#working with main characters is never easy

[eddiazx]

stars aligned, lips met mine - eddie diaz x reader

Based on this request: Hey hey! Can we get an Eddie Diaz fic where reader shuts him up with a kiss? They love each other but aren't together yet, and maybe he's ranting about something and she kisses him mid sentence. (I absolutely adore flustered and stuttering Eddie 😆)

Eddie is usually a pretty calm and collected guy.

He's had to grow up quicker than most people by being a parent and an army medic at 19, so he's learned how to throw on a facade of acting controlled and poised despite feeling anything but.

That facade doesn't work on a select few people in his life, including you.

Eddie and you have been best friends for years. The two of you have a similar dry sense of humour, and despite spending hours and days together, Eddie constantly looks forward to seeing you again. Inside jokes, complaining about family, cooking comforting meals, and commenting on current movies always came easy with you. He never felt that he had to be a person that he was not. He felt comfortable exposing himself and being vulnerable with you, and that is not the norm for Eddie.

The problem is, in the past few weeks or so, Eddie's eyes have been constantly drifting towards your lips. He's been having thoughts of leaning in to press his lips to yours, wondering how they'd taste, or what sounds you'd make. It isn't thoughts that one should have about their platonic friend.

So naturally, Eddie brings it up to Frank, since he had started therapy again. Frank, with his kind eyes and stoicism, had asked a question that had made Eddie spiral.

Do you think that you have romantic feelings for her?

Eddie supposed that it is less that the question made him spiral, and more his answer. Because of course he does. He had just repressed it for the fear of what would happen to your friendship. And if he had any say in the matter, he would continue to repress that love until he was old and grey.

(Frank isn't happy with this plan. Well, tough.)

Eddie and you were currently the only ones sat in the Diaz's living room since Chris was playing video games at a friend's house. The two of you were watching a dance movie, one that you had chosen because you swore the main male character looked so much like Eddie, it was uncanny.

(Eddie doesn't see it.)

"Did you know that I did ballroom dancing?" Eddie blurts out, when thoughts of you and him dancing, pressed close together, starts invading his thoughts.

"Shut up! Really?" Your eyes shone in delight, twisting your body to face him, the movie long forgotten.

"Y-yeah. I loved it, until I didn't." Eddie stammers. "Did you know that some people superglue or hairspray their shoes on so they don't fall? I never did that, but I probably should've because one time me and this girl Vanessa were dancing and -"

Eddie is cut off by your lips on his. And this time he wasn't imagining or dreaming - it was real. And it was so much better than he could have thought.

You pull away, Eddie's eyes glazed over, a dopey smile on his face.

"Sorry. You just seemed really nervous." You say in a soft voice.

"Permission granted to do that whenever you'd like." Eddie chuckles.

You laugh too. The two of you stare at each other, the unspoken question of are we actually doing this? hovering in the air.

Simultaneously, as if the two of you had reached the same conclusion at the same time, both of you lean in, pressing your mouths together in the second kiss of many, many more.

The next time Eddie goes to therapy, Frank is very much not surprised by the turn of events.

[birdy-bat-writes]

Secret Service Agent!John Walker x President's Daughter!Reader Headcanons/Drabbles

Summary: AU Headcanons where you're the First Daughter of the US and Agent John Walker fell into your life.

CW: fem!Reader, age gap(reader is 27-28 and walker in 33-34), smut, mentions of America? that counts a content warning actually

A/N: 18+ only, minors DNI. It's that time of year again when one of the many characters in the vast sea of fictional universes makes me feral enough that I write something, so, without further ado, hottie secret service agent John Walker :D Also, I made 2 moodboards because I couldn’t pick which one was better🫡��� not proofread, so pls lmk if I left any errors in there, okay love you all!💕

Comments and reblogs are always greatly appreciated!! And feel free to share your thoughts or add on 😙💕💕

----

Agent John Walker is one of the President's most trusted security detail members.

He's sharp, precise, and he always has a plan, and everyone knows to follow it. His arrogance? Unavoidable, considering he’s constantly regarded as the best. You've heard of his stellar record in the Army, and after several promotions and a switch to the Secret Service, he was personally asked to join the President's personal security detail. You suppose that kind of praise would get to anyone's head.

You, on the other hand, are the First Daughter of the United States. Organized, composed, prim and proper like the Presdient's daughter should be. But you’re not the type to coast on privilege.

You're studying to become a lawyer, and you’ve worked for every opportunity you've ever had. Maybe that’s what caught John’s attention when he first met you.

He was assigned to your protection detail when you left for law school, a job he took very seriously.

It was not a smooth transition either; before the president assigned you to him, every client was easy and agreeable. You, however, didn't want a bodyguard, and didn't like being told what to do, nor did you like being forced to change your routines. You had a fire in you that rivaled even John's stubbornness. You butted heads and messed with each other until you finally had to make compromises for each other to maintain some ounce of professionalism.

Yet somehow, over the course of a year, “professionalism” turned into waking up entangled in your sheets and making breakfast together in the two-bedroom apartment your father insisted on renting for you two. John, of course, officially stays in the second room, with 2 guards stationed outside the main entrance.

He hasn't lost his teasing streak since you two got together either.

"If they catch us, I’ll just tell them you’re the one who couldn’t keep your hands off me."

It’s a secret, because it has to be. No one but the two of you knows. It's complicated but its worth it.

White House interns flirt with him SHAMELESSLY (can you blame them?) but you can’t exactly claim him as “taken.” Meanwhile, tabloids speculate about your dating life, pairing you with senators, ambassadors, or whoever else you’re seen with. You never correct them, even when it stings. And john hates seeing it, but when the doors close behind you two and you get to be together, it doesn't matter.

Its wholesome and sweet, bit also intense and risky.

John leaves notes in your files and classwork for you to read when you're in public. Sweet things like, "You look beautiful today."

He's also just generally flirty when no one's looking:

"Every time I see you in a room full of people, I’m reminded why you’re the only one who matters."

"If someone asks why I’m smiling, I’ll just say I’m enjoying the job. They don’t need to know which part."

He knows you like he knows his own mind. Every subtle change in your demeanor is like a flashing sign to him. When you have particularly harrowing arguments with your father, there's always an iced tea or cold drink at your desk when you come back, and hes standing silently, keeping his expression as neutral as he can when all he wants to do is hold you and tell you things will be okay.

He's also a dork. He still makes mix-tapes on CD's, and he made one for you! You suppose its better this way anyway; there's no digital footprint from his music streaming accounts to yours so you can freely play the cheesy, late-90's rock ballads he picked for you and think of him.

