#it does good to think outside of the box quite often.

[ignatiusteto]

i think people should stop thinking in stark black and white and stop taking things violently at face value and maybe society would be a little better. or at least stop making it the problem of other people. it really is a great brain exercise to stop and be like well okay wait a minute. you literally feel better.

[doctorweebmd]

ok my OTHER reflection:

on the one hand its really frustrating to see the posts about docs and healthcare in general on here be so narrow-minded. bad experiences with certain providers have lead to a huge spread of misinformation and mistrust with the whole system. which can and HAS lead to people avoiding 'evil' doctors for perfectly treatable illnesses and dying from them (the vaccine bullshit, anyone?)

but on the other hand. it is TERRIFYING how some of these docs practice medicine. at times i think 'are you just burned out and don't give a shit or are you straight up just stupid?' and i work in critical care. where quite literally every case is life or death. even in the academic sector where there is supposedly a standard of excellence, some doctors i would not let touch my loved ones with a ten foot pole.

and that sucks. i know this is the no nuance piss on the poor webbed site but 'the medical system and people that work for it are fallible and aspects of it are morally questionable at best/unethical at worst' AND 'the field of medicine exists to help people first and foremost and mistrusting/avoiding it can be detrimental in the long run' can and DO co-exist

[primofate]

Where he would propose and how it happens [Genshin Men]

Warnings: haven’t written in a while please excuse and tell me about pronoun slips, I’m sleep deprived, not proofread (this will be my fixed disclaimer as a writing parent, haha)

Notes: All of these were captured by me in game. I just felt like exploring the beauty of Genshin more and this was a great way to do it while mixing it with writing. Note that you may not agree with some of these, and that's totally fine, these are my thoughts and ideas :)

Characters: Aether, Albedo, Alhaitham, Ayato, Baizhu, Cyno, Dainsleif, Diluc, Gorou, Heizou, Itto, Kaeya, Kaveh, Kazuha, Lyney, Neuvillette, Scaramouche, Tartaglia, Thoma, Tighnari, Venti, Wriothesley, Xiao, Zhongli, gn!reader

Aether

Aether is a simple man, and though he plans his proposal he doesn't really think much of the place, somewhere where the two of you frequent, maybe on your daily/nightly walks.

It happens just as the two of you are about to go back, this is where you sit and relax for a while as the sun sets. You can see Mondstadt in the distance and the beautiful orange sky.

As you're about to turn and walk away he catches your wrist and pulls you back into the middle of those tiny pink flowers.

Now that he thinks about it... This is where his journey really started: Starfell Lake, and how perfect would it be to start a new one with you?

"Y/N, I...want you to stay. I mean, forever," the words are simple but it gets across.

Albedo

Also a simple person. You might think Dragonspine when you think Albedo and I agree that all that snow could be romantic but I went for Starsnatch Cliff. It's a good place to see Mondstadt, and he takes you there after the sun has set.

He would probably comment about how you can see a lot of things from here, and how the world is such a great, vast place, full of things to explore and discover.

"...and yet I find myself thinking... how all that I want is right next to me. Would you do me the honour of being my lifelong partner?"

Alhaitham

Something's up and you can tell, this isn't your usual route home, and honestly you've never stopped in these parts of the city. You've passed by it sure, but never with Alhaitham.

You ask him where the two of you are going and if there are some extra errands to run before going home. He only shakes his head and ends up leading you over right next to the glowing Padisarah flower.

He HAS planned this, so why does it feel like he hasn't? Even has a ring in his pocket (granted it is the SIMPLEST ring one could ever imagine, that's just how he is)

Ends up just taking the ring box out and showing it to you while trying to speak "I..." doesn't speak much of his emotions so has a hard time, but feels pathetic afterwards so meets your eyes straight on. "...A promise... That what I feel for you... is everlasting,"

Ayato

That small shrine/garden/sitting area just outside the Kamisato Estate. It's just a bit more private than the sitting area INSIDE the estate.

You wouldn't think anything of it because you do hang out here from time to time.

Ayato might seem like a grand person but in the end he doesn't want to stray far from home.

"I'm...sorry if this is a bit abrupt," fishes out a ring box from his long sleeve. "I've been meaning to ask for a while now, will you share your life with me as my beloved?"

Baizhu

That nice little hill just outside of Bubu Pharmacy, where you can find Glaze Lilies strewn about and the night view is quite nice. It's a place the two of you go just to get some quick, fresh air if Baizhu isn't feeling too well. Changsheng is left at the pharmacy from time to time, this is one of those times.

"I've been thinking...how precious time really is," he looks at you with tenderness in his eyes, yet a lot of uncertainty shrouded in them. "I don't know where this road will lead me... but you alone are my lifelong remedy. Would you accompany me on this journey?"

Cyno

Cyno often comes here to watch the sun set, since he was a student, but he does think it's more beautiful at night.

The two of you are leaning over the railway and looking at Sumeru, just talking about the day.

Cyno doesn't really plan it. He seems to be the type to but when he feels that it's the right time, specially when he feels it strongly, there's no better time than the present.

It's while he's watching you talk enthusiastically about your day, that there's a sudden twist in his heart. This is the person I want to spend the rest of my life with.

"Y/N--" he cuts you off successfully, wonder in his eyes. "What do you say to being intertwined for life?"

Dainsleif

Anywhere where there is an unobstructed view of the stars and night sky, but particularly at the hill of Cape Oath, where the two of you lie side by side on the grass, staring up at the stars.

At this point the two of you have been travelling together for a while, looking for answers to his curse. To Dainsleif, the two of you are pretty much married already, but just to confirm it, every night, he asks "Is this the path that you choose? To bind your fate with mine?"

And every night, like a promise, you say yes.

Diluc

Diluc doesn't stray far from home too. He prefers to stay close to his memories, no matter how painful they are.

He HAS planned it, but ends up proposing at an unexpected time.

It's when he's on the road home and you're waiting right by the lamp post for him. It's late. Later than usual and here you are worrying about how it's a cold night and that he should've worn more.

It's at that moment that it hits him, "Y/N, the thought of being separated...it's not something I'd want to imagine" he grips your hand tightly. "...For the rest of my life, it's you that I want to spend it with,"

Doesn't even have the planned ring on him and apologizes about the word vomit he just did. He was just overcome with emotions right then and there.

Gorou

That small spot next to Bourou Village. Watatsumi Island is beautiful in general, but Gorou knows the good spots.

Is nervous but tries not to show it, but you can totally tell because he's way too stiff.

"Wh-What do you mean? Nothing's wrong!" When asked if everything's fine.

When standing at this spot though, his nervousness seems to go away and for a minute everything is normal until... "H-Hey, Y/N, so..." you look at him and he's fumbling with his hands, unable to meet your gaze. "Y-You, and I--We've been...You know--"

Seems to panic. He is SO uncool right now. Closes his eyes and just blurts it out when he realizes this isn't working out "With all my heart, will you marry me?!"

Heizou

Little secret garden just next to Inazuma city. Quiet place yet you can hear a bit of the hustle and bustle in the city.

Heizou is the type to get on one knee and confidently, directly say it.

He's planned it, and gets you right in the middle of the bridge (has probably asked someone to take a photo as well)

"Y/N, beloved," grins "would you unravel the mysteries of life with me?" (thinks it was such a cool line, then hands you the ring in a box)

Itto

Does not think about it nor plans it. Just happens and it happens because he talks about it casually. You can't really tell if he's serious.

He has this conversation with you in Chinjuu Forest, which is a naturally beautiful place, but he's really only there with you to look for onikabuto.

"You know, it'd be really cool if we could keep doing this huh?"

You ask what he means cause you don't really have any idea. You guys have been doing this for ages. Why would it stop now, is what you think.

"I mean, like, you know, forever," he says this while looking under a rock. "Like if we were just onikabuto fightin' partners forever, get it?"

You stall for a moment and wonder if he knows what he's saying, and you ask if he specifically means he just wants you as an onikabuto fighting partner.

"Oh, well, yea it's ONE of the things I like about you, but I like your kisses too. Hehe," scratches the back of his head then looks like he gets a bright idea. "Oh hey that's an idea! How 'bout we just become partners for life, Y/N?"

Yeah, that's how it happens.

Kaeya

Kaeya keeps it simple, but also romantic. He gets that spot above the gate of Mondstadt, where you can see Barbatos' statue from a distance. He knows how much you love the city and he has a special place in his heart for it too.

The two of you pretty much keep each other warm up there, with him behind you and his arms wrapped around your shoulders.

At some point, as the two of you have been talking for ages and when the perfect silence descends, he leans into your ear and asks you to close your eyes. When you do, you feel him slip something onto your ring finger as he says "A thousand words wouldn't be enough to tell you how I really feel...Would you want to create a thousand and more memories together instead?"

Kaveh

Kaveh thinks its only appropriate to propose at his masterpiece, but he thinks you're even more of a masterpiece than anything he's made or encountered before.

Plus the place just holds a lot of meaning and memories for him. It's beautiful too and you've always said that you're proud of him for completing it.

His is a pretty simple proposal. "I've always thought that something's been missing in my life...I think I've figured out that it's you, Y/N. It's only going to be you,"

Kazuha

Inazuma holds a lot of memories for Kazuha, some that are rather unpleasant. But home is still home and perhaps he wanted to create more good memories there.

Truth be told he could have proposed to you anywhere, and I don't think he had really planned it. It was just something heartfelt that he wanted to say as he sees you climbing up the stairs to the shrine. The sunlight hitting you perfectly and the sakura blossoms just cascading around your form. It's perfect, he thought.

You're a few steps further up from him and it makes him look up at you the slightest bit. With a shine in his eyes and a smile on his face he asks, quite sincerely "Have you ever felt like home was right next to you, Y/N?"

and before you could answer he answers his own question first. "I have, despite the storms and catastrophes I've gone through...Y/N, you're the home that my heart forever needs,"

Lyney

Lyney plans it, but doesn't do it in a grand way. He just wants it to be sincere and special. He thinks this place is cute, what with the little sort of gazebo with a small sitting space to just sit and drink tea.

He proposes to you as the two of you sit, you've never been here before and wonder why the two of you are out here, actually.

"Oh, is it strange? Haha, I just wanted a bit of a change," Rubs the back of his neck and starts to feel nervous.

You explain that you're not complaining, just curious, but you like it!

"Oh, that's a relief. I'm...Uh..." sort of fumbles with something in his coat, really funny seeing as he's a magician and is supposed to be nimble with his fingers. Recovers quite fast and manages to do his classic "flower-behind-your-ear" trick and hands it over to you.

He does the same trick, but this time takes a ring out. "Y/N, you complete me in ways words can't express...will you..." gulps before he continues "marry me?"

Neuvillette

Seems very posh but prefers to keep it simple. He thinks its more special rather than making a super grand gesture. He could of easily proposed in front of the Opera Epiclese, but instead did it at one of the small fountains in Marcotte Station.

The two of you are out on a nightly stroll and this is just where the two of you ended up.

Clears his throat before starting, takes your hand in his, but its his eyes that really do the talking. "I may not be the best in expressing my deepest thoughts and emotions...but there is one single thing that I am quite sure about," he stalls here and seems to look into your soul.

"And it's you, my love. As I take my next steps into this life I lead, I would be honoured if I take them with you by my side,"

Scaramouche

Has it on his mind but doesn't particularly plans when or where he's going to say it. Just knows that he wants to.

While out on an assignment the two of you pass by Mawtiyima Forest. You've always thought it looked like such a magical place. You request to sit on a hill for a bit before moving on.

Scaramouche, as usual, grumbles about this but relents and ends up plopping next to you as well. Truth be told he also liked this particular forest and how quiet yet vibrant it was.

No words are exchanged for a while, just the two of you looking at the view. Scaramouche sneaks a glance at you and you have that stupid, wide eyed look on your face, the glowing blue mushrooms reflecting off of your eyes.

He secretly thinks its cute.

He shows that by aggressively saying. "I don't know what you had in mind when you agreed to come with me, but you're stuck with me till the end now, got it?"

Yes. That's pretty much his proposal.

Tartaglia

Is one who would take you on a vacation off on an isolated, quaint and cute island like Petrichor with wonderful views of Fontaine's waterfalls.

Is the type to get down on one knee while this beautiful background is in sight. Totally plans it and is the cliche, basic proposal. Would totally love the townspeople to clap and cheer while this is happening too.

"Y/N, every day spent with you is a treasure, and I want it to continue for the rest of my life, will you marry me?"

Thoma

Has planned it. Makes sure you have a good time beforehand, probably at some festival and it's when the two of you are winding down, sitting on that rock with the lamp on it that he asks.

"Isn't it magical?" he asks as a starter and you ask what exactly he's talking about. "How it's always a good time and how easy life seems when I'm with you,"

You tell him that's because he always takes good care of you and he laughs heartily at that. "I'm glad to hear it," kisses your forehead and smiles down at you.

"Every day, Y/N, I just fall deeper in love with you...Do you think, maybe, we could spend our whole lives together?"

Tighnari

Plans it and is calm about it. Has everything under control. He chose Pardis Dhyai specifically for its aesthetics and specifically the inside in case it rains. (He doesn't want you to get wet as he proposes, but also doesn't want his ears and tail wet as it happens.)

Clears his throat before he starts, doesn't have a ring because he just doesn't seem the type, for him its more of a pact.

