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miss-vanta-likes-to-write · 5 months ago

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˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆Pink Milk ⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚

✧*̥˚ 18+mdni *̥˚✧

✧*̥˚ Master List *̥˚✧

˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆ series will contain the following kinks. Objectification. Somnophilia. Pet play (this is a hybrid!au). Dacryphila. Spanking. Orgasm control/denial. Exhibitionism. Mixopilia. ⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚

Summary: In a world where hybrids are second-class citizens, you struggle with the fact that you're on your last chance at being owned. Your new owner is clearly excited to have you, but the gag is that you're an F1 cat hybrid, and your wild side is hard to tame.

Kyle was counting down the minutes until he could leave work for the day and get home to welcome his new pet. It was a long and tedious process to get cleared for a hybrid, and he knew he wanted the companionship after working with Ghost and his military grade hybrid Soap. He had watched those two out in the field and had seen them in private. Practically joined at the hip, the hyperactive golden shepherd was known for his loyalty and work ethic, and when he wasn't up under Simon, he was begging to play with Kyle.

And while Kyle adored Soap and appreciated his companionship, he wanted his own little hybrid. Something loyal, sweet, energetic, smart, and could be trained easily enough.

There's a process when getting approved for owning a hybrid legally. You have to do interviews, your home has to be inspected, and then you get to view the ones available. He knew he didn't want a young hybrid. The idea of separating a young hybrid from their dam didn't sit right. He also didn't want the trouble of housebreaking a little hybrid. He had looked high and low, sure he was going to get a dog hybrid, maybe a female, so he could try and convince Simon to let him breed Soap with her.

What he found, however, was a gorgeous Serval mix. First generation, certified pure, dam is a wild serval hybrid and sire a main coon hybrid. Suddenly he didn't want a dog hybrid, he wanted the challenge of a pretty kitty that would have a wild streak. He read her profile, smart, mostly even tempered, recommended for owners who are experienced in training F1 hybrids.

Kyle thought about his time with Simon and Soap, and he had watched those two teach other handlers and hybrids how to work together. He himself has often assisted in these training sessions. So, in theory, it shouldn't be that hard if he has Simon for help.

Kyle was busy finishing up his reports for the last mission they all went on, and he was just about ready to run home. The door to the office opened up, and Soap had practically jumped him. His ears tipped forward, tail wagging so fast that he was vibrating. He licked and kissed all over his face, drawing laughter from Kyle.

“Down Soap.” Simon stood in the doorway, arms crossed as he watched his partner jump Kyle.

“He's fine.” Kyle said as he scratched the pup between his ears.

“Yeah Si, I'm fine!” Soap smiled, “This is mah last day gettin’ Gaz to mah self.” He whined just a bit.

“You act like I'm abandoning you.” He rolled his eyes with a smile.

“Ye might as well! Wot if tha other pup is cuter than me and ye like ‘em more?” He nosed at Kyle's cheek, a pout on his face.

“Well one…she's a cat.”

This made both Simon and Soap pause. A cat? How on earth was a cat useful? Soap tilts his head to the side, genuinely confused, because how is he supposed to play rough with a cat? Simon just hummed and leaned against the doorway.

“You got a cat on purpose?” Simon asked, quite curious, really.

“She's a F1 Serval Main Coon mix. She's gorgeous really.” Kyle showed them a photo of her from his phone. “I'm gonna call her Poppi. She looks like a Poppi right?”

It's a photo of a cat hybrid. She's pretty in a sleek and regal way. Her ears perked up high on her head, hair a wild mess. She isn't small by any means, quite curvy and plush, her tail slightly bushy and wrapped around her waist. She stares at the camera with lidded eyes. It almost looks like she has on eyeliner with how there are dark rings around her eyes.

Soap squinted his eyes, “She looks like trouble. Cats cannae be trusted Gaz.”

“Soap.” Simon scolds him, “an F1? How did you manage that?”

“I put down that I worked in the military. Besides, it's a cat hybrid. She can't be that hard to train.” Kyle laughs as he gathers his things. “Simon, I'll give you a call when she gets settled in.”

You were absolutely not wearing any of the clothes that your caregiver was trying to get you in. You hated clothing, it felt too restrictive, itched your skin, and every piece was clawed to shreds. So the caregiver sighed and transported you to your new home naked as the day you were born. The house was pretty, brick front, large yard, and settled in a nice neighborhood. You already hated it. If this was anything like your last home, you'd be back at the shelter before you know it or sent to a zoo or, worse, sent to a breeder facility to try and breed out the feral. The truck came to a stop in front of the house. The caregiver hopped out and met who you assumed to be your new owner. He's pretty as far as a human goes. His skin reminds you of the stories your mother would whisper to you about the males from where she was from. She had said that you hailed from the dry grasslands and that you were always going to be wild like her.

You miss her terribly.

You watch through the plexiglass window as the guy shakes your caregiver’s hand and signs some paperwork. He's all smiles, but then his eyes get wide. He runs inside for a second while the caregiver opens up the back of the truck.

“Alright now…this may be your last chance.” They say, “If they give you back, you may get sent to a zoo or breeding facility.”

You only hiss and flex your ears back. Eye narrowed and claws out. You never say words, hadn't said actual words in years, not since the first home you were in some time ago.

“None of that now.” They say as they reach in to clip the leash to your collar.

The new owner comes back, and he's holding a pretty pink fabric. It's long and translucent, with soft pink fur on the edges and sleeves. “Hey sweetie.” His voice is soft and low, non-threatening. “Don't want you bared for the whole world. Why don't you put this on, and we can get you in?”

The only response he gets is a low hiss and baring of your fangs. Your tail twitches in aggravation. The caregiver only sighs, saying something about you not liking clothes. The owner only chuckles and turns his brown eyes back to you.

“I understand the dislike for clothing, sweetie, but I would prefer you put your robe on. When we get inside, you can take it off.” He offers the robe out to you again.

Eyeing the fabric and then his sweet and polite smile. Slowly, you reached out your hand and snatched the robe, shoved your arms into the sleeves, and frowned. Your new owner nodded his head, taking the leash from, we'll your old caregiver. You hopped down out of the truck and reluctantly followed him into his home.

“Are you hungry, Poppi?” He asked as the front door shut behind you both.

The flat look you gave him said everything you hoped it would. That you wouldn't be answering to whatever he called you.

“Do you not like the name?” He furrowed his brow when you didn't answer. “I've already sorta had the tags for your collar made, and that was the name I filled out on the forms. But I'm sure you'll have lots of pet names in no time, sweetie.” He reaches to pet you behind your ears but is greeted with a low hiss. You angle your body away from him and immediately shed the frilly robe.

You don't say anything, and simply turn your nose up. The old ratty collar is taken off of you, and he then ushers you deeper into the house. It's tastefully decorated, as much as a man can do anyway. The air smells of clean linen, the TV is on, and it's some strange game with a black and white ball being pushed around. You've seen that ball back at the facility, dogs pushing it back and forth. Other things that catch your sight are a hammock nestled in the corner, plenty of blankets and pillows in it. It's set up in front of a window. On the outside is a bird feeder. There's a scratching post in the room too, next to the couch is a pink fluffy pet bed. All of these things make you bristle and also make you want to purr.

“Sit down, Poppi.” He instructed, pointing to the couch. In front of you, when you do sit down, is the coffee table, on it is the new pretty lacy collar. It has a charm on it, a pink and white paw print, and next to it, a heart tag that you assume says your new name.

It then dawned on you that he was going to put that around your neck! As soon as he picked it up, you were on your feet and over the back of the couch. Hissing at him and frowning.

“Now Poppi, you have to wear it.” He smiles, but it's a tight-lipped one.

“Hmph…no.” The first words you've said in years, and it's you telling him no.

“Well sweetie that won't do.” He slowly moves around the couch, creeping so that he doesn't startle you. “It's important so that you can be safe.”

Your tail flicks in annoyance because yeah, he's right. They drill it into you during nursery school and how important it is to wear your collar. It keeps you safe, helps you be identified, and above all else, makes your owner happy. But that was for domesticated hybrids. In your mind and in your heart, you were wild. A collar seemed to be demeaning in a way, but your years of nursery school itched at you. Clawing for a moment to at least try on the pretty collar.

“Come on, pretty girl.” He encourages you, holding out the collar and shaking it gently. The soft sound of the metal name tag clinking. “Let's at least make sure it fits well, yeah?”

Your ears swivel back, and you glare at him. That tight smile is still on his face, and it makes the kitten in you worry. Your mind tells you about your past owner who withheld food and comforts when you didn't listen. Didn't allow for certain things to happen. He always had that tight smile before he punished you.

