#that they won’t w other things even if it’s equivalent

[nevertheless-moving]

MDZS AU #7: Jiang Wanyin’s Dog

Jiang Cheng & Wei Ying time travel back to the Wen Indoctrination camp.

They didn't ask for this. Wei Wuxian's Happy Ending is gone. Jin Ling's Whole Life is Gone. But no time to unpack any of that, they fight the Xuanwu of Slaughter the day after tomorrow. They have to get on the same page. Their family is alive again. They have to get this right.

Last time around, Wei Ying created distance between his actions and Jiang Cheng’s orders.

(Partially in order to excuse his shidi from blame when he did something grotesque or anti-establishment or unsuccessful. Partially to obscure which orders he physically couldn't follow. Partially because his mental health was truly, exceptionally bad — he distanced himself from lots of things!)

It could be argued that this strategy didn’t pan out super well, in the end. Not a very fun conclusion.

And the reasons for that distance don't exist anymore considering 1) Jiang Sect is un-massacred and can properly throw their weight around to shield their terrifying unorthodox disciple from backlash when he does terrifying unorthodox things. 2) Wei Ying doesn’t have a golden core shaped secret to hide from Jiang Cheng. Wei Ying has less secrets from Jiang Cheng then he’s ever had.

(Mental health could be better, but it also could be a lot worse)

So they come up with a different plan, whispering furiously under Wen guard, bedrolls pressed close together, cheeks still holding a little babyfat.

Wei Wuxian will be the perfect servant in public, obeying his gongzi’s orders without question. In exchange Jiang Wanyin won’t order him to do anything he wouldn’t want to do anyway. Wei Wuxian will still get to do all his stupid heroics — he just has to wait for the go ahead, to provide the undeniable impression of perfect unity. Jiang Wanyin will give that go ahead, even if it has to be through gritted teeth.

Bear with me now: this leads to a gradual yungmeng bros reconciliation. Basically the emotional equivalent of tensing a muscles as hard as you can on purpose so that when you relax it, the background strain also releases a bit.

To start — Wei Wuxian is the new core melting hand, except even scarier.

Did you hear he summoned an ARMY of the damned to protect Lotus Pier?? And that the only one who he listens to is Jiang Wanyin? Apparently Jiang Wanyin confronted Wen Chao over using human sacrifices, and when Wen Chao threatened him, Jiang Wanyin gave the word and Wei Wuxian killed a hundred Wen AND the Xuanwu of Slaughter!!! Did you hear he ripped Wen Zhuliu heart out of his chest?? What a terrfying head disciple! How long has Jiang sect been hiding this??

The two really, really have to work together, very consistently, without hiccups, and as much practice as they have fighting this specific war together, they also have hella baggage and different priorities and Wei Ying is NOT keeping up the Super Serious Servant act in private.

(they can’t speed run, alright? Wen Chao's early death and the Jiang Sect surviving pretty fundamentally alter following events, rendering specific future knowledge less useful. Not to mention, it takes time for Wei Wuxian to figure out how to balance his golden core with massive amounts of resentful energy. He's got qi to deviate, and there's a good few months where they're fairly sure he's driving himself into an even faster grave than his first life. I mean he figures it out, he's a fucking genius. But early on there's a non zero amount of bleeding from the eyes and running into bushes to puke blood while Jiang Cheng pretends that he's only stressed about this for purely pragmatic reasons.)

So daily private meetings to debrief and strategize and yell at each other and maybe horse around a little. It's the only time they get to step back from the terrifying teenage war leaders thing and be a more raw, complex version of themselves. Getting back in sync after everything. Maybe getting in sync for the first time — how much of their childhood were they dancing around issues of worth and place? How many of their worst arguments stemmed from one giant secret?

Jiang Cheng making progress on his Wuxian shaped self-esteem issues largely by faking it-till-he-makes it.

“You think I feel embarrassed to be second best to my own disciple. What, are you fucking stupid?? How do you compare to him, huh? He’s going to ascend to be a death god or some shit like that. It’s a ridiculous comparison — I’d like to see how you would have done, growing up his shidi. Grow up and fuck off.”

Say stuff like that enough times and you might… actually start to believe it. Huh.

Both of them somewhat expecting cocky, mouthy Wei Wuxian to bristle more about the subservience thing, but honestly? It's cool.

For years, supporting Jiang Cheng was the only thing Wei Ying truly wanted. Yes, he wants other things now too, but Wei Ying still wants to follow Jiang Cheng.

Jiang Cheng is good at politics, at leadership. He rebuilt his sect back to greatness from the ground up. Wei Wuxian's 'leading a sect' experience culminated in being feared by the world and slowly starving to death on an all radish diet. (yes, obviously, there were extenuating circumstances, but regardless — I don't think leading anything larger than a night hunt is on Wei Ying's to do list).

Jiang Cheng expecting criticism in private and not getting it. Waiting all day to be torn apart for his fuckups by an unfiltered Wei Wuxian, only to instead be praised for his battlefield calls and handling of difficult negotiations.

He was a sect leader for two decades— his stupid shixiong's approval should not be able to affect him like this.

The thing is, Wei Wuxian's got effective free reign on his areas of interest — protecting people he wants to protect, inventing, and fighting people he wants to fight. Wei Wuxian has bountiful self esteem. It's annoying to not say whatever he wants whenever he wants, to bow that low, to mind his titles, to walk five steps behind, but it doesn't actually make him feel bad.

Once they’re eating A-Li’s soup … and it sinks in that their parents, their sect, their sister is alive… and they're drunk crying together... and they really really really did miss this, having someone who got their jokes, who could distinguish between their mock outrage and real fury…

Reconciliation starts completely in private but frankly enough time of Wei Wuxian Perfect Discipleing in public? Jiang Cheng is like… ok I thought I wanted this... but its actually not my kink. Please push back when the Jin start talking shit. I’m so, so tired. I've been tired longer than you've been alive. I don't want to reserve all my amusement for hidden moments any more.

Almost seamless public facing transition from ‘rabid dog on a short chain’ swinging to ‘my good right hand.’ Wei Wuxian gets to start being a little shit again in public, but he reigns it in quickly at Jiang Cheng's signal, and teasing A-Cheng stays private. Honestly — a boundary that might have helped them a lot in their first life!

As a result of gaslighting people that however they act that day is how they've always acted, most people are left with the general impression of Wei Wuxian as ‘trusted loyal hound,' who also happens to be absolutely fucking terrifying. Which. Isn’t exactly wrong so, fuck it, fine. Wei Ying honestly could not give less fucks about 99.9% of people’s opinions.

...Lan Zhan is living a dark romance novel, but that's a different post.

My MDZS AU Masterlist

[blognam333z]

Part 2 Prompt: After that miserable failure, the subordinate alien was put in time out. The boss sees this not as a warning but gives him more reason to believe that possessing a human body will be his perfect vessel. He kidnap another human and swap his mind with it. This time put the human, now in his real form, in containment as he has knowledge of its limits and needs. The boss relish the taste of pineapple juice, caffeine and other things deme poisonous for most extraterrestrial life forms in the universe! He feels invincible, but one challenge awaited him: sleep. Hardly any alien species outside from a human experience total consciousness shut down, the alien equivalent of DEATH.

This is what makes humans unique, even humans can’t explain. Many tales of visions of the future, sometimes a different life, sometimes randomness of memories and ideas woven together. The boss was hesitant, he made sure he’ll be monitored and secure surveillance so he won’t be disturbed.

It was suppose to be simple the human said, but the one thing he didn’t told him is the Paralysis demon.

The boss once he’s in trance and his subordinates guard outside in the hall standing on the front door of the room. He closes his eyes once the room grown dark… instead of nothingness or dreams. His eyes are closed yet he could still see the room, and wait what’s that dark figure in the room? Is that a human- no the guards should be alerted- no it’s getting closer he must grab his weapon, now! Why can’t he move- why can’t he see it’s face- why is it- That’s not a human… S-Stop! Stay back! I must call them- Someone help! W-why can’t I scream!? He can’t move, No, NO, NOOOOO-

Meanwhile in the prison cell:

H: *vibing in meditation* (mind: honestly this isn’t that bad, I could use a snickers bar now…)

In the morning

The boss alien let out a scream, petrified, drench in sweat: AAAAHH!!!

Guard A 1: Boss what’s wrong-

Boss A: YOU FOOLS I was endangered! I was attacked!

Guard A 2: Attacked? No I reviewed the security and there’s no-

Boss A: SILENCE! GIVE ME THE FOOTAGE!

Snatched the tablet and saw nothing

Guard A 1: B-Boss? Are you- you’re shaking

Boss A: I need to see the human… in my vessel, now! He’s hiding something from me!

In the prison cell:

H: What’s up- ohh… you look terrible, actually did I just insulted myself?

Boss A: No time for JOKES, Human explain this- this shadow beast! This beast whom-

H: What shadow beast? *thinks for a moment* Oooh… OOOOH! *laughs*

Boss A: What’s so funny? I knew you’re hiding information! Explain yourself at once!

H: Okay that’s a paralysis demon, it’s somehow attracted to humans, but not everyone. It’s unknown where they originated or why it stalk us in our sleep. Forced our eyes to see beyond our unconscious body, helpless, unmoving. Do I got it all check out on what you’ve just experienced, big guy?

Boss A: YES you did, now how do you get rid of it!

H: *laughs* get rid of it? What do you mean get rid of it?

Boss A: *growl* Human! Tell me or else!

H: There’s no way to get rid of it, it’s in a plain beyond our reach. No matter if you have someone in the room next to you or a weapon, it’ll always find appear before you. All you can do is wait until it’s bored or move on to the next human. For some unfortunate, it could last a life time. Legends say Paralysis demons devour a quarter or half a human life span. That somehow they flourish in our psyche energy, that’s why they’re invincible… even unreachable. (Mind: Just the look on his face! He’s going to lend me my body back! That’s what you get from taking my body! Let’s gooo my paralysis demon!)

