#this probably says something about me as a person ....

[plotwholls]

Clark has known Batman for roughly two years now, and in that time, he’s never cursed a living being more than he has that man. Now, if we’re counting collectives, then mosquitoes and viruses would probably edge Batman out, because— and no one can tell Lois this— Clark still sometimes cries about how many people they kill.

After tonight, Batman has secured a solid lead that Clark is sure will last for at least the next decade.

It started with him waking up to a fourth grader standing on his chest— not a great way to wake up, may Clark just say, even if he hadn’t noticed the weight. Mainly because… well. Clark nearly screamed. The only reason he didn’t was because the kid slapped a hand over his mouth and hissed the magic words that would have Clark cursing Batman into the next three centuries:

“B’s missing!”

“Who?!”

“Batman! He’s missing!” The kid wails, still standing on Clark’s chest. “I don’t know what to do!”

“You can start,” Clark says calmly, “by sitting on the bed.”

“What? No, that’s weird. OH MY GOD, SUPERMAN’S A WEIRDO!”

Clark palmed his face. Patience is a Virtue, Clark…. “Kid. Please… get off my chest.”

The kid pauses his wailing. “Oh. Yeah, right.” The kid backflips off of Clark’s chest, and onto the chest he keeps at the base of his bed so Jimmy stops complaining about the feng shui of his bed not being protected at the foot, and funeral positions. “Batman’s missing.”

“Okay? Go to your mom.”

“My mom’s dead.”

Clark stares. “Uh.”

“So’s my dad.”

Clark tries to find something to say. Nothing feels adequate.

The kid grins wildly. “Maybe I should go kill Zucco. B always stops me.”

Clark shoots up— “NO. NO MURDER, SMALL CHILD.”

The kid bursts into whining, writhing on Clark’s bed like a cat protesting medicine.

What the fuck is going on? Clark gets the distinct impression that he should blame Batman for this in more ways than the obvious, but, honestly, Clark is too sleep deprived and sleep addled to be worrying about things like thinking straight.

“I’m not a small child!” He protests. “I’m nearly in middle school!”

Okay, so he’s, like, ten-and-a-half. Noted. “Why are you here?”

The kid rolls over and straightens up some, grinning like a maniac. “B said I should come to you if I can’t reach him or A.”

Clark rubs the sleep from his eyes. “Does that make you C?”

“What? No. You’re C. I would be R. For Robin?”

Okay, so it’s either some arbitrary ranking system, or a semi-covert nicknaming scheme. Noted. “That’s a nice name,” Clark tells him. “Why did Batman tell you to come to me?”

“Thanks! My mom gave it to me!”

Clark takes a deep breath. “Why did Batman send you to me, Robin?”

“Well, more like he told me that I can trust you.”

“That’s… heartwarming. Why are you here?”

“Wow; you really are not a morning person, huh?” Robin flops down onto the bed.

“No,” He admits, ruffling the kid’s hair. “Not really. So.” Clark smacks his lips. “Can this discussion be had over juice?”

The kid tries to bolt up and immediately experiences the theory of immovable objects vs. very stoppable forces.

Clark just blinks slowly. “…If you just got a concussion, no you didn’t.”

The kid giggles.

Clark already knows this brat is trouble, and god damn him, Batman had been right to send the kid to him, because Clark would definitely help the kid. Damn him. Damn him, damn him, damn him for nothing in particular because Clark still doesn’t really know what’s going on.

He pours himself some orange juice. He pours himself another glass, because Robin stole the first. “So.” He blinks harshly. He sniffs. “Batman told you to come to me if you couldn’t get to him or A because he trusts me?”

“Nah, B doesn’t trust anyone. He sent me to you ‘cause you’re soft like him.”

He… has never heard anyone describe Batman as soft before, but okay. “And, Batman is missing?”

Robin nods furiously. “I can’t find him. He was supposed to come home and tuck me in, but he didn’t.”

Clark paused, cup inches from his mouth. He glances at the clock, and back at the kid. …Batman’s never late to anything. “When was he supposed to tuck you in?”

“Nine. He likes to tuck me in ‘cause he thinks it’ll stop me from sneaking out to be Robin.”

I— okay. “Did he go out before nine?”

Robin nods. “There was an alert, but he texted me at 8:30 to tell me to get ready for bed and that he was coming home to make sure I’m in bed.”

“So, whatever the alert is, he isn’t still busy dealing with it?”

Robin shakes his head, becoming more distressed. “No! I checked with Commish, and he said Batman left at eight for the cave— he should’ve been back within fifteen minutes of his text.”

Clark took a long, long drink of orange juice. It’s past 2AM— Batman wouldn’t freak his kid out like this. Right. He points at the costume. “Is that comfortable to sleep in?”

Robin pauses. “What?”

“I’m putting you to bed,” Clark clarifies. “Do I need to find you PJs?”

“But, I don’t wanna go to bed!”

“Too bad. You’re going to bed. In the morning, I’ll let you know if I’ve found Batman.”

“And if you haven’t?! You need me!”

“Yes, well rested so you can help me in the morning. BED.”

Situation where Clark has formed a tentative working relationship with Batman, but somewhere in that time, Batman acquired Robin and, naturally, didn't tell him.

Clark finds out about Robin's existence when a ten year old Dick Grayson in full Robin gear breaks into his apartment at two in the morning and shakes him awake because Batman's missing and Alfred's away and Bruce taught him that, in the case of emergency, Superman was one of the only people he could trust. Bruce just didn't think to tell Clark that he was, by all means, his son's emergency contact.

Clark: -wakes up to a small boy that he's never seen or heard of before in a cape and a mask with lenses that reflect light like a cat's perched on the edge of his bed in a pitch black room-

Dick, calmly: Hey, Batman's -- stop screaming -- Batman's missing. I need help.

[zolass]

Lust and Envy Top Male Reader x Perv Male Best Friend Oc I don't know where I wanted to go with this but I'll probably drop a part 2 because I do have some ideas to continue ngl. Also I'm mostly experimenting with those TvT and yes they'll fuck bc I'll make em. content/warning: smut, p in v, does it count as dub-con?, cuckolding, protected sex, perverted best friend, toy and cum and lube, if there's more I'm sry.

1.6k words

You’ve been friends with Nathan for quite a few years, you also heard weird shit spewing from his lips or him asking you a few weirdish requests, yet never something remotely close to this.

“You want me to do what?” you asked in utter disbelief– he couldn’t possibly be serious. Your brows were furrowed together, your jaw working as you grind your teeth a bit in irritation. Nathan’s blue eyes looked slightly up at you, nervous at your reaction, “Well– I just want to see what it’s like to see–” your palm hit your forehead as your eyes closed and you counted down from ten, before you opened your eyes again. “Nathan sometimes I’m questioning why I’m still friends with you– fucking your girlfriend while you watch?” you repeated his request.

This was the with utmost certainty the stupidest thing your best friend ever requested. Nathan shrugged his shoulders, “You’re like the only one I could’ve asked–” “Nathan I’m not even interested in women like that, I wouldn’t even get a boner at seeing a pussy in front of me,” you said. Truth to be told, you did in fact already did something like this before– yet you were actually fucking the boyfriend while the girlfriend watched, to be fair you only did it after making sure you wouldn’t get any smoke from whatever might happen after the experience.

But with Nathan it was different, he wanted you to fuck his girlfriend, it wasn’t a random couple that you probably never see again, it’s someone,despite the many times you questioned yourself being friends with him, close to you. “What if you simply think it’s a guy– come on I’ll owe you one,” Nathan said, grabbing onto your arms while putting on the puppy eyes.

Closing your eyes, you sighed in defeat, “You look stupid with that look on your face,” you simply stated before opening your eyes and glancing down at Nathan, who had a goofy smile on his lips, “Where and when?” 

This was how you found yourself two days later on a saturday, early evening in your best friend's apartment. You stood in the bedroom with the couple, already naked. You looked at the woman standing across from you, before your eyes landed on Nathan who sat in a chair close to the bed, then back to Lexie.

Without a word, the woman kneeled in front of you and took your soft dick in her hands, giving it a few strokes while you tried really hard to imagine it was a guy. Already regretting saying yes, but Nathan this little fucker knew you rarely said no to any of his requests, but before Lexie could take your dick in your mouth you stopped her, “Let’s not– I’ll just do it or else it’ll probably stay limp for the rest of the night,” you said. The woman only glanced at you with a raised eyebrow before she shrugged and stood up.

You grabbed your dick and gave it a few strokes, added with a bit extra help of memories of your past hook-ups you got your cock to be semi-hard, you bit your lip as a grunt was about to leave you, before you opened your eyes and quickly grabbed the condom you took with you. As you glanced over to Nathan, you already saw he had his pants slightly shuffled down, and his dick hard against his stomach. 

Whatever flows one's boat.

You ripped the condom open with your teeth, before you made quick work on rolling it onto your length. The bed queked under the pressure of one person, as you looked over you saw Lexie’s ass facing you, so maybe she did know that you were gay or whatever, at least you didn’t have to see her face. When you took a few steps over to the bed, placing a hand on the curve of her ass, you lined up your cock up to her pussy before you pushed in you, trying your best to trick yourself that it was simply a guy. 

As you pushed in, you didn’t feel as much tightness as you thought, yet the moment her moan sounded, you grabbed her nape and pushed her face into the sheets before thrusting your entire length in. The muffled moan made it easier for you to forget that it was a woman, as you started to harshly thrust your hips while your eyes were squeezed shut. Small grunts started to erupt from you, as you picked up the pace, the light stimulation of the clenching while your mind was somewhere else helped quite well. 

It didn’t take long for a load moan to erupt from Lexie, as her body shuddered and her hole clenched around you as she came, you quickly pulled your dick out, even if you wore a condom, and all that her moans made it painfully obvious that she wasn’t a guy. “I’ll jerk off in the bathroom,” you spoke bluntly, before leaving the bedroom to go into the bathroom, closing the door behind you.

You didn’t want to be blue balled after all of this, so you took your hard cock in your hand and started to give it long strokes, before quickening the pace. Small groans left you, until you came in the condom. Resting your forehead against the cool wall, you shaky breaths as your orgasm welled down and the last spurt of cum landed in the condom before you pulled it off and tied a knot at the top and threw it in the bin. 

Before you tugged your cock back in, you cleaned yourself before stalking back to the bedroom where your pants, and other stuff was. As you walked inside the bedroom, you were rather expecting the two of them to go at it like jackrabbits, but both of them were in the same places they  were before you left the bedroom. 

