#please ask questions about it in my asks it'll help me organize my thoughts with other people's ideas and questions

[vee1021]

The Sekai Association,

a Project Sekai x Project Moon au

Info on the Association and Miku under the cut

The Sekai Association

Run by Hatsune Miku, a Color fixer, the Association deals in all around work, from policing backstreets to stopping Distortions.

The Associations five Directors are all close friends of Miku, but are also respected Fixers in there own right.

Director of the North Section, KAITO

Director of the South Section, MEIKO

Directors of the West Section, Kagemine Rin and Kagemine Len

Director of the East Section, Megurine Luka

They have five main subsidiary Offices under them, being the Shooting Star Office, Leaping Office, Vivid Office, Showtime Office, and Midnight Office

Head of Sekai Association, The Turquoise Melody, Hatsune Miku

Mikus body is completely mechanical, and she owns multiple bodies for each situation, such as policing and long range battles, as well as the other other 5 directors

Her main body, named Original, is designed to be both thin and sturdy, though it is really meant for daily tasks,this body is not as fit for as the others. She wields a sword and microphone, both able to release debilitating sounds to deafen and confused opponents, though only used when needed.

Her long ranged combat body, named Empty, is designed to be able to move fast and withstand hard shocks, as this body's main weapon is a high-caliber sniper rifle that produces a deafening bang, at the detriment of an immense kickback when fired.

The body meant for policing areas, named Street, is designed to be able to take a beating and damage, and is thus much taller and broader than the other bodies. This body wields a riot shield and spear, and the shield is able to emit a loud screech to disable and immobilize opponents, basically creating a wall of sound.

The body meant for large groups, called Stage, was created for crowd control, and is built tall and broad, but not as much as Street, she wields a large poleaxe, meant sweeping opponents out of the way and to create loud crashes when hitting stone and concrete.

The Wonderland body, created to deal with escaped Abnormalities and rampaging Distortions, is built incredibly dense and strong, but also incredibly thin and lithe, meant to be able to take them on single handedly. This body wields a large battle ax, meant to carve chunks of flesh and break bones when attacking

The final body, the Starlight body, was created to deal with small groups, was built neither lithe or broad, but average sized, meant to be able to fight and adapt in situations, Miku fights with the same sword and microphone of the Original body.

(I am not going to call the last one the School body, because it doesn't make as much sense as the others and it sounds weird.)

(I need a better name for MMJs Office please)

[stonesparrow]

I have this WIP and I don't know if it'll ever get fully written out so uhhhh throwing this summary blurb from my notes out there in case anyone wants to ask about it. I'd describe it as like...an office/lab assistant au with a focus on a slow burn three-way queerplatonic relationship.

Our Girl Friday

After years of getting nowhere in her job interning at a fashion magazine publisher and suffering abuse from her boss and coworkers, Ogawa Yuzuriha decides to quit, though she has a hard time finding another job. Suddenly, she finds an advertisement for a position as a personal assistant to a reclusive scientist, and jumps at the opportunity. Little does she know that her new employer and his bodyguard will change her life forever.  

Snippet under the cut:

Yuzuriha double checked the address. Then she triple checked it.

This…can’t be the right place, can it? Given the advertisement she was expecting something a bit more impressive than a nondescript looking house in the middle of an ordinary street. But no, the number was correct, and there was a little sign next to the door reading “Ishigami Laboratory.” After a moment of hesitation, she rang the doorbell.

An enormous man with dark hair opened the door, and Yuzuriha held back a gasp—he was quite handsome, with a strong jaw and impressive muscles.  

“Oh!” He gasped. “Hello! I—how can I help you, Miss?”

Yuzuriha shook off her shock. “Um, I’m Ogawa Yuzuriha. I’m here for a…job interview? At three o’clock?”

The man’s eyes widened. “Oh! Oh you’re—right, sorry, please come in!” Yuzuriha was ushered inside and to a couch.

“Would you like some tea, Ogawa-san?”

“Um, sure. Tea sounds lovely, thank you.”

As the man busied himself with a teapot, Yuzuriha glanced around the floor. It looked pretty much like how you’d expect an average home to be, with neatly arranged furniture and flowers on the dining room table. This doesn’t exactly seem like a science laboratory…

The man set down a tray with two cups of steaming green tea. “Oh, I should introduce myself! I’m Oki Taiju, S—Dr. Ishigami’s bodyguard.”

Yuzuriha fought back the urge to raise an eyebrow. What’s a bodyguard doing giving job interviews? “It’s nice to meet you, Oki-san,” she said politely. 

Oki smiled at her. “So Ogawa-san, you’re interested in being Dr. Ishigami’s personal assistant?”

Yuzuriha nodded. “I saw the advertisement in the paper, and I applied right away.” Not technically a lie—she did apply to the ad immediately, along with three other jobs that had already rejected her. Personal assistant wasn’t exactly Yuzuriha’s dream role to play, but she needed something to pay the bills and it didn’t seem too difficult. 

“Is that envelope for me?”

“Yes, I brought my resume and credentials,” Yuzuriha said, opening the envelope she’d brought with her and handing Oki the papers inside. He scanned them appraisingly as she sipped at her tea, eyes widening. 

“You last worked at a fashion magazine, Ogawa-san?”

“Yes, as secretary to the editor,” Yuzuriha said. “I know I don’t have much experience listed with being a personal assistant, but I’m well versed in answering phone calls, sorting mail, and organizing schedules.”

She’d hoped to rise through the ranks and acquire some connections in the fashion world, but that work environment…Yuzuriha repressed a shudder. Quitting that job was probably one of the smarter things she’d done in her 30 years of life. 

Oki nodded. “That’s mostly what we’re looking for anyway. Dr. Ishigami doesn’t have a lot of time to answer messages, and if he ignores people too much they get upset.” He handed the papers back to her. “Would you be okay with starting tomorrow?”

Yuzuriha blinked. “Huh? Aren’t you going to ask me some more questions before just giving me the job?”

 Oki scratched the back of his head awkwardly. “Ah…I’ll be honest with you, Ogawa-san…you’re the only applicant we’ve gotten in weeks.”

Yuzuriha stared at him. “Oh.” What was she supposed to say to that? “I…would’ve thought that a renowned scientist like Dr. Ishigami would have people lining up to work for him,” she said eventually. 

Oki sighed. “Yeah, you’d think that, huh? But Dr. Ishigami is…” he shrugged. “He can be a bit…much, for some people. Not that he’s a bad person! Really, he just doesn’t mix well with others.”

“I…see.” That could be a red flag, but Yuzuriha really, really needed this job. “Well then, I’ll do my best!”

Oki smiled so blindingly bright Yuzuriha nearly had to shield her face. “That’s great!” He bowed his head suddenly and she squeaked in surprise. “Thank you so much, Ogawa-san! Really, from the bottom of my heart, I’m so grateful you’ll be working with us!”

“Ah, I’m glad too!” Yuzuriha stammered. Was he that desperate for someone to accept the job?

Oki stood up. “Okay, let me give you the tour!”

“So, um,” Yuzuriha said as Oki led her through the house and pointed out the bathroom, the office where she’d be working, and the library. “Dr. Ishigami’s laboratory is also his home?”

“Yep,” Oki nodded. “He doesn’t like commuting to work, and he’s very particular about the way his equipment and research is set up—he doesn’t want anyone else messing with his process. The lab covers most of the basement floor, while the rest of the house is living space.”

“What��s Dr. Ishigami’s schedule like?”

“Oh, right!” Oki nodded. “Okay, so usually he gets up around 10am, works until 2pm, has lunch, then works until 7pm, has dinner, then works until 1am and goes to sleep. Unless he has an event or a meeting he needs to go to, that is. You’ll be in charge of keeping track of those.”

“Uh, right…” Yuzuriha tried to focus on the frankly very generous wages she’d been offered. “So then…shouldn’t you show me around the lab?”

His face fell. “Ah, well…Dr. Ishigami doesn’t really like strangers in his working space.”

Yuzuriha frowned. “But I’ll be going down there at least a few times every day, right?”

Oki scratched his chin. “Well, he’d prefer it if you didn’t. There’s a phone line in the office that goes directly to the lab, if you really need to talk to him while he’s in there. Otherwise you’ll probably only see him in the mornings and when we go to meetings or events.”

Okay, the flags were getting a little redder, but Yuzuriha tried to look on the bright side—at least the guy wouldn’t be constantly in her face all the time like her last boss.

With the tour complete and the paperwork in order, Oki saw Yuzuriha out the door, and she found herself looking over her shoulder at the house as she walked away.

I hope this isn’t a mistake…

[zuleyhasposts]

Stand By Your Man (Negan/You)

We're fully of stories about this hot man, but I think they are never enough. I posted already on AO3, but I want to give a try here on Tumblr too. If anything, please let me know what you think about the story and if you would change something. Sadly, I know that the first chapter is always "boring" because it's an introduction, but I promise you it'll be more interesting as soon as we get into it. You have my word!

I'll post the first chapter - even if I wrote and published the second one - and see people actually enjoy it. I'll give the AO3 link too, because you never know.

Enjoy!

Chapter One - Meeting

You both looked at each other, probably waiting for one to speak first. It wasn’t a matter of shyness, it was more about studying the person you have in front of you.

He found you in an abandoned house, full of walkers dead on the floor - even if they’re already dead - and he didn’t ask you anything. He was simply staring with a smirk on this face. It made you wonder what was so enjoyable to have that expression.

He lowered himself to be at the same height as you, directly staring into your eyes now. Before the apocalypse you would have called this behavior anormal, but now you wondered what was actually normal and what now.

“Look what we have here.” His smile grew bigger and you started questioning yourself if you should fear for your life.

“Look what? You never saw a person?” You tilted your head to the side and put your hands on your hips.

He started to laugh, as if he didn’t hear a good joke like that in a while. Problem was it wasn’t actually a joke and you were serious. “So, you do speak, doll.”

“Why wouldn’t I?”

“Put your fucking attitude aside and tell me your name.” He said, pointing at you with the bloody bat he carried. If he wasn’t scary, for sure that bat was.

“(Y/N).”

“Full name, doll.”

You rolled your eyes at his wanting to know this much, forgetting for a second that there was a full bat pointed at you. You were lucky he could still handle your attitude; if he was someone else, there would probably be more blood on the floor.

“(Y/N) (L/N). What’s your name?”

You were expecting a bad answer to your question, something like “shut the fuck up, it isn’t your business”, but it didn’t happen. He actually told you his name and smiled after saying it.

“I’m Negan.”

You could hear different voices outside and you could understand that he was probably the leader of some group. It was for the best to play cool and avoid the risk of being kidnapped - and probably be tortured too - if you could. Let’s be clear: you could defend yourself, but you were too tired. You killed who knows how many walkers and there was no more strength in your body.

“So, Negan,” you started to walk closer to him, “how can I help you?”

“I don’t think you can actually help me, doll.” He smiled again, knowing he was actually right. “But I can help you if you accept my offer.”

You raised your eyebrow at what he stated and you already knew he wouldn’t have accepted a “no” as an answer. Crossing your arms, you answered. “What do you offer?”

“Come with me and be my wife.” He opened his arms as an invitation. “I can give you food, new clothes and protection. You couldn’t ask for more.”

Your mind was quite shocked by the request, but not that surprised. You were about to answer, if it wasn’t for your stomach that started to grumble. The fact that it made him laugh was enough to make the situation embarrassing.

“I was about to answer that…” you stopped for a second wondering if he could be offended by what you were about to say, “I don’t want to be your wife and I clearly don’t need protection, but I’ll gladly take the food.”

“And do you think it’s fair for you to eat without thanking me?” There was a bit of dislike in what he said, but still not offended enough to hurt you. You thought he was right though, you had to do something to make you useful enough to be taken. “I think you have people that work for you, right? Let me be one of them!”

He seemed to actually think about it. “And why should I trust you and your capacity doll?”

“I mean, look around! I killed all these walkers alone.” You didn’t want to sound like you were begging him, but you needed to eat something. “Give me a chance.”

He licked his lower lip and you could tell he was enjoying the image of you being desperate for his help. A shiver was felt in your bones, and it wasn’t because you felt cold.

