#there were so many more things i wanted to include in this but i made it into a whole different thing so <3< /div> Explore tagged Tumblr posts

[vettelsvee]

LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE | Sebastian Vettel

High School History Teacher!Sebastian Vettel x Primary School Teacher!Reader ↳ Teacher AU ⋆ Part of CLASSROOM GOSSIPS

SUMMARY: Seb is stressed because his students did pretty bad in their latest History exam, but he gets more stressed and grumpy when Y/N, the cutest Primary School teacher according to Seb, arrives to the teacher's lounge to "annoy" him, but the truth is that there's more than that ↳ BASED ON THIS POST I MADE THE OTHER DAY!

WORD COUNT: 3099

WARNINGS: LOTS OF GRUMPY (Seb) X SUNSHINE (Reader), some bad words, cursing, nothing else but wait till the end because I assure you you're gonna love it!

TAGLIST: @koalapastries @vampsarereal @gracie23x @cutelittlefakejourneys @scopeiguess @hoziersfrancesca

VEE'S NOTES: I ABSOLUTELY adored writing this, and I hope you like it as much as I do! This goes all the way up to the top of my fave fics written by me. Also, a toast to you because you liked all this Teacher!Seb thing a lot 🥹 I'd love to read your opinions on this, so feel free to leave me a comment, an anon message or reblogging since it helps us creators a lot. Thank you so much for reading, and hope you like it! <3 ↳ TALK TO ME / REQUESTS! | FORMULA 1 MASTERLIST | BUY ME A COFFEE

© VETTELSVEE (2025). please, do not steal, copy or translate my works. thanks for reading!

“How can you say that World War II ended with the fall of the Berlin Wall? My God...”

“It makes no sense at all, but if you ask whoever told you that, they’ll give you a convincing enough answer to make you pass their exam.”

Sebastian lifted his head, even though he didn't need to in order to know who was speaking.

Y/N Y/L/N, the second-grade teacher who is the pure representation of the sunshine itself. Your smile, always revealing your teeth, and your energy, isn’t exactly contagious to him, and even sometimes that'd be enough to make someone want to throw up.

You were standing in front of him, holding an absurd amount of papers. Seb couldn't avoid looking at you. No matter how much you might irritate him at times, he found you more than fascinating. He admired you in every single aspect and, somehow, that made him pretty angry with himself. You took the opportunity to silently show him some drawings of bees. Bees. Happy bees. Sad bees. Damn it, there were even bees wearing party hats and surrounded by confetti, and other baking and having coffee.

Sebastian said nothing. Instead, he ignored you and continued grading exams, but you didn't take it personally since you know how stressed he had to be with his class.

It didn't take long before a series of increasingly loud bangs started to get on his nerves.

When he looked up again, he saw you struggling with the printer, which seemed to have decided not to work.

“Why is it that every time I come here, this stupid, useless piece of junk decides to stop working?” you huffed, nearly shouting. “It’s like… like it’s out to get me!”

“Maybe it’s because you make too many copies every week,” Vettel replies.

“I have to give my students a quality education, Seb. And a quality education includes, among other things, making as many copies as I need to teach the contents properly!”

“And does your quality education include printing an entire colony of bees?”

You shrugged, offering no further explanation. Instead, you grabbed a nearby chair and dragged it until it was next to Sebastian. To his utter surprise, you sat down beside him, placing your absurdly thick stack of papers on top of the ungraded exams.

If you didn’t leave in the next few seconds, Seb swore he'd have a heart attack.

“My kids need all of this, Seb,” you said again, showing him those ridiculous drawings once more. “They’re learning about pollination, and what better way than by coloring little bees and then putting them all over the classroom to represent how they work?”

“I’m currently questioning whether I’m a complete failure as a teacher so, to be completely honest with you, the last thing I need right now is you showing me this... nonsense.”

You scoffed, knowing he didn’t mean it. He was just too stressed. His students failing with embarrassingly low grades didn’t mean his skills as a teacher were declining, but it did mean he’d have an army of parents breathing down his neck, demanding explanations for why their children’s performance was so poor.

“Stop saying things like that!” You smacked his shoulder, and his patience wore even thinner when he noticed a red pen mark on the exam he was grading. One that, knowing all too well his students and their thoughts, they’d probably say looked like a penis.

“You’re not a failure. Teenagers are just… idiots.”

“Is that your opinion as a professional in the education field?2

“Of course!” you shouted, waving your hands dramatically. “Why do you think I teach Primary school? Little kids are way cuter, and they think I’m a genius just because I can spell difficult words without getting any help.”

Seb tried not to, but a small smile started creeping onto his face. He quickly bit his lower lip and shifted in his seat, attempting to maintain his composure even though sitting next to you made him more nervous and, especially, more entertained, than he would have liked to admit.

“Look at you! I made you smile!”

“If I admit that you're almost funny, will you leave me alone?”

“Let me think about it… No.”

Sebastian didn’t even get a chance to answer before you suddenly jumped out of your chair and rushed toward the printer again.

“I just remembered why I came here! Oh my god, why do I have to be sooooooo forgetful?”

“I suppose that’s to make my life more miserable,” the German replied, raising an eyebrow.

“That’s just a bonus, Seb,” you turned to him, still smiling. “So, yeah, this printer isn’t working because… Well, I don’t know why. But I really need to make these copies, so I guess I’ll have to go back to the Primary school teachers' lounge…”

Sebastian stared at you, unsure of what to say.

Was he misunderstanding things because of stress, or he understood that you had actually walked all the way to the High School section, which was not anywhere near the Primary one, just to make copies, despite having a perfectly good printer in your own area?

“Did you come all the way from the Primary section to the High School one just for… some photocopies?”

“Yes!” you nodded enthusiastically.

“You're perfectly aware that there's a much better printer over there, right?”

“Well, that’s debatable if you consider…”

“Y/N, cut the bullshit.”

You pressed your lips together, unsure of how to tell him that your free period, and your desire to see him, was the real reason you had come all this way, even if it had earned you a few questioning looks and whispered comments from some of your colleagues in the upper grades.

“Well… Maybe I also decided to come here to see you,” you admitted.

Vettel had no idea how to reply to that. He tried to think of something friendly and lighthearted, but his stress seemed to take over before he could filter his words.

“I'm this close to kicking you out, Y/N.”

You only laughed, placing a dramatic hand over your chest and letting out a fake gasp. Seb loved when you acted like this, but right now, he hated it more than ever.

“Oh, please, you wouldn’t dare. I’m your favorite person out of all the people in this school.”

“Funny, because right now you happen to be exactly the opposite,” he muttered.

“You didn’t mean that. I know you didn’t.”

Seb shook his head and buried himself back in grading exams. Of course, he hadn’t meant it. No one was perfect, but somehow, you came pretty damn close without even trying.

“Stop making that weird face, or you’re going to get wrinkles ahead of time,” you teased. By now, you had sat back down beside him and were carefully cutting out flower-shaped drawings with impressive precision.

“You are insufferable, Y/N, really,” Vettel shot back as he meticulously corrected a student's answer about the causes of World War II.

“And yet, you still haven’t told me to shut up.”

Seb frowned. He wanted to do it. He should do it. But he couldn’t. You were too kind to him for him to snap at you… just like what was happening now.

He cursed himself mentally and swore that, from now on, he would grade exams at home to avoid this kind of altercation. Though, deep down, he also knew he would do it because, maybe, it would give him a little more time to spend with you.

Suddenly, you moved closer to him, too close, and took his chin. Your eyes locked, and for a few seconds, neither of you could say anything, let alone voice everything running through your minds about each other.

“You need a break, Seb.”

Your hand instinctively moved to his cheek, caressing it with a kind of affection that neither of you expected. He swallowed hard, trying to stay calm, but his heart only pounded faster and faster, and he couldn’t see it as anything other than a betrayal of his feelings for you.

“Why do you always have to be a threat to me, Y/N?”

You simply smiled before leaving a kiss on his cheek and standing up.

“You can keep pretending all you want, but you know you love it,” you said, grabbing your things and heading toward the door, though not before turning back to him.

Sebastian knew exactly what you meant by doing that. He let out a deep sigh and carefully gathered all the exams, placing them in his briefcase along with his pencil case and phone.

“If I go with you wherever you’re going, do you promise to shut up?”

“Nop, there’s no way I’m doing that,” you replied cheerfully, taking his arm the moment he was beside you and dragging him out of the teachers’ lounge with no real destination in mind.

The German was beyond exhausted. He felt his head throbbing more than usual, which he knew was a sign of an oncoming migraine. He felt drained, frustrated, and more plagued by imposter syndrome than ever. It wasn’t the first time he’d had bad results on an exam, but it was the first time they had been this awful.

He decided not to dwell on it and did his best to push his intrusive thoughts aside, focusing instead on the woman beside him.

You couldn’t stop talking. First, you told him about how your kids, as you called your second-grade students, had made Christmas cards for you and even brought you a gift after the holidays. Then, you talked about how, today, your favorite student (because, according to you, yes, teachers had favorites) had dropped a piece of her sandwich on the floor, and you had to give her your own breakfast but it was worth it since she was more than happy to be having Ms. Y/L/N handmade cheesecake.

Now, you had launched into an explanation of the biodiversity project you were preparing for your students, focusing specifically on the importance of bees in the ecosystem. You even showed him some pictures of what you had been working on at home because you wanted it to turn out so well that you couldn’t just work on it during school hours.

“So…” you said after finishing your explanation. “What do you think about my project so far?”

Sebastian kept walking, trying to process the flood of information you had just given him in such a short time. While some of the pictures looked like pure chaos, something completely opposite to him, the embodiment of perfection, he had to admit that it was good. Really good, actually.

“Well… it looked fun,” he admitted.

“Are you serious!?” you squealed, your eyes sparkling with excitement.

He gave you a shy smile.

“Yes, of course, I mean it.”

“Oh, look at him! Grumpy Seb handing out compliments so easily!” you shouted again, now bouncing on your feet, earning a few disapproving looks from the teachers passing by. “This calls for me to get you a coffee!”

“Y/N, I don’t feel like having coffee. I already had one this morning, and I don’t think it’s the best idea, considering how nervous I—”

“That’s nonsense!” you interrupted, marching toward the Primary school section. “You’re going to have coffee with me, no matter what, and you’re going to thank me because I’m convinced my coffee is way better than that vending machine garbage you drink daily.”

“I’ll thank you the day not a single one of my students fails one of my exams,” he told you.

The Primary school teachers' lounge was empty when you both walked in. You didn’t say much, just offered Seb a seat and told him to make himself at home while you headed to your locker. The German pulled out the stack of exams once again, ready to continue grading them, if you didn’t annoy him again. As he kept marking the papers, he glanced at you out of the corner of his eye. Not only were you making him a cup of coffee, but you also seemed to be decorating it. And, if he wasn’t mistaken, you were writing something on a piece of paper.

When you returned, you placed the mug in front of him. It had “Bee positive” written on it, and it was decorated, of course, with a little bee making a heart with its tiny hands. As if that wasn’t enough, you had somehow managed to create an impressive amount of cream, topped with a smiley face that looked like it had been made with cinnamon.

Then, as you took a seat beside him, you slid a note his way, the one he assumed you had been writing earlier.

“Even if you’re having a gray day, remember that you can always make the sun shine! Sincerely, your very own little Miss Sunshine,” followed by a heart and, unsurprisingly, a bunch of smiley faces.

He didn’t know what to say. His eyes, however, when they met yours, seemed to say everything.

“You know, maybe all you need is just a new approach.”

Your sudden change of topic, spoken as you took another bite of your chocolate cupcake, threw him off a little. But he preferred it over the uncomfortable silence you both knew was bound to settle in.

“I’ve already tried, Y/N.”

“Have you tried bribing them?”

Seb narrowed his eyes, impressed and clearly not convinced by what you had just suggested.

“I’m not going to bribe my students, Y/N.”

“Not even by making them work in teams and offering extra credit?” You widened your eyes in surprise. “Have you considered bringing cookies and handing them out? That works incredibly great as a positive reinforcement, trust me”

“I’m not giving my students cookies or anything else,” Seb stated firmly. “I don’t know what to do with them, and that’s what worries me the most. What if I start acting like, no offense, a Primary school teacher, when they’re only two years away from university?”

You shook your head. It annoyed you that Sebastian was so… rigid, so unwilling to change. But what annoyed you even more was that you couldn’t seem to find the right way to help him.

“If you help me with the biodiversity project and actively participate in it, I promise I’ll find a way to make sure all your kids pass the remaining exams this year,” you proposed.

