#not sure how to tag this i'm kind of relying on the power of love and autism for this to reach any kind of audience

[mering]

do you like minecraft roleplay? do you hate minecraft roleplay? do you not understand minecraft roleplay? do you think that you do understand minecraft roleplay? have you ever argued about it on the internet? i have the perfect long, niche, extremely passionate blog post just for you. right here. right now

[syyskirjat]

Sueños de piedra (ch1)

Okay, I promised (to myself) to check out whatever media won the ultimate obscure blorbo tournament ( @who-do-i-know-this-man (I wasn't sure whether to tag you or not but in the end I figured I might as well, hope you don't mind I guess))

Turns out that it's a guy from a 2015 Spanish YA fantasy book

And turns out there's a free sample available! Which is lucky for me because I'm currently very broke

Sueños de piedra by Iria G. Parente and Selene M. Pascual

I don't speak Spanish so I'm gonna rely on the translator quite a lot lmao (well I understand some Spanish actually, but definitely not enough to read a whole book)

The title translates to something like "Dreams of Stone" I think?

Once upon a time in a kingdom far, far away, a prince rewarded a wizard for helping rescue a young girl in trouble. Charming. Too bad none of this is true. In reality, the prince dreams of glory and revenge; the magician, with her spells not always being a disaster and the young woman in trouble, with fleeing from a past that torments her... and from the memory of the man she has killed. Once upon a time...

(Yes this is just Google Translate, sorry)

Okay so, prince, magician and a damsel in distress? Prince wants revenge for something, who knows what, magician is having trouble doing the magic, and the damsel is in fact a killer? Ok ok

The dedication goes as follows:

To all those who embark on a direct journey towards their dreams every day. May you always reach your destination.

Okay so Marabilia is a place? That's apparently also the name of this book series. Is this like the kingdom then? So it consists of three islands, two small ones and one big? Or is it supposed to be a continent? It definitely seems too small to be a continent

I know the blorbo is called Arthmael de Silfos so I'm guessing he's from the Silfos area in the north of the big island then. I can see what's probably a city called Duan and a forest called "Merlon Forest". We also have different towers around the big island, one of which seems to be called the Tower of Black Magic. (I didn't even need to use the translator for those yay xD)

Okay the first chapter is called Arthmael so I guess we're meeting our blorbo already, which is nice

— Let me make it clear: are you going to give my crown to a bastard?

Okay..... the very first line and I already think Arthmael might be a bit of a spoiled brat (I assume he's in fact the prince)

Apparently Arthmael just found out that he has an illegitimate older brother but I guess this brother's mother is noble anyway so it's legit? I dunno yet. Arthmael thinks this guy is blackmailing his father somehow and is already considering poison as a solution

And anyway, what kind of a name is Jacques for a king?

lmao, so much shade to all the kings called Jacques

Okay so Jacques's family is very powerful and loved by the people of Silfos and the king fears a civil war if he disrespects his claim to the throne. Alright. Kinda weird since based on Arthmael's thoughts, this society has a similar attitude to bastards as in European history, but okay then. I wonder if Jacques is even actually the king's son or is this some kind of a ruse?

Arthmael is very cheeky and even references his dad's love life directly to his face, his dad is not very happy

The king tells him to just be a good boy and hopefully they'll find him some crown princess to marry so he'll get a kingdom that way

I guess these different areas on the map are kingdoms then, that makes sense. They look like very small kingdoms but this is a small place in general.

Arthmael doesn't seem to mind this idea except that there's only one possible princess like that in Marabilia and that's Ivy de Dione. Not sure what's wrong with her.

Well, who knows? Maybe, if I wait a few moons, some other bastard, in Verves or Idyll, will come out from under a rock and come offer me her hand.

Somebody's very snarky, that's cute

Arthmael is very haughty about how the people have always known him as the crown prince and accepted him as such, Jacques laughs and asks what has he even done for the people. He's like well he hasn't really done much yet because he was planning to do things once he became king, but he's been supporting the local business (taverns) and employing servants (lmao). Also apparently there are some girls he's seeing...

Apparently Jacques's family are big traders and business people (despite being noblemen) and create lots of jobs, and also big on charity, so everybody loves them

Arthmael is jealous of how proud his dad looks when Jacques says this, and how he's never looked at him like that

Well, I guess you're kind of a little shit so it makes sense, Arthmael

— If the smartest thing is to become the idol of a few starving people in order to be king, I can do it too.

Oh my god, this little brat

He declares that he's going to be a hero, to overshadow the charity of Jacques' family, because heroes are remembered by history while philanthropist aren't

So he plans to become a storybook Prince Charming, saving damsels in distress etc.

Jacques finds this understandably hilarious, the king is not amused

Once Jacques leaves, the king again offers to arrange a marriage to Arthmael, specifically with the princess of Dione

I'm almost tempted. I have never been to Dione, but they say that their ships are the lightest and fastest, and that sailors come to their shores from the other side of the sea, speaking strange languages that only they understand. Who come from lands where women wear short dresses, if they wear anything at all. Places where war is so normal that, as soon as a child is strong enough to pick up a sword, they push him to the front lines.

Alright then, I see what he fixates on

Was there anything wrong with the princess then or?

Barbarians. I remove the thought from my mind.

Oh okay. What a charming young man /s

Dione is like right next to Silfos according to the map btw, is this like one of those neighbourly feuds?

Okay he says it's because he doesn't want a foreign kingdom, he wants to keep his home, which is fair I guess

The king is like what do you want me to do, kill Jacques and his pregnant wife? And Arthmael is just like yeah great idea, because he's a dumbass. The king is like wtf

Apparently Jacques' family is from that Duan city that I noted earlier, and his mother died a few days ago and apparently "her loss is greatly felt"

The king regrets spoiling Arthmael too much, and talks about how Arthmael doesn't understand anything about suffering or anything and only cares about girls

Arthmael is already considering faking his death to make them all feel sorry, because of course he is, he's exactly that kind of guy

He says he doesn't want to go try to charm the princess, he'd rather just go off on his own (also there's a whole bit about how only a man can rule Dione or something and the king of Dione won't accept his daughter to become a ruler)

His dad tells him no, just stay here and be a good boy, don't make everybody gossip about drama in the royal family

Arthmael is like hey you managed to hide your bastard son for years, you can hide my disappearance

They fight a bit more but then Arthmael just storms out, grabs a few things from his room and leaves

a change of clothes, a bag of coins, my sword, and my favourite cloak. I do not need anything else.

Okay then, good luck I guess

To be a hero you only need a brave heart. Or so they say.

I feel like you also need to not be a selfish prick but maybe that's optional

Okay end of first chapter!

Our blorbo seems like a real brat!

But I guess the point is probably that he needs to learn some lessons along the way, or something like that, idk. I'm sure there's a reason for why whoever entered him into the tournament likes him so much

I'm guessing the damsel in distress is not the princess? Probably? She wasn't called a princess anyway. TBH she's the character I'm currently the most curious about. The next chapter is from the point of view of someone called Lynne and I hope that's her. Could be the magician too though I guess? No wait, I think the magician is a guy. Altho idk maybe Lynne could be a guy's name, I don't fucking know.

I'm guessing that Arthmael will try to rescue the damsel so he can be a hero, because that's what heroes are supposed to do, but then it'll go wrong somehow? And then the magician will get involved somehow, I have no clue.

That's all my predictions I suppose. Altho I'm guessing that Jacques might turn out to be a villain somehow, I didn't get the vibe that he was particularly great either, just not as much of a brat as Arthmael, and it would then be something for Arthmael to do when he gets back home. Then again maybe the book will surprise me, who knows. To be honest, it would feel a bit like a cop out if it turns out that the guy he hates actually is evil, but it could be handled well, and it's not like I like Jacques either so far. He seems extremely sus too

No guesses as to what the title refers to yet, it could be anything

Idk, like I said, the damsel's storyline is the one that interests me the most rn, it might actually get me to read further (good job, blurb, you got me)

I still have a surprisingly good amount of the free sample left, there's actually nine chapters here, so idk, maybe I'll keep going? We'll see

I'm pretty happy with how much I was able to follow the text even on my own, altho I definitely had to rely on the translator. I would not have had the patience to try to translate all of this myself. But I definitely understood multiple full sentences! Yaaay xD

Apologies to fans of this book series, I hope I didn't seem too rude

[a-couple-of-notes]

OKAY what a finale, folks! Deliberately not reading everyone else's thoughts until later (although I did chat briefly with @kshaar -- thank you for enduring my walls of Discord text), but I'm beginning my processing by writing this out.

I have a few issues with how all of this played out, as I'm sure many of you do, but I mostly really liked this finale. I'm so, so aware that it's hard to stick a landing--especially in a fandom as theory-heavy as Marvel, with the dedication of the queer fanbase on top of it. I think it's commendable how much they executed well, and how deliberately they aligned it with their vision of the show, not the one that would make everyone happy (if there is such a thing).

To the stuff I liked: unpopular opinion, but I like the order of the episodes as it is--final big boss fight first, quiet intimate flashback as the finale. Or, at least, I see the vision--I'm still iffy on whether the pacing actually feels good, but that probably needs another rewatch. This show has always been about unpacking Agatha, peeling off her masks until we get to some kind of truth, ugly or beautiful or both. Of course the ending is the truest thing we've ever gotten out of Agatha--the real story of her son and his death.

I loved everything about Nicky, Rio, and Agatha in the flashback. It is so beautifully mundane. A mother's love. A natural death. Selfishness. Grief. Anger. It's gorgeous, and the version of the ballad we got felt so, so fitting.

Everything about Jen! That unbinding spell...whoo. Sasheer Zamata knocked it out of the goddamn park with her performance--the joy, the sorrow, the agony of relief. Man. Even if the rest of the finale flopped on its belly (which it didn't), that alone would have been worth the price of admission. (Also ALSO: Agatha hate-flirting with Jen over confession of horrible traumatic action that fucked up Jen's whole shit! The Jen/Agatha truthers win!)

Alice. Alice my beloved. Ali Ahn, you do so much with the little screen time you have and I applaud you for it. I'm very grateful their cap on her arc was "I could make my life mean something/you're a protection witch. You died protecting someone" and not "you get to see your mother again" because, as I pointed out in the tags of one of my previous posts, that's the real tragedy of Alice. Her life, her freedom, her potential.

To the things I'm mixed on: that final battle, man. I think they did an admirable job of focusing what could have been a generic Marvel magic-blast-y slugfest into distinct character beats, but there was a lot going on in that fight. And compared to previous Rio and Agatha interactions, their big climactic one felt a little...weightless. Those factors make it much less clear why Agatha and Rio are fighting--like, on an emotional level; I understand intellectually why--which means that what also feels unclear is...

...The not-a-sacrifice. I like 90% of this. I like that Billy is finally able to communicate with Agatha via mind powers, because he's started to accept how alike they are. I like that Nicky is once again Agatha's turning point. I even can get behind the sacrifice as the creators' intention--not what I would have preferred, but a solid narrative choice nonetheless. Still, I am super unclear what, exactly, Agatha is thinking when she turns around. Is she just remembering Nicky himself--how much Billy is like him and how ashamed she would be if she left? If so, it feels odd that Agatha's version of sacrifice is kissing Rio so honestly. Later, we learn that Agatha was taking a risk to become a ghost. So when Billy asks how Nicky died, is Agatha remembering how Rio gave him time--the kiss as a fucked-up version of recognition, the risk being Agatha relying on Death's special treatment once again? That would be a better end to Agatha and Rio's arc, but there's no expository line, no echoing "I can only offer time." And Agatha and Rio. DON'T. TALK. IN PRESENT-DAY EPISODE 9.

This is my main gripe. I am aware I am griping with Megalopolis and FFC, not the show or its creators. But goddamn if more Aubrey Plaza would have fixed almost everything in that finale--and I mean this in a narrative sense, not just because I love Aubrey Plaza. It would have clarified where Agatha is ending re: her relationship with Rio (and Nicky), and it would have bookended the first episode so well (the three-player drama returns!) I am actually irritated about this.

Ghost Agatha looks so goofy. Like, I understand the vision here--the parallels to her mother, and of course Agatha would find a way to piss off Rio in her own domain. It's iconic. Still. There's something about Ghost!Agatha that's so much harder to buy into on a gut level, a kind of emotional distance created in such an emotional, tactile show.

Billy. Oh, Billy. I like your arc. I like its execution, while heaving a grudging sigh of "yeah, that makes sense for this story but I'm still kind of disappointed" re: the creation of the Witches' Road. I love the idea that Billy's ultimate arc was to accept the darkness in himself, and all the things he's capable of. But I really, really wish Agatha had had one more conversation with...not you. (Agatha naturally falls into a mentor-type role for Billy, which isn't necessarily bad or not part of her arc, but does at least lead to me feeling like we don't get an endpoint for Agatha in present day that's entirely her own.)

And I suppose that's the crux of my mixed feelings: the show began with Agatha asking who she was, before Billy even came into the picture. The viewers get to see a glimpse into Agatha's real self in the Ep. 9 flashback. But at the end of episode 9, Agatha is still running from it. She's barely touched her own grief (yes, yes, insert joke about Rio here), and we don't see her making that choice. I emphasize that because I am not categorically opposed to Agatha not completing her grief arc; god knows 9 episodes would have struggled to do that. I'm fine that they left some threads hanging. It's just that something in between Agatha (not-)sacrificing and Agatha coming back as affably-evil Casper is missing, and it feels like a gaping omission.

Other notes: Billy dramatically charging up the hex to create a memorial was great--another way the finale lets us into the beauty of the mundane. It's not to bring everyone back, or go down the Road again. But it's important, this act of remembering.

Though I'm disappointed we didn't get found family coven true, I'm at peace with how that thread wound up. This was a show about Agatha; the coven as individuals act as foils and reflections of her. They break and succeed in similar ways as Agatha. And they were a coven--a messed-up, broken coven who tried their best. It wasn't enough to save them, but it was enough for them to grow closer to the people they wanted to be. Agatha using something from every witch in her coven--Alice's protection spell, Lilia's divination, Jen's healing--in the fight was truly poignant, and tells me she'll remember them and carry them forward. (Also, the contrast against the flashback! "I cannot heal, I cannot protect you from what's coming, and I cannot divine when she'll come for you." Agatha needed them to be her coven! And they were. And they were.)

