#the answer is. well. this is actually the ideal outcome for me.

[technofinch]

guys im drunk and decided to watch wrestling and i tune in to sami CONFESSING HIS LOVE FOR KEVIN and kevin DRIVING AWAY WITHOUT A WORD and HOW am i supposed to handle this

[save-the-villainous-cat]

hellooo!

i was just wondering maybe, if you could write about a drunk supervillain confessing everything abt his feelings for superhero to his secretary or henchman, not knowing that they are actually superhero going undercover and superhero’s just contemplating whether they should still go on with their plan to arrest and “betray him” or confess the truth?? cause they like him too?

I love your work so much! Your blog inspires me to start writing more!

Thank you! thank you!!🙏

hope u have a great day ahead!🫶

“Mmm…” The villain closed their eyes for a second and the hero already suspected some drunken tiredness to come over them, leaving the hero to drag them back to the car.

“I think that was quite a lot, no?” The hero grabbed the glass — still halfway filled with some vodka and cola mixture — and pulled it to their side of the table. Far away so the villain couldn’t reach it.

“God, they’re so annoying, y’know?” the villain looked at the hero again and some suspicious part of their brain wondered if the villain was toying with them.

What if they had figured out that the hero wasn’t actually their secretary? What if this was their way of saying “gotcha” and shoot them in the head?

“Totally, but you’ve been saying that quite a lot this evening. You can’t let your enemy get to you like that,” the hero said. It was funny that those words actually came out of their mouth. They were the one who was obsessed enough to go undercover, after all.

“Yeahhh, I know…” The villain drew some invisible lines into the table with their index finger.

The bar was pretty full for a work day but the hero was thankful for it. That way, no one was paying any attention to them.

The villain smiled softly. “I talk a lot about them, right?”

Although the hero wasn’t drunk, their face felt quite hot.

“Uhm, I suppose.” Once again, the villain smiled dreamily and the hero didn’t exactly know where this was going. They had a feeling but…

“One time…they were nice to me one time.” The villain paused. “I was injured and the hero helped me.”

“That is very nice,” the hero agreed. They remembered the moment a little too well. The villain had been in a pretty bad shape. Buried under a lot of rubble, several broken bones, many injured muscles…The hero had never even thought of another outcome. All they had wanted was the villain’s survival.

“The way they look at me sometimes…I don’t…I can’t deal with it.” The villain leaned back, searched for their drink, got distracted and tapped with their fingers on the table again. They were funny when they were drunk and still, very different from that rather silent leader which they were at work.

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t know,” the villain answered, grinning. “I used to hate them. Like, really hate them. I think I was scared of them.”

“Scared? You? You’re so much stronger than them.” That was the truth. And the hero was certain this was some foul game at play.

“They’re smarter than me.”

“I don’t think so,” the hero answered.

“They intimidated me because they challenged me.” The villain bit their lip. “They made me think about my own goals and what I want to be.”

“They challenged your ideals,” the hero concluded. But the villain only shrugged.

“I wanted to get rid of them because of that but they’re very sweet, I fear.” They looked at the hero and their next smile looked rather sad. “But no one could ever love a person like me, isn’t that so? The blood on my hands will never dry.”

Oh god, the hero didn’t know how to answer. Their face was burning because, in fact, they hadn’t been quite sure about their own feelings. Was it a crush? Simple interest? A work thing?

The hero didn’t know what they were feeling and they didn’t know how to keep their cover now.

“Uhm…” They swallowed. “I think there are a lot of things about you which are admirable.”

“I don’t think I’m allowed to date my enemy.” Oh. “And I don’t think I would ask them. Too shy.”

The hero stared at them.

They needed another plan.

[screaminglygay]

KINKTOBER day 3

pairing: vampire!kate x fem!reader

summary: are you and kate actually meant to be together? you will get the answer at ceremony, where you’ll be surrounded by many other vampires, that are not the friendliest in town.

word count: 4.3k

warnings: light slapping, smut!!!, kinda dom!kate x sub!reader, mentions of blood, some swearing, dirty talk, if anything else I’ll add it

an: i had fun writing kate, she’s so fun and i need her asap:) also i used few sayings from my language and tried to translate it, so if it doesn’t make any sense in english i sincerely apologize haha

an2: also! i was very inspired by this TikTok!

(italics = your thoughts)

!MDNI!

Enjoy this spooky time and be safe!

"Baby! We´re gonna be late and your mother will kill us!" You yell, knowing damn well that the taller dark haired girl heard you.

It was a big family night for you and Kate. You were invited to family gatherings before, but today is different. Tonight you´re meeting her grand grand family members from all around the world. Most of them were against your relationship with a pure blood, but after a few stories they heard about your good impact on Kate, they realized that humans are not so bad after all.

Tonight is a big ceremony of the first humam coming to their family after almost 690 years. The only thing you have to do, to be accepted, is give a little of your blood to your mate, aka Kate. Sounds easy, right?

Well there are three scenarios that might happen. One; she will like your blood, which is the greatest option. The second situation could result in death in front of numerous vampires, and the third and worst possible outcome is that you have cursed blood. It basically means that you two aren't meant to be together, Kate explained to you weeks ago. So after hours, days of googling what blood type is the best for vampires, you actually gave up. Google didn´t give you the answer, shockingly. You just wished you would be Kate´s ideal.

"She can´t kill me, I´m immortal. Remember princess?" At the speed of a light a pair of hands wraps around you. Kate kisses your cheek, hoping it would ease your nerves.

"Oh, I completly forgot! My bad." Rolling your eyes at her wasn´t your brightest idea as a harsh slap on your ass was sent right away. "Ouch!" you yelp.

"Don´t." She spins you around so you two were facing eachtoher. Her cold hands found a way under your dress. Her blue eyes scanned your whole body, holding a little longer on your clevage that your new dress showed.

"Like what you see?" You tease her, already kwowing the answer.

"We don´t have to go there, princess. We can stay right here and-" Kate´s eyes were still on your breasts, until you cut you her off, then she met your eyes.

"Youre forgetting that I´m not immortal, Katie. And I would really appraciate not to fight any vampires today, especially not your mother." You smile at her. "Besides we can have fun later. After all the ceremony and blood testing thing, if everything will be okay and-" you ramble, but this time it´s Kate who jumps right in.

"It´s gonna be okay. I love you and you´re exactly my type." She winks at you, but your nerves are still all around the place. Her hands slips lower, gently touching the insides of your thighs.

"This distraction teqnique would work if our relatioship wouldn´t be on the line, Katie. So leave it for later, okay?" You smiled at her, wishing you could stay here and just enjoy eachother, just as much as she did.

"Fineee" Kate let out a big whine, like a kid when you take them their favorite toy. Which was exctly what´s happenening.

"The sooner we go, the sooner we will be back." You mumble.

"I like this mindset." She chuckled and then both of you went hand in hand outside, where your car with a driver was already waiting.

The car ride was comfotably silent, Kate was holding your hand the whole time, which helped you a little. After 20 minutes you´ve arrived, but you stayed in the car for another 5 minutes. Kate knew you were nervous, she could feel your nerves dancing all around your body, but mostly in your mind. She didn´t said anything, she just gave you a soft smile that made you fall for her the second you saw her. Slowly kissed your lips and then she opened the door for you. You will never get used to her super fast movements.

As always the Bishops made a big event look even bigger. Everything was so expenssive, even the dust looked like it was personaly made for Kate´s mom, Eleanor Bishop, for tonights occasion. As you get closer to the entrance you feel the nerves working again, making your stomach twirl, your hands starts to get shaky. As you approach the entrance, you're greeted by towering iron gate adorned with dark and sinister ornaments. These gates open slowly, revealing a long path leading deeper into the heart of the ceremony.

"Maybe we should get back, you know-" You quickly whisper in Kate´s ear.

"Easy, princess. You´re doing really good. Just hold my hand and I promise, everything will be okay." Kate looks at you with her cute little face. You sigh.

I´m okay, Kate says I´m doing good, so I´m doing good.

As you proceed, you notice the decorations adorning the area. Enormous candles everywhere. The flames seem to dance with a life of their own, casting flickering shadows that play tricks on your senses. It looks so magical, yet terryfying at the same time. The walls are lined with rich, dark wood paneling and huge ornate mirrors. Each table has gold cutlery and is decorated with blood-red and black roses.

Vampires don´t eat, why do they have so many tables set?

Your girlfriend see you look around with confused look on your face, she whispers. "My mom wanted it to look luxorious."

"So she spent a lot of money on... cuttlery and plates?" You chuckle a little.

"Basically, yeah." Kate shrughs and smiles with you.

"I can afford it, it would be a very sad life if after all these years I would be poor, don´t you think, (Y/N)?" As soon as you hear the voice you stop in your tracks, you don´t even dare to turn around, turn around and face Kate´s mother.

"I- I didn´t mean it as a bad thing, Mrs. Bishop." You turn around and notice that she is wearing a striking red dress that cascades to the ground, it´s fabric flowing like liquid silk, decorated with golden stripes.

"I know." Eleanor chuckles. "And to answer your question, it looks better rather than empty hall with just vampires." She looks at you and then Kate. "You two better get ready, you know how Daniella is." With that she leaves.

You turn to Kate and she´s already openning her mouth like she´s reading your mind. "My grandmother. She hates these gatherings. And I don´t blame her, she´s..." Kate stops in her words as she tries to figure out how old is her grandmother, but she just giggles, "... old."

You share a laugh with her as you two go into the backyard, where the ceremony will start.

As you walk through the lavish hallways right outside, you can't shake the feeling of being watched. The stern-faced vampires seem to follow your every move with their eyes. You can hear hushed whispers and the occasional sinister chuckle from hidden corners, making your skin crawl. When you enter the garden, your breath catches in your throat. A group of elegant vampire stands in a circle. Their conversation falls silent as they turn their attention to you, their gaze piercing through your very alive soul. You feel like a deer caught in the headlights, your nervousness intensifying with every passing second.

"Just go sit over there, I´ll come in a second." Kate nods towards the over dacorated throne with big gold crystals all around, as she lets go of your hand. You try to look confident, you try to look as you got this whole situation under control, but you´re still in a room full of vampires.

One of the vampires, a particularly tall vampire with a charming look approaches you. He extends a hand and invites you to sit on the throne. You accept, trying to hide your trembling hands as you sit down. After a few second you stop shifting in your seat as you feel finally seated, as you look up, you see all the vampires looking at you. Of course none of them is blinking so the whole situations is just more terryfing.

In the the crowd of vampires you try to find your partner, Kate. But no matter where you look, you can´t see her, your thoughts start to wonder, once more.

Oh my god.

Eleanor´s voice brought you out of your chaotic thoughts as she´s now standing next to you.

Super speed, of course.

Eleanor starts to speak with a velvet tone that sends shivers down your spine. "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome. The time of bonding two souls has come once again. After almost 690 years, we´re here to reaffirm our eternal bond, to celebrate our power, and to welcome a new member into our family. Tonight, in the power of moonlight, we have a rare guest among us - a human, who has willingly chosen to share in our world. A human, who´s heart is strong enough to beat for two. Let this gathering be a testament to the strength of our coven and the allure of our kind. We welcome you all, and we extend our gratitude to our honored guest. Let the ceremony begins." Eleanor takes few steps away.

Oh god. Now it´s my last second here on this planet. I didn´t write my will! Shit.

As you sit on the throne, a mix of fear and anticipation washes over you, for you have entered a world unlike any other, and tonight, you will be forever changed. The whole garden is incredibly silent, which makes your beating heart even louder.

Two vampire figures step forward, Eleanor fixes your hair and give you a warm smile, as warm as the vampires can do that. The other vampire, you could tell miles away, Kate. Your eyes meet and you both immidietly smile and suddenly, you feel safe. You feel like no matter what´s gonna happen, she is there to protect you. Always.

Eleanor speaks again. "Is everything prepared, my dear?"

"Yes, everything is ready." Kate nods with a small smile.

Your breath quivers as you feel their gaze upon you, you could cut the tension in the air. You don´t dare to look away from Kate, as you know that the rest of the vampires are watching you, like a prey. Even though that´s off the table for a long time now.

