#rather than treating romance/romantic attraction as something like

[themself]

would I sound crazy if I said that one of my beliefs lately is in abolishing romance as like a structure

[myun-saidthoughts]

Reasons Why Water House Synastry Is Karmic and Intense:

In this post, I want to address some reasons why water house (4th, 8th, and 12th) synastry can be very intense, very transformational and why it creates/increases codependency.

(the basis of this thread is the fact that there is attraction and desire within the romantic connection, and the depth of feeling will run more true if you share multiple other intense synastry aspects/past life connections. Friendships/family relations that have heavy 8th/12th house synastry overlays manifest *very* differently)

Each water house has one common factor, and that's with these type of synastry overlays; you will feel seen or accepted. In some way, some form, the severity of it depends (as usual), but

if you struggle with:

4TH House:

Showing your true character to others without the fear of being judged.

Sharing your inner thoughts to others with ease and safeness.

The fact that you never felt/had a safe home, so now you long for that feeling (of being at ease/comfortable with someones presence).

Feeling ease and comfortability within your environment or within yourself, instead you experienced that those feelings came at a cost.

Feeling secure when you're meeting others/being open to others.

Stating your inner thoughts or feelings outwardly and confidently.

Trusting others.

8TH House: If you struggle with:

Self acceptance.

Self worth.

Self love.

Self confidence.

Accepting/receiving love.

Having low respect for yourself (meaning how others treat you may be hurtful but because of lack of validation within, you allow or accept that behavior).

Having a pattern where the way others treat you either gives or takes away validation your inner wounds need.

Deeply craving emotional closeness yet fearing it at the same time.

Allowing yourself to desire love.

The fact you're emotionally unavailable; so you're unsure with how to deal with romance, and yet a part of you still deeply desires a partner.

These also may resonate if you have 8H Placements, Pluto aspecting inner planets/Scorpio placements.

12TH House: If you struggle with:

Emotionally availability/allowing someone to see you, all of you.

Receiving tangible, stable, harmonious, love.

Having a habit to/find it easier to fix or save someone in hopes of changing their self destructive habits or mental health issues. This type of tendency creates an avoidance within yourself especially if you don't focus on your own needs or problems. (it's easier to focus on someone else's pain rather than your own)

Feeling safe with the idea of not being needed, instead you choose to be the giver or other woman since it subconsciously keeps you at a distance of being openly loved (which is something you subconsciously fear)

Holding the deep desire to feel seen past the physical 3D.

Allowing yourself to receive the type of love you're able to give/shower another.

Wanting to fix or heal someone's mental health wounds or problems, you find it safer to be their savior rather than have a true give and take partnership.

(These also may resonate if you have 12H, Neptune aspecting inner planets/Pisces placements)

These are a few examples of how intense these synastry overlays may manifest if you are struggling with the above statements. I briefly mentioned a few indicators, needless to say they are more and each synastry chart or even natal chart will always paint the picture better of how deep these relationships can manifest.

then 4th, 8th, and 12th house synastry will cause internal shift within, whether you want it to or not.

4th House: With the 4th house and when someone walks into your life and they ignite your IC, the part of your character that you readily hide becomes unlocked. If you personally have struggled with being comfortable in your skin, or have struggled with feeling secure with who you are as you are, then this person to you will feel like a comfort blanket. Their presence will shift you into a mood where all you feel is safe, present, and in the moment. With them, you will feel complete in showcasing your inner world and your inner thoughts. Their presence will become this key that you didn't even knew you need. It'll feel easy with them, and there is no hesitation, confusion or worry. You can't feel worry, and it's not because they insistently tell you not to feel anxious, you just naturally won't. You guys will likely share the same humor or communication style, and if there is a Venus conjunct IC then the IC person will feel this romantic pull with showcasing their personality outwardly that they won't be able to shake towards the Venus person. Overall these feelings are especially true if you struggle with letting someone in, if it takes some time for you to allow someone else to see your personality or thoughts, then they will feel like a cure for allowing to let that side of you out and when you're next to them; you'll feel like you're finally home.

Example: you walk into a bar and they make eye contact with you, you instantly smile, they instantly smile, and the conversation that ignites feels as if you just spoke to them. It could be weeks, months even since you last saw them but the comfortability between the two of you oozes out in a way where it feels like they just came back home to you. (especially if you share heavy 3H synastry overlays as well or if their mercury softly aspects your inner planets, vice versa)

The reason why this type of connection can be hard to let go of is because their presence might cause or create a codependent need in you for them in order to feel "safe." All their presence is doing is igniting the secure feeling in you that you wish you had, you finally can look into another's eyes and feel that type of comfortability you've always been scared enough to unlock or accept. Your private thoughts and characteristics feel safe next to them, and because of that, they create this security within you won't know how to let go of. So, all they are doing is unleashing your wish of being your truest self without fearing the consequences of being seen for who you are.

In some cases, 4th house synastry may not run as intense, and some say it can be 'mundane' or boring, especially if you don't struggle with the listed wounds I stated, or if you don't share other intense or cute attraction synastry aspects with them; but in essence this individual will feel like a grounding force.

The bond you can form with them is tangible, it's secure, and it feels real. So, letting them go will feel as though you're letting go the one desire of ever revealing your private inner self with ease, especially if this is a part of you that you've been too afraid to openly show or even accept.

Songs That Relate

Look After You - The Fray

Chasing Cars - Snow Patrol

Control - Zoe Wees

Hey Stranger - Billie Flynn

8th House: With the 8th house, these type of connections are more intense, and naturally so. With this type of synastry, and if you struggle with self acceptance especially with self love or self worth, then letting go of this connection will feel near to impossible. It will feel like life or death if they walk away from you, and it will feel like a part of you dies every time they don't give you the reassurance or acknowledgment your soul wishes for. Their eyes alone, tell you it's time to let that wall down and without effort your wall crumbles. You know that if they leave, a part of you will leave with them but if your wound of wishing to be accepted runs so deep within, you can't help but take that risk. You're aware that the unavoidable low following their absence will cut deep, yet instead of walking away, you prepare yourself for its inevitable arrival.

You allow that pain to embody you because that pain hurts less than not feeling those moments of acceptance that they are able to give you, especially if it's what you've always reluctantly wished for.

With their presence that void of wanting emotional closeness that you've always longed for will feel like it has vanished, their eyes alleviate the long-ignored half-empty feeling, and so the part of you that wishes to been seen, the part of you that wishes to feel accepted, the part of you that wants to be vulnerable won't know how to let go.

You could run into them and it could be weeks, months even and if you still struggle with loving yourself in the way you wish they would, their presence will create this upheaval that will shake within you, this synastry holds cycles, loops, ups and down to the point of where if you don't hate them, a part of you will still want them.

This synastry creates a dynamic where this soul that entered your life is only igniting the parts of you that you, yourself don't accept, love or acknowledge. Their presence becomes this band-aid that somehow soothes the deepest parts of you that have been abandoned, and their presence soothes the part of you that you yourself believe you can't heal. This fear then creates a scarcity mindset that can cause you to become someone you're not, and even if you logically know what is objectively best to do in situations to not create more intensity within the connection; there's just a part of you that can't care.

The reason why this type of connection can be hard to let go of is because their presence might cause or create a codependent need in you to have them in order to feel "seen." Their presence gives you a sense of acceptance where you allow yourself to accept love in. If you struggle with emotional abandonment, or fear love, then their presence will feel like a "skip the line" pass with inner healing the parts of you that feel broken.

The reason why 8th house synastry is discussed so promptly and openly is because these feelings that persist (when dealing with inner wounds) become such catalysts of growth and ego deaths; but that is only because this connection allows in the hope for love you've been wishing for all your life. You want to be held, you want to be cared for and loved in a way that you've never received, and this person presences grants that sole wish. They bring you that one solace feeling that you've never felt and because of that, letting them go is letting go the one key that makes you feel worthy, seen, and accepted.

Their presence creates this codependent need within because they become this one "thing" that you think you need in order to fulfill that self love wound you keep repressing. You'll start to rely on them for emotional clarity or serenity, you'll start to "need them" in order to feel good, and you'll expect them to make you feel "better" emotionally and if they fail to meet those expectations, all you'd be faced with is the unwavering feeling of the lack of self love or worth you're too afraid to self develop.

The love you're so readily able to give them, is what your soul is asking you to give yourself.

*Those who have prominent natal Scorpio or 8th house placements as well as having Pluto aspecting harshly their inner planets or ascendant will feel these trials and errors more*

Songs That Relate:

Locksmith/You Don't - Sadie Jean

Addicted - Kelly Clarkson

Im Yours/Heartbeat - Isabel LaRose

Just a Little Bit of Your Heart - Ariana Grand

Heavenly - Cigarettes After Sex

Is There Somewhere - Halsey

12th house:

This post focuses exclusively on a 12th house relationship between two kind and evolved individuals. While there are other darker themes associated with 12th house synastry — such as deception, substance abuse, hidden affairs (like being the other woman or mistress), lies about one partner’s true nature, or fear that one partner is withholding information or their true self — I won’t be discussing those here. I might explore those themes in a future post, as they are important to note, but for now, my main focus will not include those themes.

“Though I barely know you, it feels as if I do. Your eyes and body language seem to speak your thoughts, even the ones I can’t fully grasp. There’s no visible thread connecting us, yet this feeling remains.” — Planet Person

With the 12th house, this synastry unlocks so many different routes and experiences. Many factors influence how each individual can feel towards this ethereal connection. One way this synastry can manifest is through the tendency for the 12th house to cloud, confuse, and bring hesitancy into the connection. In some cases, Person A (or the person who has heavy Neptune/Pisces/12th house placements) will feel as though they can read Person B in such a deep and subconscious way; this type of knowing may even be hidden from Person B to the extent that they are unaware of their own subconscious emotional needs, thoughts or feelings, and yet (especially if there's care or desire on their end) Person A can read Person B like a book. 12th house synastry can be so thought provoking because of the absolute depth and surreal feeling it can add into the connection. The planet person (or the person who has heavy Neptune/Pisces/12th house placements) will feel this innate drive to be with the house person (or the other partner who isn't as spiritual adept). It's as if one partner, driven by an innate need to give endlessly, is profusely tossing their sole bucket of water into the vast ocean of the other partner's needs. The giver (or the person who has heavy Neptune/Pisces/12th house placements) is so focused on giving that they overlook the importance of receiving, while the receiver remains oblivious.

If Person B remains unaware of the deep spiritual bond between them that can manifest, they may perceive Person A's actions as invasive or unnecessary. Person A, recognizing wounds in Person B that Person B may not be aware of can evoke a sense of fear in Person B, this has to deal with the issue of them not allowing or accepting a form of love that they believe (Person B) doesn't serve them.

If this scenario resonates with you, then this individual is provoking a wound within yourself that deals with the acceptance of receiving authentic love. This innate need to only give highlights your own fear of receiving real reciprocal, stable, tangible love.

In this scenario where one party wants to save, fix, heal or give, highlights that fearful nature within you where you allow to stay in shallow waters. You subconsciously know that you have such passionate love to give, but that thought of giving to someone who in turn might be willing to give back evokes fear and uncertainty within you.

This subconscious block holds more comfortability within you since it allows you to never accept a love where your soul will fully be fulfilled. It's self sabotaging and self written, you naturally already know how the story will end between you two, and so you subconsciously will find a character who perfectly embodies the story you yourself say you try to run from.

On the other hand this synastry (when desired and when it's dealing with highly evolved individuals) can unlock such deep soulfulness between both partners. Between the two parties, it'll feel as if they have found someone that can finally understand them better than anyone ever has, it'll feel dreamy and mystical. It'll feel as if their body language writes stories that you could only read.

In a pure sense, one partner that desires the other very deeply and whole heartedly wants to make sure that their partner is seen, and understood. And this comes from a very sincere place and if the other receiving partner allows that kind of love in while being okay with giving that same love back, that is when this type of connection can be ideal.

Now in this scenario, this type of codependent nature deals with over emphasizing redemption with no boundaries. If there is solid exchangeable love, a part of you may believe there is always more good than bad within them or within the relationship, and so their wrongdoings or unacceptable behavior to you or to others somehow receives justification or more understanding than he or she should receive. (especially if you also share 8th house synastry with them). As well as it's important to understand that if there is this innate understanding given by one partner that's always present when there shouldn't be, that's when the relationship can become overwhelming, or draining. Just because you know, understand or empathize with the other partner's actions or patterns doesn't make their actions okay.

This type of dynamic receives interchanging parts, with the 12th house things can lack a solid foundation and have a lack crystal clear communication, some days you both won't deal with struggling dynamics, then one day Partner 1 acts out, to which Partner 2 cuirasses and holds, then a few weeks later Partner 2 acts out and Partner 1 comes to their aid.

