#i’ve already encountered so many people that i know. some have been family.

[libramooon]

training to become a mortician at a funeral home in an area i’ve lived in my whole life is both incredibly rewarding and painful.

[cookiescribble]

Flufftober Day 7: Hoodie Weather

A/N: mod ghost made the joke about him writing for a comic book character yesterday, but for me it’s actually a “who would’ve guessed” moment 😆 but I’ve been wanting to write for Jason for a while and now I finally got around to it. hope you enjoy! -mod angel

Pairing: Jason Todd x GN!Reader

Summary: The nights have gotten cold in Gotham, and you haven’t been dressing accordingly. Lucky for you, a good friend (who you are a bit infatuated with) is able to help you.

~~~

It had become routine to meet Jason on the roof of his apartment building after he gets back from patrol. 

The day he went AWOL when he encountered some of Joker’s henchmen and had a really bad panic attack, you had gotten a worried call from Dick, who was frantically asking if you’d seen him. When you finally found him, he was on the roof, curled up and breathing heavily. You had helped him calm down, and that’s when you decided to make sure he had someone to check in with him every day. 

Now, you opened the door after making your way up the stairs, when you spotted the back of his hoodie. You walked over to him, trying to pretend you weren’t winded from walking up all those stairs as you plopped yourself down next to him. 

He turned to you, noticing you were breathing heavily, smirking as he tried not to laugh. “There aren’t that many stairs in this building.”

You rolled your eyes, taking a deep breath now that he already noticed your heavy breathing. “I’ve never had physical training like you. Most people don’t do daily combat training as children, you know.”

He let out a warm laugh, crossing his legs and running a hand through his hair, which was getting a little messed up from the wind that was blowing. “Yeah, sometimes I forget having a whole family that’s trained to fight from the moment they’re taken in isn’t normal.”

“Your experiences are not universal,” you replied, laughing. It was natural to fall into casual banter; you both had a tendency towards snarkiness, so it just worked. 

You hugged your knees to your chest as the wind picked up a little more, trying unsuccessfully to stop yourself from shivering. It was just turning fall in Gotham, and the weather was really starting to cool down, especially at night.

Jason looked at you, noticing your trembling, and he frowned slightly. “Are you cold?”

You were moving your body around a little as you sat there, trying to warm it up. “You’re not?” you laughed, which came out a little shaky since you were still moving. 

He shook his head. “Nope. Perfectly warm over here.” He reached out his hand to touch your arm and show you. A warmth enveloped you where his hand landed, a slight blush creeping across your face as you felt his firm but gentle grip. 

“Damn,” he muttered, pulling his hand away after it lingered on your arm for a few seconds. “You’re freezing. Why didn’t you wear a sweater? Or like, long sleeves?”

You rolled your eyes, hugging yourself to warm up your arms, feeling especially cold after he took the warmth of his hand away. “It was warm earlier today. I didn’t know it was going to be this cold when I left home.”

He paused for a moment, looking like he was considering something. “I have a hoodie you could wear, to warm you up.”

You raised an eyebrow. “I sure hope you’re not offering the one you’re wearing,” you pointed to the sleeveless hoodie that only covered his shoulders. “Because that would not warm me up at all.”

He rolled his eyes, letting out a noise that was halfway between a scoff and a laugh. “No, I have normal hoodies in my apartment. You could come down and put one of them on.” He sounded nonchalant, but you could’ve sworn you saw a slight blush on his face. 

You had never actually been in his apartment, usually meeting up on the roof for a long time until it got so late you just went home. Any other time you saw him was usually out somewhere, or at your own apartment. 

To try to stop the flustered feeling you got at his suggestion, you decided to joke a bit. “I thought you didn’t like people going in your apartment? I’ve heard you complain about it quite a bit.”

He scoffed, crossing his arms. “I don’t mind people in my apartment, I mind my brothers breaking into my apartment.” He’d told you about how often he would just find one of his brothers in his apartment, even though he hadn’t been there all day, and none of them had a key that he was aware of. 

You were starting to get goosebumps from the cold now, so you really couldn’t refuse his offer. “Yeah, I think that’s a good idea, if you really don’t mind,” you muttered, your teeth chattering slightly. 

“Not at all,” he shook his head as he stood, reaching a hand out to help you up. “C’mon, or someone will think you’re a Freeze victim.”

You laughed, taking his hand as he effortlessly pulled you up, almost lifting you right off of your feet. Sometimes you forgot just how strong he was. 

“God, how have you been staying up here the whole time? Your hands are so cold,” he murmured, keeping his hold on your hand to try to warm it up. 

“I don’t know,” you scoffed playfully. “Someone wouldn’t stop talking.”

“Yeah, you,” he replied, pulling you along until you reached the door, which he held open for you. “Now get inside.”

You held up your other hand. “Okay, okay, no need to be so bossy.” You couldn’t help but laugh as you walked through the door. 

He led you down a few flights of stairs, and then down the hallway until he stopped in front of one of the doors, letting go of your hand so he could pull out his keys to unlock it. After it was open, he gestured for you to go inside. “After you,” he bowed slightly, grinning at the dramatic gesture.

You stepped into the apartment, looking around as you took in your surroundings. His apartment was kept pretty neat and organized. You wondered how he had time to keep everything clean, considering how often he spent doing his “other activities.” You weren’t surprised at how many books there were on his shelf; he had probably read all of them already. Especially the Austen novels. 

Jason was shutting and locking the door behind you when you said, half sarcastically, “wow, nice place you got here.”

He shrugged, moving immediately to his dresser and rifling through it. “It’s not much compared to the mansion, but it’s a place I can go to just be alone. Most of the time.” He finally pulled out a hoodie and held it out to you. 

You took it from him, looking at it before putting it on. It was red, and you wondered if he even owned any hoodies that weren’t red. A little on the nose, you wanted to say, but you kept that to yourself since he was being so generous. 

His hoodie was really big on you; it almost went down to your knees, and the sleeves were practically twice as long as your arms. But you didn’t mind, it was really comfortable. 

“You’re still shivering,” he frowned, his arms crossed. 

“I literally just put it on,” you shrugged. “It’ll take a bit before I actually fully warm up.” 

He hesitated for a moment, almost as if he was trying to stop himself from doing something. After a few moments, he pulled you into a tight hug, knowing it’ll warm you up faster. 

You practically melted into the warm embrace, your hands instinctively moving to hug him back. He felt like a personal space heater, and you couldn’t help but to bury your face in his chest. You felt… protected. Your heart felt just as warm as your body now felt. 

You stood there for a few minutes in silence, just feeling the steady rise and fall of his chest as he breathed, his strong arms holding you for what felt like a very long time. You felt like you could stay there forever. 

“Warmer now?” He asked softly, breaking the silence. “You stopped shaking.”

“Y-yeah,” you stammered, being brought out of your thoughts. “This is really helping.”

“Do you want me to… stop?” He asked hesitantly. 

“No,” you said, too quickly. “Um. I just…” You blushed, grateful he couldn’t see your face. “This… feels really… comforting,” you mumbled, despite feeling a bit embarrassed. 

“Yeah,” he whispered in agreement, burying his face in your hair. His hand started to rub soothing circles on your back, which made you close your eyes, almost as if you could fall asleep right there, standing up in his arms. 

“It’s really late,” he said after a few more moments of silence. “Do you maybe just wanna… stay here tonight?” His voice was soft and soothing as he pulled away slightly to look at you, his arms still around you. He looked… a bit shy. “I mean, I know how dangerous it is to walk the streets of Gotham at night.”

“That’s true…” you replied, trying to hide your blush. 

“And what kind of ‘hero’ would I be if I let someone walk right into danger?” He joked, putting air quotes around “hero.” “Bruce would be pissed at me if something happened to you because I left you alone in a dark alley.” 

“Dark alley?” You chuckled, shaking your head. “Where do you think I live? I’m only a few streets down that way,” you gestured in the direction of your apartment with your head. 

“With the crime rate in this city, every street may as well be a dark alley,” he scoffed, his expression softening as he looked at you. “It would just… bring me some peace of mind to know that you’re safe here.” His voice sounded casual, but his eyes showed he was practically pleading with you. 

You gave him a soft smile and a nod. “Well, I wouldn’t want to make you worry,” you teased lightly. “Plus I really don’t feel like walking in this cold.”

“Cool,” he nodded, finally letting you go. You tried not to pout instinctively as he walked away from you to start setting up his bed. “I can just sleep on the floor for tonight,” he added over his shoulder.

When he was done, you tentatively sat on his bed, looking up at him, trying to find the courage to say what you wanted to. You took a deep breath, looking up at him as he loomed over you. “I… it would make me feel better if you were next to me,” you admitted softly. 

He froze for a moment before nodding slowly. “I… okay. I’ll just… be back in a second,” he mumbled, taking a few steps back as he grabbed something off his dresser and headed to the bathroom. 

You curled up under the covers, your heart pounding in your chest. You were still wearing his hoodie, and you practically retreated into it. 

You heard him come back, feeling the bed move when he sat at the edge. You looked up at him, now in his pajamas. You’d never seen him look so casual. He looked… cozy. 

He lay on his back next to you, keeping a bit of space between you. He took a deep breath, stretching his long legs out in front of him. 

You turned on your side to look at him, your voice quiet and soft, thinking of an excuse to get closer. “I… I’m still pretty cold…” you mumbled, knowing it didn’t sound convincing at all. 

“That’s a lie,” he rolled his eyes, but he smiled warmly at you, opening his arms silently. 

You shuffled so you were laying in his arms, resting your head on his chest. You felt his arms close around you, feeling that warmth that was starting to become familiar to you. 

“Better?” He asked, ruffling your hair playfully. 

You couldn’t help but laugh. “Better,” you affirmed, closing your eyes. 

You slept better that night than any other night in your entire life. 

[chuusheartattck]

THAT’S THAT ME ESPRESSO (TTME)

Chapter 5- Party O’ Clock ☕️

As you, Hu Tao, and Ayaka were done getting ready, you all piled up in the Kamisato family car. Which happens to be a Rolls Royce. These damn rich people and their fancy cars.

Ayato, Ayaka’s brother, was designated driver. Ayaka has yet to acquire her license.

“Damn girl!” Hu Tao looked around the car with amazement, “If you would’ve told me you had one of these I would have been coming over every day.”

Ayaka only giggled. You felt like an actual celebrity in this car. Not like you aren’t one, it just never hit you till now. You’re going to one of the biggest parties in the entertainment industry that was kept on the low from the public.

It all felt so surreal. As you were having this realization, Ayaka handed her phone to you to play some music. You stared at her phone trying to come up with something to play.

A moment passes and still being indecisive, you handed the phone to Hu Tao. You can be aux in someone’s car another day.

Hu Tao was always good at aux. She selected Sundress by Asap Rocky first. Hu Tao then queued up a few more songs before handing the phone back to Ayaka.

The car ride was mostly filled with Ayaka and Hu Tao talking. You or Ayato would sometimes chime in. Usually you’re a yapper, however, you had this sense of dread in you.

You didn’t know what it was. Was it because it was your first time going to one of these things? Or was it because you knew you were going to have to encounter the one person you wish you wouldn’t have to see after high school.

Lost in your thoughts, you didn’t notice the car had stopped. It was only when Hu Tao tapped your shoulder that you realized you had arrived.

You stepped out of the car and got a good look at the place. A giant manor appeared in front of you. A beautiful fountain made out of marble centered in the middle. Greenery hugged the perimeter. How was THIS kept from the public? Furina must’ve used your Espresso money to pay for all this.

Honesty, it felt like you didn’t belong here.

Hu Tao grabbed your hand and led you inside. A lot of high end celebrities were here. Some of them you were a big fan of. Nonetheless, this wasn’t the place to be asking them for pictures. In the corner you spotted Lyney, Lynette, and Mona who were all at the bar.

“There you guys are!” Mona exclaimed.

She hugged you, Hu Tao, and Ayaka.

“Can we take some shots already??” Hu Tao questioned.

She was very eager to get wasted. Ironic because she was telling you not to a few days ago.

The bartender poured everyone a shot of Soju.

Then another.

Another.

One more.

Now you, Hu Tao, Lyney, and Mona were all four shots deep. Lynette doesn’t drink and Ayaka only had one since she’s a lightweight. You could handle a few more but you didn’t want to get blackout hammered. Hu Tao’s warning was still in the back of your mind. You only picked up a White Claw to be drinking throughout the night.

You left your friends at the bar and decided to explore on your own. That was, until you noticed a familiar orange hair in the distance.

It seemed to notice you to.

“Holy shit! Is that Y/n?” It was Childe. Who appeared to be very drunk already.

“Holy shit! Is that my prom mosh pit buddy?” You responded. He couldn’t help but laugh.

During your senior prom you spent the entire time in the dance circle/mosh pit with Childe. It was fun but very unexpected.

You and Childe exchanged a reunion hug. He smelled of alcohol and sweat.

“Dude how many shots have you taken?” You begin to ask. It was a bit concerning he was already fucked up this early.

“Uhh only like 7??” Childe chuckled. His speech slurring a bit.

“What the fuck?” It impressed you.

“How have you been though? We barely spoke at the grad party. Your new song is honestly really good.” Childe commented on. He was always nice to you. Never had any malicious intent, which was surprising considering who his friends are.

You hesitated before responding, “I’ve been good. I barely saw you at the party that was my bad! I liked your movie with Lumine. Anyone but You right?”

“Thank you! I had a fun time filming it. I didn’t know you watched my movies.” Childe simply responded. He always had a flirty tone whenever he talked to people.

Childe then pulled out a geek bar and took a hit. The smell of candy filled the air. He then offered it to you.

You stared at it for a moment. Fuck it. You took a hit of the blowpop flavored vape. Of course you inhaled wrong and began coughing up a storm. Childe started laughing his ass off.

“This is why I hate nic. Fucking fein.” You barely formed the sentence. Hacking and coughing up your lungs. You took a sip of your White Claw to bring back moisture to your throat.

“Y/n, you good?” Childe asked while continuing to laugh.

Before you could even respond, he was whisked away by Venti. You both said your goodbyes and you were on your own once again.

Sipping your White Claw you began to feel a little tipsy, so you decide to sit down somewhere. You always underestimate alcohol. As soon as you sat down, it felt like the whole world was spinning. You felt dizzy but in a good way. It felt good to be drunk.

It took you a minute to notice someone was next to you, until you smelled a joint being sparked up. Obviously you turned to the source of the smell.

It was none other than Xiao and the singer Albedo from Mondstadt Entertainment. How did they know each other? Who knows. Albedo was the first one to notice you though.

“Hello. Aren’t you Y/n?” He questioned.

You got a little shy. It was weird to have one of your favorite artists know your existence. Damn. No more parasocial relationships for you.

Xiao responded for you, “They’re the one who has a twitter feud with Scaramouche.”

“You didn’t have to tell him all that.” You responded with embarrassment. It was true though, currently you’re trending for fighting with the most popular person under Inazuma Entertainment.

“Shits funny though. We always laugh about it in the group chat.” Xiao mentioned as he took a hit from the joint.

They talk about you in the Inazuma group chat?