Final thoughts: (This is a misnomer; I'm still digesting.) Agatha All Along became a more complex, difficult show than I thought it would be pre-Episode 5. Occasionally this meant it disappointed me, had places where its budget, scheduling, Marvel-ness, and decisions regarding exposition struggled to connect things, but overall, it's a damn good show. And I would rather see a funny, challenging, ambitious show made with love for the craft than a safe, big-budget, chopped-up Marvel movie in a blender. And hey, it was super gay! (Please don't come near me with the "Bury Your Gays" stuff. Please. It's not that, I promise you.)

[oneatlatime]

Any predictions for season 3, or are you planning to dive straight in?

You're not the first person who's mentioned s3 predictions, so I'll give it a shot, but I'm really not sure if I have anything to use to make predictions. S2 ended in a very final, end of arc kind of way. Lots of things have been tied up. I don't even know where they're all flying off to. Back to the Southern Water Tribe, since the Earth Kingdom's a bit of a bust? The Fire Nation's out of the question, the Northern Water Tribe probably has mixed feelings about seeing them again, maybe the Eastern Air Temple? Although even that might not be safe, since Aang's travel plans to said temple to meet the Guru were known by various Earth Kingdom generals. And that stupid King.

I think the Fire Nation contingent are going back to the Fire Nation, and I am looking forward to a Zuko with eyes at least somewhat open interacting with FN citizens/nobles/military etc. who are still completely drinking the kool aid. I think it's going to suck for Zuko. Should make for good TV though. Lots of conversations where both people are saying entirely different things while thinking they're talking about the same thing.

I said it before, but I'm worried for Iroh. He's for sure arrested, but is he going to be executed? Obviously I don't want that, but unless Iroh still has enormous popular support, and the Firelord's grasp on power is incredibly shaky, I don't see how permanently eliminating a traitor (from a FN perspective) can be avoided. Then again. Kids' show.

As for the Gaang? In broad strokes, Aang still needs to learn firebending to fully Avatar himself, then he needs to defeat the Fire Lord (who is quite the homebody apparently - seriously, where is this guy?). So next season Aang will shake off his lightning hangover, find a firebending teacher, defeat the firelord. He'll probably have to commute to the Fire Nation to find the Fire Lord first. No idea what he'll do in between those things. Perhaps inadvisable shenanigans? That would be in character. His biggest story arc all series has been learning to accept his status as Avatar, but between his talks with the Guru and opening his last Chakra in the finale, I think he's done it. So all that's left is the main plot and goofiness.

Katara has the same problem she had going into S2 - she's mastered waterbending, so she needs a new conflict/arc. S2 answered this demand by... having her hang around? What did Katara do this season? Bend a bunch, set up camps, tear down camps, wreck Jet, support Aang, be nice to Toph that one time, yell at people. I hope she gets something meatier in S3. I still think she should meet some good FN citizens that challenge her morals.

Sokka was also kind of just there this season, although if I'm being mean I'll say that he was also kind of just there for S1 too, which is why it doesn't feel as odd as Katara's lack of purpose. I loved his stuff with Suki. Suki is officially the glow up of the season. I loved their interactions together, and I love the growth she poked him into doing. I'd like to see more of that. So less a prediction and more of a hope: S3 Sokka develops the ability to rely on/trust others (or maybe realises others can be relied upon/trusted is more accurate), hopefully with Suki somehow involved. And I loved his dad too. I want to see more of that guy, but since a cardinal rule of kids' stories is getting rid of the authority figures asap, it won't happen.

Toph. Honestly I'm stumped. She already broke the universe. Where can she go from there? Unless she's going to devolve into an antagonist, which I absolutely don't want, I don't see how she can top her S2 plot. And Aang's got earthbending down, so I guess she'll be like Katara was this season: tagging along. Not that I'm complaining; I love me some Toph in any form. We have seen that she wants to make peace with her parents, sort of, probably? Or at least give them another shot? But I kind of don't want her within 100 miles of her parents. So I don't know.

Appa & Momo will hopefully be tagalongs in S3 too. I learned my lesson this season about wanting the animals to have character arcs.

I guess the antagonist in S3 will be the Fire Lord, finally. Who else is left? Zhao tried, he died. Azula tried, she won. Unless S3 has an Azula rematch. But would she want that? She's already proven that she won. She can go home and enjoy the spoils of her victory (which may or may not include Zuko - I'm kind of unclear on exactly how much agency Zuko is going to have in the FN, especially since I'm not actually sure that he has permission to be there as a free man - didn't the arrest warrant Azula was executing in episode 1 list both Zuko and Iroh?)

There's nothing left for the Gaang in Ba Sing Se, so I doubt they'll go back there. Frankly it's the FN characters who have roots there. I wonder what will happen to Iroh's tea shop? I wonder if his investors will find out who he is? I wonder if money talks louder than national loyalty? (It's the Earth Kingdom - the answer is yes) Wouldn't it be funny if Iroh busted out of imprisonment and went right back to serving tea? And everyone sent to find him would be thinking "this is the famed tactician the Dragon of the West - he's probably travelling the FN plotting a coup as we speak. That devilish mind of his must have safe houses set up all over the nation." When actually he's right back where he got caught, doing exactly what he was doing when he got caught, to great and not-very-quiet acclaim?

I think S3 might have an overall darker tone too, within the bounds of a kids' show. I don't know what place Ba Sing Se occupied in the mind of the average person in the Avatar universe (although refugees seemed to revere it), but the city's fall to the FN represents a very big FN victory. The Gaang will probably be the most underdoglike in S3. S1 was mostly stalemate, then a big FN defeat. S2 was opened with the FN taking Omashu and closed with them taking Ba Sing Se. The FN have never been in a better position, and I bet the NWT is safe from further invasion only until the FN have built their fleet back up. So even the few free areas could have an expiry date on their freedom.

This is rapidly devolving into rambles, so I'll conclude by saying I have no clue what's going to happen next season, and that's exciting.

[softpromise]

20 questions

how many works do you have on ao3? 11 works!

what's your total ao3 word count? 385,785?! wow

what fandoms do you write for? i have primarily published for zelda and one fic for honkai star rail, i've been working on a number of genshin impact fics but we'll see if i ever finish any haha. i miss the days when i could get myself to just post chapters as i wrote them but now i feel like i have to have all or a significant amount done before publishing :')

what are your top 5 fics by kudos? to hold the sun (zelink, complete), pawn structure (zelink, complete), i could only have you in my dreams (danstelle, slowly whittling away at another chapter), thunderstruck (zelink, complete), all in a day's work (working on a re-write!)

do you respond to comments? always and i feel guilty if it takes me too long to respond!! writing fanfiction is fun and cathartic but the reason i publish it is to talk to people about it. please comment on fanfic and feel free to respond again when/if authors reply - it's one of my favorite things!

what's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? ummm i'd have to say i could only have you in my dreams but that's mostly because it's "unfinished" as it stands right now. i love reading and writing angst in a fic but i'm too baby to give something an actually angsty ending :x

what's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? EVERYTHING ELSE but maybe to avoid a cliche (zelink, complete) because the entire thing was a cliche and predictable and i just wanted it to feel cozy

do you get hate on fics? umm i'm sure i have but i don't really dwell on it. if someone's hating on skill, go off, i'm not a writing major and i'm publishing fics for free. if they want to hate on content/themes, different strokes for different folks. if they think i've done something "wrong", then i'd much rather they bring it to my attention respectfully so i can do better and learn. but at the end of the day, fanfiction is for fun, and i publish things i love and am proud of, and i've been lucky to receive a warm reception!

do you write smut? if so, what kind? absolutely i do! i feel like what i've published is on the kinkier end of the spectrum for a more vanilla reader, but on the vanilla end for a more seasoned reader. i like playing with power dynamics and desperation and worship/infatuation/obsession.

do you write crossovers? if so, what's the craziest one you've written? i haven't, and i don't know that i would! i really like coming up with plots that rely heavily on canon (even if it's just in my own way lol), and struggle with writing concepts that don't. i'm not sure i could get myself to write a crossover, unless it somehow still felt possible within canon!

have you ever had a fic stolen? not to my knowledge!

have you ever had a fic translated? i haven't! i'm working on a specific fic that i'd love to have translated into ukrainian eventually, so if there's anyone reading this that might be able to help, hit me up!

have you ever co-written a fic before? yes! to hold the sun with @obsidiangst and @hyperphonic, and pawn structure with hyperphonic. i learned so much through both experiences (and, yes, i'm tagging you both to do this xo)

what's your all-time favorite ship? easily zelink, i've loved them ever since i was a kid. it's the pure love, the cyclical romances, the trauma and the angst and the slow burn... and the forever and ever and ever. i've been really into chilumi lately too - the dynamic of "more than meets the eye" childe and "aloof intergalactic goddess that cares, believe it or not" lumine. i just love pining hahaha

what's a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will? *looks at wips folder* all?!?!?!?! just kidding (?). i'm really not sure! i did start a midzel piece a long time ago, inspired by carmilla, and i don't know that i'll pick that one up again. maybe i'll try to polish up what i have and put out a one shot instead of the slowburn longfic i wanted to do :')

what are your writing strengths? the easiest thing for me to sit down and write through to completion (pun very much intended) is smut! that's very often the part i finish first, while doing everything else in bits and pieces. i'm generally going for sexy but artsy, with the right mix (for me!) of blunt words and prose. i also feel that i'm good at characterizations that align with/expand upon canon.

what are your writing weaknesses? i definitely struggle with getting all of my thoughts onto the page, and i often have to read and re-read and RE-re-read to see if what i wrote makes sense (i.e. i didn't forget to include anything critical because my brain assumes it's already there). lately i've been having trouble with really connecting to writing, too, which makes the text feel shallow to me. working on being patient and writing one good sentence at a time!

thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic? i love the idea and have a lot of thoughts so let me try to summarize! logistically, i would do it either in brackets (a la to hold the sun) or italics (if it was like a particular phrase in an otherwise english line) or just mention it, depending on the context. creatively, though, to me it's important (and fun!) to start by researching the culture. i also would be more comfortable including specific phrases/pet names rather than entire bouts of dialogue, unless i found a native speaker to help me!

first fandom you wrote for? zelda HAHA if i ever wrote any fanfic before that i don't remember it!

favorite fic you've ever written? hylia's greatest gift. it was something i felt was missing in the fandom, for a lot of reasons, and i think it represents what i'm best at writing as well as what i want to read. it's funny, it's lovely, it's sexy, and i really put no pressure on myself while writing it. i have something upcoming that can hopefully feel similar to me :)

thank you so much to @1up-girl for tagging me, i had so much fun reading your answers and then thinking through them myself! to anyone else reading, if you want to fill this out, consider yourself tagged - share your brain and @ me so i can read!!

[violetsystems]

#personal

I've been thinking about writing again mostly for clarity and getting things out of my head. I've spent the last few days silent for the most part aside from grunts, farts, and loud burps. I spend a lot of time alone and yet I live in the heart of a city. The time I do spend lately has been the same old shit really. Applying for jobs is a daily thing for the most part. You get a rejection letter from Lucasfilm the day after you finish Dial of Destiny and it's no Temple of Doom moment really. I'm used to the rejection and the loneliness of it all. And succumbing to that would be a failure in and of itself. So in the spaces between where things aren't working life goes on. For all the hushed glances from the corners when you leave to check your mail, there's a sort of worse form of desperation projected at me than from within. I see people I once knew glowing up around the world. They've come a long way from train wrecking the tag team dj sets we used to share in dirty basements. But I'm sure they secretly somewhere in the back of their mind feel one day they'll be found out. That's kind of the opposite for me. If somehow one day someone found out all the stuff about me people refused to tell them it would only reiterate what I write down here. And in that respect you star to learn that it cannot rain forever. Just like you can't really expect to feel good forever at the expense of a lie. Or at least a lie that relies on other lies to sustain itself. The narrative I hold these days is pretty simple if people would just ask me. And yet there's this hidden power that nobody asks. Nobody clarifies. They hint sure. Sometimes they even project the fear into me as if I really had the luxury to be afraid of anything at my age. My birthday is coming up. About my only plans were a train to the suburbs to have a lunch of Italian beef with my dad. He's more excited about celebrating it than I am. At his age, the jokes about being old feel more at my expense than his. And yet we're living in this time where people only get younger and older and everything in between is a hot mess. People are so desperate to fit into something that they forget about growing into themselves. And I've been here regardless doing my thing like forever now. What really has changed much other than the broken record of me saying the same old shit.

As negative as I feel about other people, I still enjoy things a lot more than I used to. I recognize talking to myself about the world's problems never solves anything. It just makes me upset. I'm sure I'd be way more upset if I still had forward facing social media to complain with the group. I use LinkedIn to find a job. And honestly, I'm not sure it is very successful for that. Sure the crown prince of a Middle Eastern country will sometimes celebrate your comment about sobriety here and there. But I'm not sure how much that really translates to a successful job search. If anything there are these occasional above world realizations that I am not indeed a fucking ghost. That regardless of what a bunch of losers I used to hang out with think, I still am my own person and life goes on. I've travelled around the world by myself and generally been able to make friends at a moment's notice. But my real friends are in the traditional cyberpunk sense amorphously underground in a sea of names, handles, and content. I appreciate that. I love it as much as I would love a dear friend. And the scariest thing to me culturally is understanding that this is way the digital world is now. You watch people trying to perform the same function on Instagram with a series of fake accounts, bar star dickheads, and forum trolls. What you do with a simple heart here on Tumblr is replaced with the same crying emoji four times over. However distant people think of contact on the internet has become, I still value a click on my dash here more than most things. I still live by the fact that what is cool is defined by people who actually have a quantifiable data set that I trust. I still understand that explaining it in three paragraphs now and again instead of every week still hits where it counts. I don't really fuck around with mainstream society. I never have. And most of the people who claimed to be underground and edgy are now trying to play rock festivals hosted by cults and military psyops. Maybe that's a little edgy for me to say. But I'd still rather work at a felafel place than trying to be seen in a maze of drink tickets, drugs, and bad credit card debt.