“I’ll give you a chance, doll.” He cupped your left cheek, gently pulling it. “Just because I don’t want to say no to this pretty face of yours.”

You moved away his hand and went to grab your things, even if there wasn’t much to take. The most important thing you always carried with you was the two daggers that saved your ass until now.

“You should be fucking grateful to have my attention, doll.” He said while going out of the house. “You could have caught the attention of my beautiful Lucille here,” the grip of the bat was way more tense now and you understood that “Lucille” was the name of his weapon, “and I can fucking assure that you wouldn’t have liked it.”

You followed him outside, and you could see the sun was about to set and the air was becoming colder. You consider yourself lucky that Negan “found” you, it would have been a very dangerous night to experience again. You wanted to rest your eyes and your body just for one night.

“I can agree that I wouldn’t have liked it.” You said, trying to wash off the anger he was probably building in his body. First impressions are always important and you knew you had to put a grip on your attitude, at least for now.

He let out a laugh and you could feel your body lighter now. It worked, you thought.

You both walked for a bit until you weren’t in front of a few trucks and some men.

“Finally you are here, boss” a man spoke and he caught your attention because of his burned face. You hoped it wasn’t because of Negan. “Who is she?”

“We have a new guest with us!” He put an arm behind your back, guiding you to be in front of him. “Why don’t you introduce yourself, doll?”

He wanted to make you feel embarrassed and you knew it. It felt like when the professor made you introduce yourself in front of the class, you had all eyes on you and you didn’t like it.

“I’m (Y/N).” You tried to not raise your hand like you were greeting them, you didn’t want to be even more embarrassed. “Negan found me in an abandoned house and offered me to be one of you.”

“One of us?” Another man spoke and this one had a funny mustache, you better avoid pointing that out. “How do we know if she’s actually useful?”

“Simon, I didn’t ask for your opinion.” Negan said and you could see Simon actually backing out. I could see that all of them were actually scared of him. How much you wanted to yell to all of them that they were a bunch of pussies, but you shushed the thought to the back of your mind.

“When we’ll have the occasion, I’ll show you how useful I am, Simon.” You said moving out of the way and entering a random truck. At this point you didn’t care anymore, you only wanted to eat and sleep.

“Now I see why you picked her up.” Simon said, putting his hand on Negan’s shoulder. You could hear that they both laughed at the stupid comment that the mustache man made and it made you want to throw something at their heads. It was the worst mistake to accept this offer.

The drive wasn’t very long and you could wish it was more quiet, but the curiosity was enough to question you stuff. You couldn’t deny the desire to tell everybody to shut the fuck up for five minutes, but the least thing you wanted was to make Negan and his men angry.

When you all finally reached the place, it surprised you. You didn’t expect something this big and you neither expected Negan to be the leader of something this huge. You looked around and you felt like a kid entering a luna park.

“Do you like it?” Negan asked, proud same as a king proud of his kingdom.

“You actually surprised me, I didn’t expect something like this.”

You entered inside the Sanctuary and it made you even more impressed than before. While you looked around, Negan was explaining everything as rules, assignments and these types of stuff. As you understood: his wives didn’t work for any points, while others had to work to have them. It was fair for Negan, but not fair for the others, but you still didn’t say anything about it.

You both stopped walking when you reached what was your new room. You couldn’t believe you had a room for yourself only. You didn’t care if the room itself was overall a bare room, it was perfect.

“Well, doll, this is your room.”

“It’s perfect, thank you so much!”

He liked the fact that you were happy and grateful for a simple room like that. Negan almost made it a habit to hear people complaining at the beginning because they wanted something more. Who could imagine that people were still spoiled during an apocalypse?

He left you in your room, giving you the time to make yourself comfortable. He told you that in a few days you would have started to work with them, so it was important for you to feel good if you wanted to be one of them. You thanked him again like it wasn’t never enough.

[ninjagirlstar5]

Hello local Teruya enjoyer, mind if i ask why he's one of your favorite characters? As in, what made you so love the little guy turned big guy in sequel so much?

Oh boy. That's kinda hard to answer actually as I essentially worked backwards when I saw Teruya's character. As in, I heard about SDRA2 (and eventually DRA) through WeebyNewz's livestreams, looked at fanfics on AO3, and got to know Teruya's character through there before eventually jumping right in to writing him for my (shipping) project. As a result, my interpretation of him was far from perfect as I knew the broad strokes of his character and his role in both games but didn't know the little details until I went back to really consume DRA and SDRA2's story by actually listening/watching the streams or even playing the game myself. I'm going through SDRA2 right now with a Discord mutual, but it's been put on hold due to college. But since I'm essentially done with my spring semester now (all I have left is a critique for Printmaking but that class is pretty chill thanks to my professor so I'm not worried about it), I'm hoping we'll be able to pick that back up soon-ish. It'll depend on our schedules.

Anyways, back to the question as to why I love Teruya...I've essentially built up an image of him in my head thanks to my many on-the-fly headcanons and what I researched about him. But when I started watching DRA, I noticed he was a sweet, funny but flawed kid that can snap pretty easily at others and can get quite emotional while also taking part in bad actions that get others hurt just to benefit himself (hiding food for himself and plotting to murder Haruhiko being some of them), and being a hypocrite on top of that. But that didn't make me hate him or anything, but made me love him more as he's far from a perfect character, let alone a perfect person. Teruya lashing out, arguing with others, and just struggling to keep up in the killing game, even when he decides to better himself and take after Haruhiko and follow Satsuki's parting words, makes him a very interesting and nuanced character! I loved watching him caring about Yuki in Chapter 5 by checking in on him and being supportive, even when he falls for the obvious framing of Mikako by Monokuma. He still makes mistakes, but the little actions he does for others can make him a good friend that deeply cares. And the way he wondered why Fake!Yuki/Utsuro and Akane just...let them go, even when he agreed with Kinjo and Rei that they were awful, perhaps even evil people, that line made me go, "OH, his feelings are complicated" and that kind of nuance is SO juicy. The feeling of knowing this person has wronged you in a horrible way that you have every right to not only hold them accountable but cut them out of your life but you still miss them anyways because you loved them and the memories you've made with them despite everything? Good shit, more of this please. I like that Teruya has just a slightly different opinion than Rei and Kinjo's, even though he still agrees with them in the end and rightfully so. And I like seeing his slightly more mature personality while still having a few of his quirks and interests in SDRA2 as he felt a little more like an adult version of himself. Teruya is sooo interesting to dig into and analyze that I have a hard time organizing all of my thoughts on the fly but basically, I love him in DRA and SDRA2 and coming up with headcanons for him before, after, and in-between the stories. He's such a fun but sad character when you really think about it.

...Even if it will always annoy me on how underutilized he was in SDRA2. If he was just used a little more smartly and given much more care like in DRA, I feel like his death would've hit much, much harder, even with repeated viewings. Which is a shame cause I do think I can see where LINUJ was trying to go with Teruya, that Teruya was meant to be a character that did his best to help the SDRA2 cast despite being stuck in the killing game together and preventing history from repeating itself, only to be met with repeated failures despite trying to do everything right this time. And was unfortunately put into a position where he had no choice but to die lest the worst case scenario played out, all due to Mikado's plotting, Kinjo's choices, and Rei's mistakes. (They all played a role in it but all of them have different levels of responsibility for it, with Mikado being the biggest one since he's, you know, his murderer and turned Teruya's avatar into a firewall in the first place, but Teruya probably would've have been put into that situation if Kinjo just didn't use him as bait or if they simply had more time for Rei to make another escape code for Teruya to use for himself in case things go south - and that's assuming he was able to prioritize escaping despite witnessing Rei's supposed death.) But unfortunately, as much as I love Teruya, all I can remember from his role in SDRA2 is that he spouted hope platitudes in Chapter 2, started dipping out of the group in Chapter 3 (and it seems like I won't be able to COMPLETE HIS FTEs ACCORDING TO THE WIKI'S GUIDE ON HIS AVAILABILITY GODDAMMIT-), went CrAzYYyy in Chapter 4, and then just disappears and DIES in Chapter 5 and it isn't until Chapter 6 that we learned that Teruya purposely ate the poisoned food to destroy the firewall inside of him, trying to sacrifice himself and hoping it'll give the Kisaragi Foundation the time they'll need to get the rest of the cast out, never finding out that Kinjo hired Syobai to act as a double agent and that he used him and Rei as bait to try and distract Mikado from ever finding out about Syobai's double agent status. I feel as though Teruya was stripped of most of his nuances from DRA, and that frustrates me because I want him to be utilized more in SDRA2! I want to care about his relationship with the cast! I want him to be his own person with his own opinions, even when he agrees with and even looks up to Rei and Kinjo! I want him to have more moments of characterization and hear his stories about the Kisaragi Foundation and his reflection on his past instead of being hit with the amnesia plot point (which I feel did more harm to his character)! I want him to be the mediator of the group, like how he supposedly acted out that role back in the Kisaragi Foundation between Rei and Kinjo according to LINUJ in his concept art! And another reason why I don't like how Teruya is handled in Chapter 4 the more I think about it in hindsight, is that I felt as though LINUJ was trying to have him be like Kinjo. And I! Don't! Like that! Even if Teruya's beliefs started to become warped due to following Kinjo's leadership over the years and may have rose-tinted glasses in his belief in him, I still don't like how LINUJ handled him in Chapter 4! Because I don't want a Kinjo 2.0 that you can get at the dollar store, I want Teruya fucking Otori!!!

...anyways. My issues with how Teruya was handled in SDRA2 aside, I love him a lot. But I'll admit, a lot of that comes from my own interpretation of his character and how much depth I gave him from what I learned of him. And honestly, that's one of the fun parts of fandom: digging into a character to the point that you're probably overanalyzing them but you kinda don't care because it's so much fun to add even more depth to a character you love. He's my blorbo, my scrunkly, my fucked up lil guy turned fucked up big boi, and I can hurt and comfort him however I want.

[littlegermanboy]

Who on earth is jeff. I’m curuous

OH I AM SO GLAD YOU ASKED. jefferson (jeff) arthur callivan is my character for a dnd campaign i'm in run by my dear friend edgar. he's a half elf rogue (which i did not know was a stereotype until like. a few weeks ago. i made him over a year ago) who is a journalist from a small tight-knit poor family of incredibly awesome people, including his hot awesome cool battlemaster fighter mother charmona callivan, his deeply bald and unserious alchemist artificer step-dad leobald callivan, and his incredibly strange wild magic sorcerer (half) sister bones callivan (bones isn't her real name) (she is also another player character) as well as his gay slut wood elf circle of shepards druid dad mellavi who has like. hundreds of children and loves them all dearly and is present in every single one of their lives. he's my favorite npc in the campaign i love him so much.

his plot relevant back story is that his family was struggling with bills and such and he was approached by this guy karsis valker to do work for him involving doing research on certain people, which jeff thought was extremely sketch but the money was too good to refuse so he took the job but he later found out that his work was being used to murder people wanted by this organization called the children of amity which is currently run by religious zealots largely worshiping the god of nature and creation (though it wasn't always like this, it used to be a peaceful organization). so jeff is obviously shocked and disgusted and quits his job and then after that things happen that i can't post about here bc it's backstory secret spoilers for my friends who are playing with me but it traumatizes jeff so badly he takes his sister and runs away to a different continent to try and find the last person he was assigned to research (isaac turner, another player character) to warn him that the children are after him. i could get into more about the children and what they do but that's not 100% relevant here but the plot of the campaign is that the characters are working with a rebel organization trying to take down the children of amity

anyway jeff carries a lot of guilt for being apart of so many peoples' murders as well as for what happened after they quit their job to an extent that's definitely past being helpful and is only self destructive. they haven't told anyone they're close to what happened which was very much the worst option they could have chosen because it's something they Need to know but because of how traumatizing it was for jeff they're horrified that people will blame them for what happened and that they won't be forgiven, and they also haven't told them because they think that it'll protect them in some way.

currently in-game his sister bones is very upset at him for not telling him what's going on, his parents (mom & step-dad) are tracking the two of them down because after he and bones left home they found out what happened to jeff and are extremely worried about their children, and jeff recently found out that his dad mellavi was a member of the children of amity when they were basically a peaceful bible study for their god who he also worships but he wasn't able to leave once they were taken over by zealots bc they kill people who leave because of how small and secretive it is and he wanted to protect his family so he joined the rebel organization as a spy to still help resist against them, but he recently left both organizations which is very concerning to jeff because one massive thing about him is that he loves his parents more than anything and his dad is his biggest role model.

but anyway yeah tldr jeff is my sweetie pie who loves his family and loves his friends and will do anything for them and is very deeply unhappy right now. but i love him. i could probably say more about him but i'll leave it at this for now. if you ever have any more questions about jeff please feel free to ask he's my specialest he/they ever.