“Oh so am I like a household name there?” You joked. You were always intimidated by him. Xiao always looks so mad. However, the alcohol is making your fears go away.

“Yeah kinda. By the way, do you smoke?” Xiao asked nonchalantly, his body shifted to look at you. It felt like his eyes were piercing through your soul.

This caught you off guard, “I sometimes do when I have stuff.”

Xiao then handed you the joint and you took a long hit. You didn’t cough this time. If you were being honest, you preferred weed over nicotine, It doesn’t smell as great but it also doesn’t make you feel sick.

You passed it to Albedo, who took a long inhale. This could be seen as a dream blunt rotation or a nightmare blunt rotation. However, it wasn’t until the end where you felt the weed hit. Mix with the alcohol, you began to feel crossed. You began to feel so giggly and everything moved so slow.

You turned to the both of them, “What the hell was in this?”

“Don’t worry it’s not laced. It’s just weed imported from Snezhnaya. My plug is from there.” Albedo reassured you.

“You have a plug?” Your question came out more of a surprise than you have intended.

“Yes. He’s the best. Here let me give you my number so we can smoke again. Xiao give them yours too.” Albedo grabbed your phone from you to type in his number. Xiao then grabbed the phone from Albedo and typed in his number as well.

You felt proud of yourself for scoring two hot guy’s numbers. Were you actually going to text them? Who knows!

The more you sat down, the more you realized how stuffy and hot the place was becoming. You excused yourself and went out onto the balcony to get some fresh air.

The cold air stung as you had exited the warm party. It quickly felt nice though. As you hung your head over the balcony, you heard footsteps approaching behind you.

Turning around, you saw the person you wanted to avoid the most tonight. Scara fucking mouche.

As you guys made eye contact he scoffed and looked away. He looked the same as ever. Fortunately, still good looking. Unfortunately, still short.

There was a bit of awkward silence before you began to spoke.

“Can’t you see I was here first?” Alcohol makes you appear more bolder.

“How fucking drunk are you?” Scara asked in a harsh tone. “And are you high too? You smell like weed.”

“That’s none of your business.” You retorted.

He rolled his eyes, “You don’t change do you?”

He walked next to you on the balcony. There was still a decent amount of space between you guys. You glanced over to him. Scara’s hair looks grown out but still healthy, despite often dying it purple. His violet eyes were looking out into the outside portion of the party. If you didn’t know better, you’d think he’d be someone who’s the opposite of what he actually is.

Scara then took out a pack of cigarettes and began lighting one. You stared at it hoping he’d offer it to you. You love smoking cigs when drunk. For someone who sings, you sure do smoke a lot.

“You’re not sharing this with me.” Scara said plainly. Not even glancing at you.

“Wasn’t planning on it.” You looked away from him. The cool air felt pleasant against your skin. You could hear the music blaring from the inside and the people mingling down below. It was better than any other party you had attended.

There was another long silence between you guys. It didn’t feel awkward anymore. It was more nostalgic and comforting than anything. So you began to talk once again.

“Do you still talk to Aether or Kazuha?” The question always lingered in your mind. Those were some of the mutual friends you guys had shared. You haven’t spoken to either of them since graduation.

“Yes, sometimes” Scara responded in a monotone voice. He didn’t seem interested to talk to you. You didn’t care though.

There was yet again another long silence. This time, he stuck out his hand to you. Offering the cigarette.

“Take it before I change my mind.” He mumbled.

You took the cigarette from his hand, now sharing it with him. You were too out of it to notice the bitter taste. Perhaps, it was the liquor masking the true taste of the cigarette. Perhaps, it was the liquor that was the real reason you were feeling more bold to ask this certain question. One that has been lingering in your mind the longest. The question you were worried about the answer the most.

“Did you ever like talking to me?”

The question shifted the tension in the air.

Scara was calculating his response. The longer he took to respond, the more anxious you felt.

“You were a nice friend to talk to.” He finally answered.

The answer disappointed you.

Just a friend? Seriously? After all those nights on facetime, him listening to you rant, him getting upset when you took too long to respond, him sending you over 20 tiktoks a day, him recommending you songs or movies, and him getting jealous over random guys. That was just him being a friend?

“Are you fucking serious right now?” You snapped at him. You turned your body to face his.

“What??” Scara retorted, barely glancing in your direction.

“If I was just a friend then why were you so ashamed of me? Why did you never tell anyone we would talk on the daily?” You began to press into him.

“You never told anyone either! You barely even told Hu Tao.” Scara argued back, finally facing you.

“And you only told Childe! I didn’t know what we were. You always seemed embarrassed to talk to me at school. We rarely hung out outside of school. And you let your friends harass me.” Your feelings from the past year gushed out of you. You weren’t holding back.

“Yeah you’re right. I was embarrassed of you. Everyone at school made fun of you because you were a trainee. Your personality made it unbearable and that’s why you only had a few friends. Anyone associated with you was questioned and also made fun of. I at least wanted to keep my connections.” Scara’s words felt like a knife to the heart.

Deep down, you knew that most people around you felt like you were a burden for pursuing your idol dreams. Everytime you would apologize for flaking because you were practicing, how you would talk about what happened at practice, and how hard you tried to fit in. It never seemed good enough for people. You tried your best being friendly but people often thought you were fake. It just hurt coming from someone you thought cared about you.

“You seriously considered how people felt? I thought you didn’t care what people thought about you. I thought you were different.” Your voice cracked as you tried to hold back tears.

“It’s different when it came to you. You were the joke of the grade. You may have had some friends but did you ever wonder what people thought of them? For being associated with you?” His questions grilled into you like an interrogation.

Your friends always comforted you. Not once did they ever mention their image getting tarnished. Sure they would sometimes get teased for even speaking to you, but they never seemed to care. Right?

“Then what about Childe?” You finally argued back, “He was always nice to me. I don’t recall anyone teasing him for texting or speaking to me.”

“That’s because he’s respected enough. No one dared to bully him or even say anything to him about his friends.” Scara replied nonchalantly.

It was irritating to see him not care about how his words would affect you. You had enough.

“Whatever. Fuck you and fuck your friend group. You never deserved me or everything I did for you, you little ungrateful cunt. You’re dead to me.“ Those were your final words to him before storming off. All the emotions began to pour out of you as you began to walk away.

As Scara saw you walk off, he turned back to face the night sky. “What a dramatic bitch.” He muttered before finally finishing the cigarette you two had shared. As he threw it on the ground, he felt a sort of guilt. Did he really need to tell you all that?

Whatever.

You deserved to know.

Scara looked around at the people in attendance. He then noticed something in the corner of his eye. Someone was throwing up in a bush. Someone familiar….for fucks sake it’s Venti. Kokomi at his side comforting him. Scara groaned not believing what he is seeing. He walked back into the party so he could help his somewhat friend.

Meanwhile, you were trying your best to find your friends. You wanted to leave this party asap. You dialed Ayaka’s number and luckily she picked up. They were by the snack table. You hurriedly met up with them.

When you got there, Lyney, Mona, and Hu Tao were wasted out of their minds. It was an amusing sight.

What wasn’t an amusing sight, was you visibly shaken up. Naturally, it didn’t take long before they noticed.

“Hey Y/n are you alright?” Lynette asked. She always had a keen eye for people’s body language.

“Honestly, I don’t know. I ran into Scaramouche and we had this giant argument.” You hesitated in answering. Nervous on how the others might react.

“YOU WHAT? NAH where is he?! Lemme go beat his ass!” Hu Tao tried standing up but she fell on top of Lyney.

“Get your fat ass off of me!” Lyney slurred.

“Y/n do you want to leave? We were about to head out right now and text you.” Ayaka mentioned.

You nodded. This party was fun until you had a run in with him.

“Lynette, do you and the others want to sleepover at my place with us?” Ayaka offered.

Lynette glanced over at Lyney and Mona, who were fighting over the last cookie. She then looked at Ayaka and nodded.

Lynette, Lyney, and Mona got into Lynette’s car meanwhile you, Hu Tao, Ayaka, and Ayato got into the car you arrived in. The car ride was silent. You were still drunk and angry at what had happened earlier so you whipped out your phone to send a few texts.

You closed your eyes for the remainder of the car ride. When you opened them, had finally arrived to the Kamisato Estate. It’s as big inside as it is outside.

Ayaka showed you all to your rooms and you all began to unwind for the night. You immediately collapsed onto the bed. The world still spinning around you and memories from the party flood your brain. You tried your best to repress those thoughts and fall asleep.

Masterlist II Previous II Next

A/N: Chapter 5 done!! This is my first written chapter so I apologize if it’s really long. I was too lazy to split it up into two parts. (That’s pretty much why I lowk rushed the ending) I know this chapter was a bit dramatic but I lowk had a fun time writing it. This isn’t even all the lore between Scara and Y/n 🤫 Also let’s pretend the Kamisato Estate is close to where the party is being held 💔 I’m bad at geography.

ALSOOO lmk if you guys want your users to be added to this au and i’ll make you a twitter user :)

Synopsis: You’re a new idol that just debuted under ‘Fontaine Entertainment’ with your new single ‘Espresso.’ You just graduated high school which means all your classmates are shocked to see you into stardom. Including your old situationship, who happens to be an actor.

Taglist: @skyoverkill1 @quacking-simp @lolmeowing @astro-stars @kaitfae @sl-vega @veekoko @scarawiki @yuminako @samyayaya @skyvella @kur0kki @practicoi @kukikoooo @scaraenthusiast1 @shutingstar @lloovvv @moonjellyfishie @miy-svz @xionri @lalalaloveallmydays @hearts4lizzzz @kathiwis @state-of-grac3

[lovelyo]

Season 3 part 2 will be Ass. Let me Tell You Why.

Cause in the end, Penelope, Lady Whistledown, the one who has left devastation in people’s lives will get all what she wants. The man that she wants, the attention that she wants, the family she always wanted to be(so envious of them she talked shit about them ), will get her best friend back, might have the heir for that dumbass Featherington plot line, might get the Queen’s pardon and above all else, will most likely not give up LW cause they made LW such an integral part of the show.(so in that case, she’ll be even more filthy rich)

And if we go by leaked spoilers, it is said that Colin will be mad at Penelope for like 1 episode until Kanthony talks some “sense” into him. So that just tells me Kanthony will be OOC because there’s no damn way Anthony would let that beast comment about his wife slide.

There are no stakes when it comes to this season cause we all know how it’s finna go down. If Penelope gets any type of consequences, then her very undeserved HEA is doomed so everything is going to have to go her way for the already idiotic plot to make some form of sense. It’s like the love triangle in part 1, what the hell was the point of Lord Debling when everyone and their ancestors knew Colin and Penelope were end game? So we can see Colin’s cringe angst? If we already know the answer to the love triangle, there’s no point. The “find you a husband” plot line was stupid as shit anyway, but it’s whatever now.

Ugh, then we have to sit through more awkward love scenes between asshat 1 and 2

Eloise threatening Penelope with her LW identity is going to amount to nothing cause we know Penelope isn’t gonna receive any comeuppance. Matter of fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if they made Eloise apologize to Penelope for…🤷🏾‍♂️🤷(let’s apologize to the toxic friend for not dealing with their toxicity)

For Penelope to have a happy ending, she has to get away scot free and that’s what boils my blood. I hate in media and literature when a character goes around, creates chaos and receives nothing for it or just a slap on a wrist. I’ve noticed an increase in it lately too. Also, I’m tired of writers not severing their bias from their writing. I’ve been encountering many series lately where the writer(s) have favoritism towards a specific character and gives them the easy route, bends the world for them and pull punches just because they like them so much. It’s really aggravating cause you see everyone else getting put through the wringer and then you see the favored character walking through Candyland. It hurts the story, the character, and frankly makes you hate the character.

Everyone around Penelope is gonna act brain dead in order for Penelope to get what she wants and I’m not here for it. Even the general audience ain’t for it. The only people cheering this madness are the asylum patients called Polin fans with delusions that Penelope deserves the world.

I’m not even looking forward to Francesca and John’s story cause of the Poolin fecal matter I’ll have to swim through to get there. At this point, I’m might just watch spoilers of part 2 cause it’s not worth it.

P.S. Watch Cressida get the short end of the stick cause she’s the “bully” of the show and Penelope is the “victim”. Watch them break Creloise because of the “I don’t want you hanging around Eloise” subplot which will ultimately fuel Eloise and Penelope becoming friends again. Also, Penelope and Cressida competed for Lord Debling just for Penelope to go “sike” and marry Colin so she wasted Debling’s time and made Cressida feel like shit because she wasn’t chosen. P.S.S- Polins are huge ass hypocrites cause they ragged on Eloise being privileged and having “everything” but are silent about Penelope being privileged. By the end of this season, Penelope will basically have everything, even more so than Eloise, but sure, Penelope is definitely not privileged 😑. Penelope is privileged inside the world and outside by production, why are we denying this?

[pine-rhyme]

Pine I’m going insane please clear something up about tlt

I keep seeing art of two(?) v similar looking people, one with short hair and another with pigtails and I’ve seen both being referred to as Harrow or Nona or similar. I thought they were the same person (with Nona being a nickname of Harrowharks family name) but I saw some art that’d imply they’re two different people???

I always interpreted it as ‘Nona is what Harrow would be without the Horrors’ since she’s v cheerful. Like a sort of collective fandom oc. But now I think that’s wrong. Pls advise T^T

(Also hiiiiiiii hope you’re having a nice day ೕ(•̀ᴗ•́) )

OMG THANK YOU I AM SO GLAD I GET TO EXPLAIN THIS TO YOU BECAUSE THIS IS GENUIENLY MY FAVOURITE THING OUT OF THIS SERIES!!!!!

That and the wild contrast between Harrowhark and Nona makes me giggle maniacally every time.

Here is some sketchy art and rambling under the cut because I LOVE LOVE LOVE NONA!!!! And by extension the book she stars in!

Nona is a real character! But very well pointed that her name derives from Harrow's NONAgesimus! She is the narrator and main lady of the 3rd book (Nona the Ninth :DDD).

The thing about Harrow and Nona is that yes! They share the same body! Harrow is such a haunted character that it is already ridiculous how many other ghosts could take over her body if she falls unconscious (which already happened a few times and ngl it was very sexy).

But this time, in Nona's case it is unclear if it is one of her many ghosts piloting her body or if it is really Harrow whose trauma caught up with her and got her brain reset (you already know it wouldn't be her first rodeo given that she already has had the lobotomy experience :)) but the thing is, Nona can't remember a thing from before she got saved by Harrow's... friends? Acquaintances? People that owned her a favour?

The beautiful thing is that you have this vulnerable person, who doesn't know anything about herself is getting taken care of by these people that? Genuinely cared about the old Harrow? And are actively trying to figure out who Nona actually is. And how she can be helped. All we know is that Nona is uncharacteristically kind and sweet-natured for the tlt world :)))

She is deeply aware that she is unlikely to survive for much longer and experiences everything around her with a deep sense of wonder. She has only been alive for 6 months and it was a gift. The world is slowly crumbling around her and her body is slowly dying but she loves the people that take care of her nevertheless. She looks in the mirror and finds herself truly beautiful and she is openly grateful for the girl who let her borrow her body to experience this life. It is a bittersweet story and a very big tonal shift from the intense and alienating POV of the previous book (Harrow the Ninth), focusing more on the domesticity and closure nurtured in a wartorn refugee camp, between unlikely characters.