"Rather than talk about emotions alone, I'd want to highlight that you've been quite the mind-stimulating study partner," coughs into his hand "but of course, that's only one aspect of you that I like...it's safe to say that I like you enough to propose the pact of marriage...would that be alright with you?"

Venti

Where else would he think was a good place to propose? Of course he would do it here.

No roundabout way of saying it. Confident in all aspects, partly because he's a God but partly because...what has he got to lose, really?

Doesn't really propose marriage cause...he's not a mortal. Forever might be a thing for him but maybe not for you.

"It's been a while since I've felt really at ease with someone, you know?"

You jokingly say he seems to be at ease with everyone, specially after a few bottles of wine. He laughs out loud at that, and remarks back that no one can make him laugh the way you do.

"It's blossomed into something more beautiful than I thought it would be, Y/N. You, me, and us. Can we stay like this till the end?"

Wriothesley

Has planned it and has stuck to his plan. At a little vacation home at the Southeast of the Beryl Region. The two of you spent a few days relaxing there, under the guise that Wriothesley needed a break.

On the last day he surprised you by revealing that he had asked your family and friends, both from faraway regions and nearby towns to come and celebrate with the two of you.

Celebrate what, you ask.

That's when he gets down on one knee and pops the question "You know, I could still be mistaken," he grins at this but is clearly joking. "but I don't think I am and seeing as you've put up with me, Y/N, I think it's safe to say you're my forever person,"

It was days after when you realize how confident he is of this whole thing when you think about the fact that he had pre planned to invite all your friends and family over to "celebrate"

Xiao

Also a person who doesn't stray far from home. The rooftop of Wangshu Inn is actually quite romantic on quiet nights, with a view of Liyue and a gentle breeze.

To Xiao, marriage isn't really about a ring and signing papers. It's a contract and a promise to each other.

On one of the nights, he just thinks it's the right time to say it.

He's more quiet than usual and you ask if something's wrong.

He pauses for a while before answering. "...Apologies, there's a lot on my mind..."

Xiao has become a lot more open with you through the years.

"...I... just wanted to propose the prospect of being...binded together," you ask what that means cause you're not really familiar, you end up asking if that's the same as marriage.

"M-Marriage? Uh... Yes... I suppose that's what mortals call it... but being binded together is more..." stops talking and gets red in the face. "Let's... just leave it at that,"

I like to think that the process of binding is just that your souls are entwined together...So when one of you passes, you still remember them in your next life, type of thing. Cause if you're a mortal, chances are, you'll die earlier than Xiao. Anyhow, that's a completely different story.

Zhongli

Zhongli prefers the quiet and the nature. This is probably part of your occasional stroll when the two of you need some quiet time.

Zhongli, with how long he has lived, also doesn't see marriage as the normal get-down-on-one-knee-with-a-ring-thing, but for him, it's a contract. It's more binding than anything in the world.

"Y/N, we've walked this path countless of times before," he starts as the two of you continue to stroll. You reply saying that you like this particular area where the bamboos are.

"Is that so?" suddenly stops and looks at you. "In that case, would you care to listen to a proposal I have?"

Clears his throat when you give the approval. "As I've said, we've walked this path countless of times before..." he takes your hand in his "but for me, who has lived longer than you, I've traversed this path for even more times," he closes his eyes. "Yet, with you by my side, this path changes. It transforms into something resplendent. As if...every time had been the first time I've walked through it. It is with you, Y/N, that I discover life anew, despite the thousands of years I've lived. Would you consider forming a contract of lifelong partnership with me, and only me?"

End

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[yuu-extended-yuuniverse]

Pokémon AU! (Yuu & Riddle)

Trainer looking at Grim: What kind of Pokémon is THAT???

Grim, offended: I'm not a Pokémon! I'm a TRAINER. Just you wait! I'll be the greatest Elite Four Champion ever! Myahahahaha!

Yuu: Does that make me the Pokémon in this relationship?

~*~

Riddle Rosehearts was the youngest trainer to ever become a gym leader in Twisted Wonderland, and remains one of the most ruthless.

Gym leader Riddle specializes in primarily fire type Pokémon! Which is why so many new challengers who come prepared with a full team of Water-types are so caught off guard when Riddle's partner Pokémon, Roserade, comes out! Who finishes them off with her signature move "Off With Your Head!"

Losers are enlisted to paint the hedge maze roses of the Heartslabyul gym to appear like Poké balls.

More headcanons and enlarged photos below:

Riddle

Heartslabyul is the first gym most new trainers encounter

It is situated in the same city as the trainer school, where Riddle enjoys tutoring on his days off

His partner Pokémon, Roserade, was gifted to him by a childhood friend (Trey) back when it was still a weak little Budew

Mrs. Rosehearts belongs to the ranks of Nurse Joys and originally wanted Riddle to study medicine. To everyone's shock, obedient young Rosehearts went on to become a formidable trainer and eventually declared, much to his mother's chagrin, his intention to become a gym leader and help new trainers

Riddle is still the youngest gym leader, at 18 years old

Despite his harsh exterior, many trainers still attribute much of their success to Leader Rosehearts' insistence on practicing the basics.

If you are strong and fortunate enough to ever challenge Riddle again, his fully trained 6 team includes Roserade, Ninetails, Flareon, Rapidash, Alolan Rapidash, and Shaymin.

When pressed, Riddle refuses to answer where he met a member of the elusive Shaymin Pokémon.

Riddle can often be found racing or playing polo at the Equestrian club, riding either of his Rapidashs.

Despite all the good he does, Riddle can often be too much of a stickler to the rules and unable to see outside-the-box

He first meets Yuu when he is kicking Ace and Deuce, two new trainers, out of his gym for trying to cheat their way through his hedge maze puzzle and disparaging the idea of going to trainer school, refusing to let them challenge him and effectively ending their dreams of challenging the elite four.

It is only after Yuu challenges him for Ace and Deuce's right to re-enter the gym, and uses both lessons Riddle preaches and unusual outside-the-box thinking to defeat him, that Riddle reconsiders his black and white view of the world.

He gives Ace and Deuce a second chance, on the expectation that they first go to trainer school for a week, and asks if Yuu would consider sharing their unique battling style with the students at the school (despite these techniques not being taught in any books)

In the end, all three, Ace, Deuce, and Yuu, earn their Heartslabyul badges, and Riddle wishes them luck at the next gym.

Yuu

No one quite knows where this trainer came from.

All anyone knows is that they showed up out of nowhere with a talking feline Pokémon no Pokédex recognizes, named Grim.

For whatever reason, Team STYX keeps trying to capture Grim for some nefarious purpose.

But despite Yuu's unimposing figure and having just recently started their journey, they are actually a very formidable trainer and have managed to battle off every one of Team STYX's attempts.

Yuu meets Ace and Deuce while the two of them are being kicked out of Heartslabyul gym and a fast friendship is formed.

Ace declares that they are all rivals now, but they still travel together from city to city.

To Ace and Deuce's horror, Yuu seems to enjoy sleeping over in abandoned and haunted houses on their journey

Ghost Pokémon seem to particularly like Yuu

Yuu sometimes runs into an interesting person during their travels, a man they have nicknamed Tsunotaro

Tsunotaro seems to always show up whenever Team STYX is getting up to no good, and helps Yuu battle them off and clear out various Team STYX bases of operation throughout Twisted Wonderland.

Ace and Deuce have never met this mysterious Tsunotaro, but if they did they would be shocked to discover that he is actually Malleus Draconia, Twisted Wonderland's infamous and terrifying Elite Four Champion

But to Yuu he's just Tsunotaro, a weird but nice guy who seems to think fighting off a crime syndicate together counts as a date

[angelesca]

over and over, you read the sign outside a small agency, rolling the name in your head and flipping it up and down: teyvat's sleuth operatives, sleuth operatives... sounds tacky and lame...

it is only when a brown-haired someone approaches you, that your doubts are erased. their uniform neat, mastering the archetype of a professional private investigator, amber eyes unexpecting your early arrival. “you must be the new recruit, why don’t you come inside?”

edit: i think my tumblr is finally working again, hopefully this post works(-ω-、) w.c. ~3.5k / content: modern au! private investigators (PI) au! [not canon, slight ooc?] bulletpoints and scenarios, writing out of my arse again, lil' crack, another gang of idiots, total braincells: 8.88 (a high score!!), surprisingly they co-exist pretty well, zhongli doesn't know what a waffle maker is, you and childe watch a traumatic talent show, alhaitham's love lang is bickering with you, and wrio has a depressing backstory👍, tldr; working with 4 very fun guys / boss!zhongli / rival!childe / childhood friend!alhaitham / colleague!wriothesley / x gnreader

𝐳𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐢 as your boss!

✦ oldest member, worked in the profession for many years. however, when you ask about that, he is suspiciously evasive. zhongli seems to have lived a long life, though his appearance does not tell it

✦ out of touch with the new generation and technology. asks alhaitham to fix his computer and the kettle (bro just needed to plug it in) or asks you what the newest trendy slang means. it is a wonder how he manages the workplace

✦ tea buddies with wriothesley. hosts tea parties in the local retirement home to discuss and rate tea (power scaling tea real). there's enough boxes to last a lifetime in the breakroom. oh, zhongli is pointing at the clock. it’s… tea time… again

✦ talks your ear off about philosophical questions such as what happens after death, or whether a hotdog is a sandwich

✦ you and childe share a joint role as zhongli’s personal wallet. as to what your boss spends his paycheck on… maybe the countless snacks he leaves at your desk. and tea. more tea. poosssiibly those trinkets he has gifted you too

✦ glasses wearer. appears when zhongli is in deep concentration, due to an unexpected influx of cases so he's staring at the computer often, or during an intense reading session

ᯓ★

you flick through the papers detailing the information you recorded from your client. you and zhongli are out on a scouting mission to obtain clues that could point the case in the right direction. “are you listening?”

“mhm,” zhongli claims, but you can see your words are flowing in one ear and out the other with the way he is plucking free food samples as if they were flowers, bunched together in his hand like a bouquet, offered to him by the fawning ladies at the market stalls. the foreboding premonition of another unproductive day is brimming to the surface.

“where should we start?” you clear your throat, keeping the task on track.

“we should entertain any threads and trace it back, even if it proves to be a dead end. there is no such thing as a bad clue,” zhongli pauses in front of a shop. “for starters, what’s this?”

you raise an eyebrow. “a waffle maker.”

“interesting. what about this?”

“a robot vacuum cleaner. would be good for the office.”

“indeed,” zhongli’s eyes shift. “and this? such a profound colour, this corrosive yellow that erodes my vision is quite unpleasant. could it be…? is this a weapon of mass destruction?”

“zhongli, sir, that’s a banana.“ you shake your head. “is this important?”

zhongli nods. “could be. is it really a banana? a true investigator must question even the simplest of theories.” he points a finger at your pocket. “and this?”

“... that’s my wallet.” 

zhongli has a penchant for being attracted to your money, if he can trace the imprint of your wallet against your pocket. 

zhongli nods, closing his eyes. “a sacred item indeed,” he opens one eye which looks at you expectantly. “i suspect you have quite a formidable sum of mora on your person. and mora is an imperative factor that may save the day, or destroy the world. after all, we still do not know if the banana is deceiving us in its testimony, hm?” 

you give up, handing the money over to the shopkeeper.

his philosophy remains a cryptic language to you. perhaps it’s the gap in experience that makes it hard to connect a bridge to whatever planet zhongli lives on, a divide in universes between you, a disciple, and a master. sometimes, you do believe that there’s a rip in time and space with how zhongli’s senses lag behind as if stuck in the past.

you hand one over to your side. “here—huh?” where did he go?

one look behind you and you find zhongli by a lamp post. a young girl, scratching the ground with a sharp branch with a pout, gazes at zhongli. “who are you?”

zhongli slowly crouches down. “someone who listens to everyone’s troubles. would you mind telling me yours?”

no response. then, a small stomach growls.

zhongli motions at you. immediately, you walk over. “may i take one of the bananas?” you hand him one. “why don’t you take this?”

despite her embarrassed expression, the girl grabs it. she hesitates. “... mama, gone.”

your lips part in realisation.

“come now, we’ll help find your parents.” zhongli offers a hand but the girl extends his invitation, taking his whole arm instead, hugging it. he chuckles, picking her up, her arms naturally cradling his neck as if he is family.

you observe the warm scene, smiling. “you’d make a pretty good parent.” 

zhongli watches you, quiet for a moment. “why don't we raise one together?”

“oh, i’m not—”

“alhaitham can be the teacher; wriothesley will do the cleaning. i can do the cooking, and childe can do all the shopping. you can play the toys with the child.”

“ah. of course,” teyvat’s sleuth operatives is one big family, after all. you have to ask, “also, that banana, how did you know to buy it?”

“well, who knows?” zhongli pats the girl’s back, helping her fall asleep. there’s a glint in his eyes when he looks at you, asking you to work out the mystery. to chase after the clues he left.

another cryptic answer. the master really does live in another world—one that you want to keep learning about.

𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐞 as your rival!

✦ works for the rival agency which, unfortunately, is much more popular. when watching cat videos, their adverts often pop up with childe’s annoying face plastered on it, winking at you

✦ tags along when you are on a case. doesn’t he have anything else to do? at least he buys your fav drink from the vending machines. although he trails around you like baggage, you hate to say that he is good at what he does.

✦ … a bit too good at his job. you’ve spotted him slinking into dark alleys occasionally. what’s he doing there? one day you will know.

