#it's always hating wilhelm hours

[randomnameless]

The zombie ask made me remember a thought I had for SS's final chapter where anyone who got blood directly from Rhea would have been resurrected to protect her (their vision is like that horror game blurry where they can see enough to spot you but can't see you from across the map). Jerry and Willy are mini-bosses near Rhea to make the area around her dangerous. Jerry and Billy having a talk where Jerry says anything he wished he could've said in life‚ and Willy having convos with empire (1/3)

(2/3) and nabatean units. Like Willy saying to Seteth‚ "Cichol! How long has it been? About the shield-" and Seteth wondering if the Willy talking to him is actually there or it's Rhea perception of Willy talking. Willy's empire convos would lean towards Willy himself is talking‚ with him saying to Ferdinand‚ "I never thought I'd see the day that anyone related to Aegir would join Nemesis." Him mistaking Bernie for Indech. And Billy's would be Willy thinking they're Nemesis (3/3) "Despite my vision‚ I know that's you Nemesis. I don't know how you're alive but this time you're staying dead!"‚ and anyone related to the elites as "After Seiros sparred you all‚ you dare turn your blade against her?! Do you even know what your 'relic' is made from?" TL;DR: I wanted more WoH content despite Nopes giving some‚ and thinking about how can I jam in as much as I can with the subtlety of a sledgehammer. Sorry for the long ask‚ wanted to get these thoughts out of my system.

No pbs anon!

I guess we all didn't like at all how the game bothered to bring back zombies but never wrote battle quotes against them (tfw Seteth'n'Flayn have no battle quote against Nemesis...)

I was going to hype zombie!Ionius, but he never got her blood directly, so he wouldn't have been resurrected :(

(let's be real, if zombie!Ionius was real and brought back in his prime, he would fold those Faerghian barbarians and those foreigners with his pinky, because he'd be that much of an awesome unit)

However, instead of them being "mistaken" because their resurrection failed about what's happening, I'd say let them get full awareness (as much as they can muster) about who they're fighting against!

I'd see a Jerry-Billy convo being a lot of apologies, especially since Billy accepted to take Rhea's mantle and was/is truly happy in the Monastery, something Jerry obviously wrote off when he ran away all those years, maybe we could have Jerry muse that it's weird how he was "brought back" to protect a Rhea who lost her mind know, and how ironic it is, when he should have stayed and maybe if he didn't ran away all those years ago, Billy would have led a happier life, and whatever Rhea's having right now wouldn't have happened. Billy ultimately putting his grievances to rest, saying that despite everything, they are still happy Jerry's their dad, and maybe ends with some "thank you Father" instead of calling them Jerry (in an AU where Billy is voiced, of course!).

Maybe a convo with Leonie too, where Jerry tries to goad her into killing him, saying she never got what it "takes" to be a merc, because she is a nice kid and isn't able to put her morals aside for a bag of money.

And with Alois, Jerry could encourage him, for the "first and last time", saying he'll make a fine Captain of the Knights, and to please not end up like him, mocking the wishes of his wife and not doing everything he could for the kid.

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Emperor Willy himself wondering where the fuck he is, but if Seiros is in this form, then he has to protect her - and it this is the post Lycaon death AU* Willy isn't surprised at seeing Adrestia turn its blade against Seiros, because Adrestia is a failure and he lost faith in the world.

Against Cichol, Willy could open the convo with the shield, noticing how Cichol took "his" shield, Seteth tries to reply but it's useless, and asks him to stand aside, Willy says he cannot, even for him, his "brother" because Seiros is his priority, and if in that state she'll bring ruin to the world, then so be it, Seteth sighs, apologises (and rekts him).

I suppose Flayn would ask him to get the fuck out of the way, and Willy will refuse, but also apologise for what happened to her, and her mother too (and her cousin!), but crusts this world and its inhabitants are to blame.

Willy against Billy... well, Willy will think they're one of Nemesis's scion even if he thought the guy died childless- despite their hair color, he knows better after all! - and reveals he was on Macuil's side, and told Seiros mercy would be wasted on the likes of them (the Elites' families and, I suppose, Nemesis's potential fam?), but she didn't listen to him.

Willy against the Empire peeps would be hilarious though, because in the AU* Willy ditched it after Lycaon's death, so he'd be pretty pissed that the same Empire now tries to kill Seiros. Maybe he'd call Ferdie a scion of traitor, referring to Derrick, who pledged his loyalty to an usurper (Empress Hildegarde, who took the throne after Lycaon's death), raving about how he descends from a line of traitors, and he will put an end to this farce himself (with his stats? lol).

Willy'd also be pissed seeing Bernie, digusted at what Adrestia became if Bernie, as a noble, is what Adrestia's finest has to offer (maybe insert a fire joke or two) - Bernie could find the courage to fight back against this rando who insults her and tell him to shut up, because she wants to fight to protect people now.

Lin would maybe comment on Willy being, well, Willy, and wondering why the fuck is he fighting against the Empire, maybe with Willy telling him this is what he should have down instead, cutting off his own "blood"* for the sake of Fodlan, but he will correct this mistake right now.

Caspar would be interested in fighting this "strong warrior" from ancient times, if the fate of Fodlan wasn't at stake, Willy'd swore he came from an Elite family with a mindset like this, but only be digusted.

As for Petra, maybe we could get an ancient exemple of Adrestian assholery, like Willy saying he thought the people of "Eyvel" wouldn't be mindless allies of the Empire, and how mistaken he was, they're "savages" after all - only for Petra to reply with some "who are you? Get out of my way plz" (and she crits him and he dies).

And for Doro... I guess their convo would be the most important "lore wise", Doro immediately recognises him and wonder if he is here to avenge Edie - Willy immediately cuts her off, asking why he should even care about that person when no one avenged his son when he was murdered by his "bastard" siblings (confirming that Supreme Leader is not part lizard!).

*The AU I'm talking about is the AU I came up with, aka Lycaon being a half lizard, being named heir, murdered by his "human" half-siblings/nephews - Willy learns it and immediately bails out of Adrestia, having lost faith in Fodlan, humanity and well, most likely everything. After 80 years of chronic depression (while Rhea is now obsessed with bringing back Sothis, because she will make the world go round, and be safe anew for Nabateans living and the ones that would be brought back, humans, and even Lycaon who will obviously return - Willy doesn't believe it) he passes away after having found some sort of renewed faith in the world (seeing all those people coming to the Monastery and tending to their daily lives, looking after orphans, etc etc). So obviously, when he's brought back at the end of SS and sees Adrestia, targeting Seiros/Rhea, he loses it and becomes an extra kind of asshole (a tru hresvelg).

I agree with you though, maybe add a bit of "savages" and "ungrateful barbarians" here and there, but I don't think Willy is even going to listen to reason or even try to listen at all (like a tru hresvelg) anyone who descends from an Elite.

Maybe after those two mini-bosses, Seteth would say that those "persons" were not the ones they were in life, and how the Crest (crusts are to blame!) warped their personalities, only for Flayn to follow with a meaningful "..." - opening a lot redshit threads for fans to "give their own version" lol

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And for extra useless completionist stuff, like, if you picked the "Nabatean" option in the Sothis paralogue when Supreme Leader asks you who was lived in the Red Canyon, got a C+ support with Supreme Leader and went to her coronation, fought her using Billy and the Nabateans (with the famous "your ears are pointy you cannot rule over humans"), have both Billy and the Nabateans fight against Thales and Billy had a A support with all Nabateans, after Jerry and Willy's death, Berserk!Rhea would unleash a large scripted AoE on the map, empty husk!Lycaon could appear on the map, maybe as a white beast like creature on steroids, but who looks more like the IO than a regular White Beast (he has arms and wings?), who starts on the opposite side of the map and goes in your direction, but unlike the other white beasts, damaged dealt on Rhea won't be reflected on him.

Obviously, if the party kills him, Berserk!Rhea suddenly gains "Wrath" - but if you stall too much, empty!husk Lycaon has stats to ruin your party (unlike Willy!). Also if he dies then A support or no A support Rhea doesn't survive.

(And maybe if you accidently kill him, Billy gets "!" box popping up, with a new use of "Divine Pulse" coming out from nowhere, as it's Sothis' way to ask them to find a way not to kill him)

Billy will reveal what that unit is, idk, maybe they're closing their eyes and say that they are only a body animated by idk, the resonating power of the IO's Crest - but their true spirit has been long gone, now only remains a body and the rage it had before passing away. Then Billy opens their eyes, and says they would have wanted to meet him under other circumstances (but who is talking? Billy? or Sothis?)

Flayn despairs seeing her "cousin" (confirming her ties to Rhea!) in this situation, apologises for not having been able to be there for him, idk, like she promised too, but this time, she will.

Seteth too is saddened and while he wonders how many members of his family he will have to kill today, he tells Lycaon that this is final lesson, so he better remember it.

Ah, and in this revamped SS finale (since we're in AU land!), Relics work like Devil Weapon against Rhea and Lycaon - damage isn't dealt to the foe, but to your unit instead! And if your unit survives, the Relic insta-breaks (as a gameplay mechanic like 0 uses left).

End of the fight, Rhea survives (?), there is some ending blurb about every White Beast who wasn't defeated vanished "as if they were finally put to rest", that S support is revamped to have Rhea more or less say she has to move on now and cannot be stuck in the past, and has to let the past "rest in peace" to finally move forward - both for her and the one shes so dearly misses (ending line would be Billy in brackets musing how rare it is to see Sothis smile).

Ultimate bonus if this is the last route you play (or finished all the other routes), and if you got this ending, you'd have a special scene at the end, of Rhea and Billy waving hands at an assembly composed of all BE students (some of them waving back! even Bernie!), members of staff/knights, some randoms, but also, 11 randos with green hair and pointy ears, idk, wearing tunics with their emblems to know who they are, Willy (back to his bright and stupid self) carrying kid!Lycaon (with his pointy ears!) on his shoulders, some other random woman next to Flayn with a matching haircut, Manu pulling at Seteth's pointy ear (if they got their A+ support, else he frowns like usual), ghost!Jerry and ghost!Sitri waving too, and adult!Sothis (all the ghosts are transparent like, save for adult!Sothis - again, it would have been made on purpose by the devs who wondered if that would have created fanwank about Sothis' state, dead or alive?).

Not to say ghosts are real in Fodlan, but it would be some sort of representation that both dead and living people are happy to see a world where both humans and Nabateans can live together - even if they're dead, their dreams live on, or some stuff like that.

But of course, to get this ending, you'd have to get the most out of Supreme Leader's beliefs and the general intolerance that permeated Fodlan since, well, the Red Canyon, but even before (the first agarthan war?).

[randomnameless]

2 weeks later

They were probably close friends! I think Edelgard's actions did hurt Rhea so much because of the reasons outlined above, but over and on top of that, this is a betrayal from the descendent of her friend, the friend that she trusted enough to give her Crest to

Willy mention!

Bear in mind that during CF's final map - the one where our beloved Supreme Leader accuses her of hating human and humanity because she is a nabatean, but that was cut with the localisation for some reason - what are the names of the golems fielded in Firdhiad?

Chevalier - an apostle - Luca - a saint - and a bunch of other people we don't know but... one of the golem is named Wilhelm!

ergo, when Rhea is at her worst (tm) at least mentally, she relies on golems named after people who are/were pretty close to her, the apostles who helped her try to resurrect her mom once, a saint (we don't know what was her relation to Saint Luca) and... Willy, a human.

