#i aspire to have a friendship like theirs with someone

[superconductivebean]

#895

Girlies headcanons because I feel like sharing some.

Imelda:

brash but means well;

may not show it at all but it doesn't take long to get under her skin;

her time is valuable, she doesn't spend it on people of little worth to her;

worthy people quickly get to know she hasn't a lot of close friendships before, she can be overbearing with the amount of things she'd like to share, including gossip;

mean and means it sometimes;

when she's expressing opinions, she'd like people not to perceive her as needlessly rude or too harsh, she's just forthright;

taking things seriously and always being up to a challenge isn't super tasking for her but she'd like to have someone to get up to silly antics or able to withstand an argument with her;

she's open to other people's opinions but it will take a while and some deal of proving for her to change her mind.

Poppy:

The Silly but inwardly speaking, the most serious person around;

radiates confidence whenever she has to handle a beast;

social interactions are fun and games but she may feel drained and tired afterwards, maybe even sad, because she's on her emotional low and needs to replenish;

likes warm and earthy colours; bees often mistake her for a flower;

may feel reluctant to participate in beast-unrelated conversations due to the lack of experiences to form cohesive opinion;

she's very eager to listen and learn from the experiences of others though, and to think on them;

dreams about befriending a dragon although she knows dragons are very temperamental creatures and often avoid people.

Both:

like to rest in quiet, unpopulated places;

prefer simple but fulfilling meals, as they spend most of their time outdoors and in cases of each, either need to make a quick camp, or not feel bloated mid-air;

naturally, their time spent among other people is limited, they're the Catching Up With The Recent Gossip kind of people;

recognise and respect people with passions as fiery as theirs;

aren't well-liked by the peers, they're seen estranged by their aspirations and hobbies;

introverted but mirrored: talkative and quite conceited but reticent and closed, awkward and timid but beaming with life;

when privy, unleash the silliness.

[respirationalactress]

Monday night/ cancer new moon/ at 4:30am my dog cried for the cold

A mental block I have RE starting a blog is - what if I have nothing to say? And I rarely do, in the way that I never write; but I always do, in the way that I'm always talking. But I want to be writing, and I've listened to like 5 episodes of This Jungian Life pod recently, so I'm making a dream analysis blog in the hopes that my nonconscious dream mind will prompt the things that my hyper-conscious writing mind is too stage-frightened to type. An aspirational writing practice.

I was on a camping trip with my family, and I went to the top of the hill, where there was a servo. A delivery boy, a teenager, drove up to me. He had a parcel for me, but he was confused by the name. He was reading the company name, Vevoke. I didn't really care about the package, it was something for my old workplace, but I thought the kid seemed nice, so I asked him to show me around the town, and he did. I asked, don't you have more deliveries to make? He shrugged, no, I only had two or three deliveries today, and I get paid by the hour so I may as well take a while.

I had a nice time driving around with him. I could tell he could tell I was queer, and I felt an affinity with him, like we both knew that if two gays could randomly find each other in front of a small town servo and drive around some streets together in the afternoon then... idk, anything would be possible etc. It was nice. I dropped him off near the servo and went back down the hill to where my family had set up camp. It turns out my brother knew the kid somehow.

This is bringing up for me a queering the map flavour of nostalgia. The kid in my dream wasn't anyone I know in real life, and it's not the first time I've created friends in my dream. Often I create people I crush hard on, but this time I had a more maternal, maybe even fraternal feeling towards him. It's interesting that the character was so specifically a teenager who could drive and had a job. These were things I wanted when I was young and living in a small town. In comparison, there is a very specific mention of my old job in the dream. I'd just had dinner with a friend from that job in the irl hours before the dream, and we were talking about our boss, a deeply repressed, deeply misogynistic, trenchantly evil older gay man. I remember once he shouted "FUCK THEM IN THE ARSE" in a meeting, after hearing we got a leg up on our competitors. As someone relatively new to arse-fucking at the time, I felt so angry that a gay man would evoke it as a kind of capitalistic, domineering... man thing. Now I feel sad for him. Maybe he really does think anal sex is so abhorrent; maybe he and his partner only treat each other like mates until the lights are off, until they're drunk?

I like that in my dream I wasn't needed as some wise person who could help the kid step into his queerness or figure anything out. Being gay was never even talked about. In fact, it was the kid who had something to give me, in the form of a parcel, which I didn't really care much for except for that it brought us both into a presence with each other, where the presence and normalcy of a tension free gay friendship is what was needed. I think about this in the context of the pressure I feel by my desires to mother a child, to let them grow up with the whole freedom of their own self. I think about this in the context of the anger I felt at my dog, crying at 4:30am in the cold, crying for the heat of a proximate body, not needing me to fix anything, just needing me.

I dream of a world where young gay kids only have a few things to do as they cruise around town, where they can run into other queers and not feel the shame drilled into them push fear and blood into their faces, push them away from remembering the world at the top of the hill, the world that their bodies promised them, which was always theirs, to make echoes, to befriend, to arse-fuck in........

P.S. We need to save Colleen Ballinger's brother's dancing child.......

P.P.S. God save my little brother, a sparkie who has always somehow known about the gayness.

[lettersforphillis]

Response to Yvonne letter #1

Partner Letters (Kim and Yvonne) 

Dearest Yvonne, 

Hello my fellow friend. I hope this letter finds you well. I pray that you are in good health and spirits as we’ve travelled through this long week. I am in agreement with you on your observations of this course so far. This course and the content being studied so far is very interesting and also inspiring to me. I too aspire to be a writer myself. This course touches me in a way that is on a deeper level than our other classmates. With me being an African American woman, reading and hearing about my ancestors’ treacherous history is a very hard pill to swallow. I feel so many negative emotions such as hatred, disgust and so much grief reading and delving into the content. But on the other hand, I feel blessed to learn more about my lineage’s history because it wasn’t taught in dept while I was in school. 

I’ve enjoyed learning about Phillis Wheatley Peters life, talent and her footprints she paved in American and African American history. The friendship she shared with Obour Tanner was truly amazing. I can’t imagine living in and experiencing the harsh conditions that they endured back then. I’m sure they were overjoyed to have each other’s support along with their focus on the most high (God) to keep them encouraged to get through the tough times. I admire true, genuine friendships like theirs. We all should be so lucky to have someone to journey through life with while carrying the ups and downs. I personally felt proud and motivated as I read more about Phillis Wheatley Peters life and accomplishments. She’s definitely a hero in my eyes. 

Your new friend,  

Kim

[cheerstotheelites-if]

Ohh the sweet sweet one sided pining... I can't miss it! Can I ask for "knowing that they would never love you back and yet not stopping to pour out your love for them" with my cutest boi Weylyn?❤

Prompt list thing a majig—

Ah, Kal! Hello!!! ^^

Prompt under the cut as usual, my friend!

~•~•~

Jenny, darling,

You're my bestfriend,

There's a few things,

That you don't know about,

[…]

I wanna ruin our friendship,

We should be lovers instead.

- Jenny, Studio Killers

~•~•~

"Thanks, Weylyn." MC smiles at him as they carried a stack of papers, the smile that Weylyn's mind would loose itself over. His cheeks warm almost immediately, and he cracks a smile of his own. He nearly trips over himself and drop the papers as he did.

He's helping MC again, as usual. It's a habit of his, being their neighbor too and all. The two have known each other for years, starting of as new neighbors to eventually becoming close friends. For Weylyn, it formed into something more than that. Feelings grow and bloom like flowers in spring. His heart would race, his stomach would flutter, cheeks warm, and words sputter out like a broken record whenever MC looks at him for even just a second.

A boy in love he has become for them.

"Y-you're welcome!" He says, smile wobbly and crooked as his fluster grew. "Happy to help as always."

But MC's focus shifts somewhere else when a certain person walks by. It's ever-so-perfect Fleur with her sharp eyes and elegance. She doesn't spare either him nor MC a glance as she soundlessly walks past them, yet MC watches her. They look back again on the path before them with a goofy smile on their face and a small skip to their step.

Weylyn's own smile falters a bit as he sees MC become a flustered little mess at their crush passing by.

Of course MC would fall for Fleur. Who wouldn't? She's everything everyone aspires to be and with a beautiful complexion to match. Weylyn is just ordinary—average.

"So, you like the Vice President?" His mouth ends up asking, an ache forming in his chest.

MC visibly tenses, their cheeks growing more flushed as they glanced at him. "Was it that obvious?"

"Well, yes." The President chuckles faintly, though goes unnoticed. Unfortunately. "I'm curious to know why. Fleur doesn't even look interested in you."

"I mean, that's true." MC admits, their smile growing a bit sad.

"Then, why fall for someone who doesn't like you?" A bold question coming from Weylyn. "There might be someone out there who, you know, likes you."

MC lets out a small laugh. "And who would that might be?"

"I dunno." Weylyn shrugs. "Could be someone close to you." He hesitates for a moment. Gods, Weylyn, are you really going to risk it? "Like me," he finally says, hoping MC would atleast take the hint. All the time he spent on them, the heart eyes that go unnoticed, the love he would pour out onto them and never ceasing, the aches in his chest whenever MC's eyes shift onto someone else. Gods, he wants to scream, to shout that he, Weylyn Rutherford, is in love with them.

But he can't ruin this; this friendship he cultivated with MC for years. This relationship he wants to keep close to his heart forever. He wants for things to be as they are, but his feelings have reached his limits and he aches for something more.

Love is it's name.

He wants to hold them, kiss them, tell them that he is theirs and hear them whisper that they are his. Feel his hands hold theirs while lovingly look into their eyes.

MC stares at him with an unreadable expression, silence hanging over them quickly in their walk. Oh gods, did he say it at the wrong time? Does MC think he's a creep now? Did he ruin everything in just two words? A nervousness runs through him, crawling up his spine and tensing his shoulders.

"I mean it as a joke." Weylyn quickly adds with a forced smile before MC could say anything. "Anyway, we should hurry before Professor Thrillbury scolds us for being late again."

"Ah, crap, you're right." Whatever emotion MC has in their eyes vanish as they quickly speedwalk down the halls with Weylyn in tow, replaced by the urgency of their situation.

A sigh leaves Weylyn and he sucks in another breath as another ache forms in his chest.

"This is fine…" He mutters to himself reassuringly. "What you have with MC is already enough…"

And it is.

He loves them too much. He doesn't know what will happen to him to have them gone with his overflowing unrequited love.

It's painful, but he rather be in pain than let MC experience any of that.

[furiousgoldfish]

Rate your (abusive?) parents! (this is not meant as a serious diagnostic tool, not all abusive parents can be measured this simply, however it does provides some reference.)

1. How warm and loving were your parents?

a. They made me feel very loved and appreciated. b. They were sometimes a little dismissive but I was taken seriously when necessary. c. I was loved.... occasionally... it was a hit or miss some days. d. They acted as if they would rather they didn't have me. e. They were fake warm, even if they were smiling I felt resented, despised and afraid.