(art on the left is his combat mini drawn by edgar @graciouswings, art on the right is mine)

[blooming-violets]

A sequel? I'd like to know more, a lot more, of the bookstore romance from the moodboard story, Echo Your Name. Has the owner any secrets beyond thinking Peter is captivating, quiet, and handsome? Was the store started by the owner? An inheritance from a family member? A collector of unwanted unloved tomes that need loving homes? What's going on in Peter's head as he runs his fingers along the spines? Is he imagining the owner's skin under his fingers? Tell me more, please?

Ooooooh that's one I haven't thought of in a long time and I love it!

Echo Your Name

I was imagining a family owned book store that has a small town feel to it and is full of used books. Maybe it's been in her family for a few generations. They're trying to stay afloat in today's world where the internet has taken over and less and less people are searching for physical books. Which is why she probably gets in trouble for giving Peter so many discounts.

The first day Peter went in there was to find a specific sci-fi book that he's been searching for. I always headcanon him to be a thrifter type person and always go for the used options over brand new. So, naturally, he'd seek out a used bookstore to find what he's looking for. The first time he went in was for a book. Every other time he's walked in, it's always to see if she's working and to "browse" the books, picking things at random, just so he can talk to her. And even though he's picking books out without much thought, he does read them all! He wants to widen his book knowledge so he can get closer to her, thinking that it'll impress her.

I also like to think that there's a small coffee shop attached to the bookstore. It's probably where they actually get most of their business. Grab a book, buy a coffee and pastry, and curl up on a comfy couch for an hour or so to enjoy. That's where they would have their first date. They would talk books and Peter would ask a million questions about her life and the bookstore. Any time she'd try to ask questions about him, he'd flip it on back to her, always being the secretive type. It would become a weekend tradition for them. Sometimes they would just read quietly side by side, other times they would talk for hours, occasionally he'd help her organize the books and clean up.

The most adorable and soft "fall in love at a bookstore" vibes ever.

Side Note

These are some pics from my favorite independent bookstore that is located in an old mill building that I used to go to all the time when I was a teenager:

Those are very similar vibes to what I was imagining. Old wooden floors, beat up chairs and benches, used books everywhere, big windows, little coffee shop to sit and chat

[nattousan]

iirc u said you got a new job, what do you do for work now?

do you ever get anxious while working? fi so how do you cope/make the anxiety go away?

so because i have an art background and my sister recommended me, i'm a labtech at [CHAIN DENTURE MAKING STORE]! And, despite having no background in dentistry, they hired me because i have experience sculpting and making molds, as well as just having a generally amicable and teachable attitude. Its cool because a lot of the skills i developed making sculptures have translated very literally into my work making dentures! Which has allowed me a confidence that means that I actually don't experience any anxiety at work. It's like if you were a prolific smashbros player and nintendo suddenly asked you if you want to be a beta tester haha.

Also your timing is perfect anon bc while I don't personally have anxiety, my partner struggles heavily with it, to the point where they had to take medical leave from work. Idk if you already have a job or are looking but from observing them and my own experience, here's some general tips i can offer you:

- anxiety is a confidence killer, the endless fear and "what-ifs" can be paralyzing, seek out work that you know you can do good in, even if it's not your passion. I'll be honest i never thought about dentistry as a career but im using skills that i'm confident in and im allowing myself to ask questions when i don't know things bc thats what the trainers are there for.

- any sort of "i'm useless, i'm a burden, no one will hire me" self talk is literally your anxiety talking and is of the devil. don't listen to it. you gotta separate your anxious brain from your logical brain and assess uncritically what u bring to the table, are you good at organizing? can you work a spread sheet? do you find cleaning things soothing and satisfying? you gotta tailor your job search to your individual proclivities instead of applying to any random listing you see.

- if you already have a job thats giving you anxiety ask yourself two questions: what specifically about this job is giving me anxiety and can i do anything to avoid/correct it? maybe talk to a supervisor about your triggers and what youre feeling, if they're a good supervisor they'll try and work with you, if you get told to suck it up buttercup thats part of the job, welp, start looking for other places to work.

- PLEASE please PLEASE ask for help!!! at least in my partners case, they initially thought they had to go it alone and weather the job search process on their own but when i tell you there was a whole ass career center with COUNSELORS just waiting to help people find jobs, i'm not kidding! there are resources out there !! USE THEM!! YOU DESERVE TO BE HELPED!! check out your local community college or library to see if they have a career center! Mine does and it opened me up to several trade grants i didn't know about! THEY HAVE THE RESOURCES!! GO USE THEM!

- last and probably hardest for anxious people, you gotta find a way to stop giving a fuck about what people think of you! self confidence stems from within and when you're confident people can pick up on it and are more likely to trust you with things and hire you for things. Even if its a fake confidence! nothing has helped me more out in life is me just doing things because "eh, i got this, i'm sure it'll work out in the end" you gotta actively embrace failure as not a world ending event but a part of the process forward.

if you wanna send me another message about the specifics of your situation i'd be happy to tailor my advice but these are a few of the basics i guess. Like i said, I don't have anxiety but am very close to someone who does and hooboy i do not envy y'all. stay strong, soldier 🫡

[cookinguptales]

Okay friends, I am starting my segue from fall-o-ween to xmas (because I have to go to center city on Monday and I suspect it's going to be VERY winter holiday-y there) so uhhh yeah let's do tarot readings today. I have a Nightmare Before Christmas Deck. Yeah. That's a great segue.

I've noticed that in the past few tarot nights, I've tended to get exhausted quickly and can't finish all the ones I wanted to. So... I'm not gonna say I'm gonna quit doing them or anything (I really enjoy them) but I will not make any promises about getting to everyone. in short, if you want a reading, get your request in early.

I'll try to do them throughout the whole weekend, but this is also my housecleaning weekend (to prep for holiday decorations) so it'll be off and on. I'm gonna try and pace myself this time and see how it goes.

So... here's how this works, for new followers.

I'm not psychic. This is just for fun. I just collect tarot decks and like to show them off every so often. I do believe that tarot readings can be useful, though; because they deal with archetypes that pertain to almost all of us, you'll likely see something relating to your own life in a reading. And... if that's the first thing to come to mind, maybe it's your subconscious telling you to pay more attention to it. I can't tell your future, but maybe I can help you organize your thoughts. Maybe something will really resonate with you, or maybe you'll say "that's not right at all," but either way, it may help you think about something that you need to.

If you would like a reading, please send me an ask. You can be anonymous, but if you're anonymous, put something in the ask (like an emoji or something) that will let you know which one is you. This also makes my notifications easier to understand.

Please do not ask me specific questions, like "will I get this job?" Like I said, I'm not psychic. I can't answer yes or no questions or whatever. That said, if you'd like me to focus my reading on a specific subject, I can do that to the best of my ability.

Please do not apologize for the space you take up when you send me an ask! Please don't be like "oh, if it's not too much trouble" or "oh, if no one else is asking" or "oh, sorry for asking, but--" No!!! I am doing this because I enjoy it and you have just as much right to ask for a reading as literally anyone else. You are not taking up any resources that I am not willingly giving. I recognize that a lot of people have been trained to do this out of "politeness," but please, please don't make yourself smaller on my account. Let's just have fun together, okay?

I like to take my time with each reading and will also be pacing myself this time. Please be patient with me if I haven't posted anything in a few hours. I'm still probably making my way through requests.

And, because this gets asked almost every time, let me just be clear -- this is 100% free. If you'd like to do something in return, please just pay it forward and do something kind for someone else in the oncoming weeks. If you really want to make a donation (that... will inevitably be used on more tarot decks) then I do have a ko-fi.

And finally, because it seems to be my most popular deck, I'll also have @theartofmadeline's Muppet Rainbow Connection tarot on hand if anyone would prefer that one. Just lmk.

And as always, if you want to block all this, please block "#tarot shenanigans".

[beels-burger-babe]

All is Fair in Dice and War

***Soooo, @bagelsinatoaster I love this request. However, you didn't specify which board game and as I am a huge nerd I decided to take some creative liberties and combine this with another idea I've been meaning to write which is: MC introducing the demon bros to Dungeons and Dragons. I certainly had fun with this and I hope you like it!*** Summary: Leviathan's world is flipped upside down when MC tells him there is a game that basically allows him to be the Lord of Shadows in real life!! He demands that his brothers join him as MC introduces them all to the chaotic shit show that is Dungeons & Dragons. For once, it was a peaceful day in the House of Lamentation. Lucifer was lounging in the living room with a cursed record playing softly in the background. For once, Satan had willingly joined him and was sitting by the fireplace, thumbing through a book on the human world. Belphie had been passed out on the couch when he arrived and was still laying there with an impressive puddle of drool collecting near his mouth. Even Asmodeus and Beel had joined in, with Asmodeus gently humming to himself as he painted his nails and Beelzebub happily munching on a snack as he enjoyed the sight of his family getting along. Yes. It was perfectly quiet and peaceful, and Lucifer didn't even have any traces of his regular migraine. But of course, nothing good lasts forever. Everyone jumped as the door slammed open and a wide-eyed Leviathan dragged you into the room. The two you very closely followed by Mammon loudly complaining. "Oi! You're gonna hurt them! Cut it out, Levi!" Lucifer sighed and closed his eyes, momentarily mourning the peace that he had just barely begun to enjoy, and closed his book. "Leviathan, let MC go. What are you freaking out about this time?" Lucifer regretted asking the moment the words left his mouth. Levi looked at it with the expression he only ever got when his limited edition Ruri-Chan merch arrived; his eyes were wide and glittering with excitement while his face bore a grin so large that Lucifer was surprised it didn't rip his skin. The third-born was practically vibrating as he let go of your wrist and pushed you forward. "Tell them! Tell them about the game!"

You laughed at Levi's excitement and casually rubbed your wrist. "I was just telling Leviathan about a game that we play in the human world called Dungeons and Dragons-" "You get to make a fantasy world that everyone plays in, and everyone makes characters. You can be a wizard and cast spells against a huge monster! Or a war hero fighter that has been betrayed by his brother! Or a noble knight who is looking for his lost kingdom! And the best part is that it's real!" Levi interrupted, nearly jumping in place as stars danced in his eyes. You put your hands out towards him to try and calm him a bit. "Well, not entirely real. It is played in person, but it's a role play tabletop game, meaning it mostly relies on the players' imagination. That is unless you have thousands of dollars to spend on 3D maps and figurines of your characters." Levi's eyes grew even wider, if possible, as he started shaking his hands up and down. "I CAN HAVE A FIGURINE OF A CHARACTER THAT I MADE?! GAAAAAAAAAHH!" A pillow flew across the room and hit Levi square in the face as a now awake Belphegor glared at him. "Will. You. Shut. Up?" the Avatar of Sloth hissed as a dark dangerous aura grew around him. Beel gently patted his twin's head in hopes of calming him. Leviathan pouted as he noticed no one else seemed to be getting excited about it. "C-Come on guys! This isn't even a video game! It's a thing that we can all do together and personalize it to be something that everyone will like. It'll be fun! Right MC?" You nodded as you gently tossed Belphie's pillow back over to him. "Yeah. I love D&D. I played it all the time in the human world. There's action, suspense, and even romance if you really wanted it," a couple of the brothers perked up at that. "I could put together a one-shot for you guys to try it out if you'd like? I'll help you make your characters, and we can all get together for an evening and play it sometime in a couple weeks." The room went quiet as everyone thought it over. Most of them had no interest in the game itself, but if it was organized by you... "I'm in," Beel decided with a nod. "I think it will be fun. All of us trying something new; it could be neat." Satan casually flipped a page in his book, "The creative aspect of it is definitely appealing. We'd be the masters of our own fate, and that most certainly piques my interest." Asmodeus smirked as he put the cap on his nail polish. "And you said it could be whatever we want? My, one might say that this game could help our wildest fantasies come true~" he made sure to wink at you as he giggled. Belphie, who had only just got back his pillow, scrunched up his face in disgust and launched it at Asmo. "Don't make this weird Asmo," he looked over at you and shrugged, "So long as you do all the work in putting together the character thing, sure. Why not?" Mammon looked over at you from the corner of his eye. "Ya mean to tell me, that you can make it so I'm some awesome, rich, and powerful prince?" Asmo scoffed as he pushed the pillow off his lap. "Please Mammon, even the world of make-believe has its limitations." Mammon blushed as he growled at his brother. You just chuckled and teasingly elbowed his side. "Don't listen to him, Mammon. There is a set amount of how much money you start out with depending on your class and background, but I'm sure we can find something that will make you happy." The second-born blushed even more as he grumbled quietly under his breath. Lucifer tilted his head in thought. "I suppose that if everyone else is playing, naturally I must as well," he stood and began to make his way to his office. "I look forward to seeing what you come up with MC." The next two weeks were spent planning and carefully figuring out the details of the one-shot and the characters that everyone was going to play. Levi was, of course, the first one who came to you to build his character. The two of you spent hours going through the Player's Handbook and sourcebooks to find the perfect build to recreate the Lord of Shadows. In the end, you put