✦ trained under zhongli before. therefore, he is lowkey in competition with you. any task is met with the following question: who’s the better apprentice? so far, the score is even, but you’ll get him next time

✦ never enters your agency through the front door. opts to crawl in through the window (no idea why, maybe it's the challenge). comes bearing gifts such as expensive fruit baskets, bouquets, and medicinal roots like ginseng. you’d think he’s meeting his in-laws or something. rare, but may bring his younger brother teucer as well. on these days, teyvat’s sleuth operatives becomes half private agency and half daycare. 

✦ for uniform, the red shirt from his birthday art is nice. maybe a leather jacket that hangs on the shoulder. wears accessories: earrings, rings, bracelets, watches, gloves. bro is something of a fashion icon, tbf he’s rich so might as well

ᯓ★

desolation unwraps itself before you, beckoning its finger at you to sink into the drab swamps. you saw a tuft of ginger hair disappear into this alley, submerged by its fog. it is inevitable; you need to know the truth behind the mystery to quell the ‘investigator’ in you. 

as soon as you think that, your face hits against, according to your common sense, a wall—if the wall defined was actually an amalgamation of flesh and muscle. 

“need our help?” 

a voice irritates your ears. you frown, looking up at the culprit. “you can’t steal our catchphrase like that, childe.” 

childe—your rival, your nemesis, the guy who childishly filled a ketchup bottle with strawberry jam so that he could chug it in front of you, without flinching, solely to disgust you, and counted it as a victory—that childe, shrugs his shoulders nonchalantly.

“boss, who’s dat?” a voice calls from the darkness.

your ears perk up. boss? childe? a responsible leader? no way. you push childe aside. “... who are you guys?”

a whole lot of people are uncomfortably staring at you. “us?” one man stands out from the crowd. “the fatui, duh. have ya not heard of us, newbie?” the man proudly puffs his chest out.

childe rubs his forehead. “you doofus.”

bells were ringing in your head, red alarms were sounding. “the fatui? aren’t you guys wanted?”

before you can reach for your phone, childe catches your hand. “don’t,” his tone is rigid. it takes you by surprise. “look,” childe sighs. “they’re not bad people, promise.” he lets go.

a fatui agent is dancing. “yup, we have many talents, like stealing lunch money.” that is literally illegal. “say, why don’t we host a talent show?”

“oooooh!!” a chorus of easily amused delight.

“me! me!” a burly man wearing a tank top and shorts, holds up a jar of hotdogs. he twists open the lid.

you and childe exchange glances. the next sequence of events you witness are really unfortunate. “oh– please don’t shove that up your– well, okay then.” the sky looks especially wonderful today.

these guys should be in prison after all. 

“ahaha, okay, okay,” childe gestures with his hands, asking everyone to quiet down. “alas, this should be enough–”

“but i can break into people’s houses without triggering the alarm system!”

“i can use my anemo vision to amplify my fart!”

“aha…” the light in childe’s face falters. suddenly, he grabs your hand. “run!”

“—!” in an instant, your legs suddenly burst into strides, finding the right pace to keep up with childe. “where are we going?!”

“anywhere! anywhere is good!” under the sky, the breeze carries his airy laughter. in his eyes, the blue sea parts, a brightness coruscating on its horizon. it is refreshing, brilliant, childish. and vulnerable. 

you can’t help getting carried along by the waves.

.

“i should report you… for almost getting me killed by an anemo-amplified fart,” hands on your knees, the words struggle out of your mouth.

“sorry about that, they’re just really friendly.” he laughs. you notice, the way childe expresses himself towards the fatui, it is a delicate artistry woven with heartfelt tenderness. it’s the same fragileness as when he talks about his family and home. “how about i buy you a drink?” 

you contemplate his offer. after taking a few more breaths, you stand up. “even though i know you meddle with the fatui? how does a vending machine drink suffice?” childe tilts his head, encouraging you to speak. “for a week straight at least. there’s a new cafe opening, but the prices are too steep for my wallet.”

“okay, okay,” his gentle, tender voice extends to you, lifted by a smile. the blue sea parts, and behind it is childe, offering you a place in his home. “you win this time.”

𝐚𝐥𝐡𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐦 as your childhood friend!

✦ more like estranged childhood friend. you left teyvat at a young age, leaving your childhood friend, alhaitham, behind. you only returned recently, surprised to find that little alhaitham grew up well 

✦ does not concern himself with anything that doesn't yield results, keeps conversations succinct, conveying what needs to be said for the job with as little words as possible. only interjects if something intrigues him, or when anyone makes a clueless comment that needs correcting

✦ favours are not regarded well. one time, you asked him to grab you some coffee if he was going out for lunch break. alhaitham sighed, listing the side effects of overconsumption on caffeine and how a sufficient amount of sleep will do you better. although, when you came back to the office after an outing, you found a mysterious cup of coffee on your desk. must be the wind

✦ dislikes outputting energy where it’s not needed. when finished with his tasks, he will head to the breakroom or the corner with the bookshelf to relax until zhongli’s next order. rarely seen at his desk

✦ went to uni for a comp sci degree but it wasn't challenging enough. dropped out, but zhongli, a guest lecturer, managed to recruit him after witnessing his talent. has rejected prestigious titles and positions in favour of a peaceful life. but with you in the picture, he wonders how long this peace would last

✦ wears strapped pouches and harnesses… around the chest... and biceps... straps around the thighs... (;´༎ຶٹ༎ຶ`) for utility ofc. equipped with useful items for the job, like a gps tracker, voice recorders, spy cameras, and his music player. 

ᯓ★

“can you afford to be slacking off right now?” the silence breaks, and you are forced to speak.

“i’m not.” you quickly glance at the time on your screen. “besides, i should start heading home before the last train runs—”

“the last train has already gone.”

“... great.” you sigh. “how come you didn’t tell me earlier?”

“the sharp possibility that you’d insist on finishing your work is comparable to chasing after a dead end, and ultimately, a waste of time.”

a trained oracle, predicting every branching future based on your rooted disposition. it is difficult to debate against that which has inputted all your details, computing every possible output.

you rest your chin on your palm. “what are you even doing here? shouldn’t you be getting your healthy eight hours of sleep?” 

“and in the time that has spanned since you’ve sat at your desk, shouldn’t you be done already?”

you object, “you can’t deflect me with a question.”

“which principle asserts otherwise? i can.”

“you can’t.”

“can.”

“can’t.”

“can–”

you sigh frustratedly, knowing that you’re talking to a wall. throw your words at it and it bounces right back, a ball hitting at you squarely. 

with purpose, you blurt out, “little haitham was so much cuter, you used to follow me everywhere.”

and finally, alhaitham looks at you for the first time today. and for the first time today, you get a good look at him too. his posture manages to be effortlessly upright, not a lick of exhaustion burdened on his face.

“why are you bringing that up?” alhaitham returns to his monitor.

the buzzing of the ceiling light fills the silence. you blink. once. “we promised to the stars that we’d be the best detective duo in teyvat.” the mechanical clicking of keyboards clogs your ears. blink. you tug at the cuffs of your sleeve. “to solve all the mysteries, crimes, and beat up the bad people hiding in the world.” 

sounds of the mouse clicking. a pause builds. alhaitham glances at you. “and? we’re doing that pretty well, aren’t we?” you can’t tell if he’s being sarcastic.

“i thought you’ve forgotten about that,” you admit.

“it was you who forgot.”

you sit up. “come again?” your eyes twinkle, watching alhaitham, your childhood friend. the hope that swells on your face, and alhaitham notices it; the stars in your eyes, he’s tracing the constellations in them. 

"why do you think i'm here in the first place?" his voice dips, as if hoping you didn't hear that.

a promise embedded in the stars, and one of them was waiting for the fated reunion. then, in a split second, you see a younger haitham tugging at your sleeve, following your footsteps. you hide the smile behind your hand. “you’ve been waiting for me all this time?”

“don’t flatter yourself.” alhaitham quickly extinguishes. ouch. another pause washes over before he speaks up, “come over.”

your eyes widen. “over? where?”

“to mine.”

“mine? yours?”

“my apartment. it’s close by.”

“your place?”

“yes,” alhaitham glares at you. “do i happen to be speaking in another language?”

“i mean, how come?” 

“i do not want to be investigating a missing person’s case anytime soon,” alhaitham stands up, packing his belongings, leaving you no choice but to swiftly follow suit. “and our photo albums,” he stops moving. “i've kept them.” 

your heart skips, touched by the rare sincerity. you tease, “so you do care about me.”

alhaitham scoffs. “it's only a sensible suggestion. i don’t.”

“you do.”

“don’t.”

“oh, come on.”

𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐥𝐞𝐲 as your colleague!

✦ was classmates with you at a police academy. by the academy was an arcade where you two played too many games. after graduation, you two silently seperated. wriothesley worked in enforcement for some years before gaining his investigators licence, moved to teyvat, and eventually settled at teyvat’s sleuth operatives

✦ your current hangout place with wriothesley is still an arcade, the one by the agency - it reminds you two of the past. favourite games include money-grubbing claw machines, boxing machines, and “dancing dance rev rev” (i dont wanna get sued–). that, or you end up chatting the day away about whatever new complaints you received from alhaitham, not realising the sun has set and the owner ends up shooing you two out

✦ owns a red motorbike. will take you on rides for fun, watching sunsets on the highway feeling the breeze. will take you home whenever you need—just give him a call. he insists that the best place to hold onto is around his waist

✦ the tea connoisseur of all time. drinks a minimum of 5 cups a day, and you worry he might drop dead one day. you’ve tried to get him onto different drinks, like the popular boba tea, but plain old tea always triumphs in the end. tea is life and zhongli agrees

✦ good at subduing any targets. prefers not to shed blood, but will deescalate confrontations, usually by submission rather than violence

✦ messy uniform. shirt not buttoned all the way up, rolled sleeves, fingerless gloves, dark colours. often seen with bandages along his arm. wears a choker. like a werewolf, rugged

ᯓ★

years back, before you returned to teyvat, you attended a police academy to aid in the preparation and experience needed for your investigators licence.

you always frequented the desolate arcade by the academy. there was no door, the arcade was impartial to any of its visitors, like an open hug.

time and time again, you blew your stress off after a long day. the boxing machine was particularly satisfying in that regard. you and that machine watched the early evening resign, and the night shift taking over everyday. 

the tedium was so easily penetrated by soaking crimson, the liquid leaked vividly dripping down from the forehead. a moment was needed for you to process it. 

a dark-haired person sat languidly against an arcade machine, in a uniform you recognise. half bent-over, head tilting. the sanctity of life departing through hurried breaths. 

“h-hey,” you crouched next to him, hands outstretched but were waiting for a coherent command. “shit.” the lectures slipped by you, running past but never handing the baton. it felt useless.

suddenly, your hand was flicked away by the person. behind his fringe, it was frozen, crystallised, icicles shot past his dark strands piercing you. “don’t bother. it’s nothing.”

eyebrows furrowed. “you’re insane,” you brushed the hair out of his face, finding splotches of bruising. his lip, busted red. injuries walked all over his skin, trampling the delicate layer. his complexion ghastly pale, you weren't sure if it was his skull peeking through his skin. “i need to call you an ambulan–”

“i’m serious,” he reiterated, “i… i just need a moment, some quiet. please. i don’t want them to find…” his sentence trailed off. 

you gulped, hands trembling. “you’re sure you don’t need me to call?”

he nodded.

he reassured you, but you can’t help but feel weighed by the fact that an injured person was right next to you. you made a mental note to ensure he visits a doctor by the end of this. sighing, you slowly sat next to him.

“... i’m just stressed. tired.” his words hung heavy in the blank air.

a familiar word. a sentiment that resonated. all too familiar. 

if there was a way to cheer him up... there was only one thing you knew about feeling burdened. you point a thumb at the boxing machine. “wanna blow off some of that stress?” 

.

“do you think that the arcade by the academy is still open?”

“i hope so. i wanna know if we’re still first on all those machines. and if my bloodstain still frightens people when they walk in,” a snicker. “remember when we played ’dancing dance rev rev’ for six hours straight? those were good days.”

you and wriothesley watch the boxing machine, your joint high scores blinking on the leaderboard in excited colours. 

“do you still have those old plushies i gave you from the claw machine?” you ask.

“of course,” wriothesley searches his pockets and pulls out his keys. a miniature wolf plush keychain hangs, bobbing up and down. “like this one. named it after you, how adorable they are.” he playfully pokes "mini you", cracking a grin.

you smile at the gesture. after all these years, you never forgot each other. “hey, no bullying.” you pause. “... weren’t we supposed to be tracking a suspect? i think they have already left this arcade.”

“oh, yeah. oops.”

a pair of fraternal twins stand outside outside a small agency, reading the sign over and over: teyvat's sleuth operatives… sounds tacky and lame... they think in unison. 

it is only when you approach them, that they stop hesitating. your uniform tidy, almost mastering the archetype of a professional private investigator, smiling at your newfound clients. you are no longer the new recruit. “need our help?”

a/n: i havent played genshin seriously since inazuma so i missed out on many events ( ; ω ; ) sorry alhaitham and wrio i tried my best⭐ lemme know if my reserach sucks bc my references were ace attorney and google (ﾉД`) also i wanted to draw their uniforms but got lazy, so i drew the banner instead (��ω<)☆ anw im off to read more manhwa (great start to the year), ill be back when the motivation finally whacks me hard again. if anyone wants to request ideas, feel free! my inbox is open 24/7! happy new year!!!! 🎆🎆🎆2025 will also be the year of the snake, so shoutout to all my snakes😎

[commandershepardvasfuckit]

An Arranged Marriage, part 9

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8

M!troll x f!reader

1.5k words

Finally home and safe you have a lot of questions and a lot to think about. Your gratefulness for Zen'jan's rescue does not negate the uneasiness of what you saw at the camp or your distrust of Tsov'ka.

