#sometimes it takes a second look to get beyond being distracted by how something is in the surface

[kenobion]

Andrew Garfield for GQ x Saint Laurent

[adieutristana]

hii! could i request the arcane women comforting reader on her period?

of course! thank you for the request <3

b2b by charli xcx on repeat yuuuup

summary; headcanons of the arcane women comforting their girlfriend on her period.

characters included; jinx, vi, mel, sevika, caitlyn, maddie

tags/warnings; menstruation, fluff, comfort, suggestive (jinx's section), reader has hell periods, mentions of poor mental health, can't think of anything else honestly

minors and men dni.

jinx;

✧.* idk why, but i headcanon that jinx is one of those super lucky girls who has really light 3-4 day long periods. basically nothing at all.

✧.* so when you told her that your periods were long, and heavy, and painful, she was honestly taken aback. jinx was a bit puzzled as to how that's possible.

✧.* "but mine aren't that bad! are you suuure?"

✧.* she doesn't mean anything by it, she's just genuinely perplexed. sometimes it's difficult for jinx to put these kinds of things into perspective. however, the second she sees you doubled over in pain, clutching your stomach and whimpering in pain, her instincts kick in and she's rushing to your side.

✧.* "oh- oh, toots, are you okay?! what happened? why d'ya look so hurt?" she'd ask, crouching down next to you with panic evident in her voice.

✧.* "just... on my period," you'd strain. "nothing out of the ordinary. don't worry about me."

✧.* jinx absolutely will worry about you, though. she's by your side, asking you what you need. since her own periods are so mild, she doesn't know exactly where to start with this sort of thing. but she's doing her best.

✧.* she'll research! she finds out all about the cravings, mood swings, pains, and how to soothe all of those things. she nerds out when she gets to research anyways, but she'll go above and beyond to make sure her girl is comfortable and happy. as much as you can be during shark week, anyways.

✧.* the same day she finds you in pain, she's swiping things from shelves of pharmacies and convenience stores like no tomorrow. pain medicine, water bottles that she plans to heat up, chocolates, tubs of ice cream, blankets, lots of sanitary products. hell, she'll even burn a few dvds so the two of you can have movie nights. jinx doesn't do anything halfway, especially not something like this.

✧.* even more clingy than normal somehow. i imagine jinx runs pretty cold, but also has a lot of natural body heat, if that makes sense? she uses the guise of being your 'built-in heating pad,' though anyone can tell she just wants to be close to you and comfort you. she'll have both her arms and legs wrapped around you, nuzzling her face into the crook of your neck and peppering kisses along the soft skin.

✧.* "mm.. don't mind me, sugar. just wanna be here for 'ya, help you feel better 'n all that."

✧.* she's got such a sweet tooth, jinx might swipe a few of the snacks she stole for you while you're not looking... sorry. she can't help herself

✧.* will try to distract you to the best of her ability. movie nights as i said, as well as taking you around the streets of zaun (when you can manage to stand upright), gaming with you and purposely letting you win just so she can see your smile and hear your laugh.

✧.* along with the extra clingy thing, jinx will not let you out of your sight until she's absolutely sure that you're off your period. it's not that she doesn't think you can handle yourself, but she just worries so much. part of her knows it's irrational, but seeing you in so much pain eats at her inside, makes her afraid that she's going to lose you. even though it's just a natural part of your cycle

✧.* she's also read that other kinds of relief can be especially helpful for cramps, so you know jinx will be offering that to you if you know what i mean.

vi;

✧.* oh she's right there with you.

✧.* has the worst fucking periods known to man. it's like she's completely MIA as soon as it hits every month, she's just dead to the world. trust me, she understands.

✧.* which means that she can help you that much better! she knows firsthand what it's like and what works for her, but she also knows that it's not a one-size-fits-all situation. it'll take a bit of time, but vi knows what she's doing.

✧.* she's already got a stash of things lined up for you in her bathroom the day after you tell her you've gotten your period. panty liners, pads, tampons of different sizes. she doesn't even bother asking what you prefer to use, she just wants you to have the options depending on what you need at what time. only the best for her girl

✧.* fridge, freezer and cupboards are also full to the brim of your favorite snacks, the best medications. candies, chocolates, baked goods, ice cream, pain relief... all the good stuff.

✧.* don't even bother asking where she got all this stuff and how she could afford it, just let vi take care of you.

✧.* "shh, cupcake. that's for me to worry about. you sit your pretty self down and let me do all the hard work, 'kay?"

✧.* has heated blankets and water bottles ready for you at all times! the second she hears the slightest whimper of pain from you she's got the water bottle in her hand, instructing you to lean back so she can put it against your lower abdomen. she'll stay with you to make sure you're okay. she needs that reassurance both for you and herself.

✧.* vi is the type of lover who can't rest until she knows for sure that you're okay, regardless of how much you tell her that you're alright.

✧.* "i'm fine, baby. really, you don't need to worry about me." you'd say, though the way your face contorted in discomfort betrayed your words. "are you sure? you can't fool me, pretty. i know you're hurting. just let me help you. that's what i'm here for."

✧.* she also knows that insomnia comes with menstruation at times, so she'll make sure you sleep in her bed until you're off your period. holding you close, rubbing soothing circles over your back and stomach to help relieve some of the pain for you. don't worry about clinging to her, don't worry about how long it takes you to fall asleep or even the possibility of bleeding onto her sheets. vi just wants to make you feel comfortable, she'll take care of everything later.

✧.* doesn't let you do a damn thing for yourself. she almost treats you as if you're made of glass. it's not that thinks you're helpless, vi knows damn well just how fierce and independent you are. but she also enjoys taking care of you and knowing she's making your life easier.

✧.* "i'm on my period, not helpless." you'd protest, crossing your arms over your chest with a light pout. vi would chuckle to herself, playfully pinching one of your cheeks. "i know, i know. but i just wanna do this for you, okay? let me take care of you."

mel;

✧.* mel probably knows your cycle by heart after a certain amount of time being with you. not in a creepy way, but she's just that connected and attuned to you.

✧.* she'll come to you a few days before she knows you're due for your period, concern evident in her tone. "are you starting to cramp at all, dear?" she'd ask, or something along the lines of, "i know you're due soon. no discomfort? any cravings? you can tell me these things, darling."

✧.* she has a constant stash of things and she knows your preferences when it comes to hygiene products, snacks, medicine, all of your favorite comforts. she truly knows you like the back of your hand.

✧.* she'll be taking off work for you as well, as much as you protest and assure her that you're okay. realistically, mel knows sure and well that you're okay. but she still wants that time to be with you and make sure that you're comfortable and you're in as little pain as possible. it's more for her own peace of mind.

✧.* her own are honestly pretty moderate, not too bad but not exactly pleasant either. though again, she's attuned to your own senses and knows exactly what you need.

✧.* mel will be basically attached to you by the hip. she doesn't let you out of her sight for a second out of pure worry for you and your well-being. seeing you nauseous, craving the most odd foods, doubled over in pain, it hurts your girlfriend to even think about. she knows she can't outright prevent all of that, but it'll ease her mind to be there by your side.

✧.* mel doesn't insist that you take it easy, she knows that life goes on despite everything. she doesn't want to hover over you too much, but again, she'll be by your side. helping you run errands, walking you to and from work, watching from the sidelines as you do those little things that make you happy. painting, reading, writing... any of it.

✧.* it's a well-known fact that she loves to spoil you, so if you mention wanting anything at all, she won't even go out and buy it for you. she'll take you to the store with her and tell you to just buy whatever you'd like. no limits.

✧.* "anything at all, beautiful. let me treat you." "but mel, this is-" she'd shush you lightly, a playful smile tugging at her lips. "too much? nonsense. i can handle it, you just tell me what you need. it pains me to see you so uncomfortable, regardless of how natural it is."

✧.* holding onto you so tightly, and you just know mel would give the best massages. literally anywhere that's sore, she'll massage for you with such love and care. her fingertips are a bit calloused and rough, but always so soft with you.

✧.* also runs you warm baths and even tosses in salts and flowers! they help her a lot when she's having period-related pains, so she hopes they'll have the same effect on you. she's happy to leave you to yourself, or sit near the edge of the tub and just talk to you. whatever would make you the most comfortable and happy.

sevika;

✧.* she's also got pretty mild periods, but she is very attuned to you and your senses. sevika can't exactly feel your pain and discomfort, though she knows how to ease it.

✧.* trust me when i say that she's got a good supply of things for you. all the sanitary products you could need, extra-strength pain medications, heated blankets, heat pads, snacks, the whole nine yards. uncomfortable and hurting? not on sevika's watch.

✧.* "just tell me what ya need, darlin'. you know i'll get it." she'd say, spooning you tightly while one hand rests over your lower stomach. you'd mumble light protests, but she wouldn't have it. "i know you're okay, babe. you tell me that enough. but i still wanna help, okay?"

✧.* so touchy and so clingy. sevika doesn't want to let go of you for a second, not if she can help it. whether that be holding you from behind while you move about the kitchen cooking, holding you close to her in bed, keeping an arm around your waist as you saunter around the lanes together, or brushing her lips against your forehead, she relishes that contact. especially when you're vulnerable like this.

✧.* she still has things to do. unfortunately, sevika's job isn't really one that she can take time off from, as much as she'd like to. but the second she gets off work, she's back home, by your side. your girlfriend is so loyal, so doting when it comes to you. a side of the usually gruff woman that's reserved exclusively for you.

✧.* she also won't hinder you from doing anything for yourself, the last thing she needs is for you to feel both excruciating pain and helplessness at the same time. however, sevika makes it clear that she's happy to take over whatever task you need if it gets to be too much.

✧.* you could be in the middle of a task when a cramp suddenly hits you, making you nearly fold in half and clutch at your stomach. "hey, what's wrong?" sevika would ask, cold metal against your shoulder. "cramps? come on, i'll take it from here. you go lay down."

✧.* do not worry about needing to ask for help with sevika. ever. she's more than happy to provide it for you, don't worry about asking for 'too much' or being 'too demanding.' you're her girlfriend, and you're on your period. there's no such thing as either of those with her.

✧.* "come on. you know whatever it is, i'll do it for you. so tell me," she'd pause, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow in that way she typically does, "what do you need, dove?"

✧.* also super attentive during sleep, would probably stay up just so that she can make sure you're okay and sleeping through the night. sevika is used to running on little to no sleep, thank her line of work. she'll try to keep it quiet, not let you know that she's observing, but she just worries. she wants to make sure you aren't suffering any bouts of insomnia. that, and seeing your peaceful expression during slumber is a plus.

caitlyn;

✧.* caitlyn gets it, she really does. one of piltover's strongest enforcers and officials, but struck down once a month by menstruation. something had to take her down a notch.

