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aethon-recs · 2 years ago

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Tomarrymort Starter Pack: 10 Recs for Getting Started in Tomarrymort

I've compiled a list of 10 medium to longfic recs that I think represent a great on-ramp to the Tomarrymort ship, as inspired by @sitp-recs’ Drarry for Beginners rec list. These are the fics that I would use to on-board people to the ship — gorgeous writing, superb characterization, and just as enjoyable on the first read as the 20th reread.

As always, I am stunned by the talent in this ship! I tried to pick a good mix of different themes/tropes/settings, with a focus on elements that make for a good introductory work: the characters are recognizable; the setting skews more recognizable; both characters in the ship are a meaningful part of the story; the ship is central to the story; and the fics are for the most part complete (or updated within the last year).

(Standard rec list disclaimers apply: please mind all tags and warnings on AO3 before reading; this blog abides by the age-old fandom axiom of don’t like; don’t read; recs are in alphabetical order by title.)

This is Part 1 of a 3-part series — I also have an Intermediate reading list and Advanced reading list coming up for readers who have been with the ship for a longer time.

For now, please enjoy these 1.3 million words of absolutely brilliant Tomarrymort reads that I hope will keep you hooked until the very last word:

Tomarrymort Starter Pack Recs

A Dangerous Game by @cybrid (E, 284k, WIP)

Setting: Canon Divergence – Book 5 Premise: If Tom’s diary horcrux gains a body at the end of Harry’s 5th year (instead of his 2nd), and then promptly kidnaps Harry and holds him captive over the summer. Lots of smut ensues. Why I rec it: The characterization is truly stunning — Tom Riddle is undoubtedly a psychopath — manipulative, thrill-seeking, kind of an irredeemable shithead — but he’s also dazzlingly charming when he chooses to be, someone whose presence Harry quickly grows addicted to. Their relationship can get incredibly toxic and fucked-up at times, but Harry has top-notch instincts and can hold his own against Tom. The plot is absolutely gripping, with the threat of (the main) Voldemort, who has set his sights on reclaiming his wayward horcrux, looming in the background.

A Future Without a Face by @dividawrites (E, 115k, complete)

Setting: Time-Travel (1940s) Premise: If Harry travels back in time to Tom’s 5th year at Hogwarts, and Tom becomes obsessed with the new transfer student and wants nothing more than to possess him every way. Why I rec it: A 1940s time travel fic told entirely from Tom Riddle POV! Divida absolutely nails psychopath Tom — how he quickly gets singlemindedly focused on Harry, how the idea of possessing Harry consumes him, how he has no compunctions about doing completely fucked-up and destructive things to achieve his goals. There is so much tension between them from the start, so there’s not much of a wait to see some hot Harry & Tom action — and the conflict and tension only continues to build and build in dramatic fashion throughout the rest of the fic.

Either must die at the hand of the other by @metalomagnetic (E, 260k, complete)

Setting: Post-Canon Premise: If Voldemort survives the Battle of Hogwarts and is initially kept prisoner in Azkaban, until Harry takes him into Grimmauld Place under house arrest. Why I rec it: This fic is an incredible exploration of Voldemort at his most terrifying. Even if he starts off the fic with his magic temporarily blocked, he is no less powerful without his magic. The force of his personality is powerful enough for him to chip away at Harry’s initial resistance — @metalomagnetic manages to write one of the most charismatic, brilliantly manipulative, and psychologically devastating versions of Voldemort I’ve ever read. Harry ends up in a good place by the end of the fic, but the journey to get there is a roller-coaster of emotions that have permanently imprinted onto my soul.

In Somno Veritas by ladyoflilacs and @lordansketil (M, 158k, complete)

Setting: Canon Divergence – Book 6 Premise: If Harry starts appearing in Voldemort’s nightly dreams during Book 6, and Voldemort becomes obsessed with Harry after realizing he’s his horcrux. Why I rec it: This is one of the most unique fics I’ve ever read in this ship! Every scene is told in alternating POV between Harry’s POV and Voldemort’s POV, so you get to see how every scene unfolds from both of their perspectives. Voldemort is so intense and just as terrible as he is in canon, so his character is not at all sugarcoated, and Harry has so much compassion and heart and manages to fall in love with Voldemort anyway. The writing style is gorgeous, with richly detailed and emotionally-laden prose. Also, one thing that pleasantly surprised me is how funny their banter is! There were definitely a number of times where I laughed out loud in the middle of an otherwise really intense scene. Bonus content: also comes with a lovely sequel that made me melt.

Inevitabilities by @shadow-of-the-eclipse (T, 103k, complete)

Setting: Same-Age AU Premise: If Harry and Tom attend Hogwarts together and go traveling around the world after they graduate. A betrayal leads to their break-up, but after many years, Harry returns to find Tom in Britain, and the two of them are drawn back together again. Why I rec it: An excellent same-age AU with unhinged dark Harry and just-as-unhinged Tom. Their relationship starts out quite dark and twisted and unhealthy — and only devolves from there. The fic ends with the two of them as equals — utterly devoted to each other — but in an incredibly fucked-up way: “He loves Tom like a forest fire; wild and all-consuming, he wants to devour Tom, to claim him, to mark him, break him.” Isn’t that absolutely breathtaking?

love is touching souls (surely you touched mine) by @toast-ranger-to-a-stranger (M, 34k, complete)

Setting: Time-Travel (1940s) Premise: If Harry gets thrown back into the mid-1940s and meets Tom Riddle as a young man just graduated from Hogwarts working at Borgin and Burkes. Why I rec it: When Harry accidentally travels back in time and chances upon Tom Riddle as a fresh graduate, he realizes this is his chance to make a difference. While Harry is only in the past for a brief interlude, he leaves enough of an impression to change the trajectory of Tom’s life. The dynamic between Harry and Tom is rife with tension and witty dialogue, and the story is set during Christmastime, which lends a very festive and heartwarming atmosphere for falling in love with each other.

No Glory by @obsidianpen (E, 254k, WIP)

Setting: Voldemort Wins AU Premise: If Voldemort figures out Harry is his horcrux when Harry surrenders in the Forbidden Forest, and decides to keep Harry instead of killing him. Why I rec it: This fic showcases the absolute, terrifying genius side of Voldemort, in a universe where he wins the war and captures Harry at the end of book 7. I am stunned at how skillfully @obsidianpen portrays Voldemort as a brilliant political strategist — the courtroom scene where he manipulates the story and the audience so well stands out as a top 10 fanfic moment in my mind. Harry and Voldemort’s relationship is chilling from the very start, and grows even more unhealthy as Voldemort gets addicted to Harry’s touch due to the presence of the horcrux, but Harry later learns to turn that to his advantage.