John’s protective, which most people chalk up to his role as your bodyguard. No one bats an eye when his hand lingers at the small of your back or when he steps in to dance with you at events under the guise of “assessing a threat.” But you know it’s more than duty, it’s personal.

And he’s the jealous type, too. He doesn’t let it show much, but you’ve learned to recognize the way his jaw tightens when someone stands just a little too close to you.

NAMELY CONGRESSMAN BARNES!!! He hates that guy.

For example, the gala where you danced with Congressman Barnes. The man was smooth, his charm teetering on the edge of inappropriate, and his hold on you just a touch too familiar. John stayed composed, but you felt his stare across the room, burning into your skin like a silent warning. When you finally stepped away, his hand was the first to meet yours, escorting you to the next dance with a quiet, “I needed to make sure everything was in order.”

Smut time? Smut time!

John has taken you out of events early and not even taken you to the car right away. After "saving" you from Congressman Barnes, you were whisked away into one of the Whitehouse's many rooms and pushed up against the wall.

He's strong, muscular, and much taller than you, even in your heels. You try to keep quiet for your sake and the sake of the guards you know are patrolling the hallways, but it's easier said than done when John's fingers are slipping under your gown and his lips are on your neck.

He knows you can't leave that room with a hair out of place so his hands are gripping your thighs, or covering your mouth.

"You’re gonna have to be quiet, princess. Unless you want the whole world to know who’s making you feel this good."

One hand holds you against the wall by your waist while the other works its way beneath the thin fabric of your panties.

He's slow and deliberate at first, taking in every subtle movement from your body, coaxing out every breathy whine and gasp. You see the wicked smirk playing on his lips before capturing yours in a searing kiss. It hot, its passionate.

Then rough, and relentless. You're gripping onto his shoulders like a lifeline. You're close and he knows it. He keeps his rhythm, deep and hard, and then he feels you come undone on his fingers.

He’s holding you flush against his body while you come down from your high, while you vision settles and the stars you were seeing a second ago fade. The first thing you see is the devilish grin on his face, he’s clearly proud of himself and you can’t help but blush.

"You’re mine, you know that? No one else gets to see you like this."

And when you get home, away from the prying and ears, he has you moaning, eyes shut tight while he fucks you senseless. "All those senators and congressmen eyeing you tonight… I hope they realize you’ll only ever scream my name."

"Do you have any idea how hard it is to keep my hands off you when we’re in public? Let me make up for it."

Oh and quickies in the important buildings? Absolutely. He knows where all the cameras and blind spots are. He has security clearance for most areas, and most areas have a broom closet where you've hidden away when he's looking a little too good.

He likes this one black dress you wear when you want to get a rise of him. Maybe he wasn't paying enough attention to you yesterday, or maybe some secretary got a little too flirty with him, or maybe you were just bored. You paired it with a pair of simple heels and his coat and that did him in.

He locked the door to an office and no one saw either of you for an hour. You called it a lunch break.

He has such thing for you on top too. You swear you've never seen him as hard as he was when you straddled him in the backseat of a presidential limousine and made use of its tinted windows.

"Who would have thought..the ever-so-commanding Agent Walker who's tough, and intimidating, who's always barking orders, he's whimpering under my touch."

More than anything else, you get each other. He makes you feel seen, and you let him lower his guard.

It’s complicated. Messy, even. But at the end of the day, when it’s just the two of you, sharing quiet moments in secret, it’s worth every risk.

———

Guys, I lost my taglist, I’m so sorry🫠🥲 but please message me or comment to let me know if you want to be added to it! I’m going to go through some old fics and comments to see if I can find some of the users that asked to be on the permanent tag list.

[xnackery027]

I haven’t seen a lot of people talk about this, but I haaaate how Mr. Winters’ character was handled in the show. It was such a missed opportunity!

They absolutely took the easy way out by making Mister Winters hurt Dazzle. Having the interesting conflict of “Is it really right for Sun to keep Dazzle from Winters?” resolved with “it’s totally okay because it turns out Winters was evvvviiiil the whole time!!!” Is such a bullshit answer! That is exactly what happened to Nexus and is just the kick the dog trope all over again. It’s like the universe bends around Sun to make sure he’s always in the right. So I’m going to try to rewrite this while keeping the main conflict in mind.

The question is, “Is it okay for Sun to keep Dazzle for himself when Winters still wants to see her?” Sun killed Evelyn, and then adopted her ghost as a way to redeem himself. Winters trusted him to protect her, and Sun turned around and killed her. To Winters, this is the ultimate betrayal; not only murdering his daughter, but also trying to hold on to her corpse and twist the roles from murderer and murder victim to father and daughter. Sun is absolutely deranged if he thinks what he’s doing is appropriate or healthy. But Sun’s “family”, a group of violent rouge robots, are helping to hold Evelyn hostage. Any attempt to reach out is met with violence.

To Sun, he was controlled by Bloodmoon, and Bloodmoon killed Evelyn. Then, he found Dazzle in a broken body and did his best to help her. Dazzle chose to start calling him dad, and he had a crisis over it. He’s tried to reach out to Winters, but is only met with doors slamming in his face. He wants to have some sort of closure, but also is being held back by his overprotective family who doesn’t want him to be hurt.

Winters deserves to be able to see Dazzle. I think it would have been better to have him hostile with Sun, but gentle and friendly with Dazzle. With the pressure of Sun’s family on him, Winters might be willing to work out a visitation agreement. Dazzle can go and see him biweekly, maybe with Jack as invisible protection. He can still be messed up from her death and the divorce; He has to clean his house for the first time since then and it’s still a mess when Dazzle comes around. But we get to see a slow improvement over the course of the next few months.

Plus, it’d provide a great excuse to not include Dazzle in more blatantly mature episodes. The family encounters the weird ABO wolf people again? Good thing Dazzle’s at the other house. The family has to go to a different dimension together? Sun drops Dazzle off with Winters and off they go.

This could also be a fun relationship between Sun and Winters themselves. Sort of a “Never married but it’s like we’re bitterly divorced” situation. Like, imagine they have to work together for a school project, the family tree. Dazzle is torn on whether to use the Celestials or the Winters as her family. Because of the illusion disk, Sun decides it’s better to use Winters, and has to schedule a meeting to discuss his family history for the project. Awkwardly asking about each other’s families, Winters realizing that the Celestials are so strangely intertwined that it makes it nearly impossible to tell brother from father from son. (Eclipse and Andrew, anybody? Andrew is Eclipse’s uncle and Eclipse is Andrew’s dad.)

