#theyre still able to crack jokes and understand each other

[the-gayest-sky-kid]

i hate that my relationship with my friends will never be the same. i hate that we will never all be on at the same time and making stupid jokes and playing jackbox at 9pm and chatting on discord during online classes. i hate that i will never have that again

[grayfilmsandstuff]

((I SENT THIS IN RIGHT WHEN YOU CLOSED MATCHUPS BUT I THINK THEYRE OPEN AGAIN NOW??? IF NOT IM SO SORRY WTF!!!))

hello i dont know if you do matchup requests or only for you to choose? if you do them on request hiii :] id like a thingy with auditor, platonic / queerplatonic / familial are all ok!! (IF YOU WANNA CHOOSE SOMEONE ELSE GO AHEAD!!)

im 5'4 with hair i dye a lot, im a fem nonbinary and sapphic!! i have autism and stim a lot but it gets embarrassing sometimes. i also dont understand tone well or realise when im going too far with a joke.

i like to draw sometimes and play minecraft, but i dont have a lot of motivation so i tend to just hang around and do nothing. i love my little pony!

i love to complain about things, its so fun to get excited about things i can rant about :D

i use it/they/exe pronouns !

ITS TOTALLY FINE!! back then i just had a bunch piling up in the inbox so i deleted any newcoming ones BUT it's open now so!! yay!! and heck yea i'll do them on request here you go

you asked to be matched wiiiiiiiiiiith...

Auditor!

- you've known Auditor for years and years now. you legitimately can't remember a time when you didn't know them, and they're basically like family to you

- you do work with them now as a second in command so you're able to spend a lot of time with them every day!

- they've got a hard shell to crack if you don't know them, but because you're really the only friend they have they're able to show their emotions and their true self around you

- because they've been around you for so long they know how you act and they know how you can miss certain social cues or have trouble reading a room, so they help you a lot of the time by giving you a note or a certain look that you've learned that lets you know what's going on

- they love it when you draw and every single doodle or piece you've given them has been kept in a safe place. looking back at the drawings makes them smile because it reminds them of how awesome you are

- they're a boomer, of sorts, when it comes to games and social media and such. whenever you're playing minecraft and they decide to join you they always manage to fall into lava. it's uncanny how many times you've heard them yell from the other room because they dug straight down

- a lot of your free time is spent lounging around and relaxing. when Auditor is with you, however, you have the weirdest conversations and sometimes end up laughing so hard you're crying. spending your time with them is one of the best things in the world to you

- you also enjoy ranting about things to them and they'll listen, and it's funny to them how you can look so happy talking about something in such a nagging way

- you'll also listen to them talk about whatever it is that's on their mind, a lot of the time it's about how much they hate Hank but sometimes it's other crazy work stories and such

- overall, you really appreciate them and they really appreciate you. you and them are always gonna be there for each other and you're happy knowing that they're such a close friend and will be for a very long time

ughhhh my brain shut off halfway through this i'm so sorry if it's bad i hope you still like it

[shoezuki]

cracks knuckles. i promised to elaborate and i will.

the one common perspective that everyone seems to be able to agree on is that techno / sbi + schlatt + tubbo + ranboo are just genuinely funnier than the dteam, and honestly yes it's because if the popularity. if you go back and watch the dteams older (im talking before 2-3mil subs) videos they are funnier than their current ones and i think it's because they're trying to shift their humor to a broader audience?

the minecraft community has always been mainly queer/poc/ndv kids because it was exiled away from "acceptable society" for so long that only the people who had already been "exiled" continued to enjoy it. I, as an example, stopped playing when it became a cringy thing because I was so worried about being seen as weird. now that ive discovered, come to terms with, and enjoy my queerness, i realize that if i had known i was queer back when mc was exiled i wouldve continued to play because i alrwady would have known what it was like to be part of that seperate society. (Please keep reading i promise I have a point)

but then minecraft came back. minecraft became mainstream again, and it came back HARD. watching it go from something that you would be bullied immensely for to something that you would be bullied for not doing was an extreme experience. in all honesty im still angry about it, but that's another topic. when minecraft became mainstream it brought with it all of the people that hadn't been part of the exiled societies yk? including... the dream team.

dream blew up. we all know how much he blew up. i personally dont believe he cheated on the speedrun but to each their own (although after reading your stuff and becoming more critical of them im realizing i might need to reexamine that), and the speedrun controversy brought even more people to his base (cough drama loving straight white girls cough).

when they were brought into the fanbase that's when it started to go downhill. they shifted their humor to fit that, or maybe their humor was always that and they just got more confident in showing it after they had gotten a fan base to back them up. which is also why techno / sbi + schlatt + tubbo + ranboo (who ill refer to just as techno&co now because he's the main one but also that's long as hell lmao) are funnier than them!

for one, their fanbases are smaller. now 5 mil is by no means a small number, but compared to dream's 16 mil? yknow. especially with techno's wack upload schedule he's never had to worry about having a stan fan base because the only people who stay are people who genuinely enjoy his content the way it is.

two, techno&co are mostly ndv. techno has adhd, tubbo has dyslexia, wilbur had and maybe still has depression, ranboo has anxiety, tommy hasnt confirmed or denied his adhd but im betting he at least has borderline. i am in no ways saying that being part of one minority (in this case ndv) gives you free range over another (queer), but all minorities have this understanding about what it is to be part of an exiled community (if that makes sense).