“And what exactly does a primary school teacher know about teenagers and History?”

“First of all, stop being so grumpy with me… I’m just trying to help you!” You huffed, crossing your arms. He wasn’t expecting that answer, and honestly, neither were you. Sebastian straightened in his seat, a bit uncomfortable. “Second, I happen to have a few tricks up my sleeve, but I’m not sharing them until you agree with helping me with the project.”

“Y/N…”

“What is it? What you don’t like: bees, seven-year-olds, or me?"

“I don’t like bees that much, I love being around little kids, and I’m completely captivated by you.”

That was what Sebastian wanted to say. Instead, he stayed silent, absentmindedly playing with the coffee spoon while staring at the note you had written for him.

“You do realize how many exams I still have to grade, right?” was all he managed to reply.

“Seb, you need to relax. I’ve told you before, but I’ll keep saying it as many times as necessary until you actually listen to me.”

“I can’t relax,” Vettel muttered, furrowing his brows. “Do you have any idea how painful it is to read that…?”

You didn’t let him time to finish speaking. You approached him faster than you’d planned, took his face in your hands, and kissed him. At first, Seb was completely caught off guard, but then he placed his right hand on your neck, pulling you closer and making sure the contact between you didn’t break.

Sebastian wondered why he hadn’t done this sooner, while you were more than happy to finally have the courage to take the initiative, especially since it seemed like your work crush was responding with a lot of enthusiasm.

The lack of air forced you to pull away. You readjusted yourself in your seat and couldn’t help but laugh when you saw your lipstick smeared all over Seb’s mouth.

“Did you just…?” Seb tried to speak, but the words wouldn’t come out.

“Yes, and I don’t mind doing it again,” you kissed him once again, but this time it was shorter. “Sebastian Vettel, I need you to stop worrying about those fucking exams and take a break.”

Now, Sebastian couldn’t stop smiling, and that’s exactly when you knew you had won that battle.

“You’re so lucky you’re too cute and beautiful and you’re keeping me at my feet somehow, because I swear I wouldn’t stop talking and be annoying just for you to shut me up by kissing me.”

Your eyes lit up at his tease, and your mouth opened in surprise at what Seb had just confessed.

“Sorry, did you just call me cute and beautiful, and also say you want me to shut you up by kissing you?” you pressed him.

Seb didn’t know what to say. His cheeks started to turn red out of embarrassment.

“If I’d known this was going to happen between us, I should’ve asked you to work together waaaay sooner!” you shouted, jumping up in excitement and sitting on his lap. If he hadn’t grabbed you tightly around the waist and balanced the chair, you would’ve ended up on the floor. “Say it again, come on!”

“No way I’m repeating that, Y/N.”

“Please, Seb,” you pouted, then kissed him all over his face. “Just one more time, please…”

“No.”

“Please…”

“Y/N…”

“Seeeeeeebastian.”

“You’re the most annoying person I’ve ever met,” Seb started, “but, somehow, you’re also my very own Little Miss Sunshine.”

You smiled brightly at his words, but you knew this wouldn’t be the end of things between you.

“I’m not your Little Miss Sunshine yet. At least, not officially,” you teased.

“Oh, really?”

You shook your head.

“I’ll be when you finally have the courage to ask me on a date,” you replied cheerfully, wrapping your hands around his neck and kissing him once more. “I’ve taken the first step and kissed you not once, but twice, so now it’s your turn. We’ve got to work as a team, Seb. Haven’t you learned that all these years working as a teacher?”

[mulloey]

Can you write a full length fic of boyfriends!sanhwa reminding the reader who she belong to after someone tried to flirt with her at party and she was too oblivious to understand and went with it?

Can you include overstim and them having the reader on their lap. And a bit of size kink on sanhwa's part.

Do not include: mxm, misogynistic terms like whore and slut.

too sweet

san & seonghwa x fem!reader

words: 1k

join my taglist

warnings: overstim, punishment, soft doms!sanhwa, kind of innocent!reader, reader is smaller than sanhwa, big size kink (you’re referred to as small, tiny, little etc)

—

“Do you understand now?”

Seonghwa’s voice is low and teasing in your ear, making you squirm in his hold; he has you on his lap, your legs spread apart and held in position by his own strong thighs. His arms are wrapped around your torso, stroking your flushed skin as you sob through another orgasm.

You don’t know how many you’ve had now, nor how many you’re yet to endure; San’s fingers pump in and out of your pussy relentlessly, his other hand holding a vibrator firmly against your swollen clit. You writhe pathetically in Seonghwa’s arms but you all know it’s pointless; they could overpower you in your sleep, and when they’re this determined to teach you a lesson, there’s nothing you can do but take it.

“Yes, Hwa,” you hiccup. Your voice is tiny and pathetic, hoarse from screaming and begging for God knows how long. “Hwa, m’ sorry, please.”

He laughs softly into your skin, lips trailing across your neck. “Oh I know, honey,” he coos. “It must hurt so much, huh?” His voice drips with condescension and you know he doesn’t actually care if it hurts; he wants it to hurt, wants you so drunk on pleasure that you can’t think of anything except them, their hands, and how sorry you are for being so bad.

And you were really, really bad—or so they said. You don’t think it’s fair, honestly, to be punished for something you didn’t even know you were doing, but you’re not silly enough to protest; Seonghwa in particular hates when you try to weasel out of a punishment, sees it as the ultimate form of disobedience—so trying to talk yourself out of this would only have made it worse. For the nth time tonight your safeword dances on your tongue but you have no intention of using it. They know as well as you do that you absolutely adore being used like this.

Still, it would be better if this wasn’t happening as a punishment; then you’d be able to ask San to take it slower, or to pull his fingers out and fuck you instead. But if that’s what you wanted, then maybe you should have been more careful.

They knew they shouldn’t have taken you to that party. A company event filled with other artists and staff, it was all too easy to lose you in the crowd; you were smaller than most of the people, a social butterfly, and endlessly optimistic of people’s intentions. For just ten seconds San had looked away from you to chat with one of his stylists—but that was all the time it took for you to slip away.

It was Seonghwa that found you chatting happily with one of the choreographers. To be fair to the guy, he was new and didn’t know the nature of your relationship to them yet; but that didn’t make the sight of him leaning against the wall with his hand on your arm any more pleasant. And you, sweet thing that you were, had no idea what he was doing.

He got you out of there quickly, both of your boyfriends bundling you into the car despite your protests; Seonghwa nearly broke the speed limit trying to get you home before he snapped and took you right there on the motorway.

You’re just too sweet for your own good. And the noises you make as you approach another orgasm certainly are.

You can’t bear to look at San anymore; the focus on his face and the bulging muscles of his arms as he works you open are only turning you on more, so you bury your face in Seonghwa’s neck, crying pitifully into his hair. You shudder through your next orgasm, barely in control of your limbs anymore and San kisses your cream-covered thighs. “Pretty girl,” he croons. “Naughty girl.”

“M’ sorry,” you whine. “Sannie, please, I can’t—”

“Yes you can,” Seonghwa says with a sweet smile. “You’re gonna, baby.”

San hums in agreement as he resumes his assault on your aching cunt. “Such a pretty pussy,” he purrs. “So tiny for us. Only for us, right?”

“Y-yeah,” you whisper. “Only for— only for you. Only for Sannie and Hwa.”

“Good girl,” Seonghwa says. “Such a sweetheart, learning her lesson so well. Isn’t she, Sannie?”

“She is, yeah. One more orgasm, baby, then I’ll fuck you, alright?”

You nod dizzily, barely aware of what’s going on; just as your last orgasm approaches, San pulls the vibrator away and attaches his mouth to your clit, sucking harshly at it and it’s all takes for you to come crashing over the edge, releasing onto his face. He comes up with a grin, mouth and chin wet with your juices as he pulls you out to Seonghwa’s arms and into his own. He pushes you down on the sheets, hovering over you. “Hi, tiny,” he smiles. “Want me in your pussy?”

“Yes,” you say breathlessly. “And— and Hwa?”

San’s smile widens and you hear Seonghwa laugh from next to you. “Silly girl,” he says. “How am I gonna fit in there with Sannie? You’re too little, baby, we’d tear you open.”

“Don’t care,” you say. Your voice is stubborn and San pinches your thigh in warning.

“Be good,” he mumbles. “Hwa’s right, honey. We’re too big to fit in that little pussy. But if you ask him nicely I’m sure he’ll fuck your mouth, right?”

“Right.” Seonghwa grabs your chin gently, turning your head to face him where he’s kneeling at the side of the bed. His eyes are soft and impossibly aroused as he looks you up and down. “Want me in your mouth, pretty?”

“Yeah,” you nod. “Please.”

“That’s not enough.” There’s a stern edge to his voice now that makes you shrink into yourself a little and his lips quirk amusedly when he notices. “You were really, really naughty tonight, baby. If you want me in your mouth you’re gonna have to beg for it, aren’t you?”

“Please,” you say. “Please, Hwa, I need— I’ll be so good. I won’t be bad again, I won’t let anyone flirt with me again, I swear I learnt my lesson, pl—”

“Sh, sh,” San soothes you with a chuckle, rubbing your pussy gently; the wet sounds make you blush. “We know, baby, good girl. Always so good.”

“You are,” Seonghwa smiles.

As you feel San start to push into you you feel the bed dip under Seonghwa’s weight as he climbs onto it. His dick is already leaking when he presses it against your lips.

“Open up, baby.”

—

ateez taglist: @pixie0627 @hon3ysun @bbdeongi @hwaromi @tangerineastronaut @fancypeacepersona @aloevendetta @lemonkait00 @uhh-awkward-rightt @whyokoa @miyaluvvsyou @yabbadabbatuh @mylovelymito

requests open!

[anistarrose]

Hey. Here's some things the Temporal Chalice says:

I was made to want to be used, and to make others want to use my power. But I remember before all this, before I was a cup, and before I was torn into seven parts and jammed into dishes and gloves and what-have-you, I was something incredible. I could breathe life into entire realities and shape existence at my master's will. [Griffin: And when she says that, June kind of gets lost in thought a bit. And she says…] In this form, as a cup, with a seventh of the power that I once had, I just don't have that kind of freedom anymore. I have some broad power over time, yeah, but not enough to actually change anything. And I'm hoping that that's where you can come in.

Things we can take away from this include:

the Chalice, and presumably all Relics by extension, remember being the Light of Creation.

the Relics are aware that they were more powerful as the Light of Creation, and are less powerful now.

at minimum, the Chalice, and possibly other Relics too, look back on being the Light of Creation with a sense of longing — for that time, for that power, and for that freedom.

The Chalice wants to be used — but mourns that it can't create a full new timeline. The Chalice wants to be used... but hey, wait. Doesn't it sound like the Chalice would much rather be used as part of the Light of Creation?

So, on that note... here's a question. What if Lucretia (or a non-Voidfished Tres Horny Boys, in some kind of early-reconciliation or no-Voidfishing AU) had just... talked to the Relics? And... told them the plan? Told the Relics what they were going to do with them? Promised to finally reunite them as the Light of Creation, and to use the Light at full power to stop the Hunger?

Do you think any of the Relics might've just... agreed to that?

According to the Chalice, the Relics can even turn off their thrall if it serves them, or they want to have a conversation on equal terms. (And judging by THB not having to roll for the Chalice, I think the Chalice was telling the truth about that.) In theory, any Relic literally could've just said "wow, I thought you'd never ask!" and clicked off the thrall, happily agreeing to let themselves be restored to their former glory.

Now, that's all in theory, because maybe some of the Relics wouldn't trust that offer. Especially if they realize it's their creator, who split them apart in the first place, that they're dealing with — there might be bad blood there. Or maybe some of the Relics would just be too impatient, too eager to be used — unable to get behind delayed gratification.

But... would some of them agree? I think the Chalice absolutely would. And we know so little about the Bulwark Staff's reclamation that I wonder... if this was an approach Lucretia took. And if unbeknownst to us, the Bulwark Staff actually did cooperate.

That's even a potential answer to why the Staff's thrall doesn't affect anyone on the moonbase. The common and reasonable answer I've seen from fans is that it's concentrating its thrall on Lucretia already, since she's the one wielding it — but another answer could be that it's consciously "playing nice," because it wants to be reunited as the Light of Creation more than anything. Maybe the real answer is somewhere in-between. Trying its best to thrall Lucretia, just to ensure she'll stay on her current course, because the Light has been betrayed by its wielder before — but simultaneously, recognizing that no one else it could thrall has nearly as much to give.

