#on and on and on. i love the normalcy of it. i love conventions.

[orcelito]

I love eating in the hallway at a convention. Me enjoying my pizza, just happen to glance up. Go "Oh, it's sailor moon" (as in a cosplayer). Immediately look back down, as this is an entirely unmomentous thing.

[covid-safer-hotties]

To My Unmasked Friend in the Fifth Year of COVID - By: Anna Holmes - Published Aug 17, 2024

I’m going to be honest with you, because I love you, and you deserve nothing but honesty. I’m going to try really hard not to be angry while I do it, but it’s probably going to slip out every now and again. But I need you to hear me out, all right?

By now, we’ve talked about my reality. My personal struggle with long COVID, the isolation I live in, why I am so angry all the time.

But let’s talk about you. You just went to a big convention overseas. You got on a plane, got a little gussied up, talked shop with some insiders, geeked out over awards and merch, ate, drank, were merry, left with your social cup and your heart full.

You’re a good person. We wouldn’t be friends otherwise! You’d never dream of tripping a person with a red and white cane, using the r-word, excluding a disabled person from an event because of something they can’t help.

You might even acknowledge that the COVID response from governments and organizations has been ableist and inadequate.

But you didn’t wear a mask.

For whatever reason — you wanted to show off your makeup, it makes you itchy, you believed the messaging that COVID is endemic (what does that actually mean?), you just don’t think about it anymore — you made a choice that actively excludes people like me from participating not only in an event like a convention, but society at large. And yes, it is a choice. Every time you step out into the world without a mask on your face, you have made a decision that your very good reason, whatever it is, supersedes the right of disabled and at-risk people to exist safely in your orbit.

Well, hold on, you say. It’s not any one individual’s fault, it’s the inadequate public health messaging. Isn’t that what you’ve been saying?

And I have. In the past, I have talked about how it is unconscionable that health authorities have thrown their hands up and rescinded guidance that would have saved hundreds of thousands of lives and prolonged a pandemic that, to hear them tell it, has been bested. It hasn’t. Worst of all, the financial motivation that we all know is driving this premature victory lap isn’t even being fulfilled. Long COVID and other post-COVID complications are costing the global economy one trillion a year. Meanwhile, article after article handwrings about nobody wanting to work anymore, about the sagging college application scene, about declines in military enlistment, and the strain on our healthcare systems.

All of this is very much the fault of our leaders, who have decided the political ramifications of “normalcy” are more important than the health and lives of the 400 million people living with long COVID across the globe, the immunocompromised folks who are increasingly being shut out of every conceivable public space, and the disabled community which has been screaming into the wind about our marginalization since before the virus even hit US soil.

But I want to be very clear. You are helping them do this.

The reality is that we have been living in this deeply flawed landscape of “personal choice”, and you’ve made yours. You’ve opted not to look into how densely clustered cases are. You’ve stopped listening to your friends who have informed themselves. You’ve given yourself permission to put COVID on the back burner. You’ve earned it, right? Four and a half years of trauma?

COVID doesn’t care if you’re tired of being scared or careful or considerate. COVID is not something you can personally overcome by being smart or virtuous or brave. It is a virus which only seeks to infect and replicate, and it is getting very good at those things. While you’ve looked away, my community has been scrambling to avoid variants that skirt immunity and don’t show up on rapid tests until day five-seven. The constant battle has changed since you were last in it. It’s not sufficient anymore to get your shots and test before a big event. You could well be asymptomatic and infectious, or have symptoms and convinced yourself it can’t be COVID because that second line hasn’t popped up.

You have come to the conclusion sometime between 2022 and now that you just have to decide what level of risk you’re comfortable with and live with it. The problem with that is scale. It’s you and everybody else doing that, and a lot of people have decided they are comfortable with a high level of risk. Despite what you’ve been told, you’re not just making that decision for yourself. You are making it for every person you come in contact with.

Think back to the early tense days of 2020. We were told to select a “bubble.” Those people would be our social lifelines, and through those, we could control our exposure.

My bubble is quite small. It includes my husband, my sister, and two friends I see relatively frequently.

My husband goes to work via the bus, and to the grocery store. Every person he comes in contact with there has the potential to infect him, and then he has the potential to pass it along to me. He mitigates this by wearing a well-fitted respirator at all times.

My sister goes to work at a busy public place. She masks when public facing and takes it off in the back office. She goes to restaurants, bars, concerts, hangs out with friends and her own partner unmasked. About 75% of her interactions have the heightened potential to infect her, which she might then bring into my house when she visits me.

My friends do not mask anywhere except my house when asked. They attend concerts, shows, cons, bars.

Obviously, I am in control of whether I wear a mask around these people. And as we approach one million new cases a day, I will be around everyone but my husband. But science is clear: reciprocal masking is more effective at infection control than a single person masking — especially when that single person is trying to protect themselves, not others.

This is settled science. We’ve known this since 2020. It says clearly that the choice you make is not personal- it has implications for everyone you come in contact with.

And being clear — if I could, I’d make everyone wear a mask for their own health. I don’t want people suffering with what I have. But you’ve been told this lie that you can take your risks for yourself, so you feel comfortable going out without a mask. You’ve been told this lie that it’s possible to completely recover from a COVID infection, so you assume that even if you do catch it, that’s what’ll happen to you, despite evidence showing that every body is indelibly changed by an infection, and that risk only grows with each subsequent infection.

And the greatest lie of all — that only the sick or elderly have anything to fear from COVID — has given you unfounded confidence in your own “good” genes or immune system or fitness. You can get long COVID even if you’re in peak form — in fact, may even be more likely to be hit hard.

So you have decided, individually and collectively, that only the sick or elderly should have to take precautions, and you freewheel through life, only to get surprised and dismayed when you bump into COVID in the wild. It’s back, people declare every summer or winter, as though it ever left.

But I want you to really think about the implications of your choice. Besides yourself. Because let’s be honest here, that’s who you’ve been thinking about, right? Your risk. Your comfort. Never mind your bubble, never mind the bubble of everyone you come into contact with, never mind the people like me who are literally hiding from people like you.

You’re not masking at the doctor’s office. You’re not masking at the airport. You’re not masking at the giant superspreader you just attended, and you’re not masking in the bars and restaurants where we know the virus flourishes. And then you’re bringing that exposure back to your family and friends. Back to the grocery store, where you run across people like my husband, shopping for someone who is unsafe to leave the house, or your elderly neighbors, or an immunocompromised employee.

You’re a good person, or you like to think of yourself that way. That’s why when you’re asked to mask, you dismiss it out of hand — because that changed behavior implies that you’ve been doing something wrong.

And my friend, I’m telling this because I love you: you have been. You might have been doing that on faulty information, but be honest with yourself and with me — you’ve heard me begging people to take this seriously. You’ve seen the information I’ve been sharing. You have had the opportunity to seek out the correct information all along, and you have chosen not to.

It isn’t too late to change your view of the risk you’re imposing on the people around you. It’s not too late to push public health to become more effective. It’s not too late to act in solidarity and be the inclusive person you think you are. It’s not too late to take care of yourself.

Ultimately, that’s what I have been screaming myself hoarse about. I don’t want you to end up with what I have. I don’t want you to inadvertently impose that on someone else. And yes, I’ve been angry, because you’ve been advertising your absolute lack of concern with group shots of your naked faces on social media. It doesn’t seem to bother you that I am stuck at home like it’s 2020, except for doctors’ appointments that I literally have to risk my life to go to. You’ve told yourself that it’s not your problem, because only the sick and elderly have to take precautions.

You know better. You can do better. For your community, yourself, and me, do better.

Please. I love you.

Anna

PS. If you’re feeling upset and embarrassed right now, the best thing you can do is take action. Get yourself good masks (the surgicals and cloth ones don’t cut it anymore), donate to mask blocs so others can access good masks, write to your representatives and the President, comment on upcoming CDC guidance, schedule yourself a booster, and talk to your loved ones about doing better, too. The only way we get out of this is with community care. So care.

[lasabarcassims]

The Spooky Save - Version 1

The first version of The Spooky Save is here!

The inspiration for the save comes from my love of horror movies and Halloween. Throughout the save, each world is/will be inspired by some kind of trope you find in horror movies or other spooky media. All lots are then built to match that vibe and be the kinds of places characters visit in those movies (some lots are based on real movie sets!) and the Sims are the kinds of characters that we find in those corresponding movies.

For this first release, we have three spooky worlds:

Willow Creek as the Quintessential American Slasher (think the Scream or Halloween films) - Willow Creek is home to a close-knit community living in an idyllic, All-American town. Life here is perfect! Good schools! Lots to do! Town spirit! Only two (okay, possibly three) grisly murders/murder sprees in the town’s history (that we know of)! The mayor swears it’s safe here and that choosing to locate the mental institution so that it overlooks the cemetery was not the ominous decision it seems.

Copperdale as the Missing Teen Thriller (think Twin Peaks, Pretty Little Liars, Cruel Summer) - The night she was crowned Homecoming Queen, Addison Pine disappeared without a trace. Everyone had their own opinion about what happened to Addison, but one belief was constant: Addison was okay and would return home like nothing had happened. Now, one year later, the town is shocked to learn that Addison's body was discovered. Even more surprising - Addison had only been dead a few hours when she was found. Where had Addison been this past year? Why did she come back now? And who is her killer?

StrangerVille as the SciFi Government Conspiracy (think Stranger Things, X-Files) - StrangerVille attracts oddballs and outcasts who want to create their own sense of normalcy, as well as stubbornly traditional people who insist on covering any weirdness up with conventional norms. Yet all citizens have one thing in common: they don't want their perpetually shoddy, stuck-in-the-'80s town to undergo much change. However, after the mayor signed contracts with a research lab and the military, citizens have noticed some changes around town and worry what might be next.

Download the version that DOES include the For Rent pack here!

Download the version that DOES NOT include For Rent pack here!

Quick disclaimer: I did my best to playtest things! But I definitely could not get to check everything. Please let me know if something is not working so I can repair it!