However over it all nostalgically I am, there's something else rising from the much lately in America that's worse. Getting a job shouldn't be a popularity contest at this point. I'm not old enough to claim age discrimination which is something to celebrate. My dad is technically still working. Since no one will ever be able to afford a house or retire then it really reiterates the point that everyone gets time stretched in the middle. Class included. I'm mentally very different enough from people to be avoided at all costs in conversation. I realize I've intimidated people over time through isolation. But now I don't smile enough for the camera. I don't have a video resume. I don't have an active TikTok account as an adult which I think is batshit crazy. I don't go out to the bar and network over the sports game. I try to interact with cybersecurity contractors who work for DARPA only to be shadow banned by a secret cadre of giga chads who troll as part of their job description for the US military. I read about how horrible the Chinese economy is and wonder how much of that propaganda in the news media owned by five corporations in America is simply racism. I get bullied into thinking America is all there is when my passport says otherwise. I've always been talked over. This is why I still take the time to write it all down here. But the imposter syndrome is like a cliff. At some point what I'm dealing with now is just as cutting edge as everything I've gone through. Six months from now everything I complained about people will be wailing to the sky. And I start to wonder if going through all this is just part of regular growth. It isn't like I haven't learned to budget better. Make better decisions about the future. Lift weights every day and practice kung fu. Communicate with the common man through the litter they leave behind. Watch shitty movies with flute scores and revel in anime I never got the chance to pay attention to fully. Hang out with my friends anonymously on the internet while people on crack make up conspiracy theories on some forum about what I'm really doing. It is funny to me in some ways that I am living the William Gibson novel that even William Gibson refuses to write. A future where we fail and make up for lost time by accepting life instead of wasting it. That's love. And if anything I've learned to love unconditionally in a very real way. So much so that it's hard to stomach how fake every other sentiment is right now. That's what solitude and writing is for. <3 Tim

[maya-matlin]

I was reading your tag on the meeting with zaya in s11. Zaya definitely had a great first meeting arguably the best. I would agree I mean all of that scene is truly adorable and funny and it stands out to me.

I do feel a little bit that way for semmas meeting, where she'd been pining all day or trying to like figure out how she was gonna speak to him bc she maybe found him intimidating, and then finally she sees he's about to get in trouble bc he might fight jimmy, and kind of takes control of the situation even tho it's not really her business kind of like how maya went along with the rouse of pretending to be a jilted gf and improvising (lol scoundrel) without a script and did the first thing to come to mind. Both meetings seemed to me very like important.

Although with semma/Emma, she simply wanted someone to hang out with at the dance, but she had an opportunity to at least dance at the dance, and her intentions were good. I like that both zaya and semma had significant developments prior to dating zaya more than semma with the length of time. Idk people compare then sometimes the only real similarity is leading lady with a meet cute power couple relationship.

Both girls were intentions were good, for maya a new friend at her school, for emma befriending the cute new kid who she knew not much about. So it's cute to me as well. 😍💕 there is definitely overlap with zaya and semma but not that significant. Two awesome first meetings.

Yeah. I know Zig and Maya have way better scenes, but they got off to such a good start. Season 11 was overall a pretty weak season for them other than Underneath It All, but I really love that the writers made it a point to set up that pairing long before their romantic arc truly started.

Ooh, I never thought to compare those two scenes, but that's a good point about both Maya and Emma kind of needing to improvise to get their crush out of trouble.

Right. Ultimately, Zaya kind of borrowed from multiple ships while also having their own unique story. I don't think any other Degrassi pairing did the friends to lovers thing better than them. I think they followed the Semma pattern in the sense that it was the bad boy with the good girl, but I also feel like a lot of their story more closely resembles Joey and Caitlin's. Zig/Joey initially overlooked Maya/Caitlin for Tori/Liz. Maya and Caitlin had boyfriends who committed suicide (Cam and Claude). Joey cheated with Tessa, while Zig cheated with Zoe. Though thankfully, that was just one awful slip up in contrast to Joey kind of smugly repeatedly sleeping with Tessa until it blew up in his face. Personally, I'm just relieved Zaya didn't follow the Eclare pattern.

For sure! I think Zaya and Semma have some aesthetic similarities. Obviously later on, the writers kind of ripped off the Semma/Pemma triangle with Zaya/Matlingsworth. The first one was played more straight with Sean being the obvious troubled but ultimately good guy while Peter was the villain who used his privilege to eliminate his rival. With Zig and Miles, we weren't so sure how it would end up playing out because Zig had such a chip on his shoulder and was taking on this persona (kind of like season 3 Sean, but more aggressive) after being absent for most of the season. Miles had been introduced more sympathetically than Peter and had just come off episodes where we'd seen his home life and watched him stick up for Zoe. Based on what we'd seen of both (Zig in season 12, Miles in parts of season 13), it wasn't too shocking when things kind of reversed themselves and Maya decided Zig was the one she could trust and rely on while Miles was consistently letting her down. And of course, Zaya had the history and chemistry much like Semma did. Anyways, I digress.

[slightlyrebelliouswriter23]

Hey! I wanted to know why Taryn's character gets a lot of hate even tho she was trying to survive in faerie just as Jude did. Except her way of survival was more traditionally feminine and demure.

this has honestly been my point since like... forever lmao. if you've been on my blog for any length of time, you'll know i'm a pretty big Taryn apologist. i speak more about it in this post. but essentially, it's exactly what you said. and i have more to say.

[DISCLAIMER: this post is tagged as pro-Taryn Duarte. any comments or asks i receive expressing the reason why You Hate Taryn are entirely unsolicited and will be deleted on sight. if you don't like my opinion you can block the pro-Taryn Duarte tag, and scroll away.]

I. Me, harping on about Madoc deserving more of the fandom's scorn, part 300

it will always boggle my mind how this fandom allows Madoc every grace of "the complex character/relationship" but we don't afford Taryn even remotely the same attempt at understanding. even when Madoc committed infinitely more betrayals, infinitely more attrocities, than Taryn ever committed–or indeed has had time to commit given her extremely young age (compared to Madoc's centuries of life).

that's not to say i don't love Madoc. i think he's a great villain and his character, particularly his relationship with his children, is very complex. but why can't this be the same way we treat Taryn?

regardless of this blatant double-standard, people still hate her, and i think it has a lot to do with (as you said) the way Taryn handles her traumatic life events.

II. Trauma Responses and How They Are Received

[FOR LEGAL REASONS, THIS POST IS DISCUSSING HOW THE TRAUMA RESPONSES ARE PERCEIVED STRICTLY IN TERMS OF CHARACTERS, NOT IRL PEOPLE/SITUATIONS!]

i've discussed this on here before, but the Duarte sisters exhibit three out of the four recognised trauma responses in the way they cope with their parents' death/being taken to Faerie:

Jude- fight

Vivi- flight

Taryn- fawn

i think we can all agree that, in terms of what an audience wants to see from characters, Jude's fight response is the most palatable of the three. not only because she is the main character (and thus, everything is from her perspective/justified in her eyes), but also because it is what i believe most of us would want to be able to do ourselves in the face of adversity and hardship.

it's the most commendable. it is probably also the hardest to maintain (as is made apparent by the series as a whole). which is why the other two sisters employ alternative modes of survival.

as discussed in this post, Vivi survives by escaping. whenever and however she can. i'm not sure how everyone feels about this one. until recently, i had no idea people even had strong opinions about Vivi.

but i do know that the flight response could be considered a bit cowardly, even if it's effective. if there's anything to be respected about it, though, it's that the person knows in no uncertain terms that they are not cut out for facing the trauma head-on. and they are the first one to admit it.

the fawn response, however, is a kind of camouflage. it's doing everything in your power to be perceived a certain way, to fit in, to please people.

the thing i think people dislike about the fawn response, is that (if you twist the perspective enough) it could be viewed as dishonest. deceptive or manipulative. perhaps even spineless, depending on the situation.

and indeed, these are all phrases i've seen thrown around in close proximity to Taryn's name.

throughout the book, Taryn plays nice in order to get people to like her. she does whatever the fae tell her to do, even at the expense of her own or her sister's humiliation. and instead of making her own place at court, she announces that she will "fall in love" to earn her seat. meaning that she will rely on one of the fae (likely someone with station) to give her the privilege of staying at court, through means of marriage or children.

it's a more passive route to survival than Jude's. but that route isn't any less valid. it's just less masculine.

III. Active vs. Passive (and how it leads to misguided sensationalism)

society has taught us not to see passivity as a mode of operation, and unfortunately, this makes for overtly sensationalised (and therefore inaccurate) interpretations of character.

if the only actions a character takes are deceptive ones, we conclude they are intentionally deceiving people. if the character doesn't act at all, they are apathetic people. no matter the character's own motives. if they do not act the way we wish them to act, they must be in direct opposition to what we want.

take Taryn, for example. if her modus operandi is to camouflage, or passively fit in, we don't recognise this as an action. rather, we look at what she does do.

in order to achieve her goal, Taryn must actively betray her sister (multiple times), lie to her (multiple times), and kill her husband in cold blood (an attribute, if you ask me, but whatever). through these actions, we, as the audience, realise Taryn is not nice. but she portrays herself this way so she can get what she wants. as all good writing does, we are made to feel deceived right along with Jude.

but even though Jude herself forgives Taryn eventually, we still dislike her. because she is not our sister. she is not the main character. she doesn't mean much to us. we don't regard her as a nuanced person–she becomes, to many, this two-dimensional "enemy" or "other".

and if you aren't thinking critically about the text, and instead take the story personally, then yeah. you're going to hate Taryn at the end of it all.

people have a way of interpreting actions as the sole basis of character, while disregarding motive or intention. i don't think this wise. it's reductive at best, disingenuous at worst.

actions are a product of our nature and the conditions of our environment. Taryn is in just as much peril as Jude is in Faerie. the only reason you, dear reader, might not like Taryn is because she didn't act how you wanted her to act, and because she didn't act how you wanted her to act, she ended up hurting someone you care about (Jude).

this well-meaning loyalty unfortunately doesn't do much for an accomplished understanding of the text. which i get it. some of us are just here for fun and that's fine. but if you take the time to hate a character with as much passion as people seem to hate Taryn, you have time to think at least a little bit critically about the text.

—Em 🖤🗡

more theories & analysis

[asavt]

Another cookie squad Headcanons

Featuring Sparkling, Vampire, cellphones and the Espresso and Madeleine Story of how they came together. Consider it an AU now baby!

-As a note, when I say the squad I'm mostly referring to the adults, so no worries about Walnut or Creampuff useless I mention them too

-Each one of the squad has been in Sparkling's bar at last once. There's no need to say who has been there the most. Sparkling has a time every time someone besides Roguefort comes, because to him it's mostly like "Oh I'll finally know the continuation to the burnt toast accident or maybe the cat catastrophe? Maybe a new POV of the--"

He practically knows a lot of what happens in between the squad.

-As another note, Sparkling's bar is called Milabo (You know, like the song from Zutomayo of the same name, which, btw, I relate a lot to Latte)

-*A great part of this “AU” is kind of inspired by the song. Part of its lyrics and vibe.

-Vampire is there most of the time when the squad visits the bar (it's almost as if he never leaves the bar and this is definitely not me low-key putting sparkvamp in this oh no--) Sometimes the fakes his sleep to listen to the things others say (Which is how he knows most of Rogue's pan-ic).

-Walnut has been in Sparkling's bar too, but at day and for case-solving purposes only. Sparkling will give her some alcohol-free drink for free sometimes (mostly because he gets along pretty well with the nut family and because Almond usually pays him whatever he serves her).

-If the squad had cellphones (and probably an app like discord because.), their group chat would initially be called "Coffee mage appreciation group" and then be changed to "Coffee bean appreciation group"

Coffee Bean: Can we please change the group name and mine?

Guided by the Devine: No <3

Coffee Bean: Fuck you.

-*And they all would dedicate half their time to make fun of Almond but with love.

-Espresso has been mistaken for a dark mage before by Almond. It was how they meet actually. Almond had pulled him to interrogate him and got a long lecture on the differences between black magic and coffee magic.

-Madeleine gets along rather well with Roguefort. Rogue seems impressed by Maddie’s acting skills.

-Madeleine is currently living with Espresso. Out of his armor most of the time. He usually takes care of keeping the house clean and preparing meals (He never really had to cook before but the first dish he made wasn’t bad at all). Sometimes he will tag along Almond in the detective’s work, or Almond will ask for his help.

-I’m still unsure if I want the Almond/Roguefort/Latte to be romantic or platonic. But honestly? Both are good. Latte is pretty close to Almond and Roguefort but not in the way she is with Espresso (that makes them look like siblings jkashduawhu). Perhaps I’ll keep it platonic.

-The Espresseleine/Madespresso story of how they came together, because I seem to not be able to write it down JSHALDHUIWADWA-

--It happens after the Puppet Show mini quest. Madeleine starts to ask for Espresso's "assistance" in different mission that are given to him. Angel is there too, of course.

--During these missions is that Essy clarifies that no, they are not friends, no, he does not like Madeleine. Bringing up the knight begin too prideful and self-centered if not all then most of the time.

--Is not until one of their missions goes wrong, were Angel is knocked out and Espresso (seeing and knowing that if Madeleine is knocked down too they might not be able to go back to the kingdom ever) pretty much receives a rather big attack for Madeleine is that he kind realizes the facts given by espresso true. All while he is carrying Essy and Angel back to the kingdom, running and exhausted too.

--Clover begin kind of a mediator between the two (I want to see more of my son--)

--"Devine, protect us" Should happen too after this. An scenario like, Madeleine coming to think something like "I'm the shield, the one who goes on the front line and receives the blows for those who can't, always looking straight ahead... but if I am doing that then who watches my back? Who do I rely on and trust to take care of most enemies so the damage received is not overwhelming...?"

Power of team work baby!!!

--As a note to this, Maddie getting his cape damaged as well as his hair. So, you get short hair Maddie~

(I've been drawing him with short hair in secret now I have an excuse to show)

-- "You...cut your hair..." *Madeleine touches the points of it with one of his hands, pensive* "...pft it'll grow back!"

--There's also this "Search for your own light" thing between Angel and Maddie. Angel encouraging Madeleine to do so. Maybe Madeleine giving his best wishes to them for their wish to fly before they decide to part ways.

--Madeleine trying other ways to befriend Essy. Which at first Espresso mistaken as the knight usual attempts to befriend anyone he sees out of habit and attention seeking, but once they realize the feeling is completely genuine, Espresso is rather perplexed.

--"You can't just befriend people by buying them gifts (although I do appreciate them)" "Then what?" "hmm..."