philza and schlatt, not so sure if they're ndv, but they're also older and generally more mature and esp in philza's case, theyve had their chance to make their bad jokes and pull stupid shit and theyve grown out of it (if they ever had that phase at all). techno&co have that understanding and even if they dont know where the boundaries are they know that queer humor (and all humor! other than techno, sbi doesnt really make gay jokes) going to have boundaries, and they respect that.

three, techno is the funniest bitch because he has adhd. i dont take criticism on this point because im right.

i probably missed a lot, probably got some stuff wrong, but all in all i think i hit my mark. i can come off anon to chat anytime if youd vibe w that. no pressure to respond to this! have a good day, etc etc, it was fun getting to tear into the dteam in a safe space. respect for them and their fanbases, their humor is a little off but i still gotta respect how well theyve done. btw i woke up and rolled over and started typing I haven't proofed this at all so yeah. :) - andy

And your brain is fucking massive yo like u must got chronic back pain too from holdin up all these Thoughts in ur head

I really like. Minecraft fans is So varied cuz like u said it was so very 'cringe' before. I got into mc again n playin it w my siblings years before it Popped Off again entirely cuz i stopped Giving a Shit that it was 'weird' or any a that. N sbi have been goin strong through it So Long both when it was hotshit and when it was "cringe"

N definitely like minecraft ive always noticed has a Massive ndv community. I dont know entirely what it is like definitely part of the 'cringe' factor like u said and also cubes make our brains go brrrr? The aspect of self expression in it? I dont know but we Been Here

I do think dteam's content and shit like. It obviously moved in sync with perceptions of mc to garner a Big General audience. Dream blowing up entirely had to do w the Trends and how mc got popular. Therefore hes audience is Huge and Varied

In contrast w techno n like. He has blown up quite a bit too. But i feel its fair to say he Hasnt altered his content significantly. Or at least like. How its presented, what he does, etc. For fucks sake he doesnt have a stream schedule. And although his content is Still garnering a Large and really varied audience it feels more like. Isolated and homogeneous almost

Like. I can go into the technocord right now and say 'dont forget to take your meds' and at least 20 or so ppl would be all like Oh Fuck Whoops. Theres SO many of us adhd ppl in there. I always goof bout techno jus sayin pspspsps and the neurodivergents crawling up from the floorboards but honest to god. His content and jokes and i suppose Personality jus appeals to us So Much. Same goes for sbi pretty heavily honestly altho i feel its most evident in techno's most Dedicated fans

Also. Lbr. The people who stay through technos schedules and content Droughts are the ones who be hyperfixating Abskfvdkdsjsjsl

BUT going into sbi as a Group like. They are friends. And together they are fucking hilarious. N i feel it strongly like. The fact theyre all such Varied people of different ages and such helps w that shit. It Works So Well.

Long story short being neurodivergent makes you funny as hell letsgo

[greenninjagal-blog]

Hi! Black Hole Group Chat is one of my favorite fics ever (and I have read a lot)! I was wondering if you had any tips for writing group chat fics? Have a good day!

Aw Thank you! BHGC was and is one of my favorite things to have ever written!

I do have a couple tips about writing using this format that I’ve picked up from writing this, reading comments on bhgc, and from reading other things like it but I’ll put them under a keep reading tab because they turned out longer than I though they would!

1. Decide before you start the story if you’re going to write everything in the chat format or if you are going to write out some of the scenes. In bhgc i stuck to just the chat format even when there were things I could have described more (the call in the second chapter? the call in the fourth? or the start of the ninth?) This distinction is important because it influences how the plot can be revealed. I could have very easily switched to Prose when Logan and Patton ran into each other in chapter seven to keep the focus on Logan, but instead I chose to focus on the chat where Virgil and Roman worked together and bonded a bit. I continually put together a story where I made a deliberate choice not to use prose so that by the climax my readers were accustomed to being able to read the actions and infliction of the words without needing detailed descriptions.

2. Figure out the reason why the group uses the chat. This is important because it helps develop the characters and their relationships with each other as well as how they interact. In my personal experience group chats built just for a single project in a class die after the project unless the participants learn something that bonds them together. In bhgc, Virgil’s muteness is his main reason to keep texting where as Logan’s anonymity is his reason to use the chat, even after he figures out who the other boys are.

3. Remember that people have lives outside of their phones. This is important in the frame of telling a story (as long as telling a story is the goal and its not just crack for fun)! People aren’t always on their phones! Things happen around them that influence them!! And they aren’t always going to read the the messages at the same time. This further helps you personalize your characters and makes them feel more real. (like in chapter two how Virgil and Logan have a whole conversation without Patton or Roman because the other two have decent sleep schedules. Or how in chapter five Patton misplaces his phone.) You can also weaponize this as I did in chapter eight when Patton and Logan were having their calm subdued conversation right before its revealed that Virgil and Roman are in the middle of a very emotionally charged one.

4. Foreshadow your backstories. Okay, 90% of the time when you are first getting to know someone, you aren’t going to tell them all your trauma and problems. You know that one John Mulaney quote, “I shall pepper in the fact that I’m gay”? Do that. Pepper in the idea that your characters have quirks and triggers without out right saying it. Did you notice in Bhgc that when Roman makes death jokes and Virgil and Patton both get tense and terse about it? How about the fact that Patton chose to study Psychology because he was trying to figure out why his mother always chose drugs over him? The entire book is made of conversation, and yet there is not a single thing said that is not important to the characters development-- not even the jokes. 

