#that's less than a crumb but I'm desperate

[ratstuckinamarble]

Trailer screenshots time!

Frankie's keytar!!! I'm weirdly excited to see that thing. They're rocking it.

Cleo has a freaking scarab throne. That's horrifying and I adore it. Also Heath is getting blasted pff

Ok so that coffin lid does actually get used! I kinda want one... (Also poor Drac hit her head here and that reminded me of when I used to sleep in the top bunk of a bunk bed- headaches...)

Looks like Toralei is getting a redemption episode. Also she asked for them all to walk away from the explosion like that- drama cat.

[bunnybeandraws]

You know, I've realized that part of the reason I get so much writing inspiration from @crumb-crumblet-s-crumbington comics is because the way it writes the characters just... Scratches my brain in a way I really like. :3

It's the smell of freshly cooked eggs that wakes Leon that morning, and he rolls out of his bed (which was little more than an air mattress set up on the floor with a few spare blankets thrown on top) with a groan.

He'd have a quick shot to wake up the rest of the way, but he's sure Ethan would disapprove, especially this early in the morning before he's even had breakfast…

Oh, right… It'd probably be a good idea to check up on that, see how Ethan's doing.

Walking into the small kitchen of the even smaller apartment, the thing that surprises Leon most aren't the dark circles under Ethan's eyes from lack of sleep, or the way he just stares blankly at the eggs sizzling away on the pan. No, it's something else…

"Are you… Cooking breakfast with a blanket on?"

"It's cold." Ethan snaps, shooting Leon a quick glare from the corner of his eye that's definitely less intimidating than intended simply due to his softer face. "You got a problem?"

"No no. Just might be a fire hazard is all." Leon says, propping his hand on his hip as he gestures with his other hand to the thermostat on the wall.

"Thermostat also says it's, like, 75 degrees. And that's enough to make me wanna change into shorts."

Leon hears a soft click from the stove, indicating that Ethan's turned the heat off so as to not burn the eggs, and he can't help but wonder if his tiredness comes from baby things, or nightmares.

Both are plausible.

"Do you get cold easily?" Leon asks, unable to stop the question from slipping past his tongue. Not that Ethan holds it against him as he extends his hand to Leon, the one a Lycan had taken a chunk out of.

"I guess ever since Dulvey I've run a bit colder…" He murmurs, and as Leon takes his hand, 'a bit' might've been an understatement. Ethan's skin is freezing, like he's been sat in front of the AC or out in the cold for hours on end.

"I think it's because I died back there, and I-" Ethan pauses as he pulls his hand away from Leon, his eyes very quickly growing glassy. "And I'm technically a corpse. Haha, hah…"

Despite the soft smile and the forced laughter, Ethan swiftly devolves into sobs and hiccups, hands covering his face like he's disgusted by his own appearance, desperately begging Leon not to look at him.

Leon, for a moment at least, just kind of stands there, unsure of what to do. He's never been the comforting type, especially not in recent years, so all he can really do is watch Ethan break down, the blanket falling from his shoulders as he shakes.

Almost hesitantly, he reaches out to awkwardly pat his shoulder, glancing away until he's suddenly pulled into a desperate hug, Ethan burying his face in his shoulder.

'He's freezing!' Leon thinks to himself as he returns the embrace, one hand cradling the back of Ethan's head for support and the other simply resting on his back. 'Maybe I should hold him for just a bit longer… To warm him up…'

…Breakfast can wait, Leon decides… Ethan needs him more, and he won't let go until even the softest of hiccups has faded from his tongue.

[allthatmay]

FORGIVE MY GREED BUT I BEG FOR CRUMBS OF ANY KIND OR FLAVOUR

OKAY SO I'm having a week where I'm like, "Nothing I write is ever good enough!" so sharing could be good for me! I couldn't decide between Ace/Sanji or Shanks/Benn/Ace, but I went for the former because it's more polished...

This fic is inspired by the way Sanji looked at Ace in Alabasta. I mean, seriously. He was so staring.

As soon as Ace realises what Sanji's up to, he smothers a laugh, holding his hands up in surrender when Sanji reaches for the dirty knife. Though the threat of violence is tempting, Sanji would much rather return to their previous activity, so he simply puts the cutting board and knife in the sink to be cleaned later. When he turns back around, his hands newly washed, Ace is watching him with a large, affectionate grin.

“All done, chef?”

“I take food very seriously.”

“Yeah, I can tell. It's one of the things I like about ya.”

“…One of the things?”

It's meant to sound playful, but it comes out dreadfully desperate. Sanji briefly contemplates drowning himself in the mop bucket.

Ace, though, steps toward him. “Yeah,” he says. “I like that you're so contentious about food, chef. I like that you give as good as you get. I like that you've got those long legs and swirly eyebrows. Those are really cool, by the way. And I really like the way you look at me.”

Sanji swallows. “Enough to let me look a little more?”

“You wanna watch me?” Ace looks surprisingly pleased. “I'll do anything for ya, chef, I swear. D'ya wanna watch me touch myself?”

What the fuck is Sanji doing?

“Yeah,” he admits, more to himself than Ace.

Braced against the counter, Ace slowly undoes his belt like he's expecting Sanji to change his mind at any time and—well, that's fair, really. But Sanji cannot possibly turn back when Ace’s hand reaches into his shorts—he's not wearing any underwear—and reveals his cock. It’s not the first cock Sanji’s seen other than his own, but it’s the first he’s seen in this context and it’s certainly the nicest: satisfyingly thick, nestled amongst neat hair, and coloured a deep pink towards the tip. That pink skin glistens as Ace gives his cock a singular pump, his eyes fluttering shut.

“Fuck… You sure this is okay, chef?”

Sanji does not sound like himself when he says, “Yes,” and perhaps that is for the best; the less he is associated with what’s happening, the more he can excuse it. But Sanji cannot possibly excuse, nor forget, nor exorcise the memory of Ace’s cock coming to full hardness; the way his hips rock upward into his fisted hand as he rasps, “Sanji…”

The dam of denial inside Sanji’s head bursts at the sight. He struggles to keep his legs steady, holding himself up by the counter. An uncomfortable cocktail of shame, guilt and lust has him feeling drunker as the moments go by; kissing is one thing, but this is something else entirely.

[yanderend]

All Yandere's reactions when you hug them!

Requested by an anon (well, sorta...)

— The Detective

As far as Charlie's concerned, your hug came out of nowhere! He knew he was successful in you starting to feel more comfortable with him— but wasn't expecting this!

His initial response is to push you off, out of shock and embarrassment.

Seeing your face, all affectionate and smiley makes his heart race, and he's not quite sure what to do! Usually he's the one trying to render you blushy.

What can I say? Cuddles make him feel soft!

Quickly, he pulls you back into the hug, this time holding you so tight you can barely breathe.

'Don't you dare share this with anyone, okay? You know what'll happen...'

He speaks with his usual malice, but it's a little less threatening than he'd like when you can feel the heat burning from his cheeks.

— The Childhood Friend

· Eli never knew how much she missed the feeling of a good, long hug. You two have almost always been fine with physical touch, but after her spiral you seemed to become a bit more wary— and she hated that!

So, oh boy is she happy to have you finally be physical with her again!

Your hug might result in a few tears, as she holds you tight and shakes with happiness.

'I- I thought you hated me...' She sobs, nuzzling into your neck. 'Please never stop again... Don't let go.'

Not that you'll be physically able to let go, anyway. She'll have an iron grip on you until she's cried all her tears out.

Just like old times, eh?

— The Worshipper (cw: suggestive at the end)

His prayers have been answered! Kazuo has spent days on end asking for a crumb of touch.

(It has been 48 hours since you last hugged him. What are you doing, starving the man?)

He simply can't help it, standing there, frozen as tears well in his eyes, overwhelmed from the feeling of warmth with your body wrapped around him.

'O-oh dear... Oh gosh...' He whimpers, hands flailing, unsure of whether he should hug you back or not. 'I'm not- I'm really not deserving of this, my love! Please--'

When you give him permission to hug back, his touch is incredibly gentle; careful, even. Kazuo feels like he's melting into your touch, wondering if this is what heaven will be like. He sure hopes so.

Even when you let go he feels the warmth residing on his body— leaving him in a fuzzy afterglow all day.

He's a desperate boy, and the slight scent of you on his robes drives him insane. He berates himself for thinking such sinful thoughts, but can't help wondering how long he could've kept you there... Touching him.