Interestingly, if you used Supreme Leader to fight her in the previous map, the "human hating Rhea" mourns having to fight Supreme Leader because... Supreme Leader is Willy's descendant, and 1k years later, to Rhea, Willy is still the guy who "supported and saved" her.

Fun fact, Nopes amped it up to 11 so much that whenever you pit Rhea (NG+ and in the history maps?) against Supreme Leader, Rhea always mentions Wilhelm, noting her resemblance to her 1k years long dead ancestor, or wishing he was still around.

To Rhea, the Hresvelgs are first and foremost, Willy's descendants and she has high expectations from them, or at least expect them to act in a way that would not shame or be contrary to what Willy himself once did, or would have done.

Which is why she takes the betrayal from House Hresvelg, especially, very bad, Nopes also gave some voice to Seteth and Flayn about being betrayed by the descendants of the ones they trusted but it feels less "personal" than Rhea's -

But let's not kid ourselves, the reason why she goes ballistic in CF isn't only because Willy's scion goes haywire, but because Sitri's kid - who might be or not her mom - tries to kill her or at least sides with Nemesis v.2.

So to comment on your original post @lumeha, Rhea is hurt in CF (and potentially in the other routes too, but since Billy and some humans are still on her side it's less pronounced) because - as she says it in her last battle quotes - she is betrayed again by humanity after having trusted them again.

Unlike her avian bro, she didn't fig away saying humanity sucks after the War of Heroes, no. Rhea remained because she cares about humans and Fodlan - both as her duty commands, as Sothis' proxy but also, I believe, on a personal level.

As you noted, she cares - loves? as much as she can given her special situation - humans and... CF/Flamey stuff is how they reward her lol - which is why the perceived betrayal hurts so much, and why she is so angry/disappointed/upset.

Thinking about it, like, genuinely, I think characterising Rhea as someone who hates humanity because of her reaction to Edelgard in the Holy Tomb... misses the fact that, for me, she can only react that strongly to what she sees as betrayal because she cares about humans as a whole. That's why it sends her into a spiral. That's why it hurts her to the point of anger : because it stabs her with pinpoint accuracy into the still bleeding parts of her, the part of her that is the only survivor of Zanado. The part of her that was beaten bloody open and to a pulp by humans who were greedy for power and didn't care who they killed in the process.

It feels to me like this is exactly why she gets so deeply affected by this - because she did put a lot of her chips on the bet that humans are better than Nemesis and the Agarthans. To the point of sparing the children of her enemies, their families, their clans. To the point of repeatedly opening her home for them.

That's... not the behaviour of someone who despises humanity

Is she letting herself be close to people ? No. But does that mean she doesn't care for them ? No, not at all. She is just. Closed off. That's not the same as not caring.

[lalalaugenbrot]

Attempt at a Comprehensive List of

Alexander von Humboldtʼs Potential Boyfriends

When if not now that Alex came 2nd in the @napoleonic-sexyman-tournament (what a time to be alive) would be the perfect time to finally thoroughly pick his private life apart. Strangely it has always been a mystery even to me (and of course overall it will remain a mystery until the end of times), but I still thought it was about time to at least get some order in the few things that we do know – mainly for myself but also, I dare say, for the public. You (the public!) will find a short text for every friend under the cut ￬.

disclaimers:

a) I tried to pick the most appropriate picture of everyone but please imagine especially the first ones a lot younger than they are in the pictures

b) it’s a potential boyfriends list, meaning: I’m not saying Alex definitely had romantic and/or sexual relationships with any let alone all of these men, it’s just a list of men where it seems at least possible; but ultimately, of course, we do not know and will never know

c) Alex lived for almost 90 years, and even though his textual remains can seem infinite, there is a lot we don’t know about him, especially his private life, not least because he habitually destroyed almost all of his private letters (which is also why for all of his correspondences we only know the letters he wrote but almost never the ones he received) − so I don’t think there’s any way this list is exhaustive (let me know if you think anyone is missing?)

d) Bonpland is not in this because Alex went out of his way to specifically state that his relationship with Bonpland was purely scientific

e) the point of this post isn’t to determine his sexuality, but since it has already come up, just a couple of words on him being on the asexual spectrum: that is perfectly possible and maybe not even unlikely, he said things about himself that could be interpreted as such (not wanting to marry, not having sensual needs); but I think it’s good to keep two things in mind about that: 1. not wanting to get married was a big thing in 1800, something you had to explain yourself for and not wanting to get married as a man also obviously meant not wanting a wife, it was by no means a question on whether or not wanting a significant other and/or sex; 2. the narrative of his sex-less life at least partly derives from the (mainly 19th/20th century) wish for him not to have been (actively) homosexual

f) I hate to be that person, but it has to be said: language and culture back then were much more emotional and expressive than we are used to today, so not everything that sounds super intimate or even romantic to us (language-wise) has to actually have been meant that way; of course this doesn’t rule out anything either but it’s a thing to keep in mind

g) if anyone is interested in sources or further reading on anything particular, do not hesitate to hit me up! But i’m not adding any of that to this post because 1. it’s already 2 km long and 2. this is tumblr dot com

Wilhelm Gabriel Wegener (1767-1837)

18-year-old Alex met Wilhelm in 1787 during the one semester he studied at the University of Frankfurt (Oder). Wilhelm was a (protestant) theology student and on 13 February 1788 they made a “holy” oath to “eternal brotherly love”. They wrote each other very cheesy letters, very much in the Empfindsamkeit fashion of the time, proclaiming their eternal and ever-growing love for each other. There was no one on earth, Alex wrote to him once (and in Italian no less), whom he loved as ardently as him (“Non vi è uomo sopra la terra ch'io amì così ardammente che lei…”). He also told him that, ever since he had met him, it seemed to him that God had created people only in pairs, because no one else could ever compare to what he meant to him. In his letters Alex also repeatedly refers to the many hours spent together (“chatting”) in a certain armchair in Frankfurt and proclaims that he has never been happier than in that very chair.

They kept contact for a couple of years after their time in Frankfurt, but at some point their friendship faded out.

Carl Ludwig Willdenow (1765-1812)

Willdenow (a published botanist) and Alex met in 1788 in Berlin, when Alex had one day decided to just call at his house to ask him to teach him botany. Willdenow agreed and they became friends quickly, spent a lot of time together, and when Alex wandered through Berlin on his own to collect plants, he would afterwards bring them to Willdenow who would then identify them for him.

We do not know a lot about their friendship during that time (and maybe I only included him in this because I needed 9 tiles) but at least one phrase in Alex’s autobiography fragment calls our attention, not least because it’s highlighted by what I like to call a Streisand strike-through: “I became enthusiastically fond of him” or “I grew to love him enthusiastically” (“Ich gewann ihn enthusiatisch lieb”, written in 1801 and crossed out roughly 50 years later).

They stayed in contact even after Alex had left Berlin a couple of months later: in 1795 Alex became godfather of Willdenow’s son and in 1810 he convinced him to come to Paris to work on his botanical collections from the South America trip. Sadly, Willdenow fell ill in 1811 and died in 1812 in Berlin.

Karl Freiesleben (1774-1846)

Alex met Karl in 1791 in Freiberg, where both studied geology and mining at the renowned Bergakademie. Karl was the son of a local mining family and Alex learnt a lot from him about his new profession. They both were nerdy about stones and minerals in ways you couldn’t even begin to imagine. They gifted each other minerals, went down into the mines together, and in August 1791 they made a 200 km long geological expedition through the mountains of Bohemia on foot. But aside from pages-long enthusiastic rants about geology, Alex’s letters to Karl are also full of sentimental love declarations. He called him Herzens-Freisesleben, Herzens-Karl or Herzensjunge (roughly “my heart’s Freiesleben/Karl/boy”) and once finished a letter with: “going to bed now and I’ll be happy when I dream of you” — a passage Karl thoroughly struck through later, probably so no one else could read it, but someone deciphered almost all the struck through passages anyway (not all heroes wear capes!).

Karl and Alex stayed (sporadic and long-distance) friends for the rest of Karl’s life.

Reinhard von Haeften (1772-1803)

The above picture shows a snippet from one of Alex’s travel journals where he noted Reinhard’s birthday (“14 Mai R.”) because sadly we don’t have a picture of Reinhard. But let’s hear how Alex described him:

“This Reinhard v. Haeften has been my only and hourly company for a year now. I live with him, he visits me in the mountains. [...] I have already ridden 8 miles [60 km] just to see him for a couple of hours. He is very tall, taller than most men and he’s only 22 years old but looks more mature than me [at 25]. He has a very remarkable face and everyone finds him to be one of the most beautiful men, and I too think he’s beautiful, but most importantly I have never seen purity of the soul, kindness and courtesy being reflected in anyone’s features as much as in his.”

Alex and Reinhard met in 1793 in Bayreuth (where Alex now worked as a mining official) and they quickly moved in together. However, shortly before meeting Alex, Reinhard had also managed to make a baby with a married woman 4 years older than him. Alex was friendly with Christiane, the child’s mother and helped to keep the birth a secret. The boy (named Friedrich Gustav Alexander, Alex’s godson and surely named after him) had to spend the first years away from his parents. In the meantime, Reinhard continued to live with Alex, accompanied him on business trips and mineralogical expeditions and in 1795 they went on a two-month trip through Northern Italy and Switzerland. It was only with and through him, Alex wrote to Reinhard once, that he could live, only close to him that he could be fully happy.

Later, after Reinhard and Christiane had finally gotten married (and reunited with their son), Alex wrote him a very long letter, proposing for the three of them to (continue to?) live together with Reinhard as head of the family and to settle for quiet life in Switzerland, Italy, or some small town in the west of Germany. That plan never worked out, but “Rein” (as Alex called him), Christiane, their by now two children and Alex lived and travelled together for another two years while Alex was already preparing for his big journey.

After he had sailed for the Americas in 1799, he tried his best to stay in contact with them. In his letters, he called them his “Herzensmenschen” (again, roughly: “his heart’s humans”), wrote them that he was dreaming about them day and night and how much he wished that his – their – Rein could be with him to see all the marvels, too. But cross-atlantic communication was bad during that time and in both directions most letters never arrived.

Sadly, Reinhard unexpectedly died in 1803 while Alex was still in America, meaning they never got to meet again. Alex stayed in contact with Christiane and the children − the only survivors of the shipwreck, as he put it − and wrote Christiane how he still remembered their time together, along with all the hopes and dreams that they had had and that despite the “all-robbing fate”, there was something unalterable in the depth of their love, that could only die with them. When Christiane remarried and had another son in 1806, she named him Gustave Louis Reinhard Alexandre. Alex continued to financially support Christiane and the children and in 1813, Reinhard’s son Fritz (Alex’s godson) visited Alex in Paris for three months.

Carlos Montúfar (1780-1816)

Alex met Carlos in 1802 in Quito and despite him having no scientific qualifications whatsoever, Alex chose Carlos to accompany him on his further journey. This decision offended botanist, geographer and astronomer Francisco José de Caldas (who himself had hoped to join the expedition) so much that he, in a letter to botanist José Celestino Mutis, famously called Carlos “[señor Barón de Humboldt’s] Adonis”, probably insinuating that Alex had picked Carlos purely for his looks, or even more.

Together with the rest of the party, Alex and his supposed “Adonis” travelled what today is Ecuador (where they climbed the Chimborazo), Peru, Mexico, Cuba and the USA. At least once during that journey (but perhaps regularly?) they shared a bed (as in some kind of temporary/mobile  accomodation) which we know because Alex explicitly says so in his travel journal when he describes a night in which Carlos had very bad stomach cramps which Alex tried to ease by heating handkerchiefs over the fire for him in the middle of the night.