You know. Food for thought. We don't get much characterization for Relics outside of the Chalice, but what we do get from the Chalice says so much, and opens so many possibilities.

[bigsoggyboots]

Sevika x Teacher!Reader

Estranged

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Uses lyrics from stranger by Jhene Aiko

summ: You remember the good life. The old life. A life that held you and briefly mentioned Sevika. Isha brings you both together. You're now reconsidering everything.

words: 1.3k

cw: smoking, mentions of drugs and death.

note: https://archiveofourown.org/users/calamitykills

Admittedly, I had a lot of fun writing this. I wrote this while being on a call with a friend, and I love how it turned out! Depending on its popularity will depend on a future part two for Valentine's.

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.

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“We don't give up our people.” That's what Sevika is quoted for, it's who she serves. No matter how you see her, in the highest and lowest parts of all of Zaun, it's who she is.

But you remember who she got that quote from. The Hound of the Undercity. When life was good and most people were afraid of enforcers and not their own people. A life that's now estranged to some.

No one remembers that now. You couldn't tell anyone how many there had been. They were just like you.

Everyone in Zaun now is either homeless, addicts, beating the addicts and homeless or catering to the people who beat the addicts and homeless.

Including you, or, so it seemed.

You were sick of that, sick of the miserable life you led. You were tired of being the same. You decided that you wanted to be the change you wanted to see in Zaun, starting with the beginning of change itself; our children.

☆

Word of you was going around. You were like a flower growing through the concrete. And you didn't know what to do with all the attention and appreciation. With the newfound attention you garnered, things seem to go right.

More kids began showing up to your classes, more money was being donated, less kids went home hungry. You strengthened the community and watch how everything came together. Albeit the good luck you recently felt come your way, you didn't think there'd be a direct cause for it.

Except for Isha maybe.

Ever since she came along, things that were once black and white came into color. You were grateful for her, and this new era she brought upon.

She was unlike your other kids. She was spunky and brave, possessing a passion for learning. You loved that about her and how she'd tried to spend any time she could with you.

The only thing you wondered is why you never saw her in public.

☆

Isha found you today, when the sun was glistening on the rainy floor. You heard her boots squeak as she made her way over to you. You were preoccupied, in a small alleyway, confused on where she came from and how she found you. Isha just wanted a hug.

You laughed hearing Isha pant so breathlessly. “Hey, breathe girl, no one's gonna get you.” She looked up at you, and formed a smile. A smile that you knew well enough to know that something's up. “Isha are you-”

Someone spat on the ground, gravely footsteps following behind it. “Brat.” You looked towards Isha. You knew her face, you knew her name. Damn near everyone knew who that was. Your eyes landed on Isha and your eyes met hers; she was unafraid.

You don't know what went through you, you and all your years of experience living here screamed at you to take her and run. As wrong as it may be. But you hadn't. You watched Isha hide behind you, small playful giggles leaving her. A game of Hide-and-Seek with Sevika? Either that or Isha just pissed her off.

Right now, you trusted her. Kids reveal the true nature of people through their actions. If Isha was scared, you would've known the moment she landed in your arms.

So, you looked down the alleyway ahead of you. Dark, bleek, a disgusting yet signaturely Zaun sort of smell, nothing out of ordinary. Then you smelled it. A type of smelly smell that smells.. smelly. Smoke.

It filled your nose faster than you could think, and Sevika coughed louder than you could comprehend. She was straight down the way. Sevika grunted, pulling herself closer, and Isha peeked behind you to get a look herself.

“I see you down there.” Isha gasped, then giggled. You could practically hear Sevika's eye roll.

She scoffed, stepping down the hall. She dipped into the light, standing in front of you. Her eyes studied you, without malice, nor the fierceness she normally would hold. It's a stare that's different from the one you've seen all these years; it's new and.. it seems like she likes you.

“Come on.” You refocus, seeing Sevika look at Isha as she shakes her head. Isha grips your pants tighter, huffing out her next breath. Was she giving Sevika attitude?

“Come on, she's not your friend.” Likewise. Isha took off her hat, revealing to Sevika a picture she had drawn of you. Your eyes widen. You remember the day you both colored together. Isha made that for you, you insisted she'd keep it. It warmed your heart that she did.

Sevika kneeled down, looking at the paper before her. She recognized this.“This is who you sneak off to see?” Isha nodded, looking almost proud. It was cute to watch.

“I've seen you around before.” Grunting whilst she stood again, she looked back at you. Your eyes linger in more than a casual way. “You hung around Vander.”

You blink a few times in surprise. “Yeah, I did.” Vander flashed your mind as she said that. His voice, his laugh, his face. Janna, it's been too long since you last seen him. “That was a long time ago.”

Isha listened to your conversation, putting her hat back on as she waited. She was obviously confused about it, even more confused when Sevika picked her up with one arm.

Isha grumbled, hitting Sevika as she held her.

“Let's go. We have places to be.” Sevika shoved the paper back in Isha's hands. From what you could tell, Sevika had been through hell and back to get here.

You wanted to question it, shit, you had hundreds of questions.

Why'd she remember you? How did she remember you? Did Silco have a file on you? Did he plan on getting rid of you? How do Isha and Sevika know each other?

Just.. lots and lots of questions. Not enough time for answers. You also doubted she'd give that to you.

So right as the rain started falling again, and sun barely peeked over the horizon, you asked yourself how worth it it would be to regret another unasked question.

Isha hummed at the sight of rain. Sevika sure as hell didn't. It put out the light in her cigar and she sighed having to take it out.

The dried up cigar soon took in the rain water. “Rain… No good..” Sevika let Isha adjust her cloak, draping the cloth on top of both their heads.

You covered yourself too, lifting your hood. “Will I see you again in better weather?”

Isha beamed, her smile promising. Sevika responded for her. “Once she listens.”

“I mean you too, Sevika.”

You should be proud; you stopped the woman in her tracks. She stares up at you, unblinking. It was the last thing she was expecting. Thoughts raced through her all at once, some of them you could probably guess.

“I'll be around.” That put a smile on your face, and seeing you smile put one on hers.

Rekindling with old friends became something foreign to you. Like many Zaunites, you became too comfortable knowing you're more than likely to lose more friends than you can keep. And you thought you lost Sevika too.

Although there was no pool of blood to signify any loss, she began working for the wrong person. It's why you're both estranged, you leaving without a trace after Vander's death.

Until now. You sensed change in her. Silco's death changed her, and it made you think that a relationship could be possible again. Isn't that crazy?

You stood there, grateful now. Without Isha, another opportunity would've been lost to you.

You waved goodbye to the girl, hearing her hum before returning the gesture. Sevika and Isha both slipped into the dark alleyway.

Perhaps your distaste for Sevika would dissipate if she could show how to be good to our youth. Perhaps now since Zaun was all in her hands, she'd begin to fight for the right things. And maybe, just maybe, a stranger could lead her the right way.

[ladykatibeth]

Not to pull out your tags, but I think this is an interesting thing to grapple with! There’s two major things from this perspective I often see and differ on is it’s an either/or perspective and a “only Ellen is feeling the effects of the “normal” social roles in the marriage” perspective.

Firstly I think that Thomas granted her something that Orlok couldn’t—open love and a sense of normalcy. Thomas being in the picture actively helped Ellen’s symptoms (that she expressed were painful and uncomfortable) lessen, and it’s notable that when he leaves these symptoms start to return. She is actively benefited by his presence (mainly as her emotional support). This does not mean she wasn’t also fulfilled by Orlok as well (in a you understand me/I understand you) way.

People need multiple things, and rarely can they get all their needs filled by a single person. It’s an unhealthy expectation. That doesn’t mean a relationship can’t work out that doesn’t include every need being fulfilled, just that you need many people in your life to meet needs. Anna supports Ellen when Thomas is having nightmares, for example. Ellen needs the open love Thomas provides, and she needs someone who can relate to her darkness and that’s okay. She can’t get both from a single person.

In terms of Thomas I don’t think he’s reacting ordinarily to what’s going on. Definitely not for his society, but also not generally. Most victorian men wouldn’t put their all into supporting their wives in their mental illness, or even marry someone with that sort of history attached to begin with.

They also mostly wouldn’t support their wife after she summoned a monster and then hold her through being possessed. I’m thinking most modern day spouses wouldn’t either ngl that man is devoted.

However I also think that Thomas’s hyper concern for filling his gender role, combined with the fact that the vampiric symbol of victorian repression fed on him in a scene mirroring the repression symbols feeding of Ellen, implies that Thomas isn’t really easily living up to these standards either (the why is up to interpretation, personally I think he’s bi).

The single provider social dynamic puts stress on him as well, especially as the expectation of men to not be weak keeps him from being able to connect with Ellen over their shared vampire trauma (something that would benefit them both.)

I also think that we need to be considering it in terms of a partnership if we want to have an anti-sexist reading. Thomas couldn’t save Ellen because she didn’t need saving. The emotional support Thomas provides is more important than heroics, and he succeeds at the former way more than the later.

They’re cutting the honeymoon short, meaning it’s likely they weren’t in a committed relationship as we would describe it (they would have been restricted to chaperoned dates and letters before being wed) until at most a couple months before this, so they didn’t really have an opportunity to work out any issues (an inevitable part of the relationship process, issues will naturally come up more once their lives conjoin).

Not very soon after they move in together, Thomas experiences trauma fairly similar to hers and gets some similar symptoms (nightmares) and some separate symptoms (she has seizures/sleepwalks/gets possessed, while he is physically messed up from the draining/jumping off a building/sprint to get home) putting them on equal footing in terms of needing support.

He didn’t “let her down” any more than she did him. She chose to keep him in the dark to sacrifice herself. She didn’t tell him about the evil vampire ex (fair given their society but still) he didn’t listen to her about the bad vibes of the business trip. Choices made all around.

Neither of them really talk about it though. By the end it isn’t just a woman failing to receive support through her trauma, it’s two traumatized people handling it in very different ways and making choices based in that. We don’t know if it would have worked out, because they never got the chance or time to even really try, and yet they still gave it their all anyway.

It’s kind of crazy to me that Thomas gets flak for trying to get to work on time, or taking a job assignment, despite his wife being worried about it. It’s not really greedy for a lower middle class man with debt and a wife to support (because societal expectations mean she can’t work) to care about not losing his job and it’s not greedy for him to want a slightly better paying job.

It’s also not a reflection of lack of intimacy/love/trust between Thomas and Ellen that he makes financial stability a priority.

Also that the flowers scene is a reflection of Thomas not understanding Ellen, because she says she’s upset about the flowers dying. She’s just had a dream that messed her up that had lilacs in it. It’s not about him getting her flowers it’s about him getting her lilacs after she just had a nightmare heavily featuring them combined with the stress over his upcoming trip. She’s upset about what the flowers represent (a bad omen and a result of him apologizing for leaving for the trip) not him getting her flowers.

[thecoffeelorian]

Fandom Friday, 2/07: Fanfiction!

Hello again, everyone…and welcome to another installment of Fandom Friday, the somewhat regular series where I go off to find new and interesting fanworks that might need a bit more visibility.

Before we begin, there might be a few things I need to bring up first, so here goes: one, I made the recent decision to open recs up to the public, so this week there will be community picks as well as those stories I usually pick on my own time.

Second, with all of the Star Wars-related announcements coming out...what update(s) are you most excited for? Drop a blurb or two about it in the comment box, and maybe I'll be able to post/reply as well when I'm not busy at work.

And now, before I get too distracted...here are all of our picks of the week!

THE CLONE WARS

The Clone Wars Fanfiction--By @littlemissmanga:

The Clone Wars Fanfiction, recommended by @a-canadian-wolf:

THE BAD BATCH

The Bad Batch Fanfiction--By @cc-cobalt-1043:

The Bad Batch Fanfiction--By @tech-o-mania:

STAR WARS REBELS

Star Wars Rebels Fanfiction--By @where-dreamers-go:

ANDOR

Andor Fanfiction, recommended by @laneboyheathens:

Andor Fanfiction--By @badlandspaces:

CROSSING THE FANDOM STREAMS

Star Wars/G.O.T.G. Fanfiction--By @mysticaltora8276:

In conclusion, as part of my mission to poke around the Star Wars fandom and highlight those writers who might otherwise go unnoticed…I hope you will check out the links I have included for yourselves and like, comment on, and reblog them, as well as also giving the writers a few more followers to their Tumblr pages.

Please also like and reblog this latest installment so that these links can be spread around to as many other fans as possible, just in case not all of them can tune in at the same time.