--------

“You don’t have to carry me the whole way home” you protested, squirming a bit in Zen’jan’s arms.

“I do not have to, but I want to. Please let me” he responded. “Anyways, you are cold and tired, and you cannot see as well in the dark as I can, I do not want you to trip over anything”.

“Aren’t I too heavy for you be carrying around?”

“I am strong enough, and I want to do this for you anyways”.

That seemed to end the discussion, instead you closed your eyes and tried to focus on the smell of incense.

It was still early when you reached the city, the sun was only starting to rise and only a few people were out and about yet. They looked on but did not dare say a word as a blood covered Zen’jan carried you through the streets.

A wave of relief washed over you as he carried you through the doorway, finally being home, finally feeling like you could take a deep breath.

“I am going to run you a hot bath, you need to clean off” he told you as he carried you to the bathroom still not setting you down though yet.

“I’m alright, you should probably go clean up first anyways” you insisted.

“I will be fine, I can clean up out here, you need to warm up though. And I will just be right out here if you need anything, alright?” he sat you on the edge of the tub and started to fill the bath. “And when you are ready, we can talk about everything. You can ask anything you want and I will answer. I want you to be comfortable around me, if you choose to stay that is, so I want to put your mind at ease”.

You nodded. You had been doing your best to scrub the gore stained image of the camp from your mind, trying to put Zen’jan back into the little box of just being a doting husband and nothing more. It was hard going back to that image with him standing next to you covered in blood.

“Yeah” you said dryly.

He bumped his head against your’s and stayed pressed against you for a moment before seeing himself out.

The warm water felt good on your cold skin and you quickly began cleaning the dirt and blood off you. You scrubbed at your skin until it was raw, like you were trying to scour the memory of the last few hours off of you. For once you did not stay and soak in the tub, instead draining the water and then quickly rinsing yourself under the tap to remove every trace of the last day from you.

As you stepped out of the tub you noticed you did not have clean clothes in the bathroom to change into. You wrapped up in your bath towel and poked your head out the door to ask Zen’jan to bring you something, but to your surprise there was a tidy pile of clothes waiting for you on the floor already. Hastily you grabbed them and dressed.

You wandered back into the main room to find Zen’jan sitting at the lit hearth and wiping himself off with a washcloth and a bucket of water that looked to come from one of the wells outside.

Without a word you sat next to him and took the washcloth from his hand, “May I?” you asked and he reached out his arm for you to clean. Carefully you wiped off every inch of his arm, paying close attention to get everything before moving on to clean his other arm.

Once you were satisfied with with both arms you placed your free hand under his chin and began to gently clean his face.

He watched you so closely, often looking like he wanted to say something and then stopping himself. There was an emotion on his face you could not quite place, at moments it looked like a profound sorrow, or disbelief, that eventually gave way to something more identifiable: longing.

“I am still sorry I did not do this for you, back on the first night” he broke the silence.

“It’s ok, I don’t think I would have let you anyways”.

“But I should have left the hold with you, walked you home, talked to you, and helped you settle in. Maybe I could have explained it to you, maybe you would have let me clean you off, maybe we could have had a better start” he leaned forward and pressed his forehead to yours.

You did not pull away or shy back, instead you leaned in more, nuzzling against him the same way he had nuzzled you the other week. He placed his hand on the back of your head and held you close against him.

“I take it that means you want to stay?” you could hear the relief in his voice when he asked.

You placed your hand on the back of his head and gently pulled him a little closer, unable to really find words but hoping that it was enough.

“You really do not know how happy I am that you still want to be here. Now, I did promise you some answers” he said as he pulled back, “I want you to understand me because I think it will help you be more comfortable”.

“Your common, why are you always so formal?” you asked.

“My common? It is my fourth language, and that also not the sort of question I meant, I think you know that. We can talk about my common later, I promise”.

You had questions for sure, but you had done such a good job of pushing everything down. The worst of the anger you had at him for dragging you to Tsov’ka’s shrine without warning was gone, the fear of Tsov’ka was not though.

“What exactly is Tsov’ka god of?” you asked.

“The shadows, the night, darkness in general, but I think my understanding of it is different than yours” he said.

By now you had finished cleaning his face and had moved on to wiping off his tusks, though the blood had dried into the carvings on them and was proving to be difficult to clean off.

“Then tell me your understanding of it then” you said.

He let out a low hum before speaking, “The shadows give protection, a safe place to hide, there’s also a comfort in the stillness of the night. And you cannot have shadows without light, they are not opposites, they are more intertwined than that, if that makes sense”.

It did not make much sense to you, but you wanted to trust him. The Light was warmth and protection, the Shadows were the opposite, though looking at Zen’jan it was getting harder to accept that the Shadows were as simple as you were taught.

“So, what is an avatar of a god anyways?” you asked.

“Someone chosen by that god to wield their power at times. Having avatars strengthens a god’s influence here in the physical realm, lets their power interact more directly with this world and reinforces their ties with it, and their chosen gets the benefit of that power time to time”.

“But what does that actually mean? What did you actually do at the camp?”

“Are you sure that is what you want to know?” he asked.

“Yes”

“Tsov’ka takes many forms, but mostly appears as a great black jungle cat. He allows his avatars to take his form and be one with the shadows, to fight with fang and claw but be as intangible as the darkness itself”.

The horrid snarling and growling you heard at the camp made more sense now, it had sent chills down your spine but you supposed a great beast made of the shadows would have that effect on most people.

“Do you always fight like that?” you asked.

“No, almost never. It is exhausting and pulls you more into the Nothingness each time. Mortal souls are not meant to be in the Nothingness, only this realm or Reli’s, to be pulled fully into it would pull your soul apart entirely”.

The weight of the situation was setting in, the level of sacrifice he was willing to accept if necessary. Tsov’ka and the Shadows still made you uncomfortable, but undeniably Zen’jan was a good man.

You wrapped your arms around him and hugged on tightly. He had made mistakes, so had you, but even after you screamed at him in fear, even after how hurt he looked when you yelled at him he still risked himself to protect you. He still thought of you before thinking of himself.

You did not choose him, you would have never gotten to choose who you were with anyways, but you got the feeling you were doing much better here with Zen’jan than with any of the upstart naval officers your kingdom had to offer.

Part 10

[ineffable-suffering]

Why Aziraphale is an unreliable narrator

Part 2: The Story of wee Morag

This is Part 2 of 3 total metas. Here are:

Part 1, in case you want to read about my analysis of the Story of Job first

and Part 3, in case you're impatient and want to jump ahead.

Fair warning though, for the sake of understanding some of the references, you're probably better off reading this chaptered meta chronologically. However, every part should work just as well as a standalone! I'll do my very best to make it so.

Alright, off or on you go beyond the cutty cut!

I'll start this second part off with a very brief summary of the main take aways and points from Part 1, which go as such:

Memory, as opposed to a third party's narration, is not a factual, objective retelling of a story or event. It's mingled and mangled with emotions, imaginations and exaggerations, projecting both the feelings and impressions you had back then as well as those you might have now in the present time back on whatever it is you are remembering. (Which is why we need to put everything that Aziraphale is remembering into the context of what he might have felt in the past, as well as what he's feeling right now.)

While this doesn't mean his (or anyone's) memories are lies, it does mean they're a very subjective and sometimes factually distorted representation of what actually happened, which, in our case, gives us a lot of subtext and a lot of not-there furniture to figure out and look at.

So, let's continue with S2E3 and the Story of wee Morag. We start our flashback with a scene of Aziraphale writing his diary entry on the 10th of November, 1827. Immediately, it's firmly established that this is once again not an outside-point-of-view narration, but rather what Aziraphale remembers and wrote down.

One thing that immediately stuck out to me here, is how helpful and kind Crowley is to Elspeth, pretty much from the very beginning when they meet her in the graveyard. Not only does he take on a Scottish accent so she won't perceive him as English (as she does with Aziraphale), but he also helps her drag the barrel that has the fresh body in it and, in the end, even pulls it all by himself while Elspeth simply follows behind them. Here's a rather poor-quality picture, for reference:

Now, we know that despite not showing it very often, Crowley has always been very fond of the humans and never really put himself on a pedestal simply because he's an immortal being himself. He likes humans, just like Aziraphale does. But, just like this story will tell us, Crowley knows that on top of liking humans, you can't just put them into boxes of good and evil and expect them to always do what is supposedly the "right" or "divinely good" thing to do. (Which is what differentiates him from Aziraphale in the way he understands and treats them, as we're shown in this minisode).

Him immediately and unspokenly helping Elspeth with dragging the barrel therefore might also be a first sign of a tiny projection from present day Aziraphale, as opposed to what Crowley might have actually done (probably just walked beside her, like Aziraphale) because he has the knowledge that Crowley really was so very kind to her in the end, wasn't he? And that he's kind to humans in general. ("Not kind! Off my head on Laudanum!" Sure, babe.)

Most of this minisode, in my opinion, is actually there to establish how Aziraphale's view of morality and good vs. evil used to be quite flawed and elitist –– and how Crowley has always been there to gently nudge him towards questioning his black and white view of heavenly right and hellishly wrong. That's why I think there's not as many hints in this minisode about Aziraphale's memories not being an accurate portrayal of what happened, as there are in the Story of Job or the magic show in 1941. (And, fear not, the latter will definitely be the most hint-heavy one). Alas, there's still a few bits and bobs in the Story of wee Morag that stuck out to me, that make a brief yet good case of the whole unreliable narration thing.

First of all: The way Aziraphale describes all of it in his diary is so different from the way we see him actually remembering it. It's almost like he tried to write this entry (and possibly all of his diary) as a bit of a thrilling short story, with himself as the main character. Which makes sense, given the fact that he adores books and would certainly be keen on dabbling in the art of capital-w Writing himself. It's yet again hinting at the fact that sometimes people (and angels) try to polish and bedazzle stories (and memories) to make them seem more exciting and adventurous, often to distract from the not-so-fun parts of it.

Like when Aziraphale's diary narrates:

"It was with heavy heart we arrived at Elspeth's destination. I was determined to thwart her monstrous plan!"

... and yet we see Crowley and Elspeth casually walking down the alleyway, very obviously not heavy-hearted in the slightest, while Aziraphale nervously scurries on behind them, very obviously not determined to thwart. (Timestamp-wise, it's around 17:38 in S2E3, in case you want to see for yourself.)

We get another cinematographic/auditory hint at the fact that Aziraphale's memory is heavily influenced by what he's feeling that very moment, when Dr. Mister Dalrymple –– FRCSE, thank you very much –– shows him the tumor he removed from the seven year old boy. You can see the shock and horror on Aziraphale's face once he learns of this child's cruel fate. We then proceed to hear Mr. Dalrymple's voice grow sort of echo-y and far away as the sad music swells up and drowns out his voice almost completely. It's awfully similar to what it feels like when really horrible news are broken to you and you dissociate and drift into a state of shock. Here's the clip of it, so you may listen for yourself:

It's clear that this is a very subjective portrayal of what Aziraphale is going through during this part of the memory. He's deeply horrified and saddened about the little boy having passed away so early in life – and we hear and feel this shock with him. Through him, because this is his memory. Whatever it is he's feeling and thinking, we're feeling and thinking it too because we're seeing it through his lense.

Another (less sad) hint at a possible exaggeration is the abnormally deep hole Crowley makes the two graveyard watch keepers fall into. I'm pretty sure he's very much in charge of his miracles, making this random slip-up seem a little silly – which is why I'm also pretty sure the "Might have slightly overdone it on that hole" is a wee bit of a meta hint at this just being another one of Aziraphale's dramatic bedazzlements of this story. For the *flings feather boa around neck* drama!

You know what else might be exaggerated? Hm, I dunno, maybe Crowley growing into the size of a tree for no apparent reason. Sure, yes, he's pretty high on Laudanum which is making him a bit loopy. But apart from that, it does seem an awfully big cinematographic euphemism for him being the metaphorical (and, once again, for the drama of it) literal bigger person in this scenario. He's the one who ends up saving Elspeth and who manages to secure a safe life without poverty and grave robbing for her. While Aziraphale was so tangled up in his own moral journey and main character-ism, missing that wee Morag was seconds away from death already, Crowley is the one who actually ends up growing stepping up for the human in need and saving them for good (pun intended).

In a way, it might just be Aziraphale's view of/feelings for Crowley in this very moment. Watching the demon outgrow what, according to Aziraphale's heavenly logic, is supposed to be a foul fiend, bestowing evil upon humanity – and growing into someone who does the exact opposite and saves Elspeth instead. Another larger-than-life character development, in Aziraphale's eyes. Literally.