AND IT IS JUST HILLARIOUS to encounter characters with whom Harrow has been AT LEAST highly disagreeable, getting absolutely showered in affection by Nona. Nona herself being so full of love and admiration for everything and everyone she meets is just amazing when you remember that's HARROW'S body she's piloting. Harrow who is easily the most people-allergic character out of this whole series lmao. AND NONA IS WEARING HER HAIR LONG AND BRAIDED! AND PARADES AROUND IN THE MOST INSANE GRAPHIC T-SHIRTS. SHE WANTS TO DYE HER HAIR ELECTRIC BLUE LIKE HER CRUSH!

I absolutely love Nona she is my favourite character in this series. It is because of her that Harrow started to grow on me as well. It is just wonderful to find, after how distressed and alone Harrow is during the 2nd book, she has people that would go to such lengths to care for her, despite the fact that she lost her necromacy, genius and aptitudes, along with her memories and, in fact her body might be the only thing that remained out of her because, by the end, Nona might indeed be somebody else entirely.

More than that it is a story about a girl with no past and no future loving unconditionally and getting unconditionally loved in return by her friends and family. Even when it gets very complicated and twisted and at times you are forced to question what is everybody's hidden intentions or what is the meaning of it all. It is just as grim (and upsetting at times) as the rest of the series but having for once an optimistic pov (even tho it comes with her forcing herself to suppress her ugly feelings because her life is very short and she needs to enjoy everything while it lasts) feels almost like a fever dream.

"Life is too short and love is too long."

(This is Nona with Pyrrha! Pyrrha loves Nona so much it makes me sick to my stomach and I could talk for hours on end about them. )

Thank you so much for this ask and for indulging me in my madness!!!!!!! MMMMWAH!

[messy-crisantemo]

Since we’ve entered a Gentan renaissance, I figured I should make a

🍉 GenTan fic recommendation list 🎴

(Edit: Now we have a Part 2!)

Note that this is a list of personal favorites based on my likes and the many (yet not all existent) fics I’ve read. They’re not put in any particular order and they’re all completed fics. I’m adding some of the tags, but not all of them since I don’t want to make this post extra long, so please read them again once you go to the Ao3 link. And finally, if anyone is anime-only, even if a fic is spoiler free, it’s likely that it’ll have some reference to Genya’s abilities or family relationships, so be careful.

That being said, we proceed!

Don’t Talk to Me by 125389, 9k

(Red Light District Arc, Canon-Typical Violence, Meet-Cute, Strangers to friends to enemies to ???, Humor, Crushes)

A second impression, a star-crossed meeting, a misunderstanding. Each was there to do his job, to keep matters strictly business, but when have things ever been that simple?

Beautifully written, fantastic humor, and just GenTan inevitably falling for each other (both romantically and literally).

To Be The Piece You Need by Gilberrts, 11k

(Alternate Universe - High School, Dialogue Heavy, Friends to Lovers)

Shinazugawa Genya's life is in a downward spiral. He has no friends, his grades are on thin ice, and he can't seem to stop outgrowing his clothes. Then, when his relationship with his brother finally hits rock bottom, Genya has a strange encounter with the sole member of the school's cooking club.

Hurt-Comfort scenario where, of course, Tanjirou is the comfort.

Rest + Recovery by aizetsus, 2k

(genya is stressed, post Swordsmith Village Arc)

Genya gets overwhelmed pretty easily. Especially when faced with a cute boy.

It wouldn’t be a GenTan rec list without our traditional, fluffy scenario of Genya pining for Tanjirou.

Cardinals by bluejelly245, 8k

(Modern AU, Wakes & Funerals, Hurt/Comfort, Conversations, Friendship/Love, Past Abuse)

Genya and his family attend the funeral wake for Tanjiro’s father, much to the younger Shinazugawa boy’s dismay. The last thing he wanted to do was spend his evening surrounded by tears and grief, but what he least expected, was to end up on Tanijro’s bedroom floor, comforting the strange boy after his loss.

Genya discovers he is a good person, so sweet despite the gloomy scenario.

loveholic by mimimimi (reiiiiii), 81k

(Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, CEO Genya, Slow Burn, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Aged-Up Character(s), Strangers to Lovers, No Spoilers, Relationship Study)

Tanjirou lives a normal life as a university student on his last year, struggling financially to maintain a life that's not affordable anymore. On the other side, Genya is back to Japan after 17 years living overseas, ready to ruin his father's attempts to save face after several mistakes.

Both are on the edge, about to fall apart.

What will happen once their different worlds collide?

One of those fics that make you squirm under the blankets at 2am because you just can’t stop reading.

A tale of young love and starry nights by kenmagoesblep, 3k

(Canon Divergence, Post-Canon, Fix-it, Fluff and Humor, Getting together, Love Confessions, Festivals, Minor Spoilers)

The sun is already down by the time they arrive and the colorful paper lanterns bathe the streets with a faint whimsical warm glow, highlighting the easy smiles of the festival attendees and the natural glisten of the fresh food in the stalls. Their eyes immediately go to the makeshift gate made with bent bamboo, all adorned with people’s written wishes, to be sent to the heavens by the end of the night.

Genya’s handwriting is shaky but hopefully the crooked words will carry his wish just fine.

Sweet, sweet, sweet.

diet soda society by beecalm, 6k

(Alternate Universe - High School, Fluff and Humor, Genya makes bad life choices, Brunch, No Spoilers)

Genya knows he should just tell the truth. He got frustrated, and thought that strong words of persuasion would revive his bike from the dead. Non-judgemental as he is, Tanjiro would probably just laugh it off and walk home with a smile on his face.

“I got into a fight,” Genya lies, instead.

(or; Genya yells at his bike, lies about his ability to kick ass, and gets indoctrinated into Kamado Tanjiro’s Saturday morning brunch club.)

GenTan + friends in a super silly and funny scenario.

July by 125389, 45k

(Slow Burn, Friends to Lovers, Canon Compliant, Modern Setting, Reincarnation, Manga Finale Spoilers)

It could've been just another weekend, just another month, just another season passing by, but instead they made that summer theirs.

Two teens discovering love naturally and intensely. Tears were shed and hearts were healed. It might or might not be a Fix-it.

Tonight’s sky by Wild_Quetzal, 6k

(Canon Compliant, Missing Scene, Hashira Training Arc, Introspection, Pining, Arguing, Light Angst, Fluff, First Dates, First Kiss, Hopeful Ending)

Tanjirou didn’t recall having watched so many people gathered before, not even when his sister and him went to Asakusa. Everything was so appealing and, at the same time, disorienting for him.

He would’ve been feeling lost if it wasn’t because Genya was beside him.

(Or, sharing a night at a festival with Genya should’ve been easy, if it wasn’t for an unexpected event and Tanjirou himself getting in the way)

Yes, we got to the self-promotion part. I’m especially proud of this one <3

And last but not least!

Todo empezó con (un beso) una despedida by Dogchasingcars, 20k

(Manga Spoilers, Post-Canon, First Kiss, Love Letters, Long-Distance Relationship, Reunited and it feels so good, Family Bonding, Angst with a Happy Ending)

Lo que inicia como una breve despedida y la promesa de reunirse pronto (sellada con un beso), termina volviéndose una larga espera para volver a verse.

Because we’re not gonna leave the Spanish-speaking side of the fandom empty handed and it’s one of my favorite GenTan fics of all time. Melancólico y dulce, todo el dolor vale la pena.

[infernalembrace]

My family is still staying in half of the church that wasn’t affected by the bombing because there is nowhere else to stay other than tents. They are limited to one small meal a day and one shower a week. They are sleeping on the floors, but no one can sleep since there is bombing everywhere around them. Even when there is no bombing, they can still hear the loud buzzing sound of the military planes above them, which would keep anyone who hears it awake. Along with everything, My grandma has diabetes and osteoporosis, so she can’t walk. She has to take her insulin medication along with many others; however, she has run out of many of her medications.” Am on my knees requesting for donation. Target $450

Hey y’all! Today I am going to teach you all an easy way to spot scammers. You see this ask I just got? It looks like a typical ask you may get from an actual Palestinian person who needs aid. However, there are a couple of things that give it away as a scam.

Generic, autogenerated username (these are urls that tumblr automatically suggests for you when you first sign up.) Typically a blog run by an actually Palestinian in Gaza seeking aid will have a username that seems actually thought up by a person (usually containing their name/surname, at least from what I see, but of course not always.)

They have a PayPal link and not a GFM. PayPal doesn’t work in Palestine, last I checked.

Unvetted. Now it is important to be VERY DISCERNING when it comes to unvetted GFMs/donation drives. There are less and less people who can do the actual vetting (AFAIK, that process involves someone who is actually physically there and/or can read or speak Arabic to check IDs & verify that the person is actually in Gaza and is who they say they are) so some non-scam legit GFMs are not currently vetted due to that.

Reusing pictures from other GFM posts. You can try using something like tineye or reverse image search on google to check this. DO NOTE that this is not always a sign of a scam and you must be discerning. (From what I’ve seen, sometimes posts might have a few photos in common as they are made by different members from the same family.)

EDIT: It was just brought to my attention that this scam in particular has also stolen text from a different GFM. This is also a sign of a scam.

My tip for not getting scammed? Search the person’s URL on tumblr, or check the replies/notes of their pinned post. There you will usually find other people saying if the post is a scam or not. There is also a Google doc of various vetted GFMs that I linked in a previous post.

So when you encounter a scammer, BLOCK THEM and let others know they’re a scammer! The people who actually need our help are already suffering & are humiliated by the dehumanizing positions they’ve been put in, we don’t need people trying to add on to that with scams.

[raspberryfingers]

A Lion in the Garden -Tywin Lannister x Reader- (Part Eleven)

Just a small note, I’ve been kinda wanting to add dress reference pictures, so I decided to just link some stuff and describe my personal modifications. But feel free to envision the dresses however you want! Ultimately I’m just trying to provide some Tyrell flair for y’all🫶

ALSO! I wrote the dance scene with Waltz No. 2 in mind if you guys want something to picture it with :)

WARNINGS: Death, poisoning

—————

Margaery’s wedding had finally arrived, and it had been a week and a half since I’d kissed Tywin Lannister for the first time.

Since then, we’d both grown naturally busy with wedding planning and such, and so I hadn’t seen much of him. Though, the most recent encounter we’d had made my heart race.

We’d seen each other while walking in the halls, and I’d smiled at him. Nobody else had been around, and so he smiled back. Not only that, but he reached for my arm and pulled me in, kissing me passionately before instantly continuing on to wherever he’d been going. I had stood there speechless, shocked, and overjoyed for quite some time. Tywin Lannister certainly knew how to make a woman’s heart pound.

But I felt excited, as I knew I’d see plenty of him today at the wedding. And gods, now that I knew he reciprocated my feelings, I somehow found myself trying even harder to dress nicely. I was wearing a cream dress that had pink, blue, and green flowers all along the skirt, with the fabric at the top merely going up and over my chest in two wide pieces of fabric. It left a gap between my breasts, and highlighted the gorgeous necklace I was wearing.

It was a necklace that had appeared in my room during the last week, and I knew it was not from any of my family, for they most assuredly would’ve asked how I like it. I had a feeling Tywin hoped to see me wear it today.

“(Y/N), come and stop fixing your dress, Lord Tywin will think it looks nice no matter what. We’ll go together, I want to get there early,” my grandmother remarked, watching me adjust my dress in the mirror. I sighed, shaking my head.

“You need to leave me alone about Lord Tywin, I’ll continue to insist that there’s nothing between us,” I lied, though knowing she was right about not needing to keep fixing the gown.

“If you say so, dearest.”

The ride to the sept was uneventful, besides my grandmother commenting that if Tywin complained about the decorations she’d smack him over the head. That image had truly made me laugh.

When we arrived though, it was so extravagant I honestly wouldn’t have blamed Tywin for being upset.

The inside was already filled with hundreds of people, many that I’d met and more that I hadn’t. It never ceased to make me wonder how many truly ‘noble’ people existed.

However, there was only one I was searching for, and I felt content upon seeing him. Tywin was in a black coat that had golden lion designs at the bottom of the coat and on the lapel of it. He looked as wealthy as he was.

My grandmother and I made our way to the front of the sept, and she of course noticed me staring at Tywin.

“Oh go on then, go and talk to him. You’re annoying to be around when you haven’t,” she teased, scoffing as I laughed and walked over to him.

“Hello, Lord Tywin,” I greeted as I came up behind him, placing a hand on his back. He turned toward me and gave me his ‘look.’

“Lady (Y/N), you look lovely,” he said with a gentle nod.

“And you look quite handsome, Lord Tywin.”

“Thank you.”

We couldn’t hold back our smiles anymore.

“Tywin, my father received a letter yesterday. Do you want to guess what it said?” I asked, raising both of my eyebrows at him. He only raised one in return, which meant he was just waiting for me to get it out.

“Walder Frey wrote that his eldest son died of what the maesters think was a ‘heart attack’ but aren’t sure, and that he can no longer marry me. The next oldest son he has is only five,” I said with a smile, knowing all too well what had happened.

Tywin looked around, and then let his thumb and pointer finger come to my chin.

“I told you I’d never let another man have you, didn’t I?” He whispered, leaning in towards my ear. I felt my face go hot, as I certainly was not used to having anyone be so protective—or possessive—of me.

“I didn’t doubt you, Tywin.”

“Good. That’s the last thing you should ever do.”

—————

Tywin and Olenna found themselves walking together after the ceremony, and just as Olenna had expected, Tywin had done nothing but complain about needing to spend his money on it.

“People who spend their money on this sort of nonsense tend not to have it for very long,” he commented, shaking his head at her.

“You ought to try enjoying something before you die, you might find it suits you,” Olenna shot back, making him laugh.

“Ha! And what do you suggest I try enjoying?” He asked sarcastically, finding the conversation to be relatively useless and bothersome. He was grateful that conversations with you were never this bothersome. Though, there was some measure he enjoyed when talking to the Queen of Thorns. At least she wasn’t stupid like nearly everyone else he knew.

“My granddaughter, for a start,” she said, not one for holding back.

“I beg your pardon?”

“You heard me correctly, Lord Tywin.”

“I don’t know what you’re insinuating, Lady Olenna, but frankly I find it to be offensive. Your granddaughter is a lovely woman, however-“

“Oh Lord Tywin, please. I know my granddaughter well, and she’s not acted this way with a man ever in her life. And, I know men like you well. It’s all politics for you, which means that if you have such a fondness for my granddaughter, it’s more than a ‘friendship.’”

“Lady Olenna, I respect you, however, I have no romantic feelings towards your granddaughter, nor will I,” he lied, wondering if she’d let him get away with it. No was probably to be the answer.

“My granddaughter sounds just like you. Perhaps if I was stupider I’d let it be and accept that you two are not harboring anything, however, I know what lies sound like on a man’s tongue, Tywin. This was fun at first, but be honest with me. Have you bedded my granddaughter? I don’t care if you say yes, but I do need to know. There are certain measures I must take to ensure that rumors don’t spread,” Olenna said pointedly, watching the surprise settle in his eyes. Tywin shook his head.