together a human fighter that you gave a couple magic items to make Levi's vision really come to life. It seemed basic, but for the Lord of Shadows, it was perfect. The moment the two of you finished, Levi dove to his computer and ordered a custom-made mini that looked exactly like his character. Satan was genuinely interested in the game, especially after he learned about all the lore and rules behind the different classes and races. You had just been chilling in your room one day when the door burst open. Satan stood there with wide eyes holding a copy of Volo's Guide to Monsters. "MC, why didn't you tell me there are cat people?!" You chuckled, knowing exactly where this was going. "They're called tabaxi, but yeah, they're basically cat people. Would you like to play as one?" He scoffed and snapped the book shut. "Is that even a question? Of course, I'm playing as one." After some discussion and bouncing back and forth between classes a couple of times, Satan settled on a tabaxi druid; that way he not only looked like a cat, but he could speak to them as well. After a few days of you spending time with his brothers focusing on getting their characters ready, Mammon came to you wanting the coolest, most epic character ever. At first, it was clear that he wasn't fully invested in the process, but as he saw the customizable options and all the cool stuff that his character could have, you got his attention. You ended up designing a golden teifling rogue (you tried to tell Mammon that teifling usually wasn't yellow, but he gave you such a sad look that you couldn't say no) that was decked out with piercings and gems all over its horns and tail. He tried to act like he wasn't that excited about it, but one day during class you caught him doodling what looked like a stick figure version of the character on his sheet with a big smile on his face. Asmodeus came in shortly after Mammon finished,

insisting on having the most charming and beautiful character there was. You tapped your chin at the request. "I mean, stereotypically bards are extremely charming and...well seductive...almost too seductive. But that's only thei-" Asmo had hearts in his eyes before you could even finish. "That's what I want to be!" You sighed and made a mental note not to include any dragons in the session as you marked Asmo down to be an elven bard and helped him create his character sheet. You hadn't heard anything from Lucifer for nearly that entire first week, until one day as you were lounging in the living room, he walked in holding a stack of resource books. "Ah, MC. I've been looking for you. I wanted to inform you that I will be playing a half-elf multiclassing as a paladin and hex-blade warlock." You blinked at him as he put all the books down in front of you. "O-Oh. Would you like help putting together your character sheet?" He just grinned and began to make his way out of the room once more. "I've already done it. I must admit that this was quite a bit more interesting than I thought it would be," and with that he was gone, leaving you to try and figure out what had just happened. With only a few days left until the one-shot, you had to go find the twins and get them to make their characters. Beel apologized like crazy for you having to track him in down in order to get his character made. The poor guy was in the middle of peak Fangol season and had completely forgotten. Once the two of you sat down in the kitchen with an empty character sheet in one hand and snacks in the other, Beel gave you his full attention. He put a lot of thought in his character and wanted to make it really good since he appreciated that you were doing something that they could all do as a family. He bashfully decided to play a halfling. Not only did the little creatures share his love for food, but he thought it would be neat to try being small for once. His class was also a surprise. After carefully flipping through all of the class options, he had eventually settled on a cleric. "They're the healers, right? This way I can help the others if someone gets hurt." You gave him a huge hug then and there. Belphegore, on the other hand, was not so easy to work with. "Belphie, come on. Just flip through the book and choose something!" He groaned into his pillow and rolled onto his side to glare at you. "I told you I would play if you did all the work for me. Me flipping through a book is work. It's not happening." After an entire hour of trying to get him to cooperate, you gave up. In retaliation you made his character a goblin barbarian, just to drive in the fact of how much of a brat he was acting like.

Finally, the day came for you all to play the one-shot, and much like you expected, it was complete and utter chaos. You had tried to maintain some structure and keep everyone on track, but it was hopeless. Levi and Satan were taking the game seriously and, Diavolo bless them, were the only reason their party was making any progress. Mammon was trying to pick-pocket every non-player character that they met while Asmo distracted them by flirting. This worked great for them until Mammon got caught and would've died from the resulting injuries if it wasn't for Beel. Speaking of Beel, the poor fella was trying his best to do well in the game but kept getting confused by all the rules and different stats and modifiers. Belphegor spent most of his time, trying to explain it to his twin, but in the end, Beel accidentally ate his dice and Belphie passed out on his shoulder. And then there was Lucifer. He had been mostly quiet the entire game. Surprisingly, he let Levi and Satan take the charge in any investigations and puzzle-based interactions, but he did so with a smirk. You had a funny feeling in your stomach that he was up to something, and you were right. It was the final boss. Satan and Levi were on the edge of their seats, having worked so hard to get the party to this point. You smiled, knowing that one of the best parts of D&D was finally taking down the big bad. In this case, you had prepared a beholder for them to fight. It would be no easy task. The fight should have required them to work together in an epic battle of wits, magic and melee attacks. Only, when everyone rolled initiative, Lucifer went first. The eldest smiled as his eyes sparked menacingly. "For my bonus action, I'd like to use my hex blade's curse on it, which allows me to add my plus four proficiency bonus to all damage, and makes any rolls of nineteen or twenty critical hits. I will then use my long sword with divine smite at third level to attack him and attack him again using my extra attack," barely giving you time to process what he said, Lucifer rolled his dice twice. "And that would be a nineteen and a natural twenty, meaning they're both criticals due to the curse. That should hit, yes?" "Wha-" You could only watch as Lucifer, now with twice the amount of damage due to his critical rolls pulled out a disgusting number of dice and rolled them all. And of course, with his luck, they all rolled high. "So that's 90 points of damage plus the extra damage from the curse and the bonus from my duelist ability per attack, brings this 102 points," he smugly perched his chin on top of his hands as the table gaped at him. You gulped and looked down at the beholder's character sheet, "Y-You just took o-over half of his hit points in one round..." His grin widened at the information, "What, like it's hard?" You never got the chance to finish the game, as Satan burst into his demon form and pounced on Lucifer, the eldest laughing like a mad man, while Levi tore up his character sheet in a fit of jealous rage. Levi never asked to play with everyone again after that. ***This was just so self-indulgent and I just- I loved it. It combined two of my favourite things and I have never been happier. This was more crack than fluff, but either way, it was fun and I hope you nerds out there enjoyed it 🥰 Thanks again for the request @bagelsinatoaster!*** Taglist: @mimik248 @roseytoesy @ester-is-here

[youcanseethecosmos]

Hi, I’ve been following your progress on the aus and stuff and I was wondering if you were okay with sharing your process? More specifically how you outline your fics and stuff like that, from the previews they looked pretty organizing so I was wondering if you were willing to share how you outline and such, if not that’s understandable I thank you for taking the time to read this and I can’t wait to see what you do with all your aus 🙂

Hi ! excellent question but I assure you I'm not organized in the slightest HAHAHAHA it just Seems that way. But thank you for believing so.

I'm assuming you're asking about the actors au since that's the only one i'm currently Actually outlining so I'll take you through my process !

I'm a person who actually thinks of dialogue first and then the scene that goes with it after. Since I was an actor and improv artist before, thinking of dialogue comes naturally to me. But because this AU relies a lot on how the story beats domino into each other, I have to make conscious effort to Know what the scene is about while writing dialogue.

My outlines can go one of two ways. But a lot of the time it's very much both these formats mishmashed bc sometimes I get ideas on the train or at work so I have to jot it down quickly:

Outline Version 1

Outline 1 focuses very much on dialogue heavy scenes. So that one leaves room for spoken words over descriptions.

Outline Version 2

Outline 2 focuses on points in the story where I don't have to have characters speaking to each other the whole time OR it's just one character ruminating on their thoughts. (Such as Hob grading papers, Desire cleaning their room, Dream in his dressing room putting on his costume, Lucienne contemplating on throwing her tablet across the room because Dream gives her a headache, etc)

Also pro-tip: change the background color of your document to something more pleasing to your eyes than the stark white. Trust me. It'll save your eyesight.

I hope this was insightful and helpful in some way! This method works best for long fics. Shorter (as in 1k-10k) one-shots I usually just write on the fly, no outlines necessary.

I hope you have a lovely day anon <3 And thank you so much for the lovely question

[amane-by-together]

Crème Brûlée || Hanako-kun

part two of crème brûlée

genre: lime

pairing: vampire!hanako x female guest! reader

summary: [name] is now settled in the ghost hotel after being offered by hanako to stay with him. one night, after hanako had finished his errands, he decided to visit [name] in her room. getting messy with hanako during the night doesn't seem so bad after all.

warning: heated content, blood, groping and biting (stay away if ya ain't comfy)

Hanako smiled in satisfaction, finishing the last of his errands for the night since he didn't get to do it while having dinner. He can finally take a break from his duties. It was a tough day managing the hotel's maintenance as they will accommodate the needs of their guests.

As night falls, Hanako can't help but to feel in his intuition that there's something missing. Dinner felt really boring because he just ate some bland food that doesn't even reach his taste buds. The last time he had a good feed was when he licked off the blood on [Name]'s lips.

A smirk spreads across his face, remembering the night before. Hanako had a mental image of [Name] softly calling his name, begging him to make her his. The thought excites him more, constantly being betrayed by needy thoughts about [Name].

Her blood, lips, neck and chest, he wanted them all to himself. Hanako bit his lip, his mind flooding with such sinful thoughts. He stood up from his seat, grabbing a candle holder and lighting up the candles.

Hanako left his quarters and closed the door. He roamed around the silent hallways of the floor, aiming the flame of the candle on his path to see where he was going. It seems that the guests have fallen to rest.

The sound of thunder boomed loudly and the lightning flashes through the glass window from Hanako's peripheral vision. It seems that the storm was still there, maybe it'll take a day or two for it to pass.

'Hopefully she's still awake.' Hanako stopped in front of the door to [Name]'s room. He raised his gloved hand and knocked gently to the wooden door. "May I come in?"

"Just a second~!" [Name] yelled slightly in response, probably organizing some things inside. "You may come in."

Hanako opened the door as it creaked, revealing himself while holding the candleholder. "Good evening." He greeted with a gentle smile. "Thank you for letting me in."

"Good evening to you too, Hanako-kun." [Name] addressed with a sweet tone. Hanako eyed her soft lips, and then the clothes she was wearing; an off-shoulder white dress with lacy sleeves. His amber eyes landed on the glimpse of her cleavage through her dress.

'Now that's a nice view~' Hanako slightly smirked at the sight in front of him, licking the side of his lip. He wanted to lower that dress to see more, but he must lure his prey in before completely trapping her under him. [Name] waited for Hanako to talk, it seems that he's busy staring at her with ogling eyes.

"Um, Hanako-kun?" [Name] waves her hand in front of the male to snap out of his trance. Hanako blinked and its like his breath was taken by her. "Are you alright?" She asked with concern.