5. Everyone talks differently. have you ever been in a group chat with someone who uses a crap ton of emojis? Or maybe someone who still uses “XD” and “:)”? These are all things that are personal to each of us For the best writing experience, I would give each character a writing quirk that is all theirs so that without needing to read the usernames, readers can infer who’s speaking and how theyre feeling. In bhgc, Logan uses full sentences with punctuation and proper grammar-- which means that when he starts using clipped sentences, the readers know he’s getting emotional. Patton generally tries to uplift the conversation, regardless of whats going on. Virgil’s messages are designed to be dismissive or snarky. And Roman is the “leader” so he uses the most “I” centered messages and changes the subject when he doesn’t necessary want to talk about it anymore. Even Dee, for the short time that he’s there, copies Patton speech, but integrates subtle verbal attacks on the others every times he speaks.

Obviously these aren’t absolute for these characters-- I created these systems based on my understanding of the cannon characters and how I wanted it to reflect their backstory (Logan’s stiff wording and grammar alludes to the control nature of his parents and Virgil’s dismissive one’s suggest that he��s used to not being noticed unless he’s doing something wrong and Dee’s verbal attacks are a look directly into his motivations.)

So! That’s what I have overall there are a few more tricks that I’ve picked up: like decide on a plot, but don’t be afraid to deviate from it (as I l learned from when the Hot guy from the coffee shop became Logan, lol), and things that aren’t said can be just as important as those that are (Logan not apologizing to Roman and his constant attempts to leave the chat), but those are also lessons that I think are best taught when you figure them out yourself! The best advice I can give is read and write. 

Whatever story you are telling, someone out there is waiting to read it :D

[normal-thoughts-official]

Ok a more specific prompt, coffee shop au with Malec and claia 😌

this is nowhere near specific and you damn well know it, anon. i appreciate u trying to find an excuse to throw coffee shop aus everywhere, tho. keep doing the lord's work even if i will inevitably twist the prompt

Magnus works at a small, local coffee shop as a barista. It's not exactly his #1 job choice, but it pays better than big chain coffee shops and he needs that to pay rent now that he officially left his abusive father's home for good. Also, he is kind of a coffee enthusiast and the owner, Ragnor, lets him go wild with making up new drinks and ingredients, as long as he still does his job.

All in all it's a good job and he considers the old fart and the other barista, maia, to be like family. Ragnor frequently gives them coffee and Maia constantly teases him about being a "coffee scientist" whenever she catches him thoughtfully drinking from a cup and scribbling notes on his notepad, like some ancient being

His recipes are good, though, and he knows exactly where to get the best coffee beans for the best price. So their drinks are good, affordable, and can please everyone from the traditional "black coffee no sugar" exec to the teenager who wants more of a milkshake than actual coffee

As a result, the shop thrives, gets more popular, and gets more clients. So Ragnor decides to hire a new barista to help. Because he's secretly a sweetheart, he ends up hiring this broke college kid who just moved into town to get away from his kinda toxic family and has nowhere to go - and also doesnt have a single ounce of experience as a barista

It's not surprising; both Magnus and Maia share similar stories, with some abusive exes to spice up the mix, not to mention racism, biphobia, and, in Magnus case, male behavior standarts keeping most opportunities closed for them. So they're cool with that. Even if it means Magnus will have to be the one to teach him, because 1- Ragnor is a dick and assigned him to be Alec's special "tutor" as retribution for Magnus calling him "an old, heart of butter bastard"; 2- he's the one who's best qualified to teach him since he knows a lot about coffee and coffee making anyway; 3- Maia has no patience

Quick detour just to say that i love the maia/magnus brotp opportunities this gives. While Magnus is more of a coffee scientist as she puts it, Maia has an almost instictive understanding of drink making. Where Magnus is soft, she's fierce, and they make one hell of a team and are good at balancing one another. They bond over their experiences with abuse; while Magnus' has made him afraid to put his foot down and say what he wants and prioritize himself, Maia's has made her particularly wary of people and even less willing to take anyone's bullshit, and both of these coping mechanisms have their own effects on their psyche, and they're able to talk openly to each other about it. Maia is kind of protective of Magnus and vice-versa, though the way they protect each other is very different. They have an easy companionship and bantering dynamic that's easygoing and cute, theyre both passionate about their interests (Maia loves marine biology and even if Magnus doesnt know much about it he loves listening to her talk about it) and just generally have that kind of relationship where just smiling at each other makes a tough day seem lighter. Also Magnus loves making Maia laugh. Maia blatantly refuses to laugh at any of his self-deprecating jokes, tho, which has considerably diminished the amount of times he makes them

Anyway Alec comes in for his first day and Magnus is like [REDACTED] because shit this man is cute. Maia notices immediately and from then on the teasing doesn't stop

He's quick to recover, tho, and suddenly he's all smooth again (Maia says he's perfected his customer service persona to horror movie levels), quick to introduce himself and Maia to Alec and explain that he'll be training Alec for the next few weeks or so. He gives him a tour of the shop, explains the basics, and immediately launches into his slightly extra More Serious Than Strictly Necessary course on the makings and workings of coffee, from bean selection to ideal temperature and the chemistry behind the cooking.