Zoo or breeding facility? You weigh the consequences of not putting on that collar. You think of your mother in a breeding facility. You think of your recessive gene sister who came out snow white and how she would always be stuck there. You're reminded of the zoo your mother's brother was sent to. And shudder at the thought of that.

“Fine…but no clothes.” You sneer at him. He relaxes, and the smile isn't as tight. You see the nerves melt from him, and he approaches you slowly, afraid you'd change your mind.

“You don't need to wear clothes in the house. But when we have company, you need to wear panties and your robe.” He says quietly. His fingers brush against your skin, tracing across your shoulders as he fits the collar to you. He takes this time to look at you closely. He thought your photos didn't do you justice, your pretty bronze skin, and the spots on you made his choice in pink the best choice he's made. Maybe he could dress you in lilac in the winter months, light orange in the fall, and during spring, a pretty pale blue? He gently grabs your chin and brushes his thumb across your cheek. A low hiss rumbles through your chest, but he doesn't even flinch.

Instead, he smiles at you, “I'm Kyle, and I'm happy to have you here.” He lets go of you and takes a step back to give you your space. “I've read your file, and I know it will take you time to warm up. You don't have to call me master or owner if you don't want to. You're my pretty kitty now, and I plan to spoil you rotten.” He chuckles and heads past you to the kitchen.

You're a bit taken back by him. By now, an owner is trying to assert their dominance. Demanding that you submit like a dog would, most humans assumed that all hybrids acted like the canine kind. You look around the living room and then follow him to the kitchen. You don't approach him. Instead, you watch him as he goes about pulling food from the fridge to make dinner. On the counter is a pretty set of cutlery, all pink and white with the same script that matched the tags on your collar.

You frown. You give this new arrangement a month before he's sending you away, when he realizes he's welcomed a wild animal into his home.

a.n: sorry this is a day late lol. But my word document gave me hell and when it crashed I lost like half of my writing. I know I know, save as you go, but I was in the zone. I'm taking requests for this au. And I'm also writing somethings I enjoy also.

Tag list: @unclearblur @gazsluckyhat

#call of duty fanfic #black!reader #kyle gaz garrick #kyle gaz garrick x reader #kyle garrick x reader #kyle gaz x reader #kyle garrick #call of duty fic #hybrid!reader #cat hybrid #hybrid!au #hybrid!reader call of duty #hybrid!soap #simon ghost riley #simon riley x john mactavish #owner!kyle garrick #gaz x reader #owner!Kyle #puppy!soap

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mostlysignssomeportents · 2 months ago

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Trump’s CFPB kills data-broker rule

I'm on a 20+ city book tour for my new novel PICKS AND SHOVELS. Catch me in PITTSBURGH TONIGHT (May 15) at WHITE WHALE BOOKS, and in PDX on Jun 20 at BARNES AND NOBLE with BUNNIE HUANG. More tour dates (London, Manchester) here.

Something amazing happened from 2020-2024: even as parts of the Biden administration were encouraging genocide and covering up the president's senescence, a small collection of little-regarded agencies were taking a wrecking ball to corporate power, approaching antitrust and consumer protection with a vigor not seen in generations.

One of the most effective agencies during those years was the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau. Under the direction of Rohit Chopra, the CFPB finally used its long-dormant powers to rein in the most egregious and abusive conduct of America's most predatory corporations, like banks, fintech, and repeat corporate offenders, with a 7-2 Supreme Court mandate to go hard:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/06/10/getting-things-done/#deliverism

As impressive as the whole CFPB agenda was, the standout for me was its attack on America's data brokerage industry. Data brokers are effectively totally unregulated, and they buy and sell every intimate fact of your life. The reason every device in your life – smart speaker, car, toothbrush, thermostate – spies on you all the time is because data brokers will buy any data from anyone and sell it to anyone, too.

Data brokerages put "surveillance capitalist" companies like Google and Meta to shame (indeed, Big Tech buys a lot of data from brokerages, as do agencies like the DEA, ICE and the FBI, who treat the brokerages as a warrant-free, off-the-books mass surveillance system). Data brokerages combine data about your movements, purchases, friends, medical problems, education, love life, and more, and bucket you into categories that marketers (or scammers) can buy access to. There are over 650,000 of these categories, including "seniors with dementia," "depressed teenagers" and "US military personnel with gambling problems":

https://themarkup.org/privacy/2023/06/08/from-heavy-purchasers-of-pregnancy-tests-to-the-depression-prone-we-found-650000-ways-advertisers-label-you

Congress hasn't passed a new consumer privacy law since 1988's Video Privacy Protection Act. The last technological privacy issue your legislature considered important enough to address was the scourge of video-store clerks telling newspapers which VHS cassettes you took home:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/12/06/privacy-first/#but-not-just-privacy

Congress's massive failure created equally massive risks for the rest of us. From phishing and ransomware attacks to identity theft to stalking and SWATting, America's privacy nihilism enabled mass-scale predation upon all of us, rich and poor, old and young, rural and urban, men and women, racialized and white.

That's the void that the CFPB stepped into last summer, when they passed a new rule that would effectively shut down the entire data brokerage industry:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/08/16/the-second-best-time-is-now/#the-point-of-a-system-is-what-it-does

Yesterday, Trump's CFPB boss, Russell Vought, killed that rule, stating that it was "no longer necessary or appropriate":

https://www.wired.com/story/cfpb-quietly-kills-rule-to-shield-americans-from-data-brokers/

Here's the thing: Trumpism relies on the fusion of two groups of people: a tiny number of oligarchs, and millions of everyday people who are constantly victimized by those oligarchs. To get this latter group of Christmas-voting turkeys to stay in the coalition, Trump needs to delivery something that keeps them happy. Mostly, Trump delivers negative things to keep them happy – the spectacle of public cruelty to immigrants, women, trans people, academics, etc. There is a certain libidinal satisfaction that comes from watching your enemies suffer – but you can't eat schadenfreude. You can't make rent or put braces on your kids' teeth or pay your medical bills with the sadistic happiness you feel when you hear the sobs of people you've been taught to despise.

For Trump to keep the turkeys voting for Christmas, he needs to do something for them. He can't just do things to scapegoats. But America's eminently guillotineable oligarchs have found so many ways to turn working peoples' torment into riches, and they are so greedy and unwilling to give up any of those grifts, that Trump can't manage to deliver anything positive to his base. Last week, his FTC killed the "click to cancel" rule that required companies that tricked you into buying subscriptions to make it easy for you to cancel them:

https://pluralistic.net/2025/05/12/greased-slide/#greased-pole

There isn't a single person in the Trump base who isn't harmed by data brokers. Every red-hat-wearing MAGA footsoldier has been swindled with a recurring-payment scam by clicking a deceptive link. The material conditions of the lives of Trump's base – already in severe jeopardy thanks to the massive inflation the tariffs will cause, and the plummeting wages that the ensuing mass business-closures will bring about – cannot be improved in any way.

I don't think anyone knows for sure how much support Trump can win solely by torturing the people his supporters hate, even as those supporters' lives get worse and worse. The one thing I'm sure of, though, is that it's less support than Trump would get if he could do something – anything – to make their lives even a little better.

Trump owes his success to coalition-building. The Trumpist agenda – ripoffs and racism and rape – has been around forever, in festering pockets like the John Birch Society, but those feverish monsters were encysted by the body politic and kept away from power. When a group of people who've been unsuccessfully trying to do something for a long time suddenly attain success, the most likely explanation is that they have found coalition partners to join them in their push.

Every coalition is brittle, because coalition partners want different things (if you want the same thing, you're just a group – "coalitions" are, definitionally, made up of people who want different things). They have shared goals, sure, but some of the things that some of the coalition partners want are things that the other partners totally reject. When one partner wins, the other partners lose. Trump's been good at holding together his coalition, but he's running up against some hard limits.

Here's what Naomi Klein told Cerise Castle from Capital & Main/The American Prospect:

The most serious vulnerability that Trump has is that a large part of his base really hates Silicon Valley and is not interested in being replaced by machines. So it’s a monumental bait-and-switch that Trump has done with this immediate alignment with the billionaire class in Silicon Valley, and if the left can’t exploit that, then we’re doing something wrong.

https://prospect.org/culture/2025-05-13-moment-of-unparalleled-peril-interview-naomi-klein/

Killing the CFPB's data broker rule is a pure transfer from the Trump base to Silicon Valley oligarchs, whose hunger for our private data know no bounds.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2025/05/15/asshole-to-appetite/#ssn-for-sale

Image: Cryteria (modified) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HAL9000.svg

CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en

#pluralistic #cfpb #surveillance #trumpisnm #data-brokers #privacy #commercial surveillance

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absolutebl · 11 days ago

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This Week in BL - Many Cases of Lost Side Dishes & General Doom instead of Vroom

Organized, in each category, with ones I'm enjoying most at the top.