He wants more, always hoping, every time he sees you, that you'll do it again. Maybe you'll do more, that time..?

— The Queen Bee

• Anya's immediate thought is to take a picture— preserve this moment! A defining moment of your relationship, to be sure!

Whether it's a short hug or a long one, she'll be sure to make little comments; an attempt at convincing you to hug her more often.

When you hold her, her bout of narcissism comes back in full.

'Look at you, getting all friendly! It's alright if you're falling for me, cutie. We both know I'm irresistible, haha!'

She plays it off as a joke, but she means every word. Your affection solidifies her ideals of you two being a power-couple.

It takes a minute to hit her that you could be this open with others, too. Anya won't allow that, no way!

'Careful not to go around giving everyone this treatment, you don't want to give them the wrong idea, do you? No, I don't think of you that way, of course!' She takes a second to think, bringing her hand up to run it through your hair. 'In fact, why not just keep the hugging to me, yeah? You're soooo super cute when we're alone, after all!'

— The Fanclub

★ The excited squealing of lovestruck girls is one you should get familiar with. You're going to hear it a lot after this.

Fortuna becomes a stuttering mess immediately— she needs to say something, anything! But nothing's coming out except for excited and incompressible whispers.

Aurora is a little more forward, but her heart is still beating way faster than she can keep up with, and she's a little lost too.

The former will shake in your grasp, carving every detail of your body this close-up into her mind. She'll be thinking about this all day, if not all year.

The latter will place a hand on your heart, cozying up and testing the waters as to how close she can get. And also... to gauge if your chest is thumping as loud as hers. (Though, if she picks up any heartbeat at all she'll take that as a 'yes' and let her imagination run wild.)

'H-hey! Um... you're not like... acting like this with any other fans, are you?'

You're confused by the 'fans' sentiment, but that just makes the two of them high-five and interpret it as a "you two are my favourite ladies, so you get special treatment" response.

It wasn't that at all, but it's much safer to let them think that.

— The Deity

Nitai's head has a buffering moment, responding with a 'huh?' when he feels you burrow into his chest.

He wraps muscular, super-soft arms around you, and gets a dopey smile on his face. A hug has never felt so good...

'Am I winning you over, my little angel?' Nitai hums softly. 'Good, good. You're being so nice and loving to me today.'

His nearly inhuman height and strength only gives him a warmer feeling in his chest— you're so very fragile, holding onto him like that.

It's decided! He has to protect this, protect you! There's nobody that should share this experience. They could hurt you!

Nitai will now ask for cuddles CONSTANTLY, his craving for physical attention now overriding everything else.

Any chance The Diety has to hug you goodbye, or crawl into your bed when you're having trouble sleeping— he'll use anything as an excuse to snuggle up close, even something ridiculous.

He's reminded of all the previous followers of his who would've given their right arm to hug him— Oh well, he's always been a fan of nepotism.

— The Anomaly (cw: mild body-horror)

Yvetan was wondering when you were going to do something like this. They chalked the lack of impromptu hugs as having to 'act professional' in front of the armed guards.

They let out a not-quite-right sigh, and let their entire, sore body rest in your arms. They're a lot lighter than you expected, to note.

Yvetan's eyes flutter open to look at your face, their head leaning comfortably on your shoulder. They're wondering why they didn't just miracle you into doing something like this in the first place.

It means even more to them that you did it of your own accord, though. Even more to cherish. What a truly pure human...

'You two,' they speak suddenly, not even turning to look at the guards behind them. 'Look away, now.'

The guards look to eachother, and then to the two of you, stating that they're can't do that as it'd be against protocol.

Yvetan huffs, and you can feel their body go tense for a moment, holding you with their left arm.

From the position you're in, you have clear view of the guards faces crumpling up in horror before one drops his weapon to raise his visor up in a panic.

No eyes. The entire upper half of his face had been flattened out — removed of any features. The guard standing next to him doubles over, dry-heaving before facility medics run into the room to escort them out as they start to scream.

You can feel The Anomaly smile against your skin as they start playing with your hair.

'I can't let them in on this intimate moment of ours. You understand, yes, dear soulmate?'

— The Idol (cw: suggestive)

## Jamison has been open with touch since the moment you met, and has himself constantly prepared to hug you if you need it. (Or if you don't.)

He's never been good with such a genuine emotional connection until you, though, so having a meaningful hug full of so many feelings has him shaking in your grip.

He gets so excited- and not even in the sexy way he normally is! This is just so much for him...

You think he was bad when he broke his arm to get your attention? You've seen nothing yet. Minor or major injuries will become worryingly common— and the only thing he ever asks for when you ask what you can do to help is a hug, or a peck on the lips, if he's feeling cheeky.

Naturally with The Idol, he's going to take every opportunity to invite you to hug him in the public eye so that people know who you belong to. No-one's going to mess with a celebrity's partner right in front of them.

After you initiate PDA, he might take it a bit far and try and get steamy with you on date night. Surely, you want him as much as he wants you, so what's the problem there?

You get groped a bit more often than usual now, and Jamie can't help but be a little disappointed you don't do it back (as often, at least.)

[pennyserenade]

the other night my friend and i got into a heated debate over whether sejanus plinth was a pathetic character or not (i vowed that he wasn't, while my friend urged that he completely was) and i'm going to be real i haven't moved on from that.

he said that sejanus didn't do enough with his privilege - that he squandered what influence he could've had by being irrational and quick-tempered. sejanus, he said, could've done a lot more if he had been less reactionary, using his father's wealth and power to sway the capital in the right direction. instead, he argued, sejanus fucked it all up because he was privileged. the scene in the arena he cited as especially reckless because it achieved nothing and only put himself and others in danger. he urged that most of sejanus' actions were like that.

while i agree with some of that - sejanus was especially quick to his anger and didn't always think before he acted - i think sejanus was a good character, not selfish or over privileged, but desperate. he went into that arena and that was stupid - beyond stupid - but he did it because he wanted them to understand they had killed a boy. not a rat, not a monster, not a message but a real life human. he put bread crumbs over marcus' body and sat with his cold body because he couldn't bear the fact that his contemporaries allowed this to happen. sejanus was willing to die for that message, to be made a martyr. it was an act he did without thinking, sure, but it had heart and showed that sejanus had so much more empathy and bravery than his fellow students. he cared so deeply it ruined him and i refuse to accept that what he did was a product of his being privileged. i think he was a boy who was scared and he was doing his best to change a system he knew he would not be able to overcome through regular means. it was a system that was fundamentally flawed, something that needed to explode completely before anything changed.

[captaincryolicious]

City Lights

➳ Alhaitham x gn!reader

➳ Oneshot ; 3k

➳ Kinda comfort? ; Reader has insomnia

Alhaitham has a little surprise in store for you when he finds you out on the streets of Sumeru City at night. [22.10.2022]

Zep's Note ; This is written while I couldn't sleep so I'm sorry for any mistakes and stuff that maybe doesn't make sense,, I'm so tired but I HAD to write for this man, I'm down horrendously ㅠㅠ.

content under the cut | masterlist

You weren’t sure what it was that kept the peaceful cradle of slumber from finding you nearly every night. It was as if it evaded you deliberately, the obstacles something as mundane as sleep had to take in order to reach you simply too big. Every night you were left to toss and turn in your bed. You were weary, head empty and your eyes stinging with sheer tiredness. But sleep didn’t come. Instead you were left wide awake, staring at the ceiling as you desperately waited for slumber to take you away. 

But it wouldn’t happen, you knew all too well.

It was as if you were left to suffer when other people found peace in the night. You were deprived of said serenity, and wondered why in Teyvat you couldn’t just sleep. Every night seemed to be there to fight the same endless battle, one that you were bound to lose, anyway. So why did you continue to indulge in this everlasting brawl with slumber? There was no victory, or so it seemed. 

You heaved out another sigh, the nth of tonight. Laced with sheer annoyance, it came out more as a growl and less as a puff of air that simply escaped your lips. You turned around, kicking off the duvet that covered your restless body. You’ve had more than enough. Every night you lay awake; it was unfair. You didn’t feel like being stuck in your bed any longer, for you felt like a prisoner, confined and smothered. So you got up, swinging your legs over the edge of the mattress until your feet touched the cold ground.