"Are you prepared for this, (Y/F/N)? Once this ceremony begins, there is no turning back." The tall vampire that helped you sit down now speaks.

You nod, your voice a shaky whisper: "Yes, I'm ready."

Kate steps closer, her eyes locking onto your neck with a hunger that sends shivers down your spine. Of course she kissed your neck before, so this wasn´t something new, but this time both of you felt that there is something in the air. You noticed her eyes, they were darker, almost like she never had a blue eyes, now they were completly black. She leans in, her lips barely grazing your skin, her voice a sultry mumble.

"Don't be afraid, princess. Let´s pretend it´s just me and you." She takes your hand in hers.

As her fangs descend, your heart races, and you close your eyes, preparing for the worst outcome. But Kate's sharp fangs pierce your tender flesh, a pain overpower your senses. It's an weird sensation, like a burning brand pressed against your skin, and your muscles tense in response. The world seems to blur, and a wave of dizziness washes over you as Kate's bite deepens.

It hurst more than you could ever imagine, but like the waves on the shore it quickly washes away. The pain begins to transform. It morphs into something else entirely, an intense, electrifying sensation that surges through your entire body. You let out a big exhale as you can feel Kate´s touch everywhere, it´s indescribable feeling that is running thorugh your whole body.

Kate has a moment of ecstasy. As your blood rushes into her mouth, it´s adicting in a sense. The taste is inexpressible as well, an intoxicating blend of sweetness and saltiness, and it fills her with an sense of power and pleasure. Every drop that she draws makes her feel more alive than she ever has, and it's as if the very essence of your being is nourishing her soul.

In this shared moment, you and Kate are connected in a way that most of her family didn´t belive. The boundaries of life and death, pain and pleasure were moved once again with your relationship. It's a dance of darkness and desire, you can feel your heartbeat come back to normal as Kate pulls away.

Her eyes are even darker and yours are too. She was right, it was always just the two of you.

The other vampires watch in awe and fascination as Kate and you share this profound moment of bonding, their expressions ranging from curiosity to envy. Most of them though you two weren´t meant to be, or at least they wished it was in that way. At the end you´re still just a human to them.

One of the vampires, closed to where you and Kate were, whispers to another one "Did you see that? It's been ages since I witnessed such a powerful bond."

"Kate truly has a unique way of choosing her companions. This human must be special indeed." The tall vampires whispers back.

The vampires exchange knowing glances, recognizing the significance of this moment. The bond between you and Kate, marks as a rare moment. As they continue to observe, Kate finally pulls away fully, wiping her mouth and then licking the few drops from her fingers as she made eye contact with you.

As both of you had your senses high you two couldn´t deny the fact that you need to be alone, asap!

"Let us welcome you, (Y/N), in our family. Now officially. Let´s raise our glasses to the special bond. To the never dying love!" Eleanor smiles at you and then turns to the vampires, that were holding their own. They all cheered to you and Kate.

You step down from the throne, feeling a sense of acceptance and belonging from the vampires around you. As you begin to walk through the garden, many of them offer congratulations, their voices low and respectful, but you don´t really pay attention as your girlfriend dissapears again.

Then, you spot Kate approaching through the dimly lit garden, her eyes finding yours in an instant. She takes your hand and, with a sense of urgency, starts saying quick goodbyes to the others.

Kate leans closer. "We need some time alone, my princess." She smirks.

"You are reading my mind, Katie." You mumbled.

The other vampires don´t mind you leaving at all, which makes it easier and quicker for you and Kate slip away from the gathering. You follow her, your heart pounding with an excitement, as you make your way back to Kate's apartment, where your journey into the night truly begins.

...

As soon as you step inside her aparment her hands are on you. Her fingers slowly trace over the teeth marks she left on your neck.

"Did it hurt?" She whispers as she kisses your neck.

"Uh- a little" You moan right away.

"A little?" Kate pulls away and raise her eyebrow.

"Okayyy, it hurted a lot. A lot lot, but... after a second-" You were cut off by Kate´s words.

"It felt better than anything in this word." She smiles and you simply just nod. "Go strip on the bed, I´ll be there in a second."

And if Kate means second, it is truly just a second, but this time, she made sure that you have some time to actually take off your clothes, as she wanted tonight to be special.

As you open the door you immidietly start to take off your clothes, fistly your shoes and then your dress, which takes you just few seconds. As you walk past the mirror you notice those cute little bite marks, which sends you pulse right into your pussy. You let out a moan, which makes Kate runs into the bedroom.

"It feels that good, huh?" Kate smirks as she is still wearing her black suit, her hands are behind her back as shes holding a small black velvet box.

"Gosh, I forgot that your ego is big, I didn´t want to boost it more." You playfully roll your eyes.

Kate pushes you on the bed, her hand on your neck. "And I thought I won´t punish you tonight, since you´ve been so brave, princess. Guess you won´t get your present."

"No, wait!" You whine. "Sorry, sorry, I want my present, please." You add.

Kate smiles and kisses you slowly and passionetly, pulling away, while bitting your lip, which makes you wince. She bit little too hard and your lip starts to bleed. She wants to pull away, but being on top doesn´t help her much. You´re under her and the sight of you completly naked, with blood on your mouth is just the most pretiest sight. The kissing is harsh, fast and messy, but none of you really cares.

"I want the present, pretty please." You say between breaths and Kate smiles as she pulls an inch away from you.

"Of course you want the present, sit up for me, please." She moves away from you so you can sit up. You did as you were told and Kate gives you the pretty black box, that of course was decorated by "KB".

Your fingers tremble slightly as you gently lift the lid, revealing what lies inside. Your breath catches in your throat as you behold a stunning collar made of dark, lustrous metal. The collar is adorned with a row of purple crystals. The crystals are deep and regal, like amethysts, and they sparkle with an elegance that takes your breath away. It's a piece that symbols of your newfound connection with Kate.

"Turn around." Kate says as you´re done inspecting the collar.

You turn around. "It´s abolutely beautiful, Katie. I love it, thank you."

Kate smiles at you words, as she puts the collar on you, you flinch at the sudden cold feeling, your nipples perk up. "So responsive." She kissed your neck again. "I´m glad you like it, princess." The vampire whispers in your ear.

Her hands are all over your body as you are pushed on the bed once again. Kate sits on you, pinning you down, "Tonight is about you, my pretty princess. Just lay here and enjoy your night. Will you do that for me?" She made the puppy dog eyes. Those eyes can get out of any trouble and in every bed.

"Yes, Katie." You smile and nod, already feeling impatient you buckle up your hips, earning little slap to your tits.

"Patience." She smirks, knowing she has this effect on you.

"Not todayyy!" You whine.

Kate leans close, kissing you where she bit you earlier, which makes you moan instantly. It is exactly what Kate loves to hear. She moves you higher on the bed and scoop lower, being inches from your already so wet pussy.

"Open your pretty legs for me." You did, very quickly in fact. "Gosh, look at you, so wet already and didn´t even touch you." She makes eye contact with you and smirks. "Did my biting made you that wet? Or me collaring you? Hm?" Kate kisses your inner things as her fingers trails up and down your leg.

"Both." You quietly let out.

"Both." Kate repeats with a smile on her face. "Because you were so good today, I´ll make it easy for you. Look at me, if you stop, I´ll stop. Understood, my pretty princess?" Her fingers were now incredible close to the place you needed them in.

"Yes, understood." You look in her eyes, they were still dark and you knew she was impatient as well as you are.

Her mouth came closer, you could feel her breath, against your skin and after two soft kisses on each of your inner thighs, Kate finally gave in and still very teasingly kissed your clit.

"God-" Your eyes wanted to be closed so bad, but you knew you have to keep them opened.

As Kate smirk agaist you she start to eat you out, very slowly. But after a few of your pretty loud moans, she licks you, like there is no tomorrow. Her tongue was skilled, she knew your body more than you knew it yourself. So after every flinch, every move of your muscle, she knew you are close. So close.

Her fingers are still going up and down your legs, pinching you time to time, to avoid you closing your eyes. "Eyes on me, princess." Kate mumbles into your drenched pussy.

"They... are." You whine as you bite your already bruised lip to keep your eyes open.

Kate just chuckles, which sends immidiet pleasure right into you. Both of you know you´re close, so so so close.

But after a few second you don´t feel anything, no lips, no tongue, no touch. You had to close your eyes, it was just so good, that there was no other way and like Kate promised, she stopped. Completly.

You whine, your hips instantly moved to search for anything. You need something! You eyes open wide, Kate is still between your legs. She´s watching you, and as she did before with your blood, she now wipes her mouth, messy with your juices.

"Hmm so sweet, princess." She licks her fingers.

"Kate, please-" You whine as you move your hips again, your heartbeat matching with you pulsating pussy.

"You knew the rules-" You cut her off.

"I know, but please, it was an accident!" You move yet another inch closer to her.

After a few second of watching you, Kate decided that she will give you another chance. "Close your eyes and you´re not cumming, got it?" Kate crawls on top of you and tug you by your collar. "Got it?" She tilts her head.

"Yes." You nod kissing her as you can feel your taste on her tongue.

"Tasty, right?" You nod again, as she slowly crawls back between your legs, this time she didn´t waste any second and her tongue makes contact with you right away, she was needy too. Her touch starts to be so harsh, no more soft licks or light touches, she needs you to come.

And oh my god, you are close in just a few second of her touch. Kate smirks knowing, she won once again and her ego is going straight to the space, but she will tease you about it later.

"I-" Kate smiles and nods, knowing exactly what you need.

"Tug on your collar, princess. And I´ll say the magic words." She mumbles agaist you as her fingers now entered your hole.

"Fuck- me" You moan loudly, which was like a music to Kate´s ears.

"I am fucking you, princess." Kate smirks, you can´t be bratty now, but hell she would deserve some bratty remark, but you truly need to cum. So you just obediently listen to her and your hand grab on your collar. You did as you were told once again and tug on it harshly.

It makes Kate smile, seeing you like this. Knowing she is the only person that could touch you like this, knowing only she makes you feel this good.

But you knew the same thing too, there is no one on the planet who would ease her thirst as much as you do. No one could do such a good job as you. No one.

"Can-" You open your mouth to talk but you just moan. You don´t have to say anything at all for Kate to understand.

"Go ahead, princess. Cum for me." She mumbles agaist you as her fingers move sligtly faster and her mouth try to lick all of your juices.

Your hand grips Kate´s head as you push her more into you, moving your hips like non compos mentis. "Mine." Your hand grabs her hair as you finally release, coming on her mouth and fingers after such a long time full of stress.

Kate smiles as she licks you. "Yours, princess." After a few second of you bucking your hips up and down, your breathng is steadier and you let go of Kate´s hair.

She kisses her way back up, few kissing on your thighs, her favorite tummy and slowly giving attention to your nipples. As you´re slowly coming down from your hight, you can feel Kate kissing your neck. After a moment or two, Kate comes closer to you, finally kissing your lips.

In that moment, everything fades away, and it's just the two of you, sharing a deep connection that don´t need to be said out loud. The affection in her gaze mirrors the love you feel in your heart, knowing that your love speaks louder than any words ever could.

And you are so happy, that tonights ceremony ended the way it did, because you would rather die, than live in a world, where you can´t have her.

"I didn´t knew you were that possesive, princess." Kate whispers as her eyes scan your face.

"I´m always possiseve over you." You smile.

Kate hums as she kiss your neck again, after few moments of enjoying the feeling, you understood that she wanted to do. "Katie..." You mumble.

"Baby just one more bite, please." She responds, her voice beeing so needy and you can´t deny her.

As Kate sank her teeth in you one more time, both of you knew right away that the rest of the nigh will be a long, and Kate won´t be the only one wide awake tonight.

Thank you for reading!<3

[deliciouskeys]

Butchlander are answering the Valentine’s 25 asks

* first date: describe your ideal first date.

BB: We meet at a racetrack, I stare at him across the way and drink a beverage with his face on it.

HL: … What? Oh, that. That wasn’t a date.