✧.* she knows exactly what'll help her, and she hopes it'll help you too. though she gives you options, since she knows you probably won't have all the same preferences as her when it comes to sanitary products, snacks, care, etc. cait will take her time so that she gets your routine down pat, before she eventually just has everything stocked in her home for when the time inevitably comes every month.

✧.* caitlyn is constantly checking in on you. she’ll ask you about every little thing, making sure that you’re not straining too hard, not in too much pain. you could be sitting on your bed, folding towels, and caitlyn would ask something like, “are you sure that’s not too much right now? if your back or stomach is hurting, i can take over.”

✧.* she’ll want to keep you at home with her on the days that are the hardest on you. the days where you’re groaning in pain, you can barely think straight from just how uncomfortable you are. when you’re an emotional mess from the mood swings and crying over a puppy you saw on the street. she wants to be there to comfort you and help you get back on your feet.

✧.* “shh… love, it’s fine. i know, that puppy was adorable.” you’d sniffle, looking up at her with pleading eyes. “can we get one, cait? please?” she’d chuckle quietly, letting out a heavy sigh. “maybe when i don’t have so much on my plate.”

✧.* she's on top of your every need. in pain? here's a bottle of painkillers. cravings? she's already got whatever you need. in the case that she doesn't, caitlyn is in the kitchen making something for you herself. she'll be damned if she lets her girlfriend go unsatisfied, especially on her period.

✧.* she'd be so doting especially when it comes to the pain, caitlyn wants to just hold you until all of the cramps are gone. realistically, she knows there's not much she can do besides offer a few over-the-counter methods. she's gonna have to wait until they run their course, but it doesn't make her want to cling to you any less. she wishes she could hold you and you'd feel the rest of the world melt away

✧.* "fuck, cait, it hurts," you'd whimper, clinging tight to the girl with your brows knitted together. she'd softly hush you, her one hand slipping under the fabric of your top to run soothing circles over your lower back. "i know, darling. i'm here, it'll be alright."

✧.* cait would run you warm baths as well, she's at your side the entire times. she'll throw in flower petals and salts, maybe even a bath bomb if it'll make you happy. not only will it help ease the pain, but making you feel cared for in this time is of the upmost importance to her. yes, you feel gross, but you don't have to! look at the nice bath she drew you! she'll even help wash you off if you need it, or she's happy to just stay by your side and talk to you as you soak.

maddie;

✧.* maddie's own are pretty moderate, but she has a cut-and-dry routine she's stuck to as a teenager. works like a charm every time her period rolls around, so she hopes those methods will work for you. though, if they don't, maddie will immediately stop and regroup.

✧.* maddie i don't think would be super in tune with everything.. i apologize. she'll connect the dots after she sees you hunched over in pain or with a bottle of painkillers in one hand and a tub of ice cream in the other, but she won't be able to pick up on it right away like some others might.

✧.* but that doesn't make her any less good at comforting you, let's make that abundantly clear. as soon as she catches onto what's happening, she's basically waiting on you hand and foot. maddie is devoted!

✧.* now of course, she's a junior officer. maddie can't be by your side as often as she'd like to, unfortunately. she likes her job, but sometimes she curses it for holding her back from her girlfriend in times of need.

✧.* so she second she's allowed off the job, she's swinging the door open with a bag full of snacks to make her presence known. "i'm home, darlin'! where are ya?" she'd announce, glancing around the empty space before her eyes land on you. "oh, there you are. here, i brought these back! sorry, i know i was gone for a while, but i'm here now, yeah?"

✧.* however, you'll have to ask for a lot of what you need. maddie knows that you're independent and capable of helping yourself, so she doesn't want to assume unless she knows for sure that you're incapable of it because of pain or discomfort. that's one of the things she doesn't really budge on. if you're able to voice what's bothering you, she'll be more than happy to be of help!

✧.* also really, really good at distracting you. she'll put on movies, plug in cassettes of your favorite albums, talk to you for hours on end about nothing and everything simultaneously. maddie figures that if she can take your mind off of it, that's better than just waiting out the discomfort.

✧.* she kinda sucks at cooking. sorry.. but! she'd still make sure any cravings of yours are filled. freezer is packed to the brim with ice cream, and she's got lots of sugary treats for you in her cupboards. i also would imagine she lives basically smack in the middle of piltover, next to a lot of vendors and convenience stores. so on the off-chance she doesn't have something you need, she's already on her way to grab it for you.

✧.* "i'll be right back, okay? just running around the corner. rest assured."

✧.* also so cuddly especially when it comes to being in bed with you. she's already clingy, but you might have to pry her off of you when you're on your period. she hopes you wouldn't want to, though, not when she's got her legs wrapped around your waist and her head nestled into the warmth of your neck.

[baocean]

𝙗𝙤𝙮𝙨 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪

⤷ chapter two - o week

her phone

being with the girls was probably one of your favorite things ever. all gathered around the kitchen table, laughing about the latest drama or something silly cleo’s professor said, picking at pieces from sarah’s plate because she said she was too full.

the group had formed slowly. you and kie lived together. kie and jj were best friends. jj played lacrosse with pope, john, and rafe. cleo and sarah were pope and john's girlfriends. as the first semester of your freshman year unraveled, more people started to get invited to the hangouts in dorms or on dark lacrosse fields after games.

by now, it was your own little family at kildare. family, even if you really only liked five out of the seven members.

jj maybank and rafe cameron were like carbon copies of each other. like birds to a feather, the became attached at the hip the second they were introduced during their visit to sign with kildare back when they were juniors in high school. you were pretty sure they were secretly in love with each other.

they were both self proclaimed 'chick magnets', were both annoying beyond manageable, and had this infuriating way of taking up every ounce of attention the second they walked into a room.

you tolerated them, mostly because you had to. tolerated jj’s smug winks across the table, tolerated rafe’s stupid dares that always somehow roped you in, tolerated the way they’d team up to poke and prod at you until you either snapped or laughed, depending on the day.

sometimes you wondered how you hadn’t committed a crime yet. other times, when jj tossed a bag of your favorite candy at your head mid-study session, or when rafe distracted professors long enough for you to sneak in late, you sort of got it.

the kitchen was loud- forks clinking, sarah giggling about something cleo said, kie tossing her head back laughing, when the front door slammed open so hard one of the pictures on the wall tilted sideways.

"hide your sisters, hide your friends!" rafe’s voice bellowed through the house, just as he and jj crashed inside.

"jesus christ," kiara muttered from her spot at the kitchen table, barely glancing up from her wine glass.

“where you guys at?” john b’s voice rang out from the entry way.

you barely had time to turn in your seat before four very sweaty boys stumbled into the kitchen.

“you animals,” rafe gasped, dropping his gym bag on the floor like he was wounded. “you didn’t even wait?”

jj was right behind him, flushed from lifting and breathing a little heavier than normal, shooting you a look like you’d personally betrayed him.

"you said you'd be late, pope said to eat without you guys." kie pointed to pope, shrugging her shoulders.

john b came around the table, looking dramatically heartbroken, and leaned down to steal a bite of sarah’s plate. sarah smacked his hand away but was smiling, all fond and fake-annoyed.

“you know what?” jj announced, tossing his arm over your chair dramatically. “i expected betrayal from kie. and cleo. even sarah. but you?” he pointed at you, a fake look of disapointment crossing his features. “you were supposed to be different.”

you shook your head, pushing his arm off. “you’ll survive, jj.”

he fake staggered back like you’d shot him. “i might not.”

"there's more in the fridge." sarah rolled her eyes, smiling anyways when john leant down to place a kiss on her cheek.

jj slid into the seat next to you, knocking his knee into yours hard enough to make you jolt. you shot him a glare. he just grinned like he hadn’t done anything wrong, already reaching across the table to grab the salt.

the kitchen was loud, messy in the way only your group could manage- pope and cleo arguing over who could lift more weight, sarah and john b sharing a plate and whispering to each other like no one else existed, rafe dramatically reenacting his latest gym injury.

someone spilled a drink. someone else shouted about it. sarah’s laughter carried over it all, bright and wild.

kiara rolled her eyes so hard you thought they might get stuck. "you’re all so annoying," she said, but there was no real heat behind it. not when the house was full of everyone she loved.

yourusername: we’re back!

kiaracarrera: we are SO back baby

rafecam: i thought you had music taste

↳ yourusername: go ride the bench some more

↳ rafecam: RUDE?

sarahcam: i love u let's make love

↳ yourusername: ok 🩷

cleoanderson: ROUND 2

johnbroutledge: yup yup yup

popeheyward: 🕺🏼🕺🏼🕺🏼

jjmaybank: ooooooooooooooo weeeeeeeeeekkkkkk

rafecam: kiss me bro

↳ jjmaybank: bro i will

popeheyward: not o week 😔

kiaracarrera: yikes

↳ jjmaybank: dwayne get out of my comment section

↳ kiaracarrera: bitch shut up

sarahcam: the robes PLEASE

cleoanderson: awwwww look at the little cuties in their little robes

↳ jjmaybank: we so cute ☺️☺️

xoxo, mimi

masterlist | next chapter

taglist (taglist is open!) @babyamors / @jombies / @luvrclub / @yesshewrites1 / @cassiewritessalot / @rottinglexi / @certifiedjjsimp / @str4wb3rrym1lkl0v3r / @cinderellieeeeeeeeeeee / @isinpfortvdmen / @doesnt-care / @dylsdaily / @wasiasproject / @chuuuchuuutrain / @dr3amgrlll / @4jjsbank / @abigailovesz / @lmaowhatt / @idli-dosa / @papercranesandinkstains / @dramagodesss / @ayy1234567 / @wrtzia / @reeseswirl / @mrrayjay / @cokewithcameron / @dr3amgrlll /

[shy-writer-999]

Hihi it’s ur girl! Could I please request a Crocodile x AFAB reader fic where he uses his devil fruit to control the moisture in the reader’s body (aka he makes her wet without even looking at or talking to or being near her). Tysm queen 💜✨🥺

my fair lady!! i’m so happy to write this for u <3 sorry it took so long, i know you sent this request ages ago. what i wrote is short and turns REALLY filthy at the end... hopefully that's okay! ~850 words and not edited much.

cw: afab reader w/gender neutral language. arousal, masturbation, penetrative sex, croc is mean/kind of a dom. minors do not interact -- nsfw content!

When you started seeing Crocodile in an intimate capacity, you noticed... changes. First, he was on your mind 24/7—the sex was just too good, he was too stern and suave, knew what he was doing and knew how to play with your body like you’d never experienced before.

And second, when he wasn’t around, you felt more feral than ever before, uncharacteristically rabid, so much so that you inexplicably got soaking wet and would have to squeeze your thighs together just thinking about him (multiple times a day).

The sudden and intense bouts of random horniness weren’t troubling, per say, but more so intriguing. You’d be minding your business and then out of nowhere you’d start feeling heat bloom between your thighs, sparks of arousal tingling as you quickly turned your panties and upper thighs into a saturated, sticky mess.