Let's switch back to the topic of the diary entry one last time, so I can make my final point of the this minisode's unreliable and a smidge over-dramatic narration of Dr. McFell. If you pay close attention, Aziraphale starts the entry we're all getting to experience with: "Last month, Crowley and I both happened to be in Edinburgh." Which means it didn't actually happen on the 10th of November, but rather at some point in October, 1827. Once we see Crowley get hydro-pumped back to Hell after rescuing Elspeth, the minisode ends with, presumably, the last sentence of Aziraphale's diary entry: "And that was the last I would see of Crowley for quite some time."

Take my hand and let's look at where the furniture isn't: This very clearly means that Crowley couldn't have been gone for more than a month, at best. Read again: "It happened last month and that was the last I would see of him for quite some time." This, albeit indirectly, clearly implies that when Aziraphale had sat down to write the diary entry, he had already run into Crowley again. Otherwise his phrasing would have probably been more along the lines of "... and I haven't seen Crowley since" or "... and Crowley has yet to return from wherever it is Hell's currently keeping him".

What's the point I'm trying to make? Good question. I guess my main point of storyteller Aziraphale being a bit over-dramatic in his narration is simply backed up by this, since A Single Month would barely pass as "quite some time" for an immortal being like him. And yet that's how he puts it, in his little Confidential Journals of A.Z. Fell, Vol. 603.

And another point that has absolutely nothing to do with the topic of this meta (but I'm still gonna make it 'cause this is my memory post): The meeting at St. Jame's Park in 1862 that so many, post-S2, took to be their first run-in after the Story of wee Morag, actually wasn't that at all. They saw each other at least once only a month later, as Aziraphale's diary lets us know. Which explains why he wasn't very surprised or concerned when he met Crowley in London, 1862. If there really had been 35 years in between those two events, the first one ending with Crowley being sucked back Downstairs to receive more than three decades worth of hellish punishment, wouldn't Aziraphale have been at least a tiny bit worried or more interested than:

Just saying.

Alright, let's string this inflated hot air balloon of a post back together so we can outline some invisible furniture. This time with only two humble points:

Crowley through Aziraphale's lense Backed up by how we are introduced to Bildad the Shuhite in the Job minisode (suave, cheeky, smart, passionate in shoemaking and obstetrics), it's growing quite clear that Aziraphale's memories and impressions of Crowley are very fond and impressed ones. He sees him as someone who's not only witty, funny and cool, but also as someone who has figured out way sooner and faster than him that nothing's ever black and white. Not God's plans and not the human's choices either.

Aziraphale as a bit of an exaggerating adventure author With the direct parallel we get of inkslinger journalist!Aziraphale in the present day, it's quite apparent after this minisode that Aziraphale's memory is not only deeply influenced by his emotions, but that he also tends to have a bit of a dramatic touch to him. Although, you gotta give it to the guy: A month without seeing the love of your life, even if said life is eternal, can indeed seem like "quite some time".

Well, would you lookie here, we've reached the end of Part 2! What a journey it was. I hope you forgive me for the fact that I drifted off-course a few times. I just can't seem to reel in my silly little observations, even if they've got nothing to do with the point I'm trying to make. But hey, doesn't that just make me a little bit like Aziraphale's storytelling, in a way?

I'll let you be the judge of that.

See you in Part 3! And in case you haven't snuck a peak yet: here's Part 1 again.

Ta!

[alotofpockets]

Secret admirer | Jackie Groenen

Pairing: Jackie Groenen x Nedwnt!Reader

Prompts: "It was you the whole time?" & "Your handwriting is recognizable, you know that right?"

Masterlist | Woso masterlist | Words: 1.1k

Ever since the national team camp had started, you have been finding little notes everywhere. Most often you would find them in your bags, or in your locker but sometimes you would find a note with your name on it in a shared space like next the the coffee machine outside of the conference room. 

You loved whenever a new one would show up, always smiling at the lovely message that was written on it. Usually either a compliment or a beautiful quote. You kept every one of the notes that you had received from your secret admirer in a box, happily adding the newest editions each time. 

Today when you entered the dining hall all eyes were on you, “What’s going on?” You asked, getting a little shy from all the attention. “We’ve found another note from your secret admirer.” Daan says while wiggling her eyebrows, waiving the note with your name on it through the air. “Hey, give that to me.” You say while snatching it from her hand. “Does it say your name, huh?” Daniëlle just laughs at your possessiveness of the little note. 

You grab your food and sit down at one of the tables. Taking the little folded note from your pocket to read it. It was another one with a compliment which made you blush instantly, you looked pretty today! was written on the note you had to work hard on to hide from your curious teammates. “Do you know who they are from, yet?” Jackie asks. You shake your head, “No, the notes are always anonymous.” 

In reality you had known who the notes were from almost instantly. You just chose to let this play out, because quite frankly you felt very flattered and loved by how much effort your not so secret admirer was putting into making you smile. 

After breakfast you head out to the training field with the rest of the team. They continued their teasing when you’d taken the note with you instead of leaving it in your room. You couldn’t care less about their teasing though, you had fallen hard for the writer of the notes a long time ago, and were eager to get to the stage where she would let you in on her secret.

It wasn’t until a couple weeks into training camp when you and a few of the girls took a trip to the beach on your day off. It was the perfect weather for a walk on the beach and you were so glad that Jackie suggested it. Unbeknownst to you, her intention was to only ask you to go but when people got wind of it, they invited themselves along for a group hang.

When you all walked past a small restaurant, Daan suggested taking a little break. Most of the girls were down, just Jackie seemed to not be into the idea. “Actually, I think I want to continue walking for a bit longer. You guys go ahead though.” You excused yourself from the group and followed Jackie, noticing the slightly somber look on her face. “Hey Jacks, mind if I join? The weather is just so nice today.” Her smile quickly returned. “Yeah, I actually wanted to talk to you about something, so this is perfect.”

You continued walking as Jackie started talking. “So, since camp is nearing its end, I wanted to tell you something.” You smiled at her, encouraging her to continue, knowing full well what she was on about. “The notes you’ve been getting.” She started, nervously looking up at you. Jackie seemed to be too nervous to continue, so you decided to ask her, "It was you the whole time?" Her eyes widened, did you know or were you guessing? “Yes, it was me.” 

You smile wide at the confession, even though you already knew it was her, it was just so good to hear her say it. “Aw Jacks, that’s sweet. I had no idea!” She studies your face, noticing a slight sparkle in your eyes. “You already knew it was me, didn’t you?” You laugh, “Yes, yes I did.” Jackie hides her face behind her hands. “Oh god, I’m so embarrassed right now.” You shake your head and move your hands over hers, effectively taking them away from her face. “Don’t be embarrassed. I loved it.” You reassure her. “Why didn’t you stop me as soon as you realized it was me?” You left one of your hands on her cheek, gently stroking it with your thumb, while you held her hand in your other. “Because I never want you to stop leaving me little notes like that.” She searches your face again, looking for the meaning behind your words. A meaning she finds when you start slowly leaning in, waiting for any kind of response from the woman in front of you to make sure that this is what she wanted to. The moment Jackie starts leaning in too, you smile and pull her face closer to yours, connecting your lips in a soft kiss.

After you pull back from the kiss, you wrap your arm around her, hugging her tightly. “I just wanted to say that I look out for your notes every single day, they mame me very happy. Especially knowing they came from you, of course.” You place a quick peck to her cheek and the two of you continue walking down the beach hand in hand. It wasn’t until about five minutes later that Jackie stopped you in your tracks, “Wait, how did you know it was me?” 

You reach in your pocket to pull out the note from today, "Your handwriting is recognizable, you know that right?" Jackie starts laughing, “How did I not realize that?” You laugh with her, “I have no idea, but it’s very cute.” 

Since the wind was getting colder you decided to turn around and head back to the restaurant the rest of the girls went to. You walk up to their table together and each order a hot chocolate to warm up again. The hot chocolate came with a small napkin, which gave Jackie an idea. She reached in her purse and grabbed a pen. You smile when you realize she is writing you another note, this time right in front of you. You read her note with a big smile on your face. 

Life is an adventure, and I cannot wait to live this adventure with you by my side.

xx Jackie

Your first signed note and the start of a beautiful adventure. You pocket the note, the rest of the girls not having noticed anything yet, hoping to keep this between the two of you for a little longer. 

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[typicalopposite]

crop top tee and cut off jeans

(An idea I have had for a little while from @silversky9 where Tommy wears a crop top and Buck goes a little feral over it. We bounced the idea and it spiraled into what it is now 🫶 TW for the second half there will be mpreg. But you can stop after the first half — I’ll say when — and it’s just good ol fashion … not quite light smut!)

BuckTommy | M | 2803 words | ao3 link

It is so damn hot. 

The sun has been beating down on Tommy’s back for hours as he works in his yard, and he finally has reached the over it stage where he breaks out his special super secret outfit. 

Okay, okay… that’s a bit dramatic. It’s just— it’s not something he would typically wear. 

He slides the shirt over his head and it stops not quite halfway down his torso, then slides the loose and worn out pair of jeans up over his hips… they aren’t booty shorts… where’s the comfort in that? But… They are shorter than he anticipated when he cut the old jeans off a few summers ago. 

He steps out of the bathroom and looks at himself in the mirror. Not bad for an old man, Kinard… he teasingly thinks to himself. His body really is in possibly the best shape he’s been in, in a while. Thanks to his overly enthusiastic boyfriend making sure he sticks to his diet and pouts until he works out with him nearly every day… 

Not bad for an old man, at all… trying to keep up— trying to keep himself alive some days. Not that he cares too much. It makes Evan happy and keeps Tommy healthy so he can be around to keep Evan happy for a long long time. 

Plus… he has never filled out this outfit so nicely… if he does say (or well, think) so himself. 

His solidly built body, just barely, in the old faded cropped slipknot band tee worn mostly just so his shoulders aren’t so exposed to the sun— the shorts hug him a little more than they use to, but are broken in enough to still be breathable and comfy enough to spend the day outside in. 

His privacy fence keeps nosey neighbors eyes off the outfit. Not that he cares what they think— that’s a lie… he would love nothing more than to not have to see their judgemental expressions if they saw big tough guy, Tommy, dress… how he is dressed. But in the privacy of his back yard, he feels free to be a little less how he is expected to be— or act, or look. He can remove the metaphorical mask, that even after all this time… he still keeps snuggly on, and be completely just Tommy. 

And Tommy likes his cropped up top and cut off jeans. He ties a bandanna around his head to keep his curls pushed back… and his thumbs are painted sparkly purple instead of just clear— because it’s pretty and only he will see it. He smiles once more at himself, feeling the last thread of self doubt break loose and he walks out into his backyard. 

It’s still so hot, just more bearable. 

His body is drenched and the clothes are plastered to his body… but he’s almost done. The grass is cut; the weeds in his flowerbed taken care of; he pressure washed his back patio, and set up the new table and chairs he recently purchased— he has guests over pretty often now… which is still a new concept he’s wrapping his head around, but they need places to sit, he guesses. The last thing he is going to do for the day is set up a spice garden… for Evan. 

“Fresh basil is far superior to the dried flakes, babe…” he had pouted when Tommy didn’t want to pause dinner to run to the store… when he had the ingredient (just not the correct form). Did they go get the fresh basil, yes. Did Tommy begrudgingly admit Evan was correct for wanting to go get the fresh, basil… eventually. Did they take turns with each other’s punishment for being such a brat and a bitch about the situation after dinner… absolutely! 

Did Tommy go out the next day and buy everything to set up the little project, and gift, for his boyfriend…? Well… fresh is far superior to dried, so it’s a win win for everyone. 

He is so focused on assembling the wooden box he doesn’t hear the engine come to a stop just on the other side of the fence gate, he doesn’t hear the beep as the doors are locked, or Evan when he calls out once he enters the house. He is busy smoothing out the soil, poking holes down for the seeds, and is mid turn to grab said seeds when Evan gasps (pretty dramatically) after stepping out onto the patio. 

Tommy freezes. He stares and Evan; Evan stares at him. Then he smiles. 

He crosses the patio to where Tommy is standing, takes the seeds from him and sets them down out of the way, then takes Tommy’s face in his hands and pulls him into a deep, passionate kiss. “What… was that for,” Tommy asks, feeling drunk off of it when Evan finally pulls back for air. 

“What is this for?” Evan asks, equally winded, moving to mouth along Tommy’s jaw as he slides his hands up Tommy’s sweat slicked back, under the crop top, to his shoulders… then back down to the cut off of the jeans. His fingers slip under the cut and run along the curve of his ass… and he whines against Tommy’s skin. 

Tommy’s already heated skin is now on fire, for multiple reasons. He fidgets in Evan’s hold and pulls away to look at him, having to lean far back to escape Evan’s hungry lips as they move down his neck . “You’re ridiculous,” he laughs. 

“You’re delicious,” Evan counters and dives back in, walking Tommy back until Evan has him pressed— groin to groin; hardening erection to equally hardening erection — against the railing to his patio steps. Evan trails his tongues back up Tommy’s skin and only stops to nip at his ear causing Tommy to let out a whimpered yelp. “Alright, that’s it…” Evan exclaims, then he dips down and without warning Tommy is hoisted up and over Evan’s shoulder. 

“Evan!?” He is held firmly in place and carried up the few steps to the patio door. “But your spice garden…” 

“It can wait— wait…my spice garden?” 

“Mhmm…” Tommy hums, a proud smile spreading across his face as Evan turns back to look at the little handmade garden box. 