BB: it was to me.

HL: I prefer visiting his house and having a bitch session.

* first kiss: what’s the best way to be kissed?

BB: fast, hard and spontaneous

HL: what he said.

* preference: sexuality? what’s your ‘type’?

BB: I like cunts.

HL: I like people who have no fear. So, brave or stupid.

* blush: what could someone do this valentine’s to make you feel special?

BB: Give me head.

HL: Tell me I’m enough.

BB: That’s sad, mate.

HL: Does that mean you’re going to say it to me? *dares to hope*

BB: Nah.

* hand holding: do you like pda?

BB: fuck no

HL: fuck YES

* family: how important is your family’s approval of your s.o.?

BB: The Boys are my family and I don’t want to scare little Hughie. Plus I’d be setting a bad example. I’m not telling them.

HL: All my parental figures are gone. Except one. But he’s not going to approve of anyone, so idc.

* doves: what’s the most romantic thing someone’s done for you?

HL: Enthusiastically agreed to scorch the earth with me 🥰

BB: He keeps making all these over the top gestures, but honestly when he made me tea even though he doesn’t drink it.

* love hearts: where were you when you met your crush?

BB: A Vought Christmas party 💀

HL: I said I love that accent but I hated it

BB: do you still?

HL: occasionally. When I can’t make out what you’re saying.

BB: he speaks “perfect American”, of course.

HL: I do! They coached me to enunciate.

* candy: favourite thing to eat on a date?

HL: I have recently discovered the existence of dulce de leche

BB: anything with chopsticks because I love watching his xenophobic ass struggle

* 100th date: would you prefer to stay in or go out this valentine’s?

HL: Stay in, the restaurants are crowded and paps are looking for photo opps.

BB: Nothing to add to that.

* roses: do you like picnic dates?

HL: Have we had one? I thought you British people loved picnics.

BB: He knows so much about the UK 🙄

* giggle: what’s more important in an s.o.: intelligence or humour?

BB: Humor for me, obviously, because this guy dresses like a clown.

HL: Certainly not intelligence, as you can see from this guy’s jokes.

* lace: who looks best in your favourite colour?

BB: My favorite color is black and I don’t think he’s ever worn black in his life, so me.

HL: My favorite color is blue, and I doubt he’s ever worn navy blue in his life. So me.

* cupid: have you ever been set up? have you ever set anyone else up? how did it go?

HL: Yes, they made me date Maeve for the points. It was awesome.

BB: Nope.

* lovebirds: at what point in a relationship would you make it ‘public’?

HL and BB (in unison): Immediately / Never

HL: What was that?

BB: You heard me.

HL: Well it takes two to keep a secret, but only one person to go public.

* love knots: would you like to forget the person you shared your first kiss with?

BB: Some girl in elementary school. I don’t want to forget, but I don’t remember her name. Jenny?

HL: They made me practice with Vought employees around the time I turned 18. Yes, I’d like to forget.

BB: Uh, wow, me too. Forget what you just said, that is.

* promise ring: who do you see yourself being with in two years?

HL: I’ll either be with him, or he’ll be dead

BB: Care to elaborate?

HL: I’m just saying the most likely outcomes, nothing ominous.

* ballad: best love song?

BB: Wannabe

HL: The one that goes “not gonna write you a love song cause you asked…”

BB: You mean from that Bareilles bird?

HL: Probably. What. Why’re you laughing. Yours is a spice girl song.

BB: Cause you’re actually serious.

* aphrodite: how important are looks?

HL: Important.

BB: Important I guess. 😒

* angel: do you like ‘bad boys’ or sweethearts more?

BB: America’s sweetheart, bad boy behind closed doors and between the sheets.

HL: I am not a bad boy in any setting or capacity. But I’m apparently drawn to date them.

* harp: have you ever written a poem for a crush?

BB: *laughs shaking his head in disbelief at the question*

HL: Why would I? Pearls before swine.

* red: where will you be spending february 14th?

HL: Probably doing superhero duties, rescuing suicidal incels and the like.

BB: Watching him doing his bullshit work on the news.

* love notes: who was your last valentine? where are they now?

HL: My last valentine before him was an invalid. She… ended up dying.

BB: My last one was in 2011. *grim*

* flowers: what’s the best romantic gift to give someone?

BB: Sometimes a good old punch in the teeth. Or a spanking to set them straight.

HL: I gave him a dose of Compound V to use and he tried to return it to Vought for retail value cash.

* st. valentine: what are your hopes for love this year?

BB: For him to stop being a cunt.

HL: To have the person I’m dating still be alive at the end of the year.

[bsd-fan]

Chuuya´s Analysis part one: Introduction

I´m gonna be real here, this is less an analysis and more a super long rambling. I´m sorry.

I love bsd, I can talk about it for ages. I can talk about the contrasts, paralellisms, relationships and characters without getting tired because all of them are so well done and you can really see the effort behind every single one of them, but when it comes to chuuya? It´s a whole new deal. Chuuya´s characterization is simply fascinating, every little detail about his character was so carefully done and it really is evident for the readers to see how much planning was involved in his creation. Chuuya is genuine and transparent where Dazai is cryptid and unreliable, which means that yes, he is far easier to read in comparison with Dazai but this doesn´t mean that he is less complex because of this, he actually has one of the most complete and interesting  characterizations of bsd. Let me add that just like Dazai, chuuya is also a big pain in the ass to analyze but that´s not because he is an unrealiable character is because chuuya is without doubt the most /contradictory/ character from the whole series. 

You´ve probably wondered about chuuya at certain point. He is barely in the story, it has never been a secret that he is a side character but even then he still is the second must popular character (only behind Dazai that appear far more than chuuya does) and I will confidently say that he is the most loved character from the story. The man appears 3 seconds in the trailer and people are going crazy about him, he has appereances of like a minute and that´s what the fandom will be talking about for weeks and if he is not in the manga? You can bet your ass that people will be complaining about that. You can see the ambivalent opinions of the fandom for most of the characters but this generally speaking doesn´t apply to chuuya (yes, there may be people that doesn´t like him but is such a minority that is kind of irrelevant) Honestly a big part of it relies in his personality. From all the bsd characters chuuya is the most similar to the typical hero of the stories. He is powerful, charismatic, caring, noble, selfless, honest and canonically speaking a terrible liar, genuine, conventionally brave and pathologically loyal.

Now the interesting thing is that chuuya´s character take all of this good characteristics and gave them a twist. 

This leads us to the first contradiction, how can someone have so many hero-like characteristics and still be on the “bad” side? what is the thing that makes chuuya a morally grey character? To answer this, let´s trace a parallelism with the most morally “correct” character in the story: Kunikida doppo.

While reading the novels I noticed something fascinating: Chuuya and kunikida use the same quote to define themselves. EXACTLY. THE. SAME. ONE. 

(First picture is from the official traslation from the first light novel “Osamu Dazai´s entrance exam and is from kunikida´s pov. The second one is the from the official traslation of “Stormbringer” said by Chuuya)

But even if the quote is basiccally the same one, they mean completely different things while using it and that´s because their core as characters is completely different. This is especially obvious during the cannibalism arc:

Kunikida is an idealist, for him to “do what must be done” means to act according to his ideals or in a way that will lead him to the ideal outcome (This is honesly an over simplified take on his character but this is not a kunikida´s analysis) So in this arc, Kunikida refuses to kill Mori because the ideal is to find a solution where they don´t fall into fyodor´s manipulation and nobody dies. Problem is they don´t have time for that, kunikida gets paralized because he can´t find the best solution and Ranpo steps in. Chuuya went for a different option. Just as kunikida he knew that they were being manipulated but he chose to go along with it because his priority  was to save Mori. For chuuya to do what needs to be done is not about ideals, is about protecting the important people in his life and while this is a central part of him, we need to understant that this need to protect come from an even deeper part of him. This is where the analysis really start.

I´ve say it before but Dazai and Chuuya are a mirror image of each other. Two sides of the same coin. At first sight, they may seem completely different. Their personalities, life perspectives, moral system and beliefs constantly clash but actually a lot of this differences come from a same root. They have exactly the same main conflict and that´s their inability to recognize their humanity and the desperate need to find it despite that, but the way they experience and deal with this same conflict is completely different beacuse the origin of the problem /is/ different. Dazai´s main problem with his humanity comes from a distorted perspective of himself caused by a prolongued alienation and isolation from the rest of the people. Chuuya´s problem with humanity is in the  literal sense of the word. He doesn´t know if he is human or if he´s not and from this problematic arise other situations that consolidates his lack of humanity in chuuya´s mind. He appears in this world at seven years old without memories, without family, without dreams, without an /identity/. All of them human things, all of them things that chuuya lacks. So, if you don´t have any of those things how can you call yourself a human being? To this, let´s add that people reinforce this idea by deshumanizing him /all the time/

He is the king of the sheep.

He is arahabaki. 

He is the God of destruction. 

He is a safeguard. 

He is a vessel. 

He is a number. 

He is 2,383 lines of a code. 

People seem to see him as everything except as a human being. 

“The calamity that breathes-The god with a beating heart. Arahabaki, you are alone. Nobody can ever understand you. You are neither a god nor a human. You will simply struggle amid your fellows before dying with nothing but your own embrace to comfort you”-Verlaine. Dazai, chuuya, fifteen years old. 

But just like Dazai, the problem is not in how people perceives him, the problem is that chuuya believes it. 

At fifteen chuuya conceives himself as a mere container for arahabaki, his personality a safeguard for his ability. Chuuya doesn´t see himself as a human being, just as a powerful asset.

“Hey. You wanna know why I always fight without using my hands? (…) I’ve never lost a fight in my life. I’ve never even been in real danger…but that’s not surprise. After all, I’m not even a human. My identity is a safeguard, like you said. Nothing more than a pattern etched on a colossal furnace of power. Hey…Do you know how that feels”- Chuuya from Dazai, chuuya, fifteen years old. 

And thing is, chuuya is extremely concious about his lack of humanity but god, he clings to it with everything he has and it´s still not enough. In stormbringer, Verlaine, N and basically every single person reminds him once and once again that he is not a human being, that he only exists as a result of an experiment, that he is only a weapon to be used, that he is only a code, that he is a clon. Choose whatever you want from the above because the idea behind them is the same. Chuuya is not a human being. 

Except he is.

And that´s what stormbringer is about and this is the reason this is the most important arc for chuuya´s character. 

I´ll continue this in a second part. 

[damianbugs]

i know you love the dynamics between bruce and his kids as they are, but alot of it is also due to iffy writing lmao.

in your IDEAL scenario, what would bruce parenting look like? would he still be as abusive as he is in canon? CAN he even change?

the short answer to "can bruce change?" is... no 😭 but let me try and explain!

its not because of who bruce is as a character or batman as a hero, but because it is basically impossible for a popular character like him to have any consistent writing. we've seen it before where he's a great father and mentor for a few issues, and then less than six months later he does something horrific and takes ten steps back in that regard.

it's why this conversation (to me) is a very complicated one, because i can't for sure say who bruce is as a person without taking into consideration the literal decades of almost hundreds of different writers, runs and universes. of course, he has made some terrible and very harmful decisions, but again, so much context is required to truly comprehend those situations. that doesn't remove the fact that he has hurt his children, both accidentally and purposefully.

do i think bruce is a bad dad in canon? no. do i think he is a good dad? also no. depending on where in time you're reading him, who's writing him etc — he acts like completely different people. my head spins trying to come up with a simple answer to this otherwise simple question.

a good example i think is the current zdarsky batman run. arguably some of the best bruce wayne as a father introspection we've had in a LONG TIME, the story doing well to remove the 'child soldiers' narrative that frank miller infamously popularised to main continuity despite it not being from the canon timeline. but who's to say this sort of perspective will last before being completely disregarded by the next writer?

it's no secret i pick and choose what i (personally) view as canon, my own personal bias against Certain writers making me ignore their writing entirely, but i am also not ignorant to the fact that bruce can and desperately NEEDS to improve as a parent.

sorry for rambling but back to your original question about what my ideal parent bruce would like and to that it's two very simple words; honest and communicative.

that's really all he needs to do. almost all his shitty decisions can be linked back to him lying or purposely evading the truth and just refusing to communicate to his children, which in turn makes them not want to communicate with him. this then leads to much larger problems and much more devastating outcomes.

bruce needs to realise that his children don't owe him anything more than the very little he's given them emotionally. this whole "soldier-team" mentality that he adopts when he's batman filters into his dynamics with them as family and as bruce wayne, and that is why he keeps hurting them and not taking responsibility for it.

they should not be vigilantes before they are his children. but to do that, writers also need to make the distinction that batman is also bruce wayne, but that is an entirely different conversation.

again, current batman writing (mark waid batman vs robin, zdarsky batman, ram v detective comics, tom taylor batman etc) seems very promising in giving bruce a chance to be a better father, so we can only hope it continues this way. maybe, we'll even get bruce actually holding himself accountable one day.

i try not to discuss this topic too much because in my experience it's far too nuanced to explain in short text posts on the internet but i hope this answered your questions <3

[lizhly-writes]

@aeluuin hi. anyway! anyway!!!! continued from this normal orv fan knw thing!