The whole save is a work-in-progress and more will come down the line. I just wanted to get the first version out so you can have some extra fin this Spooky Season.

[azure-firecracker]

I, like most people I’m sure, spent most of Small Potatoes laughing hysterically, but the more I think about it, the sadder the climactic scene makes me.

(And yes, I do think Scully knew something was up even though she may not have been sure what. You can see that she’s not leaning back into that kiss at all).

But I just feel so much for Scully in this scene. Because yes, she gave up on having a “normal” life ages ago. We know she’s drawn to the strangeness and charm of Mulder’s quest, maybe more than she’s willing to admit, and that she’s willing to sacrifice normality and conventions for that. But I don’t think that means she doesn’t want normality.

Mulder, I think, is someone who would be content if he never did anything other than search for aliens. And I think Scully would be content that way too, but I also think there’s a small part of her that wants to go on dates and drink wine and make scrapbooks and exist away from the danger where things are easy. And she knows Mulder can’t give her that, that the odd and dangerous is an intrinsic part of him, but still she wishes for balance.

(Fanfic does a great job of giving them more normal moments. In fact, it does such a great job that I forget how few there are in the show. But Eddie was right - they usually don’t talk. They’re connected more deeply than maybe anyone else could be. But they don’t talk).

The inherent tragedy of Mulder and Scully’s relationship is that Scully wants to be seen and valued, and though Mulder does see and value her above all else, he doesn’t show it in a way she always understands. She thinks she’ll always play second fiddle to his quest, and doesn’t see the moments where he reveals he’d throw the whole thing away for her sake. He runs off without her time and time again, and she’s left to pick up the pieces and do the less glamorous parts of the job, without seeing the lengths he goes to to keep her out of danger.

Scully is such a closed-off person that she wants to just exist comfortably and without fear and feel like she’s important. And though Mulder gives her that in some ways, it’s never quite in the ways she understands. She doesn’t know how much she means to him - I think that’s pretty evident.

And now she’s dying. The job she sacrificed all hope of normalcy, of being seen and valued exactly how she wants to be, for, is slowly killing her. And here comes someone she thinks is Mulder, wine in hand. And he finally gives her what she’s been craving - a shred of normalcy. A space she can be herself, be seen, be loved without everything being tied up in desperation and danger and fear.

It’s everything she wanted from Mulder that he couldn’t give her.

But it was all a lie.

[cryinglightning64]

Hope Is Lost

Summary: You left home to get away from the normalcy, only to end up in a foreign country not knowing that the world was beginning to end.

Pairing: Daryl Dixon x female (sorta nun) reader

A/N: this is my first attempt at writing a fanfic bc i cant seem to find any about him in france and if you have found any tag me plss 😭 i had to resort to making my own instead. lmk if anyone is even interested in a part 2 this is basically just a teaser i promise it will have smut if 1 person interacts with this. even if nobody interacts ima still post part 2 bc wtf am i doing hoarding this in my notes app.

*************************************************

The first time you saw him you had a strange feeling about him. As if you knew who he was. As he floated on top of the boat that seemed to be capsized, a measly tied rope that hardly held his body to the boat, you weren't sure what his name was, but you had a gut feeling, you knew it had to be him. The one to get you home.

You followed him, watched as the man washed up on the shore, confused, but seemingly determined.

The sisters might be right, you thought to yourself. Isabelle might be right.

You met Isabelle after the world began decaying, finding refuge at the convent. It wasn't really your first choice, staying at the convent, but in this world, beggars can't be choosers. You thought maybe immersing yourself into religion might help take your mind off everything that happened to you, everything going on outside.

Many of the nuns at the abbey didn't see you as one of them, despite you doing everything possible to fit in, as much as a fake nun could. You never were religious like the rest of them, which made everyone turn their heads away from you. Religion came easy to them, meanwhile with you, well, you hadn't given it much thought.

To this day it's still in the back of your mind, chipping away at you, the guilt of not being a big enough believer in God. How could you believe in a higher power if this is what the world has succumbed to? How could anything good let all the people you loved, cared about, die such gruesome deaths? Always a constant back and forth battle you had going on in your mind.

Sister Isabelle confided in you, telling you about Laurent, and how she needed to find someone to deliver him to Paris. The whole messiah thing seemed like such a crazy thing to wrap your head around, but you still offered your help in anyway you could. After all, you knew she would do anything for you and the rest of the nuns. That and you needed to get out of France. It was your one chance, you finally had a good enough reason to leave the abbey and try to find your way back home.

Hanging up the small poster of the Union Isabelle made, you watched as the man with the wings on his back took an abandoned boat as his shelter for the night. Hopefully he would still be there by the time you got back tomorrow.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Isabelle, I am telling you, I saw him." you pleaded. You stood in the now-quiet kitchen, eyes wide, but barely visible due to the small lantern you held up.

"Je t'ai dit de ne pas y aller seul," Isabelle whispered, "I told you not to go alone out there, what if he had seen you? Or followed you?"

"He didn't, okay? Please Isabelle, I know what everyone here thinks about me and my faith, but I know it, he's the one that can help us take Laurent." you spoke quietly but urgently, as to not wake up the rest of the sisters.

"No, we know nothing of this man, maybe he is already out there walking amongst the dead, or worse, he might just be here to steal from us and kill us all. You will not go back out there, especially alone, do you understand?" Isabelle spoke, her hand coming to rub her forehead, smoothing the frown lines forming.

Sighing, you nod your head, peering down at the drawing.

"Good, now get some sleep." Isabelle turned away, heading back to sleep.

Even if deep down, you didn't believe that Laurent was the messiah, you still had the need to find out more about this man.

The next morning you came back to where you had last seen the man, hoping he was still out there.

You watched and followed as he got up and began packing his things, setting out to wander the land.

You also saw how he had got himself into trouble with the young woman and older man, seeing how he fought off the men from the Pouvoir des Vivants, as best as he could. You watched from a distance until you saw how they robbed him blind, injuring him long enough for them to get away.

You ran up to him, kneeling before watching him pass out from the blows to the head and quite probably the dehydration.

You carried, or more so, dragged his limp body to your small carriage you brought with you, hoping he wouldn't be what Isabelle said he was.

You were dreading having to explain to Isabelle why you had brought this man to the abbey after she so explicitly told you not to engage with him, let alone bring him into your homes.

"Qu'est-ce que je t'ai dit? Why did you have to bring him back here?" Isabelle raised her eyebrows at you as she held the hot poker towards his arm.

"Perdóname, no supe que hacer, I had no choice he was injured" you said and you rounded to the opposite side of the bed.

"Hold his arm down, and cover his mouth." Isabelle said as she looked at you with a glare you were sure was the maddest you have ever seen her.

He screamed into the cloth you had placed between his teeth as he writhed and she held the hot metal to his arm where the mutated undead had burned him.

His grunts and pained yelling made something inside you feel horrible, the pain he was in almost made you feel as terrible as it seemed to pain him.

His anguished face combined with the peaceful singing of the nuns down the hall swarmed your senses, until he coughed and passed out once more.

"Listen to me, I know you didn't mean for all this to happen, I get that, and I understand he was hurt. But you better pray that he will be able to deliver Laurent, it's what he needs, deserves." Isabelle said after she wrapped the man's arm, who you had come to learn his name was Daryl Dixon from the tape you found in his pack.

"I will, Isabelle. I'll make it my life's mission to get that boy to Paris." you said quietly as to not wake up Daryl, who had begun to snore softly in the bed below you.

"Very well. Now help me prepare the bath for him, he's going to need it once he wakes up." Isabelle walked away to fetch a kettle of water to fill up the bath.

***************************************

a/n: yall pls dont be mad i tried my best i know its shitty writing but i dont have anything to lose.

also im open to suggestions or if you guys wanna see a certain trope or scene play along u tell me ill do my best to make it come true on paper 😪

[commonsensecommentary]

“I suspect the real problem with an open Democratic Convention—for the Democrats, at least—is that it will strip away the illusion of normalcy the Democrats are desperate to maintain. The last thing they need going forward is to provide a nationally televised platform for the illegal immigrant loving, America-hating, free-spending, gender-bending, climate-panicking, pedophile-welcoming, race-baiting, military-disparaging, criminal-coddling, police-protesting base of their Party.”

[aihoshiino]

Hey there! Love your analyses of Ai and ao3 fanfics! They're so good and you always bring interesting points to the table! I want to know your thoughts on something (it's possible that I sent this ask a while back but I have a feeling it never came through lol, my Tumblr/Internet be broken sometimes): In chapter 140 (not 100% canon, but I think the brought up subjects still resonate), page 5, Hikaru says that the student should come to the teacher, while Ai says don't just invite a man to your house. Do you think this has a link with their traumas? It also makes me wonder why exactly Ai would say something like that. Could it have a link with Ayumi's boyfriend (="man") that ogled her? I would like to know your thoughts on how this boyfriend would've affected Ai, her image on men or just relationships/sex in general. Would it even have a big impact on those factors? Thank you for your thoughts!

Thank you so much! 💜 Looking at my inbox I do think Tumblr just ate it the first time you sent this….. Functional webbed site……………..

Honestly it's so hard to know what to make of those HikaAi movie scenes in general but especially off the back of Hikaru being like "fake and gay lol" about it. The characterization feels additive and consistent with the real Ai and Hikaru but at least one of these scenes was written by an author who had literally never met them. And while they do communicate things to us about their respective baggage, it's complicated by the fact that this is in-universe fiction written by an in-universe author. So it's like - is this characterization Aka Akasaka is trying to communicate to us or characterization Yoriko Kichijouji is trying to communicate to the audience of 15 Year Lie? Both? It's a mess!

THAT SAID, Hikaru's "fake and gay lol" is explicitly challenged and undermined by the narrative and the whole point of the confrontation is slapping him with the fact that (among other things), he doesn't understand Ai half as well as he thinks he does. With that in mind and given that it doesn't directly contradict anything else we know about the real Ai, we can probably treat it as true enough for the purposes of using it as jumping off points for discussion.

