#one part is learning that not every intriguing idea can or should be a complete story

[bookshelf-in-progress]

A big part of author life is learning to make peace with the stories you'll never write.

[charliedawn]

Could we have the silent trio? (Michael, Brahms, and Jason) with a s/o that loves to read and write stories?

Maybe the S/O will read them the books they have or will get them to read together or one of them will find a small journal that basically had the S/O writing their love for them?

Michael reads a lot himself. He would insist on having reading sessions with you and the others slashers—especially since they all like stories. But, he would quickly notice the discreet glances thrown his way and the way you would always sit next to him and start writing things in that leather-covered notebook of yours…If he found the journal with your words about him, he’d be both intrigued and moved in his quiet way. He might not be one for words, but the way he stayed closer to you afterward—lingering longer after each story and reaching out for your hand more often—would say it all.

He would never tell you that he read your words about him, because A) he is a gentleman and didn’t mean to read your private thoughts and B) he knows what would happen if he did. And he doesn’t want to kill you. He knew that if he fell in love with you then Myers would make him do things that he didn’t want to. And he really didn’t want to hurt you. But, he would promise to keep you safe and sound—for as long as you lived.

Jason is a big fan of stories. He never really learned to read or write, so the only way he can get stories is by being read to. So he would be a comforting presence as you read, listening intently—even if he didn’t fully grasp every word. He’d find joy in the moments where you’d glance up, sharing a knowing smile with him over something in the story. But, you did start teaching him how to read and…he really wanted to learn and train his mind. So, he started looking around for something to read. Upon finding your journal, he froze, unsure if he should peek. But curiosity won him out, and he was surprised by the words he found with his name. Jason, who often feels he doesn’t deserve love, would be at a loss but also deeply moved. He’d probably bring you flowers or more of his handmade little wooden gifts soon after, silently expressing how much your words meant to him.

He would also read a lot more—just so he may understand even more of the words you used to describe him…

Brahms would be the most curious about your writing process. He knows how to read and write. He had a very complete education. He’d watch you jot down ideas, endlessly interested in what you were writing and occasionally begging for details. Discovering the journal would make him feel cherished; he’d likely read it cover to cover multiple times, basking in every word. Brahms would be over the moon, hugging you and excitedly bringing it up later, asking you to read “that part where you called me lovely” again and again.

He would also shower you with praise and ask you to read every single page about him. He would become bit of a sucker for those. He has no shame, which means he wouldn’t wait before telling you that he loves you too and hug you tightly—promising to love you forever.

[hetalia-club]

Giving you this bc ur like, the only hetalia blog i still follow that still posts. But like.

Okay back in 2018-2019(?) i had a pretty big hetalia phase, i watched hetafacts videos n every episode that was on YouTube, i listened to the music on repeat. It was a major hyperfixation before i knew that i was autistic.

For the longest time after i stopped, engaging with hetalia for some reason i would. Cringe really hard whenever i saw anything hetalia related. Like. On ao3 when you go to search things it tells you how to search things and one i got (and keep getting) is like "hetalia tag:f/f" or something idk how proper ao3 searches work. Id like screenshot it and go to my friends n say "it haunts me" or some shit.

But like recently ive been. Embracing that part of my past? I guess? Like. Almost like coming to terms with it? Idk i started having a less bad reaction n like, realized it probably one of the more normal fandoms i was in. I was, cringe, as all kids are, but i was. Happy.

And then like. At a sleepover a few weeks ago, one thing leads to another and im telling my friend abt the songs and how ich leibe is. Just a recipe, and how i used to listen to almost all of the songs. I show them the clip of France trying to get England to sign a marriage contract, America ordering fucking condoms from Russia.

It has been at least 2 weeks since, and i can feel the hyperfixation coming back, half the music ive been listening too again is hetalia character songs (theyre so fucking good???) and ive been getting. Urges to watch the show and. I dont know how to feel or what to do?? Like. I'm afraid almost to get back into hetalia? Like i watched black butler a while ago, and i realized how. Theres some weird fucking tension between ceil n sebastian n i think im afraid im going to have that same reaction to hetalia?

Cause like there is shit i just completely forgot about. Like. The Bad Touch Trio. And im scared man.

Im sorry to fuckin, give you all of this, but i just. I dont know what to do ig. None of my friends like or used to like hetalia, the one i do info dump hetalia stuff too does not like hetalia and is learning shit about it against their will.

Idk, should i watch the show again? Is it, good? I genuinely can't remember anymore.

Sorry for using ur ask box like a confessional

I mean I’m right there with you man. The sole reason I am still in the Hetalia fandom is because hetalia got me through some real dark chapters and events in my life. I discovered Hetalia years ago in Highschool while with a very abusive ex who had to know everything I was doing at any given time. He wouldn’t let me go anywhere without him there. I tried to break up with him but he actually wouldn’t let me. He would threaten to off himself if I did so I felt bad because his mom was an alcoholic and his houses burned down. I stopped really going anywhere at all because if I did he would come with me and he ruined my relationships with most of my friends just by being ‘the worst’. I stopped cheerleading, I got depression really bad, I started to do terrible in all my classes but I discovered Hetalia while on deviant art and was instantly intrigued. It was like “idk what this is but I will now make it my personality”

Years later while with my most recent abusive Ex that I just broke up with last November I got back into Hetalia when our relationship started to get really bad and hard to cope wit on my own. I needed an escape and something to help me avoid him and no care so much about his insults something that I could think about instead of being sad all the time. Hetalia is something that just brings me joy. Instead of venting to people, getting therapy or increasing my meds Hetalia was just always there to go back to and escape. No idea what it is about it. Won’t go into details about the relationship, it’s irrelevant right now but I’m sure you can guess.

To answer your question, no Hetalia isn’t ‘good’ it makes zero sense and is confusing as hell. But for me it’s fun to use as a spring board for basically any kind of AU I could think up. The characters can fit into any type of situation you want to shove them in.

I would say give it a rewatch, as much as you want anyway. What is the worst that could happen? You continue an interest that brought you joy? Worst case. You are a bit cringe? Who cares if you are cringe if you are happy? Also not encouraging you to live a double life but if you are embarrassed to like Hetalia you don’t actually have to tell anyone how obsessed with it you are. No one but my ex knows how much I like Hetalia and he really has no idea just how deep I am in this shit. But if people knowing about one of your interests humiliates you then just don’t share it. At the end of the day it’s your comfort and it makes you happy it’s no one’s business.

There are a lot of old fandom tropes that have disappears the BTT being one of them. They put them as a group still but I guess they call it ‘bad friends ti’ now. There are still some things that make me side eye. But that’s every fandom I feel. You can choose who you wish to associate with and who you want to block or avoid. It’s your blog you don’t own an explanation to anyone.

Personally I don’t interact much with the people of the fandom itself I got a few people it talk to every now and again but really i just do my own thing. I write my own fics for myself. I got my little tumblr, discord and TikTok, I post about my little AUs and dumb thoughts and continue on. If people want to follow me that’s great, welcome. If they don’t that’s cool to!

Thanks for sticking around with me even after your Interest in Hetalia fizzled out tho haha! That had to be difficult I am very annoying at times I’m sure 😭.

Again worst thing that could happen than if you are a bit cringe. But not being cringe is boring as hell. Irl I’m one of the most normal bitches you could find. Carbon copy white girl. Absolutely no one would guess I were a Hetalia obsessed loser irl. In a line up you could not pick me out and guess my interests. So in February I got my hair done right? I got like. 500 dollar biolage it fades from brown to strawberry blonde. Want to know the reason I got this hair style? Because of Italy that’s why. I wanted red hair like him. Did I tell anyone that? No. When people said they liked my hair and asked me why I went red I would just go “idk just felt like it” but I would be thinking about him knowing the real answer.

Good luck anon, if you stick around welcome back the water is fine. If you don’t can you toss me that life vest up there if you don’t mind? Thank you!

[archduchessofnowhere]

What the tea on Maria Carolina? You said in one of your posts: “Maria Carolina truthers know she's the most interesting daughter and the one there should be hundreds of books and movies about, but the general audiences haven't seen the light yet.” I’m intrigued

Hi! Sorry it took me so long; I was reading a book about the Bourbons in Naples and I wanted to finish it to be able to give a more complete answer… but it ended up taking me MONTHS to be done with it.

This answer was a bit difficult to put together because Maria Carolina’s life was very eventful, so I’ll just mention some facts about her life, focusing more on the Napoleonic era and Napoleon specifically because I think you’ll be more interested in that. Also please feel free to correct me If I got something wrong, since this is a time period I’ve only started to learn about recently. So what was the tea?

Born in 1752 Maria Carolina was the thirteenth child of Empress Maria Theresia and Franz I, Holy Roman Emperor. As part of her mother’s policies of rapprochement to the Bourbons, she and her siblings were engaged to different members of the houses of Spain, France, Parma and Naples. Maria Carolina was promised to the Dauphin of France, but when her elder sister, promised to the King of Naples, died of smallpox, she took her place.

Ferdinando of Naples had been a child king, and he remained so for the rest of his life. His only diversions were hunting and pulling pranks on his courtiers, and he had a terrible reputation across the courts of Europe as an uneducated, bad mannered, spoiled man, kept in ignorance by his Ministers so they could control him. Everyone pitied the young Archduchess’ fate, her mother Maria Theresia wrote around the time of Maria Carolina’s wedding that she “trembled in fear for her”. But duty came first, and so she went to Naples, aged only sixteen.

Maria Carolina did not had it easy at first. She was terribly homesick and found herself in a court that could not have been more different to the one she grew up in. When her sister Maria Antonia married the Dauphin of France, she wrote to her former aya:

When I imagine that her fate will perhaps be the same as mine, I want to write volumes to her on the subject, and I very much hope that she has someone like me [to advise her] at the beginning. If not, to be frank, she may succumb to despair. One suffers real martyrdom, which is all the greater because one must pretend outwardly to be happy. I know what it is like, and I pity those who have yet to face it… I would rather die than endure again what I went through at the beginning. Now all is well, which is why I can say—and this is no exaggeration—that if my faith had not told me, ‘Set your mind on God,’ I would have killed myself.

Unsurprisingly Maria Carolina didn’t fall head over heels for her husband, but she did convince him that she had, and eventually won his affection. After she bore a son in 1775 she earned a seat in the State Council (as her marriage contract established), and from that point onward she became an active player in Neapolitan politics. One of her firsts moves was to remove the Secretary of State, Marchese Tanucci, who had been Regent during her husband’s minority and still held a huge influence over him.

After Tanucci’s dismissal she became the person with the most influence over Ferdinando, and she pretty much had him wrapped around her finger for most of their marriage, acting as the de facto ruler of Naples. Every decision the king took was only after consulting his wife, and she often had the final say. However, this didn’t meant Maria Carolina held absolute power: Ferdinando was still a very unpredictable person, and as soon as his wife was out of his favor he stopped listening to her.

Maria Carolina was enthusiastic about the ideas of the Enlightenment, as many other royals were at first, and even protected and encouraged the Masons in Naples during her early years as queen. But she was still the consort of an absolute monarch that believed they were chosen by God to rule, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that she was horrified by the French Revolution and fervently opposed it. If it were for her, she would've declared war on France immediately, but this was not possible. On the execution of her brother-in-law Louis XVI she wrote:

Knowing your upright mind, I can imagine your emotion on hearing of the appalling crime perpetrated against the unfortunate King of France in all solemnity, tranquillity and illegality (…) He was the head of our family, our kinsman, cousin and brother-in-law. What an atrocious example! What an execrable nation! I know nothing about the other wretched victims in the Temple. If sorrow does not kill them, other horrors may be expected from this horde of assassins. I hope that the ashes of this good Prince, of this too good Prince who has suffered shame and infamy for four years culminating in execution, will implore a striking and visible vengeance from divine Justice, and that on this account the Powers of Europe will have no more than a single united will, since it is a matter in which they are all involved.

She was growing increasingly anxious about her sister, Queen Marie Antoinette, and her hatred for France became an obsession:

I hear horrible details from that infernal Paris. At every moment, at every noise and cry, every time they enter her room, my unfortunate sister kneels, prays and prepares for death. The inhuman brutes that surround her amuse themselves in this manner: day and night they bellow on purpose to terrorize her and make her fear death a thousand times. Death is what one may wish for the poor soul, and it is what I pray God to send her that she may cease to suffer. . . . I should like this infamous nation to be cut to pieces, annihilated, dishonoured, reduced to nothing for at least fifty years. I hope that divine chastisement will fall visibly on France, destroyed by the glorious arms of Austria.

At this point she had lost all hopes of her being rescued, and wished her “a natural death as the best thing that could happen to her”. But even though she had been waiting for it, the news of Marie Antoinette’s execution still shocked her. She wept and prayed with her children for “her wretched sister”.