2. How scared are you of your parents?

a. Scared? They're my parents. Why would I be afraid? b. If I swear something nasty at them they give a threatening look but I'm not that scared. c. They're scary on some days, if they're in a good mood it's fine. d. I have nightmares about them, I feel scared even if I hadn't done anything wrong. e. I would prefer to be dead than to face them again from the amount of terror I feel.

 3. How well do your parents  pay attention to your needs?

a. They know what I need before I even realize it. b. I have to remind them that I need new pair of sneakers sometimes. c. They expect me to say if I need something, otherwise it goes neglected. d. I don't like them paying attention to me, they don't most of the time. e. I'm allowed to have needs? Says who? 

4. Do they notice when you're in distress?

a. Yeah, if something happens they immediately reassure me. b. If I'm acting strange, someone talks to me the same day and helps me. c. Well, if I'm distressed about something obvious, and if they have nothing better to do. d. They'd only notice if I was already dying and then tell me it's my fault. e. Notice? They CAUSE the distress. They enjoy it. I'm sick of having to act strong.

5. Do your parents take time to teach you all necessary skills for survival?

a. If I feel like learning, I can ask them anything; they research if they don't know. b. Well they teach me what they know and I feel capable of survival so yes. c. I'm supposed to learn from watching them, they don't answer questions. d. No, they only tell me to stuff and get angry if I get it wrong. e. They convinced me it's impossible for me to survive and that teaching me is a waste.

 6. Do your parents provide you with basics (food, shelter, clothes, healthcare) unconditionally?

a. Of course! I know I can always count on them for these. b. Yeah, they want me to be safe and sound, even if they're mad at me. c. I have to figure out some of it myself, can't always count on food or healthcare. d. I get parts of it, and I'm told I should be grateful and that I'm in debt forever due to it. e. I'm threatened with being thrown out, starved and/or all my stuff taken away constantly.

7. Are your aspirations, hobbies, achievements and happiness important to them?

a. They want me to be as happy as possible and put a lot of effort into it. b.  Yes, if they can do anything to help me be happy, they do it. c. I'm not sure if they know all my aspirations or hobbies. d. They don't think my aspirations or achievements are worth shit. Happiness? I don't know her. e. They go out of their way to sabotage my achievements and happiness.

8. Do your parents provide you with rewards for completing tasks for them? 

a. Yeah! If I do everything well I get additional money or privileges I want! b. I am well appreciated, even if there's not always a reward, I get praised. c. If you count 'here's more things to do and then we'll leave you alone' a reward.. d. I get told 'it would have been better if you did nothing' and snapped at to do more e. If I don't complete the chores, I will get hurt. I get humiliated and criticized while doing it.

9. Do your parents criticize your style, appearance, friends or relationships?

a. They're happy with whatever makes me happy, they only say something if they're worried. b. Well one time I was in an abusive friendship, and they criticized the other kid. Otherwise, no. c. I don't think they notice most of the time. Only if it's in their way of something. d. They only criticize it if it reflects badly on them. e. I can't step into the house without being criticized. They hate everything on me.

10. Are your parents proud of you?

a.  Yes, they remind me so constantly. b. Well not all the time, but if I do something well. c. They don't have time to feel things and stuff about me. d. I don't think 'proud' and 'me' could ever occur in the same sentence. e. They'd be proud if I didn't exist.

Results:

If your answers mostly dwelved around a. and b., then your parents did well enough at least in these categories, and you were able to experience a measure of safety and acceptance in your home. This is what is generally expected of parents to provide for children, and if they're 'good enough', they'll be providing all this for the most of time. This isn't to say your relationship with them is perfect; they still might be pushing pressure and expectations in other areas, or disagree in fundamental levels with you. If you have even one result at d. or e., they might be covering up abuse.

If for a lot of answers you found yourself picking c., then you are likely to have experienced neglect, inconsistency, lack of nurturing, lack of care. This goes into the category of 'not good enough parenting' and abuse. It's likely to them, you were only a backdrop, someone to care about their issues more than they care about yours, a convenience they used to get things done. It's likely you often had to keep your own life in order and assist theirs. This can make you feel like you only exist when it's convenient to others, and give you major insecurities about your self-esteem, importance, and self care. It can also set you up for an abusive relationship.

If your answers were mostly d. and e., I am sorry to say but your parents were a complete disgrace and a failure. They not only neglected all of your needs, emotions and human rights, but did their best to cast as much damage on you as possible. You were not treated with dignity and humanity that you deserved. You've been put thru a lot of undeserved hatred, and life shouldn't have been so hard on you when you were just a kid. It's likely you are or will struggle with trauma due to neglect, hostility, hatred and cruelty that was forced on you when you were vulnerable and defenseless. You shouldn't have been left alone with those people. If your answers stem more towards e, it suggests narcissistic parents.

Mixed: If your answers range across all of the options, it suggests that your parents, even while doing well in some areas, neglected and abused you in others, which makes your situation fairly complicated; you want to believe they love you and you see a proof of that, yet they sometimes hurt you very badly, and their affection is inconsistent, mixed with bursts of cruelty and denial of your humanity and dignity. Know that it isn't hard not to abuse a child. It's not a completely unreasonable thing to ask of people to not be cruel to children, to not damage your well being. Your parents shouldn't have gone to such lengths to be hurtful to you, and being okay at other times is no excuse. Good people are good consistently, not when they feel like it. This is, again, a result that suggests abuse.

[boyfriendsmalec]

I love relationships like Kurosawa and Adachi’s because honestly it’s relationships like theirs that I aspire to have in real life. To be with someone who completely accepts me for who I am, who encourages me, believes in me and loves me unconditionally.

So often in the media relationships are made to have unnecessary drama related to miscommunications, cheating, jealousy, etc. but even if there are slight miscommunications in Kurosawa and Adachi’s relationship they talk through it almost immediately. Drama isn’t dragged out unnecessarily.

Also I love seeing a couple who very obviously and clearly enjoy spending time together. I love that we got to see their friendship build together and how they’re not just boyfriends, but each other’s friends too. Like they actually have common interests. They tease each other and joke around, making each other laugh and smile. It’s remarkably refreshing given that most other shows I’ve seen lately the lead couple are so intense that I’m unused to seeing such light-hearted moments.

It’s too often I see toxic relationships romanticized in media. But in Cherry Magic they don’t romanticize toxic behaviors. For instance there’s no romantization of one character being forcibly kissed by another. The director of the show has emphasized how Kurosawa feels he can’t move forward without Adachi’s permission. Consent is highlighted in this show. Plus Kurosawa never shames or fetishizes Adachi for his lack of romantic and sexual experience.

I could honestly go on. Kurosawa and Adachi just mean the world to me. I love seeing such a healthy relationship becoming popular and widely praised. It gives me hope for more shows in the future that we’ll see greater emphasis on consent, mutual respect, and the need for healthy relationships.

[inkinary]

Thinking About Things

Criticism. 

A familiar word in this day and age. Some people use it as a tool to help others, some use it as a cutting edge to slice people down to their level. Constructive criticism, critiquing, judging, helping out, it goes by a lot of names. 

Let’s look at that for a moment. 

As an artist, I’ve had a lot of criticism, the good, the bad, the I-Don’t-Really-Understand; you can tell a lot about a person by what they have to say when “critiquing”. I’ve had seasoned artists point out anatomical flaws, or a wrong placement of a finger to help my art truly portray what I wanted to capture. I’ve had others point out how much my eagle looked like a chicken, theirs looked better than that. 

Words are a powerful thing, when used in the right ways. Critique is a good tool to find out where your weak points are, but too often in this day and age is it used as a way to tear down younger creators. I’ve had so many new artists and young aspiring creators I’ve known decide to quit because of what people had said. 

A lot of times, (Me included) jumping in with advice on how to fix everything can really overwhelm and discourage someone who’s just figuring out how they want to operate. I’ve learned that encouragement, friendship, and a helping hand when asked for goes a LOOOOONG way. Artists of ANY type, be it pictural, linguistic, musical, or more, will naturally want to grow in their abilities. It’s our nature! Being the person a younger creator can trust is a great honor.  

Now, let’s be the people we want others to be!

[one-leaf-grimoire]

the knight who pierced the king's heart

knight au ➼ chapter 14

warnings ➼ none

synopsis ➼ Things start to go back to normal, but schemes are growing in the shadows.

ao3 link (18+ content) ➼ here

masterlist ➼ here

author's note ➼ This is sort of a short chapter, I apologize! I haven't updated in forever but I want to get back into it! Thank you for sticking around.

By the time the next day dawned, it seemed as if everything had gone according to plan. Augustus had gotten to meet “Elizabeth Payne,” and Julius had successfully hidden her true identity. The nobles at the ball were none the wiser, relieving the burden that had been hanging over the heads of everyone involved.

Well, almost.

“Would you stop moping around? You have a long day ahead of you, you know.”

“Hmm?” Julius blinked, having been staring into the black depths of his morning coffee, not paying attention to Marx as the advisor puttered around the office. “I’m not moping, I’m just… tired.”

“You are moping. I know you too well,” Marx corrected, leafing through some parchment, organizing it for the day. “Lisa’s been gone barely half an hour, you can’t let yourself fall into disrepair everytime you’re apart.”

Julius sighed, shaking his head a little. “No, that’s not it… I mean-” He shifted in his chair, his brow furrowing a bit in annoyance. “I wish she could have stayed longer this morning. Breakfast was all planned out, with all her favorites, but she said she had to go back to her station before anyone got suspicious.”

“Well, Isn’t that a good thing? Avoiding suspicion, I mean.”

“I suppose, but still…” Julius let his gaze drift to the window. The room was bright from the morning rays of sun, the aroma of his coffee permeating the air and giving it a cozy, warm atmosphere. Julius was most at home in his office, yet today he felt so lonely. “...I wish she could stay here all the time.”

“Impossible-” Julius’s attention was drawn back to Marx as he plopped more documents down into the growing pile on his desk. “She’s got her own life, her own goals. Plus, she’d just be in danger here.” Marx frowned at Julius, feeling concern for his superior. “I know you won’t listen… but I still feel like this is a bad idea. After meeting her, I can tell that she’s a very nice girl, and you two get on very well, but one wrong move-”

“I know. Of course I know all that.” Julius’s voice cut Marx off. He was tired of having this conversation, but more than that…

I know he’s right.

Marx gulped, then let out a sigh. “Like I said… I know you won’t listen. But you’re the King- I’ll trust your judgement.”

With that, he turned and left the room in a hurry, sensing that Julius needed some alone time to sort through everything.

Julius grimaced at the sight of the paper pile, knowing a long day was ahead of him. But at the very least, it would distract him from the stress eating away at his stomach. Taking a deep breath, Julius pulled the pile towards himself, grabbing his quill and ink.

I know he’s right… not only do I pose a danger to her, but I’ll stand in the way of her own aspirations. I don’t want to do either of those things… but there must be a happy medium, right?

All he had to do was find it. In the meantime, things could stay as they were, and he would relish the bliss he felt when she was at his side.

“STOP RIGHT THERE!”

Lisa froze in place, halfway up the stairs to her room. She had gotten back to the Crimson Lion barracks later in the morning than she planned. Not only had Julius held her up as she was leaving the castle, but the town was bustling with activity, the streets practically choked with pedestrians. Damn it! I should have left before daybreak- she thought, slowly turning around to look at the bottom of the stairs. “I… was just coming back from a walk?”