Carlos accompanied Alex back to Europe in 1804 and stayed with him in Paris for a couple of months (where they most likely both attended Napoleon’s coronation) until he ultimately left to go to Madrid. But since Carlos had trouble getting money from South America, he still had to rely on Alex’s support. However, over time his contact to Alex seems to have broken off, because in a letter from 1806, Carlos complained about Alex not answering him anymore (“¡Qué largo silencio!”) and then told him, quite dramatically, that he was running out of money, and that he, Alex, was his only friend, his only hope, and the only person he knew in Europe who could tell him what to do. Whether all of Alex’s letters had gotten lost in the mail and whether Alex ended up helping him out or not, I think we don’t know. (But knowing him as I do and since he after all kept that letter, I’m sure that he did.)

Later, Carlos went back to South America, where he (alongside Símon Bolívar) fought to liberate the continent from the Spanish Crown − a fight he unfortunately didn’t survive: he was captured and executed by the Spanish in 1816.

Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac (1778-1850)

Alex and Gay (that’s what Alex called him, no pun intended) first met in 1804 in Paris, just after Alex’s return from America. Before, Gay had done two things: 1. contributed to a harsh critique on one of Alex’s papers, 2. ascended 7016 m in a hot-air balloon to investigate the air up there − a world record at the time and more than 1000 m higher than Alex had been on the Chimborazo, which had then also been a world record (in recorded European history).

Evidently, these were the best conditions for them to totally hit it off: they almost immediately started to work on the evaluation of Gay’s balloon ascent and often spent entire days working together in Gay’s room, from 9 am until after midnight. In a letter to his father, Gay wrote that Alex was the man with the best heart he had ever known, that their tastes and sentiments were absolutely the same − and that their hearts felt a great need to see each other very often.

After the publication of their paper (in which they, without fully realising it, also first identified the chemical composition of water: H2O), they (and another friend) went on a six-month field trip through Switzerland and Italy − where they were lucky enough to witness both an earthquake and a resulting Vesuvius eruption. They ended their journey in Berlin where Gay stayed at Alex’s for a couple of months and even started to learn German until he unexpectedly had to leave for Paris. His absence, Alex wrote after Gay had left, pained him a lot.

When Alex finally returned to Paris as well, they shared a single room at the École Polytechnique and even after Gay became a father in 1808 and married in 1809, Alex continued to (at least occasionaly) live with his family for many years. Gay’s first son (born in 1810) was named Jules Alexandre and while I have no proof that he was named after Alex, I think it’s safe to assume. Alex seems to have also been very intimately integrated into the family life, because he once wrote to Willdenow (with a humorous undertone of course): “We are always pregnant and just had a girl again. Right now we’re not feeling anything though.” Alex was also there to help when an explosion in a laboratory accident injured Gay’s eyes so badly that Alex and another friend had to take him home in a blindfold.

No letters between the two have survived (that we know of), but we do know that in the years after they first met, Alex considered Gay his best friend and “one of the kindest beings in the world”, that he named an American plant genus after him (Gaylussacia), and that they used “tu” with each other (which was very uncommon in France at the time except for childhood friends and family). They stayed friends for the rest of their lives and formed a kind of trio with Arago (see below).

Karl von Steuben (1788-1856)

We don’t know when exactly they first met but according to Alex they started to see each other daily in 1812 at the studio of painter François Gérard, where Alex had then started to take drawing lessons. Steuben, a young aspiring artist, lived and worked at Gérard’s studio. According to Alex, they “drew and painted” together “daily” for at least one or two years. Withdrawn from all other society, he wrote, this was now his “only joy” (interestingly almost the exact same wording he had used to describe his relationship with Reinhard 20 years earlier). However, it had perhaps been one of Alex’s exaggerations because he at least seems to have attended the famous salons Gérard held at his studio, where all the cool Paris people came to hang out. Alex reportedly talked incessantly, stayed late into the night (the main thing usually didn’t get going until midnight) and was found there again, freshly dressed and shaved, already at 7 in the morning.

In the meantime, Alex had started to torment basically everyone around him to commission Steuben to paint them, their sons, daughters, fiancés etc. to help Steuben support his poor mother in St. Petersburg. In 1814, even Alex’s brother noted that Alex had suddenly become strangely interested in art. In the same year, Alex became godfather to Steuben’s newborn son Alexander.

However, the biggest commission Alex got Steuben was a life-sized full-body painting of himself, which he intended to gift to his sister-in-law. It took 7 years to finish and in the end Alex’s brother had to pay for transport and framing because Alex had run out of money. Neither his brother nor his sister-in-law were overly enthusiastic about the likeness of the painting or Steuben’s talent in general but they still put it up in their home because after all, as his brother put it, they loved Alex and always liked a picture of him around.

Alex and Steuben stayed in at least loose contact for many years and Alex occasionally even still tried to get him commissions. Steuben’s painting of Alex hung in the Humboldt residence in Tegel for over a century before it was ultimately destroyed in WWII. Apparently though, another Alex portrait by Steuben from 1815 still exists in a private collection somewhere.

François Arago (1786-1853)

Arago, a young astronomer, was on a scientific expedition through Spain when he got entangled in the Peninsular War: mistaken for a French spy, he got arrested and incarcerated, managed to flee, was captured again, transferred, released, drifted off at sea to Algeria, all the while managing to hold on to his most valuable possession: his scientific records, which he kept hidden under his shirt at all times. When Alex heard about this (the two had never met before), he was so impressed by his courage and determination that he sent a letter to congratulate him — and to offer him his friendship. And in fact, one of the first things Arago did when he finally returned to Paris in 1809 was to go and meet Alex. It was the beginning of a 44-year-long friendship. They saw each other almost daily, worked together at the observatory, planned an expedition to Tibet (which never happened), and actually travelled at least to London in 1817 to visit Alex’s brother, who commented to his wife: “Alexander has arrived yesterday. But he isn't staying with me, even though his room had already been prepared. You know his passion to always be with one person who is his favourite at that time. Now he has the astronomer Arago who he doesn't want to part with (...) So they're staying at a nearby inn.” Just as with Gay, Alex and Arago used “tu” with each other and after Arago had gotten married in 1811, Alex was close with his wife and children as well as with his siblings, nieces and nephews — in some letters he even considered himself part of the Arago family.

When Alex was forced to move back to Berlin in 1827 to work for the king, he wrote Arago desperate letters on how much their separation pained him, how much he missed him every hour of every day. In the following 26 years, Alex’s letters to him were full of yearning pleas for just a couple of lines of his hand, which, as he wrote, always made his heart flutter. However, Arago often didn’t respond for months, but when he did, he at least knew to reassure Alex, writing things like: “Outside my family, you are, without any comparison, the person I love most tenderly in this world.” Alex kept a portrait and a large Arago bust in his study in Berlin, and until his late seventies, he travelled to Paris regularly (that is, every few years), first and foremost to see Arago. (Actual quote from 78-year-old Alex in a letter to his niece: “Every morning at half past eight without interruption, I’ve been at Arago’s in the observatory, today for the 62nd time.”) According to Arago, he and Alex have only been angry with each other one single time in all those decades and even that went over in an instant.

They saw each other for the last time in January 1848, on the last night of Alex’s last stay in Paris. When Arago fell ill five years later, his family informed Alex of his worsening condition — but Alex couldn’t travel to Paris to see him one last time. Even over a year after Arago’s death, Alex wrote that the memory of those last moments in January 1848 vividly came back to him during the night at least once a week. He outlived his friend by 6 years.

[ya-zz]

This is really important to me because my own parents don’t support me so I want you to write it.

Could you write a trans ftm reader coming out to Ana, Reinhardt and Soldier, I need the comfort and acceptance.

Thank you sm Yazz, I love youuu.

This means so much to me that you would trust me to write something like this. I hope I have done this some justice and I hope it doesn't make you cry too much my love. ♥

(lets ignore Torb and Reyes in this gif, okay? Okay.)

Ana / Reinhardt / Soldier x Trans FTM Reader

Word count: 1665

The thought had been weighing you down for months. For years have you felt that you were in the wrong body, never really fit in with the other women. Never really fit in anywhere, but being at Overwatch made you feel like you were home. Surrounded people who always had your back, whether in battle or on base recuperating for the next assignment. Overwatch was home. 

Sitting there, wide awake at 3am made you wonder when the right time to say something was. Of course, keeping silent meant that everyone still referred to you by your deadname, the pronouns you had grown to hate. That wasn’t you, never had been. You hated your body, the female traits that you had grown to hate and the chest that you bound so you seemed more masculine, more like you. 

You had to tell someone before it eats you alive. 

Pulling off the blankets from your body, slipping into something more comfortable, you head out of your living quarters and seek one person out. One person you knew who’d be understanding no matter the circumstances, someone who would be awake at this time. 

The anxiety was at an all time high as you wander the base halls. The lights flickering above you as you walk, the hum of the electricity flowing to the next light. You try to keep as calm as you could, feeling your body tremble as you near the mess hall, but all movement stopped just beside the entrance when you hear the one woman you needed to speak to laughing. 

Only when another laugh roared out alongside hers did it break a smile on your face. 

The woman hushed the laughing man before speaking. “Don’t be scared, come on in.” 

With a slight hesitation, you enter the room, seeing both Ana and Reinhardt sitting on the sofa. They look over at you standing in the doorway. 

“What ever is the matter?” Reinhardt speaks up, German accent thick and a look of concern on his face as he sees the worry in yours. 

“You look absolutely petrified.” Ana remarks. She pats the space between the two of them, signaling for you to come and sit beside them. “Come, what’s on your mind, sweetie?” Her voice was so soft, you swear you could listen to her talk for hours, no matter the subject at hand. 

Sitting between their bodies, you look down at your hands that were clasped together, a tight grip that made your knuckles white. 

Reinhardt adjusts his position, they both did as they sat straight, looking down at you with nothing but concern. 

“Is everything okay?” Reinhardt places a hand on your back, the size difference enough to make you feel smaller than you already were. 

“I… I need to tell you something.” You start, your body beginning to shake once more, then the rambling begins. “I- I was only planning on telling you, Ana. I didn’t think you’d both be in here. I’m worried about what you’d think of me after I tell you, scared you might not want to work with me anymore. You two… You two have been better parents to me than my actual parents and you’re not even my parents. I consider you two to be, though, oh god I really do… I feel safe with you two…”

“What’s wrong?” Ana places her hand just beneath Reinhardts on your back. Her other hand resting on top of your hands that were shut so tight around each other that it was hurting you. 

Then there was a knock at the door. “Am I intruding?” 

“Jack? What are you doing up so late?” Ana turns around to see commander Morrison stood in the doorway, sleep evident in his eyes. 

“You can hear Wilhelms laugh from across the base.” Jack moves his way around the room, heading straight for the coffee machine. “You know I’m a light sleeper, Amari. Besides, it’s a sleepless night for me.” His hands wrap around the mug, feeling the warmth in his palms. 

“Seems like there’s a lot keeping us awake tonight.” Ana chuckles. 

“What’s wrong, kid?” Jack moves to sit on the other sofa that was directly across from you. His eyes were tired, yet they were soft. 

Reinhardt's hand moves on your back, rubbing up and down, soothing that anxiety almost instantly. 

