fact.” The sharp smile and hot gaze returned. “And all of I will let him do to me, which is more than he knows, even now.”

Gav, a wizard with the interest of a royal guard, and maybe also the protection of one, and probably the heart of one from the sound of their bickering, actually ducked his head in bashful surprise.

It was, despite Jaks’ embarrassment and fear, an incredibly appealing sight. Although, despite River’s words unbalancing him, he wasn’t silent for long. “Let you,” Gav echoed in a chiding manner, “as though you won’t beg.”

He had been appealing alone but now Jaks was lost in the image of the two of them fucking, and how it would be between them, which River and now Gav had all but told him. River, this dangerous creature, begged. And Gav was, or could be, stern with him—but of course, he’d have to be strong to taunt this deadly cat and apparently still get to fuck him.  

Jaks caught himself staring, then turned quickly toward River to apologize.

River tore his intense, furiously yearning gaze from Gav to give Jaks a smile of surprising sweetness. It was fleeting, but Jaks could feel it making him warmer while wondering foolishly if Gav normally got all that sweetness alongside the ferocity.

“Go now,” River ordered, before adding, with a soft grumble of his own, “please. Wait,” he added a second later, then pushed his ale toward Jaks. “As thanks for helping him convince him.”

“You haven’t convinced me of anything. I didn’t need convincing,” Gav insisted, although Jaks barely heard it.

He was up and out of his chair so fast he nearly knocked the chair over, but he took the ale so as not to be rude to the firecat in tight leathers.

“See?” said the firecat as Jaks hurried away, “no stabbing.”

“I don’t think ‘not stabbing’ deserves the reward you clearly think it does,” Gav answered, voice just as stern as before. Despite himself, Jaks shivered.

He didn’t know what River did. All he heard was the purred response, “We’ll see about that.”

[alkimara]

literally all of this nonsense with CSAU is the fault of some random fucking asshole who saw my sisters post and decided to use her opinions about the comic to start shit both on reddit and in the discord. its not her fault, its not responsible for the bad faith actions of shit stirrers, and even if she HAD wasted her time saying “please dont use this to harass anyone” it wouldnt do shit to stop the shit stirrers.

moreover shes a small enough account it shouldnt HAVE to put “warnings” asking ppl not to start shit in what was ultimately a casual conversation with a friend of hers that someone else blew up a month later into this whole stupid debacle. please stop accusing her and our circle of friends of trying to start shit when you dont know whats actually going on and please also stop calling her “that person”, her pronouns are it/she and theyre right in its bio, it only takes three seconds to check.

I called her "that person" to refer to her in conversation not to be transphobic. its cuz shes a person and not literally homestuck vriska troll.

regardless of how rude your/her entire "circle of friends" i 100% appreciate everyone who came out the woodwork to say "hey no, she isn't sending people to attack CSAU". like that genuinely does make me feel better. a lot of posts yesterday came from a place of initial rage and frustration and knowing this is just one nutjob and not an angry mob did a lot to ease my anxiety. i shouldn't have jumped to conclusions on the matter.

i still think her entire original post was pretty rude, and i do think she should've stated somewhere up front she just didn't like csau, blocked the related artists/writers, and was stating her two cents instead of attacking it. but she is 21 (omg look i DID read her bio!) and she should really know that people be crazy.

[lunareclipse39]

The Princes' Whore (Pt. 4)

After Sameria risks her life protecting Helaena and her children, Aemond starts seeing her in a new light, and fights his growing attraction to her. Daemon is angry Blood and Cheese failed to kill Aemond, but at least a son died. The debt has been paid. War officially breaks out.

Parts 1, 2, 3

Warning: Some violence, sexual language

Aemond

I scooped Sameria into my arms, frantically carrying her down to the Maesters' quarters. She was starting to go in and out of consciousness, adding to my fear.

"Hold on, Sameria." I urged, knocking on Maester Orwyle's door.

He opened the door, still groggy from sleep, but his eyes went wide when he saw Sameria in my arms.

"Bring her in."

I laid Sameria down on a table as Maester Orwyle started looking for antidotes.

"It was nightshade." I spoke.

"Ah. This will do." Maester Orwyle grabbed a vial with a dark liquid inside.