Pursing your lips, feeling rather awkward and out of place now, you quickly put on your boxers, pants and shirt, before you grab all the necessities you brought wherever you go, you looked at your best friend, whose legs were spread with a white substance all over his shirt and stomach, you couldn’t help the slight snort escaping you gaining the attention of Nathan, “Seems like you really owe me one now, I’ll be going,” you said after putting on your shoes and ready to walk out, “Where’s the condom?” the stupid question came from your friend, to which you looked back at him with your eyebrows knitted together, “In the bin where the hell else?” “Oh–” a dumb smile formed on Nathan’s lips to which you only rolled your eyes, “Take care– both of you.”

With those words you were quickly out of the apartment on your way back home. Yea you were quite stupid for going along with your friend, a dry chuckle left you. Unknownst to you, it didn’t take long for Lexie to also leave her boyfriend’s apartment, saying something about a late ‘girl’s night weekend’, leaving Nathan alone.

Nathan had his head leaned back on the back of the seat, as he simply stared at the ceiling. He remembers clearly how you looked with your eyes closed, small grunts coming through your lips, a frown on your face as even with your eyes closed you seemed focused as you thrust your hips so vigorously. The loud clapping of skin hitting skin, had him wishing it was him underneath you instead of Lexie, just the thought alone of getting his asshole pounded into the mattress by you, had him climaxing.

Then he suddenly remembered the condom you had used, he bit his lip as he stood up before almost making a dash to the bathroom. As he looked into the bin, he saw the tied condom beside some papers you’d used, biting his lip he fished the condom out as he felt the blood rushing to his dick.

He swiftly walked out of the bathroom, to the kitchen in which he grabbed a pair of scissors, only to rush back into his bedroom to grab a box from underneath his bed, after he put the condom and scissors on the bed. Unlatching the handle and opening the top, only to reveal the pink dildo, which basically had the same size as your own.

Nathan bit his lip as he grabbed the dildo and put it on the bed, hastily undressing himself, he snatched the condom and the scissors before cutting the knot off and throwing the scissors into the box in which he hid the dildo. His hole clenched and unclenched in excitement while his cock was basically weeping, dirtying the sheets even further. Slowly he arched his back his ass sticking out, while he looked concentrated back as he slowly let a bit of the white liquid inside the condom drop onto his cheeks, feeling it run down his crack making his dick twitch, before he emptied the rest of your cum on the dildo lubing it up with it.

He couldn’t help but swallow as he simply threw the now almost empty condom somewhere, as he quickly grabbed onto the dildo, keeping it as steady as he could while he lined up his hole with the tip. Shaking with excitement, he basically plunged the entire length inside of his hole, like he did quite a few times before. Nathans back arched, as his eyes rolled to the back of his head and a loud shameless moan rippled from his throat.

The tip pressed right against his prostate, as a spurt of cum shot out of his tip. Not wasting any more time, Nathan started to ride the toy with eagerness imagining it was you, all the while the knowledge of using your cum as lube, thrilled him. He pulled one orgasm out after the other, just wishing it was you ruining him instead of a toy, until he passed out on the drenched sheets with the dildo lodged in his ass. 

Nathan didn’t know how long he could continue, until the greed ultimately got to him.

[fairyhaos]

how seventeen act with their acts-of-service s/o

requested by 🦆 anon! kinda veered into me talking ab svt's love languages in some places lol (some1 remind me to write that hc at some point...) masterlist

seungcheol

might sometimes fight u on this but don't take it personally ok?? he's just so used to taking care of other people that having someone do things for him instead is so… weird. it definitely takes some getting used to, but he certainly doesn't hate it. it's quite sweet. returns the favour by showering you with as many gifts as he possibly can

jeonghan

you know that this is literally his dream come true, right? you know you're his soulmate now, right? absolutely adores getting doted on like this so you can BET he's beyond pleased that your love language is literally taking care of him. don't think it's just one sided, however. jeonghan is a mix of all the love languages, so you can bet he's doing countless other things for you too

joshua

watching his face morph from confusion to surprised realisation when he notices you've done something for him never fails to make your day. for joshua, it's still surprising every time (he's just 24/7 touched by ur love) and he knows how much you love doing things for him, and so he just lets you do what you love. it's also so devastatingly sweet, and knowing you pay attention to him this much makes his heart melt

junhui

loves it, mainly because every time u do something for him, it gives him the excuse to smother you with kisses. his love language is touch, okay, but sometimes he knows he can get overwhelming… but if he's giving you a kiss as a thank-you for doing something for him, then there's no way that can be overwhelming yk!! still kisses you all the time, tho. the acts of service thing is just an excuse. 

hoshi

he's a youngest child, so obviously he loves it. getting doted on like this is the best thing in the world for him, but also he loves seeing you light up with joy every time you do something that you think will make him happy. you look so gorgeous when you're happy like this, so you can bet he's bounding over to pepper your faces with kisses and shower you with compliments because oh, he's just soo lucky to be loved by you

wonwoo

has admitted to you during pillow talk more than one time that he loves when you take care of him like this. it makes him feel so—noticed, like he's something precious, something worth paying attention to, and it touches his heart to be loved in that way. always repays the favour through his actions and his words wherever he can, telling you sincerely how much he loves you and is so grateful that you love him

woozi

pretends to hate it but actually really likes it. he doesn't like it all the time, but there is something nice about how sometimes, he'll have this overwhelming list of things he has to do and then he finds that—oh. you've done some of those things for him, without him even breathing a word of it to anyone. it makes him feel seen, incredibly touched that you cared enough to notice and take some off the load off his shoulders. 

minghao

whenever you try to engage in acts of service for minghao, it kind of fails bc it turns into both of you doing stuff together. it's what happens when your love language of acts of service meets minghao's love language of quality time. everything becomes a duo activity. but honestly, you don't mind, because you love anything that has to do with minghao

mingyu

mingyu is so acts of service coded that this can go one of two ways. 1) he adores u doing things for him. you knowing what he needs done without him even saying? peak love fr. or 2) he's adamantly against it bc hey, he's meant to be taking care of you, wdym you did all the laundry for him this week???? either way tho, mingyu probably ends up sweeping you in his arms and kissing u soft and sweet 2 show how much he loves u too

dokyeom

melts into the floor every time you do something for him omg. this man canonically loves being called a princess so this kind of princess treatment is perfect for him!!! gets all touched and giggly when you carry out tasks for him, blushes when you feed him food and is just all in all a complete mess of adoration for u. it's one of the many reasons you love doting on him so much. 

seungkwan

both of you are acts of service people and it's honestly so funny. you tidy the living room bc you know he's been wanting it done, and he'll cook dinner bc he knows how tired you are. that's all well and good, but then it becomes you doing a deep clean of the house because you know that seungkwan knows that you wanted that done because he wanted it done and you're doing it now to help seungkwan help you to help him... which is a bit weird, but that's just how things work with you two

vernon

you do things for him, and in return, he does things for you. probably at the same time as you do things for him, too, in a kind of quiet, co-existing way. you'll dust his vinyls as he waters your plants, or you'll massage his shoulders as he's cleaning your jewellery. he likes existing in the same space as you and doing things for you at the same time as you do things for him. it's calming. 

chan

beyond grateful every. single. time. whenever he finds you've made him lunch or done the shopping or even done something very small, he's falling over himself in gratitude bc oh lord you're so SWEET and he's gonna cry. sings your praises to everyone he knows bc you're the best person in EXISTENCE and he's so lucky to be with you. tells you he loves you at every opportunity because it's true, and he'll never get tired of saying it

request guidelines

reactions tags: @weird-bookworm @minhui896 @slytherinshua @haowrld @belladaises @newgirlygirl @moonlitskiiies @mirxzii @wonranghaeee @yonabutnotyuna @crackedpumpkin @wqnwoos @kthstrawberryshortcake-main @kawennote09 @a-wandering-stay @icyminghao @valenhui @sweet-like-caramel @odxrilove @kyeomyun @chansburgah @pepperonijem @jeonride @kellesvt @kikohao @astrozuya @eightlightstar @onlyyjeonghan @aaniag @starshuas @all-american-fangirl @f1uffyjun @sea-moon-star @nonononranghaee @isabellah29 @mcu-incorrect @hrts4hanniehae @suraandsugar @pan-de-seungcheol @dokyeomkyeom @melodicrabbit @bananabubble @allieyaaa @aaa-sia

[coldilikeit]

Isekai reader x Batfam (Neglected au)

Female reader

Chapter 9- What's wrong with you Bruce?

_____________________________

"Get up from there, that's not your seat" Damian glares at Viviana, the girl didn't move but only widened her eyes, seemingly making her look confused and wronged

"I'm sorry... Was it yours? I haven't been in the house long, so I don't know" she sheepishly smiled, Damian raised a brow "That's (Name)'s seat, get up"

You tilt your head "it's just a chair, I'll sit somewhere else", the boy gripped his fists tight "but that- you sit there and I sit beside you, then the one beside me is Dick, that's how I like it"

Viviana feigned sadness "Don't you want to sit next to me?" She said, "No" he said back

(Name), I'm sensing hostility

"yeah but when is Damian not hostile" you whisper quietly to the system

No I mean, hostile to you, Viviana is hostile to you, she doesn't seem to want to team up, according to her system, she thinks of you as a threat and she- oh my glitches, didn't you die by car accident?

"yeah..?"

Guess who was driving the car.

"What the fuck" you say outloud, too shocked to even whisper, Damian glares even further at Viviana, thinking she's the cause of your profanity

You look at the girl In front of you, why are you so stupid, of course not all reincarnators are good people, you were naive to think you'd found a companion, someone who'd understand the way you felt all these years feeling like you're living in someone else's body, slowly losing the memories of your past self

Viviana smiles, one that is too sinister to ignore, there you realize she wanted it, you wonder if she knows that she's the one who killed you, you stand up "I lost my appetite... I'm going for a walk" you say

"(Name)! What?... This is your fault!" Damian exclaims as he runs after you

_____________________________

Bruce wakes up feeling okay... He's okay.

He remembers Viviana, the child who grew up without a father, and a child who'd recently lost her mother, he wanted to be able to dry his daughter's tears, and tell her it's okay, that she now has a family to cry with

Maybe he'll arrange his girls and Viviana an outing or maybe not Cassandra doesn't like going out much, Viviana should be his top priority, he does love his other children and he should probably check first if they're comfortable with hanging out with a person who's been a complete stranger not until last night, but Viviana is hurting...

He walks to the dining area seeing (Name) and Damian run off, what has Damian done now? Is (Name) alright, I should probably follow them to make sure they're okay

Viviana is right in front of him, Damian and (Name) can wait, his daughter is in front of him, and she looks... Upset?

Why is she upset?