Now there were three of them surrounding you, but you didn’t feel uncomfortable at all. You felt safe being around those three. Ana, Reinhardt and Jack… Three soldiers who have had your back since the very first day you arrived, taken care of your wounds and made sure to bring you home safe from every bloody assignment. 

Tears stream down your cheeks almost immediately. The overwhelming feeling of being safe, feeling the unconditional love from these three have finally come crashing down on you. 

“Did I do something?” Jack questions, though there was a smile on his face. 

“No- no. You haven’t done anything.” You laugh, wiping the tears away with the cuff of your sleeve. 

“Why are you crying, dear?” Reinhardt speaks softly, hand not ceasing movement in soothing you. 

“I just…” You sigh. You’re here now, there’s no going back. 

All three of them are looking at you, waiting for you to speak. They don’t force you, they keep quiet. Jack sips his coffee, Ana keeps her hand on top of yours with her thumb soothing your knuckles and Reinhardt keeps rubbing your back. 

It’s now or never…

You hesitate, keeping your head down. “I’m trans.” 

There was a deafening silence. You felt like you couldn’t breathe, the room was starting to spin but one voice broke you out of that trance. 

“What do we call you?” Ana asks. 

“What…” You blink, looking up at her. 

“Your name. What’s your name?” She smiles at you. 

“[y/n].” You say. Your name. Not your deadname, not the name your parents so called “gifted” you with. Your name. 

Ana repeats your name, almost a confirmation to her and her smile never wavers. She lets go of your hand and pulls you into a tight embrace. 

“Forgive us.” She speaks. 

“You haven’t done anything wrong.” You laugh, holding onto her and sobbing. 

“It must’ve been years you’ve felt this way.” Her hand rubs the back of your head. “You’ve put up with us referring to you incorrectly for so long, and for that we owe you an apology.” 

“No- no, please, don’t. I just… Didn’t know what to say or when to say it.” Your hands hold onto her, face buried into the crook of her neck. 

“Then forgive us should we call you your old name.” Reinhardt speaks out, his hand returning to your back. “It’ll be a learning curve for us too.” 

You shake your head as you pull away from Ana. “No, please don’t feel bad if you do.” 

Reinhardt doesn’t waste anytime in pulling you in for a hug either. His larger form enveloping you, almost swallowing you in his arms. He was warm. 

“We love you for who you are, [y/n].” Ana speaks, using your name. It sounded so real, so sweet coming form her. “We know the hardships you have been through. You are family here.”

“Overwatch is family…” You say, muffled against the larger mans chest. 

“Overwatch is home.” Reinhardt says, looking over at Ana with the largest smile she had ever seen. 

Jack, meanwhile, was sat watching this entire scene play out. His own smile was hidden behind the mug of coffee that had long since gone cold. He watched as you cried in their arms, watched as they both hugged you together, almost like a mother and father would do to their child. 

“Suppose I better get some paperwork sorted.” He finally speaks. 

You, Ana and Reinhardt look at him which throws Jack off guard. 

“What?” He chuckles. “You want this official, kid?” Jack looks over at you and sees you nod, the sweetest smile on your face. “Then I will make it official.” 

“Thank you.” Your voice was soft, tears in your eyes as you watch the commander stand up. He walks over to you and wraps his arms around you. 

“You’re brave kid, strong too. We need you.” He says in your ear. “Welcome to the team, [y/n].” 

–

Days had since passed since you came out and you were already drafted for the next assignment. Reyes, Cassidy, Ana and Genji were there too, all of you seated around the table as Morrison debriefed you on what was happening. 

“[y/n], you’ll be on security.” The commander speaks. 

Cassidy and Genji look over at each other before the cowboy speaks out. “Who’s [y/n]?” 

“Me.” You say proudly. 

“Well I’ll be damned.” Cassidy smiles. 

Genji nods, a smile also on his face. 

“It’s about time.” Cassidy jests, looking at you and winking. “Had an inkling about you.” 

“Don’t say it like that-” You laugh. 

The cowboy grins from ear to ear before tipping his hat to you. 

“You could tell with him but can’t tell when that damn archer is flirting with you?” Reyes chimes in. 

That sparks an argument between Reyes and Cassidy, Genji sinking further into his seat as he tries to hide, not wanting to hear the absurdities coming from the pair. 

Ana looks over at you as you’re watching the two men argue, a smile on your face, cheeks flushed from the happiness inside. Jack was too busy trying to get those two to shut up, their voices getting louder, but that didn’t matter to you. 

You were accepted among them, even if the entire base didn’t know yet. Those that mattered most to you accepted you without any questions or hesitation. It was going to take some time for everyone to get used to your new name and pronouns, but you were just so overwhelmed with loved and acceptance that you didn’t care. 

For once, you felt like you belonged. You were home.

Overwatch is home…

[youngroyals-hc]

The meeting between Simon, Wille, Linda, Jan Olof and Minou finished 5 minutes ago, and Wille all but yanked Simon out of the room towards his bedroom. Gone was the quiet easiness from when they had been in there just hours before; now Wille was furious, face tight and hands clenched into fists. He closes the door hard, not quite slamming it but getting close, immediately walking towards the window then pacing back to his bed. Simon hovers by the door, watching his boyfriend stalk around the room cautiously. Eventually Wille looks up at Simon and wilts, stopping in his tracks and letting his shoulders fall away from his ears. Simon walks over to him, gently taking his wrists and unfurling his fingers, lacing them with his and pulling them between their chests.

"Sorry, Simon. I know I shouldn't get so mad but, fucking hell they piss me off so much. How can they ask so much of you! Of your mama! They're just doing this to mess with-"

"Wille," Simon says steadily.

The prince quickly looks up to his lover's gaze, and once again he melts, meek and sheepish from letting his anger boil up again.

"I knew this would be difficult, and that they would ask things that I really didn't want to do. But Wille, you have to understand that I know all that and I still choose to love you. You can't change who you are, just as much as I can't change who I am. And I choose you, all of you. Not just Wille, but also Kronprins Wilhelm, because I love you, and I know that you hate being who you are and what they expect from you. If you didn't, I wouldn't love you. So, yeah, they're being shitty and stubborn. But we can be stubborn right back. They don't even know how annoying I can be when I put my mind to it."

Wille just stares right into Simon's soul as he monologues, in that intense way that makes many people uncomfortable but that Simon absolutely loves. He stays quiet for a while, before a small smile tugs at the corner of his lips.

"What is it my love?" Simon asks gently.

"You sure can be annoying when you want to be, so I guess I believe you," Wille chuckles and Simon smacks his shoulder.

"I say all this, and that's all you can respond with!"

Wille cracks into laughter and pulls Simon into his chest, kissing his head where it buries into his neck.

"You know I'm only teasing Simmeeeee."

"You better be," Simon grumbled into his skin.

Wille pulls back, tilting his boyfriend's chin upwards and placing a searing kiss on his pouting lips.

"I will choose you always, Simon. Whatever I can do to make it easier for you to keep choosing me, I will make it happen. I'll fire every annoying aide in this palace if I have to. I'm not going to fuck up and lose you again, and I'm not going to ask you to do anything to change who you are," Wille says, lips only centimetres away from Simon's.

Now it was Simon's turn to melt, hands curling into his boyfriend's hair to pull him back to his lips.

"Jag älskar dig, Simon," Wille whispers against his lips, and Simon knows then that no matter what, they would be okay.

[im-a-king-baby]

hi ! first of all; i read ELYN over the easter weekend and stayed up till like five am waiting for it to get happy so i could sleep (i gave up) and i loved it so so much. It just feels like such a tangible, realistic outcome for them (if we ignore s3) it made me ache in that exact anxious yearning way the actual show does. Big ask and 100% appreciate it if the answer is no but are you planning to write more for them in that universe? Would love to see them when Wille is at university, or see Wille simply make some (oblivious?) uni friends, or see Sara and Simon interact again or honestly literally anything and everything.

secondly, and who knows maybe (probably) you’re aware of this but the photos/images in the fic do not appear as images but just as a text/error box? Is that intentional or did they break? I kept finding myself curious as to what image was put with the chapters haha

Hi!!! I hope you had a good easter... and went to sleep at some point... 😅

Thank you for alerting me about the images! I was not aware of that :( Although I guess that makes all those hours hardcoding the text threads and tumblr posts so they would work without images worth it 😂

I have gone through it all again and updated the image links so they are working for me now (let me know if they're still broken for you?).

There's nothing in them that's required to follow the fic, you just get to judge the time I spent procrastinating by making album covers and then sorting all the random pop songs I'd invented into albums (something that was definitely vital even though no one but me cares about the difference in vibe between Simme eras 🤣).

If you are just interested in the art, these are the 4 covers I used in the fic:

Sadly this fic was always destined to lose canon status after season 3 (although I am going to keep believing August's arc could go the ELYN route until proven otherwise).

Regarding sequels, prooobably not? Sorry :( I have more notes for Simon pov scenes during and before than anything set after because I'm not sure what more I have to say, (other than wanting to write something of ELYN Wille with Edvin's new haircut but basically all I've got is this:

For a moment Simon thinks Wilhelm isn’t even here, then the bleached blond head turns and it’s Wilhelm’s face and Wilhelm’s eyes and Wilhelm’s mouth dropping open in surprise at seeing Simon in the doorway. “You’re here,” Wilhelm says. “How are you -?” “You cut your hair.” It’s dumb. Obviously. But Simon hasn’t slept and Wilhelm’s hair is almost white, sharp and bristled, and Simon wants to touch it, to see if it hurts. “I…” Wilhelm hesitates. “There were always rules about my appearance, about how I was allowed to look, and I thought…” he reaches a hand to his hairline, his face falling a little. “Do you hate it?” The bristles give under his fingers, impossibly soft. He looks older, but also somehow younger, like he’s reclaiming the rebellious teen years that the crown never let him have. “I want to kiss you,” Simon says. The coffee shop is full of people. At least four that Simon can see are looking at them, not even trying to be subtle. There’s a camera tilted in their direction, but it’s not close. “Can I kiss you?” “I-” Wilhelm starts doing the same glance - who’s watching, who’s filming - then seems to catch himself, snorts a soft laugh and pulls Simon in. It's too short for Simon to catch hold of, but he can run his fingers through it and it's soft or ghost them over to catch the sharp edges of the tips, and it's Wilhelm and he's here, they're both here. And they're going to be okay.

<3

[skibasyndrome]

Finally making a pinned post, hope I do this right

my name is Simon, you can call me that or skibasyndrome or any variation of either that you can think of

25-y/o university student with a passion for literature and languages and everything surrounding that (hmu, I will talk about it for hours)

me and tumblr go way back (like... 2012 way back), but it's only through my very recent discovery of Young Royals (August 2023) that I decided to get back into online fan spaces after a long break (best decision ever btw)

I'm gay and a trans man

I mostly just write fics (or talk about writing)

Feel free to reach out and talk to me about anything and everything, I love talking to people :)

things to note about this blog

I will simp about Omar Rudberg. Sorry, I'm just too gay for whatever it is he is doing 24/7

there's almost always a party in my tags because that's where I go to voice my opinions or just be... emotionally affected by things

hope you like Young Royals, because there's rarely anything else on here these days

personal posts are tagged "simon.out."

should go without saying but fuck right off with any -isms or -phobias

See my Young Royals fics below the cut (or at skibasyndrome on ao3)

It seems a place for us to dream (T, 1.8 k)

Or: The things going through Wilhelm's head during that S3 snippet.