"Sameria, open your mouth." The maester instructed softly.

Sameria, now pale and her lips starting to lose color, opened them slightly, and Maester Orwyle poured the liquid in. She started coughing, sitting up, covering her mouth, but eventually her cough subsided and she regained her consciousness completely, as well as the color in her lips.

"What happened?" Maester Orwyle questioned.

"Assassins infiltrated the Keep and killed one of the king's children." Sameria spoke, her voice slightly hoarse.

I clenched my fists and Maester Orwyle widened his eyes in horror. "And how did you get yourself poisoned?" Maester Orwyle wondered.

"I couldn't sleep, so I was wandering the Keep when I ran into Helaena holding Jaehaera and Maelor. She told me someone killed the boy, and then I saw them, the thugs leaving her chambers. I told her to run and took a poisoned dart for her from one of the thugs. In my anger I chased after him and attacked him." Sameria explained.

I widened my eyes, a small smile on my lips. Sameria, this near-stranger who is to be my wife soon, risked her life for Helaena, and my niece and nephew, and because of her one of the assassins of my other nephew is dead. A strange feeling started to bubble up inside me. Was it amazement? Admiration? Attraction? Perhaps all three. All I know is that I have found a newfound level of respect for the Princess Sameria Martell. I will always love my Aly, but on second thought perhaps I will marry Sameria, out of duty most of all.

Sameria

Aemond saved me, and showed genuine concern for my well-being. Perhaps my sister was right. I should give Aemond a chance. We left Maester Orwyle's quarters, after which I thanked him of course, and turned to Aemond on our way up the staircase.

"Thank you, for saving me." I squeaked.

"And thank you, for saving my sister, even if it was foolish and reckless what you did, but also brave." Aemond smiled.

"I couldn't let a mother and her children be harmed. Besides, us Dornish are resistant to most poisons, given it is our area of expertise." I boasted.

Aemond's eye gleamed with impression. "Is that so?"

"Yes. Nightshade is quite deadly, and had I been from any other house I would be dead." I said simply.

"You say this so casually." Aemond narrowed his eye.

"Because it's not that big of a deal." I shrugged.

"You could have died. It is that big of a deal." He crossed his arms.

"But I didn't." I chirped. "Goodnight, my Prince."

I turned on my heel and made haste towards my chambers, feeling Aemond's gaze on me, unresponsive. I grinned to myself. I managed to impress him and leave him speechless. Something tells me he is starting to be attracted to me.

The following morning I went down for breakfast when I was dragged into the dining hall by none other than Alyonna.

"Why did you do that?" She demanded.

"Do what?" I yawned, sitting down.

"Don't act foolish, my Lady. You know exactly what. What you did was brave, but also stupid, and you could have been killed!" Aly hissed.

"I know, and I am sorry, but Helaena had to get away and I had to entertain the thugs to let her do so. It's alright now. I'm alive." I smiled.

Nobody was in the dining hall, just Alyonna, and me. "Where is everyone?"

Aly sighed. "The king has been in hysterics since news of what happened broke out, Aemond had to hold him down with Criston Cole's help. Helaena has locked herself in her chambers and refuses to leave, or move. Mother is stressed trying to keep the peace, and Aerys has taken to training more than usual."

Sadness clouded my eyes. "I am sorry I couldn't kill the other thug, or kill both before they could get their hands on the little prince."

"It is not your fault, my Lady. You risked your life enough, and for that you have the gratitude of the realm." Aly smiled.

I smiled back, finding it impossible to resent this girl for being the apple of her brother's eye. Aly sat across from me, serving herself porridge.

"Have you had any marriage prospects, princess?" I asked.

"Gods, no, and please, call me Aly." Aly shook her head.

"I find that hard to believe. A beautiful Targaryen princess with no marriage prospects?" I frowned, grabbing bread.

"To be truthful, I have had a few, but I have rejected them all." Aly looked down.

"Oh? Have you got your eye on someone in particular?" I pressed, smearing butter all over my bread.

"No, my Lady." Aly neared herself towards me, and in a low voice, said, "I am thinking of becoming a Septa."

I nearly choked on my bread. "Oh?"

Aly turned pink, and nodded. "I do not wish to be a mother, as much as I like children, and men make me nervous." She bit her lip.