Truly the amount of stories, experiences, how Person 1 will feel vs Person 2 is genuinely so intercomplicated and nuanced. Each story lies within the two parties involved, with this house they are just so many different routes and avenues it can uphold, so this particular post may not cover every ounce of information on 12th house synastry. If you are curious to learn more only about this synastry I have a long updated post titled "Understanding 12th House Synastry" and it's far more in-depth (click the text).

In essence, how the other partner receives this type of boundless understanding calls for them to be a very kind and open individual. It's important to understand and recognize red flags or self undoing patterns. Staying aware of the actual real situation instead of sitting in bed thinking of the "What if's" are key. Their posts may not be about you, that song on their story can be just a song, remember that. Especially if the individual lacks self awareness or care on their end.

Finally, I don't believe water house synastry holds malicious energy or serves as a dictatorship with stating how the relationship will fail. Not every synastry overlay is set for such intense energy or uncomfortable experiences, each planet in a natal chart holds different themes. What truly matters at the end of the day are the two souls involved within the connection. Desire, care, love, and acceptance are all foundational keys for any relationship to last even those with or without water house synastry. Accepting yourself in the purest form when it comes each water house theme (4,8,12) is key.

Your natal chart when it comes to synastry serves as a mirror within yourself, everything you are feeling for someone else is already sitting within you.

Don't forget that.

[heartless-aro]

“Aros can still date!”

Yes, they can. But do you actually make an effort to learn about the experiences of partnering and romance favorable aros, or do you just use them as a gotcha whenever people explain how your words and actions contribute to aromantic erasure? When you write romance involving aromantic characters, are you actually making an effort to acknowledge how their aromanticism might affect the way they would approach a romantic relationship, or are you writing them as an alloromantic character while tacking on the disclaimer that “it’s okay, because some aros date!”?

Are you shipping those aromantic characters because you’re interested in reading and/or writing stories about those aromantic characters navigating romantic relationships that may involve little to no romantic attraction? Are you interested in seeing those characters explore how their aromanticism affects what romance means to them and what their boundaries are in a romantic relationship? Or are you going to ignore their aromanticism altogether and reimagine aromantic characters in a way that conforms to amatonormative and allonormative notions of what a person’s life and relationships should look like?

The problem with shipping aromantic characters isn’t just that it’s often done with characters who are pretty heavily implied to be romance averse. It isn’t just that some people who ship aromantic characters are treating the characters’ aromanticism as an nothing more than an obstacle to their ships rather than treating aromantic representation as something worth celebrating in its own right. It’s also the fact that a lot of people in fandom spaces treat partnering and romance favorable aromantics as being “basically alloromantic” instead of actually respecting the identities and experiences of romance favorable and partnering aros.

[asexual-shelly]

In honor of lesbian visibility week, I present a full list of female characters from Total Drama who have canonically shown no attraction to men! (as far as I'm aware)

Staci - Only present for one episode and only spoke for one episode, having no lines in the finale. None of these lines hint at Staci displaying any interest in men.

Dawn - The closest thing I could find was the "I didn't know you were a beetle whisperer!" scene, but even then, that could easily be read as platonic. Svetlana - Similar case to Staci in that her lines are pretty limited due to being actively suppressed by Mike or Mal. However she has not, in fact, said anything that hints at her liking men in those few lines.

Sammy & Amy - Other than that one "Topher thinks you're fat" line of dialogue (which could easily be played off as Amy trying to mess with her), neither of them have shown any on-screen interest in men.

Scarlett - The only extensive interaction she has with men are Max, whom she DESPISES, and their alliance is only romantically framed for the sake of a gag.

Sugar - Nothing in canon hints at her liking men. She admires Leonard, but this is most likely due to his perceived magical abilities rather than any sort of attraction as she displays a similar interest in Max later on.

Tammy - Similar case to Staci, she only had a very brief speaking role in episode 1 and never in these lines was it implied she was attracted to men.

Mary & Ellody - Only here for a short time (with Mary only having dialogue in the episode she was eliminated in rip), but neither of them express interest in guys.

Laurie & Miles - Same deal as Mary and Ellody, they go pretty early overall but haven't been shown to like men.

Jen - You'd expect someone of her character archetype to mention looking for 'cute guys' or something similar, but surprisingly no? The closest thing she has would be her friendship with Tom, which is treated as 100% platonic by the show even if you don't take into account the fact that Tom is gay.

Taylor - Another surprising one imo, it's never stated or implied that she likes guys in the show, not even a passing mention from what I've seen which I could've sworn happened on first watch. Mandela effect I guess 🤷

Josee - Similar deal to Jen as far as I'm aware, being that her closest relationship to a guy is with a gay man and treated as platonic throughout the race.

Sanders - Pretty clear-cut, no scenes of her expressing interest in men or romance in general.

MacArthur - "What about Brody?" The only time she's shown to return his affection is during the finale and she's actively trying to throw him off his game by using his crush against him. She only asks Brody to call her in the Surfers ending, which she doesn't do at all in the Cadets ending implying that she's most likely only in it for the money.

Scary Girl/Lauren - While she does hold an interest in Damien, nothing in canon says she's attracted to him, only to the sound of his screams.

Nichelle - Too busy having no lines to talk about boys. seethingwithrage

Millie - Zero attraction to men in canon, the most interactions she has are with and about Priya. She's sorta friendly with Damien, but it doesn't rise anywhere above platonic (probably because she shoved him into a meat grinder but who knows) and actively seems to be disgusted by or otherwise pretty averse to most of the male cast.

MK - Has never been shown to be interested in guys or even romance in general. In fact, she actively seems to dislike it as seen in the episode where Caleb and Priya kiss where she goes “Yeah, that was sweet, but it’s also how you get mono” (this is ace mk propaganda btw). There was also Nichelle's intro in season 1 when she was looking at her starry-eyed, clearly a joke but yk still noteworthy.

Julia - My favorite lesbian <3 zero attraction or hints at attraction to men in canon + listen... we all watched season 2 you know what I'm talking about don't lie. The closest things she has to romantic interactions with men in canon are at most one-sided and always with her actively disliking said man on the other side (Wayne + maybe Ripper in season 1).

[astroismypassion]

Synastry overlays notes 💞 💞

@astroismypassion

Sun in the other's 2nd house

2nd house sees Sun as passionate, hard-working, someone with stamina and a lot of consistency. Sun is really beautiful, consistent, has good work-ethic, is talented. Sun likes money and stability that comes with it. 2nd house can sometimes view Sun as too selfish, arrogant or self-absorbed. There is possessiveness in the connection. You like to exchange little gifts, hugs, cuddles and touches. You have the potential to feel more confident as a result of being in this connection. You recognize each other’s talents and resources. You are both creative and you enjoy art. Your pride will lie in your talents, work ethic, how much money you make, your travels and life experiences. 2nd house will be an asset to Sun. Sun thinks 2nd house can help her achieve a goal. 2nd house gets the feeling that Sun wants something from them. 2nd house may give in to Sun’s demands even though them can sense that the attraction is not based on romance. In a negative light, this could raise some feelings of being used in both. You will both feel like you are needed for something. This can result in you working towards a common goal as well. You are both willing to work together. You will be more focused on practical matters.

Mars in the other's 6th house

You could get into arguments every 2,3 days or at some point tension could be felt or a regular basis. You might work together. Maybe your relationship was a bit taboo because of the age difference or because you work together. You could pressure him to put extra effort, time into your job, daily routine, taking care of his health, better time management, schedules. You make him more motivated when it comes to productivity. You could even get a puppy together. You might encourage each other to eat better and to work out more, be productive. When you are together you get a lot of things done. Physical intimacy might not always be romantic or too sexy, but is very practical and grounded. You might love to take baths or shower together. You like to make do your partner’s skin care routine or you buy cosmetic and beauty products and encourage them to show himself self-love too. You can get too controlling at times and intrude too much in his daily habits, work. You also shouldn’t be critical of the house person’s habits. You will improve each other’s health and you might even change eating habits, trying new self-care routine or trying new workout routines.

Sun in the other's 11th house

11th house sees Sun as unconventional, quirky, unique, someone that stands out from the rest of community. Someone who is detached, social, a humanitarian and has a lot of love and compassion for all people. 11th house might have met Sun online or majority of this connection is happening online or through instant messaging. You could have met through mutual friends or in a social setting, even online. Or through a club or a friendship group. You have similar interests and hobbies. You share a common, similar goal and vision for the future. You are really good friends first too. Connection could also start as a friends with benefits situation. You might accept the “no strings attached” arrangement from the beginning. You treat each other in a friendly, non-judgemental manner. Other people may wonder how the two of you get along so well, might be a bit confused about this. You really accept each other’s differences and flaws. You created this non-judgemental environment for each other and you both feel free to confide in each other regarding anything you face in life. You encourage each other, rather than put each other down. Even if you are in a partnership that is romantic, you treat each other as friends.

Venus in the other's 1st house

Venus values, love, likes, dislikes, talents are strongly connected to 1st house person’s identity, personality and how he sees himself. 1st house could see Venus person’s values as a bit selfish and too self-centred. Venus can see 1st house as too independent, self-absorbed and too confident. Compliments come really naturally to you.

@astroismypassion

[theoddest1]

I have no idea what was the point of introducing Stolas and Blitzo as childhood friends. To make them appear as destined to be?

In fact, it just makes Stolitz creepier. This man just obsessed over a kid he knew for a day for the last 25 years and his first instinct is to bang him? It would have been a lot better for Stolas to witness how they treat imps at Stella's party, leading him to reflect on the classist treatment of people like Blitz. This leads him to grow a bit regretful and uncomfortable, leading him to go back to his study to think over things. There, he reconciles with Blitzo, who is trying to steal his book. Unaware of what's going on, Stolas strikes conversation with Blitz on what they've been up to. Blitzo believes this could be a way to distract him, so he's willing to play that part.

They begin to talk out their lives together: their highs, their lows, and their connections. While Blitzo shows little to no interest in Stolas' personal life, Stolas is shocked and saddened by Blitzo's background. While he became a high-ranking figure with a magical skill set and a family of his own, Blitzo's life has been nothing but pain, struggle, and a string of strained relationships. Despite this though, Blitzo continues to try to make a name for himself, whether as a good dad of an adopted daughter or as a successful boss of an underdog business.

Stolas, while sympathetic for Blitzo, tends to also find admiration in his ambition and work. Despite all the people he's hurt and all the people who've hurt him, he keeps moving forward towards a better way of life. They find an unlikely connection this way, leading to a weekly visit between the two. Despite their differences in class and style, they find comfort in each other and eventually become friends. Eventually Stolas grows interested in Blitzo's business life, leading him to lend him access to the Grimoire whenever his business requires it. Not in exchange for sex, but to help out a man he cares for.

Both Stolas and Stella in this rendition are unhappy rather than hateful of one another. For Stolas, he finds little to no interest in Stella romantically (since he's attracted to men). As for Stella, she has had a soft spot for him since their first encounters, much like Stolas with Blitzo. However, she is also unhappy with him both sexually and romantically, as her attempts at a loving connection always meet to no avail. She begins to grow saddened and bitter, believing she is incapable of finding love. Her parents already viewed her as a free ticket to a life of royal luxury, so why would her arranged husband see her more than a woman he's stuck with for an heir? Despite this, however, both Stolas and Stella attempt to make it work for their daughter Octavia.

Unfortunately, things begin to fall apart once Stolas and Blitzo grow into something more than what they believed they'd become. They grow from a pair of unlikely friends to a pair of friends with benefits. Things grow complicated between the two because of this. Blitzo begins to grow attracted to Stolas, which he cannot fathom due to his rank and his self-worth issues. Stolas also begins to grow attracted towards Blitzo, though he begins to question if this is worth throwing away his public image and family life for. Stolas becomes regretful over his feelings for Blitzo, while Blitzo becomes frustrated and worried.

Anyways, sorry for a bunch of rambling lol. Seeing the wasted potential this show has always pumps up my thought bubbles. I wanted to see a raunchy show with an assassin business with a romance subplot between two morally gray people, not what became of it. 

You gotta understand, Anon...this requires reliable writers to pull off and Arcane S1 levels of care, which Viv's ass doesn't have

Fr, this is really solid! There are a few things I'd change [slightly] here and there, but this would be such a solid way to handle their entire relationship. But Viv is a Fujo, so we are ROPED.

[leikeliscomet]

Who's Afraid of Tenmartha?

Chapter 3 & Conclusion - All’s Fair in Love and Shipping

So why do people actually like and ship Tenmartha? And what do I think about all of this? In Chapter 1, we covered the appeal of Martha as a desired Black woman and in Chapter 2, we went through the fandom craving for messy characters but there’s also a third answer that’s quite simple; people genuinely like Ten and Martha together.