No plan, no destination. You didn’t care to check the time. You simply got dressed, taking only the necessities such as your keys, before heading out of your room. The wooden floorboards creaked under your tentative footsteps, but fortunately there was no one in the house who could be awoken by the sound. You lived alone, the residence would be vacant as soon as you walked out of the front door. Since summer had passed, and the nights had grown significantly colder, you grabbed a coat and shrugged it on. After slipping on a pair of shoes, you deemed yourself ready, flicking off the light and stepping into the darkness of the night. The door shut behind you with a thud and a click. 

You were outside, with only one goal in mind; tiring yourself out. Of course you were well aware of the fact that going outside was more likely to have the opposite effect, for the crisp air would chase away the few crumbs or slumber in your being until you were wide awake again. But exhaustion had to catch up with you eventually. Maybe if you just kept walking around until the morning would come by, you’d grow so physically tired that you’d finally be able to collapse onto your bed and pass out. It sounded nice. 

Every night you just lay awake, wondering thoroughly why you still bothered to climb into your bed. Hah, as if you carried with you any expectations of falling asleep when you cuddled up under your blankets. The thought made you smile bitterly. 

More and more often, you spent your nights under the sapphire blanket that was the midnight sky. Being out in the open was many times better than being suffocated by your own perpetual frustration. 

Plus, Sumeru City was night after midnight. Quiescent and serene, the empty streets filled with naught but silence. No merchants promoting their goods avidly, no children playing, no people talking. Only a few Eremite members of the Corps of Thirty stood guard here and there across the city, but they regarded you with a quick nod and didn’t bother you. It was nice to roam around the city like this, and you came out at night often to seek peace. The wind rustled the leaves that swayed on their branches, animals that dwelled the night scurried around in nooks and crannies, startled by your footsteps. Sometimes the rustling in the bushes made you a little uneasy, but you pushed away the feeling. Nothing but a few animals who went out at night, just like you.

You felt better now that you were on the streets. More free, less frustrated. You breathed in and out, relishing in the crisp air. You noticed how you weren’t feeling at all tired, yet the signs of exhaustion were so clear. Half of your footsteps weren’t as coordinated as you ambled over the pavement. You felt groggy, your head sometimes spinning as you swayed a few steps left or right unwillingly – like a drunkard, except that you drank nothing at all. Occasionally you would see things from the corners of your eyes, movements that were nothing but hallucinations that came forth from your sleep deprived state. It was so clear that your mind was begging for sleep but you couldn’t provide. Not yet. 

     “Y/N? What a peculiar hour to be out in town.” 

There was wonder and amusement in the familiar voice that greeted you. Lowering your pace, you turned around slowly in order not to trigger another wave of dizziness. You had recognized the voice, but your dazed mind needed to see the face it belonged to before a look of recognition crossed your features.

     “Alhaitham,” you greeted back, failing to hide the surprise you felt upon finding the Akademiya’s Scribe behind you. “What are you doing here?” 

     “I had some business to attend to,” was all he explained. 

You nodded. His answer was quite secretive, lacking any details. You had expected no less from Alhaitham, for secretive was one of the adjectives that described him best. Hence you didn’t pry, and simply offered the man a tired smile. 

     “I see.” 

     “May I ask what you are doing here?” Alhaitham inquired, his turquoise eyes searching your face as if he could find the answer there. It was probably true; the permanent bags under your eyes would inform him of your insomnia right away.

     “I’ve been having trouble sleeping lately,” you sighed. “So I often go out at night because I don't know what else to do.” 

You used your hand to cover up a massive yawn that stretched your jaw. You were growing tired, finally, but now that you ran into Alhaitham, you suddenly had yet another reason to linger outside just a little longer. 

     “And you roam the streets until you feel tired enough to fall asleep?” the man guessed. “Are you aware that Sumeru City isn’t exactly the safest place to be at night?” 

     “Why?” you asked. “It’s guarded by the Eremites.” 

Alhaitham remained silent, but the look that crossed his face painted a thousand words. You figured he wasn’t too fond of the desert dwellers and dropped the subject. 

     “It just looks pretty at night,” you mused. “It brings some peace to my pestered mind and it helps me grow drowsy enough to catch some sleep when the morning rolls around. Usually.” 

The tall male hummed, as if he just thought of something.

     “If you like Sumeru City that much, I might be able to show you something you haven’t seen before.” 

Your curiosity was piqued. You lightly tilted your head to the side, eager to find out what he was talking about. Even though you were pretty exhausted, and possibly able to fall asleep if you were to try now, you refused to miss out on the opportunity this night suddenly bestowed upon you. 

     “Well, show me,” you said eagerly. 

     “It’s a bit of a walk,” Alhaitham warned you. “You look like you can barely stand straight.” 

     “I’m fine,” you reassured him. Dizzy, but fine. 

     “Good,” he commented. “Let’s go then.” 

He briskly started walking, and you followed after him. He took you through the streets of the city you lived in. While you admired what you saw around you, he walked silently and resolutely and you sometimes struggled to keep up. No one spoke a word. A part of you was dying to talk to him, but you wouldn’t know what to say. Alhaitham was such an enigma, seemingly so far out of reach. You were surprised that you even had him in your orbit. 

The man led you up the paved walkways that sloped upward alongside the giant tree in the center of the city. The gentle upward slope tired you, but you persevered out of sheer curiosity. Where was he taking you? Your legs protested as you went higher, but it was as if a magnetic force pulled you after him. He had to slow down significantly and the look on his face when he glanced over his shoulder to look at you gave away that he expected you to fall asleep any moment. 

Despite your utter exhaustion, you eventually caught on to where you were going. The familiar pathway guided you to the grand academy of Sumeru. Your tired eyes widened.

     “But the Akademiya grounds are prohibited at night,” you pointed out, coming to an abrupt halt. You gazed at Alhaitham questioningly.

     “Not when I’m with you,” the Scribe replied. “I’m allowed to come and go as I please, and since I took you here, so are you.” 

That made so much sense.

You nodded and followed the male again. It was strange to see the Akademiya so abandoned. Usually these pathways were crowded with students and scholars and the whole area just felt hollow without them. If it wasn’t for Alhaitham walking ahead of you, you would’ve gotten the chills. Still, you gazed around curiously. How often did you have the chance to roam here at night? It was a first for you. The tall building climbed higher and higher, tall and intimidating yet still beautiful in the dark. Even now, far past midnight, there was still light behind some of the windows. You weren’t at all surprised that even at this hour some people were still studying. It was Sumeru after all, the nation of wisdom. The people here were going far to gain more knowledge; pulling an all-nighter was merely one of the milder things they were willing to do. 

     “Archons, where are you taking me?” you murmured.

     “You will see,” came the simple reply. “We’ll be there shortly.” 

You climbed higher, and at some point you were dragging your feet. Continuous yawns pestered you, and the magnetic force that initially had pulled you swiftly after him had worn off. You had to take every step by yourself now, and you were starting to regret coming along. Just what was it that Alhaitham wanted to show you? Why did you have to cross the forbidden Akademiya grounds in order to get there? Curiosity was the only fire that fueled you to push onward.

     “Look at me.” Alhaitham spoke as soon as you reached one of the upper balconies. You obliged, your bleary eyes resting upon his stoic face. 

     “And now I want you to slowly turn around.” 

You did, turning on your feet ever so slowly. Afore you stretched out a wide panorama view on Sumeru City, under the vast and cloudy night sky. Your draw dropped in utter awe, for the sight was beautiful as it unfolded like a still canvas painting. It portrayed the empty town from a bird’s eye view, the darkness that blanketed the streets littered with stars that were the streetlights. Faint moonlight, peeking through the deck of clouds, brought a calm hue to the scenery, painting the rooftops a pale white as they reflected the illumination from the celestial body. It was a sight so tranquil, and the final bits of frustration left your being. 

     “This is…” was all you managed to bring out. You were rendered speechless, and it wasn’t only because you were dead tired. 

Alhaitham came to stand next to you, his hands finding the intricate balustrade between you and the mighty long fall. His face was relaxed, free of the stoic mask he perpetually put on. He looked younger, more open, as his turquoise eyes gazed out over the city below. For a moment, you couldn’t keep your gaze off him, and he either didn’t notice or he deliberately ignored it. You pursed your lips to stop a smile from forming. Alhaitham was handsome, you quietly admitted to yourself, and the beautiful scenery ahead of you barely had anything on him. 