Also, getting another human character to be the token human guy? Winters has his first week long visitation and Moon gruffly hands him a suitcase that weighs over a hundred pounds like it’s nothing. “Just the basics,” he explains. Her charging supplies, nanomachines, some oils, batteries, emergency cross-dimensional contacters, etc. Moon has to carry it out the door and set it up in his house. He also ends up giving him one of his patented generators to power the charger; When Moon trusts him a little more, he connects everything in the house to it so Winters doesn’t have to pay electricity bills.

Solar showing Winters how to fix misaligned ankles and replace fingers and horns. “Sometimes, if she falls over and hits it just right, her head will be stuck in maintenance position.” He explains, while Dazzle’s face is flipped up, revealing gorey circuitry and metal. Horrifyingly to Winters, Dazzle is still completely awake. Her inner musculature is clicking and whirring to move a face that she doesn’t have anymore. She isn’t distressed though, swinging her legs on the table like she’s waiting for Solar to fix her so she can go back to having fun. “It’s just a manufacturing error with her latches. You have to reach behind, into the hinges, and… there.” He flips her face back in place, and she’s back to giggling and running around again.

Eventually, Winters starts understanding the family’s past. He’s seen things that he never thought were possible. He’s gone to different dimensions and seen magic. He starts connecting with Sun. Not forgiving him, but willing to try and help give Dazzle a better life. He gets invited to house parties, even being trusted with portal tech. Sun gets more comfortable and vulnerable around him. Able to tell him things he couldn’t even tell Moon before.

And when Dazzle gets hurt? You better believe you’re dealing with Sun and Winters doting all over her and beating the shit out of whoever dare to harm her.

It could be so interesting, and yet instead we got Dazzle getting shot and Winters left behind, just like Cosmos and Nexus.

[pennumbra]

Hey, so I just came across your Villain Quirin au, so sorry if this is a bit out of place. How do you think s3 would go differently? I think Rapunzel might still ask Varian to translate the scroll, but I doubt Quirin would let Varian get any more involved in the black rocks, considering the last time he got trapped in amber.

I don’t really know any of these characters well enough to know if they would go ahead with it anyway, but if they do then it could be very interesting if Varian still gets kidnapped. Cass might not even know that Varian was freed from the amber until she comes for the scroll, since I think the last she would see of him would be before they leave Corona. Varian would’ve also never made the truth serum, so Cass would require some other way to get the information from him. The whole “trying to persuade Cass” scene would probably also go differently, since Varian was never a villain in this au.

Also, slightly unrelated, but do you know of any fics that explore this more? Sorry if this is too long, and I love your art!

-🦉

Tysm for your patience! Sorry it took me so long to get back to you- it really was such a pleasant surprise to get your ask and I knew right away I wanted to draw smth silly to go w/ it!

I'll admit I tend to work in broad strokes w/ AUs vs. having a cohesive/linear plot outlined, but it's fun to think abt how events might unfold and how the diff character's involvement/roles in the plot would shift. I think Rapunzel would still recognize that Varian is the smartest and best qualified person to translate the Demanitus scroll, and she'd still ask for his help. Quirin would reluctantly permit it.

I want to think that the amber incident would be a wake up call for Quirin? He realizes that he can't be a bystander- he and his son are wrapped up in this cosmic plot and living a life free of the moonstone's shadow won't be possible until it reunites with the sundrop; the best thing he can do is a father is to be there for Varian and his friends and try to keep them safe, because their involvement is inevitable.

In an alternate S3 where Quirin was the villain in S1, I also think he becomes an ally again and fills a similar role as Varian did with assisting the mains. Rapunzel freeing Var + Fred apologizing (and hopefully resolving to do better and be more proactive in the future lmao) would cool the worst of his anger and he could turn his sights back to the issue at hand.

Maybe he gives Varian and Rapunzel and co. a lesson on the DK and the moonstone's history, so they know what they're facing? I think it'd be satisfying to have him 'come clean' and reveal all the secrets he kept for so long + ofc I wish they'd explored the lore more. Maybe he gets in contact w/ the rest of the Brotherhood, and summons them to join the fight? He wanted to leave them and his old order in the past, but Varian getting tangled up in the black rocks makes him realize that's not possible, and he recognizes Moon Cass as the threat she is so he calls in the cavalry. I could see him giving Var/Eugene/Lance (and Raps, but I feel like she has her own assets and fighting style) an introductory lesson in swordsmanship and combat, too.

You make some good points abt the smaller differences there'd be if Var got trapped in S1! I wonder how Cass would respond to seeing him again- surprise ofc, but I think that even in her villain arc, beneath the cold facade she'd be happy to see that Varian was alive and free- he was a kid who just wanted to help and prove himself, and losing him was tragic. (Tho it'd probably be followed by a calculating assessment that he's a new player/piece on the board, and Rapunzel is getting stronger and improving her control of the incantations.)

If Cass still kidnapped him, she might not have Var's truth serum to work with, but I can't imagine Quirin wouldn't spearhead the rescue attempt and I think it'd be easy for her to get Var to comply by threatening his dad. I can't imagine Quirin sharing a duet w/ Cass lmao- maybe he could reach out to her from the perspective of a parent, how it'd break his heart to see Varian go down this path, she's so young and has a whole life ahead of her, he knows Corona is flawed but this isn't the way, etc.. Given Cass' tumultuous relationship w/ Cap in S3 I think she'd shut him down, though. (I think having a member of the bhood actively involved in the fight and hunting her would also be a good motivator for seeking out the mindtrap.)

There aren't a ton of fics that I know of that have explored a roleswap with Quirin and Varian in depth-

Looking Through a Window & its sequel, Happy Endings Exist Only in Fairytales are the only ones that really come to mind and even tho they're older I'm still happy to recommend them! Both are from very early in the fandom, with the first one being written before S2 even premiered, so there's no concept of the moonstone, the DK, Hector or Edmund. That said, I think the emotional journey still holds up really well as an envisioning of what Quirin turning against the crown could look like.

I haven't been checking Ao3 much these days, so if anyone knows of any other fics that have been published around this premise more recently, feel free to lmk in the replies!

[literary-illuminati]

2025 Book Review #29 – Navigational Entanglements by Aliette de Bodard

I got this book knowing essentially nothing about it – literally just the title on the list of best novella nominations for this year’s Hugo’s (having read it, I have finished them all and can now actually give an informed opinion!). I’ve read one or two novellas of de Bodard’s before and they’ve generally been good but never in a way that made me fall in love with them. Which is about where this one ends up as well – nothing that took me by surprise or really moved me, but well-ploted, well-executed and fun with an enjoyable evocative setting. And, reading this directly after Someone You Can Build A Nest In, a core romance that’s actually engaging and has a bit of dramatic conflict to it.