[greatyme]

Sometimes timing works out well and u get the opportunity to see an actor you love perform in an incredible play (twice!) 🥹

Now I already knew I’d be going to Korea sometime in the latter part of the year, so the announcement that Taevin would be doing Angels in America was just perfect. I decided to go to the show on the 25th and closing night on the 27th because who wouldn’t want to see Taevin twice AND it meant I could see both Prior actors! Most of the cast both nights were pretty similar, but Harper, Joe, and Roy’s actors were also different

Taevin is truly incredible. I had mixed… negative feelings about Louis while reading the play but god Taevin can ACT!! Both Seungho and Hojun were also fantastic as Prior (I think I liked Hojun’s performance a bit more hehe) and despite not knowing much Korean I enjoyed every second (I do wonder if I was the only international person who got to see the play from as far out as I was lol)

Some mixed moments I loved/thoughts from the two shows:

after kissing Harper in one scene, Joe (Yang Jiwon) wiped his mouth. He didn’t do it at the second show and I wonder if it was intentional or improv by Jiwon in the first show (but it made perfect sense)

in the second show Prior (Seungho) pulled towels from the other side of the stage (aka another set lmao) to give to Harper to wipe her tears during the joint dream sequence. Hojun didn’t do that in the first show so I wasn’t expecting that and I don’t think anyone else was cuz everyone in the audience laughed djskjdk

as I said before idk much Korean BUT I did read the play as well as watched a filmed performance before which was essential before seeing it in a different language lol. For the second night’s performance I felt like I was catching more than the first time I saw it which was cool!

speaking of things I caught more… for some reason I heard “dyke” pronounced more clearly from Seungho and it was very entertaining to hear Roy’s actor constantly say “Jesus fucking Christ” in English so I guess they stuck w the English equivalents sometimes loooll

THE GHOSTS OF PRIOR WALTER WERE SOOO FUNNY. ESPECIALLY IN THE FIRST SHOW. they were kind of interacting w the audience??? And running around and being so sillay idk I loved it I was laughing a lot

Louis’ stupid rant to Belize was so entertaining. He just won’t stfu and Belize has had ENOUGH. I’m not sure about every version of angels, but for this they had Louis walk to a separate part of the stage and bring back chairs and then drinks which made the length of that scene get even longer and funnier. It was a lot of dialogue and both Taevin & Tae Hangho delivered so well. The only thing I’m curious about is if they altered any dialogue around Belize’s character being Black, considering Hangho is not

THAT scene. THE BREAKUP. IF YOU LIKE THE PLAY YOU KNOW THE ONE. oh my GOD it was incredible. I love the motion and the way all the characters are in conversation with each other it’s just so fucking awesome

THE WAY THE ANGEL BURSTS IN AT THE END!!! The lighting is so cool especially with the set design. Lots of flashing lights at different angles and colors creating different effects against the industrial background. What a way to end the play I wish it was 8 hours long and they DID do Perestroika bc I need to see the rest!!!

Finally, I’ll end with a little beyond-bucket-list experience I had… which was that Taevin signed my ticket 🥹🥹🥹 I won’t include a photo bc there’s too much personal info, but he very kindly asked how to spell my name in English seeing that I wasn’t Korean lol. He didn’t sign anything on closing night either so I was truly very lucky on the 25th🥹 honestly, I was just expecting to see the play but greeting the cast (more of them came out on closing night!) and even getting an autograph made it even more special hehe

The whole cast was incredible, I’ll remember these two performances for the rest of my life <3

[slasherscream]

black girl high femme reader request here 👄💅 can we get a black!reader who's aesthetic is super girly y2k w/ crazy ass boys gang. Maybe she's got a little attitude but is sweet w/ the boys?? Thank youuuuuu 🧡

A/N: oh god yes i LOVE y2k as a black girl and i want to do a fashion wardrobe reboot when i have the money, don’t care if it’s just a trend i love it

crazy ass boys gang + black!reader who loves y2k fashion

billy loomis: First off he loves brats, he really does. He doesn’t know what it is about that little attitude of yours but it gets to him. The way you dress is what first got him eyeballing you. If we’re being frank, how feminine you were made him think you’d be the perfect victim (problematic? uhm, yeah.) Local man who doesn’t know how to separate extreme attraction from his murderous urges please stand up. He started talking to you and decided he was going to go on a few dates with you first though. You’ve gotta know someone in order to make their nightmares come true when you’re killing them! But he fell in love with you instead >:((. He’ll be angry about that for a while, honestly.

josh washington: Thinks you’re a baddie. This is the highest compliment since he’s always around baddies. He can’t help it, it’s the natural order of things. He’s rich, funny, outgoing, and popular. He attracts hot people in droves. He’s only ever got eyes for you though. Thinks your attitude is well-deserved. If he looked half as hot as you he’d have an attitude too. Likes to watch you get ready when you two go out. Also likes adding new pieces to your wardrobe. The reward is watching you look so good (plus the kisses, those are great too.)

stu macher: He likes mean people so he peeps your attitude quickly and it makes him go ‘awooga’. You’ll assume it was your looks but no, it was your resting bitch face. He really likes your makeup. Loves it when you do a lip-liner and colored gloss look. Always chases you around trying to make out with you because he likes the shine of it getting smeared everywhere. Gets you a lot of accessories and designer things. You stay decked out in baby phat and baby phat equivalent. Also, he loves to match.

jd/jason dean: Isn’t that impressed with aesthetics. He’s been all around the country and observed all sorts of cliques. Still, he appreciates your dedication to one particular look. Bonus points if where you live no one else is doing it quite like you. If you’re not afraid to stick out, that will definitely grab his attention. Dressed to impress even though you’re just going on a quick snack run to 7/11? It makes him smirk. You’re a little high maintenance, and it’s not typically what he’d go for, but there’s something about your Queen Bee attitude that keeps him locked down forever. 

kevin khatchadourian: As disrespectfully as possible, he does not care ☠️. Secretly he does like that Eva hates the way you dress (she is ever so slightly prejudiced, if not ever so slightly full-on racist.) This is something you have in common as she also hates the way he dresses. Doesn’t like it when you give him attitude but doesn’t care how you treat other people at all. Probably prefers it when you’re mean to other people. The smaller your circle is the more time you have for him. Is noticeably kinder to you when you’re being sweet to him though, so keep eye-rolls and teeth sucking to a minimum for your own sake. 

nathan prescott: Tries not to be obsessed with you but he is. You make him froth at the mouth. He takes one look at you and demands you start hanging out with his crowd so he can always have you around but pretend he’s not that interested. You see right through him and probably ignore his ass, just for a laugh, just because you can. This makes him even worse and bruises his ego. He’ll break before you do and it won’t be particularly romantic but you can’t expect much when it comes to Nathan and romance. Gift giving isn’t so much his love language as it is a compulsion because he’s miserable at showing his affection any other way. Loves the way you look but is not confident enough in his taste to buy you clothes on his own. Throws his wallet at you and demands fashion shows once you get back from your shopping spree. Some of your date nights involve him just taking pictures of you and instructing you how to pose. It relaxes him. 

sebastian valmont: What’s better than one bad bitch? Two bad bitches. You two look so good together it’s sickening. You don’t match, but the opposing styles you have wind up looking very sleek side by side. He loves shopping and always pays for the trips. Will even get you two personal shoppers that will bring clothes to you so you can have “lowkey” dates at your mansion. You two are high maintenance together. Equally bratty. He loves that he can be bitchy with you but also loves that he can be sentimental and soft as well. Because of the circles he runs in, people have said one or two nasty things about you behind your back, like calling you a gold-digger. He has ruined more than a few people’s lives over these comments. Tells you about it too because he needs you to know he’ll take care of you in all regards. Romantic king. 

david mccall: You’re definitely not the first black girl he’s dated. He’s got “I regularly date black women” swag. He knows all the drills. Likes to spoil you rotten and get you to go soft for him. He likes your hard-ass persona too though. Parades you around because you’re literally the catch of the century. You two are attached at the hip because he’s toxic. There are no more girls only nights. He’s always playing body-guard. Upside, he looks hot when he’s staring people down for looking at you too long. You can always wear what you want because he’s always ready to fight. Sits and feeds you food while you get your nails and hair done and never complains no matter how long it takes. The only thing he does afterwards is fawn over the way you look and pay the bill. Again, he knows the drill. 

sparrow!ben hargreeves: Is very focused on appearances since he’s always lived in the limelight. He’s always put together so he needs a partner who is on the same wavelength when it comes to looking good. Knows you’re not dating him for his fame because you give nasty ass looks to the paparazzi whenever they interrupt dates. It honestly makes him laugh, which is hard to do. He loves your mean little attitude when it’s directed at other people. Do not get snippy with him or y’all will be yelling at each other anytime and anyplace. Apologizes to you with expensive gifts. You make him use his words anyways and it enrages him, but he’s addicted to you so he says he’s sorry through gritted teeth. (He thinks the thousands of dollars of Off-White clothes he got you should have sufficed as a “sorry” but he keeps his mouth wisely shut.)

like my writing? support me through my cashapp or kofi! both are slasherscream.

[kidstemplatte]

the same level

pairing: papa emeritus III x fem! reader

summary: terzo comforts reader who opens up about her (restrictive) eating disorder and insecurities.

It had been days since you had left the confinement of your room. The place that had once been your sanctuary, decorated with things that represented you, had grown to reflect your current state: a dark, cluttered, and rotting solitary. You had no idea what time it was, as the lights remained off, and your curtains shut. Uneaten plates and bags of rotting food sat on top of your desk and in your drawers, filling your room with a putrid stench that was still not enough to motivate you to tidy up. You knew it was disgusting, but mentally and physically, you were helpless. Standing up on your own left your legs trembling and your vision blurry. You were crushed by the expectations others were so blind to, yet were engrained so deeply into your mind. You wanted to be pretty. You wanted to be perfect. You wanted to be petite. But you didn’t feel petite- you felt small. As if you made no impact on the world around you, as if you could be swallowed by it.

Clenching the covers, you nestled deep into your bed, hoping for some sort of relief from the debilitating cold you could not escape. Suddenly you heard a knock on your door. Shit. Your room was absolutely filthy. You were absolutely filthy, having not showered in a concerning amount of time. Even if you wanted to open the door, you couldn’t, as you were malnourished and weak.

“Can I come in, amore mío?” a thickly accented voice belonging to no other than Papa Emeritus III said from behind your door.

You wanted him to come in, to hold you, to comfort you, more than anything. But simultaneously, you wanted him to run, to run far away. He wouldn’t want you if he knew what a mess you were, that you had been living in self-inflicted squalor for the past week.

“You don’t… You don’t w-want to.” You stammered, tears welling up in your tired eyes as your chest started aching.

“I only want to make sure that you are okay, sí? I am coming in now.” Before you could protest, Papa opened the door, his facial expression immediately shifting to one of concern upon laying eyes on the disaster in your room. However, no amount of concern was equivalent to when he caught sight of you, curled up in your bed, your face drained of color and your eyes tired and heavy. It felt as though his heart, though hidden behind smoke and mirrors, had been shattered into a million pieces. “Ay, tesoro, what’s going on?” He asked, his voice full of a sorrow you had never heard from him before. Carefully but quickly tiptoeing over the mess on the ground, he knelt beside your bed.

“I don’t know,” you replied, avoiding eye contact, staring at your hands as you fidgeted with the sheets.

Papa gently collected your hands and put them in his, feeling the cold even through the leather in his gloves. “You’re freezing cold.” What really got to him, though, was the trembling. After processing the extent of your weakness, Papa gently placed his arms around you and guided you to sit upright. “Please, talk to me.” Papa said, taking a seat beside you on the bed.

“Can I… Do you want me to be honest?” you stammered.

“More than anything.” He replied.

You had nothing else to hide. Papa had seen the worst of it already. Taking a deep breath in and out, you gave him a final disclaimer.

“Promise you won’t judge me?”

“Not just a promise, a swear. I swear on everything true and unholy.” he said, moving your hands toward his lips and planting a soft kiss on top of them.

