#These asks are catnip to me I love thinking about these three

[martianbugsbunny]

Okay but imagine Cheyenne respecting Tobias because of his work and they get each other but really… Gabin? She just has to question his taste at that point. She says that too and gabin is like 🖕

That is PRECISELY the vibe

I feel like Tobias is one of the few people she can not just stand but actually finds likeable/endearing (once she knows he‘s not questioning her skills lol), and they definitely bonded in their super specific way over wanting that ballet performed at its highest level

But she would SO shake her head at him about dating Gabin WITH Gabin in the room and based on their vibe so far 🖕 is 100% his response

[aranarumei]

kiri analyzes: ch 27 of hirano to kagiura

hi. that’s me. kiri I mean. firstly I realize I’ve arrives about a month late to the party. I’m sure much of what I’m going to say about ch 27 has already been discussed, but I still wanted to go through each chapter and give my thoughts on them before I go out and see what everyone else has been saying! I’m keeping this post under the cut for length, not spoilers lol

okay! starting off from the color page. I adore this caption: “towards an as-yet-unmet spring.” hirano’s gaze, trained not just at kagi’s lips, but his brilliant smile (“…man, that sun is dazzling today…” – ch 12, hirano to kagiura), and the pink flush to his face—altogether it captures the image of love in bloom. that burgeoning newness is right in line with the spring season, and an “as-yet-unmet spring” suggests that while we’re not quite there yet (at the point of a realization of love), it is something that will be happening.

(side note: I will be using the mangadex scanlations as my main reference point here, but I have heard that it might be good to look at some alternate translations regarding ch 28 and 29, so I’ll be doing so when I get there)

now to discuss page one. hanzawa and ichinose are like catnip so me so I have a lot of words about this moment. to start, I think it’s so fascinating that both hanzawa & ichinose ascribe a sense of “home” to the dorm (and thus feel homesickness), even though, as hirano points out, the dorm isn’t actually their home. to me this illuminates a lot about hanzawa and ichinose’s characters, particularly the reasons as to why they were dorm heads.

both hanzawa and ichinose are presumably here for studying reasons—ichinose will get caught up in video games if he goes home (ch 23b, hirano to kagiura), and hanzawa’s household is too busy and chaotic to study at (ch 33.7, sasaki to miyano)—but the dorm is more than just a study space to them. after all, being dorm head requires an extra level of connection to the dorm… a connection that I would argue, for them, stems from a level of disconnection with their actual homes.

at home, hanzawa’s “maa-kun,” and his older brother masaomi will start asking him questions about his love life, and I imagine it’s often enough since he does it in public, and asks if miyano’s his boyfriend without skipping a beat (ch 28, sasaki to miyano). in this same chapter, hanzawa does not… react well, to romance. he’s still grappling with the lasting memory of his mother’s relief when he said he was straight. at home, hanzawa’s not in control. I think he’s internalized the idea that he’s not allowed to display any kind of queerness, and while that may still be true to an extent within the confines of the dorm, the situation is different. here, he’s the dorm head, he’s the captain of the ping pong team, president of the disciplinary club… his hair is dyed black, like a “good student.” he can control, to a larger extent, the way he’s perceived, and has more freedom of action.

as ogasawara suggests in the second anime guidebook, “ah, but… you’ve been here for three years, so it’s not quite home, but… there’s still an attachment?” and he’s right! I don’t think hanzawa dreads his home, but I think that he was able to build a new feeling of stability during his time at school and in the dorm, and having that is really precious to him. there’s reason he then asks ogasawara to attend his university, and then starts complaining about how hirano moved out of the dorm as soon as he was able.

(side note: that’s a really fun look into the future, isn’t it? that the hirano who’s so deeply missing kagiura in this chapter moved out as soon as it was possible to do so. perhaps that’s just another aspect of his ruthless kind of bluntness, but I think the fact that it happened means that he and kagiura are at a stable place. also, this scene ends with him deciding to drop by the dorm, so clearly there’s someone he wants to see…)

we don’t know much about ichinose’s home life, but I’d pin him as a bit introverted. I might be making this conclusion based off the fact that he’s wearing glasses in a flashback we see of him. but also like… he plays video games. he gets bad stomach cramps and some of them are anxiety-induced. he gets really shy around the dorm manager, who he does have a crush on, but also I think he’s just that type of person. speaking of the dorm manager, he and ichinose are chatting even before hirano or hanzawa show up, so I’d suspect a part of his homesickness is missing the dorm manager, too. there’s a fun tension to this situation… he’s graduating, and his crush probably feels pretty useless, but he nonetheless wants to chase that pleasure. it’s not an outward or direct expression of queerness, but I like to imagine that ichinose, too, feels more in control when he’s in the dorm, feels more like he can be a little truer to himself.

that distance from your closest judgements—the ones coming from you family—is something I like to think that ichinose and hanzawa cherish.

speaking of ichinose and hanzawa, I love this chapter cover. the angle reminds me of a security camera? hirano’s stares at it with a blank kind of surprise, but hanzawa and ichinose both look like they’re making deliberate eye contact. I think the difference between them is representative to how those three interact with the idea of public perception and persona… that being, hirano doesn’t do it at all, while hanzawa and ichinose are hyper aware of it, even though their approaches and responses differ.

(side note: I’m aware that a lot of what I say regarding ichinose is speculation. I just have a lot of headcanons about him. as a shameless self plug I will say that that you should read violeta fantasy)

next we have ichinose & hirano discussing kagiura, and not only does hirano look glum when talking about how he and kagiura rarely get to see each other, he wears the fondest smile I’ve ever seen when he calls kagiura “one of a kind.” I love how bright that specific page looks—it’s like when hirano’s around kagiura, he, too, is dazzling. I also really love the choice of words here, those being “one of a kind.” it might be a translation liberty, but I think it just emphasizes the way that kagiura is a unique existence to hirano. even if he’s not special in the romantic sense, he is so obviously special to hirano. I love that hirano calls him “one of a kind” as he’s specifically recalling the way kagiura in ch 26 said that being with him, like this, is his favorite part of the day. here, reflecting on that moment, hirano gets to appreciate and love the way that kagiura loves him, and it just leaves him soft and pleased. it’s nice to see.

the next scene I want to discuss is the section where kagiura catches hirano & hanzawa Being Friends. I am such a fan of this because I love seeing hirano and hanzawa’s friendship. on hanzawa’s character profile for the knight of sub-characters popularity poll, it’s mentioned that he’s often seen with hirano, and then in the snapshot of his daily life that we got for his 2024 birthday, hirano’s again mentioned as his friend… they go to the same university! hirano asked him for advice on how to approach kagi-kun! sure, part of that was because hanzawa was the dorm head, but a lot of it was because they’re just friends. it’s fascinating to see how badly kagiura reacts to this, and the way he bitterly thinks, hirano-san only lets me touch him for 10 seconds a day…

kagi. I love you. but you made that rule up. you are also forgetting that hirano keeps claiming he’s got his own 10 seconds, too. this touch constraint is so fascinating because kagiura and hirano would’ve casually touched all the time, before this. but ever since having a proper realization of his Feelings, kagiura’s essentially… deprived himself of touch, by choice? because as they stand, even if hirano’s Fine with it, because he won’t register it as romantic, kagiura can’t touch him with romantic intention and have him not know. as he thinks right after his bitter thought, it’s not even the same kind of touching. it would cross some kind of line that he’s made up. I love this kid’s issues. he’s really so good… but I think he worries a lot about not being good, especially towards the guy he loves so much.

(side note: in this section we also flash back to the hanzawa homophobia allegations, which. I’d love to write up a post abt this whole deal just bc 1) we’re all aware that hanzawa’s not Actually Homophobic, yes? and 2) I find it so fun to introspect and speculate about his relationship to queerness, and 3) can we talk about how strange yashiro is? like. forget hanzawa shutting down that play-acted kabedon in ch 24. what kind of person just bluntly says, “everyone knows he can’t stand when two guys do that kind of stuff together” to a guy who clearly… does not know that? hanzawa can’t be looking that actively homophobic, if kagiura’s never noticed it before. making that statement says just as much about yashiro, then, as it does about hanzawa.)

now of course I have to talk the moment where kagiura realizes that hirano misses them hanging out. I’ll take this moment to note that hirano missing him, and hirano wanting to study with him, are all great continuing repudiations of the suggestion that ichinose gave early on: that he might focus better, without kagiura as his roommate. that maybe they’d do best, working hard individually. I think this was part of what separated them in the adult au, but time and time again, hirano to kagiura shows that they make each other better, stronger people. we kind of knew all of this, though. why, then, does hirano go 0 to 100 red, the moment that kagiura realizes this fact?

well. this… actually isn’t the first time, isn’t it? back in ch 22, hirano’s missing kagiura, and recalls what miyano was rambling about in his BL: “he thinks about how much he wants to see the person he’s in love with, and with the best timing ever, he finds himself embraced, and his heart starts pounding…”

then, too, his face turns totally red. and, crucially: his heart starts to race.

heart racing, in this context, is a signifier of love. hirano had pointed out that you can just have your heart race when you’re surprised, and being hugged could do that naturally, but now his heart has started jackrabbiting when there’s no one there to touch him. how to make sense of this feeling?

(he’d also conveniently tuned out the part where miyano said that in some cases there wasn’t any heart racing because the couple was already like family. I think family is a really key word in how exactly kagiura loves hirano. it really is a desire not just for love, but cohabitation.)

miyano says some other stuff in his BL spiel, too. I’d like to point to his earlier impassioned cry of, “you should just try getting embraced by a tall puppy-dog seme, have your heart start racing, and realize ‘wow…is this love?!’!!!”

sounds a little similar to… oh, what’s happening right now in ch 27, doesn’t it?

sasaki to miyano plays a lot with BL tropes, particularly in the ways that its fiction interacts with the reality of miyano’s life. hirano to kagiura does this to a lesser extent, but the theme is still clearly present—in ch 13, miyano tells hirano that he “can’t recognize an iota of BL development potential,” and hirano thinks for a moment that he’s talking about him and kagi-kun before he decides it had nothing to do with their situation.

so. what we’re going to see in ch 28, I suspect, is not going to be a sudden ‘wow…is this love?!’ moment. I’d love to say I’ve made this prediction just from sheer analysis alone, and while I think harusono sensei’s general trend of playing with BL tropes and expectations makes this a pretty easy prediction, I also just… have an inkling or two about what ch 28 is about. no clue about ch 29, but I know that neither of them are going to end with hirano being “wow, I’m totally in love with kagi,” because if it did, I think my tumblr dashboard would’ve exploded.

that’s all from me on ch 27! excited to discuss whatever’s coming up…

[girlfriendsofthegalaxy]

tuesday again 5/27/2025

no lesbian novel this week! didn’t get to read much at work bc i had to do my actual job :( did manage to do some sewing

listening

ive been bumping this since the end of the season tbqh. the way in-universe this has been a chart-topping party song for over a year??? with its own little dance??? how Niamos is the name of a beach planet so this is functionally a Pitbull song where he yells MIAMI!!!! which is all of them???? show of all time. show of all fucking time.

it’s not on streaming platforms but THE IN UNIVERSE ELEVATOR REMIX!!!! FUCK!!! WHAT IF STAR WARS WAS GOOD!!!