In a broadly sketched science-fantasy worlds where clans of Navigators use the carefully cultivated powers of their Shadows to lead spaceships safely through unreality, those same clans chafe against Imperial authority and its infringement on their privileges and autonomy. After a series of security fuckups leads to one of the dangerous, thought-eating Tanglers slipping out of unreality and into populated space, the four clans each nominate a representative to serve under an imperial agent tracking it down and destroying it. Confusingly, every one of them seems to be treating it less as an urgent issue requiring their best, and more as a great excuse to fob off a troublesome black sheep for a while.

Viet Nhi and Hac Cuc are two of those – of the Rooster and Snake Clans, respectively - and both painfully, acutely aware of their own shortcomings and those of their peers. Despite the instant connection between the two of them, the whole group more or less instantly starts bickering and avoiding each other – at least until their (insufferable) Dog Clan imperial overseer dies of poison just as they find signs of the Tangler. Lacking any other choice, the four of them must rise to the occasion – and discover just why their elders chose them to begin with.

So this was a fairly plot- and action-heavy book, but the plot was not exactly intricate – it would actually translate quite well to a punchy feature film, I think? The big twist is pretty easy to guess, but not so easy that it feels like the characters are idiots for not having seen it before, or that the narrative is treating you like one. The action scenes are well-done, if hardly poetic or likely to stick with me, and the resolution manages to work and give everyone a more-or-less happy ending without feeling forced or saccharine. The view of politics and every established institution is grubby and cynical enough to feel real to me, too.

Nhi and Cuc’s romance is the book’s b-plot, and a major part of both of their arcs. A major part but not the entirety of either, which I appreciated. The narration shifting between each of their POVs was well-used to get across some enjoyable tension and misunderstanding, though both of their internal monologues was a bit heavy on just explicitly laying out exactly what their driving issues and insecurities were. Still, both very fun characters with enough spikes and rough patches to come across as whole humans and be interesting to watch. The other two of the juniors who were theoretically our main cast clearly got much less attention and come across as a bit painfully one-note, but not offensively so.

The setting is only ever broadly-sketched, and hardly the most original thing in the world, but is still quite fun. Strong visuals and sense of aesthetics, and it’s fun to see imperial vaguely-space-vietnam instead of any of the usual standards for once. For all that our protagonists are the archetypal righteously angry YA protagonists who refuse to sully their hands in it, all the intrigue over trading privileges and the boundaries of imperial authority was interesting enough that I wish there was more of it.

All in all, fun couple hours worth of reading for an airport waiting room and flight. But as with de Bodard’s other stuff, I can’t say any of it really struck me or feels like it’s going to stick with me. Still, decent popcorn read.

[blackkatdraws2]

[Toon x Mobster] drawn for fun, he doesn't know how to hold that thing wwwwww

[enjoyvoidblack]

our big post was getting long and it won't let me message so I thought I'd just come bother you here asldkfjsad I am like. so 1000% certain there is mention in the text that the initial purpose and efforts of Jonah and the Institute were to research the fears and prevent their many catastrophes, and that somewhere along the line he came to the conclusion that this wasn't viable, that the world and the fears simply didn't function in a way that was conducive to meaningfully stopping them from doing anything. which was how he settled into the position of 'well then I am going to use the instruments of power to save ME and build a ladder to free myself personally from their clutches forever' I def don't know when he started to turn from that, but i'll have to go back through the transcripts and find it again.

I do get that the narrative is written with Jon as the focal point, and that doesn't leave a lot of room for Elias to be sympathetic--he certainly doesn't make himself sympathetic TO Jon, or any of the Archives crew (beyond what I find to be an interesting amount of patience, understanding, and restraint he shows for them), but I still think like. Part of the beauty of Jonny's storytelling is that there is a kernel of completely understandable humanity to most everyone that's presented with any depth in the series, even the people we DON'T like. The "people here don't have excuses, they have causes" is again really excellent wording. There isn't really a lot of the usual karmic style reasoning or justice in this series; it isn't about Good People doing Good Things or Bad People doing Bad Things, it's just. People Doing Things, while under the influence of powers that are at once cosmic and beyond us, and inherently OF us.

adsfkjas this is getting long too I'm so sorry you activated a trap card here but idk. He absolutely is both manipulator and victim. He did all that shit, and all the while it's being done TO him, and he's walking this incredibly razor thin line between feeding his god/being empowered by it, and bc of it's nature knowing in intimate detail every nasty thing that awaits him should he fail (and I think being deathly afraid of it). That gif from Knives Out lmfao, compels me.

(apologies this probably isn't hugely coherent but there we are)

Thank you I am chewing on this ask violently. You Get It.

Unfortunate that tumblr killed your paragraph breaks, because I now can't find the section easily, but that thing about Jonny's character work in this series entirely consisting of aspects of "completely understandable humanity" is SO deeply how I feel about it. This is part of why I love horror of this kind so much. The horror being the fact that no one can really do anything to stop it opens up a space where the characters don't need to be presented along clear lines of good and evil, or even helping a cause or hurting it. It's a lot closer to how real people react in a natural disaster, if anything. There is love and selfishness and incredible acts of violence and cruelty and understandable failings and greed and fear, and pretty much all of it has a root that you can see, if you know enough about the people doing it and the circumstances to really feel where their mindset must be. I'd say Elias is functionally the closest thing TMA has to a narrative scapegoat, but that doesn't mean he is one. I almost feel like he's there as a pressure valve for the story, to be a villain if people need one to make sense of what's going on without having to constantly confront head-on the horror of the way the setting traps everyone in it. He can be made that kind of scapegoat, but only really by ignoring the parallels to Jon and the letters sent to him in older statements, and the way both show how the Fears drive the people who learn about them into more and more desperate straits.

It's kind of like that with all the older avatars. Simon Fairchild throws people off of stuff for a joke, because he's had more than 400 years of being steeped in the knowledge that humanity is both insignificant in the span of the universe, as well as utterly incapable of stopping the course of the Fears as they exert whatever influence they will by the force of sheer bulk. Peter Lukas never had a chance - he was born into this, isolation was his family and religion and paradoxically from childhood his only possible road to belonging. Adelard Dekker thought he was helping, as did Gertrude, even as they both fed the things that claimed them alongside those efforts. Nikola Orsinov was so far away from having an identity anymore that she couldn't go back if she wanted to, if she had even had enough left to want. Her world would have just been a home that was more like herself, and who hasn't wanted that? They're easier to vilify because their outlooks are harder to understand until the very end of the series, but looking back it's so clear that they were also just people once, and the writing never really lets you forget that.