This is really not how Kim Namwoon thought he’d be spending his morning.  Or his afternoon.  Or his night.  Or, really, any moment of his existence.  Good to know that, faced with a difficult decision, he’s super chill with picking murder.

He hadn’t had a choice!  Catching one of three insects is the same of killing one of three characters – people with names, personalities, stories!  Stories that, altogether, set this worldline to successful end!  Is he willing to risk that?  Better to kill one of those passerby NPCs no one gave a shit about, right?  He hadn’t had a choice!

Haha, it’s better if he thinks of it like that, isn’t he?  If he really thinks about it – but of course, he’s not going to really think about it.  He’s been spending five minutes carefully not thinking about it, because if he thinks about it, if he really thinks through the implications of what he’s done –

Kim Dokja is staring at him.

“Well, what’ll it be, ahjussi?” Kim Namwoon says, a little manic, because what else could he possibly be at the moment?  This is his doom right here, isn’t it?

It isn’t like the novel.  Can’t be like the novel, when Kim Namwoon has already satisfied scenario conditions.  If Kim Dokja wants to kill him, then Kim Dokja has to do it with his own two hands – literally with his own hands, because it isn’t as if Kim Dokja has a weapon other than his fucking money.

Wow, wouldn’t that be something?  That’s an especially brutal death, isn’t it?  Wouldn’t it be poetic justice if it happened to Kim Namwoon, considering what the original character had been trying to do?

He straightens up, knife at the ready, watching Kim Dokja – watching each blink, each twitch, every little movement – 

Kim Dokja walks away.

“...Eh?  Hey–” Kim Namwoon cuts himself off before he can actually ask why aren’t you going to kill me, because that’s – that’s just the worst question all around, he doesn’t actually want Kim Dokja to reconsider, but… he’s only human.  He’d still like to know.

Hey, isn’t he still the epitome of all of Kim Dokja’s complaints?  His self-hatred issues?  Shouldn’t there be some kind of duel to the death? Kim Namwoon’s not complaining, of course!  But this is…

Anticlimactic.  That’s the word he’s looking for.

Huh.

He exhales. This is… this is an okay outcome.  He wanted Kim Dokja to ignore him.  Kim Dokja is ignoring him.  This is exactly what he wanted.

There’s still five minutes left to his scenario.

He wants to put his head between his knees and just… breathe.  But of course, that’s not allowed.  That show he put up earlier isn’t enough to dissuade everyone from approaching him if he sinks to the floor, curled up in fetal position, not at all paying attention to the world around him.  That’s an easy target if he’s ever seen one.

Kim Namwoon can do that thing if he wants later.  

For now, he leans against the train carriage wall and waits.

...

Kim Namwoon isn’t moving.  He seems content to stand there, smiling defensively, ready to take down anything that dares attack him. Fine.  Kim Dokja will leave him to it.  There are better uses of time than watching a high schooler who doesn’t seem to inclined to do anything.

Five minutes left.

[You have killed a living thing.]

[100 coins have been earned as additional compensation.]

[You have killed a living thing.]

[100 coins have been earned as additional compensation.]

One question answered: eggs do count as living creatures.

If he had more time, it would be easy to portion out the insect egg sack to save every person on this train.  But who has that kind of time?  Furthermore, is that kind of thing worth it to begin with?  What’s the point in lugging around dead weight?

If they’re dead weight, they should be at least loyal.  And there’s no way he could make sure of that.  Ideally, he’d want the Behind The Scenes Contract to be sure – but he remembers that contract being worth far more than what Yoo Joonghyuk could get in these early scenarios.

“Hey,” Kim Dokja says.  “Dokkaebi.  Are you paying attention?  What can I do with these coins?”

Maybe there’s a cheaper option he doesn’t know about.

And certainly there are many people here willing to sign away their lives, if only they could guarantee that they wouldn’t be destroyed.

[mdhwrites]

Question about Choices of a corrupting die

Hi there, I was just wondering how will the corruption work in this story. Would Jacob be affected by the die too? Will the girls be forced to do things that go along with what their characters in DnD are doing? Or will the brainwashing be more of the Dies slowly turning the girls into Jacob's sex slaves? Or is it inbetween.

If this goes into too much spoilers, sorry about asking. But I am looking forward to what you are doing.

Have a nice day!

I'm fine with answering pretty much all of this abstractly because it's just understanding what the core of the story will be. And the answer is... Yes.

That's actually not a joke. Jacob will be affected by the dice as well since how he has been shown so far has some anger to it but is not exactly dominant or willing to force the girls to do anything, is it? Most of the sex in the story will almost certainly be essentially the girls being made to do sexual things in real life to mimic what is happening to their characters and the dice are going to make them willing to do that, likely leading eventually to them being under his control entirely. That last one could be seen as a spoiler but... It's a corruption harem story. How many other outcomes would there be?

The fun in this is in the details. Whenever I describe myself as a writer, the first thing I lead with is "Character focused," because character comes first for me. That can take a lot of forms but a large part of it is in trying to make people feel different, make them feel dynamic, etc. like that. As such, while they may all end up calling Jacob 'master' for many reasons by the end, how Tara acts as a sex slave and how Melanie acts as one would still be different simply due to the fact that both have differing personalities and both may see service to a superior differently, or even see that relationship somewhat differently. As an example there: Tara is currently an anxious mess so unless things change with her, subservience may mean always being willing but needing prompting. Meanwhile, Melanie would use her motherly side to potentially help everyone enjoy themselves, or go another route where she wants the girls doing their best for what they all live for so she's the sort to go "you can do better" before forcing the other girl to deep throat Jacob before she's ready.

There's lots of options which is actually part of why I even allowed the option of more than four girls in this because as those add up, more odd mixtures would be possible, even if that also would have meant exponentially increasing the length of the work... Sobs.

Fun last fact actually on that note: This story was not originally conceived as a Choices story. Originally it was just a fun idea I had for a book with the same premise that I immediately shelved because I was looking for ideally shorter projects and this is going to be LOOOOOOONG. But with the shift to making it Choices, the idea appealed a lot more to me as potentially a daily writing exercise more than trying to finish a commercial novel. Just some neat backstory for it. Oh, and the piece of art that originally inspired the story because why not? (I don't know who the artist is unfortunately.)

And a link to the story for anyone going "What was this all about?

[melancholy-marionette]

Hi! Hope you are doing well.

I was replaying the Imprisonment ending in Bittersweet and one of Blythe's lines stuck to me, "I don't like the sound of sharing you". It makes me think that he doesn't really mind the idea of MC being trapped lmao. So, I was wondering if there would be an scenario or circumstance where Blythe would be the one to lock up MC instead of Blue Blythe.

Remember to take care of yourself! Have a good day!

-💌

Not too bad, cheers! Mainly panicking about O2A2 jam prep xD Why is there never enough time in the day to do all the things you want to do? T_T Firstly, thanks so much for checking out the game :3 To answer your question, there would absolutely be certain circumstances that would cause the orange version of Blythe to try and trap MC, but where blue would be more likely to just do it for entertainment, orange would see it more as a sort of last resort x3 The main thing though would be if MC were ever to try and get rid of Blythe. Orange may act all sweet, but life without MC is not an option, so they'd be prepared to do pretty much anything to ensure the two of them stay together forever. This would first depend on the strength of their bond though, as when Blythe is still fairly new to the idea of being with MC, any attempts to put them down or get rid of them are more likely to result in the orange version being replaced by the blue version instead >.< This can change though if orange's bond with MC is stronger, giving orange Blythe a bit more power to hang on in difficult situations. Orange would always do their best to avoid causing MC physical pain, unlike blue, but it wouldn't be completely off the table if things got desperate. Orange would prefer to act more manipulative than forceful though, as they would never want MC to view them as the enemy or something to be afraid of. Orange strives for a more symbiotic relationship with MC, so would be content to go along with a majority of MC's wishes should they revolve around relying on Blythe and not rocking the boat. That doesn't mean that orange Blythe couldn't get nasty if needed, but they would certainly prefer to exhaust other options before resorting to that. Orange genuinely wants MC to like them, so while a situation where MC winds up resenting them is still preferable to being separated, it's not an ideal outcome for them. But yeah, orange Blythe would much prefer to put in the work to maintain a scenario where MC enjoys freedom (or at least, the illusion of freedom) rather than straight-up confining MC somewhere. Since orange can also be influenced by the blue version of Blythe, it's also possible that orange would imprison MC on the orders or suggestions of blue Blythe. That could be achieved in a similar way to how blue Blythe is able to convince orange Blythe that it's what's best for MC, but being somewhat naive, orange Blythe could also potentially be tricked by blue Blythe into believing that it's something MC might actually enjoy. I don't know if any of that was very helpful x3 I don't want to say anything too specific in case of spoilers for blue Blythe's route, haha. But also my brain is just too full of O2A2 thoughts to properly focus on poor Blythe at the moment >.< Sorry, Blythe! Please forgive me T_T Anyways, I hope you are doing well yourself! ^-^

[fruit-salad-ship]

BNHA 2.0

Ok I’ve been revamping BNHA au. I don’t like the story I’d made, fun but not my speed. So this second attempt ignores all the canon characters in the show, and probably happens way after whatever the show is doing now, in a totally different country. This is literally just me playing with world building blocks, not the story we know.

----------------------

A child is born to an unfit family, too busy for their daughter, ignorant to her quickly developing quirk. She is alone for so long until one day she becomes aware of her requests for time and attention becoming heard. It’s hard for her to tell why there’s been a sudden change, but she sleeps well when she gets days with her parents, blind to the fact that her deep sleep is from using up all her energy activating her quirk. She grows up realising that her family only love her at times, she eventually understands that she’s using her power to get their attention. The second she can’t keep it up, they go back to ignoring her, disliking her. The parents become wise to her power, scold her, are adamant that she must leave the house, she’s manipulative, she’s making them do things they don’t want to do which is the simple act of giving their child love, time, and attention. She is resented. She is removed from her family home.

Now you have a young girl with a quirk that can get any truth, anyone to say anything, it can get an item, food, money, shelter, even moments of strong emotion, it can provide so much with little to no trace. She is deemed too dangerous, she is removed from society, taken to a maximum security prison at a young age, isolated from the world until she hit her teens. Escape is easy once she figures out how. A touch of the hand, brush of the elbow, that’s all it takes for her to be in your head directing you. Plum is smart enough to know she’s on her own from here on out. She is quick to gain work, villains mostly, she runs with petty criminals, thieves, pick pockets, people who teach her that trust is not a luxury they can afford. Some try to take advantage of her, she’s young, they’re not, but plum learns her quirk can end people just as easily as any strength based power. In fact, easier. She kills. A lot of people. All who stand to threaten her in any way, it was self defence at first but eventually she developed a habit of tying up loose ends.