This absolute dork even had a small table with some coffee made from different kinds of beans so Alec could taste them and learn the difference and Engage with the profession or some shit

Maia just rolls her eyes, thankful that she had prior experience before getting this job and didnt have to go through this

The first thing he learns about Alec: Alec doesn't like coffee. This is not a setback. Many people dont like coffee, but that's because they're used to regular powdered coffee instead of making it from the bean. Because the beans in powdered coffee arent previously selected, they are roasted harder than they should, so any beans that might have gone bad wont spoil the taste or make you sick. As a result, the coffee is way too bitter and doesn't have a discernible taste. He explains all of this enthusiastically to a slightly overwhelmed Alec, and gets on to making him try the samples so he can feel the difference.

Here's the second thing he learns about Alec: Alec doesn't feel the difference

Despair. Horror. Offense.

Alec even kind of chuckles and goes "sorry" at the face he makes, and a not-pouting Magnus goes on with the planned explanation on bean selection

Third thing he learns about Alec: he's a quick study. Everything he lacks in sensibility to the amazing world of bean juice, he makes up for in his careful attentiveness to the instructions. He is also a strict recipe-follower and makes sure he always uses the exact amounts required. He's an absolute perfectionist. He listens to Magnus' explanations on how to know if the taste is right, to look for color and texture of the mix. Magnus tries his simple coffees and only needs a few corrections to send him on the right path

The first time Alec makes him something more complicated to try (per his request) Magnus wants to die

It's so good

Scratch that, it's perfect

This soulless motherfucker doesn't even like coffee and this is the single best version of whatever crazy frapuccino shit they're making magnus has ever tried

He kind of bursts from the kitchen (?) all like MAIA YOU HAVE TO TRY THIS just in time to interrupt her chatting with this redhead new customer with shiny eyes. Maia is leaning all the way across the counter. What is this

Maia agrees that it's very good but again he's not as passionate about coffee and Magnus just interrupted what would have been a really smooth number-giving move so she's not feeling all that generous

Alec just laughs at that. His eyes are shining with amusement and he's very, very pleased that Magnus likes his stuff

It's not a big secret, really; mixing drinks is kind of like patisserie in the sense that the measures need to be exact to achieve the best taste and texture. He follows the recipe to a fault, it turns out good. That's why he's better at the more complicated, instagram-y drinks than the simple coffee types

Alec "graduates" his training pretty soon after that and Ragnor is very pleased

He gets along well with both Magnus and Maia, even if he's more quiet and sometimes catches himself just laughing at the two of them interact; their friendship is something else. But he also gets to hear a "shut up" from Maia after not saying absolutely anything when the redhead walks in again the very next day

The redhead always comes in a little late in the morning, so its always slow. As a result, they get to pretend to be minding their own business as they hear the two of them chat and oof is the romantic tension between them something. Maia glares at them once the girl - Clary - leaves every time, but it doesn't stop them

Soon Maia is calling them "no-good gossiping grandmas" because of the way Magnus and Alec will go to the back and pretend to be making something while they keep a whispered running commentary on what the girls are talking about. This quickly turns into some sort of race to see who can make the other break and laugh out loud. Neither of them ever do (they are trying to be discreet and Maia would kill them) but oftentimes they need to cover their mouths with their hands and playfully slap each other for the teasing

Clary doesn't even realize she's the reason; she kind of just thinks they are constantly flirting on the back and briefly wonders how they havent been fired when all they do is whisper and make eyes at each other

Not that she has any room to talk when she's late to work everyday because she keeps cracking jokes with the cute curly haired barista with the most beautiful lopsided smile who always makes her laugh and tells her about her day while she drinks her coffee. She's lucky her work starts at 10 so she can go in a little later and doesnt have to be there during rush hours, but still

She doesnt even like coffee, she walked in one day cuz she was really tired and then just kept coming in the hopes that the barista would make a move on her (shes not gonna do it herself, at least not in her workplace. She doesn't want to make her uncomfortable and it's still unclear whether the girl is flirting or if shes just really nice)

At some point she and Maia even start sharing knowing looks to Alec and Magnus and laughing at them. They don't even notice, because their designated Making Fun Of Maia time turned into just cracking jokes at each other way too quickly. They don't even remember there are other people there

Maia does finally ask clary out eventually. She wasn't exactly nervous about doing it, it's more that she enjoyed their little routine. But enough is enough, and when their routine starts involving Clary giving her a quick kiss before placing her order, well, it just makes it better

Magnus and Alec coo every time

Eventually Maia snaps all like "why are you guys the one poking fun at me when im the one who made a move instead of being a coward"

Magnus is all like "Whatever could she possibly mean??"

It dawns on him when hes closing up the next day and Alec has already left. He has a crush on Alec. Oh god. Oh fuck

Maia helpfully says "idiot" and leaves

Some Magnus being very nervous and overthinking his relationship with Alec who's all like ???????? about this

Alec goes to his sister about his new crush who suddenly started acting weird and izzy is all like "stop trying to guess what he's thinking because you're terrible at this. Just tell them how you feel" and Alec is like okay

He asks Magnus out

Everyone is happy and gay idk the end

✨ feel free to use this and any other one of my posts as a prompt ✨

[oblio-k]

ANYWAYS ive been working on a mila fic whenever im exhausted and here it is. whether it’s love or manipulation is up to the readers

Invitation

As Mila pulls a weed from the little garden she’s started behind her employer's mansion, she finds it hard to keep her mind from wandering. From thinking about how her life is so different now.