"Why do men make you nervous? And why do you not desire motherhood?" I asked curiously.

"Because... I don't know. When I was eleven I watched one of my Hightower aunts die during childbirth. Ever since I have had this intense, irrational fear of pregnancy and childbirth, and of the act leading to it. I do not wish it for myself. Now, we both know the realm is not kind to an unmarried woman, especially of noble birth, but being a Septa is an acceptable path." Aly said.

My expression softened. Oh, Aly is truly an innocent, sweet thing who has seen ugly things that her little heart could not handle. "Aly, fearing something that can kill you is not irrational at all. It is very valid. However, is being a Septa truly what you want, or is it an escape route from your fears?

Aly blinked, never truly having thought about this before, but nodded. "I do want to become a Septa. I feel it is my calling. I have been brought up in the Faith since I was a child, and I have always felt it calling to me. I would love to teach, feed the hungry, help the poor."

I was filled with tenderness. Aly truly does not belong in the arms of any man, but especially Aemond, who can be so cold and borderline cruel. Aly will be a wonderful Septa, and she has my full support in her decision. Yes, my support may not be entirely selfless, given the circumstances, but I do genuinely support her choice, regardless of her and Aemond.

"You have my full support in your decision, Aly. Do not let anybody shame you for doing so. Follow your own path." I encouraged.

Aly smiled. "I will."

In that moment Aemond entered the dining hall, his smile wide at the sight of Aly, but then he turned to me and gave me an acknowledging nod. Aly stood up, greeted her brother, then made haste to leave. "I better tend to Raindrop. He was being fuzzy this morning." She hurried out.

Disappointment flashed in Aemond's eyes, and I sighed. He will never love me the way he loves his sister, will he? I don't want to have to fight for my husband's attention and affections. Aemond would sooner throw me to the wolves if it means keeping his sister to himself.

"Did you sleep well, despite everything?" Aemond asked.

"Surprisingly I did." I admitted. "I am sorry to hear about the state of Helaena, and to the king."

"She shall recover, in time, as will my brother. Your valiant act the night prior has not gone unnoticed by my mother and grandsire. They will thank you in time." Aemond nodded.

"Aemond." I started. "Why did you agree to wed me?" I wondered.

Aemond blinked, surprised, but then looked down. "I... I don't know. Duty perhaps."

I nodded. "We do not have to be married if you do not wish to. I don't want to marry a man who has not the slightest interest in me."

Aemond looked up at me, his expression tightening. "What makes you think I have no interest in you, my Lady?"

"You haven't been exactly sociable with me, my Prince, nor have you courted me." I said boldly.

Aemond chuckled, his eye glinting with amusement. "You are a complete stranger, my Lady, so forgive my reservations. As for me not courting you, there is looming war, so my thoughts have been preoccupied. I have every intention to wed you, so worry not."

I nodded. "Alright. We shall be married then."

Aemond

Princess Sameria is truly a curious little creature, quite fascinating too. I didn't like the growing attraction towards her, but I could not help it. Something about last night... seeing her like that, almost feral, determined to kill one of the assassins, and without a weapon. It sparked something in me, something I am trying my hardest to shut down, for I love my Aly and always will, but I can't help but feel more drawn to Sameria. She's someone I have to keep an eye on, and keep close, discover. Marriage is the way to do so, and I suppose that is my reason for deciding to marry her.

Daemon

Fury washed over me. Blood and Cheese failed to kill the target, Aemond Targaryen. I clenched my fists. Fools! They murdered Prince Jaehaerys, heir of King Aegon, and while I am not happy about their failure, the debt has been paid. A son for a son. Let this be a message to our enemies, and to anyone thinking of crossing us. My wretched nephew is getting married to that Dornish girl. I do wonder what she looks like.

Sameria

Aemond and I were getting married, despite what happened. His mother, Dowager Queen Alicent insisted we get married as soon as possible, to secure a possible alliance with my family in case for the worst, but my family will never join this war, not after the Dornish wars with the Targaryens. I wore a simple ivory gown, for it would be a very small ceremony, with only the Dowager Queen, Otto Hightower, Aerys, and Alyonna in attendance.

Emmie had helped me get ready, and I now stood beside Aemond, saying our vows to the High Septon in the Great Sept of Baelor.