He’s quiet for a moment, then tightens his hold on Tommy and pushes the patio door open. “Oh yeah, let’s go…” he mutters, and proceeds to carry him to the bedroom, dropping him onto the bed and wasting no time climbing up on top of him. “You… are amazing, sweetheart… Do you know that?” Tommy preens at that, then shies away. “No no… look at me beautiful. I need to know you understand how much I appreciate and adore you right now.” 

Evan sits back on his heels and lets his eyes roam over Tommy’s body, he bites . “It’s just some yard clothes…” Tommy says, knowing there’s a deep blush taking over his face. 

“It’s just hot, Tommy… you look so hot in this, and you have no idea do you?” 

“You really like it?” Tommy asks softly, and he knows that voice tends to do so much more to Evan than when he drops it down an octave, making it deep and scratchy. He bats his eyes even and Evan looks ready to pounce. 

“Oh I’m going to show you just how much I like it—” Evan practically growls. He grabs Tommy by the waist and flips him over, pulling him up onto his knees. “—and you—” He stops Tommy when he starts to pull the crop top off, taking both of Tommy’s wrists in one hand and pressing them into the mattress over his head, no command to leave them there needed, Tommy knows. “—and all the things you do for me, sweetheart.” Then Evan works at the jeans, until they are pushed down just enough to grant him access. 

Evan is quick and effective. First with his mouth then with his fingers. He works Tommy open until he is writhing and begging for more and then he gives him just that. Filling him up, while also dropping down to whisper his praises and gratitudes in Tommy’s ear while he pounds into him. Tommy gasps and moans and cries out for Evan to go faster and harder, arching his back against Evan’s chest with an exasperated cry as he reaches his climax. 

Needless to say, Tommy is left feeling very appreciated and adored. 

🛑🛑🛑🛑🛑🛑🛑🛑🛑🛑🛑🛑🛑🛑🛑🛑

STAHP! there be mpreg beyond this point! Unless you’re cool with than then — GO!

🟢🟢🟢🟢🟢🟢🟢🟢🟢🟢🟢🟢🟢🟢🟢🟢

(Forty TWO weeks later)

It is so fucking hot, and Tommy might actually lose his mind. 

He is huge and tired and sore… and now the AC won’t turn on. He wants to cry as he flips the switch to off then back on like Evan suggests when Tommy called to angrily panic scream about it. “The tech will be there in the morning to look at it,” Evan tells him at the end of the conversation, after nothing has worked, his voice heavily apologetic… and Tommy whines pitifully. He can’t help it. It’s Evan’s fault he is in this miserable position in the first place. He runs a hand over the large bump housing their baby girl and sighs. “I love you so much, sweetheart. I’ll make it up to you as soon as I get home, okay?”

“Will you bring me some ice cream?” Tommy asks, and Evan quickly agrees without hesitation. “And give me a foot massage?” Another quick agree from Evan, and Tommy digs for more requests; because dammit, if he has to roast in this house because the doctor decided he needs to be put on bed rest while they wait for their daughter's arrival, so he can’t leave, then he is getting pampered for it. His ego and pride can be damned. Evan promises to do every single one, then he has to get off the phone; the sound of the alarm blares in the background and Tommy hopes it will be a quick last call so Evan can get home to him… even if the heat is sweltering and he will not be allowed to touch him beyond the foot massage. 

He goes around the house, opening all the windows and turning on all the ceiling fans; he goes into the garage and finds all their standing fans as well. He doesn’t even look at the thermostat to see how hot it is, the way his shirt is drenched and sticking to his body is enough to know it must be ridiculously high. 

No matter what he does it is just too hot. 

He finally can’t take it anymore and tugs his shirt up and over his bump, but hesitates pulling it over his head. It’s his nipples. They are so sensitive— so sensitive! Not exactly in a good way this far into the pregnancy… and the wind blowing from all the fans will be murderous on them! 

The problem is now the fabric is sitting bunched up on top of his stomach and that’s no less annoying than it being plastered to his belly. He huffs about a frustrated breath… then he gets an idea. 

Evan is going to murder him for using the kitchen shears but he was too desperate to get this done quickly to go hunt down his crafting scissors. He snatches the shirt off and lays it out flat on the table, eyes a line about midway up and starts cutting. He slides it back on and the edge hovers just above where his belly sticks out from his body, not rubbing annoyingly against it, but still covering his poor nipples from all the air. 

He breathes a sigh… and suddenly the idea blossoms. He thinks of his baggy pregnancy jeans… that he will have no use for once the baby is born, then hurries to their room to find them, tugging his gym shorts off and discarding them into the hamper in the corner of their room as he goes. 

One more modification later and he tries them on… definitely shorter than he intended but he’s not mad at it. He twists his body as best as he can to see his backside in the mirror and hums a pleased little hum at how he looks. Swollen, sure. But past that he fills the fit out nicely. 

And most importantly… he feels substantially better. He might even be able to get some cleaning done now…

Which is exactly what Evan finds him doing when he finally makes it home from work. “What are you—” he gasps, then trails off… Tommy stops mopping and blinks innocently at his soon to be husband. “Oh my god…” Evan sobs, dropping the bag of ice cream with his keys and his jacket and beelining straight into Tommy. His hands wander over the exposed bump and Tommy tilts his head back and softly chuckles as Evan wastes no time latching onto his throat. “Are you trying to kill me, sweetheart?” Evan whines against the mark he left behind. “I just got off work.” He presses a row of kisses around Tommy’s neck, and up to his ear. 

“Hmm…” Tommy hums smugly, letting his hands travel up Evan’s arms and wrap around his shoulders. “I had a feeling you might like it.” 

“Oh you did?” Evan asks into his ear before nipping at the lobe and sending a shiver through Tommy’s body. “So you purposefully chose to be a tease when I got home?”

“Maaaybe…” Tommy drags out, his lips twitching up into a smirk. He really hadn’t, it was just too damn hot… but he will play into this for some (hopefully labor inducing) sexy times. Evan hesitates— he has his reservations about sex so late in the pregnancy— but it’s very short lived with Tommy dipping his head and glancing up at Evan through his lashes. “What are you gonna do about it?” he asks softly… with just a bit of a needy desperation in his voice. 

That does it.

Evan growls and finally captures Tommy’s lips, letting his hands wander and roam over Tommy’s body. The bump is such a mood killer, stuck out and so in the way, but they are creative, and at two weeks over due if Tommy wants it… Tommy gets it. Evan leads him over to the kitchen island, leans him forward just a bit, and tells him to keep his hands flat on the counter top. Then he gets to work, kissing a trail over the back of Tommy’s neck, down his back and stopping at the hem of the pants. 

He eases them off of Tommy’s hips, over his extra caked up (Evan’s words of affirmation since he put on he baby weight) ass and down just enough he can easily part Tommy’s cheeks and dives in. 

It’s not long before Evan’s ministrations have Tommy’s legs trembling. “Baby…” he pleads, and Evan immediately stops, kissing back up Tommy’s back. They are nothing if not always prepared and Evan quickly finds a live packet in one of the drawers. He pushes his pants down and slicks himself up just as Tommy’s winces. 

Evan completely stops. “Are you okay?” 

Tommy nods and lets out a deep breath. “This is too much on my back,” he says, rubbing over the heavy bump. “Can we move to the bedroom?” 

“You don’t want to stop?” Evan asks, and receives a daring glare. “Okay, okay…” he laughs, and presses a kiss into Tommy’s cheek. Tommy tugs his shorts back up and takes Evan’s hand Very determined to finish what they started now, leading him to their bedroom. Evan eases him onto the bed and takes the sight before him in, groans before joining Tommy on the mattress. “How did I get so lucky?” he asks, running his hands up and over Tommy’s body, moving back to kiss him again. 

He gets back to work, this time slipping the shorts all the way off, but making a verbal note that the shirt stays put. Then he shifts Tommy onto his side, moves behind him, lines up, and slides in. Tommy arches back against Evan’s chest and his breathing picks up, as does Evan’s thrusts. “Baby… baby… baby…” Tommy chants, feeling around until he finds Evan's hand and lacing their fingers together. “Come on… come on… come on…” 

He can feel the heat pooling in his belly and he knows it isn’t going to take long at all. He bites his lips and starts to rock himself back into Evan’s thrusts, as Evan’s hand releases his and moves down to grip him. It only takes one stroke and Tommy’s vision whites out, his body goes rigid, he cries out Evan’s name…

Needless to say… the baby was born that night. 

[shirefantasies]

Things You Do Together- Thorin's Company

You love reading stories, as does Balin; thus, you often take turns each night reciting old wonders to each other, perhaps even the folk tales of your own culture. Sometimes he reaches over and turns the page for you as you get lost in the tale, imagining yourself in the characters' shoes or pondering the outcome of an unfamiliar suspenseful story.

Dwalin has a deep-down love for anything domestic, thus his heart goes out to you when you invite him to bake together. He loves being the first to try whatever you make, the way it becomes second nature to move around each other in the kitchen, even doing the tasks which are your least favorite part to lighten your load! If you truly are in private, he will tell you that you are the greatest treat of it all.

Thorin takes an interest in your interest. You’ve been whittling for some time, but one day you catch the king peeking over your shoulder and, giggling, invite him to join you. His carvings, though not expert, depict far more regal subjects than the simple sights of nature you attempt to capture, but both his traditional dwarven effigy and your merry robin sit atop the same shelf together at completion.

Gardening is something Oin joins you in once you get settled, whether it’s potting plants within the great mountain itself or finding a patch outside of Dale. Such is a perfect activity for him to start an herb garden and help you keep up tending the soil. He knows a slew of tricks to keep it healthy and makes even tasks like weeding more enjoyable with his company.

Gloin teaches you every tavern game in the book and all the ways they try to throw them, too. So proud is he as you start out-gaming even the older members of the company, remembering all the tells Gloin spilled to you and imitated, making you laugh nonstop! You always tell him that no matter what, though, he is your favorite to play with, teasingly supposing he just throws the dice the best.

Bifur teaches you how to polish stones, even cut them yourself. The process is quite difficult at first, but seeing the way your eyes lit up at your craft was worth it. You keep a box to house most of your stone collection, but a few of the cut ones that turned out well seem to go missing until Bifur surprises you with jewelry made from them!

A lover of music, Bofur is over the moon teaching you how to play his flute or otherwise learning a new instrument with you! You get a laugh at how the sour notes of learning sound and even play wrong on purpose just for the joke. Progress makes him proud, though, and he always says you two could be in a band in no time!

Bombur loves building things for the children, the sight never failing to bring a smile to your face. You join him in repair of their roundabout, a bit awed at the confidence with which the quiet dwarf works. Once the children arrive and he lights up, you smile and rest a loving hand upon his shoulder- you can see exactly from where he derives his strength and focus.

Dori learns to crochet with you, having seen his brother do something similar. But with you, you make little dolls, trinkets that remind him of his toymaker friends. More than that, though, he adores more intricate patterns. They may be more difficult, but all the more beautiful if he can actually manage them! Gushes over your work even if he thinks his isn’t good.

Typically Nori hides the fact that his eldest brother forced him to learn to sew, planning to take that fact to his grave, but one day the gears turn within his mind. He could make you something rather fetching, after all. Suddenly you become his real-life model as he chooses the cut and color he’s always wanted to see you in, barely able to keep his hands off you during the pinning.

Ori would love learning languages with you, whether they are native tongues to you or you pair learning together, creating a bond and a secret way to talk just the two of you. He especially loves learning a new character system to write in, it's like a code! Soon you two are always passing messages back and forth, chatting about anything you want unabashedly, and giggling to each other.

If you delight in dancing, Fili adores learning every move with you, hands taking yours or sliding over your hips with a teasing wiggle of his eyebrows. His blue eyes will be locked on yours with every move, even if the steps require you to separate his gaze will search for you again.

Kili is fascinated by your writing. The fact that tales spring into your mind upon the hearing of a song or even endurance of pain amazes him beyond all else. Sometimes he puts a hand on either side of your head and says he wants to absorb your thoughts with a teasing smile. Kili has endless questions, though, about your stories, truly your biggest fan and supporter hanging on the edge of your every word.

Reading maps. Bilbo has countless in his study, old and new, that he likes to pore over and scour for new details. You join him out of natural curiosity one day, but as his hands pass over the delicately drawn features you find yourself falling in love. Well, and with the maps, too. It is amazing to think how far you both have traveled in your days when you see the whole world lain before you.

[bonzos-number-1-fan]

What R# Means: The ABC's of Fear.

The grading system used by the OIAR is one of TMAGP's more central mysteries. The show is rife with administrative work that's obfuscated even to the employees that assign each case's rating.

I have my own theory about DPHW that I think is proving more and more likely each episode, but as of yet I don't think a comprehensive theory on CAT# or R# has been given. CAT# is still proving a hard to crack but I now think I can take a strong stab at the meaning behind R#.

Spoilers for TMAGP 1-7 below the cut.

For the people who aren't keeping close track of this I'll break down how those terms are used. Each incident the OIAR assesses is assigned a case number in the following format CAT#R#DPHW. CAT, short for Category, is assigned a value of 1, 2, 3, or any combination of those three digits (12, 13, etc.). R, short for Rank, are graded C, BC, B, AB, A, or S (potentially AS but it's not come up). For DPHW each letter is a category itself and replaced with a digit from 0-9 for its grading. So there are 6 separate statistics that the OIAR uses to assess each incident.