Did something happen?

Did Damian fight her?

Is she not okay in the manor?

(Name) looked upset too

Enough about the others, Viviana is upset

"Is everything alright?" Bruce asked, he places his hand on the almost in tears girl's shoulder "I feel like-" *sniff* *sniff* "(Name) doesn't like me here, she cursed at me earlier"

(Name) was the reason? Well she probably had a good reason, she doesn't get upset at someone easily that wretched brat? Bruce thought she was finally behaving? Why on earth is (Name) making a sweet girl so upset? When she gets back I should punish her. No I shouldn't hurt (Name), she looked upset as well... Maybe it was a misunderstanding

"That doesn't sound like (Name)" Tim enters holding a bag of coffee beans munching on them like they're chips, Viviana sniffles "You weren't there... You don't know anything"

"yeah... And we can't just believe your word right? Let's ask (Name) what happened first-"

"Tim that's enough, don't interrogate Viviana, she's not a criminal, why would she even lie?" Bruce sneered, Tim looked taken aback "I wasn't saying she was lying I was just saying she might be twisting what actually happened to be innocent, (Name) isn't the type of person who curses at someone unprompted"

"so you're trying to shift the blame onto Viviana?" No he's not, he's just trying to find out what actually happened, why am I yelling at Tim? Bruce feels anger, why is everyone ganging up on Viviana?

Bruce sighs "I'll have Alfred summon (Name), she will be disciplined accordingly"

"Whoa hold one you don't even know what happened! Why are you set on punishing (Name) already, you should at least hear her side-"

"And? (Name) Is still the reason Viviana is upset, so she will be disciplined"

Tim scoffed "What's wrong with you? So if I said Viviana is upsetting me by sitting the wrong way will you discipline her? Also? Why is she sitting in (Name)'s seat, Alfred assigned Viviana her own seat earlier?"

"that's different."

"Well you-"

"Wait please stop! Don't fight because of me! Dad! Please don't punish (Name), it was nothing really... I forgive her" Viviana said meekly

Tim rolls his eyes "Okay court adjourned, no need to punish (Name)"

____________________________

Bruce: I love all my children equally.

*Viviana enters*

Bruce: Viviana is an angel amongst my children of demons

____________________________

Author: IM BACKKKKKKK

@jellyedkazoo @vanilliona @shyenemyperson @popboomcha @plsfckmedxddy @devotedlyshamelessdetective @dorkatron-2000 @yuyuzi-ling @sweetsugerskull @butratherbutrather @yu-reiii @clementinesyummy @lfiee @iamapotatoe @type-ink @unknownloner1345 @randomlyappearingartist @justatimidcreator

[angelyuji]

yandere mark grayson

might be a little ooc lowkey... sorry.

tw // stalking, nolan is an enabler, yandere behavior, emotional manipulation, honestly nothing too crazy compared to what ive written in the past

mark grayson x reader

im gonna talk mostly about story mark and not the variants but ill add a couple cutesy little remarks at the end

markie poo is very intense as a yandere, not in the kidnapping sort of sense but like emotionally

you’d probably meet him in college and start off as friends

he’s def the type to fall in love at first sight tho like he sees you and its like some angelic light bathed you

he was in awe

he def uses his powers to stalk you and figure out everything about you

william lowkey encourages it too cause…. he seems like the type to stalk his crushes (he’s a normal person so its like kinda a normal amount)

anyway he doesn’t really realize how he’s following you or watching you until someone points it out (eve) and he’s like “omg im so evil im so bad and evil and i should die”

and he confesses it to his parents cuz who knows better than him? mama y papa!!

“im so sorry, i know i shouldn’t use my powers to stalk (y/n). i know what im doing is wrong. i just like them… so so much.” mark buries his head in his hands, too ashamed to look at his parents.

he hears his mom sigh, “mark what you’ve been doing is-” she stops. mark looks up to see his dad whisper into her ear. she bites her lip before nodding. debbie pulls him into a hug before leaving the room to go upstairs. mark feels tears well up in his eyes, seeing the disappointment in his mom’s eyes.

“mark.” he looks over at his dad. “come here, son.” nolan pats the space next to him on the couch. mark hesitantly, moves to sit next to his father. “i sent your mother away because i needed to explain something to you. something she would never understand.” his father’s voice was low. mark swallows, trepidation building. “when i first met your mother, she had rejected me.” he sits back, “and i loved her more for it. everyday i would watch her, where she worked, where she lived, who she spent time with, everything, mark. i needed to know more about her, i wanted for her to be mine… i was-” nolan barks out a laugh, “i was willing to take her away from everything if she would’ve rejected me again.” he looks over at mark, “fortunately for all of us, your mom agreed for a date and now… here we are.” nolan smiles, wistfully. mark stays silent, processing everything. nolan pats his son on the knee, “what i’m trying to say, son, is that what you’re doing is normal. you are my son, of course you could love like i do.” nolan ruffles mark’s hair before standing up.

“but mom-”

“what your mother doesn’t know won’t hurt her, mark. and what (y/n) doesn’t know won’t hurt them.”

i made up that nolan did all that, but like…. who would be surprised if he actually did lol

anyway, nolan highkey made mark worse becuz why would u say all that, man… (i made him say it but that’s beside the point)

mark doesn’t even have his own place yet, so kidnapping is off the table and with papa nolan in space, he knows debbie won’t be down for him bringing back a gagged you lol

if ur single, he’ll just push and push and push until you’re like omg fine ill go on a date with you

he’ll do everything right just so you won’t think about not dating him

he doesn’t want to tell you that he’s invincible but if it means you’ll trust him to protect you, he’ll do tell u

he’s very very very overprotective

if you’re in danger… everybodys dying he does not gaf

if ur in a relationship, ur partner’s going missing… sorry to them but mark will swoop in while you’re grieving and then bam somehow you guys are dating

he would never hurt you, but he would hurt other people to get to you/make you realize you’ll never escape him

like father like son as they say

anyway some quickie thoughts about invincible war before we move on

the moment those unhinged freaks stepped foot into this universe, they’re gonna find you

similar to that moment in the show where the burned looking mark when home to fake-cry to kill debbie, smth like that except they show up and take you with them

anyway i have similar thoughts but mostly about omni-mark and the other freaked up mark #needthatbad

they’re sooo obsessed with u but its hard to give a generalized behavior headcanon cuz each of my freaks are so different

also before i go, i wanna go back to when i said he’s very emotionally intense

he’ll twist your words and make you feel bad for rejecting him/not listening to him

mark would def use his fears to make you do what he wants

“mark, i need to get to class.” you try to pull yourself out of his grasp, but his hands go back around your waist. the two of you lay naked next to each other in your dorm after he had come back from patrol, you can see his suit peeking out from under the bed as you try to pull yourself away once more.

“(y/n), please don’t go.” you turn to look at your boyfriend, he pouts as he pulls you closer. he buries his head into your chest and you feel your face get hot.

“mark, i have to go to class. i’ve already missed 3 lectures because of you.” you push yourself away and off the bed. you feel his hand clasp onto yours. “mark.” you frown and look back, annoyed, when you see his tears. “oh my god, mark,” you immediately fold, holding him close.

“i just… i’m sorry i know you have to go to class, but i was so worried with everything that’s happening. i had- i had a nightmare i lost you.” his voice was thick as he held back his tears. he presses his lips against yours, rough and needy. you let him; your heart heavy as you feel the weight on his shoulders. “i can’t lose you, (y/n). you’re my… you’re my everything, i can’t survive without you.” you let him kiss you once more, letting him pour his love into you. soon, you find yourself wrapped up in his touch. his lips against every part of you, his hands caressing your skin, his voice whispering sweetly into your ears. you missed your classes once more as mark held you tight. “i won’t survive without you, (y/n)…” his voice lulls you back to sleep, “and i won’t let you leave me.”

[lilianne-tarot]

PICK A CARD: Your Next Cutest Moment With Your Crush ⋆.𐙚 ̊

˚　　　　✦　　　.　　. 　˚　.　　　　　 . ✦

˚　　　　✦　　　.　　. 　˚　.　　　　　 . ✦

How to Pick Your Pile: Take a deep breath, clear your mind, and look at the images above. Which one pulls you in the most? Trust your gut! Once you choose the image, The number below your chosen image is your pile. If more than one catches your eye, that just means there’s extra tea for you—go ahead and read both!

If you enjoyed this reading, get your own personalized paid reading here!

My KO-FI link: HERE🫶🏻

MY MASTERLIST 🫶🏻

˚　　　　✦　　　.　　. 　˚　.　　　　　 . ✦

˙⋆✮PILE I

Cards pulled: 8 of swords, 4 of wands, the moon, 8 of cups, 10 of wands

DAMN PILE 1. First of all, let me say this: you are not expecting this moment to be as soft and emotionally charged as it’s gonna be. Like, this gives "oops I didn’t know you cared like that" energy. Baby, we’re starting with confusion, and overthinking from your side. You think you're stuck in the friend zone or on the outside of their world, but honey, you have no clue what’s simmering under the surface. 

So, picture this: It’s a casual hangout—maybe a small get-together, birthday, or group thing (4 of Wands is like the party card, but lowkey, cozy vibes). There’s laughter, chatter, but you? You’re kind of in your head, unsure of where you stand. And that's when they notice. Oh yes. They clock that you’re feeling distant. And guess what? They do something about it. This moment becomes special because your crush sees you — like, really notices you. The 10 of Wands is screaming that they are carrying a lot too — probs crushing hard but holding it in because they think you wouldn’t be into them like that (plot twist: wrong). So here you both are, lowkey struggling under all these feelings you think the other one doesn’t have — until bam, the vibe shifts.

 BABY. They are shooketh. Like, this person has been holding back so much again, 10 of Wands. They are Carrying all these feelings and not telling anyone (Relatable content). And in this moment, seeing you? It hits different. Their feelings are rising to the surface, even if they don’t confess right away. You’ll probably catch their eyes lingering a little too long, voice softer, body turned toward you like you’re the only person in the room. After? They’ll be thinking about this moment on repeat. Like, analyzing everything you said, everything. You’ll live rent-free in their mind, okay?

If we talk about how they’ll feel after that, then, Honestly? Shook but in a good way. Like, "Hold up, are we having a moment right now?" maybe pretending to be chill but internally screaming because finally, there’s proof that this connection is not one-sided. And here’s the kicker: You’ll feel lighter because finally, someone sees you beyond what you present to the world. To give you a hint, Maybe someone even mentions the moon? Also, I’m hearing soft, nostalgic songs — think "Until I Found You" by Stephen Sanchez or something giving "you’re my secret crush I didn’t know how to say it" vibes.

