#not to mention the communities 180 of each other

[cheese-water]

I know it’s been said before, but I don’t care. The best thing that has come out of purgatory so far is the mending of the relationship between Tubbo and BadBoyHalo. Cause I’ll tell you, I would have never expected this a month ago, not even two weeks ago.

What’s even funnier is that the past week has made me realize how similar they are. They both play on the server an unhealthy amount. They both adore the eggs and other npcs (in the same day, Tubbo named and was constantly a headcount of his little army, and Bad was treating two of them like they were his own kids). They love to cause problems for fun and have no problem being “immoral” to get what they want. In every conversation, the two of them instinctively avoid and dance around giving anyone answers effortlessly, like the weasels they are. They’re both renowned loophole exploiters. They’re both gigantic nerds and have way too much game knowledge. Literally, both of them own Minecraft servers lmao.

I think that because they have so much in common, particularly their slipperiness, Tubbo and Bad will be either completely in sync or at each other’s throats. Even back during Ron’s kidnapping, during 1 on 1 conversations with the two of them, Bad told Tubbo that he was “too smart for his own good,” which I personally translated as “so this is how Foolish feels when talking to me.”

They’re dynamic is like two sound waves. When two similar waves of sound in the same space move in opposition to each other (as one goes up and the other goes down, etc.), they will cancel each other out, resulting in no noise at all. It’s called destructive interference and is how I would describe Bad and Tubbo’s rivalry pre-purgatory, so at odds with one another that every conversation eventually turns into a debate. However, when two similar sound waves align, they become in phase, and the created sound doubles.

When Tubbo and Bad work as one, the construction interference created between them amplifies their strengths and allows them to do things that are unthinkable on their own. There’s a reason why the only time they were able to kill Étoiles was together.

[yes-no-maybe-soo]

So having finally gone through the main story update once, stared at the ceiling, then gone through it immediately again... I am in fucking awe. Speechless. How tf am I supposed to digest this lore drop??? I've been taking notes, gone over screenshots, gotten misty eyed over how much I love SylusMC and just augh... this has rewired the way I view a lot of things in this game.

For example... just how large part Sylus truly plays in the main story. How vital he is. He has been there from the very beginning, pulling strings, moving events along, watching, protecting... he is honestly Everythinglus atp. Universlus. Love and Deepspacelus. I cannot stress how central this man is to MC's story. No wonder he took 5 years to craft. And (loath as I am to say it) ... the gatekeeping of some of his content up 'til now kind of makes sense. His lore is just too closely tied to the main story plot (the lack of communication is still shitty though). I am still kind of shocked by this tbh because it's forced me to do a 180 on my stance re: Paperfold's feelings towards him.

This main story update is just mind blowing in different ways, sort of like Beyond Cloudfall and how that changed everything. I'll be obsessing over it for the rest of the week, at least.

Anyway, idc that it's too early in the morning for this I need to get my initial thoughts out of my system and what better way to do so than a long ass tumblr post. So yeah just gonna go ahead and wordvomit/theorize share some screenshots/details that blew my mind all the way to sunday, and also attempt a timeline b/c my autistic brain demands that of me.

(Be warned, it's long and kind of all over the place. I don't blame anyone that won't bother with it lol).

(Spoilers, obviously)

Can we talk about the SOULMATISM between SylusMC and how that is actually canon to the main story??? They reference the 10.5 grams of soul... Sylus says this

They are pretty much confirmed to still be destined archnemeses in their current timeline – they were meant to kill each other as kids/teens. But like in the myth – and honestly like always – they decided to give fate the middle finger and chose their own path together. Then they got separated but found each other again. Twice. And they always will keep finding each other. No matter which "soil" they find themselves in. They have always been soulmates. But not by fate. But by CHOICE.

I have tried to make a timeline of their relationship from what was revealed here, that I kind of think makes sense?

First, Beyond Cloudfall. Dragon!Sylus and later Dragon!MC dies, and are then reborn on the same planet. Note, that this is not earth but possibly Philos.

They are expected to fight each other to the death in the Arena. But instead they succesfully run off together. And perhaps go on to commit crimes... I am speculating this to maybe be the case because of the "even all the crimes you'll inevitably commit" line but also because of the potential scenario I mention in point 3.

At some point in time, they are separated by the Deepspace Tunnel. Either before or after the separation, Sylus is thrown into Tartarus. If it happened before, then it's possible that MC was somehow responsible for it (remember, as a child she threatens to throw Sylus into Tartarus. Which could be foreshadowing of some kind).

In whichever case, while Sylus is in Tartarus, MC has been taken to Earth – more specifically to the Gaia Research Center in the N109 Zone – where she has either regressed to or been reborn as a tiny child, and is experimented on by EVER who are after eternal life and want to use her powers to achieve it.

Sylus breaks out of jail and goes in search for MC, eventually pinpointing her location using the eye of Aether and landing in the N109 Zone in 2034 (this according to the Timelock Key). At this time, the Chronorift Catastrophe is happening and Dimitri – blaming MC for it and for the Wanderers – tries to kill her by putting her in the Deepspace Collision Chamber. But before she can succumb to it, Sylus arrives and breaks her out. He makes a deal with Dimitri to bring MC back to him in the future.

Sylus leaves MC to be raised by Josephine, and for the next 14 years he keeps watch over her from a distance (remember the giant red eye? And mephie ofc), while founding Onychinus and taking over the N109 Zone, and working on taking down EVER. He creates a special menu just for MC at Elysium, in the hopes that she will one day come there, order it, and find him.

LAR. They reunite again, but MC remembers nothing. Not their Dragon myth, nor their childhood, nor Sylus' rescue of her. Instead, she sees him as a monster and despises him.

Present time.

Now, there are some things I want to point out here re: this.

One – I was wrong about Sylus' being resurrected or reassembled. Clearly, he was reborn... but unlike MC with his past life memories intact. I also still see him as a Dragon for the same reasons I've stated before. And also because I want him to be lol. I definitely don't think he's human. Nor is MC.

Two – I still think that Sylus is older than what his profile states. Why? Because we know now that he came to earth in 2034. Fourteen years prior to LAR. Which would – if his profile age is to be taken as truth – have made him 14 at that time. Now, dgmw Sylus is crazy powerful and honestly probably could have won a gang war and perhaps even conquered a planet etc at that age. However... it does not at all line up with the descriptions nor with the visuals we have of him at that time. In the Tangible Shackles video, he is in no way shape or form a 14 year old boy. Same goes for the Anecdote – he is described there as "a tall man" and having a "deep male voice" and "striking features". That's as far as the physical descriptions go. Nowhere in the text is there a single allusion to his being a kid, but rather the opposite. And I do believe that the text would have drawn attention to him being well below legal drinking age in a story like that.

And then there is ofc the Approaching Dusk image as well as this one of him breaking MC out of the Deepspace Collision Chamber (it destroys me btw).

Just compare MC who is roughly 8-9 here to Sylus. The size difference is massive. So no, that is not a 14 year old. They are not that huge, not even a Burj Khalifa on legs like Sylus.

Anyway, what we learned re: SylusMC's lore for sure puts both of these scenes in a different light

We all thought he was talking about their Beyond Cloudfall past here.

But no.

He is more than likely talking about their childhood etc here... "you were quietly moved to another garden in a foreign land" ie their separation in the Deepspace Tunnel, when they had earlier been two flowers growing up together in the same soil and who were supposed to keep growing together and ＿|￣|●💔 yeah. Thanks for breaking my heart again with the same scenes but with new context, game...

And on this note... fuck, man, do I feel even worse for poor Sylus now. Not only did MC forget him once, but twice. While he remembers everything – Beyond Cloudfall, the Gladiator Arena, being separated from her... and also knows just what she went through with EVER. He knows in what ways the love of his life suffered at the hands of evil people.

How the fuck has this man not crashed out yet. He is as mentally and emotionally strong as he is physically powerful imo.

And then there is just his sheer love for her. All the things he did for her: Running away together. (Possibly) being imprisoned. Searching the galaxy. Rescuing her from Dimitri, and giving her a chance to have autonomy and a normal childhood for the first time in her life. Devoting his own life to taking down the organization that hurt her.

And waiting for her. Always.

But even after everything still being ready to let her go. In spite of everything.

HE LOVES HER SO MUCH SOBSADFHUJHJ

I thought I loved Sylus before this update but I swear it has made me appreciate his character even more. What sorcery is that??? You can really tell how much thought and care his team has put into crafting him and his story.

And the same goes for MC. She got fleshed out here in all the best ways and I admire her immensely. I think that line she has about hoping that she made the Gaia Researchers even for a moment see her as the child she was rather than as an object or experiment says so heartbreakingly much about her and who she is.

The two together have so many fantastic moments in this story that had me giggling and kicking my feet. I honestly think it's more romantic/hot than some of the memory/date cards. But I won't talk about it more here or now because this is already way too long lol. Will probably just make individual posts for them.

Anyway, I do want to share some screenshots I took that made me lose my shit

I noticed the patterns on the bell when I was going to take another screenshot from LAR and omfg do you guys see it too????? Tell me I'm not reaching or deluding myself????? Ouuuu Sylus team you always gag me

STAYRUS MY LOVE YOU'RE BACK

I think it's pretty funny how chill MC is about Sylus having wings like she really don't care she just rolls with it (as she does with a lot of huge revelations tbh). Unbothered Queen.

This is one of my very favorite parts of the Kindled. Look how tenderly Sylus holds her here... shielding and protecting her the way he has all these 14 years, but physically this time. And you can see how MC genuinely feels safe in his arms. Oh, how far they've come since LAR...

Anyway, I'm gonna finally leave off here with a prediction for Sylus' future myth. I have an inkling it will take place before and after they escape from the Arena and up until Sylus gets imprisoned. That makes most sense to me. We need to know what they were up to in between and what led to Sylus' imprisonment. In other words I feel like I can taste the Gladiator & the space pirate lore. If I am wrong though, I'm betting it will be a Hades & Persephone inspired one. There have been quite a few references to greek mythology after all. Gaia. Charon. The River Styx. Tartarus. Not to mention the Pomegranate imagery and references. And probably more I can't think of rn.

Oh and I'd love to hear if any of you guys have any theories or things you noticed in this update! I would not be surprised if I've missed important details.

[automanla]

Still can't stop thinking about how the therapist I had for months, months, would invariably, every biweekly session, somehow have to ask if my AMAB partner who I live with (who is very sweet, supportive, and loving, who is willing to learn and listens when I talk, who encourages me to take the bus into the city and is teaching me how to drive so I am explicitly not dependent on them for transportation, I could go on forever here) has started somehow abusing, manipulating, or isolating me. We had sessions every two weeks and without fail I would have to remind her that no, my partner and I have extremely good, healthy, open communication, and they are the reason I am as independent as I am, they have never concerned me, we knew each other for four years before I even moved over here. Every two weeks, she would ask. The answer is no, every time. But still, because she sees me (a petite AFAB person) and knows I am dating someone who is AMAB, she has to check and make sure I am not being abused or manipulated.

Not to mention, the entire reason I had that therapist to begin with was because my partner encouraged it. And the reason I was in therapy was to process PTSD from my childhood. But no, every session became me assuring her that my partner was still the compassionate, caring, thoughtful person they had always been, and then she would ask me how my job hunt is going, and how I've been, and suddenly the 30 minutes is up and wow somehow we haven't even touched on my sexual trauma, crazy.

But, you know, at least my partner still hasn't done a 180 and started beating me. Because that's the more pressing concern here, huh?

[jarofstyles]

Strawberry Sunrise

Helloooo. Welcome to part one of a short series I’m doing. I’ve been dying to do a sporty/ personal trainer sort of thing so I’ve picked this back up after abandoning it for a bit! Please leave feedback if this is something you’d like to see more of on here!

Check out our Patreon for early access to parts 2-3 and 180+ exclusive writings

Warnings- mention of stalking, consent, gym culture, men being creeps, smitten H, anxiety

WC- 3.8k

Harry had always enjoyed the gym.