-

reading

did not manage to read a lesbian novel. did manage to read half a book ive had in hold since january 2 of this year and i did not like it :(

this is playing in the same space as Canticle for Leibowitz and anything else that treats software programming as a magical mystical art with priests and such. love this space! you can probably name three more off the top of your head!

while it does have a fascinating 1920s level of technology world (aside from the big magical barrier), it really flounders about in the middle. the twist was pretty clearly telegraphed (fine) but after the twist i had zero desire to continue onward. i had no real interest in how or why this huge overarching societal problem could be solved, and think i could have liked it more if it were either novella or short story length. would be perfect as a classic episode of the twilight zone.

it also strikes a little too close to home for me with its depiction of a far-right religious cult running everything and a depressingly accurate depiction of what it’s like to be a woman in hard stem, down to the sexual assault from a person in the same research group. the two-thirds of the book i read was really just real life as a woman postgrad without many scifi elements. the promise of scifi elements were why i picked up the book, bc i was interested in a hard sci take on dark academia. further annoyances: i also did not love the “they’re trying to keep you PLACID and QUIET and WOMANLY!!!” scene with a doctor. there is an additional second-wave feminist stink around the “original” flavor of magic, stolen from the original women of the land. i hesitate to call it terfy. if i met someone with these views in the real world I would certainly ask more questions before scheduling a second hang. yanno?

-

watching

john wick the fourth bc i unexpectedly have peacock access. video game cutscene lookin ass movie (lovingly). the visual style, lighting, and nods to other movies (genuinely gasped out loud at a specific match cut bc the reference made sense within the plot and wasn’t just a fun visual) are all off the chain. slightly longer than i wanted it to be— the last chase/gun battle through paris dragged a bit despite having some of the coolest set pieces.

-

playing

nothing fun to report in genshin this week. still don’t have enough to guarantee the pink fox lady so i think i will bide my time and wait for skirk to drop at some point the next patch (yet another patch with no map update :( curious)

-

making

trying to clean my house or finish some projects whenever i want to leave my house or spend money. has led to a much cleaner house but a much more housebound me. anyway here’s a scrub cap with fabric a friend bought and asked “hey can you make me a scrub cap” When I Moved To Houston Nearly Two Years Ago. plus the lining galaxy fabric, bought at the joanns closest to umass in mmm 2017?

came home from work friday morning to discover catnip strewn about the living room bc da gorls managed to rip holes in BOTH mr cactus kickers. a somewhat slapdash mend but reinforced with fraychek so the next time they bite and tear the fabric Next to the patch will tear

[angxlofvenus]

hihi could i request something with the obey me characters with a mc that has a cat/their reactions to meeting their cat or just their pets in general?

Hi, Thank you so much for the request! As an owner to two cats myself, This was so much fun for me to write, I hope you have a great rest of your day/night :) Genre: Fluff ! Ship: The brothers/Side characters x reader (platonic Luke!) TW: cussing, Mentions of catnip, Eating catfood (Beel's section),

When You Own A Cat

Lucifer

Well, this won’t do.

He has a very strict pet policy in the HoL but for you…He may twist his words a little

Will act cordial with your cat just because he doesn’t want to upset you but like

Luci is a dog person through and through so this may be a bit of an inner struggle

Here's the thing though, I don’t think he has ever really been around a cat before

So when he starts to warm up to your furry friend…He kind of relates to the cat 😭

Listen, I think Lucifer acts a lot like a cat, Hard to get close to, Will act better than you, etc, etc

Once he and your cat get close though? They are two peas in a pod- He’ll let the cat snuggle up to him when he isn’t busy. 

Mammon

Ehhh, He isn’t too crazy either way about it, You got a cat, so what?

If y’all are dating, He’s gonna be a little clingy because he thinks the cat takes up too much of your attention in his opinion! 

Will definitely play with you’re cat though, no matter if he likes the animal or not, He finds your pet running after a laser/string hilarious!

May blame the cat for breaking things so that Lucifer doesn’t hang him from the ceiling…

Once he’s warmed up to your kitty though, They are thick as thieves

He will buy them any toy he thinks they’ll like, Will definitely buy some catnip (If you’re okay with it!) just for shits and giggles

Levi

A little skeptical at first,,, Of course you have such a normie pet!

In the beginning, He’s gonna be jealous (shocker, I know)

Can almost feel the envy coming off of him when your cat settles down in your lap

But when your cat starts to do the same things with him? Total 180°

He’s in Love! Will start watching cat-related animes and playing cat-related games

Will try to introduce them to Henry, Just don’t let them get too close…

Satan

un-HOLLLYYY SHHHIITTTT, Y’all, the moment you have been waiting for-

Minds running a mile a minute, Looks just excited on the outside, but on the inside? Oh, He.is.SCREAMING

Will ask every question there is to ask, Name, Age, birthday, breed, personality

He may just kind of…Pick the cat up and leave with them after their first interaction

Your cat will become the most spoiled being in the Devildom, Your cat shall never want anything ever again, Satan will get them everything they want, no matter how hard it is to obtain

Your kitty will kind of get roped into a bond with Satan whether they want to or not, But let’s be honest, Your cat’s gonna love him seeing as he would kill for them

Asmo

Awwwww, How cute!

As long as your cat doesn’t get into his stuff, They’ll also be instant besties

His camera roll really consists of 4 categories

Himself

You

Your cat

All three of y’all together

Will probably try to put your cat into some dumbass costume

Will buy your cat so many accessories, What do you mean they don’t need a bedazzled collar?! >:0

Snuggle buddies when you aren’t around, Yes, This does look as adorable as it sounds- 

Overall, He will love and pamper your cat all the time

Beel

Oh? You have a cat? That’s cool :) 

Loves to see how much joy they bring you, He loves seeing you happy no matter what

He has tried cat food before, both wet and dry and ain’t afraid to try it again…You should probably lock up the cat food just in case.

Will also play with your cat with like just some string, He thinks it’s cute :) 

Is honestly fascinated by your pet lowkey, He never knew how sleek most were! Is bamboozled by the whole, Landing-on-their-feet thing

They become friends pretty quickly I’d say, He makes sure to always be super gentle with them because he knows how much bigger he is than them (I am so mentally ill about him istg)

If your cat becomes interested in something he’s eating, He’ll give them a lil nibble (If it’s safe for that cat to consume ofc)

Buys a lil cat bed for his and Belphie's room, It stays at the foot of his bed 

Belphie

A cat? Ew, That sounds like responsibility

Indifferent at first, As long as he doesn’t have to really mess with it, He’s chill

But one day, He awakens abruptly (Unheard of) To your cat making biscuits on his cheek

Kiss your cat goodbye, It’s his now

Cuddle buddies, every day, all-day

Will put on those bird videos to play with your cat

The second brother I’m gonna say acts like a cat, He will literally catch himself mimicking the cat sometimes

They would so judge people together, Lucifer just entered the room their in? Side eye…

Diavolo

How sweet! He has zero qualms about your little friend

Another one that will buy pretty much everything for your cat, Y’all don’t even have to be close for him to do this, He just thinks of your cat as an extension of the exchange program, Therefor he buys them anything he thinks they need

Best of buddies when they get close to each other

Will some just walk around RAD with your kitty, Just showing them things, Will also ask for your cat's thoughts on laws in a kind of joking way, But he 100% will listen seriously if they decide to answer him with a meow

Barbatos

Doesn’t have a very strong opinion of your cat at first, He isn’t exactly a pet type of person seeing as he rarely has time for such things but in my humble opinion, I think most animals flock to this man like Snow White

Listen, This man is the definition altruistic person so I think Smaller creatures would find comfort in his presence, This is also why the Little D’s love him so much

Your cat will always look their best, Barb will trim their nails, take them to the vet, brush their fur and other things without you even having to ask

Once they become more acquainted, I can see him making some cat-safe baked treats for the kitty

Simeon

He thinks your cat is precious! Though at first will be worried about the small thing being in a place like the Devildom 

Him being an angel does change a few things, I think animals naturally flock to him as well just because of his angelic background so he and your cat are kind of just automatically BFF's 

He will always be up for loving on your cat, No matter how busy he is- He won’t ever turn down your kitty

Probably the first person you should ask to catsit, a close second being Barbatos

Solomon

They will be partners in crime even if your cat doesn’t want that

Don’t be surprised if he starts to refer to your cat as his ‘Furry apprentice’ instead of their actual name

Takes photos of your cat, but only when he finds them in a stupid position

Another contender to buy them some catnip and just watch them go crazy

Once they have warmed up to eachother, He is gonna torment this cat 24/7 almost

Luke

A cat and a chihuahua, Natural enemies!

Jkjk but not really…

He doesn’t like how stuck up a lot of cats are but he thinks your’s is pretty cute

Will ask Simeon how to pet them correctly and treat them well because he cares!

After the first few weeks he actually really warms up to your kitty

Will always ask how their doing like they are a person, no matter what.

Doesn’t admit it but he really adores your cat :(

[missgryffin]

You do really thoughtful posts and I was hoping to ask if you might expand on this ask, discussing James & Lily's compatibility through a lens of astrology? Particularly more about their chemistry, as you understand it? Full transparency, I've always struggled with James and James & Lily even more so, so finding several really literate and carefully reasoned writers, like you, is a godsend. I can't improve how I write them if I never understand them fully and your ideas help so much.

Thanks so much for this ask and welcome to the Jily side of Tumblr!!

Since you said you’ve struggled with James/Jily, I’m actually going to back up a bit first and start with the text before we get to the astrology stuff, because I think the astrology only buttresses and deepens what’s already there. And this is such a loaded but fun question that I already know this is going to be long, so under the cut we go!

This heritage post sets out all the key quotes about James and Lily from the books. In addition to this, there’s the famous “She hated him!” / “Nah she didn’t.” exchange between Harry and Sirius that is basically the backbone of fandom. And we also know:

they dedicated their lives to the Order after Hogwarts in lieu of working any sort of “traditional” job or even fleeing the country

they defied Voldemort 3 times (per the terms of the prophecy)

per this post by my friend Robyn, I think we can infer they were deeply happy together despite it all

So the text already lays the groundwork of telling us that James and Lily were good-hearted people who exemplified Gryffindor traits, and then the text also gives us enough information to infer that they had been madly in love: 

James already fancied Lily in 5th year, at age 16

Lily dressed him down at age 16 (“She hated him!”), but textual clues from the SWM sequence indicate the attraction was far from unrequited (“Nah she didn’t.”). (This + some author comments from back when effectively give them a light enemies to lovers dynamic, though the absence of any knowledge about 6th year leaves the door wide open for possibilities as to how James matured and they moved closer to getting together.) 

they were Head Boy and Girl at Hogwarts together, meaning they would have had a lot of ~forced proximity~

they started going out in 7th year, at age 17

they got married very soon after school, at age 18

they were actively fighting in a war together (a war that James, as a pureblood, could have sat out while living in wealthy comfort but in which he chose to fight instead)

they got pregnant at 19

they had Harry at 20

they died trying to protect Harry at 21 

The central themes of Harry Potter are love and choice, and these themes are embodied by James and Lily from the very outset. Their death—their love—starts the story. Harry, as the hero, is a character of love, fighting against Voldemort, a character devoid of love and full of darkness. And Harry became a character of love because of his parents: he is a product of their love, and he survived by being protected by their love. (And I know the text puts the emphasis on Lily/“mother’s love” here, but let’s be real, James died for him just as much as Lily did—he died for both of them, rushing Voldemort in a split-second, last-ditch, defenseless effort to buy them time.) 