July 2025 Week 1

Absolute king behavior.

Ongoing Series - Thai

My Stubborn (Sun iQIYI) ep 11 of 12 - Sorn is the worst sick whiny baby. I kind of love it. I also love the easy way Sorn just muscles his boy around.

Reset (Mon iQIYI) ep 5 of 10 - Dim sum is one of the ways to get my heart too. Honestly? This show is riveting. The pacing is so good, I don’t mind that I’m feeling a little jerked around by the story. I’m enjoying it so much. Also... major sinking feeling because they’re together and we’re only halfway through. That is never a good sign. DOOM incoming!

Memoir of Rati (Fri Netflix or YT) ep 3 of 12 - I like the political machinations of this and it’s more evenly balanced with plot/romance than other shows of a similar ilk. I don't know why Rati decided to stay (except that we need it for the plot). But now this has definitely become a VERY “gay King and I”.

My Sweetheart Jom (Fri YT) ep 8 of 12 - I 'm experiencing the rather odd sensation of liking a Thai BL more and more as it goes on. It’s not always the case with me. In fact, it’s rarely the case. I'm still not sold on the chemistry of the leads. And I think that’s probably intentional because of the age gap. But I'm enjoying the show regardless.

Knock Out (Fri WeTV ) ep 8 of 12 - I'm sure it’s all very exciting but I miss the smooching already. And then it got sad. They did a very smart thing casting Guide in the role of the betrayer character. He’s a great actor, so incredibly sympathetic with such a sweet face. It was an excellent begging scene. Very well done.

Pit Babe 2 (Fri iQIYI) ep 10 of 13 - Of all the many relationships in this show I think Alan & Babe’s may be my favorite. Also, nice kiss from our tertiary couple (or whatever they are). That said, ep 10 and not enough KimKenta + they fucked with AlanJeff? I said I would accept this as a 2nd season only if they left Jeff and Alan alone!

I am seriously displeased.

I still think the BTS stingers are the best thing about each episode. They always make me laugh. Funniest thing in BL right now.

I Promise I Will Come Back (Mon WeTV) ep 7 of 10 - Awww this was sad. So much heartbreak.

The Next Prince (Sat iQIYI) ep 10 of 14 - monarchy + corruption + power abuse + a BL is a dangerous line I didn't expect this IP to tread. In other news, can't fault ZN for erotic chemistry but they remain the least interesting of the couples, and we didn't see the others hardly at all this ep. Production is messing this show up and I'm mad about it.

The Bangkok Boy (Sat Gaga) ep 11 of 12 - heh. Thai vs Korean style kissing. Funny. And... now we go very dark indeed. I still don’t think this is gonna end well, I never thought it was going to, and now I frankly don’t care that much. At this point? I’m numb to the violence which has made me numb to the romance too. (Not that romance ever made up much of the plot.)

Boys in Love (Sun iQIYI ) ep 11 of 12 - I’m glad we got quite a bit of the teachers this time around but mostly I’m finding this dull.

SunTiny (Tues iQIYI) ep 4 of 10 - How many episodes of this do I have to suffer through? 10? I’m not sure I can do it. I’m OK with the sides and of course I love seeing Earth at his bitch queen best. But the rest of this? Really hard going.

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Ball Boy Tactics (Korea Thurs iQIYI) ep 5 of 8 - I like BOTH the main characters so much, but crikie does Joengwu speak to me. He is this slightly aggressive very active classic seme, while still managing to be a green flag. It’s a delicate balance that Korea very rarely handles with this much dexterity. I gotta say, in this instance, it’s coming down to the actor. He is excellent.

(runs to look him up)

Oh! Choi Jae Hyeok is from the stage! That makes a lot of sense actually.

SOAP BOX TIME!

Look, there is a basic difference between stage and screen actors, and it usually comes down to what they give back to their partners and thai priority. Stagecraft is about acting WITH other people first and then the audience. Film is about acting WITH the camera first and then the other actors. Some are better than others at making love to a camera (Nanon, for example, is particularly good at camera chemistry). But Choi Jae Hyeok is good at acting WITH other actors, and for me that reads as particularly charismatic. I hope that makes sense and you can spot the difference?

(Honestly, this has to be one of the reasons the kisses are so good for a KBL.)

Revenged Love (China Mon Gaga) ep 7-8 of 24 - More mstrb in my BL? Both sides? The trend continues. Chi Cheng’s attitude is “love my snake = love me.” I guess I'm going down with this ship because I can't stop watching this. In fact, I just did a rewatch of all 8, for... nefarious reasons, and this show is SO GOOD. Am I scared? Very. (I'm also going nefarious AS I WATCH now.) But you only live once. (Unless you're the lead in a het Cdrama.)

Sweetheart Service (Korea Fri YT) ep 9 of 12 - A sad episode. We don’t know what happened. I’m very worried about everybody.

10 Things I Want to do Before I Turn 40 AKA 40 Made ni Shitai 10 no Koto (Japan Fri Gaga) ep 1 of 10 - As suspected, this is pretty much Old Fashion Cupcake 2.0. I’m delighted. OFC had many of my favorite tropes, happy to see them play out with slightly different characters in a slightly different setting. I would like more kissing this time around though, please.

I know not to have any expectations of Japan, but I still dream.

Stay By My Side After the Rain AKA Ameagari no Bokura ni Tsuite (Japan Weds Gaga) eps 1-2 of 12 - Japan is back doing their favorite, a reunion romance. This one is between a jaded gay office worker who gave up on love and his sunshine crush from high school. I can tell already that I love these boys. We have tiny pining idiots incoming. It’s gonna hurt so great. Episode one and I already started making whimpering suffering noises.

Depth of Field AKA Hishakai Shindo (Japan Fri Gaga) ep 4 of 6 - I know this pairing is a photographer and a singer, but it sure is fun watching these two dance around each other. Also yay more kisses! And a confession.

The Promise of The Soul (Taiwan Fri Gaga) eps 3 of 12 - I'm sure these actors are very good and the plot is fun if you like this kind of story, but... if this were anything but BL + Taiwan I would not be watching this. It’s not working for me.

It's airing but......

I Became the Lead in a BL Drama 2 AKA Zoku BL Drama no Shuen ni Narimashita (Japan Gaga) 6 eps - While I am intrigued by the manager side couple, I can't be arsed to add this to the weekly rotation. I may binge once it's done.

The Ex-Morning (Thailand YT) 10 eps - dropped half way through ep 3. I was just angry at it, at GMMTV, at the script, at the characters. That's not healthy for any of us. If rumors are to be believed, I'm feeling great about this life choice.

Season of Love in Shimane AKA Ai no Kisetsu: The Season of Love (Thai) 8 eps - Sequel to Kiseki Chapter 2 which I intensely disliked. I won't watch this.

Mission to the Moon (YT) ?? eps- Watching but I can't keep track. Too short, too many, too YT. I will report at end.

In case you missed it:

What's going on with (and may happen to) Revenged Love.

youtube

Next Week Looks Like This:

Coming in July

7/12 Desire the series (China Sat Gaga) 16 eps - Trailer China continues its historic run on the international BL market with the first true ABO m-preg piece. I don't love anything about this except that it looks mighty manipulative and fucked up, and very very pretty. Is this CBL's KinnPorsche? I guess we will find out. (Or not. The way things are with Revenged can they even air this?)

7/13 Doctor's Mine (Thai Sun YouTube) 10 eps - Trailer A second try at adapting Gown & Gear, and a second round of casting put LLS in the lead (you all know I'm a fan) but this is a pretty banal uni BL featuring doctors and engineers from the 2 Moons phase of Thai BL. It's gonna have to be spectacular to distinguish itself, but you know I am always up for another one. Like my favorite candy, can't stay away.

7/14 The Proper Way to Write Love AKA Renai Rubi no Tadashii Furikata (Japan Mon ????) 8 eps - Bully reunion romance about two men who are clumsy but sincere in their love life.

7/14 Dating Game (Thai Mon ????) 12 eps - Hill, a former bullied boy with a geeky personality, finds love and confidence from "Yuka" the female lead in a romance game. He grows into a handsome programmer and achieves his dream of getting a job at the company that developed "Yuka." There he meets Junji, the perfect, cold-hearted CEO from Japan.