“I’ll be honest with you, Lady Olenna. But know that if you chose to ruin your granddaughter's happiness—along with mine—for political advantages, I will not be forgiving,” he told her sharply. He wanted to trust that Olenna knew better, but trusting people was always a mistake to begin with. And, if he was honest, it was more about you than anything. He did not desire to know what Cersei might say or attempt to do to you should she find out.

“Ah, so I was correct in my assumptions about the two of you, how surprising. I am aware, Lord Tywin. I do not seek to tear my granddaughter down, only to ensure her safety and security,” Olenna assured with a satisfied smile. She knew she had been right, but letting Tywin prove it made her even happier.

“I am ensuring both of those things. Regardless, I have not bedded your granddaughter. Though more than a friendship, we have remained innocent. The most I have done is kiss her.”

Olenna laughed rather loudly, looking over at Tywin with a bewildered, curious expression, almost as if trying to figure him out.

“And so there is a lion in the garden. He has tasted its fruits, but when will he lay in its shade?”

“What kind of poetic nonsense is that supposed to be?”

Olenna smiled and looked down for a moment before fixing her gaze upon the man next to her.

“The most you have done is kiss her, Lord Tywin, but someday you will kiss her and that will not be enough. Eventually you will share her bed, rest assured.”

“If it pleases her, then yes, I hope to. Get to the point, you’re not the only person I intend to speak with at this dreadful feast,” he said, more than anything wanting the topic of conversation to switch. The last thing he wanted was to discuss with your grandmother just how badly he desired to take you. He feared he would not be able to prevent her from extracting the information should she truly want to know the extent of his lust for you.

“Do you intend to marry my granddaughter?”

Tywin looked over in surprise, mouth nearly falling. He certainly had not expected that.

“I beg your pardon?”

“Do you intend to marry my granddaughter? I’m no fool, Lord Tywin, I’m well aware that Walder Frey’s son did not mysteriously die in his sleep. Either you are simply possessive and desire to control her, or you have genuine affection for (Y/N) and intend to marry her at some point.”

He stayed quiet for a moment and contemplated, especially taking into account what the two of you had discussed after your first kiss.

“I would marry her, if she wished. But our… liaison is young. I’m certain you understand that my marriage to her—from anyone's perspective—could not disguise itself as a political one. If I marry her, it’ll most assuredly be because I wish to spend the rest of my short life with her. I desire to take my time figuring out if my feelings for her, and her feelings for me, are strong enough to warrant such a bond. Especially because I am so much older than she is. It would be selfish to ignore the fact that I might take much of her life and her future from her.”

“Of course. I’m not asking you to marry her tomorrow, Tywin. All I will ask of you is that, given your views on it, once you do decide to bed her that you will propose shortly afterwards,” she said, not wanting to watch the man turn her granddaughter into some sort of whore. Of course, Tywin would never intend to do that to you, but nonetheless, men failed to acknowledge certain aspects of reputation. Either way, Tywin paused and thought about what Olenna was asking.

“Very well, Olenna. I will propose once I ‘lie in the shade,’ as you say.”

She just laughed and linked her arm with his.

“The Great Lion of the Rock and the Nightshade of the Garden, what a match.”

—————

Joffrey’s feast was grand, and I found myself wondering how my grandmother had managed to acquire funds for the event. Of course, I knew better, but this was truly something. I’d never seen so much food or so many entertainers.

And of course, I’d never seen so many nobles. I’d already made my rounds, having said hello to Prince Oberyn and Ellaria Sand. He’d given me a slight nod, which meant everything was ready.

Currently, I was finishing my meal. I sat beside my grandmother and father, who was not speaking to me. I wondered if he blamed me for the death of Walder Frey’s son, somehow. Maybe it was my fault. Either way, why would I settle for a son of Walder Frey when Tywin Lannister wanted me?

And speaking of Tywin, I found myself making eye contact with him repeatedly. He was making his own rounds right now, but he would continually look up at me. Whenever he did, I felt my heart skip and a smile tug at my lips. There was something so fun about sneaking around with him, something so delightful about knowing that our love was only for us, and no one else.

He looked so handsome today too, and I was only able to drag my eyes away from him when I heard my sister banging on her cup.

“Let the band come out now! It’s time for dancing!” She announced with a smile, looking over at Joffrey and taking his hand in hers as she sat back down. He gave her a smile as she did. My sister truly was talented, somehow getting Joffrey to like her.

Everyone clapped as the band emerged, and they began to play some random folk song. Several couples got up, enjoying the lively music as others cheered them on. I did not know this dance, but I found myself hoping perhaps they’d play something I knew so I could ask Tywin to dance.

Though, if I was honest, I didn’t think myself brave enough to ask him, partly because I feared he might say no or think it too risky to do in front of so many people.

Nonetheless, I did want to dance at some point, no matter who it was with. Both Margaery and I were quite skilled dancers, and so I naturally assumed her and Joffrey would take to the floor. Well, perhaps. I secretly prayed they wouldn’t, I feared it might end badly.

Suddenly, I watched Oberyn make his way towards the tables. Joffrey gave him a judgemental look, as if wondering why he was being approached by Oberyn Martell of all people. My sister seemed confused too, but she smiled nonetheless.

“My king, my queen. I have come to offer this chalice, so the two of you might drink together for many happy years,” he said, placing the beautiful cup at their table.

“Thank you… Prince Oberyn,” Joffrey said with annoyance clear in his tone. Margaery smiled.

“It is a most generous gift, your grace,” she replied. Meanwhile, I watched Oberyn reach for Joffrey’s cup.

“Perhaps you might even use it for as fine a wine as this,” he said, lifting it to his nose and inhaling. Joffrey clearly looked disgusted, but said nothing. As Oberyn set it back down, he placed his hand on top, and I knew the deed was done.

“I will not bother your grace further, I wish joy to both of you,” he said, smiling and leaving them. I watched him sit down at his table again, and when he looked at me, I let out an exhale. My grandmother looked over, knowing just as well as I did that it would be a successful endeavor.

“You know, I do hope your sister takes to the floor before dessert is served, it’s been quite some time since I’ve seen her dance. Or you, for that matter,” my grandmother said softly, watching the band wrap up their current song.

“Perhaps she will, if the king can be convinced,” I said, looking over at the couple. Margaery looked like she wanted to dance, and Joffrey had not perceived that yet.

“Do you think he’s a good dancer?” My grandmother joked quietly. I couldn’t help but laugh, looking over at her and placing a hand over my mouth. She merely smiled, and we focused on Margaery and Joffrey again as a new song began to play. This one I knew, and was rather fond of, though I did not think it would be appropriate to go ask Tywin right now, as Margaery was attempting to convince the king.

“Come my love, let us dance,” she whispered excitedly. He looked as if he was actually considering it, but he suddenly sat up straight and focused a bewildered gaze on me.

My heart stopped. Why was he looking at me like that?

“Perhaps we ought to wait for the next dance, wife. I want to see this,” he whispered.

Margaery looked over at me too, and she also looked shocked, but a smile began to emerge on her face. In my state of extreme confusion, I felt a small tap from my grandmother, and I turned to look at her.

As I did, however, I found Tywin standing directly in front of me on the opposite side of the table. He had a hand extended out, and a sly look on his face.

“Lady (Y/N), this dance?”

I looked up at him and gaped slightly, but I swallowed and nodded.

“Certainly, my lord,” I replied, reaching for his hand and standing. I made my way around the table, still with my hand in his, and as we made our way to the dance floor I couldn’t help noticing that everyone was staring.

And I was not exaggerating, either. It seemed all the nobles present had quieted down, and they were all staring at us. It appeared that everyone was shocked, and somewhat curious, to see Tywin Lannister dance.

When I looked over at Cersei, Tyrion, and Tommen, they all seemed surprised too. Cersei looked furious more than anything, but I watched Tommen and Tyrion share a look of well, almost excitement. Even King Joffrey was somewhat shocked, and I watched Margaery smile as they whispered to each other.

As Tywin and I reached the dance floor, and I placed one hand on his shoulder, and he placed mine on my waist, I finally met his eyes.

“Everyone is staring at us, Tywin.”

“Good. I want them to see this. To see how beautiful you look, and know that only I get to dance with you,” he whispered, pulling me in a bit closer. It made my cheeks heat, as the last time we’d been in this position he’d kissed me.

The band started up again, and he smiled with his eyes. Slowly, we began to move with the music, and Tywin was far more graceful than I’d ever expected. As we began to float across the floor, he moved as if he was 20.

“When was the last time you’ve done this dance?” I whispered teasingly, making him smile softly as our other hands met and he spun me so my back met his chest, our arms crossed over each other. After that, he did the same thing again but in the other direction. I felt his hot breath on my neck, and he spoke low in my ear.

“It doesn’t matter when if I dance better than you.”

I let out an ‘offended’ gasp, and then began to laugh as he untangled me from his arms and extended me outwards. We stepped into each other and then stepped back again, our hands remaining intertwined the entire time.

He lifted his hand then, and I slowly circled him as I held onto his hand. When I finished my rotation, we came back to a regular waltz position and we continued to glide around the floor.

“You’re not dancing better than I am, old man,” I shot back, watching his eyebrows raise in pretend shock.

“Old man? You’re going to regret that,” he said quietly, making me smile.

“I hope I do.”

He spun me as we waltzed, and my dress cascaded out beneath me. I was suddenly very grateful I’d picked this one out, as it certainly flattered my figure while dancing.

We continued to make our way around the floor, and his eyes were filled with such a deep fondness. To everyone in the crowd, he most certainly looked just as he always did, but I’d come to learn the small variations in his looks.

We transitioned into the next portion, splitting apart and positioning our arms behind our backs. We stepped into each other, opposite shoulders brushing before stepping away again. We repeated it facing the other way, before finally joining hands and pulling into each other directly. I was rather fond of this dance because though many steps were repeated, there were many small variations that always made it fun.

Again, we began to move around the floor in proper position, but in accordance with the violin, we began to spin a bit faster. Tywin extended his arm and pushed me out to his side, my dress swooshing as he pulled me back in and continued to spin.

It must’ve been a year or more since I’d last done this dance, but the steps came easily, and rather perfectly to my great relief. I was certain we at least looked good, for nobody else was dancing, only watching us.

I now broke out of Tywin’s arms, merely holding one hand as we moved forward and he twirled me three times, his other hand behind his back. As we approached the steps, we turned around and used our opposite hands, and he now twirled me thrice again.

I was thankfully not dizzy when we circled the floor once more, and I saw Tywin beginning to smile.

“What?”

“You truly do dance wonderfully.”

“You lead wonderfully.”

He truly smiled now before we began repeating our earlier steps. He, again, spun me into his chest and crossed his arms over me before doing it again the other way. Then of course, we grabbed both of each other's hands and stepped in and out twice.

We reached the slower portion of the song, and now we pushed one of our hands and forearms together, slowly circling each other twice. My hand was behind my back, and so was his. It was regrettable, because I longed to reach out and touch his face.

We circled each other the other way now, and it was so intimate I forgot there was a crowd watching. The sun was shining in his eyes, and for once he truly just looked happy.

We finally reached for both of each other's hands, slowly moving into each other and letting our opposite shoulders touch each other. Tywin’s face came to my neck, and we were so close I felt his stubble brush against my jawline.

“Do you think people will make comments about this?” I asked quietly.

“Let them, I don’t care. If I want to dance with you I’m going to, their whispers won’t bother me. It’s not as if I’m kissing you in front of them all,” he whispered back, stopping as he pulled away and continuing as his face came to the other side of mine.

“I don’t think you’ve danced publicly since you were a young man,” I guessed, not able to recall any stories of it.

“Correct. The last time I danced publicly was with Joanna,” he remarked, placing his hand back on my waist and letting our intertwined hands lift up again.

I looked up at him and gaped slightly. Was he insane?

“And you don’t think this will cause something close to an absolute scandal?”

“It probably will, but it’s not important to me. Let them speculate all they want, they don’t have any proof. Nor will they. You’re mine, and mine alone, (Y/N). Nobody gets to take that from us,” he said, leaning in and practically whispering right into my ear.

I swallowed, and when he pulled back there was a sly grin on his face. He was feeling rather bold, it seemed.

We were about to start our last round of waltzing, but I then realized that normally this part of the song included a lift. When we began to actually glide, I raised an eyebrow at him.

Would he dare?

He displayed the largest grin he’d shown in public for many years, and as the music was picked up, so was I.

Both of his hands held my waist, and for once, I was looking down at him. He was still smiling, and I found that I was too. It almost seemed to be happening in slow motion, and the moment felt so perfect I felt like a child again, reading books about princesses and fairy tales.

Yes, my sister was becoming the queen today, but would Joffrey lift her like Tywin had lifted me? Would Joffrey give his blanket to her in the cold? Hold her in his arms as she cried? Would Joffrey kiss her with the same passion and true love that Tywin had kissed me with that day?

The answer, of course, was no. My sister had taken the crown, but I truly felt a thousand times more lucky than her. The practically coldest, most ruthless man in all seven kingdoms was dancing with me, and he was smiling as he lifted me into the air.

As I came back down, we were both unable to stop smiling.

“Do you still think I'm just an old man?” He muttered, making me laugh genuinely and shake my head. We were still dancing, but I hardly noticed as I stared at him.

“You make me feel so lucky, Tywin,” I whispered, moving the hand on his shoulder to cup his cheek.

“Good. It’s only right of me to make sure you feel the same way I do.”

The song was about to end, and I was still smiling as Tywin held me in his arms and dipped me down. People began to applaud us, and when I stood up straight I saw clearly just how many people seemed shocked.

I glanced up at Tywin to find that his eyes were already on me, and that the crowd did not phase him. He offered me his arm and began to escort me back to my table, but we were stopped by Joffrey.

“Grandfather!”

Tywin and I paused, looking at Joffrey who was smiling brightly. I was certain this would not go well.

“Grandfather, why didn’t you tell me you could dance?” He asked, leaning forward and playing with one of his rings.

“It was not topical, your grace,” Tywin replied rather matter of factly.

“You danced wonderfully, my lord, and so did you, sister,” Margaery said, smiling over at Joffrey before looking at us. I was grateful she did not allow the conversation to become awkward.

“Thank you, your grace,” Tywin said to her, bowing slightly and then getting me back to my table. He pulled out my chair for me, and once I’d sat down, he kissed my hand.

“Thank you for the dance, Lady (Y/N), I enjoyed it very much,” he said softly, to which I smiled.

“Of course, Lord Tywin.”

I watched him make his way across the steps to his own chair, and then turned over to my grandmother who could not look at me seriously. I did not know she was already aware of my relationship with Tywin.

“Oh stop it, grandmother. It’s just a dance.”

“Yes, and Tywin Lannister has not danced since he was courting his wife.”

I simply shook my head and watched her smile and look away.

“(Y/N), what just happened?” My father asked, leaning forward to speak to me. I wanted to sigh, of course that had prompted him to speak.

“Lord Tywin asked me to dance, father. It would’ve been rude to decline,” I replied, watching his confused face. It seemed as if he was trying to figure something out, and I prayed he wouldn’t detect my feelings for Tywin, because that would certainly be my downfall.