The fact that Jily came to ultimately fit within a prophecy gives them a fated quality that I think is like catnip for Jily shippers (or at least for me, ha), and it's all the juicier when you consider how they started: James pining helplessly with a mega crush so bad HE was doodling HER initials on his exam paper and being reduced to acting like a total idiot in her presence despite being one of the cleverest students in the school + Lily shouting in public that she'd rather date a Giant Squid than him despite having noticed a telling amount of details about his mannerisms and then being "alight with happiness" on her wedding day to him only ~three years later.

Plus, you take into consideration that they had been dating for roughly a year when they got married, and had been together roughly two years (married ~one) when they got pregnant with Harry… (a conception which would have occurred right around Halloween/Sirius Black's birthday, I might add)... Young readers will be rightfully oblivious to this, but looking at it as an adult, I think it's a fairly obvious implication that they were MAD for each other and had a sexual chemistry that was off the charts. Like probably shagging nonstop since they got together kind of off the charts.

They're a war couple, plain and simple. Their romance is intensified by the circumstances around them, and their romance is also a tragedy, their time cut far too short for a love so powerful that it protected its product from death. But they're also meant to be romanticized. Not because they're perfect (the text shows us how much they weren't) but because they are Harry's beacon. Despite all their flaws and mistakes and imperfections, they ultimately chose love—bringing us full-circle to the central theme of the story.

From this starting point, their astrology makes so much sense. I don't recall if she talked about it, but I think it's pretty obvious JKR used astrology at least on a surface level for her characters. (And this isn't an original idea, there's been lots of articles and chatter about it over the years. Plus I believe she studied classics in her bachelor's degree, so her background with Greek and Roman mythology also explains the heavy amount of those references in the books.) Like just going off basic sun signs, we have Harry and Ginny as Leos, Hermione's a Virgo, Ron's a Pisces, Draco's a Gemini, Sirius is a Scorpio, Voldemort and Snape are Capricorns, etc. Literally all it takes is reading a few one-paragraph summaries of these sun signs and I promise it makes sense 😂

James as an Aries and Lily as an Aquarius fit completely with their known traits and the glimpses of their personalities that we see. According to astrology, Aries are ruled by Mars, making them fiery, passionate, assertive, dominant, impulsive, and impatient. This is James Potter to a T. And Aquarius, the humanitarian of the zodiac, is explained really well by this paragraph from the esteemed publication Allure (😜):

Air energy is all about the mind. Intellectual, curious, and deeply social, the air signs (Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius) are passionate about interpersonal dynamics. As the last air sign in the zodiac, however, Aquarius takes these concepts to a whole other level. Aquarius is represented by the water bearer (hence the "aqua"), the mystical healer who bestows water, or life, upon the land. Represented by the Star card in tarot, Aquarius can be visualized as a larger-than-life, mythical being with one foot firmly planted on the soil (representing a sense of being grounded) and one positioned in the water. Aquarius is holding a vase, which pours new streams of inspiration to cultivate longevity, healing, and hope. Here, it's important to remember that Aquarius is removed from this process—from this vantage, we can see that Aquarius is positioned as an independent entity separate from the life-giving hydration it offers the cracked soil. In this respect, Aquarius exposes its deep connection to community: Rooted in teamwork, collaboration, and the concept of the "greater good," Aquarius is determined to make a powerful difference in the world.

In addition to giving some surface-level insight to Lily's general personality, this aligns with the mythical/savior quality with which Lily's remembered in the text.

Aries and Aquarius are generally considered an astrological pairing that "goes together," meaning they have a high level of compatibility. The traits I shared in the post you referenced are, I think, the cornerstone of this. I won't repeat it all, but I think a huge part of it is their intellectual attraction. They're both wicked smart (we know this from the text), and are at such a high level of intelligence + skill that finding a partner who can match them and stimulate their intellectual curiosity is of utmost importance and really creates the foundation of their relationship.

In this sense, James and Lily are the series' power couple. They are the Han and Leia of Harry Potter. They're drawn together, they have a fated quality, a star-crossed quality, they flirt with banter, and they're both incredibly passionate people, which makes it inevitable, really, that they ultimately become passionate about each other.

[derschleierfallt]

U & P for the ask game please :3c

P - Invent a random AU for any fandom

this is going to sound insane but honest to god. modern au for elisabeth. it is hilarious to me on so many levels. think hamilton miku binder type of thing. i don’t want it to be that insane, but that’s layer number 1. layer number 2, keep the dynamics basically the same. tod is still this weird ambiguous figure. doom scrolls with you or something. the only thing is… it cannot be a cutesy modern au. everyone’s lives need to suck shit and it needs to be funny. crack fic territory is what i’m getting at

U - Three favorite characters from three different fandoms, and why they’re your favorites

ohhhh… difficult. difficult.

elisabeth (elisabeth) - it’s a tough choice between her and tod, but lestat is coming up next on this list and i don’t want too much blonde bob evil man representation. to me, elisabeth’s struggles with identity, life, death, and so on, have been the most accurate i’ve ever seen. she’s tragic, complex, at fault, and faultless. self sabotaging and a victim of circumstance. these aren’t always concrete things, there are many nuances to it, but that’s the intrigue for me. she’s perpetually depressed, not even her greatest triumphs can shake that. everything is a facade. part of what i hate about tod becoming more of a separate entity from her, is it waters her down just as much as it does him, rudolf, and the story at large. this is not a love story (not a traditional one anyways, and not an untraditional one in the same way as phantom, which is the angle they seem to be going for), it’s a surreal look into the mind and life of a complex woman. it’s about elisabeth, it’s the title, tell me about elisabeth!

lestat (interview with the vampire) - evil blonde man. i love it. catnip 4 me. what i really love about lestat is the conversation he seems to create. people are very opinionated about him, no matter where on the spectrum you fall between loving and hating him. i think that’s some really great character work, he’s hard to just shrug off. what i love as well are the intense emotions he himself has, that he cannot just shrug off. he can’t shrug off anything! me too girl! it’s thrilling, it’s scary, it’s heartbreaking, it’s romantic. i just love it

laura palmer (twin peaks) - y’all i can’t even think about this character too hard without crying so im gonna keep this VERY short. fire walk with me was probably the most impactful film i’ve ever watched. i’ve had DREAMS about laura palmer and how i wish i could save her. she’s unfortunately a very real character that’s so deeply connected to many universal experiences and many personal ones. i can’t believe it. brb gonna cry

[allwormdiet]

@yugonostalgia2019 Heehee your lb is really fun to read! This is extra funny to me bc on my first Worm read I HATED coil almost as much as you, but when i reread it he grew on me like very slimy mold haha. Fun things to notice: Leviathan seemed to be targeting Coil's base & the Travelers - perhaps the reason for coming to BB entirely? Second - remember how arc 7 Taylor goes on a paranoid rant about how conflict & shit always seems to go down at lunchtime? Notice how Coil asks Dinah about problems before lunchtime & drops his realities then? Not a coincidence :)))

Oh also want to self-indulgently talk about Coil's biggest personality trait/flaw: Hypocrisy. You noticed during the interlude & his speeches that he seems pretty self aware - he knows he's a bad person who enjoys torturing people, wanting power for his own sake right? But he has a self-assuredness too, that he views himself as a good employer, one who provides for his underlings & makes them want to work for him. A very stratch-your/mine-back mentality. Except… what happens when there's someone too valuable a subordinate & too dangerous independent? And if there's nothing Coil can offer them? What can he provide a middle schooler with decent parents to make her want to work for him?? Nothing. So, the mask comes off, the good employer self-image vanishes, & all that's left is power-hungry cruelty……

There's so many things about Coil that make me despise him, not least of which is the way he's an absolute goddamn creep about Dinah, but even if I didn't know that about him I think the foundation of the character, the thing that sends me into a gnashing fury, it's that he's uncool.

Coil is a goddamn criminal mastermind, a supervillain whose organization is held by everyone in the know to be one of the Top Three big dogs in Brockton Bay's underworld, and he doesn't even seem to have his mercenaries committing that many crimes out in the open. I actually don't even know why he's on the books as a supervillain, what crimes he's got on his head that put him in the same caliber as Lung and Kaiser and standing head and shoulders above the Merchants, or whether it's just the resources at his beck and call. He's ambitious, scheming, ruthless, with an air of sophistication. He's got a power that, while limited in certain ways, can be monstrously effective with careful planning.

...But then we get a good look at him and it turns out that all his grand ambitions are for petty greed, cruelty, and an obsession with control, an obsession he can't even blame on being a parahuman because his power is store-bought. His sophistication is a facade, he's incautious the moment it doesn't involve a threat of direct harm to himself. He has no guiding principles, he has no patience or loyalty or humility or anything that could be considered a redeeming feature.

Also, man has no taste and no passion. His costume is weird and he doesn't even bother coming up with a name for his organization, there's no aesthetic flair within a single inch of his soldiers' uniforms or in his underground lair. He's like if a box of bran flake cereal could defraud the stock market and was creepy about middle schoolers.

Like it feels almost even more insulting to me because I love the shit out of criminal mastermind types, I love the plotter in the shadows who pulls the strings and crushes their enemies without even being exposed, I have like multiple OCs who pull that kind of shit and one of them is even a supervillain. It's like catnip for me.

So I guess if we want to extend the simile, Coil is like if I went in for catnip and caught a mouthful of bleach, and also the bleach locked a child in its basement.

(Disclaimer: my stance on Coil in no way reflects how I feel about people who actually like him. If you get a kick out of this guy, that's fine, I don't get it but that's not for me to get, I just want to bite down on him as hard as I can and shake until his bones snap)

[trulycertain]

Finished Veilguard about a week back. My thoughts on the character writing (massive spoilers herein):

The character writing... feels like DA2 to me. Not enough time and too much internal upheaval. The characters are fascinating and I like them! But they're sketches - albeit often beautiful, interesting ones - not finished paintings. (Origins and Inquisition's definitely feel like paintings to me.)

It's not about writing ability. A lot of old hands who wrote beloved stuff were on here. Trick Weekes, obviously, who gave us Solas and Bull and so much other good stuff; Sheryl Chee (who wrote Leliana and Isabela and has my hat forever for them); Brianne Battye, who wrote Cullen in DAI, whose arc I adored; Mary Kirby got to write Varric and part of Lucanis; Sylvia Fetekeuty gave us the beautiful, tightly-worldbuilt quests and politics like Orzammar, and In Hushed Whispers - heck, she wrote Josephine… I honestly just think it's a lack of time and clear direction due to so many game leads being in and out.