Naples fell into a social crisis during these years, paranoia, fear and suspicion of the revolution in every corner. There was an active persecution of everyone thought to be a “jacobin”, arrests, trials and executions. But the country couldn’t wage war against France, and eventually they had to sign a peace treaty, which the Queen disapproved: “I am not and never shall be on good terms with the French… I shall always regard them as the murderers of my sister and the royal family”.

It was also during this time that the star of a certain Bonaparte started to rise, and Maria Carolina followed his career with interest and admiration. Before the treaty of Campo Fornio in October 17, 1797, she wrote about Napoleon:

I admire him, and my sole regret is that he serves so detestable cause. I should like the fall of the Republic, but the preservation of Bonaparte. For he is really a great man; and when one can only see ministries and sovereigns with petty and narrow views, one is all the more pleased and astonished to watch such a man rise and increase in power, while deploring that his grandeur is attached to so infernal a cause. This may seem strange to you. But while I loathe his operations, I admire the man. I hope that his plans will miscarry and his enterprises fail; at the same time I wish for his personal happiness and glory so long as it is not at our expense… If he dies they should reduce him to powder and give a dose of it to each ruling sovereign, and two to each of their ministers, then things would go better.

Soon she would have less nicer things to say about Naps, but she never lost that original admiration and astonishment.

In 1798 Ferdinando, encouraged by his wife and the British, led a expedition in December to try to expel the French from Rome. Not only the Neapolitan troops weren’t prepared to defeat the French Army, they were also technically still at peace with France, so this wasn’t a good move at all, and only two days after entering Rome Ferdinando had to retreat. Expectedly, Napoleon’s reaction to such a break of peace was marching over Naples. The royal family had to flee to Sicily, a tragic journey in which Maria Carolina’s six-years-old son Alberto died after a series of convulsions.

This ask is already too long to unpack all the political mess around the short-lived Parthenopean Republic, so to summ it up: it didn’t work out, and by 1799 the Bourbons were back in power. They were unforgiving of the republicans: during the following months there were thousands of arrest and hundreds of executions and deportations. Maria Carolina felt no mercy for them: “Death for the ringleaders, deportation for the rest... Our country must be purged of this infection”.

The Queen returned to Naples in August 1802, after more than three years of absence. She had never been a liked queen, but her unpopularity reached a new low since she was blamed for all the misfortunes of the last years. Having lost the influence she had on her husband, who held her responsible for the Rome expedition fiasco, she meddled a little less in politics now, dedicating mainly to her children and grandchildren, particularly to her unmarried daughters.

Speaking of her children, she had seventeen (!!!) but she would outlive fourteen of them. Part of her masterplan for them was to marry them all to her Habsburg nephews and nieces, and in many cases she succeeded. Just to name one exemple her eldest daughter Maria Theresa married Emperor Franz II/I of Austria. Maria Carolina’s relationship with this son-in-law ended up being a bit tense, since Franz found her mostly meddlesome and never aligned with her plans. On top of that, she was quite hurt when Franz remarried only months after her daughter’s death; after he announced his engagement she stopped adressing him as her son and resorted only to “Your Majesty” instead.

In 1804 Napoleon became Emperor, and we have a letter she wrote to Minister Gallo on this. Buckle up because whatever you imagine her reaction was, you aren’t ready for it:

It was not worth the trouble to condemn and slaughter the best of kings [Louis XVI], dishonour and revile a woman, a daughter of Maria Theresa, a holy princess [Marie Antoinette], to wallow in massacres, shootings, drownings, and kill six hundred prelates in a church, perpetrating horrors of the most barbarous ages at home and abroad, writing whole libraries on liberty, happiness, etc., and at the end of fourteen years become the abject slaves of a little Corsican whom an incredible fortune enabled to exploit all means to succeed, marrying without honour or decency the cast-off strumpet of whom the murderer Barras was surfeited, Turkish or Mohammedan in Egypt, atheist at the start, dragging the Pope after him and letting him die in prison, a devout Catholic after that, practising every deceit, shortening the lives and normal careers of sovereigns who might assert themselves, only allowing the dummies to vegetate, then atrociously, without a shadow of justice, assassinating the Duc d'Enghien, plotting himself (and he did not blush to admit it, so blinded is he by passion) a conspiracy to victimize the rulers he still feared, and on top of all these abominations he is acclaimed as Emperor: he and his race of Corsican bastards are to dominate almost half Europe, yet every thinking person is not revolted. Far from it, their egoism and weakness are such that they study how low they can prostrate themselves before the new idol… Send me word of the august Emperor’s intentions regarding Italy: whether he will deign to accept us as his slaves or will leave us in our obscurity… Tell me what the other Powers are saying. I imagine a Gloria in Excelsis Demonio will be the general refrain…

She took it pretty well right?

The future of the Bourbons of Naples once again seemed bleak, and this time Maria Carolina resorted to directly appealing to Napoleon. This was the beginning of a very passive-agressive epistolary relationship, both of them trying to be civil but still borderline insulting each other. I honestly find this funny, because you have Maria Carolina swearing to Napoleon that she had nothing against him or France and then she would write this to one of her ministers: “You will never imagine the rage and despair which the extremely insolent screed of the scoundrelly but too lucky Corsican has caused me.”

Despite the passive-agressiveness, when Napoleon was looking for a princess bride for his stepson Eugène he actually considered one of Maria Carolina’s daughters, Maria Amelia, as a possible candidate. But when the Minister of Foreign Affairs Gallo told Maria Carolina of Napoleon’s inquiries about her daughter she was so utterly horrified at the idea of marrying into the Corsican’s family that the project was immediately dropped (eventually Maria Amelia would go on to marry the Duke of Orléans, later King Louis Philippe I, and became the last queen of the French).

After Austerlitz Napoleon pretty much had all of Europe eating from his hand, and the Neapolitan sovereigns felt abandoned by every other power. Maria Carolina tried one last futil attempt to plead to Napoleon, but he had already decided to take Naples. The King was the first to Sicily flee this time, the Queen stayed behind and tried to organize a resistance, but eventually she realized there was nothing they could and also fled with her daughters. Before sailing she wrote to her daughter Empress Maria Theresa of Austria: “I fear we shall never see Naples again”. She was right.

The royal couple spent their second exile the same way they spent their first: Ferdinando living his best life enjoying the freedom he had in Sicily and Maria Carolina being utterly miserable. Her health worsened and she often was in pain, but recovering Naples from the Bonapartes became her obsession. She was the leading force behind every attempt to get the kingdom back, but soon she started to crash with their only allies left, the British. They wanted to keep the Bourbons in Sicily, getting back Naples was not a priority for them.

So remember Maria Carolina’s her reaction when Napoleon suggested to marry her daughter to Eugène? Well she didn’t took her granddaughter’s marriage to Napoleon himself any better: “Only this calamity was held in reserve. To become the Devil’s grandmother”.

But at the end, the final boss in Maria Carolina’s life wasn’t Napoleon, but the British. The Queen was too meddlesome and hindered their plans, and made a personal enemy of the British representative Lord Bentinck. Maria Carolina was accused of conspiring and being a threat to Sicily, and eventually the King was forced by the British to send her away. Exiled in exile, having nowhere else to go, she returned to Vienna in an eight-months-journey. While her son-in-law had no desire to receive her, he couldn’t turned her away either. She got in a better mood once she was once back at her childhood home, spending time with her Austrian grandchildren. It was there that she heard of the French defeats and Napoleon’s abdication.

Even though Maria Carolina made her hatred of Napoleon her personality for fifteen years she felt sympathetic towards him after he was defeated, reproached Marie Louise for not going to Elba with her husband, and told her that if she wasn’t allowed to reunite with him she should tie her bed-sheets to her window and escape, because marriage was for life. She also showed a lot of interest in her great-grandson, little Napoleon II, whom she called “mon petit monsieur”; in a letter to Marie Louise she described him as “very charming, quiet and well behaved” and told her that “may God give you in him every consolation a mother can receive.”

Maria Carolina was not to see the Bourbons restored in Naples. She died of a stroke in September 8, 1814, aged sixty-two-years old. At the time of her death Murat was still King of Naples, and the allies were happy to leave Ferdinando in Sicily. She was buried in the Capuchin Crypt, her death being only a small incident in the Congress of Vienna’s dance.

Overall, I personally find Maria Carolina the most fascinating because of everything she represented: she was a healthy daughter of the ancien régime that saw how the world as she knew it crumbled down and changed forever, to the point that by the time of her death she, the last surviving child of Maria Theresia, was a living relique (and she wasn’t even that old - a testament of how fast everything had changed). And she didn't got there sitting by idly: she fought against this new world every step of the way, made it out alive, but lost the battle still. And I don't know about you, but to me this is just a more interesting story to tell than Unoriginal Marie Antoinette Adaptation Number 7383.

Sources:

Acton, Harold (1998). The Bourbons of Naples (1734-1825)

Castelot, André (1974). King of Rome; a biography of Napoleon's tragic son

Stollberg-Rilinger, Barbara (2020). Maria Theresa: The Habsburg Empress in her Time

[bubblestopia]

an escape from her own mind [Aemond Targaryen AU!]

pairing: Aemond Targaryen x fem!reader

summary: a silver boy that seeks company to release his own nightmares that follow him even in the lightest places crushes into a heavy reader that seeks alone time in her own world of fantasies.  

word count: 1.159

A/N: please don't be too harsh on judging it, this is my first story that I ever published and im still learning so be patient with me. reblogs and comments are grateful appreciated, I am always open to new ideas and suggestions.

this is a work of AU! fiction utilising characters from HBO’s House Of The Dragon series. 

The library that was usually empty or with just a few customers is now full, with no place for her to sit and enjoy the morning coffee and the romance book she chose to entertain herself. Walking by the long corridor destined for wooden tables and chairs hoping to find a spot, preferably a quiet and secluded one from the crowd, she starts rethinking her decision on coming to the library in the season of exams where she deeply knows that the students prefer coming here to study in groups or alone. With no chances of finding a free chair she walks by the tall bookshelves full of every kind of story she could possibly think of, “the doors to escape reality” as she likes to call them. The very last corner of the library is the perfect spot to just sit down on the old carpet and make herself disappear in her own world of princesses and knights in shinning armour.

Time had passed, half of her coffee is finished and she still can’t take her eyes and mind from the book that is currently keeping her captive, but that will change when steps are heard approaching the corner that the girl had occupied.

The silver hair boy sits down opposite of her without any word. Thinking that now she doesn’t have the silent corner only for her, looks suspicious at him. “No space left in the other part” raspy voice admits and she finally takes a better look at the man. Long silver hair that could take a breath away, but the most intriguing part of him was his eyepatch, revealing one blue eye that she can not read, she can’t find any emotion that holds it, nothing, its like the dessert took over the ocean. “Its rude to stare, especially to people you don’t know”, realising what she was doing, her cheeks turn a bright red and she holds the book in front of her to cover the embarrassment that she had to face.

“Why would you read that kind of stuff? Its full of lies and doesn’t teach you anything” With no warning he spits out the words with an incredible disgust for the book.

“A book doesn’t have to be particularly meant to teach you something for you to learn from it, and it gives me a little bit of hope on this cruel world we have to live without a way of saying”

He knows, he knows this more than anyone and his missing eye is the proof of his endures and pains.

“You should teach me about your ways, I find fascinating the way you can stay in a little corner and enjoy your mind and imagination”

“Why would I do that more exactly, what comes out of this for me? And more important I don’t even know you, you are a complete stranger that just happened to sit in the same corner as me.”

“Aemond Targaryen’s the name, now we are not strangers” he showed a little bit of smirk hoping the girl wouldn’t notice it. “And as I can see in those glittery eyes of yours, you have too many questions that occupies your pretty mind, it would be my pleasure to answer them all for you and enlighten your desires of knowing what’s behind my eyepatch”

She’s a reader, she has questions, lots of questions that kills her mind every second she spends with him. She feels the danger that she could get herself into but ignores it and accept his deal not knowing how she can change her own perspective of life after the chitchat with the silver boy. “I am allowed to ask one question after one chapter finished” was the last condition she wanted to make.

““I hope you find someone you can't live without.I really do. And I hope you never have to know what it's like to have to try and live without them.”” He looks at her reading the chapters, the way her face relaxes, the way her eyes shine brighter than ever, the way her soft voice that is full of hope and happiness, he feels like believing her, believing that there is a happy ending, not because of the silly book but only the way she reads the paragraphs with her heart on the table. But he also knows that letting his guard down will only bring monsters in his life. Without releasing he find himself not listening to her anymore, he is just mesmerised of her, his thoughts stop when she clears her voice to get his attention, excited that is time for the first question. She knows she can’t directly ask about the eyepatch, she knows he will close himself, so the only question on her mind had to be spoken.