Okay babe, listen up: Don’t run from this moment. When they open up to you or give you that look, you know the look, lean into it. You don’t have to give in everything, but give them something back. Smile a little longer. Touch their arm when you respond, . Say something real like, "I didn’t think you noticed, but I’m glad you do." (i sound like a relationship coach right now😭) if you do this, BOOM door opened for more.An advice is, stop overthinking your worth in their eyes (I say this lovingly). You are so much more seen and adored than you realize. The moment will be so much better if you allow yourself to believe that.

Liked the reading? get your own personalised, super in-depth paid reading here!

˚　　　　✦　　　.　　. 　˚　.　　　　　 . ✦

˙⋆✮PILE II

Cards Pulled: the world reversed, the star, 8 of pentacles, 7 of swords reversed, the devil

Ooooh okay, babe, pile 2 — let me just say, the energy coming off this spread is intense but kinda sexy, like that moment in a movie when two people accidentally brush hands, but you know it's not that accidental. So let’s dive in because this is tea you need to hear.

So first of all—The World reversed sitting next to The Star? BABY, this cute moment is about to hit you like unfinished business meets healing energy. I’m seeing a vibe where either you and your crush haven’t really gotten to that “real talk” moment yet OR there’s some tension under the surface — like, y’all are low-key circling each other but haven’t admitted that this connection is a little too charged to be just casual. And then bam, the moment happens. 8 of Pentacles is giving me “mundane but magical,” so imagine, you're both focused on something else, but in the middle of all that, something shifts. Maybe you’re working on a project, helping a friend, or just caught in conversation when suddenly, it gets weirdly deep. Like… you drop a vulnerable comment without realizing, and they catch it. 7 of Swords reversed says the mask slips — for both of you.

Now here is when The Devil enters the chat. And listen, when I say chemistry off the charts, I mean red flag, green flag, I-don’t-even-care-I-wanna-touch-you kind of tension. It’s giving lingering glances, leaning in a little too close, breath hitching in your throat kinda moment. Like, someone says something stupidly flirty (maybe joking to cover it up😶‍🌫️), but you both freeze because why does it feel like you're standing too close in a crowded room? What makes this moment special, though, is that mix of vulnerability and raw attraction. The Star softens The Devil’s intense vibe—so instead of this being some flirty joke you move past, it's gonna feel like "I see you for real" energy. And The World reversed says this is a long time coming. Y’all have been dancing around this for a hot minute, and finally, the tension snaps—but in a cute, sweet way that makes your heart flutter and leaves you questioning if that just happened.

Now here’s the fun part: how they feel during and after? Okay, babe, they're SHOOK. Like full-on rethinking their life choices shook. They didn’t mean to be that obvious, but 7 of Swords reversed says they can't hide it anymore—your vibe gets under their skin in a way they can't explain. And after? Obsessing. Low-key watching your socials, replaying what was said in their head, wondering if you picked up on their feelings. Meanwhile, you're out here also spiraling in the cutest way, like “Did they mean that touch? Was I imagining it? Why did I blush so hard?” Symbolic signs? Omg, Devil + Star combo tells me music is important. Either a song plays right as this moment happens, or you’ll hear a song that reminds you of that exact vibe afterward—like those songs that make you feel like you're the main character having a slow-burn love story. And also, I’m seeing mirrors or reflections—maybe you catch them staring at you through a window, or you glance at each other in a reflection and realize the eye contact is a little too intense.

Just be in the moment. If you wanna drop a little "Hmm, interesting..." smirk, do it. If you wanna linger a little longer in the conversation, do it. You’re safe to explore this tension. There might be aa shift in your dynamic where y’all go from casual/crushing to "oh, we’re really a thing, huh?" Even if it’s unspoken at first, trust me, you’ll both walk away from this moment knowing something changed.

Liked the reading? get your own personalised, super in-depth paid reading here!

˚　　　　✦　　　.　　. 　˚　.　　　　　 . ✦

˙⋆✮ PILE III

Cards pulled: 9 of pentacles, 8 of wands, 3 of pentacles, 2 of pentacles, 6 of cups

Omg! my dear PILE 3 when I say your next cute moment with your crush is giving rom-com in real life, I’m not exaggerating. The way these cards are laid out, I swear it’s like watching the scene of a movie where the tension builds, something adorable (and chaotic) happens, and suddenly, you’re both realizing there’s something more here. And yes—so many pentacles—like HELLO? Stability, vibes. 

 So first off, HONEY, this isn't just a fleeting, "oops we bumped into each other at the coffee shop" type of moment. No no. With the 9 of Pentacles, 3 of Pentacles, and 2 of Pentacles, this moment is happening in a space where you're both comfortable but lowkey performing for each other, like a mutual friends’ gathering, a casual group project meet, or some type of shared task/event where you both gotta show up and work together. BUT—here’s the tea—the moment you two are in the same space, it's like everything starts moving fast, because of the 8 of Wands energy, and suddenly you're both matching each other’s energy, bantering, and doing the most to lowkey impress each other, while pretending you're totally chill.

it’s going to feel sweet and natural. Maybe you’ll bring up an inside joke from the past, or one of you will recall a cute memory you shared before—something that softens the whole moment and makes you both realize how comfortable you are together. Like imagine you’re laughing over some dumb joke only the two of you get, and suddenly there’s that pause—that eye contact where you’re both like, “Wait, why is my heart doing this?” Also, side note—there’s this energy of playful competition here, like maybe you're teasing each other, or working on something and "accidentally" brushing hands, you know? Very romantic tension building under casual vibes.

2 of Swords popping out from the deck when i was done pulling out the cards, tells me they’re gonna be a mess internally, but trying SO HARD to keep cool. Like, on the outside, they’ll be laughing and vibing, but on the inside? Full on omg why do I suddenly feel so into them? panic mode. And here’s where 8 of Wands comes in—this moment will hit them fast and hard, like they didn’t expect to feel this level of attraction or connection, and suddenly it’s just there. You’ll feel on top of the world, like "damn, I was cute today" energy. You'll notice them noticing you—like, actually noticing—and it’ll give you such a boost. But also, there will be a part of you that’s like, "Hmm, should I play this cool? Or should I risk showing I’m into them too?"—2 of Pentacles struggle—balancing that playful energy with your real feelings.  

I see someone saying something about “balance” or “juggling” or even a song playing in the background that's all about realizing feelings for someone you’ve known for a while—think "You Belong With Me" vibes but less dramatic. Also, food might weirdly pop into this moment? Like casually offering each other snacks or talking about food. Idk why, but I’m seeing it. 

 This moment is a stepping stone—like, after this, your dynamic is gonna shift. Your crush won’t be able to unsee the way they felt around you. Expect them to be a lil' awkward in the days after, like trying to “figure out” why they suddenly feel so drawn to you. And babe, let them stew in it a bit—you’ve got the power here.

Liked the reading? get your own personalised, super in-depth paid reading here!

˚　　　　✦　　　.　　. 　˚　.　　　　　 . ✦

Thank you so much for reading all the way through! I hope my reading resonated with you and that you had a lovely time going through it. If you enjoyed it, please like and reblog—it really means a lot! Let me know which pile you chose; I absolutely love hearing your thoughts and feedback on my readings! ♡

Note: tarot cards provide guidance and possible insights into what could happen based on current energies, thoughts, and actions. the cards can highlight potential paths or outcomes, but they do not predict the future in a fixed way. this is a general reading so take what resonates!

˚　　　　✦　　　.　　. 　˚　.　　　　　 . ✦

[fireinmoonshot]

Pairing: Joaquín Torres x Reader Summary: Joaquín notices everything – even when you get a small hair cut. Warnings: It's mentioned that reader has hair long enough to braid. Word Count: 838 A/N: Just another smaller drabble tonight – inspired by me getting my hair cut this week (and dyed, but I figured it was a little too specific to have the reader dye their hair blue like mine) 😅 This was so sweet to write though, so please enjoy 💗

Over the course of your relationship with Joaquin, you’ve heard many stories from your friends about how their boyfriends never notice when they get their hair done or get a hair cut. You, on the other hand, happen to be dating one of the most observant men on the planet. 

It’s no secret that Joaquin is easily distracted. If it were anyone else, Joaquin wouldn’t even blink twice. He remembers one time that he worked alongside someone for a whole month before noticing that they’d shaved their head. But with you it’s different. With you, he notices everything – even the smallest things.

Which is why, when you come home from the hair salon with a small trim, Joaquin notices. You hadn’t had time to tell him when you’d rushed out of the house earlier that day – you’d overslept and had been rushing to make it there on time. Joaquin had still been fast asleep and had woken up to a text from you saying you had an appointment and you’d be back a little later.

He’s sitting on the couch playing a video game when you walk in the front door. The second he hears your keys in the front door he presses pause and stands up so he can greet you. It’s the first time he’s seen you all day and he’s missed you. 

“Ah, mi corazón, you’re home,” he hums, walking over to pull you into a hug. He’s two steps away from you when he notices your hair. He reaches out, touching the ends of it. “You got your hair cut?”

You look at him, a little surprised. “I only got a trim, baby. How could you even tell?”

Joaquin shrugs a shoulder. “I don’t know, I could just see that it was shorter.” He wraps his arms around you, then, pulling you into his chest in a hug like he’d planned on doing before he’d noticed your haircut. “I’m a very observant guy. It looks good.”

You smile into his chest. “That, you are, and thank you. Were you playing a game?” You could see the paused screen on the TV as you walked into the room. Joaquin is probably one of the only men alive who would willingly pause their video game to hug their partner to welcome them home after being apart for a couple of hours. You have never once had to beg Joaquin to turn off his games or pull him away from the screen to get him to do things around the house.

“I was, yeah,” Joaquin nods, pulling away from the hug. “You wanna come and watch me play for a bit? Or I can turn on a movie or the next episode of our show.” Joaquin is probably also one of the only boyfriends who never watches the show that you watch together when he’s alone. It’s your thing as a couple, even if he gets invested and gets annoyed that he has to wait for the next episode until you both have free time.

You wrap an arm around his waist. “Can we watch a movie?” 

Joaquin agrees, leading you over to the couch and sitting down beside you. You curl up against his side, draping an arm across his chest and resting your head on his shoulder as he turns off the game and opens up Netflix to find something to watch. With his free hand that isn’t holding the TV remote, he reaches up and starts to play with your hair. He twists some of it around his fingers, then just runs his fingers through it a few times. 

“What are you doing?” You ask, a little confused. Joaquin is not the type of person to keep his hands to himself, but he’s never been known to play with your hair before. Not in situations like this, anyway.