If I'm correct about DPHW it's a ranking based on the qualities the incident presents. That's obviously very valuable information. Because of how CAT# is formatted we know it's likely three non-mutually exclusive facets. I had some idea about what it could be but it's proving quite tricky to nail down.

However it's R# that is the topic of today's post and it's something I've had a few ideas on before. We know can assume from its formatting it's a linear scale. C is the "worst/weakest/etc." while S is the "best/strongest/etc.". Initially, I thought that R# was simply a straight forward ranking of potency or threat. Higher the rank, spookier the incident. Very early on that seemed like a strong idea. It was quickly disproven but I then had the idea that Rank was instead the scale of the effect. Higher the rank, wider the incident. Also quickly disproven.

Now I'm thinking it's graded on how hard it is to deny an incident's supernatural nature. Simply put, an outside observer can more readily find a believable rational explanation for an incident of lower rank than of higher rank. Either via their own conviction to believe the supernatural isn't real, or based on the story the OIAR cooks up to explain it.

For that to make sense it needs to tick two boxes. It needs to be able to be pre-assigned to an incident as all CAT#R#DPHW's seem to be, and it needs to be useful information to track. As they're operating under the assumption that CAT#R#DPHW's can be pre-assigned then they're operating under the assumption that each type of incident is relatively stable. Meaning that the likelihood that it can be rationally explained is also relatively stable. Tick 1. There is also a really strong reason for the OIAR to use this as a grade. They're the Office of Incident Assessment and Response, the Response Department might be dead but it was a part of the initial plan. Grading each incident on how likely they are to cause concern should the details go public is very useful for deciding how to approach any given case. Tick 2.

It being useful is all well and good but it does also need to have some evidence so let's look at our highest ranked incident to this point: CAT23RAB2155 - Transformation (Eye) -/- Trespass. A man grew eyes over his body. That's pretty tricky to explain away as a medical mystery. On the other end of the scale we've got CAT2RC1157 - Dolls (Watching), or CAT2RC3338 -Agglomeration (Miscellany) -/- Congregation†. Just a creepy doll and some crappy antiques. I think of all the incidents the one that's the least immediate fit is CAT3C7494 - Collection (Blood) -/- Musical. Most of that incident is very easy to slot in here. "It's just a violin that has sharp strings, so what?". But it's also a violin that made some people eat some other people. However, mass hysteria events do get reported every so often IRL and do have a very long history. So in the grand scheme of things I don't think the details of the event are necessarily all that outlandish. It's really in the realms of urban legend and witch hunts than it is definitive proof of the supernatural.

With all that out the way this is the broad strokes of how I could see this breaking down. C ranks are things you can entirely write off as urban legends, freak accidents, and stress. Potentially things that might not need any covering up at all. I think the majority of events people could entirely say didn't happen will end up in C. "Of course the doll wasn't watching you, dolls aren't alive". B ranks are things that are harder to entirely discount as things that happened but are themselves still relatively easy to excuse as mundane. "Sure, the circumstances of that blogger's disappearance are strange but people go missing all the time, doesn't mean a monster did it". We don't have any A ranks but given the AB rank we do have I'd say A's are things in which no rational explanation can account for it, and as such require more extensive covering up, if it indeed happened. "Okay, maybe the supernatural is real because people don't just grow eyes like that".

As I mentioned early, an S rank does exist. We've not seen this attributed to anything in the show yet and so it might prove to be a special case. However on Klaus' sheet‡ from the ARG it's attributed to an interesting incident. A CAT1RS[No DPHW] with the note Mr. B. And, well, if you know, you know.

From Klaus' sheet we also know that the higher ranked incidents happen less often than lower ones and that idea generally tracks with what we know of TMP and TMA. The supernatural tends to be something you can explain away. It often is explained away. Incredibly overt manifestations are a rarity.

This one will be a slow burn to see if it bears out. Much like with DPHW's it's only really interesting when things go against the theory. I'm not as certain on this one as I am the DPHW theory but I do think it's got legs with our current data.

† This did also feature people who seemed to erase their physical features from your memory after you interacted with them. This isn't something I mention in the theory because it's not taken into account by the header and case number. A major flaw in the OIAR's methodology here is that all incidents are only ever one thing. So the case number is based solely on the presence of lots of miscellaneous objects, rather than the mind-wiping people carrying them.

‡I have made an incident master doc here, containing all the current cases, their CAT#'s, R#'s, DPHW's, etc. It has about as much information on each as I think is reasonable, including who narrates it, a link to its episode, and any other relevant notes, as well as headers for incidents we didn't hear. Additionally it also contains the Klaus sheet (German and English) and links to it when an incident matches. It will be updated each episode after the episode is publicly available.

[aranarumei]

spoilers for ch 51 of sasaki to miyano so like. read at your own risk but oh my god I can’t stop thinking about the construction of this chapter. this volume in general actually bc harusono is a good writer and that means that when a chapter it’s something it’s actually a culmination of things. deep breath. okay.

so. a lot of volume 10 deals with these odd, wordless senses of jealousy from both sasaki and miyano. sasaki when he sees miyano and shirahama chatting after their chance encounter, and miyano when he sees sasaki and ugawa. I think it’s critical that these friendships are ones that catch their attention, because they’re both ones that develop outside of the context of sasaki and miyano’s high school relationship. shirahama makes an actual proper appearance in ch 41 and becomes a named character in ch 42–sasaki graduates in ch 39. ugawa, obviously, is sasaki’s university friend. so for these two people, seeing them represents this feeling of change and distance they haven’t quite grappled with.

but miyano does verbalize something in ch 51, and it’s that he’s selfish. that he wants to be the person making sasaki happy. that’s why it’s so important that he catches sasaki laughing because of ugawa. because we’ve established that sasaki’s often curt, often apathetic, and so it’s Only around miyano that he makes that 180 into total cute sweetness. but obviously that’s not how humans work, right? some of that warmth they share is going to bleed out. anyways. it’s no coincidence that miyano introspects with himself about the selfishness of relationships, of love, the same chapter that shirahama carries his boxes and tells him to go to the nurses’ office. runs before he can be thanked. offered his umbrella in previous chapters. made a blueprint for miyano’s clumsy hands.

it’s something potent, I think… the weird selflessness that’s almost easier in unrequital, and the way a relationship is not the same thing as love.

[imagobin]

Hello! What do you think about a Killua & Leorio friendship scenario?: Killua gets inspired by Leorio so that he also wants to become a doctor and Leorio helps him with his studies.

Apologies for only getting to this nowwww I've been way too busy ugh This is SUCH a fun scenario! Idk the twist of Killua going from killing people to saving them is so cute and sweet- let's goooo! This is gonna be taking place a few years later, when Leorio is an actual doctor.

🩵Leorio helping Killua study HCs🪀

I wanna be like you:

Killua was raised to be an assassin, he'd been using his skills to hurt people ever since he could remember, but ever since he'd rescued Alluka from his family, his intentions began to change drastically, even more than they had in the past years.

Unless it was about protecting his little sister... fighting wasn't his priority anymore, especially since hearing that Leorio had actually managed to reach his goal of becoming a doctor.

He'd honestly never paid that much attention to that "old man" before. They were friends, sure, but he'd always been closer to Gon since it was easier to relate to someone his own age.

Hearing Leorio's passion when talking about his dream, genuinely inspired Killua... could he become a doctor too? He'd always struggled with finding his own path in life, always clinging to other people for a purpose... the doubt that he was just doing this as the ultimate act of defiance towards his family or to copy Leorio was still there, but nothing at the moment was forbidding him from trying.

"Leorio... what does it take to become a doctor?" he'd casually brought up the topic, acting typically bashful about asking a question like that. Leorio was surprised at first, but he answered honestly. Aside from studying lots, the desire to help people when nobody else can was his main drive.

"Do you think... I can do that?" Now Leorio was actually floored. An ex-assassin? Wanting to be a doctor? But... he wasn't the type to discourage his friends, quite the opposite- when he understood Killua wanted to follow in his footsteps he felt a sense of pride, and like the great big brother of the group he is, he took it upon himself to help Killua with his new goal.

Learning to focus:

What Killua was not expecting, was his new goal immediately getting challenged by... his own short attention span.

Go figure, the boy who'd fought his whole life and could run around at the speed of light, didn't exactly love sitting at a desk and study boring pre-med books.

Killua found himself often skipping his studying hours or cutting them short. He grew frustrated because on top of that, even when he did study, the information struggled to stick around in his brain. Maybe he wasn't fit for this after all... it was the first time he, a prodigy in fighting and Nen, was... not good at something, and it hit him hard.

He reluctantly brought up this to Leorio, who immediately reassured Killua that it's not that he wasn't fit to study; he just needed to find his own way! Seeing how fast Killua could absorb information in the past through hands-on experience, Leorio suggested he'd learn on actual anatomical models instead of relying on the pictures on the books, and that instead of studying cooped up in a library, maybe Killua would benefit from studying outside.

That advice seemed to work for the white haired boy, and between that and occasionally getting more help from Leorio, Killua actually began believing in himself, he could do this! He was going to leave behind everything his family had ever made him up to be, and he was going to follow his own goals!

Like an older brother:

Over this time, Killua began to see just how dependable Leorio is, almost like the older brother he'd always wished for, instead of Illumi.

It was reassuring to finally have someone in his life who didn't force him into a box, but who instead put in a lot of effort to find what would work for Killua.

Leorio didn't even notice he was doing this, it just felt like the most obvious way to get Killua to accomplish something. It looked like Melody was right in saying he'd be a good teacher as well.

He also got to know Killua a lot better. He'd only seen moments of vulnerability when Gon was in the hospital, but now he was aware of just how anxious he could be in other moments too.

Of course, with Killua always comes Alluka too, the young girl never leaves her borther's side, and during cram study sessions, she'd often stick around to watch her brother study and repeat notions to Leorio in whichever café or park they chose to go to for that day.

Leorio was somewhat aware of Alluka's powers, but he wasn't worried about it. He actually found Alluka really sweet for encouraging his brother to do his best at all times.

Killua still has his short fuse and sometimes gets mad at himself or the book when he struggles to have some topics stick in his brain, but Leorio can see he's truly trying, and he fully believes in him.

As the entrance exams for med school were approaching, Killua sought reassurance from Leorio, he wanted to know how the experience had been for him.

"Trust me, you might be an anxious wreck now, but once they're over, your first thought will be 'Huh, that wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be'."

[pixeldistractions]

warnings: adult activities and conversation, pictures should be Tumblr-safe (we’ll see…), spice level 3/5 🌶️🌶️🌶️ 😇

He promised she wouldn’t hate this, so sometimes that meant he carried four jugs of water to fill the tank so she could have a luxurious hot shower. She appreciated that, and she would take care of him in return. She massaged his tired muscles, kneading all that tension, the powerful shoulders and hard-working back, and turned him into putty. Then when he was melted to her satisfaction and dozing off to sleep—she wasn’t quite done with him yet—she traced the shapes of his tattoo, spanning shoulder or shoulder.

“Did it hurt?”

“Heh, yeah. It took forever.”

“Does it still?”

“Not anymore.”

“Wait, though, it’s a compass,” she said. “But what good is a compass that you can’t see?”

He chuckled. “Didn’t think of that. Maybe it’s not for me.”

“Who’s it for then?”

“You’re the only one who sees it, so I guess it’s for you.”

“Are you saying I’m lost?”

“No. Not anymore. You have a compass now.”

She could see the corners of his lips, grinning into the pillow.

“Hmm, that’s very suave, mister.”

“We’re gonna pretend I planned it that way.”

She tugged on his body until he rolled over, so she could straddle his front instead, then she leaned down to kiss him.

The close confines of their camper called for some romantic experimentation, but that wasn’t a bad thing. Jordan thrived on variety and the millions of ways and places he could cherish her body. He spoiled her with it. In the cab of the camper, window covers on, lean the seats way way back. A blanket under the stars, rolled up together into a frenzy. Save the moans for outside, though you might scare the wildlife. That could be fun, too. In the deep woods with only the nocturnal creatures as their witness. Don’t be shy of the owls and raccoons. They don’t care, they’re naked, too. A campfire crackling. Shirts kept on, or loosened, or scrunched up in a tangle. A wool blanket draped over her back and slowly falling off with each rock and sway. November brought a harsh chill to the nights, but they were always too hot together to ever feel the cold.

Or, just as often, inside, in their bed. So they devised some tricks, battery powered fans for noise, a makeshift wall made of pallet scrap, a haphazard door cut and fit from more scraps. It closed and locked; that was all that mattered. A carefully placed toy that would rattle when little feet crept out of bed. Keep it slow and rhythmic, so so sweet. Hush now, only whispers and sighs, muffled passions, bit lips, covered moans. Don’t rock the camper.

Another experiment, one that caused some mixed anxieties but was just as exciting, they’d been talking about skin to skin. Maria had been on her new birth control for a full cycle now. She was sure it was the right one this time. Double, triple checked.

“I want to feel you,” she said, “not a rubber bag.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure, very sure,” she said, sliding herself over him, up and down and around him, just waiting for the go-ahead to push him deep inside.

“I’m just saying, the last time I did this, someone got knocked up with twins.”

“I won’t get pregnant. Not tonight, anyway.”

“Wow. Okay. Yes.”

And that was all she needed.

“Fuuuuck,” he moaned.

“I’m gonna need you to last more than two minutes.”