"You may now cloak the bride and bring her under your protection." The High Septon spoke.

Aemond gently cloaked me, and the ceremony was over. Aly was beaming, sadness clouding her eyes for a fleeting moment but she was smiling nonetheless. Aerys grinned. "Congratulations, you two." He nodded.

"Thank you." I smiled.

"Seven blessings upon you both, may you bring forth many heirs." Dowager Queen Alicent smiled.

I blushed, and curtsied. "Thank you, your Grace."

"Thank you, mother." Aemond nodded.

His lips widened into a smile upon setting his gaze on Aly, who hugged him, then me. "Seven blessings upon you both indeed." She smiled, her eyes sincere.

"Thank you, princess." I nodded.

Aemond and I retreated to his chambers, as is customary after a wedding, and I watched him lock the door as I stood in the center of his bedroom, looking around me.

"I do hope you find my chambers suitable, my Lady." Aemond spoke.

"They are nice enough." I shrugged. "And forgive me, my Prince, but I might be a disappointment to you tonight."

Aemond glanced up at me, confused. "How so?"

I nearly grinned malevolently to myself, but swallowed instead. "I fear I am not experienced, you know... I am simply not a wild cat." I said, passive aggression in my tone.

Aemond laughed merrily at this, completely missing my allusion. "I do not expect you to be a wild cat, my Lady, but for future reference I certainly will not mind." He winked, making me blush.

"Worry not, we will not be consummating tonight. I am very tired, so forgive me, but I promise to make it up to you." Aemond reassured, beginning to undress himself.

I watched him, my cheeks heating, and he caught on, for he smirked. Bastard. His silky, silvery white hair cascaded down his back as he undid his tunic, and I shook my head.

"Goodnight, my Prince. I shall see you tomorrow." I said, and turned on my heel for the door.

"Where are you going?"

"My chambers. If we are not consummating, I don't see the point of staying here." I shrugged and unlocked the door but with lightning speed Aemond was at my side, pushing the door back close.

"You are spending the night here, whether we consummate or not. Should more assassins infiltrate I will not have you fighting them again." Aemond growled.

I snorted. "Fine."

I undressed quickly, staying in my undergarments, and slid into the bed. This is uncomfortable. Aemond slid in next to me but turned on his back to me and slumbered off. I sighed, not sleepy at all. In fact, I was highly energized. I waited for Aemond to be sound asleep, and once he was I slid out of bed quietly and tiptoed towards the door, unlocking it and opening it to find guards patrolling the corridor. Fuck! I still slid out the bedroom and closed the door, hiding behind a pillar.

I waited for the coast to clear and made a run for my own chambers, opening the door and closing it behind me. Phew! That was close. I sighed, starting to pace around, rummaging through my dresser and pulling out a white, sheer, shimmery dress embroidered with white lace and crystals. I pulled it over my undergarments, feeling the fabric cascade around my body.

Since I was not sleepy, I started to explore my chambers further, until finding a finely embroidered tapestry in the tea room. It was beautiful, and depicted an enchanted forest of sorts. I reached out to touch the tapestry, feeling the thread delicately sown into each shape, and noticed the tapestry did not touch the wall behind it. I peeked behind the tapestry to find a secret door outlined subtly into the wall. Huh...

I pushed the door open, and it revealed a secret passageway. Gods...

[drgnnova]

Chapter 5: Honorary Exorcist

Amane and Hanako were sitting down on the rooftop, "I have two books here" Amane said as he grabbed two books out of his bag, one was those huge informative book while the other book was small kind of like a Magazine.

"Space Encyclopedia." Hanako picks up the book as she reads the title. she sighed "this is way to long to read" she said, as she place the book down. "how to make friends" she read the title. she frown "I feel bad for you"

Amane huffed "says you." he replied back.

"you're mean Amane-Kun!" she fake teared up, "says something nice to me!" she yelled out, as she pointed at him with a smirk on her face.

he tried to think of something nice, Hanako move her eyes with Amane and realize he was looking at her legs. "you have cute ankles!" he yelled out. he covered his mouth when he realize he yelled instead of just said it.