Several more songs played, and my sister joined Joffrey for one of them. He managed not to make a fool of himself, but it was clear that Margaery was far more skilled. It made me proud of her, and slightly emotional. My little sister was truly grown up now, married and everything.

Though, she wouldn’t be for much longer, and I was reminded of that upon watching the ‘dwarf’ show that Joffrey had requested for the feast. I was certainly glad Sansa and Loras weren’t here, especially because the way they portrayed Renly was horrible.

“This is horrendous,” my grandmother whispered, watching the ‘rendition’ of the war of the five kings. Of course, they did not portray me negotiating with Robb Stark. Instead, ‘Joffrey’ was so brave and powerful that Robb Stark cowardly went back to Winterfell.

I’d looked over at Tywin during that part, and he’d looked even more furious than he had during the rest of it. Though, if I was honest, I had no desire to be a part of that dreadful little play in any capacity.

When it was over, I felt relieved.

But no, it did not end there, for how could it? Joffrey decided to tease his uncle, and I felt utterly ashamed of the king.

I, along with every person there, watched Joffrey pick up his current glass and saunter over to Tyrion. I was infuriated as I watched him pour it on his head.

“A fine vintage, shame that it spilled,” Tyrion said in an attempt to diffuse the situation. My grandmother reached for my hand under the table as a silent reassurance that by the end of the day, things like this would never happen again.

“It did not spill,” Joffrey replied angrily.

“My love, come back to me, it’s time for my fathers toast,” Margaery said, trying to make all of it stop. I hoped she’d be able to, for nobody else would.

“Well how am I supposed to toast without wine? Uncle, you can be my cupbearer, seeing as you’re too cowardly to fight,” Joffrey said with a wicked grin. I had to hold back a sigh at how painful this was to watch.

“Your grace does me a great honor,” Tyrion said, preparing himself mentally for whatever humiliation might ensue.

“It’s not meant as an honor.”

Tyrion slowly got out of his chair and made his way around the table to take Joffrey’s cup, but Joffrey merely dropped it before him.

When Tyrion went to pick it up, Joffrey kicked it under the table.

“Bring me my goblet,” he sneered, watching Tyrion crawl under the table. All the Lannisters watched awkwardly as Tyrion searched for it, and so did all the nobles present.

When he found it and presented it to Joffrey, it continued to get worse.

“What good is an empty cup? Fill it for me,” he demanded.

“Your grace, you have another cup of wine over there,” Tyrion reminded, motioning to the dessert glass.

“That’s for dessert. I want you to refill this cup,” Joffrey scowled.

Tyrion defeatedly refilled the cup and extended it out to Joffrey. That was when things got tense, as Joffrey continued to demand that Tyrion kneel. When he did not, we all became increasingly uncomfortable.

“My love! The pie is here!” Margaery announced, and we all watched as Joffrey turned and laid his eyes upon the absolutely massive pie. I’d never been so grateful for my sister. We all stood in preparation of Joffrey cutting it.

First though, he sneered at Tyrion and snatched the cup from him, handing it to Margaery.

“My queen,” he addressed, unsheathing his sword and approaching the pie. Without any hesitation, he raised the sword and brought it down harshly. Doves flew from the cake, and everyone gasped and applauded.

When I looked over, I even saw Tywin smile at the display. Well, after witnessing what had just happened, anything nice was worth smiling at in my opinion.

Slices were served, and I watched as Margaery fed Joffrey. There was a look of contemplation on his face, and I felt dread fill me.

“Uncle!”

When Joffrey turned around, Tyrion was attempting to leave the feast. Oh gods.

“Where are you going?”

“I wanted to change out of these wet clothes, your grace,” he excused.

“No, no you’re perfect just as you are. Serve me my wine,” Joffrey demanded, taking another bite of the pie.

Tyrion awkwardly went around the table and reached for the cup he’d just filled, but no.

“Not that one, the one for dessert. Hurry up, this pie is dry,” he clarified.

I watched Tyrion reach for the poisoned cup, and bring it to Joffrey.

Oh no.

I suddenly began to realize what it was going to look like, and I hoped I’d still be able to figure out a way to blame Oberyn. As I thought about it, I found it might actually be easier.

I watched Joffrey eagerly drink, and I made eye contact with Oberyn Martell. Success.

“Ah, good. Needs washing down,” Joffrey muttered to himself, swallowing as much as he could. When Tyrion asked permission to leave, Joffrey began to speak again.

“No! You’ll- you’ll stay here.”

He’d begun to cough, and I knew he had a minute left at most.

“Your grace?”

Tyrion approached, wondering if he was ok. Joffrey drank even more wine, and then turned to look at my sister. He grabbed at his throat, and Margaery’s eyes widened.

“He’s choking!”

All of us stood up, watching carefully as Joffrey stumbled forward and fell to the ground. Jaime Lannister pushed through the crowd, making his way to Joffrey who was now vomiting.

Cersei began to shout ‘help him!’ As she pushed past my sister and fell to the ground beside her son. I watched Tywin move to cover Tommen’s eyes, and I’m sure by now he realized what had happened.

Ready to give my performance, I rushed down next to Joffrey and helped turn him on his back. His face was beginning to turn purple already.

“He’s been poisoned,” I gasped, looking at Jaime with concern.

“What do we do? What do we do?” He asked in a panic.

“The strangler…” I muttered, looking at him with defeat. Jaime looked terrified, and so did Cersei.

“Joffrey! Joffrey, what is it?” She asked, tears in her eyes. We all watched as he reached out a hand toward Tyrion, who was examining the cup he’d dropped.

I saw the anger and realization settle in Cersei’s eyes as the blood streamed from Joffrey’s nose and filled his eyes. Within moments, Joffrey was dead.

Cersei began to cry, and then she looked at Tyrion once more.

“He did this. He poisoned my son. Your king!” She announced to the crowd. Tywin had joined us now, standing above me.

“Take him! Take him!” She screamed, watching as the guards grabbed Tyrion. When I looked up at Tywin, he looked furious.

While I looked over at Jaime, I heard him announce that the city gates should be closed and all ships forbidden from leaving the docks.

“I’m sorry… I’m so sorry. You would’ve needed an antidote, and they’re not common,” I said to Jaime, watching him hang his head. Cersei only continued to cry, and I felt Tywin’s hand on my back.

When I looked up, his hands reached for my arms and helped me up. He wanted to give Cersei space, and I understood.

Carefully, we backed away and I let a few tears slip.

“Tywin I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I should’ve realized when he began to cough, maybe if he’d thrown up before it had set in- I should’ve realized,” I whispered, watching him shake his head and take me into his arms.

“Nobody could have known, it’s not your fault.”

I opened my eyes for a moment and looked out at the crowd. Oberyn was smiling, just like I’d told him to. Good.

My grandmother came over to us, and Tywin let me go.

“Nobody drink any of the wine, have it all thrown out,” she said, to which we all nodded.

I looked back at Margaery, who had two hands over her mouth. I went up to her and took her in my arms.

“(Y/N) I let him die, I didn’t even try to do anything, I should’ve rushed to help him,” she whispered, tears beginning to fall.

“There’s nothing you could’ve done Margaery, that poison can’t be stopped without an antidote,” I whispered, petting her hair. I watched Tywin go to Tommen, taking him in his arms. The boy looked terrified, and he clung to his grandfather. In another setting, it may have made a wholesome domestic scene.

But no, it represented the death of a king, and one that I had conspired to kill no less. But with Tyrion framed, I would never be suspected in any capacity, especially because Cersei hated him so deeply. It presented another problem, but it was irrelevant. Now all that I had to do was convince Tywin that Prince Oberyn was responsible. Later, it would make me smile. Cersei had been right the entire time, we had been plotting against them.

Whatever love I had for Tywin, I would not let it override the love I had for my family. Margaery would come before Tywin’s legacy every single time. And truly, he still had Tommen, who would be much easier for him to guide and council.

It was an amusing illustration to consider.

Tommen on the throne, and everyone watching as Tywin pulls the puppet’s strings. What they would not see was me behind Tywin, whispering in his ears and pulling his strings.

It was an odd feeling, knowing that I had manipulated the most powerful man in all seven kingdoms. But it made me smile, for though I would not end up in any history books as I’d hoped to when I was a girl, I could rest peacefully knowing that I was the most powerful person in all seven kingdoms. And the best part was, nobody knew it but me.

TAGLIST:

@cheyxfu @lemonscoffee @groovy-lady

@ladysindar @vesta-ro @exo-nova @paola-carter

@prettykinkysoul @nothing2113

@fullmoonshadowwrites @kishie8

@the-desilittle-bird @dianilaws

[akumajoaurora]

Castlevania Games Do Have a Story (And Why It’s Important That It Stays Subtle)

Ok so this is basically an expanded writeup of some loose thoughts I posted to Twitter earlier today in response to the news that the God of War Ragnarok guy wants to do a Castlevania game, but this is something I’ve been thinking about for a long time, so I figured it deserves to be on a long form post and not just Three Sentences Per Post Dot Com.

A big criticism of Castlevania that I hear pretty frequently is “Oh, it has no story”. However, this is untrue- Castlevania games very much do have a story, they’re just not presented in the format that most people are used to. 

A lot of story-driven video games play out somewhat like a TV show or a novel. You get to watch the story play out from start to finish, with characters talking to each other, and often moving and acting as though you were watching TV. There’s nothing wrong with this format- I enjoy it a lot myself! Everyone who knows me knows I’m a big fan of Devil May Cry, after all. But this isn’t the only way to tell a story.

With the exception of a few games (mainly Lament of Innocence and Curse of Darkness), Castlevania has a much different format. While there are some cutscenes, they’re generally much more limited and there aren’t very many per game; In some of the really old games, there really isn’t much dialogue at all, and instead the main plot points are given to you in scrolling text at the beginning and end of the game or in the game’s manual. This is important because it pushes you, the player, to engage with the text. The story is there, but how deep does it run? How does each game play into the overall saga of Castlevania? That’s what you have to discover for yourself, and clues can often be found in the level design, the music, and flavor text.

To give an example, let’s analyze one of my personal favorites story-wise, Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest. 

This game takes place 7 years after the original Castlevania. Our friend Simon Belmont, now 29 years old, has already killed Dracula. However, he begins to feel gravely ill, and fears he may be on his deathbed. He goes to the family cemetery to contemplate this, and a mysterious unknown woman appears to him, who tells him that he’s been cursed by Dracula. In order to save himself, he will need to collect five scattered pieces of Dracula’s corpse, use them to resurrect Dracula, and then kill him again, all within seven days or he will die. The mystery woman then disappears.

Simon travels the land in search of the Dracula relics. Along the way he, of course, fights monsters, and also talks to the ordinary people of Transylvania in search of clues; Some of them are nice or even flirtatious towards him, but a lot are openly hostile, and will lie to him or try to scam him. Every night, Simon’s curse worsens, and the famous words “What a horrible night to have a curse...” appear as more and more monsters start to come out. During this time the player is unable to go indoors. Depending on how long it takes you to complete the game, Simon either dies fighting Dracula, or survives and frees himself from the curse. He then is seen making a grave for Dracula. This is the text of the good ending:

"The encounter with Dracula is terminated. Simon Belmont has put an end to the eternal darkness in Transylvania. His blood and sweat have penetrated the earth and will induce magic and happiness for those who walk on this land."

So, what can we get out of this short, dialogue-lite game? Let’s take a look.

Even though Simon has already defeated Dracula, the fight is not over. He can’t truly escape his family legacy, and the ongoing battle between man and vampire. Simon, like many Belmonts, is trapped within a cycle of violence- Even when he does what he’s “supposed” to do. It’s manifesting in an extremely physical way that forces him to engage with the conflict- If he were to do nothing, the curse would quite literally kill him within a week.

Simon is a thoughtful and spiritual person who respects his family greatly. Rather than getting angry about his condition, giving up, or even asking a doctor, he went to his family cemetery to contemplate in the presence of his ancestors. The fact that he seemingly didn’t go to a doctor brings me to my next point...

Simon is largely disliked by his neighbors- Even though, again, he’s already killed Dracula. A common element of Castlevania games is that the Belmont family are feared and distrusted for their magic powers and their proximity to the supernatural, and this is certainly true for Simon. Still he continues to fight.

Despite this, he clearly still has someone looking out for him. Who is the mystery woman? Is she an ancestor spirit (Sypha, perhaps)? Is she a witch? An anonymous admirer? Either way, she cares enough for Simon to help him in his time of need.

Simon is, ultimately, a deeply kind and caring person. Even though Dracula caused so many people horrible suffering, including Simon himself, he still took the time to build a grave for Dracula. He showed respect even for his greatest enemy and went out of his way to provide him dignity in death.

In the end, the people finally recognized Simon’s good deeds, and he was hailed as a hero... But at what cost? It’s worth noting the specific phrasing, “his blood and sweat have penetrated the earth”. Simon had to give so much of himself, very much putting his life on the line in order to keep humanity safe. The burden of heroism is an extremely heavy one.

Simon’s Quest becomes even more poignant when put into place with the wider Castlevania timeline. Simon is one of so many Belmonts to be feared and hated by his neighbors, give everything in order to save them, and finally win their respect- But at a very high cost. Again and again this cycle plays out. It’s also worth mentioning that Simon’s Quest is the origin of the famous background music track, “Bloody Tears”. Interesting name, isn’t it? Whose tears are they? Are they Simon’s- Is the curse ravaging him so badly that he’s literally crying blood as he keeps fighting? Are they the tears of the Belmont clan, unable to escape their fate? Or maybe tears shed for, or perhaps by, the spirits of all those who have lost their lives to Dracula? Worth thinking about. 

Every Castlevania game has a story, and all of them come together to create a much wider tale of life, death, and rebirth, generational trauma, the cosmic battle between good and evil, the nature of humanity, finding light in the darkness, and why we keep fighting. Like the gothic novels it draws from, it poses many questions about the nature of life, death, suffering, and what it means to be human. The format in which this story is told is a unique one that encourages introspection and participation. If you’re someone who enjoys media analysis, I highly recommend the Castlevania series.

Ultimately, while I don’t think it’s impossible to do Castlevania in a more traditional format (after all, LoI and CoD pulled it off pretty well), I do think that the layers to the story are a big part of what makes it, well, Castlevania. I don’t think it’s at all fair to say that Castlevania doesn’t have a story- Many of the games don’t have a distinct linear dialectical narrative the way a lot of modern games do, but they very much have a story. Why not try experiencing it?

In conclusion,

[courtingchaos]

random idea that i would like to share with the class (or just you, you lovely human being 💕):

river monster!eddie but reader hasn’t come to see him in a while. she wants to, but she’s hardly had any time to go exploring thanks to her new job (or some other thing that would pull her away for a while… maybe family drama??) frankly, she’s hardly had time to even breathe with all the shit that’s been going on. but eddie doesn’t know that… no, for all he knows she’s been hurt… or killed… or, worst of all, mated by another. what would our favorite river monster do to get his girl back? does he leave the river in search of her, even though that’s horribly dangerous for him to do (maybe he can’t breathe for long out of water?? or maybe just having people see him is dangerous… ya know, cause he’s a monster. fuck it, maybe it’s both)? if so, how does he plan on finding her? does he have a plan or is he just being horribly rash and winging it bc nobody takes my mate away from me or fuck, she could be hurt, she needs me?? does he find her?? or does he stay put? sulking in his lonesome river, all alone without his one source of happiness: his precious sunshine, his sweet landling. does he worry about her? or does he think that she’s abandoned him? if so, is he sad or is he angry? what if she comes back? does he rush to her? embrace her? mate her so that she can never leave him again? or does refuse to see her, to hear her out? does he scare her off as a way to protect his own cold-blooded heart?