Martha’s the smart medical student and Ten’s the charismatic Time Lord. They both look towards each other for an escape. Ten wants the joy and wonder of having a companion again and even admits to enjoying lying to Martha about Gallifrey still existing in Gridlock because he could be the wonderful mysterious traveller again. Martha’s the overachieving middle child, working as the glue to keep the Joneses + Annalise together. She wants a break and the chance to have something or someone to herself for a change. They’re both smart and quick-witted, but also push each other to be better. Their story isn’t just the tale of two characters who instantly agree on everything but one of two characters relying on each other to fill the voids they both possess, holding potential for interesting conflicts and great character moments. The two bounce off each other really well. Doctor and Doctor.

Tenmartha wasn’t born out of a dislike or hatred of Martha because the main part of anti-Martha Jones rhetoric is to keep her away from Ten. Martha antis hate Martha as the undesirable woman or the problematic woman, whilst Ten is the desirable man and morally grey bean, so in their eyes, they’re inherently wrong together. Instead, Tenmarthas seem to take the romantic subtext of series 3 put between them to have fun with it and create a healthier dynamic. One where Ten didn’t treat Martha as a rebound but instead acknowledged her greatness sooner rather than later. Creating an alternate series 3 where Martha was properly welcomed so the romantic, platonic and even sexual chemistries between them could actually be developed into a satisfying relationship for both parties. Sometimes this is with Ten specifically and other times it’s with other incarnations of the Doctor hence the births of ElevenMartha, TwelveMartha, NineMartha, ThirteenMartha and so on and so forth. And in all honestly, I don’t think any of this is that deep enough to go on hate campaigns against or go as so far to attack Tenmartha shippers. It’s especially not an excuse to engage in antiblackness and misogynoir toward Black Tenmarthas either.

Whilst I’m not a Tenmartha shipper, I see how unbalanced Martha Jones is treated in the Whovian marketplace of desire. I’ve written about compulsory sexuality before when specifically covering Thasmin and the double standards of attraction, romance and sex when it comes to gender and sexuality. I argue this applies to Tenmartha in terms of race just as it did for Thasmin, as compulsory sexuality affects race just as it affects gender and sexuality. The Doctor in the eyes of fans and showrunners must be a romantic and sexual being in order to be human, a lover, ‘really’ queer and palatable to a modern TV audience, yet they’re denied attraction to Martha out of every character in the universe. RTD Who’s explicitly romantic and reinforces these romantic and sexual standards for Ten, but sneakily draws the line at Martha Jones because she doesn’t fit the image of the desirable female companion and acceptable woman in what we consider ‘acceptable’ romance. And it’s because she’s a Black woman paired with a white male lead. Even in RTD2, we see a slight continuation of this depiction of not just in romance but also friendship. Martha, whether it’s romantic or platonic, is the only RTD companion who’s not allowed to participate fully with the Doctor. If she didn’t participate in these relationship dynamics by choice or had little to no attraction or just didn’t want to that’s one thing, but she was actively written as a character who did. And she was cut out. RTD stated Mickey deserved to lose Rose because of the sus emails on his computer but put that same cheating Mickey Smith with Martha. Mickey’s not good enough for Rose, but he’s good enough for Martha. If we saw Martha and Mickey interact and form a relationship on screen then maybe I’d get the appeal but essentially taking the two Black characters done dirty by Ten and Rose and making them a couple and telling your fans bon appetit feels shallow. Martha doesn’t even get to be with Tom Milligan either. Arguments about how Martha’s trauma would've ruined the relationship would've made sense if, again, we actually got this development on screen but it seems like a cop-out for what was supposed to be her happy ending in series 4. Rose and Donna had plenty of trauma of their own but they were still seen as worthy of romantic and platonic love. Donna’s got her endgame with Shaun and a lovely genius daughter, Rose Noble, broken bread with her mum and has Uncle Fourteen and Auntie Mel for company. In extended media Rose and Tentoo have a baby for crying out loud. But Martha can’t even be endgame with a side character? Ugh. In an interview, Freema Agyeman was asked about the handling of Martha’s character in series 3 and went on to state that whilst it was a relatable and important storyline to show about unrequited love, that Martha existed beyond that as character, stating ‘people also tune in for escapism and for romance and all of the magic and the, you know, the imagination so sometimes to be like grounded back down into hard truth isn’t very attractive’ I think that speaks for itself.

That being said romantic Tenmartha’s not for me. I’m not gonna be convinced Ten shouting at Martha for no reason was some edgy frenemies to lover concoction by RTD anytime soon, I’m one of those fans who likes the Doctor single and I very much enjoy my boring interracial pairings where the Black woman gets treated nicely by her non-Black partner. Vanilla’s a versatile flavour after all! But I can also admit it’s really not that serious when romantic Tenmartha appears on my TL. The constant gagging, hurling and digital vomit of the idea of the Doctor ever loving Martha will always feel more backhanded in comparison to a less than perfect ship. The repairing of Martha Jones and the idea Ten was the issue in isolation also feel a bit fake to me. Every doctor has done problematic things and that includes racially. Nine was weird to Mickey, Eleven was Churchill’s bestie, Twelve was rude to Danny and we all know what happened with Thirteen in Spyfall. So putting Martha with another Doctor isn’t inherently more ethical than Tenmartha either or the anti-racist serve fans think it is. Not to say fans can’t ship not-so-morally pure pairings ever but instead of the need to moralise and ‘purify’ the messiness of characters… maybe just embrace it? Accept that the Doctor is flawed and their relationships are too. Accept that Tenmartha is messy and problematic. But there’s not a lot of ships that aren’t in the Whoniverse anyway.

I will never though take complaints of racism in Doctor Who especially RTD1 seriously that begin and end with how it’s all Tenmartha’s fault. I will never take posts seriously about how the biggest and most worst form of racism that could ever happen in the Doctor Who fandom could be shipping Martha Jones with the Tenth Doctor. I will never accept anti-Tenmartha is done in the name of anti-racism or protecting Black women when to be Black and in this fandom and saying anything about the long antiblackness, misogynoir and colourism of Doctor Who and it’s stans is like pulling teeth. I will never take the idea that companions that look like me ever being romantically desired is some abomination and that its demonisation is a form of activism. Miss me with that shit. Ironically, the anti black racist attacks on Martha Jones and Freema Agyeman have been called out by Martha’s fans including ones who ship Tenmartha, but it’s not as prevalent for other shippers. The hard truth is that Tenmartha didn’t photoshop Freema Agyemen’s face onto the Aunt Jemima logo. Tenmarthas didn’t call Martha an affirmative action placement. Tenmarthas didn’t send threats to Black fans and call Black fans slurs. Tenmartha didn’t racially abuse Freema Agyeman to the point she was still hurt about it over 10 years later. Tenmartha didn’t play a key role in the Martha hate train. But Tenrose shippers did. To repeat from my first essay on Martha Jones, until the Tenrose-shaped elephant in the room is addressed, the fandom will never be a safe space for Black women or any Black person. Let’s rip that bandaid right off. If we’re gonna chat misogynoir let's chat properly, because the last thing we’re gonna do is reduce real life social issues to quote on quote, ‘ship wars’ in this house, okay?

Now, the purpose of this essay isn’t that Tenmartha is completely free from criticism but to share my personal feelings about it using some theory and maybe see if stans will self reflect into their bias against it. Me trying to get the fandom to be nicer to Tenmartha is the equivalent of trying to find a good Dalek. It's possible, but really hard and not something I expect to happen instantly or even at all. Either way, I know who’s afraid of Tenmartha and why and of course everyone’s entitled to their own opinions. But I don’t think there’s that much to be scared of at the end of the day. There are as many ships in the Doctor Who fandom as there are stars in the universe. There’s loads. Whatever your ideal romance looks like in Doctor Who,  it’s out there just for you. And if the romance’s not for you, you’ll find your space. And for some people, that space is for Smith and Jones.

<- Chapter 2

[hottiehiei]

- Slow burn romance with Hiei PART TWO

After months of mutual attraction, Hiei will ultimately confess— out of anger.

gender neutral. sfw. fluff. angst. (also, cliff hanger bc i literally blanked)

PART 1 is not required for this, but I highly recommend reading for more fluff ! <3

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𓆩⟡𓆪 After Hiei finally realizes he is utterly smitten, he finds himself stuck in a weird predicament. He's kind of like, "Okay, what now?"

𓆩⟡𓆪 At times, he often wonders why you aren’t intimidated by his cold demeanor. What did you see in him that others didn’t? Or rather, what did he see in you that made him so attached? Trying to put all the pieces together only made him think of you more, and he can’t seem to come up with any sensible answers. It was an insufferable cycle.

𓆩⟡𓆪 Most people would give up and accept their fate. Not Hiei. He won’t welcome these feelings with open arms. No, he’d rather fight and conquer!

𓆩⟡𓆪 But….every time you greet him with a smile or wave him goodbye, he feels content. Such an ordinary interaction would make his sour mood disappear. It didn’t matter if he remained silent in response. You were persistent, unmoved by his rudeness. Were you able to tell that he actually liked the attention? He hoped not.

𓆩⟡𓆪 Hiei naturally gravitates towards you, oddly feeling the need to stay close. His Jagan Eye can easily keep track of your whereabouts, but he prefers close proximity. He basks in the feeling of your body heat. Dare he say it was therapeutic. With little effort, he is in tune with every part of you.

𓆩⟡𓆪 Whenever you’re engaged in conversation, he picks up little details of your daily life (another perk of staying close by). Don’t be too flattered, though. He’s still searching for something that’ll make him dislike you, even if he fails every time.

𓆩⟡𓆪 Hiei is a wild card. Just as you begin to think he feels nothing for you, he does something unexpected. One night, you accidentally found yourself separated from the group while on a mission. It was rather chilly, and you were shivering from the harsh winds. Hiei randomly showed up beside you, tossing his cloak over your head. “I can hear your teeth chattering from miles away. Don’t you humans know how to check the weather?”

𓆩⟡𓆪 No matter how unconcerned he appears to be, Hiei is always watching out for you. With his fast reflexes, he prevents you from losing your balance before you can even stumble over your feet or bump into something. He usually grabs your forearm or sleeve to stabilize you. The physical contact sends sparks between you two, but neither of you comment on it. His hand feels strangely warm after touching you. He can’t even bring himself to tease or scold you for nearly falling.

𓆩⟡𓆪 As mentioned, Hiei can be unpredictable. The romantic pinning is stronger than ever, but he’s still annoyed by it. For someone who has never experienced love before, he is taking it pretty hard. His feelings have festered to the point of frustration, and he feels vulnerable.

𓆩⟡𓆪 Hiei is so fed up with the back and forth that he ultimately decides to ignore you for good. Out of nowhere, he started acting like you didn’t exist. He put zero effort into holding a conversation, and sometimes, he was just plain rude, telling you to go away or walking right past you.

𓆩⟡𓆪 Kurama notices the awkward tension and tries to bring it up, but Hiei dismisses his concerns immediately. He figured that if he kept his distance, he would eventually forget about you. Or at least, that’s what he told himself. Acknowledging his feelings would make them real, and that’s the last thing he wanted.

𓆩⟡𓆪 While Hiei did all of this to protect himself, you’re left hurt by the abrupt change. He treats most people rudely, but you thought he at least tolerated you to some extent. Now, he couldn’t even be bothered to spare you a passing glance. You decided to confront him one day when you two were conveniently left alone (thank Kurama)

𓆩⟡𓆪 Initially, he was hostile, glaring at your figure. “If you truly believe there’s something between us, you’re sadly mistaken.” His words cut deep. He never spoke to you so harshly, but he sounded completely serious.

𓆩⟡𓆪 When you mentioned how much pain he caused you, it surprised him. He assumed he loved you far more than you could ever love him. But as you continued to vent, voice cracking and tears spilling, Hiei was incredibly confused. It wasn’t his intention to hurt you. He simply wanted to detach himself from you and return to his normal ways.

𓆩⟡𓆪 Witnessing your break down caused him to snap. He couldn't hold back his emotions any longer, and everything came out at once.

“You think I wanted to fall for you, a foolish human who can’t even tell when someone cares for them?”

“Your face is constantly invading my thoughts. I can’t even focus on anything else, but you’re the one crying? Ridiculous.”

“Just being away from you torments me. You couldn’t possibly understand. I’m doing this for my own sake.”

“Stop looking at me like that…”

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extra:

Even after this intense confession, Hiei still avoids you like the plague.

[caligvlasaqvarivm]

Just read your eridan essay. I left a lot of words in the tags (sorry about that btw. I'm @kitkat-not-karkat, those were my tags) and I just. Holy fucking shit man.

THANK YOU FOR PUTTING IT INTO WORDS. Like. Genuinely. Thank you.

That said, do you have any ideas on why Eridan might specifically flirt as a sort of default response sometimes? (I really hope I'm not misremembering that, the fandom bastardizes the poor guy to be Cronus 2.0-)

I have my own personal speculation here, but I'd love to see your take on it!

I think it's a few things all working in tandem, and I think you definitely nailed at least most of it! I do agree that a huge part of his fixation on romance is the fact that a romantic partner is "supposed" to stick around, and Eridan is simply desperate for attention and friendship.