An additional thank you goes to @djarrex for making the divider I used earlier in this post, but still want to give credit for.

If anybody likes what they see here AND would enjoy seeing more posts like this; please drop the rock star emoji (👩‍🎤) into the comments or reblogs, and I’ll be sure to tag you when the next update comes.

And finally, so that I do not forget…thank you to my friends, thank you to this fandom, and above all else, please stay safe out there.

No Pressure Tags: @melymigo @algo-o-nada @the-osborn-way @everybirdfellsilent @skellymom

@leos-multifandom-corner @maggie-dylan @leenathegreengirl @gun-roswell @tazmbc1

@bluedeedeedoop @its-time-to-rise-above @tlmtwelve @snoowply @apocalyp-tech-a and anybody else who might be on the lookout for new SW fanfiction.

[coquettejunnie]

Say ── Y.N

" Say the word. I know what you're thinking, but just say it first. Been waiting all this time for you to take your turn. In my arms for a second. Baby, say the word, and I'll be yours. "

୨୧ Pairing: Bestfriend!Yuta Nakamoto x Fem!Reader・Wc: 1.5k / fluff, mutual pining, best friends to lovers, jealously, skinship, a kiss scene ! ♡ type: oneshot

In which. . . Yuta tries to confess to you but jealously overcomes him into feeling more hesitant to talk about his feelings to you.

Now playing ; Say by Keshi.

Rose's Note: I have played Say so many times in the past few days, it's actually funny to think about how many plays I have on spotify. And I don't know what this was, I was just typing randomly to post something since I had free time at school. This would have a suggestive moment but I just left it at that.

You and Yuta were walking down the street coming from spending the day at the mall with your group of friends as Yuta was trying to take you home. It had a slight uncomfortable silence between you two during the walk.

While you were at the mall, you had noticed Yuta had been acting off when you were there. He has been acting a little ruder, more spaced out, and keeps on getting in between conversations you had with Mark. You can probably sense that it's jealousy coming from Yuta.

On the other hand, Yuta felt like he was third wheeling between you and Mark during the whole day. He doesn't hate Mark because obviously that's his best friend, but you have been giving Mark more attention than him. But now Yuta feels hesitant to speak to you about what's going on in his mind because he feels guilty from being rude towards you and a little bit of everyone else - including Mark.

Yuta thought about all the times he tried to signal you into comprehending his feelings but he can't help but think, Was all of this a mistake? Did she not understand where I am coming from?

All the times he would cancel his plans with the group to hang out with you even if you insisted to be with his friends. All the times he rests his hand either on your shoulder, your lap or brushing his hand against yours intentionally without trying to make it too obvious or uncomfortable. All the time he bought you random collectibles for your shelf, which he always earns a bright smile from you. All the times he would playfully pucker his lips trying to kiss you, which you always start laughing whenever he does. And all the times you catch him admiring your beauty from afar.

And even thinking back at it, he randomly calls you a lot of names like baby in a playful, flirtatious way just trying to tease you - which each time he does, it makes you form butterflies inside your stomach and makes you freeze in place. You just don't understand what has been going on lately with him.

"Uhm, Yuta?" you spoke up, trying to break the awkward silence. Yuta turned his attention towards you as he was waiting for a response. "Are you mad at me?" you asked curiously.

"No? What makes you think that?" his voice was a little far from being casual, like as if he felt uneasy as he questioned you.

"Because today you have been acting strange towards me." he gave you a confused expression in return for your response.

"In what kind of ways?"

"Like - you have been more distant from me and you seemed more mad or bothered by something while we were there. Do want to tell anything that has been bothering you?"

He places his hand on the back of his neck, "No, I haven't been really distant from you. I just have been in the clouds, you know?" he pointed his finger slight upwards towards the sky, demonstrating his analogy.

"Oh, alright..." you left it at that because you didn't want to push - force him into answering you and get mad about it.

When you made it to your house, you went up a few steps to your porch and faced him.

"Thank you for taking me home." you flashed him a smile - which made him smile as well.

"Of course." he nodded his head slightly. "And one more thing before you go inside." you stopped before you could fully go into your house. He felt nervous about telling you how he already felt earlier because he doesn't know if you would be pissed. "I wanted to say that yes. Something had been bothering me. During this whole day, you could just say it is jealousy but I just felt left out - third wheel between you and Mark this whole day. And basically you had been giving him more attention today than me. So i'm sorry if I have hurted you in a way when I was speaking to you."

You blinked at him. But you were right all along, you already knew it was jealousy that he felt today. You didn't mean to give Mark more attention today but you were trying to invite Yuta into the conversation each time but he always just decline it and continue walking along.

"Yuta..." was all you could say because you didn't know what to add on. But then you cleared your throat, "Yuta, i'm sorry. I didn't mean to give Mark more attention than you. I-"

"No, I understand somewhat of what you were probably feeling. But I just wanted to tell you how I felt so I wouldn't hold this feeling, you know." you stared at him - still feeling guilty of your actions today.

"But what I did was wrong and I didn't let you really hang around. It is all on me who did this and-" before you could finish, Yuta had leaned in closer and rested his hand rested on your cheek.

"You don't need to continue."

"But Yuta, I didn't finish apologizing." you exhaled before you continued, "I didn't mean to just leave you alone as I was hanging with Mark. I know I haven't been hanging out with him that much but I tried to invite you in so I wouldn't make you feel left out but you just said it was alright and I left it at that. I sound like a horrible friend to you-"

"No you don't sound like a horrible friend. Like how I keep on saying. It was me who done more things bu-"

"But i'm the one who shouldn't have left you alone." you looked down at the ground but he lifted your chin up with his index finger. He rested his forehead against yours as you could feel each's others breath.

"It's okay, Y/n." he murmured.

You guys had held eye contact for what seems like forever, without Yuta taking his starry eyes away from you before he had broken the tension,

"Can I kiss you?" he blurted out - which made you baffled by his sudden question.

You didn't know how to feel or answer to him. So, you stayed silent for a few seconds before you nodded to his response. He looked into your eyes to see if there were any lie before he brushed his lip against yours - taking it slowly without rushing as he pressed his lips against yours fully.

He was hesitant about the kiss at first since it was so sudden that he had asked about it, but he titled his head to deepen the kiss that had left you speechless. But a few seconds later, he backed away because he felt like he had made you uncomfortable from the way you were frozen.

"Did I make you uncomfortable?" he looked at you concerned.

"No, no! You didn't. It's just that I didn't know how to feel."

"I won't do it again since you didn't feel the sa-" before he could finish his sentence, you smashed your lips against his without hesitation - making his eyes widen from being flabbergasted.

You kissed him as if you had always been waiting for this moment to come true. The feeling of the adrenaline had rushed over you guys, causing both of your guy's heart rate to go up as the both of you closed your eyes. His hand ghosted your cheek before it had found your jaw and he cupped it - making his thumb ghost your cheek while he ran his fingers through your hair, manufacturing the moment that you guys had shared being romantic and passionate. His lips formed into a smile in between your soft lips.

After a little bit, he broke away from the kiss that made you feel more desperate, letting go of the hand that was tested on your cheek to travel to your waist - caressing your curves. You glanced down at his hand before looking back at him where you could see that his lips was curved into a smile.

He leaned in to kiss you on the cheek as you felt your cheeks warming up from being in between embarrassed and flattered.

"Are you going to go back inside?" he gave a cute smirk at you.

"Ohm, yeah..." you said as you were stammering on your words. "Yeah, I'ma get inside."

You were trying to get inside your house, but you saw that the cute man was following along with you teasingly, making you stop your tracks.

"What are you doing?"

"Nothing." he had his hands in his pockets as he backed away, making it look like he wasn't following you. But you felt amused by it. "But I will let you go."

"You want to talk about it tomorrow?" you questioned him.

"Yeah." he nodded. "Goodnight." he kissed the corner of your lips before he walked behind.

"Goodnight, Yuta." you beamed a smile. In return, he sent you kisses from afar while his hand was making it look like he was throwing it at you, making you start giggling at his playful act.

[rockethorse]

My scheduled bi-yearly rant about the absolute state of Sims money-gouging

Not to moan about everything all the time and at the end of the day I do enjoy parts of TS4, but I remember when TS3 came out I felt like many of those packs were a rip-off. TS3 Seasons in particular I considered a money-grab and that those features should have been rolled into the base game, since the only reason they weren't a part of TS2's basegame was for technical limitations. I cannot believe that I now look at the TS3 expansion packs and consider them good value.

There was no reason for Seasons to have been an expansion pack in TS4. The only reason "weather" was locked behind DLC is because 1) they were taking advantage of a precedence set when there actually were significant barriers to implementing weather, and 2) they know players will pay money for it because unsurprisingly having weather in a LIFE SIMULATOR completely changes the feel and play of the game.

I can't believe how blatant TS4 is about it. TS1 Unleashed introduced cats, dogs, and small animals. TS2 Pets expanded the customisation features and introduced big dogs. TS3 Pets continued all of that and introduced horses, a completely baller move I really respect. What did TS4 Pets include? Well, you see, there was no TS4 Pets, because they understood that carried a certain expectation about quality and building on previous installments. So that's why you can buy TS4 Cats and Dogs for cats and dogs, TS4 My First Pet Stuff for womrats, and then TS4 Horse Ranch for horses. They took the contents of one legacy pack and split it into three separate packs.

I just can't believe that I'm retroactively looking back on post-EA Sims 2 EPs and TS3 EPs and thinking "wow you actually got a lot of value for money". I remember thinking it was ridiculous and lazy how little CAS content you got with new EPs in TS3 - because they wanted you to buy store content - but I never thought they would do the same thing with gameplay. Sure, you were lucky to get a couple of hairstyles and a new shirt with World Adventures, but that's because they were focusing so hard on giving you three new worlds with completely different music and languages and foods and local myths & legends and tombs and money-making avenues like nectar and jewels etc. There is no equivalent to Vacation, Bon Voyage, or World Adventures for TS4. To get the same experience as just one of those packs, you'd have to buy like... Snowy Escape (AU$49.95), Jungle Adventure (AU$29.95), Outdoor Retreat (AU$29.95), and Island Living (AU$49.95).

I frequently see this being defended as TS4 taking inspiration from/"returning to" the simplicity of TS1, but not only is that kind of a terrible justification, since games should evolve as they grow, but it's not even true. TS1 Expansion Packs were often more streamlined compared to TS2 or TS3 which were more (if you'll pardon the expression) expansive, but that didn't mean the content wasn't there. TS2 BV and TS3 WA both offer three separate travel destinations, while TS1 Vacation only had Vacation Island, true. But that was just for player convenience. There were three distinct areas within that island that provided very different experiences, and TS4 basically split those areas up into separate expansion packs and made you pay for all of them separately. And because of that, the core gameplay that tied the original packs together often gets lost. If I'm not mistaken, there aren't hotels in TS4? If you want to "go on holiday", you have to rent out an entire house. I can't wait for them to introduce hotels and hotels alone in The Sims 4: Checking In (AU$59.95).

I know I'm beating a dead The Sims 4 Horse Ranch Expansion Pack (AU$59.95) by saying all of this. "TS4 is money-hungry and is charging more for less content!" is common knowledge at this point, but oh my God, it's so blatant. And there's no reason for it!! None!!! The only way forward would be if TS4 players all just agreed to stop paying any money for expansion packs but it's maddening how that just won't happen and people will continue to let themselves be taken advantage of. The people I'm most sad for are the people who actually like working on The Sims and who have so much creativity in them that gets squeezed to death by EA. There's literally no reason why they can't just be allowed to cram as much content as they can finish into expansion packs before they're released, because I promise you, the ideas are there, even if they're firing all the actual creative people at a breakneck speed. It's literally just some guy at the top crunching numbers in a calculator to see where he can save investors $0.53 cents a year to justify his six figure salary, and his math isn't even right.

I know I'm a TS2 blog so it might be surprising that I pay attention to/care about this but I've played and found ways to enjoy every installment of The Sims franchise that I could get my hands on. And I guess now it's coming back around with the re-release of TS1 and TS2. To be clear, I'm not even mad that they're charging money for them again. That's kind of expected. They never really technically gave them away in the first place, Ultimate Collection etc. was basically operating on the honour system ("I prommy I already own all these disks"), they just didn't care about enforcing it. But I can't believe the state they've released these games in. They had the opportunity AND THE ABILITY to actually make TS1 and TS2 Just Work on modern systems and they blew it. I think many of us would put money down simply for a stress-free installation and nothing else, and they couldn't even do that. And like... this isn't impossible. This is literally what their company does. Sure they're firing people for no reason wherever they can, but the people they do still have are capable of doing this. I just doubt they were given the time, resources, support, or even communication to make it happen.