If I said I'd tried to make all of these replies short, you probably wouldn't believe me. And Yet. I am not NORMAL about this show and the way Jonny writes people.

[dw-flagler]

its kind of funny to me that in the comics supergirl kind of occupies the spot for like the edgy superman. which is kind of weird for her typical role as kid sidekick to superman because her thing as a character (at least the versions of her character that i like) is that she doesn't have a reason to help anybody and doesn't like earth. edgy superman. but she's also the kid sidekick. strange juxtaposition

[lgbtlunaverse]

Could someone tell me where the interpretation that, in book canon, the promotion Nie Mingjue gives Meng Yao made Meng Yao's life worse than it was before, came from?

I have seen that claim made multiple times now and I've looked at the text over and over trying to see where the basis for it is and I. Can't find it? Don't get me wrong, it absolutely spells out that it does not and cannot fix everything for Meng Yao, but the idea that it was actively bad for him?

Lacking other evidence, I kind of have to assume that it comes from cql canon being sort of projected backwards onto book canon. In cql canon, meng yao is suffering active and explicit bullying and abuse from the captain while under the nie, and does so because the capain believes he has risen above his station via nmj's promotion of him. (In book canon this... isn't happening. It happens with the captain in Langya instead) However, in cql canon he has also been with the nie for years and is openly close to both Nie Mingjue and Nie Huasiang, whereas in book canon he has only been working with nie mingjue for a few months (though has, in that time, apparently become close enough to him for Lan Xichen to explicitly state Meng Yao is able to calm nmj down in ways no one else can? Ofc he does this... Right after that stops being true. But. Food for thought. Not what this post is about tho.) So, if you project the much more explicit abuse from the nie sect captain in cql back on novel jgy who has a presumably much less stable position in the sect overall you get... a meng yao for whom the promotion only means a bigger target on his back and virtually no protection from nmj, who we must assume he can't trust to talk to his about because he never mentions it. (This also explicitly violates book canon when it comes to meng yao's general behaviour, we'll talk about that in a sec)

And look. We all do frankencanon in this house. I get it. And for fanfiction that is very fun. But for a serious reading of the character, his situation, and the actions that lead from that this... doesn't make much sense, in my opinion.

So. Why is that? Why did I say this was out of character for the novel? Because Meng yao spoke up about the jin captain mistreating him. Multiple times! It's just that none of it mattered because no one cared to listen to him. This is a pretty important line for his character because it flatly shows that meng yao is not and has never seen murder as something trivial. He's not trigger happy. He will only do it if he sees no other way out that doesn't end in himself being seriously harmed. (Whether he's right or justified in these cases is not the point of this post.)

If anything remotely similar was happening in the Nie sect, he would have said so. Cql Meng Yao doesn't do this because cql Meng Yao is a different character, and also the plot wouldn't work if he did. Cql Nie Mingjue, by extension, comes off as a fundamentally less trustworthy figure in cql Meng Yao's life because apparently for whatever reason, he cannot be trusted with the information that the deputy he has already publicly defended is still being harassed, and doesn't notice even when it is really blatant. The assumtpion the audience is given is that, like a middle schooler getting the principal involved when being bullied, it would only make the harassment more viscious.

This... actually has a somewhat solid basis in the book. Because after nmj yells at the bullies in question Wei Wuxian says this.

And it is important to keep in mind that this is Wei Wuxian saying this. Not Meng Yao, not an omniscient narrator. Wei wuxian is drawing on his own experiences, likely from the Jiang family, to conclude that if someone is angry at you and thwarted by someone defending you, this generally does not make them less angry at you.

This is leaving out two crucial things, though.

Firstly, this worry isn't about the promotion at all.

The promotion hasn't even been brought up. In the novel it doesn't ctually happen immediately, it takes another few battles where meng yao continues to do his job well and nie mingjue continues praising him for him to eventually go "yeah, you deserve a raise."

This is another aspect that is being projected from cql canon onto book canon I presume, because it does happen quite quickly there, and it's a throwaway line in the books so it's easy to miss. I can't be mad about anyone forgetting the difference, but it is important to mention for this particular analysis.

Which is the second point: change in status

Wei Wuxian couldn't exactly change status within the Jiang family. (And if he could, that would just fuel rumours that he was jfm's bastard even more and make madam yu even angrier at him, etc etc.)

This isn't comparable to Meng Yao. The worry Wei Wuxian is talking about is explitly about Nie Mingjue's initial very loud defense of him. Before he has any idea Nie Mingjue is going to promote him.

Promoting him would likely decrease his chances of cultivators coming after him because now he was in a higher standing in the sect than they were. If applied to that earlier metaphor of middle school bullying it's like if the bullied kid suddenly got hired as a teacher. Which. Doesn't work with the metaphor at all. Touché. But what I am trying to say is that any payback they would have planned for him relied on the fact that they could make sure that Nie Mingjue wasn't going to be within very convenient earshot a second time, and as a random disciple Meng Yao couldn't just go complain to him every time.

But as his right hand man? Who spends most of his time working directly alongside him? Lmao. Good luck. Oh, sure, it is very likely that they feel offended a son of a whore has been raised in status above them, and many will continue to do so as jgy rises through cultivation society (in fact, Wei Wuxian's observations are absolutely on point for how Madam Jin will be treating jgy later on). But as we can also see from the way jgy is treated and how he treats others throughout the story: you can be upset all you want, but if that person is higher than you in status there's jack shit you can do about it.

If I am correct and Wei Wuxian is basing this on his experiences with the Jiang family, it makes sense why he'd miss this. Madam Yu gets to be way angrier at Jiang Fengmian as his wife than some random disciples can be at Nie Mingjue. Insulting Meng Yao, suggesting that he didn't deserve his promotion or that he earned it through less than proper means (you know who is mother is) is also an insult to Nie Mingjue and the way he chooses to run his sect. They can't do that.

Another thing I see brought up in this regard would be the tea scene. There may be no explicit harassment like in the show, but cultivators still don't respect him! The disrespect is just quieter and more subtle.

Tiny detail: these are actually not Nie cultivators

They're cultivators Lan Xichen is escorting with him, making a pitstop in heijan.

The book confirms this by basically outright stating that this is the first time they see his face, and recognize him as Jin Guangshan's bastard son.