The Fire, Burning by @parsimmony (E, 35k, complete)

Setting: Canon Divergence – Book 6 Premise: If Voldemort discovers Harry is his horcrux after Book 6, and kidnaps him to keep him captive by his side in his bed, inside of a lovely greenhouse setting full of friendly snakes on the grounds of Malfoy Manor. Why I rec it: The prose!! I am swooning over the prose! Harry is Voldemort’s captive in this fic, but he is so much more than that — and the emotions that gradually blossom between them have so much richness and depth and are utterly moving that I’m still drowning in the depths of intimacy that were portrayed. Their relationship unfolds in such a gorgeous and unrushed way, and the setting is so unique too — a lush and overgrown greenhouse that’s exploding with exotic plants and friendly snakes around every corner that imbues the fic with a very romantic, dreamy quality.

the pleasure, the privilege by @being-luminous (M, 20k, complete)

Setting: Canon Divergence – Book 6 Premise: If Voldemort is doused with Amortentia keyed to Harry, and starts sending Harry bizarre and gruesome courting gifts, like the bodies of the Dursleys. Why I rec it: Breathtaking prose! Voldemort somehow ends up more terrifying when he’s trying to woo Harry than when he’s trying to kill him. Every single sentence had me on the edge of my seat, as Voldemort’s ‘gifts’ become more elaborate and devastatingly dramatic, until Harry basically has no choice but to respond to his overtures. The ending is incredibly clever in how it parallels certain plot elements of book 6, with an added Harrymort twist.

The Untouchable by @treacleteacups (M, 75k, complete)

Setting: Canon Rewrite (Books 1-7) Premise: If Harry starts out his first year a little bit more suspicious and a little less wide-eyed and guileless, and subsequently gets sorted into Slytherin. He has many of the same encounters with Voldemort along the way as he does in canon, but his interactions with Voldemort will end up leading him down quite a different path. Why I rec it: A snappy, fast-paced full canon rewrite that still manages to fit in all the essential Tomarrymort plot points, between Horcruxes and Hallows and the major events of books 1-7, in a compact 75k words that doesn’t at all feel rushed. It’s a delightful journey following Harry’s character evolution from an overlooked, peculiar child who relies on wishy-washy wish magic to a confident (and still endearingly peculiar) young man who can challenge and hold his own against the great Lord Voldemort. Voldemort’s obsession with Harry deepens with every encounter that they have, as he finds ways to continually insinuate himself in Harry’s life and his mind and his dreams.

#Tomarrymort Starter Pack #tomarrymort #tomarry #harrymort #aethon recs #tomarry recs #tomarrymort recs #harrymort recs #hp fic recs #longfic recs #ao3 recs #fanfic recs #2023 reads #2023 recs

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selarina · 3 months ago

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True Blue

→ Gojo Satoru x Fem!Reader (Series Masterlist)

Chapter 3: The Party

Summary: Back home after your first year of university, you try to spend the bone-dry heat of summer with your boyfriend, Gojo Satoru, but restrictions prevail.

Content Warning: college bf!gojo, fluff, light angst, established relationship, birthday, implied parental issues, class differences, gojo is rich, casual violence (mentioned), social anxiety, reader and gojo are business majors (for now lol)

Word Count: 3.9k words

Author's Note: happy end of summer!! played cigarettes after sex the entire time i wrote this

Taglist: Open

In all honesty, you had expected Gojo to immediately whisk you away into a secluded corner of his house, and rid you of your clothes, blaming the summer heat or something just as ridiculous in the process. But instead, you were witnessing a far different side of him, it was baffling. Like he’s Jekyll and this version of him is Hyde in all his unfamiliar glory. He’s restrained, and poised. He’s not slinking his hands about as he speaks, they remain steady. It was jarring, to say the least.

He was speaking of politics— and a joke? They’re all laughing, so it must be.

You aren’t really listening, you’re far too busy raking through your eyes the crowd, watching the audience he’s garnered in all their collective gaze. It was such an odd thing to witness, the way they all hung onto his every word, as though something unseen and magnetic held their vision in place.

You understood them though in a way. Of course, you did.

A waiter, dressed in a two-piece suit, quietly delivers another bottle of whiskey to the people near the couch. You hadn’t touched a drop, as you found yourself far too anxious to trust a drink in your hand or in your body. The crowd made you feel exposed, you felt seen in every muscle you moved.

Your eyes flit out to the only open window in the big hall — a breeze coming in through there, and you felt you wanted to walk eastward towards it and walk through the soft twilight of the balcony. But you refrained, it would be impolite. You weren’t sure what kind of rules were in place in this crowd, but you could tell it was different from what you were accustomed to.

You felt severely underdressed for starters. That was your tell. There seemed to be an unspoken theme you didn’t know about but perhaps that’s your fault for dropping by to surprise. Why would Satoru indulge in themes for a party if he didn’t know you were making it too? It makes sense, but you wish he had slipped out just once, so you could have prepared. Now, you felt severely plain when standing beside the fancier dolls in the room.

A warm hand enveloped yours, pulling you from your thoughts. You turned, your eyes meeting the face of a slender woman. Her face looked ghostly, otherworldly, with a complexion of powdered milky white.

“Mrs. Gojo,” you recognised.

“Hello, dear,” she smiled. This marked the first time you were seeing her in person. You had seen her only in photographs before, countless of them. Satoru adored his mother. She seemed like a worldly and kind woman somehow. You could tell at just first glance.

"Hello," you replied, your voice catching as though nerves had tangled in your throat.

“You missed the memo, it seems,” she remarked, though there was no sharpness in her tone, merely a simple observation. It didn’t seem like judgment, but it still left you a bit embarrassed.

“Yeah,” you laugh an artificial laugh. "This was all very last minute on my part, so I wasn’t aware of the theme."

“No worries at all,” she reassured you, a poshness in her voice. Her hand rubbed softly against your bicep. “I could dazzle you up if you let me— a few accessories, perhaps a hairclip. That’s all it takes if you ask me.”

The thought of being alone with Gojo’s mother unsettled you, but you nodded with a polite smile. “That’s very kind of you. I would love that.”

—

“So, Satoru tells me you’ve been seeing each other for about a year,” she begins, her voice mild but intent.

The interrogation begins, you think cruelly.

“Yes,” you answer, sitting before the mirror as his mother works your hair into shape. She promises it’ll be lovely, and you’ll have to trust her because, from this angle, you can’t see much of anything. “Almost a year in three months, if I’m not wrong.”

“Ah,” she lets out a soft laugh. “That’s reassuring.”