I don't think Kamiki's line is super important on its own as its really just the setup for Ai's response - so the talk as a whole is really more about communicating things about Ai to us, through Hikaru's POV. And I think strictly in this context, Ai's line there is less to do with her mom and her experience growing up in Ayumi's house (I actually got the impression that the movie barely touched on that stuff? but I could be wrong) and more about her like… responding to other people's expectations without necessarily fully understanding them. I do think the specific way she phrases it is probably parroting something Ayumi may have said to her though - similarly to the way she calls her past self a 'nasty brat' in the Da Vinci interview which was just like… so pointed and unkind I can only assume it was something Ayumi called her in the past that just burrowed its way into her brain forever like that shit does.

Overall, it's part of a much broader pattern of behaviour on Ai's part of, as I've described it to friends, performing normalcy to the point of abnormality. She imitates the end of the "normal behaviour" process tree without understanding or following any of the steps that get there. I can't believe I'm reaching for this reference lol but I was rewatching a bunch of CJ the X vids last week and in their essay about Cat Valentine from the show Victorious, they describe some of the (certainly accidental) neurodivergent coding in Cat's character in a way that really pinged me as also speaking to the way Ai is also (much more intentionally) coded:

"[…] There's a big difference between following social procedure naturally and Attempting To Behave As One Might Act. […] She mimics convention, while fundamentally misinterpreting what part of convention is important in the first place."

That's really the cornerstone to a lot of Ai's behaviour - the combo of her social isolation and her neurodivergence means that she does not have the same frame of reference that most other people absorb from their peers and families as they grow up. So instead she just sort of… looks at the people around her, figures out what successful social interactions look like from the outside, and tries to replicate that to varying degrees of success.

Her argument with Nino is probably my favourite example of this - Nino is all but screaming at her to have a normal fucking human being conversation with her and Ai just sits there like ^_^ Nooooo don't be insecure your so sexy aha. no wonder nino wanted to kill her with a brick HGSJSSKS. And like - from an outsider perspective, you can see exactly why this happens! This is basically Ai short-circuiting because none of her usual scripted responses are resolving this situation. She defaults to the fawning response because she doesn't know what else to do, even though it should be clear it's making the issue worse.

It would be sooooo easy to just make this a one sided instance of Nino being cruel to her but it's really just the inevitable and unavoidable conclusion of Ai's instincts towards avoidance and fear of vulnerability. And it's not Ai's FAULT she's like that. it's learned behaviour. she is the way she is because allowing herself to be sincere and vulnerable only ever gets her hurt, but it still hurts her and the people around her as a result (like with Kamiki).

oh my god i'm like 5k words in and i haven't even touched the question you directly asked LSKDJKSSK. I MEAN, I ASSUME AT THIS POINT PEOPLE SEND ME ASKS LIKE THIS KNOWING THE RISKS OF GETTING AN ESSAY IN RETURN…

ANYWAY, I definitely think Ai's experiences growing up in Ayumi's house (incl. ayumi's pedo boyfriend lmao) were a huge part of why she ends up with such an utterly fucked concept of love and relationships. When I see people talking about this aspect of her character, I feel like it gets downplayed because the series itself is more about her life as an idol but her childhood is the literal foundation of everything that follows - Ai becomes an idol because she wants to know how to love people and be loved in return and the reason she's never experienced that is because of how Ayumi raised her and how she failed to protect Ai from and properly respond to Ai's narrow brush with that type of victimization.

It's hard to really say exactly how this specific incident impacted her with how little we know about how all that went down, but I definitely think it was part of a pretty consistent pattern in her childhood of having failed/toxic relationships modeled for her - there was All That with Ayumi's boyfriend but we also know that Ai's biodad was not in a relationship with Ayumi at the time Ai was growing up and that she saw him pretty infrequently. It's not hard for me to imagine that Ai's kind of wishywashy confusion as to wtf marriage even is expressed in 45510 is the result of seeing dogshit relationship after dogshit relationship fall apart in her formative years. And I definitely think The Incident (& Ayumi's reaction to it - she herself admits her behavior escalated as a result) probably planted the seed in Ai's brain of her being like… more aware of sex than she should have been at the age she was?

In fact, ironically, Hikaru's line about 'giving your body to body to receive love' was actually how I've always interpreted Ai - pretty much the entire time I've been brainrotted about her, my interpretation has always been that Hikaru was not her first boyfriend or sexual partner and that she had probably run through a couple of extremely fast burning short term relationships before they met.that escalated to physical intimacy very quick and burned out just as fast.

I don't necessarily have a ton of capital-E Evidence for this other than a line or two in the series and also just Vibes. Not only can abuse and neglect in childhood lead to premature sexual behaviour in teens (as a sort of attention/intimacy seeking mechanism) but Akane specifically pegs Ai as having obvious emotional imbalances typical of a person who engages in this kind of early sexual behaviour, but then notes that it settled down after she turned 15 and notes 'did she meet someone nice?', implicitly tying her improvement in behaviour to Kamiki - but then of course, that means her destructive behaviour can't have been the result of sleeping with him. In addition, the TL that was available for the manga when I was getting back into the series had Ai refer to Kamiki as an ex during their phonecall, implying she had more than one.

This is one of those things where like… if you are normal about this character it probably doesn't really matter but unfortunately for everyone else i'm insane ;SKFLSNMSLSMKA So stuff like this is really interesting for me to dig into. One of the things I find really fascinating about Ai that mostly exists in subtext and idk how intentional it even was on Akasaka's part is this sense of internalized shame and even disgust she has directed at her own body and sexuality. She calls herself 'dirty' and 'impure', and her final words to Ryosuke are her more or less apologizing to him for that - and idk, I think that aspect of her character (and OnK's ongoing refutations that Ai being 'dirty' in this way is in any way something she should have been rebuked or punished for) is that much more interesting if all that is the case vs the more straightforward and "pure" (for lack of a better word) version of events where she met Hikaru and they fell in love and had sex… if that makes sense.

Honestly Ai's relationship with like, sex and intimacy and sex in the context of a loving relationship being healing and reclaiming for her is one of those things I have so much fun writing in the context of RP and stuff but if I continued rambling about it here I would go on all day lol and this post is already so long. IN ANOTHER ASK, PERHAPS……..

[cinnamonest]

Do you ever plan on writing for kazuha and his snake girl cuz that pair literally stole my heart😞

YES omg I love her, our danger noodle, our nope rope, scaled and slithery babygirl

EDIT: forgot to include the link! This is a follow-up to Kazuha's entry in [this post]

-------

You don't run away.

Eventually, Kazuha felt guilty enough to finally summon the strength to do what he viewed as the right thing — let you out of the cage he had you in, give you the opportunity to walk away and go back into the wilderness. It'll hurt his heart, but he knows you'll most likely run, it's just your nature...

But you don't. You scurry out of the cage, sure, but you don't go running off. You instead shuffle over to him, wrapping your arms around him for comfort... and even after some more time passes, you still stay. And when he starts to walk, you follow. Your face seems nervous and uneasy, but you have no intentions of leaving his side.

It feels good, of course, it's a huge relief and it warms him heart... at the same time, though, he's basically made a wild creature dependent on him, and isn't that usually considered... bad? After all, if someone took an actual, normal wild animal out of nature to be a pet, people would find it distasteful, inhumane, cruel even. They'd say something about how such a creature should be home in the wild where it belongs, how it wasn't made to be kept like this.

And technically, a lot of nations have legislation against taking hybrids out of the wild if they're certain species... so he's probably violating ethics and the law. That's... well, any negative feelings he has on the matter are overridden when you bump your head against him affectionately.

No, those thoughts he was having before are wrong. You want to be with him. He saved you. You're happy. So why should he feel bad? He's doing a good thing.

From that point forward, at least he can rid himself of the guilt of feeling like he was forcing you to be with him, so, nothing left to do at that point but continue on his journey as usual, now with you in tow. He can't cover as much ground as he used to per day, as you walk a bit slower and get tired rather quickly, but... well, that's okay. You're worth it.

There's a few glaring issues with bringing you into any public space, though. For starters, inability to speak, and lack of understanding of certain conventions of normalcy that might cause you to draw attention to yourself. Moreover, now that he's thought over the legal complications, as there's hefty penalties for taking certain creatures out of the wild, he realizes he can't just go get those venom glands removed, he'd be reported, and worst of all, you'd be taken away. He'll have to just take you around where he goes and hope for the best.

But even if he can keep you under control, and make it appear that you're just quiet and shy, there's one other issue that's not dangerous or drastic, very simple and harmless in fact, but a dead giveaway nonetheless: several times per minute, your long, thin, forked tongue flickers out of your mouth. You do it in your sleep even, he would know, he's been woken up by it hitting his face before. It's only for a split second, and if it were only once, it might go unnoticed, but you do it frequently enough that someone would surely notice it very quickly. Also, there's the possibility of you yawning or otherwise opening your mouth wide while surrounded by people, and those fangs would absolutely draw immediate attention.

While he managed to get you to wear a simple cloak, getting your mouth covered is much more of a struggle. He tried a few different means of covering your mouth, letting you wear his scarf and wrapping it over the lower part of your face to see if you'd let it stay... but sure enough, after a moment, you stretched your neck and shook your head a bit to make the fabric fall down onto your collarbones, and immediately proceeded to flick your tongue out into the air. He tried buying one of those masks that covers the lower face and has straps behind each ear, but it seemed to put you in panic as you whimpered and tugged at it, and he couldn't bring himself to put you through any distress.

There was already even one time you two encountered travelers on the road, and it actually seemed to be going very well — he explained your silence with a she's not used to strangers, sorry — right up until you took a few steps towards the other human and, without hesitation, flicked your flat, forked tongue out onto their skin, to better identify the strange creature.