I love all the intra-crew interaction, it's really awesome to see. I like that I can tell companions have their friends and favourites and smoochfellows (I'll be honest, I did not call Taash/Harding, I thought for sure Taash and Davrin would end up with something going on, though I also did not call Neve/Lucanis and judging from their friendship, I bet that romance would be wonderful - they're probably my favourite team to take out other than either of them with Emmrich, or Bellara + Emmrich - I love magic talk.) The team meetings are a great idea that reinforce that. Also, I really love the fact that companion banters will play in the Lighthouse too (I realised after I reloaded and got a similiar conversation post-coming back that it's the same as banter when you're out walking - so it'll advance with personal quests, and if there's a pairing you don't usually take out with you, you still get a chance to catch the odd interesting chat). I do wish it were still a three companion team, though - even more because of this. I also love the tiny things, like Lucanis adjusting his meals for the fact Rook is a tea drinker and Emmrich is a veggie. (God do I relate to "vegetarian who talks relentlessly about their special interest while others sigh and takes a while to work out what to do when flirted with".) I love that companions pick up their banter again if it's interrupted by fights! Wonderful quality-of-life improvement thing, and also a bit more realistic feeling. People get bored and talk, and wonder things while they're wandering.

I absolutely love the plot of this game. I think it follows through on so many ideas in such a cool way, and I love Solas in this game, and the art and performances are beautiful. It has lots of respectful, loving tie-ins to the past games and clearly is thinking about them. I just think the companions, much like DA2, are fantastic ideas that just needed a bit of time.

I mean, let's take Neve - my romance, trope catnip for me in "tired mage who's not afraid to just deck someone, PI, stoic, normally male tropes applied to female chars, sharp-dressed" - as an example. Veilguard does more natural conversation flow - you can't sit and quiz companions on their selves and backstories like a job interview. But because you only get investigation options in chats anyway, you only get to ask companions about stuff they want to talk about. Which means with Davrin all you'll know is Wardens and Assan, mostly, but you can at least ask him about his past. With Neve, all you get is Dock Town, depression and fish.

I found out a lot about her backstory and family after my first playthrough - because you only get that through banters and taking out the exact right team. DA2 did this too, and it was a sign of rushed writing. As opposed to DAO and DAI, where you have their basic conflicts sketched out for you, but banters add colour, context and nuance - but regardless of team you take out, you get the basics. And they'll tell you stuff, if you ask and show interest.

Lucanis, Neve and Harding talk far more amongst themselves about some actually pretty key stuff, but not to Rook - unlike Emmrich, Taash and Davrin, who when you've spoken to them long enough will tell you a bit about them, and you can go, "Oh, I see how they got like that." Like, Neve is laetan from a soporati mostly templar family, and that elevation of having a sudden mage in the family basically tore her family apart nearly as badly as Fenris'. The class and mage stuff is major to her self-identity and why she's in Dock Town. But despite her fondness of Dock Town, her accent has no class markers except "posh London" and none of this comes up if you don't take exactly the right team out; I found some of this out through Reddit, of all places.

Now, you may say, "Isn't that replay value?" I'd argue not, when you're in an RPG that sells itself on its ensemble cast. Neve's introductory dialogue establishes that she's Minrathous and really cares about her city. And that she's a PI. The rest… is plot exposition. And it mostly carries on being exposition, albeit in a stylised way. So she has a liking for fancy hats, is pessimistic and is exhaustedly principled and love-hates Minrathous… but you knew that in her first five minutes. Even the fried fish thing, which exemplifies her love for the city and how she's grounded even though she's a mage? Ten hours in at least. And even if you play a Shadow Dragon who is also from a military family and felt left out? You get more opportunities to talk about that with Tarquin than Neve.

By contrast, here are some examples of character details that were well-done replay/"thanks for paying attention" value:

I adored many char moments, like her being wary of Emmrich but liking Manfred - calling him "Fred" - and eventually warming to them both, and her helping Taash out on gender and recognising some of this because she knew Mae and Tarquin, and Lucanis trying to feed her something healthy… but other than the middle part, all of this pretty important character growth is in easily missable banters. DA2 did this too and it drove me nuts. I took her everywhere with me because I liked her so much! And I still knew none of her backstory. Because Tevinter Nights and banter fill it in. You learn very little; you'll come out of the game thinking exactly the same of her as you did at the start. She's beautiful and every trope she's made out of is gold and her actor has a gorgeous voice, but compare a character like… heck, not even Dorian - Sera, or Bull, who offered new perspectives on Ferelden and the Qun (post-Blight and working-class, Ben Hassrath). Neve has an arc so tangled with her city that it feels like you should have got more of a glimpse of everyday working class Tevinter life through her, which I would love to see explored, and you just… don't. Noir PIs are tied to their cities, the one is a metaphor for the other, and it feels like they did that metaphor so much better with Hawke as a battered allegory for Kirkwall.

In Inquisition, let's say you never talk to Dorian past recruiting him. You never even find out he's arguing with his dad, never mind that he's gay. You still get that he's a very gifted mage, pretends to be arrogant, let down by his mentor and "not everything from Tevinter is terrible." You don't get his family history, that he hates the cold and has allergies, the nerdy magical talk, the necromancy nerdery… but you get a sampler plate of "preens, principled, proud Tevinter mage". You get a good picture even if it's incomplete.

In some ways, you actually get to know the Viper better if you choose Treviso. Less overall interaction, maybe, but you get that great scene with him mourning the dead and his response to him being Blighted, and the stuff with Antoine and Evka. And then you get that codex upon his kidnapping confirming his family name, but you have to have been paying attention to the lore to know why him being a Vesperian is such a big deal. You still know who he is and why he's here even if you barely interact with him, though.

I also loved, on Tarquin, that you get to know a bit more about him either way, but it's only if you save Minrathous that you get to know just how sad he is about the Viper not trusting him, how much they talk, the fact he's the tired admin - such a mood - and the fact he's not cis. You've shown your commitment to the Dragons by then, it's not just trotted out as a basic "getting to know you" thing with a character who isn't otherwise loud and proud. Whichever city you save, the finale confirms he's actually probably a mage, too - you see him using what looks like frost/accuracy magic, briefly. My guess is that either a: like Felix, he wasn't strong enough in it to achieve much rank b: he was limited by class c: his dad went, "Nope, if you're a man, you're a soldier now.")

Those two Veilguard choices felt like such great replayability. Like I said with DAI's banters: you get the basics, but certain choices you make give you access to new info which suddenly recontextualises and illuminates things for you. I particularly enjoyed talking to Tarq as a fellow Shadow Dragon from a fellow military family. The tired wry understanding felt very real.

I really like the whole cast, but the most... I don't know, finished? characters feel like Solas, Emmrich, Bellara and Tash. Perhaps Davrin, though he still needed a little time. I adore Lucanis (and startlingly, may like Spite even more!) but I definitely feel like he needed more time and writer stability. Emmrich lets you in on his fears and his worries a good while after knowing him, and also lets on that he's grown up in the Necropolis and it's all he knows, and that he spent time talking to spirits and was more in tune with them as a kid than most. That's not structured as an exposition dump. You have to do his personal quests to see them, but they're very much "friend decides to let Rook in on something, embarrassedly" and "come to see my favourite place". The spirits you meet are as part of other side quests and that stuff comes up naturally. Taash's intro tells you right off their mum is constantly criticising them and doesn't like them "acting butch", that criticism is due to their mum being very Qunari, and that they're really into dragons. If you pursue their quests, you get them coming out, a thorough discussion of how they feel about this stuff, them being a jerk with Emmrich, their bluntness getting them into trouble sometimes, and certain rituals and friendships in the Lords being influenced by it. So you get told all that, sure… but you also get to see it spread and ripple. There's an arc. And almost all of that you can get even without the "right" banter. Davrin's Dalish background is relevant to the plot and is a matter-of-fact part of who he is, but if you pursue his quests you get to find out about him working out whether to hide/suppress the gentler parts of himself, that he was an adorable kid, that he's into whittling, and that he's very no-nonsense about the Evanuris' bullshit because he is a stoic who gets the job done and his Warden identity takes priority, even while his Dalish upbringing informs his personality and his hunts (imo this was very well done).

You might say, "But isn't 'Characters stand around telling you their tragic backstory' the BioWare Problem?" Yeah, sure! But there's a natural build with these above examples. And shoving stuff into banter is still telling, not showing; there's no writerly sleight of hand there, either. I'd also argue that one of the reasons people have often spoken about Emmrich looking out for their Rook, or having more connection with their Rook, is that his chats with them are written much more in the Inquisition style than Veilguard's, though there are some exceptions.

Another thing: characters rarely interject/add their tuppence in quests compared to the other games, has anyone noticed this? That also gives me fewer chances to clock their stances on things, or whether they hide behind snark, or their pet issues. Same with location comments/colour commentary, which are such a tiny thing but really do help with a feeling of reactivity (BG3 did this great, but it's a very different genre and devcycle, so I'm just gonna compare past BioWare). There's no "Smell the oppression" in the Gallows or "Should've brought a sweater" in Noveria or "It must have been some time since templars [in the Hinterlands] faced a mage of any talent" or… most of Garrus and Miri bitching about Omega. I can think of, maybe two? (Half of Fenris' interjections were a slightly more complex, "ugh, I don't give a shit, can we get back to hunting slavers", but you still caught that he hated blood mages, liked the Guard and Isabela, and had an incredibly dry sense of humour.)

That lessening of dialogue, to me, points to a lack of time. My theory is the plot was laid out and carefully tooled, and companions were written/rewritten last, when the timeline was tight. As folks have pointed out: for all his faults, Gaider was famously a tight lead who gave writers their favourite characters to encourage ownership and investment, said Weekes' concepts for Solas were fantastic but made them rewrite him several times because he was coming off so unlikeable, worked very closely with VAs and always got stuff in on time. Also, he has never said this, but Weekes and Busch have always said he did the vast majority of worldbuilding and pretty much all the reveals in the plot were stuff laid out in the writers' room during/after DAO, and Weekes has said they knew of this stuff and it was passed onto them. So I think a lot of it may be upheaval and his absence being… keenly felt. It always seemed like there was a lot more Gaider in DA (compare how many characters he wrote) than there was Drew Karpyshyn or Casey Hudson in ME. DA2 was still messy as hell even with him very much involved, though, so *shrug*.

I very much enjoyed Solas' dialogue, though. That felt all Weekes, and like they were at their most passionate. Bits of it felt very Mordin, actually.

I do think everyone did a fantastic job pulling together not just a coherent but enjoyable and at times very beautiful product after such a difficult devcycle. I would argue they did a much better job than with DA2. There's a lot of skill and thought in this. It feels much, much more finished than DA2. It's just a lot more "action" than "RPG" in terms of party mechanics and dialogue. That still makes it feel like a complete, enjoyable action-adventure game, whereas DA2 was much more RPG with a lot of its mechanics but felt indecisive and unfinished to the end. I also think it's a good intro to the series, though the first hour might be a bit confusing. You get a good intro to the Wardens and Mourn Watch and Tevinter. Also, I love Arlathan and I could write essays on why. It just felt like, unlike most DA entries, the plot was stronger than the people this time round.