“What is?” A pause. “Ma’am,” you add, too quickly, and too late.

She hums, amused. “You pick things up fast. It’s just, well, he hasn’t kept a relationship longer than the milk in our fridge, so I suppose I’m just surprised. And relieved, really. I’m sure he’s told you about all his past escapades.”

“He has,” you answer with a small, strained laugh. “I’m just happy to be of service.”

“All done,” she announces, patting your hair lightly. “Would you like to see?”

“Yes,” you reply, though bemused. “But I can’t really see the back of my own head.” You try for humor.

“I’ll take a picture for you, dear. Hold still now.”

Click.

“Here,” she brings her hand forward as your eyes focus on the somewhat blurry picture in front of you. The phone looked ancient. For someone with such a huge manor, you would think they could afford the latest, but you knew how old people were – stubborn and for the routine of things. You think you’ll be one of them too. Back to the picture it looked beautiful, she put a gold hair net thing on your head, and it just elevated everything about your appearance even if you couldn't see it yourself

“It’s… beautiful. Thank you, Mrs. Gojo.”

“You’re very welcome,” she says softly. “Now I really must head back, but I think you can take a minute for yourself before rejoining the others.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t want to be rude.”

“Nonsense,” she says, sternly. “If the birthday boy’s partner wants to stay in the room for a minute longer she can. Don’t worry about the crowd, I’ll have their tongues if they’re mean to you.”

The casual violence of her words is almost shocking, delivered so gently. It makes sense, though—like mother, like son.

“Alright,” you murmur, grateful. “Just a moment.” You watch her retreat, leaving you with your thoughts.

—

You took your minute, and then, as if your body had conspired against you, you drifted back to the party. Slowly, like a sloth, you moved until you reached the first approachable figure and struck up a conversation. The woman—tall, immaculately put together—turned with a ready smile. It was just too easy — this woman was a natural conversationalist. She spoke of her years at the bank, and just as easily got you to confess your future plans of assisting your mother, of starting your own business — what a miracle of a woman really.

She advised you too. It was really not all that informative, just things you’ve already heard before, but you found yourself grateful nonetheless. If only because she relieved the stress in your muscles, they were lax now.

“Mrs. Lee,” you hear a familiar voice from behind you. “I see you’ve met my beautiful, breathtaking girlfriend.” He finishes as his hand comes to grab your own, before placing a kiss on the back of your hand, eyes intently watching you.

“Oh my,” the lady in front of you gushes on your behalf. “Young love in all its glory. You’ve got a remarkable girlfriend here, Gojo. She’s ambitious and sharp. You better be kind to her, you twerp.”

He laughed, that easy sound you’d heard a thousand times. “I try my best, Mrs. Lee. Now — Do you mind if I steal her away, I haven’t seen her in years.”

And just like that it was just the two of you — not in actual terms, but with Satoru, your mind tended to blur out the rest.

“Hi,” you said, your voice soft, like you were waking from a dream.

“Hi,” he says, smiling back lazily.

“Hi,” you say again. Not really sure what to say next.

“Hi,” he said again. “You’re here.”

“Yeah, I thought I’d surprise you. Get the upper hand for once.”

“You’ve always had the upper hand,” he said like it was a fact too obvious to contest.

“That’s not true,” you reply, defiant.

“It’s true, and it will always be true. Now give your poor tired boyfriend a kiss.”

And so, you do. Despite the crowd.

The kiss wasn’t deep, restrained in a way that was unlike him. It seems Satoru may have found some shame after all. He stops kissing you but doesn't move further away from your lips. You can feel his breath upon your face, right on the side of your nose.

“Hi,” he says.

“Hi,” you say back, your hand still rooted in his hair, at his nape. “What tires my poor boyfriend anyway?”

“Why? You willing to fight the dragons.”

“The dragons wouldn’t dare fight me anyway.”

He chuckles. “No, ma’am. They wouldn’t.” A pause as his gaze lingered. “I like the gold in your hair,” he said, voice lowering. “Noticed it when you came back in.”

Your hand reached up, brushing the adornment lightly. “It’s your mother’s. She offered to put it on me.”

His eyes light up immediately. “She did? Wait — You met my mother already? I wanted to see you meet her. I can’t believe I missed it,” he frowns.

“Aw,” you say. “I can always tell you how it went.”

“How did it go?”

“She saved me — this crowd is…” You look around, gathering all the prim and poised figures.

“Pretentious?” he suggested, blunt as ever.

“I was going to say intimidating,” you corrected him, though his assessment wasn’t necessarily far off. You liked it though. The drama, the properness of it all — there was something about it.

“Please,” he scoffed. “They’re all insufferable, a bunch of stuck-up, overindulged jerks. Wine’s good, though. Need me to get you a glass?”

“Satoru,” you said, cutting him off, “I got you something. For your birthday.”

His face shifted, softer. “You being here is all I need. Don’t need anything else, this makes up for five birthdays at least.”

“You’re being dramatic again,” you say.“I’ll give it to you after the party—if you can find time for me. But it’s okay if you can’t. There’s always tomorrow.”

“No,” he says, bending down to leave a soft kiss against the edge of your mouth. “I’ll make time.”

“Okay,” you murmured. “Now go talk to that couple over there. They’ve been staring for ages—it’s creeping me out.”

He salutes you as he makes his way over and across.

—

"Ready?" you ask, seated behind the wheel, the evening air softly settling around you. “So, where are we going?”

“Nowhere special,” you replied, turning the key with a little growl from the engine. “But I’d still rather not tell you until we get there.”

He tilted his head, mock suspicion painted on his face. “The suspense, the mystery, the build-up…” He gasped dramatically. “You’re trying to steal my job, aren’t you?”

“Guilty,” you say, dry as dust.

“There can only be one of us,” he quipped.

“Well, you can just kill me. Skin me. Wear my face as your own and pretend until you’re caught.” The words spilled out, strange, unsettling, even to your ears.

“Why are you like this?” he asked, his tone flat, but there was amusement beneath it.

“I really, truly don’t know,” you replied, bewildered by the way your mind wandered into strange corners.

“I love it,” he says, sounding a little too close to the words you’ve been fearing, so you brush it off with a chuckle.

“So, how long until we get to this ‘nowhere special but surprise’ place?” he asked, settling into his seat, limbs sprawling too long for the cramped space. You hope this ride doesn’t cause his back to ache.

“Half an hour, tops,” you said. “You can pick the music.”

“What?” He gasps again, mockingly scandalized. “Pinch me, so I know this is real.”

“It’s your birthday,” you shrug. “It’s the least I could do.”