     “I wanted to take you here and show you the view,” he bluntly admitted. “I often come here when something is bothering me.” 

He looked at you, and that was your cue to look away. Your heart skipped a beat, and suddenly you found yourself having a lot of questions. Why did he take you here, when it was basically his special place? Why was he so willing to spend these nightly hours with you? And the most prominent question of all, what was it between you and Alhaitham? 

Strangers that ran into each other too often to be considered strangers. Still, you weren’t much more than that. You barely knew anything about him, just like he knew next to nothing about you. But somehow, you ended up in each other’s orbit, spinning around one another and unable to leave. This night was a prime example of how it always went. You found each other by mere coincidence, only to be rendered unable to simply walk away. So often did you end up together, but never before had it been in the vulnerable hour of the night. 

It enhanced the air of mystery that hung around him, and the secretive man only looked more attractive. There was something about him that lured you in. Would it be the same for him? You couldn’t tell. His demeanor never gave away anything. 

     “So this is like your special place,” you guessed after staring in silence for a while. “It’s so peaceful up here. You surely know how to make the best of your authority to come up here at night.” 

     “Hm, I wouldn’t go as far as calling it special, but go ahead if that’s what you deem fit for this place,” Alhaitham commented. 

     “I would come up here a lot, if only I was allowed to be here,” you mumbled. “It’s the perfect spot to wind down on nights where insomnia takes the best of me.” 

     “I can take you here more often,” the Scribe offered, his tone as even as always. “If you don’t mind my company, of course. If you rather spend your nights in solitude, I’ll let you.” 

     “No, it’s fine,” you quickly urged. “I would love to.” 

Alhaitham hummed, tearing his gaze away from the scenery to narrow his eyes at you.

     “Now tell me, Y/N. Aren’t you tired?” 

     “Exhausted,” you tiredly smiled. “And you?” 

     “You shouldn’t be concerned about that,” the male dismissed. “Let’s get you back to your house. You look like you can pass out any moment.” 

Honestly, you felt that way, too. Your knees felt wobbly, your sight blurred over more than once and the strange hallucinations hadn’t ceased – they just didn’t bother you anymore now that the Akademiya’s Scribe was with you. But you knew he was right. Your nightly expedition had served its purpose and you were more than ready to go to sleep. You’ve spent a couple of hours outside in the night, and especially the last hour or-so you spent on the upper balcony awakened bits and pieces of slumber within you. 

Finally. 

     “But what if I’m concerned about that?” you countered.

     “That’s a wasted worry,” Alhaitham concluded. “Let’s go.” 

His hand landed on the small of your back to urge you to walk gently, and you would’ve freaked out by the sudden gesture if you hadn’t been so dead tired. Fortunately for you, the darkness did well in hiding the blush that flushed your cheeks, but you let it happen. Who were you to complain? Even though your entire body felt heavy, his gentle urge made you feel like you were afloat for a few steps. 

But the rest of the way down was tedious, and you felt ashamed of yourself as you nearly tripped over your own feet multiple times. Alhaitham was patient, matching his pace to the way you ambled over the paved streets. Was it only patience that slowed him down, or was he tired as well? He had to be, right? It was after midnight for him just as much. Though he didn’t show any signs of fatigue as he walked a little ahead of you. Alhaitham was, once again, a mystery to you. 

He walked you all the way back to your house. To you, it was a miracle how you even managed to get there in your tired daze. But you did it, feeling all too relieved now that you were in the vicinity of your bed. 

     “Catch some sleep,” Alhaitham said. “You look dead.”

     “Gee, thanks,” you yawned. “You, too.” 

The male quirked a brow, and you quickly corrected yourself.

     “Go rest, I mean,” you brought out. “You don’t look dead.”

     “Of course I don’t,” he agreed. “Goodnight, Y/N. Until next time.” 

The male offered you a curt nod before he turned around and walked away from you. You watched his back for a moment, considering to call after him to bid him goodnight as well. But you knew your neighbors wouldn’t quite appreciate that, so you remained quiet, taking the key from your pocket and unlocking your front door. Oh, as much as you liked your nightly expedition with Alhaitham, you were glad to finally be home. You stumbled inside, shrugging off your coat and slipping out of your shoes before you wandered into your bedroom. 

Utterly tired out as you were, you collapsed onto your bed and buried yourself on your duvet. Your mind slowly went still, shutting down until only a pair of turquoise eyes occupied your mental images. You smiled, silently thanking Alhaitham for the pleasant night he had brought you. 

And then you finally fell asleep.

[running-with-kn1ves]

Walla....kn1ves....genius big brain yandere writer....i just (re)found your Yves work (im sure you saw me freak out in the tags lmao) if you have the time/energy/inspo pls i beg you for a speck, a crumb, a droplette, ANYTHING of my baby Yves x fem!reader. I'm not sure how specific is too specific but I have a truckload of daydreams and prompts for this man dc im down BAD BAD for the way you write him. I'm not sure if this is too specific of a request but can it be yves holding himself back constantly because he wants to *romance* the reader but its so obvious he's itching for more until one day he finally snaps and takes her (specifically him giving her his virginity and whoops maybe going crazy when he finds out she isnt one)? I'm just obsessed with his characterization and want to see him in a ton of situations and feeling/reacting to different things. The stern dom undertones his whole vibe has disguised by a friendly foreign guide 🥵 The drabble of him was sooooo good and such a tease of his personality, it's so enticing hahaha. If that prompt is no good or doesn't inspire you then anything else is fine and ofc if you have no inspiration for Yves at all then that's a-okay too!!! Thank you sooooo much for thinking up that beautiful man and sharing him with us!!! Hope you enjoy your holidays💞💞💞

A/N: Ugh I'm so sorry I took so long in answering 😭😭 I was gonna write like a whole piece but my time has been cut dramatically, so please accept this poor little piece!! I was honestly so overjoyed at seeing your tags, it makes me so happy to see people's reactions to my stuff ┗( T﹏T )┛I wish I could have more time to write for this because I love the concept, I'm a huge fan of the "mysterious foreign guide who's just a little too friendly" kind of trope. Thank you so much for your support anon and I hope you enjoy this!! OG piece here for any of you nerds!

TW: Kidnapping, implied dubcon/noncon, manipulation

It wasn’t hard to notice Yve’s shift in behavior. Well, this shift out of many. When you first met him, he gave off a kind, well-meaning but nervous vibe. He did his best to show you around, to make you comfortable and converse with you in english to the best of his knowledge. That kind persona shifted into something more… desperate; obsessive, once he brought you back to his apartment. He was still kind, still well-meaning and observant to your needs. He apologized profusely when you got upset from how he kept you from leaving, promising that you weren’t missing anything important in class and that he could show you real culture instead! What could you learn from a textbook that would be better than seeing the country itself?

But time and time again, Yves made excuses to keep you inside, to make you stay by his side whether through photoshoots or studying, with him as your “teacher”. You had to learn the basics before taking such a “big” step out into his country, right? Unfortunately for you, Yve’s only taught information on the most trivial subjects. From words like “textbook” to “glass”, you were able to make meaningless sentences that wouldn’t serve you well in conversing with native speakers outside of Yve’s little apartment. Sure, it might help you occasionally, but it got you no where closer to understanding Yve’s rushed mumbling and incoherent rambling. 

With your sudden move to his apartment and his new change in conduct, Yves had slowly become less generous. He didn’t make as much of an effort to talk in english anymore, and made far less points to explain himself. You couldn’t tell what caused this new change-- a change that you were soon starting to accept as Yves showing his true colors. The man was still attentive to your needs, still caring and kind-- but the posessiveness that had slipped out almost entirely seemed to be taking hold. And while you’d think that a growing obsession would make it more beneficial to you-- it in fact, made your difficulty increase tenfold. Yves began to direct you on what you should wear, when you should eat, what you should do for the day.

 Not only that, but his attentiveness to…more intimate needs were far more prevalent as well. Whether it was bathing, or the need that pulsed between your legs, Yve’s was there to try and take care of it. You pushed him away multiple times, awkwardly trying to tell him that you were fine-- but it never seemed to stick. He always just looked at you with a tilted, confused expression, muttering in his native tongue as if he didn’t understand. So when the foreign guide began to sleep next to you instead of the cot on the floor, and began to press his morning erection agaist your backside sleepily, you knew your protests weren’t having any effect.