[thegamingcatmom]

Hello ❤️ I can't share my HC with my friends bc they dont understand my obsession with this fandom, I think they are starting to look for an asylum so I share them with you all so I don't get locked Up, win/win situation right there 🤣

So, I think this HC is not just mine yk, I am positive I read this somewhere else too but hear me out. Vampires are all about hiding their existence, nobody can know their secret etc, but they have golden/red eyes and that to me doesnt seem like a very good way to blend in. So I HC that they keep their human eyed color even after transformation (essier to blend in and lure someone if your eyes dont look a weird color imo) but the red/golden color still shows when their beast 'takes control' aka when they are mad, or lost to their instincts.

Now what do you think about this? And what eye color do you think the sisters have? In my stories Kate has blue eyes and Tanya and Irina green ones, diff tonality of green in between them.

Also I hava a question but I think that you probs answered it? But I can't remember so sorry if you did! How can MC as their mate calm them down when they are lost in their instincts? Is MC even capable of calming them down in the first place? O:

Thanks a lot for the answers❤️❤️

Hiii ❤️

I love your lengthy asks. 🥰

First off: I love your HC. As per usual. :3

I do think they lose their og eye color after transformation, also because I like that it's something that makes them stand out from your regular human. It's less obvious with golden eyes ofc, which is why the Cullens probs never bothered using contact/colored lenses or anything. Speaking of-

Colored lenses. That's all I'm saying. 🤭

But ye, I HC that most vampires actually keep to themselves, so it's not rly necessary for them to blend in with humans. Unless you kidnap one and end up having to do regular trips to the nearest city for groceries and stuff. The only time they show themselves is when they're hunting. No need to blend in when you're gonna unalive the only witness/es anyway. 🤷‍♀️

And what eye color do you think the sisters have?

Tanya: Blue

Kate: Green

Irina: Hazel

(during their human era obv.)

How can MC as their mate calm them down when they are lost in their instincts? Is MC even capable of calming them down in the first place? O:

MC is able to calm her mates with her scent alone. For them, it's like smelling a baby, lol. At least that´s how I kinda imagine it. Like, there's something so soothing about it that triggers their brains in just the right way, making them go like-

...Huh, it is a bit like catnip actually, now that I think about it. 😅

MC´s their personal drug alright. 🥴

Anyway-

MC´s presence alone will be enough to de-escalate most situations. It´s like a switch is flipped in their heads and they go from "GRRR" to "rawr".

Kinda like this, lol.

However, if it´s MC they´re getting all worked up over which only happens thrice a day, then her presence might just make things worse. It´s like throwing a piece of meat into a cage with three starved lionesses, lol.

In those cases, Tanya usually goes all coven leader on her sisters and all is (somewhat) well again for a few hours. I kinda HC that (most) leaders are wired a bit differently. Like, they have better control over their instincts and urges etc. Sort of like an "elder status", you could say.

Basically, Tanya has two personalities that she can switch between, depending on what is needed of her. 😅

And if all hope is lost, we still have Carmen and her chancla. Y'know things are real bad when that happens. 💀

.

.

.

Thanks a lot for your ask! 💋

[beautifulchris]

broken promise

pairing: seo changbin x fem!reader, seo changbin x jo serim

summary: what happens when you see your childhood best friend after 10 years, knowing there was a promise of love between you two?

genre: angst, fluff, childhood best friends to friends!au, non idol!au, established relationship!au, happy ending!!

wc: 2,9k

tw: reader's boss sucks, playful threats

notes: 🐭 anon this is for you! i hope i did your idea justice. italic is reader's thoughts! is that an open ending? yes, yes it is. feedback is always appreciated!

networks: @kflixnet @k-labels @straykidsland @kwritersworld

permanent tag list: @soobin-chois @exfolitae @linos-catnip @prettymiye0n

stray kids tag list: @raethethey

You've been typing on that computer for the last three hours, yet the current task was not quite completed. Between the short deadlines and electricity mishaps, today hasn’t been good to you. Not that it was any of your boss’ business, as he put it a couple hours prior, and I quote: “I do not care if it doesn’t work, you better work this out quickly if you want to keep this job!”

You did try, for the customers, but at the end of the day, you were feeling exhausted and helpless. Useless.

It hadn’t always been like that. When you were a kid, you’d always help your classmates and younger kids. If you witnessed, even one of your classmates, bully anyone, in recess or anywhere else for that matter, you’d jump into the fight to protect the weak without a second thought. You’d feel powerful and useful. Changbin admired you for that.

Changbin.

Your childhood best friend.

He was part of the weak, but you made sure he was untouchable. Let’s just say you scared your fair share of bullies. A few years passed and you were inseparable; your parents were close friends so you’d spend the weekends and holidays together besides school.

Two weeks after Changbin turned fourteen, you were both seated on a rug on the beach, enjoying the summer holidays together at his parents’ beach house. The sun was setting, people were leaving to go dine somewhere else. You turned to stare at his side profile. He had a soft smile on, the sunset reflecting on his dark orbs, the light making his skin golden.

“Binnie.”

“Yeah?” he replied, facing the baby pink and light yellow clouds above the ocean.

“If we don’t find love in like 10 years, will we get married?”

He laughed for a good minute. “What are you on about?”

“I don’t know,” you admitted, “I guess the atmosphere has something to do with it.” He hummed. “But do you agree?”

“Ask me again.”

You nudged him. “You’re not gonna laugh at me this time?”

He looked over his shoulder in your direction, lips pressed as to suppress a giggle. “I’ll try.”

“If we don’t find love by the age 25 or so, will we get married?”

He faked thinking, a hand on his chin. “Sure, we can. I’m certain you’ll find someone by then, though.”

“Me? Why?” you asked, curious. “I thought you were the one that was gonna find someone first.”

He shrugged. “You’re an amazing girl. If you think I will, why propose this?”

“Just felt like it. Thanks for the compliment Binnie, you’re the best best friend I could ask for.”

“I know,” he smirked while you pulled your tongue out.

A week after that, your parents left the city, taking you with them. For years, you couldn’t see your best friend, who eventually became a childhood best friend as you grew up apart and stopped talking.

The drive home from work was spent singing your heart out to your karaoke playlist to evacuate the stress. You were seriously contemplating quitting your job when you opened the door to your parents’ house.

You let out a long sigh and the voices quieted down in the kitchen. “I’m home!”

Thank your lucky stars it was the weekend. A good shower and—

“Honey, come in the kitchen please!” You didn’t like the tone your mom used, it reminded you of the day she told you you’d have to pack your bags and leave your whole childhood behind.

What you discovered upon entering the room was far from everything you could expect.

A young man was standing there, strangely looking like…

Wait.

What?

Seo Changbin, in the flesh, was sitting on a chair next to your mom. Your dad was propped up against the counter.

“Look who’s here! Surprise!” Your mom’s excited voice, your dad’s big smile with a thumbs up and Changbin’s awkward stance… that was too much.

You mumbled about needing a shower and did just that. After about 30 minutes of washing yourself and overthinking, you came back to the kitchen where they were still talking, except it was almost time for dinner.

“Hi,” you greeted everyone. “Sorry about earlier, it was a shitty day.”

Your mom got up and hugged you. Her hugs always comforted you.

“I’m sorry bun, do you want to talk about it?”

“Not right now. I see that an old soul has joined us.”

Changbin got up. “Hey Y/N, how have you been?”

He wasn’t like you remembered. He looked like he spent the last decade at the gym. It was a nice view. Although you hoped he didn’t do it because you weren’t there anymore to protect him.

He seemed to hear your thoughts. “Ah, yeah, I work out a bit. I’ve become what you could call a gym rat.”

Shaking your head—were you staring???—, you cleared your throat. “I’m alright. How are you?”

“I’m good, thanks. I asked if I could stay for a few days, and your parents said yes. I hope you don’t mind?”

“It’s nothing Changbin-ah, you’re family!” your mom chimed in.

If I don’t mind? We haven’t seen each other in ten years and you’re appearing in the kitchen out of nowhere after I thought about you on my way back from work. But do I mind?

“I don’t. It’s nice to see you again.”

“Likewise.”

“I’m starving,” your dad said as he clapped his hands. “Who wants salad?”

“Dad, seriously?” You needed something more than a salad right now.

“Just kidding, your mom made Changbin’s favorite!”

Typical. You turned to your childhood best friend. “So, how are you here?”

“Turns out our parents still talk to each other, so when I said I wanted to come to this city, they arranged something for me.”

“When your mom told me I was so happy! We haven’t seen you in so long. I knew Y/N would be delighted to see you too. You’re welcomed in our home any time, always.”

He bowed to your mom. “Thanks, ms.”

“It's nothing! As I said before, we only have two rooms, so we put a mattress in Y/N’s bedroom. Are you both ok with that?”

Oh, I haven’t thought of that.

“Sure.”

“Yeah.”

“Oh, love,” your mom told her husband, “it reminds me of old times, when they were inseparable.” She turned to you and Changbin. “We always thought you’d end up together, especially with your silly—sorry, endearing—promise of marriage at 25, was it? That will be next year.”

Changbin looked lost while you were uncomfortable with the memory, putting your head in your hands. As classic parents, they enjoyed reminding you of your awkward past.

Changbin laid down on the thick mattress while you did the same on your comfortable bed. You stared at the ceiling, your hands crossed over your stomach.

“I see you’ve kept your promise.”

What? How could he even—

“You said you’ll always hang that OneRepublic poster. It hasn’t aged.”

Ah.

“But we did.”

He chuckled. “We did indeed. I came here for an appointment with a client tomorrow morning. And to surprise my girlfriend. What are the odds of her being in the same town as you?”

You felt your heart shatter at his words. Girlfriend.

“Why not go to her directly?”

There was a lump forming in your throat.

“And missing the chance to see you again? No, thank you. I didn’t forget about you Y/Nie, I’m sorry. I’m really glad I get to see you again and I genuinely would like for us to be friends again. It might not be like before, but we can work something out, what do you think?”

The silence was loud as he waited for an answer. He could’ve come to his girlfriend without seeing you and you would’ve never known he was here. But he chose to be here in your house. It had to mean something, right?

Finally, after gathering enough courage, you replied. “Yeah. We can be friends. Are you meeting her soon?”

“Cool,” he smiled. “Yeah, I’ll wait for her outside her house tomorrow, after work.”

“Uh, this is your plan? Waiting for her at her house is a bit creepy. Why don’t you ask her to go somewhere?”

“Ah, you’re right. I can send her a message to meet at a café or something.”

You nodded, even if he couldn’t see you clearly from the floor. “Tell her you have a surprise prepared for her.”

“Where should we go? Do you know any cute and romantic places?” he asked as he typed on his phone.

“Sure. There’s a super cute café a few blocks away, its name is Lovestay. I’m sure she’ll love it.”

What am I doing?

“Thanks Y/Nie, you’re the best.”

“Of course Binnie, I’m here for you. Always.”

“You know, about the promise of marriage… I honestly forgot about it. And since I have a girlfriend, the promise doesn’t stand anymore… right?”

You don’t know how you’re keeping your composure, because you have a strong desire to cry.

“No, it doesn’t. It was only if we were both single, and even so, that would be too weird with the circumstances.”

“I agree. I’m glad we’re on the same page.”