He grinned — languid and lazy — a smile that makes you want to hit the brakes, stop the car, and kiss him stupid. But alas, you were a sane woman, on a mission so you drove on.

A few turns, a handful of bends in the road, and you’re there. Somewhere along the way, you’d asked him to cover his eyes, and, with a rare compliance, he obeyed—though not without protest. Now, as the car halts, he’s still singing a Lady Gaga song, his eyes squeezed shut for your benefit.

And so when the car halted as you helped him step out.

“Ta-da,” you say, monotone. “The closest beach to the town — probably one you’ve been to a million times.”

He doesn’t deny it. Instead, he says — “The sunset looks really pretty.”

“It does,” you say, turning to look at the pink, orange hues in the vast horizon past the sea. “It’s really pretty.”

“So, this is my gift? I could die a happy man.”

And you think, to your surprise, that he actually means it. There’s something startling in the way he says it—so earnest, it unnerves you. “No—what do you take me for?” you mutter, pulling the picnic basket from the backseat, heavy with fruits, yogurt, chips, and a meticulously folded blanket, the kind you only bother with for these sorts of things. "I got you something, but help me set up first."

He takes the blanket, and sets it up for the two of you to sit, as you grab his present from the backseat. Then he drops down onto the left side, legs sprawled, arms braced behind him as he stares out towards the sea.

You seat yourself beside him, since you are in a dress, you try to bend and adjust so you aren’t flashing the outside world with your indecency, despite your shorts beneath the dress.

“So…” you start, voice feeling too quiet against the roaring waves, as you hand him the jar. “Here’s your gift.”

His fingers brush against the glass, and you watch his eyes lower, briefly lingering on the cold surface, before lifting them to meet yours. “You didn’t.”

“I did,” you said.

And you did. You’d made the ridiculous decision to indulge his craving, driving almost two towns over to Al’s for his favorite cookies. Four, if you counted the miles from your grandmother’s. And all before noon, as if there weren’t a hundred better ways to waste a morning.

But you did. You did because you had decided the necklace you got him didn’t measure up. Not when the one he gifted you for 6 months, had real gems on them.

You hope this makes up for it. Not materially, but the sentiments at least. You swear when you’re rich, you’ll splurge on this boy all you can, but for now, you cut your losses.

“Thank you,” he says, setting the jar aside. “For driving all the way there.”

“The town’s so creepy and dead,” you say.

“It is, baby. It is.” He leans in, his lips brushing against yours. “And you drove there. For me.”

“It’s whatever,” you mumble, pulling back with a small smile. “Let’s eat.”

The waves keep crashing, the sun low in the sky, casting a honey-gold light over everything. You hear the slow crinkle of the jar’s lid being unscrewed. Then his laugh. It makes you mush. It always does, but it feels heavier now somehow. You feel there’s something about being in the ocean that charges the atmosphere with something different, perhaps that is what’s it.

He pulls out one of the cookies, breaks it in half, and hands you a piece. His fingers brush against yours again. You accept graciously, as the two of you eat in utter silence, barring the sound of the waves.

“You spoil me,” he murmurs, taking a bite. His eyes never leave yours.

You smile faintly, but it doesn’t reach your eyes. “You deserve it,” you say, leaning back on your elbows, your body sinking into the blanket. You tilt your head, gaze tracing the horizon where the sky meets the water, a blurry, infinite line.

His hand finds your thigh, his thumb moving lazily in circles against the fabric of your dress, as he leans back onto his elbows too, to kiss you. This time it’s deep. His lips are hard on your mouth, as though you feel every contour of the molding of his mouth moving against yours.

“Hi,” he whispers against your lips.

“Hi,” you reply, voice barely there.

“Thank you for the gift,” he says. “No one’s been this good to me in a while. You put a lot of time into this.”

You don’t say anything. Not sure what one can say without being cheesy. But if you were to say anything, you’d say it was nothing, not when you can see him beaming down at you like this, all dazed, all into you.

“I love you,” he says then. And your heart flits harshly against your chest.

“What?”

“I wanted— I’ve been wanting to say it for a while,” he says, his thumb brushing against your hips. “In the car, and 2 months ago when you slept over after mid-terms. But I didn’t want to freak you out.”

You blink, your pulse quickening, the moment hanging between you, suspended.

“You don’t have to say it back,” he says, his voice careful, and guarded.

“I do,” you say, the words tumbling out. “I do love you. I love you.” You mean it, and it terrifies you a little, but he’s smiling now.

“Oh,” he grins, as he smushes into you, mouth first, tasting like salt and something sweeter.

“I love you,” he says again, voice low against your skin.

“I love you,” you say back, giggling.

And then, he shifts—his body pulling away from you, the sudden absence of his warmth as chilling as the winds that whip across the beach. He sits up, dragging you with him.

“I have something else to tell you,” he says, and there’s a shift in his voice too—serious now, something grounded in his tone.

“What is it?” you ask, cautiously setting your mind for this, since he’s sounding serious in tone and stature. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah,” he starts, hesitant, like he’s picking his words carefully. “I might drop out of college.”

“What?” The word feels like a punch, sharp and sudden. “Why?”

“I don’t care for it,” he says, his voice too casual, too careless.

“You don’t care for... an education?”

“Just business,” he clarifies. “I don’t really care about it. I want a change.”

Something mean, something bitter starts to rise in you, but you bite it down.

“A change to what?” you ask, calmly — your tone now guarded, your expression carefully neutral.

“I don’t know,” he says, and it’s the ease with which he admits it that grates at you. He doesn’t know, and he’s fine with not knowing. You don’t understand.

“What do you mean? You must want something else if you don’t want to do business, right?”

He turns to you then, and realises he should’ve predicted this, really. You loved plans, and you loved sticking to them. And this was was anything but that. He had a plan and he doesn’t want it. That’s bad enough. And now he doesn’t even have a new plan.

“Not really. I don’t know — I don’t want to do business, that’s all I know,” he says again, frustration creeping into his voice.

“Well,” you say, a little colder now, “you should probably figure that out.”

“Oh, really? Thanks, I had no idea that’s what I had to do.”

“Hey,” you say, softening your tone, trying to pull the edge out of the conversation. “I’m just trying to help. I just don’t like this situation for you.”

“I’m doing fine,” he says, trying to assure you that he hadn’t completely lost track of reality. “Dad hates this, but apart from that, no one really cares. There are so many options. I could change courses, take a gap year, intern—lots of things. You’re the only one bothered besides him.”

“Right,” you say, and that bitterness rises again, sharp and acidic in the back of your throat. “I forgot—you’re a Gojo.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” he says.

“It means you can drop out and still be fine. So I don’t have to worry about you.”

“So you don’t care that I’m dropping out?”