It took you far too long to put the pieces together and realize that Crocodile was responsible.

He got a sense of satisfaction out of controlling the moisture in your body with his devil fruit powers, and he had it down to a science. It was easy to make you wet and he happened to know that when he made you aroused, your body followed suit. He could tell that when he made you wet it felt good. Your body was giving into the sensation of wetness and, in turn, stimulating your brain, making you immediately and instinctively aroused. A positive feedback loop of sorts.

What amused him the most (and coincidentally got him the hardest) was using his powers to make you wet in public, when he was far, far away. But if he was up close, he'd study your face, the flush that dusted your cheeks, your shallow breaths, and distracted eyes. When you got to a certain point, he knew you would come to him.

Sometimes Crocodile teased you—he could tell that you needed him, could sense how much of a mess you were making out of yourself (and that he was making out of you), and he’d deliberately take away some of the moisture, effectively drawing out the time it would take before you lost self-control and came to him, begging him to do something about it.

Even more amusing to him was turning you away when he knew you were desperate for him. He’d shake his head, scoff (if he felt like it), roll his eyes or shoo you away to the bathroom. Imagining you taking care of yourself got him off beyond reason.

But when he decided to humor you, when he felt like indulging, he would do whatever he wanted. He’d throw you across his lap and make you beg for more, or make you straddle him on a chair and move you however he liked.

All the while, he made you ridiculously wet, so wet that you’d literally gush down your legs. Your juices were dragged down in rivulets by the cruel force of gravity, producing simultaneously embarrassing and pitiful puddles at your feet. He was entranced by those puddles. He even thought of bending down to lick them up or telling you to do the same.

Crocodile was just so mean about all of it. He had absolutely no reason to be this mean, this teasing, this scornful, but he just loved seeing you pout and beg, seeing your level of desperation rise until you decided you couldn’t take it anymore. He loved pushing you to the edge.

On occasion, Crocodile would make you take care of yourself in front of him. You’d blush crimson and be shy at first, never getting used to him just sitting there, astute, proud, and glowering. But he’d make you wetter and you’d give in, mouth hanging open in focus and brows bent at the middle.

He stayed still and watched with a sneer sometimes, not even shy about the fact that his erection grew by the second.

Another one of his favorite things about using his devil fruit powers on you was the sounds. The squelching noises sounded like music to him.

Crocodile could only hold out for so long before he had his way with you. And you weren’t going to turn him down. The thing about him was that he’d have his way with you for hours if he felt like it. He was almost incapable of doing quickies. Once he was inside of you he as determined to be there as long as he possibly could. Obviously, you had no problem with that and it was no trouble because even if he wasn’t using his devil fruit powers, he made you wet beyond what you thought was possible.

I didn't initially set out with the idea that this would be as filthy as it turned out, but what can I say!! The heart wants what it wants. I hope you liked it, queen! 🩷🩷

[omgfangirlland]

I need a part two of the fanfic writer reader where joker ask her to write more fanfics of him and his batsy.. Even better is if he ask for a fanart of him and Batman. (I got a feeling that joker is one of her fans and would mostly read the Batman x joker fanfic)

I wanna traumatize Jason.. Imagine a fan comment of wanting a Jason x joker 😭😭😭

(Btw, I laughed my ass off reading part one of fanfic writer reader)

-🔱

Part two of this drabble, have I mentioned it's crack and don't treat it seriously?

First of all-

HI- HELLO I'M SORRY I DIDN'T SEE THIS ONE BEFORE- How did you do? Wish I could have said good luck :( (It's on the John C & Apprentice/AdoptedDaughter!Read one if you remember)

Second- got back from a job interview(god, I really hate the idea of working for them, but they're the only ones who got back to me in MONTHS), slept the rest of the day- fully didn't plan to write but this is making my brain itch-

Joker finding out the identity of jokergagglingbatsballs35 before ANY of the Bats is so funny- THEY LIVE WITH YOU!

Alas- they're a bit distracted with trying to mend the relation with you they ruined. It's honestly like trying to befriend a scared, hurt dog to them- flinching when they try to get close, barking when they do something you don't expect. The only one who isn't privy to your anger and distrust is Alfred, and they have noticed.

"He feeds me." Was your grumbled response when they asked, and they tried to befriend you by doing the same- but it wasn't really the simple fact that Alfred feeds you- it's the fact that he's done it for years without poisoning you or pushing you to the side. So, yeah, nothing they give you ends up in your mouth.

Especially not Damian's stuff. You go out of your way to break whatever goodie apart, searching for nails, needles, hell, you expect a whole dagger in it sometimes. You do not trust these people, and the sudden way they changed.

So, you find your time spent more and more outside the manor. Cafes, parks, the library... where Joker found you, in disguise, of course- can't have him attract attention when he wants to be subtle for once.

Your face has subtitles. So when the man sits across you, he already knows you think he's a weirdo. He also knows you're the one and only, jokergagglingbatsballs35, when your face twitches, trying your best to not smirk like a baby Joker.

You found out quite quick that he was the second man you've been writing about in your little hobby. You thought he'd kill you, or Jokerize you- didn't expect him to gush over your work or to whine like a toddler about the bats ruining everything fun. Honestly, you two got into it, you even showed him the shitty first drafts that you hid deep in your laptop.

"You're quite artistic. Do you draw as well?"

"... Why...? You want me to draw Batman pregnant?"

The shock as Joker processed your question was quickly wiped away, his signature smile and laugh taking its place. You have become his favorite Wayne. So, like a true fan, he has started planning "kidnappings" with you so you could write for him-

The bats didn't like it. And, sure, they didn't really look into it beyond getting you back, but also- they weren't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. Joker left you unharmed and untied, it honestly was just him wanting to annoy the bats and the Waynes- and if Harley had fun doing whatever girls do or gossiping, it's a bonus to him.

Now- he hates Red Hood for a variety of reasons- he killed the boy, and he came back, stole his title, and he just can't stand the motorcycle fetish get-up.

"How would you feel about a Red Hood x Joker, enemies to lovers, slow burn?"

Joker is in cloud nine, he doesn't know what Bruce did to this kid to end up like this, pure menace and hatred, but he loved it- And sure he'd love it, take your time! Uncle Joker will keep the bats off your tail for as long as possible so you can at least have half a draft.

And while half the internet is happy about you being back, the bats are too busy to notice as they Tim try their best to chip you, but you bite and punch quite hard when scared awake from your sweet sleep.

You've also started putting bells on the handle of your door, a chair under the doorknob, and transparent tape on your windows to make sure they won't enter without you noticing.

...Meeting Slade won't be as nice, but I don't think he'd care much as long as you don't post his fails.

----

MEME TIME

Reader, when finding out she's talking to the Joker:

Reader, when Joker asked if she can draw:

Joker, when Reader brings up Pregnant!Batman:

Joker, on cloud nine when he realizes this Wayne is as fucked up as him but in a different way:

Cass, in the shadows, knowing everything but saying nothing because she doesn't want you angry at her:

Also- I think @datgurl-rhea would appreciate the tag, tell me if not, I'll delete it-

[harrysfolklore]

new year's wish - blurb

a/n: happy happy new year loves ! wrote this little blurb about one of my favorite tropes and i hope you like it, let me know your thoughts <3

gif by @harryisart

MASTERLIST | MY PATREON

2011

It was a tradition between your friend group at this point.

For the last two years, you've been celebrating New Year's Eve at Jonny's place, all of you getting together to celebrate and reminisce about your memories together.

You loved your friends to pieces, your group wasn't exactly huge, but you've made a bond so special over the years that no one could easily break.

However, you surely had a different and deeper connection with your best friend, Harry.

You met Harry the first day of middle school, and ever since your first interaction you've been inseparable. As time passed and you got closer to Harry, you began noticing some changes in how you felt. His laughter made you feel happier, his support meant a lot more, and being around him felt different—like something special. Sometimes, you found yourself admiring him in a way that went beyond just being friends. You started to realize that your feelings for Harry were growing into something deeper than friendship, something you hadn't felt before. It was like a secret you kept in your heart, waiting for the right time to figure out what it meant and terrified that making a move would ruin your friendship.

"Hey! I was looking for you." Harry's voice interrupted your train of thought, making you move from the fireplace you've been standing for the last few minutes.

"I got cold outside, wanted to catch some warmth." you said, looking at your curly haired best friend.

"The countdown is about to begin," he let you know, "Let's go with the rest."

You followed him to where your friends were hanging out, sitting next to him.

"What's on your mind? You're really quiet."

You took a moment before replying, "Just thinking about how everything's going to be different next year, we're barely going to see you."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked, a frown appearing on his face.

"You know, the band is taking off and you're going to be so busy," a confused look took over his face, "Don't get me wrong, I'm so proud of you, we all are. I'm just going to miss all of us here together, at Jonny's place."

"Come on, none of that," he said as he noticed a pout making its way to your face, throwing his arm around your shoulders and pulling you to his side, "I'm always going to be around, you won't get rid of me that easily," you laughed at this, "Next year we're all going to be right here together and nothing's going to change."

And as the clock counted down the seconds till midnight you wished for one thing: I wish he doesn't forget about me

2013

"Hey, stranger."

"Hello to you too, miss"

Harry's voice echoed through the speakers of your car, making you laugh as you drove the streets of Holmes Chapel, heading to your favorite wine shop.

"Are you coming to Jonny's place for New Years or are you going to spend it with your famous friends." You joked, and even though you couldn't see him you knew he was rolling his eyes.

"Of course I am, that's every year," you smiled at his words, "Besides, I need to see you so I can tell you all about this girl I'm seeing," and just like that your smile quickly faded, and you were glad he couldn't see you because you could swear your face dropped along with your heart, "I'm super thrilled, we hit it off right away and I honestly can't wait for you to meet her."

You weren't sure how many seconds passed in silence from you,but soon enough you heard Harry's voice asking if you were still on the line.

"Yeah, just got distracted by the traffic," you lied, "I can't wait to hear all about it, I'm glad you're happy."

New Year's was days away but you already had your wish in mind: I wish to be the girl for him someday

2015

There was just one thing in your mind as you sat on the bar stool with a drink in your hand: this year sucked.

That year, Harry had a super busy time with lots of success. He kept in touch, but it wasn't like before, your talks became shorter, and you didn't hang out much. You understood he was busy, but it felt different, you missed him and the fact he didn't show up for New Year's hit hard

On top of that, the headline "Spotted: Kendall Jenner and Harry Styles Getting Handsy on a Yacht" was the first thing you read in the morning, and it hurt.

You weren't even celebrating at Jonny's place, which made the night even more depressing for you, your friends insisted on trying something different and celebrate at a rooftop bar instead.