I’ve been thinking about this ask since last week when I got it. I started a little drabble response but then it turned into a lot of key story telling aaaaaaaaaaaand…

Yeah. I’m keeping some things close to my chest for this. But let me paint you a couple little pictures instead?

So starting at the top. What would he do to get her back?

Well, he’s used to her being gone for varying periods. I mean she just showed up one day out of the woods and she keeps doing it randomly so he tends to wait her out. At least in the beginning. He swims and he sleeps and he hunts and if he’s lucky he finds an unwitting human he can lure and eat and uh…other things.

This Eddie can speak English, he understands it he’s been around too long to not. Plus he has Wayne. No I won’t be explaining this yet, it’s a plot point. So Wayne assures him multiple times that she’s a human. She has a job. She has a community. She can’t just break away from it and sometimes she can’t be there at the exact same time every day.

Once they’ve been together though it’s almost like he can sense where and how far she is. She’s staying close to the river but he knows when she leaves his perimeter. He knows when she’s on solid, dry land. The first couple of times he fights with himself to not leave because he knows he wouldn’t survive. Wayne’s explained how the world works and Eddie has been on the receiving end of pain from humans before he kills them. He’s aware he’s othered so as much as he would like to run ashore and find her, he’d be dead and unable to protect her.

He’s definitely sulking in his den. He’s collected a lot of things over the years. There’s pieces of trash he’s found in the river that interest him. A radio that she’d gotten working, something someone had with them and lost while they were tubing one summer. He’s found gold teeth in mouths before that he hangs on to because they’re shiny. Rocks and bones and the occasional fossil or geode. He’s got a lock of her hair she’d given him, tied up in a thin piece of grass. There’s little things she’s left that he keeps safe with the radio and he’ll sulk with that.

Sometimes she comes back smelling like so many things. Strange scents he’s never encountered and numerous people and it sets his teeth on edge. He wants to remind her that she should only ever smell like her and him. He knows she’ll be back, she’s already promised it and let him mark her so she knows, she has to, that when she comes back smelling like all the others he’s going to fix that. Maybe he plays a little hiding game when she shows back up. Lays low in the tall grass along the edge to watch her search around. He’ll run a claw over her toes when she gets to close to make her jump. He does like scaring her sometimes, likes the way her heart rate spikes because he can almost taste the sharp scent she gives off.

Getting down to your last few questions I will say at the beginning when they’re becoming acquainted and Wayne is explaining things Eddie is very wary. She smells like a mate but she’s human so what the fuck? She’s never once terrified of him, just wary. She holds her hands out to him like he couldn’t pull her right in and kill her. So he’s standoffish. Doesn’t come fully out of the water for a while. He doesn’t understand who she is and why she smells the way she does and why she makes him care, but that changes very quickly when she willingly gets in his water with him.

I know this went a different way a bit, but again, you asked some real deep questions for me and I don’t want to give a lot away yet. But yeah. Eddie loves her and once he’s claimed her he won’t turn her away for anything.

💚

[asordinaryppl]

A3! Main Story: Part 4 - Act 14: DREAM CATCHER - Episode 8: Encounter

Kumon: I’m looking forward to Sumi-san’s performance~

Izumi: The final day is soon, so I’m glad you get a chance to see it.

[Car hitting the brakes]

Kumon: A taxi…?

Tenma: Sorry, I got held up.

Kumon: Good work! There’s still some time until the show starts, so you’re fine.

Izumi: Is your job that busy, Tenma-kun?

Tenma: Nah, it wasn’t work…

Izumi: ?

Kumon: He bought triangle goodies! A store was having a Kyoto fair, so he bought lots of yatsuhashi~

Kumon: There’s red bean paste flavor, and cinnamon, and matcha, chocolate, strawberries, banana, curry–

Tenma: It’s too much! I didn’t even know curry flavor existed…

Izumi: What now? It’s a little early, but should we head to the theater?

Tenma: Since the final performance is soon, should we get him some flowers?

Kumon: I wonder if there’s triangle flowers?

Tenma: Of course not.

Izumi: Ah, there’s a good flower shop nearby.

-

Izumi: Hello.

Towa: Yeees– Woah, the Summer Troupe!?!?

Towa: Eh– Wh- Why are Tenma-kun and Kumon-kun from the Summer Troupe in our shop!?

Izumi: This shop is run by Towa-kun’s aunt. Towa-kun is the Spring Troupe fan we were talking about before.

Tenma: I see, so this is the infamous…

Kumon: Hello~!

Towa: H-HHHHello!

Kumon: So, we’re going to watch Sumi-san’s performance, and we wanted to buy him some flowers–

Towa: Ah! Misumi-san’s the triangle oshi, right!

Tenma: This conversation’s too fast to keep up with…

Towa: My aunt is out right now, so all that’s available is the ready-made bouquets, but if you’re fine with that…

Towa: With Misumi-san’s image in mind, I think this bouquet with lots of yellow dahlias might be good.

Kumon: Yuppers, this is good! It’s SO Sumi-san!

Tenma: Good eye.

Izumi: Let’s go with that, then.

Towa: Aaaand, tah-dah! A triangle paper bag!

Kumon: Wooow…!

Towa: It’s made like this so the bouquet doesn’t come undone, but I think it’s perfect for Misumi-san…!

Izumi: Thank you for the perfectly fitting choice, Towa-kun.

Towa: No, thank you very much! I’ll prepare it immediately!

Izumi: By the way, how’s your theater troupe coming? Have you gathered the members?

Towa: Well… I did ask my friends, but their responses were kinda…

Towa: Some turned me down because they’re not interested, and others have already joined another troupe…

Kumon: Since there are more troupes now, many people must’ve been recruited~

Towa: I feel like I totally missed the beat here.

Izumi: I see…

Izumi: (I’d like to help, but I don’t have anyone in mind…)

Ibuki: Heyaaa. I’m from Dozono Stoooore.

Izumi: Eh?

Kumon: Huh!? Ibukichi!?

Ibuki: We sure see each other a lot. Does MANKAI Company often appear around these parts?

Towa: That’s not it at all!!! It’s rare!!! You shouldn’t think you can meet them so easily!

Towa: I’m trying not to get used to this, too. I try not to forget how in middle school I was satisfied with just watching them through a screen.

Towa: I’ve been so lucky ever since I got here that it’s gotten easy to forget. But I need to not take it for granted because otherwise karma will hit me hard.

Izumi: You’re the same as always, Towa-kun.

Kumon: I get it! You’re a hardcore fan, right?

Ibuki: You’re sorta familiar. How’s your name written?

Towa: With the “To” from peach and the “wa” from peace…

Ibuki: Oh–

Towa: ?

Tenma: Also, what’s the Dozono Store?

Ibuki: Oh, we’re a grocery store. I’m here for a delivery. BTW, my IRL name is Ibuki Dozono.

Ibuki: Daddy’s been extra hard on Ibuki ‘cause he strained his back~

Kumon: Ibukichi’s family runs a grocery store...!?

Tenma: That’s a surprise…

Towa: U-Um, you’re Ibuki-kun? You know MANKAI Company, right?

Towa: D-Does that mean… You might be interested in theater…?

Ibuki: Eh? Not at all.

Towa: Bummer…

Izumi: Were you going to recruit them for your troupe?

Towa: Yes…

Tenma: This easygoing recruitment style reminds me of a certain someone.

Ibuki: Towa, if you could sign here~

Towa: Okay…

Ibuki: Well, I’ve still got deliveries to make, so see ya.

[Ibuki runs off]

Towa: *sigh*...

Izumi: (That reminds me, Ibuki-kun has no interest whatsoever in theater, yet they somehow knew about MANKAI Company…)

-

Ibuki: …

Iv has entered the chat Iv: found him shiki: who? Kar: must be a 10 yen coin Iv: you’ll be wrong no matter how many times you say that. I’ve just had some coincidence happen shiki: what happened? Iv: it’s p interesting, so i’ll keep it under wraps

previous episode | masterpost | next episode

[sexyzuka]

A Fateful Encounter

Part Two - The Pursuit

Pairing: Kiba Inuzuka x Reader

Word Count: 3.7k+

Content: fem!reader, werewolf!reader, PTSD, mental health, gore, blood, angst, mentions of death, pet names

Summary: After unintentionally pilfering the medication you need to save your friend, your only goal now is to flee Konoha undetected. But it looks like you’ve angered the wrong ninja in the process. With Konoha’s number one tracker chasing after you, how exactly are you going to escape? It looks like you’ve really messed up this time, but you have no other options but to press on in hopes that you can outmaneuver your unwelcome audience. With Kōtarō’s life hanging in the balance, there’s no choice but to succeed. You won’t let yourself fail, especially not in front of a human of all things.

Writer’s Notes: Hey everyone! I’m back with the continuation of my fanfiction. I’ve included a lot of disturbing and vivid imagery in this chapter that some people might find distressing. I referenced some of my own struggles with PTSD when piecing together our heroine's plight. If that’s something that may be triggering for you, I recommend using your discretion when reading this fic. As always, please take care curating your online experience. Writing in this way helps me sort through my emotions and experiences, but I know that this kind of gruesome vibe isn’t for everyone. Thank you for stopping by, and please enjoy my innermost musings!

You can find Chapter One here!

Your pace quickens as you weave in and out of the crowd of people who are now walking the streets of Konoha. You don't like to wander into the village when it's daytime, but necessity trumps any sort of trepidation and restraint you'd normally exhibit, especially considering the situation.

So much has changed over the years, but the general layout of the village remains similar to how it'd been since the reconstruction around a decade or so ago. Large, flashy neon signs decorate the façades of the buildings that used to be humble and unassuming family-owned businesses. This new age of technology has given the village a more synthetic and futuristic vibe, it's almost unrecognizable to how it used to be when you first happened upon that modest little pet store.

As you skillfully maneuver your way through the throngs of absentminded villagers idling on their electronic devices, you're hit with a wave of adrenaline. Every step you take is carefully executed, brisk enough to get you to your destination expeditiously, but not overly flashy, lest your faltering guise of humanity be exposed. Interacting with humans is a delicate game of shōgi, one wrong move could jeopardize your entire strategy. A false step here could strip the golden sheen off of your body, melting your flimsy veneer with a callous indifference until there's nothing left but a heap of regret.

There's no way you're going to concede defeat now that you've come this far, though. There's no way you can let yourself just give up. If you're just a pawn, then so be it. Even the lowliest of shōgi pieces turn into gold generals once they infiltrate the enemy's territory, and you're already more than halfway to your destination.

"This medication isn't going to deliver itself," you say to yourself as you slowly exhale and grit your teeth. A quick pat on your cheeks calms your overstimulated nerves. With a renewed sense of vigor you continue on your way with a sprightly stride.

A few more minutes pass, and thanks to your subdued dashing you've made it to the familiar crates that line the wall that protects Konoha from outsiders. As you take your final steps to the containers you stop to take refuge in some shadows and take one final look around the vicinity with a furtive glance.

You don't often shift with this many people around, but since you took longer than you'd expected, you don't really have a choice in the matter. Most of the people are lingering around the nearby shops, and those who aren't are glued to their handheld devices.

"Now's as good of a time as any, I guess," you shrug to yourself. After scanning the nearby area one final time you jump up in the protective cover of the shadows and begin to morph into your true form.

You can feel your limbs shortening and your teeth repositioning, coupled with a searing pain that you almost find comforting because of its mundane familiarity. As the nails on your hands begin to sharpen you hear a loud voice calling out in the distance.

"Hey!" the gruff voice thunders, alongside the sound of uneven footsteps.

The sudden sound startles you, causing you to crash to the ground instead of land elegantly like you usually do. The aches that accompany your transformation hinder your recovery from this egregious blunder, so all you're able to do at the present time is look down the street while an oversized figure sprints towards you.

"Just what do you think you're-" the voice cuts off when the physique of your acquaintance from earlier today comes into view.

This was it. This was how it was all going to end, you think to yourself. There was no coming back from letting a human see your transformation sequence. This is just like when- no, no use thinking about that right now. There are more pressing matters.

As you look up pathetically from the ground you greet the man's confused expression with a melancholy frown, a silent acceptance of your fate.

"Woah, how did you do a beast transformation without hand seals?" you hear his voice ring out. "I would be seriously impressed right now if I wasn't pissed at you for ditching me back there."

Did he just say hand seals? So that must mean he didn't see everything. Which means... you still have the chance to weasel your way out of this situation.

The voice continued to chastise you while you collected your wits, "You do know that leaving a store without paying is stealing, right? And that stealing is a crime? Listen, I don't like arresting women as beautiful as you, but I'm going to need you to come down to the station with-"

This was it, this was your only chance. As the man turned his body slightly, reaching over to grab his handcuffs, you mustered up enough strength to jump up off the ground. As soon as your paws touched the dry earth you darted towards the wooden crates. You knew that this would likely threaten the only reliable entrance you had to Konoha, but there were no other options right now.

"Alright, princess, it's time to come with me-" the man exhaled exasperatedly, "COME ON, NOT AGAIN!" The anger in the man's voice was palpable, but you didn't let that deter your escape.

By the time the man had noticed your hurried departure you were already squeezing your body through the small gap under the wall. As your body wiggled to the other side you heard a loud crashing sound coupled with an irritated groan. You felt a hand try to grasp your tail, the calloused fingertips gripping onto a few long strands before pulling back with an enormous amount of force. An unfortunate but minor casualty, hopefully those few strands of fur would be the only loss today.

You wriggle your body through the makeshift tunnel, front paws clawing at the dusty ground in a hurried frenzy. After you've succeeded in pulling yourself out of the burrow, you immediately begin sprinting as fast as your tired body will take you. Muffled sounds of aggravation fade into the distance, replaced by the racing thoughts that intensify with every step you take.

I really hope I'm not too late, you think to yourself. Flashbacks from earlier today flood your mind, making your vision hazy. These haunting hallucinations aren't doing you any favors, but the closer you get to Kōtarō, the more intrusive these recollections become. You can feel your paws quivering, making your stride unsteady, but you force yourself to carry on.

So much blood. So red. The deepest and most oppressive red you'd ever seen.

The trees and bushes around you began to morph into a grotesque caricature, melting and mutating into a sea of aberrant crimson shapes. The scenery begins to make no sense, the contours of the landscape wrap in unnatural ways all across your field of vision. Your body feels as if it's moving through a vat of congealed molasses, each step becomes an onerous, almost insurmountable task.

The delirium overtaking your psyche slackens your pace to that of a staggered crawl. You lurch forward while bracing yourself on a nearby tree, you trip on some sort of unseen object, nearly capsizing in the process. The world around you begins twisting and spinning, and you stumble to the ground as you're overcome by an intense bout of vertigo.