He was already far beyond words, so she got straight to work. She moved herself on him purposefully, hitting all her right spots while keeping it slow and steady, watching his face melt with pleasure, slowing him down and trying her best to beat him to the finish line because this was going to be a race. She would win, but it might be close.

The camper rocked, for sure.

— “boxes and squares #5.1: live the fairytale” (7/10)

previously: Jordan is super careful and Maria is irresponsible

notes: this isn’t just frivolous smut, by the way. (Not that I would ever be above writing such a thing!) We are heading into some important character development in the next piece. Also not meant to be foreboding. She really did double-triple check her birth control this time! It’s like 99% effective or something…

Next -> // 5.1 start // index

[call-me-copycat]

I recently got into MHA again after dropping it a while ago (only watched as far as season 2 shameful I know!) BUT now I'm on Season 4 and super excited!

Sorry for the ramble 😭 I'll get to the point...

What does Aizawa enjoy for dinner? Does he go the easy route and get some take-out for him (and possibly Eri and Shinso) OR does he have some of those instant-make-at-home out of a box thingies? I don't know if he cooks maybe? 👀

Hello hello! Glad to see you're into MHA again ( ˶>ᴗ<˶) Don't worry about the ramble, I'm going to be much worse! (⁠；⁠^⁠ω⁠^⁠）

---

With the mention of Shinso and Eri, I'm going to split this answer into 2: The logical answer (staying loyal to the manga and putting typical Japanese standards into consideration), and then the Fanon answer (going off of what I've typically seen in the fandom)

Logical Answer (really sorry if this is blunt!):

He would not spend time outside of work with Shinso and Eri (yes yes I know we love our Dadzawa headcannons but that's what the fans are for!)

I only really watch Japanese channels on YouTube and go to Japanese websites for cooking/baking, so I have a pretty good idea of the cooking habits they have (I really like watching cooking and baking channels, I've been watching them since middle school ʕ⁠·⁠ᴥ⁠·⁠ʔ). When it comes to fandom, fans typically write based off of a US/European (their) perspective, but I strive to stay loyal to the manga/Horikoshi's word so I'm going to take his perspective into play here instead (for the sake of logic)

Aizawa would see Shinso the most due to mentoring him, and the only way I can see him eating with Shinso is if they're training late and there's a food stand or something nearby (how often do you go out and eat with your teacher? Never unless given the rare chance likely). He'd definitely set a strict barrier in place to keep from getting too personal with students, he's a mentor and his only job is to help mold the next generation of students (a job he takes very seriously and has been doing for a very long time)

As with Eri, I'd say he would leave the bulk of supervision to others seeing as how tight his schedule is (teacher during the day? Hero at night? Grading and planning in between? He's a busy man), so I can't see him really eating with her seeing as he can only visit and check up on her

Fanon Answer:

He'd definitely be stricter towards Eri and Shinso when it comes to eating compared to himself (⁠^⁠～⁠^⁠;⁠)⁠ゞ He'd want them to be healthy! I'm sure that after meeting both of them and having them eat healthy he'd start focusing on his health too, not really thinking about it in the past. On lazy days though he'll definitely treat them (and himself but he's not saying that) to some takeout ♪⁠～⁠(⁠´⁠ε⁠｀⁠ ⁠)

---

Rest of Overall Explanation:

Most likely would use his rice cooker for everything. It's a very versatile and practically fundamental machine in Japan, and you can put lots of stuff in there with the rice. That being said, I think he would jump around with his diet.

Most days, as tired as he is I think he'd try his best to uphold good(enough) eating habits - he's a pro, he needs to be fit and healthy in order to stay in top shape! While he doesn't have time to cook anything over the top, there are lots of easy and healthy foods to be made.

That being said, protein is a must. He definitely strikes me as someone who prefers pork. I'm just going off of vibes here though -⁠ᄒ⁠ᴥ⁠ᄒ⁠-

Also fish! I'm positive that every single character who lives in Musutafu eats quite a bit of fish, they live right next to the ocean and it's one of the most eaten foods in Japan (*´∀`*) Sticking to that protein thing, too

With a typical Japanese meal there are lots of little dishes instead of one large one, and one of those bowls are just for rice since that accommodates the other foods. He'd definitely have a ton of rice in that bowl (⁠๑⁠¯⁠◡⁠¯⁠๑⁠)

It's a bit harder to make/find quick, cheap, and healthy foods in America than it is in Japan, so Aizawa would have it easy (⁠ ⁠；⁠∀⁠；⁠)

Boiled noodles with some corn, cabbage stew with chunks of beef, some chopped carrots/beef/potatoes boiled with a curry block (easy curry), literally anything over rice...you name it, if it's easy to make he'll make it (◍¯∀¯◍)

On tougher/tiring days I can't really see him eating instant noodles unless he is hungry. He'd most likely eat a jelly packet or just sleep it off ┐⁠(⁠￣⁠ヘ⁠￣⁠)⁠┌

---

So very sorry for the long explanation! I got too deep into it, but I really like writing for MHA so I tend to dive deeper into the characters, I get carried away a lot but I hope it was a fun read! (；´∀｀)

[muffinsin]

So, random thought, but do you think the Dimi girls keep certain possessions from their victims? I keep thinking of Alcina's line, the one about her girls entertaining foreigners.

Especially if their victims were from outside the village with more modern items in their possession, what do you think the sisters would keep? Do they share their collection with each other? Hide them from their mother?

Personally, I think Bela would find the camera feature in smartphones fascinating. Maybe Cassandra would have a whole stash of swiss army knives, and I can see Daniela keeping little trinkets like charms or keychains.

🩵, ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ anon

Oh my, I have some thoughts on this!👀

Let’s get into it :)

Masterlists

Bela

She often searches the bodies before disposing of them. Often enough, nothing valuable to her is found on them. Just rocks and dirt, dried blood and what not

Often, she finds some sort of weapon. Usually knives

And while Bela isn’t interested in those, she always takes them and gifts them to Cassandra, who purrs happily each time her older sister swarms into her room and approaches her after a kill

She knows, a gift is waiting for her! And she purrs eagerly as she receives the weapon with a kiss to her forehead

Sometimes, though, Bela finds somewhat rare treasures on her victims

Her favourite finds are jewellery

She always pockets rings and necklaces and is often seen wearing them, even

Bela’s favourite pieces are a silver ring with a red gemstone embedded in it. Along the side are marks and make the steel look almost snake-like

Now, Bela is painfully used to sharing among her sisters. Whether it’s clothing, her items or her room as a whole, more often than not it feels like nothing is truly only hers

This isn’t any different. But she doesn’t necessarily mind

Asides from the ring, she shares all the jewellery with her sisters

While Cassandra doesn’t know interest, Bela occasionally finds her youngest sister digging through the small, wooden box of her plundered jewellery

Usually, to complete her daily look. Bela is happy to help in exchange for the promise that Daniela will try not to cause havoc for a little while

At other times, she can tell her little sister is trying to play dress up using her dresses and Bela’s jewellery

Then, should time permit it, she helps her choose what she wants and even joins in occasionally

As it comes to their mother- well, she is entirely aware of the trio pickpocketing their prey

She picks up on it, naturally, when she finds a necklace adorning her eldest’s neck one day

At first, she is enraged. Has someone dared make moves on her heiress?! Has someone been wooing her precious daughter without her consent nor knowledge?! Fool! No one could ever be good enough!

She summons Bela to her side immediately, demanding to know where the necklace is from

She ponders already: it looks expensive enough, and Bela seems quite content with it. So perhaps this partner of hers isn’t such a bad choice after all

Only there is no partner

Alcina is relieved and disappointed at the same time upon learning that the fine piece of jewellery was just taken from the body belonging to one of Bela’s prey

She does insist all jewellery is cleaned before it is worn, though

Bela couldn’t agree more

Cassandra

She absolutely searches and loots bodies at every given opportunity

“What? I already killed them! I might as well rob them”, is her motto

And she takes- anything, really

There’s barely a thing that doesn’t take her pick

Cassandra is curious and eager, and always searches her prey’s body after drawing a last breath from it

Her favourite finds include weapons and things from the outside world

Often, she finds primitive weapons on her victims

Sharp stones and sticks, sharp kitchen knives or shards of glass

None of these take her interest really. It does make her giggle, though

Did these foolish things believe such weapons could serve them well? The thought amuses her

Sometimes, however, there are rare treasures found within the pockets of her prey

Cassandra loves going after the hunters because of this, even when Alcina scolds her for it. They nearly always carry some sort of fancy weapon with them!

Often, this is a dagger. She always picks those off them

Once, she has found a bow on them, and beautiful, black arrows in the bag her prey had carried

She was over the moons!

Another thing Cassandra considers a great find, is anything at all related to the outside world

She always races through the halls of the castle, her newest find clutched tightly between her fingers

Upon finding Alcina, she swarms in front of her eagerly, bouncing on her toes and holding up what she has in her hand

“Mama, what is it?”, she asks. She begs. She needs to know!

And Alcina? She always explains the items and answers her middle daughter’s seemingly endless questions

Her most prized possession? A camera, found in the pocket of a traveller that must have gotten lost in the woods

It took her many explanations and a demonstration from Alcina to believe what it is

The first time the flash blinded her, Cassandra automatically shrieked and swarmed in response. Her cheeks burned bright pink as her mother cooed and cupped her warm face in loving hands

She couldn’t help her reaction!

Still, from then on she keeps it in her room, hidden away. She’s only used it four more times

Once, to take a picture of her favorite pet, a maid that insulted her older sister and paid the price bitterly by becoming Cassandra’s plaything. The picture is gruesome, the edges soaked in blood. Cassandra loves it, and has it pinned to her wall

The second time she used her camera is on Bela

She can’t explain why, really

In one moment she admired how the flames of the fireplace seemed to reflect in her sister’s eyes, how their beautiful hue of colours danced and threw the light on Bela’s golden hair

How soft her skin looked, how pristine. A body worthy of a goddess. As an artist, Cassandra knew she had to capture this moment. She was in utter awe

In the next moment, a picture is snapped, starting both sisters

She only apologises quietly when scolding comes, yet can’t help but grin when Bela inspects the picture and her scolding turns to praises

“I’ve never looked better”

The third time, is to snap a picture of her younger sister

Having heard that Bela got a picture, of course Daniela wanted one too. Cassandra granted her one, with the condition that she must share half of her snacks each dinner. She grinned when Daniela, albeit groaning, agreed

And lastly, when she urged her sisters to stand next to her mother

All three stood a little confused, until Cassandra shyly held the camera out

Refusing to have a family picture without her fierce little bug, however, Alcina accidentally made the first ever selfie in the castle by holding the camera up and turning it enough to capture all four of them

The photo lies underneath Cassandra’s pillow. A secret only her family knows of. She loves to glance at it before sleeping

As it comes to sharing what she finds…it depends, really

When she finds rare weapons or things of the outside, Cassandra outright refuses to share them with anybody. She keeps them all hidden away in a secret stash in her room

However, she is more than willing to share any finds that don’t take her pick

Daniela

She barely checks her prey’s pockets. Not that she doesn’t want to. She just forgets about it, usually

However, she is the most likeliest of the sisters to find something that takes her pick

Daniela is a little bit of a magpie, if one believes the rumours

She loves shiny things. Often, she can’t help but snatch them

From- anywhere, really

Often she sat with a pouty expression as Bela scolded her and took back her rings

Or when Cassandra stood with her hand at her hip and a glare directed at her younger sister when she caught her try to sneak off with her collection of golden daggers again

Upon slaying her prey, Daniela loses interest fairly fast

She isn’t interested in playing with the corpse, and only devours parts if she’s feeling hungry

It’s mostly about the fun of killing, as it comes to her, really

And often her prey is simply left untouched

However, sometimes something catches her eye. Something shiny among the blood

That never fails to make her happy

Daniela loves to collect all kind of shiny things, and keeps them all in a big bowl in her room

Keys and keychains

Coins

Daggers

Jewellery

Gold or copper

Gemstones

Glittery surfaces

Small rocks that seem to sparkle in the sun

She can’t get enough!

Upon finding such a thing, she is incredibly eager to show it to everyone!

Often, Daniela swarms right into Bela’s bedroom with a new shiny item in her hand

“Look! Look at it! Bela!”

She’s giggling and purring in excitement, uncaring of barging in like that

Bela only sends her a smile, her attention having been fixed on a book that now only has a bookmark sticking out

“What is it?”, Daniela often asks. Often, she doesn’t recognise the shiny things she finds when they stem from the outside

She always counts on her eldest sister to know

Or when she swarms into the basement, her arms wrapping around Cassandra eagerly, uncaring of how her sister nearly impaled her with the scalpel held between her fingers

“Guess what I found!”

Cassandra too, pauses her work and snarls at her prey as Daniela presents her newest, shiny item

She hums, and laughs when she plucks the coin from her sister and the redhead gasps in disbelief

“That’s mine! I’m telling Mother!”

Or, when Alcina Dimitrescu finds herself woken up in the middle of the night, the form of her youngest daughter on top of her stomach as she rambles

“…I found four just like it! Isn’t it amazing? Mother? Mother, are you still awake? Oh, good! I also found this- Mother!”

She simply slips her eyes close again in such cases, her arm raising to tackle her energetic youngest and wrap her up in the blankets

Just as the room quietens down, however, and Alcina believes perhaps this time her little fly falls asleep right away, she hears a quiet whisper in the darkness:

“And then I found this thing too, Mama. It tastes odd”