He glances over at you. “Your hair is at the perfect length now for me to play with it when we’re sitting like this,” he says simply. “Also, I was thinking – maybe I should learn to braid. I could help you do your hair sometimes when we go out, and if we have kids it means you won’t have to do their hair all the time and I can be the cool dad who braids his kids hair.”

You don’t think it’s actually possible for you to love Joaquin more than you already do. 

“You wanna learn how to braid?”

“Yeah,” he shrugs a shoulder – the one you’re not leaning on. “I’ve actually already been watching some Youtube videos on it but it’s hard to learn when I don’t have someone to practice on.”

You sit up, taking Joaquin off guard. He looks at you, a little concerned. “We’re gonna watch a movie another night, baby,” you decide, turning around so your back is to him. “Tonight, you’re gonna practice braiding hair.” 

Joaquin is suddenly excited. He sits up a little straighter, eyes wide. “Wait, really?”

“Yes, really,” you chuckle. “Show me what you’ve been learning.”

[22ayla21]

I thought of something about amphoreus male x wife reader. What if their mom used to be part of the nameless and their children asked their mom to tell them about her adventures ?🤔(Of course with their silliness with trailblazer😼)

Mom's adventures in her youth

The children always loved to listen to their mother's stories, but when they learned that she had once been Nameless and had traveled around the worlds on the legendary Astral Express, their delight knew no bounds - especially when the funny antics of the Pioneer emerged in the stories.

A warm evening in their house was a rare treasure, when nothing distracted their family from the simple joys of life. Mydei sat in an armchair, thoughtfully turning the pages of an old book, and their children were comfortably settled on the carpet in front of the fireplace. The eldest son was building something like an express train from wooden blocks, the youngest daughter was watching his movements, fascinated, slowly destroying his construction with her tiny fingers.

- Mom, tell me about your adventures! - the voice of the eldest son broke the silence, filled only with the crackling of the fire. She, leisurely sipping the pomegranate juice that her husband had brought earlier, raised an eyebrow.

- Which ones exactly?

- You were Nameless! - he clapped his hands, and his sister, catching his excitement, clapped her hands joyfully. - You flew on the Express! Traveled around the worlds!

Mydei looked away from the book this time and gave her a long, slightly narrowed look. He rarely asked about her past in the Nameless, because he knew that if she wanted, she would tell him herself, considering that parting with them, although voluntary, was sad. But now he was interested in what version of the story the children would hear.

The woman smiled and leaned back in her chair.

- Oh, where should I start? Probably with the first time I stepped aboard the Astral Express…

The children froze in anticipation.

She remembered that day. How the doors opened, how she was greeted by Velt and Himeko - a strict and reasonable senior comrade and a charismatic female mechanic smelling of coffee and adventure. How Dan Heng nodded to her reservedly, and March 7 clapped her hands, happy to have a new fellow traveler. And then, of course, the Trailblazer, whom she met a couple of months later. That same friend with whom it was better to be embarrassed than bored.

- We had a rule, - she continued, trying to hold back a smile. - Whoever stepped on board for the first time had to drink Himeko's signature coffee.

- Is this a test? - the son frowned.

- In a way, - the woman giggled. - If a person is still able to speak normally after that, then he is a real Nameless.

Mydei snorted, and the children looked at each other with delight.

- And then there was the Trailblazer, - the woman added. — So, this friend was like… a disaster that always happens suddenly.

— And what did he do?

She thought about it. How to explain to the children that he could run away from an important diplomatic meeting because “there was incredible street food in the neighboring city”? That he once almost started a revolution in a world where cats are banned, simply because “it shouldn’t be like that”? How March 7 always supported his crazy ideas, and Dan Heng only sighed heavily, watching them get into trouble again (but he, like a true older brother, got them out of trouble)?

- Well, he... - the woman bit her lip. - You know, everyone has that one friend who says "let's do it", and it never ends well?

The eldest son nodded immediately, because he knew two such boys at school (Phainon's sons).

- That's exactly what he was like.

She saw the corners of Mydei's lips twitch in a restrained smile.

- And what was the most interesting adventure? - asked the son, already prepared to hear something incredible. The woman thought about it.

- Probably the time when the Trailblazer decided that our life was too boring, and pretended to be an ancient prophet to get into an abandoned temple.

- What? - the son was amazed. She nodded.

- And we had to pretend to be his retinue, because otherwise we would have been thrown out of there.

Mydei raised an eyebrow.

- And did you find anything worthwhile in the end?

The woman shook her head.

- Just a warehouse with a bunch of old parchment and a throne, which he, of course, tried to take with him.

The children burst out laughing, and the youngest daughter looked at her mother with admiration.

- Mom, if you hadn't met Dad, would you still be Nameless?

The woman thought for a second.

- Maybe, - she admitted. - But then I wouldn't have you.

Mydei looked at her silently. Something tender flashed in his eyes, and he put the book down, pulling her closer.

- It's good that you met me, - he finally said.

- Yeah! - the eldest son agreed, hugging his younger sister. - And now we have a mother who can tell a lot of stories!

She laughed and, hugging her husband, closed her eyes. In this house, not only adventures awaited her, but also the most precious thing - family.

- Mom, tell me more!

Two pairs of eyes - the eldest daughter, almost a teenager, and the younger, a little girl full of energy - were burning with curiosity. They sat opposite their mother, eagerly awaiting new stories. Anaxa, who was peacefully drinking tea in the corner of the room, only sighed and put his cup down. He knew that sooner or later this question would be asked.

- Again? You were already listening to her stories last night, - he noted, folding his arms over his chest.

- But you weren't listening, Dad! - the younger one objected, waving her hands. - And it was sooo interesting!

Anaxa's wife, the former Nameless, smiled and stretched, as if thinking about which story to tell. Different moments popped into her head - from intense battles to awkward situations that the Trailblazer constantly dragged her into.

- Okay, then maybe I should tell you about that time when the Trailblazer and I almost blew up the kitchen on the Express?

- What? - Anaxa turned to her sharply, and his eyes flashed with disbelief.

- Yes, yes! - the youngest daughter exclaimed happily, ignoring her father's reaction. - How did that happen?

- It was like this... - she began, settling herself more comfortably. - The Trailblazer decided that since we had once again saved the world, we deserved a celebration. The problem was that he didn't really know how to cook.

- Oh, I know how it ends, - the eldest daughter chuckled, folding her arms across her chest.

- Yeah! But we decided to try it anyway. We found some rare recipe from a world where talking plants lived... And, of course, the Trailblazer suggested adding "a little spice."

- Blew it up? - Anaxa clarified, already anticipating the answer.

- Almost. Mr. Welt then lectured us for a long time on safety precautions, and March 7 laughed until she cried because our food tried to escape.

- Oh! Like in fairy tales! - the youngest daughter cried out happily.

- Something like that, - his wife smiled. - By the way, when Mrs. Himeko saw the kitchen after that... well, let's just say that even Dan Heng couldn't save us from her wrath.

The daughters giggled. Anaxa sighed, rubbing his temples.

- And this is how you spent your time as a Nameless?

- Oh, no, that's just a small part, - his wife answered with a sly smile.

- Ooo! Mom, tell me something else about the Trailblazer! - exclaimed the youngest daughter.

- Yes, he's your friend! You said that it was "embarrassing, but fun" with him!

Anaxa frowned with displeasure.

- I'm not sure I want to hear that.

His wife just laughed, patting him on the shoulder.

- Now that's not your zone of control, dear.

And while Anaxa drank tea with a displeased expression, his daughters continued to listen with delight as their mother traveled through the worlds, got into trouble and found friends with whom it was better to be embarrassed than bored.

The evening in the house was especially quiet, if you don’t count the two restless children who were hanging around their mother. Their father, Phainon, had already become accustomed to them always demanding a fairy tale or a story before going to bed, but today they were especially persistent.

- Mom, tell me about your adventures!

- Yes, yes! You were one of the Nameless, traveling between worlds!

The woman put down the book she was reading and looked at the children with a soft smile. A shadow of memory flashed in her eyes.

- Are you sure you want to hear the truth? - she asked with a sly squint.

- Of course! - the children exclaimed in unison. Phainon, who was sitting in a chair nearby, also tore himself away from his thoughts. He had heard about her past, but she rarely shared details.

- Okay... Then listen.

She settled down more comfortably, as if preparing to plunge into those distant days again.

— Long ago, I was part of the crew of the Astral Express, a train that travels between worlds, following the precepts of the Aeon of Trailblazere. We explored the unknown, helped those who needed us, and sometimes… got into some very dubious scrapes.

The children gasped in delight.

- Like the Trailblazer? - the younger asked, his eyes wide. The woman laughed softly.

- Yes, especially with the Trailblazer. He… always found adventure even where there was none.

- And always got into trouble? - the eldest son clarified.

- Oh, even worse!- she rolled her eyes. - When the Trailblazer was around, everyone was embarrassed. Especially me.

Phainon chuckled, but said nothing.

- One day, - she continued, - we found ourselves on a planet where the locals believed that foreigners brought bad luck. We had to change our clothes so that we wouldn’t be discovered. Mr. Welt looked like a strict teacher, Mrs. Himeko looked like a noble lady, and Dan Heng… well, he remained serious and silent as usual. But the Trailblazer… he gave himself away after five minutes, simply because he couldn’t keep his mouth shut. The kids burst out laughing.

- And you?

- I tried to save the situation, but in the end we all got locked in the cage.

- How did you get out?!

The woman chuckled.

- Oh, that's a whole other story. But let's just say that if it weren't for Mrs. Himeko and her ability to find a common language with anyone, we would have stayed there.

Phainon shook his head as he listened to the story. He knew that his wife had a wealth of life experience, but sometimes it was hard for him to imagine her always getting into such adventures.

- Why did you leave? - the youngest son suddenly asked. She fell silent, thinking for a moment.

- Because I realized that I had already found what I was looking for.

She looked at Phainon, and then turned her gaze to the children.

- I saw many worlds, but none of them became my home. Until I met your father.

The children exchanged glances.

- But you could have taken us with you on the Express!

- Maybe, - she answered softly. - But then we wouldn't have such a cozy evening where I can tell you stories before bed.

The children thought for a moment, and then, with contented smiles, they snuggled up to their mother.

- Okay, then tell me another story tomorrow!

- Of course, - she promised, hugging them. Phainon only smiled, watching this scene. Even though her heart had once belonged to the stars, now it beat here, next to him and their children.

[valtsv]

Hi Mr Loveless, how does one make friends and hold onto them? I have so many friends who I call friends but they don't seem to remember I exist unless I am in their faces, in their inbox, it's never them approaching me.