"Hey, wait up!" The words sound so muffled, so far away and yet...

"I know you're over here, princess." The familiar yet austere timbre cuts through the crimson vortex swirling around you. "Don't think you can escape from Konoha's number one tracker."

The loud thud of someone landing right next to you startles you, but also serves as an anchor for your psyche. The scarlet-tinted penitentiary you found yourself trapped in begins to dissipate as you slowly look up to see the frustrated man shaking his head at you in disbelief.

"Listen here," he chastised in a harsh tone, "I don't want to do this any more than you do. But you can't just shoplift right in front of a police officer and expect me to look the other way. Kōtarō wouldn't let me hear the end of it if he saw what happened today."

Kōtarō.

Hearing that name dispels the trance that's been holding you captive. You shake your head a little as you steadily raise yourself from the ground, your frenzied panting slowing to a more normalized pace. You look up at the man admonishing you with an appreciative glance.

"Hey, are you even listening to me?" The man's voice is growing more agitated by the second, but there's no time to waste.

"I'm s-sorry," you stutter as you stand up on your hind legs, preparing yourself for one final transformation, "I'll explain everything later, I promise. I just have something I need to do first."

"Don't think I'll let you get away a third time. I won't-" the man's sentence cuts off as his jaw drops, a wave of bewilderment crashing over him.

And why wouldn't he be awestruck? You were equally as mystified the first time you witnessed the woeful yet magnificent transformation sequence.

Unlike a ninjutsu, there were no flashy hand signs or theatrics to accompany this transmogrification. The thick fur that once covered your entire body recessed, and the pale flesh underneath shone as it reflected the harsh wavelengths beating down on you from above. The juxtaposition of the man's sun-kissed skin with your pallid, moon-embraced skin was quite the stark difference to behold.

The sweltering but familiar pain associated with your transformation was positively excruciating today. Maybe it was because of the merciless onslaught of warmth of the mid-afternoon sun. Maybe it was because this was the fourth time in a day you'd shifted. Or perhaps it was because of your nervous system overload, spurred on by the extreme stress of the situation you found yourself in. Whatever the reason, it sure wasn't helping to have a witness to the heinous sin you were committing. Your entire entity was an affront to humanity. A paradoxical creation that should by all means, not exist in reality.

Before the burning in your bones could abate fully, you hurriedly reached into the bag strapped onto your back, rummaging for the wares you had swiped from the pet store. There was no time to take your satchel off and give it a thorough search. With intuition as a guide, you felt around in the bag, moving the supplies you needed most to the top of the pile. The unmistakable feel of the plastic pill bottle and the distinct rattling noise it made when you shook it afforded you a small comfort. Your preparations were now complete.

You were fairly close to your destination by now. You could smell the virulent odors that portended a gruesome truth, a harbinger of death that you were, unfortunately, very well acquainted with. Coexistence with humans always led to this outcome, without fail.

As you drew closer to Kōtarō's scent you noticed a glimmering sparkle next to some nearby bushes. Upon further inspection you recognize the familiar tattered pouch, its strained fibers taut from the weight of the shimmering coins inside. With one swift motion you reach down to grab the bag and then toss it towards the dumbfounded man who has been standing silently in place throughout the duration of your spectacle, without a doubt too astonished to make a move.

"That's what you wanted, right?" you ask, looking back over your shoulder for confirmation. "Well as you can see, or rather smell, I've got more important things to deal with right now. Just take the whole goddamn bag and leave me be, leave us be."

The man was too stunned to even catch the bag you so deftly threw in his direction. Instead it lay on the ground, coins spilling out onto the dirt in a haphazard fashion.

"Wait, miss. Please," the man broke his silence, rasping out his words in an uneven tone, "Let me help."

"Help?" you scoff while turning your body away fully. "That's rich coming from a man who tried to arrest me twice in one day. I don't need your help. We don't need you. So just take your savior complex and shove it up your-"

"Listen, miss," the man pleads as he walks towards you, "I might not be an observational genius like Shikamaru, but I do know a crime scene when I see one. And this," he mutters as he scans the surrounding area with a scrutinizing gaze, "is about as textbook as they get."

You could sense his persistence by the inflections in and tone of his voice. Every second spent arguing with him was a waste of precious time.

"Fine," you reluctantly concede. "You can follow me, but absolutely no touching anything. If I sense even a shred of ill intent, I won't hesitate to shred you into pieces." You flash your devilishly long nails in his general direction while you continue on your way.

An audible gulp followed by a succinct "Yes, ma'am," were the only things to leave the man's lips as he follows you through the thorny thickets.

You spryly weave through the underbrush, the only remaining obstacle standing between you and Kōtarō, with the man following closely behind you. As you emerge through the final bushes you're greeted with a smell that triggers the phantoms of your sordid past to claw their way to the surface once more.

They don't materialize fully though because you feel a brawny hand rest on your shoulder. "Hey," a voice calls out to you. The reverberating baritone keeping the spectres at bay.

"I know I agreed to not touch, but you look like you've seen a ghost, miss."

A quick shudder passes through your entire body, chasing the shadows of the past away, and the world regains its colorful luster once more. For the first time in years, perhaps even decades, you were grateful that there was a human by your side.

"I'll forgive you. This time," you meekly chirp out while taking the final steps towards your friend, hiding your flushed face from the man. "But don't press your luck. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got a friend to save."

You squat down next to the mangled body of your beloved kin. The young pup that you'd instructed to keep pressure on the wound was still in the same position as before. This time, you think to yourself, I'm going to save him.

You reach into your satchel and pull out the pill bottle along with the gauze and medical tape. Sure, there were other equivalents to the bandages and adhesives that humans used, but there was just something about these strange, oblong pills that you couldn't replicate no matter how many medicinal plants you gathered.

"You did an amazing job, Hana. Now let me take over," your voice has a softness to it that lightens the mood, reassuring the bright-eyed whelp at your side while also setting your own nerves at ease.

As the pup moves over you take their position, putting a steady amount of pressure over the wound on your friend's leg with one hand. You rip open the package of gauze by using your sharpened nails, hastily pulling out a clump of bandages with the same swift motion. You then lift up your hand covering Kōtarō's wound so that you can place a copious amount of gauze in the area.

Now comes the tricky part.

You have to unfurl the medical tape with one hand while keeping pressure on Kōtarō's leg with the other. The unforgiving stickiness of the tape proves to be quite a formidable opponent for you today. As you struggle with the accursed adhesive, your impertinent spectator shares a proposition that would have enraged you if this tape wasn't already the focal point of your ire.

"You need some help there, princess?" You easily detect the conspicuous undertones of self-assured smugness in the timbre of his voice.

Me? Get help from a human? And why the heck does he keep calling me "princess"? You were disgusted with yourself, but you knew that if there was any situation where you should swallow your pride, this was it.

"Fine, I'll allow it," you spit out in exasperation.

"What was that? I couldn't quite catch what you said," a cheeky grin was forming on the man's face now as he held a hand up to his ear.

Absolutely. Infuriating. This is why you swore off talking with humans. If the situation wasn't so dire you would have slapped that cocky smile right off his gorgeous face. Where does he get off talking to you like that? Wait, gorgeous? How long has it been now since you've found a human genuinely attractive? Nevermind, you have more important things to do.

"You can help," the words meekly escaped your lips. Gone were the twangs of indignation, replaced instead with a humble submissiveness. You knew when to acquiesce. There was no way you'd be able to fix up your friend if you stubbornly held onto your pride.

"Come again? I can help? I guess I technically can," at this point he was practically jeering at you. "Now what do we say when we ask someone for something?"

The incessant taunting was driving you crazy. Your thin veneer of bravado crumbles under the weight of his gibes. You find yourself powerless against the barrage of quips, frustration growing at yourself due to your inability to shoot back an equally sassy retort. 

"Can you..." the words were almost trapped in your throat, stifled by the fragile remnants of your bruised ego, "please help?"

"Alright, alright. I've had my fun," the man replied, his expression changing from jovial to serious as he continued on, "I'll handle cutting the medical tape, so you can just focus on keeping up the pressure on the wound."

You nod your head tacitly as you hand over the roll of tape to the man, your full focus now on Kōtarō. Before you know it, the sticky strands are partitioned off and are ready to secure the tightly packed gauze covering Kōtarō's laceration. After a cursory check to make sure the segments would fully wrap around his leg, you thoroughly patted down the tape in order to affix it.

Good, you thought to yourself, only one thing left to do.

You gingerly reach into your satchel and grab the bottle of pills, the glorious ambrosia of the gods that cured many an ailment. You didn't know what exactly was in those curious capsules, but you did know that they were a most reputable remedy that saved your clan members' lives numerous times over the years.

You shake out a few tablets into your hand.

"So those are the pills that cost more than a steak dinner for two?"

You'd almost forgotten that you had an audience today, and a boisterous one at that. As you lift your companion's head up and gently place the medication into his mouth, you look to your left to see this veritable enigma of a man flash you the most audacious smirk you'd ever seen. 

"I guess that means I owe you dinner," you were surprised by how brazen and unabashed your words flowed out, "I always pay back my debts."

"It's a date then," a brilliant smile emanating out towards you, a gleaming radiance that comforts your weary nerves, "but, I do think you owe me some sort of explanation first."

And there it is. You let out a heavy sigh as you tenderly comb through the knotted hairs on Kōtarō's head with your fingernails, his body resting comfortably in your lap.

"Sure, let me just get him home first. He's had a very long day." You raise your eyes to meet the steely gaze of the stranger whose name you still don't know.

"Of course, but before you go, my princess," the man implored as he reached out to grab your hand, "can you at least answer one question for me?"

My princess? There he goes again, calling you princess. And what nerve to insinuate that you belong to him. You would normally be furious at the implication that you belonged to someone else, let alone a human, but there was just something about his complete disregard for decorum that ignited your carnal desires. Maybe it was because he reminded you of your old alpha, but no wait what are you thinking? There's no way a human could ever be your superior. That was inconceivable.

"Yes?" you answer in a perplexed tone, lost at sea in the endless ocean of your own thoughts, "What is it you want to know, mister...uh.."

"Kiba," he interjects abruptly, "My name's Kiba Inuzuka."

"Kiba Inuzuka," you repeat to yourself, commiting the name to memory. "So what is it you want to know, mister Inuzuka?"

"You can just call me by my first name, y'know. I don't mind," he responded while covering part of his flushed face with his hand, trying hard to obscure the fact that he was turning beet red. "So what's your name? Unless you don't mind me referring to you as my prin-"

"Izumi," you blurted out before he could finish his sentence. "Call me Izumi."

"Izumi, huh?" he looked off into the distance while still concealing part of his face with his hand. "What a pretty name. It's a pleasure to meet you, miss Izumi."

"Charmed, I'm sure," you say matter-of-factly. "Well, I'd love to stay and chat longer, but I have some pups I need to escort back home. I promise I'll be back as soon as they're safely settled in and squared away. Wolf's honor." 

As you beckon Hana and carefully lift Kōtarō's feeble body off the ground you give Kiba a subtle nod, an implied promise of reunion, before setting off.

"I'll be waiting for you with bated breath, my princess Izumi," Kiba whispered to himself while watching the silhouette of your delicate figure slowly fade into the distance.

You'd be positively livid if you weren't so preoccupied. How dare he call you his princess again?

----- TO BE CONTINUED -----

PART THREE

[moonflower-rose]

I hope you don’t take this the wrong way, I’m just wondering. I noticed that you only seem to rec your friends. Also you ignore some of the fics from fests that you participate in when it’s courtesy to read and comment on everything.

This one has been sitting around for ages, possibly since last years Erised. I don’t normally feel the need to justify any of my decisions as a fan, I don’t feel I NEED to this time either but it is actually something I’ve seen pop up over many years and I’ve decided to answer it this one time only. I’ll probably ignore or delete any other asks on the same topic.

So, everyone participating in a fest reading and commenting on everyone else’s work seems like the ideal, right? In reality, some people want to write about things that you as a participant absolutely cannot handle - for me that’s usually MCD, terminal illness, infidelity, domestic violence, severe depression, and lots of other things. That’s what the tags and warnings are for, of course, and I’m using them appropriately. Have I read and enjoyed stories with any/all of those themes before? Yep. That doesn’t change that generally these themes affect me negatively so generally I avoid them. If and when I feel like I can handle them, I might try them out. Only I can know when I might be ready to do that. It might not be during the course of Wireless or Suds or whatever the fest I’m part of is. That doesn’t mean others shouldn’t write that content. It doesn’t mean I should harden up and just read it for the sake of etiquette.

Sometimes I simply cannot handle the size of the fic. I don’t feel the need to describe my whole life, but I work full time, I have family commitments, I need to do regular life things like washing and shopping and cooking and the dishes. Fics under probably 20K feel more manageable, I can read that on my lunch break or maybe before work, but more likely before bed. Longer stuff requires more time (obviously) and I’m not good at putting something down when I start it and pulling an all nighter mid-week is way harder when you’re 40.

Some of my closest fandom friends have big and popular fics that I haven’t got around to reading yet. Some of them have short ones that are heavy on topics that I can’t cope with right now. Not to put words in your mouth, but its unfair to assume the reason for my lack of attention is that I don’t care about them or I’m not appropriately prioritising my fandom time. I’ll get there eventually, or maybe I won’t. My friendships are hopefully strong enough to endure me not reading their stuff and them not reading mine. My friendships are not based on what those people can create for me or how they can promote my work.

As far as reccing goes, I’m a very inconsistent reccer. My goal for 2022 was to do more reccing and I did none. None recs with left beef. I’m not generally trawling for fic (the way I did as a 22 year old approximately one thousand years ago) and so I mainly see fic from authors I have already encountered and loved, via AO3 user subscriptions. My next gateway is via recs from friends (the magnificent @sitp-recs for example). I’ve been very lucky to have had people I deeply admire and enjoy become off-stage pals, but I’m not reccing them on a friendship basis. If I had to guess I would say my most consistent recs are of authors who I have had lovely, delightful interactions with but who I don’t have established friendships with. No stats but I reckon @lqtraintracks @writcraft and @letteredlettered would be people who pretty much always write things that make me lose my fuckin mind but we’re not part of a DM frenzy that involves graphic discussion of our latest health dramas, what we ate for dinner, what shenanigans our pets and siblings have got up to (that’s @shiftylinguini whether she likes it or not). I rec the BABY CHEESES out of them despite this.

What it boils down to is that I will engage the way I feel comfortable engaging, when I feel like it. I definitely have people I avoid (generally those who express terfy sentiments) and people I’m dragged towards like a magnet. It is what it is. I’m sorry if you have been a person who I haven’t engaged with and if you feel badly about that. It’s probably for benign reasons (see above), unless it’s because of one of the bad reasons.

[soloistschornicles]

⌜ 𝘛𝘌𝘈𝘚𝘌𝘙 ⌟

⩩﹕𝐬𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬﹒ The supernatural has roamed the Teyvat landmass for centuries. Whether it's true or not, people's curiosity tends to be those. They don't know if it's some sort of legend, a myth from ancient times that hasn't been disproven yet, but they don't care, they're too enthralled by those who believe in such things.

Have you heard this tale before? A story about an apprentice who hails across the sea and met a spirit who wanders aimlessly on the land of Forevermore. You haven't? Such a shame…sit back seelies, this story is going to be so interesting that you won't know what hit you when it's over.