You crave the Applause / Yet hate the Attention (E, chaptered, 4/4, 22.3 k)

Or: How Wilhelm realizes that maybe, if you squint a little, he might have a praise kink.

But I'm a vampire smile, you'll meet a sticky end (E, 4.1 k)

Or: Simon's vampire-esque makeup is really doing things to Wilhelm that he didn't expect. A Halloween fic.

In This Together (T, 3.5 k)

Or: Wilhelm tries — and fails — to surprise Simon with hot chocolate. Simon doesn't mind. Contribution to Wilmon Secret Santa 2023.

It's in the water, baby (E, 4.9 k)

Or: A sweet and spicy story sponsored by the infamous Lake Still (TM) s3 promo pic.

Never Letting You Go (E, 5.7 k)

Or: The infamous Hallway Smut (TM) Scene as briefly seen in the S3 trailer and (re)imagined by me. There's light angst, sex, and so many feelings.

Lavender Haze (E, 13.3 k)

Or: Wilhelm spots the most gorgeous man in a nightclub. He's wearing a lavender shirt that makes Wilhelm's head spin and imagination run wild. And a smile that does things to his heart he's not quite sure what to make of yet.

All this shit is new to me (E, chaptered, 3/?, 24 k)

Or: After meeting and hooking up with Simon at a club, Wille needs to figure out what exactly that means for them (or whether there even is a "them" to figure out). A sequel to Lavender Haze.

Wille's Month 2024:

Day 1 (Sandwich): Vegan butter, two slices of Gouda, a few slices of cucumber (G, 1.6 k) Day 8 (Wedding/Engagement): Roots of Love (T, 1.2 k) Day 9 (Riding): Close, Closer (E, 1.3 k) Day 25 (Hands): Got my Hands all over You (E, 7.1 k)

Simon's Month 2024:

Day 2 (Food): I could eat that boy for lunch (M, 7.9 k) (co-written with @iwouldnevergetintofanfic & @pagegirlintraining) Day 14 (Senses): Kyss mig med dinä röda läppar (or, affectionately: the cherry fic) (T, 3.4 k)

Flash The Camera, You're A Star! (T, 10.1 k) (co-written with @pagegirlintraining)

Or: the one where Wille is an even bigger simp than usual and Simon can’t quite stay mad at him.

(ca.)-5-sentence-ficlets

Or: people send me a sentence, I write 5 or more sentences to turn it into a ficlet. wild variety of stories ranging from dark to fluffy to (slightly) steamy (always open for these types of prompts, "series" ongoing)

YR Kinktober 2024 (Masterpost here)

(ongoing series) Day 1: Sit back and watch (I'm gonna dance for you) (masturbation & spit) Day 2: Sharpen your teeth, sink into me (marks & biting) Day 3: In silence, I'm yours (sound/staying quiet, hands & 69) Day 4: Love the shape of your mouth (and the back of your head) (makeup, praise kink, oral sex, deepthroating and light dacryphilia) Day 5: I've never met arms like yours (cockwarming & spooning) Day 6: And the mirrors gon' fog tonight (mirror, hands, a little bit of praise) Day 7: One, two, three (Not only you and me) (threesome, first time [having a threesome], lapdance) Day 8: Body language say you wanna (semi-public sex, cruising, roleplay) Day 9: On the tip of my tongue, on the top of your thighs (1/2) (wax play, thighs, marks) Day 10: And if I searched a thousand miles I'd be dying to find (2/2) (intercrural sex, thighs, marks, oral sex) Day 11: My skin on your skin, again and again (frottage, cum play, fingers) Day 12: In the back of your car there's a big black mark (where I ripped the seat) (car sex, riding, a little breathplay/choking) Day 13: Find a brand new way of seeing (Your eyes forever glued to mine) (1/2)

Like we're dancing (you and me) (T, 3.1 k)

Or: Wille is nervous to meet her parents for dinner. Simon is there for her.

Birthday Boys (T, 14.1 k) (co-written with @iwouldnevergetintofanfic)

Or: best friends Simon and Wille share a birthday. On their twentieth birthday - their first birthday apart in years - some realizations happen.

Now we're falling like snow (E, 7.8 k) (see header here)

Or: The first heavy snow of the season - what a great opportunity for a slow morning and keeping each other warm

[serpula-lacrymansss]

Nice night tonight.

Cold night- the best kind.

I know it's not really a popular opinion, but I've always preferred colder climates to warmer ones. In hot weather, the heat feels inescapable, pushing in from all sides. I hate feeling sweaty, being damp all the time is the absolute worst. It feels like rotting.

In hot and damp climates, a body can decompose to the same level in a couple of hours that it takes a cold body several weeks to.

It's been cold, but also wet, though, so I'm not sure.

Of course there's other factors, in the woods scavenger animals would get to you before you had the chance to rot. But in somewhere like the desert you could be mummified totally.

What's really interesting is what happens to the body in different chemical environments, though.

Sometimes, when a body is left in an alkaline environment, it forms a soft, grey, greasy substance all over the skin. They called it adipocere, from the Latin 'adeps' (fat) and 'cere' (wax).

Adipocere forms through a process called saponification and tends to develop when body fat is exposed to anaerobic bacteria in a warm, damp, alkaline environment, either in soil or water. This process is also sometimes called soap-ification, and it will stop the decay process in its tracks by encasing the body in this waxy material, turning it into a 'soap mummy.'

Pictures under the cut

The two most famous 'soap mummies' are the 'soap man' and 'soap lady,' who are now housed in the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History and the Mütter Museum respectively.

The soap man, Wilhelm von Ellenbogen, who died of yellow fever in 1792 aged 63.

Born in Philadelphia and was buried there around 1800. The body was discovered in 1875 during the digging of a train depot foundation.

The woman, who's surname was also Ellenbogen, but whose first name is unknown, died in Philadelphia, died also of yellow fever in 1792, aged 25-35

She was buried alongside the soap man, so she was also dug up in 1875.

Makes you think.

[cybers-multiverse-mansion]

Tw ; Gore, blood, violence(?) and torture, possibly.

Goretober day 4, Gut Spill

It was quiet, the brunette gripped his sword tightly. He hid behind a corner, the person hunting him called his name.

His body shook slightly, they were going to kill him if they found him.

"Wilheellmmm, where are you? You can't hide forever, you know I have a stronger nose than normal people." Their voice echoes throughout the small village. The fog was thick today and the grass was wet, the smell of wet dirt filled the air.

Suddenly there's a hand pulling him out of his hiding place, it startled him. A wicked smile plastered on the others face.

"Found you." They held a dagger to Wilhelm's throat, demanding that he toss his weapons aside. Wilhelm did as he was told because by the gods he was terrified.

"Good, you're obedient. You always have been." They said, slightly pressing the cold metal of the dagger into Wilhelm's throat. It wasn't enough to cause bleeding or major damage.

"Laurence please, you don't- you don't have to do all this. It- it was an accident!!" Wilhelm begged, he was afraid of Laurence. He always has been.

Laurence kicked Wilhelm's knees, making him kneel. He tipped his chin up with the dagger.

"We both know that it wasn't an accident and you deserve worse than death, and I'm willing to deliver your punishment." Laurence said, pulling Wilhelm by his hair to a secluded area. Wilhelm tried to escape their grasp but it was no use.

Laurence tossed Wilhelm against a tree, getting their sword from their inventory and pinning the other to it with the blade.

Wilhelm Held his breath as the sword was plunged into his chest, it hurt so much but he knew he wouldn't escape this.

"I want you to know I'm really sorry Laurence. I really didn't mean to kill him- but he- Laurence he wasn't himself! He attacked me!" Wilhelm tried to explain, but Laurence wasn't having it.

"Shut up!!!" Laurence shouted, pointing the dagger at him. "Y'know Wilhelm. I've always fucking hated you. You've always made things worse for Christian and I, I wish you would have died sooner. He shouldn't have fucking saved you!!" He steps closer, the dagger getting dangerously close to Wilhelm's face.

There were a few beats of silence as Laurence thought of what to do with him. It came to him quickly though.

"I know what I'm going to do with you." He says, lowering the dagger to Wilhelm's stomach. He saw the panic in the others eyes. "You're going to die a slow and painful death, and I hope to never see you again." He said, beginning to cut Wilhelm open, just enough for him to take his organs out.

Wilhelm screamed in terror, Wilhelm felt sick. He tried to get Laurence away from him but the other just stabbed his thigh with the dagger, causing another scream.

Shit, he's losing hearts, he's losing hearts quickly. It was making him feel sicker.

"I already removed your bed from our house. Have fun at respawn." Laurence stands, pulling his sword from Wilhelm's chest. He turns on his heel and leaves.

Wilhelm watched his intestines pour out of him, Laurence only took the smaller parts to let bigger ones fall out.

He was starting to feel light headed, seeing this much blood and all of his insides just- fall out and pool under him made him feel horrible mentally.

He probably looked really pathetic right now. Everything went dark and quiet for about an hour.

Then Respawn.

[inspectorspinda]

Hello, hope you’re doing well! I wanted to ask: What’s your favorite scene from the Sister’s Grimm series? Or maybe which scene from each book do you think stands out as the BEST if you don’t want to compare the whole series?

Hey!

Hmmm that's a hard one. I haven't reread all the books yet and have only ever read the original versions so I'll do my best to answer. But my opinions might change as I listen to books 1-3 and 7 again.

The thing I remember the most from this book is the hang in there shirts x'D Maybe because it was such cringe it just burned a hole in my mind. But in terms of scenes I think probably going into the Mirror and getting magicked up to crash Charming's ball which was also kind of cringe because of how uncomfortable Sabrina was about the whole thing. She's crazy relatable as a protagonist. Probably one of the best in terms of female protagonists in children's books.

Finding the frog in the school after hours and then running from it. As a kid, being in a school being after hours feels so cool. Like you're getting special privileges or something, but also it is inherently creepy as a kid because this busy area is so dead and empty. Just that much makes it pretty cool, but then there's extra fear because the frog just shows up from nowhere and tries to kill them.

Maybe the opening with the Jabberwocky? I really can't remember anything about this book at all except the opening scene and the fact Uncle Jake shows up at some point. No clue what else happened in it. Is that a bad sign?

This is the first one I reread last year and my god Puck's emotional confession to Sabrina about how his father made him feel terrible made me start crying in public. And I don't even like Puck! He's probably consistently the least favorite part of these books alongside all the times Granny and Daphne behave unreasonably towards Sabrina. But that scene made me love him for 5 seconds.

I think as a kind this as the first book I actually guessed the ending and I felt so smart for that haha. There are so many great scenes in this book its hard to decide which sticks out the most. There's the time travel to the bad future, chasing Canis around and then BAM suddenly he's the wolf, redeemed Charming, sneaking into Heart's house to get Charming's mirror, Wilhelm showing up and Canis breaking him out, the climax with Tom and Cindy. Good shit.

Probably the book I reread the most as a kid because I loved Canis so much. Looking back, there aren't really that many stand out "events" presay. It is mostly the reveal of what exactly went down in the past that kept my attention. Maybe then I'll say it was the pig's story to Granny and Sabrina about how Canis first came to be? I seems like one of the jail scenes with Canis would be the stand out but since I've always loved these werewolf type tropes I've seen a lot more of them over the years and I'm kind of picky about them now haha. Canis's emotions aren't really developed beyond the obvious, "I feel bad and guilty."

When Sabrina knocked over the water tower? I remember this book so little that I can't even guarantee I'm not misremember that scene. I just know there was a fight scene and Sabrina did something with the water tower and won. I probably only read this book one time so it's not in my memory at all.