"I care, Satoru," you say, but it feels as though your voice is coming from some distant place now, a place he can’t reach. "Apparently, you don’t. You’re making this decision like it’s nothing."

“I’m not,” he snaps. “I’ve been unhappy for a while with the course. There’s no point in doing something I hate.”

“But to not have a backup plan? How can you make a decision like that?”

He looks at you, and for a moment, it’s like he doesn’t understand. You see the distance between you—his nonchalance, your need for structure—stretching wide.

“Can we— I told you because it’s a big decision. I’ll figure it out by the end of summer,” he says. “But I wanted to let you know. I expected the judgement but trust me a little?”

“Okay,” you say. “I just — I would never be able to do what you’re doing.”

“I know, and I could never do what you’re doing. It would kill me.”

“Okay,” you say, suddenly feeling shitty. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry, I trust you.” You bend forward leaving a kiss at the edge of his lips.

You sit in silence then — the wind getting colder and colder against your skin. The food growing staler, and it’s almost night now. The sun has set and you sit there, serene now, listening to the waves.

You glance at him. His gaze fixed on the horizon, the sea’s dark expanse stretching out, infinite. His hair ruffling gently in the wind, and you notice the goosebumps pricking at his arms. It’s time.

“We should head back,” you say. “Your mother has a dinner planned, doesn’t she?”

He groans, his head falling back. “I don’t want to go.”

“But food,” you say simply, knowing that all the food in the world wouldn’t excite him to meet his family, and his extended family for a night of festivities.

He turns to you, his eyes catching yours in the fading light. “I don’t want to go,” he repeats, quieter now, more real. “You’ll be busy with work soon. You’ll forget all about me.”

“Always so dramatic.” You move now, your limbs feeling heavy from the lack of motion. You move and straddle him now, his hands move to your waist in an immediate response. “You’re very hard to forget, Gojo Satoru.”

“Say more,” he says, smiling, beaming through his teeth. His cheeks alight red.

"No," you say, leaning back. "We should go."

"I’ll move if you give me compliments on the way back," he bargains, like a child.

“Or I could leave you here,” you say, titling your head. “All by your lonesome.”

“What a cruel, cruel woman you are,” he says, feigning a frown again.

“Let’s go,” you say now, feeling more and more convinced to stay here.

“Let’s just stay here forever,” he says, ever so ambitious. There’s a strange sincerity in his voice, to do the impossible.

You laugh, a brief, fleeting sound. "We wouldn’t survive long." You peer into the nearly empty picnic basket. "On just... Pringles."

"I could fish," he suggests, smiling again, "like in The Blue Lagoon. Build you a house out of driftwood.”

“You’d do that for me?”

“Yeah,” he says. “I’d try.”

#college bf!gojo #meh kinda hate this but i wanna write gojo and reader in autumn so #gojo satoru x reader #gojo satoru smut #gojo satoru fluff #gojo satoru x y/n #gojo satoru x you #gojo satoru x reader smut #gojo satoru x reader angst #gojo x reader smut #gojo x reader angst #jujutsu kaisen smut #jujutsu kaisen x reader #jujutsu kaisen x reader fluff #jujutsu kaisen drabbles #jujutsu kaisen fanfic #jujutsu kaisen imagines #jujustsu kaisen x reader

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theereina · 1 year ago

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Self-Care Starter Kit

Exfoliation

Tree Hut Shea Sugar Body Scrub Coconut Lime

Tree Hut Watermelon Shea Sugar Exfoliating & Hydrating Body

Dry Brushing Body Brush, POPCHOSE Natural Bristle Dry Skin Exfoliating Brush Body Scrub

Moisturization

eos Shea Better Body Lotion- Fresh & Cozy, 24-Hour Moisture Skin Care

CeraVe Daily Moisturizing Lotion for Dry Skin

NIVEA Shea Nourish Body Lotion, Dry Skin Lotion with Shea Butter

Eucerin Skin Calming Lotion - Full Body Lotion

Body/Feminine Wash

Dove Body Wash Deep Moisture, Sensitive Skin, Cucumber and Green Tea, and Shea Butter & Vanilla Collection 4 Count Skin Cleanser

Vagisil Feminine Wash for Intimate Area Hygiene, Unscented

Monistat Boric Acid Feminine Cleanser, Fragrance-Free Feminine Wash

Summer's Eve Fragrance-Free Gentle Daily All Over Feminine Body Wash

Skincare

Mighty Patch™ Original patch from Hero Cosmetics - Hydrocolloid Acne Pimple Patch

Bio-Oil Skincare Body Oil

Mario Badescu Facial Spray with Aloe, Herbs, and Rose Water

CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser

Books/Journals

Feeding the Soul (Because It's My Business): Finding Our Way to Joy, Love, and Freedom

Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones

The Four Agreements

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life

The Mountain Is You: Transforming Self-Sabotage Into Self-Mastery

Self-Love & Self-Care | The Shadow Work Journal: 150 Prompts & Exercises

The Shadow Work Journal (Boho Themed): 150 Prompts & Exercises

The Self Improvement Journal: A Guided Prompt Journal for Beginners

Hot Pink Inner Child Shadow Work Journal with 100 prompts for beginners

Orange Shadow Work Journal with 100 prompts for beginners

Healthy Snacks

KIND Protein Bars, Variety Pack, Dark Chocolate Nut, Crunchy Peanut Butter

Quaker Rice Crisps, Gluten Free, 4 Flavor Sweet and Savory Variety Mix

*I may continue to add to this list and reblog it as I do.

**Thank you for any purchases made.

⬇

***Disclaimer: This list contains affiliate links that direct you to Amazon. Through purchases, I will earn a commission.

#soft life #soft girl #soft girl era #self care journey #self care routine #self care ideas #self care #self love journey #self love #amazon affiliate #amazon prime #healthy lifestyle #mental health #black girls #black women

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inthedarknessofnight · 3 months ago

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Since summer is slowly coming to a close over here in the Northern Hemisphere and we’re all eagerly awaiting the first autumn chill, it’s the perfect time to cling onto those summer vibes for just a little while longer (yes, I am super nostalgic about the seasons changing, can you tell). It’s why I’ve decided to put together a little list of my favourite *atmospheric Steddie fics* that, in my opinion, are the perfect way to round out the summer of 2024. So, without further ado…

End of Summer Steddie Fic Recs

1. Summer ‘86 by how_about_no

An incredibly wholesome fic in which Steve and Eddie slowly fall in love over the course of a week, spent at Steve’s beach house. Very fluffy, very flirty.