Maybe you held on to nostalgia too much, but you missed the old days when everything was simpler and you had Harry next to you.

"Hey! Countdown is about to begin, what are you doing on your own?" Ellis, one of your closest friends, called for you making you hop off the stool and join them.

"Everyone has their wishes for the new year?" Jonny asked the group, and you knew exactly what was the only thing you were going to wish for: I wish things would to go back to how they were

2019

"Look who finally showed up!"

Jonny's voice made everyone turn their heads towards the door, where a cuddly looking Harry stood with a bottle of wine.

"Hello to you too, mate." Harry said, making his way toward his best friend and giving him a hug.

After letting go of Jonny, he locked eyes with you and wasted no time to pull you close and wrap you around his arms.

"I missed you," he mumbled against the crown of you head, where he placed a small kiss, "I'm sorry I haven't texted, you know how chaotic album releases are."

You smiled with a tingle of sadness, Harry had just released his second album 'Fine Line', one that he described as having sex and feeling sad and that mainly talked about his most recent breakup.

A breakup that you helped him get through even though your own heart was being obliquely broken by him once again. But at the end at the day, he was still your best friend and there was nothing in this world you wouldn't do for him.

"It's okay, you're here now." You let go of him and squeezed his arm one final time before joining the rest of your friends in cheerful conversation.

Like every year, the night flew by and before you knew it you were a few minutes away from midnight, so you took that as a cue to look for Harry who had been absent from the room due to his phone ringing.

"H? Are you done with your phone call?" you asked, getting close to him, "Is everything okay?"

"It was Camille," he said, turning to look at you and showing you a small smile, one that gave away his contentment about it, "She said she wants to talk in person, to work things out."

"Oh that's, that's good I guess." You tried your best to give him a fake smile.

"It's more than good, this is great!" his smile widened as he moved from his place and wrapped an arm around your shoulders to give you to where your friends were calling for both of you, "Never thought this year would end like this."

His words echoed in your head as you stood with your friends who counted down the seconds until midnight, and a single wish came to your mind: I wish loving him didn't hurt so much

2023

The familiar setting at Jonny's place made you feel comfortable and at ease, no matter how busy your lives had been that year, your friends would always show up to celebrate the new year together and that was something you deeply cherished

This year had been extra special, with every aspect of your life blossoming, but there was a certain thing that made 2023 a great year: your relationship with Harry.

You two had become even closer that you were before, you had always been best friends who shared everything but things felt different now.

Maybe it was the way you exchanged looks that lasted a bit too long, the accidental touches that sent shivers down your spine, or the things you both didn't say but felt.

You couldn't shake the feeling that maybe, just maybe, Harry finally felt something more too. But your intrusive thoughts, the fear of ruining your friendship and the amount of times you've been heartbroken over the years kept pushing these thoughts away every time they popped up.

"Praying to the God's above that Harry finally kisses you at midnight?" Ellis' voice almost made you jump on your spot on the couch, she plopped next to you with a beer on her hand and a cocky smile.

"Ellis! What are you on about!" you complained, making her roll her eyes.

"Come on! We all know that's what you wish for every birthday, and we've noticed that he can’t keep his hands off you tonight, walking in hand in hand and all."

It was your turn to roll your eyes, but you could feel your stomach twist at her words.

After a few more drinks and not so subtle teasing from your friends about you and Harry, you slipped away for a bit, needing a break from the noise. Soon enough Harry spotted you by the window, looking up at the stars.

"Hey," Harry said standing next to you, you smiled as you felt his arm wrap around your waist, "The countdown is about to begin."

"Let's go join them then." You moved from the window and tried to head towards the living room, but Harry's hand grabbing yours made you stop on your tracks.

"Actually," he avoided your eyes, focusing on the scenery outside for a moment, "I've been wanting to talk to you about something, I don't even know if this is the ideal time but-"

"Hey," you cut him off, finding his eyes and giving him a tender smile, "It's okay, you know you can tell me anything."

"I've been doing a lot of thinking lately, about this year and everything that changed, especially between us," he began, his voice soft yet determined, and your face full of confusion and anticipation.

"These past years have been a whirlwind," Harry continued, "But in all the chaos and changes, there's been one constant, You. And I've been blind to not recognize what that means."

Your breath caught in your throat and you could swear you felt your palms drench in sweat.

"I've wasted too much time not acknowledging it, not admitting it to myself and hurting you in the process," Harry spoke again, his voice laced with a tingle of sadness. "I cherish our friendship deeply, but I've come to understand that what I feel for you goes beyond just friendship. It's something deeper, something I've been too oblivious to see clearly for my own selfish reasons."

His words hung in the air, you could hardly believe what you were hearing, the words you'd secretly longed for so many years, spoken by the person who meant the world to you.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is that I love you, I've loved you for longer than I realized, and I don't want another year passing without telling you."

Tears welled up in your eyes and without a word, you wrapped your arms around him, pulling him into a tight embrace. It felt like the weight of the years of unspoken emotions was finally lifted, and in that moment, everything felt right.

"I love you too," you whispered, your voice filled with a all kinds of emotions. "I've always loved you, Harry."

From afar, you could hear the cheers and celebrations of a New Year, the clock had reached midnight and your friends already made their wishes.

And as you finally kissed the man you loved after he confessed that he loved you too, there was nothing else you'd rather wish for.

[eldritch-spouse]

I love the idea of Zizz becoming obsessed with a lucid dreamer.

She talks to him about things she's too afraid to talk to other people about, rants about how tiresome her work is, and doing stupid shit while they wander a dreamscape she makes. Sometimes she fucks him if he doesn't take on a human appearance (realizing she's a monsterfucker). She thinks he is nothing more than a random figment formed from their dreams, enjoying these moments that will be gone by the morning.

Zizz keeps getting drawn to her, the more time he spends, the harder he falls for her.

[Aaah, this is a cute idea. Reader is ambiguous.]

The first night, you didn't know what was happening.

There was a presence in your dream, you felt it as soon as it invaded the sanctity of your slumber. A thick shadow lurking in the halls of the manor you spent so long visualizing during waking hours just so you could bring it into your dreams.

Curiosity led you to follow that strange pull. You didn't consciously manifest anything or anyone yet, so what could it be that your brain cooked up on its own?

It seemed to be wandering, and the closer you got to it, the louder these slow thumps could be heard, footsteps making aged wooden floorboards creak in protest. The parts of your dream where this thing dwelled seemed to become somehow more vivid than the ones you created, as if it were breathing life into them. Your curious search becomes a frantic chase when you catch the outline of something massive turning the corner.

Was the manor this complex? Were there these many halls?

No, you remember it being smaller. Is it... Changing its location? Changing your dream? This has to be the product of your sudden distraction. Yes, that's it.

You remember the way you stopped breathing when you opened a door, only to see him pass by.

What you can only describe as a giant demonic entity, with pallid, ash-like skin and a great veil over its horned face. A thin tail that ended in a crescent shape swaying lazily behind a masculine inhuman figure.

Between the shock and fear, you could only watch it trudge to another division, uncaring of your presence.

Your lungs start working again, on the first desperate gasp-

You wake up.

The second time, he laughed.

Some time had passed.

You never truly felt all that comfortable in your own dreamscapes after that odd encounter and, strangely, even if you remembered the sight of that demonoid so clearly, manifesting him was proving itself to be harder than expected.

You felt like you needed to bring him back, if only because his appearance left more questions than answers, and that encounter begged some clarifications.

The versions you did manage to create always seemed oddly deformed, as if you were a novice at this.

Tonight, you were dedicating your time to making him reappear, which led you to a mostly white space devoid of features beyond a floor, and the several copies of the entity you are failing to put together.

Some are discolored. Others have too many horns, the one in the corner is... Melting? The latest keeps disappearing and popping up in random spots. None of them are behaving at all, just standing there like mockeries of statues.

They feel so fake, so paper-like, cheap imitations of something that felt so powerful and perfect! Like there really was another person in your dream...

You're getting frustrated.

It's a pointless effort born out of a spook.

After what feels like an eternity of populating an endless landscape with grotesque reflections, you simply sit down and watch them fail miserably at existing.

Except... A new one emerges from the back of a swaying, greenish copy.

It looks around, tensing, as if perturbed by something, then casts its gaze to the clones surrounding it.

You didn't make that one. Not willingly. It's... It's too perfect, he looks exactly like the demon you saw, down to a T! Even the little glowing blob on his head, that's him! That's... Him. The real one. Oh fuck.

Horrified yet oddly gleeful, you simply stay very still and watch everything unfold.

The giant demon begins exploring once more, touching the flawed versions of himself he comes across. The ones that seem to particularly disturb him are waved at, and with the simple gesture, disappear entirely. Although you cannot see his face, his tail swats quickly behind the monster's body, it's clear he's at least amused by what he's seeing.

One second he's moving to the nearest malformed abomination, the next you blink and he's standing still, fixed on you. There's no doubt he's spotted you sitting cross-legged like an idiot, you bet you stick out like a sore thumb.

It felt like hours passed in that silent locking of stares. This time, you remember to breathe. But your mouth certainly won't open. And he doesn't utter a word either, resuming his perusing.

Finally, he spots the one whose clothes keep flickering in and out of place. You don't know why it's like that, and it embarrasses you. Your brain can guess the general body type and coloration of the demon given he doesn't cover all that much, but it has no way of knowing what his genitals look like, so your mind is visibly cycling through possibilities.

Seeing himself naked, with a variety of ridiculous genital equipment, the entity invading your dream starts to shake slightly.

You fear you might have greatly offended him without meaning to, but then, this sound starts bouncing off non-existent walls until it reaches you.

A melodic sort of chuckling that fills you with some unknown lulling tingle, rising into amused, helpless belly laughter, cackling. His head throws back and his shoulders quake. It's the only thing you can focus on, a voice so clear and so distinct, something you've never heard before. How incredible.

Well... At least he finds it funny? Good, that's. Good. You guess.

When the noise dies down, you find him looking at you again.

The flustered tightening of your belly is probably what woke you up.

The third time, he spoke to you.

It must not have been more than a week.

You think he's lurking around more often, because you're starting to pick up on the way his presence alters the spaces around him, makes them feel all the more immersive.

This time, you were creating a garden, picking the flowers you'll put in a variety of plots.

When you head to the little gazebo in the center, you find that not only has it increased twofold in size, he is sitting at the table you placed there.

The demon seems calm, legs spread, one hand resting on the table, the other holding his covered head as he watches you freeze.

Your first instinct is to turn back and pretend he's not there, to walk away, maybe try shoving him out of the dreamscape. But do you really want to?

" Stay. " He beckons, the moment you take a step back.

" Who are you? " Is instantly shot back.

The monster leans back on his seat, the clawed hand previously resting rises, and with a snap, day turns into night, a brilliant sky with millions of stars and swirling cool hues.