Ah, um, sorry, that's — it's a cultural thing, and, and ah, a-anyway, sorry, we'll be going now—

For whatever reason, your human seemed to be in a hurry to leave that interaction, grabbing you by the wrist and pulling you away.

So, he's at an impasse when it comes to how to take care of his traveling needs -- he usually goes into towns every few days or so to get necessities to last until he reaches the next town. He can't just tell you to be quiet and not do anything; you may understand some basic words now, but not nearly enough to communicate complex commands.

In the end, he has to just find a secluded spot, break out and construct the collapsible cage, and leave you in it for a short time. It's very risky, and he knows that, so he's always rushing to get only the absolute bare necessities before hurrying back. He doesn't want to leave you just tied to a post or something again, that could leave you in danger if a predator found you, whereas at least a cage provides a barrier.

The first few times, you flailed and whined. He feels awful, really. I know, I know... I'm really sorry... I'll be back soon, I promise... it's okay... he buys bigger quantities so he won't need to go into town as often, tries to hunt more food, but still, he can't just live off the wilderness indefinitely.

After a while, you start to get nervous every time you come near a human town, you whimper and cling to him as if begging not to be put in the cage... it hurts his heart, too much to bear. So he has no choice — he drags you through the town, keeping you very very close with a very tight grip. You look nervous, but wildly curious, turning your head all different directions. But thankfully, the anxiety you appear to have does mean you don't leave his side. You do still curiously lean over and taste — or, wait, isn't it technically smell...? Taste and smell? Is it both at the same time? — various humans and objects with your tongue. Thankfully it doesn't get too noticed, and he just talks his way out of it — from a shelter, yes, she can't talk... what breed? Ah, well that's... the pet kind...?

Needless to say, he tries to get in and out very fast, and preferably have to speak to as few people as possible. So far there have been no major incidents, save for that one time he let go of your wrist just for a split second to grab something, turned around and panicked when you were gone, only to find you a few yards away at a produce market, looming with wide eyes over a pen full of bird eggs... thankfully he was there in an instant to grab you, lest the otherwise inevitable have happened.

On your travels, though, you actually adjust alright. At first, you were so sniffly and scared when he took you away, but it's soon overridden by awe and wonder and curiosity of the world around you, and adjusting to the places you go. Which he does have to be careful about -- obviously, northern regions are no longer an option for travel without some sort of precaution, you'd freeze fast.

Before, you were in your ideal climate and habitat, but he quickly learns through your travels that you're incredibly sensitive to changes in temperature and humidity. When you're in hot environments, though, you like to lay out in the sun.

One time when you were traversing some desert, he woke up one day to immediate panic at your absence, and ran out of the cave you'd been in, only to find you right outside the entrance, sprawled out on a rock with a content smile, basking in the sun, occasionally turning yourself over like a rotisserie to get sunlight on all your scale patches. Limbs sprawled out, presumably not instinctively knowing what else to do with them, given being half-brained of a creature with no appendages to speak of. You open your eyes and turning your head when he calls out that one word you've gotten used to.

Yes, you do, as of now, respond to that one word he says whenever addressing you, after some conditioning. It just came to him one day, very simple and short, as well as generic and common, and admittedly uncreative. He decided a one-syllable name would be easiest for you to recognize. It's more of a "cute pet name" that you would give an animal but not an actual human, but it's not like you understand what it means. Regardless, if he says it, you perk up and come over to him, so you seem to understand the word's intention and purpose.

But back to regarding the climate, he has to watch out for you at night, and be mindful of the temperature changes that occur in some regions. You're visibly miserable in the cold, start shivering and whimpering even in merely cool temperatures, and gradually become lethargic and unmoving.

The bigger problem is that warm blankets and clothes don't help. As a cold-blooded animal, your body doesn't exude heat, whereas for a human, blankets and clothes trap in the heat that the body creates. For you, clothes and blankets can serve as a barrier from cold winds, but not much else. This does not combine well with the fact that you'll freeze much faster than a person would.

Instead, you require an external heat source, namely fires and his own body that, unlike yours, radiates heat. You do cling to him at night, curling up to his body's warmth... and he doesn't mind that at all. You're not so timid of the fire anymore either. He's even gotten you used to cooked people food, and not... you know, having to watch you butcher poor mice and rabbits and swallow them whole in a rather horrifying dislocation of your jawbone. He tries to block that imagery out of his memory.

...About that, though.

Perhaps in part wanting to get a better grasp on exactly what your venom does, as well as a general curiosity to learn more about you, Kazuha finds himself seeking additional information on your kind.

He manages to scrape enough money together to visit a large bookstore in the continental mainland, scouring around and narrowing down sections to find what he's looking for (all while keeping an eye on you, of course, who is bumbling around the bookshelves with a blank stare)... nonfiction... encyclopedias... science... zoology... there. Index of Teyvat Reptiles. Should be worth the payment, hopefully.

Later that day, once you're back outside, he spends an entire evening sorting through the pages. Table of Contents... Snakes... Land Snakes... by region...

It's split into a page-by-page section where each entry makes note of the species itself as well as characteristics of hybrids for that species.

With each page, he takes a over to you — sitting beside him, staring at the book with eyes wide with curiosity yet blank with complete lack of understanding — and compares it to the illustration for that species.

No, the color of those faint patches of scales on your neck and shoulders doesn't match... no, that one has yellow eyes with pupils, not solid eyes like yours... no, that one is a constrictor...

And then there's one entry towards the very back. The scale color matches your scales and hair. The eyes are like yours. The habitat range shown on the map is very small, but it's the exact place where he found you. It's a short entry without much detail, and it's listed as endangered. There's a brief description and a bullet-point "fun facts" section under the name.

It's actually very endearing, at first. It describes your behavior very accurately, the illustration aligns with what he can tell about you. It's nice to know exactly what you are.

On your end, you're not sure what about this rectangle is so fascinating to the human, but he's been staring at it and moving the little flap pieces for some time now. There's pretty pictures, so it does pique your interest, although you're quickly getting very tired as the sun sets further.

There's a lot of little markings on the paper, which humans use for information, you know that, seeing as your human has on multiple occasions stopped to look at those wooden signs at forks in the road that have similar markings. He seems focused on it, whatever it may be...

For whatever reason, though, he suddenly seems to get a bit stiff, his shoulders tense up. You turn your gaze over to his face, still with that soft smile he always has, but it starts to twitch as his eyes get wider. And wider. And he tenses more. And more. With each movement of his eyes. Must be interesting.

...

Currently holds the title of deadliest reptile known to science. If spotted in residential areas, report to law enforcement or animal control immediately and vacate surrounding premises within one mile; non-professionals should not attempt to approach, kill, or capture. Venom injection to death time for an average adult male is around 10 to 12 seconds.

Fun fact! While these snakes usually hunt small prey, one bite is capable of killing a Sumpter beast.

As soon as his eyes finish reading the last sentence, he turns his head as he feels you shift — your mouth slowly opens into a wide, prolonged yawn, the muscular flex of the action pulling back your upper lip and exposing your long, curved fangs. You make a soft, tired sound when your mouth closes, shuffling closer to him and resting your chin on his shoulder, closing your eyes and letting yourself drift into a half-sleep state, mouth slack-jawed as you breathe onto his neck.

...But your human is twitching. He's tense, stiff. You can feel it, it's only slight, but noticeable nonetheless. This strikes you as odd — usually you're the one that shakes and shivers and trembles whenever the temperature drops to anything below warm, and you don't feel cold at all right now, given you're in a region that's warm even at night. Still, you feel an urge to help fix whatever is wrong.

He flinches a bit when you move. You lift your head up, looking into his eyes and make a soft, concerned sound. But then, you stand and take a few paces over to where all his things are set down, leaning down to rummage for a moment. Before he can follow you or call out to you, you turn back around, blanket in hand, and hurriedly make your way back over. You pull the corners of the blanket open wide and lower yourself back down, lifting and moving one foot so that you stand with one foot on each side of where he sits, and come to rest on his lap, straddling his waist, and pull the blanket back together behind him.

It takes a moment to register, but it clicks. You're doing the same thing he does for you when you're cold. Getting the blanket and holding you close to him. You even outstretch your arms and wrap them around his shoulders, rest your head on his shoulder again.

After a few moments, you pull back, looking at him and making a soft inquisitive sound, as if to check to confirm your efforts of comfort have succeeded.

And he smiles — a twitching smile, but nonetheless assuring. He raises a hand — a shaky, quivering hand — and pats the top of your head.

You soon fall asleep as usual, although he seems to stay awake for some time, more tense than usual. The tension lasts a few days — he tenses up more, flinches at touches, stiffens and swallows heavily and shudders at your touch sometimes, especially when you nuzzle your face against his neck. His hands always curl up into fists so tight they tremble.

But he never pushes you away. Never rejects how you lay your head on his lap, or on his shoulder. Sometimes his breathing gets very heavy when you move in certain ways, but he never rejects your presence. He doesn't quietly leave and run far away while you sleep, like you've sometimes feared. He stays right by your side. Day in, day out.

It's because of that, that he's right there by your side at a critical moment.

He's been mugged before, admittedly. A lot of bandits stake out rural roads, waiting for travelers to pass by that they can rob. In the past, though, he's been alone, and was easily able to blow them away and escape.

But as you pass through the desert, he can tell something is wrong. There's that sense of unease, like being watched. Could be a bandit, but also could be an animal or something... He's very on-guard, looking around, hand gripping his sword handle so it can be unsheathed within a second if needed.

There's a sound — but when he turns his head, it's just some of those desert foxes rummaging through a bush. He sighs, momentary spike in heart rate going down.

And then, you cry out, a sound of panic and distress.

And when he turns his head back, there's a man that has you in a hold from behind, arm around your chest, knife hovering above your neck. Your hands pull at his to no avail, your eyes are wide and quickly watering. You make high-pitched squealing sounds.

Give me everything you got on you. Don't try anything.

A-ah, yes, hang on. I'll get it, just... just don't...