The burn in his muscles was his release of choice, choosing to express his innermost emotions with working up a sweat as he ran miles on the treadmill, muscles straining as he lifted and knuckles sore as he worked the bag. He’d spend hours working out purely for enjoyment and release in his time off, not only for the burn but from the community surrounding it. That being said, it made a lot of sense that when he got tired early on in the corporate world, he decided to become a personal trainer. A really successful one at that- thankfully, considering his father had been very skeptical at the profession change.

Working at a higher end gym, the facilities always remained spotless. There was a sauna and steam room, an in-ground heated pool and jacuzzi room, lush locker rooms with wooden locker cubbies and provided locks and fluffy white towels, and even held a boxing ring on the bottom floor which he loved to spar in in his free time. It was in a refashioned warehouse, lux looking in a rustic way.

He built his career and clientele over the span of a few years and had gotten into the groove of it fairly quickly. Working with positive reinforcement and meditative breathing before and after each session, people found his presence calming and many trusted him to help get them to their potential- which he proudly did. His routine varied but it always ended the day with a smoothie from the smoothie bar run inside the lobby. Choco PB, Mango Delight, or a Strawberry Sunrise with extra protein were his go tos.

One of his new favorite parts about his job, though, was the new receptionist at the front desk. Y/N.

A complete and utter sweetheart who, for a lack of better words, was a breath of fresh air in the usually gruff, testosterone filled setting. He loved watching her chat, even more watching her politely reject the many customers who tried to get her number. She didn’t seem to have a clue just how alluring she was. Her beaming smile and saccharine little giggle that made his toes curl, he was crushing on her big time. If he wasn’t afraid to risk her feeling comfortable at the work environment by potentially rejecting him, he’d have asked her out already but it was only 4 months in and she was a hit with everyone. He didn’t want to be the reason she left. Most of the other trainers were in relationships or married so she had been safe and had a good relationship with them all as colleagues, though Harry liked to flirt with her lightheartedly. He could tell she got her a little flustered and the arrogant son of a bit in him fucking loved it.

But what he didn’t love, though, was when she hesitantly found him with teary eyes after locking the front door with shaky hands as closing time finished and it was just employees of the gym. Her face was pale, spooked and Harry was not a fan of. Fear didn’t suit her.

“Harry?” Her shaky voice whispered. “I don’t mean to bother you at all, but if- could you wait for me before you leave? There’s… there’s that one guy, one of Liam’s clients? He kept asking me out and he got mad that I really said no and he’s been waiting outside at closing time and I’m just-‘I’m scared and….”’a quiver of her lip made his chest ache while also burning in rage.

Something he hated more than anything was someone who couldn’t take no for an answer, more specifically men who couldn’t let their bruised ego be healed in private, lick their wounds and accept that they’d not gotten what they wanted. Instead they harassed the other person as if the fucking answer would change. But to do it to Y/N? He felt enraged.

“He did what?” His mouth parted in surprise, brows pulling together as his shoulders squared up. Sure enough he could see a car parked right outside the door with the lights off, but someone visibly inside. Y/N parked close to the building and he must have known that. “Fuck, Sweets. M’sorry.” He groaned. “Absolutely not acceptable. M’gonna make sure Liam knows and that he’s dropped as a member here but of course I’ll walk you out. Are you almost done?” His hand reached for her shoulder to give an appreciative squeeze, bare skin meeting his palm. She wore a tank top with the gym’s logo and yoga pants, her name tag taken off already.

“Yeah- I just have to shut down the computers and sweep the front. Is that okay?” Her teeth chewed nervously on her bottom lip. “I’m so sorry to keep you. I know you’ve had a long day and you have one tomorrow too, I just, I have a bad feeling and I’m scared. I wouldn’t have asked if he didn’t give me the creeps even before.”

Harry was vaguely familiar with the dude, mostly because he had snickered at Y/N’s polite attempt to tell him no to a date previously- but now, that wasn’t so funny. “Hey.” His thumb brushed over her skin. “Don’t apologize. I won’t hear it. Of course I’d do this for you, I care. I’d never let anyone be in danger, least of all you. You’re the best receptionist we’ve ever had and I’d be crushed if something happened to you. Everyone would.” Mostly him, though. His crush was real. However now wasn’t the time to deal with that.

“Thank you so much.” She sighed in relief, reaching up to squeeze his wrist. “I’ll only be a minute, okay? Just stand right there.”

And he did. He watched as she shut down the computers and grabbed the little broom to sweep up the little bits around the front desk, thanking Harry when he brought the trash can out from the front desk for her to pour the dust pan into. Her thanks was gracious, grabbing her keys and nervously following behind him as he made his way out first.

It seemed that the man hadn’t expected Harry to still be there, as he had parked further back in the lot. The look of surprise made Harry irritated as he directly went to the car, knocking on the window. The man hesitantly rolled it down a little bit, Harry’s arm braced on the hood as he leaned down to speak to him.

“Absolutely unacceptable.” He said straight. “She said no. Dunno what or how that translates to ‘wait for her after work to crowd and stalk her like a creep’, but let me spell it out for you.” His voice dropped lower. “You’re going to stay away from her. She isn’t available, not for you. You’re going to listen when women tell you no, and leave it fucking be. Know she’s a pretty thing but that doesn’t give you the right to follow her around.”

“What are you? Her boyfriend?” The man sneered, making Harry’s jaw clench. Was he dense? Truly?

“S’not your business who I am to her. All you need to know is that she isn’t on the market, stalking is unattractive and if you don’t leave her the fuck alone, I swear to you that there will be consequences. I’d suggest finding another gym, mate.” He patted the top of his car before pulling back, finding Y/N standing by the glass doors, wringing her hands. The look of relief on her face as Harry approached and the guy’s car peeled out of the lot made his anger worth every bit.

“Told ‘em off.” Adjusting the bag on his shoulder, he walked with her to her car and made sure she got her bag in. “Hey- let me follow you home, yeah? I’ll give you my number and you can text me if he bugs you again but I’d feel better knowing you got in safe and he isn’t out there waiting for you somewhere else.” He wouldn’t put it past an idiot like that.

“Normally I’d try to tell you no, but I can’t tell you how much that would mean to me.” Her body sagged in relief as she took him by surprise, taking him in for a hug. “Thank you so much. I was so scared he’d try to take me or something, I watch too much Criminal Minds or something but.” She shrugged, pulling back far too soon. It had taken him by surprise and he hadn’t had nearly enough time to appreciate her sweet smelling, warm body against his own.

“Anytime, Y/N. Seriously. Your safety is important to me.” More than she’s known. “Let’s get going, yeah? Know you had an emotional day.”

—-

Harry had driven her home, smiling and beeping once she had gotten inside her apartment building but waiting to drive off before he had gotten her little text of ‘ inside!!! :-)’

He spent the rest of the night trying to work away his anger, cooking a quick meal before heading off to bed. Y/N was too good for shit like that. He’d shot a text to Liam letting him know he told his client to fuck off and he’d help find another but was assured that it was a good loss anyways, which only helped ease him. The girl wouldn’t have to deal with it again.

He just hoped she would be okay.

—-

The next morning he was greeted by her smiling face, melting off the apprehension he had felt all morning. Her hair was pulled into a ponytail with two loose tendrils around her face, looking as cute as ever as she waved at him.

“Hi, Harry!” She chirped. “I’ve got a smoothie with your name on it when you’re ready for it later. Thank you again for helping me last night.” His membership card was quickly scanned and handed back. Her smile was infectious, making his own rise on the corner of his lips.

“Yeah? I’m glad to have helped. I’m here for anything y’need, Sweets.” If only she knew how far that could go for her. Maybe it was better she didn’t. He was really into her but he was hyper aware of how it could come off now, so he would proceed with caution. “I’ll hold you to the smoothie when m’on my lunch.”

For the first time in quite a while, Harry had a hard time concentrating on his sessions. Of course he poured himself into it as much as he could, but he couldn’t stop thinking about last night. How shaken up Y/N had been and how she had been so appreciative. He couldn’t help it, because he’d already had a crush on her and the fact that she trusted him enough to come to him for help made him really happy. He was also still mad that the man had crossed such big boundary and genuinely scared the hell out of probably the sweetest girl anyone’s met.

Being in his own head also explained why said girl scared the shit out of him, making him jump as he felt a gentle tap on his shoulder. Jumping from the stool, he turned to a wide eyed Y/N and tore the earbuds out of his ears with a very, very embarrassing yelp. “Shit! Y/N, you scared me.”

As if it wasn’t obvious.

“I’m so sorry!” She peeped, hand over her mouth. “I said your name and I didn’t see you had in your earbuds. I’m so sorry.” Her babbling was very cute, but he didn’t want her to feel bad.

“It’s okay- just made me jump.” He placed his hand on her shoulder. “Shit, it’s my fault for sitting here with them on at work. You did nothing wrong.” His palm squeezed, making her shoulders relax just a bit. Thank god. There was no effort to remove it as he continued on, and no effort to step away from him. “Y’said something about a smoothie, yeah?”

His grin was probably a bit too big in regards to a smoothie but he hoped like hell that she would join him at the little tables they had set up. They were in the reception area, a bit public for his taste but considering what had happened last night he figured that was a better option than the break room. It was a delicate thing and he needed to go about it carefully. He really, really didn’t want to muck it up because his dick got ahead of his brain.

Although, she did look spectacular today, if he could say that.

“Yes! I was going to grab one too. What kind would you like?” One of the duties of the front desk people was to man the smoothie bar when needed. It wasn’t super demanding and the recipes were written out in a binder-

Harry would know because he’s had to do it before too- but she seemed to enjoy making them the times she’s done his. “I’m going for the Strawberry Sunrise and some energy boost.” Her hand squeezed his wrist before it was removed and she glided behind the bar, ponytail swaying as she did so.

“S’a good choice. Simple and effective.” He nodded in approval. “Think M’gonna go for… the chocolate peanut butter, if that’s alright?” His fingers drummed on the surface of the counter, slightly nervous habits showing when she was around. It was difficult to think. Even if he was this charming, charismatic, outgoing guy- he still got a bit flustered when talking to a pretty girl who was suspiciously angelic in looks and in appearance.

“Of course it’s okay.” Her laugh echoed in his ears. “I told you, it’s my way of saying thank you. Now sit and look pretty while I finish these.”

Harry was glad her back was turned because his face was most definitely flushed. Did she call him pretty? It seemed so. The man definitely didn’t go to the gym looking like a slob, but he had much better days outside of it. He liked to play around in fashion and the gym left little to experiment with unless he was okay with a sweat stain or ruining it. That’s why he wore cuter bandanas around his neck, or his stack of fabric bracelets that were meant to fall off. They were made of string and easily replaceable but they added color to his otherwise bland outfits he wore to keep from ruining his good outfits.

Apparently the last thing she had said was enough to keep him on his head until she finished, the large orange and white striped cup placed in front of him. “They’ve got to get rid of the styrofoam cups and do paper.”

Y/N sighed, looking at her own with a little frown. “I’ve suggested it but manager said we got to go through these before he’s gonna reorder. It’s only a few cents cheaper too, I was snooping on the order form.” She grumbled, making Harry smile. Y/N was known for her environmentalist tendencies and it only added to why he liked her. “Or, do like… have a bottle washing station and let us sell reusable cups with the gym logo and people can use those! Anything but these.” Leaning in closer to him, he caught her perfume as she let him in on a ‘secret’. “Plus, I fucking hate the sound of styrofoam. It makes my skin crawl. ASMR gone wrong.”

Harry swore he fell in love w little bit when she pulled back, laughing along with him as he nodded. She was fucking adorable and his hands itched to grab hold of that ponytail and keep her head still so he could kiss all over her face. Could you get cuteness aggression over another human?

“S’a great idea, actually.” He nodded, taking a sip with a hum. Y/N did the best smoothies. Shakes? He never was sure what to call them. “And you’re right. Styrofoam is awful for the environment and ears. I usually bring my water bottles every day but the amount of plastics we see here… S’a shame.”