I hope I meet the guy in charge some day because good lordt. anyway alright time to dive back into the pink soup

[a99jazzybean]

Why do we Keep Playing These Games?

Chapter 2: The Bet

Ch.1

synop: College TA au

Jayce Talis... He's your unrequited sworn enemy. You are the object of his obsessive affections. After discovering your disdain toward him, He decides to win your heart... Through playing games. Winner gets to make the loser do whatever they want. You'll take him up on the bet, but what will happen if he wins?

words: 2.6K

includes: jaycexfem!reader, sexual implications, sexual tension, enemies to lovers

A chessboard sat on the table in front of you. You stared at it with a puzzled look. In the chair across from you Jayce watched your reaction, a teasing gleam in his eyes. After a moment you looked up at him.

“Did you want to play chess?” You asked. 

Jayce had texted you to meet him at the office to discuss things before the first week of school. The two of you were in the small space provided for Heimerdinger’s TAs. A desk was pushed against one wall with a small lamp on top. In front of it sat a small table reserved to help students one-on-one. Along the walls were mostly empty bookshelves, with the occasional textbook placed in random spaces. 

You gave him a questioning look, waiting for him to answer. He stood up from the chair, stretching up and cracking his back. Then he walked up to you, a smug smile on his face. 

“Yes, I do. But I have conditions…”

“Conditions? For chess?” You were confused.

“Yes, conditions. Extra rules if you will…” The smile on his face grew as you continued to grow more confused.

“Talis, explain. I don’t like this vagueness.” You waved around your face to emphasize your annoyance with the “air of mystery.” 

“You know, patience is a virtue.”

“And one I do not have, spit it out.” Your eyes narrowed at him.

“You’re no fun.” He pouted. “But I’ll spill.”

Jayce had been plotting out ways to get closer to you, trying to work with all of his knowledge he had learned. He spent the weekend relaying his ideas to an exasperated Viktor. The man growing tired of hearing Jayce’s plans, hoping he would either give up or come to a final conclusion to end the incessant talking. 

Viktor had been shuffling a deck of cards to keep his hands busy while Jayce blathered on. The motion caught the taller man’s attention, making him pause. Then a lightbulb went off. 

“You said y/n has a thing about betting, right? I remember you had talked about teasing her about how she always was taking bets.”

Viktor looked up from his hands, an eyebrow quirked.

“Yes… but where is this going?” 

It was true, you were a sucker for taking bets. Many ended up with Mel holding your hair back as you chucked up some grotesque concoction into the toilet. But dammit, fifty dollars is fifty dollars. You had made somewhat a name for yourself taking bets, even if you were sure you couldn’t do it, you would at least try. Some odd part of you that you pretended you didn’t have. It desperately craved attention. And it somehow endeared you to your peers. So when someone was challenging you, you always took it up. Even one time risking arrest as you streaked on every floor of a dorm hall, but again, it was nice to have some extra change sitting around. 

“Well, maybe I can use that to my advantage. Considering she can’t seem to say ‘no’ to a bet.” 

“I don’t know Jayce…” Viktor gave the man a stern look. “I feel like taking advantage of that flaw might not work out the way you want it to.”

“What if I added my own stakes to it?” Jayce could feel the desperation in his voice. He needed something.

Viktor hummed thoughtfully, continuing to shuffle the cards. 

“I could see her taking it up if both of you added equal stakes” Viktor chuckled. “I’m sure she’d love to see you grovel.”

“What? I’m planning on winning here.” Jayce said with his cheery confidence. 

“Right. So what exactly would you be betting on?”

Jayce realized he hadn’t thought that far ahead. He glanced around the duo’s apartment. Eyes landing on their shelf stuffed with board games.

“What about games? She likes games, right?”

“Almost everyone likes games, Jayce.” Viktor sighed, but decided to aid his friend. “But she does have a proclivity for Uno. Oddly enough, really good at that one.” 

Jayce placed a hand on his chin as he thought.

“Then I’ll make bets over games.”

“What exactly will these bets entail?” Viktor was growing curious. His friend often had wild ideas, he wondered where this one was going.

“Oh, you’ll find out.” Jayce gave him a smirk.

Now you found yourself in your shared office space with Jayce. He explained how he wished to make bets with you over games. It was odd… but you had to admit you were interested. 

“What would the stakes be?” You weren’t going to do it if the payout wasn’t sufficient. 

“The loser has to do anything the winner wants them to.” Jayce said.

That had your eyes widening. The implications of what that could mean were loaded.

“With parameters, of course.” He gave you a smile.

“Those parameters being…?” 

“Whatever we collectively choose them to be.” 

You didn’t like that he hadn’t given you an example. What was he suggesting? He looked too smug. It would be easy to decline participation in this activity. Yet, you found yourself greatly intrigued. Surely accepting this little deal wouldn’t hurt. What’s the worst he could do? Besides, you could definitely beat him at these games.

“What would you wish for them to be?” You stepped closer to him. Watching his pupils dilate at the closer proximity. 

“Well, um… no public humiliation for one.”

“Okay.” You motioned for him to continue.

“Nothing to harm ourselves unwillingly.” 

“We could be harming ourselves willingly?” What could he mean by that phrasing?

“Yes. Like if you told me to get a dumb tattoo, I wouldn’t accept the bet. But if you bet me to eat like…I don’t know… a super spicy sandwich, then I would be willing to.” He deflected, he knew what he was trying to imply, but didn’t know how to reach that conclusion without turning you off of the idea.

“Right, okay. What else?” You were waiting for a certain answer, especially based on the implications of the original bet.

“Nothing to hurt our relationships with others, nothing that could hurt career prospects. We can opt out of betting, but that will put an official end to the games.” 

“You have this all planned out, don’t you?” It had you wondering what the catch would be. 

“So outside of the parameters we have, the winner gets to make the loser do whatever they want?” You were pushing him to admit what you both were thinking. 

The man had already revealed his affections for you. So what was he really wanting out of this?

Jayce felt hot. Should he admit what he truly wants from this? 

“Yeah, the winner gets to choose anything they wish.” He left it at that. Again, not wishing to push his luck. 

You pondered on it. Would allowing him to do what he wished really be so bad? You looked over the man. Even though you had your one-sided feud with him, you knew he was objectively attractive. That wasn’t something you could really argue against. Who knows, this arrangement might be beneficial for you. Lord knows you haven't really gotten around much, your studies taking up too much of your time. This could work in your favor. 

“Fine.” The man visibly lit up at your acceptance. You put up a finger. “But we’re making a contract. With witnesses to sign it.” Sure, it wouldn’t be legally binding, but at least the two of you would have some sort of accountability. 

“And we should have a contingency plan. If we don’t want to stop the games, but don’t want to do a bet, the loser pays up in cash. A decent amount to avoid too many cop-outs.” 

Jayce nodded, he would accept almost anything if you would agree to this. 

“I’ll be sure to have it in the paperwork.” 

“Good.” 

You looked over to the chessboard on the table.

“So will this be our first game?” You asked. 

“Yes. Every week we’ll switch up who gets to choose the next game.” Jayce was giddy.

“And these games, can they be any kind? Card, board, video games?”

“As long as they only require two players, yes.” 

“Alright Mr. Talis, bring me paperwork and your witness, and I’ll bring mine.”

“Of course, Miss l/n.” He gave you a bright smile, offering his hand.

With feigned confidence you grasped his with a hard grip. His hand dwarfed yours in comparison. Warm, soft, yet slightly calloused. You gave it a hearty shake. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“That doesn’t seem like many parameters…” Mel said, emphasizing her point by swirling the wine in her glass harshly.

“Yeah… but it’s kinda exciting. I think.” You said sheepishly.

“You think?” The woman sighed. “Darling, you and I both know how he’s going to use his wins.” 

After speaking with Jayce you set up an emergency girls night with Mel. First of all, you needed her as a witness, and second, you needed to tell someone about this immediately. Now the two of you were lounging on her couch, already having downed a bottle of rosé. 

“You’re making it sound like he’s going to win something.” You looked at her offended.

She raised a brow at you.

“Don’t underestimate Jayce. When he sets his sights on something he will continue his pursuit of whatever it is.” 

“Whatever. I know I can beat him. That man won’t be getting anything from me.” 

“Darling.” She placed her glass down and reached for your hands. “I’m going to hold your hand when I say this; “Jayce Talis will not back down. Especially not when you’ve basically offered yourself up on a silver platter for him.”

“You’re just over exaggerating.” Your confidence was waning. Mel knew what she was talking about, you just didn’t want to believe her. 

“Look, I’m just trying to warn you. He’s VERY persistent. And I’m sure you know now, has had his eyes set on you for quite some time. He will not be letting this opportunity go to waste.”

You bit your lip nervously. No, you couldn’t concede. There was no way you were going to let the golden boy win. He might have drive, but so do you. 

“I’m accepting being your witness for this odd contract because I’m your friend.” She grabbed her glass to take a deep drink. “But don’t think for a second I’m helping you get out of any of the bets you two place.” 

“It won’t be that bad. Even if he wins, I’ll take everything like a champ.” You took a drink from your own glass of wine.

“Even if it’s a sexual favor?” Mel said pointedly.

You choked on your wine, punching at your chest to catch your breath. 

“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about…” You lied.

“From what you told me none of your exceptions included that, meaning that Jayce very well could ask you to do anything of that nature for him.”

“And I’ll take it like a champ.” You said nervously, visibly cringing. “I’m no pussy.”

“Right.” She gave you a knowing look, a smirk dancing on her lips.

“What’s that look for?”

“Oh nothing.” She chuckled. “I’m sure that your lack of adding that to parameters was merely an oversight. We can easily add it before you sign that contract tomorrow.” 

“Well, we don’t necessarily have to do that…” You tried to play cool. 

Fine, the thought of you and Jayce doing anything sexual in nature didn’t turn you off per say…

“And why not, surely you wouldn’t want Jayce Talis, your sworn enemy to take advantage of you like that.” She teased. 

“I can make those same requests too, you know?” You jabbed back. Red bloomed on your face as you realized what you said. 

Mel laughed at your embarrassed state. 

“You’re too easy to read. Though I can’t say I blame you, Jayce is very nice to look at. Even if you have one-sided bad blood with the man.”

You grumbled. No, you would not admit it out loud. How maybe the thought of Jayce having his way with you was kind of hot. 

Sure, you didn’t like the man personally. That didn’t mean you hadn’t had certain types of thoughts about him. Thoughts that kept you up at night with your hand between your thighs and shame painting your cheeks red. God, you wished you didn’t have dumb base human instincts to copulate. 

“Whatever Mel. It doesn’t even matter if he can take advantage, because he’s not going to win.”

“Again I say; “do not underestimate Jayce Talis.” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next day had arrived. You stood in the small office with Jayce, Viktor, and Mel. Jayce was buzzing with excitement as he laid out a printed contract on the table before you. Viktor and Mel both rolled their eyes at the dramatics. While this was a bit much, they did find it quite amusing. How you were tiptoeing around your attraction to the man, and he was fully ready to take advantage of the situation you agreed to. You argued that it was all for the bet. For the glory of the win, and nothing else. Still, something primal stirred inside you. Something you did your best to swallow down as you read through the contract. 

Your eyes trailed down the rules and regulations the two of you had placed, then stopped and widened. There, towards the end of the page it was explicitly laid out.

. Sexual favors are allowed with EXPLICIT consent between participants. Consent is the agreement to an activity with a spoken “yes.” Consent must be given before the start of all activities. Consent may be revoked at any time. When this occurs the bet can either be:

Rescinded entirely by the winner

Changed by the winner to a more acceptable activity

Require a monetary exchange to pass over the bet

Jayce could tell you had reached that part of the contract. He nervously shuffled as he watched you reread the part multiple times. Spotting a blush on your face as you continued to read the rest of the contract. He breathed out a sigh of relief when you placed the pages down with a nod. 

“It’s acceptable to me.” You said, avoiding Jayce’s gaze.

A bright, gap-toothed smile appeared on his face. He clapped and reached for the pages. 

“Wonderful. Now we sign.” He said, pulling out a pen from his pocket. 

He leaned over the table and signed his name above the line listing him as “Player One”. Then he slid the sheet over to you. Warm fingers brushed against your own as you reached for the pen from him. The connection sending a shiver up your spine. 