Now, just because there is no proof that it happened doesn't mean it definitely never happened. Mdzs is a novel that often leaves stuff out or up to interpretation. Similar stuff to the tea situtation could very well be happening in the background. But I do think it is pretty significant that there is no mention whatsoever of Meng Yao having any negative treatment from Nie cultivators betwen him and Nie Mingjue meeting and him executing them while spying for Wen Ruohan, and the most we get is Wei Wuxian's personal speculation, after which he immediately goes to wax poetic about how surprised he is that Meng Yao and Nie Mingjue are getting along super well.

And, again, novel Meng Yao would have said something. He doesn't say anything about the tea scene. - Or? Does he? Notably 3zun have some very long in depth conversations that Wei Wuxian zones out from because he's busy thinking about Lan Zhan again. But let's not rely on what-ifs. Let's say that neither he nor Lan Xichen find it worth bringing up. Major reasons for that would be that a) these are not nie cultivators, nie mingjue wouldn't really have the authority to scold them. Especially because b) it's such a subtle offense it could easily be handwaved as coincidence. "They just always brush their cups clean like that!! It's wartime you know, and they were traveling! They're used to drinking from vessels that aren't thoroughly washed everytime! It's just a habit!" And would therefore not be worth reporting.

But anything worse than that? A "price tens or hundreds of times greater" like wwx mentions? He'd report it! I do understand that "well if it was happening why didn't he say something?" would, in real life, be victim blaming. This is not real life, and I am not talking about this in a matter of blame. If Meng Yao was being mistreated in the Nie and stayed silent about it, it would still not be his fault. I am talking about this in a manner of character consistency.

His admission of seeking help in the Jin sect shows that at that time and prior to it (a very good argument can be made that he loses faith in this idea) he believes that if he is being mistreated and someone with the authority to say something about it takes his side, things can improve. If Nie Mingjue standing up for him in Qinghe only made things worse, he would not have tried to ask for help in an even more hostile environment. You can call Meng Yao many things, but naïve isn't one of them.

Meng yao's later habit of completely isolating himself and lying to everyone around him comes from the fact that revealing his suffering would mean explaining several horrible things he's become complicit in and he does not feel safe admitting to that. But he's done nothing wrong here!

The reading where he says nothing would imply an either correct or incorrect belief in Meng Yao's eyes that Nie Mingjue did not much care for his wellbeing or safety. Oh sure he defended him once but doing so again multiple times would be such a bother. This also contradicts his later behaviour, where he banks solely on Nie Mingjue's protective instincts to seal his qi and escape during the confrontation in Langya. After having been caught murdering a man, he is still convinced Nie Mingjue will immediately try to help him when he is in serious danger.

And even if you very badly want to characterize Nie Mingjue as a blundering idiot who is apparently less trustworthy in Meng Yao's eyes than the jin cultivators who had already resoundly rejected him by the time he tries to ask for help with the langya captain. He doesn't say anything to Xichen either! Lan Xichen, who has explicitly and exhaustively been portrayed as kind and understanding to Meng Yao's circumstances and very willing to talk to Mingjue if Meng Yao wants something from him he doesn't otherwise think he'd get. The conversation Mingjue overhears where Meng Yao's new position in the Nie is explictly brought up would be kind of the perfect time to go "yeah I've been promoted but I'm not treated well by other soldiers" aaaand. Nothing. So unless you come to the conclusion that Meng Yao trusted the Jin he told about the captain's abuse more than Lan Xichen you kind of have to conclude that Meng Yao's treatment after his promotion improved significantly. And that even if people still disliked him they could not openly do anything about it because he was high enough in status for that to be socially inappropiate. Which is, explicitly, one of his main motivators over the entire course of the story: Avoiding mistreatment by getting high enough on the social ladder it doesn't matter what people think of him, they can't hurt him.

And I'm not sure how to reconcile that character journey with the idea that he would, at any point, have preferred to keep his head down and stay where he was. When he was so desperate to crawl his way out.

[ishizzle]

I'm almost done watching Charmed and i don't want to be

[vv-ispy]

thinking about. ships

[podddcasttt]

Friendly reminder that if you talk about how representation is important and how there's not enough diverse media, I implore you to seek out the media that already exists. And if you live in an area with a public library, go to see if they're available at your public library. And then go check them out.

As a librarian, it is demoralizing to see how low the circulation statistics are on lgbt+ books and books by BIPOC authors. I include them in displays and readers advisory, but people still don't check them out as much. Libraries only have a finite amount of resources, including space. We don't get a book then keep it forever. If not enough people check it out, we have to get rid of it to make room for more books. And when James Patterson Book #69 gets checked out 30 times in one year and cool, subversive Sci fi novel with a Black trans woman main character has never been checked out once, the librarian (me) has to make a hard decision.

If you're looking for something tangible and easy to do this pride month, look for lgbt+ books (there are millions of lists online that you can find. It's easier than it's ever been to find diverse books) and check them out from your library.

No time to read? Look for a short story or poetry anthology and just read as much as you have time for. Or just check out a book cus it looks interesting and read as much as you can. We have movies too.

As cool as it would be for me to just keep the books I want and get rid of the ones I don't, I have to listen to the community on matters of collection development. And the community tells me what books they want by checking them out and leaving the ones they don't want on the shelf.

If you think this doesn't apply to you because you live in a progressive area and obviously the books are being checked out, you're wrong. I once worked in a community with a large lgbt population. Those books were not getting checked out. If you want to tell me you live in a conservative area and your library doesn't have any diverse books, you are legally obligated to check the catalog before replying to this post. I currently work in a conservative community and we have lgbt+ and bipoc books. And if you still cannot find any, you are legally obligated to see if your library has a collection request form that patrons can fill out before replying to this post.

[yumaversal]

something i really love abt tshd is how queerness is so intrinsic to the plot without it being the main focus, it’s pretty common in anime/manga where if there are canon queer characters, the word gay or actual queer struggles are never mentioned. but in tshd, yoshiki is very clearly repressed and closeted living in a rural, homophobic town in japan. it’s *suffocating* him, the only person he really had was hikaru but now he’s “gone” but still not quite gone, leaving him tethered back to this town. it’s obviously a super common sentiment among queer people who live in rural areas to want to escape into city.

and i know everyone laughs at this panel for the iconic ell jee bee tea thing. but in context it’s one of the most heartbreaking and relatable scenes in the whole manga imo. the people of this town aren’t just homophobic, but they’re trying to erase the mere existence of gay people as a whole by covering it up. its pretty obvious that yoshiki is depressed, and it’s easy on the surface to think its solely because he literally has a monster possessing his dead childhood friend/crush’s corpse. but its pretty clear that it only strengthened what was already there. (lowkey his themes are very reminiscent of owen in ‘i saw the tv glow’)

it’s hilarious seeing people say “why did they have to make it gay” ever since the anime trailer came out bc truthfully this story would not work nearly as well as it does if it wasn’t just some random ass straight couple. i really hope anime watchers look deeper into the narrative instead of just saying “omg its uwu toxic yaoi” or “it’s a horror anime with forced woke gay ppl in it”

[blackkatdraws2]

YITUR. KALLITU.