“Okay.” As you started to open your mouth, you let out a weak sob. He said nothing, but looked into your eyes and gave you an understanding nod, which said everything. Said, “You are safe with me.” And in a moment of utmost despair, you confessed to Papa in a few seconds what had been eating you from the inside out for years.

“I have… a problem. With food. And myself. And my body. I have-“ Here came the hard part, the part that you often didn’t feel worthy enough to say. “I have an eating disorder,” you confessed. Any precious attempt to stifle your tears was thrown aside, as you began sobbing harder than you had in a long, long, time. “Even when I’m ‘recovered’, it never goes away. It’s always there. Sometimes I- I don’t eat. I hate how I look, I just want to look good. I’m- the ugliest one here. And I’m fat and it’s so hard because I have to lie to everyone, that I don’t want to hang out so I miss meals, that I’m fine, that I’m happy and I don’t want to just disappear at every given moment. I just want to be skinny and I want to be pretty and I’m not either of those things and I… If you take anything away from this, please let it be that this isn’t your fault- I feel like I’m not worthy of your attention. I’m not pretty enough. And I know it’s gross, it’s not an excuse to be living like this, you were kind enough to let me in this space and it’s- so selfish of me-“

“No, no no no. Shhhh.” He said, reaching out to cradle your face in his gloved hands. “That is not selfish at all. You are the least selfish person I have ever met. So loving, caring, so much to give. But you also need to care for yourself. You have been keeping this inside for so long, afraid you are a burden, when you are the opposite. A gift. Thank you for telling me.” He continued, his hands moving down to your shoulders and rubbing them gently. “Maybe what I am supposed to tell you right now is that beauty is on the inside. And this is true because you are full of it. But what I also want to tell you more than anything right now is that you are astonishingly beautiful, so gorgeous, on the outside. Every time I catch sight of you is a gift from Satan himself. You are perfection and are more than good enough for me, maybe even too good. So good. So pretty. You are a beautiful girl. La mia bella ragazza.” He said, pulling you in closer and pressing a soft kiss to your forehead.

“Thank you, Papa.” you uttered, sniffling. His affection was so tender, so gentle, contrasting with his usual flashy persona he sported for the public.

“I want to help. What do you need from me?” Papa asked, tucking a piece of hair behind your ear.

“I- I’m so gross, I need to shower, but I can’t.” Not quite understanding, Papa tilted his head to the side. “It… uh… This is so embarrassing.”

“It is not embarrassing.” He gently interjected.

“It hurts to walk and hold my arms up for too long.” You explained, shame seeping through your tired voice.

“Ah. That is no problem. I am more than willing to help.”

“But um, please don’t look. I’m sorry.” You squeaked out, tears beginning to well up once again. The last thing you needed was anyone seeing your naked body right now, let alone from someone so good-looking himself.

“There is nothing to apologize for. Nothing at all. I will undress you after I start you a bath, sí? And no looking.” Papa reassured you, standing up to walk to your bathroom and run the warm water in the bathtub. After he returned, he had no trouble undressing you even with his eyes shut, which made you laugh a little. Papa immediately perked up, desperate to hear the laugh he treasured so much, and decided to play along.

“Is something funny?” He said, a smirk growing on his painted lips, his closed eyes crinkling up.

“No.” You said after a soft giggle.

“Do you think I am some deprived old man who has not undressed a woman in his lifetime? Ay, I thought you knew me better than that, ragazza dolce.” He joked, dramatically putting his hand over his heart with a hurt expression on his face. “I am going to pick you up now, is this okay?”

You nodded weakly. “Mhm.”

Papa scooped you up into his strong arms, holding you tightly against his body.

“Now I’m going to open my eyes. I cannot walk you to the bathroom without seeing. That would be un disastro. I do not want to drop something so precious.”

“Okay.” you agreed, smiling against his neck. You knew he couldn’t see your body while holding you, since your arms and legs were wrapped around him tightly. Papa gently placed you into the tub and you pulled your knees up to your chest to cover yourself.

“Too hot? Too cold?” Papa asked, peeling off his gloves and placing his hand under the running water to ensure the temperature was just right.

“It’s perfect. Thank you.” You reassured him.

Papa nodded and smiled softly.

“I’m so embarrassed you have to see me like this. Gross and naked and, just... I… I don't want you to think I'm ugly.” you confessed, looking down in shame.

Papa knew you were in a very vulnerable state. After contemplating for a moment, Papa placed his hands in the water, cupping it and bringing it to his face, and began to wash off his face paint. The black and white began to melt together and off his skin, revealing each perfect crevice, curve, and shape of his face. And after he continued to rinse off the paint, you were left staring at not Papa Emeritus III, but Terzo.

Terzo, the youngest of three brothers, who doodled skulls and little rats on his paperwork, who watched horrible reality television in the late hours of the night, and who made you laugh until your stomach hurt.

“Do you think I am ugly?” Terzo asked, his mismatched eyes full of wisdom, of light and darkness, of heaven and hell.

“Never. You're... you're perfect.” you replied, honestly.

“And you think so despite my different eyes and the lines in my skin and the way my nose seems slightly tilted, the things you may not even notice. The things you see as imperfect in yourself are things I find more perfect than anything. We all have struggles. We all have things we hide from the world. Ups and downs, highs and lows, we fall down, myself included. Ask the YouTube. They have lots of videos of it.” He joked, in a successful attempt to hear your precious laugh.

“Even when you feel ugliest, I see nothing but beauty. I am not above or below you, we are on the same level. That is where I want to be, always. The same level as you, no matter how high or low. Do you understand?”

“I just… I feel like all the other sisters are so pretty. Beautiful. I want what they have, their bodies, their hair, their skin, their faces, their confidence… And they’ve.. been with you. And that’s completely okay, I just mean, I want to be special to you.”

“The other sisters are beautiful. But can I tell you something else? I think you are the most beautiful and special of them all, inside and out. I have wanted to tell you this for some time now, but I do not want to make you uncomfortable. I am worried I will scare you away sometimes, for you are the only one who wants more than one thing from me.” he confessed.

“Scare me?” You asked, your heart crumbling. “Papa, you’re perfect. I love being around you. You’re beautiful, its not just because of what you have to offer physically. You’re funny, smart, charismatic, caring, so talented, and resilient. Anyone who only sees you for your body doesn’t even deserve to be in the same room as you. I wish I could make everyone else see what I see.”

“See?” he replied calmly, though his face grew redder from your compliments.

Not quite understanding, you looked up at Terzo and tilted your head, a puzzled expression on your face. And at that moment, that moment when Terzo looked into your gorgeous eyes, Terzo realized you were the most precious treasure the world had to offer.

“Now take that and tell yourself.”

“Thank you, Papa.” You said, your voice barely above a whisper.

The rest of your bath was good. Peaceful. You and Terzo discussed your struggles with your mental health and body image, and he patiently listened while gently massaging shampoo into your hair. He knew exactly when to let you cry and when to make you laugh, when to interject, and when to listen. Throughout your conversation, you slowly realized you two had more in common than you thought; not only sharing similar insecurities, but similar feelings for each other. You shared other things as well: smiles, laughter, and small moments that would last for eternity. You loved the flashy and smooth-talking Papa you saw walking through the halls, but you also loved the tender, gentle Terzo you saw today. You loved both of them. You loved all of him.

“We will get you help. I will help you. We will get through this, together. I promise, mia bella ragazza.” He promised, kissing you softly on your forehead.

“Now, after I dry you off, let’s get you something to eat, sí?”

______________________________________________________________

now, if you take anything away from this fanfiction, let it be:

you are absolutely perfect inside and out. i can't even see you through this screen, but i KNOW you are beautiful, and i see you in the way that i know personally it can be so hard to love yourself. but please take it to heart when i say that you don't have to change for anyone, anything, or any idea you have in your head. there will always be someone who will love you for you and if you feel like you don't have that person yet, let it be me. <3

go eat if you haven't today, or if you're hungry, or if you just want to enjoy it! that's an order from me and papa! FOOD IS NECESSARY! FOOD IS GOOD!

part 2 hopefully coming soon!

now, i'm gonna go eat a crumbl cookie because i deserve it :)

[badchoicesworld]

Can I request miles 42 with an alien male s/o that has completely white eyes and struggles with social ques/ human culture🫶🫶🫶

miles 42 w/ an alien boyfriend !

i’m listening to charlie’s inferno rn, hope this is half decent <\3

established relationship

warnings: meh

pairing: earth 42 miles x male!reader

requests: refer to the blog guide besties

★⋆ ⋆☆⋆ ☠︎︎ ⋆☆⋆⋆★✧

i’m gonna go ahead and quote the anarchist hobart brown rn and say i ain’t got a scooby doo where tf ur from or how u two met, that’s up to u

but at the same time i guess w the avengers n shit aliens aren’t something people can deny, so while miles was maybe a bit skeptical at first, it wasn’t the hardest thing in the world to believe

especially when you’ve got those big white eyes

not to mention how wildly awkward and clueless you are when it comes to earth customs

what’s christmas, you say ? it’s where this guy in red and a really big beard sneaks into ur home to drop off concealed items in a box that’s determined by lists that you’ve been put on depending on ur actions throughout the year. yeah, he sees you when ur sleeping my guy, be scared

i imagine miles explains it in a less lowkey way but i like to imagine ur now scared of santa and the concept of christmas

culture ! so much to learn

miles is obviously most eager to teach you about his own, his mum would be very happy to tell you things too

when he eventually tells her about his alien boyfriend, that is

you get to try foods from their culture, maybe try to learn spanish if you can

if you have some uncanny ability to grasp language’s immediately, then miles’ mum is thrilled, very happy to talk in her first language with you

gonna go ahead and assuming this miles is also fluent so, spanish all around if you can

go ahead and share ur own culture too, they’re admittedly intrigued

he occasionally likes to ask you about certain things, like if you have an equivalent of something on your planet while holding the thing up or showing you a picture

is specifically intrigued w art on ur planet, but he’s not the kinda guy to overwhelm you with questions

maybe like a handful a week

it takes miles a little while to get used to the fact that ur from off planet, so it takes him a bit to clock that you don’t understand a lot of things ur seeing

but eventually he’ll get into the habit of briefly explaining things to you, general concepts and guidelines

it becomes pretty second nature to him as some point and subconscious

like if ur staring at kettle and he notices how ur white eyes are just locked on it he’ll be like “…don’t touch it-“ cause he doesn’t want you to burn urself, he might fail to explain that at first

social cues ? who doesn’t struggle w them from time to time

miles likely won’t know how to help you at first, it’s an adjustment you both have to make to help each other out

so maybe you come up with some kinda signal when ur with other people, like he might do something discreet to help you out

ur still abrupt asf about it though because you never expect the signals, he honestly loves it about you lmao

might help you practice whenever he gets the free time, only if you actively wanna improve, he doesn’t mind otherwise

he cannot stress how important it is that you don’t wander off in the streets, if that’s something you tend to do

he loves you dearly and isn’t mad about your curiosity, but i feel like he’s able to read a room really well . if he feels like you aren’t safe then he’ll tell you to put your head down so people don’t see ur eyes, then ur both out

will figure out some way to hide them, it’s not even an if in certain situations

ur eyes are mesmerising to him but there’s no point if they put you in danger, so there are scenarios where he just won’t let you go certain places

not in a possessive way, it’s just literally the safest option

hates to be controlling like that sometimes but it’s better than risking it, he hopes you know that

while earth 42 is in flames i do still think that there would be a tight knit community in the neighbourhood, in those kinda circumstances all you’ve got is each other, y’know ?

so while it may not be the safest for you in some streets, you’ve got a home with miles and can feel secure enough

i cant even begin to imagine the amount of organisations you’ve gotta stay under the radar from

have fun w that

★⋆ ⋆☆⋆ ☠︎︎ ⋆☆⋆⋆★✧

i’m lagging oh god

[inkblot22]

The Clasping Jaws Of Conjoinment

Well. It was bound to happen one day. I was bound to project my derangement onto my bae character. I am currently in Chapter 6 and while this does not have any spoilers it does confirm my previously held belief that Idia is not some sweet, soft boy, and is, in fact, a huge asshole. Anyway, onto the degeneracy. A certain concept in this fic was made by the author of ensorcelled. I absolutely love this fic please give it a read if you like pwp. Also! This is dedicated to @mermaidfan76. If you want me to untag you, I can do so, just let me know. This is part five of Pants on Fire.