With a huff you quickly signed the page.

“Alright, witnesses, your turn.” Jayce passed the page to Viktor. 

Concern was laced in his golden eyes as he looked at you. He wondered if you knew what you were getting yourself into. Quickly, he signed his name on the designated line before passing it to Mel who did the same. 

Jayce grabbed the pages.

“I’ll make photocopies of this for your files, then we can let the games begin!” The smile had yet to leave his face. 

You gulped nervously.

“Right. So chess is first, correct?” 

“Yup.” 

“And what are we betting on?” You asked, voice wavering slightly.

“I’m not telling.” He said. 

“What! That’s not fair!” You exclaimed desperately. 

Jayce tsked you. A teasing glint in his eyes. He opened the second page of the contract and pointed.

“If you remember correctly, in section 5 part a, bets do not have to be announced before the game is played.” He said smugly.

You grumbled, of course you skimmed over that. 

“Fine.” 

Jayce offered his hand to you. You grasped it harshly and shook. 

“I can’t wait to play with you.” He said with a wink.

[byhawthorne]

Nightmares.

– Grayson Hawthorne x fem!xreader : she always seeks comfort in Grayson when she has nightmares.

an : hi!! finally i stopped fighting the fact that i want to write Gray one shots, so here i am. i wanted to write something cute and comforting, i'm not the best writer but i promise to improve and i will write other things where i include the other characters. important: i still don't know if i should use (Y/N) so sometimes i won't mention any name but in other one shots I'll add (Y/N) enjoy! 🫶🏻

She opened the door somewhat hesitantly. Everything was dark and it was clear that he was sleeping, maybe she should turn around and... No, Grayson wasn't going to bite her. Besides, it wasn't the first time she'd been there.

She closed the door behind her and walked over to Grayson's bed. The Hawthornes had offered her a room for a few days and by the Hawthornes she meant Grayson had insisted. It wasn't that bad, Xander had actually talked to her a lot and shown her his experiments. It helped distract her and it was actually much better to be there than in her own house.

"Gray..." she murmured but he didn't move. She was nervous, why was she more nervous than other days?

Well, Grayson wasn't her boyfriend. She wasn't entirely sure if they were a thing but she knew they weren't just friends either, she was too scared to ask. By the way, Xander had said it was stupid and that everything would be fixed by asking, he almost opened his mouth for a second.

The last few nights she had been having nightmares, too many nightmares and so horrible that it was difficult for her to get back to sleep. He had helped, he let her get into his bed and hugged her. She was pretty sure she'd never seen Grayson hug people all the time, but she wasn't just anyone. She had a different side to him.

"Gray..." She muttered one last time and decided that if she didn't get an answer she was just going to leave and get something to drink in the kitchen.

"What's wrong?" He opened his eyes and for a second he was scared to notice that it was still nighttime. But then he saw her there, next to his bed and immediately knew what was happening. "Another nightmare?"

She nodded embarrassedly. She liked seeing him like that, sleepy and with his hair disheveled. It was almost unusual to see him without his suit, she never said it out loud but seeing him like that was her favorite thing.

"I'm sorry..." She sighed and regretted being there in the middle of the night, but she felt calmer when she saw Grayson shake his head and make room for her on the bed.

She slid into bed next to him and immediately her arms went around him. She sighed clinging to him, she could feel how warm he was.

"Do you want to talk about it?" she heard him murmur. He always asked her if she wanted to talk about it and she always said no... For Grayson it was just a nightmare, for her were memories. Saying it was just a nightmare sounded much better, at least until she was ready.

"No... just hold me." She sighed. She didn't want to lie to him but there were things she wasn't ready to say yet, especially since they were only fragments of her memories.

Minutes passed and she began to hear Grayson's heavy breathing again. "Gray?" She lifted her face only to notice that he had already fallen asleep again. She smiled, she loved seeing him so peaceful every time he slept, she could spend hours watching him just sleeping.

She pressed her lips against his cheek and snuggled back into his side feeling calmer. He always made her feel calm.

[queer-ragnelle]

can i ask your opinion on wildly different portrayals of arthurian figures? like, there are versions of the story that paint Arthur as a decent king, but an abysmal husband and bloodthirsty warlord. and there are versions where he's a great, loving husband and an overall good guy.

I think variety is great. Arthuriana is meant to evolve. Static Arthuriana has never existed. There’s no consistency to begin with.

That said, it pisses me off when there’s a double standard about how Arthur acts and the things Guinevere does. Like he’s allowed to cheat but the subtext slut shames her. Otherwise go ham. Make Arthur as good or as bad as you want.

I especially like this when an author chooses to write a more nuanced or sympathetic version of the character. I’ll never be upset if Mordred or Agravaine are kinder to women, if Gaheris doesn’t kill his mother, etc.

I think the exception is when a character with a consistent theme is overturned in a drastic way and left unrecognizable. Some characters have more wiggle room than others.

So for example I don’t like when Maiden’s Knight Gawain is made into a rapist (this has happened many times, to my dismay as a hapless reader). Gawain’s love and care for women is such a consistent, prominent detail tied to his role in every story that it feels like gutting him to change it in such a negative way. That portrayal defeats the purpose of the character. That’s not Gawain anymore. Why include him if the character doesn’t resemble the source whatsoever?

Another example would be writing it so Tristan and Isolde aren’t in love. Their romance is the whole point. I won’t say you shouldn’t write that, do whatever makes you happy. But I wouldn’t enjoy it. Their love is the focal point of the story so removing that fundamentally breaks the story. If someone were to say “Well that’s not the story I want to tell,” of course that’s their right, but then I wonder why they’re using Tristan and Isolde as a basis at all. Make OCs!! I will enjoy your narrative as you write it without you having to warp Arthurian characters to fit your vision. I think in the end that makes for better writing all around.

But generally speaking yeah I approve of wildly different character portrayals. Whether Arthur is super evil or super good isn’t as drastic a shift for me because the point is that he’s a powerful king. Some writers have chosen to interpret that as fierce, ruthless warlord, some also throw in that he’s a great loving husband. But the latter isn’t a requirement. He just can’t be a wimp. Cowardly Arthur wouldn’t make any sense and not be an engaging read for me. Do you see what I mean? So I support everyone making changes, but for me personally, they have to be thoughtful changes which enhance the story without coming out the other side alienating Arthurian fans and new readers alike.

[drownedinapond]

I've been seeing mutuals or people I follow get hate for liking Regulus, and in an effort to not hijack anyone's post, I'll barf my thoughts out here to get them out of my head. Stuff gets stuck circling around there for weeks if I don't. Will get a bit political cause I'm me.

I don't want to rehash the points other people have made because they put it very well. I will include a summary though, for anyone who hasn't seen this stuff on their dash:

Death eaters are the magical version of members of Nazi or fascist parties, obviously. Pure blood supremacists are Nazi and fascist supporters, even though they're not directly members of the party. Why wouldn't they be if they agree with their views? It's a big undertaking, people view politics as a waste of time on any side of the political spectrum, it's risky to attach your name to anything official etc.

Walburga and Orion are clearly pure blood supremacists in the canon and if you don't think so, please work on your reading comprehension.

Real people are immensely influenced by their environment, especially as children; characters are supposed to be representations of real people; Regulus' unique mix of nature + nurture made it so that he is too afraid to disobey what he has been taught until he reaches his limit, and didn't have any support to spur him in the right direction, unlike Sirius.

I want to add on to that by talking about headcanons and their impact.

Firstly, headcanons, specifically in the Marauders fandom, are mostly treated as canon since we have so little to work with, and many of us disrespect the canon on purpose because fuck jkr. There are a bunch of headcanons that the majority of us agree on, such as Dorcas being in Slytherin, Regulus' animagus being a black cat etc. People that like Regulus, don't agree with or are ignorant of Canon Regulus, the very little that there is of him at that! They either like Headcanon/Fanon Regulus who makes a sincere effort to right his wrongs OR they are fascinated by Canon Regulus as an interesting character, which doesn't mean they endorse his actions (can't believe that needs to be said). Same thing applies for Evan and Barty.

The Fanon version has the amazing ability to show what circumstances might lead to someone having violently bigoted beliefs, and in some cases, what it takes for them to shed those beliefs and take accountability for their actions. In my opinion, it's incredibly important to show that narrative, especially as written by people with no financial stake in what they convey, because of the times we're living in. The USA is a good example.

The circumstances that majority of the citizens in the United States were raised in implanted bigoted beliefs in them, some more subtle than others. Those circumstances persist and even get worse. That does not mean Americans deserve punishment, isolation, belittlement or ridiculisation. Those things make bigotry worse. They need new thought models and to be shown that unity and diversity make life better and safer for everyone. It takes people of the global south and marginalised groups in their own country to liberate the average citizens from themselves and then their government. Punishment for the sake of punishment doesn't resolve anything, though some people might interpret responsibility and necessary violence as punishment.

That being said, Regulus might not be compared to an average citizen, since he was so rich, but I think many people that grew up in bigoted environments can see themselves in him, even if they don't fit his story beat by beat. If you reduce Regulus to his worst parts, what does that imply about their hope that they can make a difference? If you wish Regulus' character and those similar would be collectively hated by everyone in the fandom, what does that say about them? Still, in a way, people that reduce Regulus to his worst parts add to the poetry: you can choose to do good in spite of the fact that you will always be viewed as evil, and that good still counts more than everyone else's opinions of you. (Hello Wei Wuxian)

I know people's hurt feelings aren't our focus in the cause of global liberation and I agree, victims should definitely come first, but hurt feelings lead to action. We could use all the manpower we can get, therefore it's better to make allies rather than enemies. And allies are made with understanding and patience. Not everyone has the strength of character to go against everything they've ever known on their own, as exemplified by Regulus.

So I do think that people bashing others for liking him are getting on a moral high horse and losing the bigger picture. If you categorise characters as good and bad, it's a sign that you have the tendency to do that with real people too, which is dehumanising. You can change though, like Regulus did 👍

*you can be part of a marginalized group and still hold bigoted beliefs, obviously...

**I'm not speaking out of my ass on real world comparisons, I've been reading books on political and social issues for years.

***I've been debating if I should tag you as a show of support, @messingwithmoony, for literal hours at this point, so I will choose to do it in hopes that it's a nice gesture, BUT if you are uncomfortable with it in any way, please dm me and I will remove this part! There are absolutely no hard feelings whatsoever!

[crab-crime-enthusiast]

Definitely some interesting additions, and something I did contend with when I was writing these. Discussions under the cut with a Content Warning for discussions of Ableism & Disability Curism:

You raise a good point about the inherent ableism present (especially with Pirrha canonically being blind and being forced to cure himself of his own disability in order to be considered of any value), and I do think many deaf Eliksni were either pressured into getting prosthesis/augmentation or... worse. That's a common part of sci-fi/fantasy stories like this, unfortunately, and you see it reflected in conversations about disabled characters in sci-fi/fantasy stories all the time: The age-old debate of "why is my fantasy character in a wheelchair when magic exists?" and etc. etc.

I started thinking about this whole thing because I'm really interested in disability accommodations within these settings (as I'm disabled myself) rather than taking the approach of curism due to its rather... problematic nature. In my story, I wanted to more deeply explore disability within the Destiny universe as it's something woefully ignored for the most-part in canon. I think it's a missed opportunity when one of Destiny's core themes is about persistence and resilience against even the most dire of odds. I promise this isn't intended to be me shilling for my fic, I'm just talking about my thought processes! ^.^''

The interpretation I ended up going with for Sign (which I unfortunately forgot to include in my post x_x) was that some Conversational Sign persisted through the knowledge of a few select individuals who continued to pass it on and down despite most likely being pressured to augment their hearing. Military Sign, on the other hand, is a much more robust system due to the turn to a heavily militaristic culture, with information on it more readily available.

However, as information sources dwindled, Conversational Sign diverged into strong dialects as users filled in gaps in knowledge with their own contributions, which then persisted into any individuals they ended up passing their knowledge on to. Going back to my fic in particular, Kiraks learned Military Sign and then kinda made it up as she went due to a lack of a tutor when it came to creating a system of Conversational Sign. Her system of Sign is something she made up with her sister as a way to reclaim some independence after she lost her ability to speak.