--Said gifts used to be rather expensive things, simple though. Eventually Madeleine settles to just pass by Espresso's place, give him any food he had bought that day (which usually is glazed donuts), ask if he needs any help with something (getting a vase, materials, moving things), and if not then he just says his good byes, best wishes and silently leaves. (A note on the "silently leaves": Madeleine is pretty much used to speak loudly and enter loudly anywhere, he still does this at this point, but when it's about Espresso he is a bit more quiet, a bit showy over his entrances still, but less loud, and he actually knocks the door)

--Madeleine eventually manages to go out with Espresso to other places that aren't some place in the forest full of enemies. Probably after some more visits to his place and more calm talks between the two, Madeleine brings up that Espresso tends to act a bit cold or distant towards a lot of people, and that, although he understands his discomfort at begin in public spaces or too long out of his work, he should try and open up a bit. This reminds Essy of a certain friend he hasn't seen in some time, and from whom he keeps getting letters.

--Shenanigans.

--There's still some bickering between the two, always with a playful undertone though.

--Espresso explains Madeleine, one time the knight has gotten Espresso wrapped in a blanket burrito again and got him to bed, that sometimes, no matter how tired he might feel, he is simply unable to sleep. Part of a headcanon of mine that coffee magic has this side effect on it's users, prolonged usage of this kind of magic will induce a high caffeine kind of state, which on the long run can fuck up the user's sleep schedule. Madeleine understands this, but remains stubborn about keeping Espresso in the bed so at last he can get some rest from his work and clear his mind a little, the idiot falls asleep in the process and Espresso doesn't try to wake him up.

--This happens several times after, neither of them thinking of the implications of not begin bothered by the sudden closeness they share until it's too late.

--Espresso realizes first that he has slowly, yet nicely, fallen for Madeleine. I think I talked about this before but I'll do it again: Is in one of the times Madeleine has gotten Espresso to bed to get some rest, Espresso not begin able to fall asleep and Madeleine doing again. Is while he thinks of how he has gotten to know Madeleine for real, not the Knight Commander from a noble family or the Chosen by the Devine, but as he is, that he comes to think that "Ah.... I love him" and he remains calm about it.

--Espresso doesn't overthink it, just thinks that, if Madeleine ever got an interest in him, he would surely show it. So he waits. Even if in the end his feelings aren't mutual he knows he'll do just fine remaining friends.

--Madeleine realizes not many days after. And the realization hits him like a truck. Alone in his place and probably in bed looking at the ceiling thinking about Espresso. Once he realizes and thinks about it a bit more his face gets all red and chooses to scream in the pillow.

--He would think about telling Espresso as soon as he can, after all, he doesn't want his feelings to make their friendship weird. He values it, a lot. Maybe because his friendship with Espresso it's the first one where he genuinely wanted to become friends with someone.

--Espresso takes the confession calmly, gets all flustered after they kiss for the first time.

--As a few extras of this: Madeleine goes back to the Republic, asked to be seen by his family and Espresso goes to Parfedia, where a few students have applied to his class to his surprise. When they see each other again is at Parfedia (Madeleine sending a message to Espresso beforehand about his arrival) -there was this one drawing I did once of Maddie running to hug Espresso, something like that happens-. Madeleine gets very clingy for some reason, which they speak later and comes out as “Home doesn’t quite feel like home…” “Why is that?” “I don’t know… maybe I’ve become used to be around you”

--Espresso lets ends up letting Madeleine stay with him until he either feels like returning to the Republic or is called back, whatever happens first (though none will happen for maybe a year or a little more).

--Ends with Madeleine meeting Latte and Almond.

[athyathye]

Mutiny

Mikey/ Manjirou Sano one shot

Tags : Royalty! Au, one-shot, angst, 5k+ words

Trigger warnings ⚠️: mentions of war, death and others, random use of archaic words and ooc! Mikey, very fast paced, violence curse words, and more.

Royal!Reader, Noble/Anarchist!Mikey

Author's note : Thank you for 500+ followers!!! So glad to be able to reach this far! I'm truly thankful for each and every one of you! As a bonus I'll post a follow-up fic later. Probably at night time. But ince again thank youuuuu~!!! Please continue to support me! Also this is very fast paced because I didn't think you guys want an 11k fic again lol

Here's the follow up fic

It seems far-fetched to believe that we could just be dreaming.

Or are being deceived

by an all-powerful demon-like human

I rely on my senses at every step of the way.

But why is it that not once have I thought about how you might be my fathers’ and consequently, my enemy as well.

Might it be the way you blinded this fool as well as yourself?

Or tell me, Did you purposely become a fool like me? Ignoring the innumerable flags that showed you the possible- no, the inevitable end that waited for both of us?

It is hard to fathom the new way of thinking you brought to me, which is constantly put to the test of critical thinking. If we could not trust the world then the senses are our only window onto the success.

One thing is for sure though, It is not the job of the senses to teach us how the world works.

“It is beyond my control.” Mikey spoke to the ever benevolent king.

“I will take that as an insult to yourself and impudent behavior towards a king. Is that your final answer? Then, I will take it as you are threatening the crown.” Your father spoke as he sat on his throne in all his glory. Gold-studded rings on every finger in his hand covered his mouth.

“Take it as you please, whether you find my words discourteous, or if you consider them to be a start of a rebellion,” His voice was cut, clear and concise, so rough that it had people inside the hall to burst into gasps of disbelief and rage.

“It is no longer my problem.” He looked directly into the king’s eyes, evident in his eyes the hate and disdain he held towards them.

“You! You lit-” The king started, only to be cut off by the sound of a sword leaving it’s sheath. Followed by numerous metal clanking sounds.

“It is us today, but it will be you tomorrow.” Was his last vicious words as he swung his own sword through the endless number of weapons directed at him.

Leaving the courtroom with a final look, scoffing through the faces of power-loving nobles.

‘I wasted time, and now doth time wastes me.’ He shook his head as he hurried towards the place which was filled with his people, his companions.

He could still remember the last words of his fellow friend, That had died protecting those cowardly nobles from the angry mobs of their own citizens. Even if he didn’t want to.

“Kill a man, and you're labeled as a murderer. Kill millions of men, and you're a conqueror. Kill them all, Mikey and you'll become a King of your own kind.”

His words that were filled with contempt and spite, he was the first person to introduce Mikey to the corrupt ways that nobles had operated.

The first person to show him another world, another side of people, another family, Kazutora showed him his future in those moments.

Was that the start of his thoughts towards rebellion? Probably not, but did it further his will to abolish the ruling system? …

As he was on his way, walking through the seemingly endless woods and leaves of the forest he was venturing, he stumbled upon a maiden, so beatiful and so bright she had to be someone of a high status. But with the clothes she wore, she looked no more than that of a runaway slave.

Her hands and feet were dirty from the soil she had walked through, but still, she stood with a smile on her face as she watched the scenery around her with a jovial mood.

She looked happy and content, a world Mikey knew he shouldn’t hope for. He turned to leave, Hoping to not drag unnecessary situations with him, walking as quietly as ever. He probably walked at least a 5 minute distance when he felt something in his body to tell him to turn back.

He wasn’t sure what it was, but he was never one to ignore his intuition, not when it had saved him and his comrades numerous times in the past.

Running back towards where he saw the young maiden, there he saw her on the cold ground, nothing to prove she was conscious but the constant yet slow rise of her chest showed that she was still alive.

But who knew how long those short breaths would last. Mikey contemplated what to do. After all, if he brought home a random stranger who knows what she could be up to or was involved with.

Mikey looked around, hoping for a good samaritan to suddenly appear and take the issue from him, but alas none had come.

“What luck” He sighed, the little amount of goodness left in his heart had won him over.

He hovered above your unconscious body, kneeling down on one knee as he brushed your hair that had covered your face.

Your face had him enticed. You looked like you had not seen a strip of sunlight, not in a way to be described as pale, but in a way that had your original skin color lose it’s complexion.

But looking towards your body, he had noticed no scars, no blemishes, nothing. It was like you were hidden from the rest of the world, maybe that would explain why you looked so excited to look at a mere tree earlier.

He said nothing as the goodness in him overpowered and carried you bridal style, walking towards his original location.

“Mikey!!” a voice shouted, along with less than a dozen pairs of eyes looking at his figure.

They looked at him with apprehension.

“My lord- wha-” Mitsuya, one of their commanding officers had stuttered, as far as they knew their leader wasn’t one to just pick up a random stranger. He was calm, calculating but wild on the battlefield.

“I did not know what else I could do.” He spoke bluntly, your limp figure further slouching in his arms.

Draken walked over to him, taking a look towards the girl, at her disposition.

“I haven’t got the faintest idea of her identity, How certain are you that this woman isn’t from an enemy fleet?” He asked, reaching over to take him off your hands and to a much more comfortable place.

Mikey passed your body to him as he undressed the fairly hard uniform and untied the cape with the royal family’s emblem off of his shoulders.

“I, as well, haven’t got a single clue.” He spoke as he looked over to the rest of them that shared conflicting gazes.

“That lady had already fainted when I reached her, And I took her with me for a reason I have yet to discover” He said to the group in front of him.

They looked at each other for a few moments, deciding on whether or not the mysterious woman would stay in their area or leave her somewhere, preferably on a trusted villager...

“Though our actions may be considered as dastardly, I suppose” Chifuyu spoke in retaliation to Baji’s statement of leaving you in a remote place.

“To hell with that! We have masses of other activities we must conclude.” Baji shouted in frustration as he banged his fist on the table.

A few hours had passed, and they decided to focus on their own mission, one so important they could not let a single hindrance distract them.

That was when they heard the sound of stumbling.

Draken looked at the rest of the group who had become quiet and went on his way to see the hopefully conscious woman.

Meanwhile you looked at your surroundings, it was without a doubt an unfamiliar place, you sat up, looking around once more before it sunk in your mind.

You stumbled down from the bed as your heartbeat sped up. You held  your chest as you felt the familiar feeling of it twisting before you heard the approaching footsteps of a person.

You dashed toward the corner of the room as you curled up into a ball. You heard the familiar sound of a door open, you did not look up as you felt someone approach you.

“Hm?” They hummed obviously confused but not wanting to scare you any more.

You tensed up as you slowed your breathing, your senses going haywire at the unfamiliar situation.

“Lady, thou must keep calm, I will not bring you displeasure.” He spoke calmly in hopes of letting you know he meant no harm.

Then, only did you raise your head just a tiny bit, showcasing your teary eyed and pathetic figure.

“Our leader had brought you here of his own accord, please do not misunderstand” He raised both of his hands, to show you that he truly meant no harm.

But you were far from trusting him, as you should, “The excuse that thou made in this delay is not longer than the tale thou excuse” You spoke with a warning tone but your voice still trembled.

“Thou seemed to be not well, Had it not been for that reason, we wouldn't has't to beest in this predicament.” He replied to your suspicion.

You looked at him, anxiety evident in your features but you soon relaxed seeing the genuine look in the man’s eyes.

“I- I will trust thee then” you looked up at him which made him wonder just what could’ve been your life before this as you seemed to be lacking basic common sense, why would you trust him exactly.

He watched as your tense body began to relax, then sighed as he went to inform Mikey about your now serene state.

You thought back to what you had done in the past few days, remembering how you escaped from your palace with nothing but a maid assisting you, but that maid soon abandoned you in the middle of the woods with nothing more than the disguise she gave you.

It was getting hectic for you anyway, the constant eyes on you, the overbearing maids and knights that your father appointed, it was hard to even take a single breath.

People often think the acquisition that wealth brings power, inclines us to infer that the wealthier we are, the more powerful and better off we will be.

But experience taught you that the acquisition of wealth breeds resentment and insecurity, which causes us to change our assessment and tempers our acquisitive dispositions.

Just once, you wanted to see the world in a way you knew you could never explain, In a way you knew you could never forget.

Yes, it seems as though those runaway princess novels that were so incredibly naive also motivated you to do the same, except you chose only to do it for one night.

Bearing any consequences that may concur after that night.

Before the time your father could sell your life away, you had decided that just for maybe a night, you wanted to be at a place where no one could invalidate your freedom.

But now here you were, the people who were tasked to take care of you would be in a state of chaos right about now back at your place, you just had to smile at the thought.

That was the same time Mikey had entered, he looked at you, being bathed by the sunlight coming from the window with a sweet smile on your face.

Mikey had to admit, you were truly captivating, he had never seen someone as bright and innocent looking as this.

The way you could smile at your situation and the way you could still hold yourself well was all too interesting for Mikey.

He stared at you with calculating eyes, wondering just what you could smile about right now, His mind drifted to numerous conclusions, one idea more plausible than the other.

Then his eyes met yours, the smile wiped away from your face as you observed him.

“Kind sir, I thank you for your benevolence” You stood up, bowing to him, like the thousands of times you had done.

‘Suspicious’ He thought. But still, it was too early to make assumptions so he just took note of your behavior.

“Tis not matter” He spoke curtly as he held his hand out to you, “Pleasure to meet you, I am Mikey Sano”

You placed your hand in his as he kissed the back of it, though you were already used to that greeting it did not stop you from blushing from embarrassment as your hand had been dirty.

You didn't reply to his introduction, so he took matters on his own hands and tried to smooth out your concerns with a question.

“May I ask for the reason wherefore i hath found thee dwelling around somewhere thee hath seemed not to be familiar with” He carefully asked, observing your facial expression and behavior.

“Ah, well. You see-” Now the way you talked seemed more comfortable, not like those uptight nobles or overly respectful people he met along his path.

Though he was no idiot, he could see your twitching fingers, the way you looked upwards, avoiding to make eye contact.

And the fact that you had not spoken a single thing about yourself.

“If you are not yet comfortable telling me, I will not pry.” he placed his hand above his chest, changing the way he spoke.

“Please feel comfortable, we will allow you to leave whenever, but please allow us to nurse you back to health.” He spoke with no hesitance.

‘How kind’ You thought as you glanced at him with your bright and sparkling eyes. Truly touched by his words and their kindness as a whole.

"I do not wish to intrude...but I also have to repay your kindness." You spoke as you placed both of your hands on your knees

"Like I said, please think nothing of it, anybody would have done the same" He smiled at you…but it felt different.

You shook it off as you gave him a bright smile, one that differed from your usual smile. You could only hope it reached him as he turned his back from you and left.

Meanwhile Mikey was intrigued. What was it with you? He couldn't understand, you spoke so eloquently to Draken but quite informal to him, yes he heard your conversation before Draken had called him in.

But the fact that bothered him was that you had not old anything about you, who you were associated with, how old were you and why were you stumbling around in the woods.

You looked as if you had been taken care of your whole life like you were a precious jewel, but that jewel was hidden, never to be used, kept safe in a drawer that never saw sunlight.