This fic is aimed towards mostly afab readers or gender neutral readers. Although no explicit mention of body parts (other than Idia's) is made, there is still a certain implication that will be made if this ends up getting a part five. If you're okay with that, I hope you enjoy!

TW for heavy dubcon PLEASE don't read if you're upset by coercion, noncon, ignored request for contraception, captivity, abusive relationship dynamics, Idia being a huge pervert, fetishization of virginity, talk of virginity (it's very brief,) Virgin! Reader, allusions to electric shocks

Real talk, if anyone in your circle hits you with anything that Idia says in the last half of this fic, please register that as a HUGE red flag. It's fun and whatever here because you can click away from this fic, but you cannot click away from real life. Practice safe sex and self-respect folx.

The time has somewhat blended together. All you know is the present, and presently, you’re sitting in Idia’s lap, with Ortho out, again. It feels like he’s always out. 

Ever since Idia knocked you out via triggering your collar, you have no choice but to admit that you’re far more inclined to “hang out” with him. It’s a safety thing. If you don’t hang out with him, he gets annoyed… and even though you’ve only really annoyed him to the point of doing something once, you’re smart enough not to put your hand in the dog’s mouth again.  

So you’re sitting with him. Honestly it’s very benign, but your back is beginning to hurt and you’re kind of hungry, so you shift a bit and stand up.

“Do you want some cup noodles?” You ask. If you’re going to be stuck here, you may as well make the best of it… and you don’t want to hear Idia complain about you being cold-hearted.

“Nah, I ordered in some stuff. Come sit back down, it’ll be here in a moment.”

So you do. You take a seat on his lap and you are not deaf to the thrilled noise that escapes him. You don’t acknowledge it though.

“So… we’ve been together for a while.” He starts, “Did you know that today is our four month anniversary?”

You didn’t, but you do now. You nod, well aware that you look convincing either way.

“Ah, I’m so lucky that I have such a cute partner.”

 Idia is kind of hard to read at the best of times, but right now, attempting to figure him out is the equivalent of reading someone’s Russian grandmother’s cursive handwriting. You give him a blank, wide-eyed stare, and he gives you a toothy smile.

“I’m lucky…” His thumbs slide under the hem of your shirt and he presses his lips against the corner of yours, “So, so lucky…”

“W-wait-” You begin.

Idia cuts you off. You hate it when he does this, “But… I think you could stand to be a bit more affectionate. I mean, I know I’ve got your affection at level three, at least. And I get that you’re like an ahodere character, so I’ll spell it out for you.”

“Aho-”

“Shhh, shh. We should do more couple stuff. I already got us matching pajamas, but we have time now, while Ortho isn’t around…”

You pause before talking, just in case he wasn’t finished, “Idia, I don’t know what you’re implying.”

“Seven, you’re slow. I’m telling you that we should fuck since my little brother won’t be back for a while.”

This time you pause because the air left your lungs when he said that. It’s okay. It gives you time to weigh your options.

If you go along with it, there’s a chance he’ll just leave you alone afterwards. If you don’t go along with it, you’re possibly going to get zapped. You don’t really want to let Idia see you naked, much less allow him inside of you, but… you also would prefer not getting shocked. 

When you finally speak, it’s measured, “So… if I go along with this… do you think you’d be okay with taking the collar off of me?”

Idia’s face brightens. He obviously thought you’d outright decline, but he squeezes your waist and taps his nose against yours as he kisses you again, “That sounds sensible. Are you gonna stay put?”

You nod. Idia lets you go and you awkwardly sit on the bed as he stands up, motioning towards your legs. It takes you a second before you realize what he wants. You take off your pants and underwear, watching as he simply reaches a hand in the fly of his sleep pants and frees himself. You have to focus all your energy on not shrieking when he does so.

The head of his cock is a bright, cobalt blue, same as his lips and eyelids. It’s proportional to his height and you jump up to your feet when he wraps a hand around the base and a inky substance oozes from the tip.

“What is that?!” You can’t help yourself.

“Listen, you can’t act surprised that I’m riled up after you’ve been acting all cute and shit. Sit back down.” He snaps.

You obey immediately, for fear of getting shocked, and Idia grabs you. You find it funny, he isn’t exactly traditionally strong, but he still just will manhandle you sometimes. Is it because you actually don’t mind him treating you like a toy? You jump as he shifts you, his cock pressing against your inner thigh. It almost feels like a red-hot poker.

“N-no, wait, hold on. Do you have a condom?” You ask.

“Are you usually this picky when you have sex?”

“You’ve had sex before?”

“Have you?”

You don’t answer. The answer is that you really haven’t. You’ve never even tongue kissed someone. The most experience you’ve had is with toys and your fingers, but you’re not really sure how to explain this. His eyes stare into yours and you think he gets it when he smirks, wide and deranged.

“Wow… I knew I was lucky. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you have a good first time with your senpai… whee hee hee…”

He uses his nimble fingers to adjust himself so he’s pressed against your entrance, ignoring your previous plea for a condom, and slowly, slowly eases his manhood into your walls. You have the sense to bite your tongue at the sting, the stretch causing a dull burn in your ring of muscle. Your body isn't used to this type of intrusion. 

As he supports you with a hand in the small of your back, his hips begin to slowly pump. Cool air hits your neck where the collar once was, and Idia presses a kiss against the corner of your mouth again. When he pulls away, you can see the pink, peachy tone in his hair and on the apples of his cheeks.

“Ah, I’m so lucky…” He mumbles.

[specialagentlokitty]

Thomas Barrow x sister!reader - make sure you’re treated right

I have another idea for a Thomas Barrow x sister reader. Maybe during series two, reader is the same age as Sybil and enrols in a nursing course and works at Downton abbey as a nurse (maybe after watching her brother go off to fight and exchanging letters detailing his life at the front, sister reader wants to do more to help the war effort). Sister reader befriends Sybil and they get along well (maybe reader was the equivalent of Sybil’s lady’s maid previously so they knew each other well) and given their shared work experience, their bond becomes stronger When Thomas returns reader is delighted to see her older brother again, though after nursing the other soldier worries for her brothers well-being as he won’t talk to her about the front or how he got his injury. Maybe whilst he is there, a solider takes a liking to sister reader and it makes her rather uncomfortable (similar to Ethel and the Major Bryant, though things never go that far and reader isn’t interested), Thomas overhears reader telling Sybil about it and Thomas takes matters into his own hands. - Anon💜

You loved reading your brothers letters from his time abroad, knowing that he was safe and well, it was reassuring.

But you couldn’t help that voice in the back of your head telling you that you should be doing something as well.

You loved Downton, it was amazing.

But knowing he was out there, knowing that Lady Sybil was out doing something to help the cause as well made you feel like you had to do something more.

That you had to help somehow.

“Mrs Hughes?” You asked quietly.

“Yes?”

She turned to you and smiled, and you smiled a little bit back.

“I was wondering if maybe… I could ask you for some advice?”

“Of course you may, come along. Is everything alright?”

She led you to somewhere quiet, and you sat down with her, taking a small breath as you tried to figure out how to phrase what you wanted to ask.

“I want to do something to help the war cause, and I was wondering if you think it would be good for me to enrol in the nursing college.”

“I see, you are aware that what you would be seeing are the direct results of war. It may make you worry about Thomas even more than you do.”

“As long as I still receive his letters I’ll be alright, but if something were to happen to him I could help. I want to help them.”

Mrs Hughes nodded her head a little bit and smiled warmly at well.

“Well, if it is what you want to do I see no harm, you are a bright girl, and a quick learner I have no doubt you’ll do incredibly well.”

“Thank you Mrs Hughes.”

You went back to your tasks, and the following days you applied for the college.

The wait was daunting, you hated waiting, but it wasn’t long before you got your response back, and everybody crowded around.

“Will you be leaving us (Y/N)?” Lady Mary asked.

You handed it to Mr Carson, and he nodded, opening it for you before handing it back over for you to read it.

You only had to read the first few sentences and you looked at them all.

“I’m going to be a nurse!”

Everyone cheered and celebrated, they were so proud of you.

“Will you look out for Lady Sybil? I know as a nurse you have no need, but we worry.” Lord Grantham said quietly.

“Of course my lord.”

You went off that week, and afterwards, you found yourself transferred back near Downton.

You weren’t sure why you had been transferred here but you were more than happy to help out here, and the moment you walked through the doors you were greeted by a familiar face.

“Lady Sybil.” You smiled.

“Please, call me Sybil here. I’m so glad to see you here.”

“I’m glad to be here, it’s nice to be working so close to everybody.”

“It is, it is why I asked for you here. Mama and papa told me about you going to become a nurse, and I just knew I had to bring you back.”

“Thank you so much.”

She helped you with everything you needed to know, and as you worked together you both grew closer, instead of being ladies maid and lady, you were almost inseparable now.

You were friends.

You were running to and from nursing soldiers, and you weren’t aware that Thomas was coming home until he finally appeared in front of you.

“Thomas!”

You stopped what you were doing, setting everything doing and running up to him to hug him.

Thomas rolled his eyes, placing his good hand on your back as you hugged him tightly.

“I’ve been so worried about you Thomas, are you okay? Are did you get hurt?”

“Nothing serious.” He said.

You pulled away and furrowed your brows at him, realising that he was there as another patient.

“Thomas?”

“It’s nothing (Y/N), go back to work.”

He walked back over to his bed and sat down, and you furrowed your brows a little bit but when back to what you were doing.

When you had no duties, you tried anything you could spend time with Thomas, trying to talk to him.