"I'm alright." Hanako replied immediately, closing the door behind him and hung his cape by the coat hanger. "I recently finished my duties and ate dinner, honestly the food is bland and it has slight flavor in it so technically I haven't been eating well..."

Hanako suddenly feels light headed as his cheeks flushed, feeling intoxicated towards [Name]. He darts behind her, placing his gloved hand on top of hers and intertwined their hands. [Name]'s cheeks went red at the sudden action. "You smell really sweet tonight..." Hanako inhaled her scent as he puts his arm around her waist.

"H-Hanako—" [Name] stuttered, her knees turning weak because of Hanako. It reminded her back when they first made out in her room, and something tells her that it's happening again.

"Sorry sweetheart, I can't help it~" Hanako whispered, his breath lingering against her ear as if she can feel his lips on that part. "But you look really hot right now..."

[Name]'s heart raced inside her chest. She looks like a scared bunny that is about to be hunted by a hungry wolf. "H-Hanako-kun~" Hanako started to kiss her neck gently as a start. "Right there..."

Hanako softly nibbles at the spot, turning it into a small hickey. There's no backing away now, Hanako was about to dig in to his dessert in front of him. Hanako spins [Name] around before kissing her, looping an arm around her torso then putting his hand on the back of her hair to caress her locks. "Mmm~"

[Name] puts her arms around his neck, tugging Hanako closer. Her fingers sliding in between his choppy locks and taking off his hat. Hanako grows even more eager by licking her bottom lip in which she opens her mouth slightly, letting him slide his tongue inside. 'Ahh, her mouth feels warm.' Hanako thought as he swirled his tongue gently with hers. 'I can't stop kissing her...'

Hanako couldn't pull away from [Name], even if he did, he'll end up wanting more from her. [Name] can feel herself melting against the kiss, her legs weakening and her mind turning foggy with neediness. Both of them slowly pulled away with a string of drool hanging from their tongues, staring at each other with flushed cheeks and half-lidded eyes. "Do you have anything to do after this?" [Name] asks while panting softly.

"Other than you? Not really, how about you?" Hanako bounces a question back to [Name] in which she shakes her head no. Hanako bit his lip, he looked kinda hot while doing that. "I guess it's just you and me tonight~"

Then, an idea came to his mind. Hanako glances at [Name] suggestively. "Wanna get messy with me?~" he asks, holding her chin between his thumb and pointer finger. "Like how things were getting messy last time?~"

[Name] blushed, looking down on her feet. Hanako chuckles lowly at her demeanor, she has always been sweet and shy towards the male. "I wonder how long would it take till I turn you into a mewling mess~" he teased with a playful expression and a glimpse of his fangs were showing. "Hmmm~"

"I would appreciate it if you stop teasing me..." [Name] can feel her whole face getting hotter.

"But I like teasing you dear~" Hanako implied with a cheeky smile as he booped her nose. "You're so cute I could just eat you out~"

[Name] raises her palms and places her fingertips against Hanako's lips. She shyly glances away from the vampire and muttered. "H-Hanako-kun, that's really needy of you..."

"Weren't you needy for me too?" Hanako gently yanks her hands away from his lips and then putting them around his neck as he reeled the maiden closer. "I can feel your lips mumbling for more, you know~" He says, grinning charmingly.

"Let's just continue..." [Name] blurts in with a nervous smile. Hanako tugs her closer in a kiss as [Name] eagerly kissed back. Hanako makes the kiss even more heated by moving his lips sloppily with hers.

Hanako moves [Name] to her bed, not breaking away from her lips. They both fell on the mattress while they were kissing and now Hanako was on top of her as she was underneath him. "Mmmm~ Hanako~"

"[Name], more..."

[Name] parted her lips as Hanako slips his tongue inside of her once again, exploring her wet cavern and leaves nothing unlicked. The sheets turned messy at each movement they make. Hanako pulls back, brushing his hair to the side with a smirk. "I barely did anything and you're already a hot mess~"

"Hmm~ I think I'm still needy." Hanako removes his gloves slowly with the use of his teeth. His amber eyes trailing down to her neck and chest, eyeing them with hunger causing him to lick the side of his lips. "Maybe tasting you again won't be such a bad idea~"

"What do you think? Will you let me have a taste?~"

"I don't mind, I guess..."

"Then, what if I needed more?~"

[Name] squeezed her eyes shut, turning her head away. "I'm just gonna take a tiny sip on each bite, I won't turn you into a raisin, don't worry." Hanako chuckled at her reaction, running his fingers down to her neck. "Just hold my hand again if you feel scared."

"Please be gentle..." [Name] pleaded.

"I'll try not to make it deep." Hanako assured her in which the latter nodded gravely. Hanako hooks his finger to her sleeves and lowering it down to get a better view.

"Why did you lower my dress down?" [Name] asks, feeling a little embarrassed since she's showing too much skin. "I-It feels weird..."

"It's kinda sexy~" Hanako replied with a wink and then stared at her top half. "Besides, I can see your chest better this way~"

"H-Hanako—" Hanako cuts her off by planting a soft kiss on her neck to stop her from talking. [Name] gives in too much when it comes to Hanako like an insect waltzing to a spider's web on purpose.

Not that she's complaining. [Name] is letting Hanako bite her, letting him taste her blood that excites his taste buds. She can feel him breathing against her neck. "Okay, I'll start now..."

A small squeak escapes from her lips as [Name] felt his fangs sinking down her skin, then pulling away with a bit of blood on his teeth. Hanako starts to suck the blood that is coming out from the bite. "H-Hanako-kun..." [Name] whimpered, tears forming from the corners of her eyes.

"So sweet..." Hanako licks off the running blood from her neck. "I need more..."

Hanako did the same with [Name]'s shoulders and near her chest. He wipes the bites after he took small sips of her blood with tissues. Hanako moves down to her thigh, giving it a small bite as the crimson liquid runs down in his mouth. "H-Hanako-kun~" [Name] calls him in a weak voice. "I-I think that's enough..."

"Alright then," Hanako tore his mouth away from her thigh, licking the remaining blood on his fingers and the bite mark. "Thanks for the dessert~"

"It's like you're treating me more like a dessert than an actual person." [Name] pouted.

"Sorry dear, I have a sweet tooth. You know I can't resist sweet things like you~"

[Name] initiated the kiss first, which caught Hanako off guard but he went along with it by taking the lead midway. She can probably taste her own blood since Hanako fed off her blood recently. His hands slithered down to fondle with her chest. "Mmmm~ Hanako-kun... more please..."

"You're liking this aren't you?" Hanako whispers softly in which [Name] nods her head timidly. Hanako pulls her up by her legs and wrapped them around his torso, setting her on his lap. "Look at you all hot and bothered~"

"So soft..." Hanako digs his face between her chest, inhaling her scent. [Name] patted his hair, sometimes his duality is concerning. Like a minute ago, he was ravishing her body and now he's a soft boy.

"For someone who has lived longer, you sure do act like a kid, Hanako-kun." [Name] softly said as she played with his hair. Hanako chuckled smugly and lifted his head.

"I may act like a child, but I know how to please a woman~" He smirked. His eyes glowed an ominous gold as his fangs shimmered against the candle light.

Color filled [Name’s] cheeks. "Aish you’re such a tease-" [Name] pouted and smacked his head while he laughed. Hanako leans in for a kiss, then a loud crash can be heard from outside of the room. "What was that?!"

"It's probably something else." Hanako sweatdrops, looking over to the door. "I'll check it out later, I still have to finish my treat." Hanako turns to her and smiled innocently.

[Name] was panting heavily as Hanako was groping her chest while marking her all over her top half. 'He's definitely enjoying this.' She thought as a soft moan came out of her lips. "What if someone sees the marks?"

"Then they'll know you belong to me~" Hanako smirked, cupping her cheeks and kissing her abruptly. [Name] started to unbutton his top as Hanako guides her hands till it was fully off to reveal his white undershirt. "[Name]..."

"Do you love me?" Hanako asks, his eyes turning soft towards [Name] and a small blush can be seen on his cheeks.

"Of course, Hanako-kun." [Name] smiled at the male in front of her. "I love you."

"I love you too." Hanako replied, his hand sneaking behind her, slowly lowering the zipper of her dress. Hanako connected his lips once again as he toppled on top of [Name].

It's up to your imagination on what happens next~

The next day, Hanako was back in his quarters to do his task with [Name] helping him organize the files. The telephone rang on Hanako's table, startling him a bit. "Hello, this is the manager speaking." He greeted.

"Hi, I would like to file a complaint." The guest started to speak from the other line. "Last night I heard some noises coming which made difficulty for me to sleep, maybe you can find the source of the noise? It sounded like a girl's voice if I can remember."

Hanako and [Name] knew what the person meant. [Name] blushed heavily, covering her whole face as Hanako whistled innocently. "Thank you for calling dear guest, I'll be sure to find the source of the voice and maybe I'll have a nice discussion with them~" Hanako wiggled his eyebrows at [Name], knowing that those sounds came from her.

After the call, Hanako grinned teasingly at [Name]. "I didn't know you were that loud last night~"

a/n: guess what, there's a part two :') and due to the law of nature i updated :)

[sirthisisa-wendys]

Investigations (Part 7): Ran Haitani x Fem!Reader

wc: 1.6k

tw: NSFW is you squint

masterlist

song recommendation:

You try your best to shuffle around the kitchen surreptitiously, clicking the espresso pod into the machine with a soft 'snap'.

The machine begins its duty, whirring to life before the liquid is deposited into the cup below.

Success.

Your fingers wrap around the mug and take it to the counter, where you've already prepared your milk and syrup for a quick and easy cup of coffee.

Lately, you've had to sneak and make coffee (all futile attempts ruined by Kai or Ran), but you consider today full of promise. You'd gotten the formula down so far.

"I thought I said no coffee."

Your hands hover over the cup, the steam caressing your fingers like a warm invitation. Your eyes don't move to look at Ran, but they do watch his fingers snatch the cup away from you - full of warm milk and espresso.

"Y/n, it's not good for the baby."

"Okay, but..." Your feet carry you to the sink, where Ran is pouring the concoction down the drain. "Just a taste?"

"No."

"A sip?"

"No."

"I'll make it and just stick my tongue in it once."

"No."

Ran stands firm on his opinions at all times. Especially now. Arms cross over your chest and you huff, turning away from him.

"So strict." Ran fingers slide down your neck, resting around your full hips.

"It's not just about you," he begins, kissing the space between your neck and shoulder. "I'm looking out for our child, too. You know that."

"I do," you groan.

"Now, we have a baby shower to host. Let's get ready."

_____________________________________________________________

"We thought you were gone forever!" The three women come around you and huddle close, cooing, and crying, spewing lamentations and satisfied praises that you've returned.

Sanzu - out of the kindness of his heart - planned the baby shower, and you're at his house, eating cake with your friends and consuming hors d'oeuvres. But when you find a free moment, you corner Ran in the kitchen.

"Did you tell the others?"

"Tell them what?" Ran tilts his head at you and leans onto the counter, frowning. Your face smoothes out into an expression of disappointment, and you sigh.

Of course, he hadn't.

It's still your job to carry this terrible secret. It's still your job to bury your deepest, darkest knowing, all while the other girls are parading about like their husbands aren't killers and extortionists.

"Hey, y/n! It's time to open the presents!"

_____________________________________________________________

The water surrounding your figure is warm, full of bubbles and Epsom salt, as well as a little bath bomb that Ran bought - well, he bought sixteen, but that's beside the point.

"Feeling okay? Is it too hot?" You look over to the man sitting on the toilet seat, his elbows resting on his knees as he observes you pour water over your belly.

"It's fine," you murmur, blinking slowly. "Feels good."

"Want to turn on the jets or--"

"I want to join Bonten." Ran's face drops, his violet eyes clouding with confusion.

"I'm sorry?"

"You heard me." You stare at him, fully intent on getting your desired response. "I want to be a part of what you do."

"Babe, no." Ran leans his head forward, rubbing the bridge of his nose in frustration.

"You haven't even listened to me," you whisper, looking down at the ten toes poking out of the water. "You always do this. You tell me 'no' because that's the way you want things. I can't even drink coffee without your permission."

"Listen, I'll let you do whatever you want, but Bonten is out of the question. You're pregnant --"

"Then I can wait until I have the baby."