Plum at age 20 is cut throat, she’s been left to figure out her own path in life, a path that is lonely, but to her, lonely is ordinary. She’s always felt like that, like something huge was missing. By 25, she’s figured out how to remove anyone and anything from her life that scares her. She hasn’t run with petty criminals in years, instead mixing with politicians, leaders, CEOs, the top 1% who need her work to secure their ideal outcomes. Plums living a luxurious life, a nice car, a house, all the nice clothes and expensive jewels she could want, yet still she feels alone. By 30 she has messed with one too many high flying business man, crossed a few too many more. She’s hired home security, has guards, but seems they can’t quite hack it when faced with real powerful quirks. Not just grunts, she’s being hunted by actual hitmen now. Her money has to be invested more intelligently, she needs to be safe. Plum asks around, snoops and digs until one of her informants suggest a known wanted criminal who’s recently entered the system looking for employment. Plums fascinated, the file on this one is wide spread destruction, photos of craters in concrete, in steel, news articles showing the sheer power of this individual. It’s noted that no one knows their identity, and they seem to have an incredibly adaptive quirk that allows for evasion and escape too.

A meeting is set, and soon plum gets to stand in the same room as this individual. They’re masked up, dark gear, not talkative, simple yes-no answers. It’s a woman’s voice under there, but the build of her is powerful, tall, broad. Code name: Kingslayer, plum makes an offhand comment that she’s thankful she’s a queen then, and the pair agree mutually to a price, a schedule, and a few ground rules, notably that plums word is law, and fighting that is pointless. She explains her quirk briefly as a suggestion one, and asks of the woman’s. She says it’s a gravity quirk, plain and simple. Both women are lying to a high degree, it’s a lot more complicated than that. Explaining it is pointless however, all Kingslayer has to do, is keep her boss alive and well, and she gets paid in cash. Perfect. Only drawback is her boss is a clear asshole, but she supposed she’s worked for worse, least the pays good, who cares.

Peach, aka, the hired killer, has done this work for far too long, a child born of a volatile quirk marriage, after trying and failing to keep several children prior to her alive, bad genetics leading to quirks the kids bodies could not handle, her parents finally got lucky with peach. Her abilities manifested in what seemed like mundane gravity effects at first, but the more she grew, the more it was apparent that this was anything but. She was swiftly shipped away and trained, her family happy to sell her off to the highest bidder as a temporary rental. She was valuable, and as soon as she could prove it with a density quirk, as it grew and took shape, her work began. High demand for someone who can do what she did. It didn’t come without mistake, without injury. She learnt fast that her quirk had severe repercussions if done incorrectly. But peach trudged on, no option to get out, simply to climb the ranks. So climb she did. Past others, past her peers and cousins, past everyone in her way. Keeping her mask on was the only way to separate her work from her life, and thanks to keeping that habit up, peach was able to live a relatively normal life when she wasn’t working.

No matter what way you look at it, both women had found their way through immeasurable trauma brought on by a set of skills they’d not had a choice over, things they’d been simply “gifted” at birth. One was never left alone, pushed so hard by others that she became unstoppable. The other completely abandoned, pushed so hard by herself that she became ungovernable. Plum has the ability to gain anything she wants for limited time, but is always abandoned, she’s become fearful of making connections that don’t require her quirk to keep the other person happy and occupied, her trust is fleeting, so sure no one will stay if she doesn’t make them. She’s fine with peach’s few rules when working, accepts that the mask is a safety thing and will NOT come off, and hears her when she says to listen during an emergency situation.

Their relationship is tense, plum has all the control normally, and eventually ends up using her quirk to find out more about the woman she’s hired. It can extract truths, and when her bodyguard is cagey about things she’s coaxed to talk more, to give away details. It takes no time at all for the truths to come out, it’s little things at first, things that make this masked figure human to her, and if it’s human, it’s vulnerable in plums mind. Trivial questions like her hired hands favourite flavour, or what movies she likes best seem like nothing, but this is plum testing the water, pushing her luck. Peach let’s it slide, it’s harmless, until that is the girls collide, confront each other, and plum gets in with her quirk quickly, calms peach down and reiterates who the boss is. She peels back a glove ever so slightly to get a glimpse of this woman’s skin, so pale against such dark clothes. Nothing stops plum sitting in her guards lap and asking questions, getting answers, she’s holding all the power. Peach is fully aware of what’s happening, and could technically stop it, but it’d involve hurting her boss, a bad move for any employee looking to keep their record relatively clean. This is not the first person to push her, and it wouldn’t be the last, she puts up with it.

Plum feels rather fascinated by peach, the truths she’s extracted from her lead her to believe they’ve had to endure a lot, she feels kinship here, though she hardly recognises that feeling, doesn’t pay it any attention, too afraid that like everyone else, her guard will leave, she’s only here for money. The isolation is hard on her, plum never wants it, and peach eternally seeks it after being obsessively groomed to kill from a young age. She never had free time, so now her days off are sacred, giving that time up is not preferable. The girls have insane sexual tension, something that gives way to plum 100% using her quirk to get this woman to touch her, to make it so peach is not in control, that she remembers she does not hold the power in this dynamic, no matter how strong she is. Peach still does not break free, is grouchy about it, sasses plum a bit, tells her this is not a wise decision as her boss peels her mask up JUST enough to see the bottom half of her face, the scar on her lip, the complete contrast of her pale skin. They share a lot of hostile moments of passion, volatile, toxic, loaded confrontations that are just power plays, situations peach always loses. Brain over brawn seems to triumph here, so long as peach isn’t really trying to negate her boss’ quirk, so long as she doesn’t use her ult.

Plum is so afraid to NOT use her quirk because people won’t like the person she is, she knows what she does is bad, but being alone is scary, terrifying even. She hates it. No one is ever there for her without a reason, money, blackmail, manipulation, personal gain. Even this guard, this woman she’s come to rather enjoy, is only temporary. Plum is surrounded by people, but totally isolated.

There comes a time where plum’s life is endangered, she wrongs someone and they send killers after her. Her guard is tested, and she passes with flying colours. This happens repeatedly, over a long period of time, months of attempts on her boss’ life, and peach handles it. Her quirk is anything BUT a gravity quirk, plum comes to realise this seeing it in action first hand. With each failed attempt on plums life, the foe get tougher, people hire bigger, meaner assassins, until one day there is actually a viable threat that Kingslayer just can’t seem to slay. Peach tells her boss to hide, and not move from this spot no matter what, she’ll be back. Plum does as she’s told, but after a few minutes alone, she starts to panic. What if she’s been lied to? What if her guard just ran away and let her for dead. Plum leaves the hiding spot, starts to try to sneak out of the area, only to get nearly killed in one hit. Peach manages to step in just in time, but the fight is harder, instead of just going up against an enemy, now the guard has to attack them and defend plum. Her quirk is not built well for group tactics. They get out of this tense showdown alive, plums untouched, peach is hurt but fine, it’s nothing too serious. Their escape to a safe house is followed up by a moment to breathe.

Peach shouts at her boss, finally snapped, that she should have stayed hidden like she said, what she did was reckless and stupid, she could have died! Their arguing gets so heated, plum hasn’t been confronted like this before, not so accurately at least because peach has sat and watched her. She’s good at her job because she watches. Predicts quite accurately how someone will act, what makes them tick, their nature. She’s done this to her boss too habitually. Plums an insecure, lonely, untrusting woman with too much power and no use for it other than herself, and today she put both their lives at risk because she couldn’t trust. Plum hates it, hates being called out. Normally she’d get rid of someone who did this, just kill them, but she can’t, peach is all she’s got. Cornered, plum gets defensive, they argue more, and peach cant see the row going anywhere, so frustrated with how her boss is acting, how stubborn and blind she’d being. Peach grabs her arm and pulls her, hard, directly into her, this little woman’s gone through a lot today, she needs this. This lady who’s spent forever alone, who cant seem to even understand companionship of any kind, is suddenly engulfed in this hug. It’s all consuming, she instinctively activated her quirk upon being grabbed, a defensive reaction, peach felt it take hold, but if Plum doesn’t say any directions or commands, it doesn’t take effect…And plum in her shock of being held doesn’t say a word, arms around her surround in a way that feels like a shield. It’s so painfully obvious that this woman has never been held in a way that wasn’t initiated by her own wants. Plum can smell this woman’s perfume? Buried up in all the dark layers, swimming in just how full on this cuddle is, never had this before, not like this. The tears come, and they can’t seem to stop.

After that moment of weakness and a second to collect herself, Plum can’t even begin to fathom what peach is staying around for, she can’t give her the agreed money right now, she can’t offer her much of anything in this safe house, there’s no incentive for peach to stay and protect her. Imagine the boss’ surprise, not forcing an answer with her quirk from the only person who’s not run, when peach expresses that it’s simply the right thing to do, that even killers can have morals. That big woman is surprisingly well adjusted considering the upbringing she had. She has a keen eye and an observant mind. She sees plum and can only truly notice the scared lonely woman who has no real support, no one around to keep her grounded and comfortable. When she’s hurt she doesn’t tell anyone, when she’s stressed it never comes out, when she’s afraid she puts a brave face on. It’s all a front, there’s no two ways about it. All the months working for her and she never saw loved ones or friends, nothing. Peach can’t be unnecessarily unkind to someone who’s had enough of that for one lifetime. Perhaps she’s going soft, or she’s grown attached to this little woman and her awful behaviour, but theres something compelling in there, and its not her quirk telling her that.

Not a day goes by where plum doesn’t question her guards sincerity, they’re held up in this safe house making sure its ok to emerge again, and each moment that ticks by she’s wondering who’s bought Peach out, who’s managed to pull the rug from under her, people don’t just ‘do the right thing’. So finally, at her wits end with Plum’s caution, peach sits her down and holds her hand out. Her quirk can get any truth from someone right? So get the truth from her right now. Ask anything, and see that some people cannot be bought, or swayed, and do just tell the truth on occasion. Peach is so aware of how much this woman is still just a frightened child on the inside, she knows, she was there emotionally too, still is some days… so plum and her sit at a little breakfast table and plum goes to take her hand, asks her to tell truths, why she’s there, why help, why not leave? And the responses she gets are all real answers. She hears someone say that they actually enjoy her, even if she’s a brat and awful at times, certainly complex and toxic, but theres something strangely compelling about her.

Peach just wants to help her shed some of that fear she’s carrying around. The moments of physical contact, of sex, be it initiated by plum or not, has given way to tiny glimpses of plum as she really is, afraid, longing, lonely in a big world that was cruel to her. It left her reliant on whatever tools she had at her disposal. Theres no way Peach could ignore the way she would stay so close during those moments she was in control, where she could let her guard down a little, Plum would always hold her tight, even if it’s just hooking her finger around one of peach’s, or running a hand back to touch her. This woman who could get anything she wanted, was truly touch starved, not at all as calm and composed as she made out to be. There were enough occasions where Plum had gotten her quirk under Peach’s skin and immediately asked her to come closer, to hold her, be physical with her in numerous ways that while masked with an imbalanced power dynamic were actually all lined with gentle intimacy.No amount of money or power can make up for an empty heart, for her isolation. Peach saw right through her trying to hide behind the casual sex plum would demand, it was just a front.

Kingslayer is a notoriously hard person to find out about. No one knows her identity, and she likes to keep it that way. But when no one sees, and she’s out of the gear, she’d just a regular old citizen. Her free time spent feeding stray dogs, tending to plants, taking in the world around her with an appreciation that comes when you spend so much time destroying things, killing people. She’s surprisingly calm and jolly when she’s not working, people like her, she’s not at all as unkind and distant as you’d expect compared to the stoic front she has up for work. Plum has never seen this, hell, she’s never seen more than fragments of this woman’s body, little peaks. She has threatened to get peach to take the mask off on a number of occasions, but honestly? Plum would be lying if she said she wasn’t a little afraid of this woman. When she first saw her file, the destruction peach left behind, there were craters in photos, aftermaths of her fights. And yet plum’s not seen her do that yet, has no idea what kind of power she’s got. If she pushes peach too hard, will she lash out at her? A risk not worth taking, so far she’s been nothing but agreeable during work, kept her safe, better to not ruin it.