2. honeymoon phase by Ayes, coincidental, itskleo

For starters, we get mechanic Eddie. I don’t actually know if this one is set in the summertime, but essentially, Steve gets left at the altar and takes Eddie, his best friend, on a trip to Italy, which should have been his honeymoon. Vivid imagery of warm days spent in the Italian countryside. And smut. Obviously.

3. Among the Wildflowers by ParadimeShifts

After the whole Upside Down fiasco, Wayne and Eddie move out to a farm in the mountain valleys of Idaho to try and live a normal life. While Eddie was able to leave behind his entire life, the one thing he wasn’t able to leave behind were his feelings for Steve Harrington. Well, a year later, a broken Steve Harrington shows up on his doorstep. God-tier smut. You have been warned. This one also comes with its own Spotify playlist that takes the reading experience to a whole new level, I highly highly recommend!

4. Dog Days of Summer by WabiSabiPapi

If, like me, you are a sucker for the aesthetic of the Pacific Northwest, you NEED to read this one. Set in a small lake town in Oregon, the story takes place over a period of six years, during which Steve and Eddie go from enemies to friends to lovers. Super vivid imagery and a truly heart wrenching, beautiful story of friendship and love. Honestly, this has been THE fic of the summer for me, if not one of the best Steddie fics I’ve ever read. Absolutely sobbed my way through the last chapter.

I really really cannot sing enough praises to all the fics mentioned in this post, they are all so incredibly good and deserve more love ❤️☀️

Anyways, feel free to drop your own recs in the comments and let me know if you’d like me to do more themed fic rec lists!

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jadeazora · 5 months ago

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There's a summer-themed Pokemon promotion for Namco locations in Japan. There's a free gift for spending 500 yen in an arcade machine, one of these shown items! (It's a lottery system tho.)

A Squirtle Humidifier is coming out in South Korea!

And lastly for merch this morning, check out these cute, fluffy Kanto starter plushies from Super Delivery in Japan! (Wait, there's something a little unusual with that Pikachu.../j)

#bandai namco #psyduck #snorlax #sprigatito #fuecoco #quaxly #squirtle #pokemon plush #pokemon plushies #mimikyu #bulbasaur #charmander #pokemon merchandise #pokemon merch

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mythaura-blog · 5 months ago

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Development Update - July 2024

Hi everyone, hope you're having a great summer!

The July 2024 update showcases some extended gameplay footage! In our April 2024 update we showed a clip of a building in 3D space and a player character speaking briefly to Pollis. In just a few short months, Koa and Sark have totally crushed it on the backend development and UI/UX. Plese read on for more info!

We also cover the winners for the Summer Quarter rewards on Ko-fi and Mythauran astrology for the month of August.

Don't forget, we've got a Custom Color Contest! More details below.

Gameplay Demo

youtube

We're very excited to share a 3-minute video demo of some gameplay and UI!!

Hopefully you enjoy this brief demonstration of lots of features we've been working on. We'll go into more detail on each feature below!

Please note that these are WIP and not necessarily representative of final gameplay.

New Game Screen

Whether you're starting your first, second, or third playthrough of Mythaura's storyline, you will always begin at the starter screen, where you will be able to customize your starter Beast. Each run you will pick:

Base, Top, Bottom, and Eye colors

Up to 3 Special markings ( up to 1 in first playthrough, 2 in second, 3 in third)

Species (Tier 1 in first playthrough, Tier 2 in second, Tier 3 in third)

Class

Birth element

A Beast's Element and Class will impact its stat distribution, with each one modifying one of a Beast's stats--improving Speed, Hit Points, Attack, Defense, Barrier, or Focus. Additionally, players will have a certain amount of skill points to allocate as they would like to their Beasts' stats. Whether you're opting for more of a roleplay focus or trying to build a more "optimized" build, the character creation system allows players to create the exact Beast that they would like.

New Game +3 and onward will not feature the character creation screen. Instead, players choosing to play through additional times will gain access to a different reward pool. Please stay tuned for that in a future update!

Party Screen/Codex

The party screen will functionally act as the player's home screen. From here, you can check out the Beasts in both your party and Abode, your inventory, the Codex, and more. Your Beast's stats will also show up on the right-hand side of the screen.

The Codex houses pretty much all a player's in-game information. Active and completed (and maybe failed...) quests, player achievements, lore gathered from around the world, and info on all the characters, places, and enemies you encounter in Mythaura are all documented in the Codex.

The base Codex will be a simple, elegant book. Different Codex themes can be earned through various quests, achievements, seasonal rewards, both in-game and premium currency purchase, and other opportunities.

NPC Dialogue

There will be many, many NPCs in Mythaura. Some may not have much to say--a stranger you cross paths with at an open-air market, a merchant's busy apprentice, a parent at a park with their children--but some NPCs have full, fleshed-out storylines of their own. Maybe your character would prefer to keep mostly to themselves, but you will find that engaging with NPCs will uncover information about the world, rumors about other characters, quests, gifts, and more.

Skill Tree Screen

Skill Trees will determine the abilities and moves that a Beast can utilize in battle. Each Beast will have either two or three different Skill Trees that they can invest in, dependent upon their Elements and their Class. Beasts who have the same Element twice--when its species Element matches up with its birth Element--a Beast will have access to a Mastery Tree, which will feature a branch that borrows from other thematically relevant Elements, demonstrating the Beast's complete mastery of their Element.

If a Beast with a Mastery Tree changes to a Species that would give it two separate Elements, all Elements-related Skill Points will be reset in order for the player to reallocate them between the two new trees. The same applies for Beasts that change their Class.

Mythauran Astrology: August

The month of August is referred to as Ghostlight's Pall, representing a pale, ghostly green aurora that stretches across the Northern sky at this time each year--supposedly attributed to the souls stranded by a war that came to a decisive, bloody, and treacherous end during an August many, many lifetimes ago. This month is also associated with the constellation of the Widow and the lepidolite stone.

Those born under the sign of the Widow are resilient, compassionate, enigmatic individuals. There may not be a sign more dedicated to self-discovery and growth. They radiate a quiet strength and boundless compassion that uplifts those fortunate enough to share their journey.

At their best, Widows are soothing, magnanimous, and generous. At their worst, they can be withdrawn, excessively melancholy, and reproachful.

Ko-fi Summer Quarter 2024 Winners

Thank you to all the Ko-fi sponsors who voted for the Summer Quarter 2024 rewards. Next month we will show the finalized artwork for the Venomous Stalker Companion and the Corona Dragon Glamour. Stay tuned!

Custom Color Contest Reminder

In honor of the new color change that we made to a Beast's tongue/mouth, we're opening another Custom Color Contest. We want to offer the opportunity for you to make a permanent impact on Mythaura's color wheel!