“What exactly are you doing in a library, in the dusty corner to be more precise?”. He takes a little of his time to think for a proper answer “I was looking for a book with greek gods, and that section is right over here” he points at the shelves behind him that holds the exact books he is searching for. “But why did you care to sit on the floor with no book in hands?” “One question per chapter, remember sweet girl?” He smirks, a devilish smirk that can tell that he is right and you are wrong, oh but how much she hates that smirk. She just wants to erase it and ask away her mental list of question, but a deal is a deal.

She just lost count of how many chapters she read and how many question she asked, but none about his missing eye. She didn’t found any courage to ask the trouble question. Without a warning the library clock rings and indicates that is almost noon. She looks at her finished cup of coffee and then at the silver boy. “I think it’s time to end this little book club” He chuckles at her nickname for the thing that was going for the past hour “You may be right, although you gotta tell me when the next session will be” He knows he still wants to spend time with her, he knows she starts being the light for him “Why would I want to see you again?” “Because I know you still have questions, and you will eat yourself alive if you don’t answer them” He was right, he knew it but now seeing her pretty face thinking to find a solution for this problem, makes his ego go even higher if it was possible.

“I will buy you the next coffee” she stayed a little to think for all the bad possibilities but didn’t found one, and a free coffee sounds very tempting, so she accepted “Deal” with a small smirk on both of their faces they left the dusty corner that now holds a part of history and future.

[naffeclipse]

Ok, ok, I'm gonna set aside that chapter ending for a bit so that I'm able to talk about the parts before it even though it has me in a very tight grip right now fdkhjgkjh

Just hrrrrrrrrr, so many thoughts where to even start!!! AHHHHH

Ok first of all, the first night! We get to see the perspective of the boys! They really were just about to go for a random human huh? Which I mean makes sense, but that would have been so very absolutely bad because while in the other hunter's case they could have claimed self-defense (very loosely as one, in the position of the hunter, could argue they didn't have to go that far), in this case would have literally just been, well, murder. From a demonic perspective it was perfectly reasonable of course! They DID seek out any animal prey first, and finding none, it was their one option left. But from a human perspective? Literally no different than any of the other monsters y/n has been hunting to protect innocent people. Little Reid will never know how his presence actually saved the people travelling with him.

And omg the kid! The sacred rules intrigue me more and more! The knowledge that he was in danger and lost was enough to make their growing hunger almost completely ignorable. As long as they hadn't found him they focused so intently on him and nothing else. Of course, the hunger was bad enough that they were still constantly aware of it, but it amazes me, because we see that later in the chapter they even fear being tempted by y/n's heart.

But ahhh, ok, getting back on track before I jump too much around, oof! That next morning was rough. Y/n already struggles so badly with their own self doubt, and obviously the one course of action the boys could take to not be discovered (or delay the hurt that came the next night anyway), was to latch onto that and make y/n belief they were tricking themselves which oof, oof, oof. I love the boys but yikes they do deserve to feel guilty for that one, because they at the same time made y/n feel guilty for doubting them.

AND then the next night! Oh boy, oh boy! I was actually wondering if the rake had no heartbeat, which I think this confirmed it doesn't, with Sun and Moon actively scanning for it. The night before they would not have noticed out of being too busy with Reid, (since they also didn't notice y/n's own when it spiked in fear), but this one? When filled with rage and scared that they could have returned to a corpse, and HUNGRY? I don't think they would have missed it, so I'm guessing it's kind of like the vampires that have it but it doesn't beat. Or it does but it produces no sound? Since the creature itself seems to not make a sound in general hmmm.

Oh and Naff! The foreshadowing with the bear traps was so clever! When they were mentioned again I didn't think of it much, but then I was like "huh funny that they've come up ag- WAIT A MINUTE, COULD IT BE?" And then it was!! Ahhh!! I like how once again we can see how smart and capable the hunter is. They are sick and very weak, but learned quickly from the last night and knew not to look at those eyes. They got a hit in, tried to get to the salt (which not a bad idea! and I have a feeling it will come up again too hehe), and then they manged to make a plan on the spot to lure the rake into the bear traps! Clever heart, indeed!

And then! What a brutal death for that cryptid! Honestly, all the others should be grateful (well, except doppleganger XD) that it was the hunter getting to them, because Sun and Moon do not hold back, especially knowing how close this one was to killing them. And gosh, y/n got to see every detail in that killing. They were horrified even when the thing was about to kill them. The glimpse at the demonic cryptid and now knowing it's the same one they thought they saw before? I can see a great deal of paranoia in the future days, which only combines now with what's happening with Sun and Moon.

(Sidenote: "Eclipses the gray fog" hehe, I see what you did there~ )

The relief of them being safe was so brief, because that following conversation was going to be hard yes or yes. Gosh, just, the plead for them to not be scared? Killed me. Instantly. They know they were seen. They know this fear, when everything is safe, is due to them. And now there is no hunger to distract from that little fact. And then the hurt, the disappointment. All around.

They were caught in a lie. As much as it was not a verbal lie, the insinuation that they didn't leave was clear as day. The making them believe that they were being ridiculous was clear as day. And they might be too sick to reflect on that now, but oof, it's right there for them to see. And it's a valid thing for y/n to push! The care has always been clearly mutual, but not the trust. From their perspective they have bared themselves to the boys, letting them in in so many ways, so from their perspective they are being shut out. And now they inevitably think it's because of something about them. Not proving themselves as trustworthy, and now Sun and Moon assuring it's not the case, and then immediately not providing a better explanation, while just having been caught tricking them will not be very credible.

And now y/n is afraid. Afraid their love for the boys is more one-sided than they thought, because even when asking if they won't ever leave (meaning for good), the boys can't promise they won't (because they might have to leave briefly again), and it hurts them so badly, it hurts them they aren't apparently trustworthy in the boys eyes and it's enough to not want them at their side through the night even when their presence has helped them emotionally and through the fever! And the boys can do nothing to reassure them, because it's either straining their relationship, or potentially losing them forever.

And hhhhh, when they ask if y/n wants them to leave! And they say no, but with how exact words are for them, the addition of there being something dangerous out there might imply to them the answer would be yes if not for the hypothetical threat! And that must hurt a lot too! And they are feeling rejected, and the last nights they couldn't allow themselves to be nearby and now that there is no pressing issue that would make them leave, they aren't welcome to be close and ahhhhh

My last thought is that now y/n is sad, and sick and will likely have night terrors for a good while, having felt the terror of a demonic so nearby again, thinking themselves so surely dead, but now the boys will be unwelcomed to help, at least these first few nights I think D:

Oooough, my heart hurts, I am eating this angst, it's just SO FREAKING GOOD!!

Excellent chapter Naff, 10 broken hearts out of 10 would cry again! </3

I'm so excited for what's to come! :D

Chaotik I am eating up this entire ask I just ahhhhh!!!! *rattles you affectionately*

There is so much I want to touch on but, especially that, yeah, the boys are making a lot of terrible decisions, not only for themselves but for Y/N's well-being and their relationship, but it's funny what fear will have you do, huh?

Thank you so much for reading and for all of your beautiful thoughts, babe ♥ ♥ ♥

[bromineiscandy]

CkJsw7PDsGZsdXRuaW5ndXIg5a+m6amX5LiJ5Y2B5LqM

[Video Attachment:

The video starts blurred, slowly focusing on the pale, ghoulish face of Null as they fiddle with the front, muttering to themself and someone off camera about the state of technology and how difficult it is to manage these things. Their face is partially obscured by a black gas mask, hair pulled back into a short ponytail, and their eyes do most of their emoting for them. Once the view is focused there's a monotone voice of confirmation off camera and Null's brows raise, looking and sounding content with an, "Excellent!"

They take a few steps away from the camera, clapping gloved hands together as they begin to speak, a young woman standing towards the back revealed by their movement. "Recording for purposes of scientific study in the event that subject Honey Bonnie Azrael should perish before being able to recall and detail her experience in inbibing my vitae. The purpose of this experiment is to engage in a low level bond with the young..."

They pause to look down at the girl, her hands fidgeting as she looks up at them. The juxtaposition of them side by side is very strange, Null looking almost completely greyscale next to Honey's pastel rainbows and glitter. She raises a hand and whispers something that isn't audible, and they nod in response before returning their attention to the camera.

"This young woman, to provide, to lend, to grant some semblance of my ability in the powers of vicissitude! An honorable desire to follow in the footsteps of my Delilah, to seek out an alternative method of learning the fine and intriguing art of flesh crafting! Ha ha ha. Ms. Azrael," They look back down and she meets their eyes again, "Are you aware of the potential consequences of these actions?"

"Yes."

"And you're a willing participant in this experiment?"

"I am. It was my idea."

"Excellent! That's my part done, no one can yell at me this time! Ha ha ha!"

Null tugs off one of their gloves as they walk off view, Honey left standing politely with her hands folded. She gives a bright, somewhat nervous smile to the camera and raises a hand to wave. After about ten seconds pass, the methuselah walks back onscreen, holding a glass beaker filled with a deep, off-color red. It emits a strange, heavy, orange gas.

"Now would you like to be strapped in for this or would you rather stay standing Ms. Azrael?"

"Oh uhhh I'll go with like, just standing, t'be honest."

Null stares at her for a full couple seconds before laughing once, handing over the beaker. "You are incomprehensible! Ha ha ha!"

Once Honey takes vitae(?)'s container, her host pulls their glove back on, leaning back against a nearby examination table and taking out a small notepad and pen. "Whenever you're ready Ms. Azrael."

Honey nods and gives one last, almost apologetic, smile to the camera before taking a deep breath, steeling herself. She raises the glass to her lips and drinks down the blood quickly, an immediate reaction almost making her choke it back up.

Null begins writing casually, not so much as flinching as Honey stumbles in place, every muscle in her body tensed and flexing as she forces herself to survive this ordeal. It's not as bad as it could be, she'd made sure of it.

She fumbles with the glass as she struggles to set it down without breaking it, falling to her knees and digging her nails against the tiles as she hoarsely gasps. The camera stays focused on her as she shakes, blood droplets misting the ground in front of her when she coughs. She's surviving, though.

The video continues for another five minutes, remaining focused on Honey as she experiences the agony of this exchange. After a full minute of no movement, Null sets down their notepad and walks over to where she's crumpled on the ground, poking her idly with their pen.

After a few seconds examination, Null laughs, standing straight and whirling around to face the camera.

"SHE'S STILL ALIVE! HA!"

They begin raving about being an extremely helpful person as they walk towards the camera, picking it up to turn it off, Honey in the background still in a heap.

Video ends.]

[vvivacious101]

My Reactions to S&B Season 2

If you are a fan of the books then you probably will not like this season... at all.

The Shadow and Bone season 1 adapts Shadow and Bone (the book) and adds original content with regards to the Crows and the Darkling's past.

I was not super impressed with the first season because they literally took every important moment in Alina's relationship with Mal and just deleted it. It really irritated the hell out of me.

But for the most part, the season is well-written, coherent, and it actually works. If this was my introduction to this universe, I would have been intrigued and eager to watch a second season.

But the second season clearly bit off more than it could chew, way more.

The second season of Shadow and Bone adapts Storm and Seige, Ruin and Rising, Crooked Kingdom and alludes to plot points from King of Scars (without conveniently having a King of Scars) all while managing to come up with an entirely original storyline for the Crows in the latter part of the season. When I say this season bites off more than it can chew, I mean it literally.

Frankly if inspired by the show you pick up the books most of Storm and Seige (like 95%) and Ruin and Rising (about 90%) have not been adapted to the show. There is a lot (A LOT) of content that isn't even remotely adapted. So if you like Mal and Alina give the books a go. If you really want to know who Nikolai is read the original trilogy.

One thing I really liked about Shadow and Bone is that it is morally complex. Alina is not a goody good character and most characters make bad choices which lends them intrigue and makes them interesting. But the show has so far gone a long way to redirect the story such that characters aren't forced into making bad decisions which neuters the story. The moment I really bonded with Shadow and Bone (the book) was in its climactic scene in which Alina in a bid to save Mal sentences a lot of people to certain death. She knows they will die, she knows they don't deserve to but she does it anyway and that cemented her character for me. But, the show just reworks that scene so that Alina doesn't have to make that decision at all. The show does this at multiple moments but it is most noticeable with Alina and Nikolai.

This season adapts some major plot points from Crooked Kingdom and does it well. Though I must agree without seething in Kaz's anger for the entirety of Six of Crows and most of Crooked Kingdom, it's hard to emphasize how crucial revenge on Pekka Rollins is for Kaz. It goes down almost exactly as it does in the book and that was really satisfying but now I'm really scared for how things will go down should they try to adapt the Ice Court Heist. The outbreak of plague is pretty crucial to the final showdown with Jan van Eck and faking a plague twice in such quick succession might not be the greatest of ideas, it will definitely not feel as novel. If the writers are creative enough they can actually adapt Six of Crows and most of Crooked Kingdom as is in the upcoming seasons and that is good but again I will be said that the end of Jan van Eck will not coincide with the end of Pekka Rollins. Also, I'm living for the scene between Inej and Pekka at the end of Crooked Kingdom and I am sad it will probably never get adapted.