7/22 Secret Lovers (previously Secret Relationship) (Taiwan Tues Gaga) 10 eps - Rivals to lovers with unhinged behavior that in the source material ranges from rock-paper-scissors contests to competitive handjobs (yeah, you read that right). Although the trailer makes it look a lot softer then this and it's pressing all my favorite buttons so this could be a big hit with me.

2025 Line Up

BL Announced for 2025 - PART 1

BL Announced for 2025 - PART 2

20 BLs Announced for 2025 That I'm Really Excited About

GMMTV 2025 Line Up - My Totally Biased and Wildly Flawed Feels

THIS WEEK’S FUN MOMENT

A Sketchy Job, currently airing short BL on YT is basically Sweetheart Service by China. And I am enjoying it. CBL tho, so who knows where it goes?

Fashion Crime Dept

Under no circumstances am I ever going to forgive this jacket. It's like barrel legged jeans just as a leopard jacket and I actually squeaked in horror.

(last week)

The tag BLigade: @doorajar @solitaryandwandering @my-rose-tinted-glasses @babymbbatinygirl @babymbbatinygirl @isisanna-blog @mmastertheone @pickletrip @aliceisathome @urikawa-miyuki @tokillamonger @sunflower-positiiivity @rocketturtle4 @blglplus @anythinggoesintheshire @everlightly @renafire @mestizashinrin @bl-bam-beyond @small-dark-and-delicious @saezurumurmurs @waitmyturtles

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midnightshindig · 5 months ago

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hey!! could we get some general hc’s of cecil with a prodigy daughter/kid? hopefully you’ll have fun writing fluff 😋

Cecil & Prodigy!Child!Reader

Apologies for the short response, this is my last one for the night <3

(uh not a ship, ignore the tags, that's just for reach I promise I'm not a proshipper lol)

hcs under the cut

Cecil is a single dad

and you are a handful

I mean c'mon, it's one thing to have a dumb kid or a misbehaved kid or something like that

but when your third grade teacher calls him away from work to pick you up because your "science experiment" blew up the playground

He knows he's dealing with something starkly different

You'd always been a fast one, learning to read before many kids were learning to talk.

Cecil didn't mind much, i mean it made the rough years difficult but you also weren't hurt too badly by his absences

You were a thorough latchkey kid, minding your home mostly by yourself, with Cecil only blocking out enough time to eat dinner with you, check your homework, and have a quick conversation as he put you to bed

and as you got older, and naturally skipped a grade or two or three and began to involve yourself with the local robotics team-- MIT but whose keeping track?-- and holding a steady internship with them, Cecil didn't need to tuck you in

So you grew up largely unsponsored, with Cecil being present in.... other.... ways.

For example, Cecil had a large budget and he used this to his advantage

Every year Cecil would record you a build a bear with his voice as a kid, and even into your teen years

He face timed you every day you got home from school, and made sure to keep diligent contact with your teachers

He's nothing if not attentive

His whole job is to babysit superheroes, it'd be sad if he couldn't take care of his own kid

You've probably got a really boring middle name, if you have one at all, and you've got your mothers surname

It's a little thing he couldn't bring himself to change, even though it would be easy with his power and influence.

Maybe he missed your mother, and maybe you looked a little more like her every day

he's the kind of dad who shows up for parent career day, and pretends his job is some bullshit desk job in national defense or whatever

He's pretty strict about things like boys and going out, but you're usually too busy re-wiring cyborgs or helping Rudy with his own personal projects

wait when did you befriend Rudy?

Cecil realizes he loses track of too much time

He's been so busy protecting the earth and here's his child

So little

but you're not little

you're eighteen

Wait when did that happen-

and you're an adult, you graduated college in your teens so now you help the Guardians with technical problems even Rudy can't solve

and Cecil just... missed it all

lowkey kind of eating Cecil alive ngl

When you were little, back before Cecil was even the head of the GDA, you'd go on daddy-child dates

you would ride on his shoulders and he'd explain some high level concept to you, listening with glee as you tried to explain it back to him to show how smart you were

"And that, honey, is why we have taxes"

"....taxes? are.... like a cost so we can pay bosses like you and have roads and school?"

"ehhhhh yeah, yeah that's a decent way to put it for six years old."

and now you're an adult, dissecting robotics with Rudy on the GHQ table

wearing your MIT mascot sweater, and your class ring, and the wear in your eyes he'd never noticed before

You remind him of himself, only smarter and more ambitious than he was at your age

which is saying something

God, he wishes your mother could see you

She would've loved you

And Cecil relishes getting to be your father

maybe he needs to schedule more time off so he doesnt' miss anything else.

#invincible show #invincible #invincible season 3 #invincible fanfic #invincible spoilers #cecil stedman #cecil stedman x reader #cecil x reader #cecil stedman & reader #NOT SHIPPING #family hcs #child reader #gn reader

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wackapedia · 3 months ago

Text

The Kingmaker's Daughter

Lucius Verus x reader

Lucius finds himself becoming emperor when all he wanted to do was liberate Rome into a free republic. Things get in the way and become more complicated when you get involved.

I intended this to be a two parter but I didnt feel like i want to lose the momentum so here's 6k words not proofread, we die like Macrinus. Also this is quite dialogue-driven, I'm still crawling back to writing after being gone for a year uwu

Warnings: Arranged marriage, drinking, cheating allegations, mild brat behavior from you, allusions to sex but not explicit, people (not Lucius) being an ass to you, childbirth, mention of rot, mention of an angry mob eating the rich, a sick child, ANGST WITH HAPPY ENDING

The sun is high over Rome. The imperial building gleams proudly as the gods grace another day for its citizens. Inside, Lucius Verus Aurelius finds himself among the senators all yelling over each other, some agreeing to his proposition of turning Rome into a republic, the other faction wanting to crown him as emperor and remain as an empire, mostly for personal gain.

Agrippa, your father and one of the senators, assumes the position of first consul as soon as the people of Rome cheer Lucius's name. You watch him from the window of the grand palace as he passionately urges the senate to remain as an empire while the former gladiator sits on his humble seat, quietly observing each one of them.

"Your majesty, if I may propose an offer..." Agrippa addresses the gladiator, effectively silencing the rest of the senate. He continues.

"We can agree to a republic..." a faction of the senate groans. "If you will become an emperor first, guide us on how it should be, in order to serve Rome and its people." The consul's eyes gleam with hope as the former gladiator considers this offer.

"A year or two. We may be old men but we can be taught..." He continues, jesting at his own expense. You wonder what he is planning. "After so, we'll send you off peacefully. Did you want a farm villa? We can give you that. We can bring peace not only to you but to all of Rome, once and for all."

This seems to appease the senate, waiting for Lucius' answer.

"One year. We will liberate the cities, reduce the tax, and focus our efforts on infrastructure, rather than the militia." The former gladiator declares. You watch him agree to your father's deal and hope he is smart enough to escape whatever your father was planning.

And hence the gladiator is crowned Emperor. His distaste for lavish parties and revelries dampen the celebration. You watched him in his robes, and the golden crown of laurels upon his head. He seemed uneasy.

"Congratulations, Caesar. The gods have blessed Rome with you." You approached him after your father had urged you to say something. His eyes shift to you briefly, oceans and specks of gold within them, dancing under the firelight.

"Agrippina." He addresses you with the name derived from your father's. "Is it fortune or desperation?" He sighs, putting his cup down, seemingly disinterested with you.

"Perhaps both?" You smile and move closer, quietly wanting more of his attention. He chuckles and finishes his drink before standing up, leaving for his quarters. This stuns you. Men usually throw themselves at your feet, stumbling on their words, trying to give a compliment. This man, this new Caesar however, is itching to get to work, having no time for celebrations or women or drinking. You have heard from your father that he is preparing to leave for the southern territories, crossing the sea to liberate what General Acacius worked so hard for to please the previous emperors.

The night the emperor left, you were summoned late at night in your father's chamber. He explains he plans to marry you off to Lucius.

"A gladiator, father?" You stand there, hands on your hips.

The consul pours himself some wine, calmly answers "An emperor."

You scoff at his idea and correct him. "A temporary emperor."

Agrippa raises an eyebrow and sips his drink. "Only if he remains foolish enough to think he can leave."

You exhale, trying to calm your breathing as you realize the truth. They won't let him go. "You have spent my entire life turning me into the perfect pawn. And now, I am to be thrown at a man who despises the very world I was raised for?"

Agrippa, finally looking at you directly, his voice smooth and measured. "You misunderstand, my dear. This is not your endgame. This is only your first move."

You stiffen. Your father steps forward, resting a hand on your shoulder.

Agrippa, softly, almost indulgently speaks to the pawn he raised. "Lucius wants a republic. That makes him predictable. And predictability makes him easy to control."