⩩﹕𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐬﹒ongoing

⩩﹕𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐫﹒Genshin impact is an action role-playing game developed and published by yours truly, miHoyo.

⌜ 𝘛𝘌𝘈𝘚𝘌𝘙 ⌟

𝐈.

“Huh? An invitation?”

[Name] lived among the people of Liyue, The Harbor of Contracts. Working as a young apprentice under Doctor Baizhu, a skilled herbalist works at Bubu Pharmacy alongside his somber assistant, Qiqi.

One day, they came home from tiring work, endless herbs that needed to be processed, and medications and prescriptions that needed to be tended to the worrisome patients and customers. On the doorstep of their abode, they spotted a polished-looking envelope with a familiar seal that fastened the letter. 

Taking the letter by hand, they went up to their bedroom, where their safe haven was situated. Glancing a questioning gaze upon the envelope. A faint sweetness and powdery aroma were wafting from the said envelope once they opened it. They knew this smell too well to be mistaken; it was the scent of a sakura bloom that was often to be seen at Narukami Island of Inazuma.

They began to unravel it slowly and saw a letter written in elegant calligraphy, and the name of the sender was not something they expected. They immediately opened the envelope and read the contents.

Blooming Flower~

Sender: Kamisato, Ayato

Salutation, my dear [Name]. I am most pleased that you received my letter, and I hope that you do not mind me contacting you after such a long time, though I am quite certain that you would be gladdened to know that this year we’ll be inviting you for a break at our family house, at Kamisato estate. 

I have been informed by my informants about your recent work and your long period of working hours at your disposal. I’ve seen many reports of your success in the past two years since we spoke.

And so, I wanted you to be aware of how proud we are of you and how much we wish to share the news with you in person. Myself and Ayaka, have been looking forward to your arrival at the Kamisato estate for some time now. We’ll even have to cease our work schedules just to show you the beauty of Inazuma, which is in store for you. 

Furthermore, don’t fret. I had already contacted your executive. 

Sincerely, Ayato.

𝐈𝐈.

“You wish to know more about Inazuma? From my prior encounters as a wandering Samurai…That land is nothing more than a grim and eerie rendition. The only thing that is truly pleasant about it was the tranquility that nature has to offer…”

The sound of leaves rustling came to an abrupt stop as the wind seemed to have picked up. The sound of birds chirping happily in the distance made its way to Kazuha’s ears, along with the distant sounds of people talking.

“I’m glad you came by. It has been a while since our previous hangout. I hope your trip from Liyue was a breeze.” 

White-blue hair fluttered by the gentle wind, glistening under the sun’s ray. A young dignified girl of the Kamisato Clan, Kamisato Ayaka, came to greet you with her humble present. From what you can recall, your dear cousin was a renowned Shirasagi Himegimi of the Kamisato Clan. Known for her beauty, strength, and intellect. Inazuma’s ideal epitome of perfection.

Under the gentle mask, was a daunting burden anchoring her shoulders…

“Ever heard of Inazuma’s 7 wonders? They’re in fact, famed for telling children some ghost stories so they could return home before the sun sets, not an exact method in my opinion, but I’m not a parent, so who am I to judge?"

A bubbly pyrotechnician, the current owner of Naganohara Fireworks. Yoimiya. Her words sparked interest and curiosity among the youths as they huddled around her, listening to her narrate a few of the stories she’d heard in the past about the famed seven wonders. Suddenly, you were also piqued in interest and decided to sit within the sea of children.

𝐈𝐈𝐈.

“Hm? You’re saying that this boy was threatening you but then disappeared through thin air?” Heizou’s olive green eyes glistened with skepticism and interest. Suddenly, a string of chuckles was heard from the said boy. He stopped himself when he noticed your glare coming his way.

He cleared his throat, swallowing every bit of his insanity. “No offense, I do love supernatural things just like few people. But, even if we were going to believe such stories as those… It wouldn’t matter. After all, these are only tales told by people in fear.” 

You sighed defeatedly. I guess you’re going back to the estate. However, his hands stop you. His emerald eyes hold firm determination and belief. He then leaned his head towards your ear, his hot breath tickling the side of your face. A faint blush erupted from the side of your cheeks.

“I believe what you were saying, however, in this world, no one is capable of trusting what lies within the depths of the unknown. People are too afraid of what they’ll discover. So it’s best for them to stay put in the safe zone, and you shall do the same.”

𝐈𝐕.

“My, aren’t you rather bit close to the line? Does not matter, what matter is~ What does a youngling like you doing at the Grand Narukami Shrine at this hour? Aren’t your family or friends would be worried sick when they found out about your little escapade, hm?” 

The self-proclaimed head priestess, Yae Miko, was circling your seated form with opulent eyes that resembles a fox, or in Inazuma’s dialect, Kitsune. Her salmon-pink hair flittered through the breeze. Her figure is radiating dominance and voluptuousness—a sense that overwhelms you, and you scooted an inch, but your back was met with a block of cold concrete.

Miko grinned as she took slow steps toward you. “Don’t fret, kit. This vixen doesn’t bite, at least, on some occasions.”

𝐕.

Falling from a well wasn’t your ideal trip to the Kamisato Estate. Everything went fast, and you were unaware of an ominous presence lingering about, which then pushed you into your unfortunate situation. Attempting to climb out of the worn well, you fell back again. Slipper walls are stopping you to reach the top, thinking of ways to get out, you heard the voice you’ve heard from Chinju forest.

“Curiosity killed a cat, but the satisfaction brought it back.” 

Casting upward, you saw the boy earlier, who saved you from the horde of electro cicin insects. His frown from earlier was twitching into a sly grin. His indigo eyes glowed under the moonlight. 

“Who knew we met again, with you in an unfortunate position, as usual? First, are the hordes of insects. And now, you fell into a sewer-smelled well. Tell me, do you perhaps attract inauspicious circumstances, if it does? I couldn’t help but laugh at your misery.”

(づ ᴗ _ᴗ)づ♡ ┊ @raideneiari ・@cynzcir・@louise-rosita-leroux┊{ send ask if you wish to be tag : OPEN } 

ˢᵖⁱʳⁱᵗ'ˢ ⁿᵒᵗᵉ: Hope you guys enjoyed this teaser of the upcoming fanfic series: Wanderer-San of Inazuma❣️ Inspired by! Toilet Bound of Hanako-kun. STAY TUNED, seelies ໒(⊙ᴗ⊙)७✎▤ 

[galene-gothic]

Hello Galene!

I hope this review reaches you during good times. I wanted to express my gratitude for the hard work and energy you poured into my readings. I was continuously astound by your abilities with each reading I received! They ALWAYS resonated with me and exposed so many details about myself and/or my environment that it left me speechless (in a good way). The Cherie reading was VERYYY detailed and gave me a lot of hope for my future. This along with the Enchanted reading makes me more excited to meet my potential partner. Throughout the readings, I became fascinated by our interaction, especially the playful banter moments! I’m normally a quiet, calm, collected person so I find it hilarious that my partner will be the one who likes to get on my nerves a lot LOL. Also that we can be triggering to each other. Despite the challenges we may face, the readings offered so much comfort as you explained the depths of our dynamic. It was very well written and detailed.

The Amor reading was VERY insightful! There were so many traits you described of him that I DEFINITELY 100% agreed with you! Throughout the many years of getting to know him, I came to greatly respect him because he is a very strong-minded person. When you said that I likely encountered him because I was most likely living in denial and not seeing the truth of some situation in my life. Either because I was being treated unfairly or being ignorant to my environment. That I was being very critical to myself. Parts of me believe you are correct because the first time I heard of him was through my cousin whom introduced the group to me. We had lost a very important family member that year… and so during special occasions, we would enjoy karaoke sessions so that’s how he came into my life~ I also had graduated from high school, trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life, going to college…This made me deeply reflect on why I feel so attracted to him and you are correct: admiring him has helped me in more ways I could have imagined. The Amor reading really clarified my feelings. I have been blessed to have encountered him and to have you explain all this through your ability.

My favorite reading thus far is Lunette! As the description of the reading states, you really addressed aspects of myself that I wondered people saw as “irresistible and captivating.” It clarified a lot of the thoughts I had regarding those who disliked/adored me. You also easily described insecurities of myself that I do not normally share with my closest love ones so that gave me chills. I greatly appreciate the concern you had for me, it’s like you’ve became a part of my soul family! I would love to go into more details on how this reading has touched my heart so deeply, but due to my thoughts being very personal I am choosing to refrain. Words can not describe how well you have channeled my entire existence into this reading that I believe you will be able to intuitively have the answers on why I am like this. Thank you for being the first person who has seen the “true” me without having to meet me haha. You truly deserve the greatest of recognition in the world! Another note I would like to say is that your music selections throughout all the readings have blown my mind! You would either state songs that I ALREADY LISTEN TO or they would resonate so well with me. My mind was truly blown away. I hope you continue to do what you love and continue to be blessed! I look forward to interacting with you again! Thank you once again for all that you do! 

hello love,

i hope that you’ve been well. i’ve been doing great too. thank you so much for all the appreciation and for writing such a detailed review. I’m glad that the readings resonated with you. honestly when it comes to lunette, due to how really specific scenarios started coming through, i was a bit taken aback but due to how strongly it came in, i just decided to trust myself. i strongly felt like i had to talk about them and i’m glad that i did. i should be the one thanking you for trusting me with your time, energy and money. reading for you has been a blessing, it’s nice to have access to such a lovely energy (and because your energy is familiar, it’s much easier to channel). i am so glad that i got to read the “true” you, that’s all a tarot girlie wants after all xD. also, love that we both have great music tastes 🤭. yes, i’ll continue doing what i’m doing (wholeheartedly at that). may all the joys of life greet you, my love. you’re truly so sweet, sweetheart. i look forward to interacting with you too. thank you so much for not only choosing me as your reader but also for liking and reblogging my posts, it means the world to me. thank you for everything, there are no words lovely enough in the english dictionary yet for me to express my gratitude and love. I LOVE YOU MUAH MUAH 💋 THANK YOU SO MUCH ONCE AGAIN. BYE PRETTIEST, TAKE CARE 🩰

[schizodiaries]

I’ve haven’t really opened up about this on this blog because it isn’t schizoaffective related. But I hope you all don’t mind that I vent a bit about this. In addition to mood and psychotic issues, I also struggle a lot with body image and poor eating habits. It’s apparently not severe enough to be considered an eating disorder, but it’s pretty heavily influenced by decades of diet mentality and internalized fatphobia.

(More under the cut, but I’m putting a content warning for mentions of weight and dieting, as well as potential disordered eating habits.)

I’m overweight. In fact, on my medical records, it says I’m obese according to my BMI. It wasn’t always that way. I used to be quite thin, maybe even underweight. But ever since the pandemic/lockdown, and ever since taking antipsychotics, my weight changed rapidly and dramatically.

I’m trying not to see this as a bad thing, but fatphobia is not easily unlearned especially if it’s been instilled at such a young age. Not only that, but because my weight change happened so suddenly, it came with some health issues. Prediabetes, for one, and some mobility issues too. Being at a heavier weight so suddenly has put so much strain on my legs, feet, and lower back, and walking up and down the stairs has become painful and a struggle for me. I can’t move around, turn my body, or bend over as easily as I used to, and it’s causing me a lot of stress physically and mentally.

Now for the social aspect. As we all know being fat is looked down upon in society. Especially in female bodies. I was already aware of the insanely fatphobic standards that women are often held to but I haven’t been on the receiving end of that until now. I have also gotten so many hurtful comments from family members and people close to me about my weight. The worst one I got was from an older, non English speaking relative who wouldn’t even call me fat to my face. She had to say it in her native tongue and direct it to my parents, while I was clearly in the room. What she doesn’t know is that though I don’t speak my family’s language, I can understand just enough to know when someone is saying “Jesus, she got fat!”

That encounter was the last straw for me. I knew at that point I needed to lose weight, by any means necessary. I put myself on countless diets, tried intermittent fasting, dusted off my fitness watch, forced myself to go on walks despite the pain, weighed myself multiple times a day, and started counting calories. At first, it worked, and I started to see some weight change. My mom commented that i was “getting my figure back.” I was being praised for all my work. But the process was slow. And it wasn’t enough, for anyone. Not my parents, not my doctor, not me.

I gained all the weight back and then some because my heavily restrictive eating habits came back to bite me in the ass and I was so hungry to the point of overeating to compensate for the lack of food. I got burnt out from exercise and became sedentary. My plan had failed, and I am now at my highest weight I’ve ever been. My doctor put me on Metformin, a medication typically prescribed to treat diabetes and PCOS. But it can also cause weight loss. My doctor strongly suggested i take the medicine, and even lamented my thinness on my behalf. In her words, “You used to be so skinny!” I am now at the highest dose of this medicine, which has given me gastrointestinal issues, and I still have not noticed a change in my weight.

I’m trying my best to keep a positive mindset about this. I’m trying to stay body positive, to love and accept my bigger body, and to embrace my change in weight as just another part of getting older. But it’s so difficult. My struggle to move my body like I used to, the nonstop comments I get from family members and healthcare professionals, the fact that I keep outgrowing every new clothing item I buy for myself and having to buy new ones every few months. It’s making me depressed, and angry.

I’ve reached out to my therapist already, who referred me to an eating disorder specialist who subsequently determined that I don’t have an eating disorder. They then referred me to a dietician, where I learned about consistent and balanced eating. I attended webinars about eating skills, body image, and rejecting the diet mentality. I’ve put in the effort to fix my relationship with food and body image. And I’ve certainly made a lot of progress in that regard. But I’m still fat. And the people in my life make it a point to remind me of that frequently.

Today I spoke to my mom about the pain in my lower body. She offered little to no sympathy, and told me to just lose weight and it will go away. She later sent me an Instagram reel about water fasting. I know she’s just trying to help, but i think this hurt more than it helped. The instagram reel I found to be particularly triggering, as now I am highly considering doing a water fast to lose weight.

The only person closest to me who hasn’t made any kind of negative comment about my heavier weight is my boyfriend. He has consistently been my biggest supporter throughout my weight journey. Except for when I relapse. Whenever he catches me restricting or starving or skipping meals, he expresses disappointment and accuses me of “giving up” and “not trying hard enough” to recover. Which is a huge slap in the face considering I’ve been putting so much effort into changing my relationship with food - seeing a dietitian every month, reaching out to an ED specialist, attending webinars about food and body positivity. But apparently, to him, if I relapse at any point, then all that effort would have been for nothing.

So I don’t know what to do anymore. If I try to accept and love my bigger body, my weight stays the same, and I’m bombarded with comments about my body. If I decide to do something about it and end up relapsing, I’m scolded by my boyfriend for “giving up” and “not trying hard enough.” If I reach out to doctors or family members about my weight they just tell me to lose it. But if I try to lose it, I fall back into unhealthy habits. I’m in a real damned if you do, damned if you don’t situation.

It’s hard for me to say what I really want to do without feeling like I’m promoting unhealthy habits. So I will just keep it to myself and hope that my efforts will have some results. Until then, I think I’m going to do things on my own terms and not listen to what any family member or medical professional has to say about my body and relationship with food. I’m going to do what I think feels right to me and my body. And I’ll do it by whatever means necessary.