Hanako's eyes widen, but then she smirked "that the only thing you could think of. you really are a-"

"I'm not a pervert Hanako-Chan!" he argued back, but then Hanako grabbed him by his cheeks causing his face to grow redder. he has never been touch by a girl that wasn't his mother or Sakura.

she lean closer, smiling "or could it be that you're obsessed with me?" Hanako ask, Amane eyes widen and then he glanced to the side to avoid looking at Hanako.

"That's far enough!" they heard someone yelled out from above them.

Hanako glanced up, as she tilt her in confusion. Amane blush in embarrassment wondering if the mysterious voice heard any of his weird comments. 'wait! if they didn't…' he glanced down at his books that Hanako had stack after looking at them. 'then maybe i can try and become this person's friend…'

"Finally! I found a worthy supernatural to be exorcise by my hands!" he yelled out as he jumped down.

he didn't think about Amane, as he went to slam his umbrella down onto Hanako. Hanako eyes widen "Amane!" she yelled out as she push him away. Amane fell backwards, he rubbed his head as he sat up. he finally got a good look at their attacker, and recognition appeared on his face in a instance.

"Aren't you the kid that I push down the stairs?!" Amane yelled out in shock, as he got to his feet.

he stop his attack, blushing in embarrassment as he straighten him "Bowl cut kid. I'm busy with something important, so mind your business!" he yelled out.

he turned back to his target, and his eyes widen when he noticed Hanako was gone. "Do you know him?" Amane asked, when he noticed Hanako floating behind him.

"nope. kid how do you have a weapon from the Minamoto clan?" Hanako answered, and then she looked up at Mitsuba who annoyed expression turned into a more frustrated expression. "you don't have the Minamoto's blond hair… or are you perhaps" Hanako was sayin, but then she covered her mouth. "are you a rebellious child of the Minamoto's clan, that's hot" she mocked him.

Amane found it confusing why Hanako was egging this pink hair student on, that reminded him that Teru was apart of a exorcist, since he was apart of the Minamoto's clan. "wait, are you Minamoto-Senpai's little brother?" he asked, and then he made a click with his finger "that would make sense why every time i have seen you, you've been with Minamoto-Senpai but you guy don't really give bro-" he was saying, but then his eyes widen.

he notice the Pink hair boy react weirdly to the words 'Minamoto-Senpai's little brother', He glance down at the weapon in his hands that was disguise as a umbrella, a look of sadness cross his face. but then it was gone as quick as it appeared, he clenched the weapon in his hand and looked up with a determined glare. "Stop hiding behind that little boy, Hanako!" he yelled out.

"LITTLE BOY!?" Amane gasped, genuinely angry at the comment "I'm older than you!" he yelled back.

he dismiss Amane's comment, Hanako use this as a chance to explain more about the Minamoto clan to Amane. she didn't know how Amane knew they were exorcist were, but it was clear that as far as he knew. "once upon a time… back when nights were much darker than they are now… it was a time when they called us supernaturals 'Youkai', and we had much stronger powers. there were three that were feared above all others, believed to be even more powerful than the gods. they were the three great evil youkai of Japan. one of those three was the evil Oni of mount ooe, shuten douji. and he was slain by the exorcist extraordinaire Minamoto no Yorimitsu. the ancestor of our lovely Minamoto-Senpai" she explained to Amane, when she mention Teru, she place a hand on her cheek and blush while smiling.

"UH-" both Amane and the pink hair boy gave Hanako judgemental looks, Amane looked more concerned while the younger boy look disgusted. "ignoring the last part. you did your homework on us" He smiles proudly, even thought it was clear that Hanako is implying that pink hair guy isn't from the Minamoto's clan. Amane wonders why the Pink hair boy would have a Minamoto's weapon if he wasn't apart of their clan.

His smile faltered "our ancestors left countless powerful, anti-evil artifacts for their descendants to use. i will master them all and use them to protect people from vicious supernaturals like you. that is the calling of every boy born into the Minamoto Clan! and So! I'm going to be the one to exorcise you!" he yelled out.