Fuegoleon glared up at her, his eyes narrowing. “Don’t pretend. I came to check on you last night, apparently your day off turned into a night out.”

Lisa gulped, her mind spinning. How do I talk myself out of this!? “I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to worry you, I promise! I … I just had business to attend to.”

Getting an idea, she scratched her neck, purposely avoiding his gaze in the most suspicious way possible. The best way to trick someone is to tell the truth, I suppose… “Y-You see- um- I-" With little effort, a blush appeared on her cheeks. "Er- well, It’s embarrassing, but-”

Fuegoleon blinked, slow to connect the dots, but then turned bright red the moment her words registered. “OH! Do not continue, I don’t need to know.” He sighed and started to turn away, clearly not wanting to press the issue any farther. Lisa glanced back down at him to see him look up one last time. “Er- but next time, leave a note or something? I was worried sick when I checked on you last night.” He closed his eyes and let out a sigh. “You haven’t been feeling well lately, after all.”

“I’m feeling fine now.” She gave him a quick smile. “Seriously. I’ve had plenty of time to heal, so keeping me on leave any longer is just giving me time to be… idle.”

“...Indeed.” Fuegoleon couldn’t help but smile back. “Fine, you better get down to the mess hall quickly! If you want to be put to work again, I’ll put you to work.”

“Yessir!” Lisa grinned genuinely, her heart leaping as she turned to run back to her room. Yess! Finally! She hadn’t been doing proper work ever since her injury during the jousting tournament, a period of inactivity that had only been extended by the scuffle when she rescued Julius. But now, at least she would have something to focus on, something to strive for.

I can continue the path that was interrupted… And I feel like my goals are closer than they’ve ever been!

Darkness fell that night, and the city went quiet. At least, as quiet as it ever could. The closer you got to the center of the kingdom, the less it slept.

Sleep… it’s been so long since I was able to rest.

A man sat by his window, high up in a secluded inn. He could see most of the street from up here, dark and empty. Yet he could never feel that he was totally alone, not after he had failed so spectacularly.

Everything was supposed to end… I was supposed to be able to sleep happily tonight.

Movement in the corner of an alley caused him to draw back behind the edge of the curtain, his heart thumping loudly in his chest. To his relief, two drunkards were the ones staggering into the street, laughing and holding onto each other. He let out a soft breath, still very much on edge.

Damn it… is this just how my life is going to be now?

The door suddenly opened, and he whirled around. In an instant, his sword was drawn, pointed towards the intruder-

“Hey, that’s no way to greet one of your few remaining allies, is it, Patri?”

Rhya held his hands up in mock surrender, a lazy, teasing grin on his face. Patri sighed, lowering his weapon. “Maybe knock next time, creep,” he spat, turning away to look back out the window. The drunkards were gone. “Any new intell?”

“Oh? No hello or good to see you?” Rhya chuckled before sitting down in a chair, his feet swinging up to rest on the coffee table. “No sign of any Diamond spies in town looking for you. Have they sent a follow up to that threat yet?”

“No.” Patri shook his head. “They just demanded that I return and face punishment, or they’d send someone to get me. God-” In a momentary burst of anger, he made a fist and slammed it into the window frame, his frustration reaching a fever pitch. “-If only I had stayed there to see the job through myself-”

“You probably wouldn’t be here now,” Rhya cut in. “You heard the report, not a single one of their men was left alive. A whole squadron must have caught up to Julius.”

“Maybe… maybe I’d be better off that way. Now I have to find a way to make it up to them, or I’ll be living my whole life in fear.”

“Maybe we could leave the kingdom?” Rhya suggested. “Heart seems nice.”

“They’re allies of Clover, though.” Patri shook his head. “And so is Spade… although, from what I heard, not for long. But that would be a long shot, we’d never make it over the mountains.”

“You still have a chance to bring them Julius’s head,” Rhya reminded him. “Sure, he’s going to be under even stricter guard now, but still… also, there was that other request. Morris said he would vouch for you if you fulfilled it.”

“That’s an even worse idea. His demand was impossible… there are thousands of people in this kingdom, even with that very specific description, we’d never be able to find his target. Plus, I’d rather not look at Morris ever again.”

Patri’s eyes were fixed on his own mismatched ones in the reflection on the mirror.

“Fine.” Rhya sighed, leaning back in his chair, letting his eyes close. “Oh, there’s one other thing. It’s from him.”

Patri raised an eyebrow before turning back around. “Finally, he says something? He could have been a bit quicker.”

“He says, King Julius has called a meeting to discuss a plan to take out the Eye of the Midnight Sun threat. I will relay any important information to you as soon as it is over.”

Patri’s eyes widened a bit. I thought he would cut off all contact with me after the failure… there’s nothing really in it for him, after all. But… friendship is a powerful bond.

His mouth twitched, almost into a smirk.

“I see… in that case, tomorrow, we’ll rally our remaining forces and find a proper base. Then… we’ll wait. We’ll wait, then formulate our own plan to thwart theirs.”

Rhya smiled, glad to see hope glimmering in Patri’s eyes once more.

“We’ll throw this whole kingdom into chaos… and take our revenge at long last.”

next time ➼ Julius formulates a plan to take out the traitors once and for all. Meanwhile, Lisa struggles to get back into the action, doubting her path for the first time in her life.

[fireinmywoods]

Bones isn't always Bones, sometimes Jim calls him by his rank, or Doctor, or even his actual name. Head cannons on when he uses what?

It would be exceedingly rare for Jim to refer to Leonard as Lieutenant Commander. Leonard doesn’t especially identify with his rank, or with the Starfleet hierarchy more generally. He and Jim both associate him more with his position of CMO, so Jim might say my CMO or the Enterprise’s Chief Medical Officer to identify Leonard to someone who doesn’t already know him.

Leonard is rare, too. If Jim’s calling him Leonard, it’s usually either in service to some sort of mission - e.g., selling a Kindred-friendly ~*~relationship~*~ on Hearth - or just to mess with him. (Notably, “messing with Bones” is also the motivation for the one time in all of pverse that Jim calls him by his rank. It’s a lucky thing for their marriage that annoyance is one of Leonard’s primary love languages.)

Dr. McCoy is Jim’s default when a situation requires a touch of formality, typically for the sake of an audience: recording his captain’s log, making an introduction, mentioning him to higher-ups, or simply talking with crew members outside their inner circle. (Or, less commonly, when Jim feels the need to put some emotional distance between them in the line of duty - like when Leonard nearly dies disarming the torpedo in ST:ID - but those occasions are increasingly few and far between as the years wear on.)

So in practice, Leonard is usually Dr. McCoy when Jim’s not speaking directly to him, and Bones when he is. Which isn’t to say that the nickname is some hidden private thing. Jim regularly calls him Bones in front of other people - just not to those people. It’s not a secret; it’s just not really for anyone else. It’s a sign of familiarity, a marker of their shared history, an endearment, a claim. It’s theirs. Jim calls Leonard Bones, exclusively; Jim, exclusively, calls Leonard Bones.

And so, when it’s just the two of them, Leonard is pretty much always Bones - to Jim and, if he’s being honest, to Leonard himself.

+

I’ve asserted before that Leonard is the one person on the ship who looks at James T. Kirk and sees Jim first and Captain Kirk a distant second. Unique among the senior crew, he basically never calls Jim Captain or sir. To Leonard, Jim is always Jim, no matter the circumstances. As I said then (lightly edited for formatting):

Yeah, sure, Jim is the captain. The great Captain Kirk, or whatever. But that’s secondary to Leonard. He’s Jim, who happens to be the captain. It’s not the Enterprise’s commanding officer that Leonard worries about when he’s hurt or in danger - it’s Jim, the only family he’s got. It’s not his superior giving him a disagreeable order - it’s his best friend being a real asshole again. This trait makes him hilariously insubordinate, but it also means their relationship is the truest and most genuine Jim has. And for someone who’s spent his whole life trying to be someone else, can you blame a guy for falling for the one person who’s only ever seen him as himself - and somehow still loves him anyway?

What I haven’t addressed in as many words is that this goes both ways. Jim has plenty of close relationships among the crew which go much deeper than Starfleet hierarchy, but when he’s acting as captain, he necessarily meets people on a professional level in their respective roles: his XO, his communications officer, his pilot, his navigator, his chief engineer.

Bones is different. Bones was Bones long before either of them ever stepped foot onto the Enterprise, and that will always outweigh any other role he takes on. It wasn’t Captain Kirk’s CMO who snuck him onto the Enterprise for the first time, who tried to get through to him when he was spiraling after Pike’s death, who threw him a surprise birthday party after so many years of helping him endure the date in private. That was all Bones, and that’s who Jim sees when he looks at him - not his CMO or a Lieutenant Commander, but his best friend, the only person in the universe he trusts unconditionally, and (eventually) the man he loves, his other half, his partner in all things. He may call him something else to other people for any number of reasons, but in his own heart, it’s always Bones he thinks of, turns to, reaches for.

It’s always been Bones.

+

There was a time when Leonard McCoy genuinely believed he wanted Jim to stop calling him Bones. It aggravated him that this pain-in-the-ass kid he barely knew refused to use any configuration of his given name and insisted instead on some nonsensical nickname of his own invention. Did they not have manners in Iowa, or did the cocky little bastard just get all of his knocked out of his head during a bar fight? Either way, it rankled. He liked the kid well enough, but this particular quirk of his was just plain disrespectful.

That time is distant history now, though, and while Jim never has mastered the art of common courtesy, Leonard has long since recognized that it’s pretty far down the list of things he craves from Jim Kirk. To hell with respect. Leonard wants warmth and affection, attachment and devotion, vulnerability and trust. Intimacy. He wants to be the man Jim confides in, the one he’s unabashedly himself with, the one who gets to see him at his most unguarded.

And he is. Bones is.

Leonard is still Leonard in his own mind; he does, after all, exist outside of his relationship with Jim. He may perhaps be unusually obsessed with devoted to his partner, but even so, even within the fishbowl that is life on the Enterprise, he has friendships and associations and rivalries and aspirations and interests, great big swaths of his life where Jim’s influence is minimal at best.

Dr. McCoy is a leader and a pioneer, a curious scientist, a superficially hardass boss with a heart of gold easily exploited by his staff, a long-suffering CMO surrounded by reckless maniacs, a starship officer who has far greater loyalty to his fellow crew than to the abstract concepts of Starfleet or the Federation.

Leonard is a forty-something Georgia boy, a staunch pacifist, an agnostic who sometimes wishes he still believed in his parent’s God, an introvert in a caring profession with an unrivaled compassion for living beings and a decidedly finite reserve of energy for their company.

And Bones? Well, Bones is Jim’s. That’s about all there is to it.

Or, to put it another way:

Dr. McCoy is the Chief Medical Officer who shoots Captain Kirk full of vaccine boosters and warns him against eating any alien fruits while he’s down on Planet Wherever-the-fuck VI.