You swallow hard, staring at the floor.

The wise and scheming consul tilts your chin up with a finger and smiles like a wolf. "You will be his wife. You will be his empress. And in time, when he tires of politics—when he sees how ungrateful Rome is—you will ensure he remains exactly where he belongs."

You whisper, realizing what is being asked of you. "On the throne."

The consul squeezes your shoulder, pleased with you for the first time in years.

"That’s my girl."

When Lucius returns, he scoffs when he is summoned by the consul.

"Hail Caesar! The gods bless you with wisdom and courage. The people speak of your strength! And the senate praises you for your discipline."

Agrippa pours him a drink, acting like they are equals. Lucius is exasperated at this ass-kissing.

"Get to the point, Agrippa. Why have you summoned me?"

Ah, yes! Well you see, there are rumours..." He begins.

"There are always rumours."

"B-but this is grave, your highness! They speak of us being weak and unstable. Rome needs stability, not just a warrior on the throne." The consul offers a friendly smile. Lucius was about to say something but Agrippa continued in a tone filled with mock-lamentation.

"A warrior without a family is a dangerous thing... The people talk, the foreign envoys note the absence of a wife. Why does Rome have an emperor without an empress? With no heir? If you do not do something-"

Lucius' jaw tightens. They dare give the emperor an ultimatum? "They can say whatever they want, Consul. I have no interest in ruling beyond my term. Consider your words carefully. You are speaking to Rome."

The consul hides his fear well, his smile unwavering. "And yet Rome is not ready to be abandoned." He slides a cup towards Lucius.

"Caesar, if you do not secure your position, others will. You are the best we have towards a republic, we can not afford to lose you."

Lucius' face remains impassive. Agrippa doubles down. "Do you truly think a year will end peacefully? That you can just walk away? No. You will need your allies. You need the image of permanence. A wife. A noblewoman, trained, prepared to carry out her duty to Rome to silence those who doubt."

Lucius smirks at this man's audacity, knowing exactly who he will put forward. "You're talking about your daughter, I see. What if I refuse?"

Agrippa's smile morphs into a dangerous smirk. "Then you will rule alone without the support of the senate. Without the nobility. Without legitimacy. And when the senate decides that your time is up, who will protect you then? Your friends from the arena? You've sent them all home, Hanno."

Lucius stews in anger, deciding whether slashing this man's throat will do any good. The consul continues, knowing he's won. "She is intelligent, well-bred, loyal to Rome. She has the blood of Caesar from her mother's side, you will find no better match."

The stress of the wedding preparations catches up on you. The dress was not how you wanted it, sending it back to the seamstresses for the third time. Lucius wanted no part in the preparations, leaving the decision-making all to yourself, with the pressures of your family. A servant brings you your cup as you go over the flower arrangements. When the liquid touches your tongue, you hurl the goblet aside, clanging against the marble floor and startling the florists.

"Are you simple?! I said the wine must be from my father's private reserve, not this rubbish!" You yell. The servant trembles and apologizes profusely.

Lucius walks in, secretly watching the scene.

"Pick it up." He commands. Shame and humiliation take over her expression. Lucius repeats. "Pick. Up. The cup."

You hesitantly bend down, picking up the cup as Lucius dismisses everyone out of the hall.

"I have seen the treasury report. You are spending too much." He begins, his tone unreadable.

"It is an emperor's wedding-" You begin.

"I am reminding you that you are to be my wife. try to act like you are more than a spoiled girl playing empress." He remains calm and leaves you alone in the hall, letting you wallow in shame.

The wedding was a grand affair. Your aunts had spun a romantic tale of how you two had secretly met during his arena battles, how you had been his inspiration in making Rome a better place. And a better place it has been in the past eight months. The rich are taxed more, the poor are provided for. No more wars, no more slave trade, no more gladiator fights. Instead, the arts have flourished, making way for these outlandish tales, making you sound extremely likeable as an empress.

The wedding night was uneventful. Lucius had to leave at first light to finish some tasks and preferred to have a full night's sleep rather than do anything else, much to your relief.

While the emperor is away, your father reminds you of your duty, to make sure the idea of the republic never arises again. In exchange, you are showered with exquisite silks from the east, perfumes from Egypt, and pearls enough to drown a grown man. Your father hands you a parchment, a script of what you should say when you make appearances, further solidifying the empire and setting back your husband's mission.

When Lucius returns, he sees there are beggars on the streets again. He sees some of the militia coming home with pillaged goods from various cities while he is liberating another.

"You made an oath, you swore you would stand with me. That was a lie." Lucius marches in the study where you were going over the speeches your father had made. You didn't know he'd be back today.

"I am only doing what's best for Rome!" You defend, your voice matching his.

"Your Rome. Your father's Rome. What is this?" He grabs the documents on your desk, reading the imperialist speeches.

"I... I do not have the luxury of ignoring him..." You refuse to meet his gaze.

Lucius drops the papers and harshly pulls out a chair to sit on. This causes you to flinch and step back, fearing this man could have your father's temper, or worse. Lucius notices. He has always been observant.

"I... I would never-" He begins, keeping his voice soft.

"I know that!" you lie and keep your defensive stance, not believing his words.

Your husband stews on it for a while. "Your father, has he hit you?"

You stay silent, collecting the papers.

Lucius realizes that you are not his enemy, but a victim and a prisoner.

You and your husband make an entrance at the senate hall. Lucius pulls out a seat for you next to him. The consul begins his praise but is interrupted.

"I have heard you were moving the militia without my approval."

"R-Rome needs stability, not hesitation." Your father grins.

"This is not stability, this is control." Lucius shuts him down. Your husband's intellect never fails to amaze you.

"Then let us speak of stability. Rome needs an heir." Agrippa smiles, never glancing at you. Your stomach drops when you comprehend his words.

"Indeed! A proof of consummation must be public knowledge. The people demand assurance." Another senator adds. You try to keep your eyes straight, staring a hole into the pillar. You were scared at what Lucius would say. He is also just a man after all, having his needs, wanting pleasure from the woman who's expected to provide it. You may have shared a few nights in the same quarters, and he has been completely respectful so far. If he wanted to force an heir upon you, who would stop him? Was he showing patience? Restraint? Or was it just a matter of time?

The senate continues to make crude remarks about you, as if you weren't a person.

"Any man who speaks of my wife like this again will answer to me." Lucius declares, silencing them. You exhale, slightly out of relief. Lucius may not be an enemy, but he is yet to prove himself to be your ally.

The emperor is called up here and there later in the day, various meetings with various people, leaving you to run the household. Your father confidently marches inside your house, grabbing you by the back of your head.

"Tonight, you lay with him, do you understand?" The consul hisses, gripping her like how he normally would ever since you were a child.

You don't flinch but your stomach churns. You dare to ask, just to be difficult. "And if he doesn't want me?"

Your father's fingers tighten painfully. "Then make him want you. I'm sure that won't be difficult."

Later that night, your maids scrub your skin raw, painting you in expensive perfume and lace you in scandalous fabrics meant to entice. You attempt to fight back your panic attack when you hear your husband open the door.

Lucius stops when he sees you. Your gaze was locked into your hands, folded neatly on your lap where the edge of your dress ends.

"What is this?" He asks, more tired than angry. You couldn't find your voice.

Lucius sighs. You fear you have angered him.

"I won't touch you if you don't want me to. You don't owe them proof of anything." He picks up a robe of his and puts it within your reach, averting his gaze from your scandalous attire.

Somehow, your last shred of dignity finds insult in his disinterest. Nonetheless, you were grateful.

"I've never known anything that was mine." you hold the robe over yourself, thankful for the warmth.

"The world is yours, my empress. Take your time. You don't have to decide tonight." His voice comforts you like warm milk before bedtime. The dim candles cast shadows on his face, making you unsure if he smiled at you or was it a trick of your imagination. Also, what did he just call you?

"Do you want me to leave?" He asks.

"Please stay..." Your emotions break like the first rain after a long summer.

Lucius remains respectful as he moves closer, eventually sitting on his side of the bed. You couldn't help but be thankful, but at the same time wonder what would've happened if...

"Would it hurt?" You ask before you could stop yourself.

Your husband answers you with gentleness, patience, and honesty. "It might. But it could also be like how the poets say."

"W-what do they say?" You ask, getting comfortable on your side of the bed.

Lucius keeps a playful smile as he recites some of the poems, making you blush with their imagery that's both vulgar yet romantic. He tells you of intertwining vines and dewy flower petals, and sweet juicy fruits-

"A fruit? How so?" You make him pause. He chuckles nervously, almost boyish.