An opportunity comes up at a masquerade ball situation, Plum needs to get in there and infiltrate, charm, rub elbows with a powerful man, convince him to make a little phone call to tell his guards at his office to just go home, then to forget about it. Just lose that memory. But it’s a rather raunchy gathering, and plum is required to bring a guest, someone too ‘offer up’ into what is essentially a trade raffle, one night where people swap their guests and get a little freaky in this huge mansion where the party is held. She considers an escort, but then she’s going in without a guard. Brings this up with Peach who’s completely covered up all the time, says that its a masquerade-like event, she could still keep her face covered, no one would know. Peach worries about being exposed, her hair colour is a little odd sure, and theres no way she can expose skin, too many scars that are very telling. Thats a whole lot of people to kill if she’s revealed. No one sees her face and lives, it’s how she’s stayed safe this long. Plum says she wont even be there more than a few minutes, it’s just to get security called off elsewhere, they can leave as soon as she’s done. Through gritted teeth Peach agrees, if plum gets in trouble and dies, finding another job is effort she doesn’t really want to expend.

The pair end up dressed to kill, Peach does the full 3 piece suit, keeps gloves on, a black and white mask much like an old court jester, just glittery and elaborate, something plum picked out, but it did cover everything, hair included. She feels better about this. Not like her quirk requires weapons or gear, she doesn’t have to carry anything. Plums killing it in this regal looking dress, mask covering just the top of her face, gems and feathers, she’s making sure she’s noticed by her target. They show up, plum on the arm of her guard, staff walking around in barely anything, drinks offered, peach turns it down, plum takes one up. They seem to draw attention, this is the opposite of what peach is use to, but plum is thriving in this, it’s her thing, she fits in here amongst the arrogant and rich, blending in to take advantage of them. Honestly though? Her eye keeps wandering back to her guard, who’s really quite something to see dressed smart, she drags out the night just to see the raffle through, walk up on that stage and present her darling guest, her offering, and watch Peach play it very cool after whispering to her that they need to hurry up and get the hell out of here, she’s not being locked in a room with any of these people.

Plum sneaks off and does what she came to do, charms her way into the inner circle, gets to her mark, uses her quirk to call security off, and gets out casually. It’s all done, Peach watching her closely the whole time, trying not to give too much time to the people fascinated with her, and more so, the one man and his wife who’d purchased her time in the raffle. She’s quietly nervous, killing them would be such a pain. The girls regroup and go to leave, stopped by security, easily bypassed as plum touches their arm gently and smiles, tells them to let her and peach go, a sudden emergency has come up, this party can wait. They very nearly get out, but it’s been seen on the security cameras that they’re going, and someones paid for peach tonight, they can’t just let them leave now. Fine. They stay. Peach is irritated, getting chatted to by the couple who’d invested in her, plum watching on, amused, with a twinge of jealousy that she can’t place. Time comes, peach leaves with the couple, goes up to a room, they start to try to charm her into losing the suit, but she simply places a hand on each one of them calmly, and they fall. Grasping at their chests, trying to fight what’s happening, they feel their hearts heavy in their chests. Peach made their vital organs so dense they ceased to work. To most it would look like a heart attack, her quirk would wear off and they’d be untouched, no bruises no poison, no fighting. She places them in the bed making them light as feathers so she hardly has to touch them, after getting them out most of their clothes to throw around the room, making sure this scene looks like they’ve just overdone it, opened a bottle of Champagne, drank some of it to kill time, three glasses knocked or placed in natural ways. To anyone looking at this, the scene feels normal. The two bodies in the bed just look like they’re sleeping. Peach waits a couple hours, exits, leaving the ‘do not disturb’ tab on the door handle, retuning to the party.

The girls get to leave, unbothered by the security this time, and Plum wonders what happened in that room Peach wont tell her, says it doesn’t matter. She was in there a while though, and came out looking untouched give or take. It doesn’t matter, the job tonight was completed, they get home, peach back to her gear, far more comfortable now. Things play out smoothly, but plum HAS to know what happened, finally confronting peach with her one special brand of brat, saying if she doesn’t tell her what happened, she’ll use her quirk on her and get the truth anyway. A fair point, and not at all an empty threat. Peach explains she gave them heart attacks and leaves it at that. The ‘you can’t be that good’ comment that comes after gets the first ever genuine laugh from the guard. Plum didn’t expect to hear that, watching her composure crack and shake as she chuckles away at her comment. Plum’s heart jumps. She didn’t know she wanted this woman’s laughter in her life until that exact moment. The situation is explained clearer, another little branch of this woman’s horrifying quirk uncovered. It is so painfully adaptable, but only because Peach was trained ruthlessly her whole life. There was no breaks, no days off, no time to yourself, every waking moment was a drill, a test, a fight for your life, and she fought HARD. Plum didn’t have to coax her to answer her questions, seemed Peach was happy to oblige this one.

———————————————

I don’t know where Plum would finally see her guards face, like in its entirety, but it’d have to be dramatic as all hell! Be it Plum forcing her to take the mask off for some reason during an argument, or Peach ripping it off due to no other choice, injury, a quirk making it the only option, frustration. Maybe it’s even a moment of ‘I trust you, I’m letting you in, you have to see that trust is a two way street.’ MAYBE plum does something very thoughtful and open, which is not in her nature so she gets the only thing peach can give her, total transparency. Plum getting so hurt Peach as to give CPR? The mask HAS to come off, she’s not usually one to save people but this is different, she’s come to like this little shit of a boss. Comes around and sees the relief in a person face that she’s ok.

Idk yet guys, im just playing with ideas to avoid life stress rn.

I was thinking bout Grey being the personal trainer peach hires as a civilian, his quirk is a great counter to hers and she likes to train against that kind of a skill to gain tolerance. Drinking buddies. Maybe he’s got a t hing for her, and she don’t see it, or feel the same, but they just stick it out? Unsure, he was honestly an afterthought.

He could also very well be a cop trying to catch the girl out, always missing. But it leaves little to work with, not that id focus on him much haha, soz grey.

[from-the-coffee-shop-in-edoras]

Who Am I and What Am I Doing Here?

Good questions! I wish I had a short answer. I’m here on the next step of my fan fiction journey—and I think journey is the appropriate word. The first time I remember hearing about the concept of fanfic, I have to admit I really didn’t get it. It felt maybe a little silly or frivolous? But then I actually sat down and read some and I talked to others who were already engaged in the fanfic community, and my views changed dramatically. I saw authors and readers using fanfic to incredible effect for a bunch of different purposes…to work through challenging real world situations in a fictional environment that allows for a different or better outcome. To repair (for lack of a better word) otherwise beloved intellectual property that was disappointingly exclusionary when it came to representing certain identities and perspectives. And, yes, sometimes just to have fun in a silly or frivolous way with an engaging tale set in an existing fictional universe. Because, really, what’s wrong with that? If it makes me happy to write a lil’ story imagining how Háma of Rohan in The Lord of the Rings proposed to his wife, why is that a less legitimate way of spending my time than my husband imagining his ideal football team and then debating with strangers on the internet whether his fake team could beat their fake team? Or, for that matter, why would it be less legitimate than him getting together with friends in a park and playing actual football? It’s all about finding something that you find fun and rewarding, right?

So, I became a consumer of fanfic for properties that I love (almost entirely Tolkien-related, in case you couldn’t have guessed that from the random Háma reference above). And there is so much good stuff out there. Works that are beautifully written. Works that expand on beloved known entities and introduce exciting and interesting and engaging original characters. Works that are funny and sad and sweet and racy. And there is a real community of creators and readers that I have come to really appreciate in their own right—the way they support and cheer for one another and just generally display a lot more kindness and empathy than you’d normally see in the world.

Now, I don’t need this account just to find and follow and read and praise fanfic that I enjoy. I could have kept doing that from my long-term account. But I think I might be ready to possibly share some of my own stories soon as well? And that’s scary enough that I want to keep it separated in an account that doesn’t obviously link back to my real life and my other social media presences. So here we are. As I’m able (which might be very slowly!), I will try to post some work here. And maybe someone will read it and like it, which is great. And maybe no one will read it and that’s ok, too. I just want the outlet for myself, and I’m trying to be inspired by the confidence and vulnerability of other writers whose work and online personas I really enjoy (a particular tip of the hat to @sotwk who is a literal stranger to me but has been a really impactful model of someone who generates a lot of fantastic work in an area of lore that I love and also does so with really refreshing transparency about the joys and challenges of the process!). So for anyone who happens to be reading this, you can hopefully watch this space for periodic stories set in a Tolkien-inspired environment and usually written from the perspective of the reader. I’m a Rohan girlie through and through, but I have love and affection for all corners of Tolkien’s world and I’m excited to get into it!

[snowthornes]

💥, 😨, 🍧, 🎭, and 🔪 for Thorne sdjfgksg or whichever of those you want bc I recognize that that's quite a few lol. I just think he's neat

ASK GAME: THORNE BRIERS | SHEPHERDS OF HAVEN | OMNI

SDJDG Thank you so much for sending an ask!! And it's not a problem at all — I love writing about my OCs!!! No matter how much you send, I'll be over the moon. Thank you so much for liking Thorne, that makes me very happy!! 🥹🥹💐💐

As usual, I'll be answering in the context of the SHOH universe! Ah, here's the LINK to the ask game, for anyone who wants to do it!

Edit: Okay, this became. Long. Ridiculously long. I considered splitting the ask up, but I'm not sure how that would work. Will probably do it in the future, though!

MINOR SPOILERS FOR THE ALPHA BUILD BELOW!!

😨 — when scared, do they go into "flight" or "fight"?

Flight! Thorne's not very big on the whole 'go out in a blaze of glory' thing — he'd much rather slip away from the enemy's grasp and live to fight another day.

Actually — and this is a bit off topic — he's not a very big fan of the whole 'self sacrificing' routine that a lot of the Shepherds seem to have going on. Scratch that, he hates it. Everytime Trouble or Blade or any of the Shepherds say something along the lines of sacrificing themselves to save innocents, his eye practically starts twitching in irritation. 🗿

He'd much rather that they all stayed alive, thank you very much. He refuses to tolerate any other outcome. Now that I think about it, it's a bit funny — he'd joined the Shepherds only as a means of self-preservation. He was so sure that he'd fade into the background soon enough, that the Shepherds would just be another odd chapter in his life.

Now he spends most of his time running himself ragged for the order and (secretly) worrying about his more self-sacrificial comrades' survival. Oh, he also spends a good chunk of his time worrying about Caine. His ass was not expecting to be a sort-of-guardian for a twelve year old, but here they are. Ah, how the turns have tabled.

Blade, Dead Serious: Are you willing to bleed for the order? To die for the order? That's what we demand from all our recruits. Thorne, voice floating from another room: It would also be ideal if you, you know. Didn't die. Less paperwork that way.

🎭 — Do they act differently around certain people? What's different between the way they act around friends, family, strangers, etc.?

Oh, boy. Given the fact that his entire surface demeanor revolves around concealing his true thoughts and emotions from others, I would have to say... yes.

HOW HE ACTS AROUND STRANGERS/FRIENDLY ACQUAINTANCES:

Around strangers or friendly acquaintances, Thorne's guard is always up. His charming veneer never wavers, cloaking him like a second skin — he smiles at the right time, laughs at the right occasion, and frowns at the right moment. Everything he does is a calculated mix of genuine and deliberate, engineered to make him come off as a smooth mix of charming, elusive, and trustworthy — elusive enough to make people think of him as mysterious, but pleasant enough to make people trust him.

He doesn't lie outright, however. Not if he can help it. Lies are tricky, and can leave too many threads to pull and unravel. Instead, he deals in half-truths: little bits of truth about himself that he can sacrifice to the masses, all while keeping the ones that he'd rather hide safely concealed behind his smile.

Strangers know him as the dark-haired mage who carries himself with an air of casual elegance, who possesses storm gray eyes that gleam with an intelligent and elusive light.

Others would say that he's a smooth-talking sod who knows more than he lets on.

Others still would call him a smart bastard who's absolutely ruthless in a fight.

Ah, well. Depends on who you listen to.