There are a lot of people who idealize relationships and believe that they're the "fix" or "solution" to their emotional problems, and Eridan's obsession with blackrom in particular (where the caligulas part of his trolltag comes from) definitely has shades of that. A kismesistude is an outlet for violent urges, as well as a romantic interest who ideally doesn't ghost you or leave you alone (cough Vriska cough), and one of the two concupiscent quadrants that needs to be filled so you don't get culled.

An interesting thing is constantly being implied within the comic, which is that moirallegiance is actually kind of the most important quadrant for trolls, but their culture has de-emphasized it in favor of the two breeding-related quads. After all, since adult trolls don't have to raise their own young, what Karkat calls "mating fondness" is biologically much less imperative to their species compared to the quadrant that keeps volatile trolls from going berserk and killing people.

Moirallegiance is always treated with a sort of mysticism - it's called "magical" by the narration in relation to Kanaya and Vriska's moirallegiance while that's still extant, it's the only quadrant described as "soul mates," and in contrast to "mating fondness," Karkat mentions the "mystical forces governing moirallegiance." Moirails - Equius and Nepeta being confirmed, but I genuinely believe that that's what Feferi and Sollux would have resolved to in that hypothetical golden ending - are also the quad that spends the most time together, rather than the two concupiscents. The initial description of the pale quadrant even outright says that the attraction is "instinctive." There's something magical and destiny-laden in a moirallegiance that just isn't there to the same extent in the other three quads.

But in Alternian society, kindness, guilt, and the other kinds of things you'd share with a moirail are considered weakness, especially for highbloods. When Feferi is breaking up with him, Eridan flips out the hardest at the implication that she felt the need to take care of him, insisting that he was perfectly fine. I think this is the reason, in addition to the painful breakup, that Eridan never pursues pale relationships, even though a moirail is what he desperately needs. Instead, he pursues the much more societally acceptible pitch quadrant, which can serve a similar purpose of discharging some of his pent-up aggression.

Moreover, his flirting isn't nearly as relentless as people think it is, although he IS both really stubborn AND really socially inept, which makes it difficult both to get a "no" through his brain, AND to make it stick. Another part of it is that he's operating at very little self-awareness, which means he'll often be doing something without consciously realizing it. Also, he's desperate as hell, and has basically no ability to differentiate good and bad attention. This leads to a pretty messy cocktail that basically means:

He'll hit on anyone at least once (desperation), with the exception of people it would be really weird to hit on, for example, their dancestors, who are way older than them.

If a rejection is not made excruciatingly clear, he probably won't register it as a rejection (dumbassery).

Nearly any attention he gets might be misinterpreted as flirting, even after a rejection is made (desperation, also, can't differentiate between good and bad attention).

Even after a rejection is made and he logically understands it and outright says he respects it, he might still act in a flirtatious way unconsciously (zero self awareness).

Because he will hit on anyone at least once, and is constantly making things weird and leaping to "romance?" even when there's no flirtatious intent, people kind of assume he's always hitting on them, even when he isn't.

His emotions always running at a fever pitch, and the lack of self-awareness he cultivates in order to help deal with his horrible cognitive dissonance, mean that even HE'S not sure about his real feelings. He's always feeling SOMETHING very, very intensely (it's the trauma and anxiety), which he mistakes for true caliginous hatred, or fevered flushed intent. Unlike Cronus, who's basically just trying to get some action, Eridan genuinely feels something for people, and his extreme lack of emotional intelligence means he has no idea how to parse his own tempestuous emotions. He always leaps to feverish concupiscent attraction because that's just how intense his emotions run at any given moment.

#4 is happening to Feferi and Sollux, IMO, while Rose never properly rejected him, so he still thinks they have a chance, and the same happened with Vriska when she started ghosting him post-kismesistude. #5 can be seen in his last memo with Karkat, where Karkat starts to wonder if past!Eridan was redflirting with him by inviting him to LOWAA, even as Eridan himself has no idea what the fuck Karkat is talking about.

Thing is, he DOES actually accept rejections once he gets them through his thick skull, which sets him apart from Cronus, who gets rejected, knows it, and keeps going. It's just... Eridan's messy. His emotions are all over the place, and too big for his stupid body, so he's always making things weird and intense.

I blame his lusus, personally. In a previous post, I talk about how a huge factor in his inability to identify negative attention is because he's basically being emotionally neglected. This has also led to his desperation for attention in general. When combined with the trauma from all the murdering and the pressure society puts on him to fit into a certain mold, it leads to some pretty explosive emotional ourbursts, of which his intense, insistent, and downright uncomfortable flirting is a major facet, but also, only a facet.

[ddarker-dreams]

ive been reading way too much romance manga lately and all of them seem to have a wardrobe malfunction scene and I MUST to ask.,. sr reader having a wardrobe malfunction ?? their reactions like “I do not see I do not perceive” but internally screaming. thoughts? ponderings? musings even??

WAIT HOLD ON !! YOUR BRAIN IS HUGE !! there is nothing i love more than shojo tropes... scarlet ribbons would pair so well with them omg... i need to look up a list and start writing them for funsies <3

reader here is fem!

[Scarlet Ribbons Index]

Giorno

Giorno is stuck in the middle of an intense moral dilemma. If it’s just the two of you, he’d rather not embarrass you by pointing it out; he’d use his Stand to pull down your skirt on the sly. He doesn’t want you to think he’s been ogling you and that’s how he happened to notice the malfunction. In the moment, he’s honestly so concerned about navigating this with decorum that he forgets to get flustered. It isn’t until later when he lays down for the night that the weight of the situation hits him. He feels like he’s disrespecting you somehow by letting his thoughts wander and does his best to think about anything else, takes a cold shower and everything. Almost loses it on the spot when your Stand gives him a knowing thumbs up the following day. 

Bruno

Bruno is similar to Giorno where he prioritizes not wanting to make you uncomfortable in any way. While he’s trying to figure out what to do, he’ll be damned if he lets anyone wander into your general vicinity. He radiates the most ominous aura to keep others at bay. He fights every instinct in his body not to stare and admire the skin he isn’t used to seeing. Bruno already feels guilty for harboring romantic feelings for you in the first place, seeing as you’re his subordinate. This definitely isn’t helping. You’re over there smiling and making jokes while he’s struggling to remember how to breathe. Ends up shedding his blazer and throwing it over your shoulders, unable to take the stress any longer. The end of one crisis ends up inadvertently causing another. Bruno learns that day that he really likes how his clothes look on you. 

Fugo

Fugo starts sputtering, trying (and failing) to string together a coherent sentence. He’s landed in this situation a few times ever since you started rooming together, summer being especially dangerous. He honestly has no idea what to do with himself when you’re walking around in a tank top and short shorts. Ends up getting mad at you and your stupidly attractive body, but is even more upset with himself for how easily it riles him up. It’s just a little bit of skin, why can’t he control himself? He’s above such boorish behavior! Probably. You’re none the wiser to his tribulations and assume he’s just glaring at you because you forgot to take the trash out or something. Will only inform you of the malfunction if you’re planning to go out — he’s not letting anyone else get treated to such a view. Fugo ends up having to pantomime the issue to you because his tongue simply will not form words. He cannot look you in the eyes for the next few days. 

Mista

Mista is uncertain if this is a blessing from God or a trial from the devil. He’s being allowed to view a little glimpse of heaven, yet the cost is steep; what if you catch onto his staring and piece everything together? You’d probably write him off as a creep. Then his chances with you would be ruined forever unless you got hit with a memory-erasing Stand. It’s unusual for him to be perturbed by anything, he’s normally so relaxed. He would be if this was happening with literally anyone else but you. Since you’re involved, he needs to use like, tact or whatever. It’s rough. Eventually, he brings you close with an arm around your shoulders and whispers what the problem is. He’ll eagerly offer to help in any way you need it. 

Narancia

He goes to cover his eyes with his hands... but then splays his fingers so he can still see. Only a peek. You’ll find out what’s going on the fastest with him. Narancia just can’t keep his thoughts inside his head when you’re involved. It’s difficult to tell who is the most embarrassed between the two of you. He’s apologizing, you’re apologizing, it’s developing into quite the scene. It doesn’t help that he swears to stab anyone who walks by to preserve your honor. You have to convince him to put the knife away while readjusting your traitorous outfit. After the heat of the moment has passed, he dejectedly asks if you hate him now. Please reassure him that he did nothing wrong or he’ll be sad for ages. 

Abbacchio

Surprisingly has the most composed response somehow? He knows how the rest of his team gets when they’re around you, it’s like the caveman part of their brain takes over. Abbacchio likes to think he’s better than that. He’ll call you over and calmly explain what the issue is. He doesn’t beat around the bush but he’s not crude either. If you’re out and it’s something you can’t fix right away, he’ll offer to go buy you a hoodie or whatever. It might be a little mean of him to admit, but it’s kinda cute watching you get flustered over the whole ordeal. Though he’s nice enough not to tease you about it in the moment, expect him to bring it up every now and then whenever you start pestering him too much. 

[surr3al1sm]

Got any aroace jd hcs?

DO I?! I do. Thank you so much for asking anon! This is like the best ask I’ve gotten. Allow me to yap about some of them!

Just Dance coaches I think are AroAce

First we have: The Showman/Mr Fahrenheit. I think he’s AroAce because I don’t really see him as the type to care about romance or the other part all that much.

Secondly we have: Phoenix. This is one of my favourite coaches and 100% self indulgent but also I don’t see Phoenix really being attracted to someone all that much.

Third we have: Happier Than Ever, her map is literally her destroying a house after a break up. If that isn’t AroAce frustration I don’t know what is.

Just Dance coaches I think are Asexual

First up, we have: Ari! I think Ari’s asexual because thats just how her teenage hormones treated her I guess. I do think this means she’s a better girlfriend for Grace because unlike all the nasty Teenage boys she’s dated Ari doesn’t really care for sex. She’d much rather spend quality time with her girlfriend while cuddling or something.

Second we have: Rock N Roll. Again, favourite coach and self indulgent. It’s my head canon and I do what I want :)

Third we have: Mihaly. I just don’t see Mihaly as the type op person to feel any sexual attraction to another coach. I can’t lie about that.

Last up we have: Jack Rose. Now this one, might require some long ass explanation if people don’t understand Ace terms, and I realise that he recently got confirmed as pansexual how ever. I think Jack is a pretty sex-neutral panromantic asexual. Which in short means he’s pansexual in the romantic department and asexual in the sexuality department but he’s pretty neutral on the whole sex part. Does he realise this himself? No. Will Just Dance ever make this canon? No. Is it my silly little headcanon? Yes.

Just Dance coaches I think are Aromantic

First up we have: Night Swan. Guess the AroAce umbrella runs in the family lol. I head canon Night Swan as aro because I genuinely do not see her having a bone in her body thats ever really romantically attracted to someone. Its always another type and its always for her own self gain. She’s like the “evil aromantic person” stereotype people think of when they think of people that are only aro.

Secondly we have: Judas! Again, self indulgence but also I just don’t see her having romantic attractions to someone. I don’t see her using that to her advantage or anything like Night Swan but I just don’t see her as the type.

Third we have: Agent D! “But what about the pilot?” You cry, probably. Well I have some wild news for you: Aro people can still be in relationships!! And their partners can support their identity!! And thats what I think would be going on between those two :)

Last we have, I kissed a girl on stage! I don’t even know why I have this head canon. It popped up in my head one day while playing the map like “wouldn’t it be funny if she was aromantic” and it stuck like papier-mâché to a balloon.

These are just some of my personal AroAce umbrella headcanons for Just Dance coaches. Do I have more? Probably, these are just the ones that popped up in my head. If you have any questions at all feel free to ask them! I’d be more than happy to awnser them for you. If you don’t agree with anything I said on here, feel free to share your own opinions on the matter.

[plazmafields]

I've been trying to think recently why I find the age gap with V and Kerry to be endearing, when normally I feel an age gap over 10 years is problematic. Here's what I think:

(Long rambling ahead along with minor spoilers maybe)

There is a power imbalance between V and Kerry, in multiple ways. Kerry is much older, yes, but he also makes a lot more money. Like shit tons of money. The first time I romanced Kerry, I thought the romance arch was lacking because of the way Kerry never initiated. However, taking into account that V is 23, Kerry's tendency to wait for V to make the first move actually feels very appropriate.

Kerry's dealing with a lot of mixed emotions about Johnny being back. The fact that he never processed his inferiority complex while Johnny was alive, then as soon as Johnny died he jumped right into an ego-driven, spite-fueled solo career that took him straight to the top, and now Johnny's back as a digital parasite? And Kerry has a crush on his host?? Wild.

I think that's ONE of the reasons Kerry doesn't flirt with V outright: he's super confused about the way he feels about V, and whether or not those feelings are overlapping with the way he feels about Johnny. Is he so excited to see Johnny that he could just smooch him (platonic)? Is he simply grateful to V for pulling him out of a depressive episode? Is he still a little horny for Johnny like when they first formed Samurai? Is being attracted to someone 70 years younger than him the first sign of a life crisis starting? Maybe Kerry would rather be safe than sorry, and not act on his feelings for V while he's processing all that other stuff.