"Ah well when it's... a man... pleasures a woman... he uses his tongue and..eats her... fruit..." He explains, hoping you don't notice how hot his face is.

You stare at him, completely blanked out.

"Her... fruit?"

Lucius raises his eyebrows and moves his eyes down, trying to communicate the word without terrorizing you.

"But would that be pleasurable?"

"I-I would hope-"

"For a man??"

"Oh, Indeed!" He chuckles, "Well for me, that is.."

The night continues as the ice breaks between you, laughing and explaining poetic euphemisms, gradually getting comfortable with each other. You find yourself gravitating towards him, brushing your fingers against his skin. You don't miss how his breath hitches and he doesn't miss your jaw tensing as he continues his poetry. You suspect some of these are his own.

As the sky begins to brighten, you scoot closer, resting your hand on his arm.

"Lucius..." You whisper, silently communicating what you want.

"You don't have to." He whispers your name, giving you the freedom to say no. To not do it out of duty.

"I want to. Do you want to?" you ask nervously.

"Yes." He whispers, tracing his fingers over your jaw. You move closer to kiss him and he gladly reciprocates.

The sun is now high up in the sky when you wake up, feeling blissfully sore. Lucius lays half on top of you, his hair tickling your chin. He stirs and rolls off of you, not wanting to make you uncomfortable.

"Good morning..." You begin, pulling the sheets over your bare body.

Your husband groans and smiles like he's drunk, resting his arm over his eyes while the other pulls you closer.

"Did you... like eating my fruit?" You jest, making him laugh.

"I regret explaining that to you. You're gonna keep saying that, aren't you?" He teases.

The bliss is short-lived when someone knocks on your shared bedroom door. Lucius groans and doesn't bother covering up when he opens the door to find his own father-in-law, pushing himself in their room and tries to grab the bedsheets for proof of consummation. Before he makes it, Lucius grabs him and presses a blade against his neck.

"G-good morning, Caesar. I only wish to see the proof, the public demands it, you see-"

"Try asking again and see what I give you." Lucius presses the blade tighter, making him bleed.

Lucius throws him out of the room. You stare, keeping the blanket over you. You feel humiliated, trying not to cry.

Lucius drops his dagger and turns to you.

"Are you hurt?"

"N-not physically,"

A few days after the incident, you overhear your husband refusing his commander's suggestion to travel to the east to ensure the loyalty of some rich lord.

"I can not leave my wife. There are snakes everywhere, especially in the senate." Lucius explains to his commander.

This makes you feel both happy and guilty for holding him back.

Your father pulls you aside a few months later. He rarely sees you nowadays, Lucius must've banned him from the imperial residence.

"Are you pregnant?" He asks directly.

"W-what? No, I mean I don't think so-" You return to your nervous demeanour whenever you're alone with him.

"Are you daft, girl? You ought to find out. If you are not, keep trying. And make sure its a son." He scowls.

Your monthly courses arrived that week. Lucius rarely, if ever, initiates with how he is too tired or too busy from the day's work. Your household duties also kept you occupied during the day, only seeing him briefly when he comes to bed when you are asleep.

One day, one of the new serving girls linger by your door after dressing you for the day.

"What is it, Milena?" You ask, glancing at her through your polished silver mirror.

Milena glances around before stepping closer. This alarms you a bit, but she whispers: "Your husband has taken on a lover,"

You blink, not really believing it. Lucius? Your Lucius?! Your chuckle fades into doubt. What if? He has been coming home late in the evenings…

The serving girl leaves you alone to think about it. He is an emperor, after all. You’ve seen how power corrupts men, expanding their ego and their appetite.

Later that night, Lucius enters your shared bedroom and joins you in bed, going straight to sleep. You feel the mattress dip behind you, the covers shifting as he covers himself. He gently reaches out for you, briefly brushing his fingers against your skin before he’s out cold.

You face him quietly. Could he really? You’re not so sure anymore.

This goes on for a few nights more. Lucius begins to notice how you don’t joke around with him anymore, how you’re always in deep thought, eyes watery or swollen especially in the morning.

He catches you one night when he feels you leave the bed. He immediately calls out to you when he hears your sobbing.

“Is it true?” You begin.

“Is what true?” Lucius reaches out for you but you pull away.

“That you’ve taken another woman-”

His jaw tenses. Caught. “Who told you that?”

“You think I would betray you?” His voice breaks. You hate how tender and hurt he sounds.

“I don’t know what to think anymore,” You whisper. “Everyone always wanted us to fail. Maybe… maybe you finally realized you don’t want me.”

Lucius' heart shatters. Without a word, he pulls you into his arms. You fight it at first, weakly pushing at his chest, but he just holds on tighter. “I love you.” He murmurs against your hair. “Only you. Only ever you.”

And that’s when you break. You sob into his shoulder, clutching at him, all the doubt, all the fear pouring out. Lucius rocks you gently, pressing kisses to your temple, murmuring promises against your skin, reminding you of the oath he took when he married you. Reminding you that he is a man of honor, and he is not one to break oaths. And when you finally calm down, he pulls back just enough to look at the mess of your face with dried tears.

“Tell me who poisoned your mind with these lies,” he whispers. “Tell me, and I will deal with them.”

“Its not important, Lucius, its just the new serving girl…” You sigh, feeling tired and weak from your emotional outburst. Lucius remains ever patient and lets you lay back on the bed, tucking you in before joining you.

“A new serving girl? I don’t remember approving a new serving girl?” He wonders and decides not to bother you further. Lucius kisses you to sleep, letting you snuggle into his warmth.

“You’ve sunk low, old man.” Lucius barges into the consul’s office, first thing in the morning. His voice is cold. Dangerous. “You sent a spy into my home? Into my wife’s private chambers?”

The consul just smirks. “She is my daughter.”

Lucius clenches his fists. “She is my wife.”

Agrippa waves a hand dismissively. “And yet, it was so easy to make her doubt you.”

Lucius steps closer, lowering his voice to a deadly whisper. “If you ever,ever plant another lie in her head again, I will not be so merciful.”

You don’t see Milena anymore. Lucius made sure she is situated away from Agrippa’s influence and is making a decent living in the city. Your father, despite Lucius’ efforts to stop him from seeing you, still makes a way to make a quick surprise visit, dropping a mild hint of a worst case scenario if things don’t go his way. You know what your father is capable of, and you tremble at the thought of it.

Later that night, you find Lucius in a good mood as he joins you for supper. You pour him some wine, the special ones you’ve asked the servants for. Lucius smiles as he takes his cup, enjoying the flavor. You continue refilling his cup, your touch lingering on his arm or his thigh.

“You’re in a mood tonight..” He says in a teasing tone.

“D-do you like it?” You ask, trying to calm your nerves. He pulls you closer, seating you on his lap.

“You know I do.” He leans in, his smile a little playful. He is a little bit tipsy, but sober enough to carry you to the bed.

You pull him into a kiss, a little forceful on your end. He kisses you back, until he feels your tears. Almost immediately, Lucius pulls away, blinking rapidly to shake off the haze of wine and lust. “Did I hurt you?”

You shake your head quickly, your emotions pouring out. “No, no Lucius, I-”

“Please talk to me,” He keeps a respectful distance, hoping you’d tell him something. And you do. You reveal to him the conversation you had with your father. That he had threatened to have Lucius assassinated if he remained uncooperative. The cooperation he expects right now is for you to conceive an heir to cement their places in the empire.

“I’m sorry, Lucius-” You couldn’t look him straight in the eye. He very carefully touches your face, making you face him.

“You don’t owe your father anything.” He begins and adds just before you could say something. “And you don’t owe me anything. You don’t owe Rome anything.”

You sigh, taking in his words. No one has ever said that to you before. You touch him this time, full of affection and gratefulness.

“I don’t want a child for my father. I want one for us.” You reveal, feeling the weight off your chest.

Lucius searches your eyes, looking for any hesitation. He finds none. He kisses you gently at first, then deeper, like he’s making a promise. This time, when you come together, it’s not as an emperor and empress. Its real.

Agrippa’s pride skyrockets when he hears the news. He is going to be a grandfather. His grandchild, whom he expects is a son, will be a prince of Rome. Lucius never wanted to tell him, but you thought he was going to find out anyway at some point. Lucius decides that time would be during the imperial announcement when you were about four moons along. “He finds out when everyone else finds out. Keeps him humble.” Your husband chuckles. He’s been doting on you ever since you both found out. He makes sure you don’t stay under the sun for too long, makes you eat more fruits, and doesn't let you do heavy work when handling household matters.