Do I have to always be a bother to be acknowledged? Am I missing whatever it is that makes everyone accept zero interactions between friends for months as normal? Am I wrong to expect minimal effort from friends, like they imply, that they're not obligated to do it and it's insensitive of me to feel upset about being forgotten? That's not how it is for those who my friends call Their friends. It's not like I have different politics or can't understand their discourse either.

I'll be 25 next week, my friends are all too busy or haven't checked in in weeks or even replied more than an emoji. I'm frankly worried there's something wrong with me I'm never going to be remotely a priority to anyone but my family.

i've been where you are, and trust me when i say that i know how soul-crushingly lonely it feels when you wonder if you'll ever be the most important person in anyone's life, but here's the thing: that's insecurity, and it never goes away, but it's also not a true reflection of your reality. even the most joined-at-the-hip lifelong friends (or family, or lovers) won't be each other's top priority 24/7 for their whole entire lives - and that's a good thing! that level of commitment is a demanding, exhausting, and frankly nightmarish. there will be times when you are the centre of your friends' worlds and they're yours, and you'll feel like you've never understood someone and been understood in turn so perfectly. and there'll be times when you're on totally different pages; perhaps you won't speak at all for weeks, months, or even years. you might speak for the last time one day without knowing it. you might spend the rest of your lives in each other's orbit. the future will always be uncertain, and borrowing grief will never change that.

that's the bigger picture, however, and probably not particularly helpful to your immediate situation. i can sympathise with feeling like you're always the one initiating contact and never the one being sought out, and i know exactly how unwanted and unappreciated that can make you feel. it's worth keeping in mind that if your friends are receptive to you reaching out to them, however (even if only in the form of a very basic expression of acknowledgement like an emoji), then they probably do genuinely appreciate and enjoy your friendship. it's entirely possible that they're just currently in situations where they have less energy and time to devote to considering that you might not have anyone checking in on you the way that you do for them. unless they're all psychically linked, it's highly unlikely they know that you don't have anyone doing the same for you.

the only advice i can offer you is suggesting that you try to communicate that you'd appreciate more of their attention. perhaps the next time you reach out (if you haven't tried this already), mention that it's been a while since you last really talked, and that you'd love to get together and properly catch up sometime. ideally propose a way for you to connect, either virtually or in real life - feel free to encourage them to set the date, which will subtly hint that you want them to be involved in the process, and make it more of a mutual effort. be on the lookout for opportunities to connect over mutual interests, such as group watching (or listening to, or reading) media you both enjoy, or an event you can both attend, or virtual platforms with an interactive element like multiplayer video games. there's only so much you can do, and it shouldn't be entirely your responsibility to maintain a relationship, but it always helps to try expressing your desire for your feelings to be noticed and reciprocated before listening to the insecurity devil.

[dappled-sunlight-dap]

AO3 author here. I don't normally blog about fandom issues (or anything really) but it hit me close to home so I figured I'd share my two cents.

This actually happened to me! I put a work on hiatus for roughly nine months for multiple reasons, but a big part of choosing that one to shelve for a bit was because it got the least engagement.

I WRITE for myself, don't get me wrong. Everything I post is what I want to see. That's why I write fic! But I POST for community interaction. I wanna talk to folks about my fandom and get all excited and freak out with somebody. Otherwise, what's the point of making it public? Why not keep it to myself?

When you post and get no engagement, it can make you question why you're posting if you're getting the same result as you would from keeping it to yourself. It also makes one feel like slaving over it to make it as good as can be is too much effort for no return - why should I bother making it look nice when I can post a sloppy rush job and get the same result? It's also easy to lose confidence in yourself - do people like it? Hate it? Who knows? And it's just depressing and lonely. Fandom is a community!

I was a new author when I had this dilemma, and at the time I didn't realise that this was just a normal thing, so I took it personally and lost my confidence. That got combined with unrelated problems until I figured the fic was just too much trouble to deal with. I only posted for it again last month because a mutual told me they liked it and that made me happy.

Now that I'm more experienced, I know not to expect much engagement because that's simply how fandom is these days. I happily post my stuff knowing that probably nothing will happen, and I'm okay with that now. I'm just happy to post it! It's more peaceful, in a way - but that doesn't mean it shouldn't change. I can understand not leaving comments - maybe you're anxious/shy, or you're a guest on a fic where only registered users can comment. However, there is no excuse with kudos. Giving kudos is literally as easy as pressing a button. If you cannot be bothered to press a single button for a fic you love, why should an author bother to give you that fic in the first place? We will not know you are there otherwise.

Also, I've seen some folks say they don't leave comments because they're afraid the author will find it weird or get offended or that they feel like they have to post an essay. No! We LOVE comments! We love ALL comments! I have a reader who posts mostly heart emojis on every single chapter of another longfic of mine and I treasure every single one of those comments! This person takes the time to leave something that tells me they're having a good time, and it makes me happy to have somebody to engage with and freak out about a ship with! That is what fandom should be!

And every time they leave another string of heart emojis, a fire lights within me because somebody is enjoying it and telling me about it. I'm happy, they're happy, we're HAPPY!

What I'm trying to say is: fandom is about community. If there's no audience acknowledgement, there's no point in sharing in the first place. So tell your favourite authors how much you like their work! Press that kudos button! Leave that comment, even if it doesn't contain a single word! Hell, just leave a keyboard smash! They will love you for it, no matter how small the gesture is! And you'll love it even more when they make more of that work you cherish! Everybody wins!

"You have to become comfortable with the fact that most people who enjoy your fic will never bother to kudos or comment on it."

Shockingly, I am comfortable with this fact. Lack of kudos or comments doesn't bother me.

That doesn't mean it shouldn't change.

If you enjoy a fic, leave a kudos or a comment.

[buckadoodledoo]

Your most recent ask,,, I'm gnawing at the ceiling fixtures,,, and WHAT IF, once Eddie twigs that everyone at his new firehouse thinks he's married to buck, he just,,,, doesn't correct him. He rationalises it to himself that it's just too embarrassing of a miscommunication to clear up NOW and anyways it's gone on long enough without him explicitly confirming it or denying it and it's not like he's OBLIGATED to tell these people the truth about his personal life and really what's the harm? So he doesn't correct them. And then BOOM, tree crushing happens, and suddenly he gets to have a very interesting conversation with 'Buck Diaz'

no exactly!!! this is the perfect scenario to me. like he realises that they've been taking partner to mean husband for weeks now and he just didn't notice. "how long you and your partner been together then, diaz?" eddie, wistfully, "seven years" "man, must be tough being so far away from him." "yeah we facetime every day but it's just not the same, you know" "yeah i bet. must be... frustrating." eddie oblivious "man, you have no idea" and when he does realise it's way too late to correct them so he just. doesn't. buck is his husband now. he starts saying "my husband" more and more. might as well commit. he really likes how it sounds. for some reason. probably means nothing. meanwhile buck's in la telling everyone he meets that he just lost his partner :( it's really tough :( the mailman, the bartender who served him last night, the one new friend he's made, the grocery store lady? they all think he's a widow. the grocery store lady gives him a sympathy card next time he does his weekly shop and he's like, "oh......? thank you. you didn’t have to—" and she's like, "i lost my bernie two years ago. i know how tough it can be. if you ever need to chat—" and buck's like. "yeah, it's been uh. tough. thanks, joyce. gotta go! just remembered i forgot. something." and he practically flees the store. leaves his groceries behind in his haste to get out of there, clutching the sympathy card. gets in his truck and is like "well, shit. siri, call maddie." also makes it extra crazy when he gets the call that his husband has been in a serious accident. he's gonna think he cursed eddie to die because he accidentally pretended to be his widow.

[ztrawberi]

Thank you, Mihya.

. • ❥ Pairings; Michael Kaiser X Reader. Sypnosis; Michael Kaiser, egotistical and cocky, caught on his knees kissing the ground you walked on for you to have him back after pushing your last button of your toxic relationship. Word Count; 1089. Watchout!; swearing, Süße = sweetness, Authors Note; nobody understands how much i love a little egotistical man getting caught being so pathetic and vulnerable uggghhhh…(/// ᗒ.ᗕ ///)

Michael Kasier, known for his disgusting ego and red flagged personality, couldnt take it any longer.

Ever since that one night where he saw you talking to another man, eyeing him a little too much, he felt like he was losing. Of course, he was still too much of an asshole to simply accept it.

You two really only started dating because of the media. All the comments, edits, every little piece about you two made his ego even worse, and you couldnt deny how it kind of made you feel a bit giddy to see how much people suddenly started talking about you.

You were fine with dating hin at first. He was good looking, had a lot of money in his pocket and knew how to spoil you in all the right ways. But, you dated him because you knew he had to be vulnerable on the inside. You wanted to cut open his chest and rip out his heart to see every emotion of his on full display.

But at this point? you started to doubt he even had one. He was constantly trying to twist your words and make you seem like the bad person, like the person that he had every right to argue with.

At some point, you found him breaking through the thin ice he walked upon. He always said it, but this is already the fifty-third time that he did say it.

“I dont even know why i ever got with you in the first place. All you do is lie to me and make me seem like the bad guy!”

Seriously? after everything that he said to you? after yelling at you how everytime you were polite to any male in the wilderness that you were probably having someone without him knowing? that you were probably just using him for money and to feel good? really?

You huffed and scoffed at him. You turned to grab your purse on the kitchen counter and told him,

“Your right. All i do is lie, because everytime that i told you that i loved you, was a lie.”

You turned away and walked out on him, having to walk down the pathway of the city to get as far away from his as possible. However, it was still drilled into his mind that you would be coming back to the door to ask him, ‘baby? im sorry for what i said, okay? you mean everything to me!’ even though it never happened. Even though he felt such a sharp feeling through his chest.

Not for one day. Not for one week. Not for one month. He counted the days. 42. His bank account rarely changed since you left, no longer getting emails of receipts from designer stores. And for some reason, he felt so cold with every passing second that you werent next to him so that he can hold his hand onto your plush thigh when he wanted. Or so that he can admire the way the new necklace he bought you rested on your collarbone. He wasnt a fan of the chilling feeling. He was already used to you always turning the thermostat to 35 even though you were in a hoodie and sweats already.

You were too caught up in your own life to even think about him, even though you did find yourself thinking of a mix of blond and blue every once in a while. You missed the times when you would pull out a different credit cars rather than your own to buy something that you thought was cute. You missed walking into designer stores without a care in the world. But most importantly, you missed feeling a pair of arms wrap around you from behind when you woke up early to make breakfast. You missed when you would feel a much bigger and heavier something lay overtop you when you would watch a movie on the couch. You missed him.