So, the season basically adapts nothing from the rest of the Shadow and Bone trilogy, it just hits on major plot points to keep the story headed in the same direction but that's it. There are so many plot lines and scenes that don't even exist in the show. Things are way more precarious in Ruin and Rising than they ever got in the show.

And I'm not even kidding when I say this. There is a line in Ruin and Rising that I read ages ago and I was completely stunned by it. To the extent that I wanted to read the book it came from. My search for the book must not have been successful because I never did learn which book it came from. But, when I read Ruin and Rising there it was.

These are the kind of things that make the books iconic and when the show doesn't do the things that make the book iconic. It's never a good look. This is why a faithful adaptation should literally be the only way to go. If you are faithful, the fans of the original work will be there and you can appeal to a broader audience because more people watch shows than read books. But, if you try to take a middle path it leaves no one happy.

And don't even get me started on Mal and Alina. There are so many things that never made it on screen. I was really looking forward to the 'I am become a blade' scene. Literally, there is another scene right at the top of my head that I so badly wanted to see on screen but I never had hopes for it and seeing how they dealt with their relationship in season one, I didn't expect much but man they gave us nothing. Nothing. There is one Mal and Alina scene that actually made it to the screen and it's this one. But it's literally a drop in the ocean.

Also managing so many storylines together means the season is awfully rushed.

Two things that peeved me even in season one but I just forgot to mention are firstly, the height of the fold and secondly, Alina's sainthood.

The problem with the stupid Fold is that it doesn't stretch upwards infinitely. It seems to have a definite height which is a problem when you establish flight because why don't you just fly over the fold???

Secondly, Sankta Alina. Alina's sainthood is something that develops over time in the books but in the show, it is there from the moment she appears on the scene. In the books, there is a lot of discourse on faith and how it can be a double-edged sword. But the show just seems to revere Alina as a saint from day one. Again, why? It's never answered. This plotline also never goes anywhere except maybe to influence Inej's decisions but on the whole, it's pretty useless compared to how pivotal it is in the books.

So, at this point, we should talk about the Crows...

The Crows were the best part of season one but for season two they are kind of a mess. Frankly, this season lacks coherence. Across the board, things just don't fit right and it feels especially significant with the Crows because their cast is amazing and that's why individual scenes stand out sometimes even entire plotlines that are for the most part separate are good but when assembled with the rest it is just chaos.

Wylan is the cutest thing around, I can't wait to get his backstory. I'm in love with Wesper and Jesper for the most part is the Crow in focus especially in the latter half of the season. I really liked his entire arc about coming to terms with his powers though if they use this as an excuse to not cast Colm Fahey, I'm going to revolt. I wasn't overly into 'the Neshyenyer' plot but it correlates really well with Jesper's arc almost like it was created for him!

The first half of the season has Kaz in focus and the latter has Jesper. This season really does very little with Inej or Nina. I would have loved to see their relationship develop because they are such amazing friends. I'm in love with the scene in Six of Crows in which Inaj wakes up to find Nina tending to her, it was everything. I really need it but I have hopes!

Overall, this season is very very messy and frankly, at this point if we get a third I hope there is a serious improvement in the writing because the way it is currently is not a good look.

I really wish that if anyone decided to adapt Shadow and Bone again they really see it for what it is. It is Alina's story but it is also a love story and if you can't respect the latter you probably shouldn't be trying to adapt it.

[jeromepsychinnovator]

2nd Blog (4-Week Interview) : Interview and Hypothesis

We, psychology students taking GEE 16 (Entrepreneurial Mind), conducted an interview related with the proposed product which is the "Portable Tap water filter": a compact, water filter utilizing filter sand and gravel and activated carbon/charcoal attachable to faucets to make the tap water much safer to drink.

Indicated in the latter part of this entry are the answers of the ninety-two (92) interviewees (both from face to face and even online interview) to the following questions:

Do you drink tap water?

If there is a product that can filtrate tap water which can be attached to any faucet and can be detached at any time, and can be used for a span of time would you purchase it?

Would you purchase the product if it will cost around 70-100 pesos?

Additionally, we will show the summary of all the answer to justify whether the proposed product is feasible or not, and of course, we will share our experiences in interviewing people face to face.

Result

Out of 92 students, 68 answered "No" and the following reasons were analyzed using the thematic analysis. Most of the students who answered "No" almost have identical answers and the result of the thematic analysis/method are "It smells unpleasant", "Don't trust how the purifying process", "Only drink agua boo water", "Heard rumors about how unsafe the water in Dologon especially at CMU", and some did not state their reasons. Meanwhile, the number of students who answered "Yes" are 24 out of 92. And the following experiences they've had are either stomachache or completely none. Base on the results, 98.2 percent experienced stomachache and 1.8 percent experienced nothing and claimed the water as safe to drink.

84 out of 92 respondents are willing to buy the product if it is available, this result is based in question number 2. Most of them reasoned out that if it's for their safety, it's a great investment. Others stated that it can help them save money through buying a portable water filtration/purification once instead of buying distilled/mineral water sold commercially. The other six (6) respondents said they were not intrigued with the product especially its effectivity and safety. While two (2) respondents answered "maybe" and had no concrete reason to their answer.

With the third question in which price range is stated, 84 are sure on buying the product for it appears cheap and student-friendly to them. While the rest are still uncertain since these students are weighing if the price is reasonable and if their health will be safe after using the product because they don't have any ideas yet what will be the benefits of purchasing it. Three (3) of them answered "No" because they wanted more information, and they are skeptic the efficiency or how the product works. Also, three (3) out of them reasoned out it was too cheap to be trusted. While the other one (1) suggested it should be at least 60-70 pesos.

DOCUMENTATION

Hypothesis:

Null: There is no significant difference of the variables (filter gravel, filter sand, activated charcoal, fine mesh) to the portable faucet/ tap water filter

Alternative: There is a significant difference of the variables (filter gravel, filter sand, activated charcoal, fine mesh) to the portable faucet/tap water filter.

Group's Remark

We think that this product is very timely and feasible as it is a necessity, especially with how unsafe for consumption the tap water in CMU area is to several students and other consumers as well.

EXPERIENCE

Here is my experience regarding our second batch of interview. What I learned all throughout the interview is that communication always plays an important role in order to be understood and not to be misled. This 4-week experience of conducting interview was so astonishing for I was able to talk with different people who have different insights and perspectives. Gladly, my groupmates were there to guide and help me every time I got lost in track. Also, it's kinda hard because we do have a lot of things to do and we need to do this interview but despite of,we were still able to finish our task. The fun, excitement, tiredness, and adventure will always be remembered and craved for. Thanks to Entrepreneurial Mind Course for it allows us to experience such an amazing bonding with my precious group mates and as well as communicating with different types of people. "

-Jerome Marata

[absolutepokemontrash]

Hi! So, I absolutely love your series where the MC is the kid of Lucifer, and I was wondering if I could request that with Diavolo and Barbatos? •v•

:0 you definitely can! Right now I’m just doing Diavolo, but Barb’s will be up sometime soon!

MC is Half Demon and Oh Shit They’re Diavolo’s Kid-

Diavolo wasn’t exactly what one would expect of the prince of Hell, I mean, he was suppressing the urge to bounce in his seat from pure excitement. I mean, his exchange program was starting! Humans, demons, and angels, all together, his dream was coming true.

All that was left was for the student to arrive, the portal opened, and the human fell flat on their back. Oof, maybe Diavolo should have set up some kind of landing zone filled with pillows. No matter! The human was-

…

What peculiar eyes this human had…

Oh… oh dear…

Dad-volo

The MC was his child, no question about it. This was… very unexpected. Well, the entire assembly hall was completely quiet, and the kid looked like they were getting impatient.

“HEY! Mind telling me what the hell is going on?!”

After that, Diavolo launches into his explanation, also the explanation that he’s definitely this kid’s dad. Kid was not impressed, they tried to square up with Diavolo and Lucifer had never been more confused as to what to do.

Well, the moment MC sprouted wings and launched themselves at Diavolo, Dia caught them with one hand and continued speaking like nothing happened.

MC, please calm down… Diavolo didn’t know they existed, let him make it up to them! They’re going to stay at the Demon Lord’s Castle! Dia’s going to be a good dad!

“This feels like the plot to the world’s most messed up fairytale.” MC jammed their hands into their pockets and grumbled. “I get sucked into hell and find out I’m royalty there. Great.”

Diavolo managed to smile and awkwardly reach out to give them a pat on the head, then retracted his hand after the kid shot him a glare. “Well, it’s not a very traditional fairytale, but I’m sure you’ll enjoy your time here.”

“Mm, sure.” MC mumbled.

Okay, so his child wasn’t that enthusiastic about the exchange program, but Diavolo was sure they’d come around.

Dia tried everything he could possibly think of to get his kid to both like him and enjoy their time as an exchange student. A lot of things had… mixed results.

Also, legally recognizing MC as his child and legitimizing them caused a big stink amongst the nobles who were opposed to the exchange program to begin with. So MC then had to deal with a few assassins. Wonderful. Fantastic. Show stopping. Dia, be a good dad and comfort your angsty murder target- I MEAN preteen.

They do manage to build a good relationship fairly quickly despite their less than stellar first impressions, and Diavolo made them a promise that he knew he wouldn’t ever break: he would let them live as normal a childhood as possible.

This means that MC gets to do all the normal kid stuff that Diavolo wasn’t allowed to do. It honestly works out great for everyone. MC gets to live their life, Diavolo gets the satisfaction of knowing that his kid’s having fun, and Barbatos doesn’t need to worry about MC causing chaos in the castle.

Man… does this kid’s magic potential scare the shit out of everyone though…

Tired Uncle Lucifer

No. This has to be a violation of his worker rights. It cannot be legal for him to be this stressed.

He knew this exchange program was a bad idea. LUCIFER FUCKING KNEW IT. This kid was judging him. Why did he suddenly feel self conscious about every single one of his features? This child was picking him apart and they hadn’t even said anything!

He confiscated Asmo’s phone immediately, this was a matter of national security! Satan’s too! Beel as- oh shit Lucifer may have to give Beel the heimlich maneuver, then take his phone.

When all the brothers eventually got back to the HOL, they were greeted with Mammon getting shaken down by Levi.

“Lucifer! Ya won’t believe this! Levi- what’s wrong with you?” “The exchange student is Diavolo’s child.” “What..?” “*pops the cork off a bottle of Demonus* the exchange student’s Diavolo’s child.”

The worst part about this kid was that they took to the privileges of being royalty like a fish to water. MC went out and did whatever the fuck they wanted, and Lucifer needed to make sure a state of national emergency wasn’t called just because MC picked a fight at RAD.

It didn’t help that MC was just so unimpressed with Lucifer. Anytime Lucifer would tell them not to do something they would just raise their eyebrows and challenge his authority without saying a word.

What the fuck.jpg

The things he does for his prince boyfriend…

Cool Uncle Mammon

Huh, so this little pipsqueak is Lord Diavolo‘s kid? Hm, do ya think they’d let him into the royal treasury? No? Okay… lame.

Mammon then decides this kid would be just perfect for scamming people! Who is going to say no to the Crown Prince’s kid? A suicidal person, that’s who!

And the kid is… up for it? Wow, Mammon didn’t even have to grovel! Awesome!

It’s such a shame that Lucifer came in and promptly removed MC from Mammon’s presence. Tsk, killjoy…

Mammon and MC do get along swimmingly after MC stops angsting. Whenever they hang out it’s pure chaos.

And they would have gotten away with it too- wait, they do get away with it. Because who’s going to question the Crown Prince’s kid? >:)

Reclusive Uncle Leviathan

Levi was in the middle of throttling Mammon for his money back when Lucifer burst through the door looking like he had spent over 1000 Grimm on a gacha game only to not get the card he wanted.

And where was that human he said would be staying with them? Huh? The human’s HUH????!!!!

… wack. Maybe he shouldn’t have skipped out on that Student Council Meeting…

Either way, ew, new person he needed to talk to. NO THANKS. Well, no thanks until MC started to visit the HOL to hang out with Mammon. Of course those two normies decided to bug him. OF COURSE.

Levi finally snapped when MC loudly proclaimed that they could totally beat Levi in Mario Kart. Haha, NO. Levi challenged the little runt to a 1 v 1 race on Rainbow Road.

Kid lost. Obviously. Rainbow Road is rigged.

Honestly, kid’s alright. Still a total normie, but not completely terrible.

Cat Uncle Satan

Huh, a half human child of the soon to be demon king, how very interesting.