This contest is free to enter, and only has the following parameters:

Only one entry allowed

Fill out Google Form by Friday, August 23, 2024 at 11:59pm PST

The dev team will reach out to the winner on September 1 to begin the color design process. Winner will have until September 23, 2024 to complete their color design. Please feel free to use our PSD file, if you'd like!

Winner will also receive 3x copies of the Empemeral Ink that matches their color's base hue (Red, Orange, Yellow, Blue, Green, or Violet).

We're so excited to see what you come up with!

Mythaura v0.30

Over ten new query conditions were added to support dialog and quest complexity.

An interact endpoint was added, allowing players to interact with NPCs using the query builder to power dialog selection.

The game state was refactored to be global, allowing things like "current health" to be maintained outside wild areas.

Query actions have been added, which allow things like dialog to trigger actions in-game.

Various bug fixes made to beast party, beast creation, and beast stats.

Voice types were added to NPCs and beasts.

Beast expression generation was implemented.

NPC tools were added to allow the generation of NPCs from beast codes.

Beast backgrounds have been added.

Thank You!

Thanks for sticking through to the end of the post, we always look forward to sharing our month's work with all of you--thank you for taking the time to read. We'll see you around the Discord!

#mythaura #indie game dev #game development #development update #unicorn #dragon #griffin #peryton #ryu #basilisk #quetzal #hippogriff #kirin #petsite #pet site #virtual pet site #Youtube

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saltcove · 8 months ago

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pairing: antonio/lovino theme: lifeguards, liars, & seasalt

summer sinks into lovino’s skin, and the morning slaughters itself across the shoreline. it’s as warm as warm days come, salt wetting his upper lip, a leg hinged over the other; he’s been there for hours, hoping the heat will temper tomorrow’s monday. it never does, and he never learns, and the beach still organises itself one folding wave after the next.

a paper coffee cup is pushed into the sand beside him, the double espresso too shallow to need the size, too hot to drink, too dark to remove the stained-proof of it on his swimsuit. lovino closes his eyes, feels the peeling burn behind them; the sun sits inside him, miele, a honeycomb heat that might just kill him.

“hey!”

or might make me kill instead.

lovino doesn’t open his eyes, not until a cool silhouette eclipses him.

“what?” he snaps, italian sharpening his tongue. it takes a moment to focus, but green eyes and brown skin meet him halfway, a scar notching over the man’s smile. a drop of sea water hits lovino’s cheek; the man’s soaked, lashline heavy and dark, mouth vibrant.

“just checking that you weren’t asleep,” is the english response, “you’re close to the water, the tide’s going to rise soon.”

“madre de dio, i wasn’t born last night,” lovino hisses, wipes the water off with the back of his hand. “jesus, get out of my face, you’re wet!”

the man laughs and pulls back, enough space between them for lovino to notice the cherry-skin shorts. lifeguard. “lo siento.”

“do you want me to just fuck off?” lovino sits up, knocking over the coffee with his elbow. they watch the liquid sink down into the sand for a long, silent second. “great. grande. i’m going home.”

“but it’s a good day!”

“not good enough,” lovino mumbles and works his body to a stand. the man’s wet hand finds his wrist.

“really, you shouldn’t go—” he’s smiling, but there’s something calmer about it. “enjoy it.”

lovino looked back at him. the way those eyes lid, the seams of his mouth pushing in to tame a smile. and then it strikes like a pulled rubber band. lovino’s brow hitches. “are you coming onto me?”

the man’s laugh is baritone thick. “i’m on the job!”

lovino stares. “right. and now that you’ve saved me from—what, getting my toes wet? you should focus on the kid about to meet his maker.”

the man’s face hardens, head snapping to the sea. a whistle nearly knocks lovino off his feet. he almost regrets the lie. almost. “do that when you’re not inches from my ear, stronzo.”

“maybe don’t bluff, then,” the man chastises, a little peeved himself. “i’m antonio. you?”

lovino sneers. “what’s it to you?”

antonio leans in, annoyance forgotten and smile smitten, disingenuous. “everything.”

lovino’s burnt skin hides his shame. “fuck off, who has that worked on?”

“you, for starters,” antonio chuckles, wipes down his damp curls with a hand. “want to see how well it works after hours?”

lovino scoffs, but he keeps the amusement apparent. “testing the waters?”

antonio grins. “testing the waters.”

#spamano #aph south italy #aph spain #hws south italy #hws spain #aph spamano #antonio fernandez carriedo #lovino vargas #hetalia #writing #spain x south italy #mine

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etlu-yume · 3 months ago

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Discussions the other day got me thinking about how to throw together a kind of productivity tracker/word tracker that was themed after Stardew Valley/Harvest Moon/Story of Seasons.

Seeds, seedlings and harvested crops

I'm still working out how this could be achieved properly. Thinking about how different crops are good for different things in-games; Turnips and Parsnips for example are good starter crops in early phases because they only take 4 days to grow. Pineapples on the other hand, were notoriously expensive to buy, tedious to grow [20 days!] but did yield some reasonable profit rewards. And then you have Sweet Potato, Coffee Bean and several flavours of Berry crops. The monster profit makers that regrow crops every few days.

PARSNIP MODE - good for short projects, or breaking bigger projects down into easier tasks? (example would be Parsnip "tasks" get 4 days, or have to be done 4 times to 'harvest' the Parsnip)

PINEAPPLE MODE - good for longer projects and habits (example would be requiring 20 days of doing the task to get to harvest)

MUTLI-HARVEST MODE - good for repeat projects or prompt-lists possibly? Something where you finish things frequently, especially if there's a lot of setup work done before the first 'harvest' (example would be like Coffee Beans taking 10 days to get to harvest - 10 days to lay out the ground work - and then harvest every 2 days until the end of Summer.)

I'm still tossing up with how to determine things like "difficulty" or "what constitutes as watering". It could really be something as simple as "touch the project" and then be a honor system. Or look at something like the crop ranking system, and have different difficulties like "regular", "silver", "gold" and "iridium". Like taking Stardew Valley Corn as an example, you could run with regular "50g" as a time unit [50 minutes a day = watering] or another metric [e.g. 50 words, or 50x10 would make it 500 words]. Pumping that up to gold would make it 75g, or 75 minutes or 75/750/7500 words depending on your multiplier of choice. Obviously some of those difficulties might be OTT, so adjust accordingly?