The nature of the dissemination of sign knowledge meant that highly specific (and possibly even 'incorrect' sign) dialects became the norm, simply as sources about a more centralised and consistent language dwindled both to the brutal nature of the Drift and forced augmentation essentially drastically reducing the population that actively spoke Conversational Sign; Any chance of a centralised language realistically died off with the perishing of all but one of the Judgement Scribes. Variks would likely be the best source for possibly learning something akin to true Riisian sign (especially as I personally headcanon he has permanent vocal damage after Phylaks choked him in The Once-Shipstealer, and thus he sometimes uses non-verbal communication), but even his knowledge would likely be something not wholly applicable due to the high levels of variance now present in the speakers that remain.

A bit of a tangent, but I wonder if the actual usability of conversational sign would be affected by whether Eliksni Hatchlings take to augmentation from youth or not, as I imagine one of the main use-cases for conversational sign post-Drift would most realistically be giving Hatchlings a way to communicate until they're at an age that they can take to augments without danger to their life. I personally don't know if there are any sources that mention the augmentation of Hatchlings in the lore so I can't really make a call. If anybody does, please feel free to add them to this convo, I'd love to learn more!

I'm sorry to have dumped a mini-essay on you in this reblog, I just have a lot of thoughts about this topic ;-; Thanks for reading if you made it this far.

Eliksni Sign Language

Soooo in writing the next Chapter for The Light Provides, I've decided to write up some notes about the Eliksni Sign Language I have Kiraks speaking within the story. She's not deaf but is completely mute save for some chitters, and this lead me down a route of theorising about the different forms that Eliksni Sign Language can take. This isn't everything and I'm still building on the idea, but just putting what I have down. Ramblings below the cut:

Disclaimer: I don't speak sign language irl but I've taken somewhat of an interest in it due to living with someone who is partially deaf. This is just me spitballing about a system implemented in the world of my fic, building mostly on the idea of how a four-armed species with different ideas of social communication may develop a system of non-verbal communication. Please let me know if there is anything offensive and I'll remove it. It's never my intent to hurt anybody.

Basic/Background Notes:

Sign language not a standardised/centralised language due to the Long Drift and the splintering of Eliksni culture.

Dialects vary massively between Houses, especially as there is little to no remaining documentation about the language and only a few speak it.

Eliksni wishing to learn the language often must seek out a tutor who already knows it to get more than a very basic grasp on signing, leading to the perpetuation of House-specific dialects.

Glyphic alphabet remains mostly consistent between House Dialects, but syntax may differ.

High degrees of variation with subdialects of House-specific sign language developing to suit the wider range of body types present post-Whirlwind.

Cultural variations of sign language poses issues with unification attempts e.g. House Salvation, House Light & House Dusk.

TL;DR Sign language is tricky and complex with many different slightly different variations due to the Long Drift, making it difficult to learn and not applicable cross-Houses.

Denoting Tone:

A major degree of dialect variation comes from the favouring of facial expressions versus body language to denote tone.

Piggybacking a bit off of Eliksni expressions headcanons, but positioning of mandibular hairs as well as mandibles and nictitating membranes used to convey tone in dialects that favour facial features.

This form is more overtly favoured by mute Eliksni, whether that be due to developmental issues, psychological factors or physical conditions & damage to their voices.

Some utilise natural subvocalisations too, but this is rare, especially amongst Deaf speakers.

Some deaf speakers of this form may learn to understand patterns of vibrations associated with subvocalisations and learn to mimic them, if they did not know them prior e.g. Hatched profoundly deaf or suffered hearing damage in very early youth.

In this case, their vocalisations may sound 'off' to other Eliksni, a bit like a speech impediment.

Dialects that favour body language utilises things such as scent markers in conjunction with the position of the lower arms to denote tone.

Mandible snaps or clicks in communication are instead denoted through a claw tapping motion produced by pinching the claws together (Think like tapping the thumb to the middle and index finger). Claws simulate clicking sound.

Lower arms make tonal indications whilst upper arms are used for signing actual words or phrases. This developed due to the lower set of arms being naturally less strong and precise than the upper arms, making them less suited to prolonged sessions of extremely quick signing when in conversation.

Naturally, this form of sign does not accommodate for Eliksni who have been docked, but one-handed versions of this dialect have been developed by some docked speakers.

Nouns and names:

Common nouns and proper nouns have their own special designated signs

Regular names are instead either spelled out of their individual letters or, in some dialects, compressed down into their constitute syllables.

Syllables are often comprised of shortened individual letter signs, following common sounds like the way there are specific glyphs in the Eliksni written alphabet for sounds like "kk", "rr", "im".

Other Notes:

Using both sets of arms to sign primary language is viewed almost akin to shouting.

[starry-bi-sky]

tales of the passerine - danny fenton being bruce wayne's first kid

okay okay. so this is like a continuation/elaboration of my oneshot/prompt i wrote about the idea that Danny was the first batkid. We have a lot of aus where he joins the family after the rest of the bats do, right? So hey! Lets shake things up a bit. Danny is the first to be adopted by Bruce Wayne.

Danny's parents and unfortunately Jazz die shortly after the events of TUE -- how so? I was gonna say an ecto-filter explosion, that would call back to the TUE explosion and trauma behind that. But lets do something new! Carbon-monoxide poisoning.

It's not too unexpected for something to break in the Fenton house, especially with the Fenton parents' questionable understanding of proper weapon handling and lab safety. The water heater broke from a stray shot by one of the weapons, and was promptly MacGyver'd incorrectly. Danny went to stay with Tucker for a guys' night, and came back to a dead silent house.

(Danny's neighbors got a very unfortunate shock when he ran to the next house over in hysterics.)

There was a lot of shuffling around with CPS, the police. People had to be called in to handle the equipment in the lab, and the GIW was rumoring to show up in aid to clearing the scene. When Danny heard of that, he immediately went and dismantled the ghost portal to the best of his abilities. He burned the physical blueprints of all his parents' inventions, their blueprints on the ghost portal, and their most dangerous weapons were destroyed beyond recognition. Anything to prevent the GIW from getting their hands on his parents' tech.

It opened up another investigation, but he was not under the list of suspects. He was placed in the care of Vlad Masters, where they then went back to the rebuilt castle mansion in Wisconsin. Danny, terrified of the future that has once passed and may do so again, shuts down in his grief. Inadvertently, he ends up somewhat repressing his ghost half. Something Vlad, who is grieving Madeline but relishing in Jack's demise and his custody of Daniel, is not very happy with.

Vlad's... gone into a bit of a mental health spiral. He's becoming increasingly possessive over Daniel, the final remnants of his friends and a liminal being like him. He doesn't like that Danny's repressing his ghost half -- both out of genuine concern as a ghost, but also because of his desire to control Danny and groom him into the perfect son. If you ever had a phase where you read Dark SBI found family fics, first off; me too bro, and second off; those are the vibes I'm thinking of.

Danny's mentally shut down from grief! And fear. He's dropped into a bad depressive state -- paralyzed with grief and the terror of the inevitable. Clockwork saved his parents because he believes in second chances, but what's the point of that when his family ended up dead anyways? Danny doesn't wanna believe that he's destined to become evil, and he's holding out onto that hope, but it's a thin line, and he feels utterly hopeless and trapped. He hasn't used his powers or ghost form since he trashed the lab, and Vlad has alarms set up to prevent him from trying to escape.

He's also unintentionally cut off Sam and Tucker -- both of whom are so scared and concerned for Danny too, and are trying their damndest to reach out to him. He keeps ignoring their texts. Danny basically haunts Vlad's manor. He goes out to eat if he has to, attends parties Vlad drags him to, and stays in his room all day if he can.

At parties, Vlad doesn't allow Danny to leave his side, or really talk to anyone -- not that Danny wants to. A product of Vlad's increasing possessiveness. Well, he almost doesn't let Danny leave his side. Danny has a habit of slipping off to hide somewhere for the parties whenever he can, and Vlad reluctantly allows it so long as he stays alone.

This becomes an advantage when eventually, Bruce Wayne returns to Gotham after missing for years, and holds a bright charity ball to celebrate the return. Vlad has been chomping at the bits to get his hands on Wayne Industries, and with the return of its owner there is no better opportunity to wipe out his rival. He goes, and he as normal, brings Daniel with him.

Vlad thinks Wayne will bleed his little heart out for Daniel's poor orphan sob story -- he's a fellow orphan himself, after all. He's not wrong; Wayne's little heart will bleed, just not in the way that benefits him.

Bruce sees Vlad and Danny approaching before they're even close enough to introduce themselves - and like with many of the children he will soon come to care for, it's like someone set a mirror into the past right in front of him.

Danny Fenton's suit is tailor-made for him, and despite the fact that it's his perfect size, the sag in his shoulders, the ducked down head, and the way he hunches into himself all pictures the image of a child in shoes too big for him. There's a far away, glazed over look in his eyes and grief marble-cut into the lines of his face. There's not enough makeup in the world that will hide the dark circles under his eyes.

("My nephew, Daniel Fenton." Vlad's hands are possessive on Danny's shoulders. Bruce immediately notices the way the boy tenses under his touch. "His parents passed recently, and as his godfather I was designated his guardian.") ("I'm so sorry, the loss must've been terrible.") ("Yes, carbon-monoxide poisoning caused it. Daniel was out with friends, when he came home... they had already passed.") (Bruce immediately dislikes that Vlad shared the details of their death unprompted -- he likes it even less when Danny flinches at the reminder and hunches into himself.)

Danny runs off at some point earlier into the charity. At this point, parties are still being held at Wayne Manor (because iirc google search mentioned that was a thing at first before it was changed), so he disappears and hides in one of the empty rooms nearby. It just so happens to be the same room Bruce Wayne hides in when he needs a break from all of the socialization.

Thus begins a long, long process of trust. Bruce can't reveal his hand as being smarter than he looks, but he can be compassionate. Kindness needs no measure of intelligence. He keeps Danny company for as long as he can before he runs the risk of being found.

Rinse and repeat. Vlad insistently wants Wayne Industries, and he'll go to as many Wayne parties as he can to get his hooks into the man. The problem is that Bruce Wayne is never alone, and getting him alone is impossible. Finding him too. It's like the man never stops moving. Always talking to someone, always circling somewhere. He orbits around the room as if he isn't the sun of the Gotham Elite's solar system.

Danny's had such repetitive behavior that Vlad never thinks to believe that Bruce Wayne is disappearing to go talk to him. That "Vlad's" son is even interacting with him at all. Danny never gives him a reason to think so, and neither does Bruce.

Danny doesn't actually acknowledge Bruce until a handful of parties in, where he hands Bruce a small slip of paper he smuggled in that says; "don't trust Vlad". Danny's face stays carefully blank, but he's so tense that his hands are trembling, and he's purposely looking away from him. Bruce plasters a smile onto his face, slips the paper into his pocket, and tells him "okay".

(he's been busy with his own goals with the mafia, but he sets aside time to investigate Vlad Masters. He was holding off. Until now.)

Danny does eventually start speaking to Bruce, he's starting to really like the guy. He's starting to see a little hope, even as Vlad is starting to get more and more agitated with him the more he refuses to use his powers.

He reaches out to Sam and Tucker again, and starts trying to reconnect with them. Vlad has spyware on his phone, and he limits the amount of times he can talk to them. A weird parental control lock of some sort that leaves a time limit on how long he can talk to them for. 30 minutes. Danny doesn't tell them anything about Mr. Wayne.

Danny, slowly, wants out of here, and he's slowly gathering the motivation to do it. Vlad is genuinely scaring him -- and Danny wonders just how truthful the past-future Vlad was when he told him that Danny wanted his ghost half separate. He starts trying to come up with an escape plan.

Vlad has anti-ghost wards everywhere around the mansion, and while they're always on, they boost to full power at sunset. The doors and windows are always locked, all main exits have alarms set on them. The only reason it's not super extensive is because Danny hasn't tried leaving at all yet, so Vlad hasn't had to tighten anything.

At night, Vlad locks the door to his room and puts up an anti-ghost ward around the room. The mansion is on the outside westward side of Madison, more entrenched in rural Wisconsin. The closest town is a four-way stop sign with one house on three corners, and an open bar on the fourth. Not much to go.

He refuses to go to Sam and Tucker; Vlad would look there first. It's too dangerous. Vlad would sound alarm bells and have a manhunt looking for him, Danny can't risk going just anywhere. Too much risk of being found, sold out, or caught. There's really nowhere for him to hide.

Until there is. Bruce is telling Danny about the history of Wayne Manor, and says, as casually as saying the weather; "The manor has dozens of empty rooms, I'm sure Alfred wouldn't mind filling another one if he could." And quietly, hesitantly, Bruce places a careful hand on Danny's shoulder, unrestrictive and gentle; "He wouldn't mind getting one ready for you if you need one."