You knew it was best to try to get soldiers to talk, get them to open up a little bit but Thomas was having none of it, but another soldier upon seeing you spend time with Thomas wanted your attention as well.

He kept calling you over, requesting you by name and refusing to let anybody else treat his injuries or help him in any way.

You didn’t like him one bit, and with Thomas distancing himself from you, you turned to the only person who would listen to you.

“Can I confined you in something?”

Lady Sybil turned her attention towards you, and she smiled a little, nodding her head.

“Of course you can.”

“There is a solider, he pesters me for my attention, to court me, despite the many attempts I have made to turn him away, I’m unsure as to what to do.”

Lady Sybil frowned, sitting down on the chair in front of you.

“Have you tried to turn his care to somebody else?”

“Nobody else will take him as he refuses care if it is not me.”

She nodded her head a little.

“Have you tried to speak to Thomas about this man?”

“Thomas will not listen, he does not want to spend any time listening to me, he is uninterested.”

“Perhaps we should consider some time away, ask to transfer elsewhere until this soldier is sent home.”

“He will follow along, no matter where I go he is determined he will court me and eventually make me his wife. I am scared my lady.”

Sybil reached over, placing her hand on yours, trying to offer you any comfort that she could.

Little did the pair of you know that Thomas was listening nearby, and he was focusing on the soldier that was approaching you.

“Will you join me for dinner tonight Nurse (Y/N)?” He asked.

“The lady has already made her disinterest very clear.” Lady Sybil warned.

“I never asked for your input so be quiet.” The soldier snapped.

Thomas walked over, standing talk as he stood aside the table you and Lady Sybil were sat at.

“I suggest you leave her alone soldier.”

“You have no authority over me.” He snapped back.

Thomas stormed over, and with a swing of his arm he punched the other soldier in the face, watching as he fell to the floor.

“Leave my sister alone or you will be dealing with me.” He growled.

Thomas held his arm out to you and you took it to stand up, and you helped lady Sybil up as well.

“I will have him gone by the end of the day, go inside.”

“Thomas?” You asked.

“Go.” He barked.

You nodded and scurried inside, and Thomas turned to the soldier on the floor, anger running through his blood.

How dare anyone treat you like that, and speak to lady Sybil in such a tone, he was going to make sure that the solider never forgot his lesson on how to treat a woman.

When he was done, he made his way back inside, lighting a cigarette as he did so and he stood next to you.

“He will not be bothering you again.” He said.

“What did you do?”

Thomas said nothing and you glanced up at him, frowning a little bit, but you stood closer to him.

“Thank you Thomas…”

He just gave a nod of his head, glaring at any soldier who dared to so much as glance in your general direction

[nagichi-boop]

A Star That’s Out of Reach (Chapter 12)

[Previous] - [Next] [Masterlist]

Don’t get too excited about the quick turnaround for updates, this chapter sucks, sorry. I had a whole idea with Tails I was gonna do, but I couldn’t easily transition from the scenario in this chapter, so it ended up being drawn out too long instead. The upside is that the next chapter will probably be more focused on Shadow and Tails interactions (and a guest that I won’t spoil), so if y’all want that then you’re in luck!

View this as the filler episode equivalent of fanfic chapters.

— x —

Shadow had been sat under the tree for almost an hour now, his eyes fixed on the starry sky, almost as if the heat of them would warm him up. He began to wonder whether Amy would show, but the thought of leaving crossed his mind, he heard someone approaching. Turning his head, he smiled warmly as Amy approved who was graced with a smile of her own. She was hugging a notebook to her chest as she approached excitedly.

“Sorry I’m so late,” the pink hedgehog chirped as she sat beside Shadow. “I lost track of time when I was with everyone.” Shadow shook his head slightly, the smile on his face remained. “Not at all. I’m always happy to wait if it’s you.” A blush crept onto Amy’s face as he said this. She quickly looked up to see Shadow’s face, trying to glean his intention. As she did so, Shadow’s face shifted to one of innocent curiosity. “Are you okay?”

“Y-yes, I’m okay,” Amy stuttered as she swiftly looked down. She couldn’t wipe the grin off her face though, even if Shadow’s words weren’t intended as flirtatious. She raised a hand and cleared her throat, trying to mentally reset. But as she tried to do so, she felt an arm wrap around her and pull her in, which only flustered her more.

“Is that better?” Shadow asked softly, his gaze intently fixed on her.

“W-What are you doing?” Amy responded in a stunned confusion.

Shadow titled his head slightly as he responded. “I thought maybe you were cold. Did I misunderstand?”

Oddly, Shadow’s response calmed Amy. She gigged a little before speaking. “Yes, you did. But I’m also cold, so I’m not complaining!” She then flipped open her book on her lap and Shadow did the same, though he refused to use the hand that was now rested on Amy’s shoulder.

“So how exactly does this work?” Shadow asked genuinely. There was a surprising air of calmness to Shadow, one which Amy wasn’t really expected. Perhaps he was taking this potential dating situation seriously, even more so than her.

“Well…I don’t really know,” Amy admitted as she stared at her own notes. “I think when it comes to dating, it’s not a one-size-fits-all. And if I’m being honest, I have no clue where to start.” Shadow hummed in thought as he stared at the notes he had made. They were written neatly in a list, but in no particular order – he just wrote what came to mind. Amy’s notes, on the other hand, were organised with different headings, and stickers and doodles were distributed throughout the pages. This wasn’t her first time journalling, after all.

“Maybe we should just read through each other’s notes?” Shadow eventually suggested. Amy paused to think, then nodded in agreement to the plan. She swapped the two journals, pushing on the spine of her’s so it would stay open for Shadow.

The two of them sat in silence for a few moments as they read through each other’s notes. Amy glanced up at one point and was surprised to see Shadow’s expression was focused, almost intense. He was clearly focusing intently on reading Amy’s notes – it was endearing. She smiled as she went back to reading Shadow’s. A lot of it made sense; needing alone time, no forcing me to hang out with your friends - all things that Shadow already expected of others. She paused on one of the points.

“‘No sudden displays of affection,’” she quotes aloud. She looked up at Shadow, who returned her eye contact. “Anything specific I should avoid?”

Shadow looked back at Amy’s journal as he collected his thoughts. “I guess I was thinking things like hugs and…kisses.” Amy blushed a little at his honesty, but it was quite refreshing to hear things laid out so clearly. “What about hand holding?”

“That’s okay, though maybe not when others are around. For now, at least.”

Amy nodded as she took in this information. “Are hugs and kisses completely off the table, or are they okay if they aren’t a surprise?” Shadow hummed a little, though his eyes remained on Amy’s journal. At first she thought he was avoiding looking at her, but it became apparent he was just deep in thought.

“I’m okay with it, just not out of nowhere.” Though he wouldn’t say it out loud, he had already concluded that he wasn’t ready for spontaneous displays of affection. It left him feeling like he wasn’t in control, and that feeling terrified him, even if deep down he appreciated the affection.

Amy thought to herself for a moment. It was subtle, but she could tell there was a deeper emotion to Shadow’s response. She didn’t wish to push it right now, though. A realisation then crossed her mind. “Did me kissing your cheek the other night upset you?”

Shadow went quiet for a moment, his expression unchanging. The mild tension seemed to go away, however. “No. If anything, it helped me to clearly understand what your feelings towards me were. It was…pleasant. But I don’t think I’m quite ready for that to be the norm. It still makes me incredibly nervous and that is a feeling that makes me uncomfortable.” Amy smiled in understanding. “That makes sense. You’ve been guarded for so long that affection must be scary, huh?” Shadow, though still looking down, nodded in agreement. Amy was perceptive as always. “Thank you for letting me know. I’ll make sure to let you know if I want to hug or kiss you. I’m happy to wait until you’re more comfortable for anything more than that.”

Shadow briefly glanced at Amy as she said that, a little confused as to what she meant. But he quickly dismissed the thoughts. When it was necessary, they could discuss what that meant, but he saw little use in worrying about it this early on. He looked back at Amy’s journal, diligently absorbing her notes. The more he read, the more a feeling of unease settled in.

“Is this really going to work?” he muttered under his breath, but with how close Amy was to him, she heard it. She leaned away from Shadow slightly, looking at him with a worried expression.

“What do you mean? Are you having second thoughts?” Though she recognised this as a potential outcome, her heart still sank at the possibility. Shadow’s eyes widened as if he was being snapped back into reality. He quickly turned his attention to Amy, realising that what he said sounded like a rejection.

“No no, it’s not that,” Shadow assured in a slight panic. He glanced at the book again, as if to bring Amy’s focus to it. “It’s just, I realised that your notes are a lot less…strict than mine.”

Amy tilted her head. “‘Strict’?”

Shadow exhaled a nervous breath. “Well, my notes seemed more restrictive. Your’s, on the other hand, sound like the bare minimum amount of respect I’m supposed to show you.”

Amy stared open mouthed at Shadow, surprised at his insightful observation. After a few moments of silence, Shadow looked at Amy and was confused at her expression. In fact, it made him a little nervous. When he turned to face her, Amy realised that her silence may be worrying him, so she quickly shook her head and spoke.

“Sorry, I lost myself a little there. I wasn’t expecting you to say something like that.” She looked away and paused for a moment, with Shadow watching her all the while. Her thumb gently brushed along the page of his journal, as if to show her respect for him. “I guess I was a little unsure of what put down. I’ve read plenty of romance stories, but I’ve never been in a relationship. I have no idea what to expect. And while I don’t expect you to have the answers either, it’s a bit confusing when we can’t talk to anyone about this.”

Shadow stared at her for a moment, noting the worry on her face. After a few moments, a hand entered Amy’s field of vision, hovering over the journal. She followed it up to look back at Shadow, seeing the love and concern on his face.

“Are you offering to hold my hand?” she asked hesitantly, unsure of whether she was interpreting the gesture correctly. She received a sheepish nod, so she gently took his hand, which was soon enveloped by his. His thumb traced the back of her hand, which she observed with a tender expression.

“I don’t expect you to know what to do,” Shadow spoke softly. “In a way, it’s comforting to know this is so new to both of us.” He paused for a moment and gently squeezed her hand, his gaze drifting up to her face. “Maybe we would both benefit from someone knowing about this?”

Amy looked up at him for a moment, before her eyes suddenly widened in realisation. She then smiled nervously and glanced away.

“Actually…there are people that already know,” Amy shyly confessed. Shadow raised an eyebrow, a bit surprised to hear that multiple people may know already. But his expression remained calm.

“Who?”

“Blaze and Silver. I was talking about having a crush on you and they figured it out along the way.”

Shadow nodded as he processed the information. He then came to a realisation of his own.

“I suppose you ought to know that Rouge is aware of our relationship,” he admitted. “She was aware of my feelings for you a while ago. But I accidentally revealed the status of our relationship yesterday while I was looking for a journal.”