His hands tremble, but he fetches the mora he has on him within an instant... and you, you don't grasp the nonverbal message to stay still the way a human would, you're thrashing and your feet are kicking and the man says in a gruff voice to hold still, you dumb bi—

But his words cut off.

Kazuha only hears it, as his eyes are focused on his hands pulling the coin pouch out of his pockets, but when it falls to silence, he freezes, slowly turning his head upward.

There's a moment of silence in which all present parties are frozen stiff, expressions ranging from the man's bewildered expression and your human's in wide-eyed shock — but you can't see either, both from how you've turned your head to the side, as well as how your own eyes are squeezed shut from the force of your jaw chomping down on the man's jugular.

A few more seconds pass. There's a dull thud when the knife hits the sand, and, after a moment, your own startled cry as you go down, the man's weight collapsing on top of you, sending you falling forward face-down onto the sand.

The bandit's body is heavy on top of yours, your body flat on your stomach. You wriggle and writhe, digging your elbows and clawing your fingers into the sand in an effort to crawl out from underneath it, but the composition of the sand means both actions merely cause your arms to sink into and flail in the sand that gives way to any pressure.

You turn your head up, sniffling with tears running down your face as you whimper pitifully.

Ka...Ka-thu-haa....

Your human is standing there, frozen and wide-eyed, but hearing your voice seems to make him snap out of the momentary stunned stupor.

He doesn't hesitate to hurry over to you. Drops down to his knees, pulls you out from underneath the body... gives said body a firm nudge with his foot that sends it tumbling down an incline of sand, obscuring it from immediate view from the road. You sniffle and wrap your arms and legs around him.

He's tense again. He's stiff, there's a slight tremble in his hands... but still, he doesn't move away. He keeps stroking your back up and down in a soothing motion, saying soft-spoken words you don't understand but can tell are meant to comfort you. He holds you there until you can walk again, and spends the whole night fretting over you, seemingly upset when you have a bruise from the incident.

From then on, you're very afraid of any human other than your own. They're scary creatures.

When you run into any on the road, you immediately cower behind him, grab onto him and squeeze your eyes shut, making soft distress noises. And when he drags you into towns — which you now protest, often whimpering all the while — you cling to him. He realizes you're looking to him to protect you, as if he's the deadlier force between you two, which you, for some reason, seem to believe to be the case.

As for you, in your mind, he is all that stands between you and certain death from a predatory human that would otherwise certainly get you and eat you if not for him. You've only killed rabbits and other rodents before, you don't think you could kill a human by yourself. You presume your human played a role in taking care of the bad human, probably stabbed him with the sword when you had your eyes shut. And he saved you from being crushed by the body, too. You would surely perish without his protection.

This is especially true as, you are now beginning to realize, humans are incredibly violent and powerful entities. You never noticed it before, but now you realize almost all the humans carry weapons on them. They are predatory creatures with innate natures so violent, that they attack so viciously and randomly as you have witnessed firsthand. Being a human living among other humans must be constantly frightening, they could attack at any second and you'd be done for. You've seen lots of predators, but they have to chase and repeatedly claw at prey, they don't have the same ability to stab and slash and kill so quickly, like humans with their tools.

But thankfully, you have a good one, and you trust your human will keep you safe. He's smart and strong and can talk to the other humans.

They're very scary. Unpredictable creatures that can choose to kill at a moment's notice, in an instant. It's a good thing there are no other such creatures capable of that, at least none that you can think of.

[doumadono]

Could I please have an emergency request? I’ve been having a hard week and I really need something if you don’t mind.

So my uncle passed away all of the sudden and the day of his funeral my puppy sadly also passed away and my mom is also in the hospital and thankfully she had a successful surgery!

So could I please request a Gyokko x Fem Reader. Gyokko gives reader a puppy and if you don’t write for Gyokko because most people don’t feel comfortable writing for him could you do Aizetsu instead

Please and thank you so much!! And this was my puppy, I loved him so much. His name was Krypto and he was a little gremlin.

An unexpected gift - Gyokko x Reader

Synopsis: after successful collaboration, Gyokko presents you with a gift A/N: I'm truly sorry to hear about the challenging week you've been through. It's completely understandable that you're in need of some comfort & support. The loss of your uncle and your puppy, along with your mom's hospitalization, must have been incredibly difficult to bear all at once. I'm relieved to hear that your mom's surgery went well though. Please remember that I'm here for you, and if there's anything I can do to help or simply provide a listening ear, please don't hesitate to reach out. Allow me to mention that your doggy was absolutely adorable! ♥ Also, I apologize if the portrayal of Gyokko in this story is a bit inaccurate - it's my first attempt at depicting him

MASTERLIST

Summoned by Gyokko's enigmatic call, you found yourself abruptly transported through space and time, your surroundings shifting as if under some unearthly influence. The cold corridors of the Infinity Castle gave way to the haunting atmosphere of Gyokko's chamber, the transition leaving a tingling sensation in its wake.

Nakime had wielded her mysterious power to transport you. The sensation was both disorienting and awe-inspiring, a reminder of the supernatural forces that governed this world of demons.

As you stepped into the dimly lit room, the very air seemed to carry a sense of foreboding, an aura that was palpable even before Gyokko came into view. His grotesque and surreal form loomed within the chamber, an amalgamation of horror and twisted beauty that defied the boundaries of normalcy.

"Ah, you've finally arrived, Y/N!" The demon chirped loudly. "You respond to my summons without hesitation. It seems my reputation precedes me."

Gyokko's presence, a nightmarish tapestry of pale white and abstract features, held a hypnotic allure that was difficult to tear your gaze from. His muscular upper torso, emerging from an adorned with floral theme vase, appeared both majestic and unnerving, reminiscent of a djinn's emergence from its vessel. But it was the multitude of infant-like hands that adorned his head and back that sent shivers down your spine, even after months of working together. These ghastly appendages seemed to exist beyond the realms of reason, a testament to the grotesque nature of Gyokko's existence. His face, a distorted canvas of deformity, held a chilling fascination. Green mouths, where eyes should have been, gaped in a grotesque arrangement, while his actual eyes defied convention – one within the lower mouth, the other at the center of his forehead. Symbols etched onto his features spoke of his status and power, solidifying his identity as an Upper Moon demon.

A subtle tilt of his head, a gesture as menacing as it was intriguing, beckoned you closer. His voice, a sinister melody, slithered through the air, "Impressive work, my dear Y/N. You have indeed proven your worth during our last mission."

You nodded, lips curling into an enigmatic smile, acknowledging his rare words of praise. "Likewise, Gyokko-sama. Our partnership has proven rather… fruitful."

A twisted smile curled his lips as he gestured towards a small box that stood nearby. "I have a little something for you." He urged you to approach the box and uncover the mystery it held within. "Do not hesitate, my dear collaborator. Open it. Discover the secret that awaits."

As you tentatively reached for the box, Gyokko's eyes followed your every move, his smile deepening as anticipation crackled like static in the air. The box yielded beneath your touch, revealing its contents.

Inside the box lay a small puppy, its form curled up in a peaceful slumber. Its fur was a pristine white, a stark contrast to the dark and eerie ambiance of Gyokko's chamber. The puppy yawned and pened its eyes, barking hesitantly. You extended your hand hesitantly, allowing the puppy to sniff your palm before curling its tiny body into the warmth of your touch.

"Thank you, Gyokko-sama!" You looked at the Upper Moon Five, bowing your head, your voice carrying a note of genuine gratitude. "You didn't have to!"

Gyokko's lips curled into an enigmatic smile, a gesture that seemed almost unnatural on his usually twisted visage. "Consider it a token of our alliance."

[masterjedilenawrites]

Hi Lena! Thank you for the "whole rambling post" as you called it, on Crosshair having a long-term relationship! Would you be able and willing to do one for Rex? I'm especially interested in your thoughts on his priorities when it comes to choice between his s/o and his brothers. We know he's very loyal, but who do you think would take precedence? Especially if his s/o is fighting a war alongside him (like, a medic or something). Thank you so much! I appreciate you! 💕

Of course I can ramble about my other love 💙

Rex would have been very slow to enter a relationship, even with someone he openly cared for. In fact, there's only one type of person he would ever be in a relationship with, and that would be his best friend. A person he's known for a while, completely trusts, and has practically already been sharing a life with the whole time anyway... so at a certain point, he might as well embrace these feelings he didn't know he had and make it official.

*cue his S/O sighing, "I thought you'd never ask"*

*cue his brothers and Ahsoka and Anakin and even the droids he's fighting exclaiming, "It's about time!!!"*

Once in a relationship, Rex starts acting like a boy with a crush. Can't sleep. Longing looks. Blushes galore. He can't understand why he's like this. He's had so many conversations with them, why is he just now getting tongue-tied? Naturally his brothers tease him about it and cause him to be even more flustered. Eventually he settles back into normalcy... but he'll still have moments where he's so enamored by them he can't function, no matter how long they've been together.

The fact his relationship is built on a friendship makes him the absolute sweetest boyfriend. He already knows so much about them, how to make them happy, how to comfort them, the right things to say or do at the right times. And now he can add in physical gestures and romantic touches. He is delighted when he can get them to blush as much as he does. But more importantly, he just sleeps better knowing they are taken care of.

Furthermore, he and his S/O have fun. They can be utter goofballs sometimes, coming up with dumb inside jokes and silly dances and other random nonsense. It's a kind of intimacy for them, to let down their inhibitions and enjoy the small things. Any arguments that come up are usually petty and not taken too seriously. But for the few disagreements that are serious, Rex will insist they take time to compose themselves separately before coming back together to talk it over.

There is no question of his loyalty, because he knows that his S/O values all the same things. Whether they're fighting with the GAR, or rescuing clone brothers from the Empire, or any other cause they set their sights on... they're doing it together. They are a team. Rex will still worry about them, of course, and he may have nightmares sometimes about being in a situation where he has to choose between saving a brother or saving his S/O.