It's nothing short of gorgeous.

At this point, you think he has more control of your dream than you.

As if to prove that, the chair opposing him slides back, and he tips his head towards it, waving.

" I like your dreams. " The demon starts. " You're interesting. "

" ... Thank you? " Because what else are you supposed to say.

" Sit. " He beckons again. " Talk to me tonight. "

You didn't believe it.

Didn't believe who he said he was.

How he managed to enter your dreams.

Didn't believe that someone like him could ever find you worth any time.

You chalked it up to total madness, and took the entire conversation as a humorous game, laughing when it seemed as if he was getting almost enamored with you.

After an admittedly delightful night sharing drinks he had conjured for the two of you, Zizz sighs and tells you that it's time for you to wake up.

You're about to ask how he would know such when he leans forward to gently tip the glass up to your lips, and the richness of your favorite drink is the last thing you feel before it all fades away.

Tonight, he offered to take you into one of his dreamscapes.

A smile in his words and a shine to the soft paw he extended your way convinced you to accept the offer.

Maybe the way he purred and whispered your name like a prayer should have been warning enough that you were playing a dangerous game.

It's been hours. A day? Too long. Longer than you've ever been dreaming for. Tracking time is harder in a location you have no control over.

This is a very beautiful royal mansion, and you've been having lots of fun spending time with Zizz in it and all...

But you'd like to wake up.

It's not happening. You can't bring yourself out of the lucid dream. You... You're stuck.

When a quiet moment falls between the two of you, a small hand taps the supposed demonlord's arm.

" Zizz? "

" Mmm? "

There's a gulp. " ... I need to wake up. "

Seconds bleed into what must have been a minute of complete silence.

Until his palm lands on your head and he affectionately combs over your hair, leading you forward beside him as you're about to enter his dreamscape's bedroom.

Claws tighten on the skin of your scalp.

" Don't be silly. "

[mageknife]

can i have 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 11, 21, 29 for laevis and zevran?

SO MANY. thank you for enabling me <3. questions here

1. What was the Warden's first impression of their LI? And what was their first impression of the Warden?

all jokes aside laevis was amused, charmed, and impressed by the absolute audacity of zevran to abandon his contract and ask to join him instead and also hit on him. he knew zevran was something special right away. it wasn’t quite love at first sight, but it wasn’t exactly not that, either. it felt like finding an elaborate lock to pick that hid unknown treasures behind it, and he was never one to resist curiosity. whatever zevran would throw at him, laevis was excited to take it.

zevran was pleasantly surprised by laevis’s easygoing nature and willingness to accept him without showing even a hint of hesitation. (potentially unwise of him, but it was a relief to zevran anyway, to be taken in without being doubted or feared.) and he hadn’t really expected his flirting to work, but he was delighted by the outcome of that as well.

2. What attracted the Warden to them - their looks, personality, or something else?

there’s no denying that zevran is a gorgeous man, and that absolutely had some part in it. but it was his personality that really drew laevis in. the jokes, the charm, the offhanded out-of-pocket remarks that equally baffled and amused, the moments of earnestness that would sometimes shine through his carefree demeanor without him noticing. and laevis found him beyond intriguing, a puzzle he turned over in his mind every night, the various pieces he picked up over time coming together to form an intricate, beautiful artwork that he couldn’t look away from.

4. When did the Warden realize they had feelings for their LI? Did they tell someone about it?

it took a while. they had a friends-with-benefits arrangement going from like the second night after zevran joined the party, and it was going well enough, but laevis kept swatting away the feelings that threatened to bite him and make him itch. but that couldn’t last forever. little moments of interest and admiration became a swarm he couldn’t fight off. i think it hits laevis shortly after the brecilian forest that this has been far beyond “just friends” for some time now. he panics, a little; zevran has made it clear that this is only physical no matter how much they flirt, braid each other's hair, hold each other by the fire, sleep in laevis's tent in a tangle of limbs, exchange tender kisses as the sun rises. he shouldn't hope for more. he has... really no idea who to tell about it, eventually deciding to go to wynne, who at this point has been able to see that laevis's affections for zevran are more than a frivolous distraction. wynne comforts him and advises him to talk to zevran about it and confess his feelings. but he's not about to do that anytime soon. he doesn't want to jeopardize what they have. so he tries to keep it inside as well as he can.

5. When did their LI realize they had feelings for the Warden? What did they do about it?

while laevis's realization of his feelings was more of a drawn-out denial, zevran gets hit with his all at once. it's the brecilian forest for him, too; when laevis loses his eye, zevran is absolutely terrified. he can't imagine what he would do if laevis died. zevran's life is his now, and it crashes into him like an avalanche that it's not just because of the promise he made to fight for him. he's buried in the snow and can't even fathom how to dig his way out. he can't tell which way is up. it's mortifying. he doesn't want this, he never wanted this, he can't love someone and watch them die again, and laevis could die at any moment. he scrabbles desperately at the snow around him, knowing that panicking will only make it worse, but what else is he to do? wait for someone to rescue him, for those hands calloused from lockpicks and bowstrings to reach down and find his own, when he's convinced himself so firmly that that help will never come? or lose himself to the fear that keeps him trapped in place, gasping for air? so, of course, zevran doesn't act either, trying to push the feelings away and make them disappear. he can't risk their friendship over a feeling he refuses to call love that couldn't possibly be returned.

7. Did the Warden employ any tactics to 'seduce' their LI? (aka, stuff that they did to show they were interested)

seduction, absolutely. he laid it on thick right from the jump, making it very clear that he was interested in sleeping with zevran. direct flirting, overt euphemisms, and unsubtle touches that made wynne and alistair really not want to be there, maker preserve them. in terms of actually getting together romantically... not on purpose, no. he never expected his feelings to amount to anything. but if zevran caught laevis staring at him from his vantage point during a fight more often than he probably should, or actively seeking out shiny trinkets to steal for zevran, well. he wouldn't be able to deny it.

8. Who confessed their feelings for the other first? How did that conversation go?

technically laevis, and it was like pulling teeth. it took zevran gifting him his earring for him to say anything. the first inkling that maybe there was a chance. things were awkward after that, hopeful but terrified, laevis trying to fill the space by asking zevran to spend the night with him and zevran declining, laevis lying awake at night, turning the earring over in his hands, trying to figure out what it could all mean, where they would go from here. they both fought terribly the next day. it was obvious that something had happened, because there was none of their usual ribbing or flirting or upbeat synergy. laevis confronted zevran at camp, if anything so that they could fix their combat coordination. he admitted to zevran that things couldn't go on like this, that his feelings were undeniably deeper, and that he had hoped the earring meant something. zevran confessed to having deeper feelings too, and to being terrified of them. it was clumsy, with both of them having shoved their affections away in such resolute belief that the other didn't share them, convinced by no one but themselves. but they came out of it happier than either of them had ever thought possible.

9. Where was their first kiss? And how did it go?

their first kiss wasn't particularly eventful. the aggressive flirting on both ends came to a head after knowing each other for all of two days, and if zevran didn't ask laevis to sleep with him first, laevis would've asked him in as much time. they kissed that night. a lot. and nearly every night after that. and sometimes under the sun, when they would sneak away in the forest or into an alley in denerim. and sometimes there would be a kiss on the cheek or the temple or the nose, playful and tender in a way they both tried not to think about, not for any particular reason, not driven by libido, just because it felt... right. comfortable. their first real kiss was after they finally got their shit together and confessed. it was long, slow, passionate, fueled by the love that was no longer unspoken at last. just outside of camp, laevis's back against a tree, his hair clinging to the bark that scraped him through his shirt, but he would take any amount of scratches if he could stay right there forever, with zevran's tongue deep inside his mouth and zevran's hands on his waist and zevran's chest pressed so close to his that their heartbeats might as well have been the same.

11. Do they sleep together often?

extremely. nearly every night, before and after they actually get together. this applies to sex as well as actually sleeping together. after a while zevran doesn't even bother pitching his tent anymore. which could mean nothing.

21. Does the Warden and their Ll ever get jealous? Are they possessive or chill?

they're both very chill. as i've said they have a physically open relationship, and it works because of how secure they are in their commitment to each other. they've talked about the arrangement in depth, initially when laevis had to become warden-commander which resulted in them being separated for a while, and it's held strong over the years. there are times where laevis will be flirted with in a tavern and say "i'm not interested, but you should ask my husband, you're more his type" or vice versa. it's fun. they're having a great time genuinely.

29. What makes the Warden worried about their LI (like, a specific action they take, how they fight, a specific character trait, etc.)

laevis is terrified of the calling, and more than the fear of losing his autonomy and dying a horrible death young, he's terrified of leaving zevran alone. he doesn't want zevran to have to watch him deteriorate, to say goodbye for the last time to a man he might barely recognize. he made sure the ritual was done so that he would be able to stay alive for zevran, and he's working hard to find the cure for the calling for the same reason. he's also very worried that zevran murdering a bunch of crows will catch up with him someday, despite their relative safety where they settle down at their hidden safehouse in ferelden with arum and anders, but zevran assures him that it'll be fine. he never 100% buys it, but he tries to be optimistic.

[evita-shelby]

The Wreckage

sequel to Look Both Ways where we get the reason why Lily left and why Tommy and Eva couldn't make it work after she filed for divorce.

cw: refrenced suicide attempt, mental illnesses, unhealthy coping mechanisms, angst, drama, murder accusations.

you know something nice to distract yall from the US Elections tonight

@justrainandcoffee @littlepeakydevil @zablife @call-sign-shark @hoodeddreams13 @thegreatdragonfruta

After Eva had that vision of Lily blowing her brains out, she takes the first train back to Small Heath and gets there just in time to stop her.

They have a much-needed talk, it falls on Eva to convince the redhead that it is not her fault.

Considering they are all in various states of disrepair, the witch fucking hates to be the Strong one while the other two points of the triangle get to lose their shit about it. Eva is too busy trying to keep them from hurting themselves to even mourn her own loss.

Tommy isolated himself and got so drunk he ended up in a holding cell for his own safety, Lily ended up believing the Shelby Clan’s words that she shouldn’t have remained Tommy’s lover when he decided to court and marry Eva.

Eva barely had time to settle in leased townhouse the Riley Family use in London before the Universe decided she could not just wash her hands of them and move on with her life. She hates it when her powers force her to be a better person.

The witch had to explain how her previous relationships had not left her in the condition needed to accept having a man who is not entirely hers, how she knows they will all be the better for it and that if anyone is at fault it is Eva for being too desperate to avoid her impending execution.

“How do you hold yourself together like that?” Lily had asked as she confided in her about her plans to seek out her maternal family. She needed time as well, they all did.