“Exactly!” She slapped her hand on the counter. “It would only cost a little more to be more efficient. Do more water fountains so they don’t have to bring those plastic water bottles. Those are also on my hit list, when people crinkle those bottles…” her nose wrinkled in distaste, grabbing her cup and going around the counter. “Where did you want to sit, by the way?”

Harry’s heart grew three sizes, he thinks, when she was the one to initiate their time together. He’s been mulling it around in his mind, how to ask her to sit with him but apparently they were on the same page. “F’you want to sit out here we can, or we can go to the employee lounge. It’s your choice.”

“Do you mind if we go to the lounge? I had to talk to you about something, if you don’t mind.” It was then he could see her shifting nervously on her feet, cluing him in to something else. Was the guy still bothering her?

“Course we can. Lead the way.” He extended his hand, letting her lead as he tried to figure it out. Y/N was a somewhat nervous person by nature and he knew from watching her pick at her nails or bounce her leg, twirling her hair or rearranging pens often, but he didn’t like the idea of her nervous around him.

So when they sat down at one of the smaller tables in the empty lounge, he let his concerns be known. “Are you okay? You seem a little nervous.” He bumped his knee with hers, bringing the smoothie up to his mouth for a sip as he studied her face.

“Yeah! Yeah I just…” there was a pause, her nails dragging down the cup to make a pattern. “I couldn’t sleep very well last night. I felt really safe with you and I’m really grateful for your help- you’ve no idea. I was scared if end up in a ditch by the time anyone came in this morning but….”’her teeth worried her bottom lip. “I don’t want to have to rely on anyone else. You’re not always going to be here. And I know- I know the people here are very strong and bigger than me, most of them anyways- but I need a way to protect myself.” She took a big breath before the words rushed out. “Do you think you could help me with self defense? Even just a little bit, I can pay you or clean your house or something I just really….” Her frazzled expression broke his heart. “I don’t want to feel helpless again.”

He wanted to tell her that he wouldn’t let anything happen to her. That he would stay every night and walk her to his car, that he would take care of her but the truth remained that he couldn’t always guarantee that for her. Sometimes he had to leave early, sometimes he had to stay later than her and it was just not possible. What she asked was absolutely the right thing, but he hated that she felt helpless.

“Y/N.” He crooned. “Of course I will. It’s not even a question, I’d be more than willing to help you out.” She must really not know his crush on her if she couldn’t see how he was mentally tripping over himself at the idea of spending time with her. It would be a double win. She could help herself and he could spend time with her alone. “I want to say M’really fucking sorry that men are shit and that you even have to worry. If I’m here when you’re getting off of work, which I usually am, I’m more than happy to walk you to your car, but I understand.

I hate that you feel helpless. You’re a lot stronger than y’give yourself credit for.” His hand reached for the one laying on the table top, holding it a lot more confidently than he felt. She squeezed it back, though, so a win was a win! “We’ll have t’do it after hours, though, if that’s alright? Just stay a bit longer after work. My days are really full right now and I know you’re working most days here so it’ll have to be a weird schedule but you don’t need to pay me a cent. Let me do this for you for my own peace of mind, yeah?” His eyes searched her face, like he was trying to find an answer for a question he didn’t know. “Was worried out of my head last night about you.”’

Y/N seemed to visibly relax, a smile growing on her soft little lips and her entire energy moving to a warmer one. What he didn’t expect, though, was for her to throw herself into his lap for a big hug. Y/N had always been touchy, but he never thought he’d end up with a lap full of the prettiest girl he’d ever seen whispering her thanks as her face tucked into his neck.

God, he hoped he smelled decent.

His arm wrapped around her as he clumsily put his drink down in surprise, stroking her back as she squeezed him tight- and it was like a dream. Soft body against his own and engulfed in her scent? He was happy if she never moved from here. Unfortunately she did, peeling herself up and her beaming smile making him melt. “Thank you, thank you so fucking much. You can have anything you want in return. You don’t have to think of it kow but… I trust you the most here.” She admitted, clamoring back into her seat. “You’re the coolest, H. Thank you again. When can we start?”

Harry knew he was in trouble when he wanted to cancel the rest of his day and offer it to her. She’d sent him through a wind tunnel of wild thoughts and his body was still reeling from having her so close, but he had to try and hold it together.

“Why don’t we start tomorrow?” He offered. “But be prepared to work up a sweat.”

[gimme-a-man-after-midnight]

my royal roomie pt. 3

fandom: Aquaman

pairing: Orm Marius x Reader

part 1 part 2

summary: As time passes, Orm begins to see you as more than his surface dweller host. Much to his surprise, you’ve captured his attention, which in turn makes him notice just how physically affectionate you are with everyone except him. 

word count: 5500+

warnings: light cursing, touch starved!orm, light angst if you squint, comic lore inaccuracies, slow burn, divorced parents!reader, dead parents!reader, mentions of being smaller in comparison to orm, flora inaccuracies??

a/n: hey...how y'all doin :,) i'm sorry i lagged on this part for MONTHS, but i finally had some spare time and motivation to finish it, so here ya go!

The dynamic between you and Orm didn’t make a complete 180 after your late night talk - in fact, it was quite awkward for the first few days following. Orm, although now deciding to actually be in the same room as you for longer than five minutes, didn’t talk much when you were in each other’s presence. The Atlantean favored just observing you in your natural habitat - when you cooked, when you read, when you talked with people on the phone. You often extended invitations to him to join in your activities, but a silent shake of his platinum head was what you were regularly met with. You tried not to take offense, understanding that small steps forward was better than leaps backward, but you couldn’t help but feel a little unnerved by his probing gaze. 

Your expressions when meeting Orm’s eyes were always one of the three - confused, apprehensive, or downright shy. Orm liked playing a silent game with himself whenever he would wait in the communal areas of the house for you, guessing which one would take over your face that day. However, what the Atlantean liked most of all was when you would deviate from all three and bless him with a sheepish look that teetered between flushed and guilty. Although there would be no evident redness behind your cheeks, your flitting eyes and soft smile gave him a new type of satisfaction. Orm wasn’t blind - he could tell you were attracted to him. His heightened senses could pick up on your increase of breaths and the quickening of your heartbeat whenever his eyes would be fixed on you and it made pride swell in his chest. Even with how apparent your interest in him was, you never overstepped - you were always respectful of his space, never even entertaining the fine line between roommates and friends. You had remained awfully friendly, though….

…friendly enough for Orm to realize that the way you interacted with him was vastly different to how you would with others. 

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With about two weeks of convincing, multiple threats of rescinding meals, and embarrassing bouts of wide-eyed pleading you had finally worn down the blonde enough to get him to come to town with you. You chose to avoid densely populated areas like the park, the marketplace, or the downtown areas. Even though Orm had proven to be a fine roommate to you, adding other unfamiliar people to the mix could make him uncomfortable. The marina was also out of the question, per Arthur’s suggestion - something about “drying the fucker out a little, karma’s a bitch.” You learned from a young age not to question Arthur’s methods. 

The plan was set - you’d bring Orm to the flower shop to act as your assistant for the time being and then you’d end the night at Izzie’s Diner to eliminate the need for grocery shopping. It was going to be like a “Bring Your Kid to Work'' Day scenario, except instead of a kid you’d be bringing a six-foot-something, human hating, Atlantean beefcake to your little store. 

From the moment you two had set foot into your establishment, it was clear to Orm that this was your element. The wide variety of flora had caught his attention straight away, his mind immediately drawing comparisons to the plant life of Atlantis. However, your shop wasn’t nearly as flashy or fluorescent - no, your shop was much more intimate. From the hand-painted script on the window to the worn forest green stain on the wood, your shop presented itself as a little slice of heaven to all patrons that entered. 

You were quick to put Orm to work, not being shy in showing him that you took pride in your vocation. The first task you had set up for him was to set the premade bouquets out on the displays outside, meticulously instructing him on how you wanted them arranged by color family. (Gods know whatever a “color family” was.) You then had him move large vases of separated flowers into the sunroom - You have the upper body power, you told him, I doubt it’ll be that taxing for you. Once you were satisfied with the layout of the store and Orm had grumbled your ear off plenty, you were ready to open. As to be expected in a small town, there wasn’t much business towards the dead hours of the day, but you had always found something to do to keep busy.

When you were awarded the company of customers, they were always regulars - or at least that’s what Orm deduced. The blonde prince would watch as your eyes brightened and the corners of your lips would turn up impossibly high whenever someone familiar would walk through the door. Not that your smile would be any less bright for a new customer (and not that Orm was watching close enough to tell the difference or anything). You always had sweet words for all that entered into the shop - it was a wonder you didn’t come home completely silent due to exhaustion.

“Does it get tiring?”

Orm’s question stole your attention away from the stems you were trimming, making you turn over your shoulder with a confused expression.

“Does what get tiring?” You asked.

“That attitude. All of-” Orm puts on a fake smile, “-that.”

You roll your eyes at his dramatics, tossing loose stem bits in his direction which he effortlessly bats away.

“Customer service is a vital part of the job - you get used to it...”

You looked around the shop, reminiscing over your time attending to the customers.

“...and the people of Amnesty Bay are sweet. It’s not hard to reciprocate.”

You spoke as if it was a matter of fact, quickly dismissing all of Orm’s skepticism with one sentence. You didn’t bother arguing further with the Atlantean, thinking that it would do no good to lecture him after putting him to work. Orm had no choice but to hum to himself as he reflected on your words and your easy-going demeanor. 

Before he could interrogate you further, your doorbell chimed announcing the arrival of new customers, ones that clearly excited you enough to make you let out a small squeal.

“Sampsons!” You greeted the family happily, practically leaping over the counter to throw your arms around the expecting wife. Orm watched from his peripherals as you cooed cheery greetings to the party of 3 (and a half?), deciphering that these people were your friends. The husband, wife, and young son laughed heartily at your enthusiasm, smiling down at you with equal merriment.  

“Girl, you are growing by the minute! How has the pregnancy been?” You stop flitting about the group like a hummingbird to focus on the woman, brushing softly at her hair as you take in her appearance. Orm could see you beaming at her from the corner of his eye, unable to look away from the sight for some reason.

The people surrounding him in Atlantis were always prim and proper, no surprise due to their noble status - never bobble out of place or an expression unpinched. So, seeing how jovial and lively you were when interacting with your friends was entirely new to the prince. 

Orm also couldn’t help but notice just how…touchy you were with them. Your eyes never leave your friend - Mrs. Sampson, he presumes - as you softly move strands of hair out of her face, fully engrossed in every word she points in your direction. Your hands stay clasped in hers as your thumb rubs comforting circles at her knuckles. The affection came so naturally with you - this type of petting would undoubtedly turn heads in his kingdom, surely being improper in the eyes of nobility. Mrs. Sampson’s family seemed rather comfortable as well, the young son stepping away from his father numerous times to hug at your legs, which you always acknowledged with a ruffle to his curls. 

The love-dripping display before him made Orm feel an unfamiliar tug at his chest, one that he could best describe as longing. Longing for what, Orm doesn’t know (and surely would never admit). The inner thoughts manifest into a particularly pinched expression, which Mr. Sampson notices right away.

“Psst-” your friend’s husband whispers to you. “Who’s the scary blonde?”

You swiftly turn away from your friend to find Orm with his arms crossed, staring from a distance with furrowed brows and pursed lips. You make your way to stand next to him again, proving he means no harm. You’ve been around the Atlantean long enough to know that he was only sporting his inquisitive expression, but you understood that his intimidating stature could paint his curiosity as animosity. 

Orm scoffed lightly as his metahuman ears picked up on the husband’s whisper which made you elbow him under the counter in turn, your smile never faltering. While your actions slightly bruised his ego more than his actual skin, he couldn’t help but feel a little impressed at your bravery considering he’s smited others for less. He’d never say it out loud, but you’re much more appealing than his previous offenders - much too appealing indeed. 

“Oh shut up, Jonny,” Mrs. Sampson says to her husband as she swats him. She leans over the counter to hold a hand out to him. “I’m Janie - I know, Janie and Jonny sounds like an awful sitcom but that’s just how the pieces fell for us. And this is our son, Miloh-” 

Orm reluctantly takes the chipper woman’s hand, being cautious to not accidentally overuse his strength and squeeze too hard. He didn’t really understand any of the words she was saying, but she had a kind eyes and a warm smile that were similar to yours. Orm supposed that you are what you attract. 