"Even after that, I'm going to say no. This is a dangerous business." He emphasizes his words with a shake of his head, pressing his lips together.

"You act like I wasn't an investigative journalist for ten years."

"This shit could get you killed, y/n."

"Yes," you begin. "But you do it every day. I want to be a part of it."

"Why?" Ran finally asks, and your lips curl into a smile.

"I know things you don't know. The media follows you very closely, and you need a good image if you ever run into a problem with... say, law enforcement. What better way to prove that this is a harmless organization than hiring a woman - your wife?" Ran quirks his lips, looking at the door of the bathroom with consideration.

"Is there any particular skill you'll avail to us other than just public relations? I mean, I could get someone to do that who isn't my wife."

"I have connections that will divert attention away from Bonten, if necessary." You think of the little group you and the other wives have created, and send a mental apology their way. "You can use me to get the word out about any other suspicious groups who might be involved. Aid and abet, like a good wife."

Ran stands from the toilet, sighing deeply. "I'll ask Mikey. But don't expect me to attempt to sway him with my loyalty. If anything, I'll ask him to really think about it before he makes a choice."

"That's all I want," you breathe, taking Ran's hand and pressing your lips against the back of it. "You're too good to me."

"Don't thank me yet, sweetheart."

_____________________________________________________________

Convincing Ran to part with his old-fashioned ways is something you're very skilled at. All you need to do is get on your knees... and be as sweet as you can be.

"Babe," you mutter, sucking Ran's thick cock from the side. "You're such a good husband."

"Buttering me up for Mikey, huh?" Fingers cup the back of your head and push you down slightly. "Why am I not surprised?"

And every single time, Ran sees straight through your little act. But he enjoys it nonetheless. He loves seeing you like this - giving him the attention he missed so much while you were gone.

"Because you know me so well. And that's why you married me."

That's why you married me. Ran's eyes close as he re-imagines himself the first time he decided to visit you, hands full of shit he didn't have to buy, and eyes full of stars at the sight of you answering the door in a tank top and shorts with a cast on your leg. That's when he knew that he wanted to marry you. Not because you're good at anything in particular, but because you were so ordinary... So normal. He needed someone like you then, and he needs you now.

"Stop."

"Am I doing something wrong?" you murmur, but Ran shakes his head, strands of his black and white hair flopping back and forth.

"You're perfect," he whispers. "You're always so perfect." He brings you off your knees and face to face with him, holding you by the arms. "Let me make love to you. I'll do the work," Ran promises. "You just enjoy yourself."

"But--"

"I've already told you what I'm going to do. Just let me give you what you deserve." Ran angles forward, leaning into a gentle kiss that makes your knees weak and your head spin.

Ran spoons you from behind on the bed, holding your leg up and sliding in and out of you with care. The other arm is holding you against him - wrapped around your chest - as he whispers sweet nothings into your ear.

"I love the way you moan my name," he breathes. "You always know how to make me feel like the only man in the world."

"You are," you reply honestly. "You're the only man for me."

_____________________________________________________________

"Why do you want to join Bonten?"

The dead eyes of the man across from you are unyielding, and part of you feels nervous that he's staring at you so intensely.

"I want to help you all out. I want to make sure that not only do my children have something to rely on when they grow up, but that my husband is taken care of in all ways."

"Your children and your husband?" You think of Ran, who is just outside of the door, probably pacing with his hands in his pockets. "Your husband just spent three hours arguing with me."

"About?"

"You." The man stands, and Sanzu looks over at him with blank eyes. He wants to chime in, but he can't say anything right now. Not when Mikey was supposed to handle this himself. "Your presence here will be controversial. Especially since you're... in the state you're in."

"Pregnancy isn't a fatal disease."

"No, but being in Bonten could be fatal. And I don't know if both ran and I would be willing to accept the consequences of two deaths on our hand."

"But--" Sanzu raises a finger to his lips, warning you to be quiet.

"However," the man murmurs, rolling his neck around. "Sanzu, Rindou, and Kakucho have vouched for you and your connections." Your shoulders slacken, and you lean back in the chair, somewhat relieved. "I will put it to an anonymous vote in thirty-six hours. Whatever the outcome is, we'll both accept it."

A blind vote.

Thirty-six hours.

"Thank you, sir." You stand and bow slightly, hands clasped together. When you leave the room, Ran is waiting for you in the hallway, eyes wide.

"Well?"

"It'll be put to an anonymous vote in thirty-six hours. Whatever happens, happens."

Ran's face is anything but pleased as you drive home, but you don't worry about that too much. You have one and a half days to wait for the results, and you'd make the best of it either way.

[kayura-sanada]

If it’s not too uncomfortable for you may I ask why you dislike Dorian and Bull together?

Ah. I'm more concerned that it'll be too uncomfortable for fans of the pairing to read my response, and I have to prepare myself to get attacked for this. But if you're willing to hear, then sure, I'll explain.

Though you know I'm going to make this long, the short story is that everything you hear makes it clear this is not a healthy relationship, especially in the original Inquisition, before Trespasser, but yes, even in that DLC.

There are several actual layers to this, so I'll go a bit piecemeal, if I may. Some pieces are very well known and have been spoken of before by those like myself who aren't fans of the pairing, but others are things I haven't heard others speak about. Again, this is just me throwing my thoughts into this response, so if you want this to be perfectly organized, I am sorry, but I am not your girl.

All right! I'm going to try to list the reasons I dislike it in order of Most Egregious to Least Egregious. Please note that these are my subjective opinions and you obviously needn't agree with them. Block and let block, I say.

Reason #1: It Is Unhealthy, Almost Abusive, the Way The Iron Bull Ignores Dorian's Boundaries and Discomfort

Dorian makes it clear on several occasions that he does not want their personal lives bared to the team. Hell, he often makes it clear he's not interested in hearing much of any of Bull's dirty language. Dorian speaks disdainfully if Bull and the Inquisitor joke about their sex lives with Sera. He shows himself uncomfortable, even outright angry, whenever Bull flirts with him - he groans, gets defensive, and even says "vishante kaffas," or "you shit on my tongue," in response. To note: he also says "vishante kaffas" if Iron Bull turns on you in Trespasser. It's the worst curse his mind can think of.

In fact, it disturbs me greatly that Dorian was attacking The Iron Bull for what his people did to mages like him and The Iron Bull turned it into a sex thing. He twisted Dorian's question of whether Bull would want to leash and restrain him, as Bull's people did to all mages, and Bull turned it into a BDSM joke. As someone who very much enjoys BDSM as a concept, I cannot even express to you how unhealthy this is; it goes against every proper BDSM etiquette. BDSM is not about doing something to someone against their will, and it should certainly not be linked to what is essentially racism. Certainly, in carefully controlled situations between trusting partners, such things can be explored as said partners desire, but here? In this context? Hell no.

The entire relationship, actually, which was purely sexual at first, was started by The Iron Bull taking an innocent statement by Dorian and turning it dirty again. He startled Dorian by getting extremely graphic, turning the animosity between their people into something lewd again. He talks about conquering Dorian. He then turns Dorian's very legitimate concerns (considering how this all could end in Trespasser) about Bull into a sexual thing again, and then Dorian goes to him for what I assume is some very rough and satisfying sex. I can understand the way frustration and fear can add to the pleasure during sex. I cannot, however, accept this as a basis for a romance. Quite frankly, it's just plain unhealthy.

And after all this? Bull starts talking about it in front of the team again. Dorian even states how discretion wasn't Bull's thing, and Bull continued, giving very personal information about their activities even after Dorian expressed a desire for him not to.

This is in fact common with Bull!!! He just plain doesn't care about Dorian's boundaries. Which is even worse when you realize he will respect everyone else's just fine!! He speaks up for Gatz when Cole starts trying to help him. He tells Cassandra he'll stop the instant she expresses to him that she's not interested. He shuts up the instant the Inquisitor demands he do so, saying only "she sort of asked" or, if the Inquisitor is with Sera, that the Inquisitor's being "touchy." So why the hell does he not listen to Dorian, even when he says please? "Please stop helping the dwarf," Dorian says, and Bull just keeps right on going. Where's the respect for one's partner? Because I don't see it.

Reason #2: It is Treated As a Sexual Relationship in Nearly Every Interaction, So Why is This Suddenly 'Love?'

This includes Trespasser. Just so you know.

Most of what I could say here, I feel I shouldn't have to. There's no secret that their interactions in Inquisition are only ever about sex. Dorian even notes that he "might come" if Bull leaves his door open, which clearly states they are not together before the act, and Bull's note that Dorian had left his things and perhaps left a trophy for Bull, means Dorian definitely makes that walk of shame out of Bull's room afterward. (Please note that I am a sex-averse ace, as well, so this along with every other 'friends with benefits' relationship makes me squicked out because I just do not understand being with someone just for sex. That's just me personally.)

But what I am going to focus on here makes it even worse. In Inquisition, there is a point where Bull speaks with Cassandra about hitting enemies harder to work off her frustration. If he's in a relationship with the Inquisitor, he'll say he would offer to help her with said frustration, but that he's "in a committed relationship." Guess what he says if he's in a relationship with Dorian? Nothing. Cassandra instead says he'd feel more if she hit him, and he jokes that she should "let it out." The big takeaway here is that he does not mention being in a committed relationship with Dorian - in other words, he doesn't see Dorian as a committed relationship. Period. The fact he doesn't say the same as with the Inquisitor speaks for itself.

But we also get a moment like this in Trespasser! The Iron Bull says he's looking forward to fighting with everyone together again, and then says, "how 'bout it, Kadan?" When it's to the Inquisitor, we get a sweet, "it's a title of honor for the (wo)man I love." He defends it to the team, too, not from the Inquisitor, who accepts the word easily. Yet Dorian responds with a quick, "ah, we're doing the names, are we?" To which Bull responds, "it's a title of honor, kadan!" To which Dorian says, "I need a drink." How on earth is this considered romantic?? Dorian is clearly flippant about the title and doesn't want to carry it. Meanwhile, Bull calls it a "title of honor," certainly, but does not mention love in the slightest! He also mocks the word "amatus," calling himself Dorian's amatus (something that the Inquisitor never does, and something that we've never heard Dorian call him before this moment) and joking about flexing to make Dorian feel better. It's just a weird moment there specifically; Dorian mocks Bull's endearment, Bull mocks Dorian's endearment, and it's considered romantic? If so, then why not have a chance for the Inquisitor to mock these endearments? Oh, yes. Because it's something very serious between the Inquisitor and their romance. But not here, apparently.

This actually harkens back to when Varric brings up the relationship to the two of them in Inquisition and says they had "only love to keep them together." Bull refuted the word love and showed immediate preference to the word "passion." It seems he still doesn't want to use the word 'love,' even as he calls Dorian by the same pet name as he would the Inquisitor and accepts (if mockingly) Dorian's pet name for himself.

Reason #3: These Two Never Seem Happy Talking to One Another When 'Romance' Dialogue Occurs

Dorian once tells Cassandra that he's happy in the relationship with Bull, yet it's clearly in response to her gently prying about the relationship. The exact quote is this:

Cassandra: "If... you're both pleased..." Dorian: "I'm happy, he's happy, everyone's happy."

This doesn't sound happy.

In fact, few of their interactions sound happy. They actually get along best in the interactions that have nothing to do with the romance. They begin to understand each other, even connect with one another, over their issues with their own people and cultures and how they similarly don't agree with everything their cultures tell them to. They mock their own cultures to each other in a very friendly manner.

When it comes to the 'romance,' however, there's nothing but defensiveness, rudeness, and flippancy. The clearly unwanted dirty jokes (which would be recognized as harassment by fandom if Dorian were female... I hope). The insults that go nowhere save another dirty joke, leaving the problems festering and unresolved. Every concern Dorian has is changed to a dirty joke. Even simple customs Dorian talks about - at this moment I'm thinking about Dorian telling Bull Qunari should always wear armor - gets turned into a joke instead of explained or expanded upon. Hell, Bull talks in Trespasser about wanting to get hit with a stick again, and Dorian says he isn't sure whether he wants that to be a metaphor or not. Um, are mentions of a desire to physically abuse each other... a normal joke between them now?