You would have walked right out of that teensy apartment the moment you felt he didn’t listen-- if you weren’t so afraid. If you weren’t afraid of the loaded handgun in his locked nightstand drawer, or how easily he could destroy your life at your new university-- which he mentioned offhand multiple times in a casual manner-- you would have walked out. The power he held against you, a foreign student with failing grades and no money, was too much for you to ignore. So, you decided to bide you time. It was only a matter of weeks until he got bored with you, you decided. But his new actions didn’t seem to prove that. 

In fact, the lustful, mischievous look he gave you that evening was the complete opposite. His scrawny frame jumped atop yours, hooking his hands behind your neck and leaning in to try and kiss you. He had planned an unusually fancy dinner, lighting candles you had never seen in his apartment before and bringing a bottle of wine with some italian takeout. You tried to question him about the mound of pillows and blankets on his balcony, the sudden romantic lighting, but the male only gave you a broad statement on how it was a “celebration” of sorts.

Yves’ sudden prowling mood after dinner wasn’t a complete shock-- considering you felt his eyes on you the entire evening-- but it still caught you a tad off guard. You tried to reject him, to push him away after each kiss, but it was done with such little effort and such great fear that you stayed silent once he muttered in an annoyed tone in his own language. Yves took your silence as a surrender, friskily lowering his hand under your shirt to caress your abdomen. He rambled against your flesh in half-english as he kissed you up and down, not afraid to let out vocal little noises of pleasure, or grunts of satisfaction ones he heard your breath hitch or a hum of desire come from your lips. 

But it wasn’t until he uttered a sentence with a familiar word, did you actually reply to him. You recognized the term from messing around with your friends, when you jokingly learned dirty words from your textbooks and the internet to use when you finally entered the country. You never expected to actually utilize them unless you went to a club or bar and happened to meet someone. One of those words, was ‘virgin.’ A more tame term compared to the bunch you had memorized, but one that you and your friends had idiotically decided to research. Though, it seemed your stupid endeavors had paid off. 

As Yves repeated himself, you began to understand the sentence a bit more. The man was seeming to imply… you were a virgin? Something about you both no longer virgin-ing? Maybe he was saying that he was going to ‘virgin’ you? You couldn’t figure out what he was trying to say, only mustering up the courage to poorly explain your sexual status to him, first in english and then in a broken version of his language. You tried to repeat yourself, thinking you might have said your statement wrong-- but Yve’s shocked expression and sudden lack of kisses seemed to prove you wrong. 

“You have…. Sex?” Yve put a hand to his mouth, eyes begging you to respond.

“Uh….yes?” You said with an awkward expression; you hoped he was asking what you thought.

Yve’s let out a choked gasp, looking as if you had crushed his heart in your palm. 

He looked down, voice cracking as he mumbled something incoherent, and likely not understandable to you in the first place. 

“I….I i’m sorry?” You tried to apologize, seeing how shaken Yves had become at finding out you weren’t as inexperienced as he. Despite his eagerness, you could tell he was new to trying to initiate something you had already grown long accustomed to, new to being so intimate. It was actually in part of his eagerness that you realized he wasn’t of the same sexual history. He was full of anticipation and desire, throwing caution and logic to the wind to fulfill what he had read in books and seen in films.

 Yves seemed to treasure the act of losing ones virginity far more than you had-- but you had only noticed it now. The candlelit dinner, the mood-fitting music-- your first experience was nowhere near as romantic. 

Yves seemed shaken, his low, almost sob-filled words growing heavier. He grew more aggressive, seeming to realize something now that he had processed this unexpected news. He had assumed you were just as much of an amateur as him-- that he’d be the one to “deflower” you in an act of passionate romance-- a bubble fantasy that had just been popped. But the male realized-- if he couldn’t have his desired outcome, he’d have to make due with what he had. Which was to make sure you’d fall to your knees, experiencing the best night of ‘passion’ that would make you never want to crawl to another man again. 

He was going to claim you-- to make it so those nights you spent with others never counted. 

You could only understand a fifth of what Yves breathily moaned into your mouth, once again jumping your bones though this time much more roughly. Before you could say anything further you had felt his quick hands unbutton your pants, his own thrown to the floor. He didn’t listen as you begged him to atleast let you move to the bed, where you would no longer be visible to prying eyes on the balcony. But he didn’t care-- Yves had already taken off his shirt, intent on ripping yours away too. He didn’t care anymore if this wasn’t going to be special for the reason he expected-- he was going to make sure you would be left with a night you wouldn’t forget.

[lilmissnatcat24]

REUNION FIC? >:)

ohmygodohmygod i'm so happy i got a reply

reunion fic was originally supposed to be reworking shakarian me3's reunion because let's be so incredibly real the writers gave us mere CRUMBS to work with. like i get your world is under attack but not even like a hug? holding hands? ridiculous

but then i scrapped the whole thing and now it's like this super tender one shot somewhere after me2 where garrus and shep realize that it's more than just some odd fwb hookup thing happening between the two of them (there's also knotting but that's beside the point) and just never bothered to change the title

here is so far:

It wasn't the first time Garrus and Shepard hooked up where he realized that there was something more between them. There were too many moving parts, too many learning curves for him to fully let go. Sure, he'd done his research, but actually performing? He was nervous to say the least, he was fairly certain he blacked out and only came to his senses when he actually came-- which was about fifteen seconds in. Was it timely and efficient given the incoming mission? Yes. Was it embarrassing? Also yes. He still made sure Shepard was satisfied, discovering that human pussy tasted incredibly pleasant and that it turned him on immensely to see her squirm with his finger deep inside her, but was almost relieved when EDI let them know that the Omega-4 Relay was only ten minutes away. It gave him the time to ignore all of the weird swirling emotions in his chest for the time being.

It wasn't the second time they hooked up, either. Could you blame them? They had just survived a mission that nearly everyone had called impossible with no casualties. They had to blow off steam somehow, and now that they knew it could work, they were more than happy to oblige. Shepard's shower, holding her against the wall with her legs wrapped around his waist. It was a little less awkward and a little more desperate. He had a vague understanding of what she liked, he took her as if she were a turian. Judging on just the sounds that came from her mouth, he'd say she enjoyed it at the very least. But then she did this human this called a blowjob, and Garrus came in about fifteen seconds-- which was worse than the first time, because now Shepard probably thinks that he can't last for anything. To be fair, around her for some reason, it's true.

No, it was the third time-- where there were no strings attached, no stakes, no real reason for them to even be in the same room together. It was then where Garrus had that horrifying, nauseating, terrifying sensation deep down in his stomach where he might just be in love with his best friend. Hookups he could do. But love? With a human? With her? Well, he didn't know what to do with that.

[squish--squash]

hello squish mon beloved for the character ask game how about..... william moriarty :]

TEEEEM THANK YOU HUGS YOU

ask game here

My first impression: okay so I'll come clean- I originally watched mtp back in 2022 and my memory of my initial reactions aren't the clearest, so I'm going off the messages I sent a friend while watching it and piecing it together from there. anyway my first impression was a little confused but with a little "alright, I can get behind this!"; this was my first actual interaction with a sherlock holmes work/adaptation since I read part of The Hounds of Baskerville in like. middle school. so I really didn't have anything I was going in with other than the very vague notion that it was "based of sherlock holmes". I took a very quick liking to him and his brothers tho :)

My impression now: SWEET FUCKING SUMMER CHILD. DEAR FUCKING GOD! I'm sobbing crying throwing up- I love him so much he has so much depth to him he forces himself to be the necessary evil and plays the part so well you think he loves it but it's literally killing him inside ACK ACK ACK he's the type of guy who'd go "I couldn't care less" but actually cares so much he wants to throw up; I started a bit confused but now I understand him so much, he's a brilliant character!