“This is Or-Orion!” You’re quick to correct, semi-aware of the Atlantean prince’s reputation with the people of Amnesty Bay. “He’s Arthur’s friend - he’s staying with me for a bit.” You pat at Orm’s shoulder, displaying a mask of familiarity to your friends to throw off any suspicions about his true heritage. Orm doesn’t acknowledge the trail of fire your hand leaves when you remove it from his shoulder. The family waves back to him with similar eye crinkling smiles, the young boy looking up at the Atlantean in awe at the sheer mass of him. 

“Anyway, what did y’all come here for?” 

You loop your arm through Janie’s, whisking her away and leaving “Orion” to stand quietly behind the counter with Jonny and their son. Before you were fully out of his hearing radius, Orm picked up on Janie’s whisper to you: “He’s cute, girl.” You’re quick to shush your friend, taking her to the opposite corner of the shop to look at floral arrangements. The blonde couldn’t help that his chest swelled with pride at quick comment.

“So, how do’ya like Amnesty Bay, Orion?” Jonny asks, pushing his thick framed glasses up his slender nose. He lets Miloh roam free upon feeling his squirming to loosen his father’s hand from his shoulder. 

“It’s…more pleasant than I anticipated - peaceful.” 

Jonny laughs lightly, hand rubbing at the back of his neck. “You used to the city then?”

“Yes, large in population and dense. A far cry from this town.” 

Orm and Jonny watch as Miloh comes up behind you to hug at your waist, giggling when you make a big reaction upon him “surprising” you. You swoop the boy into your arms while you continue talking to his mother, the boy basking in the affection you give him. It’s a welcome sight to Orm, one that Jonny notices. 

“Has she been a good host to you?” 

The Atlantean peels his eyes away from the scene that unexpectedly warms his chest to address the man, pretending to not notice the knowing look on his angular features. 

“She has been…very gracious indeed.”

“Ah, I wouldn’t expect anything less. Y’know she put us up for two weeks when our roof got totaled by the tidal wave? That girl is too nice for her own good, I swear…”

Orm couldn’t deny your kindness, he had been on the receiving end of it for the past few weeks that he’s roomed with you. Your patience and understanding were the traits that made boarding with you so…seamless. 

“Yes, she is. Very much so.”

Jonny, sensing the blonde had little else to say, gave him a polite smile before following after his wife and son. Orm watches as the family embrace you (metaphorically) into their circle, your arms encircling Janie and Miloh naturally. The way you so easily welcome them into your space without a second thought, balancing Miloh on your hip as you twirl at Janie’s hair that falls on her shoulder. He couldn’t help but stare - stare at your gummy smile, at your rosy cheeks, at everywhere your hands fall…

“Alright, I’ll come to yours next week with some sample bouquets and you can choose from there. I’m so excited for you!” Your merry voice rings through the shop as you see the Sampsons out, placing one final kiss on Miloh’s chubby cheek before sending them off with a wave.

When you return to your spot behind the counter, you still have a warm smile lingering on your face. Orm catches it before you do, watching you recompose yourself with a more professional expression. 

“They are a…colorful bunch.”

You practically guffaw at his sudden commentary, covering it up with the back of your hand.

“Yeah, definitely lively. Arthur thinks they’re fairies or wood sprites or something.”

“...I see it.”

You find yourself quietly delighted that Orm is entertaining your nonsense talk, making you notice that he’s standing a step closer. You will yourself to loosen the muscles in your back that make you stand erect now that there is less space between you. You also pretend that you don’t notice Orm side eyeing you at the gesture. 

“They told me Izzy’s is closing early for the night, so we’ll need to go grocery shopping on the way back home. I hope that’s okay…” 

“Whatever is acceptable for you.”

You nod at each other in silent agreement before going back to trimming stems, Orm unsure of why his side that’s closest to you is humming with electricity.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The grocery shop you take Orm to is thankfully more empty due to closing time drawing near. You take on cart pushing duty in lieu of passing it on to Orm since he looked at the contraption like it was cursed. Giving Orm a onceover to make sure he was all settled before heading into the store. You choose not to circle around the seafood section just yet, unwilling to be around when the prince would undoubtedly scrunch his face up with a look of disapproval. 

“I’ll probably just cook some pasta tonight - nothing too crazy, I’m kinda tired.”

“...you do not have to cook for us. We can order that food Arthur mentioned - granted the words he used to describe it were disgusting - something like ‘juicy’ or ‘cheesy’-”

You nearly stop the cart as you laugh at Orm’s words dripping with disdain, shaking your head at the clear understanding of Arthur’s character.

“I’m assuming he’s talking about a cheeseburger - he’s always had an unceasing enthusiasm for food.”

You stop in the aisle reaching up for a box of what looked like yellow screws to Orm, getting on your tiptoes to reach it but with no success. The Atlantean takes pity on you and gets the box for you, being met with your gracious smile when he places it in your cart. You nod at him sheepishly, hands flexing by the handle of the cart as you shoot Orm a grateful look. 

“Ah, thanks-”

When his arm brushes against yours as it passes the food over to your cart, Orm takes note of how stiff you go for a moment. You quickly relax yourself - albeit it seemed like you needed to put some effort into it. A part of him tries not to feel offended at the action, quieting his own curiosity at being the cause of your brief uncomfortability. The other part of him wishes to push you further - to brush against you again to see how you would react to a more firm touch.

“Um, excuse me?”

A soft elderly voice coming from behind you interrupts both of your inner monologues. When you both turn over your shoulders you’re met with the sight of an elderly woman bundled in a thick jacket and chunky beanie hiding her white locks.

“Yes, ma’am?” 

Your sweet words ring through Orm’s ears, noting their slightly higher octave as if to appear as non-threatening to the elderly stranger as possible.  

“I-I was wondering if you could help me find this brand of bread flour? My grandson is visiting me tomorrow and I always make his favorite snickerdoodles with this brand - I can’t seem to find it-”

“Sure! It should be in this aisle too, at the end-”

You walk in time with the smaller woman, heart clenching at the slow and unsteady steps she takes by your side. Orm follows closely behind as he watches the exchange, brows furrowing at how easily you offer up your arm for the woman to hold onto. When you make it to the end of the aisle, you quickly spot the brand the woman was looking for at the very top shelf, no doubt the reason she was unable to find it on her own.

“Ah, it’s all the way up there, no wonder you didn’t see it.”

“Maybe we can ask one of the workers to help get it - though there aren’t many around now-”

Orm steps forward to be in both of your guys’ lines of sight. 

“Please, allow me.”

Orm’s hand reaches up to scan through each brand.

“This one, yes?”

“Yes, the very one!”

Orm grabs two of the flour bags with ease, holding them in his muscular arms. 

“Another for the next time your grandson visits. It’s best to be well prepared.” 

You watch with slightly widened eyes as he carefully places the flour in the woman’s arms, making sure they stay secure.

“Uh - do you want help getting it to the register? We just about have everything we need-”

“I’m alright! This old girl still has some strength in her.”

You and Orm share a soft laugh at the comment, decidedly letting the woman be off on her own in favor of kicking up a fuss.

“Thank you both, lovely couple you are.”

“Oh we-”

Before you could correct her, she leaves you with a squeeze to your hand, one which you return as your cheeks warm upon her departure. Orm’s stare lingers on your hands as they return to your sides, an unfamiliar pinching feeling stirring in his gut.

“I - uh - I think we have everything we need.”

You are noticeably further from Orm, keeping at least an arm’s distance from him as you push your cart. (Not that he notices those things.) He makes an effort to keep his strides short so as to not get in your space since it’s clearly what you wish. It’s quiet when you pay for your goods and it’s quiet when you load up the car. Orm takes note of how rigid your posture is when you drive away from the grocery store, but makes no comment on it. The quick shift in your demeanor puzzled the Atlantean to no end. You weren’t meant to be hard to navigate - you were human for the gods’ sakes. You were human and yet Orm found himself unable to read you during times like this when you would retreat into yourself and just look onward. He was also puzzled by how much he wanted to read you, to gain a deeper understanding of the inner workings of your mind. 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After unpacking all the food and a long shower, you seemed to go back to normal, meaning Orm had no place to question your mannerisms through the day which he was (embarrassingly) overanalyzing in his head ever since you both got home. Now having built rapport with Orm’s working skills, you tasked him with washing the vegetables that you would cook for a side. You couldn’t help but smile at how conservative the Atlantean was being with his water usage, your own usage mirroring his. Still new to human appliances, Orm thought it was best to the side as you began preparing dinner. Orm liked watching you flit around the kitchen when you cooked - it was like an organized chaos of sorts. While you were clumsy in a lot of your actions from mincing garlic to measuring out ingredients, you always made it to your end product. The prince had no room to complain about the surface at times like this when you would greet him with your good smelling food and a warm smile to let him know that dinner was ready. 

“Hope you’re hungry, I kinda made a lot. I’m still trying to gauge how much Atlanteans eat - I mean I know Arthur eats a shit ton, but that’s Arthur-”

“This is fine,” Orm interjects your rambling with a hand up. “Thank you for preparing the meal.”

You smile over your shoulder at his polite words, moving to prepare the plates. Orm momentarily looks around your living space again, analyzing for the 100th time since boarding with you. Before he can get full surveillance of the room, the sound of a sharp his and a plate clattering onto the counter grabs his attention. The sight of you clutching your wrist puts the blonde on high alert, his long legs taking a few steps to come to your side.

“What happened-”

“I’m fine, Orm, I just got too close to the pan when plating-”

“Let me see-”

“No, I’m good-”

When Orm’s hand reaches out to take a look at your burn, you seize back quicker than when your skin got singed on the pan. His eyes widen briefly before they settle back to their neutral expression with something else burning in them. Orm had tried to hide his shock and annoyance (and in part a feeling of rejection) from your wishes to keep a physical barrier between you two, but now it was directly in his face. He could no longer ignore it.

When you try to maneuver around Orm to get to the ice in your freezer, your actions are brought to a halt when Orm’s hands on your shoulders keep you firmly in place. You look up at the Atlantean with a look of abject shock and fear when you feel how your skin sings under the weight of his heavy hands. 

“Orm-”

“You will stop this nonsense at once.”

“Excuse me?”

“Do I disgust you to such a degree that you cannot stand to touch me?”

Your slightly agape mouth closes immediately, your surprised face changing to one of confusion as your narrowed eyes assess Orm’s burning expression.

“What? No, that’s not-”

“Oh please, human, I can see it in your body language how you practically jump away from me at any sign of closeness. Is my blood what adds fuel to your fear? Does my very presence make the hairs stand up at the back of your neck? You should be scared-”

With a groan you quickly cover Orm’s mouth with your hand, ignoring how your hands over his lips makes your breathing quicken. 

“Shut up and let me explain, will you?”

Your fire is hard for Orm to ignore as well as the closeness of your face to his when you end his tirade. However, you quickly step back from him to speak, the both of you letting out breaths you didn’t know you were holding.

“Firstly, do not call me ‘human.’ You know my name and use of anything else is degrading.”

The way you huff up at him makes Orm’s scowl soften slightly, your pinched features and smaller stature making a lethally adorable combination.

“And second, I am not ‘disgusted’ by you - you’re just a person and there’s nothing about you that could disgust me-”

“Your actions say otherwise-”

“Let me finish, Jesus. You and Arthur are related.”

You fiddle with the edges of your sleeves as you try to collect your thoughts to accurately depict how you feel to the perplexed prince. 

“I…The reason I keep my distance - why I try to avoid contact with you like that - I just don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

A brief silence passes over the two of you, Orm’s furrowed brows willing you to continue.

“All you’ve known of surface dwellers is how we’ve polluted your oceans, taken your resources, and overall contributed to the worsening of your living state. I…I didn’t want to touch you in case it made you feel weird or something. You already have to live in close quarters with me, I didn’t wanna make you even more suffocated.”