Amane eyes widen when the boy jumped up and attempted another attack on Hanako, it hit Hanako in the shoulder. "ah, by your body language and how much you're overcompensating yourself" Hanako grabbed the weapon with her hand as she smile.

the boy glared at her, that line had clearly strung a nerve. Amane's jolt his head to the door, he could have sworn he saw a boy at the door a second ago, he had looked like he was at least a year or two younger than the pink hair boy. Amane chalk it up to his imagination. "what are you talking about!" the boy yelled, which brought Amane back to the fight at hand.

Amane covered his eyes, when lightning started sparking from the weapon. Hanako eyes widen ever slightly "maybe this will teach you to shut your mouth, Hanako. and realize I'm out of your league!" the boy boast proudly.

Hanako started falling to the ground "Hanako-Chan!" he yelled out, running over to Hanako. 'lightning…? so that's what his weapon does… but shouldn't Hanako-Chan know that, since she knew about his weapon?' he asked himself, but then he shook his head to clear his mind and focus on Hanako.

"this is an anti-evil artifact that has been handed down through my family for generations - the Raiteijou! it's a spirit staff that turns it's user's spirit energy into demon vanquishing lightning that zaps evil! and you touched it with your bare hands! you must be pretty dense, since why would you touch it while knowing it was a weapon of the Minamoto's clan." the boy laughed loudly, clearly overly proud of himself.

he started advancing toward Hanako "It's over!!" he yelled out.

"Stop!" Amane yelled out as he attempted to tackle.

both of them fell to the ground, the Raiteijou still held tightly in his right hand as if he was scared of being separated from it. but then Amane remembered the sad expression from earlier, could their be a story behind his connection to the Minamoto clan and the Raiteijou.

The boy had grabbed Amane's waist with his left hand to avoid Amane from being hurt in the fall, it was the first response that came to mind at the sudden psychical interference of Amane, he didn't have enough time to react or do anything. "whoa! are you crazy ugly bowl cut boy!" he yelled out in anger, but their was a hint of concern in his voice. "you're an idiot! don't just tackle-" the concern left his voice, now it was just anger and annoyance.

Amane had a stunned expression at first, but he determinedly and angerly glared down at the boy who still had a hand on his waist. "I won't let you hurt her. she's my friend!" he yelled out at him. he thought it was cool how protective Amane was, he smile for a second.

"I never got your name." Mitsuba pointed out.

Amane's glare transform into a look of utter confusion. "Yugi Amane, a first year in the high school division. I'm Hanako-Chan's assistant and friend." he introduce himself, this was a weird situation to introduce oneself.

He frown once more, as he glance at Hanako who was sitting up. "she's your friend?" he looked up at Amane with a look of disgust.

Amane glared at him, confused by his change of personality again. "yes. she is, and if you do anything else mean to her, I'm gonna get madder at you" he declared.

"huh…? wait, but she's a super evil supernatural… and, uh… i have to exorcise her for the sake of our school and for Te…"

Amane eyes soften "Hanako-Chan isn't a bad supernatural!" he was going to try and reason with him. "she even helped me!" he told him, in hope that will put Hanako's name in a better light.

"are you nut-er, you've got it all wrong… mister!" he pushed Amane off of him, Amane eyes widen as he hit the ground.

he sat up, and the boy stood up and towered over him. Amane gulp "she's not just any supernatural. it took all of my grandma's strength to seal away Hanako-San of the toilet. she's a really, really diabolical evil spirit! and look, she uses that garden shear for a weapon. that's proof that she used it as a weapon while she was alive too. she used that shear to take someone's life." He told Amane.

Amane tried to search for a hint of a lie on his face, but the boy had a dead serious look on his face. "No! you… you have to be lying…" he yelled out, but his voice started quieting down. remembering how a friend of Hanako when she was alive keeps being brought up, and how weirdly she reacts to any mention of her friend. 'no… she wouldn't have… right?'

"she's fooling you, Amane!" apart of Amane knew he was way more serious than before, because he was calling him by his name rather than the terrible nicknames 'bowl cut' and 'ugly bowl cut'. "you can't trust her!" he yelled out, and then he crouch down to Amane who was still sitting on the ground. "you're just gonna be… another…" he had grabbed a hold of one of Amane's hands.