Favorite thing about that character: I think it might be his determination. Like from the very beginning he's so determined to make the world a better place no matter the dark paths he takes to get there and it's like. fucking unbreakable. dude had a plan and he stuck with it and saw an end to it (even though the end was very different from what he imagined). Even when he's trying to get back on his feet towards the current end of the manga, the moment his hands fall upon a new purpose he grips it like a vice and he's off to chase it (quite literally actually. on a horse). It's either his determination or his kindness, bc the moments where he lets his little villain persona slip and reveals a soft and beating heart makes me feel violently ill in a good way

Least favorite thing: the way he saw his own life with such little respect up until the nyc arc makes my heart shatter. his plan always resulted in the very least his own end, and if a certain someone hadn't been so desperate on saving him he risked his own life I know for a FACT William would have died and AUGH it HURTS but IT MAKES SENSE YOU COMPLEX, COMPLEX MAN

Favorite line/scene: There are so many and I have to choose JUST ONE? VETOING THIS (it counts I'm american <- joking); I'll give a list actually: the bridge scene for obvious reasons; the entire nyc arc (THE NYC ARC [I'm banging my fist on the fucking TABLE and SOBBING] AAAAA) but specifically the scenes where he arrives for backup for Sherlock and Billy and the "wedding vows" scene make me especially emotional; the Baskerville arc where he takes it personally and utterly destroys the guys behind the scheme- I could continue but this is long enough

Favorite interaction that character has with another: every single panel in the manga and every single frame William shares with Sherlock Holmes is priceless I want to gnaw on steel when they interact—detective vs. lord of crime, companions beneath their masks—it doesn't matter how they're interacting I am going insane. THE CHEMISTRY is like watching a beautiful reaction between two chemicals except it's infinite; if the next arc of the manga was just the two of them interacting in a day-to-day progress I would eat it up and leave no fucking crumbs

A character that I wish that character would interact with more: Honestly, I wish we had more interactions between Billy and William! iirc Billy looks up to William and I would have loved to see the two of them bond, especially after he starts working with him and Sherlock (oh well, I'll just read and write fanfics ig)

Another character from another fandom that reminds me of that character: uhhhhhhhh. I don't really.. I got nothing. I'm so sorry but my brain cannot generate another character from a different fandom that reminds me of William LSKDHG

A headcanon about that character: here's a silly one- he gets acid reflux easily (rip); and here's a serious one- he has nightmares about his lord of crime days long after the fall, about all the blood he's spilled and all the lives he's taken. he handles it better and better with time, but it's never a good time when he has them

A song that reminds of that character: I'm not sure WHY, but "Errasuriz" by Kiltro makes me think of William; also "Before We Drift Away" by Nothing But Thieves (squish stop assigning NBT songs to your favorite characters challenge impossible)

An unpopular opinion about that character: I don't think I know the mtp fandom well enough to know what's considered popular/unpopular, and I think it's a bit too small rn for there to be a common consensus? but uhm. I don't fucking know LMAO uhm. I think he'd look better with a purple motif rather than red??????

Favorite picture: okay okay this is gonna be a two-parter but they're from the same chapter and only like. two-three panels apart but these

I AM GOING. TO HAVE A BREAKDOWN OVER THESE. THE LIIIIIIGHT THE SMILE THE EVERYTHING I'M GOING TO FROW UP AND EXPLODE ACTUALLY

anyways ty tem :D I bet you were not prepared for my unintentional essays after each question LDSGKH

[merakiui]

I gently brush the tips of my nails against Azul and Idia’s necks. They cum instantly.

They are pathetic, touch-starved virgins. <3 All you really need to do is act cute and oblivious, feigning innocence when you bend over to pick something up in front of them, lick cream from your fork when you savor a delicious slice of cake, stretch and your uniform shirt rises slightly to reveal some of your stomach, etc. And they are ready to pin you to the desk and ruin you.

They have very different ideas of the perfect first time with you, so they'll act as the other's cock-block in order to prevent the other from reaching any bases with you. (Neither has gotten very far.) When Azul offers you all sorts of wonderful deals in exchange for favors that will be named at a later date, Idia's quick to strike him down. "He's just going to scam you. You really want those twins to come after you when you can't pay up? Don't look at me like that. I'm not going to help you when that happens!"

When Idia musters the courage to ask you to spend the night in his room for a midnight gaming session, Azul tramples upon the idea (and Idia's confidence). "Gaming sounds wonderful! Since that's all you'll be doing, I hope it wouldn't be an issue if I joined in on the fun. That's really all you intend on doing, right, Idia? Surely you wouldn't have anything less-than-innocent in mind..."

At some point, they'll get so frustrated with the other that they might just let it slip that the other wants to sleep with you (if that wasn't already blindingly obvious). If you find yourself alone with Azul, he definitely orchestrates all sorts of cliché tropes that are meant to bring you closer together. It's like that with Idia, too, but he's so awkward that these things just happen without his meaning them to.

It's all fun and games at the board game club until they decide to work together to get what they want. They may be cherry boys desperate for a crumb of affection, but they certainly know how to utilize their resources and assets. >:)

[linashirou]

4, MGS 🤭

I guess I can say that I don't really know what love is.

Okay. That sounds weird.

Of course, in terms of the concept of the word and its meaning, I have knowledge of what love is. Brotherly and parental love is also something I could consider knowing and having.

But to have a girlfriend?

I want to believe that I won't make a mistake again. I want to believe that this time it won't be someone who will overwhelm me with her strong character, and that it won't be "Stockholm syndrome" or downright "taking advantage" of me as Snake has mentioned to me on other occasions. The fact that we met under strange circumstances clearly doesn't help me understand myself, and sometimes I'm not sure if this will be another desperate attempt to cling to a person who shows me a hint of affection, Giving crumbs to the love-hungry man that lives inside of me. And it's that when you're 37 years old, when you've been alone for the most part of your life, when you have a company, economic stability, a house to live in, a daughter, and an unconditional comrade like Dave waiting for you every day.

What else is there to live for? Of course. Filling the emotional void.

The past two years I was entirely dedicated to the legal issues of Sunny's adoption and Dave's health situation, which was temporarily improved thanks to whatever is up there, giving me more time to accept what was happening to him. Anyway…

I know, as he said… I have the right to finally rebuild my life. And at that very moment. She appeared. And now, as I look in the mirror while shaving, I realize how I let her get into my life without even analyzing her, desperately making her mine… I can't control how inexperienced my sentimental side is, like a boy in the body of an almost forty-year-old. Oh damn! I've accidentally cut myself. A thin red thread of blood escapes from the cut, leaving a trail that I watch carefully on the sink as I turn on the faucet to clean myself. Like the red thread that I romantically believe connects us.

Just like her hair, which was fanned out on my bed on the day that we made love for the first time… And after less than half a year of being together, I am already hers…

Because I believe she is everything I never had:

A friend with whom I can talk, a sister with whom I strive for a harmonious world, a mother who comforts me, and a lover who patiently brings out the best in me and makes me blossom.

The long awaited soulmate.

And no matter how much I try to clean that cut, the red ink of our love already stained the inside of my soul… And I can't forget how you let yourself be seen without restrain

I still remember how yesterday I could feel with the palms of my hands every curve and every line of that body that not long ago was... A complete stranger to me.

[bozawarriorsposting]

I had an absolute blast reading the introductory chapter! It's great to see how this whole mess started and I can't wait to see more!^^

It's probably obvious, but are some of Clear Sky's many titles self-imposed? And what does he mean by Overseer of the Great Above? Is where the ghosts are brought in the chapter the Great Above or is it just the sky in general? Or is it something else?

Also going back to the Rootpaw situation a little (I'm sorry I just get very excited at any crumb of content with him). I imagine Needletail is not happy with one of Violetshine's kits going missing because of her ghostly companion, is she?

And lastly, I'm just very curious about what you have planned for the ghosts' future missions. I recall you saying Shadowsight will be involved in one? Do you have any other mission ideas? Or is it too soon to ask that?

1. To his credit, Clear Sky's titles are all genuine... In the way that at some point someone called him that and he added it to the mental list of titles he has. The 'Overseer of The Great Above' specifically is from when the founders really got abstract in the mythos of Starclan, and became less ancestors than embodiments of natural phenomena and the spiritual symbol of a Clan. Cats nowadays refer to Starclan as a whole more than any individual of the 5 but Clear Sky is a sort of Minor God more than anything in the religion.

2. "Silver Pelt" or the Starclan that most cats walk around is something very malleable, it can twist and change depending on who is around and what are the emotions running high. Clear Sky is able to mold a small section of it according to what cats believe and attribute to him. Essentially, he is powerful enough to etch out a small domain to suck in the cats so he can screw with them in private.

3. Oh, she would be pissed upon finding out, she would probably check on Violetshine to make sure the person she actually cares about isn't hurt, and finds her desperately looking for Rootpaw. From there she might ask the group and then find out what happened after a back and fourth. Massive argument happens, the conflict resolution of the Four kicks in, ie. everyone does what they want as long as it doesn't get Clear Sky involved. And she maybe goes to find Rootpaw. I might actually make a story out of that, so thanks for contributing another piece of writing.