Leonard is the man who goes about his days keenly feeling Jim’s absence while he’s away, who dislikes how cold and hard-edged the ship feels without her captain’s larger-than-life presence and who doesn’t sleep as well without his husband beside him.

Bones is the partner Jim demands a kiss from when he returns, who feels something settle inside him as Jim’s arms wind around his shoulders, who scolds Jim for his sunburn and rolls his eyes at the kid’s excuses and very carefully strokes his scaly red cheek for a moment under the thin guise of clinical assessment before pulling away to go for a medkit, bitching the whole way, already missing the shape of Jim’s body against his.

[lady-griffin]

I don't remember if tha manga explains it (I haven't watched all the anime episodes) but I was wondering about how the girls adress each other, while Mary and Sophia add "sama" to the other and Katarina's name, why doesn't Katarina do the same for them? Is Katarina social status higher than theirs or something?

I don’t think the Manga (or the LN and Anime) ever fully explains that dynamic (unless I am completely forgetting something). The reasons are more implied, or at least I always thought so.

It comes down to three things – Higher Status, Admiration, and Properness

Higher Status

Katarina’s social status is higher than both Mary and Sophia.

Katarina is not only the daughter of Duke Claes, but also the granddaughter of Duke Adiss (maternal grandfather). So, she is objectively at the top tier of noble society.

Mary and Sophia are nowhere near the bottom to be clear and are right up there with Katarina, but…

Mary is the daughter of a Marquess (lower rank than a duke), a wealthy one if I’m not mistaken. But Mary’s mother who was her father’s second wife, was of a lower social standing than him and his first wife. 

Though we’re never really given much clarification about that nor do we receive any real indication Mary’s mother’s status impacts Mary’s own social-standing (outside her sisters when she was younger).

It’s even a bit unclear if Mary’s sisters were just being jerks or if Mary’s mother was of a significant lower-status than the Marquess’s first wife. In general, no matter the situation, we can just assume Mary’s sisters were being assholes.

Sophia is the daughter of an Earl (lower rank than Duke). Who is also the Prime Minister/High Chancellor, which certainly makes him higher in his own social standing as well as his family. Nonetheless that doesn’t change his rank of Earl (which is still a very high rank in noble society). 

The clearest disparity of their statuses is when Katarina visits Mary’s and Sophia’s homes, as Katarina remarks on how Claes manor and grounds are significantly larger (to a ridiculous degree in her mind).

So, Katarina is of higher social standing than both Mary and Sophia. It’s also not unusual for someone of a higher status to be more casual to their friends of a “lower status” in how they address or approach them, but the same may not be true in the reverse.

Admiration

Both Mary and Sophia greatly admire, love, and even can aspire to be like Katarina and both want to remain at her side for the rest of their lives.

Mary and even Maria, explicitly have said at one point or another, they want to improve and become someone who is worthy of being a companion of Katarina.

This is likely both a combination of their love and admiration for Katarina and the fact that to a certain degree they want to prove that what Katarina “saw in them” is truly there.

This might also indicate that Mary, as a Marquess’s daughter, might not be the automatic first choice for a companion of a Duke’s daughter.

Though I highly doubt that. 

Mary’s conviction in improving and proving herself to be a worthy companion of the one she loves (either Katarina or Alan) is more born out of her love for them and her own very low self-esteem due to her sisters constantly bullying her, when she was younger.

Love-Languages (not the actual concept, but the general idea)

It’s possible that for Mary and Sophia keeping the Lady or Sama before or after Katarina’s name is their way of showing how much they respect and love Katarina. They want to give the proper respects owed to Katarina in their society.  

And for Katarina, being more casual or addressing them more informally is her way of showing her love and their close friendship they’ve built over the years.

We clearly see that with Maria and Katarina.

Maria was beyond please (and so was Katarina) that Katarina was now calling Maria, Maria-Chan instead of Campbell-San. 

In a reciprocal fashion, due to that change, Maria requested to call Katarina Lady Katarina/Katarina-Sama, just as the rest of the student council does.

Maria very much wanted to be able to address like that and it was a clear sign of their improve and now closer relationship.

This gives the very strong indication, that calling Katarina – Katarina-Chan or Katarina – would be far too casual and intimate, in regards to her status as a Duke’s Daughter and the fiancé of the third prince.

Properness

Katarina can certainly act as a proper lady and is even one (technically), but once she’s with her close friends or feels comfortable with someone all of that pretense essentially drops (for the most part).

Though to be fair she does always address Geordo and Alan with Prince/Sama, as they are the princes of the country. So, she doesn’t drop all pretenses.

While there is an indication of some separation from Katarina and her society and how she sees herself (due to her memories), she is a part of this noble society.

That being said, probably because she does have the memories of being a commoner in a non-aristocratic life, being more casual with how she addresses her female friends is more natural for her.

While for Mary and Sophia, they’ve only known this aristocratic life that they’re currently living. They wouldn’t even really think of addressing someone so casually, because it’s not how they were taught to act.

But because it’s Katarina, and they love her, both are more than likely thrilled that Katarina addresses them so casually and freely.

... That’s why I always thought Sophia and Mary addressed Katarina more formally (as well as one another), but Katarina addressed them more casually.

[legendoftheghost]

NSFW Headcanon: Jin Sakai 

A = Aftercare (What they’re like after sex) 

Jin believes practicing aftercare will naturally develop closer, more intimate bonds with his partner. After sex, he is particularly vulnerable; they’re naked, they have (hopefully) just had an orgasm, and one of the most intrinsic need for him is that need to ensure that positive state of mind continues. Everyone feels good when he knows his partner cares for him, and what better way to show it than tending to his partner when they both are in a vulnerable post-sex state of mind? Jin is especially susceptible to the post-coital blues, and even when he is seemingly highly independent, somewhat repressed and distanced with expressing emotions, I think this will be the perfect time for him to take a plunge and attempt to cuddle and engage in deeper conversations. 

B = Body part (Their favourite body part of theirs and also their partner’s) 

His entirety? Despite his fears of failure and flaws on his body, Jin Sakai is a man comfortable in his skin. From the crown of his head to the end of his toe, Jin Sakai has a body of a seasoned warrior; as a disciplined samurai, he had learned not only martial arts, but swordsmanship, horse riding, hunting, how to survive in the wilderness with bare essentials, and he literally has zero ounce of excessive fat on his body. 

He’s not the strongest, biggest warrior, a powerhouse who can dominate and overwhelm enemies with brute strength, but he’s compact, sculpted with enough muscle definition, and corded with lean strength that only comes from meticulous care. Younger Jin used to hate the scar that would continue to bleed and bruise due to excessive bullying, but now that he is the Ghost, he thinks it only gives him character. After all, scars build character. And out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars, and Jin Sakai is a prime example of one. 

Jin isn’t very particular when it comes to his partner’s favorite body part, but if his partner has anything that contrasts Jin’s own, he would obsess over that and touch him/her over and over. It could be the sensuous curve of the woman’s narrow waistand widening hips, the budding swell of her breasts and slender neck, or another man’s expansive chest and strong arms and legs embracing and cradling him. 

C = Cum (Anything to do with cum basically… I’m a disgusting person) 

He doesn’t like the mess, and would prefer if he came inside his partner, but the one thing he finds it extremely appealing is coming on his partner’s stomach. 

D = Dirty Secret (Pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs) 

Jin loves talking about sex with partners, friends, whoever. To him, sex in essentiality is a fascinating subject that's different for each individual yet common to people all (in some way), and he finds it endlessly depressing that it's a taboo subject.everybody (for the most part) needs sex and wants to have sex, so Jin believes that people should be able to talk about it openly, and he will sass and awkwardly joke and humor with insinuations of sex in normal conversations. 

E = Experience (How experienced are they? Do they know what they’re doing?) 

He snuck into Clan Sakai and Shimura’s personal archive / library and would sneak in some erotic illustrations of the time in curiosity. Despite the general lack of experience and focusing on his strenuous trainings, he would have fulfilled some curiosity of sexual exploration through masturbation and through secretive excursions with Ryuzo. 

F = Favorite Position (This goes without saying. Will probably include a visual) 

His preferred positions are; The Victory position, Doggy Style, Shoulder Hold, Lifted Missionary, and Lotus

G = Goofy (Are they more serious in the moment, or are they humorous, etc) 

Appearing too serious is Jin Sakai’s greatest flaw; being too serious which is Jin’s principal trait doesn't seem like such a bad thing, but it could create some issues regarding sexual explorations. 

Social anxiety.

Perfectionism.

Social awkwardness.

Fight or Flight responses to most things (Can't laugh inconveniences off or smoothly escape conflicts because of over seriousness, which is likely to do the opposite, in other words escalate minor conflicts to big ones).

Overthinking and not living in the moment.

Not having fun due to exaggerated thinking about the consequences.

Jin may be a sassmaster and likes to throw in some dry humor in between, but that’s his coping mechanism to lesson and ease his insecurity and stress that stems from even the sexual act itself, but in the act, he’s deadpan serious. 

H = Hair (How well groomed are they, does the carpet match the drapes, etc.) 

Judging by the full thatch of his beard, I’d like to think that he’s pretty thick and ample down there as well, peppered with hair below his belly button, and a nice, sizable thatch of his pubic hair. 

I = Intimacy (How are they during the moment, romantic aspect…) 

Jin does crave intimacy during sex, and this is something which becomes very important to him. Jin is at his most vulnerable, candor, raw, and open, and if it’s not a casual sex only to fulfill the needs to get off than anything else, Jin still needs and wants to build some sort of friendship or connection beforehand. Their sexual performance is then more about action than it is about emotions and deeper layers of intimacy, and with more deeply-connected intimacy, he would rather focus on both the physical and mental connection, which could make it much difficult to come with him. Regardless, he is tender, and will attempt to initiate; especially stroking his partner’s back, the side of his/her face, raking through his/her hair, etc.  

 J = Jack Off (Masturbation headcanon) 

Jin likes the stop-squeeze technique, which is a form of ejaculatory control. It allows him to near the point of climax and then back off suddenly by holding the tip of the penis until the sensation subsides. He likes to do this multiple times to make his orgasm much more intense. While it could be a tedious or time-consuming practice, he likes that explosiveness and exquisite high he gets from it. 

K = Kink (One or more of their kinks) 

Shibari (kinbaku), aka rope sex: Contrasts are central to Shibari: intricate geometric patterns with the natural curves of the body, rough rope against soft skin and vulnerability side by side with strength. The practice can also lead to a trance-like experience for the tied partner and a rush of adrenalin for the artist, or rigger.

Erotic Asphyxiation (breath play): This type of sexual activity involves intentionally cutting off the air supply for you or your partner with choking, suffocating, and other acts. People who are into breath play say it can heighten sexual arousal and make orgasms more intense.

Dirty Talk: Jin can have a little trouble getting out of his own mind. However, in this case, it’s less about being able to connect to the body than it is a fear of letting go. A little dirty talk goes a long way in making him forget his fears and let loose.

L = Location (Favorite places to do the do) 

Taking in consideration of his fugitive life, it would be somewhere relatively hidden and private. Especially in nature; against the tree trunk, near the lake or an ocean when the weather accompanies Jin’s mood, and empty, abandoned houses. 