It was Orm’s turn to be shocked. His mouth slightly falls agape when you finish speaking, his face relaxing when he realizes the reason for your hesitance. You weren’t disgusted with him - in fact it was the total opposite. You had such an immense respect for his possible boundaries that you had been hyper aware of your own actions to maintain them. Your thoughtfulness knew no bounds, that much was becoming clear to him.

“I-” Orm starts, a notably softer tone than before, “-I don’t feel uncomfortable with you. I would hardly name what respite you have provided me as ‘suffocating’.”

Your brows tilt up, pupils widening at his words.

“Oh. Okay…that’s good then.”

You would admit that your reply was quite lame, but those were all the words you could muster when face-to-face with Orm’s kind eyes. 

“I didn’t realize my actions were so obvious. I’m sorry if it seemed like I didn’t like you or anything-”

“It’s fine. It had only become evident to me when I saw how you interact with others.”

“How so?”

Did you truly not know how affectionate you were to the people in your life - to the people that came around you? How your demeanor unconsciously encouraged anyone within your vicinity to melt into your warmth. It was hard for Orm to believe you were unaware of the affect you had on people.

“You are…very touchy with those around you. With the Sampsons in your store-”

“Well, they’re practically family-

“With that elderly woman from the market-”

“She seemed so frail, I wanted to just be of assistance-”

“My point still stands. You are so forward with your kindness - with your affection. It was easy to notice the difference in the way you are around me.”

“I really didn’t mean to offend you, I just didn’t wanna overstep-”

“You couldn’t overstep.”

Orm’s words stun you into a silence, your heart beating at a faster rate after the Atlantean prince had essentially given you permission to touch him. Did he want you to touch him? Clearly he was bred to be perceptive - an observer as well as a leader - so it was no surprise that he could sense your hesitance to be close to him. However, you couldn’t help but wonder if it was something he was thinking about - overthinking about, even. 

“I - Well…does it bother you? Me not touching you - does that bother you?”

Orm coughs to himself, fiddling with the buckle of his belt in a slightly nervous manner you had never seen him display before. 

“Bother is a strong word. Though I did feel somewhat slighted.”

You laugh to yourself in the way that Orm likes, the one where your gaze diverts from his and your head lolls back. It gives him a view of the length of your neck, an elegant shape that his eyes can’t help but be drawn to. 

“We can fix that now if you like?”

Even with his noble ability to breathe on land, Orm almost chokes at your words.

“Not in a weird way!” Your hands wave in front of him, trying to backtrack from how suggestive you may have sounded. “Like, we can do small things to break the ice, y’know, so we don’t have to tiptoe around each other anymore.

“...what do you suggest?”

With a soft sigh, your hand comes up, palm open with wiggling fingers. The hopeful smile you shoot him occupies a space in his chest - filling him with something he hasn’t felt in a long time. 

“We can hold hands for a bit, kinda like a trust exercise! Up to you how long or when, but maybe breaking the physical touch boundary will make things less awkward?”

Your hand never drops as you rest against the counter, not moving from your place as you continue to look up at Orm with your sparkling eyes. The prince’s mind went haywire. If Orm wasn’t convinced earlier that you honestly weren’t disgusted by him, he was definitely sure now. All you needed was his permission, and now - in a fashion true to your nature - you were welcoming him to bask in your warm affections. 

The blond was frozen in his place, a measly two paces separating you yet it felt like miles. Your eyes searched his face, his expression devoid of any emotion but his mind running laughably rampant, as you waited patiently for him to close the gap. Even now with his consent, you still waited for him to be ready - waited for him to come to you.

He let go of the breath he didn’t know he was holding, taking a cautionary step forward towards your outstretched hand. Your fingers wriggled slightly in anticipation, a goofy smile on your face as you waited for him to cross the  intangible bridge leading to you. Orm’s eyes never left your hand, his pulse racing as he closed more distance between you - this was what he asked for, so he had no right to be scared now.

When his large hand finally takes yours, your shoulders visibly relax and your smile widens. You couldn’t fully place what you were feeling and why, but all you knew was that it felt nice.

“Okay! That’s not so bad, huh?” 

All Orm can do now is laugh - laugh at your casual demeanor and laugh at himself for his hammering chest. Truly, he shouldn’t have been surprised by how welcoming you were to hearing his qualms and quickly attending to them. You have consistently been a good, honest, and lovely host to him even when he gave you little in return. However, he was surprised by how much your kind nature had extended to him knowing how much suffering he had brought to your town for some time. 

“No. Not bad.” Orm responds gruffly.

Your eyes crinkle as you laugh up at him, squeezing at his palm. 

“Okay, I think we’ve stood through the exercise for long enou-”

Orm’s grip on your hand tightens as he makes another step towards you.

“No.”

You blink up at him in confusion.

“No?”

Orm coughs again.

“No, I…I’m not finished with the exercise.”

Your cheeks grow impossibly warm, making you swear at yourself for your obvious bashfulness.

“Oh. Well, okay then. We can do it for as long as you like.”

And here you were again, being as understanding as ever of Orm’s needs. Orm had assumed humans were quite simple - easy to understand due to their lack of brain capacity and advancement in comparison to Atlanteans. However, watching how different you were in your shop - witnessing you change from the selectively quiet, sarcastic little thing you were at home to a vivacious, charming young woman there - it had confused him greatly. Even now, you were extending so much of your kindness towards him when there was nothing for you to gain in the end. His father had told him many stories of the treacheries of humankind, but the one point he drilled relentlessly into his head was that humans were simple, dull creatures undeserving of their people’s knowledge. Why did he seem so wrong now? 

Other sea clans felt that when the time came to reveal themselves to the surface that it would only be to educate them - his father had other ideas. The infamous King Orvax wished to utilize the wrath of the seas in order to overpower the surface world, his son at his side as they rebuilt the world in their image. His teachings were the foundation of Orm’s belief system for the majority of his life, yet you had managed to topple those mind palaces within a matter of weeks. You, with your soft knits and quick wit, had the Atlantean prince questioning whether his father had simply been misinformed. His father couldn’t have possibly known how complex humans could truly be because he never met you.

“I would like that. I want to stay like this for a while. For as long as you'll have me." 

Orm whispers, almost like a prayer meant for just the two of you.

“Sure. We can stay like this. Let’s stay like this.”

Your smaller hand squeezes his, a miniscule action that was stirring tidal waves in Orm’s gut. The reassurance of your presence was all he needed, so for the first time in forever Orm lets himself stand still in the moment, no thoughts of the future or of the throne. Just you and him in your tiny kitchen. 

.

.

.

A/N: I know, months of procrastinating and the main build up is for them to HOLD HANDS. Sue me, I love a slow burn.   

taglist:

@malfoys-demigod

@kokokreampuffs

@writings-of-a-demigod

@myshitpostblo9

@h-i-g-h-w-a-y-t-o-h-e-l-l-l

@claire-reads

@isthatbatman

@jollybhie

@tumblin-theworldaway

@leah-halliwell92

@angelicwolf98

[dseval]

ArchiveVerse Cross

(sorry if the quality is butchered everyone Ibis paint is uncooperative today)

Finally, i'm able to work on ArchV content, with my favourite character, Cross. More under the cut.

Cross is the first one to get a 'reference sheet' or a character intro, since he's the first one to kickstart this AU too. Expect more ArchiveVerse charcaters to receive the treatment in the future.

(though for now Delta is next, because i absolutely hate his current archv design, and i'm redoing it. If you had anyone you're interested in seeing next, please tell me.)

I actually don't know how to format this post, though, so sorry if the information is all over the place (or if it's too much information). To understand most of the things I write here, please refer to my ArchiveVerse post.

★Info★

Cross, a student from the Omega Public School (OPS), used to be a normal student. That is, until he got caught in trouble along with Ink and a student from Juvie, Error. Ink was let off scot free, but Cross wasn't so lucky. Due to the troubles he caused, he was quickly arrested and thrown to the Juvenile Containment. Much to his own displeasure.

There, as much as he distances himself, he made friends with the other students contained there (Dust, Killer, Horror, and Nightmare). Though, it doesn't deter him from grinding hard for credits and speedrunning his community service to be released fast and quick from Juvie. He succeeded.

After graduating from the Juvenile Containment, Cross returned to OPS, and swore to just become a normal student, avoiding having himself thrown into Juvie again. He tries his best to steer clear from trouble, though the other Juvie students seem to bring that trouble to him, often dragging him along to their mischief.

Quick facts:

His height is 180 cm (probably he's the third tallest character in archv)

Cross's powers are Lightning, and on the side, he has small matter manipulation powers, able to break down molecules, though he hasn't explored his capabilities with this yet.

His powers are volatile, and he still had difficulties controlling it. Occasionally he'd accidentally zap someone when he touched them. Purple sparks of lightning also fizzle out of his fingertips when he's flustered or nervous.

He wears at least three layers of clothing.

Cross has been described as handsome, with long legs.

He rides his bicycle everywhere, often going for rides in the weekend too.

Cross always brings his school bag whereever he goes, in it are chocolate energy bars, and other utilities.

His eyelights are starry whenever he's overjoyed (this is his swap sans trait guys)

Every student in OPS has their own house, Cross makes sure to keep his living space tidy and neat.

Character relationships:

(These are only the ones i can mention off the top of my head)

Cross and Dream hangs out sometimes. To drink latter or get breakfast. Cross really admires him.

He often hangs out at the arcade with Delta, Epic, and Color. Delta seems somewhat hellbent on beating him at anything, Cross felt like he can't lose. Epic and Color plays a cooking game.

Dust, who was banned from entering most merch stores and malls, often sent Cross for fetch quests to get him any new Ice-e merch. Cross finds this annoying but obliges.

Killer and him often zap each other back in juvie, he still have black spots and bruises in several parts of his body. Nowadays, they still zap each other sometimes, Killer mostly for teasing— and Cross, on accident.

Horror and him often went to all-you-can-eat events together, they also exercise together occasionally.

Even out of Juvie, Cross still calls Nightmare by 'boss'. Nightmare finds it embarrassing of him.

Cross rarely met Ink, still somewhat wary that Ink will drag him into some sort of trouble. Though, he doesn't hate him.

Credits (please tell me if I missed anyone!):

Cross Sans by Jakei

Artstyle inspired/taken directly from Mx2j, one of the artists for Blue Archive. The character intro format itself follows Blue Archive.

Mentioned characters: Dream & Nightmare Sans (Joku), Dust Sans (Ask-Dusttale blog), Killer Sans (Rahafwabas), Horror Sans (SourAppleStudios), Ink Sans (Comyet/Mye bi), Error Sans (CrayonQueen/LoverofPiggies), Epic (yugogeer012), Delta (AnimatedZorox), Color (superyomna)

[chilling-seavey]

okay but what if confessional george and reader are caught, and because of the pressure of the congregation and the whole village are pushed together (Bridgerton who?), let's be honest, they'd have the craziest married sex life of the whole town. outside a perfect couple, and then absolute devils in the sheets xD

Honestly, I was so avid that pastor's son George and reader would not be endgame but you guys with these asks are lowkey changing the entire narrative in my mind and...I'm not mad about it.

So, for this kick off of our proper start to developing this universe (now that there's an official masterlist and everything!!), I will ramble about how I see their future future. As always, you are all more than welcome to pitch in with your own thoughts and opinions!!

As we know from our two Confessional universe fics that have been posted, George is Toxic with a capital T; he's manipulative and overall a slimy little fucker, ngl. I love love love first anon's note here about being 'forced' together if/when they are found out...that's so realistic to this universe and this was honestly the message that really changed my mind on their story.

I see this situation like a kind of 'arranged marriage' trope where they lowkey hate each other? Of course they don't hate each other, they just hate the situation (read: George hates the situation) and that causes a lot of tension between him and reader. Honestly, depending on where they are in their [weird] 'relationship' when they're found out, depending on how far his character has progressed, I could even see George going as far as sleeping with someone else while he's in this forced engagement with reader. Don't come for me, guys!! He's not a good guy, remember?