“Because neither you nor Tommy have given me the chance to properly fall apart. It's easy to hold yourself together when you don't have a choice.” The witch admitted wryly, she was as honest with Lily as she was with Tommy ---sometimes she’d use it to purposely hurt them to assuage her need of space and the fear that Tommy didn’t love her as much as she did him. “Trust me, I should have been in London crying my heart out and fucking a stranger with a thing for pregnant women instead of bailing Tommy out and keeping you from making my decision to save myself obsolete.”

“Then why save me? You could have been happy with him; you are giving him a child.” The redhead ---still wallowing in her despair and guilt--- demands to know why Eva didn’t seize her chance at happiness. “He said you told him you’d have four children and live in the country.”

“And if I had let you die, I would still be second place even if you were a ghost tormenting him. No life is worth living with a man who doesn’t love you the way you need him to anyways.” The dark-haired woman answered bluntly as they sat down a little further away from what would have been a crime scene.

“I can’t stay here. Not when everyone blames me for it.” By everyone she does mean everyone.

The Shelbys had taken Polly’s side and everyone else correctly guessed Tommy having a lover is what destroyed the fairytale romance.

It was a terrible place to be, Eva had barely considered how cruel they’d be to Lily, only focused on leaving a man who placed Lily and her needs over hers time and time again. Why Tommy couldn’t just marry her and avoid this mess was beyond Eva’s comprehension.

Marriage is safety when you do not love in the conventional way.

“Have you finally given my suggestions to find your mother and your aunt some thought?” she asked the Red Demon who had been reluctant on accepting Eva’s offer to help her find her family because neither she nor Tommy appeared to be capable or surviving without the other.

They could, they are just too pessimistic and they refuse to give it a real, honest try. Eva had been there once, and now seeks to pull them out of the dark waters even if they like it there.

“Yes, maybe if I had said yes when you offered the first time we wouldn’t be in this mess.” And because Lily wants to see if Tommy would be happy without her here. Not by being the ghost haunting him, but as the lover who left him. “You should’ve told me we were making you feel unloved.”

“I know, but I feared losing him, and while I do get on with you, I do not like you that way. We are just too different.” Part of Eva still wants the life she saw with Tommy that morning in Brighton. Is it wrong for her to desire her own happiness after life took everything from her? Why was she losing her one thread to life again? Why couldn't someone else be the one to sacrifice their happiness for her instead of her doing it every single time?

Perhaps with her unlikely rival out of the way, they can see if that vision can still be true.

“I had guessed as much. I am not as ignorant as Polly makes me look.” Her ex lover nodded in agreement, and both said their goodbyes before parting ways.

The last person seen with Lily was Eva. A gunshot was heard and only Eva came back.

There was no body nor signs of a struggle, but he knows what the witch is capable of. She had one demand when he refused to sign the papers in London.

Me or Her.

And when he refused to choose her then and there, he left to drown out his sorrows and make his choice.

He loved both women. He loved Eva fiercely, loved her fire, her strength and her ambition to take back everything she had lost.

But he loved Lily more. He couldn’t just leave her like this. It would kill her. He knew Eva was right, the witch had never been wrong even that rainy day they met.

“We will have everything we have ever wanted, mi amor.” She had proclaimed that morning after their wedding.

Four children, a baronetcy, a career in politics. They would be as happy and as in love as they were that morning.

He had been a fool to assume she saw Lily in it.

And because he was going to choose Lily over her, Eva killed her.

She was just as damaged as them. Lost everything she ever had, and now that she stood to lose the chance to have it all again with him, the witch took it.

What Lily was capable off wasn’t close to what Eva could do. Eva had the advantage of money and magic...and training in espionage and murder by a woman named Frida Solomons.

“You killed her!” he cannot contain himself when he finds her still packing up what she owned in Ada’s old room. She had moved there when it became clear he would sleep with both women.

Eva is shocked from his words angry in ways he had never seen. The words had hurt her like a blow to the stomach and woke the beast underneath the soft warm skin

“Oh, yes, because I would be so fucking sloppy as to have the murder weapon in my hands and be so obvious!” The witch mocks him and denies it. "If I had killed her, you would have never found out about it."

He should’ve known she wanted him to choose her.

He couldn’t choose so she choose for him.

“You killed Lily!” he shouts again as he comes to shake her and demand to know why she did this to her.

Eva slaps him hard enough to leave the mark of the wedding and engagement ring still on her finger.

“I didn’t fucking kill her! Why would I go through all the trouble of divorcing you if I intended to kill her?” the witch shouts back when even her hand on his cheek is not enough to break him out of that thought.

“Then where is she? Why were you the only one to come back here?” He knows deep down she didn’t and yet he cannot stop his mind from finding a reason to believe she did.

“She needed time away from here, to get away from a place that hates her. Just as I am doing.” We need to be away from you.

“Then why didn’t she tell me?” he asks the woman who he knows won’t ever forgive him.

“You wouldn’t have let her go, just as you are not man enough to let me go.” She hates as strongly as she loves, and now Tommy knows what the Witch’s anger feels like. “Just as you are so fucking full of it that you fucking came here and accused me of killing your precious Lily.

Me, the mother of your child, the wife you promised to love and cherish before God and Men; and you couldn’t even love me enough to give me the presumption of innocence.” Her anger turns to hot tears as she lets him have it. “I should’ve left England when I had the chance.”

Tommy has only seen Eva cry three times in his life. The day he taught her to shoot, the day she left him and the day he killed her love for him. She said she had lost the ability to cry all together when the last of her family died and yet he had been the only person to get her tears flowing again.

“I'm sorry, I don’t know what came over me. I know you would never do that.” Even when he means it, even when he tries to show her how truly sorry he is for the way he acted, for the fucking way he doubted her like this, his wife flinches away form him.

Moves away from him as if his touch physically hurt her. And it had, Eva felt things deeply, the same passion with which she loved was the same as the one she hated and grieved with.

“If it had been me who disappeared, you wouldn’t have accused Lily of killing me.” She won’t ever forgive him, there is no love for him in her eyes only hatred he created and he will have to live with that for the rest of his days. “You do not love me like you love her, now I wonder if you ever loved me at all.”

But he does love her, and that is what makes it all worse. He’s lost her even when that is the last thing he wanted to do.

“Evie, please---” Tommy chases after her, refusing to accept the defeat he crafted with his own bloody hands.

“I will never set foot here unless you are dead.” The witch refuses to look at him as she too walks out of his life and leaves him standing on the wreckage of their love.

She was right when she called him a fucking fool when it comes to love. Always right when it comes to him and not once has she ever lied to him.

Which is why he will set this right, even if it means following her to London.

story continues in Perhaps

[aew-regression-cove]

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ | regressor ! anthony bridgerton headcannons

★ he is me, I am him- 😶 we're not gonna get into all that tho- anywaysss, these might be a littlee self indulgent and maybe a little ooc 🤏🏻 but oh well tryna remind myself it's my blog and can post what I want ☺️ — I would like to say that although I've seen lots of clips from season 2 I haven't actually started watching yet and have only watched season 1 so far!!! (Will maybe add to these as I watch/once I've watched the rest of the show!!!)

@aew-kun

credits — x / x / x

"she bears a heavy responsibility

for our family"

"that sounds remarkably similar

to you, Anthony..."

✒️ . . . He does not want anyone knowing he regresses, he keeps it to himself and will typically regress when alone in his office!!! Once he's with Kate and he's comfortable he lets himself regress around her.

🕯️ . . . Regresses due to trauma & stress. He did not have time to heal properly after what happened with his father as he had to take on the role of head of the house!!!

🧥 . . . As much as he hates accepting help and having people around him when regressed he really kind of needs it, especially considering when regressed even the smallest amount of responsibility stresses him out. The second struggle with this comes in with the issue of he really struggles with not having control and so letting someone else help/take that control is something that makes him uncomfortable-

📜 . . . Crys quite a lot although never in front of people, even Kate. He's very against the idea of anyone seeing him like that, Benedict walked in on him regressed and crying in his office once and it only made him more upset.

✒️ . . . Very competitive (both regressed and not) and can be a sore loser when regressed, there are definitely ways to handle him tho if he's lost a game to stop him from getting too upset!!!

🕯️ . . . Sleepy kiddo that refuses to go to sleep- Violet is the best at getting him to go to sleep. There will forever be something comforting for him about his mother and her calming presence. Being around Kate also can help him sleep however with Kate he will try to put off going to sleep.

🧥 . . . Sometimes likes to just sit in the drawing room with everyone with some papers or a book to make it look like he's busy so no one questions him/talks to him but so he can be around his family whilst subtly being regressed!!!

📜 . . . He will practically melt if Kate plays with his hair.

✒️ . . . Will put off regressing in favour of doing paperwork and stuff until he physically can't help but regress or until Kate steps in.

🕯️ . . . Very touchy- LOVES cuddles with Kate!!!

🧥 . . . Sometimes likes to just sit with his horse, enjoying the quiet atmosphere and not having to talk to anyone.

📜 . . . Not a chance at getting him to use any kind of gear really, can see him maybe having an old baby blanket tho (maybe embroidered by Violet) or a jacket of his father's that he cuddles with/is very attached too when regressed. — always fiddling with his pocket watch!!!

✒️ . . . ^ can see him chewing his fingers or sucking his thumb when distracted — if he's regressing whilst trying to work he'll be so focused on working that he won't realise he's been chewing his thumb until he snaps back to reality for whatever reason.

🕯️ . . . Although he doesn't want anyone to really know about his regression, the Bridgertons are a close family and they all have an idea that Anthony copes via regression although without the term for it.

🧥 . . . Gets frustrated quickly, especially if it's something that relies on him. For example if he can't figure out how to do something.

📜 . . . Not afraid to get dirty/muddy!!! However I can see him finding a more 'feminine' task for the time such as sewing/embroidery quite calming once he gets the hang of it. He'd get extremely frustrated until he got the hang of it tho and wouldn't really like his family beyond maybe Violet knowing!!! (He's worried they'd judge because even if simply friendly teasing he'd be worried because it's not a stereotypical masculine activity.)

ⓘ if you want to reblog, let me know and I'll decide to temporarily unlock the post or not <3

bcs these are self indulgent I'm not 1000% sure how comfortable I'll be unlocking the post however you are more than welcome to ask!!! I may be comfortable doing so!!! ESPECIALLY for moots!!!

[sushisocks]

MORE MACSUMMER I BEG

I GOT YOU ANON!!!! Here's an assortment of MORE silly goofy headcanons about my favorite silly goofy couple <3

These bitches are COMPETITIVE!! Anything can be a race or a bet between them, to the detriment of EVERYONE else. A friendly rivalry over who between them can bring in the most for the camp isn't enough, they're also betting on whether or not Sean'll eat that fisheye Pearson just discarded, or whether Lenny can shotgun a can of soup before Sean counts to 20. A lot of their less-destructive dares are food-consumption-related, yes, how did you know?