[ORV] (TW: Implications of SA, Non-consenting Pregnancy, Abuse)

"I was scared. What if I gave birth to a monster? What if my child ate me? One day, suddenly tearing out of my belly and killing me." "I was alone for countless nights, ran away and avoided monsters while feeling worried. What should I do about this child? Should I kill it, let it live, or…" - Chapter 251: Episode 47 – Demon King Selection (5)

BAH, BLASTED LINEART. HOW COME YOU LOOK BETTER, HUH?!

[Yapping Time:]

THIS WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS.

(TW: SA/Rape (analogy), Non-consenting Pregnancy, (Child) Abuse)

Hiiii it's time for me to make a serious character essay again about a silly corporate shit man that canonically birthed a child and became a mum, hellooo /silly

Chapter 1: Episode 1 – Starting the Paid Service (1)

Chapter 2: Episode 1 – Starting the Paid Service (2)

Chapter 6: Episode 2 – Protagonist (1)

Chapter 21: Episode 5 – Shadow Keeper (3)

Han Myungoh is introduced to us as a shit corporate finance department head that's self-absorbed, cowardly, and misogynistic (as he harasses Yoo Sangah because she rejected him.)

Chapter 4: Starting the Paid Service (4)

Although, he does show basic human sympathy and regards when he tries to stop Kim Namwoon from killing a weak grandmother inside the train, showing that his morals are somewhat still aligned with good despite eventually backing away and watching the murder happen alongside everyone else. Not that it makes him any less unlikable.

Chapter 7: Episode 2 – Protagonist (2)

Chapter 9: Episode 2 – Protagonist (4)

He's then shown to continuously do and say things that hinder or annoy the progress of Kim Dokja and the others in the following chapters after this. It's easy to understand why he's plain annoying.

Chapter 21: Episode 5 – Shadow Keeper (3)

Chapter 22: Episode 5 – Shadow Keeper (4)

Then when the Dark Keeper turns Han Myungoh into a "Yitur", he gets to experience one of the biggest fear/struggles of womanhood. Rape (analogy) and non-consenting pregnancy.

Chapter 206: Episode 39 – Unidentified Wall (3)

This even gets confirmed in chapter 206 when Kim Dokja thinks about how "Asmodeus’ curse consumed probability to realize the ‘most terrible thing’ that the target thought of," meaning that pregnancy was the thing that Han Myungoh feared the most after the incident with the Dark Keeper.

Now, not only was he thrust into a situation where his body was doing something he never thought was even possible, he foolishly finishes off the demon and was now being hunted down by the Demon King, Asmodeus.

Chapter 204: Episode 39 – Unidentified Wall (1)

Skipping ahead, Han Myungoh disappears for a bit and is eventually reintroduced back into the story when Kim Dokja finds him in hell, now turned into a demon due to Asmodeus' influence on him. Han Myungoh now turned into a subordinate of the Demon King, all for the sake of his daughter.

Han Dareum is the daughter Han Myungoh birthed after being impregnated by the Dark Keeper's eggs and cursed by Asmodeus. He didn't mean or want to be in this situation, but unless he wanted his daughter to die, he had to be.

For the sake of his daughter, he chooses to serve under the very same man who stole and took control over the body of his daughter in order to use her as his Incarnation Body. (Basically child abuse, even if Han Dareum was unconscious most of the time. And this is the only thing keeping Han Myungoh working under Asmodeus.)

Chapter 251: Episode 47 – Demon King Selection (5)

"Come to think of it, Han Myungoh had really experienced many things. In a sense, he might've had a harder time than me."

Kim Dokja even says this himself. Because, unlike Kim Dokja, Han Myungoh was just a completely normal middle-aged person. Gave birth, survived and raised a child all on his own, no help from the 4th-wall, no reliable people by his side, and has a Demon King actively AFTER HIM. Crazy Work.

He's not a main character by any chance, but Han Myungoh's efforts and experiences are worthy of recognition, and Kim Dokja does just that. It's insane.

Chapter 259: Episode 49 – The Best at Something (1)

Now it's said that he also has postpartum depression. (This was probably for shits and giggles on the author's part though,) and he's on a damn apocalypse, which means he's always on a high stress situation.

This scenario is completely assumption on my part, but how terrifying must it have been to have your child in your arms and feel the urge to throw it on the ground or the wall? PPD is dangerous, he must've felt the urge to do it, at least once.

Han Dareum was probably lucky she grew up faster than human children, I think Han Myungoh would've actually done it considering the, quite frankly, absurd situation and stress he's constantly put under, and shortly after childbirth too. (Unless the dude had crazy will power or they both died, which did almost happen, and it's the reason Han Myungoh gave up his daughter to Asmodeus, it was to save her.)

To top it all off, he refused to leave Han Dareum when she was taken away by Asmodeus, and his entire arc throughout the Whole Novel was literally him trying his darndest to get her back, whether it's doing dirty work for other people or being an underling of Kim Dokja's.

W parent. Han Myungoh.

_____

Of course, this doesn't mention all the things that happened to him or the things I like about him because I want to save some for later posts.

[dunmeshistash]

Ryoko Kui Exhibition & ''Delicious in Dungeon'' Exhibition

"Delicious in Dungeon" Artwork

Cover illustration draft, vol. 1

Since this was the first volume, I tried out a few different drawings and had the editor and designer choose which ones they wanted, then made small adjustments. I personally liked the top-down draft, and the one of the cooking processes (back cover) the best. But looking back, I sincerely think it's good that we didn't go with those. (Kui)

Cover illustration draft, vol. 2

The format was decided for volume 1. So, volume 2 came together quickly. (Kui)

Cover illustration draft, vol. 3

I thought it might be cool to make the character Chilchuck darker in the foreground, and the background brighter! But it didn't quite work out the way I had imagined. I think it could have been a bit better. (Kui)

Cover illustration draft, vol. 4

I remember that the overall shape of volume 4 came together very quickly. The character Senshi's hands didn't fit nicely, so I moved them backwards and to the side. (Kui)

Cover illustration draft, vol. 5

I thought people might start to think "how many have I bought?" so I wanted to create a slightly different impression with this volume. I decided to put the character right in the center and try putting it together all in blue and green hues. (Kui)