This shifts the power back into V's hands, who really doesn't have a lot of control over how the media will interpret their relationship, even if it remains platonic (vs. Kerry who has lawyers, and past experience with the media and dating while in the spotlight). This gives V the opportunity to decide if there are any romantic feelings there, instead of falling for the advances of someone very influential and rich. Those two facts could very easily convince someone that their starstruck reaction was actually love. This way, if V is in control of initiation, Kerry can be sure that he's not coercing V into starting anything they may not fully want; a relationship with ramifications V may not be fully aware of. He can be sure V's decision was not inadvertently rushed by anything Kerry may have said/done.

In our world, age gaps in gay relationships are not treated the same as they are in straight relationships, especially when it comes to gay men. I am not saying this is good or bad. But, it is a "trope", one could say, that younger gay men sometimes gravitate toward men many years older than them. I personally feel this is two fold: older gay men who are out publicly may find it hard to find others in their age range who are unashamed of their queerness, due to internalized social pressure. And younger gay men may find it difficult to navigate their sexuality on their own as it applies to daily life (specifically in American culture) and seek the guidance of veteran gays. If we translate that trend into the Cyberpunk world, where life expectancy is DECADES longer than ours, then perhaps Night Citizens wouldn't bat an eye at someone in their 20s dating someone in their 80s. (I'm sure that gap is stretching things a bit even for Cyberpunk standards, but maybe 30s dating 60s isn't uncommon.)

Another aspect of this is something they mention out right during Boat Drinks: Kerry doesn't act his age. He's getting there, but he's got the maturity of someone around V's age. I truly believe his stunted growth as a person is due to being constantly discredited and invalidated by Johnny. I mean, Kerry doesn't seem to have much in common with his former band mates, who have all moved on with their lives and found their versions of success (except maybe Henry). The people he gets along with best are a group of 20-something pop stars from a different part of the world, and V, also in their 20s. Kerry has been trying to prove himself for so long that his personality got stuck somewhere between starting Samurai and Johnny dying.

Lastly, I just wanna point out that V and Kerry's relationship as presented to us in game, with no outside context or deliberation, is inherently problematic. The age gap, the power imbalance, the wealth disparity, V possibly being a symptom of Kerry's three-quarter life crisis or a rebound or the second best thing to Johnny; Johnny being in the picture at all. A relationship doesn't have to be perfect for someone to like it, and it certainly doesn't reflect what they find acceptable in their own relationships. It's all fiction, it's all fantasy. If you want to theorize about how Kerry and V actually have a super healthy relationship, that's awesome! If you love the idea that they just kind of wound up together and this isn't a permanent situation for either of them, that's great! If you believe the relationship is completely toxic and you're loving the drama of it all, that's cool too!

With what the game has given us, and the fact that Kerry's writers' work could be interpreted in endless ways, I think the age gap was handled in such a way that it can be excused (or even played into) if you feel it works with your headcanon, or used as a catalyst for drama if that suits your imagination better. What's important is that it never feels predatory. And to me, that's good writing.

With my personal headcanon for my oc of V, I've decided his relationship with Kerry is perfectly passable. They're not a perfect couple, they lack communication skills and often butt heads over the other's tendency to put work over their relationship (both of them stubbornly insisting only the other one has a problem), but I like them that way.

[princelylove]

Oh I happened to choose all characters from part 3? I'm sure have something for muscular dominant men 🫢

May I ask for Polnareff and Avdol with their darling's first time too?

I love your headcanon for Jotaro, I find it quite cute for him to not know much about sex and awkward with it. And he has virgin kink, very interesting. Do you think he has other kink too?

Feel free to share about other characters you want to write too, I just love reading your work, your highness ❤️

~ 🏵️ anon ~

For future reference, I spell Avdol as “Abdul,” since it makes more sense in Arabic. There’s no v sound, but there is a b and f sound. 

These two are both romantics when it comes to sex. Except one is out of genuine respect, and the other is out of delusion. 

Mohammed isn’t bothered by your past. It was before you met him, how could he hold that against you? Your experience, or lack of experience, isn’t any of his business. Sex is something intimate to Mohammed- he was younger once, he’s not without a past, but he doesn’t really want something casual with his darling. He’s rather vanilla when it comes to sex, but he’s willing to humor his darling’s requests, as long as they don’t expect to dominate him, or top him. He just doesn’t prefer it, don’t take it personally. Mohammed asks his darling what their sexual expectations of him are now that you’re together. He wants a proper answer, do you want it often, do you not want it at all, do you want it weekly on the dot, do you have anything specific you’d like to incorporate, etc. He’s already forcing you to live with him, he’s not going to ruin his chances of his darling developing stockholm syndrome by forcing them to do something they don’t want, or aren’t going to enjoy. Slow and steady wins the race. 

Jean-Pierre will never, under any circumstances, force his darling to have sex with him. Is he fine with it being dubious…? A little. Depends on his mood. Does he realize that holding you down and repeating how much he loves you and how much he wants to touch you is forcing you? Nope! To him, it’s all sweet talk. And if you cry, or scream, or kick, he’s just going to assume it’s your way of introducing him to some sort of kink you have. Ohh, he’s the big bad man, coming to eaaat youuu, hm-hm-hm. You’re a pretty good actor, you were making him nervous there! Jean-Pierre has opened up to you about his past- it was traumatizing to not be there for his sister when she was murdered. It makes him think of the torture Sherry went through before she died, and to be honest, he’d rather not have to stop pounding you because of a panic attack. It doesn’t look good for his suave, charismatic presentation. It stresses him out to think that he isn’t your protector, so let’s not do this kind of play often, alright? Only as a little treat when you’ve been good. He isn’t too thrilled about his darling trying to top him, but honestly, he’s down to switch if you really want to. He’s often loud when he bottoms- be prepared to hear him practically screaming your name and every lovey pet name he can think of in french, alongside begging you to keep going. He won’t mention it the next morning. 

As far as Jotaro’s fetishes and kinks… I put him in the same category as a recluse mama’s boy who learned what relationships should be like from his mother + old romance movies. Creep. His primary focal point is how “delicate” and “helpless” you are- it makes him feel needed, and therefore loved. Regardless of your actual strength and durability, Jotaro is forever convinced that you’re constantly on the verge of breaking. As for some specifics, besides from his virginity kink:

Praise. This man goes crazy for some genuine praise. Even if you say it more like an observation, if it can be taken as a compliment, he’s fighting his body’s reaction. “You’re very tall.” is more of a statement than anything else, but being tall is attractive to most people, yeah? So you like his height… He never slouches in your presence after that. Jotaro’s delusions aside, if you were to praise him during sex, he’d lose himself entirely. 

Breeding. Even if his darling cannot get pregnant, a man can dream. It isn’t about having an actual child, he just thinks it’s hot to finish inside of you and how fantastic you’d look pregnant. You’d have trouble doing things for yourself, won’t you? Jotaro isn’t about to complain about finding a way to force you to let him do everything for you. Maybe he can tell you to just pretend to be pregnant…

Somnophilia. You just look so sweet and innocent while you’re sleeping, he can’t really help it. Jotaro touches himself quietly- as to not disturb you, he’s worked hard to get you to actually relax enough to sleep- next to your ‘shared’ bed. He likes to think of it as belonging to both of you, but it really doesn't.

[horizon-verizon]

I don't hate joneyrs, but I feel like the hate for Dany would be reduced by 75% without this ship.

And in terms of shipping, I think there's a huge disconnect between the way they're written, and the predictions made by shippers. George is a non-traditional romantic. He doesn't write relationships without conflict or try to smooth over tensions, quite the opposite. He likes aspects that make these relationships resonate in some way in the narrative and shock up the inner universes of these characters. I don't believe that the revelation of Jon's parentage will serve as a way to undo the conflict or bring them closer together, but rather to expand it and generate complex feelings about the situation. George loves drama, why wouldn't he invest in that?

Jon died, the character we met before won't be the same. He was always a pragmatic young man, focused on duty and family. Even when he fell in love for the first time and was at his most vulnerable. He didn't prioritize his relationship with Ygritte. And he is partly responsible for her death, bc he chose duty. Jon is attracted to Val, but he refuses Stannis's offer because he can't go against his father's old gods. The only time he chooses love is with Arya, the most important person in his life and the one he genuinely prioritizes even over his own safety. And I don't think that's going to change because it is something set out in 5 books. Jon doesn't treat romantic relationships as a priority. I assume that Jon will definitely be much more brutal and angry after resurrection. Not like he lacks anger or brutality prior to resurrection. But, I believe he will have a pack behavior and focus on Winterfell, his family, especially "Arya" since he was on a mission to save her. And all the undead seem to develop some kind of obsession with their unfinished business. I don't see an ambitious and angry Jon being so focused on romance, to the point of treating it as a big thing in his life. The "skeleton" of his arc doesn't seem to lead to this imo. And perhaps this is the explanation for the lack of snowstorm foreshadowing in his chapters. I definitely feel they'll have a relationship, though I think he'll mean more to her than she does to him. Jon already has the things Dany craves for. He has a family, and he knows what unconditional love is. Obviously, their dynamics were not designed to be those of equals. And I don't see the problem in admitting that. Jon, like YG, would have to be her consort, You cannot ignore it. The relationship between them is being built to have some kind of conflict and texture. And unfortunately, I think Dany will give more of herself to this relationship than vice versa. And that's why I feel in the end it will lead to separation. Shippers idealize too much, and they forget to look at relationships in asoiaf. Most of them are unbalanced. And it's unrealistic to expect Jon to be Dany's lapdog. He is ambitious, and his loyalty is to his family. I doubt he will be harmful or bad to Dany or even betray her. However, I think some fans of them forget that Asoiaf is not a romance. Bran will be as important against the long night as they are, and it's more interesting to try to balance this relationship with other relationships that are also clearly written as relevant like Dany's found family. It is possible for them to have a meaningful bond and find refuge in each other and be able to share an intense level of intimacy and vulnerability. And yet have some conflicts, different points of view. And that's fine. Considering the logistics and that they will probably only meet in ADOS, I speculate that their relationship will be somewhat rushed. And perhaps a desperate love in times of war, but which that lately leads to separation. What I mean is that they don't have to be each other's ideal partners, the most epic and transformative romance in Westeros, or soulmates. They just have to be Dany and Jon. Allies working together and trying to ensure the survival of loved ones and that is enough. It is possible to expect a realistic, meaningful romance without making it seem as if these characters' lives revolved solely around each other. And it's a disservice to centralize Dany around just ship material.

You've put to words exactly how I feel about jonerys/snowstorm! Yes, all the stuff about Dany can't becoming his equal or consort for her own sake, but it's mostly about how ASoIaF romances and the patterns of relationships plus circumstances GRRM writes for his characters. Thank you, anon!

It reminds me a lot of when people gravely miscaharacterized Louis and Lestat from IWTV in order to blame Claudia for all their and her own travails. Sometimes--a lot of the time--rabid shipping gets in the way of recognizing the text when the pair in means something to the audience/fans and outpaces the meaning presented in-text.

BTW, not a "lapdog", a partner who is not her poltical equal as Daemon was not Rhaenyra's...you could hardly call Daemon Rhaenyra's "lapdog".

[lquiorra]

ꕥ``Tedious.``ꕥ Mayuri Kurotsuchi x AMAB! Airhead!Reader ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧･ﾟ:

Fandom: Bleach

Rated: NSFW (18+)

Word Count: 4.1K

Genre: Dating Headcanons, Neurodivergent Mayuri Headcanons, (NSFW UNDER THE CUT)

Warnings: 18+ only! No mention of He/Him pronouns, mentions of Unestablished relationship at the start, cock is a describing word for the reader's genitalia, minimal mention of Nemu, slight Yandere themes, general mental health/light involuntary self harm headcanons for Mayuri, sub!reader, dom!Mayuri, anal sex, rimming, anal fingering, degradation, dry humping, knife play, blood play, fear play, cuckolding.

! There is a SFW and NSFW drabble in this work, 2nd POV !

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧･ﾟ:

! SAFE FOR WORK HEADCANONS !

ꕥ- Mayuri never really cared for dating anyone in general. He had considered attraction to other people a primitive urge and would not allow himself to stoop down to "pitiful romantic affairs".

ꕥ- In terms of his sexuality, Mayuri never considered himself anything. Mayuri considers romance as an instinct to breed and nothing more, Homosexuality and Heterosexuality holds no meaning toward him. He simply doesn't care enough to think about labelling himself, but he can be placed under the Bisexuality umbrella.

ꕥ- Other than his ego creating a field of untouchability around Mayuri, he simply feels that he puts far too much time into his field of profession to be able to balance a healthy relationship on top of that.