Amy giggled a little, her cheeks tinted pink. “I guess it was only a matter of time when it came to her knowing.” She smiled warmly at Shadow. “This makes things a little easier I guess. We each have people we can talk to, though Blaze and Silver are perhaps a little less available.”

The two of them sat in silence for a short while, staring up at the starry night. Amy eventually began to start shivering, which Shadow promptly took note of. He considered taking her back home, but a new idea came into his mind.

“Did you want to warm up at my place for a bit?” he suggested.

Amy tensed up at the suggestion, her head quickly flicking to look at him. He appeared surprised at her reaction, which made her realise she was perhaps she was overthinking it. “Oh…y-yeah, okay!”

Shadow stood up and offered his hand to Amy, helping her to her feet. To her surprise, he didn’t let go as they walked side by side. They didn’t speak as they travelled, but it didn’t bother them. Amy would occasionally sneak a glance at Shadow, but the hedgehog had seemingly reverted back to his resting expression.

They eventually reached the house, which Amy took a moment to observed. It was small and unspoken, which was initially odd to her. But she realised that Shadow, Rouge and Omega didn’t seem to be the types to have a fancy house. Besides, it would be counter to their characters for them for their house to stick out, especially for Rouge.

Shadow released Amy’s hand and opened the door. He stepped to the side and beckoned her in, to which she entered. She glanced around for a moment before freezing in place as someone approached.

“Shadow, you’re home!” Rouge entered the room and, like Amy, froze in her tracks. Unlike Amy, however, she quickly recovered. She smirked as she continued; “Oh? Bold of you to bring a lady home with you, Shadow.”

“Cool it, Rouge,” Shadow scolded, closing the door behind him and standing beside Amy. “I invited her here in order to warm up. That’s all.” Shadow and Rouge locked eyes for a moment, and as if he could read her mind, he spoke again. “No need to be coy. Amy knows that you’re aware of us.”

“Oh thank goodness, I can quit with the pretences,” Rouge sighed in relief, her teasing attitude almost immediately fading. “It’s too late in the day to be bothering with that.” She looked at Amy, who was still a little guarded. “No need to be so tense. Make yourself at home and all that jazz. I’ll stay out of your way.”

“No, stay!” Amy impulsively belted, startling Shadow and Rouge a little. “W-What I mean is, you don’t have to go. This is your house, after all! We don’t mind, right Shadow?” She glanced up at him, as if seeking validation.

“It’s fine by me I suppose. But are you sure you’re comfortable with it?”

Amy smiled reassuringly at Shadow. “I’m okay with it, really I am.”

Rouge looked between the two of them, figuring out her next move. She could tell Shadow wanted to be alone with Amy, perhaps out of fear of her prying into their relationship. But she could also tell that Amy was flustered at the idea of being alone with Shadow, not because he would do anything, but because she was now in his house. She sighed, realising that neither option was right or wrong.

“I’ll stay, but let me know if you want your privacy.” With a quick flap of her wings, she made her way to her chair, slouching against the armrest. Unlike Shadow and Amy, she had no qualms with putting up appearances right now. The two of them exchanged glances before Shadow gestured for her to sit down. She sat on the couch and Shadow promptly joined her, keeping a bit of distance between them. After a moment of quiet, Rouge took the TV remote and put on a program, even if to just to break the silence.

The three of them stared at the screen, not saying a word. Rouge was quite content with the quiet, but checked in on Shadow and Amy just in case. Shadow seemed content with the situation, but it was clear Amy was conflicted. Before she could figure out how to help them, Amy stood up with a smile plastered on her face.

“Thanks for inviting me in,” she said, forcefully smiling at Shadow. “I ought to go home now, though.”

Shadow raised an eyebrow in confusion, but decided not to push it. “Sure thing.” The two of them walked to the door, but Shadow hesitated as his hand rested on the handle. He turned to Amy and offered his hand. “Let me teleport you home.”

Amy snuck a glance at Rouge, then took his hand sheepishly. Using the Chaos Emerald at his disposal, she and Shadow were swiftly transported outside her house. She smiled up at Shadow and spoke, “Thank you, Shadow. It was nice spending time with you. I’ll see you again soon, okay?” With a nod from Shadow, Amy turned and entered her house. Shadow stood there for a moment as the door closed in front of him. He sighed, then teleported himself home, back into the living room. Despite returning, he didn’t say anything and instead stood there for a moment, staring at the floor.

“Something wrong, Shadow?” Rouge asked, her head rested in her hand. He sighed again, then wandered to the couch to sit on it, though his eyes remained fixed on the floor. He was clearly upset.

“Did I do something wrong?” Shadow asked himself, his brows furrowed a little in frustration.

Rouge sat forward, giving her full attention to Shadow. “Oh hun, I’m sure that’s not the case. I think perhaps she was just a little…uneasy because I was around.”

Shadow looked up at Rouge, clearly not content with that answer. “She seemed nervous at the idea of coming back here. I shouldn’t have forced it.”

Despite not fully understanding what he meant, she could see why Amy would be unsettled by the offer. Not that she blamed Shadow though: unlike Amy, he hadn’t the faintest idea when it came to relationships. “Don’t beat yourself up over it. The two of you are still fresh – it will take time for you to adjust to being in each other’s lives.”

Shadow’s expression relaxed slightly. He let out a sigh, though this time it was out of relief instead of disappointment. “That makes sense. Thanks Rouge.”

“Glad to hear it,” Rouge smiled warmly at him. She then yawned and stretched, before turning to look at Shadow. “Shoot, I forgot how late it was. This lady needs her beauty sleep. We can talk more later, okay?”

“Sure thing,” Shadow replied. “I too lost track of time.” He stood up and the two of them walked out of the room into the hallway. Shadow paused as he got to his door, then smiled at Rouge. “Night, Rouge.”

“Sleep well, Shadow,” Rouge reciprocated. The two of them then parted ways, entering their respective rooms.

“EVENING SHADOW,” Omega said, settled underneath the bunk bed.

“Hey Omega,” Shadow replied, jumping up into his bed. There was a mutual understanding that Shadow was here to sleep, so Omega remained quiet after this. Shadow closed his eyes, and shortly thereafter fell asleep.

[dumborangecat]

i take your idea of a villainous Simon and raise you: a simon who caused the horrific end of the human world and the Great Mushroom War, or an equivalent magical disaster, ON PURPOSE. Maybe he decided that humanity was just too much and it was time to wipe the board clean, or this was a Simon just a smidge more vindictive and bitter than usual, but either way he ended humanity on purpose?

Ahhhhh! I love this idea! I spent a while trying to come up with motives or reasons Simon (or canon Simon atleast) would do something like that and the best one i could think of was maybe something to do with Betty, Such as Betty leaving simon (through the time portal, or maybe just running away) causing the Crown’s ‘craziness’ to happen way faster and Simon getting super mad (or sad) about her leaving coupled with his deteriorating mental state causes him to use his ice powers in order to like freeze a massive area around him, like the entire country, or maybe even the entire earth and causing another ice age

Or if it was maybe a more calculated/thought out move, possibly during the mushroom war, before the bomb hit (but close to it) Simon could tell this would only get worse, and the war would destroy not only most of humanity but also have massive ecological effects, and overall just be a horrible thing, and because of this he decides to stop everything ,before it can get any worse, by just freezing everyone.

I think the idea of Simon intentionally (or even accidentally) freezing earths entire population (or most of it atleast) would be super interesting, and the effect it would have on ice king (once he reaches that state) could also be neat to think about. Because by freezing everyone, he’d have doomed himself to pretty much live on earth, alone, for basically all of eternity. He’d have no marceline to take care of, or empress to keep him company (and brainwash him but still) or even princesses to kidnap. He’d be entirely alone. This would obviously affect ice king as a large part of his character and problems is how lonely he is, it’s (part of) why he kidnaps princesses and it’s later ‘solved’ when Finn, Jake, and the gang start actually hanging out with him. But seeing an ice king who can’t even remember what it’s like to not be lonely, who has no memories of having even 1 person or thing to talk to (even if their unwilling) would be interesting. Depending on what the freezing of earth did to the environment he might not even have gunter, or any of his penguins.

A good question with this though is when did he freeze/otherwise doom (but considering his ice powers probably freeze) everyone? Was it just after he got the crown and Betty ‘abandoned’ him, leaving him alone and unable to properly process his feelings? was it later on during the war when all of humanity was fighting eachother? or was it even later then that, once the mushroom bomb had gone off, maybe even once he was travelling with marcy? How would she react to seeing that (if she survives, but she’s a demon she maybe would)? What’s either of them supposed to do now that everyone and everyone thing else is (presumably) dead?

Also does Ooo still somehow emerge after this? If it does how is it different? Obviously Finn won’t be there, and since Dogs may have been wiped out by the freeze Jake might not either, but does the Mother gum still exist? (depending on when the freeze happens) Does maceline survive? would she just die at the end of her mortal lifespan if there’s no vampires (unless they still emerge due to idk plot reasons or something) or would she end up like farmworld marcy, all old and withered? Are there still all of the other princesses? What about Prismo? he seems to be just a normal human when you see his sleeping body, would he be created some other way? or just cease to exist?

How does being alone in the wasteland affect Simon? especially with him knowing it’s his fault, does he feel guilty about what he’s done? Maybe he does feel guilty, but also believes it was for the best, a necessary sacrifice. If he’s a more bitter ‘evil’ Simon that normal does he not care that he’s killed litterally everyone? Maybe he does care, but not because ‘oh no, i just murdered thousands of people’ but instead ‘oh no, i just doomed myself to centuries of isolation’, maybe he’s forced to deal with the fact that (atleast until he becomes ice king snd probably forgets everything) that his current misery and loneliness is entirely his fault. Does all this maybe lead to a staright up evil ice king?

(If such a universe were to appear in fionna and cake) how would Canon Simon react to seeing this more evil but also tormented version of him, how would Simon who’s presumably been alone for centuries with nothing but his own thoughts and festering guilt, react to seeing not just people again, but a version of himself who (in comparison) is living his dream life?

Sorry for rambling, I just loved your idea, it has so much potential for different scenarios/ways to play out and how it affects things and people in the future, namely Simon/ice king.

[cheemken]

Steven being the only one with an okay-ish parent is meannn. Gave the other champions either trauma or daddy/mommy issues that won’t get resolved, but Steven gets to have an actual dad lmao

Also I really like the idea that Iris’ parents were teen parents/very early twenties that didn’t think they could handle the responsibility of a child or didn’t want to put their life on hold for her

The way I see it happening is that Iris gets asked to be in an interview, perhaps 5-7 years after she became champion. It’s one of those interviews where the celeb gets asked about their life, the significant events that have happened, how they got to fame, etc.