She forces herself to use the word different because if she uses another word she fears she may start crying. And if that happens, someone would undoubtedly see her, and her employer would take her aside and ask her if she was alright in a way that would sound kind but could drag any answer out of her that he wanted. She likes working for him and vastly prefers this life, this job to her old one. Crying will just make things difficult.

Master Tain had been cruel and treated her as if she was nothing if he noticed that she existed at all. She’d been on the receiving end of his wrath quite frequently and had been left with bruises more than she cared to admit.

Agent Tain is cruel, but never to her. To her, he’s careful and kind, respectful. He goes out of his way to spend time with her and never raises a hand to her. When he looks at her, he doesn’t look through her, and she’s glad to be acknowledged.

She knows he’s only so kind because she knows who he really is. Who he isn’t, rather. But she likes to think it’s also because they’re friends. Or, at least, are becoming friends.

But when she looks at him when he’s working, she’s reminded of how they met, and she can’t stop her hands from trembling just a bit. Before meeting Agent Tain, she’d only ever seen people die from old age or illness. She’d never seen people be murdered. She’d never seen people be or had been interrogated, never had to learn how to use a weapon-

“Miss Garak.”

When she stands and turns, Enabran is behind her. At first, his ability to sneak up on her, to appear out of nowhere, had scared her. Now, it still frightens her, but she doesn’t worry he will hurt her. He’s had so many opportunities to get rid of her, to eliminate the last person besides his superiors that knew his secret, but he’s never taken them. She is alive and unharmed, save for a scratch on her palm from a tool she’d grabbed the wrong end of while gardening.

Before she can greet him, she sees the wound cutting across his abdomen. It’s as if someone had slashed him with a sharp knife. One hand presses tightly against the large wound, like he’s keeping himself from spilling open, though it does nothing to stop the flow of blood. A smaller puncture wound by his clavicle bleeds profusely. She forces herself to get over her shock after looking at each injury and takes his free arm around her shoulders. He leans against her and she helps him inside.

It’s not the first time he’s come to her with injuries, and she can never tell if he is in pain. Enabran is silent as they walk to the master bedroom, and his breathing is steady. It’s not typical for an Obsidian Order agent to appear immune to any injury, from what she’s overheard and seen.

She’s not entirely sure she knows why that is. Mila suspects he’s not a normal agent, that these assassination and interrogation attempts come so frequently because he is proof of something his superiors would very much like to erase.

He sits on the edge of his bed and she washes the dirt from her hands and retrieves the medical kit he has hidden away. It takes a moment for the wall panel to open when she lets it scan her palm, and when she turns around, Enabran is pulling off his bloodied, torn shirt. There are no wounds on his back, and he lies down as she opens up the kit next to him.

Mila doesn’t understand why he trusts her. Still, she dutifully heals him and when the medical scanner picks up an odd substance in his system, she asks, “Have you been poisoned, sir?”

“It’s a truth serum,” he replies, an odd smile on his face. His voice is completely level, as if he hadn’t almost bled to death.  “A very strong one.”

“But it doesn’t work on you.”

“Of course it d-doesn’t.” His voice cracks, and he closes his eyes. But he’s too late to hide it when she’s looking directly at him. His pupils dilate. Bizarrely, he begins to laugh. “Why would it work? I’m Cardassian.”

It means something, that. An inside joke that she’s not privy to the context of. But Enabran glances at her, an invitation for her to investigate. He won’t be upset if she finds out what that means- he wants her to, she’s almost sure. The secret she knows could destroy everything he’s worked for, what’s another?

“Miss Garak, are you finished?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Thank you. Would you get me a cup of tea?” Master Tain had never thanked anyone. Agent Tain never thanked anyone unless he was manipulating them, and even then, only rarely. Enabran always thanks her. She likes to think it’s genuine. He rubs his eyes as she turns, and sits up.

He has a small tea set in his bedroom, a little burner and a few boxes of the different teas he’s collected on his travels. It’s an indulgence of his, and he’ll get a distant look in his eyes for a moment when she hands the cup to him.

She’s thrilled and worried about noticing and knowing these little details about him. It’s an exposure of that part of him from before.

A weakness he would cease if she dared to point it out.

“Make a cup for yourself,” he adds.

“Yes, sir.”

She picks an herbal blend with a pleasant taste she knows will help with his recovery and help relax her nerves. Blood still isn’t something she’s very used to, especially not large quantities of it. Perhaps in a few years, it won’t faze her.

A few years. She’ll be lucky if he lets her live that long, and she’s not sure what she’s feeling when she realizes she only ever thinks about her future being here, serving him.

By the time the tea is done, he’s changed into fresh clothing, a garish orange turtleneck covered by a drab green shirt, with black pants that don’t match the rest of the outfit at all. Fashion is not something he’s good at, but then again, he seems to be good at everything if asked. She’s sure if she requested it, and he was so inclined, he could choose an outfit fitting of his position as heir to the Tain fortune.

As he takes the cup from her and doesn’t even check it for poison, she thinks to herself that he would very likely be inclined to do what she asked. But she won’t. She knows her place.