Oh, and just look at Lucifer’s face. :D priceless. Satan wished he was fast enough to get his DDD out to snap a picture, but he wasn’t able to…

But back to MC, oh how very intriguing. How much power do they have in comparison to Diavolo? Will using that power rip their fragile little body apart? Would they learn to control it? Satan was just dying to find out.

His feelings on the child themselves were mixed at best. They were clearly unhappy with the situation and Satan could sympathize, being thrust into a completely new world and then being told you can’t leave and are also royalty? That has to be hard. But this kid was still being an unreasonable little shit.

Satan continued to try and study MC from afar until the kid themselves walked right up to him and half demanded half pleaded for his help in studying for a test.

Not being one to avoid an opportunity to flex how smart he is, Satan agreed to help out. (Nerrrrd)

And honestly, it went well. When the kid wasn’t being a little shit, they were actually quite pleasant to be around.

Overly Affectionate Uncle Asmo

…wut

Listen, when Asmo asked Lucifer to pick a cute human, he didn’t mean cute as in CHILD.

This kid was DIAVOLO’S?! What lucky human had gotten to have the experience of [Jesus Fucking Christ, Asmo I’m not writing what he said for the sake of the nation]

Anyhoo~ little MC just made his heart go “SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE SO CUTE!” They were so cute Asmo could just eat them up!

But they were so mean! That scowl they always had on was going to give them wrinkles and ruin their perfectly cute face!

Sigh, oh well. He can’t manually rearrange people’s expressions. What he can do is take this child shopping. Poor Diavolo was constantly in his RAD uniform, this poor innocent baby shouldn’t have to suffer the same fate.

The kid continued to scowl at everything, but at the same time, their little quips were very entertaining. This little kid spitting verbal venom at anyone who displeased them reminded Asmo of someone… he just couldn’t place who, but they definitely had amazing hair and a cute face :3

Hungry Uncle Beel

Where’s the takeout- I mean human? What’s happening? …are all humans this small? Dang, that’s barely enough for a snack.

So the human’s not going to live with us because they’re not fully human and Diavolo’s kid? Huh. Wild. Anyway, what’s for dinner?

Beel’s not too invested in this drama, he misses Belphie too much to be that interested…

The kid’s weirdly interested in how cool and strong Beel is though. MC tails him to the gym pretty often.

Diavolo and Beel already being gym buddies send tweet-

Since this benevolent little shit likes Beel so much, they decided to take it upon themselves to help with the family drama.

Beel finds that very sweet 🥺

Murder sleepy Uncle Belphie

Oh man… if you thought Belphie was being unfair to L!MC due to their parentage… hoo boy…

When this kid waltzed up the attic steps like they ran the place, Belphie needed to hold himself back from trying to break down the door and throttle this kid.

Pff, of course Diavolo would have a half human kid. Of course.

…kid beat the shit out of him when he tried to kill them. We stan this MC.

After all is said and done, Belphie still isn’t overly fond of MC. They’re brash and rude and only funny 40% of the time. They don’t even like napping 😒

But Beel likes the little runt, so Belphie and MC put up with each other.

Bonus! Your Angelic Uncle Simeon’s Chihuahua

:0 friend!

MC: *speaks*

>:0 not friend! Begone! *throws crucifix*

[ellesliterarycorner]

Writing Political Intrigue

Spoilers for A Song of Ice and Fire/Game of Thrones

At this point, my whole account should just be a blanket spoiler warning for Game of Thrones. Everything about it is perfect, and one day I will be able to write political intrigue as well as GRRM. I’m speaking it into existence guys. Literally that is quite possibly one of my biggest aspirations in life. If any of my political intrigue plots turned out half as good as his, I wouldn’t even care if my book gets published. Today’s post is about my favorite part of one of my current WIPs, and that is the political intrigue. Personally, I think well written political intrigue makes any book better, and that’s just a fact. It adds a lot of juicy drama to any story, but writing intrigue is literally one of the hardest things on the planet for me, other than like math. So, here are some tips to write that perfect political intrigue plot and spice up your WIP. 

Keep Both Sides Morally Grey:

My biggest turnoff when reading political intrigue is when the author explicitly tells me that one side is good and the other side is bad. Even if your mc is working for one particular side, don’t actually tell the audience that the mc’s side is good. I would go as far as to say that in heavily political settings, neither side is completely good, and when dealing with plots and intrigue, both sides are going to be morally grey. One side may claim to have the interests of the people at heart, but that might not actually be true and that does not inherently make them the good side. Lots of dictators throughout history have claimed to have the people’s best interests at heart, but when finally put into power, revealed they couldn’t give a damn about the people. All they wanted was power. Plus, it’s so much more interesting when both sides have a little bit of bad in them, and the MC has to choose between the lesser of two evils. 

Don’t Reveal the Extent of the Plot: 

In most cases, those involved in intrigue plots may not know exactly how deep the plot goes, especially in large plots with many different moving parts. Very rarely will more than one person know the entire extent of a scheme. You have the mastermind of course, but the best masterminds trick people into thinking they’re all doing their own thing to service their own goals when in actuality they have been serving the mastermind’s goals the whole time. Most intrigue plots start out as one small thing that snowballs and snowballs into something greater. My favorite example is Game of Thrones. The audience doesn’t learn until the fifth season of the show and the third book if I’m not mistaken that Littlefinger, a singular person, was more or less responsible for all of the chaos and political drama that has been going on in Westeros. Most of the other character don’t even know that all of these somewhat seemingly unrelated events are all very very connected. GRRM, the author, does a great job of slowly revealing things in a way that allows the reader to connect the dots and discover things for themselves. 

Keep the Big Picture in Mind:

This relates back to the above tip. Even though the audience doesn’t and may never the full extent of the political scheme, you should. Sorry to all my pantsers out there, but knowing the extent of a plot or scheme can help immensely with writing it and with including foreshadowing. It will help you place characters in certain locations and give said characters the necessary motivations to do certain things in the story to advance the plot. Your story may not go into in-depth detail of what motivates every single side character, bit if you, as the author have a general idea of what characters want, it will you create the setting and make the scope of the plot much more realistic. I recommend keeping a whole lot of notes. Even int he smallest of political schemes and plots, the author will have a lot to keep track of. I would recommend keeping lists of character’s goals, motivations, and personal connections. These notes prevent the most dreaded plot holes. 

Its All About the Players 

Political intrigue plots are very very character driven. Wether or not the characters know it, every decision they make affects the plot in someway. In any story every character has their own agenda, but especially in stories with a heavily political settings, every single character is going to have a different agenda. Some of those agendas will overlap which is how you get alliances. Other times people’s beliefs and ideologies come into conflict which is how we get disagreements and eventually wars. Not all, but a fair enough number of politicians only have their own personal interests at heart. Unfortunately, we live in a world where not every politician runs for office in order to serve their community. Make your story reflect that. Any system of government will have  some form of corruption. Maybe your MC is a part of the corrupt network, or they are working to bring it down. Either way, character agendas and goals will heavily influence your story. 

Think Smarter Not Bigger 

One problem a lot of first time political intrigue writers (i.e. yours truly) have is that they want to create this huge intricate scheme with a hundred mini plots baked inside of it. A lot of time that can make the plot fall flat unless it’s written correctly. In my opinion, the best political schemes are the small, well though out plots that end up spiraling into something that takes down kings and empires. Maybe the mastermind meant for that to happen. Maybe they didn’t. Another Game of Thrones example. In the grand scheme of things, Jon Arryn’s death shouldn’t have been that big of a deal. It’s the catalyst of the whole entire story, but when you think about it, it shouldn’t have had too much impact on the world. GRRM does a great job of making that small event with almost no world impact gradually grow larger and larger as the extent of the plot is revealed and more people are drawn into it. A small, smart plot can be just as affective or even more affective than a large complex one. 

Research. Research. Research!!!!!!

One of the hardest parts of writing political intrigue is that it often requires you to write characters that are way smarter than you. I know very little about diplomacy and international trade relations, but several of my characters can talk about it in their sleep. But, I have something my characters don’t....Google. I google almost everything I write about. Research everything that you might need to know for your plot. Your plot involved a succession crisis? Research the War of the Spanish Succession. Is there an arranged marriage in your political scheme? History is full of arranges marriages, some good, some bad, and some very bad. Going back and finding historical events that relate to your plot is one of the best research techniques. GRRM was inspired by the War of the Roses. My main antagonist is inspired by Napoleon. History is your friend, I promise. Also, watching tv shows with good political plots or subplots can also help. Some of my favorites are obviously Game of Thrones, House of Cards, the Tudors, the Borgias, and the Medici. 

[moni-harmonia]

Chapter 2 Act IV

I knew this would be good. But honestly? It surpassed my expectations. I really believe this was my favourite story/archon quest up until now. So I have a lot to comment about it. Spoilers below

Well, first of all I have to say that I wasn’t a fan of how Hoyo did this quest alongside the Chasm. I mean that having to explore a completely new place while wanted to continue the story wasn’t a good idea in my opinion. Unless it’s a new region I think they shouldn’t have done this. I think this should have been added in the second half of this update so that we had time to explore first.

But anyway, the quests in the Chasm were actually fun, I liked the NPCs and the place is amazing. Also I love the little mention of Klee and Kaeya, I really appreciate that, it helps with worldbuilding too. It’s also funny how they make it a point to prevent Kaeya to be near Dainsleif. Anyway, I haven’t had time to explore it fully yet as I wanted to reach the story as soon as possible.

And what a story it was! Seeing Dainsleif again made me smile so hard. After a whole year we finally see him again!

I like that we waste no time in asking him about last time. That he was a royal guard from Khaenri’ah. We don’t have any reason not to trust Dainsleif, but I like how the Traveler is weary of him because he still holds some secrets and he’s against their sibling.

The plotline in this quest was interesting, intense and very emotional. So we learn that all people who have the curse are immortal, not only him. It’s just that for some reason he was able to resist becoming a monster like the others (I hope they explain why later).

It was incredibly sad what we learned about the Hilichurls, how they go to the center of the Chasm to finally die. I really like when games make their enemies pitiful, when we have a reason to feel sad for them even though we have to fight them. It makes it more deep and realistic, they’re not just monsters, they used to be people.

And by the way, the fact that Dainsleif says that these upside down ruins are from a civilization even older than Khaenri’ah is very intriguing, I’m assuming that’s going to play an important part in the future.

Meeting the other royal guards, now monsters, and them protecting the Hilichurls was both endearing and very tragic. And the fact that one of them, Halfdan, was someone Dainsleif knew and somehow he retained some of his consciousness as well.

But then we reach the scene with the flowers...

I really wasn’t expecting Lumine’s flowers to be from Khaenri’ah. And their lore is interesting. First, they’re called “inteyvat”. In-Teyvat? What a curious name... I’m surprised they didn’t bring that up. The fact that they stay frozen in place until they return home is very interesting. And the one who left them there for the Hilichurls...

Every time the Traveler actually speaks is emotional...

So now we have a more clear idea of what the Abyss Order wants. Aside from wanting revenge against the heavens, they want to reconstruct Khaenri’ah, and for that they want to break the curse. It’s very interesting, and morally is very hard. Because of course you want them to stop suffering and be humans again. But Dainsleif is convinced there’s no way to do that, and we saw that the method they tried to use this time was actually very bad for them, it made them suffer even more.

It’s a very hard choice, and when they tried the thing it was really impactful. Even Dainsleif was greatly affected by it. And Halfdan gave his life to stop it...

Even if their goals are noble, what they’re doing is clearly the wrong way. It’s tragic but if there’s no way to break the curse they just have to accept their fate. Halfdan last words... they’re powerful. “Khaenri’ah’s not gone yet, after all, you’re still here right?”. And we know that there are more, so don’t you worry Halfdan...

Even as an NPC we can clearly see his eyes. The star pupils, they’re definitely the proof that you’re from Khaenri’ah.

Makes you wonder even more about Kaeya and where he came from. Do they actually know there are survivors? I actually don’t think so. If they knew, they would have said something already, wouldn’t they?

The lesson that we take from those last words is that there are still people carrying the will of Khaenri’ah, even if it’s not there anymore. You don’t have to look at the past, but at the present and future.

Dainsleif had to leave to rest for a bit, at first I thought that we may see him again soon but the quest felt very complete. Since now they have a solid excuse for him to be absent again, I don’t think we’ll see him again until we go through Sumeru, we never know though, it would be great to see him sooner.

This storyline is definitely the high point of Genshin for me. It’s exciting and emotional. Can’t wait for more. I wonder what we’ll focus on after this.