She mostly talks about her life with Drayden, how she trained under him and learnt what she knows from him. Even sharing some of her version about the events in BW and BW2. But when she gets asked about her REAL parents (which she was annoyed about, cause Drayden was her parent figure and they’re disregarding him with that question) she only mentions how they abandoned her in Blackthorn city when she wasn’t even a year old, and that nobody knew who her parents were. But she ended the question by saying she’s grateful it happened because she wouldn’t have got to meet Drayden if they never did

I say her parents only found out because let’s be real, the champions are celebrities and celebs always have bat shit crazy fans who invade personal business. And now they just got a bunch of info about Iris’ life. So a group of her fans on Discord, or whatever the Pokémon equivalent of it is, probably found her biological parents and got in touch with them, cause this type of stuff always happens on a discord server 💀

Imagine the drama that occurs after this, titles and headlines are something like “Champion Iris of Unova gets in contact with her bio parents!! 😱😱😱 (NOT FAKE!!!)”

Very last thing I want to add, but Iris has definitely listened to Leon rant about his ‘dad’ trying to reconnect with him after he became famous. So now she has that fear that her own bio parents are trying to do the same thing with her

Real quick but does that really happen in discord servers😭😭

Ah but anyways cbdmdn hahaha

O U G H

No but cjmxnx before the interview, that's where Leon and Iris talked abt stuff tho, and god she doesn't want that, she's already overthinking abt all the different things happening if she ever meets her bio parents

And then the interview happened, the question has been asked, and suddenly a few days later the Champions are messaging her, saying how they've been seeing a lot of news articles abt her parents, how there's a ton of posts going online how these two specific peeps were so adamant and so insistent that they're Iris' parents, and they sent a pic to the group chat and god the fucking resemblance is uncanny and she fucking hated it

There's like a million thoughts running in her head. Maybe those are just edits, maybe they just dyed their hair purple to get clout that they're related to her, or maybe it's just coincidence like how it was coincidence she and Leon looks related to each other. But then these two people wanted to talk to her, they were so insistent she's honestly annoyed by it. She asked for the other Champions to be there for her at least, in case smth actually happens, she doesn't trust these two ofc, and she knows her grandpa will be there for her and the Unova League and her friends too, but it's best to have more people to intimidate them yknow

And in a more secluded part of Opelucid, or maybe even at their own home, Iris invited the two. Drayden, the rest of the Unova kids, and even the Champions were there. But the two knows there's more people there, more Pokémon than they can see. They could see the Mistralton Gym Leader flying w her Vullaby around Opelucid for a while now. Sees the Nimbasa Gym Leader heading towards the mall, but she gave them a side eye as she went. They saw the Elite Four roaming around Opelucid as well. And while they had no plans to fight (ofc, they only have two Pokémon between them, they aren't even trained, and they wanna fight literal champions?), it still made them uneasy

And just chmdnd

Ough yo pls Iris is there just glaring at them, and the two are so uncomfortable yknow, bc for one, Drayden was also glaring at them. At Iris' right was Diantha also looking at them w a bored expression, but it's the one where the champions know it's best not to cross her. Behind her were Leon, Hilbert, and Cynthia, w Hilbert having his arms crossed, glaring at them, he honestly looks terrifying. And Iris just sighs, she'd rather get this over w than to prolong it even more.

She asks them if it's real, that they are her parents, they have no proof ofc, but shit man they're just so goddamn insistent. And they told her ofc, told her everything, why they left her at Blackthorn, how they were young and stupid when they had her, and that kinda set Iris off, "so I was an accident?" God that shut them up. Technically. She was. They didn't want her. That's why they left her, because they were so young when they had her, and they were terrified, and in a spur of the moment, they decided to leave her in Blackthorn, hoping someone would take care of her there.

Iris didn't even want to hear the rest of it. Now they're back? After everything, now they're back? Why? Because she's suddenly a strong and famous Champion? Is this what Leon meant? Of course, how could she be stupid too, ofc this was what he meant. And even tho she already knows, she asked them, asked them why they suddenly wanna see her again, why just now?

Her "mother" hesitated, but her "father" was quick w his response, "we just wanted to see if you're alright!"

Liar.

Iris smiled. The one Diantha always taught her and Hau when they're finally done with the conversation, but didn't want to be rude. But she did want to be rude. God she wanted to scream and yell and lash out. "Well. That's sweet of you. But I'm doing great. Better than I could've been, honestly." She said through her teeth, "you two are free to leave now."

But idk,,, imagine,,, imagine if her father got low-key pissed bc they really thought Iris would accept them, and they can finally live the life they wanted, the life of wealth and fame together w their daughter. "Iris, listen—"

Tho as he stood up, both Lance and Drayden stood up as well, block his view of Iris, the Dragon specialists having looks that are downright homicidal, and they'd rather not cross them, as they know how Lance could actually get.

They finally relented, as Iris' mother tugged on her husband's shirt, telling him that's enough, they're powerless against the Champions. They know that. And just imagine her looking at Iris, smiling sadly at her, tears in her eyes, and tells her how she doesn't fault her for being like this, as they probably deserve this, and told her that despite it all, she's happy she found a family for herself, a family that really loves her, and before they left, she told Iris she was proud of her. Smth her so called father never said, as he left without another word.

And just jcmxnxmx after that tho, they watch them leave, hopefully they won't return again, and Iris is there crying, being held in Drayden's arms as she sobs in his chest, god that was smth yknow, that really was smth hahah she never wanted to relive that, never wanted to see them again, never wanted to hear word of them again, she doesn't want them, not like they wanted her too, and she already has a family. And her family, despite them not being related to each other, is so much better than her so called parents.

[lakesbian]

now that Letter Hour on lakesbian dot tumblr dot com has concluded it’s time 2 present my own alec song choices. gotta show my own ass on song choices if i’m gonna issue decrees abt the validity of other ppls choices

how to be a heartbreaker - marina & the diamonds

i don’t give a shit. i love being on the nose. his entire Deal And Problem is being groomed to be like his dad, heartbreaker. being taught. How To Be A Heartbreaker, Even! i think i’m funny. you can’t tell me that the lyrics to this aren’t objectively accurate to how the heartbroken operated re kidnapping people. also, m&td sounds how alec’s gay little cape costume looks.

alligator blood - nicole dollanganger

I'm a sucker for the love of the flesh All things rancid and delicate But the smell in the summer heat It still gets to me Knee-deep in the poacher's dream He dragged that thing out back and he Hung it upside down, slit its belly open And let it bleed out And he held my head and made me watch He filled my mouth up with its blood and said "Grow up weak or grow up tough"

enough said. bonus points for the mention of the summer heat + the shitty childhood memory alec recalls in his interlude specifically involving not speaking for an entire hot summer (and fall...and winter...) + the emotional abuse being described as the emotional equivalent to staring into the sun for too long. grow up weak or grow up tough!!

cigarettes & chocolate milk - rufus wainwright

this whole thing fits pretty damn well--verses 1 thru 3 with the ‘and then there’s those other things. which for several reasons we won’t mention.’ is such A Sentence you can say about alec--but the real highlight is

Playing with prodigal sons Takes a lot of sentimental Valiums Can't expect the world to be your Raggedy Andy While running on empty, you little old doll with a frown

easily one of the Most Regent Sentences Ever. can’t expect the world to be your doll/playtoy while you’re running on empty, you little old doll with a frown ♥ 

i cut myself - talkshow boy

this one is a bit more of an abstracted choice. it’s very Alec how it self-reports shitty mental health in a very casual, almost bored way--jumping between describing Problems w/ chaotic background sound and then going back to a very monotone closing word that makes the entire thing sound alarmingly blasé. 

there Is an entire animatic for this in my head, and my life would be great if i knew how to animate in mspaint. just go listen to it and rotate alec in your brain, if you don’t catch the vibe you’re doing it wrong.

note that interpreting “i touch myself,” “and everywhere i look i always find myself aside myself,” “i think i’m all together but i tear myself apart,” and “you fuck yourself way too hard,” in the most literal, body-snatching power-having way possible, is crucial for properly understanding the Vision.

(talkshow boy cover of hurt is on the playlist for similar reasons)

[bxtonpxss]

Eeh!? A strangled squeak of surprise escapes the teen after he suddenly takes hold of her hand and apologizes before kissing it. Too stunned to speak, Neya's doing quite the decent impression of a goldfish right now. Mouth agape and eyes wide open. Absently she realizes her bag slipped out from under her arm and plopped to the floor, but she's still trying to process the other's actions.

This sort of thing only happened to princesses in children’s stories, and she was not a princess!anymore. “Uh—uhm!” Jerkily Neya takes her hand back and cradles it against her rapidly beating chest and clamps her mouth shut. The flush that had previously appeared on her cheeks had only grown darker. He was too forward! She wasn't used to boys doing these sorts of things, it was improper! They've only just met after all!

The back of her hand tingles, and she clenches it into a fist to help shake off the lingering sensation. Neya clears her throat and politely murmurs her thanks at his promise. She felt a bit tongue-tied, this boy was very dangerous, how could he make her so speechless with just a simple gesture?

"I am Neya..." she introduces back, finding it a bit easier to form words with the topic change. "Neya Muito." He was a thief? Well, that certainly did explain a few things. When he reveals his stolen prize, she can't help but admire the beauty in their simplicity, only to choke at his offer.

W-What?! What sort of thief just gives away an item they just stole? To a stranger like her of all people, and for 5 billion yen! 5 billion of anything was certainly too high of a number for her to even begin to wrap her mind around. She wasn’t even sure how to calculate that. What even was the equivalent of that in mon and ryo? She was still having trouble with this era's currency and never used anything higher than the 500 yen coins.

“Oh no! No no no!" Neya furiously waves her arms about and shakes her head. "This is far too much Dark-san! I couldn’t accept something like this! You must have stolen it for a reason right? B-Besides, now that it's been stolen, won’t someone be looking for it? What if they recognize it?" She was worried about the repercussions of potentially selling back stolen goods.

"Your offer is very kind and it's sweet that you're willing to help a complete stranger, but it might cause unexpected trouble.” She carefully places both her hands over the one holding out the earrings, gently closes the box and pushes it back towards him. "I can figure something out!” She gently pats the back of his hand reassuringly then pulls away smiling softly. "Please keep it."

"This place might not be perfect, but it’s really not all bad!" She reaches down to pick up her dropped bag and slides the strap over her shoulder so it won't fall again. Despite her situation, Neya tries to look at the positives rather than the negatives. "As long as I simply avoid the police. I am able to have a roof over my head and the basic necessities needed for self-care. There are some shops nearby that have really good food for not a lot of money, along with a river so I can easily catch fish, and I was even able to acquire a nice mat to sleep on very recently!"

( gah --- ! ) a sense of guilt thinly spreads from the stabbing point of her finger , though there's an unspoken thrill to her scolding , too . ( ... it's kind of nice to be yelled at every once in a while by a pretty girl like this , don't you think ? ) ( shut up ! i'm not weird like you --- ! )

at first , dark merely blinks down at her , the curl of the great phantom thief's smile having flattened out into a neutral line . "almost" got her into big trouble wasn't "did" ... and he was certain that after getting out of her hair and her , or maybe actually not her immensely humble abode , that the two of them would never meet again , and so she wouldn't have to worry .