He closed his eyes as he breathed through his mouth "Shinichiro tell me what I must do" he leaned his head against a wall.

He was conflicted about everything now, should he continue his plan? Or should he make sure none of his people get put in harm's way….after all, war is war.

It was a battlefield where everybody gets hurt, weak or strong, woman or child. Everybody does, and he's no hero who could save the day.

He was just a broken man, having had enough of those at the top abusing the people at the bottom.

In the few days you had stayed in their "home", you had managed to weasel your way to their graces.

Like other noble children, you had access to top-tier quality education, therefore what they thought you couldn’t understand...you could.

But you spoke nothing, letting them think whatever they came to.

"You look to be in a state of disarray, my lord" you spoke to Mikey as he entered the sparring area looking quite roughed up.

"I'm feeling quite agitated is all" was all he spoke before he grabbed a sword and started uncontrollably slashing at a wooden pell.

You flinched every time he took a swing, you could just feel the anger radiating off of every hit.

"M-my lord...the wooden dummy does not deserve your anger directed at it" you spoke with hesitance.

"It can take it." He replied curtly once more, raising up his sword to create more slashes to appease his obvious pent up aggression.

He continued his assault towards the beam as he heaved.

"Are you perhaps feeling stressed, my lord? I know a good way to help you… that is if you'd let me." You brushed your hair back as you looked towards him.

"Why do you call me with such a title? Surely you don't know who I am so why is there a need to call me so respectfully." He turned towards you, sweat on his face after practically abusing his practice dummy.

"I don't know who you are, surely that is enough reason to be respectful." You unconsciously crossed your arms in front of you, putting one hand above the other.

Mikey saw this, but decided to let it go for now.

"I, as well, don't know a thing about you, All I know...is that you seem to dream of freedom. I understand what that feels like." Recalling the way you had been so happy to see things back in the forest. It was all too easy for him to piece it out.

"Well we have a lot of time to figure each other out don't we Sir?" You grinned at him as you put both hands now behind you and tilted your head with a smile.

'A smile so carefree and genuine' Mikey couldn't remember the last time he smiled like that. Surely it was a long time ago, back when he wasn't swallowed by his own dark impulsivity.

He wondered if he could one day smile as purely as you once more, he hoped he could plaster that kind of smile on his friends, that would truly be a sight.

But alas, you were wrong. There was not much time at all.

The sound of swords clashing against each other, gunshots and the agonizing cries of each person on the battlefield was heard.

Mikey watched with squinted eyes to keep himself from tearing up as the chaos unfolded, how did this happen, how could he let it happen.

He watched as one of his people got struck in the chest, another falling on his knees as he vomited blood while crying out someone's name.

He didn't know, he should've known, As their leader he should've been more careful. But he wasn't.

That was his biggest mistake that led to his fall, years of planning and enduring gone to waste.

But how was it that he didn't feel any disdain towards you?

"Save the princess!!" "You evil b*stards!"

He could hear the knights shout, how pitiful. A single woman, a single mistake had managed to cost such destruction.

He looked towards the left, hearing his friends call out to him as well as the people whom he managed.

He wordlessly let them push him away, drag him to a carriage so they could escape, leaving the other people to fight those armored savages.

"It's not your fault Mikey" "You didn't know"

He let the words flow through one ear and out the other. He didn't need that kind of comfort right now. No, he couldn’t hear them right now.

He let his eyes wander outside of the hidden carriage to see the reason for the battle.

He watched as you were carried on a soldier's shoulder.

Why were you crying? Did you have the right even when he couldn’t? It was only at that moment he felt anger towards you.

But it diminished when he locked eyes with you. Mouthing 'I'm sorry's' at him, your hands interlocked as you brought it to your lips to help muffle your loud cries.

He could feel his heart break at the sight of grief, guilt and everything else in your eyes. You were always an open book.

But could he forgive you? How sure was he that you didn't plan this?

He looked away from you as he focused his vision in front. Dead and emotionless empty eyes looking as tired as ever. He let them close as he felt like he was about to blow up from the thinking he was doing.

For a woman he didn't feel any connections with, it was truly a wonder why he could still see you in a light, though was it a positive or negative light?

It was a mess, a mess he didn’t know if he could fix or contribute to the mess.

You never expected this to happen, you didn't mean for this to happen. But it has already been done and you can do no more than regret it.

Maybe it was your naiveness that got you into trouble or maybe it was longing, whichever came first.

You felt incredible guilt inside you, gnawing at your every action and plaguing your mind every second of the day.

You looked in front of you from the tower  you had been locked into, a probation of 3 months without contact with the rest of the outside world was your punishment.

The only way to reclaim your life now was by marriage, you still had to be chained to someone in order to last.

The few days you had been in here were used to make you rethink all of your recent decisions, you couldn’t do anything else but blame yourself.

"A fair fitting of a punishment for an idiotic princess" you thought as you teared up from the thought of being locked up once more.

You vowed to yourself that maybe one day, you could break free from the tyranny that was your father and the other nobles.

“I know I have but the body of a weak and feeble woman, the mind of a manipulative yet stupid child but I know for a fact I have the heart and courage of a true king…” 

Then the unexpected happened. You heard noises, far too loud to be some minor action.

You ran to the source, seeing as the only way for a person to enter was through the door which was locked with the empire’s best locksmiths that not even a person with a numerous amount of brute strength could open it.

That was why you ran towards the only window the tower was equipped with, seeing the person you least expected.

“M-my lord…” you gasped, watching as he hurled his trembling body over it. Then you ran towards him, grabbing a random flat object to fan him with.

“W-why...why are you here? D-do you wish to take revenge?” You hesitatingly asked, eyeing the sword sheathed on his waistline.

“Nonsense, I am not the type to hit people when they are weakest” Mikey said as he looked around. Wondering just where to start.

“T-then” Your trembling did not subside, in fact it got even worse when you saw him posture himself in a better position.

“ ‘There will always be a reason you meet people. Either you will change their lives or they will change yours.’ That was what my brother used to say to me when I was a boy no older than two digits.” He said as he glanced at you, “I’m curious as to what your reason was when you betrayed us. Did you plan it from the beginning?” He asked with no emotion on his face.

The atmosphere became tense as you watched him with wide eyes, you expected that coming, after all you caused the destruction of their place when they did nothing but provide you with care.

“I… I did not mean to cause such a situation, My lord” You started before getting interrupted by Mikey’s scoff.

“Do you expect me to believe that? Her royal highness?” He spoke his tone laced with malice and contempt.

“Surely, you were there as a spy, of course you were, The king was already on my trail the moment I announced my hatred for him.” He accused you as you looked at him with a teary expression.

“....why do you address me that way, My lord” You asked, not yet ready to answer him as you formulated your next words before you heard him speak.

"I now know who you are, surely that is enough reason to be respectful." He spitefully replied.

"And surely you know of me now as well, one of those few people with a noble title...but no territory" He spoke as he scoffed at his own self, feeling the taste of unfairness greet his tongue

"My lord, that is not the case at a-" you spoke before getting interrupted by him once more.

“....If only I could talk to myself the day I met you...so I can tell myself what I should have done...I had all and then some and now none.” He said as he raised his hand  towards his face.

“I never intended to be the cause of your downfall...I….I especially admired you because it seemed like you were the definition of free….that was all I wanted since the beginning.” You spoke, looking down on the ground as you clenched your dress.

“Funny, I believed that was you as well at first. That you had managed to successfully run away from your owners.” He recalled the first time he met you, wearing such a ragged dress, no one would believe him if he said he found the princess of a powerful empire like that except his friends who had seen you that way as well.

“ah….Was I blaming you too much?....You see, I was a mistake of nature, A wild beast...I have no excuses for what I have done.” He spoke as he bowed his head towards you.

“The way they lived, the way those at the bottom continue to get abused I hated it, And so I thought a rebellion could be the one to stop such treatment. I guess I was bound to fail with my ambitions tainted with vileness” He spoke his honest thoughts, the real reason behind his plans.

“My lord...the way you are acting right now….makes it seem like you have been in the wrong.” Tears streamed down your face as you fell to your knees in front of his kneeling dogeza form.

“I- I am the most selfish person I know. I tried to escape for one night, then it turned into days. My lord, why do you feel bad about being righteous? I abandoned my duties, I abandoned my people… who knows what I could have done in that one night…” He looked up to see your agonizing smiling figure, nowhere was the smile he had adored seen.

“My treachery does not end there...If I could...I’d do it all once more, because every second I spent outside, I treasured it, along with the interactions I had with your group...so please” You spoke desperately. Looking at him with a sincere gaze.

“Do not make the same mistake as I did, Do not be trapped in such a world, live for yourself. It is highly selfish but, to the commoners you are a hero, but you will be nothing more to them than their hero, they won’t care about you once you are no longer their hero.

….But to me...you are my salvation”

True to your words you really did consider him as your savior, he was the one to help you back then when you were abandoned by your own maid, the one who introduced you to their group, their world.

His way of living that you thought you could never do in your life as a powerless princess.

Your words showed a new perspective for Mikey, one that he couldn’t be sure if he wanted to commit to it, but maybe because he was caught up in the moment.

“.....We both had the wrong idea about each other’s circumstances in the beginning that it now seems humorous to me, princess.” He smiled at you, which made a breath get clogged up on your throat.

He then remembered the conversation he had with Draken prior to meeting you.

“Mikey!!! That woman is all to blame! No matter how much I try to look in different angles! It’s on her! SO WHY THE HELL ARE YOU TRYING TO LOOK FOR HER!”

“Because, I’ve done enough for now...everyone else is too busy killing each other. And my secret to survival is to never go to war with yourself.

“I thought you wanted to give people their freedom, what are you trying to do now Mikey…”

“Don’t you get it? Freedom is not chaos, but about the right to pursue our own goods or ends in life. To hell with those stuck up nobles...They can have their money...I just need more time to think about things as well.”

"Why....why are you trying so hard to reach someone we no longer consider as an ally"

"Why exactly would I need a reason not to."

“Ah...your highness, you really know how to make a man bend and break once inside your palms” He chuckled while you looked at him with confusion.

He then hurriedly stood up, and grabbed your hands “The people I interact with...those people are the ones in my heart. That is why I won’t leave you alone.”

“My Lord, you barely even know me…”

"Well we have a lot of time to figure each other out don't we princess?"

You stared at him, speechless. But he didn’t acknowledge it anymore as he forcefully grabbed you onto his back, making you circle both your arms around his shoulders.

“B-b-b-but-” “Hold tight!” “Kyaaaaa!”

He ran towards the window, only to jump off.

You closed your eyes as you felt the harsh winds envelop around your falling bodies, you held onto him the tightest you could.

That was when you both landed on a soft mattress hidden by the numerous bushes that his group had planted.

“MY LORD!!! YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND” You spoke with fright as you looked around. Only seeing the people he brought with smiles on their faces except for Draken who glared at you.

“I do. We’re kind of the same in a way.” He spoke as he tried to make you loosen your hold on him.

“NO!!! YOU DO NOT!!!YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND AT ALL!!” You screamed as you pushed him away.

He stood still for a moment, everyone getting silenced as they watched your frenzied state.

That was when everybody heard a shout “Your highness, the princess!!!”

All of those present glanced at each other with wide eyes, but not wider than their leader’s who didn’t think things through.

You reached your hands out towards them, your eyes filled with desperation “Go. You’ll get caught.” You spoke quietly, not bothering to move from your spot as your eyes watered, a new set of tears ready to fall.

“Hurry.” You glanced down as you sniffled “GO!!!” You screamed at them, to which Mikey glanced at you, his own eyes watering.

“N-” He couldn’t even finish his words as Draken grabbed his figure, throwing him over his shoulder as he and the rest of the group ran away, getting farther and farther away from you.

“DON’T JUST STAND THERE MIKEY!!!” Draken had shouted as he ran with them.

“STOP SCREWING AROUND!!! YOUR HIGHNESS!! COME WITH US!!” He screamed with desperation as well, he couldn’t lie...he had now formed something with you. But that something was still confusing for him. He didn’t know what it was and he surely had no clue.

He watched as you one knight surveyed your state and you hugged another one who had tried to chase them.

“YOU HAVEN’T EVEN TOLD ME YOUR NAME YET!!!” were the last words he screamed as he watched you prevent the knight from chasing them.

“Don’t go after them!!Please! LET THEM GO!!!” you sobbed, not even caring about your dignity as a royal anymore.

All the while others heard less and less of your cries as they managed to run away once more.

Mikey just stood limp in Draken’s hold, watching the grass underneath them get rustled and stomped on by his friend’s, reduced to a shell of who he once was just because of a fleeting encounter.

Call it whatever you want, but he had never felt heartbreak like this. It was the first time somebody had called him a saviour….not like the insults and mocking names the other nobles threw at him for being a lowly one. The first time somebody had made him feel special in a way that no other could.

But why was it that the world was against you two?

That was all  he thought about as he prepared another larger and more durable plan for a rebellion.

“My lord, good thing that woman is gone, I could not even bear her presence back then. Hopefully the royal outcast is now somewhere between life and death” One of those people who tried to suck up to him mocked you.

Mikey could feel himself growing mad but he stood silent.

“Just what do you think you’re declaring you wench-” Draken spoke up before getting stopped by Mikey’s hand raising.

The person who had insulted you continued to speak ill before Mikey had enough, he then stood up and left with his loyal aid following him.

“Mikey-”

“Let them be Draken. I’ll round up each and every one who insulted her once I become king.” He spoke with his eyes full of ambition.

He then glanced around, looking at the far horizon above them.

Maybe someday your voice won't ring and echo in my ears….

maybe someday your face won't appear through my head and suffocate me with the air I breathe….

maybe someday your name won't have to be tattooed on my heart and mind so I can never forget you,

and maybe someday I can be able to reach you with my own might...

Or maybe a day will come and you’d be nothing to me but a beautiful mistake…

I pray that day may never come, your highness.

For your knight in shining armor still awaits for you, for the day we can finally meet again...

[chokememcgrath]

'Eat Me Up Like Apple Pie.'

Pairing • Lena Luthor x Reader

Warnings / Notes • NSFW, office sex, slight dom/sub dynamics, DIRTY TALK . This is the first Lena story I've written so!!! Let me know if you want more and my requests are always open 💕💞

Words • 2,210

Tag List • @ahs-honey (I love you🥺)

"What do you keep looking at?" The dark brunette CEO tilts her head to the side as she watches you on the other side of your desk.