That being said, he does struggle with making decisions. The future is an empty, uncertain place to him, and outside of strategizing on a battlefield, he really doesn't know what to plan for. He doesn't want to get his hopes up - or his partner's - for something that could be taken away from them. Sometimes this hesitancy even carries into the small things, like planning a date night or getting a pet. He does better when his S/O reframes things as helping others, or appeals to his nobleness.

Rex is a caring, genuine, and devoted lover. He may not follow a conventional path into romance, but that's okay. His relationship is that much more fulfilling and special because of it. Rex is an exceptional clone, capable of so much more than he was designed to be. He needs a partner who sees that and empowers him, who will stand by his side as an equal, fighting the good fight. In turn, Rex will support and love them for who they are and all the joy they bring him.

Every Character Tag: @dangerousstrawberrypie, @justanothersadperson93, @arctrooper69, @sleepycreativewriter, @techie-bear, @theroguesully, @cw80831

Clone Bois Tag: @kaijusplotch, @rebel-finn, @lucyysthings, @marvel-starwars-nerd, @nekotaetae, @lackofhonor, @flowered-bicycles, @foodmoneyandcats, @nahoney22, @dangraccoon, @mishakoon, @aconstructofamind, @skellymom

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[visgrapplinghooks]

friendlinghood: a proposal

skip to "terminology" if you don't want the long explanation

QPRs are really difficult to talk about because of the way the modern queer community has kinda framed it as like "dating but without romantic attraction"

when that's not entirely true

I mean, you COULD say that's a kind of QPR but it'd be a mistake to frame all of it that way. this is in large part to internet misinformation and shit as well as amatonormativity from which a lot of relationship discourse is framed against

queerplatonicism, from my pov refers to what is essentially the natural byproduct of queer and neurodivergent people having close friends

the queer community has been aware for a while that its members would have close friendships that in some way violated traditional social norms for behavior outside romantic relationships or family, etc.

when you sit outside the neurotypical and patriarchal norm, the conventional social understanding of what relationships are kinda breaks down for you

you display levels of closeness and intimacy and affection that are "inappropriate" for neurotypical and patriarchal society. in most cases they're not formal relationships, but natural evolutions of friendships between queer and neurodivergent folks

cishet people actually do have variants on this like the concept of "blood brothers" where two men who love each other basically make a pact to always have each other's backs and be their support and they do the whole movie thing where they mix blood to bind them together (it's a very cinematic thing, but the point is it exists in the popular consciousness)

"romance" and "friendship" each refer to a set of social norms and expectations. there's like a whole narrative constructed around those concepts and people internalize and have their own versions of them

a lot of people probably have friends they want to fuck or kiss or cuddle or declare their undying affection for but it'd just be "weird" within the social boundaries of acceptability and so people pigeonhole their relationships into either friend or romantic partner.

queerplatonicism (from my pov) is essentially accepting or practicing relationships which are neither platonic or romantic or even strictly familial. many queer people have them with other queer people they're close to. if you know queer folks then you probably know what I'm talking about - the friends they have that they're not dating but seem intensely attached and close to. they usually have weird names for each other that go beyond friendship like they'll jokingly call each other wives and husbands and siblings and partners... but it doesn't feel quite entirely joking. they'll express a lot of physical affection in the casual way you might typically ascribe to romantic partners. they'll prioritize time with those people as much as any romantic partner they may have etc.

straight and cis people and neurotypical people obviously experience them to some extent, it's just that patriarchy was built around cishet neurotypicals in particular, so it tends to cling to their mindsets more strongly, and once you're already outside of the "bounds of normalcy" by being queer, ND, etc. then it's a lot easier to feel like it's okay for you to be in relationships that aren't "normal".

because like the idea of loving someone with your entire fucking being... it's so tied up in these cultural ideas on how to behave about those feelings and it never made sense to me, because if you just let yourself feel those emotions you start to realize there are people in your life that maybe you love so much more than friends. but "more than friends" is so washed up in romance that you force those feelings down and think "this is fine, I'm happy with being just friends, what else can we be?"

maybe I don't want to have sex or hold hands on a ferris wheel or get. married or kiss or any of that. maybe I just want to exist in the same room as that person know that that person is in my life and know that person cares about me just as much as I do them.

terminology

I've started to use the term "friendling" in my day to day life, now. the term is a portmanteau of "friend" and "sibling" and "loveling" (the english cognate of the German word "lieblings" which can mean "favorite", but is also a term of endearment).

to me, it's probably the most accurate way to describe the Everything All At Once feelings that are simultaneously your weird friends that are your found family and also "romantic" but twisted beyond recognition where the term stops meaning anything.

I'm just throwing this word and explanation out there for anyone who feels like me and wants to use it too. not exclusive to queer people or neurodivergence or anything, I just think it's often easier to be cognisant of those feelings when you are queer and neurodivergent.

that being said, I do NOT want this to be folded into another "attraction label". this is, as far as I can tell, not a unique form of attraction but quite literally the opposite. it's an abstraction of the core impulses of attraction that ALL humans experience without the labels or social structures built around it. I do not want the language that I've spent so long trying to find for my experiences losing all of its value and being reapporpriated into the amatonormative, allonormative, and cisheteropatriarchal framework.

"friendlinghood" - is what I see as an attribute of relationships and the extent to which they deviate from socially conventional definitions of a relationship.

"friendlingship" - used grammatically like friendship. referring to any complex relationship acategorically.

"friendling" - used grammatically similar to friend. referring to those involved in any complex relationship acategorically.

all of this shit is nebulous and doesn't really mean anything beyond what meaning you choose to give it. I think any relationship can have some amount of friendlinghood and I don't think there's a clear line between friendlingship and friendship or romance or family, because it's not a type of relationship in the first place. it's just silly words I made that helped me.

language and labels

so the biggest problem with terminology like this is you can end up creating labels. my point was to create personal terms for myself and my relationships because that's what helped me personally process my own feelings.

that's not to say everyone needs or benefits from them. you can just vibe and do whatever you want and many people are happy with that.

I don't think words like this being codified and standardized really helps anyone. it's unavoidable that we as humans like articulating feelings, but the entire point of my interactions with friendlinghood is about certain things defying labels and language. language in this sense is just a tool, it's a hammer for a nail. it's not embodying the concept itself, it's just useful shorthand.

I will still freely refer to friendlings as close friends, best friends, found family, and other words. as long as I know the intention behind it is all that matters. I just needed that initial bit of language to articulate the feelings before the other words felt right to me.

[sage-lights]

Asking this cause I need validation as everyone's shitting on Amanarasha and I don't think it's that deep

what was your opinion on the first Reddit story? I felt like the verdict has to be esh cause the question was literally "AITAH for telling them it will ruin the girl's life" Like yeah you gave your opinion one time and that's enough just sit tf back down like what...and yeah the parents are crazy for having spelled it so wacky but like the youtube comments are calling them toxic for having a harmless opinion and it's very disheartening (cause I love the duo to bits and also because I agree with them partially about normalcy part and how anything that goes against the convention will be bullied and the biasness will come into play in interviews and other shit like that)

hi anon, i agree with you!

while watching it, i could see both sides. i agree with the comments that said the kid's life would be hard and it could create some challenges with learning their name and spelling it that makes school kinda difficult. and that arasha and amanda's husband's cases are a little different because those are names from their culture.

that being said, i do also think the comments are being hard on them. i thought it was super interesting how arasha talked about how we should rethink what is considered "normal." in the story, i think everyone was the asshole. the parents weren't really thinking about how the name could affect the kid, but op definitely overstepped their bounds by repeatedly bringing it up.

kids bully for a lot less tbh. but also, teach your kid to be kind to others. you don't get to choose your name or your parents.

but hey, what do i know 😅

[lasabarcassims]

LasAbarcas Limited Packs Save 1.0

I'm releasing the first version of my Limited Packs Save! This first version includes all the Base Game worlds as they are in my Base Game Save File as well as Copperdale (which was made using only Base Game, High School Years, and occasionally Parenthood) and StrangerVille (which was made with only Base Game and Strangerville). I love building in both these worlds because they just feel so full of story, especially StrangerVille!

Download here:

UPDATED VERSION AS OF 3/18:

ORIGINAL VERSION:

The storylines I set up in Copperdale are of course pretty heavily family/teen based. All the community lots there are made to be great places for high schoolers to hang out and for teenage drama to unfold.

The Strangerville storyline/world leans a bit more into the Stranger Things inspo behind the pack, so I built the world with a bit of an '80s vibe and set up the storyline with the idea that the mystery will be solved by a bunch of kids and teens. Strangerville was super fun to create because its weirdness let me go crazy with interconnecting stories, drama, and secrets. Every community lot in Strangerville has a secret and some of the houses do too (not to mention the families)! There are pieces of plot hidden in the lot descriptions (and if you have Get Together, in the club descriptions too), so make sure you read everything. I'm excited to play out the story myself, and I haven't replayed the Strangerville plot since the pack first came out!

Here's a little preview of each world:

Copperdale

Once renowned for its booming mining industry, Copperdale's prosperity has slowed and the town is now a mixed bag of beauty and decay. However, the diverse citizens of Copperdale all cherish their town and work to help it thrive, putting all their extra focus (and funds) on the excellent school system and, thus, the future of the town the Copperdale High students represent.

Strangerville

StrangerVille attracts oddballs and outcasts who want to create their own sense of normalcy, as well as stubbornly traditional people who insist on covering any weirdness up with conventional norms. Yet all citizens have one thing in common: they don't want their perpetually shoddy, stuck-in-the-'80s town to undergo much change. However, after the mayor signed contracts with a research lab and the military, citizens have noticed some changes around town and worry what might be next.