When Pinocchio's friend inside the book showed pride in his role, that made me tear up. Cause all the other characters hated it so much, to hear him speak genuinely about how important he saw his job was really sweet and I wish we got more. Other than that pretty much any scene with the Editor, he was awesome.

The end with Mirror dying and wanted Sabrina to say she was his friend made me cry in bed as a listened to the audiobook. WAhhhhhh. If I stop and think, that ending is flawed in many ways but it makes my smooth ape brain happy.

[elfboyeros]

Wedding Night Chatter

This probably sucks but I don't care, Wilhelm is the only one who gets to call Belladonna, Bela, and it drives me insane in a good way.

More vampire shit here

“Are you glad we did it now?” Wilhelm asks.

“Yes…”

Holding her close with her legs resting across his hips, laying face-to-face, under the covers during the early morning dark sky, post-wedding night.

Despite being married for half a century, the Con Vester’s never had a wedding until now. However, off-handedly mentioning to Eutropie and Rosémond Le Doux was Belladonna’s undoing.  It’s not that Belladonna won’t want to have a wedding with Wilhelm, she would be lying if she said she didn’t have dreams of being under a wedding arch exchanging vows with the love of her life. However, the idea of having a “public” wedding always gave her the chills.

Nevertheless, telling the Le Doux’s you don’t want to have a wedding and expecting them to agree and just allow something like that, very laughable!

At least, Belladonna was able to find a wedding dress that looked similar to her mother’s that was neatly in a box in her closet back in Romania, and once she was at the end of the aisle, every fear of reliving the memories a wedding for a past life long gone and buried vanished. Wilhelm’s soft smile, kind words, and all the dancing made every horrible thought and memory Belladonna had of a wedding gone in less than 24 hours.

“My swan,” Wilhelm coos taking one of her hands and kissing her knuckles, seeing tears perch themselves on her waterline, “What’s the matter?”

“I’m being so stupid.”

“Shush now, just talk to me, Belladonna.”

“I thought I would only think about him and I thought I wouldn't be able to be happy, but here I am now wishing we had done it sooner,” Belladonna confused, before laughing pitifully, “It’s been 50 years and I’m still scared of him.”

“Swan…”

“You know what’s funny?” She asks laughing, tears streaming down her face.

“What my dear?” Wilhelm questions softly and quietly.

“I don’t even remember what he looks like!” She heaves, “He comes in my nightmares, but he has no face. He’s just the figure of a man I hate! A man with no face has made me fearful of having a wedding with the man I love more than anything and has been haunting my dreams for the past 5 decades!”

Wilhelm hums, fingers brushing up and down her thigh, as her legs rest against his hip bone.

“I remember that night so vividly, and yet he is nothing in my brain dispute holding so much power. I think about the room, I can feel the glass in my legs and the aching in my feet. I think about you,” she continues, “How divine you looked, how you held me, how you looked at me.”

Wilhelm moves the hand on her thigh cupping her cheek as she continues, “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize.”

“No! We’re supposed to have the “classic wedding night” and here I am crying about a man that has been dead for fifty years!” she huffs

“My swan, we can have sex any night you like,” he remarks.

She pouts making Wilhelm chuckle, “Don’t pout,” he comments placing his fingers under her chin and kissing her briefly. “My Belladonna,” he chuckles as he pulls her closer.

They lay in silence for a few minutes, Belladonna’s face hidden in his neck, as his hands ran up and down her spine and her arms rested around his waist. Their legs now intertwined enjoying the feeling of each other’s slow heartbeats.

“Say my name, please.”

Wilhelm thinks for a moment, processing her request, before sighing lovingly, “Bela~”

Belladonna let out a heavy content sigh, tightening her hold on him as her heartbeat sped up slightly at the sound of her true name escaping his lips as she requested.

“Bela Con Vester~”

The sound that came out of her was a cross between a moan and a whine against the column of his throat, “You are my Belladonna, my swan, my dear, but you are and will always be Mrs. Bela Con Vester,” Wilhelm yearns, “You always have been.”

She begins to cry once again against his neck, her loud cries muffled by a mixture of his own skin and the pillow he lies against. His hands still rubbing her back soothingly through the night has they lay in comfortable silence, occasionally talking until the sun rose.

“I see you didn’t get much sleep last night,” Eutropie giggles the next morning sliding a full coffee cup Belladonna’s way.

“Thank you,” Belladonna mumbles, her head resting against Wilhelm’s arm as she sits next to him, while he discusses some kind of business.

“You should tell him to go easy on you, baby,” Eutropie says in a soft tone as the vampire woman across from her sits up straight.

“It was nothing like that,” Belladonna replies, with a smile while sipping her coffee, “We just talked all night.”

“You talk?!” Eutropie scoffs, “It’s your wedding night and you two just talked!”

Belladonna giggles before feeling Wilhelm intertwine his fingers with hers, “There is nothing wrong with talking all night.”

“What could you have possibly talked about all night long.”

“Somethings at needed to be said.”

[aphandgflover]

I've studied Nabokov's Lolita in college. I hated reading it. I hated studying it, or answering questions about it. I hated thinking about the characters' motivations. I also hated thinking about why someone would write something like that. But I had to, and you know what? I'm glad I did.

Because it made me realize that me hating the narrator and story was probably the point of the book. We usually study books meant to be beautiful, meaningful, with good messages. Through most of my school years, those were the books we were given to study, but when I got into college, I had to read books that were about as pleasant as listenning to the wilhelm scream on repeat for five hours. And they were intended to be, the same way that an artpiece can be a can of shit or an upside-down urinal.

My teachers would always say that everything in a book is intentional. This statement is probably not entirely true, because I believe even the most careful, perfectionist author will always have a moment of weakness and just use whatever word is most convenient at the moment. But things as big as the general vibe of a book is not something that can easily be missed by its own author, so if the book has a nasty vibe, that's just because the author wanted it to.

Some authors want to make you uncomfortable. They want you to read their book and cringe so hard your face feels sore. If you showed up in front of them and said "Your book is shit and I want to burn it", they would probably smile and say. "Yes! Why?"

Because that's one of the points of art. Asking "why"? Why do I hate this character? Why do I feel uncomfortable? Why was this written? For older books : why did this survive for so long? For popular books : why did people read this?

I'm an online tutor, and when it comes to literature, I always tell my students that the only way to understand a piece of work is to ask questions, and then look for clues, like a detective cracking a case. I find it tragic that so many teens and young adults are learning to do that for the first time. A lot of them just want to find the "right answer" and get the good grade, they don't even feel curious enough to look up the words they don't know. I blame the school system.

I see that on the internet too, people complaining about pieces of media daring to use the smallest amount of subtlety instead of spoon-feeding them every single message. The most recent one? Someone complaining that nobody in Helluva Boss addressed the fact that Loona, a hellhound, was shamed for using what is treated like a slur while a member of demon royalty used it repeatedly throughout the episode with no repercussions. As if the very fact that this detail stood out enough to be noticed wasn't a statement in and of itself!

This was long, but essentially, yeah, a piece of media making you uncomfortable is further reason to keep it around, because if you care enough to think about why it makes you uncomfortable, you may discover new things about yourself and grow more intelligent in the future.

Sure, some books need to be labeled, the same way food needs to be labeled with potential allergens or dangerous substances. You don't want kids reading Marquis de Sade books, at least not without knowing exactly what's in them, and what the risks are. But that's no reason to ban them, the same way we don't ban alcohol despite it being poisonous. And if you don't feel ready to step out of your comfort zone and read Sade or Nabokov, then good for you! You don't have to! Just like you don't have to drink alcohol, or go parachuting, or do anything you don't want to do!

Essentially, just educate people, teach them how to think for themselves, and then let them do that.

“Authors should not be ALLOWED to write about–” you are an anti-intellectual and functionally a conservative

“This book should be taken off of shelves for featuring–” you are an anti-intellectual and functionally a conservative

“Schools shouldn’t teach this book in class because–” you are an anti-intellectual and functionally a conservative

“Nobody actually likes or wants to read classics because they’re–” you are an anti-intellectual and an idiot

“I only read YA fantasy books because every classic novel or work of literary fiction is problematic and features–” you are an anti-intellectual and you are robbing yourself of the full richness of the human experience.

[devilishfink]

My head's in heaven, my soles are in hell

To sort that out right away... That won't be a fairy tail of good and evil, where the beautiful angels win over the ugly demons. Since that is will NEVER be the case! Sorry to bust that bubble, kid. 

This is a story about me, Wilhelm Fink and my little baby brother “The Reverend” Strychnine Twitch, a long story with ups and downs.

Anyways... the story starts 39 years ago in good old California. My birthday to be exact and not my favorite day of the year to be brutally honest.

The neon light in the waiting room caused more stress than an relaxing atmosphere, the whole room in its' whole didn't help that either. 

A man in his mid thirties was sitting there all alone in the middle of the night waiting to be called to the room he just wanted to enter so badly for hours now. 

The black-headed looked like he was sitting on glowing coals, shifting from side to side for quite a while now; “Oh come on that's a joke... I just wanna see how it is going... That's it!” his voice sounded more worried than angry followed by a long sigh, he got on his feet heading to the exit, to find out what caused the waiting. 

It took him like 5 minutes and several asking to finally find the right direction, how he hated this place; the smell of diseases, disinfectant and soon to be dead; he simply hated hospitals with a passion... but this time he couldn't care less about all that.

“There we go 'delivery room'” a little smile showed up on his face, like a little child before Christmas morning, then he pushed open the door to see what he waited for so long now, “so is everything alright with Laur- a- what?!” as fast as the smile had came it was gone replaced with a blank face of disbelieve “This can't be... what happened! That's too much blood!” 

So let's see... the nice man you heard scream here was my father. Lucius Fink. Full-time asshole and previous king of hell. Yes hell you read that right.

Probably this incident was the trigger for much more worse to come, but that's a story for later. 

More important is the Why now... Laura Schneider; my mother; was basically my first victim of many. I never meant to do so really, but humans ain't supposed to give birth to a demon, since this always comes with a sacrifice, which was her life in this case...

Lucius was standing in front of the big window wall, where they kept the newborns for the parents to take the first look at their little bundle of joy. The demon was pale as the tiles that paved the whole place: “How can life and death be so close together? It's not fair...” he never was a cry baby not even now he could, he tried to calm himself not to tear the place down with just one finger. “...Now where is he?” still a bit shaking her searched through the small beds, to finally find a blue one: “There you are... Wilhelm... she chose the name I picked? Oh dammit Laura...” he shoved his face into one hand and shook his head: “Be strong now Lucius... be a good dad for him.” The devil shook of the bad chills for now to greet the newborn boy with a happy face not with the face of despair. 

What a happy-happy birthday story right? He should keep his promise at least for some years... he USED to be a good father to me when I was still a little fuck. After all it wasn't my fault that Laura died and I never met her so I was never really sad about not knowing her. But she seemed like a really nice woman after the stories Lucius told me while looking at old photos.

I noticed that something was wrong when I was like three years old. That was the time where he disappear for days, leaving me and my babysitter alone... God that was terrible of you think about it. It turned out that he went to some shady night clubs; he was sad and lonely I don't judge him for DOING it but I do judge him for leaving a three-year-old alone with a babysitter. (also because Susie was a bitch of a babysitter...) Anyway. That was until one day he brought one of his kittens, he really loved to play with home.