A dark and prominent blush fills your face and gods you wished you could hide it from those icy blue-green eyes. You hadn't even realized you were staring at her hands for that long. You both were talking about CatCo and how well it was going financially and then the perfectly manicured fingers slid across the white pristine desk to the keyboard and that was it. You were transfixed. "Huh?"

Lena chuckles then, and it's dark and sultry and it has such a flirtatious tilt that you were sure you were either going to die or completely ruin the chair you were in. "I said what are you looking at?"

"Oh! Oh I um," You nibble your bottom lip as you try to think of an answer, an excuse, anything at this point to get the woman to stop looking at you like that. "I was just checking out the pen you had, the new one." You nod then, and you were so sure of yourself.

Lena raises her left eyebrow and she smirks then, she didn't even have any pens on top of the desk. She didn't even have papers on it. She relied on her iPad and her computer for paperwork and documents of every kind. "My pen?"

"Yes Ms. Luthor, " You nod once more, "I really like it, red is my favorite color."

Lena licks her lips then and she slides her rolling office chair back so she could stand. "A red pen you say?" The CEO walks around the desk, she then looks down at her nails and her smirk deepens. Her nails were painted red. Interesting.

Your body temperature started to rise as soon as the woman stood up from her seat. Oh god, she looked so good today too, she always did. But today she was wearing a suit and they always made you weak at the knees. The black form-fitting three-piece suit just seemed to enhance Lena's power. And it was so hot.

"I have no pens darling," Lena stands in front of you then and she leans back onto her desk, "So what were you really looking at?"

You stammer for a second as you look up at her, she was so close you could smell the perfume she wore. "I... Well, I..." You lick your lips. "I was looking at..." Your eyes move down from her face and they stop at the woman's hands again. Her arms crossed so delicately.

"Oh, I see" Lena hums then, "my hands?" She holds one out and checks the back as if she was looking at her nail polish. "Are you interested in them?"

You gasp and your eyes snap up to meet the brunettes, you were ready to deny it but there was no use. Lena knew, and her face showed it. "I apologize, Ms. Luthor, I know I should've been focused on the meeting."

"Oh, I'm not worried about the meeting dear," Lena takes her heeled foot and she slides it up from your ankle to your calf. "We can always talk about the budget another day because I think someone was super preoccupied with other thoughts, don't you think?"

You look down a bit in shame and you nod, all the while your heart raced at the feeling of Lena's heel sliding up your leg. "Yes, Ms. Luthor," You look up from under your eyelashes and you bite the corner of your bottom lip as your mind works a mile a minute. "Well, maybe i can make it up to you?" A smile fills your face then and you look at her excitedly. "If you want that of course."

"That depends, what do you have in mind sweet girl?" Lena places her palms down behind her on the desk, looking down at you with slightly darkened eyes.

You deliberately let your gaze drop to her slacks and you clear your dry throat. "Can I touch you?" The question leaves your soft lips before you even thought it through.

"Yes." Lena's answer is breathy and you could see a tremble in her covered thighs, it was like a switch was flipped. It was if now that she knew for sure that you were interested in her, you could take control at the moment and it made your center throb.

"Thank you," You lick your lips and you stand, your eyes now locking directly with the CEO's. You lift Lena up onto the white porcelain and your fingers glide up to her hips. You could see how dilated her pupils became the more you touched her, and you could feel the womans stuttered breath against your face.

Lena couldn't even believe this was happening, she had a crush on you sure, but no one ever wanted a Luthor. She had decided weeks ago that she would just allow the feelings to pass, she would push the want she had for you deep into that little box inside herself so she would be able to stay professional. It didn't matter that she touched herself every night thinking about you, god she hoped this wasn't just a dream.

"Are you sure about this Lena?" Your gentle hands find the Gucci belt and your nimble fingers play with it as you wait for an answer.

Lena gasps and as she stares into your eyes she nods softly, careful not to break contact. You have never said her first name before, ever and she could feel her panties dampen from it. "Please."

A moan leaves your lungs and you unlatch the belt, leaving it in the loops of the pants you simply unbutton the black material and make quick work with the zipper. "I can't wait to explore you, Lena," Your voice is deeper, huskier, and you couldn't even stop it. "I've been dreaming about this for so so long."

Just as you allow your fingers to slide across lace panties Lena's eyes roll back and loud moan echoes off the office walls.

"Oh, baby..." You give her a small pout and you move a bit so your fingers were under the panties instead. Collecting the hot juices that were steadily flowing from the woman's center. "You're so wet, soaked even, is that for me? Hm?" Your middle finger circles the brunette's clit and the woman's hips jump.

"Yes!" She bites her bottom lip and she nods rapidly, looking into your eyes once more. Lena's eyes were pitch black now, the light blue-green you were used to was gone. "It's yours, all yours I promise." Whimpers and whines leave the brunette's lips as your fingers explore her entrance and she tries her hardest not to lose eye contact.

"Mmm good," You take your fingers out of her panties and a smirk fills your features when she whines at the loss of touch. "Patience." You kiss her cheek, and then her jaw before you pull her slacks and panties down to her knees. Allowing her to sit on her desk bare.

Lena watches you carefully and she clears her throat a bit. "What are you doing?"

You kiss her neck, sucking the spot right beside her birthmark "You said I can make it up to you, so that's what I'm going to do Ms. Luthor"

Lena moans when you say her last name but as soon as you kneel she thought she was going to come right then. You were going to eat her, oh my god you were going to eat her out. You were going to taste her. Fuck.

You kiss the inside of her right thigh and your heart skips a beat as you feel it quiver under your lips. How was it that you could make this woman vulnerable like this? It felt euphoric. The closer to her pussy you got, the faster Lena's breathing got. Her chest rising and falling in a quick and shaky manner. Gods she was so hot, you weren't sure you were going to survive this. "Lena." You whisper and your breath brushes against the brunettes center, her hips jump again.

"Mhm? Yes?"

"Keep looking in my eyes okay? I want you to see who's doing this to you." It sounded like a request, a mere question, but Lena knew you really wanted it. So the woman nodded and she licks her lips.

"I will I promise." She whispered and she raises her ass up off of the desk a little to try to bring your mouth closer.

You push her hips down with your hands and you cover her core with your mouth, moaning deeply as you sweep your tongue through the brunettes folds. You were right, she was sweet.

Lena reaches down with her right hand and she grips your hair in a fist. Keeping you there, "Yes, god you feel so good, please? Fuck, please, just... Please?" She blinks a few times to try to clear her mind so she could focus but then your tongue brushes against her clit and it would turn cloudy again.

You had never heard Lena curse before, it was like you removed every single filter the woman had, her body was slouched over and she was looking at you like you were everything. You moan once more but this time you were right on her sensitive clit and Lena's thighs squeeze together around your head.

"Fuck!" She leans back onto her shakey left elbow. Her leg sliding up your side until she could dig her red stiletto into your back.

You moan again, feeling the sharp end of her heel in your back and seeing the usually kept together woman become unraveled was something you would never forget. You wanted to draw this out, you wanted this to last forever but Lena was clenching and fluttering against your tongue and you knew she needed to come soon.

"Mmm." You pull back for a second but you flick your index finger over her clit as you spoke so the woman's orgasm would continue to rise. "Do you want to come? Do you want to soak my face, Lena?"

She nods rapidly and she bites her bottom lip hard enough to draw blood. Pulling your hair a little harder. "Make me come," She husks, her voice scratchy and oh so deep. "Make it yours, make me yours."

"Yes ma'am." You move your finger and cover her with your mouth once again. Using your tongue to rapidly cross over her clit until she was a trembling mess.

"I'm close, I'm going to come." The brunette warns before she grabs a new fistful of your hair, tugging harshly so she could stay grounded.

You nod and the look in your eyes tells her that it's okay, you collect the new arousal from the woman's entrance with a pleased hum before you suck the woman's sensitive nub hard.

Lena's lungs empty completely as she squeals and her left arm gives out as she is brought to her climax, her back arches and her head tilts back as she feels the overwhelming ecstasy wash over her body.

You moan softly as you help the woman down from her intense high, cleaning her up slowly and lazily. Your fingers slide up and down her thighs as you kiss around her core and her hips.

"Come here." Lena rasps out and she stares at her office ceiling, laying on the desk as she catches her breath.

You lick your lips and you nod, loving the way that you could still taste her. "Okay," you get up off of your knees and you pull up the woman's pants and panties in care. Buckling her belt before you lean over to smile at her. "Yes?"

Lena looks up at you in awe and she swallows thickly. You took care of her, you didn't just take what you wanted and go. You stayed behind. You dressed her. This wasn't just a one-time thing for you, she felt it in her heart "Do you want to have dinner tonight?"

"Yes of course I do! But... But first, I need something."

Of course. Of course, you did. Lena was fooled once again, she fights her eyes from watering and she swallows the pins and needles in her throat. She was a Luthor, and you knew it, she could get you anything in the world. "What is it?"

"A kiss." You whisper with a blush.

Oh. Lena blushed darkly and she looks over at the wall before chuckling. Of course, you were too sweet for your own good. "Yes my darling you can have a kiss." she turns to look at you again before she grabs your shirt and yanks you down into an earth-shattering kiss.

[flyingcatstiel]

I posted 1,422 times in 2021

6 posts created (0%)

1416 posts reblogged (100%)

For every post I created, I reblogged 236.0 posts.

I added 1,002 tags in 2021

#deancas - 226 posts

#cas - 137 posts

#misha collins - 115 posts

#season 16 - 108 posts

#spn crack - 84 posts

#spn prequel - 82 posts

#season 17 - 70 posts

#s15 - 69 posts

#destiel wedding - 58 posts

#spn meta - 53 posts

Longest Tag: 75 characters

#i remember our fic rec blog gave out 3 invitations as a prize for something

My Top Posts in 2021

#5

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Tatsuya Tanaka 田中達也 (@tanaka_tatsuya)

2 notes • Posted 2021-08-28 11:46:06 GMT

#4

💗💕 for being kind and lovely, have a kiss on the forehead! pass it on to 10 people 💕💗

Thank you so much and back atcha!

2 notes • Posted 2021-02-18 06:44:46 GMT

#3

I feel really dumb for asking this but I am not super involved in the SPN fandom these days but can you explain the [gunshot] [omitted] [redacted] meme I keep seeing on my dashboard since the big jared gutted drama? I'm sorry :(

Oh, this is an interesting question, I’m not sure I know how it started but I can try. But you know, like with all memes this is more about gut feeling than logical explanation. If someone has better ideas, chime in in notes! 

Ok, iirc [gunshot] has been used already for some time, in tags or short posts. I think it’s used in place of a word that we think would be cut out by the CW. Idk if this goes together with CW sniper meme? The usage relies on the reader actually knowing which word is being replaced. Something like - We know that Dean and Cas are in [gunshot]. Point being that saying out loud that they are in love will get you killed. It’s a hyperbole of course but sometimes it feels like it in fandom, what with all homophobia and anti destiel peeps. Or like questions about destiel were literally forbidden in Creation Cons. 

Same goes with [redacted]. It’s just a less violent way to say the higher powers didn’t like something and it was removed. Like we KNOW what was supposed to be there , but it was taken out and that’s how we know it was gay and destiel-y. Like any meme, it is also open to interpretation I think. The point is that something was removed bc it was too gay. And then we sometimes even get a proof what exactly was removed. Most proof comes from spn scripts nowadays. Like just yesterday we learned that 12x19 script actually had the paradise vision that Jack shoved to Cas. And it was very very destielly. 

Now, [omitted] is the most recent one. I think it comes from spn finale script reveal where they literally printed [OMITTED] instead of certain scenes. Which was just a stone cold proof that yeah, a lot of scripted material was either redacted or omitted from final shooting scripts or even left on cutting room floor. I always thought this meme is an expression of fandom’s powerlessness but with an angry bite back. Like we know that destiel was written in the scripts but the only proof we have is the empty spaces, words redacted and omitted. So we turn this bitter feeling into a meme to say that we know. And like any meme it conveys the feeling instead of detailed information. That’s why it is used on short posts and in tags. So, nonny please don’t feel dumb for not getting it. It’s fandom speak and it’s not easy to keep up with it.

If you mean posts where all three words are used together, I think that’s a very recent development, after we got omitted. So we have a full set now. And then we got [gutted] thanks to j*red, so fandom is just running wild with these memes. In short, I think this particular meme is fandom dealing with the things we were  robbed off. It’s an angry expression of knowing that we were right. 

Ok, so I swear i think I reblogged post with [redacted] [omitted] [gutted] over Dean, Cas and Sam pics, and it is actually very fitting. Dean’s text was usually redacted, Cas was omitted/ his scenes cut out, and j*red is gutted bc it’s funny and he said it himself. ETA - found it! 

4 notes • Posted 2021-07-10 06:40:54 GMT

#2

Thanks @porcupine-girl for tagging me, let’s see what I’ve been doing lately.

Last song I listened to: Technically, Birds of Prey: The Album, but practically I’ve been listening to Evermore by Taylor Swift on the loop for weeks.

Last movie watched: I am such a flighty watcher, I’ve a bunch of movies started and I intend to finish them buuuuut. The last one I finished and actually liked and played in the background couple of times - Blade Runner 2049. Oh, and Birds of Prey, of course, the last movie I rewatched this week again. 

Currently reading: Dinluke aka Din Djarin/Luke Skywalker fic, devouring fic, maniacally checking the tag every day, subscribing to bunch of WIPs and reading every update. OK, let’s call it just reading. I guess this is my soft pairing after the angsty destiel. (hit me up if you want some recs!)

Currently watching: Finally catching up with The Good Place. And I guess I better finish The Falcon and the Winter Soldier soon, if I want to browse tumblr freely next week.

Currently craving: Sleep

Currently working on: fandom wise - trying to keep my destiel sideblogs alive. I never ever ever expected to keep them running for so long. Or for destiel fandom to be so active still. Tagging art on @destielfanworks is tiresome since autofill tags disappear every few months; I keep plotting new rec lists for @destielfanfic but it’s kinda difficult because of the fics I read now. waffling about making a dinluke art, fic and gif side blog. as a treat

Currently playing: TsumTsum on my mobile, short games, fast refills, instant gratification, momentary stress relief. 

Tagging: everyone's welcome if that’s your thing but also @kyrie101,   @magnificent-winged-beast , @some-people-call-it-tragic , @super-sootica, @nguyenxtrang, @helianthus21

No pressure tho, only if you want!