4. For the future.... I am gonna be real. This au was always more about the setup and the characters with the resulting possibilities more than any good ideas of where the story goes.

In terms of missions, all sorts of things are possible. I am mostly fishing for ideas as is. For Shadowpaw, I am honestly thinking that a mission focusing on him is essentially the Four using their powers to try and gaslight him into interpreting a prophecy a certain way. But like in a dark comedy way, where it's essentially all of them playing director and influencing shit to get him to think a certain thing, and failing. Because for all their powers, getting a cat to think a certain way of their own volition without raising the suspicion of the Clan or Starclan is still very hard.

But yeah, honestly I am just developing the base concept, from here I am currently working on some refs for the Four, and otherwise either think of a fun concept or have more of the four interacting with each other in that pocket dimension directly following the events of the introduction. Probably something from Needletail's point of view.

I always take suggestions of any kind, this entire AU is essentially just going "Hey wouldn't it be funny if." And thinking about the results of that.

[gregorygerwitz]

Here I am, back again asking for another meta! Tell me about mouse's exit in 4×05, I am absolutely interested!

no gifs because it took me too long to eat dinner and now I don't have time to screen record and play with photoshop before bed but I'll get the canon dialogue so we can all be sad anyway

Thank you for asking about this, honestly, I think about it more often than is healthy and quite frankly I need to get it out somewhere that's not just Kit's text messages. She gets so much of my nonsense, bless her for putting up with it.

All of it is going under a read more because these topics get really heavy, especially when I really dig into it the way I'm planning on doing.

Warnings for: drug use/addiction, PTSD, survivor's guilt, depression, anxiety, death, attempted suicide, suicidal thoughts, suicidal ideation

The very short version is this: Mouse gets a call from an old army superior with an offer to basically get his old job back (potentially a promotion from his old spot? canon tells us nothing) as a communications specialist with a new unit. He decides to take it, after getting his felony record cleared by Trudy, and quits his job with the CPD to reenlist.

Which like... I have complaints about, on the surface. We watched him go from a drug addict who relied on crime (and informing the police about crime) to survive, who was not taking care of himself and definitely dealing with PTSD and survivor's guilt and depression and anxiety (and undiagnosed autism but that's significantly less relevant here) in season one, to two years clean, holding a steady job, and looking physically healthier toward the end of season three. He was even more obviously confident in his abilities and was engaging socially with more people than just Jay, which is great for him. Go baby go.

To basically give up that progress, reject it in favor of going back to the exact same situation that made him into the addict we saw early on, feels like really lazy writing, at best. If that's on purpose? It borders on cruelty. something something the implication of him inevitably going back to that version of himself if he makes it back to Chicago alive at all because "once an addict always an addict" or whatever bullshit makes me so angry actually

And those are only my surface complaints. We haven't even gotten to my backstory deep dive, and all of the issues I have with the canon dialogue where he explains part of his reasoning behind the decision. Because the implications there are... not great. But we can start there and build to the rest of it.

Jay calls him out on exactly all of the above, when Mouse first brings up the idea of reenlisting in 4x02:

"You're serious-? Are you serious right now? [...] Do you forget what it did to you? Depression? Can't sleep at night? You want that? You want to be- you want to be calling me at three in the morning? You can't sleep, you're popping pills? "

I know I read into things a lot, especially with Mouse, but I'm not doing that here. Jay says it outright. Point blank to his face. This is what the war made him, last time, and he can't seriously be considering risking that again, right? this scene did give me Moustead canonically calling each other in the middle of the night though so it's not all bad that's my favorite crumb

And then 4x05 is after Mouse asks Voight to help with his record, and he's told no, but Jay is still actively trying to stop the reenlistment from happening. He himself goes to Voight about it in the first scene of the episode, desperately trying to keep his best friend safe - from the dangers that come from a war zone, from the risk of going back to all of that, from himself:

"Hey, Sarge... I heard Mouse came looking to get a felony dropped so he could reenlist. [...] I think he's carrying around a lot of guilt that we made it home safe and friends of ours didn't."

It's this attempt to get Voight to hold onto that decision, that no that means Mouse is essentially stuck with the CPD and can't leave the country and risk his life in the army again. Jay is absolutely in the wrong for meddling the way he did, going behind Mouse's back like that, but like... he's right. Everything he says is absolutely correct. Survivor's guilt can manifest in some destructive ways, and the urge to throw oneself back into the danger that nearly killed them the first time is one of those ways.

I think the fact that the case in 4x05 that the team is working on deals with a lot of overdose victims fed my angst loving heart just a little too well. But it, combined with my headcanon that Mouse tried to kill himself with an overdose in 2011 (this is a very specific headcanon, with a whole essay's worth of reasoning/explanation, but I mention it in a few fics, for some reason there's no post just about that headcanon? I'll fix that one day), and everything that led to it, definitely feeds into how absolutely gutted I feel any time I watch another scene in that episode, this one a conversation between Jay and Mouse:

M: You know, maybe Voight's right. Maybe I just need to clear out of here. J: What are you gonna do with your felony record? You gonna go back to boosting stereos? M: That guy on the board - that could have been me when I came back here - high, doing something stupid and dangerous. J: Greg, that is not you. That's not you now. M: I am telling you, Jay, if I lose my job because of a bender or whatever... I'm looking at Tyler, and that could've been me. It still could be me.

Between that subtle emphasis on telling you and the heavy implication that he could still be killed by (or lose his job because of) those old habits, with my headcanon that, at one point, they did almost kill him... it's very easy for me, personally, to read into that as Mouse trying to tell Jay, while not letting on to the rest of the team and making them worry, too, that he's feeling that way again. That he's suicidal again, that the level of stress he's feeling while working in Intelligence is driving him back to that point. This could very feasibly be part of the reason that Jay changes his mind on fighting him so hard on all of it between this conversation and their next scene together. However...

Even without the context of my headcanon, the conversation outright says that Mouse is actively thinking about how he might die. He's going to a place where he could potentially die every single day, and he's not concerned about it, not only that, but he seems to be welcoming it. If not suicidal, he's being reckless and careless with his life, telling Jay he's being pushed to the brink, actively concerned that he's taking just as much of a risk even if he stays in Chicago...

Mouse's exit actively undid all of the progress we got to see on screen, putting him right back where he started if not worse off - if he even lived long enough to make it home at all. And it makes me absolutely furious every time I think about it. It turned his arc of recovery into a net negative outcome, and in the best case scenario pushed him back into a potential cycle of trauma and addiction. And even a rushed exit doesn't have to be that cynical.

He could have easily had a more positive exit - maybe going back to school to finish his degree, if he's really set against the police academy. But this exit, and all of the awful, devastating implications that come with it, were a deliberate choice that shouldn't have been made.

TLDR;; Mouse's mental health was an absolute mess, to put it lightly, and I'm constantly confused about why his exit was allowed to play out like this, and how he could reasonably pass any psychological evaluation that would let him reenlist in the first place. yes I know the government and the armed forces specifically are awful about mental health and actively tell people not to report how they're feeling let me apply some logic to my anger please it keeps me sane

[edwinas]

I feel like this fandom and the actual text have a terrible infantilization problem in the attitude that’s all, oh, how could Nate be so mean to poor baby Colin, or Nate was utterly delusional when he felt dismissed by someone who literally brushed him aside to go celebrate with Roy, how dare he be so ungrateful, of course Ted never did a single thing that could even be considered wrong. It makes even those characters less interesting! I’d argue Colin owes Nate an apology much more than Nate owes Colin, especially because Nate already did apologize, but the one character who Nate was, without question, the most unnecessarily cruel was Will. And the players are much nicer to him than they were to Nate, but in the sense that they see him as a pet, not a person. Like, he’s treated as a tagalong kid mascot despite him being canonically older than Sam and about Jamie’s age - totally fine to have him around to pick up after them, but of course they’d never even dignify his invitation out with a response. Similarly, fans use his mistreatment to hate on Nate, but not actually explore any of these characters’ real strengths and flaws.

100% anon, I get the show not developing everyone because it has an ensemble cast and it'd be impossible to do. But fans definitely reduce characters to what they find palatable.