HOW HE ACTS AROUND FRIENDS/FAMILY:

Around friends or family — and let's face it, those two words are practically synonymous in this case — Thorne is a lot more expressive and reactive.

While it took him a long, long time to get to his point, Thorne begins to drop the calculated front when around the Shepherds. He becomes a lot more... relaxed, and as a result, a trace of his true personality comes out — though sometimes even Thorne isn't sure what that is.

He becomes a lot more mischievous, bouncing off of Chase and Trouble's antics by spearing them with the occasional dry comment or good natured jab. He also frequently comes to Blade, Red, and Halek's defense(?) by playfully coming up to bat with his arsenal of deceptively innocent quips whenever the others are dogpiling them, prompting Ayla to jokingly complain that he was a "bloody suck-up": an accusation to which Thorne responded with a look of mock-offense and a lofty, "I haven't the faintest idea of what you mean."

His terrible sense of humor also comes out in full force. Even the stupidest and flattest of jokes can coax a snort of laughter from him. He's a big fan of Riel's sarcasm, often snorting in amusement — eyes sparkling with poorly concealed laughter — whenever the other lets loose of yet another dry quip.

Overall, he's very different from how he was when he first joined the Order. When he first joined the order, he had treated them as he would any other stranger: charming, but distant, with the distinct air of someone who was sure to leave in the future. Now, he couldn't be any more different.

Trouble had once remarked on his change. He had ruffled Thorne's hair, ignoring his dismayed squawks, while thoughtfully commenting on how different he was compared to when they first met him.

"Oh?" Thorne had responded dryly, disgruntledly attempting to fix his ruffled dark hair. "What was I like when we first met, then?"

"Sort of closed off, even though you smiled a lot," Trouble had said thoughtfully. "Like one of those nobles. And you always kept your distance — almost like you were going to disappear any second."

Thorne had paused. It had felt odd, hearing this from Trouble. He hadn't known how to react. "... And now?"

Trouble had grinned, then, eyes warm and affectionate. He clapped Thorne on the back and slung a familiar arm around his shoulders. "Well, now you're stuck with us, of course!"

Thorne had let out a breath at that, rolling his eyes. There was a pause, the two of them blanketed in comfortable silence, before a quiet voice spoke tentatively into the air:

"Yes, I am."

🔪 — How do they react to injury / misfortune befalling their loved ones (significant other, family, friends)? Do they put themselves at blame?

Now... here's the thing. The more Thorne cares about someone, the more emotional he can get. The more he cares about someone, the less all the other things — logic, pragmatism, himself — matter to him. He's very much the type to love slower but harder. I genuinely think that life threatening injury befalling his loved ones would make him completely fling all his caution and inhibitions to the wind.

He'd be rushing to their side in a heartbeat. If they were on a battlefield, he'd be fighting his way to their side like an animal gone feral: all gnashing power and glinting arrows and a desperate need to get to their side, get to their side, before it's too late. Thorne knows how swiftly a person's life can be snuffed out; how one wound, one blow, can so easily drag them to a realm that no living being can ever hope to reach. He has to get to them. He has to.

His magic would probably start running rampant, responding to the cold spikes of fear cutting through his chest, to the ringing screaming in his ears. Rationally, he knows that he should conserve his magic and energy — that he shouldn't be so reckless, so careless, so impulsive — but all that would be drowned out by his urgent need to get to their side.

Ultimately, I think he'd either reach their side and haul them off to safety while debating between trying to heal them now or scrambling to a Healer (he's not the best healer), or someone else would step in and snap him out of it. If someone like Red (since he can translocate) told him to stay behind while they got the injured loved one to safety, Thorne would probably gnash his teeth but ultimately, stay and absolutely tear into the enemy. The moment the battle was over he'd be rushing off to go check on the loved one.

Once he sees them, alive and— well. Not well, but not dead, at least — he'll probably start crying. Tears run down his cheeks while he desperately tries to stifle his sobs, but it seems like the inhuman control he typically has over his emotions has fucked off to nowhere and he just keeps bawling his eyes out like an utter fool. Someone, either the poor injured loved one, (who now has a Mr. Thorne Briers bawling over their bed), or a trusted friend tries to comfort him, and he stiffens up so much that they fear he'll break. But then he grasps onto them like a lifeline, (or ever so gently, featherlight, if they were the injured loved one), and starts sniffling out a bunch of incomprehensible reassurances and apologies as he forcibly tries to calm himself. (It doesn't work).

He'll probably be extra clingy in the coming days, like a cat wandering around their favorite person. He won't come too close out of fear of smothering them (he probably still is) but he'll repeatedly attempt to ✨discreetly✨ poke his head into the infirmary to check on how they're doing and reassure himself that they'll be fine. If he's close enough to this particular loved one and feels secure enough to do so, he'll probably insist on doing his paperwork near them. The poor healers will probably have to shoo him out with a broom at one point.

Eventually, he'll start to relax and lay off on the clinginess, but — I think he'll be a lot more... forward with his affection than he was before. His masks and pretenses are still there — I don't think they'll go that easily — but they're a lot more transparent, and more easy to see through. For his loved ones, anyway.

Ah. This got long. I'm sorry, I think I just really like the drama 😔

💥 — What emotions do they have trouble dealing with?

Thorne... can be frustratingly complicated when it comes to dealing with emotion. He does a lot of mental gymnastics and unnecessary entangling when it comes to... how he perceives himself, and it can be a headache trying to follow him. Ironic, how someone so determined to never lose his composure is actually an absolute trainwreck. Still, I'll do my best to answer!

(Ah, and a reminder that Thorne's thoughts and opinions do not necessarily align with my own, and that they're not always, well... right.)

Thorne is the type to feel with everything in him — and it's a part of himself that he's grown to despise. Sadness, grief, longing, compassion, and hope: they will do nothing. They will accomplish nothing. He sees it as an unnecessary indulgence — something he lets himself feel just to validate himself. To pretend that he's a better person than he really is. That he can be better.

He can't.

Take compassion, for example. For Thorne, compassion coming from him is a useless token. Compassion is pointless when no action is taken, and he can't— he can't promise anything. And what good is feeling sympathy for anything when you can't do anything to help them?

Once upon a time, he had worn his heart on his sleeve. He used to be brighter, all smiles and laughter: a light that waveringly persisted even after the destruction of his village. And he had tried to help — to save people, to do good in the world. But after a few events that I won't get into right now, he... became disillusioned. Overly so, I would say. After all, what was the point in having a bleeding heart when you wouldn't be able to save them no matter how much you bled? When you would only make things worse? He began to harden and hold the world at an arms length. Slowly, he learned to conceal himself, to manipulate and charm and persuade.

And the more beautiful his mask became, the more he began to despise himself.

To be blunt, Thorne hates himself far too much to indulge in these emotions.

Sadness, grief, longing, compassion, and hope: he began to deal with them by either internally pulling away or leaning into his anger.

Thorne's anger isn't the raging, blood-pumping kind — not usually, anyway. His anger is focused, deliberate, like ice and frost creeping up a metal chain and delicately shattering it to pieces. Anger is easy. Anger is cold. Anger lets him look at the world with a knife-like clarity, lets him ignore the steadfast ache in his chest. Anger lets him ignore the emptiness that follows him wherever he goes. Anger... is protection.

Yes, not a very healthy way to cope. But he'll be having some hefty character development throughout the course of the game! :D

🍧 — Do they still have any objects from their childhood? What significance does it have to them? What would their reaction be if they lost it?

Thorne has a bracelet made of twine, with little wooden star-shaped beads woven into it in pretty patterns! His mother had been the one to weave the bracelet, while his father had been the one to carve the wooden stars.

It had been his thirteenth birthday gift; his father gave it to him the day before his Wreath Day. His mother had woven it for him when she fell sick with the Grey Waste. The Grey Waste was deadly, and she had known that it was very unlikely she would be able to pull through. So, shakily, laboriously, she created one last gift for her son, to be given on his thirteenth birthday.

Thorne had cried for hours when he received the bracelet, burrowing into his father's arms as he bawled his heart out. Now, the bracelet is old and worn; he keeps it in a pouch he wove himself, embroidered with patterns of his parents' favorite flowers in honor of their memory. He would be absolutely devastated if something were to ever happen to it, and would probably be shattered for days before painfully accepting that it was gone.

[jdetan]

"For the Good of Hyrule"

Two months after defeating Calamity Ganon, Zelda goes for a medical checkup with Purah, and seven years later, she finds herself doing the same exact thing for a slightly different reason.

Two months after the defeat of Calamity Ganon

“It’s for the good of Hyrule.” Zelda said, simply. “An educational system is vital for the populace– more people can read, more people can develop multiple skills, it frees up time from the parents and standardizes the information the children learn…” “Oh Farore, no!” Link cried from a few feet away as a black plume emerged from the cooking pot. “Oh no… that turned out badly…” He lifted up a gelatinous mass, green and purple, and smelling awful. “Oh well, waste not, want not.” He shoved the mass in his mouth with a loud ‘nom’. “Hey, it’s not bad, actually… oh no my organs.” “And it prevents them from having to be self taught, which…” Zelda blanched as Link quaffed a fairy potion while groaning in pain. “Can lead to some less than ideal outcomes, as you can see.” “Well, I can’t argue with that.” Reese mumbled as Link frantically tried to chisel the remnants of the food out of the cooking pot. “Miss Lucina, we’ll build your school.”

---

“Whatever happened to that goo you made earlier today?” Zelda asked as Link whipped out a much more appetizing meal for them. “It looked corrosive.” “I declared it ‘Dinnerblight Ganon: Scourge of the Cooking Pot' and threw it into the Death Mountain crater.” Link answered with a shudder. “Along with the cooking pot itself. It was unsalvageable.” Zelda cracked up and laughed loudly as she took a bite of food. “The funniest part is that I know you’re serious!” She hummed happily as she ate her meal. “Your regular cooking is wonderful, though– you’ve been practicing, haven’t you?” “Every day.” Link admitted with a blush. “I wanted to make sure that anything I made for you was of the highest quality.” He awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck, chuckling lightly. “You deserve the best, after all.” Zelda damn near tackled Link to the ground and kissed him for saying that. Instead, she bit her lower lip hard, and repeatedly reminded herself to exercise control. “You’re far too kind, Link, especially when I can’t cook nearly as well as you do.” “I could teach you.” Link offered. “It’s really just timing and math, at least for established recipes, which is what we’d start off with. Then it’s more just learning the flavors and how they interact and meld together.” Link waggled a fork at her. “Really, cooking is just science!” Zelda raised an eyebrow at Link, her fork stuck in her mouth. I could push you to the ground and ravish you right now, you beautiful man. Her internal monologue was getting spicier– readjusting to having hormones again after a hundred years without them was its own set of challenges– but instead she just smiled. “It’s a date, then! Lunch tomorrow?” “Sounds wonderful. But be warned: you eat what you make!” Link chuckled lightly. “Unless I have to throw it into Death Mountain, of course– but I’m sure whatever you make will be delicious.” Zelda blushed, a light glow playing across her skin– a sure sign she was truly happy, Link had found– and finished her plate. “I’ll do my best to reward your faith in me, oh Good Sir Knight.” She said with mock pomp. “But now I fear I must go to my doom… and have my two month medical checkup with Purah.” “Want me to walk with you?” Link asked, tossing the plates into the sink. “Sure. Just remember that the checkup is…” Zelda waved her hand around, trying to find a polite way to describe the procedure. “EXTREMELY private, alright?” Link laughed. “Gotcha. I’ll run off and play when you get there.”

Read the Rest on Ao3!

[oraclekleo]

Hi! I read somewhere on tumblr that said something along the lines of future spouse readings are based on our idea/perception/what we want in our future spouses. For example, the more we ask for future spouse readings, the more likely the person asking will have a stronger specific preferences or ideals.

As a reader, when you do future spouse readings, do you pick up or read the energy of the person asking for the reading (ie: their ideal preferences) or the energy of their future spouse?

What’s your take regarding this matter?

Much love and thank you for the enlightenment!

Hello!

Thank you for your question.