And there it is. There's his out.

Danny, just as quietly, replies; "I'll keep that in mind."

The ball starts rolling.

Now I've been trying to summarize this au as much as possible for length convenience, but Vlad has been steadily growing more and more controlling. More emotionally manipulative. More agitated at Danny for not using his powers.

He wants Wayne Industries under his thumb but he's been steadily growing more and more concerned with Danny. He's started grabbing him, yanking him around, shaking him; trying to goad him into using his powers. He gets angry when Danny doesn't react, or tells him he doesn't want to use his powers. He hasn't outright attacked him, but he's getting there. This has been happening over the time it takes for Bruce to indirectly offer Danny sanctuary at his home.

It all comes to a head when Vlad stops going to parties at all -- something Danny has to pretend he isn't upset about -- because Vlad doesn't want him around other people anymore. Vlad rarely goes now without him, and only leaves to go to a Wayne function or to handle something at VladCo.

Danny can't wait for Vlad to leave long enough to escape. So he leaves during the night of a big storm. Vlad's locked him in his room, but Danny doesn't bother trying to go for it; he goes to the alarmed window instead. Danny's been repressing his ghost half so long that he can't access his powers immediately anymore -- he can feel it, he knows its there, but he can't quite reach it.

He breaks the lock by hand.

Immediately the alarm goes off through the entire castle, filling the room with red, and he scrambles for the rope the Wisconsin Ghost left for him a few months back. Danny's already out and climbing down the side of the castle before Vlad even reaches his door -- the only good thing about the entire room being ghost-proof is that Vlad can't get in that way.

The rope ends before it reaches the bottom, and he's still twenty feet in the air. It won't kill him if he lands it right. Danny takes his chances, and drops. He breaks his ankle, but he survives.

And he fucking books it to the back garden. He hears Vlad shrieking over the thunder and rain.

I'll save the full experience for a future oneshot, but Danny makes it out into the nearby woods and forcibly experiences what it's like to be in a horror game, trying to hide from the thing that's hunting you. There's only one thing going through his mind; "i'm going to die"

I have this mental image for this scene. Very stereotypical horror imo. Where Danny is hiding behind a tree, with a hand over his mouth, and Vlad is a few feet away from him, glowing ominously red through the trees, trying to search for him.

Danny doesn't get away from this unscathed, but he does get away alive. That's all he could ask for. He gets away by getting his ghost half awakened long enough to transform into Phantom and fly to Gotham.

But he gets to Wayne Manor, he gets to Bruce. Or, at least, Alfred answers the door from his insistent pounding. Danny's just in tears and Alfred gets him in the living room, wrapped in a towel, with ice on his swollen leg before he has to step out and alert Bruce.

Bruce already breaks multiple traffic laws on a nightly basis. And that's just with the sheer existence of the batmobile itself, not including the speeding and military artillery attached. He breaks double the amount trying to speed back to the cave and get out of the suit.

Right off the bat: Bruce will know, at least before Dick enters the picture, about danny's powers. He'll figure out something considering the fact that Danny traveled from Wisconsin to New York in a single night. That'll be a bit of complicated affair, but I've already got something in mind.

Actually it'll probably be very soon after Danny joins the family, because Bruce tries to offer to fight for custody for Danny - the state Danny was in at arrival is clear enough evidence for a trial. But Danny immediately shuts it down, says it's not going to work and then Vlad will know Danny's with him and he won't be safe. He tells him that Vlad cannot know Danny was with Bruce.

Danny's biggest regret was not telling his parents he was a halfa, and while he doesn't want to tell mister wayne (yet), he does tell him about Vlad being one. He needs to know why Danny can't be seen with Bruce. So he tells him, and Danny's current plan is to just hide out from Vlad until he turns 18. That way, he has no more legal jurisdiction over him. After that? He's not sure.

And to wrap this up, since this has already gotten very long and I can make more posts about this au later; I've thought about it, and I'm going to say that Danny does become a vigilante before Dick enters the scene. He goes by, as you probably guessed; Nightingale. "Gale" for short.

[angy-grrr]

SJ's internal changes (I recall it was the editor in chief, someone really influential) happening JUST at the same time it was announced the epilogue would be 5 chapters (same week) + the ending not bringing up huge plot points (where the other villains are, why theres no actual Himiko corpse and instead we got Ochako's grief over that assumption, what happened to Dabi, what was the All Might vestige, why the bkdk handhold was off screen when its a big deal for them, who is Deku's dad, etc), letting them linger in the air while trying to make an okay ending + that strange two week break because of "schedule conflicts" + choosing to end BNHA under even more pressure even tho its one of the most important manga in SJ + Horikoshi talking about the ending days after the official release and bringing up how grateful he is for being able to work in SJ, as in past tense (like he is grateful he worked here, but isnt happening again; I say this bc I expected him to say something around the lines of "I hope im able to create something good here again soon!", considering we already know he has another manga project, if I remember correctly)

Thinking about it.

Thinking about how he could let it as it is, or try to pick it up and confirm the things that do matter to his story.

Btw, im not talking about the handhold as a shipper -it was genuinely important for them, as it symbolizes both their new mutual understanding and an acceptance as the new All Might duo thanks to their respective heroisms. It wouldn't be weird to add it in the epilogue, especially considering so many characters hold hands in non romanitc ways, so to choose not to when its arguably the most important one... Idk, it felt really weird as it was the only thing I was sure would get sooner or later.

[starpros-sunshine]

Eichi gives away the mask so easily because it was never meant to be an "engagement ring" like you delulu wataeis imagined it to be lmao. It was wataru saying that he will continue playing tsumugi clown role in fine and won't leave it for hokuto's mother troupe after graduation. Do you dumb fucks even read the stories? Eichi didn't even understand tf that mask meant when wataru gave it to him and wataru referenced fucking tsumugi in his "proporsal". I dunno why the f you think it's ok to lie about "! EnDiNG wItH wAtAeI EnGaGeMEnT" when the chapter it happened wasn't even close to the end of ep:link. Cope

PS: how do you live with the fact that Eichi clearly admitted to never being in love in his life and Wataru said that even though Eichi likes him, he still can easily discard him for the sake of his objectives?

I love you anon thank you for giving me a nice reason to ramble again beautiful ask 10/10 I'm sorry this is probably not how you hoped this would go but this is such a funny block of text delightful really thank you for the enrichment please marry me

But okay yes now to get down to the actual ask just to disclaim I am solely relying on translations seeing as I do not speak japanese well enough to understant the original text so if anyone has anything to add to this or to correct me on please feel free to do so.

Now to get started I'm not sure if one could say Eichi gave away the mask "So easily" seeing as he claimed that it was "a hard choice to make"? Which, as one might know, implies unease with an idea and pondering and debating and a general amount of thinking behind a decision so? I know this isn't really the main focus of this ask but I'm just a tad miffed with the semantics of it is all. And in either case giving the mask back to Wataru while expecting it back still shows a certain degree of trust in their relationship it wouldn't have been such a big deal for him (as it apparently was) if the mask didn't have a lot of sentimental value to him (the both of them really if we look at the whole exchange).

Now to the claim that the mask was "only" Watarus promise to stay with fine and "continue playing Tsumugis clown role". This is not entirely incorrect. Regarding the acting troupe and staying with fine bit at least.

I'm assuming this bit in EP:Link Deadend/7 is what you are referencing, and I see where you're coming from. But the bluebird line

from literally three dialogue lines further down, which references this line of dialogue (notorious Eichi line everyone should be familiar with)

kind of somewhat really recontextualises that? Because you see this is a reference to a fairytale about a pair of siblings and they get sent out by a nice fairy to find the bluebird of happiness for her sad daughter to make her happy again so they both go on an adventure and travel far and search and search but they can not find the bluebird of happiness and then when they return home again, disappointed because they couldn't find the blue bird, they realise only one night has actually passed and the journey was probably just a dream. But then their eyes fall upon their pet dove in it's cage which appears blue all of a sudden and so they gift it to the fairies sad daughter which becomes happy again and sets the bird free. The real bluebird of happiness is a dove. At least in the version of the story I'm familiar with but I mean everyone sees the symbolism right? It's. very hard to miss.

And then dropping this?

I'm not sure how to say this properly but in the overall context this makes it pretty clear that Tsumugi has nothing to do with this anymore this is Fully between Wataru and Eichi. And I am the last person to dismiss Tsumugis significance in the course of Wataeis relationship as characters I will be among the first to protest when someone dismisses the importance of Tsumugis and Eichis relationship in favour of some image they have of Wataei but he has nothing to do with this one.

Yes Tsumugi gets namedropped but - again - I don't really see how that would lessen the sentiment Wataru is triying to convey here? Because. Yes. Why wouldn't he mention Tsumugi?

The entire conversation pretty much boils down to "Yes I was initially only in this because I thought I could replace Tsumugis role in your life and then I wanted to leave but we have spent so much time together that I realised that that is definitely not working out because I really do love you. I love you as a teammate; I love you as a friend; I love you as a person and I am very angry at myself for not managing to get that into your head. So please allow me to stay with you for as long as you'll have me." And then also Eichi not understanding because he has the emotional self awareness of a very emotionally unaware loaf of bread and also because he hates himself that is a very big thing about his character huge part of his character arc actually that he. you know? Hates himself? And feels guitly for his actions during the war? And doesn't think he deserves love and companionship? Which is why Wataru wanting to stay with him for him and not for some twisted form of revenge is such an alien concept to him? Because he is projecting his insecurities onto Wataru? As one is wont to do when they hate themself? "EiChi Didn'T eVen UnDErStanD WhAt tf ThAT Mask MEAnt" Yeah. That's. That's the point? So he can think about it and come to that conclusion himself which works as a keymoment in his characters journey from hating life and himself to enjoying being alive and wanting to live on because of the people he's surrounded with? He literally explains why he didn't immediately understand the mask during the EP:Link Epilogue/4

And to get back to the "I dunno why the f you think it's ok to lie about "! EnDiNG wItH wAtAeI EnGaGeMEnT" about which I have two things to say:

"Lying" implies further intent and an effort. Neither of which exist in this case.

He literally went down on one knee while making a big proclamation of offering himself to Eichi with a very personal item that works as a symbol for their commitment to each other on a starlit rooftop. The comparison writes itself.

3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joke

And then I expected there to be a proper reason given and instead you proceed to follow that up with "when the chapter it happened wasn't even close to the end of ep:link". I know the shame is on me for expecting something sensical from an ask which has been near constant in it's lack of correct statements but such is human nature I suppose. And you are not wrong. Deadend/7 isn't very close to the end of EP:Link. That is true.

But do you know what Is very close to the end of EP:Link? The Epilogue Chapters 3-5.

Do you know what the content of those chapters is? I do. Very well actually :)

(Eichi literally explains why he didn't get it)

So if this answers your "Do you dumb fucks even read the stories?" questions, Yes. And I think I'm a lot better at it than you. So I'd say I'm coping quite well over here :p

PS: Regarding your PS, I take the "I've never been in love before so I wouldn't know" comment with a lot of humour actually as an aroace person who's emotional self awareness also ends at "good" and "Not good" I think it's very funny all things considered especially because he mentioned the loving Wataru thing several times before that and I'm generally of the belief that actions speak louder than words and also am in a happy long term relationship with the concept of "Reading Subtext". So please excuse me for not breaking down in tears everytime someone reminds me of that one singuar line of text in one of my favourite all time enstars stories that came out three years ago which also brought us the single best card set in the entire game

as well as absolute banger dialogue such as

Among others <33

And there are soooooo many other examples of wataei dialogue that simply make me swoon but I have already had to take out so many of the one's I wish I could put here so this wouldn't get "Do you love the colour of the sky" long

And also, regarding your "Wataru said that even though Eichi likes him, he still can easily discard him for the sake of his objectives" I'll just say that no he absolutely could not. I mean he'd say that and if pull comes to shove and he has no other option then he might seriously consider it but may I mention that Wataru was gone for a few days at most but really not that long of a time during Sanctuary and Eichi stopped considering being a normal rational person that doesn't leave helpless 17 year olds in the midst of a construction site. Very different situation but I feel like it's worth mentioninh here. Another example is Eichis almost not being able to go through with the war because of Wataru. Wataru had to actively come and tell Eichi to go through with it. Wataru isn't the reason Eichi started the war, that is wrong, but he is the reason Eichi almost didn't finish it. and during the war era that was his Main objective. Again I'm part of the fraction "actions speak louder than words" Show don't tell and all that, but even the words are pushing it.

And that concludes my essay :)