[freedfromthegalactichivemind]

So, I’m rewatching where I last left off on a re-watch of She-Ra (wanted something I’ve seen before on while doing chores and whoop, not doing the chores).  Watching from “Save the Cat” on...  A few thoughts:   Adora’s voice actor is fantastic.  The way she says “Catra?” broken-hearted, voice cracking is... you feel it.   Hordak’s too... “En-trapt-a?”  Just so... sonorous, intrigued, confused, recognizing something familiar and important.   .... Wrong Hordak, where did you pull that vial of nutrient-rich amniotic fluid from? Is this a “Nothing up my sleeve!” magic trick or is that what clone ports are really for?  Hidden pockets?  KEISTER?!!   You know, coming back to the actual show makes me realize just how off-model fandom can get when we get in our fandom-holes.  Like, when I’ve hung out and read too much fan-opinion in the Entrapdak / Entrapta-stan / Hordak-stan hole, I see a lot on a sliding scale of anti-Catra.  I say sliding scale because not all of the Spacebat-side of the fandom hates her and it honestly used to be better back in the early fandom-days when it seemed like there less fieceness in the drawn-up sides and less passing around of fan-analysis.  Vice-versa, too, and the far end of Catra-bashing I see comes from people who’ve been bothered by people insistent on Hordak-bashing.  And then there’s us darker / “more realistic” fanficcers in general and it’s like... we forget how some of these characters actually operate, I think, and lose the plot.    What I mean is... I think people on the Entrapdak-side of things forget how much Catra contributed to the cause in fighting Prime in the end?  They take her every action as selfish and the narrative as “catering to kitty” when... she has the brilliant idea to use the flashes in her chip to figure out Horde Prime’s plans.  Did we collectively forget about this scene?  Learning the plot was important. Aaaand I’m seeing her reveal a flash-memory of Krytis upon Wrong Hordak doing his dummy-blab - also vital to the mission!  A lot of people didn’t think she did enough to “earn” a redemption, but she was there at key points and had an epiphany about the importance of other people and that she actually does care.   Those of us who are Hordak-fans don’t expect more than an epiphany from Hordak, which is what he got in the end in an independence-assertion way, so I am wondering why some of my fellow Hordak-stans demand magnitudes greater from Catra when I’m watching the actual show and I do see a good start of that.   Anyone who thinks that Etheria is going to be hard on the clones or should is completely ignoring how Micah went out of his way to peacefully immobilized the chipped people in Elberon, pleading for them because they’re innocent and just mind-controlled.  Yes, he said “innocent Etherians” so one could argue that there’s a respect for one’s own people that might not extend to clones, but I think it will.  I think it will be very obvious to them all that the clones were mind-controlled slaves, too, and will ultimately hold them innocent, regardless of what they did in the past under Prime.  I am not so sure about Hordak, given that he was an independent clone for a long time and clearly had a free will after some point, although I do think his indoctrination will be considered.  The clones, though... yeah, I think they’ll be helped.  Even the ones who have a lot of bruises from being kicked around when it was necessary.   Seamista - ah, that’ll be quite a ship going forward, for Mermista and Sea Hawk share important interests!  Dodging exes and ARSON!   I must give Wrong Hordak a hug now. Got the part where he’s crying over learning his life was a lie.  Poor man.  Bow sure likes cute things. 

[delimeful]

Helpless (2)

the next chapter in the drider virgil fic!

warnings: spiders, slight dehumanizing language, assumptions/jumping to conclusions

-

Logan was certain that he’d tracked down his quarry.

Of course, he’d also been certain the last two times he’d found promising evidence around a swath of woods, but this time was different.

He had learned plenty while traversing through the varied lands of his kingdom, and while physical evidence was ideal, word of mouth was one of the most useful tools a researcher could use to find leads.

That was part of the reason why he’d been so careful to observe typical travelers for weeks before his departure, the reason he was wearing worn, cheap fabric and staying at the second-cheapest room at this town’s inn, despite having plenty of money still hidden on his person. He didn’t want a single rumor about a suspiciously rich noble traveling alone.

The last thing he needed was for his investigative journey to be interrupted by bandits, or worse, would-be do-gooders attempting to return the missing prince to his place in line for the throne.

Logan resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the very thought, putting aside the last half of his travel rations and stopping at the edge of town to stare into the woods beyond. He checked his compass habitually, and he was pointed firmly westward, exactly towards the point of the woods that were occupied by a dangerous monster, according to the barkeep that Logan had plied for information last night at supper.

The whole town knew of it, even the younger residents, which was a point in favor of the creature really existing rather than just being another folk tale.

There was one other potential source on the creature, a town outcast going by the way others’ noses wrinkled at the mention of him, but Logan was more than ready to begin investigating for himself, and the odds that the outcast actually knew anything were low, anyhow.

Decided, he headed into the forest, prepared for the day-long trek that was sure to follow. If he was prone to less scientific notations, he might have jotted down that he had a good feeling about this particular town.

Exactly an hour and a half later, Logan had found himself almost entirely immobilized by layers and layers of gossamer threads strewn about the trees.

Needless to say, he was ecstatic.

Even the foolish manner in which he’d landed himself stuck in such an obvious trap couldn’t dampen his spirits, not when faced with undeniable proof that there was in fact a drider in these woods. He’d been too hasty in his attempt to collect some of the biological material, and by yanking too hard, had ended up pulled forwards into the thick of the intricate spider web.

His immobility was a bit concerning, but mostly frustrating, since he couldn’t reach for his journal to note down the surprising level of the webbing’s tensile strength. Still, proper scientists had to be prepared to hold onto their observations for as long as it took for them to be able to write them down.

Besides, he could hardly complain. His current predicament practically guaranteed that he would actually get to see the creature!

-

There was a person stuck in his webs, and Virgil was freaking out about it.

It had never happened before. Virgil very specifically made the webs closer to town thick and opaque so that any passerby would see them and avoid this exact situation.

Virgil peered around the cluster of bushes he had half-flattened himself behind. The stranger didn’t seem too panicked, at least, going by the way that the web barely swayed with his presence. He didn’t even seem to be breathing hard, which was… admittedly sort of strange.

Skies above, what if this was a trap? Virgil turned his head sharply to scan his surroundings, wary of human hunters suddenly popping out of the undergrowth.

Several moments of silence, and even with all his senses pushed to their farthest, he couldn’t detect anything. It seemed the only one trapped here was the human.

A pang of guilt curled unpleasantly in his first stomach. He grimaced, wishing desperately that Patton was here to mitigate the utter terror Virgil was surely about to inflict on this guy.

No point in drawing it out. He rose up to his full height, grateful that the human had gotten stuck facing the opposite direction, and quietly crept up behind him. All he needed to do was announce his presence and let the human know he wasn’t going to hurt them, but he was immediately distracted at the sight of just how tangled his webs had grown.

“How does one human manage to touch every single support thread at the same time?” he asked, voice incredulous.

The human stiffened, and he couldn’t help but tense in response, cursing his big mouth.

… Really though, he spent hours crafting these, and now this one would have to be completely reconstructed!

“Are you the monster spoken of in town?”

The measured voice snapped Virgil out of his thoughts as easy as a clap of thunder, and he shuffled a bit from side to side nervously. His many steps must have been louder than he’d thought, because the human immediately attempted to twist around and see him.

He failed, naturally, because Virgil’s threads weren’t exactly easy to wriggle free of, but Virgil’s nerves only grew. “I… why do you ask?”

There was a short silence, and then, “Considering my current situation, it’s only natural I would want to know, isn’t it?”

Virgil resisted the urge to wince at his own dumbassery. “Right. Well. Yeah,” he confirmed, already bracing for the fear that nearly every human bore when confronted with him. Even Patton had been afraid at first, though Virgil really thought him braver than any other human, to be so terrified of even normal spiders and befriend a Drider of all creatures.

“Oh, excellent,” the human said with clear excitement. “Would you mind coming around so that I can see you?”

Virgil blinked, befuddled. The last thing most humans wanted was for him to come closer. Maybe it was the natural fear of him being in their blind spot? The guy certainly didn’t sound very afraid, even with Virgil’s less-than-stellar first impression.

“Do you have a weapon?” he asked warily.

“I have a knife,” the stranger offered, “but I can’t exactly reach it at the moment.”

Virgil could see the glint of it, caught bladefirst at the very edge of a web as though it had been used on the threads themselves. He slowly circled around the clearing, watching the stranger closely for any sudden movements, until he stood before him, all eight legs and thorax visible.

“Fascinating,” he breathed, eyes blown wide as they skittered from point to point as though noticing every little detail. Virgil would have thought him afraid had it not been for the prideful little grin that sat on his face. “I thought maybe you were lying to me-- I hadn’t expected you to be so fluent in the common language, living in the woods and all-- but wow!”

Virgil felt his front legs rising up a little bit in an automatic defense against the unexpected reaction. He ran his tongue over his fangs nervously, trying to figure out whether or not he should be insulted about the language thing. And what exactly did this guy mean by ‘expected’?

The stranger’s hands twitched slightly, still stuck firmly in place, and irritation briefly flitted across his face as though he’d forgotten his position. He blinked, as though remembering something.

“Oh, right. Are you planning on trying to consume me, then?” he asked, the question as politely curious as an inquiry about the weather.

Virgil recoiled physically at the idea, skittering back a few strides and baring his fangs despite the difference in size and strength and trapped-ness between the two of them. “What? No!”

The stranger managed to drag his intrigued gaze away from Virgil’s fangs, his hands twitching again almost subconsciously. “In that case, would you mind helping me down? My leg has begun to go numb, and I really would like access to my journal.”

“I-- I mean, yeah, if you aren’t-- I can--,” Virgil stumbled over his words, drawing closer with his body lowered non-threateningly and waiting for the inevitable flinch or shiver of disgust.

It never came. The stranger continued to stare at him with no trace of terror in his eyes, even as Virgil grew close enough to reach out and touch him.

“Take your time,” he offered, despite being the one trapped in a monster’s web. Virgil abruptly felt a bit silly about his obvious wariness, and lifted his front legs to rub them together at the ankles. The stranger’s head tilted to the side slightly, watching the gesture intently.

“... It’s the oils that make the webs not stick,” Virgil explained. “I produce it naturally on my feet so I don’t get, y’know, stuck. I’ll have to touch the webs that are attached to you. With my feet. The spider ones.”

Virgil didn’t have any other kinds of feet, but the stranger graciously didn’t nitpick.

“A built-in solvent… I wonder if natural spiders have similar traits,” he mused instead, and then, “Do whatever you need, I don’t mind. The opposite, really, I appreciate the assistance.”

Sure enough, he didn’t shy away when Virgil began carefully plucking at the threads entangling him, sliding the sides of his legs along them to coat them in the anti-stick oils. Bit by bit, the entanglement loosened, and Virgil had just freed both arms when the human abruptly twisted around to reach for something on his person.

Of course, now that much of the webbing holding him in midair had been removed, his weight was significantly less supported. A few threads snapped, and he dropped a few inches with a startled yelp. If he continued, he’d be in for either a rough fall or getting caught in a whole new layer of webbing, and Virgil wanted neither of those things.

He quickly reached forwards with his human arms and lifted the stranger up and away from further entanglement, batting away any stray threads with his front legs. Belatedly, he realized he had forgotten to check if it was a weapon that the human had reached for. Even more belatedly, he realized that this was the second human he’d picked up in this impromptu carry.

Weird that it had happened twice.

“Perfect, thank you,” the guy said, and then he started writing furiously in a little book, occasionally glancing up at Virgil and locking onto a feature before returning to writing. It was as though he didn’t mind at all being held aloft like a human might lift up a misbehaving cat.

Virgil took the opportunity to continue cleaning any web remnants off the guy while he was distracted, his mind whirring. A stranger who had clearly never done a day of hard labor in his life, who didn’t seem at all afraid of him, and was taking notes.

... Oh, shit.

Virgil set him carefully on the ground while he was still preoccupied with scrawling out a label for a diagram of Virgil’s teeth. He backed up, softening his steps, and by the time the stranger pulled his attention away from his book, Virgil was already well out of sight and planned to keep it that way, regardless of the confused little call the stranger made.

He was not messing with what was clearly a mage out for his parts.

[gubler-me-up]

Fact Check

Request: I love all Reid don’t get me wrong but there’s just something about early seasons awkward soft and shy Reid that’s just too perfect! I love the idea of the reader always asking later on in the day if he could finish the fact ramble someone cut him off on as they were finding it interesting and him just beaming. Or him being self conscious about being lanky or smth and reader confesses how attracted they are to him and he just smiles so big and confesses right back

A/N: Thanks for the request, anon! We love an early season, awkward Reid! This was definitely a heavily (not really) researched fic for me because I had to make sure everything coming from baby Reid’s mouth was nothing less than accurate 😤 Hope it’s cute enough, fluffy enough and everything you ever wanted from this request! Enjoy!!