Of course, it wouldn't end with them completely parting ways (whether it was due to their own forgiveness with each other and/or the pressure from the community that they have a duty to go through with this wedding) and they would get married in the church and have a modest little reception in the back garden. Reader would be so infatuated because she had a crush on him for the longest time, he took her virginity, and now they're married; that's just the perfect fairytale ✨ She might be sliiightly naive...

And, yeah, first anon here is so right. As they grew into this new phase of their relationship, reader definitely grew into her self-confidence and they both take on that role of the sweetest couple in town to outsiders but kinky fuckers behind closed doors. Debating if they'd live in his parents' house for the first year or so (because, hello, affording your own place in this economy? George doesn't even have a paying job) to then be able to explore all the tensions and chaos from that...or if they'd have their own house in town.

But anyway, George might be a dick in this universe, but he still loves God so there is no hesitation when his father is thinking of stepping back from his role in the church and asks him to take his place. He had learned a lot from his father and growing up in the church but he'd also go to camps to practice and preach and learn and those times away would definitely strain his marriage a little. Yeah, they'd be in a good place by then but he wouldn't be miraculously changed either. Would be interesting to play up that and the situations that could arise etc.

Not to mention, leading into second anon's note here, once they're older and [George is finally] more mature and maybe they have a kid or two (or more??) (because God literally says 'be fruitful and multiply' and George will be damned if he doesn't listen to God), the church ends up being passed into their capable hands. And they'd still be that 'perfect angels on the surface but lil devils behind closed doors' couple well into this era. But perhaps these later, later moments give George's character the opportunity to do a full 180 from where he started. Perhaps he's witness to one of the altar boys being a little manipulative creep to one of the girls and he sees his old self in that young man (and now with a whole new perspective now that he has daughter/s) and has the chance to put a stop to it.

[cephalonserotonin]

Devstream 180 Notes

This is a long one, folks.

brought to you by creative lead Rebb Executive Producer Dick Wolf

New dojo contest to kick off a transition to cross-save dojo world… see forum post

Pride Campaign 2024

is active now until the end of June! a new glyph, display, and wings in lovely rainbows!

Jade Shadows update coming June 18!

features a new cinematic quest: Jade Shadows. It picks up after The New War (so it's got TNW as a prerequisite) where the storyline of the Stalker left off. Rebb and the crew request that folks not spoil the quest for others after playing it. Use spoiler tags if possible! Quest runtime ~ 25 min There's a teaser for the story quest, featuring the Stalker hanging upside down like a bat:

New Warframe: Jade!

Pablo describes her as a support frame. Her passive is two aura mod slots which is kind of crazy ngl

Her kit briefly summarized:

1: throws a little mote with an AOE effect of healing for allies and increasing damage taken to enemies

2: cycle through various squad buffs. The UI art for these is really gorgeous

3: a debuff: enemies in her sight are slowed and lose armor. You also revive any dead allies in your vision.

4: floating and a zappy exalted weapon. It's kind of like Hildryn's four but basically better in every way because you can actually set off large amounts of damage and fly higher and faster. The exalted weapon has synergy with her 1 and 2.

As Pablo mentioned, Jade's abilities provide a lot of combo potential, good for any "min maxers" in the audience.

Jade's three signature weapons: the Cantare throwing knives, the Harmony scythe, and the Evensong bow (a variant on the Dread).

The Ascension game mode: "what if Warframe but up?"

Non-endless There's a giant elevator you have to feed with energy. The team's video crashed so Rebb gave what I'd call an excited 12 year old's description of the game mode instead which I loved:

There's this giant elevator that needs energy to go up. So you have to keep feeding it ionic charges so you rise out of the depths. And as you're feeding, the Corpus are there! *excitable machine gun noises* And then you're like, oh god! And then you have to, like, jump around-- but if you fall out of the elevator, you better hope you're good at parkour, and that you can read the level to get back up! and back up! and back up! And then: you have to make it to the top. But that's not all. Once you get to the top of the elevator, you gotta escape. You gotta make a run for it before the Corpus hold you back! Aahhh! Aah! Ah! …and that's Ascension. :)

Once we finally watch the video preview of the game mode later I think it looks fun. The level looks really neat; I love the graphics of the inside of the elevator. There's a new Jade Light eximus enemy here but I can't really tell any details about it quite yet.

ORDIS IN LARUNDA RELAY!

He's hosting the clan operation Belly of the Beast (featuring above Ascension game mode). In his shop is the Asteria ephemera, which evolves with community participation. Also some arcanes… and a beautiful skin for the Hate.

"If you're a hater, this is for you." Hilariously the arcanes are capped at 42 each because apparently in Gargoyle's Cry certain players went crazy burning themselves out to stock up on arcanes, and the team is trying to prevent that (and players blaming them for their own bad choices, as always). Two full sets each is more than enough, frankly.

Status Rework!

Blast now does a secondary detonation, or if hitting 10 blast procs, creates an AOE explosion. This is exactly what I have been wanting for ages so I, personally, am thrilled.

Magnetic now scales with overguard and shields the same way, and also does a secondary punch of damage (and an electric proc!) once the shield is broken.

Cold should freeze enemies more often now… and came with a free Frost rework! Now Frost's abilities give proper cold procs, thus freezing enemies, which is now standardized across his abilities. His 1 has been buffed and his 3 snowglobe has been modified (to allow shooting from in to out but not out to in). He has a new passive: his armor scales with the number of cold procs enemies have (like the defensive version of Ember).

There's a lot of testing going on right now on the interaction between ragdolling and freezing enemies.

There's a change to damage vulnerability mechanics which I didn't quite follow; seems to be mostly a simplification of the system.

Armor damage attenuation scaling, as mentioned in the last devstream, now has a cap, meaning corrosive procs should be more effective.

Yareli Deluxe

...looks like eldritch coral?

Next round of TennoGen

…finally comes with a Lavos skin, which is plague doctor themed.

Some augments (Protea's is probably OP), decrees (list shown below is incomplete), and arcanes

UI improvements!

In the upgrade screen: duplicate mod config button, indicator for substats, increased mod polarity

Augment list viewer in the abilities screen

Community customization table where you can copy others' fashions. Great news for gamers too unoriginal to make their own fashions, I guess. Coming at first for just Excalibur, Mag, Volt, and Jade.

Quick Access (fast travel wheel) for more areas like the dormizone.

UI autoscaling with resolution (to prevent tiny UI bars for people with huge resolutions), also coming with ability to scale the UI back down.

"Donut numbers" for damage view that do not cover the enemy you are shooting (old way can still be switched back to, called "cloud.")

Awakening quest has a lil fashion preview now!

Loadout hot swaps conveniently directly from the starchart!

QOL!

Cap on adversaries (liches and sisters) at 150. For the sake of database health. The programmer in me is mildly concerned that there was no limit before this.

Semi auto becoming full auto (see last devstream for more detailed description).

Automatic selection of last relic during endless relic cracks.

Streamlining necramech acquisition.

Unifying melee finishers and mercy kills (both with mechanics and appearance).

The return of Heirloom skins: starting with community art this time

First major change (from last year's disastrous heirloom launch) is the heirloom collections will now be released one warframe at a time.

Ember Heirloom is also a purchased fanartist concept!

Two paths to acquire it: a temporary paid path (for money, comes with some plat) and a plat path that will be available until next heirloom launch (and you can purchase the cosmetics individually!)

This is much better than last year's Heirloom launch, which, as aforementioned, caused a lot of community strife.

molten booty

And finally, the TennoCon 2024 schedule:

[twyllodrus]

dead boy detectives + ride the cyclone AU

like, say, the agency gets a new case in north-eastern saskatchewan, ppl report hearing music & singing once every year, at an abandoned warehouse of a theme park, on a specific day in september. with little digging, they find out there was an accident a while back involving a high school choir

for some reason the cyclone gang never moves on, so the agency arrives & so here are some headcanons for their interactions and agency's reactions to some of the songs:

the uranium suite, everyone's really creeped out/confused, except for niko who's vibing throughout the whole thing; at first the two groups don't realize they can see/speak to each other, but soon the cyclone kids find out that holy shit there are new people here hi hello heyy

everyone's excited about newcomers, ocean especially so, who quickly takes the initiative & so edwin defers to her as the group's leader (to noel's annoyance), and they attempt to work on solving the case together, it's all v civil. but then the talking part's over & the singing part of loop begins, so ocean performs what the world needs which does a total 180 on their encounter thus far & now everyone's high-key judging ocean; edwin gives a lecture on evils of social darwinism

noel's lament, noel right away clocks edwin as a repressed edwardian twink & sets out to put him in a coma with the whole monique routine. strangely the moment lipstick & lingerie come out it doesn't seem to faze edwin as much. but then noel also sees the way edwin sometimes looks at charles & so instead of mischa he pulls charles in for the kiss part, who cheerfully goes along with it, which nearly short-circuits edwin's brain (later on constance and niko get to gush together about two boys kissing). by the end of it everyone's dancing & being dramatic like they're the cast of cabaret on acid, except for edwin who's still digesting what's just happened

every story's got a lesson, everyone's still pissed at ocean, edwin incredulously wonders what was the lesson in being sacrificed to a demon & sent to hell at age 16

at first everyone's kinda cringing during this song is awesome, edwin is convinced this "autotune" is a modern tool used to commune with otherworldly entities, but eventually everyone gets into it; they all get sunglasses on, crystal gets edwin to wear a baseball cap backwards, everyone's having general fun

talia, charles is relived to learn that "the angriest boy in town", who could've been easily chalked up to being the toxic masculinity type dudebro, isn't like that at all (just mischa's whole monologue "i lay my masculinity at the altar of your maidenhood" gods). everyone gets to wear vyshyvankas & flower crowns. it's gorgeous

ricky potts unintentionally answers the age-old question of "is it actually possible to give a ghost an aneurysm?" the answer is yes, and space age bachelor man almost succeeds where the noel's lament failed. the moment horny cat people are in the mix, edwin is bombarded with cat king flashbacks and, later on, crystal "casually" mentions that they have met the actual cat king. ricky is super hype & asks lots of questions, giggling, twirling hair etc and also he totally called it that cats can talk but just choose not to

the ballad of jane doe, crystal hardcore relates to the dead decapitated girl, who doesn't know her own name or her past, or who her parents were and whom no one can identify too ("oh no soul, and no name, and no story, what a shame" like c'mon!)

jawbreaker/sugar cloud, everyone's gets a tad teary-eyed, but charles is openly weeping when constance lists all the random things in her life which she grew to appreciate only after the accident

in the end, they figure out the reason they couldn't move on is bc of virgil the rat who for some reason kept shutting karnak off prematurely, before the voting could begin. after figuring that out the voting proceeds as intended, but instead of one of them returning to the living world, they all get to move on. niko adopts virgil the rat

[callsigndreadfrost]

Wanna try and throw a bit of a thinker at you lol

What are the biggest difference between each version of the boys?

My sweetest of hearts! Thank you! It's been a day (period pains...seriously no man, woman or person ahould ever have to go through this crap). I've been in and out of sleep but this help keep my mind off the pain and was so fun to do, thank you, I love you!

Mmmm it's a combo of exaggerating one aspect as well as exploring something that's hardly ever expressed if that makes sense.

Angelus in Oracle is extremely feminine, he also cross dresses and tbh he passes as a woman flawlessly. He's also a little ball of rage and fury. He's also intersex here (this changes depending on the AU). He's very chipper, li'l hyper and while he knows when to take things serious he'll do so in his own way. He's loyal and will happily lay it all on the line for those he loves. I also flipped the switch in terms of age between him and Jelani, I really have no idea why, it just stuck. In Oracle he's way, waaaaay younger than Jelani is. He's also like very hypersexual here and in every AU.

In Skyrim he's a very stuck up, bit delicate and serious man. He doesn't really joke around much if at all and takes things a bit too seriously. He's loyal to a fault and will happily defend those he loves to the death. This one isn't intersex but regardless of the AU I will never change his body shape, that boy is always gonna have those curvy hips. This is also the most mature version of him. Mid 40s (though fuck me if it doesn't really matter to elves lol).