Sally Twitch; a woman that really didn't look like your usual dancer. I know, I know the name sounds weird and a lil' stupid, but she actually happened to be a really pretty and sweet being and who was not as stupid as her name sounded. Even thought she worked in some shady bar, she was always happy and a really great substitute mother to me. Also father had his reason to call her his “Little angel”...

°What do you's want for dinner darling?° the blonde lady asked the little black-headed boy. 'Uuuuuuh... I want beef please!' a big cute but sharp smile appeared on Wilhelm's face. °... again? Honey you's can't only eat meat all the time° Sally laughed stroking the boy's head °I's will see what we's can do yes?° - “Well meat doesn't sound bad to me either actually” Lucius appeared out of thin air behind them hugging Sally from behind to put a kiss on her temple, he always appeared like that. Out of nowhere. He loved being a demon and doing well thing's a demon does. °Hello love, was your day okay?° she blushed a little, every normal person would have pissed themselves if someone would pop up like this. But that wasn't your normal family to start with anyways. 

The were like together for two or three years, much longer than with Laura to this point. And who would have thought THAT? (Everybody obviously) Sally got pregnant. Father was scared of course, we all know what happened the last time he expected a child of his, but since Sally wasn't a normal human, she told him not to worry about it and that everything will be just fine. One happy family and a happy end like the one's in children books or Disney movies. 

I wish it would have been like that all the time...

'Moooommmy why can't I come with you two? I don't like the babysitter and I want to see my little brother!' the little devil pouted, trying not to show that he was close to crying: 'That's not fair!' - °Ssssh it's okaaaay... we's wont be gone for long and you's can say hello to him in person then not just do my belly hehe...° Sally smiled warmly wiping the little one's tears away with her thumbs, while Lucius was loading her bag into the car. °You's will protect little Strychnine from this point then so you's need to be a strong big brother for him... promise?° - 'I-I will!' Wilhelm nodded trying to look strong: 'o-okay I will be a good boy while you are away...' Sally nodded °See you's later alligator.° - 'See you in a while crocodile!' He waved from the front door as his parents left.

The were gone for ages after that but it's not like I wasn't used to being left alone with a babysitter... This time BOTH of them came back home, with a really tiny version of father just with a much cuter face. I was all over the place that day since a baby brother was something I always wished for, even thought I didn't know that to this point of time. Strychnine wasn't exactly the pretties baby name but special names run in this family so why the fuck not? 

'Can I hold him? May I? Pleaaase!' Wilhelm never begged for anything but special times need special behavior: 'I will be careful. I will not drop him or anything he isn't a toy of mine so I-I promise!' - °Oh dear° Sally giggled, holding the little bundle gently in her arms: °Sit down beside me's and stay calm yes?° The little bundle of energy did as he was told and sat down on the couch, trying to sit really still: °Here you's go...° - 'Oh like- that?' - °Yes like that° The bundle was warm and calm on his lap, making little noises: 'He's so tiny... he will grow up fast so we can play yes? - °Of course Will. You's will be a great big brother for him... you's see my “kind” isn't as strong as yours. Keep him safe when I's can't be around okay?° the blonde one smiled warm but there was something like a little hint of  apprehension in it as well, what she didn't wanted to show and the little boy didn't notice anyway. 

I would kill to relive this nice years of my and Twitch's childhood! Growing up in a stable and happy family, that would have been great... But that only lasted for like 3 years I think? As time passed more and more demon's got informed, that father was living with an angel and his kids like a normal person. They saw it as a chance to jump right on the top of the throne in hell, since they thought he had become soft and weak. Lucius went out every night to get rid of those traitors, after one incident, where a demon almost broke into their bedroom to get rid of him and Sally as well I guess. The angel slowly started to lose all of the calm happiness and turned into a train wreck when it came to her emotions. Hell, she was alone with us children by night hoping nothing and nobody would break in, ending our lives for fun; as a game. Don't get me wrong! Angel's have weapons too! Mostly swords they can use to kill my kind, but Sally never had used hers'. She was afraid of hurting me or father by accident. In the end that would cost her, her pretty head. Literally.

Wilhelm and Strychnine were sharing the same bedroom, because of the latest event happening around the house. It had become to dangerous letting everyone sleep in single rooms, so Sally and Lucius decided to put the kids in the room beside their bedroom, to help them as soon as they could in case of  danger. “Wil? I's can't sleep...” the little voice interrupted the silence of the night: “May I's uhm...” - 'I don't mind hop in baby bro' the black-headed replied as he lifted his blanket for his little brother to join. He made the promise to take care of him and he loved doing it actually. How couldn't you by the look of that adorable face? For a three-year old he was already really smart, so he  knew as good as Wil, what was going on, and what could possibly happen to them. “You's think everything will be fine?” little Twitch sounded worried: “Will mommy be alright?” - 'Dad takes care of her so there is no doubt about that, I am sure!' the eight-year-old tried to calm him down, so both of them would get some sleep this night, when a loud noise suddenly echoed through the hallway. “What was that??” Strychnine pulled the blanket over his face, shivering. 'I don't know... stay here I will have a look.' Wilhelm was as stressed out as his little brother, but he didn't wanted to scare him even more. The little demon got up on his feet and opened the bedroom's door slowly peaking through it. He didn't had much demonic skills by now, but he already had the night vision which came in handy, when reading under his blanket by night. 'Mhmm...' entering the hallway caused a dull feeling in his stomach, like something was going as bad as it possibly could. '...What is this smell?' little Fink followed his nose to his parent's bedroom: 'Mom?' he pushed the already open door open to see inside revealing a nightmarish picture to the young demon. Inside was Sally leaning on the rooms wall, bleeding heavily from her stomach: °You's can't have them! Only over my's dead body!° she yelled into direction of one dark corner of the room, where a unfamiliar person stood, grinning dirtily. -Awww mother goose is scared? Hehe... well well nothing easier than this, since your fighting skills are non-existing and your oh so lovely man is occupied somewhere else with my minions.- the man had sharp claws and just as sharp teeth making his smile even more diabolic as his words. Fink backed away slowly and went back to his room, picking up Twitch he brought them into the wardrobe on the other side of the hallway. “I's don't want to be in he-” the demon interrupted him, shaking his head he gestured the little angel to be silent. ('You can hear me like this Strych?') being a supernatural species came with so many skills like telepathy, the two brother trained that as soon as Twitch could speak probably. They mostly used it to play hide and seek and playing tricks on their parents , but this time it was a good way to stay hidden from whoever he was.

(“I's can... what is happening?”) the curly haired boy clung to his older brother even tighter, hearing the banging sounds coming from his mother's bedroom. ('Dad will be here soon, I bet! He would never let someone hurt us li-') he was stopped by a loud bump hitting the door of the wardrobe. This smell... blood. Too much blood to be normal: °Don't... We's not hurtin' anybody please...° the voice of the angel sounded weak and so full of despair, knowing that she couldn't win against such a strong enemy. -Well you've got a pretty face and all... I don't blame him getting down on ya.- the voice of the stranger sounded almost cheerful. The man had taken grip around Sally's neck ready to snap her head of in just a second: -Maybe I will do that too before I take your last breath, how does that sound to you mother goose?- as soon as the sentence ended, there was a dragging noise into the direction of the children's bedroom. Wilhelm was just standing there pressing his hands on Strychnine's ears for the whole conversation, this time he couldn't overplay it. (“...A-are you's cryin'?”) some tears were dripping on the little one's head as the older one took a deep breath ('W-we stay in here dad will... he must...') where was he? He couldn't let this happen! Or could he? 

The house was covered in death silence for the rest of the night and the heavy smell of iron filled the hallway. Lucius nowhere to be seen...

This night our mother passed away, in a cruel and restless way... Sally did not deserve all this. We stayed in this fucking wardrobe for the whole night and Twitch was asking me over and over again, if everything would be fine and I told him father would come and safe us... This asshole can go rot somewhere worse than hell for leaving us alone this night. He came back somewhere around 10 in the morning, finding the angel in two pieces in our bedroom... I don't know who he was but he was one of the demon you would really call a monster. Next to my father of course. He started to slowly change as soon as Sally was underground and we were back home. For so many years he made us feel the pain he must have felt, but we were kids and not someone's punching bag! The angel knew why she told ME to take care of her son and not Lucius...

It was night again and as always the two brother's were alone in the big old house. 'We need to get you to the hospital, Twitch... c'mon!' the 13-year old tried to convince his smaller counterpart, who just had turned eight, to follow him downstairs to “fix” his father's birthday present: 'You can't heal yourself that well by now... please.' - “But I's... I-I's don't like that place Wil!” the little boy shook his head in dislike of his brother's idea: “Can't you's help me's with my arm?...” the emerald eyes grew bigger, hoping for an positive answer. The demon sight: 'I can only destroy, not heal. Only my own wounds baby bro.' - “B-But... mmmhm... fine.” The curly-headed boy followed grudged soon after and half an hour later they found themselves in the local emergency room. Not for the first time and not for the last. Twitch was holding his arm straight, shifting close to his brother's side, waiting for them to be called into one of the  consulting rooms: “I's will be fine?” - 'You will be. Don't worry.' - “If you's say so...” Fink smiled warmly at the little boy, trying to calm him. He wasn't the nice brother, not at all, except when it came to his little brother. Like a lion protecting his whelp. After a time that felt like hours they got to see a doctor; Twitch got a cast and Fink tried to make up a story again. This time he felt down the stairs. The two brother's were common visitor of the hospital by now, hell, they must have been really stupid not knowing WHAT was going on at there home with the little boy. “You's wanna write something on it?” the curly-headed boy wiggled his arm a little, trying to lighten the mood again. He was so lucky, not getting anything from his father but the face and the color of his eyes. Such an example for an angel. 'I will... uuuhm I will write bird brain on it yes?' - “Hey! That's not true!” the boy blew up his cheeks in disagreement: “I's not stupid, that's meaaaan...” - The young demon laughed: 'Just kidding! I am sorry I am nasty; that's my nature y'know?' - “You's ain't! At least not to me's.” - 'That's... true I think. You are the only thing that's important to me so'. They took the bus home, Twitch fell asleep, five minutes before they arrived at their stop: 'Don't you ever change yes?' the black-haired whispered picking his brother up to carry him into bed, without waking him up.

That story repeated so often, I stopped counting the times... At the point where I was 18 and Strych was 13, he sure had broken all his bones at least once. Luckily, he learned to heal himself pretty fast. At the same time, I planned leaving home to put an end to our father's torture. Even thought, I am creature that causes so much pain, I can't stand seeing my loved ones in pain. It makes me throw up, since it puts me back into the state I was in, while hiding in the wardrobe with Twitch as Sally was murdered... such a helpless state.

“But is there enough space for us?” Twitch was sitting on the edge of the couch in his purple, over sized hoodie, watching Fink getting his shit together: 'Yes there is. Just don't worry about all that, baby bro.' the demon smiled more stressed than warm this time. He just hoped for Lucius to stay out of the house all night again this time. 'Let's go now! My teleportation is still a bit bumpy but it's good enough to bring us two to our new home... come here and gimme a hug will ya?' the little boy nodded doing as his brother told him. He held on really tight, closing his eyes: “I's not going to puke after it right?” - 'Nope not at all... well maybe a little dunno haha!' with a cheeky smirk and without hesitation, Wilhelm let them both disappear into thin air to let them appear back in an cosy apartment. “You's lied to me's- urgh...” - 'Bathroom is the second door to the left there...' the curly-head ran off into said direction as soon as Fink had finished his sentence. The place was small but had many rooms, two small bedrooms, a kitchen, a bathroom and a living room. 