I don't really do Future Spouse readings as I don't believe that your partner choice is set in stone. I have done the Pick-A-Pile future spouse readings because they were requested.

I believe, you as a person have some preferences at the moment and those can relate to certain symbols, colours, letters, numbers, whatever. Based on your preferences you will intuitively pick a pile you like the best and the description will then likely copy at least some of your actual preferences.

However, you, as any person, evolve, grow and mature in time. Your preferences can change, you can learn from previous unsuccessful relationships, etc. Your future partner preference will differ in 10 years from what you consider to be the perfect match now.

For that reason, I prefer to do Ideal Partner readings. Those describe the kind of person that would be ideal for you at the time of the reading, that would best fit into your life and made it better for both of you. That doesn't mean you will ever get married to that person, or even meet them. While it would be ideal for me to eat more vegetables because it's good for me and my body, I might actually have ice cream instead of steamed carrot. Same logic applies to ideal partner - while the person might be perfect for you, you might choose not to fall in love with them.

Tarot readings in general are not supposed to tell you the exact future. You can see one of the many possible paths in them. When you read cards for yourself or you receive a tarot reading, whatever is said about your future is not a fixed thing. Maybe you don't like the prediction so you actively stir away from the set course of yours. Or maybe the mere fact you have had a glimpse of the possible future, makes you immune to it. Or on the other hand, if you like the possible outcome, it might motivate you to continue with your efforts, assured your mission will be accomplished at some point.

I really don't believe in tarot being magic. Its symbolics unlocks the knowledge we already possess. Your brain notices so much more than what you can normally access with your conscious mind. But all the information is there. The tarot merely gives you the ability to extract the relevant knowledge from the unconscious depth of your mind. That's why many readings seem so accurate and real because in many ways they are. They give you the key to facts you didn't realize you knew the whole time.

Of course, this is my take on tarot. I'm not saying it's the right one or the only one, far from it. This is what I believe and practice personally but I respect other approaches as well. Only this one is most comfortable for me and naturally, I'm gonna stick to it until I find even more comfy approach. 😊

I'm sorry for the lenghty answer to your question, I hope it helped.

Feel free to ask follow up questions if needed.

Thank you!

Kleo 🦄

[writingwhimsey]

All's Fair In Love & War- Nobunaga Ch. 24

Chapter 24

I had been rather pleasantly surprised when I’d told Nobunaga of my origins and he’d accepted it. It had warmed my heart when what appeared was a concern was that he was afraid I would go back. He truly didn’t want me to leave him…I felt the same.

Of course, what I had not been prepared for was how curious Nobunaga would be about the future. Seeing my old cell phone had apparently piqued his curiosity. When we weren’t busy making love, he was asking me questions about the future.

We were currently laying in the futon, cuddled up and he was asking me questions. “What was your life like there?” He asked.

“My life specifically?” I replied. “Well, when I left I was still considered a kid. I was still under the care of the girls’ home I had grown up in and still in school.”

“Girls’ home?” Nobunaga asked. “And is the school like the temple schools?”

“A girls' home is a place where they take in orphaned girls and care for them until they reach adulthood.” I explained. “The schools…I guess the temple schools are the closest thing you’ll find in this era. But the schools from my time are open for all and they teach all the basics, reading, writing, math, science. Then when you finish school, you can either immediately join the workforce or go into further schooling to train for a specific job. There are also still some jobs where you can be an apprentice to learn them.”

“Interesting.” Nobunaga replied. “So, you did  not finish your schooling?”

I shook my head. “No…my grades weren’t always the best anyways.”

“Grades?”

“Kind of a ranking system of how well one completes their school work.” I explained. “We had assignments we had to do as we learned new material and we also had tests to find out how well we learned the material.”

“Interesting.” Nobunaga replied. “What are other advancements in technology in your time?”

I explained more about computers, cars, trains, airplanes…that one really got him.

“Flight is possible in your time then?” He asked, his eyes wide and full of curiosity.

“Yeah. Though I was never personally on one. I never had a reason to fly anywhere else.” I answered. “But it’s very common for international travel. The fastest mode of transportation for that.”

“Truly intriguing.” Nobunaga replied.

I couldn’t help but to smile at his almost childlike curiosity about my original world. It was actually kind of adorable.

“Why are you smiling like that?” Nobunaga asked, looking at me curiously. “Does it make you happy to think of your original home?”

“Not particularly.” I replied. “I honestly didn’t really fit in. It honestly never really truly felt like home. Not like I have here.”

“Then why do you look like that?” 

I giggled. “I just didn’t expect you to be so curious. I mean if our roles were reversed, I’m not sure I’d be able to resist asking about things that are supposed to happen in this time.”

“I need not know those things.” Nobunaga replied. “I know I will succeed in my ambition.”

“I see.” I replied.

“However, I am fascinated by new technology and ideals.” He further explained. “I have spent a lot of time talking to the Portuguese missionaries and traders. I’ve learned many things about the way the rest of the world works. The advancements other countries are making. I find it all fascinating.”

“Is that part of what makes you see what this country could be?” I asked, curious.

Nobunaga nodded. “Yes. Once we stop the fighting and unite everyone, then we can join the rest of the world…which from what you have told me, by the time you are originally from happens, we have.”

“That is true.” I replied. “Really it’s probably a good thing you don’t want me to tell you about outcomes of battles or anything…I was a terrible student and only vaguely remember little tidbits from my history classes in the modern day.”

Nobunaga chuckled. “You say you were a terrible student in your time, but you seemed to do well under your father’s tutelage.” 

“Different lessons and different styles of teaching.” I replied. “Sword Fighting is definitely more interesting than complicated equations…learning about battles in the pages of a history book is much different than actually living through them.”

Nobunaga was smiling at me. “You prefer a more hands-on approach then?”

I grinned at him. “I find it’s the best way to learn anything…definitely been the best way to learn about you.”

“I have to agree.” Nobunaga replied, his hands trailing over my curves. “I definitely enjoy getting my hands on you.”

I shivered in delight under his touch. I started running my hands over his body in turn. “I love you, Nobunaga.”

“I love you, Ava.” Nobunaga replied before pulling me close once again and kissing me deeply. It was going to be a long and pleasurable rest of our time at the hot springs.

Days later…

We had finished our stay in the hot springs and had packed up to head back to my castle. “Thank you for staying with us, my lords.” Akane’s granddaughter said, bowing to us. “Please come again.”

“Yes, you need to visit more, Ava…but please be quieter next time.” Akane said.

I felt my cheeks heating up a bit, but I smiled and stood my ground. “I’ll make sure we come and we’re even louder next time.”

Nobunaga was chuckling beside me. “That wasn’t the top of your voice?”

I gave Nobunaga a challenging look. “You’ll just have to find out, won’t you?”

“Not in my hot spring.” Akane said. “Now get out…and maybe don’t come back. I miss the days you came with Sato. I could put up with your girlish giggles, but not this.”

“Oba-san.” Her granddaughter scolded.

Nobunaga and I were both laughing. I gave a polite bow to Akance. “Thank you for allowing us to stay and I apologize for keeping you up. I will have a bottle of your favorite sake sent as an apology.”

“Well…I guess I can accept that.” Akane replied. “Be well, Ava.”

“You be well Akane.” I replied.

Akane was then looking at Nobunaga, her eyes cold as steel. “And you…keep her happy. She deserves that.”

“I intend to.” Nobunaga replied.

We were then heading out. Nobunaga mounted up on his horse and then offered me his hand, pulling my up as I placed my hand in his. He snapped the reins and we were off. Nobunaga kissed the nape of my neck as we rode back towards my castle, causing a shiver to run down my spine.

“You really can’t get  enough of me, can you?” I teased. “You can’t seem to keep your hands or lips off of me.”

“You are far too delicious.” Nobunaga replied. “And intoxicating.”

“Hmm…I guess I could say the same thing about you.” I replied, turning my head to grin at him.

“You guess?” He asked, a challenging note to his voice. “You seemed to not be able to get enough of me either. You were just as active a participant as I was.”

“Hmm, but I can’t just admit it.” I replied. “Then you might start getting an even bigger ego than the one you already have.”

Nobunaga chuckled in my ear. He was moving the reins to hold them in one hand, as he wrapped his free arm around my waist, pulling me close. “You enjoy challenging me.”

“Oh, that’s one of the things you love most about me.” I replied.

“If I admit that, it will make your ego bigger than it already is.” Nobunaga replied, turning my own words against me.

I giggled, turning my head to kiss his cheek. “We are two of a kind, then.”

We teased, joked, flirted, shared kisses, and caresses as we continued our ride back to my castle. It was fun being with Nobunaga. No matter what we were doing… just being with him, it just made me so happy. 

“I am looking forward to finishing my ambition with you at my side.” Nobunaga told me, as we drew closer to my castle.

“You are rather close, aren’t you?” I replied.

“Very.” Nobunaga agreed. “I believe this year, 1582, will be the end. We will conquer this land and remake it into something better. And once we have done this, I want to leave these islands and see all this world has to offer…with you at my side.”

I smiled. “I like the sound of that.” I said. Though, there was something nagging at my brain. As if there was something important I needed to remember from my history lessons. Something about Nobunaga and the year 1582…and something in the pit of my stomach told me it was something bad. I pushed it down. Until I could remember, I wanted to push that feeling down. I didn’t want to cause Nobunaga or anyone else to worry.

[daisys-reality]

Hello :) I am Flora 🌱♍️ I hope you have a nice day/night. Can I ask for a tarot reading? I would like to know what do you think about me become an office administrator? What's the outcome like is it a good idea, like will I be successful? Thank you I'll leave feedback 🥰

Hello @tarotbyflora 🍀 Let's see what I can get for you...

You becoming an office administrator, is it a good idea? What will the outcome be like?

Well, there seems to be something else you need to know right now. I think your guides want to encourage you to pause for a moment and to see things from a different perspective. It could be that you’re in a situation in your life where you should take a rest but you’re resisting that. Instead, you seem to fill up your schedule with new tasks and projects, keeping you busy and distracting yourself from the actual issue that needs your attention. You’re being asked to slow down by your guides/spirit but also by your body. However, it seems like your mind keeps racing… Stop and rest before it’s too late, dear. Even if your situation is annoying you, it would be good to just surrender and to let go of any attachment to ‘how things should be’. Go with the flow and loosen your grip.  

Ok, so back to your question whether it would be a good idea to become an office administrator. I don’t have a clear answer, or rather you’re not meant to have a clear yes/no answer to this question. I can say that it’s not a bad idea per say but it’s also not really the best option either for you. But because you seem to be a bit like a ‘control freak’ type of person and because of the issue I explained in the upper paragraph, it’s a bit tricky for me regarding what to say and what not. If I say now that it’s a bad idea to become an office administrator, I fear you will just move on and look for another job right away even though you’re meant to rest right now! It seems like it’s not necessarily about what job is better but instead it’s a matter of timing. You’re being advised to just let the right opportunities come to you. Take this time to rest and to reflect, so that you can manifest the ideal opportunity for you. Do not distract yourself and your mind too much because you won’t be able to find out what truly matters to you. The advice here is: ‘Don’t waste your time on things that have no use/worth to you. Instead, try to make space in your life for things that are truly important for you.’, ‘What happens, will happen. No need for forcing control.’

Other themes or issues that I got in regards to your current situation and to your question were the following: dissatisfaction at personal or professional level, taking care of yourself and your well being, selfishness/stubbornness, discontentment and disinterest, stagnation and monotony, low self esteem and also a fear of commitment/abandonment/moving on, lack of self awareness/emotional maturity, faking happiness, trying one more time, indecision, aimless drifting, walking away, refusal to move on, no growth, facing your problems with an optimistic mindset as escapism is not an solution

(To be honest, I got this random thought about teeths and a dentist office… were you also thinking about becoming a dentist or dental assistant? If so, I feel like this could be a really good idea for you and leading to professional and personal success.. also perhaps some type of consultant or something with ‘customer experience’ and/or design, or  even as an influencer. - But those are just wild guesses, you can ignore this if it doesn’t resonate! Focus more on the advice you received…)