Lucius also filters out the news that is reported to you. That is why you missed the update of your father doing a grand celebration tour, visiting cities to accept congratulations and well-wishes from the friends of the empire. These friends are the noble folk benefiting the most from keeping Rome from becoming a republic. He has been labelled as the kingmaker, having the power to depose and install whoever serves his purpose best.

This news comes to you three months late when one afternoon, Gaius, one of your husband’s most trusted men, comes running, bringing urgent news.

“Emperor, empress, the consul had an incident-!”

Lucius tries to stop Gaius but it is too late.

“What happened? Where is he?” You stand up, clutching your pregnant belly, due only a few weeks from now. Lucius nods to his loyal general, silently asking him to be sensitive with his words for her.

The consul’s tour had gone awry when his small entourage took a wrong route, passing through an impoverished village. His gold-trimmed carriage was robbed, his robes dragged out. Agrippa was dragged out and mobbed by the villagers, stoned, beaten, and eventually left for dead. When the dust had settled, the consul was no more.

“We’ve arranged for the body to be brought back here, your imperial majesties. It will take a week at most.” Gaius had put it in the simplest way, but your ears started ringing as he continued. You feel yourself being guided by Lucius into a chair, as your knees have given out.

That night, you could barely sleep. You can’t imagine what he went through in the last moments of his life, how afraid he must’ve been. You can’t recall ever seeing your father scared. He was always the feared one. Servants trembled before him, your mother was always nervous around him, you never got over being on edge around him, even when Lucius was around. You wanted to think he tried to fight for his life, but he was more of an intellectual than a fighter. He was mobbed, stoned, he had screamed for his life-

A sharp pain on your lower abdomen interrupts your thoughts. It doesn’t go away.

“Lucius-” You reach for him, sleeping soundly next to you.

He turns to you and finds you gripping the sheets, breath ragged. And then, the horrible, cold realization— the dark stain spreading beneath her. Blood and water soaks the sheets.

The emperor wastes no time and springs up so fast he nearly falls out of bed. His mind, foggy with sleep, snaps into clarity at the sight of you panting, clutching your belly, eyes filled with sheer panic.

And then he sees the blood.

"No! no, no, no-" His voice cracks as he lunges for the door.

The next few moments are a blur of chaos. Doors slam open. He is yelling, bellowing, waking the entire household. Torches flare. Servants stumble from their beds, eyes wide in alarm.

"Fetch the midwife! Now!" His voice shakes the walls. "Get hot water, clean linens! MOVE!"

The guards, usually composed, look startled. They've seen him command armies, but never like this. Never with this much fear in his voice.

He rushes back to you, pressing a hand to your clammy forehead. You grip his wrist like a vice, her breath ragged, pained.

"It’s too soon, Lucius-" your voice is so small and fragile, pain and fear all mixing together in a terrifying feat for the emperor.

"I know," he whispers, pressing a trembling kiss to her damp hair. But gods help him, he cannot lose you and the child.

Lucius has fought in arenas, has seen men gutted, has heard the dying wails of warriors. Nothing—nothing—compares to this.

Your screams shake the walls. They echo down the corridors, curling in the dark like some ancient curse. Servants flinch. The guards outside shift uncomfortably. The midwife is murmuring reassurances, but Lucius can barely hear her over the sound of your agony.

You claw at the sheets, face contorted in pain. Sweat and tears streak down your cheeks. He has never seen you so helpless, so afraid. And there is nothing he can do.

“Lucius!” you wail, gripping his arm with surprising strength.

"I’m here, I’m here-" His voice is hoarse, useless. He presses his forehead to yours, his own hands trembling as he holds you down, praying to the gods to do something.

Hours pass. The sun begins to rise. You continue wailing in pain until your strength gives out.

By the time the midwife gives a final command to push, Lucius is pale. He sees you drained, pale, barely responding, body wracked.

And then, A small, thin wail.

The boy is so tiny. Too small, too fragile. The midwife moves quickly, wrapping him up, but Lucius sees the look on her face. She is worried.

You pick up on the sound, like a kitten cooing in the distance. You try to lift your head. "Let me see-"

Lucius watches the boy, so small, so fragile, too light in his arms. He swallows, feeling his throat close up on him. He has never been more afraid in his life.

You take your son in your arms for the first time. He is so innocent. You feel guilty for not looking after yourself well enough, that he’s suffering the consequences of your actions. Your lips tremble as you lean in just a little, whispering to the baby. "You must fight.." you tell him. "You must be strong, my love. Be brave... like your father.”

Lucius watches the scene, feeling utterly useless as his boy takes shallow breaths, looking so frail in his mother’s arms.

For days, the child struggles to latch on to his mother. His cries continue to sound like a mewl, his lungs still underdeveloped. You barely get amy sleep, fearing the child would stop breathing in the night. Lucius feels helpless as all he could do was to gently remind you to eat and sleep. He sees you pale, your cheeks slowly losing flesh and your wrists thinning out.

At one point he’s gotten so worried that he basically forces you to stay in bed. In your weak state, you still fought him on it, taking up the last of your energy and giving out. He catches you before you hit the ground and takes you to bed, calling for the medicus and various healers.

“I need you to live, my love. The both of you.” He whispers as he tucks you to sleep, keeping the baby’s crib next to your bed.

When you wake, you still feel the exhaustion in your bones. You body doesn’t cooperate when you try to sit up. Lucius feels your movement and wakes up from being hunched next to you.

“Where is he, Lucius? Is he-?” Your voice was weak but panicked.

“He is here. He is fighting. He’s strong, just like his mother.” Lucius places his finger in the boy’s tiny palm. The former gladiator feels the boy’s grip. Weak, but fighting.

That week, the consul’s body was brought back to the capital. You demanded your maid to tell you the news, forcing yourself out of bed to see the scene in the gates of your imperial residence. It was the stench that had hit you first. As you stand by the grand entrance, you see a pitiful cart carrying his mangled body wrapped in sackcloth fabric, flies swarming about.

Lucius sees you and immediately stops you from moving closer, protecting you in your weakened state.

“Get back inside, its not healthy for you to be here,” Lucius’ warning falls to deaf ears as you power through the smell of rot. He catches you just before you reach the cart. “Don’t. Don’t remember him this way.”

“I have to see him, Lucius!” You say, feeling obligated to honour the remains of your father, the man who made you empress, the statesman who helped build Rome to its current glory. You step closer and grab the cloth covering his face, revealing his rotting visage, smashed in, buzzing with flies, unrecognizable. Bile threatens to crawl up your throat as you feel your breath hitch. You don’t realize you’ve collapsed, screaming. Lucius holds on to you, preventing you from going any closer. He orders his men to prepare a pyre as he carries you back inside the house.

“A pyre?! He is a statesman, Lucius! We must honor him! You can’t just burn him-!”

“You don’t have to do this, love. He’s gone now.” Lucius comforts you, placing you gently on the bed.

“No! What will they say? His own daughter does not honour him even when he made her empress?!”

“I made you empress. I married you.” Lucius reminds calmly. His patience seems to know no bounds. You know he is exhausted, he too had spent sleepless nights worrying about you and your son. Your sobs begin to calm down when he strokes your hair gently, letting you focus on him.

“I don’t know how to feel. I think I’m an awful daughter for feeling relieved-” “Shh, no you’re not. What you feel is valid. He was your jailer. Now you are free.” Lucius whispers, letting you close your eyes.

“I don’t know what to do.” You mumble.

“You don’t have to do anything, love. Not today.”

You nod, letting yourself rest. Before you could sleep, you hear your boy coo from his cradle right next to you.

You watch him wiggle, breaking free from his swaddle. His chest is rising and falling with short but steady and determined breaths.

“Oh!” You sit up and watch him, kicking away his small blanket. Lucius watches, fitting his finger in his small hand. His grip is a lot stronger today. He fights for another day.

“He’s getting stronger..” Lucius smiles.

You nod. This little bundle of joy wants to keep fighting. Who are you to give up on yourself? He needs his mother. You feel yourself straighten up, pulling yourself together for this little human, needing a mother to raise him with love and warmth. No more scheming, no more politics. Just you, Lucius, and your little fighter.

A few months later, the boy grows up strong and steady. He’s been giggling a lot and is learning how to crawl. Just like him the republic begins to take shape. One day, Lucius decides that the senate will never be ready. So he just leaves.

He tells you one afternoon after putting little Maximus down for a nap.

“We should start packing.” He says, very calmly.

“Oh? Is the senate finally ready?” You ask, tucking your boy in.

“They’ll never be ready. They’ll figure out. They’re all grown-ups anyway.” He chuckles. You look at him, wondering if he’s serious. He is.