Amane eyes widen when he felt Hanako place her arm around his shoulders. "aw" she said as she point her garden shear at the boy. "my secret's out. this isn't what killed that person though" she answers with a smile and dark eyes.

the boy jump back in fear, his earlier confidence vanish completely. Amane turned around with a horrified look and his hands over his mouth. "haah… I was hoping to keep it to myself a while longer…"

her Hakujoudai float around her, as she floats into the air. "come here. Hakujoudai." the Hakujoudai floated to her chest "you're right. I did kill a human being. but god told me that if i can fulfill my duty here. it will erase my guilt" a beautiful cloak appeared on her, it was familiar to a winter jacket for the school. "so i can't let you exorcise me. sorry." she answered with a smile, and her garden shear pointed in the direction of the boy.

"you don't even make any sense" the boy response back, as Amane noticed how his hands tremble while he held the Raiteijou and was prepare to attack. Hanako float backwards "Wait!!" the boy yelled out.

he slammed down at Hanako, but she dodge his attack. "hold still…!" he yelled out, the harsh and unsmooth movement of the boy cause his camera to fall down. he hasn't notice because his full attention was on Hanako.

Amane catch the camera before it fell, and when he looked down. a horrified look was on his face 'that boy… in the photo… it's the same boy from before… it can't be…" he rubbed his face and then he glance down at the camera and the photo glitch and was gone, leaving Amane terrified and confuse.

"hey, doesn't that hurt your hand?" Hanako asked, appearing right next to the boy. the boy eyes widen, and then he made lightening strike from the Raiteijou to Zap Hanako.

the boy was cockily laughing once again after getting another attack on Hanako. "mwah-ha-ha-ha-ha! you never learn!! this time, there won't be anything left of you!!" he yelled out, Amane stood up with the camera as he gulps, he look at the boy and Hanako fighting. 'was the odd photo. a cause of a supernatural or could the boy have been…'

Hanako had her hand on the Raiteijou, but the lightning zap didn't work this time. "This has to work! if this doesn't work then I'm usele…." Amane notice the boy's chest move up and down faster than normal, which indicate fear and panic. he also notice his eyes shaking, as he clenched the Raiteijou until his knuckles turn white, 'that isn't normal'

"WHOA!" The boy yelled out, as he narrowly dodge the garden shear as Hanako attempt to attack him.

Hanako smile as she waves the garden shear around while the boy tried to dodge. "this didn't originally belong to you, did it?" she asked with a smile, grabbing at the Raiteijou. "give it to me, and i might let you go" Amane glance at Hanako, and wondered who the weapon originally belong to you. "or maybe the person who used to hold it is De…" Amane's eyes widen, when those words started leaving Hanako's mouth.

"How Dare You. The Raiteijou is important to me!" the boy yelled out, Amane noticed the glassy look on the boy face as if he was holding back his true emotions, which made him wonder if Hanako's accusations. "I need to carry on his legacy…" he quiet down as soon as those words left his mouth.

he took a deep breath in, and a confidence smirk return to his face which both Hanako and Amane knew was fake now. "don't look down on me. or you'll regret it. Mitsuba never runs from a supernatural" they finally got his name, Amane looked down at the camera and he sighed as he notice his name was on it, meaning he could have just got his name from the camera.

Hanako made a 'oh' sound, and then she smile. "well okay.", she cause Mitsuba to fall over. he crashed into the ground, and then she grabbed a hold of his shoulder with one of her hand, and pulled the knife up in the air with her free hand. Amane grip on the Camera tighten.

it looked like she was going to stab Mitsuba but instead she just flick him on the head. "take that!" she smile "I win!" she declared.

Mitsuba looked up in confusion, at the sudden change. and why Hanako had spare him, and then he noticed that Hanako had his Raiteijou in her hands. "Hey!" he yelled out, he reach for the weapon but Hanako beat him to it, having place a seal on the Raiteijou.

"well. I'll just seal this away so it doesn't hurt anybody"

Mitsuba crash down toward the ground "after all that trouble to get him to allow me to have it… just for me to be an idiot and allow a supernatural to seal it away!" Amane felt a little bad, he walked over and handed the camera, Mitsuba eyes widen as he grabbed the camera off Amane. "uh. thanks"

he got up, and grabbed the heirloom "why would you do this to Teru-Senpai's family heirloom?" he asked, and then he tried to take it off. it seems he didn't realize that he drop his act. "take it off" he demanded.