They’ve almost broken their legs and arms several times over with the racing, though. They’ve been scruffed by Arthur about just as many times.

Yes, Lenny is a morosexual. Yes, being around Sean debuffs his impulse control. Part of the fun is that they’re always egging eachother on!!

Meanwhile Sean’s type is very much ‘down to earth, smart, with a fun streak’ and Lenny checks all the boxes. He likes the push-and-pull Lenny offers, as someone who’s unafraid to call Sean on his BS while also going along on the more lighthearted stuff.

(Granted, ‘lighthearted’ in this context may or may not include robbery and arson!)

The inside jokes are neverending; Sean can, like, hold up a spoon and waggle his eyebrows and that'll mean something that has Lenny in hysterics.

Sean might not be that inclined towards reading for himself, but he LOVES listening to Lenny's voice, and will often ask Lenny to read aloud. It doesn't matter if it's a news article, a children's story, or the driest factual book on the face of the planet; if Lenny is reading it to him, Sean will remember what he hears up until the moment he starts dozing off. If Lenny quits too early, Sean will wake right back up and demand he continues until he starts dozing again.

They’ve been stuck in that loop for hours before, but the clue is to let Sean fall asleep properly before Lenny can rest his voice - he’s a lot more willing to do this when he realizes it’s one of the only surefire ways for Sean to NOT have a nightmare <3

They are SO “We aren’t joined at the hip!!” *is actually joined at the hip* core, to me. Lenny will be like ‘I can go on this job on my own!😤’ and then come back and beeline towards Sean to tell him how it went. 

You know that one comic that’s like “I gotta pee” “Ok” and then they walk away hand in hand? Literally. They don’t even realize this is what they’re like!

They’re VERY good at keeping arguments or fights private; the gang only notices because those are the only times they’re not constantly around each other, beyond camp/gang duties. The fights never last long, and are never that serious - they're usually good and back to normal within a day or so.

Their most public fights are the ones they have when they’re drunk, and they only really consist of them fussing over each other. “Did you have any water, Len? I’ll grab you some water.” “Are you cold, Sean? Here, take this blanket” <- They’re both slurring, wobbling, and can’t see straight. The second one of them stands, the other is yelling at them to sit down bcz they’ll break a leg after two steps, so nothing actually gets done or fetched, unless it’s within arms reach (and that's usually more liquor). It’s a whole thing; they’re both of the mind that ‘No! You shouldn’t take care of me, you’re drunk, I’m taking care of YOU!’ and SURPRISE it’s like another competition where they can't let the other win. See Lenny grabbing Sean by the ankle while Sean's trying to drag himself towards the water canteen, and now they're yelling and wrestling in the dirt over it. It’s stupid but entertaining for anyone witnessing them, if nothing else <3

Sean has a tendency to get lost, and Lenny is usually the one who ends up looking for/finding him. Sometimes it’s not even that Sean is lost, just distracted, and Lenny will join him in whatever misadventure he’s found himself on. Other times that distraction means Lenny finding him in like a field 30 minutes from camp, and promptly laughing his ass off bcz Sean is high in a tree after pissing off a bull or smth.

[fat-oc-battle]

nero blue (he/they, bleak limiter) character & art by @pink-karnery

In the Bleak Limiter narrative, I would describe Nero as a character that can be very shy and quiet in the beginning of the narrative. However, once meeting Nameless Nineth (He/Him), he turns out to be very bold, sarcastic, and very head strong and very stubborn to a point. Of course, all that changes once Nameless, their dear friend goes missing one day. Nero isn’t sure why he left like that, or if he had said something to make them want to leave the group so Nero has no choice but to take the place as leader and help Nameless with his goals, Nero ends up distracted but a peculiar fellow that once to help Him and CC (He/Him) look beyond the plans of Nameless and do something even better. How this effects the duo, well you just have to wait and see ;]

Nero comes from a big family and is the second oldest. They get along well with most of their siblings however, he tends to get in arguments with their older sister sometimes. They have a rocky relationship with each other, so Nero seldom talks to her. However, they eventually get along better as the series goes on. Nero also gets along well with their parents! He is very thankful for them because they agreed to keep K’areena (His girlfriend later in the narrative) to stay with them when she and her brother ran away from their abusive family. Nero is 23 years old and is agender. They discovered they were agender with the help of K’areena when they were 14. It was also around the time that K’areena realized she’s a trans girl. Both Nero and K’areena loved to explore their fashion sense because of that. It ended up being one of their favorite past times. Finding clothes that are affirming for them.

Nero also likes to make and collect plushies and has a pet rat named Luz. Nero can be a bit of a loner sometimes so you may often see them in their room by themselves doing their own thing. There is a chance they might be on the autism spectrum! Feel free to interpret that as you wish, would love to see what head canons you all have regarding that :>

main blog, main insta, oc insta

VS.

comet crasher/crash (it, my hero academia) character & art by @phantom-provocateur

Crash is a pro hero and science teacher for UA High and takes both jobs very seriously! It'll do anything it can to protect its students from villains and make sure they don't fall behind their peers in class. It really enjoys science and especially likes to focus on quirk science and the various non-hero uses quirks can have in current day society. When it's not on the clock it likes to spend time with its spouses and children just hanging out and doing whatever. It especially likes going for walks, watching american-style football and watching/participating in mountain-biking races though :)

crash's toyhou.se

[jkuniverz]

Ok, first long MSM post, let’s see how this goes.

Do you ever think about how all the Rare Core Seasonals follow a specific design principle? While the Commons are basic embodiments of whatever holiday they’re meant to represent, the Rares tend to take a negative aspect of that holiday and incorporate it into their design.

For example, let’s look at Punkleton for a second:

Pumpkin head, skeletal body, autumnal leaves decorating the neck and arms- yup, this sure is a Halloween Monster all right!

So what about Rare Punkleton then?

Well, since the poor guys’s head decomposes faster than usual, it dresses up in a paper bag to help hide itself from other Monsters. It’s taking the Halloween aspect of costumes and dressing up and using it to cover up this Monster’s insecurity, especially since it uses a brown paper bag to cover its head, which often in media represents embarrassment or shame at oneself.

I’m not sure if I did the *best* job at describing that, but looking at the other Rare Core Seasonals will hopefully better convey what I mean.

So, we’ve got:

-Rare Yool: based off of the Grinch and social outcasts

-Rare Schmoochle: have had conflicts and quarrels with one another

-Rare Blabbit: inversely steals Monster Eggs and covers its tracks well

-Rare Hoola: uses their extra hoop to distract Monsters while tricking them

…Ok, so the theme between them is a little loose, but hopefully you’re able to understand what I’m getting at. There’s some negative aspect to its respective holidays that the Rare Seasonals incorporate into its design and lore.

…but that’s just the Rare Core Seasonals. What about the Rare Auxiliary Seasonals? Do they follow this design principle as well?

Let’s take a look at the current 3 Rare Auxiliary Seasonals:

Rare Gobbleygourds have an indomitable will to try and fly- it’s all they really do. How this is supposed to be a negative aspect of Thanksgiving is… beyond me. Maybe it’s that it mirrors Gobbleygourd’s intense desire to feed everyone during Feast-Ember, but all Rare Gobbleygourd does it hurt itself? I don’t know.

All that we know about Rare Jam Boree is that it’s made of chocolate (or rather, chokkolit), and it may have something to do with poems, as it’s ingame Bio reads like one. Maybe Rare Jam Boree likes to write poems in celebration of events? It’s definitely a more deep and meaningful way to celebrate, by writing it down in contrast to plain partying, so there’s that.

Finally, there’s Rare Clavavera. I’m not too familiar with the Day of the Dead holiday, so I don’t really feel confident about pointing out any sort of reference it may have to its real life holiday equivalent. Though, it’s Bio does state that, “Unique to the Rare… is a special interest in writing of short, witty verses that poke light-hearted fun at those same ancestors”, so that may be the aspect of the Monster that fits with the Rare Seasonal theme?… though, I can’t say for sure.

It doesn’t look like the old Rare Seasonal design philosophy is being followed necessarily anymore, at least not with my analysis. Maybe it is, and I’m just not realizing it. Maybe there’s no such thing as a design theme with Rare Seasonals and I’m just a crazy man on the internet rambling about something that doesn’t matter. Regardless of that, I’m going to make small predictions for the next two Rare Aux Seasonals anyways that follow this probably made-up theme, and no one’s going to stop me.

The next Rare Seasonal to be released will be Rare Carillong, coming sometime soon. For it, I predict it to be based off of/poke fun at New Year Resolutions, and more specifically, how no one can ever follow them. The design would be more rugged and unkempt compared to the Common Carillong’s, maybe with frizzled hair, wear showing on the Chimekeeper, and so on. It’d be funny to imagine Rare Carillong as a hypocrite, preaching about turning over a new leaf and setting goals at the start of the year that it itself clearly doesn’t follow.

After that, we’ve got Rare Ffidyll, which I think would be cool if it were the unluckies Monster in the Monster World. Its nose can only sniff out disaster instead of money, it would look slightly beaten from all sorts of comical trouble it’s gotten in, and to show how unlucky it is, its clover hat would only have three petals.

Will these be accurate predictions for the next two Rare Aux Seasonals, following this theme I may have made up? Probably not. But it would be funny!

[mystery-moose]

Someone in my life posed some interesting questions about stories recently! In considering them I figured I'd keep a record of my thoughts here on my tumblr web log, because what void should I holler into if not this one?

First, how I think about stories. I try to avoid thinking about them as morality plays or parables (mostly because this can keep me from engaging with challenging art) but I also don't like thinking about them purely as escapism. Each story has a reason it exists, whether that's entertainment, communication, or contemplation. They're designed to draw out our empathy, communicate a feeling, create a mood. Sometimes that's in service of something important to the author. Other times, it's something meant to distract. I don't judge a story based on its pretensions, or on its naked commercialism -- I try to judge based on its execution, how it's doing what it's doing, and how well it succeeds. There are great artists right now working solely with other people's licenses, doing work-for-hire gigs, and their skills are just as worthy of praise and appreciation as the latest semi-original high-concept novel hanging in the middle of the New York Times bestseller list.

Basically, I think about stories like stories! Or, if I absolutely have to be metaphorical, like buildings. Are the foundations strong? Is it doing anything special? Can I navigate it easily? How accessible is it? That last matters a lot to me, because it doesn't matter how cool the interior is if most people can't find their way inside.

Second, what do I need a story to do to recommend it to someone else? I'm gonna go with "accessibility" at the top, not in the disability sense but the populist one. Yeah, playing to the cheap seats can hurt a story a lot, and you obviously can't please everyone, but ignoring your audience doesn't make me appreciate your story much myself, let alone get me to recommend it to anyone else. You have to find a balance where what you're communicating isn't absolute nonsense to most of your audience. Not all! Just most. Effective communication of your thoughts, feelings, and ideas to a layman is something I think a lot of storytellers could stand to care about more when it comes to honing their craft, and that goes for folks outside of the arts especially. So if I find a story with a big concept, beautiful craft, intense emotion, and it's not too esoteric or inaccessibly written? That's great art in my book, and I'll tell everyone about it.