And the tones used between them. Dorian isn't sexually frustrated, he's angry. Bull isn't in love, usually doesn't even sound turned on. He sounds like he's deliberately goading Dorian. Not in a fun way. Hate sex may be fun, but it's not an acceptable foundation for a relationship. Yet by Trespasser, it's all we've seen between them. But suddenly now it's love.

Even when they're (probably) joking, you can never really tell. Is Dorian joking about needing a drink when Bull calls him kadan? Is Bull just playing around with his just being Dorian's good-looking amatus? Does Dorian want to hit Bull?

Reason #4: If We Never See Bull Respect Dorian's Boundaries When Speaking to Him, Does He Respect Dorian During Sex?

Considering how often Bull is linked with BDSM, it does not bode well for anyone to know Bull has a hard time giving a shit about Dorian's boundaries. So, uh... if Dorian said no... would Bull even listen?

Do you have any idea how terrifically uncomfortable it is to realize this? Well, I hope you do now.

It makes it even more uncomfortable to know that, when Varric brings up their relationship and uses the word 'love,' Bull says, "could you make it sound angrier?" Uh... exactly what kind of sex are you guys having? Is it really hate sex? Is there nothing else? "Angrier?" Are you serious? Not 'harder,' 'more primal,' 'sexier,' or several other options. Bull goes for angrier. That is not a good sign.

Reason #5: We Don't See Any Brewing Romance. It Just Suddenly Exists. Like Mold.

What really disturbs me is how everything I've mentioned is matched with the moment when Bull is ordered by the Viddesala to join him. If he refuses, it's the one and only time we hear Dorian call Bull amatus, and the only time we hear them use these terms for each other together. One could read this as the moment they truly accept one another freely, knowing they could trust the other. To me, having never seen them do it before, it feels awkward, out of place, and wrong. Why haven't we heard you guys speak this way even once before? Fake, fake, fake.

We never hear anything sweet between them. Hell, we never hear any teasing that ends with both of them laughing, or even them using the same lines on each other. What some may call quips almost always ends with one of them sighing or groaning or outright snarling in frustration. That's not banter, ladies and gentlemen. It's verbal assault. And yes, that's a real thing.

So... how are they suddenly in love???

...Yeah.

All right. Long story short, Bull sexually assaults Dorian, they have hate sex, and this is somehow a love story. Normally, this would be recognized as the story of an abusive couple.

This could have been done well! I love stories where the couple has to overcome personal and often cultural expectations or roles to get together. My favorite DA romances are Fenris/my mage Hawke and Solas/my Kios Lavellan, after all. But this was not that. What could have been that turned into something much, much less healthy. Something disturbing, hopefully-only-borderline abusive, and far too sudden for me to ever be okay with it.

I would absolutely accept a relationship between Garrus and Tali, or between Fenris and Isabela, far more easily than I would Dorian and The Iron Bull, because the other two couples still share friendly banter and jokes; they still show each other kindness and respect. The instant Bull starts chasing Dorian - and it's definitely a one-sided chase 98% of the time - kindness and respect fly out the window. And that, my friends, is never going to be the start of a relationship I could ever accept or enjoy. Since that's the only relationship growth we see, is it really any wonder I hate the pairing when Bioware suddenly decides they're together romantically?

[novelelitist]

Spiritual successor to this post. TW for mentions of suicidal ideation and death.

Charles-Henri Sanson on Death II

"I'm forever impressed by your skill," Assassin's Master says. "You could've been a doctor. Or a chef. Or one of those guys that chops off fish heads and dropped them in buckets. We could practice together, except I'm the fish. You chop my head off. I get served on a skewer. It'll be great."

Charles-Henri Sanson stops polishing his guillotine blade. "I can't imagine anybody eating you and being satisfied, with or without the skewer."

“What about my organs? We can sell those, can’t we?”

Sanson leans back in his chair and turns to Master stretched out on the floor. The chair creaks under his shifting weight. Old wood flooring squeals in response.

“On the black market, perhaps,” he says. “I doubt anybody would be interested, though. There are far better organ donors out there.”

"Would you end me if I somehow earned it?”

Sanson's forehead wrinkles. The stupidity of Master’s comments is matched only by their sincerity. He rubs his temples with thumb and pinky, his hand stretches across his brow. 

“You don't support capital punishment,” he reminds them.

"But you do.”

He resumes meticulous work on his Noble Phantasm with a sigh. "Even so, I will not be executing you anytime soon."

Master rolls onto their side, burying their face into thick sofa cushions. Their muffled cursing and grumbling gives Sanson secondhand embarrassment. His cheeks turn pink.

“Please, Master. Don’t make this weird...”

“It’s already weird,” they whine. “I’m weird. I’m the problem. I shouldn’t exist. I don’t want to exist.”

He shakes his head. None of that sounds true to him. “You never want to exist.”

“You could help me with that at literally any point.”

“I’m not a qualified mental health professional.”

Master kicks the arm of the sofa with tippy-taps like a child. They huff. Their shoulders rise and fall with their annoyance, and it brings Sanson comfort. Practiced hands glide across his blade. He removes stains and buffs imperfections expertly, careful not to cut himself in the process. It’s hard to maintain focus when he wants nothing more than to care for them.

He’s positive that other Masters have given him trouble in the past. There have been plenty worth noting, probably. This one, however, must be among the most self-sabotaging. 

It’s difficult to care for someone who rejects help so vehemently, he thinks. How is anyone supposed to treat that type of person?

"I would rather not acknowledge what you meant,” Sanson says. 

Master groans and flails their arms. It reminds him of a stingray going flap flap flap. A smile tugs at the corner of his lips as he watches them from the corner of his eye. For a miserable bastard, Master can be endearing.

“What do I have to do to convince you?” they ask to heaven and pillows. “I can’t do it correctly myself, so I might as well ask an expert.”

An expert in something so grotesque? Perish the thought. Charles-Henri Sanson is an expert in clean executions--not messy philosophies of life and death. To this day he struggles to understand it all (though he tries to pretend he gets everything).

Without missing a beat or a brush, Sanson answers. “Burn all of your Command Spells ordering me to end your life.”

Master’s back stiffens, yet they flop loosely like a sloth. 

With anyone else, Sanson would call that the end of the conversation. Instead, he worries where Master’s wandering mind will take them. He gazes into his reflection on the surface of his blade and makes eye contact with himself. His chest aches. 

There are no simple solutions to Master’s problems, nor are there simple answers to their questions... Then again, if a simple answer existed, Master would hate it anyway. They try to see the complexity in all things. So why is it so damn difficult to convince them that it’s okay to be complex themselves?

It hurts. Caring for someone that is desperate to throw you and everyone else away hurts. Calling someone a friend when they want to get rid of you hurts. Yearning for someone’s presence when they want to isolate hurts. It’s a type of hurt that he doesn’t recall experiencing in past summonings. It’s lonesome. It makes him wonder what he did wrong, and why they didn’t tell him sooner.

Master pretends to ignore him while overthinking every word he says, as usual. They will, as usual, overwhelm themselves falling down the rabbit hole of negativity. As usual, they will self-destruct in private, refusing to accept or acknowledge the hands offered to them. 

Ah, but if that person believes they’ll break the fingers of another, it would make sense that they don’t want to take it. 

All Sanson can do for them is exist. He wishes he could ask the same in return.

[khaleesiofalicante]

in holt's voice: Pain. That's it.

Today hasn't been the best but HEY I HAD THESE PRECIOUS BABIES TO KEEP MY COMPANY

He looked exhausted like he hadn’t slept at all.

alec...

I'm already sad and ready to murder

the baby...

David had never lost someone he loved.

this is fucking foreshadowing isn't it

But real strength was not in surviving the presence of pain. Real strength was in suviving the absence of love.

despite the chaos I'm glad to see these two interacting

The Consul leaned back in his chair and ran his hand through his beard. David had to admit, he looked damn good with it. Even if it made him seem even more intimidating than before.

yes boy YES

it's really hard not to smile right now but my camera is on and im supposed to be finding meanings of foreign words based on my own knowledge so-

JACKSON

“Max is too old for me to tell him what he is and isn’t allowed to do,” the Consul said – although he didn’t sound very happy about it.

MY TEACHER ASKED ME THE FIRST QUESTION IM LOSING MY SHIT

It’s going to be okay. It’s going to be okay. It’s going to be okay.

let's hope so

Facts and figures, babe, Max had kissed his cheek last night. Dad likes facts and figures.

deep breathes

it'll be ok

“You’ve done your research,” the Consul nodded. There was a hint of approval in his voice that made David want to do a cartwheel.

AWWWW

“I’d like to take care of the New York institute,” David said now. “Because Jace Herondale and Clary Fairchild took care of me.”

And for the first time that evening, the Consul smiled. David wanted to burst into song.

AHHHH

this is beautiful

David couldn’t help but find that endearing. He wondered what it felt like to be loved like that. He wondered what it felt like to have a father like that – a father who couldn't stop loving his child even for a moment.

A love that was endless and tireless.

Every time he was in the presence of the Lightwood-Bane family he was reminded of what he had lost and what every child deserved.

It made him sad.

But then he would remember. He would remember that Max had grown up knowing nothing but this. Max had grown up with nothing but love.

It made him happy.

alright come here let me hug you

UHUHSCUICDUH "Why do you not like me"

“I know I worry too much about Max,” the Consul said, his smile sad now. “But I can only worry now. I won’t always be there to worry over him.”

it's 9 am boy

THESE TWO REALLY BE ASKING THE TRUE QUESTIONS

"Why are you scared of me" HSUHYUKDUMKDS WELL YOU SEE-

all we can really do is replace the bad memories with happier ones...

“No,” the Consul said, and David’s heart almost stopped. “I mean, of course I care. But I don’t have to be hard on you to show you that I do. There are many ways to show people we care about them without hurting them.”

David thought of his father then. He remembered the way his father had drawn the agony rune on his wrist and promised him it was because he loved David and wanted him to be strong. The memory hurt.

Jace and Clary bestest

“I’m sorry for whatever I did to intimidate you,” the Consul apologized.

that is so alec oh my god 😭

David looked him in the eye. “You’re Alec Lightwood.”

The man looked confused. “Is that supposed to mean something?

I'm smiling so much right now because yeah

yeah I get what he's saying

David hadn’t known that boys were allowed to kiss other boys – not until he heard about Alec Lightwood’s Accords Hall kiss.

David hadn’t known fairy tales existed outside of books - not until he heard about Alec Lightwood adopting a warlock baby with Magnus Bane.

David hadn’t known love can literally change the world – not until he heard about Alec Lightwood changing the world for the man he loved.

don't make me cry during linguistics

“Well,” the Consul chuckled. “To be entirely honest, I did all of that for Magnus.”

as he should

“Everything I have ever done has always been for Magnus,” the Consul said, his voice oddly soft.

we're talking about some wall in class and im here trying not to cry

my teacher just asked why some of us have our cameras off WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO SAY

“I don’t want to be a hero,” David confessed honestly. “I just thought if I ran away to a city full of heroes, they would protect me if someone tried to hurt me again.”

“What’s that?” the Consul frowned, pointing at his neck.

By the angel! David was going to have words with Max when he saw him again.

“Uh,” David said. “Mosquito bite.”

AHHHHHHHH MOSQUITO BITE

“Do you remember when Izzy got attacked by a demon in Edom?”

“And you drank my blood,” the Consul rolled his eyes.

“Aw,” the Dean of the Academy chuckled. “You do remember.”

poor David is stuck between them talking like this IM SCREAMING

He remembered the way Consul had blamed himself when Max had found the spoils room at the York Institute. The way he had believed he should have done better when his eldest son had been traumatized by foul rumours of the Clave.

oh honey no

There were people who got mad at themselves when things went wrong.

There were people who got mad at everyone around them when things went wrong.

While Alec Lightwood was the former, his son and David’s boyfriend, was definitely the latter.

I'm definitely both

“It wasn’t your fault,” David spoke up then. “When bad things happen to people, it’s because of the people who did those bad things. We shouldn’t atone for someone else’s sins.”

“Yeah. Stop atoning, dude,” the Dean said chuckled. “Listen to the boy.”

YES EVERYONE LISTEN TO DAVID

“And be careful,” the Consul said, his tone a little different now.