“Me too, Binnie.”

You spent most of the night catching up, recounting each other's anecdotes of your school years, explaining your respective jobs, spilling the latest tea. The more you talked, the less the situation overwhelmed you and the more you felt at ease.

Changbin became a music producer, with a flourishing soundcloud account. He was now a pillar at the gym, even giving tips to newbies. He loved his job. He loved his girlfriend. He was happy.

In contrast to you, he had his life together.

You hated your boss. You were single. You were still hung up on your childhood best friend. You were unhappy.

Seeing him had filled you with joy until you learned about his girl, and you were even helping him surprise her. What a loser.

The next day, he went to his appointment according to plan, then he came back for lunch happily. After that, he changed for his date and insisted on showing you his outfit. It was simple, yet complimenting him nicely.

“Do I look good enough?”

You look perfect.

“Yes, you look fine. Now go, it’s better if you’re there before her.”

“You’re right.” He was fidgeting nervously. “Can you come with me?”

You shook your head in disbelief, clearly judging him. “Are you out of your mind?”

“What?” he asked, surprised by your reaction.

“Who goes to see their girlfriend and brings another girl with them? Now, go.”

“Ah, you’re right.”

“You said that already,” you sighed, pushing him out of the house.

“Ok, I’m going. Wish me luck!”

“Good luck kid!” your dad shouted from the stairs.

He came back late that night. He told you all about it in detail. Details you did not wish to know about. But he seemed genuinely happy, which warmed your heart, instead of breaking it this time.

Your mom had asked you about your job, and you went on an angry rant about your boss, then Changbin and your feelings for him. First, she apologized for bringing him here without asking you first and, therefore, without knowing how you felt about him. Second, she cursed your boss out and told you to do whatever you felt comfortable doing. She would support you either way.

You thanked her and told her you would think about it, and that it was ok for Changbin to be here even if it felt weird.

You had spent the remainder of the day overthinking about your old friend and what he meant to you. After a thorough analysis, it struck you that the fact you kept the promise unconsciously made you turn down every possibility of a romance. You blamed the timing every time.

You also came to the conclusion it was perhaps more of a nostalgic, longing feeling than love. It wasn’t like you spent the last decade heartbreakingly waiting for him to return to you. You realized you had been missing your best friend, not your crush.

It was sunday morning, and you were slowly waking up.

The second you opened your eyes, you were met with Changbin’s wide opened ones looking at you. “You’re finally awake!”

“It’s an illusion,” you groaned, closing them again.

“I was thinking and I’d love for you to meet her! Please?”

“Who?”

Friendly reminder: you just woke up and were far from your daily eight hours of sleep.

“My girlfriend, you know, the love of my life.”

“Right. Sure. Is she ok with it though?”

“Of course, she actually asked for it.” You opened your eyes again, staring straight at him.

“She did?” He nodded. “Don’t tell me you talked about me yesterday?!”

He blatantly ignored your question. “She invited us to her place. Let’s get dressed and go!”

“Wait, right now?”

“Yeah, why?”

“It’s ten in the morning on a sunday, give me time to adjust.”

“You haven’t changed. Come on,” he got to his feet, “get up!”

You whined, holding your blanket tightly. “Give me five minutes.”

“Don’t make me put you out of your own bed.”

“Don’t you dare.” You put a finger up and frowned.

“I really want to, though,” he pouted.

“Do it and I’ll make sure you never see the light of day ever again,” you threatened.

“You can’t hurt me, I’m all buff now.”

He contracted his muscles and you laughed loudly. “I could still take you.”

“Try me.”

You smiled. “In five minutes.”

“Your five minutes were up two minutes ago.”

“You were counting?!”

“Well, yeah.”

You crossed your arms, pouting. “Fraud.”

“You’re a fraud,” he countered as he rolled his eyes playfully.

“Let me sleep!!”

“No.”

Twenty minutes later, you were out of the comfort of your house and walking alongside Changbin to see his girlfriend.

You were walking like a condemned woman while he was making little happy noises and jumping around.

It was definitely too early for you.

You took the bus for about fifteen minutes, then walked five more minutes. She lived in an apartment on the third floor, at least that was where Changbin was knocking.

A beautiful woman answered the door soon after. Long black hair, soft skin and features, a little bit shorter than your friend, cute smile.

For a moment, you stared at her without saying a word. You were in awe at how pretty she looked.

“Y/N,” Changbin called, clearing his throat, “I present you Serim, my girlfriend. Serim,” he turned to her, “this is Y/N, my childhood best friend.”

Snapping out of it, you raised your hand for her to shake but she hugged you instead. It took you and Changbin by surprise, the look you two shared confirmed it.

“Binnie talked about you so much, I was impatient to meet you!” She let go of you. “Sorry, I should've asked first,” she whispered, smiling sweetly at you. “Please, come in!”

She moved away for you to enter, which you did, Changbin following suit, an amused smile on.

“Do you want something to drink?” Serim asked after closing the door.

“Water would be nice, please.”

“Me too love,” Changbin said before getting closer to her and kissing her temple.

“Be right back, make yourself at home!” Serim grinned before disappearing into the kitchen.

You entered the living room and sat on the dark green couch, admiring the room. There were plants on either side of the soft and comfortable couch, a long and packed library on the side, a big tv screen in front with leds behind it and a collage of posters on the other side and all around the large door leading to the kitchen and entrance.

She came back soon after with the drinks, put them on the table then sat next to you. Changbin sat on the armchair next to her.

“Y/N, I’ve heard so much about you! I found out we were in the same town when I moved in three months ago. Binnie spent all this time organizing his trip.”

“Yeah, I had the chance to get the rendezvous yesterday,” he added.

“You were lucky," you nodded. "Serim, you have a lot of style by the way, I adore your living room.”

“Thank you! Changbin is actually no stranger to the decor, he helped with the posters.”

“Good job guys, it's so cool! So, how long have you been together?”

“Yesterday marked our first year together,” Changbin said, looking at his girl lovingly. She took his hand in hers and turned back to you.

“Of course, he didn't say a word. Thanks for contributing to the surprise, Y/N.”

“I'm glad I can be of any help.”

“You're an angel,” she said in all honesty.

Serim was an awesome girl, you were glad they found each other.

On monday morning, you quit your job and definitely left the building under the yelling of your boss—well, former boss.

Changbin was moving in with Serim soon after finishing preparing everything in his city. As a music producer, he could live basically anywhere but he had to move a lot.

You two were talking almost daily, and you were seeing Serim often as well. She gave you the idea of downloading a dating app, to ‘see how it goes’.

On thursday, you were going to a job interview at 3pm and to a date at 5pm.

Who knows what will happen next?

thank you for reading! if you enjoyed, let me know! here's stray kids' masterlist

[randomreadingtimewithtsuki]

Please may I have some Bleach Headcanons of how Ichigo dealt with an aggressive cat called Thorns who hates his guts for some reason and Ichigo couldn't cuddle or anything like that with his S/O (S/O is a literal goddess with Elizabeth's personality from the seven deadly sins and you know the rest about S/O including that S/O knew Ichigo since childhood and Ichigo's family knew S/O because S/O is Ichigo's girlfriend and S/O knows that Ichigo is a soul reaper and she joins him on adventures and everything.) when Thorns tries to find every single opportunity to try and scratch his face off when S/O isn't looking or wasn't in the room..Thorns for some reason thinks that Ichigo is going to break his owners heart or something (Ichigo will never do that..especially not to his girlfriend) and it is ridiculous really..Ichigo arguing with a literal cat who yowls/hisses right back at him..S/O has three cats actually..Biscuits and Sage were the only ones who actually loved him but Thorns is an absolute demon/meance towards Ichigo yet he was sweet as sugar to everyone else.

How would Ichigo feel and behave to that Thorns possibly has a personal vendetta against him or something..

Hello!

Thank you for requesting!

I am terribly sorry for the delay! My arm took a long ass time to heal properly.

Anyway! I hope this is of your liking. Please let me know what you think!

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

You had three cute kittens. Maybe not actually kittens, but for you they will always be kittens.

You have them since you were young and that means they know Ichigo and his sisters for a long time.

Especially because his sisters loved playing with the cats! So Ichigo brought them over to play with them - or so he said.

You noticed that one of your cats tended to hide away and stare at Ichigo, but you gave no thought to it.

When you started dating the boy, he swore up and down the cat, called Thorns hated him.

You thought it was ridiculous, Thorns was lovely, affectionate and smart.

But little did you know that when as soon as you turned your head, the cat would hiss and be ready to pounce at Ichigo.

Your boyfriend decided to cuddle you? There goes the cat in between you.

Trying to brush your hair? There was Thorns moving his butt ready to grab Ichigo's hand.

But at this moment you thought Thorns just wanted the brush, because you know, it's an object that moves?

Sometimes you could hear your boyfriend arguing with the cat. You found that kinda cute and concerning at the same time.

Meanwhile whenever that happened it meant Ichigo was at his wits end. What was he suppose to do with this kitty?

Obviously he won't harm him, but he tried to befriend the pet in all ways!

Tried snacks, play time, pats, catnip and Thorns still treated him like the worst enemy ever.

Even the arrancars weren't this bad.

Why? Because the cat knew you were looking and he would quit the aggressive behavior. But as soon as he noticed your attention was elsewhere, boom! Scratches and bites everywhere.

So Ichigo tried his best to avoid dates at your house and when they did happen, he tried to either stick close to you or keep the cats out of the room.

He was pretty sure Thorns had something personal, maybe it was his orange hair? Because the other kittens - Biscuits and Sage - loved him.

The poor boy even started to wonder if the cats could talk it out among themselves. Maybe Thorns would understand Ichigo means not threat.

He even thought that maybe Yorichii could help?

Ichigo did ask her if she could understand cats - but he gave no context, just... an odd curious question.

But that didn't help at all. The woman just laughed and gave no definite answer.

If she could chat with cats, she definitely knew why Thorns hated him so much.

After a really long time Ichigo finally made friend with the cat when after a rough a battle, he was in tatters and you carried him home.

The cats saw how sad and desperate you were to save Ichigo.

Sensing your panic, they cuddle near you, except for Thorns.

The cat curled up near Ichigo.

As the boy was showing slow, but steady improvement of his health, the cat started to lay on his chest.

Cute? For you, yes. For Ichigo not so much.

They were closer, yes, but Thorns would jump with all strength he could muster on his little paws on the boy belly.

Sometimes laying near his mouth or neck - Ichigo swore the cat would try to murder him anytime.

Well, that did not happen.

After this event, Thorns became kinder, but at every opportunity shown to bounce or claw Ichigo he took.

Most of the times at unexpected times like when the poor boy would be chilling on the couch.

But hey, it's a work in progress!

Ichigo had faith that eventually Thorns would accept him enough. They didn't need to become best buddies, just to tolerate.

It would be good enough yeah...

Until then, he still argued with the cat and still got scratched, but! He no longer got bitten. A win is a win right?

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

Thank you for reading!

I feel like this got a bit short... sorry!

[beneathsilverstars]

For the isat ask game

3, 21, and 8 please

gonna throw in #4 first because the character i relate to the most is unfortunately..