In Fallout he's extremely immature, like I said in that one post, it's like he's perma stuck in party mode. Constantly wanting to have fun, not really big on responsibility and discipline. Mid 30s though people often think he's way younger due to his personality and lack of maturity. He's never had to grow up and it shows. Also very laid back, very "that's a problem for future me". Like I said in a post as soon as he met Jelani he kinda did a 180, when he realized how serious Jelani's situation was it was the first time he ever went "Oh, shit, this is serious. Time to adult." He's trans in this AU, FtM (I wanted a T4T thing with him and Jela). Despite everything he's loyal and cares a lot about his friends and his partners.

Loke in Oracle is as I've mentioned time and time again seriously and jealously overprotective of the people loves. This is a man that will willingly give his life to someone he just met, would give everything he has to help someone else. And it's not all talk, he's done it so many times that questioning him gets a large group of people on the defensive. He is also extremely violent, he will not hesitate to kill anyone that crosses the people he loves or an innocent person. This man does not tolerate any kind of -ism. Do not test him on that, he's what you'd call "radicalized by events he's witnessed" throughout the years. He's fully aware of the privileges he has and knows what he can do and get away with to protect others who don't have said privileges. He and Angelus have that in common. Both were raised, grew up and live in a very blended community and while that did have a lot to do with it neither of them are pieces of shit. Now take all I said about Loke and triple it when it comes to his little brother. Loke is what happens when you mistake a Cane Corso with a Golden Retriever. Loke is also very laid back, lazy as fuck and a very eepy creature. He loves taking care of others and is very cuddly, he's just constantly cuddling his little brother and hugging everyone (if it's okay for him to do so). Huge on kissing too (hope Uth doesn't mind lol). The one thing that'll never change no matter the AU is his overprotective nature especially towards Jelani.

Skyrim Loke isn't that much different though he's a bit more cautious. This Loke is cautious but he's also one to worry more than usual and it 100% has to do with why he had to take Jela and run away to Skyrim from Hammerfell. He's a bit more serious than the Oracle counterpart and not so much into goofing off which is something he later regrets. Oracle Loke is 22 years older than Jela so when Jela was born Loke was always playing with him and got to BE an older brother. In Skyrim he didn't have the luxury of being an older brother and doing things older brothers get to do with their younger siblings. He adopted his sibling, obscured their pasts with a few lies and became his sibling's father, the only two people that know the whole truth are Uthorim and Trevor. He didn't have much time to play around with him as much as he wanted to what with trying to raise him, keeping both warm, fed and clothed and making sure a crazed Imperial woman didn't find them. When Jela was younger Loke was hesitant to let him run off with friends but as he got older he relaxed more and let Jelani make his own choices and Loke found himself in this euphoric state where everything felt like it was were it needed to be regardless of whatever problems presented themselves (like Iain finally tracking them down and almost killing Jelani).

Best way to describe Fallout Loke is wounded. He's had to deal with shit no 17 year old boy should ever have to deal with. He doesn't trust anyone, to him everyone is a threat and while Oracle Loke is violent he's calculated about his violence. Fallout Loke is explosive and unpredictable, he doesn't really think things through. He sees anything and everything as a threat to his brother, the only family he has left, and he will defend him with a fury that only someone as traumatized as he is can. You can say he's also selfish, at least he feels that way. He already lost both parents at the same time he'll be damned if he's ever to lose his baby brother because if he lost him he'll have lost his entire family and Loke is far too gone to be able to survive that. That's why he doesn't want Jelani to be as good as him, he DESPERATELY NEEDS Jelani to be better than him. That's why he's constantly training and running drills on him, that's why he needs to know his whereabouts every minute of every second. That's why he's so overbearing. Aside from all of that, despite the tough guy front he puts up, even now as a 30something year old man he's still that 17 year old boy holding his 2 year old brother and crying while some people tell him his parents were killed by raiders. His trauma has him trying to control every single aspect of Jelani and then later on Uthorim's lives just to avoid anything bad from ever happening to them. Sadly, that's not how it works and even as much as he tried to protect Jelani that bad thing still happened to him and if you were to ask Loke (both Oracle and Fallout) what he's biggest failure is he'd say letting that shit happen to Jelani. Oracle version at least got some "closure" by killing his brother's rapists though he will NEVER forgive himself for not being able to protect Jelani from something as horrible as that. Fallout version will live the rest of his life with that guilt as well. This version of Loke is by far the most fragile and most broken.

Oracle Jelani is a lot of things. He's a lot more sensitive than he lets on, loyal to a fault and far more forgiving than he has any right to be. He's got a lot of quirks about him that some people may find annoying to deal with, some even go so far as to find his quirks bad. Overall he tries not to let bad shit get to him and tries his best to keep a positive outlook on life. He's very emotional, something he inherited from his dad, he's very cuddly once he gets to know you. Jelani is also a person that is constantly saying "I love you". Don't get it wrong, he may use that phrase a lot but he means it. For the most part he's pretty mature and will get serious when he needs to and unwinds when he can. He's been known to be a hardy though later in life a few incidents occur back to back to back that got to him and unfortunately developed depression among other things and it nearly killed him. Like I said he can be hardy but he's sensitive too so it's two opposing natures fighting it out in his head. He's constantly stuck between feeling too much or nothing at all. Overall he'd rather see the good in people. He's someone that'll drop anything and everything just to help someone else no matter what it is. Loke may have the reputation of being overprotective but so is Jelani. If you're someone he cares about then congrats you have a guard dog that WILL bite, he wouldn't think twice about risking his own life to save someone else's, some of the most gruesome injuries he's gotten were because he put himself in danger to save someone else. Speaking of other people he doesn't do well alone. He prefers to be around others especially Loke. While people tend to approach Loke the same can't be said for Jelani, when they look at him they see a Doberman when in reality Jelani is what you get when you cross a German Shepherd with a Golden Retriever. A goddamn fluffy puppy with a tail going 100 mph just because he saw someone he likes and is constantly squeaking out "I love you!" I'm not gonna lie, the rape, Iain and Jericho and his second attempted suicide did impact him negatively but he's still an overgrown fluffy puppy it's just that he gets a bit sad every so often. I've mentioned this before but in all the AUs Jela is trans FtM NB.

Skyrim Jelani is very naive, he tends to see the good in everyone and loves being around people. He loves talking to others and compared to Loke's stoic nature he is so soft about everything. Everything is a game to him. Sure, he's disciplined, mature-ish and responsible but given the way he was raised he never hardened and Loke is fine with that. That's what softened Angelus in the first place and got him to rethink HIS upbringing and his worldviews. When he was first bitten and turned into a vampire his first worry was what if he hurt someone he cared about? He was worried he wouldn't be able to control himself and bite and attack either Loke, Uthorim, Trevor or anyone else in the town. He was bitten at 17 so he wasn't aware of the Dawnguard as they hadn't made their presence known yet. Later on, around 22, he was actually involved with the Volkihar group and even fought against the Dawnguard and that's when he was turned into a vampire lord. All that really changed was that he was conscious of the fact that he had to be careful when going around as a vampire couldn't blend in as well as a werewolf could. 24 is when he met Angelus and the rest is history. Then his world is basically turned upside down when Iain finally finds him and a mess of a situation unravels where he finds out that his long dead grandparents were actually his parents and that his father is actually his brother. Stuff happens but to him nothing changed, Loke will forever be his dad to him, he understood why he lied and twisted the truth. Almost dying at the hands of Iain never hardened him, he's still this bubbly little thing that sees the best in everyone and is still a bit naive.

Oh boy...Fallout version...if Loke is traumatized and wound Jelani is broken and extremely traumatized. He's an exaggerated version of the Oracle version after certain events happened. Jelani wasn't always like he currently is. As a kid he was more like his Skyrim version though he was never naive and was a bit more cautious. Reaching New Vegas really opened his eyes to what the world was like and he wanted to experience everything, safety be damned! He was constantly getting into trouble, getting into mischief, out at all times with his boyfriends and friends. He was some rowdy teenager being a teenager. And then shit happened.

The trauma of being raped and almost killed, and seeing his brother die drove Jelani into a very self destructive path. He turned to alcohol, drugs, starved himself, mutilated himself by cutting into his arms, hips, thighs and genitals as both punishment and to feel something. He completely deteriorated. He didn't trust anyone, he feared everyone and kept anyone that got too close at arm's length. He was constantly thinking about killing himself or actively trying to kill himself. Like I said, an exaggerated version of the Oracle version. Honestly speaking Angelus was the one that saved his life (on more than one occasion). After reuniting with Loke and Uthorim both of them fell into this sort of healing process and even if Jelani never really gets better he's still doing much better now at 25 than he was when he was 17 and 18.

[microcosmiclymbic]

So the trip was life changing in ways I didn't expect

I learned SO much about myself.

Like that I'm an argumentative person. I honestly had no idea. I thought I was engaging in a collective process, but NOPE. I have to change my methods when stressed, because my body language and voice changes the narrative.

Or that I've likely gaslit most of my partners. Again in the way that I communicate. When I tell a story of my perspective without including the other person's narrative, I'm eliminating their story entirely and not giving it space to exist. Not giving space for a person's story is telling them their story doesn't exist, only mine does. (Gods the implications of this with 🍄 and beyond is drowning me).

And being around my own people was a hulluva culture shock. Thats..... not great

I'm also diving back into my plans to move to Denmark. I want to go back to school, and they'll pay for me to go ffs. Among other things. Still, I'll only be able to be there 90 days at a time (in 180 day period), so I'll be going 3mo back and forth until I can figure out citizenship. Which works because I need to be in the states for work 20% of the time anyways.

I also fell utterly in love with New Orleans. My gods I could kiss the ground of that city. The art. The history. The people watching!!! The city was not super wheelchair friendly, but 👑 made it work and was incredible navigating. Ugggggh and did I mention the art? Fucking beautiful buildings everywhere. The way you can see each age of moderninity overlapping, the mix of technologies folded together. Gas lamps next to electric. Squat buildings with beautiful ironwork and stone next to giant high rises. UGH. That place had a fucking soul. Fuck orlando!!! More expensive and for what? Pssssssh.

So I'm thinking make New Orleans my home base. I'll be closer to Texas for work and my friend there. Away from FL's political bullshit AND able to save up even more than I could here. And start trying to find a new spouse in Denmark ahaha. Surely there's some aro ace person wanting a good friend and some financial security for the trouble out there.

[acharyakishor]

Top Social Media Platforms by Their Approximate Monthly Active user (MAU) Numbers:

In an age where our lives are increasingly intertwined with the digital realm, social media platforms have emerged as colossal arenas for connection, communication, and content consumption. Beyond their influence on daily life, these platforms represent massive global communities, with their reach extending to billions across the planet. But just how many people are actively engaging with these digital behemoths? Let's dive into the staggering monthly active user (MAU) numbers of some of the most prominent social media platforms.

The figures are more than just statistics; they paint a vivid picture of human connectivity and the sheer scale of our online interactions. As of early to mid-2025, here's a snapshot of the approximate monthly active users for the platforms you mentioned:

Facebook: The Undisputed King (Still)

Even after years of market shifts and the rise of newer platforms, Facebook continues to reign supreme with an astonishing 3.1 billion monthly active users. This sheer volume underscores its enduring appeal as a foundational platform for connecting with friends and family, engaging with communities, and accessing diverse content. Its longevity and widespread adoption across various demographics solidify its position as a global digital town square.

YouTube: The Video Powerhouse

Hot on Facebook's heels is YouTube, commanding a massive audience of approximately 2.5 billion MAUs. This platform has revolutionized how we consume video content, becoming the go-to source for entertainment, education, news, and more. Its expansive library and diverse creator ecosystem ensure its continued dominance in the visual media landscape.

Instagram & WhatsApp: Meta's Billion-User Twins

Both Instagram and WhatsApp, integral parts of the Meta (formerly Facebook) family, each boast around 2.0 billion monthly active users. Instagram thrives as a visual-first platform, shaping trends in fashion, lifestyle, and visual storytelling. WhatsApp, on the other hand, has become the world's leading instant messaging app, facilitating seamless communication for billions across over 180 countries. Their collective reach highlights Meta's formidable presence in the social and messaging spheres.