“Miss Garak, how is your garden?”

“It’s doing quite well. My brother sent me some seeds to try growing, and they’ve finally begun to sprout.”

“Tolan, correct?”

“Yes, sir.” She’d never told him her brother’s name before. “I’m afraid I’ll never quite meet his skill for flowers.”

“I never understood why people enjoy flowers so much.”

“They’re beautiful. People like to look at nice things.” He opens his mouth to say something and hesitates. Perhaps the truth serum is affecting him more than he wants to admit, though she doesn’t know what he could possibly say about flowers that he wouldn’t want anyone to hear. She asks a question that she thinks will be inconsequential, “If there’s anything you would like to see in the garden, I would plant it for you.”

“No. I’m sure whatever you grow will look beautiful.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“Though perhaps you should grow more edible plants than flowers. It’s been quite some time since I was last able to eat something that I’d picked myself.” That distant look. Then his pupils grow large and he looks down at his tea as he says, “When I was a boy, my caretakers would take me on walks around the estate grounds after I’d finished my studies for the morning. We’d eat from the garden until lunch was ready. It was nice.” They’re as wide as she’s ever seen on anyone as he finishes.

Before she can offer her own story about her and her brother enjoying fruits and vegetables from their father’s garden, he asks her, “Miss Garak, do you know how to play kotra?”

“I’m familiar with the title, not with the rules,” Mila answers, dropping the sir to see what he hopes to gain by teaching a servant a complicated game.

A smile tugs at his lips, and he gets up and pretends not to have noticed. “It’s a game I quite enjoy. I believe you would be a good player.” He retrieves a board from within his desk and brings back to the bed. “I was taught how to play when I was young.”

She expects to find a knife at her throat in an hour, then. “I don’t expect you to play any way but your best, sir, despite my inexperience.”

“Kotra is a game about bold tactical strategy…”

Sure enough, after having quickly lost two games against him and arguing with him after she realized he was allowing her to win their third match, a disruptor is pressed against her throat, her wrists held tight in his other hand. She hadn’t even seen him grab it.

“I think I need to get back to work, Miss Garak,” he tells her, voice cold.

Enough was enough. He couldn’t risk appearing close to her so soon after an incident. Quietly, she agrees, but he doesn’t let her go.

“You understand, don’t you, Mila?” It was too dangerous for them to be friends. To be whatever they were. Mila wonders which one of them he’s afraid for.

After all, why should he care if something happens to her? Attachment was a weakness. He’d said so himself to another agent, and for once, she was absolutely certain he had been honest. “Yes, sir.”

It’s even more likely that he’s not worried at all, that all this is a game to keep her quiet. Still, she enjoyed their time together and will look forward to the next, if it comes.

Agent Tain releases her, lowering the disruptor.

[kurainburdened]

👫 ft. saizo KJNHM

bHey guess what you asked for saizo but youre getting like everyone

Knock of Sasuke Saizo

Lol I like to bully him,

His is funny because it’s so completely one sided right now, if only slowly pulling results. But lets see what I can do with the local tsundere ninja, as the company liked to call him

Maya and Saizo are two complete opposite souls pulled together by circumstance. Maya is overbearing, fun loving and silly. Shes finally out in the real world and poor Saizo has to pull on reigns to keep her from doing anything too crazy. That’s already a big job for most people but for someone like him? Well it’s easy to see how their relationship got to how it is.

But Mayas genuineness does indeed begin to wear him down. She goes out of his way for him. After all, job or not, he’s still risking his life for her and she wants to do what she can for him even when he’s being a huge meanie! The more he tells her it’s impossible for htem to be friends the more of a challenge she takes it as. And she wont stop until theyre best buddies!

I like to imagine a scene where someone is trying to kill saizo who can barely move from the fight and Maya stands in between them. The person cant kill the kurain master because shes useful so they at least try to fight her enough to deter her but she keeps getting back up.And shes getting in really bad shape, she can barely stand but she still pulls herself in front of saizo. Like yes she’s weak, yes she doesnt know the firs tthing about fighting but she will NOT let anything happen to him if she can still move. Of course in the last second the cavalry comes. and Saizo probs gives her a thorough scolding.  

Now for some fun hcs!

Maya ends up trying to learn how to defend herself and to his surprise she actually has an aptitude for the sword. Something no one saw coming and something only a trained ninja could even recognize. She’s not so good with her feet so it’s kind of hard to tell for most people. She also has good instincts and after quite a bit of time, He actually gets her to be pretty good! The two can gave some good fights, tho of course Saizo still dwarfs her but Maya has fun fighitng him. YOU CAN BET that once she starts getting some level of good she’d try sneak attacking him. It wields some painful results at first, but after  bit he becomes able to send her presence specifically so she doesn’t get as hurt. The first time she genuinely is able to sneak up on him she’s so proud of herself. That is, if that happens. But it’d be cool if it did.