Hanako covered her ears with her hands "don't wanna".

but then Hanako had a sadden look on her face, and then she grabbed his hand and gently rubbed her finger over a burn mark on Mitsuba's hand. she flinched when Mitsuba jolted in pain "more importantly. it's clear you aren't ready to be wielding that weapon, and I'm guessing it hold some important memories since it belong to someone you cause to call a friend, right?" she asked. "it like you don't know how to use it, you must have beg Teru-Senpai to allow you to use this. you zapped yourself every time you shot lighting from it." she glanced up at Mitsuba, with a serious look on her face "i think it time you tell us exactly who you are."

"That's…" his anger quickly vanished, as he tries to force his sadness away. "I'm Mitsuba Sousuke. Honorary Exorcist of the Minamoto's clan, i was trained by Teru for nearly two years" he answered.

Amane hadn't expect him to answer considering how he had been acting the whole time. Hanako was about to speak, but it seem something snapped in Mitsuba. "I want to prove Minamoto-Sama that he wrong about me! I'll prove to Teru-Senpai that he didn't make the wrong choice of letting me become a exorcist and I'll definitely master the Raiteijou because he didn't get too. I'll make his goals come true, by my hands!" Mitsuba felt a single tear slipped down his cheek, he rubbed the tear away.

"I don't know if my words mean anything to you, Kid. but I think for how little you had to train, you're already showing great potential. so their no need to rush, and I think that person you're fighting will, is happy and proud for you in the afterlife. me, him and Amane know you'll make a fine exorcist in the future. and then I'll be a piece of cake for you. when that day comes, I'll be looking forward to it." Hanako share a heartful speech to Mitsuba. "I think out of everyone, I would want you to be the one to do it."

Mitsuba felt his mouth moving on his own, as he struggle to hold back his emotions. "you think he's…" the words he was trying to say, felt like they were stuck in his throat as he tried to speak. he laugh "I think I've even be hallucinating about him lately"

once again, Amane saw the boy again. he was hiding from the corner, a smile on his face as he looked at Mitsuba. 'huh. that's odd.', the boy seem to notice his staring because he floated away. "AMANE!" Hanako yelled out to get Amane's attention.

"did you space out again?" she asked him.

he was confuse "where's Mitsuba?" he asked, he was pretty sure he hadn't been staring at that random boy for long. "Oh" he follow Hanako's eyes and found the boy knocked out on the ground.

"I said he was a coward who acts tough. and then knocked him out with a punch to the stomach" she admitted casually.

Amane sighed, but then looked up at her. "wait, I forgot to ask. are you okay?" he asked concerned.

"he wasn't going to give up. so i had to knock him to avoid the fighting going on longer. thought i have to admit, he is tough for only being a exorcist for around two years. but because of his fake cockiness, he bites off more than he can chew." she explained.

he grabbed the staff from the knocked out Mitsuba. "the staff.. shouldn't we hide it now, while we have the chance?" he asked her. "do you know who it could have originally belong to?" he wondered if she knew.

"I have some talk around the school. but nothing to clear since I'm always in the bathroom or garden. but what I've gathered is that Teru has a little brother who died." she admitted. "most likely belong to that poor kid."

Hanako looked at him "are you worried about me?" she asked him.

"o-of course i am! you're my friend." he told her. "and friendship is important to me, you know that better than anyone" he glance down at the two books that were destroyed in the fight between Hanako and Mitsuba, he sighed. luckily he didn't bring the version his father bought him before he died. he keeps those book in a safe place at home.

Amane wondered about Minamoto-Senpai, and how badly it must have feel to lose a brother. the thought that he could lose Tsukasa one day was horrifying, so to think his upperclassman actually lost his younger brother was heartbreaking to say the less. "… I see. so you can get along with a murderer huh, Amane?" she asked him, her hands in her pocket.

"that's…" he was saying, but then she smile. she walk past her "ha-ha. Just kidding", Amane eyes darken as he glance down. "leave the kid. he'll be fine. I doubt he'll be able to exorcise me next time he tries. and i welcome the company. of course… thigs are going to get a lot livelier around here before long."

Next chapter or chapters: Misaki stairs. (Depends on long it ends up being)

Who's this mysterious boy?