Cover illustration draft, vol. 6

With the Red Dragon defeated, have we reached the halfway point in the story? With this in mind, I thought of how many volumes were left to go, and the number of characters, and decided to pair up the characters Namari and Shuroiro. In hindsight, it would have been fine to have them on one cover each. (Kui)

Cover illustration draft, vol. 7

The image is of focus lines converging on the character Izutsumi. This is the kind of cover, with upside down characters, which I've always wanted to try once(?) I submitted it as a trial, thinking that at this point the cover wouldn't dramatically influence sales. However, in the end, we decided it would be better not to have it upside down. (Kui)

Cover illustration draft, vol. 8

I tried blurring the mushrooms in the foreground, then I accidentally saved over it, and couldn't go back to the original. I remember apologizing that it was probably tacky, when I submitted it. (Kui)

Cover illustration draft, vol. 9

I don't think snake meat is marbled at all, but if it has an unfamiliar look, people might not recognize it as meat… so I made it look like beef to make it easier to understand. (Kui)

Cover illustration draft, vol. 10

I thought it might be interesting to have more than one of the main characters on the cover again, so I added the character Falin. I remember it wasn't badly received, but it still ended up just being Thistle on his own. (Kui)

Cover illustration draft, vol. 11

I wanted this cover to be covered in shiny gold. After I finished it, it didn't have enough color, so I painted the tablecloth green, and it ended up looking like Christmas colors. (Kui)

Cover illustration draft, vol. 12

Up to this point, the covers have featured one of the main characters holding cooking utensils in the foreground and a monster in the background, but I thought it might be interesting to reverse the format just before the final volume, so I drew this cover with that in mind. (Kui)

Cover illustration draft, vol. 13

volume 13 was meant to be the final one, but it was too thick to be published as a single volume, so we decided to split it into two. The question of “so, what should I draw next!?" may be at the forefront of volume 13. (Kui)

Cover illustration draft, vol. 14

I had decided that the final cover definitely needed to have everyone eating together on it, but because I was publishing two books at the same time I was pressed for time, and it was difficult to have a cover with so many characters on it. I also submitted a rough for an illustration that didn't need me to draw any crowds, but such obviously easy ideas are never adopted. (Kui)

TV anime "Delicious in Dungeon"

About the ending illustration.

I drew these based on the director's instruction "This kinds of pictures." I hardly ever have the chance to draw color illustrations, so it was a valuable experience for me. (Kui)

[Kui's commentary is from the english pamphlet]

[glamourscat]

Can I please request things batboys + Bruce does when they have fallen in love with someone? Things they do for their crush, hinting their feelings etc.?

୨ৎ Batboys + Bruce and what are they like when they have fallen in love ୨ৎ

A/N: when i think about them and having a crush, i always imagine them having a crush on someone they work with or are very close friend with.

──── ୨୧ ─────

DICK 

The worst out of the bunch in hiding his feelings

When he realises he is probably the most chill out of batboys

If his crush is also a vigilante he might pull some strings to patrol with them

His love is loud. There’s no other way of putting it. Thing is, Dick is just so loveable with everyone, most of the time at least. 

He is never shy to let others know how much he cares for them. So, at first you might think he is just being his usual self, just a bit more energetic

Then you pick up on the small things

Like his touch lasting just a bit longer than usual. Him being more protective. Him being around you more. Laughing at your jokes even when they are terrible

How would he hint his feelings? Easy. Terrible cheesy pickup lines, EYE CONTACT, like intense. More touchy than usual, hugs, ruffling hair, nudges… 

──── ୨୧ ─────

JASON

If Dick is the worst at keeping his feelings a secret, jason is the best

Truly you won’t know a thing unless you’re extremely good at reading body language

I imagine him, realising he has a crush, and gaslighting himself into believing he doesn’t

Then something happens, maybe someone flirts with you or simply you seek him out specifically for something you could have gone to anyone else, but you choose him, and he realises he is gone.

At first he might even distance himself and you’re like “what have i done?” because genuinely it’s like a switch happened

But when he comes to terms with his feelings I think his love would be more noticeable on the outside than inside. What I mean is that others would be more prone to pick up on his crush than you. 

He would sit besides you on the couch, thighs touching and everyone is like.. Jason? Allowing you in his personal space? Interesting

Would pay attention to the little things. You said you are cold? Here, his jacket is strangely flying on your shoulders

Gifts you books that remind him of you, annotated with specific passages. 

He doesn’t give hints, hell, in a way he hopes that you won’t notice how much of a sick idiot in love he has become. But in the hopes you do, well, he is cooked isnt he? ( a oneshot coming out soon) 

──── ୨୧ ─────

TIM

The worst. A mix between jason and dick.

If tim likes you, then you’re his best friend, there’s no other way around it lol. 

He would already be clingy, but when he realises he has a crush there’s two things going in his head:

1) panics. He starts running around his room over analyzing every little detail and trying to understand how, when and why he fall for you

2) goes down a rabbit hole. He will overthink everything he has done recently. Was he too clingy? Did you suspect something? Do you feel the same? 

After absolutely losing it, same tim, he will assess the situation. He is good at reading body language. He knows how to listen and he knows how to talk. He is observant and rest assured he will put his vigilante skills to action. 

He wouldn’t necessarily ask you out if he comes to the conclusion you like him back, i think it will happen randomly. Maybe one night you’re over at his, it’s 3am, he doesn’t have patrol tomorrow and you two are watching a show together. The main characters are having some sort of love emotional shambles, maybe there’s a kiss involved. He looks at you, you look at him. There’s a moment of silence unsure if you two should confess your feelings or laugh. At the end, somehow, his lips are on yours– the show long forgotten– as his cold hands cup your cheeks to deepen the kiss.

──── ୨୧ ─────

BRUCE

intense eye contact

he listens and listens almost as if the sole act of listening to your voice is soothing for him

Gifts. Like this man would just randomly increase his gifts. It wouldn’t be at once, but gradually you started to notice that one rose became 5 and then 10. Chocolates turned into gems.

Would ask you to accompany him at events, which is when you know, he is at least seriously interested. Because events and galas, as much as he is not a fan of them, are important to his image. 

Little subtle touches 

He doesn’t really express things by words if he can avoid it, so you need to be good at picking the subtle signs 

Gifts aside, they are nice and surely it’s one of his love languages, but when he makes the effort to get to know the true you and what your interests and hobbies are, safe to say he expects the same interest back. To know that you are at least interested in getting to know him not as batman, not as Wayne but as Bruce, and simply as Bruce will put you 5 steps ahead already. 

© GLAMOURSCAT (all rights reserved. do not share, modify, translate and re-upload my work outside of tumblr)