Sakuhito

So I hc that Maya ends up finding out about sakuhito the same way it goes in the prologue. Though it takes longer after meeting them for her to revea that. She kind of plays around with sakuhito for a bit. She’ll muses loudly like ‘huh thats funny thats different from what you told me before. Thats sooo strange. Whats going on here,’ she sees him sweat and desperately try to cover it up for a bit  before kind of letting him off the hook and shrugging like ‘ah well must be my imagination. anyway!’ and changes the subject quickly. One day shes finally like ‘so who are you? cause its definitely not the emperorer’

She gets what it’s like to be in big positions of power so she plays with him a lot. Tries to get him to loosen up. This mostly takes the form of her playing little harmless pranks on him. Something to make him smile. As well as give her a good laugh. You can bet she sets up a banana peel in front of him. It’s all in good harm and nothing harmful and nothing that would put his position in danger

When theyre alone Maya teaches him fun kid things. She excitedly recounts all sorts of fun tales she’s heard, complete with reenacments that sometimes gets herself hurt during the action scenes, sometimes sakuhito. She doesnt care. Maya is probably alot more daring around him than anyone should be allowed to be in front of the emperor but it always works to her favor. All she wants is to get his mind off all the big heavy stuff he has to deal with in the outside world. When theyre together in her room, she wants him to just feel like sakuhito.

I feel like this might result in him feeling the need to distance himself because she ends up being able to tear his mask off a lot easier than she should be able to. And he has a job to do. He cant let anyone know of his presence but maya is absolutely RELENTLESS.

Maya and Sakuhito are very similar in that they have theyre fun childish sides but this never means that they are people who shirks their responsibilities. Which I think is a big comfort for Maya because I like to imagine in the presence of other people they’ll be all stiff. Maya and Sakuhito bow deeply to each other and are like ‘It’s an honor to meet you Emperorer Kuze’ ‘Yes as with you oh powerful Kurain Master’ and they’ll glance up and theres this small smile and glimmer in they’re eye and they share a giggle before coming back up. Them talking to each other politely feels more like a game of pretend, compared with others when they’re playing their assigned roles.

Now time for fun hcs!

I like to imagine if they’re stuck in a gathering of important figures, Maya and Sakuhito will find themselves together and they’ll look like they’re having important conversations, and sometimes they are but others Maya’s just cracking jokes with him in a hushed tones. Sometimes Sakuhito has to start into a coughing fit to hide a laugh.

Of course Maya doesn’t do this all the time. She has a good sense of responsibility and time and place, but there’s also something fun about sharing in these secret conversations. It’s a feeling akin to passing notes in the middle of class with a close friend.

These two have conversations thats just two people of similar personalities and backgrounds who can connect and understan each other in this way that not a lot of other people can They have a lot of fun and when they’re together they can just be themselves. And it’s a bit of a relief from their usual lives. They give each other a place where they can be themselves.

I like to think that they’re kind of like each others safe havens. Like theyre home when they’re with each other.

These two get so good at reading each other so if something happens in a room, they literally just have to make eye contact and immediately theres this understanding. They can make hand signals that no one else understands but them.

Ohh Maya gets kidnapped and she sends a letter thats supposed to make sure no one suspects anything but later when Kuze is relaying this to Sakuhito Maya says something odd that makes Sakuhito raise an eyebrow. Like it’s something small that no else would think twice about but he just KNOWS and he takes a look at the letter and it makes mention of a story character who gets kidnapped, And its one of the stories she had told him about and hes immediately like. MAYAS BEEN KIDNAPPED. and everyone else is like. isnt that a jump? but he just KNOWS. he can tell from just these small things that somethings wrong and theres something in his gut that just makes him so sure of this

oh man i want modern au for all your muses i just tried imagining modern sakuhito but idk how thatd even translate

Munenori

I feel like she tends to do the same for munenori that she does for Sakuhito but rather than it being a concentrated effort at first, with like a purpose she just can kind of naturally be herself. I think that has to do with the fact that Munenori isn’t pushing himself like sakuhito is to keep up the mask of someone that is just the opposite of himself.Her relationship is something more relaxed where she just is herself and munenori appreciates it

I feel like this relationship is very mutual in that, Maya really loves and respects him. She respects how dignified he is. How he holds himself as a leader and how he leads. She’s fascinated by him because he doesn’t treat her like others do and he seems to genuinely enjoy her presence rather than just putting up with her. There’s this natural pull she feels where she wants to learn more about him. In turn munenori appreciates how shes never let the power she has get to her head, rather it’s not in her to ever let her power control her like it has others. She’s so genuine and has this aura of fun about her but also never shirks her own responsibilities. I also feel like he’ll be one of the first to realize her tactical abilities and that she’s much smarter than she or anyone will give her credit her. Like this relationship is built on a lot of mutual respect.

When these two are together I like to imagine it’s more like two like minded people with differing energies that come to converge when they’re together. It’s a friendship that on the outside looks so strange but for these two it’s so natural. They’re like minded enough to enjoy one anothers presence but different enough for them to be able to learn and grow from being together. The ways they differ allow for them to have these interesting conversations. While they don’t agree on everything they can usually walk away from disagreements feeling like they learned something. I guess if I had to describe it, you wouldn’t ever imagine it but their brains are kind of on the same wavelength. Like they can just enjoy each others presence and grow from each other, but when things get bad, something happens with the war, they stand on equal footing and can help support each other. Give insight that the other lacks

Roberto

Her relationship with Roberto is interesting because he meets her on much different circumstances than she does with the other two. Maya is trying to really embrace her responsibility and in doing so leave parts of herself behind. It’s not like she’s all business all the time but there’s not as much room to be herself. That’s why Roberto is someone she really connects with. He brings out this side of her that’s shes trying to lock away and just the mere presence of him is making that impossible for her.