( we should still apologize to her ... ) at that , he lifts her hand . ( w-wait , hold on , dark , what do you think you're doing ?! )

' it was my mistake , miss . ' the lids of his eyes shut and he presses his lips delicately against the back of her palm , the same whose pointer had been so close that gingerly snatching the rest of her limb for himself had been all too easy . when the stamp of his press removes itself he gently releases her hand as well , nothing more than his light dove-kiss and its lingering sensations left on her skin for her to savor . ' it won't happen again , i promise . '

and then the rest , the huff and fluster that he can't help save for once again grin at . was she a nomad ? some sort of purposeful wayfarer , or a sheltered girl who had run away from home , and now made do with warehouses for shelter and satchel-supplies for necessity ? it must have been a tough life ; his other self , having fallen silent over his idly shared and transmitted ruminations , might have thought the same thing ... if the creeping sense of pity between them was to be proof of anything .

' i'm dark , ' he finally answers with . ' dark mousy . i am the great phantom thief who has just stolen a priceless work of art . ' a fish about his pockets and he retrieves the small back box that over a dozen , maybe even over a hundred men had been sent to take back from him . a box that he offers over to her , the top of it flipping upwards to reveal an unspeakably beautiful pair of earrings .

' --- do you want them ? ' ( wha , after all of that ?! we're just going to give it away ?! what are we gonna tell mom ?! ) ' if you sell them for what they're worth , miss , then you can afford to stay someplace more comfortable ... or to at least spoil yourself with your favorite food . you seem like a shrewd girl , so --- ' he would entrust it to her . emiko could be brought something else and readily won over with just a little sweet talk ; it wouldn't have been right to simply leave a girl like this alone either . ( you think so too , don’t you —-? ) ' ... consider this a further apology . go on , take it . and make sure it doesn't leave your hands for anything short of five billion yen . '

[padfootastic]

okay this is starting out re: your sex post, but it veers to the left halfway through and then you’re just being subjected to some of my musings about people offering their Opinions™️ about fics.

it’s so interesting that you mentioned in your tags that no one ever criticizes the non-sexual methods of building tension because as someone who doesn’t usually write about sex I swear I get it ALL the time. (eg “why can’t the boys just learn to communicate???” idk, anon, they’re 19 years old and only one of them has ever been to a therapist, you tell me)

I’d agree that sexual activity in fics is definitely more heavily scrutinized than non-sexual aspects, but I also think it’s funny that anonymous askers/readers/bookmarkers feel the need to offer their two sense about why x/y/z is inaccurate/ridiculous/annoying when many fic writers draw on their own lives for experience.

As an example, I’ve had a few people mention in notes on amicus curiae that they think Remus is being ridiculous for disliking Sirius as much as he does, but I cannot tell you how much of my own proclivity for ‘righteous anger’ Remus’ behavior is based in. He’s mad from the start because someone seemingly invalidated the accommodations that he/other disabled students may need during the school year, and honestly, I’ve seen myself hold on to far more foolish reasons for anger than that. I’d originally typed up a longer story as an example, but I’m sure you can think of some yourself so I won’t subject you to it lol

Anyway. I tend to assume that most of the human aspects of a work that I’m reading are in some way based on the author’s personal experiences—whether that be relational interactions, sexual encounters, tragedy—and try to look through that lens when I’m reading and commenting as a result. That’s probably not the norm, but it’s always been funny to me how many folks feel the need to provide the author with an itemized list of what’s wrong with their fic instead of just being like… hm, maybe this wasn’t for me and moving on.

I’m not usually someone who spends a lot of time thinking about reading/writing about sex for a number of reasons, but I can still appreciate that I have friends who write it well—and even more importantly, I can appreciate those things and make the choice not to read them if I think they’d made me uncomfortable, although DLDR doesn’t seem to be as widely accepted now as it was ten years ago (but that could be my bias talking).

Anyway (part two!) I’m with you on the sex front there—it can absolutely be a wonderful component of fics, whether it’s used in a significant way or just…used because a character wants to have a fun night and hook up with someone. It’s human! It’s normal! It should be just as acceptable as non-sexual scenes!

ngl miss andie i was so confused at first like ‘me? making a sex post? did i accidentally cross post??’ lmao

you bring up a great point here tbh. i’ve been *fingers crossed* lucky so far to only get the loveliest readers and haven’t had to deal with that kind of entitlement/sanctimonious attitude but comment lurking is one of my favorite activities so i’ve definitely seen it in other content creators’ spaces. in fact, the ‘this is so unrealistic/no one acts like this irl’ etc always gets me riled up because,,,,have these commenters never interacted with a real human?? people are complex and messy and imperfect and so, so problematic. they will do the stupidest shit for no reason other than they’re able to, and it doesn’t always make sense either (more than once, i’ve tried to look for my glasses while literally wearing them). i tend to do something similar tbh. assume that the author is pulling it out of somewhere, and even in the even they’re not, it’s fiction and it doesn’t have to make sense ykno? fanfiction is supposed to be fun and self indulgent; how does it matter if one character is being ridiculous or not?

(that being said tho, i was being v surface level in my tags lol. i didn’t exactly mean to include all ways of building tension bc every story needs some conflict, right? but i’ve seen this opinion a lot (for movies/shows/books) that sex is somehow ‘unnecessary’ most of the time. or that it’s the creator taking a lazy way out to pad their work. in contrast, with the non-sexual stuff, even when it doesn’t make sense in the larger story/character arcs, you often see popular tropes sprinkled in but getting nowhere near the same level of vitriolic resistance. no cries of ‘ew another miscommunication? that’s so gross. just say u can’t write and go’ type of shit. (to be fair, i don’t want those authors to get this feedback, just highlighting a double standard) and i do think part of that comes from a (sub)conscious view of sex as dirty/not meant to be openly talked about but no one wants to have that conversation here, least of all me lol)

but yeah, hard agree on the DLDR thing. i genuinely feel like things have become so hostile in fandoms lately because that and KINKTOMATO have all but eroded away, which is how you end up with all these people who equate fanfiction with paying for a service or commissioning an artist with the way they leave , like u said, ‘itemised lists’ of everything they don’t like/agree with. not everything is catered towards one person’s individual preferences and it doesn’t have to be.

[doriana-gray-games]

How would the RO’s be with a Sherlock who was casual about nudity or whatever the Victorian equivalent of it is lmao? Eg lady Sherlock flashing her ankle of male Sherlock rolling up his shirtsleeves

If y’all think I won’t let the MC strategically or obliviously flash an ankle in the game, then you’re out of your collective minds :P

Tho I have no idea if I’ll allow you to be “casual” about it. I suppose to achieve that you can choose the most revealing options at all times 😅👍

Is the Victorian male equivalent rolling up the shirtsleeves? No offence to the move, it’s great, but I feel it would not have the same “oh dear me, the impropriety!” reaction. Maybe an unbuttoned shirt? (Now I’m trying to figure out how to make all buttons just *fly* off in a spontaneous and accidental moment…)

Ugh this game is going to start looking like the cover of an 80s romance book soon 😩😂

So, not to spoil too much then:

L: their eyes linger, gaze darker and more piercing than ever. They don’t say a word. You take a breath causing the fabric to move. They turn their whole body from you and walk away in steady strides.

W: their eyes lingered, but not for long. They warn you of your… inappropriate state, and turning their head away they hand you any needed fabrics around that might help in covering your appearance. Minutes after you can still see a blush, and they seem unlike themselves the whole rest of the evening.

A: they smirk, believing that whatever just occurred was entirely on purpose, no matter the truth. If you are in public they whisper something daring or make a vague remark that dangers on improper if others had actually caught what just occurred. In private they mimic your move, slowly unbuttoning a button or two, hiking up the skirt. Only a little, but enough to paint the whole picture in your mind. That damn smile never leaving their lips.

H: with people around they would signal to you what has just occurred with a practised ahem, and light mimicked touch on themselves towards the affected area. If they believe you did it on purpose they would give you a cryptic glare (either they are terrible angry, or… well).

When it is just the two of you, they will lean back in their chair, their eyes lingering on the new interest. Then slowly up to your eyes. There they would stay. But you would not feel comfortable under such eyes. Never had you felt so seen. So captured. Terrible restless, and breathless by a mere gaze.

Am I even allowed to write this sort of thing with the new Tumblr rules lol? I'm keeping it safe. This is a non-pervy blog, yessiree! 😬

[maschotch]

I saw people online today complaining about how often people cut Reid off from his rambling and were talking about hotch and Rossi specifically and not Jj which is so bizarre to me. I might be super biased but hotch never cuts Reid off to be rude? I mean his rambling sometimes isn't beneficial to the case so he gently steers him back on track. The examples they used are of when Reid is rambling when Rossi first joins and hotch tells him to slow down because Rossi will be there for a while and when Reid is literally taking down those windchimes of human bone and is rambling about chocolate and hotch asks him to stop. It's just so funny that Reid stans paint hotch out to be the mean one on the team when he's just trying to keep the team on track because that is literally. His job lmfao. I don't think he's expressly rude about it ever, it feels more gentle and paternal most of the time than anything, and it's also not like it's on personal time lmfao they're literally in a government job, of course his boss is going to stop him from rambling when he needs him to work before more people literally are fucking murdered lmfao. But whenever hotch puts him back on track Reid fans are like "oh no Spencer poor bb :( no one ever listens to him :((( hotch is such a meanie :("

And Reid girls definitely have a point that people are mean to him. But then turn around and act like JJ is his best freind when she's the worst of them all lmfao. And Rossi and Derek definitely have their moments too, but I'd like to think most of the time it's meant playfully at least

But why does everyone get mad at hotch for literally doing his job??? Even in elephants memory people get mad at him for telling Reid to go back to the house so he stops yelling at police officers 🙄 like babe this is the equivalent of a timeout he's not being bullied he's being parented for the first time at the ripe age of 27

I can't stand that so much of the fandom both sexualizes and babies Reid, and when hotch actually treats him somewhat like an adult with a function job, he's the bad guy?

(I might be a little over protective of my middle aged emotionless man but it's fine)

i never understand why people will be upset w hotch before being upset w jj about this. the only times we see hotch cut reid or garcia off is when they’re going on tangents when there’s a time sensitive case they need to focus on. he won’t insult them or even poke fun at them, he’ll just remind them of what they were initially saying/changing the subject back to the case at hand.

meanwhile jj makes some snarky comment every time reid or penelope start rambling. she’ll roll her eyes or even make comments to others about how annoying they are when they start talking about things they’re interested in. my least favorite moment is sometime in the later seasons when matt is listening to reid’s rambling with genuine interest and jj passes by and tells matt he made a mistake by getting reid started.

rossi, morgan, and emily will also make fun of reid, but it seems less mean-spirited? rossi is just a grandpa and they just say whatever so it doesnt matter as much skfhkshd but even morgan/emily will make sure reid knows its a joke. i think the most important distinction is that morgan emily and hotch all have moments when they do listen to what reid says and let him ramble, even responding with their own knowledge or asking questions. they make fun of him, but they dont discourage him