As you said, Ted's cut down to this all-american happy-go-lucky white himbo dad. But he struggles with alcoholism, the fall out of his marriage, being away from his kid, his father's passing, panic attacks etc. He's told his positivity is hurting him and that he needs to be more open. Ted is way more interesting than this fandom allows him to be.

Nate is one of the most complex and nuanced characters. We saw how and why he spiralled: his desperate search for validation, looking himself up on twitter, negative comments cutting him down, taking it out on others, being dismissed by others, checking twitter again etc. His outburst in the finale was gradually built up and foreshadowed throughout the show. Brendan Hunt said "It was certainly fun bread-crumbing his transformation throughout Season Two especially, but there's breadcrumbs in Season One as well."

I wonder if writers would have taken more care with Nate's story if they knew how fandoms hate brown characters...

ANYWAY Nate was cruel to Will and I wonder if it's because he sees himself in Will? And if Nate's emulating what he had done to him when he was kit man? To feel powerful, to feel like he's something. Regardless I want Nate to realise he doesn't need to put anyone down for himself to matter. I'd love for him to reconcile with Will!

I'm not that bothered by Will not being developed. He's more of a cameo and comic relief. Would have been nice if he was more fleshed out, especially when newer characters get a lot more screen time.

What gets me is that Will seems like a non-entity in fandom. I see a few funny gifsets with him and that's it. Not many head canons, meta, posts in general. But he always finds his way in Nate hating posts. Begs the question, do you care about Will or is he just a convenient prop to hate on Nate?

[asterhaze]

On mobile so i can't link but from the oc ask game. Pick a boi(gender neutral) to fill in the blanks about

4 Characters fav rec activity

13 oc honeymoon where?

21 Oc hobbies?

I am desperately trying to not drone on and on about Glen. I can't help it. I find him delightfully adorable, stupid, and a true apprentice to the Rizzard of Oz. He's very hard for me not gush about. But when I got this notification, I looked over a list of everything I have posted concerning Masterpiece and realized I actually have talked about Glen and Vlad pretty evenly, but have left my OC Magazine's Sexiest Man Alive pretty unspoken. So Ska it is!

4. This question honestly bamboozled the fuck out of me because trying to figure out the difference between a recreational activity and a hobby was very difficult (the internet was no help) and caused a great argument to emerge in my household when I asked for help. Gold star for causing chaos in my house: ⭐

Every once in a while, when he's not busy, Ska likes to stargaze and mourn the stars he can no longer see due to light pollution obscuring things. It's one of those things he rarely goes out of his way for and just randomly does it until he finds something worth distracting him, like Glen's nonsense.

13. I know I'm the writer of my story, which means I have created the entire world that these OCs live in. This also means that because vampires are what I say they are, demons and fair folk are how I portray them, I should know everything about them. But since I've changed what demons and fair folk inherently are...that makes figuring that out a little difficult. Where do demons go on honeymoon? Do they get married? Are these people just together because "this one bothers me so much less than the others?". Another star for bamboozling me and giving me something to think about for more worldbuilding: ⭐

Though if I pretend that at least Ska would get married, I hope his husband would take him to some sort of giant beautiful garden so he could look at all of the pretty plants that only bloom at night.

21. You will not bamboozle me again, because I have this one in cannon already.

Ska was inspired by my spouse, so I gave them the same hobby because it cracks me up that a teddy bear like my spouse would have the same hobby as a dark, foreboding, anxiety-inducing demon dude. Ska has many gardens, all over his field of influence, that he tends to during the day when his family leaves him alone. He's not very good at it, in fact his gardens are really pathetic considering who he is, but he enjoys it and that's what really matters.

(Yes, my spouse is, just barely, a better gardener. This fact brings my spouse great joy. I don't have the heart to tell either one of them that outside influences are what keeps their plants alive.)

Thank you for asking and giving me the opportunity to shed a crumb of light on Ska. I look forward to explaining how I have changed how demons, fair folk, and vampires work in my world another time. And thank everyone else for reading, I hope I get more asks and tag games soon!

[artwithoutblood]

for reference, here is one from the arms & armour inc

Hehehe... I had one off bronzecannons.net that inspired a particular redesign, it's half drawn.

Technically what I’ve done to it makes it no longer count as a bec de corbin but another type of war hammer… but shhh. Rule of cool. Birds.

you know, i made that his weapon on purpose and completely forgot that i did. feel free to spill about the theories.

There are wild theories about two known tattoos but I'll just start with one. Apparently Dorian has a tattoo in Latin on one of his arms and he won't tell you what it says.

It could likely be a personal motto, sentimental, or cult related. Or a punishment before his final drastic one.

But tattoos were stigmatized in ancient Rome, associated with criminals, slaves, or soldiers/mercenaries (as dogtags or to make it harder to desert). Tattoos were even seen as a mark of disgrace or punishment. They were also considered barbaric.

People considered to be barbarians eg. the Germanic tribes were heavily tattooed. It could be cultural as Dorian was from a Germanic region (Austria) but it’s unlikely for him to have had a tattoo when he emigrated as a four year old. (I hope.) It also mentions that was for the pre-Christian tribes, which I think would have been a lot earlier than Dorian’s time. Plus he would have got the crescent moon tattoo later in life after forming the cult in Rome.

But pursuing the military angle. I can't be sure of historical accuracy (thanks 'Gladiator' movie) but by specifically looking for SPQR tattoos in Latin there are some pictures of Latin phrases on arms. Some mottoes from statesmen/philosophers might maybe be relevant.

And the horseman's pick was not a discreet weapon. Rather than being carried for self defence it was used in battle to pull soldiers off their horses and puncture armour.

(The theory does fall apart a bit here though because I don't know if the Roman army used this type of weapon. It would be more typical for them to have spears, lances, javelins, pikes.

The bec de corbin is described as being of Middle Eastern origin and in the reference picture I used the weapon was French. It is described as being used in medieval Europe though, and the transition to the Middle Ages (late antiquity) began when Rome fell so maybe this was in the early middle Ages/early Byzantine period? 

Some Germanic people did expand and settle into Rome, allied with Rome and served as auxiliary forces. Perhaps this is why Dorian's family came, to settle on land and get rewards. And perhaps Dorian inherited his father's weapon. But warhammers were popular in the late Medieval period after Dorian had probably died so idk. Perhaps Dorian acquired it after his death, but with his power I can't think why he would have needed it.)

Still. I'm not great on history but apparently Dorian was about (or died?) around the fall of Rome and the rise of Byzantine (lots of external attacks from invaders, war, and the military turning on the government), and apparently he was much scarier in life. Relished cruelty.

Gilles de Rais vibes - different time and place but both men (and Joan of Arc) were executed for heresy in a similar way. Burned at the stake. From hints about who Dorian worshiped and his rites, I suspect both men were also accused of being in league with the Devil.

There are definitely some other very plausible explanations for the Latin arm tattoo and some big plot holes but yeah. Based on small crumbs I'm wondering if Dorian ever fought as a mercenary in life.

(Dorian's very poor vision may make it less likely, but there may not have been formal eye tests and that wouldn't necessarily have barred him from fighting if he signed up or was conscripted. Especially among those being used as disposable 'fodder', and/or in more desperate times when the invading tribes were relentless and the ranks may have been thinned. The late Roman army actually was forced to rely mainly on conscription in the 3rd century crisis, when food supply issues meant fewer volunteers.

I'm getting conflicting info suggesting the pick has been used both on horseback and on foot, so bad eyesight might not have been as much of a problem if he had been fighting in melee. And yes, barbarian-born soldiers fought as allies. There were only really conflicts of loyalty when fighting against their own particular tribe.)

If it's not something personal to Dorian the tattoo implication really depends on when he got it.

From skimming info, in earlier Roman times it was more for slaves or punishment and in the late Roman Empire to Byzantine era it was more for military purposes.

i'll start you off by saying the bec de corbin was picked up later in his demonhood. someone showed it to him and he thought it was cool as hell, and so a custom one was gifted to him that runs red in its veins with a hunger.

him being some sort of mercenary turned cult leader is actually really, really fun, and if i wasn't the person i am i would've stolen that. that's fucking brilliant.

in the reality of 10:16, the tattoo on his arm is of the player's name. while 10:16 is part of the awb-verse, it is not canon in awb, to say. the scenario is, but this situation with the fallen is not. if you want to think of it that way, please feel free.

in the context of awb itself, it is a list of reminders.