5 notes • Posted 2021-04-23 13:05:07 GMT

#1

*

10 notes • Posted 2021-01-28 03:12:29 GMT

Get your Tumblr 2021 Year in Review →

xxx Tumblr, ya dumb cookie (barely affectionate)! This is blatant side blog effort  erasure. You’d think I made only 6 posts last year. I gotta do everything by myself on this site, it seems. So, here

@destielfanworks - tagged and reblogged around 1700 posts

@destielfanfic - tagged and reblogged some 90 posts, including 37 brand new posts.

the most popular post was Destiel Fic Starter Pack with 3,170 notes

8 posts in My First Destiel Fic survey were also rad

@frogsfordinner - my brand new Star Wars and The Mandalorian side blog dedicated to reccing dinluke fic and reblogging dinluke fanart and other cool stuff.

tagged and reblogged some 870 posts, including my 10 dinluke fic rec posts

the most popular post was  The Helmet Stays On with 70 notes

[mr-nauseam]

I posted 1,191 times in 2021

349 posts created (29%)

842 posts reblogged (71%)

For every post I created, I reblogged 2.4 posts.

I added 931 tags in 2021

#sherlock holmes - 143 posts

#dr watson - 113 posts

#john watson - 112 posts

#sh-ika - 94 posts

#answerika - 85 posts

#acd watson - 79 posts

#aph portugal - 78 posts

#acd canon - 76 posts

#john h watson - 76 posts

#acd holmes - 75 posts

Longest Tag: 136 characters

#i think there would be a lot of short videos of holmes doing experiments but ending badlywhat-holmes pouring something into a test tube-

My Top Posts in 2021

#5

I'm pretty sure that England and Portugal are the kind of friends that every time they saw a couple's discount in a restaurant or something like that, they said they were dating.

Until one day that pair of fools end up kissing intensely.

108 notes • Posted 2021-06-30 15:23:06 GMT

#4

My teacher: Sometimes I think that the relationship between these biographers and the people they write about... has love. I mean, clearly there was love of friendship or a feel of admiration but I wonder if there wasn't something else there between them.

Me:

118 notes • Posted 2021-10-18 21:59:44 GMT

#3

We all know that Watson is not a very reliable storyteller but we can agree that if this man has no problem saying that Lestrade has the face of a rat or in telling us that someone looked unpleasant, we can have no doubt that when Watson says "This man is handsome as fuck and too beautiful to live", he really thinks that.

141 notes • Posted 2021-06-20 14:33:00 GMT

#2

I saw this image on facebook and damn I'm 1000% sure that this happened to Holmes & Watson in literal all their versions 😩👌:

197 notes • Posted 2021-07-29 21:41:34 GMT

#1

I CAN'T, I can't understand the people who read "A Scandal in Bohemia" and say "YES, Holmes and Irene Adler are in love, they wannA FUCK", lmao, sometimes I wonder if we read the same story, seriously ... What the hell is A Scandal in Bohemia about for them?

I remember Watson telling us at the very beginning like for 10 paragraphs or more that Holmes didn't like Irene in that way, then Holmes telling Watson "I am lost without my Boswell" when he tried to leave and then Holmes sending to hell to the king for being rude to his bestie (cofcofboyfriendcofcof), then we spent several pages reading the adorable duo: Adler & Norton, we are reading -explicitly- how they love each other and their enjoy each other and how they have a thing... a something like... like A FUCKING WEDDING.

Oh and when H&W are going to solve the case we have THIS DIALOGUE:

"You don't mind breaking the law?"

"Not in the least."

"Nor running a chance of arrest?"

"Not in a good cause."

"Oh, the cause is excellent!"

"Then I am your man."

"I was sure that I might rely on you."

And then we have the fire thing and while Holmes celebrates with Watson, Irene Godness Adler is turning them around and triumphing, by the time everyone found out that she hit them we have THE BEAUTIFUL LETTER FROM IRENE WITH THIS PHRASE THAT MAKES ME DIE OF LOVE:

"I love and am loved by a better man than he."

YESS GIRL, -clap-, -I wipe a tear-, this line is so powerful and God doesn't stop there, I mean, LOOK AT THIS:

"Irene Norton, nee Adler." She was there writing the "Irene Norton" so proud. After this you have Holmes telling the king that he IS an idiot for annoying his ex:

"From what I have seen of the lady she seems indeed to be on a very different level to your Majesty," And now, then he asks for the photograph to have it as his constant reminder that he should not be arrogant, or underestimate people and that for the next time he should not believe that everything his client says is true, that is the "A Scandal in Bohemia" that I remember.

....

Tumblr have this thing??? WHAT?

My year of SH and PORTUGAL MY LOVE

243 notes • Posted 2021-07-22 20:05:12 GMT

Get your Tumblr 2021 Year in Review →

[alastanor]

Thanks for tagging me @thalfox this took me a long time to finish, and I'm gonna be dog tired in the morning, but it was worth it. Lol. Hope you have as much fun reading it as I did writing it.

1 • What is your MC’s name? What is their name origin? What does it mean (if it ever has a meaning).

❄ Eirlys is Welsh for "Snowdrop" and it is pronounced as either Eye-r-liss, or Aye-r-liss. Depending on which part of Wales you hear the name.

2 • When is their birthday? How old are they? What about their zodiac sign? (bonus point if you give their rising or even their birth/natal chart)

♋ She was born March 10th, and she is a Pisces.

As for her age, this one has more to do with RAD. RAD stands for Royal Academy of Diavolo. An academy, if you search the definition, is typically a school of higher learning or secondary education. Like a college, if you will. But Academy doesn't always refer to a sort of college. In some cases, it can also apply to a High School. My theory is that RAD is a mixture of both. A sort of college, but with hints of High School-esque scheduling and culture. Or perhaps it can function as both. I tend to lean toward the latter, in which case I make Eirlys somewhere between 20 and 23 years old.

3 • What is your MC’s gender? And what are their sexual/romantic preferences?

Eirlys identifies primarily as female with she/her pronouns. She is demisexual, and considers herself panromantic. However, she puts a heavy emphasis on romance.

(Me personally, I don't mind they/them pronouns though I typically identify with she/her. I am also demisexual but biromantic.)

4 • What is your MC’s race? (human, demon, angel, other). If human, what are their nationality and origins?

💁‍♀️Eirlys is human. As for nationality, origins, heritage, etc... Eirlys grew up in Japan, though she herself is not ethnically Japanese.

5 • Before coming to Devildom, what was their occupation? (job, studies…)

📖 Eirlys worked part time in her school's library while attending classes full time at a college overseas.

6 • Height? Weight? Describe their body type.

Eirlys is 5'3" (160 cm) and roughly 110 lbs (49.8 kgs). Her body type would best be described as a triangle/pear shape (slim chest, breasts on the smaller side, while body widens out into voluptuous hips).

7 • Who is/are your MC’s love interest(s) (if they ever have one). Summarise their dynamic.

💛 Eirlys found Mammon irritating when she first met him, and became increasingly frustrated at how he looked down on her for being a human. But over time, as she got to know him, she came to enjoy his conversation and his company. He made her laugh, and despite being a demon he was so full of energy and life that Eirlys found not just refreshing but endearing. Before long, she realized she had fallen in love with him despite the protests of his brothers regarding her taste in men.

🧡 Leviathan was another of the brothers Eirlys found infuriating, not just in how he also looked down on her for being human, but how often he whined and complained about seemingly everything when they first met. But like Mammon, the more she got to know him, the more she found she had in common with Leviathan. Falling asleep on his shoulder watching anime with him in his room, or enjoying his company while playing games, has made it increasingly difficult not to love him in some capacity even if she loves Mammon more. Because of this, she allows Leviathan to believe she would never be interested in him. As cruel as that might be for both of them.

💜 Belphegor, on the other hand, she is fully aware of how he feels about her. She keeps it platonic between them, because even though she has forgiven him for his deceit and his attempt to kill her not once- but twice, she cannot forget it. The memory sours any thoughts of being more than just friends. Somewhere deep in his heart, she is sure Belphie knows this. And deeply regrets it.

8 • Does your MC have any specific appearance features? (Scars, marks, anything else)

She has skin pale as fresh snow, fluffy light pink hair like sweet cotton candy, and clear pale celeste blue/aquamarine colored eyes.

Beyond this, there is nothing remotely remarkable or striking about her.

9 • Does your MC have any disabilities? (physical, mental health, etc). How do they deal with it?

Eirlys has suffered some trauma in the past which has led to some issues. Don't want to give too much away as I am in the process of writing a fic.

10 • How do you imagine your MC’s voice? Describe it.

Her voice is gentle and light. Silvery, dulcet tones might be a good way to describe it. Her voice will get rather harsh and stentorian if she is angry enough.

11 • Does your MC have any tattoos or piercings? Just tell us more about it!

She has pierced ears on her lobes, she was never brave enough to get any in the cartilage as much as she wanted them. Her skin reacts badly to many kinds of metals, a kind of skin allergy, so she can never keep piercings in for very long.

12 • Describe their clothing style (if they have a favorite style). Do they have specific accessories Bonus question: how do they wear RAD uniform?

To sum it up, Eirlys dresses in typically classic chic style with a touch of hipster or grunge here and there.

For her uniform, Eirlys keeps it looking crisp and sleek. These would be good examples. Of fashion types and how she wears her uniform.

The RAD uniform images, the not quite RAD uniform one on the right, I thought the skirt may be more in line with what the uniform used. Versus the pencil skirt-esque look on the left. The boots on the right would also be more akin to what Eirlys would wear.

Is your MC able to use magic? If so, are they skilled? How do they learn? Were they able to use it before coming to Devildom?

🔮 Eirlys is still learning about her abilities, abilities that have not fully awoken though they had been stirred when Solomon allowed her to use his powers. Using his powers was like the catalyst to tapping into a yet untapped wellspring. Though the water from that wellspring has yet to fully come forward.

Before that, Eirlys fully believed she was just another unremarkable human with nothing special about her, as Lucifer often said.

14 • Describe your MC’s parents (names, jobs, personalities). Do they have any siblings? What is their relationship with their family?

🎀 From what Eirlys knows of her parents through stories, her parents loved one another very much. Her mother had been her father's first love in college, and years later they had her. However, when she was still very young her family had been killed by a reckless drunk driver while visiting other family. Eirlys was taken in by her aunt, who worked as a fashion consultant in Tokyo.

15 • How many languages do they speak? Which ones?

🀄 English and Japanese, though she is wanting to learn how to read Devilish and Celestial.

16 • What is their relationship with each brother?

I already mentioned Mammon, Levi, and Belphie above. So I will leave them out here.

🖤 Lucifer - When Eirlys first met Lucifer, she didn't know what to make of him. All she knew was that he was intimidating and likely very dangerous. It took a lot of time for her to not only come to trust Lucifer and feel safe around him, but to like him and understand his motives behind his methods. But Lucifer was never her type, and instead she looks to him now like a younger sister to a reliable older brother. Even if that older brother can be mildly sadistic in his teasing.

💚 Satan - After being introduced to Satan, Eirlys did find him attractive and was excited to find another bookworm even here among all the demons. However, after she was introduced to Satan and came to find Satan smiled when he was angry, she found communicating with him equally as intimidating as Lucifer's threats. Trying to figure out when he was angry and when he was genuinely happy really did a number on her anxiety, and eventually kept her from really communicating with him overmuch for an extended length of time. It wasn't until later that she tried getting to know him better, and coming to find the source of all his anger. That information became the catalyst and foundation to their continuously building and growing friendship.

❤ Beelzebub - Beel has ever been the sweet one, even if he was a bit more distant when they first met. Beel was never outright cold or condescending to Eirlys, and the closer they became the sweeter he became. Before long, she found just how considerate and gentle Beel truly was. Despite this, Beel never appealed to her romantically. Instead, much like Lucifer, she looks to Beel as a gentle and reliable brother of sorts.

💗 Asmodeus - His penchant for lechery always threw Eirlys off balance, being the non-sexual type. When she first met him and found he was the Avatar of Lust, her first instinct was to keep ten yards between them at all times. Asmodeus was the wild card in the deck of seven for Eirlys, because though he has tendencies toward the egotistical side, she can never fully peg him. Even after getting to know him and forming a bond with him. Asmodeus, she found, has ever been able to tell when something he did was making her uncomfortable. He never pushed cuddling beyond what Eirlys wanted it to be or was comfortable with, even if he joked occasionally about doing it naked.

17 • What is their relationship with each side characters?

🐕 Luke: She was rather bemused upon meeting Luke, and seeing him standing in contrast to Simeon lit an amused glint within her eyes. Perhaps it was because he was an angel, but Eirlys bonded with Luke rather quickly. Though she cannot say she likes everything about the child-like angel, as his anti-demon sentiment has grated on her the more she has bonded with the boys (it has grown more half-hearted recently), but she counts Luke among the few within the three realms she can fully rely on.

🕊 Simeon: He was always rather mesmerizing for Eirlys, in ways the demons weren't. Perhaps it was the mystery that surrounded him despite being such a beautiful angel. His eyes, so striking against his features, were particularly what drew her in. Whenever she speaks with Simeon, she cannot help but smile. Despite all this, she has closed her heart off to anything beyond friendship with Simeon. Perhaps because she already has feelings for Mammon and more complicated ones for Leviathan, or perhaps because she feels a relationship with an angel would be too out of bounds for a human like her. Maybe both. Either way, she considers Simeon a very dear friend.

🦋 Solomon: He was one Eirlys didn't think much of when she first met him, though she was rather jealous of his abilities. She did slowly think of him in more friendly terms, however there was always something about him she didn't fully trust. Solomon has ever been the Cheshire Cat to her Alice.

🏵 Diavolo: Eirlys doesn't really have a very strong opinion one way or the other about him. Though the mere fractions of a moment she has spent getting to know him, the more she finds her opinion shifting to the positive. He has demonstrated himself to be incredibly thoughtful, compassionate (for a demon), and mature each time. Even if he hides it behind a constantly smiling face.

🐉 Barbatos: A mysterious and handsome face. This was the first thought that entered Eirlys's mind when she first met Barbatos. But after learning of his abilities and seeing them in action, Barbatos has bypassed all other demons in the intimidation department and landed himself firmly on the "never piss off under any circumstances" list.

Not exactly an accurate graph, but it's the best I can do restricted to mobile.