[bloodsbane]

thoughts and feelings bc i think i need to Expell so i can get in with the day

obviously this sucks

i keep thinking about my family. i love them all very much. but the oldest tier of my family is very white, very mormon, and it's weird and distressing to know most if not all of them voted for trump. it sucks being the one mixed/brown person in my family, one of the few of my generation who is openly queer to any degree, and to know my family chose this.

i know it's not hatred, or at least i hope not- a few of my aunts/uncles have gotten radicalized in the last decade in ways it depresses me to dwell on. i feel it is mostly ignorance, that benign cruelty of convention and normalcy that makes it easier not to think about it too hard

anyway, im excited to see my mom and some others for thanksgiving, but it will still feel strange in some ways and i hate that this is something i have to feel. it'd almost be better if my family wasn't kind and funny and loved me, but they do, and it's all at the same time.

part of me wants to start being more vocal and unpleasant if politics ever gets brought up, bc maybe that's the issue, no one encouraging or challenging them to think otherwise, but i am not confrontational, nor do i feel informed enough to feel confident in speaking up that way. id feel stupider to fight like i know anything when im just as shallow in my knowledge as any of them might be.

but still. maybe ill be louder in my queerness. remind them where i stand. sure. ill become the little stereotype they voted not to see as much, just so they understand that if that side is getting hurt, im included

i should really try talking to my family that's my age more, but again, white and mormon- im only vaguely aware that i have cousins who are queer, and their lives are still very different and separate from mine

i worry a lot about disconnecting from my family when my mom passes away. none of this is helping

anyway, otherwise, idk. ive been crying a bit and just processing since i woke up. this sucks but my nature is to be optimistic lest i succumb to dread and inaction. even if we didnt win, people still showed up, and i know there are people around me and out in the world who will fight against what's coming. i will try to find ways to fight, too. that's all there is to do i guess. as well as manifesting some very unkind things happen to certain unnamed parties.

[ashleyfableblack]

"Well, hello little one." the queen sighed dreamily to the little grub approaching her.

She smiled a sleepy smile and chuckled. How long had it been since she wobbled her way into the creche on weary, rubbery legs and flopped to the floor in a most undignified 'sploot'? It felt like it had only been a few minutes but she had closed her eyes. Maybe she had dozed off? No. She could hear in the nearby chamber, Twilight was still drawing the bath for them.

AH. Hearthswarming night. She purred, reviewing the sensations in her hearts. They had spent some rapturously wonderful time lost in each other. They giggled. They nuzzled. They blathered on about anything, everything and nothing at all like teenaged foals, adrift in the vibrant ecstasy of being in love.

Yes! Then, Twilight had suggested a bath. While she had drawn the heated, perfumed water Chrysalis had wobbled her weary way into the children's creche to check on their youngest larvae. Now, here she was, splayed out on the floor on her abdomen with her plot in the air like a squashed spider.

A squashed spider with one of their infant daughters chittering into her snoot like a overjoyed puppy.

Her dual irises shifted and focused to take in the full emotional spectrum as she flickered the air with her tongue, tasting for the tiny grub. She extended her crown of antennae and expanded her consciousness to it's normal place in the hive mind's nexus. Reaching out through the nebulae of stardust and memory she examined the forming consciousness, the shape of thoughts, feelings, experiences, new as they were. In her understanding of the world, this was the true shape of a changeling.

Ah. Now she recognized this one. RGMF19. Reconnaissance Guard, Mobile Forces, Unit one, Operative nine- OR as Twilight would call her "Ragamuffin".

She gave a pleasantly resigned sigh. It was a minor annoyance, this naming convention, yet another instance of pony-kind forcing their concept of normalcy on another species. Ethnocentrism was an unfortunate habit the ponies were still struggling to unlearn. Still, Chrysalis understood that it comforted her beloved wife to assign individual names to their daughters. Twilight lacked her expanded set of senses and connection to the hive mind it was the only way she could easily differentiate between their children which was something of a necessity in motherhood.

The tiny grub stared at her with a brilliantly beaming smile and a tiny, squeaking hiss. She couldn't help but chuckle in return. Even a pony could easily tell that she was one of her new hive of drones, sired solely with Twilight's love. As opposed to all previous changelings, the little one's eyes were large and violet, like their ponymother, sparkling with intelligence and curiosity. The long, inky eyelashes framing her eyes flicked at the base of her ears. Her ears were also unusually long, like those of a rabbit. The segments of her caterpillar-like body were decorated with a trail of lavender spots, cascading along her backside like the petals of a flower.

Her clutch was so different from all which had come before them.

"One thing is for certain. Your life will be a better one."

The mighty queen gave the little grub a nudge with her snoot, rolling her over on her back. She tilted her head slightly to contemplate the wiggling little thing. She was so fragile, so frail, yet so formed by the love of her precious, irreplaceable bride- so strangely, paradoxically powerful in the promise of a new, better tomorrow for her kind.

"You will never have to hide in the shadows as your predecessors. You will never have to fear others simply knowing you exist. Their fear of you being what you are will not threaten to starve you out. You will walk in the light and they will accept you as you are. In this world which we are building, your ponymother and I, this New Equestria, your birthright is one of unimaginable power and possibility. They will love you- as your mothers love you, daughter of The Hive."

Her forked tongue flickered out and gave a playful spree of butterfly kisses to the tiny changeling babe sending it into a fit of wiggling hisses and clicking.

"Happy Hearthswarming, my Ragamuffin."

Chrysalis gently lifted the little grub in her jaws and placed her in a strand of webbing near her sleeping clutchmates. With a small nuzzle goodnight, she quietly turned to stumble away, leaving the nursery chamber to return to her wife's embrace.

[ohallthecrushes]

Alphabet headcanons Elias Voit SFW

Mhm. Guess, who's not sleeping and creating headcanons for our charming killer? xd Let me know if you want NSFW version.

A is for Affection (How Affectionate He Is? How Does He Show Affection?)

His love is clandestine, shared only with the person who holds his heart.

He's moderately affectionate in public and his possessiveness can masquerade as affection at times. He can brush her hand with his, take it into his or put an arm around her waist when around people. Subtle signs that she is his without making her feel engulfed.

His main way to show affection is an act of service and quality time. He will take care of things for her, anticipating her needs, like paying bills, buying essential household items, but also making her coffee or drawing a warm bath without being asked. And by doing so he can subtly controlling her environment, so it's a double win for him - her needs are fulfilled and his need for controling is fulfilled too. This can be helpful but stifling if she's more of an independent person.

He pays close attention to her likes and dislikes, and may surprise her with small, thoughtful gifts or gestures that show he is attentive.

If she's more comfortable with darkness and morbid things, he'd gladly buy her a horror movie prop or one of David Rossi's book about serial killers. *wink, wink*

B is for Beauty (What Does He Admire About His Girlfriend, Physically and Emotionally?)

I think because he's attentive to details he finds beauty in less obvious parts of her, like the way she smiles, the way she gestures her hands when speaking, or a physical feature that others might find unconventional.

He is particularly drawn to her eyes, finding them expressive and captivating. He loves them, because he can read them and they tell him what she feels.

Emotionally he admires her inner strength and resilience.

Intelligence and the depth of her thoughts is very important to him, he connects to her on an intellectual level. He admires her mind and seeks her insights, often engaging in deep conversations.

He's fascinated by her ability to face her own darkness and he values her authenticity and how she doesn't hide her true self, which contrasts with his own need to maintain a façade.

C is for Comfort (How Would He Help His Girlfriend When She Felt Down/Had a Panic Attack?)

He doesn't deal with emotions openly, his approach is calculated and directed at solving a problem rather than providing emotional support. He'd be detached from his and her emotions, but his protective instincts would kick in.

He'd offer a listening ear, allowing her to vent and express her feelings without judgment, before he suggests a more practical way to deal with whatever she is dealing with.

Despite his practical and logical approach, it doesn't mean that he doesn't understand the value of emotional support. He'd project an aura of calm. He'd stay close, providing a comforting presence, holding her hand or giving her a reassuring hug. But it wouldn't come naturally from him, more like a thought through moves.

During a panic attack he'd stay calm and guide her through grounding techniques. Speaking in a soft, steady voice, he'd talk her through the attack.

D is for Dreams (How Does He picture His Future With Her?)

He's known for his meticulous planning ahead, so the moment he decides that this is it, that he wants her to be his companion for life, he starts planning a future together. Down to every detail, like where would they live, how many kids would they have, where and when would they get married...

He'd be mostly focused on making his own dreams come true, aka creating the facade of normalcy, but he'd also bear in mind her needs and would try to fulfill them the best he can.

He wants to have a normal, conventional relationship (at least in public eyes) and have a family, but if she doesn't want to have kids, he's fine with that, as long as they're both happy.

E is for Ending things (If He Had to Break Up With Her, How Would He Do It?)

If he decided to break up, it would be a well-thought-out process. He would aim to do it in a way that minimizes drama and maintains his control over the narrative. He doesn't want to make her his enemy or a vengeful ex-wife.

He would likely frame the breakup in a way that appears considerate and caring, such as saying he doesn’t want to hurt her anymore or that it’s better for both of them in the long run.

He would try to ensure the breakup leaves her with a positive impression of him, possibly even leaving the door open for future interactions or making it seem like it was a mutual decision.

But if things went rough and dangerous, and if it benefited him more, he might simply disappear, leaving no explanation.

F is for Fiance (How Does He Feel About Commitment? How Fast Would He Like to Get Married?)

He sees commitment as a strategic move to strengthen his control, rather than purely an emotional decision. Marriage holds some appeal – the facade of normalcy, the societal acceptance.

A part of him craves the stability and a long-term relationship with someone who could truly love and accept him.

He'd likely take his time before proposing marriage, ensuring that his partner is deeply attached and loyal to him. This could take some time, depending on how quickly he feels his goals are achieved.

G is for Gentle (How Gentle is He, Both Physically and Emotionally?)

He's not inherently gentle, either physically or emotionally. His world is built on destruction and violence, and gentleness doesn't align with that.

But he can be very gentle when he wants to, he understands that a soft touch can be disarming and create a sense of safety and intimacy. A feather-like caress across her cheek, fingers tracing patterns on her skin... He gets it.

His physical touch can range from possessive to tender depending on circumstances.