Telegram: The Privacy-Focused Challenger

With MAUs ranging from 900 million to 1 billion, Telegram has cemented its position as a significant player, particularly appealing to users who prioritize privacy and robust communication features. Its secure messaging, large group chat capabilities, and channel broadcasting have attracted a rapidly growing user base.

LinkedIn: The Professional Network Giant

As the world's premier professional networking site, LinkedIn continues to grow, serving approximately 1.15 billion monthly active users. It remains an essential platform for career development, business connections, and industry insights, demonstrating the strong demand for dedicated professional online spaces.

Snapchat: The Ephemeral Storyteller

Snapchat, with around 800 million monthly active users, maintains its strong appeal, especially among younger demographics. Its innovative approach to ephemeral content, augmented reality filters, and engaging storytelling formats has influenced many other platforms and solidified its niche as a fun and expressive communication tool.

Pinterest: The Visual Discoverer

For those seeking inspiration and visual discovery, Pinterest stands strong with approximately 570 million monthly active users. Its unique "pinning" concept allows users to curate ideas and interests, making it a valuable resource for hobbies, shopping, and creative pursuits.

X (formerly Twitter): The Real-Time Conversation Hub

X (formerly Twitter), while not reaching the multi-billion user mark of the top players, still holds significant influence with approximately 335.7 million monthly active users. It remains a crucial platform for real-time news, public discourse, and concise updates, shaping conversations on a global scale.

These numbers are not static; they fluctuate with user trends, technological advancements, and shifts in global connectivity. However, they undeniably showcase the profound impact these social media platforms have on our lives, serving as digital ecosystems where billions connect, share, and interact every single day. Their continued growth and evolution promise an even more interconnected future.

[gimme-a-man-after-midnight]

my royal roomie pt. 3 *sneak peek*

fandom: Aquaman

pairing: Orm Marius x Reader

part 1 part 2

summary: As time passes, Orm begins to see you as more than his surface dweller host. Much to his surprise, you’ve captured his attention, which in turn makes him notice just how physically affectionate you are with everyone except him.

Warnings: light cursing, touch starved!orm, light angst if you squint, comic lore inaccuracies, slow burn, divorced parents!reader, dead parent mention, mentions of being smaller in comparison to orm, flora inaccuracies??

The dynamic between you and Orm didn’t make a complete 180 after your late night talk - in fact, it was quite awkward for the first few days following. Orm, although now deciding to actually be in the same room as you for longer than five minutes, didn’t talk much when you were in each other’s presence. The Atlantean favored just observing you in your natural habitat - when you cooked, when you read, when you talked with people on the phone. You often extended invitations to him to join in your activities, but a silent shake of his platinum head was what you were regularly met with. You tried not to take offense, understanding that small steps forward was better than leaps backward, but you couldn’t help but feel a little unnerved by his probing gaze. 

Your expressions when meeting Orm’s eyes were always one of the three - confused, apprehensive, or downright shy. Orm liked playing a silent game with himself whenever he would wait in the communal areas of the house for you, guessing which one would take over your face that day. However, what the Atlantean liked most of all was when you would deviate from all three and bless him with a sheepish look that teetered between flushed and guilty. Although there would be no evident redness behind your cheeks, your flitting eyes and soft smile gave him a new type of satisfaction. Orm wasn’t blind - he could tell you were attracted to him. His heightened senses could pick up on your increase of breaths and the quickening of your heartbeat whenever his eyes would be fixed on you and it made pride swell in his chest. Even with how apparent your interest in him was, you never overstepped - you were always respectful of his space, never even entertaining the fine line between roommates and not just roommates. You had remained awfully friendly, though….

…friendly enough for Orm to realize that the way you interacted with him was vastly different to how you would with others. 

---

Orm had assumed humans were quite simple - easy to understand due to their lack of brain capacity and advancement in comparison to Atlanteans. However, watching how different you were in your shop - witnessing you change from the selectively quiet, sarcastic little thing you were at home to a vivacious, charming young woman here - it had confused him greatly. His father had told him many stories of the treacheries of humankind, but the one point he drilled relentlessly into his head was that humans were simple, dull creatures undeserving of their people’s knowledge. 

Other sea clans felt that when the time came to reveal themselves to the surface that it would only be to educate them - his father had other ideas. The infamous King Orvax wished to utilize the wrath of the seas in order to overpower the surface world, his son at his side as they rebuilt the world in their image. His teachings were the foundation of Orm’s belief system for the majority of his life, yet you had managed to topple those mind palaces within a matter of weeks. You, with your soft knits and quick wit, had the Atlantean prince questioning whether his father had simply been misinformed. His father couldn’t have possibly known how complex humans could truly be because he never met you.

(to be continued in the full part 3 coming soon!)

[im-out-of-it]

part 12 of season 3, episode 1 “on infernal ground” continued

166. 2x06 ➡️ 3x01 parallel. I don’t care what anyone says, pool is a Malec thing

167. this was the very first possession we saw I just forgot about it or I blocked it out lmao

168. Magnus just being fine as fuck in this episode

169. I think if jace actually processed shit and tried to be better, I could possibly get behind his character. he says stuff like how he wants to take his time with clary and acts like he wants this second chance at life, but he doesn’t really seem to do anything useful with it.

Jace has been a shadowhunter all his life so wouldn’t he know that being a new shadowhunter or coming from the dead would require protection from silent brothers so you couldn’t be vulnerable to possessions? while shadowhunters can’t get possessed in the books, they can in the show but you think you would know your own history and not be this ridiculously dumb

170. I actually did forget these. I miss Raphael already

171. Magnus: has he never heard a compliment before? he’s so innocent

172. 1x04 ➡️ 3x01. Magnus knowing from the start that even if Alec doesn’t want to process or accept who he is, he will come to. Alec has always known what he wanted, he just didn’t think it was possible. but this is another example of Alec not saying anything and Magnus understanding Alec

173. Malec repeating previous words to each other but finally not in a dramatic way. y’all are killing me by repeating these parallels and supporting one another. DO IT AGAIN DO IT AGAIN DO IT AGAIN

174. I do think Malec has a lot more growth in season three compared to the other seasons. they seem to be communicating more and before anyone says BUT WAIT- yes their scenes are cut short but Matt and Harry make the most of it. I totally squeezed together the clace dream and intimate scene because I thought it was the same. but we didn’t need both. we could’ve used one of those minutes with Magnus and Catarina talking and seeing Magnus be supported by his friends and gushing about Alec. I’m sorry but we didn’t need two of the same scenes of clace

in case I forget to mention it on the next one, Alexander season 3 count: 3

175. I really love this edit but have I ever seen a Malec edit I hate? NEVER

176. Alec knowing some shit is going on that he’s not been told of

177. I also love the way he brings up the issue to Magnus. “that’s not what I heard from the grapevine” aka Catarina. last season, he waited for Magnus to talk to him but this season, he’s giving Magnus the little push because he knows and recognizes that it’s what Magnus needs to open up

178. MALEC IS STAYING PUT

179. of course Alec is right, you don’t have to pretend to be someone around Alec, just be your gorgeous extra dramatic beautiful self 🥹

stopping at 180 for the next part

[netsolwatersblog]

Are You Looking For The Best Commercial RO Plant Manufacturer In Faridabad ?

The present situation of the Commercial RO Plant manufacturer In Faridabad is in very bad condition & a proper system of treatment machinery is necessary for the treatment of such water to supply it to every location needed.

A typical person utilizes up to 150-180 litres of clean water each & every day for internal household operations, including cooking, bathing, cleaning clothes as well as utensils, & various other household chores. Through the means of rough estimation regarding such utilizations may vary person to person.

Before being fully purified in a commercial RO plant, the contaminated water from the previously mentioned areas departs our home through pipeline networks that are put in place to empty the wastewater into different sewage systems. Commercial RO plant units are therefore made to filter raw water from residences, workplaces, apartments, colonies, & industrial sites.

Rainwater or storm water that has gathered on preserved surfaces, like non-uniform highways or roofs, is occasionally mixed with this water. Netsol Water itself has many branches that stands out as the leading commercial RO plant manufacturer in Faridabad, which is located heart of the Country. Having access to the latest commercial RO plant technologies, we have accumulated years of knowledgeable experience.

The management team of commercial RO plants in Faridabad's RO manufacturing sector is still in the early stages of development.

India currently has a population of more than 1.4 billion, but it is expected to have grown by 15% annually by the completion of this decade. This implies that the shortage of drinkable water may exceed 50% by that time.

The solution to the wastewater issue lies in Faridabad's commercial RO facilities.

Regretfully, our environment is now more degraded as a consequence of the quick rate of growth. Among the contaminants released is the effluent water which is full of contamination & impurities. Commercial RO Plant systems are becoming steadily more necessary in Indian cities to control wastewater. This is particularly important in Faridabad, where treating raw water or wastewater is essential to preserving the community's cherished cleanliness.

The company of Netsol Water & its many supporting branches offers a variety of raw water treatment systems by implementing modern & advanced technology with membranes in addition to conventional, premium machinery. Netsol Water & its branches offer guarantees to the finest outcomes for its commercial RO plant projects. Modern technology is integrated by Netsol Water, which provides affordable, straightforward solutions that are still flexible.

In the raw water treatment plant manufacturing industry, Netsol Water with the help and support of its best subsidiaries dominates the market for comprehensive water management systems. Our water treatment systems can handle wastewater from residences, companies, & industries while continuing to abide by CPCB/State Pollution Control Board laws, among other things.

What distinguishes our wastewater treatment equipment & systems better from other?

Our wastewater treatment facility runs effectively & financially. Customers have given Netsol Water's concrete opinions & performances for Commercial RO Plants positive feedback due to the plants' durability, ease of function, minimal upkeep & repair costs, & resistance to eroding or rusting & long service life.

This Faridabad-based manufacturer of commercial RO plants integrates & provides equipment & processes that are based on the output water quality.

MBBRs along with MBRs

Batch reactors in sequence

Preset base integrated with biofilm-activated sludge & Submerged Aeration Fixed Film methods events.

The circular clarifying agents with edge flow along with bio towers adjacent to sludge extraction clarifiers.

Commercial RO plants have the following features integrated with several characteristics: 

Small and compact construction; 

Easy removal of all hazardous materials from raw, untreated water.

Both containerized & non-contained RO plant varieties are available as options.

Simple to assemble.

Very Economical as well as valuable.

Fully automated.

Rapid processing rates.

Minimal operating & maintenance costs.

The highest caliber of waste recycling.

Conclusion

In the future years, the water treatment plant manufacturing industry in India is expected to rise very rapidly. It is anticipated that private businesses will assist Faridabad government authorities by developing innovative raw water handling facilities with modern techniques while raising public awareness. The national water strategy of the government highlights raw water as a potentially successful market for municipal water as well as wastewater projects. Netsol Water along with its supporting strong branches has grown into a powerful commercial RO plant manufacturer in Faridabad that is always pleased to assist whenever possible.

[simplysims2]

180 Main Street, 190 Main Street, 60 Middle Lane and 70 Middle Lane, A.K.A. The Second set of converted condo apartments!

As with the original condos, I expanded the lot of 190 Main Street, modified it, rebuilt and modified 60 and 70 Middle Lane, added an adult orientated community area, and realised I had enough room for a small condo, so created 180 Main Street from scratch in the same style.

Rather than having blueprints to work off, as this was spur of the moment, I took screenshots of the two condos (seen above) I needed to first rebuild before modifying them, and then experimented with each of them until I was happy with the results.

As I mentioned in a previous post, the thinking is that these condos are owned by the same Landlord as the other condos, and I plan to build a community lot between the two lots, connecting the paths that lead off the lots to it so that it looks cohesive. I'm not sure what the community lot will be yet.

This post features closeups of 60 Middle Lane, the condo with the most spacious living room. A two bedroom, three bathroom home, that features a private balcony for the master bedroom, 2 or even three sims could comfortably live in this stylish condo.