ꕥ- When he meets his S/O, Mayuri is not afraid to express a vile distaste to the behaviours that you exhibit within the minimal conversation the two exchanged.

ꕥ- He will refer to you by formalities and expects you to do the same for him. He gets quite annoyed if you call him by his first name without permission.

ꕥ- Mayuri would go as far as trying to remove your ability to talk in general because of the massive difference in intellect the two of you hold, only being prevented in doing so because although you're airheaded, you are productive.

ꕥ- He finds a sick satisfaction in scolding you with every small mistake, Mayuri enjoys the way your nose scrunches up in irritation, or the way fear fills your eyes when you know he's going to pass a harsh punishment on you.

ꕥ- The only reason why Mayuri would've ever consider dating you would be because of your personality; he'd feel naturally drawn toward you due to an undiscovered instinct he has to nurture.

ꕥ- Not to mention being around you would consistently stroke the already inflated ego Kurotsuchi has.

ꕥ- When he first catches feelings for you, Mayuri reminds himself of everything he hates about you. He hates how reckless you were in his laboratory, the messes you made and the quite unintelligible conversations you attempt to have with him.

ꕥ- However as the feelings fester and get nurtured from every little endearing thing you do, he finds himself being more mindful toward how he treats you, approaching you a bit more slowly than he usually does since he knows how hard it is for you to catch up with his intelligence.

ꕥ- Mayuri will probably vent his problems to Nemu, not because he feels like she could support him, but because he likes to put his issues onto someone who won't talk back or try to provide him advice.

ꕥ- Mayuri asking you out will be more of a demand or order rather than a request. It wouldn't be anything extravagant, at best you'd probably receive some kind of morbid letter under your door describing in detail of what parts of your personality he likes most, and the parts he likes least.

ꕥ- Considering that Mayuri is Neurodivergent, he isn't necessarily the touchiest of people. When Mayuri desires affection, he usually prefers showing it in other ways, often rambling about something interesting that he discovered in a recent experiment.

ꕥ- When he does show physical affection, it's usually from a subtle touch on the shoulder, do not expect a hug from him while greeting you, ever. The only time he would hug his s/o is if Mayuri was happy about a breakthrough in his research, not because he's happy to see you.

ꕥ- Kisses on the other hand, oh boy you're in for a ride. Mayuri loves degrading you, so doing it in public where he could humiliate you entirely is something he is addicted to. Surprisingly, if you establish boundaries in PDA Mayuri will abide by them begrudgingly, after all, he doesn't want you running away from him so soon.

ꕥ- He especially loves using his freakishly long tongue to keep you on your toes.

ꕥ- On the other hand, if you attempt to kiss Mayuri in public he'd probably end up pushing you away from him as if you had the plague. Mayuri does not like it when things are initiated by another person because it makes him feel weak, so it is not a good idea to kiss him in front of people.

ꕥ- If you want an apology, you will need to ask him to apologise for that, Mayuri has almost no empathy and will probably think that the way he responded to your advances as normal.

ꕥ- Mayuri will avoid running experiments on you at this point, his mind would be occupied with the possibility of breaking you too much for you to stay with him or even love him the way you currently do.

ꕥ- It would be easy for Mayuri to lose interest in a person if they can't keep up with his eccentric behaviour, so you better count on matching his energy the entire time you're in a relationship with him.

ꕥ- However it's not all semi-pleasant with his eccentricities, Mayuri suffers from SHU Syndrome and often has periods of psychosis due to being confined in the Maggot's Nest for so long.

ꕥ- This trauma also lead him to seeing himself as something less of a person and more of a thing to experiment on, which explains why he wears his makeup. Mayuri is obsessed with control, he doesn't like being seen anything similar to a person because in truth Mayuri knows that the vast majority of the time he can't relate to the love, experiences, or mourns of other people. The makeup helps exaggerate his personality and how he is seen by other people, it's his way of separating himself from anything he perceives on himself as too human.

ꕥ- Mayuri's emotional response to this period starts as a slow simmer, he starts distancing himself from you altogether, in fact Mayuri seems to depend on Nemu to bring him food and water, which is something he'd never do for the sake of keeping his pride.

ꕥ- On the event that he does leave his room during this period of time, albeit rare, you will notice that his fingertips are raw, and his usual clown-like appearance is smudged, as if Mayuri was delirious while applying it.

ꕥ- When these periods of time pass Mayuri is typically more easily agitated for a few days afterward, which leads him to snap at you much more often than since getting together with you.

ꕥ- On the topic of marriage, it is safe to assume that most marriages in the Soul Society are usually alliances between noble houses rather than love, so Mayuri never thought about getting married to anyone.

ꕥ- It is unlikely he'd ask for your hand in marriage, but there is no logical reasoning for him to say no to you other than not having much time for emotional intimacy.

ꕥ- In fact, Mayuri might like the idea of you belonging to him in that way.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧･ﾟ:

! SFW DRABBLE ! Word Count: 718

Cold hands brushed against skin, the violent antiseptic scent of Mayuri's bedroom abusing your senses as piercing gold eyes cut into your own, as if they were trying to pick apart every thought and action that ever did in front of them.

Mayuri's room was a strange place to sit patiently in as he explores your body, his tongue tasting every inch of skin that was revealed from underneath your Kosode, at least without Mayuri having to peel anything off to grant himself access underneath.

Your lips tingled with excitement and newfound energy whenever the two of you parted before you chased Mayuri for another passionate kiss, your hands carding through his blue locks of hair, which was typically styled into a wild mohawk, but he hadn't much time to do it up before you barged into his room and demanded for affection.

When you glanced around, your eyes begun to naturally get used to the dim lighting that barely illuminated Mayuri's painted form, and you could allow them to swallow up your surroundings in greedy gulps.

It wasn't necessarily a big room, instead of the traditional wooden floorboards you'd find yourself walking across when traversing the barracks of Squad 12 you'd find that the flooring that was underneath you had been plush and padded just as the walls and roof were, like one of the many mental hospitals you'd visit in the World of the Living.

To the right of where you currently were, there was a large, rectangular indent on the wall, undoubtedly the fold-out table that Mayuri had installed for himself when he was experiencing an episode and couldn't bare leave his room without feeling like a horrid beast was breathing down his neck.

Another feature of Mayuri's custom place of slumber was the sloped surfaces, most notably the shower in the corner of his room which was tilted down in undoubtedly the most uncomfortable angle to shower with. It was obvious that his room was made this way to suicide-proof it, not because Mayuri was suicidal, but in the case than an enemy was capable of controlling him and decided to make Mayuri attempt suicide, or so that's the conclusion you came up with, who knows what was going on inside of Mayuri's labyrinth of a mind.

His bed was probably the only thing that you two shared in common when it came to living space was the futon that the paranoid captain of Squad 12 was currently sitting on, not a stain in sight which made sense considering how much of a clean freak Mayuri could be.

A sudden nip to the neck snapped you out of your thoughts with a loud gasp being torn from the chambers of your throat. Mayuri clearly noticed that your attention shifted off him for a moment and didn't appreciate that.

"You shouldn't pry so much, you know?" Mayuri warned in a raspy tone of voice, laced with the same desire for closeness you shared with him. Your face flushed, red hot embarrassment embedding itself within the depths of your being after Mayuri had called you out for dozing off in the middle of your make out session.

An uncomfortable pause passed between the two of you, silently agreeing that this was a good time to have a break even if it were uncomfortable for you to look the man in the eye.

"I'm sorry," you apologised briefly, lips curled up into a wry, goofy smile that you swore momentarily cracked the cold gaze that was plastered onto your Captain's expression.

"You're such a dolt, you demand for affection, but you get distracted so easily..." it wasn't long before your lips started to dance with Mayuri's once more, his face paint smeared and turning some parts grey.

His fingers bit into your shoulder and in result caused you to reach toward his face, thumb sliding across the contours of his sharp jawline, to the uncomfortable earpiece that liked to poke into you when you were blessed the permission to sit beside Mayuri.

A groan passed Mayuri's lips at the touch, your thumb grazing his Adam's apple and applying pressure, your action causing the golden gazed man to shudder in just the right way, a burning hot reminder of the delicate balance the two of you had.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧･ﾟ:

! NOT SAFE FOR WORK HEADCANONS !

ꕥ- Surprisingly, Mayuri has a high libido despite avoiding physical affection like the plague. however, before you, he solved his issues with his hand rather than the company of another person. In all honesty Mayuri found it much easier to do things himself than have someone whine because he didn’t want to waste any more time trying to give the same amount of attention to them as they did he.

ꕥ- However as soon as he got his hands on you, Mayuri quickly grows addicted. It’s much more fun to get himself off by having someone he likes to fuck than his hand, especially with the ways he can taste you deeper than he ever has before.

ꕥ- He prefers to have sex in the confines of his bedroom, or in the personalised sex dungeon he has prepared for you, because it allows for him to bring whatever depraved fetish or kink he desires from you to the table without the possibility of a perverse eye watching the two of you, in his eyes, you're his to touch, his to taste and feel.

ꕥ- Mayuri’s cock is modified like the rest of his body, connected by three different segments to make himself longer in an unorthodox fashion which leaves him at a staggering 9 inches, but that doesn’t take the pleasure of sex. The stitches aren’t fragile which makes the chances of them breaking during sex unlikely, and his cock is curved to a nice angle, this combination bringing friction that’ll leave your body tingling with every thrust. He is neatly trimmed, a light dusting of blue hair at his base and trailing up to the area just below his bellybutton. Mayuri's balls hang low which is complimented by the flushed red tip of his arousal, expect him to go a few rounds when he really means it.

ꕥ- Another note to add in regard of his makeup, Mayuri does in fact paint his cock to match his body.

ꕥ- His favourite part of you is the crook of your neck and your spine, Mayuri enjoys running his fingers down the ridges of your back just as much as he loves to kiss it, it provides Mayuri a level of satisfaction that kissing you normally doesn't typically offer him.

ꕥ- Mayuri when he is prepping you for sex prefers to stay fully clothed, staring at your tantalising body as his fingers explore all the nooks and crannies that would be hidden otherwise.

ꕥ- Mayuri loves receiving more than he likes giving because it allows him to feel like he is the one in control, alongside the fact that Mayuri is quite selfish when it comes to the pleasures of the bedroom. He'll prefer having you on your knees so he can fuck your throat in every way he likes. However, when he's on the giving end he's definitely using his tongue, if your cock is veiny, he'll be tasting every single one individually, if it's skinny he'll wrap his tongue around you like a snake, anything you could imagine Mayuri doing with his tongue is more than likely something he would do.

ꕥ- On the topic of giving, if you expect any rimming from Mayuri, he expects you to take a shower prior to sex because of how paranoid with germs Mayuri is, he loves you, but there are a few things that he is less open to doing.

ꕥ- It was mentioned before that Mayuri liked to degrade his S/O, so in bed his harsh words increase tenfold as long as you're comfortable with it. Mayuri loves it when you're on your knees for because that gives him all sorts of things to say to you, one of the most memorable things he has said to you is "You really like being on my knees for me, don't you? Have you practiced with everyone else in Squad 12, I wouldn't be surprised with how much of slut you are."

ꕥ- Mayuri's fingers are long and slim, don't be surprised if he makes you come a few times, abusing your prostate as much as he could until you're whimpering for him to stop scissoring you open because of how overstimulated you are.

ꕥ- Before fucking you, Mayuri prefers to dry hump you, he enjoys the way his hand wraps around your cock and the sound of his clothing clothing shuffling against skin, pumping your length furiously within his hand and while his other is holding you down as he humps you like a dog in rut.

ꕥ- Mayuri doesn't find him typically satisfied with vanilla sex, he prefers things to be rougher and more depraved, teeth snapping against skin and nails raking down flesh to create marks that will last for hours after sex.

ꕥ- His favourite positions are doggystyle and mating press. Mayuri rarely ever likes to sub in bed because he likes to have you rely on him for pleasure completely.

ꕥ- With doggystyle Mayuri can bury your face into a pillow or whatever is below you with the palm of his hand, having you at his mercy while he pistons his cock deep inside of your waiting hole, or with his hand wrapped around your neck so he could hold you up to his chest and pant beside your ear feverishly.

ꕥ- On the other hand, a mating prkimjuhy1qess makes it possible for him to fuck you almost anywhere he so desires. Most of the time, it is over his desk or against a counter, his cock deliciously nudging against your prostate with every violent thrust of his hips, milking you of all you're worth to his hearts content.

ꕥ- Just because Mayuri is mostly a top doesn't mean he can't bottom if you want him to. He likes to be humiliated just as much as he likes to humiliate you, so pressing him against the wall to the point that he can't move will drive him crazy with desire, his insides hugging your length and practically sucking you into him.

ꕥ- Mayuri is very sensitive, where he can last a long time if he's the one on top, Mayuri can be rendered into a snivelling, begging mess if you decide to caress the base of his cock while fucking into his body without mercy.