Couple: Spencer Reid/Fem!reader

Category: Fluffiest of fluffs

Content warning: None

Word count: 1.7k

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

It was the second day in a row where everyone was piled with paperwork to complete. You were working vigorously to complete your share by the end of the day. The last thing you wanted to worry about during the weekend was taking home case files to complete them by Monday. You looked around to see if everyone else had the same mindset as you. As you suspected everyone was nose deep in files, except for Dr. Spencer Reid.

As always he had finished early and was just sitting reading one of his many books he brought with him to work. He had his adorable reading glasses on and his long fingers were scrolling down each page as if it was nothing. Sometimes you wished you could read 20,000 words per minute so you could have some leisure time at work.

Your thoughts were interrupted and so was your gaze as you turned to look at Morgan who let out a big, exaggerated groan. You knew how much he hated paperwork out of everyone on the team. He got up and stretched to release some tension from sitting down for several hours.

“I hate paperwork,” he mumbled.

You chuckled. “Join the club.”

“You know, you wouldn’t be piled with paperwork if you didn’t procrastinate so much when it came to doing paperwork, you wouldn’t feel so scared by it,” Spencer said without looking up from his book.

Morgan scoffed. “I’m not scared by it, Reid. I just hate doing them, especially as many as we have.”

“Actually, a lot of the time procrastinators avoid the task at hand because they feel physical pain associated with said task. A great example would be someone who procrastinates tackling a mathematical or scientific equation because just thinking about it hurts them. The parts of our brain which feel pain actually-”

“And it’s time for my coffee break,” Morgan said before leaving his desk.

You looked over at Spencer and saw the excitement of spewing facts about procrastination leave his eyes. He went back to looking down at his book and continued to read. While he was telling Morgan his procrastination fact, you were intrigued. You too struggled with major procrastination.

You truly loved hearing him ramble on about random facts though. You felt more educated about a wide range of topics not even your best college professors could touch on. You always caught him after work to ask for him to finish his fact and he was always glad to tell you the rest. He looked so ecstatic every time you asked and his precious cheeks would turn a little pink. It was as if each time you asked, he didn’t expect you to.

“Psst, hey, Spence,” you whispered.

He looked up at you. “Yes?”

“Does the parietal lobe actually feel pain when we’re scared about something we’ve been procrastinating?” You asked.

“The parietal lobe is quite an expansive part. The centre of the brain controls how a person identifies objects, interpreting touch, understand spatial relationships and feeling pain. Since we have identified what we fear, that part of the brain now associates it with pain automatically. To make ourselves feel comfortable again, we naturally avoid whatever we’re procrastinating,” he explained.

You gawked at him with awe. It was quite entertaining hearing him spit facts out as if he was an audiotape of a textbook. He looked embarrassed again and began to stray his eyes away from yours to avoid your stare. To be fair you shouldn’t be staring at him with such intensity anyway.

“That was very interesting. Thank you for that, Spence,” you said as you looked away from him.

“Any time, Y/N. Glad you like them,” he said.

When he said that you could just hear the smile in his voice. You giggled silently to yourself. You were happy you could make him feel as if he had a sense of belonging when his facts weren’t needed for a case.

“Hey, Y/N. How many case files you got left?” Elle asked.

“About 20,” you said.

“23 if you’re not rounding,” Reid chimed in.

“What the doctor said,” you replied.

Elle chuckled. “Well, since you’re 23 files away from being done, would you be interested in any coffee to speed the process up?”

You let out an exaggerated sigh of relief. “Do I ever.”

“You know coffee can actually stimulate a sense of anxiety, which I don’t think would be handy right now considering you’re almost done,” Reid said.

“Oh, that’s rich coming from you, Dr. Coffee addict. Besides, in your world Y/N is almost done, but in our world she’s going to need a coffee to keep going. How do you take it?” Elle asked as she stood up.

“Two sugars with milk,” you said.

“You should try switching out milk for cream. Cream actually makes coffee stay warm longer because-”

“And I’ll be right back,” she said as she walked away.

You looked over at Spencer who went back to reading again. You were going to ask him to continue, but thought it was best to ask him after you were done your case files. If you neglected them any longer your fear of having your weekend ruined would become a reality. Unlike Morgan, you were ready to kick your fear of doing case files to the curb.

At the end of the day, you packed up your things to leave. You ended up finishing all your casework and could finally look forward to the weekend. You walked out of the bullpen towards the elevator. To your pleasant surprise Spencer was there still.

“Hey, thought you left already,” you said.

He turned his head around to look at you. He had taken his glasses off and you could see his big, hazel eyes clearly. His face was so inviting with his awkward smile and rosy cheeks. You couldn’t understand why anyone would shut down his eager fact spilling with a face like his.

“No, I, uh, decided to stick around a bit,” he said.

“Great. I just wanted to say how right you were when you said cream makes your coffee stay warm longer. My second cup was warmer way longer than my first. Why is that?” You asked.

His awkward smile turned into a beaming one. “Well, it’s because cream thickens coffee, so it slows the process of evaporation. By slowing the initial evaporation process, you avoid losing a lot of heat altogether.”

“Oh my God, I’ve been drinking coffee wrong my whole life?” You rhetorically asked.

“Actually not your entire life because according to American Academy of Pediatrics the proper age for coffee intake is 12 or older with the average intake being between 85 to 100 milligrams per day,” he said.

“It was rhetoric and sarcastic, but that is one fact I did sort of know,” you giggled.

He blushed. “Sorry.”

You pressed the elevator button. “No, it’s fine. I love hearing you tell facts, so I don’t mind.”

“Why?”

You looked at him confused. “Why what?”

“Well, I-I mean, um, no one really asks me to continue a fact,” he said.

“Well, I’m not them. I enjoy learning through you,” you assured him.

The elevator doors opened and you both walked in. You two stood fairly close to each other in an empty elevator. You looked over at Spencer, but he didn’t look at you. He was looking straight ahead, trying his best not to make eye contact with you. His face was even redder than before. You cleared your throat, but he didn’t even move his eyes over to you.

“Are you okay, Spen-”

“Out of curiosity, Y/N, do you actually enjoy talking to me?” He asked as he turned to look at you.

You nodded. “Of course. Why wouldn’t I?”

“Well, you just seem as if you’d rather talk to Morgan or Elle over me,” he said.

You chuckled. “Is that your profile of me, doctor? If so, it’s weak. I love nothing more than hearing your facts or informing me of something new in your world of expertise. I really like talking to you.”

He looked at you wide-eyed, almost stunned. You don’t think once in his entire life he felt as if his rambles were appreciated somewhere. You were glad you could let him know that they are and that your ear was always ready for them.

“I wouldn’t expect you to find someone like me great to be around. I ramble, I’m awkward looking and lack a bit in understanding social cues. You’re more uniformed and I just thought you’d like people in your circle to be the same way,” he said.

“Spencer, I have no idea how Gideon even got you into the field with profiling skills like yours. I think you’re amazing mentally and physically. The social cues could use some work, but everything else is darn near perfect,” you said.

A wide smile flashed on his face before he tried to hide it by pressing his lips tightly together. He looked at the floor for a few moments. You had probably broken Dr. Spencer Reid. If he had nothing to say you had messed some wiring up.

He looked back up at you. “I… I think you’re amazing as well in every way possible.”

You giggled. “Is that a fact or a guess?”

He chuckled. “Um, uh, a fact.”

The elevator doors soon opened and you both stepped out. You looked at him as you pulled out your car keys from your purse. He fully embraced his big smile as he still tried to avoid eye contact with you. At least you broke him in one area.

“How about we fact check your fact about me and go get coffee sometime. Only with cream and sugar, of course,” you said.

He looked at you and nodded. “I’d like that.”

“Great, I’ll call you,” you said as you waved him goodbye.

He waved at you as well as you both turned your backs to each other to go your respective ways. You were giddy about your future date with Spencer. Half because you thought he was an amazing individual and wanted to know him on a deeper level. Half because you wanted to know what new facts he could tell you. Either way it was going to be a grand time for both of you.

—–

MASTERLIST

[aomine-ryo]

Please do a scenario for the GOM reacting to their figure skater gf. Thank you 💜 I love your blog btw, its nice to see that the knb fandom is still alive. My heart is patiently waiting for a season 4 huhuhu 😭

Omg i will die if there’s ever a season 4. Also this was such a cute idea and I made Kise’s one so long and tbh it’s a concept for a wholeass fic lmao. Anyways, hope you like it xx

Scenario: GOM with a figure skater s/o

Kise

You and Kise had only been dating for a few weeks so there was still so much to learn about each other. Everyday there was something new that he learned about you that made him fall in love with you more and more. Even the smallest little things about you sparked his interest. Just the other day, he had a whole moment when he found out you liked the same cereal as he did.

Of course, him finding out you did figure skating elicited a bigger reaction from him than just liking the same cereal. It was just another Tuesday for you when your school day finally approached it’s end. Just you were heading out the school gates, you spotted your boyfriend standing and waving with a big smile on his face.

“Ryouta!” you squealed as you ran into his arms. “What are you doing here?” you questioned, not used to seeing him here since he was in a different school.

“I came to surprise my lovely girlfriend and invite her on a date of course,” he replied sweetly.

“Oh,” you said, your smile faltering as your shoulders dropped in evident disappointment. “I appreciate it, but I actually have practice today.”

“Practice?” Kise furrowed his brows. “Practice for what?”

“I have figure skating practice today. I usually head to the rink after sch—“

“You figure skate?” Kise exclaimed rather loudly; you were quite sure the whole street heard him.

“Yeah I do,” you giggled at his excitement.

“Y/N-cchi, how come you never told me? Can I watch your practice?” he asked, wide-eyed.

“You really want to watch? It can get a bit boring,” you asked.

“Of course I want to watch!” he beamed as he took your hand in his. “Lead the way.”

Grabbing a snack from a grocery store on the way, the two of you headed to the rink, where your coach was waiting for you.

“Woah, you get this while place to yourself?” Kise said breathlessly when you entered the chilly arena with skates in one hand and Kise’s palm in the other.

“Sometimes other people train here too, but today seems like it’s just me,” you shrugged.

You and Kise moved to the stands so you could get your skates on before you got onto the ice. After warming up for a bit, your coach went over your usual drills before you began to rehearse your routine that you were practicing for an upcoming competition.

Meanwhile, Kise was watching you wait nothing but intrigue in his amber eyes. Even while you were just doing your exercises, he found you absolutely graceful. Needless to say, when he finally saw the routine, he was over the moon. He had to hold himself back from hooting and cheering during it in case that threw you off. He was so excited in fact, that he had moved from his seat in the stands to the area right by the rink so he could get a closer look. His eyes never left you for even a moment.

Once your practice was over, you skated over to the edge where Kise was bent over the rails. “Well, boring isn’t it?” You said to him.

“Are you kidding me? You’re mesmerising! My Y/N-cchi is so talented,” he said, stealing a quick kiss from your lips.

Caught up in the moment, you didn’t notice your coach make his way over to you two. “You must be Kise,” he said, holding his hand out for the blonde to shake.

“Yes I am. Y/N-cchi’s been talking about me, haven’t you?” Kise inferred, throwing you a cheeky grin.

“Y/N’s mentioned you a fair few times,” your coach chuckled. “It’s your first time here isn’t it?”

“Yeah it is,” Kise nodded.

“Well, Y/N seems to do much better when you’re here. You should visit more often,” your coach said, making you want to crawl in a hole out of embarrassment.

“Is that so? I’ll do that for sure,” Kise laughed. “I was thinking that I should pick up ice skating too— just casually though.”

“Really?” you asked, eyes lighting up.

“Yeah, we could do a routine together if you’re up for it. Let me get the basics down first though,” Kise suggested.

“I can give you a few pointers if you need any. If I think your routine is good enough, maybe I’ll enter you two in a competition,” your coach said.

You were excited now; Kise was a quick learner so there was no doubt that you’d be practicing with him in no time.

A few months went by and Kise was attending almost all of your practices with you. He’d gotten quite good at it too— there were still a few falls that were absolutely hilarious because he’d whine every time, but for the most part he was much better than most amateurs.

Your coach was very amused by his progress too. “A basketball player and a figure skater in one— you don’t see that often,” he’d chuckle.

Figure skating was never something Kise saw himself doing. But looking at how beautiful you looked when you skated, an eagerness was lit up in him. No matter how hard he’d practice, he knew he’d never match up to you. There was something about the way you moved so gracefully that made him feel like whatever he attempted was inferior. He wasn’t complaining though— he was doing this for fun after all. Plus getting to see you move like that was a privilege enough.

Moreover, skating with you allowed him to spend even more time with you, and that time only increased when you two got serious about your routine as partners. Neither of you were expecting to win the competition, but you were certainly having fun in the process.

Eventually the day came where you were in an official arena with Kise. Sliding onto the ice with someone was a strange feeling as someone who was used to competing individually. In a way, it was reassuring. Kise held your hand tight as you got into position in the centre of the rink.