M = Motivation (What turns them on, gets them going) 

Jin is almost always turned on, and has higher than normal sex drive. He’s one of those who craves intimacy and wants to share himself with someone special, even though it doesn’t mean that he wouldn’t participate in any given opportunities when they are presented. It can feel like a chore and not really something he wants to waste their time or energy on if they cannot converse well to begin with. There must be underlying honesty and genuinity in order for Jin to at least partake in a casual sex. 

N = NO (Something they wouldn’t do, turn offs) 

Cockiness – specifically unwarranted arrogance accompanied by a smug attitude. Lack of a sense of humor – unless they’re the one dishing it out. Flaking – because flakes are some of the most unappealing individuals to build any type of relationship with.  Being goalless and content with life — having zero aspirations for the future. Liars – but not even about significant stuff. Just unnecessary lies, made up stories and exaggerations when a fib is pointless. Vulgar language finding its way into every, single, sentence spoken. Baseless cattiness, malicious comments and disdain toward others. Humiliation and degradation.  BDSM for BDSM’s sake without exploration, caution, and mutual respect. 

O = Oral (Preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc) 

He’s much more inclined to receive than give. While Jin lacks the scope of experiences, he is skilled with his tongue, very attentive, considerate, and careful to observe his partner’s reaction. Because he is a perfectionist, he will attempt his absolute best to pleasure his partner and send him/her over the edge. He expects the same when he’s on the receiving end. 

P = Pace (Are they fast and rough? Slow and sensual? etc.) 

The act in itself is viewed essentially as a series of steps to his and his partner’s mutual satisfaction. It entirely depends on their shared needs. As a dominant top, Jin is likely to be a very passionate lover, focused on the connection he gains from this experience. He does appreciate and sees how much closer sex can bring him to someone he loves, and would rather be patient waiting for the right person to share this with, because for him to reach this step, it would have taken a lot of trial and error. He definitely likes things to built up towards the climax, exploring different positions to find their needs satisfied. 

Q = Quickie (Their opinions on quickies rather than proper sex, how often, etc.) 

Jin actually prefers quickie, because it offers a much-needed opportunity to relieve stress, strengthen a relationship, and get off at a time when intimacy, connection, and, well, time, are luxuries (especially with him on the run). Prefers mutual masturbations, than penetrative sex. 

R = Risk (Are they game to experiment, do they take risks, etc.) 

Jin is likely to be a very passionate lover, focused on the connection he gains from this experience. He sees how much closer sex can bring him to someone he loves, and would rather be patient waiting for the right person to share this with. If he’s in a long-term relationship, he will be more than willing to experiment and take risks. It all depends on their shared interest, and Jin would be open to try everything at least once. 

S = Stamina (How many rounds can they go for, how long do they last…) 

From his strenuous training as not only as a samurai, but as the Ghost on the run, Jin has extremely high stamina and will be able to go on for more than a few rounds if his partner is up for it.

T = Toy (Do they own toys? Do they use them? On a partner or themselves?) 

Occasionally will use Geisha balls / beaded necklaces for added pleasure, mostly one another in reciprocated masturbations. 

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease) 

He isn’t very good at teasing, unless it’s with words. He is rather straightforward with his actions, because he doesn’t like to deceive with his affectionate, tender touches. 

V = Volume (How loud they are, what sounds they make) 

On the quiet side, and for most of the lovemaking, he will make soft, gentle moans that turn into animalistic grunt when he’s on the verge of orgasm. 

W = Wild Card (Get a random headcanon for the character of your choice) 

Perhaps one of the simplest, yet most potent sexual fantasies Jin has is just having his partner direct the sex script for the night. Whether it's a full-on dominant or simply a partner who knows what he or she wants and how to get it, he finds the thrill of a confident and sexual partner to be very appealing.

X = X-Ray (Let’s see what’s going on in those pants, picture or words) 

He is uncircumcised, his shaft is curved slightly upward, with veins that snake along the underside. His member is longer than average (around 13cm when erect) and has considerable girth (9 centimeters when erect). 

Y = Yearning (How high is their sex drive?) 

Jin has rather active sex drive. It’s not a particularly powerful sex drive, for he could always resort to, and might prefer his own imaginations. His inner minds are rather rich place, and he doesn’t always feel like outwardly expressing this side of himself.

Z = ZZZ (… how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

All depends on Jin’s condition on that day; judging on the Ghost’s life (on the run, essentially a fugitive ronin), and a slew of traumas and PTSD trailing his back, Jin Sakai suffers from insomnia. While he has high stamina and could go for more than a couple of rounds when he’s in a particularly frisky mood, but one intense round could have him knocked out exhausted. He’s a kind of a guy that sneaks in sleep whenever and however it comes, so he would let himself fade away for an hour or two, before he’s coaxed to awake. 

[spaztique]

How to piss off elitists.

Have an opinion: As mentioned in my last post, I’ve been called an elitist for simply having opinions. Do you like OCs? Do you dislike OCs? Do you prefer canon or fanon? Whatever it is, have a stance: this pisses off people who believe things must be “one way.” There is no “one way.”

Allow others to have their opinion: You can have a stance and still have room to let others have theirs. Again, elitists believe things must only be “one way.” You could share the same opinion to earn their approval, but it’ll piss them off if you allow others to have different opinions.

Inspire newbies: My belief is elitists discourage newbies because they’re afraid that more content creators means more competition, and more competition means they’ll no longer stand out. Rather than work harder on their own craft (the very craft they’re so elitist about in the first place), they just see it easier to scare newcomers away so they can hold the monopoly of power. It’s also why they love scaring newbies away from folks who inspire others by saying they are the “real” elitists. Nothing terrifies these people more than the idea they could be replaced by someone newer/better, so scare the hell outta them by fostering several replacements.

Treat the pros like people: Nobody is entitled to special treatment, and the well-established folks who don’t exploit their status don’t want to be put on pedestals. Don’t look up to someone because of their works: only look up to those who are nice as people, regardless of what they’ve done. Focus on friendships with folks of different status, not fanships. To an elitist, the haves and have-nots live in entirely different and separated classes. To the rest of us, we live in harmony, helping each other out.

Share your knowledge: I think another reason elitists are so scared of newbies and why they discourage them is because they believe in “innate talent” over practice and growth. They’re worried that skill is set in stone from birth, and that if others can get better, it threatens their status because they think they could never get better. Plus, sharing knowledge fosters growth in newcomers, another thing those afraid of being replaced can’t stand. I know this post will piss off people because it does all of the above: encourage aspiring content makers to do things their own way, state an opinion, treat people as equals, and so on. Like clockwork, they’ll say, “No, Spaz is the true elitist because he believes in having your work getting seen by people and having opinions on the ideal story, even though he literally just said it’s okay to have differing opinions!” These people are predictable as a sunset.

The best way to piss off a gatekeeper is to encourage enough people to ram the gates. Inspire people regularly, and watch them storm the gates.

[andy-the-8th]

Day Of and Day After - Jess (Part 1)

First part of Creatures That Defy Logic - picks up right at the end of the movie

Read on AO3

There are a lot emotions wrapped up in seeing your best friend transform into a merman

"I finally get a friend, and he turns into a fish; this is so typical."

Damn, there were a lot of feelings wrapped up in the last few minutes. Jess had always been better with facts over feelings - science was straightforward, people were complicated. The whirlpool of emotions over such a quick span of time even more complicated, for him as well as everyone else there on the dock.

Exhilaration and awe - it was one thing to have been alongside Cody for the last few weeks, see his changes, speculate and then know he was a merman, in theory - and another thing entirely to see him fully transform and breach with a glittering tail right in broad daylight. Not exactly every day that creatures (people?) straight out of mythology just appear right in front of you. And the excitement that they'd get to hear about whatever he saw when he was away? New sealife, mysteries of the open oceans, may even merpeople culture? One hell of a prospect for anyone, triply so for an aspiring marine biologist.

Relief - more of a twofold sensation as well. Most prominently in the last few minutes, it certainly was a relief to not be dead. Almost drowning, no vital signs, shocked back to life by merman lightning - that'll do a wild number on your feelings about your own mortality. Still, Jess was kind of surprised that that wasn't the main sense of relief he felt right now.

Much more powerfully, he was relieved that Cody was safe. That boy's lack of self-preservation had scared Jess half to death plenty of times over - risking himself at the swim meets, ignoring the advice to stay away from the water, potentially blowing his cover to Sean or the school or worse. Whether or not it was normal to care so much, Jess didn't know or really care - he had spent plenty of nights unable to sleep, worried sick with images of cruel scientists, cold laboratory tanks, faceless men in black suits, dissection tables, taxidermists, freak shows - all kinds of threats, and the only thing Jess could about them was to try to keep Cody's secret.

So all that in mind, there was the relief that Cody had finally gotten away from all of that. Going off with his mermaid mom (mermom?), another mythological creature as far as 99.99% of the world knew, safely out to sea. Maybe that was merpeople's best protection, that short of having physical evidence, most of the world didn't believe in them - guess that's how they manage to avoid discovery. Most people anyway. On that topic though, the next feeling Jess was dealing with -

Anger. This one didn't even really start to register until after Cody had resurfaced to wave goodbye one last time, but thinking about all the threats he'd been afraid of, Jess couldn't avoid the conclusion that his own father should have been at the top of that list. Hadn't he literally just kidnapped his friend to use him as bait? What had been his plan then, if he'd caught Cody's mom? His dad's mermaid obsession had just been a mundane fact of life growing up - a kind of sad, fruitless endeavor. He didn't like to think his dad was crazy, but it didn't mean he really had believed his mermaid stories and theories since he'd grown out of that. It was just like any parent's eccentric hobby - kind of embarrassing sometimes but ultimately innocuous, right? Jess hadn't ever thought of how dangerous it might have been if his father had caught on - and he mentally kicked himself for not making that connection, for not planning for it, for not talking his dad out of it - Jess had basically caught him at the swim meet, and guessed he'd have put it together when Jess was reading through his mermaid theory papers, talking about the thirteenth year theory - but actually capturing Cody and his mom? The dull, cold fear that had caught in Jess's throat when he'd seen his father testing the giant net, when he'd biked at top speed to the Griffin's house, when he'd found the cove empty, Cody already gone -

Well, at least the upside of almost-dying was shocking John Wheatley into the danger of his actions, to his own son if not the merpeople. Jess was pretty sure his father just hadn't been thinking of the consequences past simply catching the mermaid - was never really much of a realist like that.

This didn't make Jess any less angry with him.

On top of all of these feelings, and maybe least expected - loss?

He definitely wasn't expecting that. Sure, the feeling of loss was all around him - however temporary his departure, Cody going away was definitely crossing a line. He wasn't human, and for each person on the dock, that meant on some level, he wasn't really theirs anymore. Sam was losing her boyfriend, Mr. and Mrs. Griffin their child. In a way even his dad was losing his proof to justify his obsessive search over the last 13 years. Sure, Jess was losing his friend, but hadn't their relationship been built around helping Cody through this transformation? What was he losing, if this was just the logical endpoint? He'd known where the transformation was headed, and he didn't expect to feel anything other than scientific satisfaction now it was done.