ꕥ- He is not a big fan of aftercare, at first Mayuri simply cleans himself up and expects you to do the same, but if you express that you want some kind of care after sex, Mayuri will try his best to compromise. Mayuri will run a bath for you most times so he wouldn't have to do much, it's rather heartless, but at least Mayuri is trying.

ꕥ- To him, you may be quite stupid but you aren't horrible in bed, he'll praise you after a session, and in fact might find it amusing to offer you some kind of sweet as if he hadn't fucked your brains out only mere moments before.

ꕥ- Cockwarming, although a little annoying to prepare in Mayuri's opinion, is one of the mad scientist's favourite things to do with you. He likes to be able to do work in his bedroom while you're rested on his lap, a hand on your thigh to prevent you from squirming all too much while his other hand is occupied with writing a report about his recent findings.

ꕥ- As stated before, Mayuri loves overstimulating you, he could make you come a number of times before finishing his work and then paying proper attention to you.

ꕥ- Mayuri can't have a routine when it comes to sex, he is rather restless and often experiments with every fetish and kink he possibly could pull from the back of his mind as long as you are comfortable with it.

ꕥ- Some of his favourite kinks surround knives, he likes being able to leave a reminder onto your very being, and the taste of the iron in your blood is addictive to him. Sometimes, Mayuri traces the underside of your length with the blade, not necessarily cutting you down there, but teasing you.

ꕥ- Mayuri also has a particular kink about the fear that fills your eyes when you know he is going to hurt you, in fact if you let him Mayuri would probably go through with his threats as long as he has a safe method of keeping you in one piece.

ꕥ- Unless if the two of you are very close, don't expect Mayuri to remove the makeup, even for sex, so shower sex will be hard to achieve unless if his makeup is waterproof. In the case that it is, he'll purposefully fuck you against the glass every time, your chest pressed up against the see trough material as your cock bobs pathetically with every thrust, untouched and aching for release.

ꕥ- Cuckolding? That is out of the question for Mayuri, he is a very jealous man through and through, which means it wouldn't be unlikely that he would probably stop you before you finish and ruin you himself. Mayuri would definitely find a way to simulate it for you, if you desperately want it.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧･ﾟ:

! NSFW DRABBLE !

Word Count: 744 Warnings: Dom!Mayuri, Sub!Reader, Mayuri is wearing his paint, hand jobs (user receiving), knife play, blood play, no orgasm.

A cold hand was wrapped around your length, a mostly nailless thumb caressing the underside of your glans while giving the occasional swipe to the sensitive slit of the tip. You were left bucking hopelessly in the mad scientists hand, his eyes watching closely for your every reaction, every twitch of your leaking cock in his hand.

He made sure to use a higher quality paint for this considering that the two of you liked to get messy in situations such as this, especially since neither of you had much time to begin with.

Mayuri liked this position, he loved seeing your hands gripping the edge of a tool box to the point that it made it seem like you were trying to become a part of it, the feeling of his heart rattling against your back sent shivers of pleasure down into the pit of Mayuri's stomach.

Your thoughts were practically cast aside as he palmed your cock, the mix of his cool skin enveloping the warmth of your shaft suffocated your entire being with a layer of pleasure that your hand has never brought to itself before.

A sudden squeeze to the base caused your hips to buck forward into Mayuri's hand, the other, which was originally playing with your already reddened nipples shot up to catch the gasp that was almost pulled from you with a squeeze of your throat. Mayuri's teeth ghosted the shell of your ear before giving it a sharp nip, a strange laugh coming from him as you elbowed his side, hoping to send a message of distaste for his actions without messing the rhythm of his strokes up.

Mayuri cooed as you tried to let out another sound, his hand tightening once more over the pipe that allowed any sound to come out of, a coiling feeling swelling at the pit of your gut while the man's pace became achingly slow.

For a moment he'd stop the movement of his hands all together, the only thing keeping your arousal awake was the small circles he'd trace into the bottom of your length, and you trying to get him to continue by pathetically moving your hips against his hand like a bitch in heat.

"I thought I told you that I am the one in control here, or have we somehow forgotten that?" The man hissed venomously into your ear, his damp breath fanning against the soft hairs at the back of your neck which in turn sent shivers running down your spine.

With a wide grin on his face, Mayuri's hand slipped away from your cock a moment later, leaving you to whine in protest. You couldn't help but turn into putty from his touch, the hand gliding across your skin in as if it were a song that he had played dozens of times.

Mayuri wasn't very secretive about his sadism, especially with the glint that was burning deep within his gaze as he saw you, panting leaning your weight back onto the metal surface below which had since been warmed by your body heat.

A knife pressed against your lower abdomen, sliding from just below your abdomen to the surface of your sternum, dancing across your chest like a heartless serpent in the deep dunes of Hueco Mundo. A sudden pressure from the knife to the surface of your skin left a cut on your stomach, it wasn't bone deep, but it was certainly deep enough to allow a trickle of blood to run down your body and to your hip before Mayuri caught it in the tracks and swiped the droplet astray.

You'd watch with a quiet groan as he'd lick the blood off his fingers as if it were the sweetest wine of all, the crimson liquid coating his tongue in a grotesque display of dominance as his eyes locked onto your expression.

The tip of the knife made contact to the plane just underneath your cock, tracing up and down slowly as if Mayuri was mapping out places to cut and gore to his hearts content. However, the pain didn't return and the mad scientist tucked the crooked blade to your gut again, a threat telling you not to move.

The wide grin returned to your partner's expression, the hand which paint was now chafing from the dried blood wrapping around your cock once more. "I'd say we better finish up here, I don't want you to become a tedious distraction..."

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧･ﾟ:

[fanby-fckry]

One Man’s Romcom is Another Man’s Psychological Horror

Day 4 of Ace Alastor Week: Date Night

Word Count: 3,062

Chapters: 1/1

Fandom: Hazbin Hotel (Cartoon)

Rating: Mature

Archive Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Additional Warnings: Second-Hand Embarrassment, Violence, Stabbing, Hand Trauma, Implied/Referenced Stalking

Relationships: Alastor/Vox (Hazbin Hotel), Alastor & Vox (Hazbin Hotel)

Characters: Alastor (Hazbin Hotel), Vox (Hazbin Hotel)

Additional Tags: Not Canon Compliant, you can’t prove it didn’t happen (but it probably didn’t), Alternate Universe - Pre-Canon, Crack, Crack Treated Somewhat Seriously, Genre Clash, Romantic Comedy, Psychological Horror, Angst and Humor, Angst, Humor, Attempt at Humor, Bad Ending, POV Alternating, Unreliable Narrator, Unreliable Narrator Times 2, (seriously they both have such a skewed view of things), One-Sided Attraction, One-Sided Relationship, One-Sided Alastor/Vox (Hazbin Hotel), Asexual Alastor (Hazbin Hotel), Aromantic Alastor (Hazbin Hotel), Romance-Repulsed Alastor (Hazbin Hotel), Touch-Averse Alastor (Hazbin Hotel), Deer Alastor (Hazbin Hotel), Alastor Being an Idiot (Hazbin Hotel), Alastor Being Alastor (Hazbin Hotel), Alastor is in Hell for a Reason (Hazbin Hotel), Out of Character Vox (Hazbin Hotel), (maybe? idk honestly), Bisexual Vox (Hazbin Hotel), Bisexual Disaster Vox (Hazbin Hotel), Incel Vox (Hazbin Hotel), Vox Being a Jerk (Hazbin Hotel), Vox is in Hell for a Reason (Hazbin Hotel), Misunderstandings, First Dates, Awkward Dates, Awkward Flirting, Awkward Conversations

Series: Part 4 of Fanby’s Ace Alastor Week 2024 ( <- Prev || Next -> )

Summary:

*A*

Vox had proposed a business meeting, the following Friday at seven.

To which Alastor replied, “Splendid! It’s a date!”

Vox’s screen went fuzzy. Ha! It was always very entertaining to watch his reactions to Alastor’s attention. Something so small as accepting an invitation to a meeting was enough to elicit a malfunction. What fun!

“It’s a date,” Vox repeated.

Alastor smiled at him. What an idiot.

*V*

“Szz-seven,” Vox sputtered.

“Splendid!” Alastor replied.

And then he said three words that just about fried Vox’s circuitry.

“It’s a date.”

Vox’s vision blurred around the edges, tunneling until all he could see was Alastor’s smiling face.

He’d fumbled the invitation, made it sound like just another fucking business meeting. And yet, Alastor… Alastor still…

“It’s a date,” Vox repeated.

Alastor smiled at him fondly. Vox thought he might be in love.

*

Vox asks Alastor out on a date; Alastor says yes to a business meeting. Vox’s romcom quickly turns into Alastor’s psychological horror.

Better on AO3

Author’s Notes:

This was meant to be a comedy of errors and somehow turned into a combination romcom/psychological horror. Oops.

I’m sorry to everyone in the poll who voted for this thinking it was going to be all humor. This just kinda… happened.

Set sometime in the late 60’s or early 70’s.

I’m not sure whether or not I wrote Vox OOC. You guys know I love playing with baby Overlords because it gives me an opportunity to write them as more insecure and less stable, and that’s exactly what I did. DLDR and all that jazz.

The bad ending tag is there because Alastor goes final girl on Vox’s ass. Don’t worry, though, nobody gets seriously physically hurt. Just their feelings and their pride.

Alastor sat, back straight, smile strained, through what was turning out to be one of the most awkward nights of his life. And not even the fun kind of awkward!

There was something called second-hand embarrassment that Alastor did not seem to suffer from, as he typically found the social ineptitudes of others to be hilarious – but this was about as close as he’d ever come to relating to the term.

Vox was making a fool of himself. And rather than being entertained, Alastor just felt… Odd.

Alastor sighed. He wondered where it had all gone wrong. After all, it started off simply enough…

*A*

Vox had proposed a business meeting, the following Friday at seven.

To which Alastor replied, “Splendid! It’s a date!”

Vox’s screen went fuzzy. Ha! It was always very entertaining to watch his reactions to Alastor’s attention. Something so small as accepting an invitation to a meeting was enough to elicit a malfunction. What fun!

“It’s a date,” Vox repeated.

Alastor smiled at him. What an idiot.

*V*

It was a simple plan. Start a conversation with Alastor. Ask Alastor for a date. Take Alastor out on a date. Real simple.

So naturally, Vox managed to fuck it up.

“Do you wanna… maybe… get dinner sometime?”

Alastor cocked his head to the side. Fuck, why did he have to be so cute? Vox was already tripping over his words, his speakers glitching from the anticipation of finally asking Alastor out. Those little deer-like motions were going to make him short out!

“Dinner?” Alastor sounded vaguely amused.

Vox felt something surge. He wasn’t sure what.

“Yeah, dinner,” Vox repeated. He shifted his weight from one foot to another, feeling less and less sure of himself by the second.

Focus, focus, focus! he berated himself. Stick to the script!

Vox smiled as confidently as he could manage. “There’s this really nice new steakhouse right on the edge of my territory, and they keep a table open for me on Friday nights.”

In reality, Vox had reserved that table three weeks in advance. But the idea that the restaurant respected/feared their new Overlord enough to offer him a standing reservation unprompted sounded much more impressive.

“I could take you as my plus one.”

Alastor hummed and tapped a single red claw against his chin. “And why would I want to be your plus one?” he asked coldly.

Ouch. Good thing Vox didn’t need a heart anymore, because it felt like Alastor had just ripped it out of his chest.

Vox suppressed the instinctual sound effect that came with the feeling and tried to push past it.

“I just thought we could…” his voice came out stilted and wavery. Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck. “We could talk… and stuff…”

Alastor seemed more interested in his own nails than in the conversation.

Fuck, Vox thought. I’m losing him!

Vox laughed to cover his discomfort. “It’d be like… a business meeting… but with food!”

No, no, no!

Alastor’s smile widened. “A business meeting with food,” he parroted.

Kill me, Vox thought. “Yeah. That’s… what I said.” Put me out of my fucking misery.

“Hm.” Alastor paused for an agonizing moment, then shrugged and said, “Sure, why not?”

Vox perked up immediately. “Really?” he couldn’t help but ask.

Alastor laughed. “Yes, really! What time, Friday?”

“Szz-seven,” Vox sputtered.

“Splendid!” Alastor replied.

And then he said three words that just about fried Vox’s circuitry.

“It’s a date.”

Vox’s vision blurred around the edges, tunneling until all he could see was Alastor’s smiling face.

He’d fumbled the invitation, made it sound like just another fucking business meeting. And yet, Alastor… Alastor still…

“It’s a date,” Vox repeated.

Alastor smiled at him fondly. Vox thought he might be in love.

*A*

Vox insisted on picking Alastor up from his radio tower and driving them both to the restaurant.

Alastor had laughed when he first suggested it, thinking it was a joke. Afterall, it was hardly necessary. Alastor’s powers involved not one but two means of magical transportation that far exceeded the abilities of even the latest and greatest modern automobile.