“Ryouta, I’m actually kinda nervous,” you muttered to him.

Honey eyes looked at you softly as your hand was squeezed even tighter. “Don’t be— I’m here with you, every step of the way,” he whispered. “Besides, you can’t possibly look worse than me.”

You felt the tension ease a little as you let out a giggle. “If we go down we go down together, I guess,” you shrugged, the idea bringing you a strange comfort.

“Exactly,” Kise smiled. He looked to the side and spotted the technician giving you two a thumbs up. “You ready?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” you replied.

Kise nodded in confirmation before letting go of your hand and getting into position. “We got this.”

Midorima

Midorima loves you; he loves everything you do. Even if you murdered someone, he’d probably still love you (though he’d probably scold you while he helps you hide the body— but let’s not get into the specifics of that). Needless to say, he absolutely adored watching you skate.

Midorima is a busy person though, so it’s hard for him to find time to watch you as much as he’d like. Every time he did get the chance though, he was absolutely mesmerised, as though he was experiencing it for the first time all over again.

He’d never forget the first time he saw you skate though. You’d just begun dating and you had a competition that you invited him to. He wanted to meet up with you before it started, but his basketball practice ran on for longer than he expected. For a moment, he thought he’d miss it all together, but after a quick train ride and a lot of running, he made it just in time for your slot.

Admittedly, Midorima was really unfamiliar with figure skating. He told himself that he’d read into it since you were a skater yourself, but he never got the chance to. He made his way into the crowded stands and found himself a seat, feeling rather out of place considering he was still in his bright orange tracksuit. He didn’t dwell on it for too long though because his attention was quickly drawn to the ice that you were gliding onto.

For a fleeting moment, his jaw dropped. You looked gorgeous. The confidence you seemed to have as you got into position was a side of you he’d never seen before. It was like a different person altogether. Your name was announced in the speakers, eliciting a cheer from the crowd following by a small chatter that snapped him out of his trance for a moment. The music began to play and the crowd died down as all eyes were on you.

Right off the bat, you moved with purpose. Blades gliding on the sleek ice with such grace as your body swayed to the music. The moment you landed your first triple axel, Midorima was sure of it— this was your element. Completely lost in your routine, Midorima’s breath was taken away. And when it finally ended with a loud cheer from the crowd, he was left amazed. When his horoscope placed Cancer in first that day, he didn’t think he’d be so lucky to see something this gorgeous, but here he was.

He quickly rushed down the stands to meet up with you the moment he pulled himself together. As you were taking your skates off, you spotted him approaching you almost immediately— I mean, how can you not notice the 6 foot tall, green-haired man?

Your face lit up in an instant as you ran over to him barefooted and leaped into his arms. “Shin! You made it!” you exclaimed in glee.

“Well, I couldn’t miss a performance that good, now could I?” he said with a soft smile as he hugged you tight.

“You liked it? It wasn’t really my best score, but it’s up there,” you said, composing yourself and pulling away from him.

“I don’t really understand the scoring system, but you were phenomenal— really. I could watch you do that all day if I could,” he said genuinely.

“I don’t think I have the stamina to be skating like that all day,” you giggled. “But thank you, it means a lot.”

After that day, Midorima did his best to free up some space in his schedule to watch you practice. Seriously, he was addicted to watching you skate. It blew his mind every time. Of course, he’d be there for every single competition, cheering you on because he was now without a doubt, your biggest fan.

Aomine

“Competition? What competition?” Aomine questioned one day as the two of you walked to school together.

“Have I not told you before? I figure skate,” you said simply.

Aomine stopped in his tracks for a moment, catching you off guard as you stopped too to see what had happened. He just stared at you with a baffled expression. “You figure skate?! That’s fucking hot! Why haven’t you told me before?” Aomine exclaimed.

You couldn’t help but laugh. “Well I’m telling you now. I’m guessing you’ll be there tonight then?”

“That shouldn’t even be a question,” Aomine shook his head as he took your hand in his and continued walking. “Are you any good?” He asked.

“Well, I’m good enough to be in a competition, aren’t I?”

“True. I bet you’re great at it; you’re great at everything,” Aomine said.

“That’s not true,” you replied.

“It is.”

“So you’re saying I’m great at basketball too?”

Aomine visibly hesitated as he thought back to all the times he tried to teach you how to play. “Uh, yeah sure, let’s say that,” he lied.

“Shut up,” you laughed, playfully punching his arm.

For some reason, Aomine would not shut up about you being a figure skater for the rest of the day. You were trying to have a conversation with Momoi when he intervened, “Did you know Y/N’s a figure skater? How cool is that?”

“Yes I did know, Dai-chan. I’m guessing you told him about the competition today?” Momoi said returning her attention to you.

You nodded in response but Aomine stood there, slightly offended. “You told her but not me?”

“I just assumed you knew,” you shrugged, finding it quite cute how he was so invested in your sport.

“You shouldn’t assume I know anything,” Aomine said, making both you and Momoi roll your eyes and laugh at him.

Eventually, evening came and you were in the waiting room with your coach, with your eyes glued on the screen that broadcasted the current participant as you mentally prepared yourself for your turn, which was creeping up upon you. Meanwhile, Aomine was seated in the audience with Momoi, being as impatient as ever. “When is Y/N coming?” he yawned.

“Y/N should be up next,” Momoi informed as the song slowly reached its end.

The crowd cheered and a chatter started once again as everyone waited for the next person to take the ice. It took a few more minutes, but you finally entered the rink, skating to the center to get into position.

Almost immediately, Aomine’s jaw dropped. You looked stunning. The way your suit dazzled and clung onto your body was pure art. He swore that he fell in love with you all over again just at the sight.

The music began after a nod of confirmation from you and your skates began to roam the ice ever so smoothly. Aomine was blown away. You were nothing like the previous participants. The way you moved was so clean and purposeful. With each spin and leap, Aomine’s heart skipped a beat— you had his complete attention.

He was quite sure Momoi was talking to him, but he didn’t hear a word. For some reason, everything else around him seemed to fade out as he watched you skate, almost like he was stuck in a trance.

He was finally snapped out of it when the routine came to an end, leaving him at a loss for words as he joined the crowd in their applause.

You made your way off the ice and headed back inside towards the changing rooms, where you ran into Aomine and Momoi in the hallways. “Oh hey guys, what did you think?” You asked as you rotated your ankles nonchalantly to relieve them from the slight soreness you felt.

“You were so so good, Y/N. Dai-chan was so silent during the entire thing, I think you hypnotised him or something,” Momoi joked as she nudged Aomine’s arm playfully.

You turned your attention to your boyfriend, who was rolling his eyes at Momoi’s comment. “Well, was that performance worth all the hype you seemed to have?” you asked him.

“Of course it did. You did so well out there— not to mention the fact that you look incredible in that suit,” Aomine said, still unable to take his eyes off of you.

“Aw really?” You smiled.

“Yeah, you look fucking hot,” Aomine responded confidently.

You couldn’t help but giggle before you got on your toes to place a kiss of gratitude on his cheek, making him flustered. “Well, thank you Daiki— it means a lot.”

Murasakibara

You won’t be able to find someone that loves you more than Murasakibara does. Really, you won’t. He loves everything about you. Your smile, your looks, your mind, and even your hobbies. As someone who doesn’t really take much interest in other people, it was a brand new feeling to be absolutely smitten over you. But he was dedicated.

The two of you were still getting to know more about each other in the first few weeks of dating and the topic of sports came up. “Do you play any sports, Y/N-chin?” Murasakibara asked you during one of your video calls at night that he liked to have when he had nothing else to do.

“Yeah, I’m actually a figure skater,” you replied.

Murasakibara’s eyes lit up. “Really? That’s so cool. Do you go for practice and stuff?”

“Yeah, duh. I practice almost everyday.”

“No way. Can I come watch your next practice?” he asked.

“Sure, but I feel like you might find it boring,” you said hesitantly, knowing that you wouldn’t want to sit there for hours doing absolutely nothing but watch.

“Well, I guess I’ll find out,” Murasakibara said surely. “Do you have any videos of you skating?”

“Yeah but they’re not on my phone.”

“Send them to me, I wanna see you skate.”

You giggled. “Atsushi, you’ll see me skate at practice, can’t you wait until then?”

“No, I can’t wait. I bet you look really cute when you skate,” he said as brought another potato chip to his mouth.

“Well, you’re going to have to wait because I’m not sending you anything,” you said dismissively.

“How mean,” he pouted.

Luckily, you managed to change the topic of the conversation before he could beg of you any more. The day for your next practice came and Murasakibara was brimming with excitement as you two entered the arena.

After instructing him to sit at the stands, you took to the ice where you started with the warmups that your coach told you to do. Practice went on and Murasakibara gave you his full attention— which is an incredibly rare sight.

As he watched you stretch and leap and fall, he couldn’t help but be impressed. He certainly could never be able to do any of the things you were doing— it looked exhausting. Something about the way you moved had him captivated though. You looked like you were having fun. No matter how many times you’d fall or mess up, you always seemed passionate about it and that was something he envied ever so slightly, but at the same time he found it such a lovely sight.

You truly loved the sport, he could see it so clearly. And automatically, he had a newfound interest in it too. It wasn’t that he wanted to try figure skating himself, it was just the fact that he loved seeing you so happy that he began to enjoy the sport too.

“I’m surprised you haven’t fallen asleep yet,” you said to him jokingly once your practice came to an end.

“Well, you were just that good— you had my full interest,” Murasakibara shrugged.

“Really? I didn’t expect you’d enjoy it that much,” you said.

“I did. I might just watch all your practices from now on.”

“Sure you will,” you said sarcastically.

Little did you know, that he would actually do just that. At almost every practice, he’d be seated in the stands, eyes full of admiration as he watched you. He would often bring you little snacks that you liked so that you’d have something to eat after practice. There were times where he’d be extra tired, but he’d still make it to the rink, even though you’d tell him countless times not to feel obligated to watch. It usually ended with him falling asleep halfway through, but he never regretted it. It was always nice waking up to the happy face of the person he admired.

Akashi

Akashi was well aware that you were a figure skater before he began dating you. Of course, he’d never seen you actually figure skate, but he knew random things about almost everyone around him and being interested in you only made him want to get to know you more.

Akashi is a very supportive boyfriend to you, especially when it comes to your passions. Figure skating was a very beautiful sport in his eyes and the fact that the person he was dating was a figure skater was something he’d never get over.

Being the calculating person he is, he decided to take you ice skating on one of your first dates with him. It wasn’t a particularly busy day at the public ice rink so Akashi got quite lucky when the two of you got there and realised that the place was practically empty.

“Looks like we got the whole place to ourselves,” Akashi said as the two of you slid onto the ice, hand in hand.

“Yeah, it’s quite nice actually,” you smiled, appreciating the serenity of the place. “It’s kind of making me want to do a routine or something,” you thought out loud.

“Then do it.”

“No, we’re on a date, we should just skate together,” you shook your head.

“No, I insist. I’ve been wanting to watch you skate for a while now, and the opportunity finally came,” he said. “Besides, it’s just one routine, shouldn’t take too long, right?”

You let out a sigh as a soft smile spread across your face. “Yeah, I suppose,” you shrugged. “But don’t expect too much— I’m not in the most comfortable of clothes right now.”

Akashi chuckled. “No judgement from me. I just want to watch you skate.”

“Alright,” you smiled as you skated over to the centre of the rink.

Akashi stepped out and leaned against the rails to watch you from the sidelines, barely able to contain his excitement. There wasn’t any music playing so all you could hear was the sound of your blades against the ice, echoing throughout the arena. However, that didn’t stop Akashi from being fully immersed in your skating.

He was blown away by the way you skated, especially considering that he sprung this on you out of the blue. Every movement was precise and refined; he could tell that you’ve practiced to perfection and he was impressed. In fact, seeing you move so flawlessly had him swooning over you more than you could possibly imagine.

Eventually, you came to a halt, your breathing heavy after the spins and jumps, though you were quite satisfied now that you got it out of your system. Akashi returned to the ice with a smile on his face. “That was outstanding, Y/N,” he complimented.

“Really? You liked it?”

“Of course I did. It all seemed so professional— you really practice a lot, don’t you?” he pointed out.

“Yeah, I have been for years,” you nodded.

“Well, you’re absolutely stunning on the ice,” he said genuinely as he placed a kiss on your forehead and took your hand in his. “Shall we get back to our date now?”

“Yes, yes, of course.”

As much as Akashi would have adored to watch you practice everyday, the times often overlapped with his basketball training— though he did make it a habit to meet up with you afterwards so that he could walk you home (like the gentleman he his). Even though he was a busy person, he always attended your competitions without fail. He’d always send you a bouquet of flowers before your competitions as well, with little notes wishing you good luck and it would melt your heart every single time.