“I will keep an eye on-”

“No,” the Consul said and pointed at the hickey on David’s neck. “With Max. Be careful.”

David was pretty sure his face on fire.

OH MY GOD

IM SHAKING

“Um, we have the internet,” David pointed out.

The Consul blinked. “Right. Of course. The internet.”

yes

ao3 and Wattpad

KIDS DON'T GO ON THESE WEBSITES AT 11 JUST DO NOT

“If he gives you a hard time, don’t give up,” the man whispered like it was a secret. “You just need to weasel your way into his life.”

David chuckled. “Is that what you did?”

yup

“Yeah, and then he had the audacity to get accidentally get drunk and confess his love in the middle of the night.”

AWW SHE'S TELLING GIGI ABOUT THEIR PAST

“I did have a latte,” her mother said with a straight face.

Georgia didn’t find that funny.

I almost said "BECAUSE IT'S NOT FUNNY" before I realized that is exactly what I would've said

She knew her mother, like so many other people in her life, preferred to use humour to cope with the pain. They preferred to hide their pain away from other people.

Georgia never understood why people did that. Did they think others didn’t know what pain felt like? Everyone was in pain all the time – some kind of it at least. Everyone knew how to cope with it. So, it made more sense to share it than to carry it all by yourself.

i...I never look at it that way

Apparently, hand holding had special healing abilities at times like this.

yeah it really does

Georgia had hoped to find out herself. She had wondered so much about the baby.

tears. literal tears

It didn’t matter that Georgia had wanted to name the baby Abigail after the first iron sister. It didn’t matter that her father wanted to name the baby Jonathan to piss off Uncle Jace.

Abigail Jonathan Lightwood-Lovelace

FUCK OFF AND LET ME CRY IN PEACE

People said that poison was a coward’s weapon. But Georgia didn’t think so. It wasn’t easy to make poison. It wasn’t easy sneak it into the right place at the right time.

Whoever did this, they were not cowards. They were smart and they should be feared.

yeah, what did happen during the trial?

uh is Selena ok?

like genuinely

is she just a very heavy sleeper or...

MARYSE

Because sometimes the only comfort you needed was your mom.

yeah...

Except for random parts of the house that were incredibly organized – a sign Uncle Jace had been there

Yup.

“I’m staying in New York, mom. I’m going to help Selena and the centurions find out who did this to me,” her mother said, her words a promise. “And once I do, I’m going to strangle them with my whip.”

Yes you will

Anjali and Rafe

please be ok. please

HOW ABOUT WE DO A TRADE

ZARA'S LIFE FOR ANJALI'S 😄

ok I know that's not how it works but IM DESPERATE

her bedroom seems amazing though

Rafael gave so much shit to his dad because the other man had the habit of watching his husband sleep.

But now he sort of understood the fascination.

AWWWWW

“You do ballet?” he asked, holding up the ballet shoes.

slightly reminds me of rosa

OK WHO AM I KIDDING SHE TOTALLY DOES

the red binder

it's fucking genius

David can keep his flowers and cookies and scarves.

This, what he held in his hands right now, was the best thing anyone could ever give him. A file full of reforms to make the clave better.

IM SCREAMING

“You think I want to die and leave the Council in your cishet hands?”

YES BESTIE

“I don’t care what the Clave needs,” Rafael snapped, and Anjali momentarily looked taken aback. “I need you.”

he needs her

FUCK IT TIME TO CRY

“Bulgaria is known as the land of roses,” Rafael told her. “The Sofia Institute is built in the middle of a rose garden.”

“Oh,” Anjali’s eyes momentarily softened. “I like roses.”

you know that tiktok trend? the one which goes "listen it's a good joke it's a great joke even but i need you to stop" or smth like that?

yeah

His hand was itching to reach out and hold hers. So, he did just that. He reached out – very carefully – and took her hand in his own.

“I need you to get better, Anjali,” he whispered. “Cause I would very much like to take you there.”

HAND HOLDING

no she's not becoming a vampire

The part that was the shadowhunter – which told him she didn’t deserve to die over some angelic mishap.

The part that was the future Consul – which told him he needed Anjali on his side.

The part that was a Lightwood-Bane – which told him he should never give up fighting.

And then there was the part that was Rafael – just Rafael.

It told him he had to save his heart – no matter the consequences.

we're talking about some powerplant in geography and I'm crying over this

Anjali please please don't die

“Not everything,” Rafael told her. “I know someone who can help.”

WHO

GIVE ME A NAME

“Well, now we don’t know that for sure!” Max grinned. “Who knows what they get up to? Maybe there is someone occasional boning in the bone city.”

“How does manage to get more insufferable every time I meet him?” Jackson demanded.

i...never looked at it that way

OH JACKSON IS BECOMING A SILENT BROTHER

Max grinned widely at the other boy. “You wanna be my immortal buddy, Jack-Jack?”

OOP-

“The boys are back” he yelled, hugging David and Jackson. “Ty, our boys are back! Yas! The London Boys are back!”

THE LONDON BOYS

“Okay it’s a little disrespectful when you call her by the same name you call me,” Max pointed out.

“True,” Jackson nodded. “Irene shouldn’t be disrespected like that.”

YUYZXYSCGYZCGYUCUIZCVUH SCREAMING

"It’s hard being a celeb,” Max sighed dramatically.

“He is referring to the chaos you unleashed the last time you went there,” Jackson rolled his eyes. “People still remember you.”

“I’m memorable. It’s not my fault,” Max shrugged.

Max no more gambling bestie

“If the assassination attempt on Magnus had been successful, we wouldn’t be sitting and talking like this,” Kit pointed out. “The nephilim and downworlders would be at war.”

As they should. No one hurts Magnus

“So the target isn’t just Magnus Bane?” Jackson asked.

“Possibly,” Ty nodded. “The Consul and his husband…They are the ones who united the shadow world – with the Alliance. With their marriage. So, it’s not surprising that someone – seelie or not – wants to break it all down.”

with every line, I get closer to a breakdown

“There are people all around me to protect me from demons and crazy assassins,” Max smiled. “But you…You protect me from myself. So, don’t give me that I’m not good at protecting bullshit.”

so precious...

“Now let’s go find out which dumbass thought it would be a good idea to try and kill Magnus Fucking Bane.”

i have a few torture methods in mind

If shadowhunters couldn’t fight demons, it would put both downworlders and mundanes in danger. His father’s Clave – small as it was – did their best to keep the demons at bay. They were the only thing keeping the shadow world safe from demons.

Ikr?? Like David said earlier Alec's clave is literally the one doing the actual shadowhunting.

“Jackson is incredibly smart and perceptive. He knows what is good for him, David. He chose you to be his best friend. He has accepted that his family is gone for good and is finally focusing on his future. If this is what he wants to do and if this is who he wants to be, then you should trust that he has thought this through. He wouldn’t have chosen this life if he thought he wouldn’t be happy with it.”

TRUE

ALRIGHT WHO TF IS BEHIND ALL THIS

i just want to talk 🙂

“Great,” Max said, feeling frustrated. “So, someone created a fancy new poison just to kill my parents.”

“They did say something else,” Kit said, his tone worried. “The poison…It’s not entirely made of demonic properties.”

“Oh?” David said.

“It’s a mixture of angelic and demon properties,” Ty Blackthorn said. “And we know that-”

“Seelies,” Max whispered. “They have both angel and demon blood.”

Is anyone else scared?

GASP

WHAT IF

It's an angel and prince of hell working together?

ok that seems highly unlikely

“I don’t think you have a choice, bud,” Kit giggled. “Mina will have your head if you don’t get married. She has been working on a Pinterest board for years now.”

KIT

KIT

WHAT THE FUCK

OH MY GOD KIT

NO NO NO

HE CAN'T BE DEAD

NO FUCK NO

I'm absolutely loving all this angst so much. You said chapter 9 was the most angsty and frankly I can't wait :p

now...IF KIT AND ANJALI DIE I WILL BE VERY VERY SAD but the angst potential with Anjali though...NOPE NOPE NOPE. MY GIRL'S GONNA BE INQUISITOR I KNOW SHE WILL.

AHHHHHH THIS CHAPTER WAS A LOT LMAO.

I love how you are complaining but also thirsting for angst yall crazy.

I hope you are taking care of yourself and working on your entry for the competition!!!!!

Also the "we're talking about some wall in class" killed me lmao I laughed so hard fdhvjd.

[snapdragon-mina]

Big 3 Mermaid AU Headcanons

A/n: I actually managed to do it at like 5am, so it's here sooner than later 👀.

Nejire Hado

Her tail is teal with royal blue fins

Wears a light, flowing material as a top that has pearls decorating it

Also wears a small yellow stone and a small purple stone around her neck

The two of you met when you decided to go for a swim in the ocean

Coincidentally, she decided to swim closer to the shore

At first, you thought she was just another person swimming around nd enjoying themselves

Until you noticed the little teal scales that were next to the outer corner of her eyes

Then you noticed the tail

That obviously gave it away

The two of you actually got along fairly well

She asked you a shit ton of questions

"Why is your hair like that?" "Where's your tail?" "Wait are you a human?" "That's so cool! I've only ever really heard of humans, never seen one before. You're weird."

After knowing her for about a month, she decided that she trusted you enough to lead you to her ~special cave~

It had various things that she'd collected over the years neatly organized

Everything ranging from seashells, to jewelry of all types, to like,,,, glass bottles

You two would meet there routinely

As you got closer, she would let you meet tamaki and mirio

When she developed a crush on you, you knew immediately

Very blunt with the confession

"Hey, I like you a lot. Be my mate please?"

If you agree, she'll work out a way to safely get you underwater for a long time so she can show you around

If you don't agree, it'll hurt her feelings, but she'd ask if you want to stay friends.

Nothing really changes about her treatment towards you

She'll get more affectionate if you do decide to date her

Tamaki Amajiki

His tail is dark purple with white accents

Wears a small yellow stone and a small blue stone around his neck

You met when you got shipwrecked

A real bad storm hit and you got washed up by a cave

But it seemed,,,, sorta lived in?

That ain't sit right with you, but there wasn't really anywhere else to go

You were drawing in the sand when you heard gentle splashing in the water

You looked up only to see a lil head pop up to look at you

Took you a few days for you to get him to actually talk to you

You explained your situation nd he understood

He'd already been helping you by giving you access to food and drinkable water

When he developed a crush on you, you had a hunch already

"Did you bring me extra food last night?"

"H-Huh? N-No, last n-night I wasn't even h-here"

"Yes you were, I saw your tail as you were leaving."

"I-I don't know what you're t-talking about."

You don't let him know that you know about his crush

It'd only make the poor guy panic

Eventually he works up the courage to confess

"So I've been t-thinking about this for a while n-now… but I really l-like you, so p-please be my mate?"

How could you say no to that face?

But if you do say no he'll probably disappear for a while to seek comfort

He'll come back of course, but things are a lot more awkward

If you say yes, he gets the biggest smile on his face

Meeting his friends was the biggest milestones tbh

Mirio and Nejire were the most excited about the meeting

Mirio Togata

His tail is white with red splotches covering it

Wears a small blue stone and a small purple stone around his neck

You were living your best life on a relatively secluded Island

He had managed to tangled up it some sort of net

You helped him get out of it

You tended to any wounds he'd gotten

Boy was instantly whipped

He visited your island regularly from that point on

You meet tamaki and nejire super early on because he really trusts you

Would bring you pearls and shells for the hell of it

"Y/n! I found more of those shells you really liked. Y'know, the spiral ones? This one has a 'marble pattern' I think that's what you called it."

Although he's whipped, you can't actually tell

He's just as bright towards you as he is towards everyone else

Confession comes outta nowhere

You're out here swimming at like midnight when mirio pops up, scaring the shit outta you.

"Hey, y/n! I really really like you, it'd be awesome if you liked me back."

Took you a moment to process

If it's a no, he'll look a little heartbroken, but ultimately decide that your friendship is worth it

If it's a yes, he laughs and hugs you tightly.

Definitely will spin you around while in in the water

No noticeable changes except for him becoming more affectionate physically

He will absolutely make you jewelry if you ask

Very protective of you despite him only being able to stay in the water