But Vox wouldn’t budge!

When Alastor asked him why, he’d lowered his big block of a head and muttered something about how it was, ‘more romantic that way.’

Alastor had no idea what that had to do with anything. But in the end, he acquiesced. The whole thing was Vox’s idea, after all. Might as well let him handle the transportation.

*V*

Today was the day. Vox had everything set up. He double and triple checked the reservations – and bribed the waitstaff to play along with his little white lie – cleaned his car, practiced driving the route from Alastor’s tower to the restaurant, and most importantly, bought Alastor flowers.

He’d waffled on the flowers for a while. He didn’t wanna come on too strong – roses felt like more of a third date thing – but he also didn’t want it to seem like he got something cheap or generic.

In the end, he settled on red tulips and rhododendrons – red was definitely Alastor’s favorite color – with some white candytufts to break up all the red.

Vox arrived at Alastor’s tower at 6:26 pm and knocked on the door at 6:29. That would leave two minutes for Alastor to open the door, three minutes for conversation, one for Vox to escort him to the car, and still let them reach the restaurant with a minute to spare.

Alastor opened the door. He was wearing his usual coat and suit – which was fine! Nobody was going to enforce dresscode on the fucking Radio Demon. Vox had dressed up, though. Oh fuck, was he overdressed?

Vox panicked. He thrust the bouquet in Alastor’s direction and said something that sort of resembled the words, “For you.”

Alastor took the bouquet. The bouquet promptly wilted.

“Thank you!” Alastor said, and casually threw the wilted bouquet aside.

“Involuntary phytokinesis!” Alastor explained. “Flowers don’t agree with my powers.”

“Oh.” Vox rubbed the back of his neck. “Sorry, I didn’t know.”

“Apology accepted, my friend!” Alastor clapped Vox on the shoulder. “Well, let’s get a move on! Shake a leg, old pal!”

Alastor pushed past Vox and headed towards the car. Vox followed closely behind, resisting the urge to curse under his breath.

This was not how he’d expected things to go.

*A*

The ride to the restaurant was unsettling in a way Alastor couldn’t quite put his finger on.

It wasn’t the automobile or the road or the pedestrians that were the trouble. No, it was the driver. It was Vox.

Something was off about him. How queer.

*V*

They arrived at the restaurant right on schedule. Vox pushed past the crowd of various lesser demons to get to the host station. Alastor watched, clearly in awe of the confidence and power he exuded.

*A*

Vox rudely pushed his way through the demons waiting their turn to speak to the maître d’. Alastor curled his upper lip in disgust, appalled by Vox’s terrible manners.

*V*

Vox flashed the maître d’ a smile. “Table for two.”

“Your usual table awaits, sir,” the maître d’ lied. “Right this way.” He bowed his head, showing Vox and Alastor due respect as Overlords, and led them to their table.

It was the best seat in the house, Vox had made sure of it. Far enough from the kitchens and bathrooms to avoid excess foot traffic or unpleasant smells, close enough to the grand piano to get the full effect of the music without it drowning out their conversation.

The table was set for two, complete with romantic candle light. It was perfect.

Vox pulled out a chair for Alastor – only to have him sit in the opposite seat.

Vox short circuited.

*A*

Vox pulled out a chair for himself. Alastor sat in the seat across from him.

Then, for some unknown reason, Vox froze. Something misfired in that big, square head of his. Alastor laughed.

“I meant to do that,” Vox said, once he regained what little sense he had, and sat down.

“Of course.” Alastor folded his hands in his lap. He smiled as he watched Vox awkwardly fiddle with his silverware.

Vox seemed to be returning to his natural state – insecurities covered by a thin veneer of false confidence which bordered on arrogance, with a deliciously desperate, easily exploitable thirst for attention that couldn’t be hidden no matter what measures the poor man attempted to take.

Good. Whatever that other thing was had started to become… unnerving.

*V*

Vox kept his head down for a while, feigning interest in the silverware while trying to get his shit together.

He was on a date with Alastor. He’d planned the date down to the letter. Nothing was going according to plan.

Vox stole glances at Alastor whenever he dared to lift his gaze.

The candlelight cast Alastor in a warm glow, his eyes a dazzling ruby red. The shadows around him danced – whether from the flickering of the flame or the nature of Alastor’s powers, Vox didn't know. He looked… He looked beautiful.

Vox decided to tell him so.

*A*

With Vox acting more like his usual self, Alastor turned his attention to the menu.

He didn’t suppose they had Sinner meat on the menu – and little more than a cursory glance confirmed his suspicions. Oh well! He was sure to find a cut of meat he’d enjoy.

And besides, he preferred to be selective when it came to sourcing once sentient meat. He’d rather make the kill, himself, or procure it from another cannibal whose tastes he trusted, like Rosie, than order from an establishment he knew next to nothing about.

Speaking of which, the restaurant actually seemed quite tasteful. Live music in the form of a vulpine Sinner playing a grand piano, tasteful decor and fine architecture. Alastor hoped that the food would live up to the atmosphere.

Hm, he’d better get back to the menu. He wouldn’t want to be caught unprepared when their server arrived.

Alastor was just barely aware of the fact that Vox was paying more attention to him than to his own menu, but that really wasn’t any of Alastor’s concern. In fact, it would be rather entertaining to watch Vox scramble to choose a dish last minute.

“You look beautiful,” Vox blurted out, completely unprompted.

Alastor’s ears swiveled in Vox’s direction, but he didn’t deign to take his eyes off the menu. “I look exactly like I always do, Vox.”

“And you’re always beautiful.”

That time, Alastor’s eyes flicked up on their own accord. He felt his ears stand up straighter, and his tail – of all things! – attempt to flip upwards, prevented from doing so by the way he’d tucked it firmly beneath his clothes.

Alastor hummed his acknowledgement and returned to his menu.

So much for Vox being his usual self. What the hell was he on about?

*V*

Vox didn’t need to read the menu. He’d already memorized his order for tonight, down to the last detail. And he’d also chosen Alastor’s. Ordering for your date was a great way to impress them by showing off your confidence and your intimate knowledge of their preferences.

*A*

By the time the server – a lioness Sinner with a sparse mane; Leyonarda, according to her nametag – arrived at their table, Alastor had chosen a drink and an appetizer, and was well on his way to deciding what he would have for the main course.

Vox had apparently also decided, despite barely glancing at the menu. Well, if he had a standing reservation, perhaps he already had a signature order.

Vox gave the waitress his own order, which Alastor didn’t care to pay much thought to, and then did something that caught not only Alastor’s attention, but his ire.

“And he’ll have the-”

“Ha!” Alastor interrupted. “I’m quite capable of ordering for myself, Vox.” So he did.

After the waitress left, Alastor sat, fuming.

The fucking audacity on the man. What had possessed him to think he could make decisions on Alastor’s behalf?

For something as mundane as ordering an appetizer, perhaps Alastor should’ve let it slide. But Vox had been acting strangely and lacking manners all evening.

Now, Vox had always been a bit strange – Alastor rarely wasted time on people that weren’t – and had generally been letting his new Overlord status go to his head when it came to interactions with the masses, but this… This was something else.

Alastor glared daggers at Vox from across the table. Vox wouldn’t meet Alastor’s eye in return. At least he had the decency to be ashamed of himself.

*V*

So much for impressing Alastor by ordering for him. Vox had put so much effort into learning Alastor’s non-cannibalistic eating habits, too!

Not to mention the fact that Alastor had had all of ten minutes to look over the menu while Vox had been studying it for weeks.

And now Alastor had the nerve to be angry with him? What the fuck?

Nothing was going the way it was supposed to. Everything was blowing up in his face. At first, Vox had blamed himself, but now that he’d had time to think about it, really, the problem was Alastor.

Alastor had agreed to go on a date with Vox, and then rejected him at every turn.

Alastor had nitpicked Vox’s choice to drive them to the restaurant, then clammed up on the drive over, practically ignoring Vox the whole way there.

Alastor had destroyed the flowers Vox put so much time and effort into choosing. Thrown them away like trash. And he’d snubbed all of Vox’s attempts to be romantic since.

Alastor had played hot and cold from the very beginning, smiling and laughing and being the first one to call it a date! And now he was giving Vox the cold shoulder?

Talk about mixed signals.

*A*

Vox was giving off mixed signals. One minute he seemed subdued and apologetic, the next he was making some comment or another about Alastor.

Alastor’s appearance, Alastor’s attitude, Alastor’s choice to order his own Goddamned food.

Alastor had no idea what had triggered this shift in Vox’s behavior, but he had half a mind to start taking that mechanical head of his apart in hopes of finding out. Or simply to change the channel from inane commentary and false guilt to screams of pain and cries for mercy.

Either option sounded more appealing than sitting here and enduring Vox’s rapid decline in intellect.

The only thing stopping him was that – tonight’s oddities aside – Alastor considered Vox an ally, perhaps even a friend.

Because Vox’s television broadcasts used radio waves, his empire relied heavily on Alastor’s domain. Alastor had used this as leverage for countless favors, and would continue to do so until Vox outgrew either his usefulness or his entertainment value.

Alastor could always rely on Vox as a source of amusement when that ever-creeping sense of boredom threatened to consume him, and he enjoyed pushing Vox’s physical and metaphorical buttons to no end.

It wasn’t much of a stretch to say that Alastor usually enjoyed Vox’s company. Or that he was hesitant to end their working relationship over one night of… whatever this was.

So, Alastor endured.

And that was how Alastor wound up here, feeling a bit like he should be clawing his own skin off and a lot like he should be flaying Vox’s with one of the handily provided steak knives.

And doing neither because he was waiting to see how the night would play out. Waiting to see if he would get the Vox he used to know back at the end of it.

Leyonarda returned with their drinks. Vox drank freely. Alastor didn’t touch his.

Instead, he rested his hand on the table, tapping his claws against the wood. His skin prickled and itched. His legs were restless. His ears were still standing alert, swiveling and twitching in reaction to the sounds around them.

Since arriving in Hell, there was a part of Alastor’s brain that he’d done his best to ignore. A primal, animalistic part of him that had come free with this cursed cervine form. A prey instinct.

And currently, it was screaming.

Alastor’s claws drummed against the table. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. And his heart matched it beat for beat.

Time slowed.

Vox reached across the table.

Alastor stabbed Vox’s hand.

Vox let out a staticky hiss of pain. His hand was stabbed clean through with the steak knife Alastor had been eyeing. Pinned to the table, just inches away from where Alastor’s hand rested.

Alastor’s bones began to creak. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”

Vox’s wound was sparking. Alastor’s left hand was still holding the knife. Fortunately for him – though, unfortunately for Vox – the handle was an insulator.

“Me?” Vox all but screamed. “What the fx-ff-fuck are you doing?”

“Enforcing a well-established rule regarding touch,” Alastor informed him. His antlers grew heavier on his head and feedback crackled in both his voice and the air around them.

Somewhere, someone who was not Vox screamed. Then another. Then another. Dishes crashed to the ground, tables were flipped, demons were trampled. A cacophony of terror as the other patrons fled from the sight of two Overlords on the precipice of battle.

“The rule…” Vox’s mouth hung open dumbly for a moment before being replaced by a ‘technical difficulties’ screen.

When his face returned, it was distorted with lines of static. “The fz-fx-fucking fi-i-ive foot rule?”

Alastor twisted the knife. “That’s the one!” he said, aiming for cheery and landing on hysterical.

Vox slammed his non-injured hand down on the table. “You ssz-st-st-STILL wanna use thx-the FIVE FOOT RULE?”

“Why wouldn’t I?”

“Bec-cx-cause we’re on a DATE!”

Alastor’s feedback spiked, screeching with the voices of every Soul that’d met their end at Alastor’s hands. For a moment, Vox’s scream was among them.

Alastor removed the knife from Vox’s hand and laid it down on the table. He reigned in his static the best that he could.

Alastor turned away from Vox. “Forget tonight ever happened.”

“Alastor-”

Alastor turned his head one-hundred and eighty degrees and all the static he’d held back returned to his voice. “Forget it.”

Alastor left the restaurant. He didn’t see Vox again for a long while.

End Notes:

Usually, I leave end notes as an AO3 exclusive perk, but these were very important end notes.

The flowers are foreshadowing. Vox doesn’t know Victorian flower language and picks them on looks alone, but they’re actually indicative of what’s to come.

Red Tulips -> Declaration of Love (Vox’s intentions for the date)

Candytufts -> Indifference (Alastor’s reaction to most of the date)

Rhododendrons -> Danger (shit’s about to go down)

There was another detail that I couldn’t manage to fit which was that the restaurant was meant to be called Carnivora, as in the order of animals Carnivora, and is staffed entirely by carnivore Sinners. Vox either didn’t notice or figured that since Alastor’s a cannibal, it wouldn’t bother him. But that was definitely part of Alastor’s innate sense of danger here.