Next, what do I look for in stories? Now that is a tough one... I guess, beyond sheer execution (if your prose is good enough you can take me almost anywhere) I look for something that makes me care about its characters as it introduces me to their world, and does so without me feeling like I'm being told why I should care about the characters or what their world is like. This goes for everything from period pieces to stories set in places or communities I'm unfamiliar with, just as much as it goes for fantasy or science-fiction. I do generally have to care about the characters in a piece to really devote a significant amount of time to a story, though. If I don't, the other elements of the work (craft, originality, feeling) have to carry a whole lot more of the weight in order to get me to finish something.

What are red flags for me? Honestly, a big one is feeling either preached or condescended to. Even if it's politics or perspectives I agree with, if I feel like I'm being told what to think rather than thinking it on my own, or if I simply think the author doesn't trust me to understand what they're trying to say? I check out. Beyond that, when a story excuses terrible behavior in the interests of forcing me to sympathize with a character the author clearly favors, I also check out. There's other stuff too -- I don't much care for certain tropes when they feel obvious or sufficiently undisguised (at least try to put some kind of spin on it!) -- but those are the big ones I think. If I see those, my desire to continue drops real sharp.

A recent example of a story I really loved, because I try to stay positive: earlier this year I finished a book called A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine, which almost instantly became one of my favorite stories. I had to sit with my feelings for days before I really settled on that, too! I worry about recency bias sometimes, that an impact will dull with time, but Empire has lived in my head since I read it. It's a well-told and compelling yarn that dips into a number of my favorite genres (science-fiction, murder-mystery, political intrigue, thriller) told from one of my favorite POVs (first-person) that also happens to dig into concepts that I find super cool and interesting! Things like history, how it's recorded, who makes it, what matters versus what historians only think matters. Things like the colonialism, cultural imperialism, and the politics of empire -- the pressure of being a small community being subsumed by a larger, more dominant one, the complicated nature of being a person from two worlds, whether by choice or by birth, and so on. It's got a lot of thoughts about that stuff, and it can't touch on all of them with the depth that they deserve, but it knows enough to know there's no easy answer for a lot of its questions, and it manages to make that feel like a natural conclusion rather than a copout. A great novel, and one I recommend to most everyone I know!

One I'm still in the middle of that I need to get back to: Gene Wolfe's Book of the New Sun. That's a work that I think is a bit inaccessible, with characters that I don't necessarily love (the protagonist is a professional torturer, if that tells you anything) but the sheer craft on display... my god. There are whole sections I've read, passages that describe a feeling that I've had before but never put to words, and it expresses them so effectively and with such excellent language that it carries me forward on those passages even when I'm unsure what this person's quest is or whether or not I even like them. And that's to say nothing of the depth of the text itself -- Ursula K. Le Guin famously called Gene Wolfe genre fiction's Herman Melville, and that's been borne out in what I've read so far. I've been listening to the Shelved by Genre podcast as I've been reading the book, and their own insights and analysis illuminate whole sections of the text that I would never have noticed otherwise, or would have without knowing exactly why! Awesome stuff.

[ilikerpgs]

Friends

A little Breath of Fire 5 fanfic from Bosch's point of view. It happens sometime before the game plot.

Ryu and Bosch were once again on a Genic hunting mission. Their target is a particularly evasive Duke Leader, which has been seen somewhere near the city. It doesn't take long for the duo to find it - Leaders often are surrounded by other Dukes, smaller in size, but equally dangerous. The Leader stays in the back as it comands with hand movements and grunts its underlings. The battle begins.

At this point, Ryu and Bosch have enough experience to know how to deal with the situation. The mission goes smoothly at first, fortunelly for them, there aren't many enemies and most of them are quickly defeated. Soon there's only one Duke and the Duke Leader left. They're careful to not leave the latter alone - it's known Leaders will surely retreat as soon as they find themselves without back-up. While Ryu distracts the minion Duke, Bosch faces the big one. The mission is very close to an end.

Then, something unusual happens. Bosch misses his first hit. And the second, and the third... The Duke Leader turns out to be incredibly nimble! Or was Bosch just incompetent? The thought struck a nerve and Bosch hastily advances with one decisive blow. The Leader dodges, and while Bosch is still turning around to position, the Genic elevates its big axe over its head. Bosch hesitates. "Fear clouds your vision and hides your foe." The Leader swings its axe in his direction. "That way it only lies death." Bosch's vision darkens for a second, only for a metal against metal sound to break him out of his paralysis. Opening his eyes again, he sees Ryu's back. He was able to parry the blow with his sword just in time! Bosch stumbles back. "What are you doing?!" Ryu shouts. "Move! I can't hold much longer!"

Bosch quickly stands up and moves aside. Ryu's swords slides throught the axe blade and breaks in two. "Crap!" He rolls over, avoiding the Genic's weapon swing by very little, getting a cut in the leg in the process. Ryu takes distance, and with what is left of his sword still in hand, grab his bag in search of an item. Meawhile, with regained focus and rather annoyed, Bosch go back into his attack stance. Ryu finally finds what he was looking for, a bomb, but clumsily let it slip from his hand. "Ugh-!" He jumps towards it, only to find himself in front of the Duke Leader once again. This time Bosch finally is able to execute one of his sword moves, critically injuring the Genic, that falls on the floor. Ryu sighs in relief. He sits on the floor and put his stuff back in the bag. After looking around to confirm the mission sucess, he exchanges stares with Bosch, who scoffs him with a smirk. They were even now.

/// Back in the locker room, Ryu is bandaging his wound, while Bosch cleans his sword. Bosch takes a quick look of what remained from his partner's sword, the two old metal pieces that were right beside him. "You should get better gear." "Sure, when I get a promotion." Ryu laughed half-heartly. Having such low d-ratio, it was obvious that would never happen. /// They've been working together since the beggining, and yet Bosch never really knew Ryu's true intention for joining the Rangers. At all. Ryu came out of nowhere, a promising yound lad with a high sense of responsibility. A faster learner, he was able to handle the sword pretty well in only a few weeks, training whenever he could and often asking his felow ranger seniors for tips and tricks. And now even Bosch (begrudgingly) recongnized Ryu's skill level to be close to his own. Which he could only attribute to natural talent. Or luck.

How unfair. How did a nobody like him get so far? He would never go beyond his current rank. What did he work so hard for?! Living out of scraps, stuck in the lowest sector, with no prospects of a better life. There was no reason for being jealous of him, Bosch repeated to himself. He had nothing. No one. No one? He had Bosch. Were they friends? It's hard to tell. They're friendly towards each other, it's true. Despite their different backgrounds, as rangers they were equal. ///

Except Bosch had a goal… That included leaving Ryu behind. It was bound to happen eventually. "Did you ever wish to move up?" Bosch kept staring at his sword. "Move up? Like, in ranking? How high?" to what Bosch replied "Regent." Silence. "I'm not sure what I would do with that." Ryu replied "Ah!" "But I guess not worrying about making ends meet would be cool." Fool.

"Of course" Bosch said under his breath. Bosch smiles to himself. Ryu's apparent lack of ambition would be useful. "What was that?" "Nevermind. Here, buy a decent sword for once." Bosch throws a small bag with a few Zenny. "You sure?" Ryu lifts his eyebrows as he asks. "I can't have you dragging your feet in our missions." Bosch stands up. "See ya, partner." He goes out of the room, leaving Ryu pensive about the little exchange they just had.

THE END

[boyakishantriage]

Swerving, the hybrid began changing gears.

"Of all cars. WHY THE FUCK DID YOU CHOOSE A MOTHER FUCKING MANUAL?"

Swearing at the shotten three aliens, her human friend sighing.

"I did say I should go boss."

"Har Har, very- funny." The car jostled, the vehicle crashing against their pursuers as it moves forward. Head bleeding, the tall elk like alien muttered to himself.

"... What just. How. Who-"

The car veered, J turning past the two as blood reappeared at the passengers.

"Right. We've got company."

Swerving between the streets, she dropped onto the freeway, first exit down into the forest. Handing her the mask, her body returning to sickly white.

"Ait, you'll be clear. I'll take these two to a friend and she can. Y'know, take them wherever."

She nodded, the medic glancing at the awakening alien.

"boo."

"Well, it was nice seeing you too Danny!" A familiar voice stirred the alien, as the delegate stepped into the room.

She turned, friendly demeanor changing, a gun on her waist.

"What do you remember?"

"I- there was. And then."

She took a seat, resting on the back as she looked at the alien.

"take your time, your alien friend managed to hand us a book we could translate to help ya. Doc said you'd forget what happen, I really don't want to come back in for the ninth time."

"... I've. How bad is it?"

"Nothing crazy, it's no cancer, but your brain's short term memory gets fritz and returns to the last saved section. Whatever's most memorable, your brain regrow the hormone chanel or whatever enough you're probably gonna be fine. You're like, the worst case here because your thing is entirely on you."

"... Eh?"

"... Your brain kept snapping back because a channel meant to monitor really short memory broke, but the channel's healed enough of it so you should be fine now."

"oh. Wait, are you saying I have amnesia?"

"Similar, there's a specific bit of your brain that's channel broke, the nerves have healed however."

"oh. What was your question again."

"oh right. That reminds me. You're gonna have a little difficulty remembering things, you'll probably develop amnesia if you don't. Y'know, push to remember."

The alien went quiet, focusing. About, a minute passed before I brought up a second part.

"And also, sometimes you just forget parts, so try to remember. But don't push yourself or you might break it again."

"..."

"You never remember the question because you get distracted by learning about your condition, the question was what do you remember?"

A delegation of humans, nothing big but enough for the aliens to be welcomed as they came to earth.

Then explosions, between explanation and were handed his food, a commotion escalating. Barely a whisper as the translator shut down. What little English was understood naturally, the word "hybrid", hatred. Gossiping that stirred the crowd as whoever was there tried to pacify the situation, clear to no avail as more vehicles were driven in, and before long.

The alien delegates were moved away, given no explanation beyond hybrids being terrorists, as there came more shouts. The translator explaining.

"CAN YOU FUCKING NOT- HOW DARE YOU"

"Mom. Please-"

"Janét, let's just. Go."

"filth! Go back to Hell!"

She cut him off, sighing.

"yep. That matches reports."

Something. Triggered at that.

"... Didn't you say that damn filth?"

"and wasn't that vase not broken?"

She added, the alien looking beside him. More memories, his hand flexed. Before he remembered what happened. His blood felt cold.

"You're a hybrid."