Jess told himself it was natural to feel like this; humans are social creatures, empathy has been one of our strongest survival tools over the course of our evolution. To solve problems together. To care about each other. Like it or not, we feel how the others around us feel, in one way or another. It was simple science.

His whole time with Cody had been like the best science project ever - an fantastical extension of the assignment that had brought them together. The thrill of getting to know him had been tied to the thrill of discovering his new abilities, helping him test them, spending hours talking through theories and myths. From a purely scientific standpoint, spending time with Cody was fascinating. It was simply to be expected that he'd want to spend as much time with him as he could - as a scientist.

What Jess hadn't expected was Cody's interest in getting to know him in turn. It made sense - Cody was going through strange changes, and Jess was the closest source of finding answers. And more or less, Jess knew that that was the glue of their friendship. He wasn't bothered by that, really.

Of course Cody would listen attentively when he went off on a string of marine biology theories, whether to get ahead in school or to make sense of his transformations. Of course he'd start asking Jess to hang out when they were free - no one else knew what was going on, and he'd been drifting away from his real friends. Cody didn't trust anyone else with the secret - and that was simple self-preservation, to seek out a scientist, rather than a friend. Especially someone who wouldn't blow the secret.

And there had been a kind of special thrill in that for the first few weeks - Jess got to be the only one who knew. Jess got to be the only one who Cody trusted.

A purely scientific thrill.

Jess suddenly shivered as the salty breeze picked up a bit, snapping him out of his own head and the feelings rushing through it. Cody had probably only been gone a few minutes, even if it felt like hours. Mrs. Griffin was still quietly crying, leaning back on Mr. Griffin, both of them still facing the water. Jess didn't really know if he was supposed to say anything to them, or leave them to each other. Should he confront his dad now? Should he try to talk to Sam? oh god he should apologize for the kissing comment but would that just make it worse?

The silence grew more tense for the next several moments, until Sam finally spoke.

"I - I guess I'll just be going home now." Jess could hear that she was pushing to sound confident after crying. She shook her long red hair back behind her shoulders and readjusted her shirt as she stood up straight.

"Oh hon, don't worry, we can drive you back to your place." Mrs. Griffin looked up, finding her voice again, almost sounding relieved to be able to help someone, do something.

"No thanks, Mrs. G, I want to walk. I want to, uh, decompress. Take some time alone to, to y'know, process this. Just feel like I should get some air" she finished hurriedly, with a half-laugh, at the normality of the statement. She nodded awkwardly as she backed away, toward the steps leading up from the floating dock, a pursed-lips-everything's-fine-fake-smile on her face. "Jess, I'll see you at school then?"

Sam had almost never acknowledged him outside of talking through or next to Cody, so Jess gave a somewhat confused nod and tried to smile at her. They only had one day of school left, mostly to pack up books, say goodbye to everyone, and leave for the summer.

"OK wait then" Mrs. Griffin was quickly more serious, purposeful. "I know this would probably go without saying, but you kids cannot tell anyone what happened here." She was talking at Jess and Sam, but had an uncharacteristically sharp glare at Big John as she said this. He didn't miss that, and immediately looked penitent and cowed.

Clearly, Jess wasn't the only one angry at his father for using Cody as live bait.

"Of course!" Jess immediately responded emphatically, even a bit incredulously. He was almost put out that she felt the need to say this, as if they all hadn't - as if he hadn't, longer than anyone - kept Cody's secret safe.

"We'll, um...we'll just tell the school, um..." she was casting about, turning to her husband, looking for a quick explanation.

"Hon we don't need to tell the school anything right now - it's summer vacation, it's not that weird to leave a day early."

"No, we need to be clear, we need a convincing story -

"If anyone really asks we can say he's doing a swim training camp, and he'll be away most of the summer" Mr. Griffin offered, a slight twinge of his usual humor back in his inflection. "It's not really that far from the truth. We'll say it's somewhere in Australia, far enough away from anyone looking to visit or call. And your sister lives out there anyway." He put his hand on his wife's shoulder - Jess thought it looked like he was reassuring and steadying himself as much as he was for her.

Sharon breathed quickly, calming herself. "OK, perfect!" Mrs. Griffin clearly seemed relieved - not calmed, but at least less frantic. Jess was also happy to have something simple and straightforward to tell anyone who asked.

Not like anyone will ask *me* anyway he thought. Jess always had been used to being more or less invisible when it came to social gossip at school, which he honestly preferred. And furthermore, probably for the better, it wasn't like anyone really associated him with Cody, even the teachers. At least not in any meaningful way beyond biology homework. No one would think to ask the nerd that Cody Griffin got unluckily saddled with for a science project what had happened to him.

"OK. OK, good. I'll see you all later then." Sam was hurriedly wiping her face as she turned on her heel, dashing up the steps to the main pier above the floating dock. She was quickly out of sight.

"Jess, you wanna go home, get dried off?" His dad was looking at him now, worry still coating his words. John Wheatley was not a particularly emotional man when it came to anything other than fishing and sea monster stories, but he clearly had not forgotten how close a call his son had just had. "Maybe go to a doctor?"

Jess could hear Mrs. Griffin's sharp intake of breath at what Cody had always humorously called "the D word." Thinking of Cody laughing at that caused the corner of Jess's mouth to twitch up for a second. But once his dad had turned to him, Jess could still see Mrs. Griffin staring daggers into his back.

"No I'll be fine. I feel fine, really." Jess could hear his anger seeping into his own voice and inflection but didn't really care. John Wheatley may have been more thoughtless than he was malicious, but that wasn't enough for Jess to forgive him right now, and he was still too much of a mess of emotions to process any of that with other people.

"I'm going to head home. Mr. and Mrs. Griffin, um, have a good summer?" His inflection put it through as a question - he wasn't really sure what to say but at least that sounded funny enough to deflate the situation as much as possible. It worked - both the Griffins kind of quietly laughed at that.

"You too Jess. We'll see you soon." Jess smiled back at Mrs. Griffin's words, then hesitantly started to walk back up the dock. He was actually surprised that he didn't feel any dizziness or illness after being revived - apparently merman-made hand (fin?) defibrillation worked wonders for the body. He turned and started up the steps roughly, quickening as he reached the top. Big John didn't move to stop him, pausing awkwardly at the foot of the steps, clearly getting the message that Jess didn't want to talk to him right now. Jess reached the main dock and turned across the parking lot of the marina, down the little road toward the family boat yard and sheds, shoulders straight, and not looking back.

[muthaz-rapapa]

Hope is the Pioneer

Truly, I feel that I can’t say this enough but despite its flaws, StarPre has been such a wonderful season for me in so many ways.

And perhaps the most important one is what this final episode wanted to tell us.

Hope is what paves the way to the future.

Immediately starting with Yuni getting her planet and people back.

She’s been through so much to reclaim her home and her efforts are finally rewarded.

However, it is so important to remember that this miracle didn’t come about because she tricked the universe behind the mask of an idol or that she used her skills to steal from others whatever she needed to achieve her goal, without a care for who she harmed when she did.

The revival of the Planet Rainbow can’t be credited to the mysterious powers of “Twinkle Imagination” either, which Yuni willingly gave up in the end even though keeping it for herself would’ve fixed her planet in a blink.

Rather, the miracle was brought on by Yuni letting go of her prejudices and opening her heart to those who truly respect and accept her for who she is.

This led to Yuni finding the strength within her to be able to forgive Aiwarn, the person who caused her the most pain, which then helped Aiwarn realize the error of her own ways and show sincere remorse by aiding Yuni in finding a cure for the petrification of the Rainbownians.

Had Yuni continued only on the path of a phantom thief, distrusting everyone around her and only relying on herself, who knows how much longer it would’ve taken her to get here? Or if it would’ve been possible for her to reach it at all?

But the point is, Yuni outgrew what would’ve held her back. She threw away what limited her (resentment, suspicions, hostility) and instead chose to cooperate with others to save what was most important to her.

And she succeeded.

Then we have Lala, who’s gone back home after the battle.

No longer is she the neglected scorn of her community or the unfavorite within her household.

The fact that she wants to get back to work right away in order to help better Saaman, the reaction her parents give on not wanting her to leave so soon and that they were even making onigiri to eat together (!!) speak volumes of how gigantic a change her planet is undergoing.

An extremely good change, at that.

Saamanians are no longer overly relying on technology, even though it provided them with so much convenience before.

It’s not just about “Lala style” being the new trend.

Everybody wants to be able to walk on their own two feet now. Regardless of how harder it’ll be for them, at least they can live more freely this way.

They want to live freely like what Lala has learned to do, like what Lala is teaching them how to do.

People don’t have to be assigned and divided by aptitude evaluations anymore. They can chose what they want to do and what they want to be of their own will.

Had Lala not left Saaman in hopes of finding something better for herself, been influenced by her time on Earth and brought back that experience to share with her people, can we say Saaman could’ve removed their attachment to the system they made as the crux of their society?

I don’t think so.

Lala and Yuni’s world are changing, evolving, because they let themselves wish for something even better than what they could’ve imagine.

Yes, them. The girls whose imaginations were stated by the 12 Star Princesses to be even stronger than theirs, the creators of the universe itself!

And that’s just the beginning.

Fast forward several years later, MICHELLE OBAMA has become president of the USA!! HELL YEA, BABY!!! (๑˃̵ᴗ˂̵)و

Sorry, I just needed to say that, hee~ :D

Now back to the real important stuff...

The first girl we hear, not see, is post-timeskip is Elena.

And just by that, we already know she not only accomplished her dream of becoming a translator like her mom but she’s gone above and beyond by becoming the person tasked with the job of interpreting foreign news for the entire country of Japan!

What. An. Honor.

Seriously, an international broadcast of a monumental event happening for the nation and she’s at the forefront of that crew covering it. Such an incredibly happy and proud moment, one that other countries want to share their congratulations and well wishes for and Elena is the one chosen to help do just that.

Elena is helping bring smiles on so many fronts like the brilliant sun she is.

Her, a biracial woman of color.

Simply. Amazing. *claps* x3

Then of course, we have our beautiful moon.

Madoka, too, has reached taller heights.

Like her father, she’s become the leader of a very important force, fulfilling and continuing the esteemed Kaguya legacy as she’s always been expected to.

Unlike her father, however, whose (previous) job as a government official was to search for, expose and expel aliens, Madoka is now the head of a project that’s the first, but crucial, step to establishing connections with worlds beyond Earth.

In other words, proactively engaging and forming friendship with the aliens.

And in the face of her father, now Prime Minister, she is nothing but composed and confident.

In her team, in their efforts, in herself.

Again, so different from the Madoka at the beginning of the season who couldn’t even smile from the bottom of her heart until her friends taught her how.

Now she’s out there breaking down barriers in hopes that they can reach even further, to create more relationships like her own. Relationships that can bring so many benefits to Earth and still withstand even the distance of space.

Short-term goals, long-term goals. There’s still so much for Madoka to do.

But when you look at her expression, you can tell that she is nothing but sure in her ability to make them a reality.