But right now, all you could think about was the sun setting. At the very moment, you were walking down the empty beach in your bathing suit and a flowy white skirt that dragged behind you in the sand just a bit. The seas salty air mixed in with your hair and landed on your face as gracefully as your fingers used to caress his. But you stopped your train of thought and instead focused on how right here, right now, it was your moment, in your life, all on your own. You closed your eyes and stopped walking, just listening to the wind passing by your ears.

Suddenly, you heard some footsteps walk towards you. You thought it might have been one of your friends telling you to come back from your little walk so that you guys could all go home and have a sleepover already. But your assumptions were proved wrong when an even harder thud sounded before you and you heard his voice call out to you with such sincerity.

“Oh, [name]…”

Kaisers arms wrapped around your legs as he pushed his body up against you on his knees digging into the sand. Wait, how did he even find you? oh- out of everything that you forgot to block him, you forgot to block him on Life360. Imagine. Back on the matters at hand, his head was leaned against the area right beneath your belly button, grateful for your choice of wearing your skirt so low rised.

You tsked and put your hands on him, trying to pry him off of you, but the stronger man didnt budge.

“Mihya! youre not supposed to be here! what-“

Once he locked eyes with you, your mouth quickly shut. His eyes, his pupils so dilated when they looked up at you, his lower lip jutting out in a pout and slightly heavy breathing.

“Please, Süße… ive missed you so much…”

Tears were pricking at his eyes. Oh gosh- he wanted you so bad. He needed to have your warm body beside him in bed again, he couldnt live without it. He couldnt live any longer without you. But you couldnt. After all this time? You wont. But he was so pathetic you just-

You hands went down to his face and you held his cheeks so that he can looked up at you better, feeling one hand of his take ahold of your behind and his other caressing your thigh, up and down. He cut out his own heart and put it on a silver platter for you to enjoy without any hesitation. You didnt have to worry about getting your hands dirty any longer. You could only smile down at him, a smile so warm he could feel the heat radiating off of your face.

“You are so… insufferable.”

ZTRAWBERI © 2025

[everchased]

ai shit notwithstanding some people seem confused about what my beef is with pinterest when it' s Such A Good Site for providing extra reach to artists and my beef is thus.

every person who says they recognize me from pinterest says something along the lines of “oh my god, I finally found the person who made all that art I saw on pinterest!” which tells me that it WASN’T CREDITED which means the whole defense above is null.

anyway the signature/watermarking will continue (and probably get more obnoxious) until morale improves.

[hoovesandfloorpaws]

Part 2

Louis purchased the three songs Obviously, Star Girl, and All About You by McFly (Aug 18, 2012) Commented by Lucy M.: "Please tell Stan Lucas that I'm in love with him <3"

next screenshot:

close-ups:

Louis purchased the song Five Colours In Her Hair by McFly (Aug 18, 2012) Commented by Shey K.: "cool"

Louis purchased the album Tourist History (Deluxe) by Two Door Cinema Club (Aug 13, 2012) Commented by Alexis M.: "love this album, louis!"

Louis purchased the song Save Tonight by Eagle-Eye Cherry (Aug 13, 2012)

next screenshot:

close-ups:

Louis purchased the song How We Do (Party) by Rita Ora (Aug 13, 2012)

Louis purchased the album Time Flies... 1994-2009 (Deluxe Version) by Oasis (Aug 13, 2012) Commented by Lucy M.: "I love Oasis :)"

Louis purchased the song Imagine by John Lennon (Aug 13, 2012)

next screenshot:

close-ups:

Louis purchased the album Ryan O'Shaughnessy - EP by Ryan O'Shaughnessy (Aug 12, 2012) Commented by Lucy M.: "Do you like The Dreamer by Ryan Sheridan?"

Louis purchased the song Wonderful by Angel (Aug 10, 2012) [the song isn't on Spotify, but it's on YouTube] [Louis had already purchased the Single incl. B-sides two days prior] Commented by loulabelle B.: "i like the beat if only u knew me in person hopefully ill meet u someday"

Louis purchased the songs Something Good Can Work and What You Know by Two Door Cinema Club [2 absolute bANGERS of that era!!] [three days later, he bought the entire Deluxe Album those songs are on] (Aug 10, 2012)

next screenshot:

close-ups:

Louis purchased the album Radio 1's Live Lounge, Vol. 4 by Various Artists [it's not on Spotify, but here's a YouTube playlist] a few of the songs on there are The Script - Times Like These, Metro Station - Shake It, The Saturdays - Beggin', Maximo Park - Just Dance, Lady Gaga - Poker Face, Kasabian - Sweet Escape, U2 - Beautiful Day, etc. (Aug 8, 2012) Commented by loulabelle B.: "louis ur purchase of something good can work and what you know those are my two favorite songs by two door cinema club"

Louis purchased the two albums The Best of BBC Live Lounge and BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge, Vol. 5 by Various Artists [they're both not on Spotify, but here is a YouTube playlist of the Vol. 5 ] a few of the songs on there are The Saturdays - Just The Way You Are, The Script - Nothing + Written In The Stars + Times Like These, The Wanted - Animal, Lily Allen - Naive, McFly - Dynamite, Mika - Poker Face (Aug 8, 2012)

Louis purchased the song Naïve (BBC Radio 1's Jo Whiley's Live Lounge) by Lily Allen [I suspect this song and the Robyn one earlier inspired him to buy the three Live Lounge albums he bought afterwards] (Aug 8, 2012) Commented by Francesca B.: "Love the kooks! I love the cover!!!"

next screenshot:

close-ups:

Louis purchased With Every Heartbeat (Jo Whiley Radio 1 Live Lounge) [with Kleerup] by Robyn [🏳️‍🌈] and Babylon by David Gray (Aug 8, 2012)

Louis purchased the albums California 37 by Train and Own the Night by Lady Antebellum (Aug 8, 2012)

Louis purchased the song Drive By by Train [which probably inspired him to buy their album afterwards] (Aug 8, 2012) Commented by Alyssa T.: "seems as we have the same taste in music Louis ;)"

Louis purchased the song Call Me Maybe by Carly Rae Jepsen [legends recognize legends 💅🏼] (Aug 8, 2012)

next screenshot:

close-ups:

Louis purchased the song Vegas Girl by Conor Maynard (Aug 8, 2012) Commented by Caitlin B.: "You should get Cant say no - By connor maynard"

Louis purchased the album Believe by Justin Bieber (Aug 8, 2012) Commented by Erin O.: "'be alright' is amazing!"

Louis purchased the song Heatwave (feat Ms D) by Wiley (Aug 8, 2012)

next screenshot:

close-ups:

Louis purchased the single Wonderful by Angel and the album Every Kingdom ([Deluxe Version, I guess?]) by Ben Howard (Aug 8, 2012)

Louis purchased the album Bright Lights (Deluxe Edition) by Ellie Goulding (Aug 8, 2012) Commented by Jessica R.: "Not available on US itunes... NOOOOOOOOOOO"

Louis purchased the song S.O.S. by Good Charlotte (July 6, 2012)

continued in Part 3

So, Ping (iTunes’ ill-fated social network) will be shutting down on September 30th and I couldn't let Louis' profile disappear forever, so I screenshotted the entire thing.

and put it all here. so enjoy 64 screenshots of Louis’ musical taste

~updated in 2021 with working screenshots

Keep reading

[avelera]

(Arcane Meta) "Why do you persist?" And the Character Flaw of Viktor's Tendency Towards Non-Confrontation

After writing this post I had something of a brainwave about a character flaw of Viktor's that had previously never occurred to me before. Namely, that of his habit of simply removing himself from moments of disagreement or confrontations, rather than sticking around to fight harder for his causes or negotiating to reach a compromise.

I've spoken elsewhere about how Viktor comes across as fairly flaw-free after Season 1, so one thing I found really interesting about getting his full arc in S2 is that we can begin to see his character flaws brought into focus.

And I should clarify, a literary character flaw is not the same thing as a real life character flaw. A literary character flaw is when there is something about the character that stands in the way of them achieving their goal in the story. For example, being clumsy is not a "character flaw" in a real person, it's simply a trait of neutral moral value, but it could be a character flaw in a story about a person who wants to become a ballerina, something they need to work to overcome.

So, I would and have argued that these are a few of Viktor's character flaws, personality traits of his that get in the way of him achieving his character's goals in Arcane:

Political disinterest: despite the fact that Viktor has a stated goal of helping the undercity, he never looks to other methods for improving life down there outside his personal skillset of science. Even when his close partner, Jayce, becomes a Councilor, able to enact political change with a wave of his hand, Viktor is dismissive of this avenue as a waste of time even though he is proven wrong in this assessment by the Zaun independence vote (at least, until outside forces like Jinx's rocket interfere).

Self-isolation: Viktor is plagued by loneliness that appears to be so painful to him that it eventually sets him on his villain path. However, he is also surrounded by people who care for him, especially Jayce and Sky who are literally willing to risk their lives for him. But Viktor seems either unaware of their affection in Sky's case or actively pushing it away in Jayce's case. He's not actually alone, he just thinks he's alone because of his habit of self-isolation when he is focused on his work or (very reasonably) stressed about things like his imminent mortality. This is also a flaw when it comes to his goals as a scientist, because Viktor pushes away potential collaborators. He's not aware of Sky's research towards his goal of improving lives in the undercity until after she dies. He's so skittish about Jayce potentially shutting down his research into the Hexcore and by extension saving his own life that he doesn't bring in his best scientific partner in on the work when Jayce could probably accelerate or even solve the problems Viktor is facing if he knew about them. Heck, he doesn't even tell Jayce he's dying but still shows resentment towards Jayce not spending time with him or helping him in the lab!

Single-mindedness/Intractability: It's Viktor's way or the highway. He doesn't compromise, or negotiate, in order to advance his own goals. This is in some ways a virtue, he refuses to bow in the face of pressure to turn his creation into a weapon, which is laudable. However, as stated above, he also has blinders on when it comes to other methods for achieving his stated goals, like improving lives in the undercity. Viktor sets his mind on a course of action and cannot be swayed by any argument. If he sees a confrontation he can't win, that brings us to the final flaw I wanted to address in this essay:

Non-confrontation: Viktor does not fight for his beliefs or persist in searching for a solution in partnership with others, even Jayce. This isn't to say he never engages in argument. He states his position, but like many intellectuals, he seems to believe that simply stating his position is enough and then he refuses to budge. If he doesn't get his way after a certain amount of time, he shows his displeasure by removing himself from the situation entirely rather than looking for common ground or alternate paths.