4. Which character do you wish you didn’t relate to?

loop... hold on i just scrolled through my blog for twenty minutes to find the post where i realized this

me looking at posts online: wow all of you poor souls relating to siffrin, personally i am too well-adjusted and mentally healthy for that though me thinking about my own life: i am so sick of having to do hard shit all day every day, but i can't simply stop doing it. i desperately need help except no one else in the world other than me could possibly provide it. or maybe what i need is to be forcibly moved to a different timeline where i have to do nothing all day every day. haha if i was siffrin i would just spend nearly every day hanging out at the favor tree with- oh. ah, fuck. shit. fuck

3. Which character do you relate to the most?

on a more surface personality level i think the only moment in the game where i went "oh just like me fr" was about the stylish one, when Mirabelle said she thought she was scary. irl i am rather quiet and very flat, and people often think i'm angry at them even though that's an emotion i rarely feel! and i enjoy dressing up partially bc i love outfit design, but partially bc it makes me feel like i'm giving off cool intimidating vibes instead of plain i-hate-you vibes.

21. Your favorite Ship?

loopdile!!! i usually happily enjoy rather popular ships, i've never had such an odd rarepair grab me by the THROAT like this before. weird nonhuman x serious researcher is just silverstars catnip i guess... and. i suppose i did just say that i relate to loop on some level fjkghfg so ofc i ship them with the hot older lesbian -_-

8. How many Loops did your first playthrough have, If applicable?

108! i think i played the game fairly normally. other than the fact that it was over the span of three days.

[positivelybeastly]

As much as I'm glad Hank back to being a good guy, personally I'm still not thrilled with the decision. For one it just reads as damage control over Hank's characterization over the years, two it comes at the cost of a decent chunk of his history, and three ig feels to little too late. And it probably wouldn't have come to this if they had an actually good writer on x-force.

"I'm - not quite certain I am a good guy, now. I had always thought that a certainty, that no matter where I was, no matter what I was asked to do, that I would eventually make the right decision. But now? Now I'm, not so sure."

I mean, I've not been thrilled with almost any choice wrt Hank's characterisation and story for the past 10-11 years, so when this possibility popped up, I was like, yeah, that's about the worst way to damage control it. In the end, I'm going to accept it because at least this way I don't have to go into the X-Men Reddit and see people screaming about how Beast is the worst anymore, or panels posted of the latest X-Force travesty, but it's not how I would have done it.

I especially sympathise with the loss of so much history. He loses X-Factor, he loses 90s X-Men, he loses X-Treme X-Men, he loses New X-Men, he loses Astonishing X-Men, he loses S.W.O.R.D, he loses Uncanny Avengers, etc, etc. Yeah, we cut loose all the necrotic garbage that is All-New, X-Force, etc, but . . .

Feline Hank is the Hank I fell in love with, and this Hank is fundamentally not that man. He doesn't know what that Hank went through. He doesn't remember a word of it. If he sees Abigail Brand, he won't blink twice. If he sees Emma Frost, he just thinks, Hellfire Club. If he sees Broo, he'll just think, aaah, Brood! And that just.

Sucks.

I hope, even now, that there's a chance for him to get old Beast's memories. It would hurt him, deeply, to know what he's done, but it would make him whole again, and give him new perspective that would make his journey going forward self-motivated, rather than just at the end of a sharp stick wielded by other people.

But.

Even if that doesn't happen under Percy, there's always a chance it can happen under another writer. There can always be an arc of Beast trying to get his old memories back, dealing with X-Men trying to stop him (either out of fear of him or for him), there can always be a The Crossing style fix like there was for Tony Stark.

All it takes is one good writer, honestly. All it takes is for someone to pick him up, shake off the dust, and put some shine on him. Because do you know how good it felt to open up that comic book, and see him say 'oh my stars and garters' again? To see him chatty, and hanging off ceilings, and being just fucking cute? The idea of getting that, for multiple issues going forward, is just - it's goddamn catnip, man.

Yeah, it's too little too late. Yeah, this is the worst way it could have been done. Yeah, this could have been avoided, were it not for Ben Percy sucking eggs. Yeah, it reads as damage control.

But at the end of the day, Hank is in a better place today than he was yesterday. And so long as he's going up, then I'll take it.

In fact, let me talk to you about something.

Are you familiar with the Japanese practice of kintsugi? From Wikipedia:

"Kintsugi, also known as kintsukuroi, is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery by mending the areas of breakage with urushi lacquer dusted or mixed with powdered gold, silver, or platinum.

As a philosophy, it treats breakage and repair as part of the history of an object, rather than something to disguise."

Comic book characters do not belong to us. That is, unfortunately, the truth of them. They belong to massive media corporations who treat them not as valued parts of a story, but a licence to print money. They belong, momentarily, to writers, who treat them not as beloved icons, but as tools within a story. They belong to the fandom, but only in a fleeting, ephemeral, transformative state.

Comic book characters get broken all the time. But by the same token, all it takes is for the right writer to come along and fix them. You can allow yourself to get bogged down in the history, in the injustice, in the poor writing decisions, or you can allow yourself to see a beautiful pot inlaid with gold, with silver, with platinum.

Beast is on the road to recovery. It's in the shittiest way possible, the pot is broken and we're missing a few pieces, but we can always find them again and add them back in.

And who knows? Someone amazing might come along and use this to tell the single best Beast story ever told.

X-Force could have been that story - I've talked at length about how this could have been a Greek tragedy, a reflection on a life ruined by throwing one's self at the world's problems and being struck down for caring too much, but it isn't. It's a spy thriller with a Bond villain. But it could have been. There's almost no such thing as a bad story (unless you're Chuck Austen), just bad execution. X-Force was bad for Beast. Okay.

But what if the next story is the best one he's ever had?

And I'm gonna leave you with this. You know how you should never read the comments? Well.

"I do admit i missed him, tho."

"Oh shit! I was JOKING that they'd bring back Stars-And-Garters Beast to beat modern beast! HELL YEAH"

"I'm honestly happy they are. I'm so tired of the "Beast is a bad guy" storyline."

"I'm so glad Happy-Go-Lucky, child-like wonder Hank is back! It's why he's one of my top 5 X-Men."

"This is the Beast we kmew. It's nice to have him back for now. As expected. Him crying at the end over all the files present Beast has written, shows that this is the old beast, from way back then."

"Yaaay non-genocidal maniac Beast is back."

"Welcome back, real Beast."

When was the last time you saw so many random strangers on the internet be happy about Beast, man? Celebrate this. The 5 years are almost over.

Well. Unless things go horribly wrong in the next two issues.

Knock on wood.

[sky-kiss]

G, M and U ❤️

G - Have you ever had an OTP? If so, do you remember your first one? Who was in it?

I have been around. I’ve been around. I have many OTP’s. All cursed. I think…what was my original OTP…

Cloud/Aerith? Or Link/Zelda? I would have been like 7. If we’re picking more recent OTP’s that don’t involve OC’s or anything, I’d go with like…oh god. What do I like? All the thoughts have left my brain. Raphael/Haarlep in a wretched and twisted way. Geralt/Yennefer. GERALT/YENNEFER. 

M - Name a character that you’d like to have for a friend.

Many. Find me a loyal gremlin and you will find someone I’d like to befriend. Dante from DMC, Garrus and Miri from ME, Jaheira, uh…many.

U - Three favorite characters from three different fandoms, and why they’re your favorites.

Also asked by @inaconstantstateofchange and @flamemittens. 

Yennefer: my baby girl. Yennefer is perfect. God. I love her. She starts off as seemingly cold and mean, but she’s really just stressed about her daughter. I love, love, love, seemingly frosty characters who are hiding their insecurities behind their power, self-possession, and aloofness. Yennefer is so deeply feeling. She’s unflinchingly loyal. When push comes to shove, Yennefer would fight god, the world, and the natural order to protect the people she loves. When you’ve earned her trust, she’s support you. She’s perfect. (She’s also a dark-haired, mean sorceress and like…that’s my catnip. I collect them like Pokemon).

Garrus from Mass Effect. My beloved boy. He’s perfect. The growth this character goes on. It’s so rare in franchises that we get a character who would be the protagonist if the main character was absent. Garrus could be the MC, but Shep is just that good. Garrus is loyal, determined, dedicated, passionate, playful. His romance is probably the closest to perfect for a M x F ship in games, to me. The progression from intimate friends to lovers? /chefs kiss. He goes out of his way to make you laugh. He’s the one person Shep knows will always be there. There’s no Shep without Vakarian. And god, I love him. 

Raphael. I feel like I’m obligated on this one, haha. He’s fascinating to me? Like. Setting the looks and the voice aside, he has so much potential. His capacity for darkness and humanity, his conflicting nature, his relationships in the Hells…it all has so much room for growth. We had so little of him in game, but he made such an impression. Incredible character.

[optiwashere]

No sleep gang!

BTS Fic ask! Was gonna do Nightsongs, but since it's still ongoing, here's a throwback.

Like I Am Safe Again: 7, 10, 26

Oooooh, now that's a fun one! It's hard for me to tell if that fic is just unpopular with people, or if folks don't have much to say about it (tbh both are reasonable) but it's one of my favorite things I've written for the fandom lol. Thanks for asking about this one 💜

7. What inspired the idea for the plot?

Other than the fact that expanding on "memory" for Shadowheart is one of my favorite things to do, it was a couple things! I was finishing up a reread of the Realm of Elderlings series, and I've always resonated with "outsider" characters in pretty much everything I read/watch/play. People that are, through their own actions or happenstance, sidelined in their own lives is very fascinating to me. That feeling of never being able to actually reach out and interact with others in a meaningful way because of what they've done, said, or because of who they think themselves to be is creative catnip for me. My love of that series and those types of (frustrating) character moments influenced the way Shadowheart in that fic continually tries to manage everything herself without once relying on people that would immediately help her. At least, at first. Shadowheart has a lot of (mostly appearance-based tbqh) benefits other outsider-types don't get, but trying to focus on the aspects of her that disconnect her from the others at that point in the timeline (namely her early secrecy, her mid-game zealotry/hesitancy) intersected really well with my canon divergence from the first part of that series. There are clear themes of repression, self-ostracization, and insecurity within her storyline that I just love. I was also obsessed with exploring her character that way after I had the thought: "how does someone who already deals with memory issues handle dissociation?"

10. Share a screenshot of the original outline.

OK, so my outlining method for that fic was kinda unhinged. I think I had an outline at one point, but it was probably a bullet point system. At some point, I either deleted it or it was never actually written down? Either way, I know the original version was actually a long one-shot like "It Is the Wound She Gave Me" but it kept getting longer and longer. Then it became three chapters/three mornings. Then I kept adding moments to expand and expand, and eventually I just had to admit that it should probably be a short multichapter lol. Some bits I know that I changed: Chapter one used to be just the "prayer at the tree" scene, Chapter two didn't have the fireside chat/episode until I was nearly done writing the whole thing, and the Epilogue didn't exist until I realized ending on Chapter four left things a little too bleakly open for me.

26. Wild Card! I'll tell you a fun fact about this fic!

Despite being named after a Cure song, I never once listened to The Cure while writing it.