That positive outlook not only shaped her but also, I believe, changed her father as well.

For once, it’s Madoka who’s teaching him instead of the other way around.

To not think so restrictedly and to let things come into their own potential rather than controlling them.

If it weren’t Madoka rebelling against him those years ago so that she could find her own way to become the person she is, I doubt things could’ve turned out as well as they did, including him becoming Prime Minister and smiling proudly at her, no less.

Madoka has achieved so many things and will go on to do even more and he’s incredibly proud of her.

Next, the star that never stopped shining, Hikaru.

Let me just say that becoming an astronaut at a major space program must not be an easy feat.

Getting selected to be part of the crew who gets to go space, even more so.

But if we know anyone who can do it, it’d be Hikaru.

Hikaru who’s so passionate about the things she loves, who fervently admires space more than anyone, who wants to know all about the unknown there is to discover out there.

Hikaru, who has a promise to keep with her best friend who’s waiting for her.

Did we expect any less of her?

Certainly not.

She’s made it and she’s coming back to space!

Light years away, said best friend is still waiting but also searching for ways to get back to Earth.

During that time, Lala also climbed ranks of her own, becoming an inspector-of-sorts for the Starscape Alliance and traveling among planets, checking their conditions and reporting them back to her superiors. Making sure the cosmos are in order and so on.

Fortunately, she is not alone as she has Yuni to share her feelings with since they fought alongside together before. 

The two Cures from other worlds.

It’s nice to have someone who understands you in that way, which is why I have at least one reason to be glad that Yuni was integrated into the team as the mid-season Cure.

As for Yuni, I suspect she seldom leaves her planet and has her own busy schedule on trying to make it more habitable to live in.

Thanks to Aiwarn, who may or may not have taken up permanent residence there (and really rocking that haircut), it’s no longer just a possibility anymore and the prospects are growing day by day.

Although I still can’t say I care much for her, I think it’s super nice the Rainbownians have welcomed her among them as Aiwarn had always wandered as a lost child in need of a home and the lack of one is probably why she became so vile and unstable in the first place. With that no longer a concern, she can put her brains to better uses.

On another note, there is no indication whether or not Planet Rainbow has joined the Alliance themselves but I’m pretty certain Lala’s been specially assigned to communicating with them anyway (thanks to her friendship with Yuni) so at least the relation is much more amiable than it was before, even if Rainbow chose to remain independent.

In short, everything’s well on this side of the universe.

A fact further supported by the Notraiders having a planet of their own to call home.

And what a beautiful star it is.

Everything’s flourishing and in bloom. A far cry from their previous headquarters which was perpetually dark and barren.

The facts that the Notraiders themselves made this planet beautiful through their own teamwork and that it was the Starscape Alliance who gave them this planet make it exceptionally more heartwarming in hindsight.

Because remember, these poor souls didn’t have a place to belong. Their previous homes either were destroyed or rejected them.

And then they had their sense of loss twisted and manipulated by Ophiuchus, resulting in them doing bad deeds.

For that, one would expect them to be thrown in jail, maybe even for life. But instead, they’re forgiven and sympathized with.

One would probably expect that they’d want revenge on Ophiuchus as well but instead of chasing after her, they focused all their energy and efforts into making a home for themselves.

Rather than punishment, a second chance. 

Rather than destruction, creation.

So exactly what point am I trying to make here?

Well, I believe that word “hope” means so much more than what we think it really is.

Hope is not just simply having aspirations and dreams. It’s not the good to counter the “evil” of despair.

Hope is something even broader, more difficult, more terrifying and of course, more magnificent than its basic definition.

It’s a sentiment we all share for wanting see a better tomorrow. 

A tomorrow where we can have more than what we have today.

Like the world becoming more innovative, more progressive.

More peaceful and forgiving.

Supportive, understanding and accepting.

Kinder and closer together than we are now.

But tomorrow is also full of unknowns, doubts and questions.

What if it’s not worth it?

What if the world won’t let me be what I want to be?

What if I’m rejected or shunned? What if no one accepts me?

What if I get hurt?

That fear will always be there and it’s indisputable there’ll come a time when you will get hurt because no one lives without being hurt, after all.

From that, you’ll learn what anger, sadness and misery feels like. It’ll either make you want to hide or lash out to protect yourself. It’ll feel like everything’s stopped at that point and you’re stuck there, not knowing what to do next.

But still, there’s always a choice for you to make.

You can decide whether to stay as you are or try to move again.

That is not to say those feelings of helplessness will be invalidated if you choose the latter. Nor does it mean you shouldn’t have felt them in the first place or give up on your cautions entirely.

Rather, it’s because you have those feelings that you can move on from them. To shed them for something better and greater.

“I may be afraid but I don’t want to be afraid forever. I want to face the world with my head held up high.”

“I’ve been hurt and I don’t think I can forgive. But there is something that means even more to me than that.”

“If nobody wants me, if there’s no place for me, then I just have to make a place for myself to be who I am!”

Hope is not guaranteed success.

It won’t always give you the results you want, no matter how strongly you wish for it, and may even bring you down worse than you thought it would.

But without hope, without imagination, then there is no future or possibilities. There is only nothing.

It’s because there’s imagination that worlds and universes can exist. It’s because there is the unknown that we have the desire to know more and become more than what we are now. It’s because there’s hope for us to cling onto that we can always strive to move forward.

All it boils down to is whether or not you’ll let your hopes be hindered by whatever blocks your path.

Be it hesitations, criticism or negativity in any form.

But once you overcome that, the outcome may be even more kirayaba than you could’ve ever imagined.

That’s all, folks! Thanks for reading! :)

[queerebrum]

Layers (A petition for partial custody)

Scott McCall/Void to Scott McCall/Stiles Stilinski | T | 1.8k words. Written for Nogitjune! - Check the reblogs for the AO3 link if you’d prefer to read it there!

Ogres are like onions. 

Layers. Onions have layers.

Void wished, not for the first time, that they’d perhaps chosen a host with a brain full of interesting facts, rather than obscure movie references. This one, though, felt surprisingly accurate. It was, in fact, the one thing that made their host interesting at all: layers.

Stiles hid his body behind layers of clothing. He hid his real feelings behind layers of comedic relief and self-deprecation. He hid his romantic inclinations (one, in particular) behind layers of friendship and the word “brothers” as if adding wrongness would make him want it less.

Normally, Void would have gone for the obvious target: the once-alpha Derek Hale, who was hidden behind far fewer layers in Stiles’ mind. The teen’s attraction for the twenty-something werewolf was undeniable, and if Void was reading interactions right (which they were, they always did) it was reciprocated to a degree. 

But if Void wanted to stay, they needed to have someone more powerful on their side. Derek didn’t have enough power to make the kind of decisions that needed to be made. 

Scott, on the other hand, did. 

And, if Void had read those memories right, Stiles’ years-repressed feelings about his best friend were also reciprocated. The feelings seemed to be reciprocated through their freshman year, when, given the life-story Void had access to, Scott had given up on getting Stiles to notice, and Stiles had accepted that it would never be.

Next time, Void aspired to attain a host that wasn’t simultaneously so fucking observant and so fucking oblivious .

Cracking the body’s neck and wiggling its fingers a bit, Void attempted to interject some of the perpetual motion they sometimes forgot about when trying to impersonate Stiles: rubbed at the eyes to redden them, and chewed on the body’s bottom lip to make it a bit poutier, redder, more enticing.

Slipping into the McCall’s house in the dead of night was a joke of a task for a thousand-year-old trickster. Void made sure when he swung the alpha’s bedroom door open that it moved silently, and was glad to see that -- for once -- Scott was alone. Void could feel the lingering presence of others: Stiles, Isaac, Allison.

Void let the door click as he closed it and Scott leapt to awareness, eyes red as he glared. Slowly, as he took in the (masterfully crafted, thanks very much) act Void was playing, the red faded from his eyes. “Stiles? Is it really you? How did you get out?” 

Void nodded, pressing Stiles’ lips together and resting the body’s head back against the door. “I don’t remember.” They swallowed, bringing the body’s hands up to scrub at Stiles’ face. “I just...woke up outside, and I didn’t know where to go. I can’t go home; it’s the first place they’ll look.” Void caught Scott’s eyes and let Stiles’ redden further. “I’m afraid, Scott.” 

Scott nodded, his face sad. “We’re working on a solution. We’re trying to get rid of it. It’s just… taking a little longer than we expected.” 

“Can I stay with you tonight?” Void asked, biting Stiles’ bottom lip gently. “In case I wake up not...myself.” 

Scott smiled, but his eyes were sad, concerned, anxious and Void lapped it up. He patted the bed next to him. “Sure.”

Void kicked off the body’s shoes and slipped out of the Eichen sweats, leaving Stiles in just a T-shirt and underwear. Scott was shirtless, but Void caught a glimpse of sweats under the covers. They settled into the bed, leaving a reasonable distance they had no intention of maintaining between the body and Scott. 

“Is everyone else okay?” Void asked, rolling over to face Scott, who had curled up on his side. They weren���t kids anymore so, unlike in the memories Void had access to, their knees clacked. Void laughed quietly at it, but didn’t pull Stiles’ legs away from Scott’s. The alpha made no effort to move away either. 

“As okay as they can be,” Scott answered. “We’re scared for you.” 

“Are you and Kira…y’know.” Void raised their eyebrows expectantly. “Together, yet?” 

Scott blushed and turned his head into the pillow. “No.” He said, but his voice was muffled. 

Slowly, Void brought Stiles’ hand up to rest against Scott’s shoulder, brushing his thumb gently against the skin there. Scott turned his head abruptly, eyes flicking from the hand on his shoulder to Stiles’ face. 

“I’ve had a lot of time to think lately,” Void murmured, sliding Stiles’ hand from Scott’s shoulder, up his neck to cup his jaw. “About the past. About...us.” 

“Us?” Scott asked, tongue darting out to wet his lips.

Void stared into the alpha’s deep brown eyes for a long moment before, impossibly slowly, they leaned forward to press Stiles’ lips against Scott’s. 

The alpha was shocked, but returned the kiss after only a moment’s hesitation. Scott’s hands, broad and warm, came up to slide into Stiles’ hair. Void couldn’t help but want more if it; it had been a long time since they’d been intimate with anyone. The near-purr escaped before they could stop it once Scott slid a leg in between theirs, rolling Stiles’ body so they were on their back, facing up at him.

As soon as the sound escaped them, Scott froze, and the red bled back into his eyes. With a disappointed huff, Void dropped the act and rolled his eyes. “You were into that.” Void nudged at Scott’s half-hard cock with Stiles’ thigh. “Why’d you stop?” 

“You know why,” Scott said, nearly a growl.

“What are you gonna do now, Scotty ?” Void taunted. “Tear my throat out? No, you’d never do that to your precious little Stiles. Or anyone, ever, it would seem.”

“You’re using a body that isn’t yours.” There was a real growl and fangs now. Void smirked, drinking in the conflict and anger in Scott. “You’re sick.” 