I want to reiterate, these are character flaws for a fictional character. In a real life person, I wouldn't think of this as necessarily a flaw at all. Viktor's stance could even be a virtue in a real person, an unwillingness to bend the pressures of the world, and the maturity to not get involved in ugly fights but instead simply step away from a situation he no longer wishes to be a part of.

It is a mature and intellectual response but, when it comes to the problems Viktor faces in Arcane, it is a symptom of his pacifism that actively gets in the way of him achieving his stated goals.

Viktor doesn't fight again Hextech weapons. He simply states his disapproval and then removes himself from the debate, leaving the decision entirely in Jayce's hands.

Viktor doesn't fight Heimerdinger for the removal of safeguards or defend his research into the Hexcore. Once again, he makes his argument and then seems to wilt in the face of doing anything more than that. Jayce ends up fighting that fight in his place but even worse, Viktor doesn't seem to know about or acknowledge that Jayce fights this battle on his behalf, which in turn contributes to Viktor's sense of isolation and not having anyone in his corner, even though Jayce just overthrew the government for him.

Viktor is noted to frequently disappear for long stretches of time, without letting Jayce know where he went. Which is entirely his right as a real person, but given his character's patterns of behavior, it does heavily imply that he's hiding something, perhaps his failing health, from his partner. We know he actively avoids telling Jayce about the full extent of his health issues, given his own lack of surprise at his own prognosis when he collapses and Jayce's utter shock.

Viktor also avoids the spotlight and doesn't partake in the public aspects of promoting Hextech or even seem all that eager to put his name on things he created however, he also notes with despair that no one will remember him after he is gone. This one has always puzzled me a bit, I suppose he wants his inventions to be so groundbreaking they speak for themselves, but he not only makes no effort to attach his name to their work in Hextech, he actively refuses to go on stage even as a silent partner to Jayce to present himself as the co-creator of Hextech. This to me is another symptom of his habit of avoidance: he simply wants people to find their own way to his view, in this case acknowledging his work, without making any effort to persuade or even present himself to them.

But finally, and most salient to the point I'd like to make: Viktor after emerging from the Hex-goop making his greatest avoidance of all by removing himself from his partnership with Jayce, having decided that they have passed the breaking point of their partnership and have no choice but to go their separate ways.

The thing is, from a Doylist angle, this moment is necessary for furthering the plot. I actually think it's a rather clumsy beat in retrospect for how visible the hand of the author is in making it happen, because Jayce doesn't, for example, stop a naked Viktor from departing, which would be a reasonable thing to do under the circumstances when Viktor is clearly in shock, nor does Jayce offer to go with him, which feels particularly out of character given how unhinged Jayce is and his own wedding-vow like promises of devotion only moments before, offering to give up everything he's been working on to be by Viktor's side.

I suppose shock could explain it on both sides, or that Jayce just wanted to go back to how things were, not forge a new path, but regardless, the outcome is that Viktor once again removes himself from a situation he's decided is untenable, rather than asking for, say, some guarantees from Jayce that he is sincere, or negotiating for some concessions from Jayce, or even delivering an ultimatum for what Jayce needs to do to stay by his side.

I suppose you could argue that Hextech weapons was the line, and Viktor is so uncompromising that once it's crossed, that line cannot be uncrossed in his mind, even in the face of Jayce's regrets and desire to make it right by whatever path Viktor sets for him, perhaps reasonable given Jayce has ignored other requests by Viktor up to this point, like not destroying the Hexcore. But this all gets thrown aside when later, Viktor invites Jayce to the commune (if we even believe that's Viktor and not the Hexcore, as I've argued elsewhere, it's all a bit muddy and we can guess at many reasons Viktor left that day, one of which might have been to protect Jayce from the Hexcore and himself).

I bring up the question of how much the Hexcore is controlling Viktor being an active question, because I'm going to undermine my own point here for a moment. I'm arguing that Viktor tends to state his position and then retreat from any sort of compromise or negotiation with other parties, removing himself rather than yielding if he doesn't get his way, but he does persist in trying to make contact with Jayce during his villain arc. I'd argue that insofar as it is Viktor at all, the Hexcore's modifications have given him the confidence for the first time to fight for Jayce, and despite Jayce killing Salo, shooting Viktor, and destroying his robot self, Viktor as the Machine Herald is still pleased to see Jayce (what a simp) and does still seem to want Jayce to come to his way of viewing things. Arguably for the first time, Viktor is persistent in an argument or debate, but he still refuses to budge in what the outcome will be. He wants to persuade Jayce, but he doesn't want to change his position or consider Jayce's side of things at all, maybe because the Hexcore is in control, or maybe because Viktor has always approached academic debates in this way: by refusing to listen to the other side or change his position.

Ok, so this brings me, F I N A L L Y to the point I've been wanting to make:

"Why do you persist, after everything I've done?"

^^ Viktor's genuine confusion about Jayce's persistence.

I think his confusion is, as we've seen if you made it this far, very much in line with his character and this is what I just realized. Viktor doesn't understand why Jayce keeps trying to confront Viktor even though apparently they have opposing views. If Jayce isn't going to come around to Viktor's way of doing things, why are they still even engaging in a confrontation? Why doesn't Jayce just remove himself, the way Viktor would?

In his villain arc, Viktor is more persistent, but he's not more willing to negotiate. If anything, being a villain just gives Viktor the power to not need to avoid people who don't come around to his way of thinking, but to actively, forcefully change their minds against their will. Not by persuasion, or diplomacy, or sophistry. Not by making an argument. But simply like many engineers he thinks that his solution is best and the data will miraculously speak for itself and there's something inherently wrong with people who don't agree with his view.

Machine Herald Viktor firmly believes he's in the right, his mind cannot be changed, it's never been changed in the past (except by Jayce, by the way, when he made the argument for Hextech that seduced Viktor into being his partner in the first place. Once again, Jayce is the exception) so why does Jayce keep fighting?

And I think I'm correct in identifying Viktor's intractability, his unwillingness to accept any view but his own as correct or to hear opposing arguments, as a character flaw because it does get addressed by the end of the story and we see him recognize this and change. He sees Jayce was right, the path he was on was evil, it was going to lead to widespread destruction, not salvation. Viktor sets out to make it right. And once again, he tries to go it alone, without inviting his partner in on the process, and here too we see a flaw addressed: Viktor finally lets Jayce in. He lets Jayce help him and he doesn't run from the difference of positions, or self-isolate in the face of someone who cares for him, or try to solve the problem alone, secure in his incorrect belief that he must do everything alone.

It's a brief scene, but finally at the end, we address these deep character flaws Viktor has been carrying throughout the story of Arcane, and only then can he at least achieve his goal of destroying the Hexcore, with Jayce.

[sunrisecaminus]

Love your writing ! Can I ask tfp Megatron and tfp Optimus HCS with a single cybertronian carrier (autobot) who has three sparklings (specifically two boys and one girl) and that is struggling but is strong anyways?? How would they treat her and her sparklings? Thank you!

Message - Do I agree with Cybertronians becoming pregnant? I have no idea, I am not an expert in that. Will I write almost anything y'all request even if I personally disagree with the logic? YES! Throw anything at me, I will be as passionate as you are about these.

Megatron/Optimus x Pregnant Cybertronian Reader

Summary - Megatron and Optimus headcanons about how they take care of their pregnant conjunx!

Warning - Pregnancy

Megatron

~ Megatron could not believe his optics when he figured out his conjunx was pregnant. Honestly he forgot sparklings could be produced after all this time.

~ Is he happy about it? Oh he is ecstatic! He would twirl you around and call you his beloved beauty.

~ Don't move, if Megatron does not see you in his birth or anywhere around the throne room, he will go panic mode by destroying the entire ship.

~ If you had triplets, he would have to plan out what you both would do in this situation. Having more than one child is very rare for Cybertronians, and with having the war still going on, Megatron would need future back-ups just in case something bad happened.

~ Honestly he would leave Earth and stay in its orbit for a while to take care of the kids for a few years.

~ Optimus would never figure out his mortal enemy had sparklings, Megatron would hide you from the world to make sure you live peacefully.

~ He would hide you from even his own ship, only having a rare few of mechs know your ware bouts.

~ Knockout would know to make sure you are happy and healthy, also he would be amazing with being a babysitter if you ever needed one.

~ Dreadwing is your guardian when Megatron is not there. He would basically be your nice butler and grab whatever you want.

~ Soundwave…well…he will just keep tabs of you, but of course Soundwave will know about you.

~ Most of the time, Megatron would cuddle you in bed, keeping his arms around you at all times and slide you close to his chassis. You love to hear his sparkbeat.

~ Do you have a favorite type of energon? Watch as Megs forcing his soldiers to travel around the world to find said energon.

~ Trying to plan out baby names are probably the best of Megatron's days. He would never chose a name that you didn't like, but you better do the same respect to him if he didn't like a name you picked out. That would rarely happen though, Megs likes most names you bring to the table.

~ He would kill anyone immediately for you if anything goes wrong. Let's say someone shoves you on the shoulder, Megatron would drag there ass and torture them. If they ever talked bad about you, he would shoot them in the head so fast.

Optimus

~ Speaking of which, the Prime has never been more emotional before in his like.

~ First, he is very happy to know that you are pregnant, but he is also terrified and feels a bit of regret.

~ He never wants any sparkling to be born in the world of war. Now knowing you are burdened to have to carry more than one child scares him…So obviously he swears to protect you with his life.

~ Having you with him at his birth is like if the war was never there for him; Your frame close to him makes Optimus not want to leave your touch ever.

~ Cup his cheeks with your servos, and that gentle giant would stay there for as long as you wish. Leaning against your hands, gently grabbing your hips to gift you a similar touch.

~ He would try to let you name the kids yourself, not feeling like he earned the role of father. Just encourage him and Optimus would help give some good names.

~ If you ever got hurt, holy crap this is where is gets weird. Optimus hasn't felt this much rage since Megatron first started war with him.

~ One of the times he would ever walks off the path of the autobot code, is when someone physically hurts you one purpose.

~ The prime would ground his own soldiers if he hears any one of them insult you.

~ Ratchet is obviously your doctor, that mech will save your life many times.

~ Ultra Magnus tells you whenever you have an event coming up, he will also be your baby shower planner. (Don't tell anyone, but he is a master at planning and designing parties.)

~ Get Smokescreen away from you, do you know how many questions he has about how you got triplets? He will ask many inappropriate questions that would get the human kids to ask questions and NO ONE WANTS THAT!

~ Optimus would dancing with you slowly in his room before y'all go to bed, swaying you around to help you get sleepy.

~ He would stare into your eyes all day if he could, just watching the life through them light up.