[sidhewrites]

23! Everything is lovely! Kaz and Lucy get to go on a proper date, and we get some lovely halloween fun. Nothing goes wrong at the end of this chapter, don't even worry about it.

Project Info

Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

For the next few days, I stand at my window, staring at the spot behind the church where I know Magnus's bones lay. I can't see it well from my vantage point, and I don't know what I'm looking for, but it doesn't matter. Nothing happens. Magnus is gone, sealed in a jar at the bottom of his grave -- hopefully for the rest of eternity.

Renfield is fine. Despite being pure white, and occasionally appearing to glow, he's back to his old self, snoring and purring and meeping in the hopes that I'd give him some cold cuts or catnip -- which I do anyway, since he's old and arthritic again, and deserves the best for however long he has left. I'm thinking of talking to Mr. Ngo about purchasing a plot in the cemetery for him. It's expensive and stupid, but I'd want him buried next to Lucy when he goes.

Lucy meanwhile, is getting stronger and stronger each day. Though she still can't exist in this world when the sun is up, she can occasionally manipulate physical objects and leave the cemetery for longer and longer before feeling weak.

She doesn't have any telekinesis just yet, which disappoints her more than she wants to let on, but I know exactly what that little pout means. For three hours straight, we sat in the graveyard together. I nursed my first cup of coffee slowly as she stared hard at the second, hoping to at least tip it over. In the end, though, nothing happened until I lifted it myself and drank it down.

"Mmmm," I said. "Ghost coffee." And then, because I was restless and stupid, I said, "You wanna go out with me? Like -- as a couple?"

She looks at me with her big brown eyes, and I think a bit of color rises in her pale face. "Oh?"

"Yeah. You know, maybe." I shrug. "There's this Halloween carnival-fest-thing in two days. You know, on actual Halloween. I thought it would be fun if I could take you out and show you the sights, and you could tell me the history of carnival games and food and stuff."

"Ah..." She hesitates, looking down at her gown -- the same one she's worn for 150 years.

"Don't worry about the costume. I'll wear something to match. Yeah?"

She looks up at me again, and smiles. "Yeah."

#

The sun is still high in the sky as the carnival opens up. Kids run around in costume, playing games to win stuffed animals or waiting in line for the rides. Black and orange bunting stretches over the streets leading into the picnic area just past the treeline of Sutton Regional Forest. [Describe the fun stuff]

I've never felt better. After a shower, and a serious nap, I don a black suit and tied a cape around my neck. "Bleh bleh bleh," I say to my reflection, striking a most dramatic and spooky vampire pose, before racing down to load up on caffeine. It's the last night Lucy will be able to leave the graveyard in a while, and I intend to make it perfect.

She's waiting for me at the edge of the graveyard, her black veil thrown over her face. She looks like a wraith in the afternoon light, and I glance down to see how sturdy she is. Despite appearing solid as anyone else, there's a slight translucence to the hem of her gown. I hope she's able to maintain a form in this world long enough to last until the costume parade if nothing else. Childish as it is, I want to walk down Main Street holding her hand, looking like a couple for all the world to see.

"What is this?" I say with my poor attempt at a Dracula voice. "An innocent maiden, so far from home at this hour of..." I glance up at the late afternoon sun. "Day?" My words are garbled around the plastic fangs in my mouth, and she laughs.

"You'll have to do better than that," she says. "I'm afraid it's not quite easy to suck my blood."

"Oh no?" I ask, and waggle my eyebrows. "Then I shall simply have to steal you away to my castle!" She giggles, and I strike another dramatic pose, before holding out the various things I've brought. "You ready?"

"I know what those are." She points at the two plastic jack-o-lantern buckets hanging from my wrist. "But I'm at a loss for the rest."

"Perfect. Sit down, let me learn you Halloween."

She raises an eyebrow, but does so, arranging herself prettily on the nearest bench. I dump my various things next to her and present them one by one -- a slap bracelet, glow-in-the-dark vampire fangs that somehow always taste like dental cement, a tiny knife that fills with blood if you squeeze the handle, and her favorite -- a little ghost key-chain makes ghost noises and ominous music whenever you press the button. It seems to take all her strength not to reach out and grab it, so I press the button a number of times, filling the air with ghostly wailing and organ music, as well as Lucy's laughing.

Finally, music starts echoing out from the fairgrounds in downtown, and I grin. "Come on. Let's go trick-or-treating."

Lucy sticks close to me, but I make sure to give the crowd a wide berth as we make our way to the fair grounds, leaving no chances of someone accidentally walking through her. I probably look crazy, laughing and talking to myself, but I don't care. Lucy is here, taking in the sights, awestruck and overjoyed at every little thing. We barely make it past the balloon arch before she stops to point out a feat of modern engineering -- the extension cord.

"These have always amazed me," she says. "Not only can you generate or harness electricity, but you can keep pushing it further and further away from the source. Isn't that amazing?"

It is. She is.

We make our way through the streets slowly, skirting around the carnival rides that have probably been in operation longer than I've been alive. Our first stop is a food stand, decorated in autumnal reds and oranges.

"Anything I can get for you two?" the worker asks, and Lucy looks at me in shocked delight.

I nod at her, having no explanation as to why he can see her, but not wanting to question a good thing. We find a bench a small ways away from the crowd.

"These have always looked so delicious," Lucy says, and watches closely as I take a bite. It's a little weird, but it's worth it to let her live the modern Halloween dream, vicariously or otherwise.

"They're amazing. I love them. I nearly ruined my braces one year because I got away from my parents and stole one from the booth."

"You're a veritable criminal. What's it taste like?"

"Well, I mean. It's a caramel apple. It's, uh..." I frown, trying to figure out if caramel would be different now than it used to be. It's just fancy, goopy sugar, right? Plus a load of high-fructose corn syrup, I guess. "It's sweet and gooey on the outside. You know, caramel. And the apple's sour underneath, and crunchy. It's two completely different things, but they come together into something awesome. Kind of like us." It's the cheesiest thing anyone has ever said in the history of the world, and I can't help but cringe as soon as it's out of my mouth.

But Lucy only laughs. "Just so."

Her dark eyes shine as she looks out at the fair. The Jack o lanterns grimacing, the kids running around and laughing. Electricity and music and fun. After I finish the apple, we just walk around, Lucy pointing out things she recognizes and giving me a brief history, or asking me about things she doesn't know. I list off no shortage of video game characters running past us, kids dressed up as heroes and monsters hyped up on sugar and fun. The last of the sun's rays dip behind the horizon, and the electric lights fill the world with a hundred different colors.

[Lucy is enamored with it all, westruck and almost alive in the warm carnival lights.]

She's so beautiful in the moment that I forget myself and reach out, thinking to tilt her face towards me and kiss her. Of course, the second my hand brushes against her chin, a bolt of frozen dread shoots down my spine, and I flinch back with a yelp. 

Lucy looks over, trying and failing not to laugh as she apologizes.

"No, no, that was dumb of me. I forgot for a minute."

"What were you thinking? You know you can't touch me."

I shake off the heebie-jeebies, and shrug, keenly aware of how hot my face had suddenly become. "I was just thinking about how gorgeous you are when you get excited, and that I really wanted to kiss you."

A faint pink blooms across her cheeks, the only color in a sea of grayscale, and I grin like an idiot. "Come on," I say. "Let me take you trick-or-treating."

We follow a small crowd from shop-front to shop-front. Lucy grins, shouting Trick or Treat every time and watching our little pumpkin buckets fill up with candy bars and goodies. I put a vampire sticker on my bucket and show it off. We're acting like kids, but I don't care. It's fun, and she's laughing, and it's all I can do to stop myself from kissing her again and again and again.

Hours later, we've gone through a small maze of hay-bales, entered and lost a costume contest, and applauded as a flash mob performed a few dances in the middle of the food area. I took her to the row of carnival games next, featuring a mix of new games with basket balls and water guns, and, much to her delight, more traditional games. Lucy makes a beeline for the milk bottles, and tells me the rules even if I already know them.

"You want me to win you a prize? Go on, pick your favorite."

She beams, and looks over the rows of stuffed animals to win. "That one," she says, indicating a teddy bear dressed up like a vampire on the top row. It's at least two feet tall.

"As you wish," I say, and pay the nice man to play. I know the games are rigged, but I don't care. I'm too strong and too stubborn to do anything but make a show of winding up my first ball, and tossing it -- only to miss the pyramid of milk bottles entirely.

Lucy laughs.

"Right. Okay. Just warming up. This one's gonna do it, first try." I throw again, but it goes wide once more, hitting the back of the game booth with a soft thunk.

"Come on, Kaz. You've got this."

"I've got this," I say, with confidence I don't deserve. It's the last ball, and I close one eye, doing my best to focus on the target, and not the beautiful woman next to me bouncing on the balls of her feet, watching me with all the earnestness and support in the world.

I pull my arm back. I breathe out. I aim.

I throw.

And miss.

Lucy cheers uncertainly.

I play three more games, determined to get Lucy the vampire bear, but in the end, my biceps mean nothing when my aim is shit. I managed to hit one single bottle of the top of the pyramid, and win a little palm-sized Frankenstein instead. I pout when I take it, even if Lucy makes a show of cooing over it to make me feel better.

As it gets closer to midnight, we make our way to the outer limits of the fair now, walking together with the spoils of the night. Candy, stickers, key chains, and little Frankenstein. Lucy recounts the plot of the actual book to me, and I tell her about the various movies and how Boris Karloff basically shaped what we see as Frankenstein today.

It's cold out now. I shiver every now and then, but Lucy is untouched by the cold as always.

[sitting on a bench Somehow she hands something to Lucy, who feels brave enough to try touching something, only for it to not work.]

"Ah..." she hesitates, hand still outstretched as we look at the toy, sitting askew on the bench between us. It's a sad sight. "It seems the veil can only thin so far." There's such a forced lightness in her voice that I feel something tugging in my chest.

Nothing can ruin this night for her. Not even little toy Frankenstein. I pick him up and manipulate the doll into doing a silly little dance, while putting on a stupid voice and singing an old show tune.

When her laugh doesn't convince me, I reach out with my free hand to put it over hers. She may not be able to interact with the rest of the world, but I'll give her as much as I possibly can. But rather than phasing through and suffering from a bout of heebie-jeebies, my hand rests gently on top of hers. It's not quite solid, something fragile and barely there, but it's her hand, tangible and real. "Oh," I say.

"Oh," she agrees.

 My face burns, and I look up to meet her gaze. Her brown eyes, nearly black in the low light, looking right back into mine.

My stomach twists in an anxious, hesitant joy as I start to lean forward. My heart leaps in my throat. Lucy leans forward as well, lips beginning to part. My stomach flips again.

My stomach twists into knots.

I turn away just before it turns itself inside out, and I vomit into the ground. Black bile splatters on my shoes, and the smell makes me heave all over again.

I look up miserably, thinking to make a joke about eating too much sugar -- but my mouth moves of its own free will, with words that aren't my own. "Well," it says. "It's about time I got a handle on things around here."

Tag List

@adaughterofathena

@ambreeskyewriting

@carnelianflames

@feather-dancer

@halfbloodlycan

@nadunacreates

@serenanymph

@vigilantdesert