Shrugging one shoulder, Void winked. “I’m not entirely sure what you expected from a trickster, Scott. Sunshine and daisies? A pure moral compass?” Void leaned up, causing Scott to jerk back away from him. “But, in terms of using a body that isn’t mine -- One: I’m in the body, so it’s mine. Two: do you think I’m here because you’re something I wanted? Please.” 

“Stiles and I have been friends forever. If he was…” Scott swallowed hard and looked away. “If he wanted this, I’d have known.” 

“Would you? Or had you just given up on him and hoped he’d given up on you. This is your chance, Scott. I can give him to you, the way you really wanted him.”

“I’m not going to rape Stiles, you sick fuck.”

“Suit yourself.” Void smirked. “See you when he falls asleep, Alpha . You’re welcome.”

--

Stiles slammed back into consciousness, jerking suddenly, forcing Scott to grip down harder on his shoulders. “Ow,” he said, staring up at the alpha above him. Void conveniently shared the memories of the last few moments with him. His eyes fell closed, and his cheeks burned as he realized Scott was still hovering over him, and that both of them were still hard. “Oh fuck. Scott, seriously, I’m gonna have bruises. Let me up.”

“I’m not hurting you,” Scott snapped. “Shut up.” 

“Scott.” Stiles relaxed back, sighing. “Scott, it’s me .” 

“Sure it is,” Scott huffed. “This is just a trick. This is just the Nogitsune trying to get me to hurt Stiles.” Stiles licked his lips. “It started as that, yeah.” He blinked a few times, “Scott, I swear on my mother’s grave it’s really me.” He waited for the alpha to look back down at him, Scott’s eyebrows drawn together. “They let me surface.” 

“They?” Scott asked, warily relaxing his grip on Stiles’ shoulders. 

“Void. The Nogitsune. They’ve got, like, a million names and not the slightest fucking clue what a gender is.” 

Scott huffed out a hesitant laugh. “How do I know it’s you?” 

Stiles shrugged as much as he could. “They’re in my head. You have to trust me. They can’t come back unless I fall asleep.” Stiles shifted slightly, still uncomfortably hard, his erection pressed against Scott’s hip. 

“Oh, sorry,” Scott said, sitting back on his knees between Stiles’ legs, hands floundering for a minute before landing on his own thighs. In the moonlight, Stiles could still make out the hard line of Scott’s dick in his sweatpants. “I’m so sorry, Stiles. Void...they? kissed me.” He looked away, cheeks aflame, eyes red. 

Stiles nodded. “I know.” He pursed his lips. “They were kind enough to show me the last few minutes. It’s okay.” Stiles raised his hand towards Scott for a second, and then dropped it back against the bed. “You didn’t do anything I didn’t want.” 

It took a few seconds for the realization to dawn on Scott, and he turned back to Stiles. “You...and me?” he asked, tracing his bottom lip with his tongue.

Stiles gave a nod and looked to the side. “Basically our entire lives.” 

“Same,” Scott said, his smile growing. “I just… You were in love with Lydia.” 

Stiles looked back at Scott. “I was infatuated with Lydia. I was in love with you.” Stiles finally let himself touch Scott, one hand falling against the alpha’s thigh. “Y’know, I can think of a really great way to keep me awake.” Stiles smirked. 

Scott leaned back down and dropped his elbows onto either side of Stiles’ head. “Yeah?” 

This time, when Stiles surged up to bring their lips together, Scott didn’t hesitate.

--

Two days later, when Stiles finally lost the battle against sleep and Void was finally able to wrestle control back, they popped up on an elbow to look at Scott with a wide, absurd grin. “So.” Void waggled Stiles’ eyebrows. “I think partial custody of this body seems like payment enough for me wrapping the love of your life up for you like a gift, don’t you think?”

Scott, sitting next to the bed on a chair, smirked. “Not a chance.”  He leaned forward. “You’re going to give me Stiles back. Permanently.”

Void raised an eyebrow, “And why would I do that?” 

“Who said anything about you having a choice?” Scott asked, smiling at Void. They felt a prick at the back of their neck and their lip curled up at Scott for just a moment before looking over their shoulder at Dr. Deaton, who smiled and held up a now empty syringe. “What was that?” 

“Kanima venom,” the druid vet answered. He turned to open the door to the bedroom, and Lydia entered. “You sure you want to do this?” Scott asked Lydia. “Do what?” Void asked, annoyed. “I’m sure,” Lydia said, dropping onto the bed and, with Scott’s help, tugging Stiles’ body up to a seated position. Lydia turned to Scott once they had done it. “Let’s get your boy back,” she said, and Scott blushed adorably.

Void was half-way through rolling their eyes when they felt the prick of the alpha’s claws at the back of the body’s neck.

Shit.

[lilxmcrtes]

My URL, The URL Meme

Send Me A URL and I’ll Respond With My Opinions... | @thornstocutyouwith | Mun

Roleplaying/Writing

My favorite muse(s) of theirs and why

Gosh dang it. You’re really gonna make me pick? Alright... for now I’m gonna go with Lief because he’s a Good Boy (tm). So sweet and caring to Oliver. Their relationship is so nice when Lief isn’t bringing / cooking wild animals in his home x’D Also I just enjoy his view on things. So simple, and amusing at times

My favorite interaction/thread of theirs

Again. Pick?! Hm... That food fight in the IMs was pretty funny x3 Aeron and Jace making play bites their Thing (tm) was also good. Or that thing with them as kids playing with dino toys together. It wasn’t a thread but it was so freaking cute

My thoughts on their unique characterization/interpretation of their muse(s)

CONTENT. ALL THE C O N T E N T!!!!!

Anyone that gets to see such content should feel blessed. You have SO MANY muses and they’re all so unique and real. Also seriously love how they connect in this relationship web that I’ve only seen part of

My thoughts on their writing style as a whole

Good shit bro. Sometimes a little overwhelming but good

Situation(s)/Plot(s) I’d love to see their muse(s) in

ALL OF THEM??!?! But to be more specific, H.unger G.ames or T.he G.ood P.lace plot would be cool. Ooo A.merican H.orror S.tory? C.oven or A.pocolypse? Omg humor me with a C.ells At W.ork AU. ( Eira and Tancred can be the white and red blood cell!!! ) Or another anime, P.arasyte? U.mbrella A.cademy?! D.etective P.ikachu / P.okemon?!?! All the plots Thorn.

Someone else I love seeing them interact with

I honestly don’t read a lot of threads n stuff outside of what I’m doing. Sometimes things will catch my eye but otherwise... heh... I do be seein u with ofwondersandhares a lot tho. So there’s that?

Anything else I want to say about their roleplaying

I really don’t get why people don’t write with you more. There’s a lot of opportunity right there for people. :/

And did I mention content?! You know so much about your muses. I aspire to be that in tune with these guys one day

If We Know Each Other

What I Think Are Their Best Qualities

Honesty. I mean sometimes it can be pretty blunt but I don’t really have to be guessing what you might not be saying. I figure if you have a problem with me you’ll tell me. Which is kinda relieving to me. Helps when I overthink.

Also ridiculously imaginative. I mean do I really need to elaborate on this one?

What I Think Are Their Strengths

Besides the answer to the above question, you don’t take things to heart too much, which I admire since I do that all the time. It’s great you can brush things off and move on to other good things without getting too caught up in being upset

A Memorable OOC Interaction Of Ours

First game night. Absolutely one of the best nights I’ve ever had. Hilarious. Can’t wait to do it again. The fact that we named the killer Asher was AMAZING

Why Others Should RP With Them

Hello if it’s not clear from what I’ve been saying then idk how to help you. The sheer vastness of content for all the rp you could ever want is right there man. So much opportunity! All the little details and plots too!! Bonus, you get a friend that will give you head pats- no, wait. those are mine. But still, good fren! *pats their head* A lot of friENDSHIP can fit in here

How Others Should Approach Them

You could toss them some memes. Pretty sure they crave them lol ( Not like they don’t post about it ). And as a multi I am well aware of the specifying muse deal but I don’t think they mind so much that they won’t answer. You’ll just get whatever they roll lol BUT definitely specify muse if you can bc like I said, as a multi, it’s just better that way especially with the number of muses they have. OR you could do the big brain move and IM them “Hey I wanna write with you but I have no idea where to start with your muses. Do you have a preference?” and you guys can talk about who would mesh well together and then you can send memes or write a starter or even get a starter! Pretty sure it’s the same for anyone.

Funny note on that one tho. I think they approached me ooc by just sending my a post in IMs. I don’t even remember what it was or why they sent it. I was wildly confused but ya know. Gotta start somewhere lol Point is, you’ll be fine approaching them however you do. Just don’t ghost.

Other Roleplayers I’d Recommend To Them

You could write with the Teares’ siblings ( in the verse where they are related at least. Haven’t talked about if that’ll be a main thing or not ), baby sis @the-wonderland-jinx and Aeron’s twin @faultycode. The other muses on there are also great.

@klavz​ is a great Klaus imo. The dialogue is so on point. Like I could actually hear Klaus saying those things. Whether you feel the same is up to you but... definitely give ‘em a chance.

There are others but it’s more of a general ‘I like them’ rather than having specific reasons you’d mesh well with / be interested in them.

Anything else I want to say about them

I think I’ve said quite a lot already lol Anything more is pretty much a repeat

I like writing with them. I like talking to them. I think they’re pretty cool and I think other people ought to check them out. A summary by me

If We Have/Plan To Interact Together

A plot I’d like to write with them

Ooo. Um. I know a lot of plots probably got lost bc I’ll come up with an idea and then get distracted with something else. But if I remember any of those definitely lol Also now that I’m on a fresh new blog I will heckin put that shit in a post so I don’t lose it.

That thing where Aeron drops into Wonderland and runs into Soulless!Asher is still in my drafts if you still want that to be a thing. So not all things were lost! lol

But getting back to the question, outside of those sort of things, and being more specific than just everything... T.he G.ood P.lace plot seems good. Pretending these people got into ‘heaven’ when they’re actually in a special hell that tortures them psychologically by picking a set of people that would eternally torture each other bc their personalities and behaviors clash perfectly. Asher ( or all your deadly sin demons really ) would definitely get a kick out of that I bet. Especially on Aeron. Ooo and Oliver.

A muse I want to introduce to them

Max. He’s a muse that’s gonna be on my other multi. He’s a soft boi like Oliver but not as fragile. Very friendly, and actually not human! He’s a changeling that ended up being raised human. Still working on him but I feel like he is basically the peak of my creativity lmao

A ship/broship I’d like to propose to them

I mean I know we mentioned it but Post!Oliver and Tancred would be cool. And I say Post! bc I’m pretty sure Tancred would stay the heck away from him otherwise lol

Also! Lorelei should meet Killian sometime. I’ve never really figured out her and Oliver’s relationship soo... It’s bound to be interesting whatever I do on the fly lol

A thread with them I’m excited about

Every time I see you in my notifications I get excited. But I suppose I am pretty excited for that band ask to turn into a thread 👀

Anything else I want to say

At this point, you might as well follow them if you follow me. Spice up your dash with whatever they’re into for the moment. Find new interests. Learn how to develop your muse

Please read that with the same energy as ‘fuck around and find out’