Genuine emotional gentleness is even rarer. He's capable of empathy, but it's not his strong suit. He might show vulnerability in carefully controlled doses or surprises himself in rare moments of genuine vulnerability.

He might share a painful memory or confess a fear. These revelations are rare, like finding diamond in the dark.

Overall his gentleness is a secret he shares only with those who dare to see beyond the bloodstains. <3

H is for Hugs (Does He Like Hugs? What Are His Hugs Like?)

He finds hugs comforting at times. In her arms he forgets the blood on his hands and the weight of his crimes.

When he initiates hugs, his need for connection struggles with his fear for exposure.

He's capable of great violence, yet he restrains himself, treating his partner like a fragile treasure in his arms.

Sometimes his hugs might feel slightly possessive. A tight grip but still gentle.

Most of the time his hugs are like a shield against the world, often warm and reassuring, designed to make her feel safe and cherished.

I is for I love you (How Fast Does He Say "I Love You"?)

He's strategic about when he says the first "I love you." He waits until he is confident that it will have the maximum emotional impact and deepen her attachment to him.

Also he has to be sure that he won't be rejected. This might not be immediate but would come relatively soon in the relationship once he's sure of her feelings and her presumable reaction.

He might struggle to say it though while being completely open with his true feelings. It leaves him vulnerable and exposed.

J is for Jealousy (How Jealous Does He Get? What Does He Do When He's Jealous?)

He is prone to jealousy, primarily because of his need for control and his possessive nature. Seeing his partner showing interest in or receiving attention from others would trigger him.

But rather than showing overt jealousy, he uses subtle manipulation to ensure her focus remains on him. And only him. He might criticize or undermine the person he feels threatened by.

He would likely increase his attention and affection, reminding her of their bond, subtly encouraging her to spend more time with him and less with others.

If things get more serious and he feels real threatened by someone to the point that he can't shake it off, he'll find a substitute to unleash his rage upon them instead of the real person that's ignited his jealousy.

He would never resort to harm his partner or abuse her. If he had to confront her he'd express his feelings in a way that seemed reasonable and caring, trip guilting her instead.

K is for Kisses (What Are His Kisses Like?)

Depending on the situation, his kisses can range from soft and gentle pecks to intense and passionate kisses.

They are often passionate and intense and can become demanding.

On other times his kisses could be surprisingly gentle and caring like forehead kisses or quick pecks.

Sometimes they feel like a mark of ownership, a possessive claim, involving his teeth.

L is for Love (What Is He Like When He’s in Love? Is It Obvious to Others? How Does He Express His Feelings?)

When he's in love, his emotions run deep. His obsessive tendencies, which he usually directs toward his dark pursuits, now focus on her (which could be a bad thing, unless she's not easily scared of the intensity of his feelings).

He becomes fixated on her, studying her every move and memorizing her habits.

He becomes more attentive and focused on her, gathering even more informations about her, not necessarily directly from her, but from her friends and family.

He most likely stalks her social media without revealing himself.

To those around him, the signs are more subtle, just increased attentiveness to her and a softer demeanor around her. He might talk about her often and showing signs of protectiveness towards her.

However he still maintains a certain level of reserve in public.

He can't escape his true nature. Love doesn't erase his darkness, it merely redirects it.

He's willing to kill for her and sacrifice anything to be with her.

M is for Mornings (How Are Mornings Spent With Him?)

He rises early, before her. He slips out of bed to prepare breakfast.

He likes making breakfast for her, he always makes sure to prepare something she likes.

He greets her with a soft I love you, with a gentle kiss on her lips.

It's a whole routine for him before they both start a day, so it's important to him to create a good atmosphere.

I don't imagine him as an angry sleeper, so I think he's quite cheerful in the morning even when he's had a sleepless night.

It's in moments like this, that he feels gratitude for having her in his life.

If he allows himself a moment of vulnerability, it's during breakfast.

N is for Nicknames (What Does He Call His Girlfriend? What Nicknames Does He Use?)

The nicknames he uses are simple yet endearing. He likes to call her beautiful or darling.

Sometimes he calls her sweetheart.

But mostly he calls her love, or my love with a hint of possessiveness.

O is for Open (How Open Is He About Himself?)

He guards his inner dark world like a fortress, afraid of consequences, afraid that he might accidently hurt his partner with the truth.

However he reveals fragments of himself, of his past, of his mind, but only on his terms and with a calculated risk.

When he struggles with something, he keeps it to himself, veiling his emotions, pretending he's ok.

When he can't hide it anymore, he tends to isolate himself until he's sure he can maintain the facade. He'd regret it if he accidently lashed out at her.

He's not accustomed to being completely open, completely vulnerable with someone and he struggles to do it.

P is for PDA (What Is His Opinion About PDA? Is He Upfront with His Relationship?)

He's not comfortable with PDA. He values control and privacy, and public displays of affection might make him feel vulnerable.

Yet, he may engage in PDA that appears appropriate and affectionate but not overly intimate.

He's selectively upfront about his relationship, presenting it in a way that supports his image and serves his interests.

He wants to control the narrative, presenting a carefully curated image of their lives to public.

R is for Romantic (How Romantic Is He? What Would He Do to Make Her Happy?)

He's romantic at heart, so committing murder together would be his way to show affection.

He can be quite romantic, using his attentiveness and charm to create memorable and meaningful moments, but he's not comfortable with great gestures or anything that would draw unnecessary public attention.

To make her happy he may surprise her with a date or give her thoughtful gifts.

He may leave her heartfelt handwritten notes expressing his feelings and appreciation for her.

Mostly to make her happy, he does small acts of kindness that show he thinks of her, like cooking her favorite meal or running errands she dislikes.

S is for Security (How Protective Is He? What Would He Do to Protect Her?)

He's fiercely protective of his partner, driven by both genuine care and his possessive nature.

He anticipates danger, ready to strike.

He'd eliminate any threat without hesitation.

He wants to shield her from the world. He knows better than anyone how dangerous and treacherous the world can be.

He'd go great lengths to ensure her safety.

He's like a predator guarding his prey.

If she was in immediate danger, he would not hesitate to step in and defend her, using any means necessary. And by any I mean Any means necessary.

Would he kill for her? Pfh, you gotta ask?

To protect her from perceived threats, he'd use manipulation to isolate her from individuals he deems dangerous or untrustworthy. Ekhem, David Rossi, ekhem.

He'd watch over her, sometimes from the shadows, other times up close to make sure she's safe.

T is for Thrill (Does He Need to Try Out New Things to Spice Up His Relationship? Or Does He Prefer a Certain Routine?)

His double life and dark activities provide him enough thrill, so he doesn't look for it in his relationship.

But he does like to experiment, so most likely he'd love to try new things with her from time to time to keep the relationship exciting. And I don't mean only in bed.

He'd love to try new food or new activities with her, something that involves controlled danger like skydiving or visiting a horror house.

However he prefers a certain level of routine in a relationship over constant changes as it provides a sense of stability and control that he finds comfort in.

U is for Ugly (What Would Be Some Bad Habits of His?)

Umm, his killing tendencies I guess.

He can't seem to stop threaten people even for five minutes.

Manipulative tendencies is perhaps his most prominent bad habit. Actually this is more than a bad habit; it's a core part of his character.

Control issues. His need to control every aspect of his life and relationship can become overbearing and stifling.

A disregard for societal norms and laws, reflecting his belief that he is above such boring constraints.

Keeping secrets and withholding information from his partner, especially about his darker activities, is another detrimental habit.

His obsessive planning and overthinking can lead to anxiety not only for him, but also for his partner.

Beneath the calculated stoic exterior, there's a tendency towards impulsive acts of violence.

Lying about his double life.

The list is long.

V is for Value (How Important Is His Relationship to Him in Comparison to His Other Dark Life? Would He Consider Stopping Killing for Her?)

His relationship is very important to him, both emotionally and strategically. He values the connection and the façade of normalcy it provides.

It gives him a sense of belonging and normalcy he craves.

It also creates an illusion of balance between his dark nature and his human side.

It gives him hope that he can be normal and different than his uncle.

A deep love could potentially make him pause his activities temporarily.

YET it's unlikely that he'd stop killing completely. Killing provides him with a sense of control and power that a romantic relationship, even a deeply intimate one, may not fully satisfy. It's addictive and it provides a high and a sense of purpose that's difficult to replace.

He would try to balance both aspects of his life, finding ways to continue his dark activities without endangering his relationship.

W is for Whole (Would He Feel Incomplete Without His partner?)

Depends.

He's self-sufficient, self-reliant and independent. He sees having a partner as an important complement rather than a necessity.

However when he's deeply in love, his partner becomes a missing puzzle, deeply intertwined with his life. His darkness yearns for her light and he experiences a unique form of dependency with her.

As a result he can't imagine his life without her.

However if he lost her, (though he'd do anything he could to prevent that from happening) he'd find ways to cope with her absence without feeling truly incomplete. His ability to compartmentalize would likely allow him to function, albeit with a sense of loss and frustration. Most likely he'd spiral deeper into his dark tendencies.

Y is for Yuck (What Are Some Things He Wouldn’t Like in General in His Partner?)

Lack of loyalty. He's highly intolerant of any signs of disloyalty or betrayal.

Insubordination. In bed, fine, but don't undermine his control outside the bedroom.

A partner who is intellectually inferior would bore and frustrate him.

Too depended.

Too independent.

An overly emotional, clingy partner is a red flag for him, also emotional instability he sees as a liability.

A blabbermouth is a big no no.

Z is for Zzzleep (What Are His Sleep Habits? How Is To Sleep With Him?)

He's a light-sleeper. His mind is constantly active, making it difficult for him to fall and stay asleep.

He's an early bird. Not in nature, but because of restlessness and nightmares. His mind hums with dark intrusive thoughts. His dreams are full of faces of victims, blood-soaked scenes.

His partner is like an anchor for him.

He waits for her to fall asleep first.

He pulls her close for comfort and protection.

Subconsciously seeks her presence in his sleep.

He's definitely the big spoon.