It wasn’t the best place to raise a child, but we both didn’t mind it. Everywhere is better than living with a man that holds a grudge against the world including his own children. Anyway. I could earn enough money by day with a shitty job at the supermarket- hell! I learned to hate people even more in this place!- and plenty of money from my demon job at night. Life was simple but it was good. Strych could be a child for a little bit at least… when I could keep him from asking questions about my nightlife. That was more than just not child friendly. He was still so curious about it that he ended up sneaking after me one night, even thought I told him not to do so several of times before…

Fink was getting ready for his “late shift” by putting on an all black outfit and a black and white stripped mask; this one he was really careful with since it was the only thing that hid his face from his “clients”: “I’s wanna come!” - ‘You cant… how many times have I told you that already Strych?’ the blonde head sticking through the door frame pouted in disappointment as the older one sighed and said the sentence like almost ever two or three days. It was just too dangerous and cruel for a little boy to join him. Hell- that job wasn’t one you could bring to class and talk about like a cop or firefighter would do. 'Please go to sleep… you’ve got school tomorrow.” a warm smile formed on the demons face as he leaded the boy back to his room, tucking him into his blanket with his plush animals: “I’s not tired at all…” Strych replied as a yawn followed his words, which made Fink grin amused: 'I see… It wont take long. Now- sleep tight little bean~’ putting a kiss on the blonde curls he got up to get his leather jacket and left the apartment to enter the dark night.

It didn’t take long for him to find the corrupted soul he had to send back to hell, after all he was a pure blood and much stronger and smarter than anyone with just a lousy pact. 'Any last wishes before I erase you from the surface of the planet? … not? Thought so!’ the devil short laughed as he held the mid-aged man against a brick wall by his throat with only one hand; he didn’t look like it at this point but he could take down grown up man without any trouble already now. With a smirk he lifted his tail showing the sharp end to the pale guy as he cut a straight line from his throat down to his belly, letting a waterfall of blood run down on the floor. Fink would never tell his little brother how good it felt to him, feeling fresh blood on his skin that wasn’t his own, one could compare it with a wolf finally starting to feed on a hunted deer. Pure satisfaction for one of his kind: 'The red is so pretty oh…’ a wide smirk formed on his face as he let the dead body slide to the ground to push his tail through it’s heart to let the corpses disappear into literal dust getting carried away by the wind.

Fink was covered in so much blood; and he loved it: 'That’s so goood~ but lets get rid of the mask now’ he chuckled and pulled it of to put it away into his jacket as he noticed a whimper behind his back, as he slowly turned around he immediately noticed the blonde short boy just standing there with tears running down his red cheeks: 'Strych?? what are you doing here? Please calm down it’s not what it looks like-’ before he could explain himself the little angel was already running of, down the dark sidewalks not really into a direction of something he knew. 'Shit!’ the black-haired started running after him, that wasn’t what he wanted his little brother to know about him; his cruel side; the side his father left him. 'Stop! Please! I am not evil towards you or anyone!’ Strych didn’t reply he just kept on running crying heavily because of the blood drenched scenery he found, which his brother had caused. “G-go away! Y-You’s the same monster as d-dad!” the little boy yelled from the top of his lungs which was loud enough to his his big brother like a straight shot into the guts. He wasn’t … it was his job! Or was it? Did he had the choice to quiet and live a normal life? There were so many doubts in his head now as he got slower and slower just looking blankly at his blonde counterpart.

“Leave me’s alone!” - 'I am … evil.’ the demon stared at his red hands and arms, trying to figure out the situation and what to do as he heard a dull sound like something had fallen. “Ow… my’s knees…” the angel had stumbled as he crossed the street making him fall and hurt his knees and cuttinghis pants open. 'Buddy I will hel- oh…’ the older brother bit his lips realizing that he had betrayed his only family really badly with not telling the truth: 'I am so sorry I can’t redo this and- FUCK GET UP!’ before he could really start his speech he noticed the lights of a truck coming down the street with way too much speed! And the little boy was still there not able to get up! Without hesitation the demon gained speed to push the little boy of the street onto the sidewalk: 'I am sorry!’ that were the last words before the truck hit Fink frontal, breaking his legs and one arm and pushed him on the edge of the street, just laying there unconscious: “Will! NO! Will!” Twitch crawled over to his brother shaking him to wake up but failed. The driver stopped about to yell and howl about the bump in his car but instead turned pale and called for an ambulance instead, which took both to their well know town’s hospital.

Fink woke up in a white room with plenty of needles stuck in his arm; including liquid and blood; and the mother of headaches but a warm feeling close to his side: 'W-what.. where..?’ he slowly opened his heavy eyelids before noticing the blonde head beside him in bed sleeping. A little smile formed on his face as he stroked the small back trying to get him to relax his hands and arms, but the only thing he got was a little groan: 'I am so sorry little bean… I-I am a bad big brother.’ the demon sobbed a little; trying not to start crying but his whole body was in pain still so he couldn’t help it but just let it flow down his face: “…I’s shouldn’t have said that… you’s Fink not Lucius… my big brother can’t be like him he is MY brother” the tiny voice suddenly returned with a cute little smile sweeter than all the candies in the world.

[wilhelmsbee]

Season 3 babey!!!!

(Redraw of my season 2 announcement drawing you can find on my ig @/lemonbee.art)

[devilsjacket]

opinions/ headcannons on the idea of wilhelm with another boy that’s also really in the spotlight and like has famous parents or somethin? idk, you don’t have to do this, have a lovely day <3 🫶🏻

I love this idea anon! Thank you for taking the time to request and I hope you like it!

Wilhelm x famous!reader headcanons

warning(s): n/a

You were quite popular at Hillerska, your family was well known for their riches and snobbery however people were surprised that you weren’t the same

You were kind and respectful, not making fun of anyone lesser than you

Wille took a liking to you more so than August, someone you spoke regularly to, or well it was more like he bothered you as opposed to you willingly talking to him.

You were always interested in Wilhelm, you had seen him on tv and thought he was pretty alright

Wille was the one who had initiated your conversation whilst you two had breakfast

“Hi, I uh, I’m Wille” Wilhelm awkwardly smiled as he watched you play with your food, not looking interested in it. You looked at him brush some hair from his face and smiled “ah, I know, I’m Y/n”

The conversation went pretty smoothly and you both ended up talking about things you liked, Wille found out you liked to playing games, something he hasn’t done before

“You’ve not played video games?! Not even one?!” You stared at him as if he had just said something outrageous; blasphemous even. Wille just shrugged and shook his head.

That’s how you two ended up in your dorm playing call of duty for the last hour, accidentally missing rowing practice and earning a harsh scold from August

You and Wille only grew closer, sneaking off school grounds to wander around Bjärstad, an area you both never saw much of.

Girls came up to you two and you politely took a few pictures with them, they tried to get Wilhelm to do so as well but you said he wasn’t in the mood after noticing his nervousness. He thanked you for that.

When you two got back to Hillerska, sneaking in through the open window to your dorm that’s when you both could feel a tightness in your chests. It was weird but- a good weird you know? You had offered Wille to stay and hang out for longer which he accepted a little too quickly.

“Cool- uh the bed is a bit small but we could both fit if we-” you tilted your head whilst looking at your bed “if we squeeze together I guess” you shrugged kicking off your shoes and not seeing the redness of Wille’s face due to the dark.

It was a nice sleep you two had, both cuddling, warm skin touching and sending shocks through both of you. Wille had rested his head on your chest mumbling something incoherent before falling into a peaceful sleep.

When it was morning Wille was already awake, fingertips tracing the faint abs on your stomach that became more apparent when you exhaled, he got all embarrassed when he saw you smiling, eyes slowly opening and meeting the morning sun that peeked through the curtains.

“Morning” you whispered cringing as your breath met with your nose, you hated morning breath. Wilhelm smiled and propped himself up on his elbow “good morning”

You moved your head groaning lightly, yeah Wille’s morning breath was worse “god your breath stinks!” You half laughed as your nose wrinkled. Wille only hummed and as soon as your head turned back, blew into your face, his disgusting breath burning your nostrils.

You gaged and wrestled with him until you landed between his legs, hand over his mouth to prevent his breath from attacking you again.

Upon realising your position you both turned red and you slowly moved your hand, despite his horrible breath you felt like kissing Wilhelm, nose brushing against his when you leaned closer.

But before you could there was a knock at your door, it was Alexander letting you both know what the time was, you looked over your shoulder and yelled a thanks hearing his footsteps fade into the distance afterwards.

You rolled off Wille and watched him lean over to you for a kiss but you dodged making him confused “brush your teeth first then kiss me” you said smiling, he nodded and rushed to his own dorm as if he was in a mission.

You in the meantime got ready and brushed your own teeth, making sure it was minty fresh for when Wille came back.

You and Wille had sorted out your relationship after a long afternoon of making out and softly touching each others flushed skin. You decided upon taking things slow, keeping it under wraps until Wille was ready to go public

Now in a relationship you needed to shake off the girls that wouldn’t stop asking you out, they knew what their answer would be but they still tried and tired.

There were lots of perks to yours and Wille’s relationship, one being that due to your popularity you could understand where he was coming from with his anxiety and stuff.

You knew how to calm him down and comfort him in the way he wanted, physical touch was an important thing to Wilhelm so you knew holding him would help a lot

And if you ever got anxious due to all the popularity Wille would be more than happy to push those people away and hold your hand to keep you grounded, even in public.

A/n: Should I make a part two since there’s a lot more I can write on this!

[raincitygirl76]

This. Plus, “crippling anxiety” didn’t become his entire personality, which is often a problem when scriptwriters try to write characters with mental health issues. Yes, Wilhelm’s as yet undiagnosed (but perfectly obvious to the viewers) anxiety disorder can be debilitating for him. But he has other important personality traits as well.

Also, he’s anxious and generally speaking pretty introverted, but I don’t think he’s shy, as such. When he wants something or someone, he expresses it. And he can be pretty authoritative when necessary (ex: 1.05 with the Society boys, 2.01 with August).

Wilhelm also hates making polite chit chat with strangers and near strangers while under scrutiny, hence his disinclination to attend the Parents Day lunch in 1.03. But just because he dislikes it and it triggers his anxiety doesn’t mean he’s bad at it. Or shy. Anxiety disorders often correlate with shyness but not always.

Wilhelm is a bundle of anxiety about public speaking, but he’s actually quite good at it when he can summon the emotional strength to speak in front of a crowd. He’s a complicated character, and has more nuance than most TV characters with mental illness.

Compare and contrast with “The Good Doctor”, which features a protagonist who’s autistic, and as far as I could tell from the 4 episodes I watched before I gave up, autism was this guy’s entire personality. I know autistic people in real life, and they are much more complex than that. I only tuned into Season 1 because one of the supporting actors was Antonia Thomas, who played Alisha in Misfits. I gave up after 4 episodes. The main character whose name I’ve already forgotten had clearly been written as “this man is autistic, and we the writers will never stop hammering the viewers over the head with that.”

I know an anxiety disorder is a mental illness while neurodivergence isn’t. But “The Good Doctor” was the first example that sprang to mind of a character being written as a diagnosis rather than a multifaceted person.

Maybe that show improved after I stopped watching. But having already wasted 4 hours of my life on it, I’ll have to take your word for it.

giving prince wilhelm crippling anxiety was the best possible decision that could've been made thank you so much everyone