Community Garden - Multiplayer Mode

You could easily have a multiplayer mode like a "Community Garden", where everyone has their own patch and can grow whatever plants they want correlating with their own goals, and depending on the community event like if it's for writing you could have fun with "Harvest Festival" inspired pot luck where everyone brings something to put in a story, or everyone brings a snippet of their work to share (esp since those usually are held towards the end of the season in-game anyway)

---------

Anyway yeah so just. Trying to get some thoughts out onto paper about this 'cause it's been percolating around in my noggin' all week.

#stardew valley #harvest moon #story of seasons #productivity #word crawl #trackers #project tracker idea

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total-drama-brainrot · 8 months ago

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I'll be honest all I can think of is P!Noah's family react to his tv persona.

Like, they know the littlest of their family is a little unhinged but they know he's not bloodthirsty so they're just a wee bit confused.

(And since Noah has, like, 8 sisters I just like to imagine the rest of their giant family is COMPLETELY normal. Like, they have their own individual quirks like anyone else but they're just normal people.)

If you can't tell one of my favorite dynamics is gremlin x just some guy but in this au it's multiple "just some guy“s and it's platonic.

And they've never actively troed to real P!Noah in either btw. They're perfectly content with their little adrenaline junkie baby brother.

Though it does make me wonder how they react in the P!Noah getting stabbed ask

No, see, this is a part of the AU that I actually have some thoughts for.

P!Noah's whole schtick wouldn't be achievable without the showrunners being aware that he's not really gonna do anything to permanently harm the other competitors- it'd be a PR nightmare to justify having an actual loose canon on the show risking the safety of the other teens. So, at the very least, the producers would know that a lot of his threats of violence or otherwise concerning behaviour are an act. (Or an exaggeration of his wilder tendancies.)

Thankfully, canon has its' own subtle little explanation for keeping someone so 'dangerous' around - Izzy's audition tape(s). In those, Izzy states that she'll do her best to "not be boring", which is probably the line that cemented her inclusion in the show. She's kept around as a conflict starter and an audience engagement device, since her antics are so entertaining to watch.

In a similar vein, in p!Noah's audition tape he explains that he's only auditioning for the show out of boredom, and he mostly sees the whole experience as a relatively quick cash grab - after all, he's wicked smart and plenty talented; it'd be child's play to outperform the other contestants (keep in mind, pretty much all of the OG cast were under the impression that Total Drama was going to be something more akin to a talent-based competition at an island resort). He explains that he's not really interested in the show itself, but it could be fun to spend his summer somewhere new where people don't know him or his eccentricities.

At this point in time, Noah's already got his gameplan planned and set; he's already presenting himself as the stoic and somewhat egotistical bookworm, which honestly isn't too far from his actual personality. Save for his psychotic tendancies, that is. Of course, Noah really is smart - smart enough to know that if he came in guns blazing to an audition tape for what is at it's core a social game, he probably wouldn't be picked.

And then the video is interrupted by one of his siblings, who points out that Noah's idea of "fun" generally consists of tormenting the people around him, providing examples of his more daring pranks from a seemingly endless list.

Then more of his siblings join in, all the while Noah stares towards the camera with a smug smile, which only grows wider - unnaturally wide, with hints of unusually sharp teeth poking from stretched-thin lips - as they share transgression after transgression. The tape ends without elaboration, nothing but a still frame of Noah's sinister smirk.

These pranks themself start off pretty tame sounding, like rigging water balloons full of vinegar above doorsteps. They quickly devolve into Noah cutting the breaks on his teacher's car after recieving an unfair grade, mowing down his classmates on a renegade bumper cart during a school trip to a theme park, and things along those lines. Chris, and more importantly the producers, feel a sense of sadistic kinship with the little psycho after hearing about his dangerous endeavours, and cast him on the spot.

So he's chosen to compete for a similar reason as Izzy; to wreak havoc in an entertaining way, and hopefully to kickstart drama.

His family are fully aware of this, though they don't fully anticipate the gleeful sort of vigour Noah has towards tormenting his castmates whilst remaining undetected... by the castmates. They do, however, expect Noah's sly grins and menacing smirks he throws towards the cameras before each successful prank he pulls off with Izzy. And the blank, uncannily empty stares he fixes towards the audience from the background of challenge footage - as if Noah himself can see through the lens into their souls.

After all, they've dealt with him for his whole life. They know his tricks, they've lived his tricks. The whole family has become accustomed to their baby brother who doesn't fully understand concepts like morality and empathy and, as such, can be a little silly sometimes. And they all know just how committed Noah can be to things he finds fun and interesting.

Their first bout of genuine surprise is during one of his later confessionals, when Noah gets too into the persona he's cultivated and starts portraying himself as violent and out for blood.

In Noah's head, he's just upping the ante of his metasocial game. For his family? They know he isn't nearly as violent as he's portraying himself as.

Sure, he's a little impulsive and thrill-seeking, but he's never had a fascination with blood or sharp objects of whatever else he tries to claim in the confessional. When Noah gets home from his stint on Island his siblings are lining up to berate him for his act - doesn't he realise how dangerous portraying himself as an unstable lunatic for the world to see is?

He justifies that anyone who believed his act is an idiot. It's reality TV - anyone with half a brain knows that things are exaggerated for entertainment purposes. He was just giving the editors something good to work with.

Noah is promptly dogpiled by eight irate older siblings.

(I'm also a big fan of "gremlin & just some guy", in this case it's gremlin & many exasperated some guys who aren't afraid of the gremlin. The rest of his family are perfectly normal people who just so happen to know how to deal with somewhat morally bereft hijinks and tomfoolery thanks to their youngest member. P!Noah has an incredibly healthy home life, he's just like that by design.)

As for the stabbing ask; I'm not sure if I want that little scenario to be "canon" to this AU, (and if it is, it'll be re-written with things like context in mind, as opposed to the shitty sleep-deprived drabble I wrote way back when) but if any of his family witnessed Noah being stabbed on international TV the whole brood would be storming the network's headquaters and/or chasing down the Jumbo Jet to get to him. He's The Baby™, you can't stab The Baby™. (Though, inwardly, they'd all agree that it was karma in action. Noah was tempting fate by playing around with knifes for so long, it was only a matter of time before someone got stabbed.)

#this ended up way longer than i thought it would #summary: p!noah's family know he's a bit of a freak but they love him anyway.#they're also not happy about his choice of public persona but KNOW it's (mostly) an act.#noah's audition tape is 30% actual audition and 70% his criminal record being put on blast #imagine owen steeling himself to meet a family of nine noahs only to be met with eight of the nicest normalest people he's ever known.#izzy's excited to meet the mudaliars and they take one look at her and collectively think “oh no not another one”#total drama #psycho!noah au #silly ideas #others' ideas #long post #replies #kinda drafty in here (posts from the drafts)#👈 this ask is from almost a month ago.

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