These two are people with similar energies who feed into each other. When they’re together it can be explosive chaos because there are ZERO brakes. Interestingly enough it’s usually maya with the reservations. Because she’s here to work. She’s here to study. Yes she has fun, yes she can be silly, but she can’t be her usual rule breaker self when she’s here. She wants to be respectful to the kingdom that allowed her to study under their royalty. So she can’t exactly go around burning the place down.

That’s why Roberto is kind of like her kryptonite. He so naturally and effortlessly pulls her entire personality out where she likes it or not. That’s kind of good but kind of bad. He encourages those impulses that usually most people would tell her no. It’s good in that Maya has more room to breathe, but sometimes he encourages her to do things she shouldn’t. But I think because he’s encouraging this side of her that everyone tells her is bad, she feels more like she can trust him. Like she can entrust this side of herself to him.

Now for some fun hcs

Maya and Roberto get so good at avoiding guards it’s like a game of hide and seek. They end up becoming really acquaintd with all the nooks and crannies of the palace. They end up exploring the castle more thoroughly and even find hidden passageways and they explore a lot together. Like they have all these cool adventures.

[jedifighterpilot2727]

i hate that straight people refer to supercorp as a crackship like its a big fucking joke because its not?? Theyre friendship is so beautiful and has so much potential to be more but straight people keep on treating it as a joke im tired

Is Supercorp unlikely to happen? Yes.

Extremely unlikely. Especially since the writers have been putting out complete shit when it comes to Kara these last few episodes.

But does that make it a joke? No. the romantic story line that they’ve been force feeding us and Kara this season is a joke.

Supergirl used to be my favorite show because it was about a girl hero and her mostly female support system kicking ass and the only douche bag male that we had to pretend was a semi-nice guy was Maxwell Lorde and now we have Mike who (don’t even get me started), we’re actually supposed to ship with the hero.

I feel like the show has a big void in it from where Cat left, and I understand Calista’s reasons for leaving the show, but the writers are trying to fill the hole with the Guardian storyline (I like Guardian but I think he should be able to work WITH Kara and not be a side arc), and Mike; and it’s kind of like trying to plug a hole in a boat with tissue paper.

Lena Luthor is RIGHT THERE! and regardless of the fact that I think she and Kara should be more than friends, it still stands that Lena is a powerful woman who, against all odds, is a hero in her own right. I think just having her as a series regular would do wonders for this show in my opinion.

Supergirl is supposed to be a show about strong women supporting each other and how, no matter what you choose to do for a living, you can be a hero. We lost some great females from season 1 (Cat, Lucy, Vasquez, etc.) and if nothing else they need to bring in other strong females to fill the void - not whiny little boys.

There is so much potential in both M’gann and Lena that the writers are just ignoring. The only time I actually enjoyed the episode this week was when Sanvers and Supergirl were on screen together - and speaking of Sanvers, I need my Alex back!! and I want more of Maggie’s back story! I feel like she just got stamped ‘Alex’s girlfriend’ and that’s all we’re going to get.

Now that my rant is over, back to your issue - Supercorp definitely has the potential to happen and I firmly believe that if Lena was a man it would have already happened. Every Monday night at about 7:50 I start desperately hoping that the writers have somehow found a way to dig their heads out of their asses and turn this show around, and I will continue to do so until it becomes unbearable.

As for the people hating on gay ships - I hate to say it, but people will always hate on gay ships. People will continue to marginalize it and erase it and make a joke out of it and try to make us sound desperate for - well, probably longer than I’ll be alive.

Take for instance, Castle. I am a HUGE Caskett shipper. I love love love their dynamic and for four seasons I teetered desperately on the edge of will they/won’t they. EVERYONE who watched the show (that I know of), came back every week just to see the little interactions and it was perfectly okay because they were STRAIGHT.

Supercorp has just as much chemistry and they barely even have any scenes together! Imagine if they were together every episode!

And it feels helpless because no, they probably aren’t going to get together, and yes that’s just going to feed people’s trash spewers with all kinds of talk about ‘desperate gays’ and ‘they already have one ship, why do they need two’ and all kinds of bullshit that I won’t get into here.

But now for the hopeful part.

Fandom is AMAZING.

There are writers and artists and fans, and honestly the amount of fandom created content outweighs the actual show content by a ridiculous amount. And even better, it’s a whole support system of people just like you - who are marginalized and ridiculed and we can stand together! I have friends on here who I started talking to for no other reason than we both shipped the same ‘impossible’ wlw ship.

That is AMAZING.

And because of this grassroots style of fandom, I firmly believe that one day you won’t be able to read a book, watch a TV show, or watch a movie, or play a video game without there being a LGBTQIA character or *gasp* a whole handful of them. And one day when you say ‘I ship this girl with this girl’ it wont be a shocker. It won’t be a ‘crackship’. there will actually be every possibility of that happening.

The biggest thing you can do is keep creating, keep writing, keep drawing, keep being a fan.

Keep being YOU.

Because they cannot erase you.

And one day, you’ll look up at the TV and see a character who is just like you. And it won’t be a big deal. it won’t be a magazine article about ‘forward thinking shows’. It’ll just be a regular Tuesday night. 

TL;DR - Supercorp is not a crack ship and people who think it is don’t have eyes. Fan on.