18 • What is your MC’s main hobbies and passions?

♥️ Her hobbies include: reading, music, dancing (hip hop and the like), anime, manga, video games, dramas, and movies (except horror, because she is a little chicken shit and will be the first to admit it).

♠️ She has a passion for dancing and singing, though she isn't good enough by any means to be considered professional, and typically her singing and dancing has been in rooms alone, in the shower, or driving alone in her car (in the human world).

She also has a big love for stories, especially fantasy and romance. Be they in books, movies, anime/manga, or dramas.

19 • Why did they end up in Devildom in the first place? What happened to them?

An email went out to all the students of high school and college age, explaining the exchange program with a world long thought to be a mere myth stemmed from religion, and nothing more. Those interested in participating could apply and send in their application for consideration. Anyone not interested could simply disregard the email. It explained a deadline, details and requirements for application, along with signing an agreement form explaining the rules of conduct within the Devildom. It was surprisingly thorough and organized for a simple email.

Eirlys was intrigued, but a part of her thought it was just an elaborate prank. Over the next few weeks, she heard more and more about people who had put in an application and eventually she too relented and sent in an application. Though her application was sent right at the last minute. Almost literally.

20 • What is your MC’s MBTI type?

ENFJ

21 • Do they have a pact with each bro? Do they often use their pacts? In which situations?

Yes, she has a pact with each brother. And each pact has left it's mark on her. However, she refuses to use her pacts unless she absolutely has to. Though there are times when she has used them out of anger (think "sit, boy!" from Inuyasha).

22 • What is their favorite place in Devildom?

Her room, the music room, and the Royal Library. Though there is an odd beauty to the old Colliseum when it is empty.

23 • Which sin fits them the most?

This one is difficult, but if I had to pick one I would say Pride or Envy.

24 • Describe their personality.

Eirlys is a rather compassionate and kind person with a passion for life and a fierce loyalty to her select group of friends. She is a genuine, honest, and caring individual and a passionate altruist. Sometimes even to a fault, and she is unlikely to be afraid to take the slings and arrows while standing up for the people and ideas she believes in.

Eirlys won't turn down an opportunity to spend time with those she cares about, even if that means going to social gatherings she would otherwise not attend on her own.

Despite all this, Eirlys can sometime be too idealistic or even selfless to a fault. She is prone to fluctuating self-esteem and may ask for praise or criticism out of insecurity, more than anything else. What's more, some criticisms can be easy for Eirlys to take to heart. Allowing it to further chip away at her self-confidence.

25 • What is their moral alignment?

Neutral good.

26 • Does your MC possess an object/something especially dear to their heart?

No, not really...

27 • Which character(s) do they consider as their best friend(s)?

If Mammon doesn't count considering he is the love interest, then I would have to say Levi and Beel.

28 • Choose a song that fits your MC.

Fight Song by Rachel Platten

29 • What are your MC’s religious beliefs?

Eirlys considered herself Agnostic, with some leaning toward Earthy religions. She had no beliefs in Heaven or Hell, so when she received her invitation that was rather eye opening.

30 • Describe what is inside your MC’s school bag.

Text books, notebooks, mechanical pencils, pens, highlighters, a zip bag for those things, reading books, calculator, and other generic school necessities.

31 • Describe their appearance (pic refs are ofc allowed).

♣️ Eirlys generally has fluffy waves of light pink hair that falls in cascades to the middle of her back, clear celeste blue / aquamarine eyes (haven't fully decided which), and snowy pale skin. She is not very tall, and has a triangle-shaped figure. Her fashion sense typically aligns with classic chic with a touch of hipster and grunge or street punk depending on her mood. And how she wears her uniform typically reflects this fashion sense as well, as her uniform typically looks rather crisp and pristine compared to the demon she loves.

Otherwise the other best examples I have are these images, one from a webcomic on Tappytoons.

The top image is probably as close as I can get, with the changes being thicker hair and eyes that are more blue like the girl in the images below. There is also the matter of her bangs being what curls inward as opposed to the tufts of hair beside her ears. The girl below, her hair is a bit too curly, though and her bangs aren't right. Plus the tufts on the side of her face down curl against her cheeks enough like the images above. But beyond all that, this is as close to an example of what my MC looks like. How she wears her uniform is portrayed above.

Tagging || @mammon-chan @mammoron @obeymesideblog @obeyme-lumos @beelzebubisbestwaifu @slavetothemocha @mammon-squad @mambeelz

And anyone else who wants to join in.

[dustyard]

Hi! I love your blog and I'm so excited to see you're active again😁. Do you have any thoughts/analysis on bear daemons? Maybe on whether they could be considered socially selective but close bonding? Specifically on brown bear or polar bear daemons. Please ignore if you're busy, I hope you're having a great day!

Hi! So just so you're aware— and I should probably figure out how to put this somewhere more obvious on my blog so people know, I don't expect everyone to be aware— but I'm not doing full analyses anymore. Analyses tend to be pretty time consuming if you want to do them justice and I realized I wasn't enjoying doing singular animal analyses all that much. HOWEVER questions like these are totally fine, where you want me to talk about one or two specific aspects. I know that can be a little confusing, so if you aren't sure, just send in your ask and I'll let you know. I have some form analyses which should be tagged with the animal name, but be aware some of them are several years old and my style of analyzing has changed since then. Again, Anon, this isn't being directed at you, I'm just using your ask to put it out there.

So bears are a little complicated socially. Brown bears are essentially solitary animals who nonetheless aren't particularly territorial, because they usually have large overlapping territories, but also aren't very interested in other bears except for during mating season. They're going to be pretty loose-bonding souls who, though they will be comfortable being around other people and are confident socially, just aren't that interested in close relationships. Females do share strong bonds with their cubs, which you could read as someone who will care for other people they feel they have some kind of duty of care towards, or have a specific protective bond with. These types of people won't be friendless loners, but they don't have issues moving on from relationships and don't tend to bond very deeply even with people they like.

Polar bears, interestingly enough, do sometimes have close relationships with other bears. Usually these are male bears (which is another fascinating thing), and they form "friendships" that can last a very long time and are based solely on liking each others' personality. Polar bears, like brown bears, have large territories and travel large distances to hunt, so they do come into contact with other bears semi-frequently. I would consider these guys to be, as you said, socially selective (and mostly solitary) but with a few close relationships that they value. I would say that these people are the types who do crave relationships, but it has to be the right relationship (be that platonic or otherwise), and while they still need their space and independence, will go out of their way to make time for people they consider worthwhile. They don't expect anything out of these relationships, either, there isn't a specific exchange here, just genuine companionship.

Additionally, both types of bears, while playful and relatively amiable animals, who, like most predators, are relatively conflict-avoidant, unlike most predators have the size and power to make them more aggressive towards potential threats. These types of people do not take shit from anyone, and will get into it if they feel like they aren't being treated respectfully. These people are hard to deter because there are very few things that actually scare them and can genuinely hurt them in a way that matters. I tend to read this as bears being people who are very emotionally stable and grounded, but also have few real needs that they have difficulty fulfilling. So unless something really drastic outside of their control happens (like global fucking warming) they probably won't be easily shaken. However, like most predators, they would still rather not have to be shaken, so they'll tend to just avoid drama so as to not need to worry about it in the first place. That's part of why they're pretty solitary; they don't want to deal with anybody's problems but their own, and they'd rather not rely on other people.

[kukuandkookie]

So, I'm making a story which may or may not be a remake of a old story I made, but with a new setting, new characters, a different tone, and a new storyline. Any writing tips?

Ahhh first off, I just wanted to say how honoured I am that you’d feel like asking me for writing tips! And I must also apologize if this is at all late, since Tumblr has this bad habit of not really notifying me when someone sends me an ask. PS: This might get long ahaha. I tend to ramble a lot. 😅

My first piece of advice is to read and study what you read! I often get inspired by a good book after I’ve finished reading and begin itching to write, but I actually learned how to write stories by imitating the Warriors series when I was a kid. 

I’d also highly recommend studying grammar. Not so much so that it becomes boring and no fun, but enough that it doesn’t hinder your story. Bad grammar or spelling doesn’t usually ruin a story unless it’s really bad, but it can pull someone out of your story. When reading over my classmates’ works, I usually found they worked quite well when read out loud, but reading it over myself caused me to spot those sort of grammatical errors and it would draw me out of the atmosphere they were creating for their story.

And on the topic of atmosphere, it is important to set the scene and also describe things, but definitely don’t go overboard. It often comes off as pretentious or cumbersome, breaking the flow of writing. I do describe certain things while writing, but I usually focus more on dialogue.

When it comes to dialogue, every character has their own voice, so they won’t all sound the same! Make sure to tag their dialogue with variety as well (like, don’t constantly use “he said, she said”). Try looking at other novels. Sometimes authors use “cried, scolded, screeched, begged,” etc). Sometimes they don’t use any dialogue tags at all so as not to break the flow of dialogue.

For example, this is a piece from the chapter I’m currently writing:

Or for something more casual:

The second one had four voices going on, but hopefully the voices flowed naturally enough and it wasn’t too confusing who’s who. If flow is hard to tell, you can try reading it out loud; it’ll also help you pick up on repetition.

Repeating something can be really good for dramatic effect, but too much repetition can also be bad. This is something I’ve had drilled into me by my English teachers since high school. Seeing the same few words a thousand times isn’t very interesting, so try to vary your vocabulary! There’s a whole internet out there to help you find the right words (for example, instead of always writing “angry,” you can look up “angry synonyms”).

Fictional writing, or creative nonfiction, is also where you can break a few rules of English for more dramatic flair. For example, there’s no need to always have full sentences. An incomplete sentence will stand out. 

Definitely be sure to vary sentence length so not everything looks the same. And every time a new action/piece of dialogue happens, it’s a general rule to start a new line.

I like keeping certain things about my characters and world vague and versatile so that I can play around with it more, although I know worldbuilding and detailed characters are important to many writers. It’s okay if your characters start off a little flat—the more you write for them, the more their personality will come alive and have proper depth. 

Sometimes I make a character because I feel like it and I give them a name I just feel like fits. I once made a character with curly brown hair and green eyes and randomly named him Ross, but I eventually incorporated the meaning of his name into his backstory (promontory or headland). He evolved while writing from a more cocky character to someone who is kind and quiet, but stubborn, distant, and has trouble getting over the past.

Of course writing characters also depends on your style. I have a friend who enjoys picking meaningful names for their characters, and there are authors who like to write down all the personality traits, flaws, and strengths right away. I prefer going with the flow, which I find isn’t a bad place to start, but the other way isn’t bad at all!

I usually like fleshing out the backstories for all of my characters, probably more than things like height or birthday. And that’s mostly because every person has their own story and their own scars, so it can affect them in different ways. Even flat characters I first develop just to be a villain often end up becoming more sympathetic later because I decided to focus on their backstories.

And of course we know everyone says “don’t write a Mary Sue!” but characters that seem pretty perfect can still come off as flawed and likeable. Not writing a Mary Sue doesn’t mean writing someone who is boring or terrible at everything or horrible to everyone—there is often a reason the hero is the one with some form of hidden skill or talent.

I’m going to pull on the character of my current obsessions as an example: Wei Wuxian from the novel Mo Dao Zu Shi. He’s intelligent, heroic, kind, and powerful, but such good things can also be translated into bad ones. Flaws are often exaggerations of positives. So for example, even though Wei Wuxian is intelligent, he’s still brash and reckless. He’s heroic, but this translates into a hero complex with impulsiveness, a lack of foresight, and can drive other people away. His kindness can turn into rage or self-sacrifice, and his power makes him arrogant.

Like with the thing on Mary Sues, try not to always worry about avoiding clichés or tropes. It’s good to avoid them, but they’re also staples of writing for a reason, and people do like what’s familiar (in my Film Studies classes, we describe movie tastes as “people want to see what they’re familiar with, but with something unfamiliar sprinkled in”). So it’s okay to use clichés/tropes sometimes, but don’t rely too much on them or your story will feel generic. Add your own twist!

But speaking of twists, don’t try and shock your readers with plot twists out of nowhere. Don’t panic if a reader picks up on your clues and then change the twist to something that doesn’t make sense just to shock the reader. This often cheats people of their experience. If they guess your plot twist, it can mean you laid down the right clues! But if you really want to shock them, try to drop enough hints for the new twist so it makes sense. For example, I find Coco’s plot twist much more sensible than Frozen’s.

Oh, and try not to worry too much about things like Chekhov’s gun. I had a Writing prof ask us to keep it in mind, but I find it more applicable to short stories, and that’s because it started as a rule for theatre. If you show a gun in your play, it should be used later by a character as a sort of payoff. In a longer story, this is less relevant as not every prop has to be important. Still, if you focus a lot on a particular thing, you should probably go back and explain it later. 

I have a bad habit of sometimes mentioning things that seem important to characters at the time and totally forgetting it later until I reread old chapters. For example, I had one character who doesn’t have his mom with him anymore be interested in a ring box in one chapter, but I forgot about it for awhile. I later explained that it was his mom’s wedding ring, which is why he cared about it so much.

I do often get lucky, as my two long-term stories (one that’s close to being wrapped up and one that’s already finished) have both filled most plot points sometimes by chance. I usually just start writing without a real idea of where I’m going—sometimes the stuff I write just establishes characters or their backstories—but they usually start forming into a proper plot later on when I’ve established more characters and backstories and figure out where I want the climax to go.

I’m not saying that my way is the right or only way though! It helps a lot of authors to map everything out from the very beginning. I just find certain plot points change as my writing improves, so I start off with less plan but usually end up coming up with a proper story bible for me to follow as I write. Research and planning, at the end of the day, are still really helpful!

The hardest problem with writing is that we need our readers to care. If they don’t care, then the thing you work painstakingly on won’t feel as rewarding. And it’s easier to have people care when your characters/plot/world are interesting, feel real, and are likeable (or at least have a “love to hate” thing going on for them). Not every character needs to be tragic and edgy—most people recommend against this—but they can still be sympathetic. Sometimes though, characters are just villains or just background characters, and that’s fine too! 

Plus everyone has different tastes, so it’s never guaranteed everyone will like your story—but then again, it’s no guarantee everyone won’t like it either!

I hope all of that helps, and that I haven’t scared you off with my ranting! Writing is a world of infinite possibilities, and I find it easier to test more of those possibilities than with drawing. At the end of the day, don’t forget to write for yourself and write what you also like. Improvement comes with practice, after all!