“O-okay.. I’ll start packing.” You nod.

Lucius worries you’ll end up packing too much.

As the last bundle of clothes gets loaded up the cart, you take the time to say goodbye to your house staff. A few of them were your own personal maids from your childhood, enduring your tantrums, your selfish acts, even when you were treating them like furniture. You embrace each of them, thanking them for putting up with you all these years. They had technically raised you, became the parents that cared for you unconditionally when your own father was busy raising his gold reserves.

The elderly staff cries, unable to believe that this young woman was the same spoiled girl they used to tiptoe around.

You insist on paying them generously, using your father’s wealth. Some refuse, saying you’ve given them more than enough, witnessing how you’ve changed for the better.

Cassia tearfully smiles, holding your hands. She was there when you were born, and she was there when you were giving birth. She had witnessed your journey, from a girl, to an empress, to a woman who learned to love and be loved.

“You’ve grown up so well, my lady.”

For the first time in your life, you truly feel like you have grown up well.

The staff insisted on letting you take the carriage one last time but you had refused. Taking only your clothes and some items for the baby, you sit on the wooden cart drawn by a horse Lucius is riding. The house staff waves, watching the former imperial family head out to their new life.

As you reach beyond the city gates, you feel a weight being pulled from your shoulders. You have never been this far from home. You look back, seeing the city shrink.

“Oh no.. Regretting it already?” Lucius jokes.

“Not at all. Glad to be walking out of it alive. Glad to be going home.” You smile, knowing wherever Lucius is, that’s where home will be.

When you reach your humble farm villa, you help your former emperor unpack the bags. You spot the jewelry box you had intended on leaving.

“Hey, what’s this doing here?” You ask Lucius.

“Ah well, I… Its- Just in case, you know?” He chuckles, feeling ashamed.

“In case what?” You put your hands on your hips playfully interrogating him.

“Well, I’m not really a great farmer…” He scratches the back of his head.

“Oh, and you decide to tell me this now?!”

Lucius shrugs. “I thought it best to break the news after we left.”

“So, what now? We starve?” You gasp, feigning betreyal.

Lucius smirks, leaning against the doorway. “I was hoping you’d take pity on me and do the farming instead.”

You groan dramatically, tossing the box aside. “Unbelievable. You should’ve just stayed emperor.”

Lucius grins, stepping closer, kissing her forehead. “Nah… I think I like this better.”

-- END --

#lucius verus aurelius x reader #lucius verus x reader #the gladiator 2 #paul mescal x reader #paul mescal #lucius verus aurelius #lucius verus #the gladiator 2 x reader #the gladiator #hanno #hanno x reader

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darqx · 26 days ago

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And if time's elimination then we got nothing to lose

Some more BP/non-RAD asks!

I HAD TO CUT THIS POST SHORT BECAUSE IT EXCEEDED 30 SCREENSHOTS/IMAGES

Oh I love food related questions they're just so fun to consider haha. I've done something like this with other desserts but not ice cream, so here are some either "signature" or "vibe" flavours:

Izm: Mint Choc Chip (invigorating/refreshing, somewhat confusing)

.D: Fresh Strawberry (tart with an underlying sweetness)

Zeke: Butter Pecan (warm and "homey")

Wei Ren: Lychee (subtle and smart; rounded in many notes)

Marcus: Vanilla (simple and unobtrusive. Easily fits with anything)

Rire: Lavender Earl Grey, OR Black Sesame (considered mature/sophisticated flavour profiles. Also one contains tea so...)

Eid: Mango coconut (natural sweetness)

Desmond: Rainbow (looks crazy and like it contains 15 different chemicals)

Caleb: Matcha (polarising. Also I'm one of those people that can only taste the bitterness in green tea and get no other flavour nuance so there's that |D)

Isla: Chocolate (either double or dark for the richer profile - comforting and popular)

Grimshaw: Cherry Amaretto (sharp, tangy and lightly bitter/boozy)

Oh they don't create portals; the power gives them the ability to traverse naturally existing ones. It is a rare "randomly generated" cross-demon species power (ie any individual demon could be born with it), with the exception of soul-stealer species like Rire's who are 100% always born with it.

That doesn't mean they all inherently know how to use it though and like any skill it needs to be learnt, which in itself is pretty dangerous and few undertake it on purpose. Rire got kind of scary good at navigating the Gates which is an open secret in the Nether.

Oh thank you! 🥰 Simply put, the core friend group is .D, Izm, Zeke, Ren and Marcus who start off as strangers to found family. Antagonists include Rire and Caleb and a few others that crop up.

Eid, Mu and Grimshaw are in a different plotline that technically runs at the same time. But it would be a different "book" to the main BP story and something I'm considering drawing after the "end" of the main story. Which is terrible because i'm already theorising about it now |D

You'll just have to read it when it comes out to find out hmm!

DHJGBDHJGBDHG OK I HAD TO TAKE THIS ONE OUT OF MY INBOX COS IT WAS FRICKING HILARIOUS XD

I'll just use the main BP characs for this one!

.D: Thaumiel lol do you see what i did there

Izm: Keter

Zeke: Euclid

Wei Ren: Euclid (or Archon)

Marcus: Euclid (Safe) Listen if you applied the box test with Marcus he's not getting out on his own but he will have everyone else breaking him out.

Rire: Keter

Was sorely tempted to make Rire an Apollyon but by himself he's not dangerous enough to be in that category so I'm being realistic here lol.

And here's a nicer one lol

My listening of Gorillaz songs was limited to very specific songs / time period so these are from the ones i'm familiar with XD

.D: Dirty Harry

Izm: Feel Good Inc. / Demon Days

Zeke: 19-2000 (radio remix)

Wei Ren: Clint Eastwood

Marcus: On Melancholy Hill

Rire: DARE

I would love to make another game but it would be vastly different to a VN lol. In fact i did have an idea for a random one ages ago that i might do one day 🤔 in like the yr 3000 maybe

HH is not lost media, they're just one shot comics mostly about the HH version interactions/relationships/a mood so there's technically no storyline to them XD "Technically" because if you noticed some "common points" in some of the one shots it pointed to a storyline forming in the bg but i never actually developed it for people to read properly lol.

As for BP, well...

🎉 I FINALLY STARTED ACTUALLY DRAWING IT LMAO HALLELUJAH FINALLY. Haven't posted them anywhere yet though. Creating a bit of a buffer first ~

Thanks! ^^ The demon and human cultures in BP are pretty separated from each other, so the demons in the Nether don't/cant (though some might bring back ideas) whereas the demons that live on/can visit Earth do. Also yes there are some elements of our world in there, though maybe slightly diff like how in anime you can find WcDonalds lol.

Yes...and no lol. I will explain what i mean by this at some point in the story but it's not actually important to the story tbh.

Skipping this question because it can't be answered in the context of BP due to (1) XD Also BROOO you'll just have to read the comic whenever it comes out to see what happens XDD

I've been good thanks! Though i feel like i have been losing track of time a lot more recently, like where the heck are all these days going?! I blink and it's been a month. I'm pretty sure i've said this exact same thing word for word somewhere else 😩 help

Aw Anon, I hope this can also make you smile! :D

Context: set in the villain dad!AU i have with some friends XD Grimshaw is texting Cortez (friend's charac) who is the melodramatic father of Eid's bestie Mu (other friend's charac). Cortez does not like Grimshaw and they are always low key fighting with each other, but Grimshaw gets along well with the rest of Cortez's family much to the latter's chagrin.

I mean, wouldnt this just be them in like their school uniforms? XD

I look like this but less cute lol

You may but please remember to credit me for them :) Also i think it goes without saying that you can't like...make adoptables or whatever out of them.

#battle priest #art #doodle #eid #answer dump #long post #several doodles in this one!!#sz #side note image searching 'rainbow icecream' in todays day and age #without getting an AI result was almost an exercise in futility #also yes i used one of the image slots specifically for that laugh cry emoji once it wouldnt let me post any more LAUGHS

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adore-gregor · 1 year ago

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study smart not hard (altough both is best actually) this saying is so true

#my advice #but this saying is sooo true #i know some people at uni who study for exam so long and hard but then fail or just barely make it :(#like what are you doing? i don't mean this in a mean way but it doesn't have to be this difficult #i don't understand how some people can study for an exam for 2 weeks or even a month and still fail and i don't think they're stupid #or i don't see myself as particulary smart #but i guess they just waste their time a lot and i realized studying effective is so important #now everyone is a bit different and has to find what works best for them but there are certain techniques which are proven to work well #there is so much information on the internet on this look it up seriously #it made my life sm easier i never struggled in uni like i did in school and i get good grades #and if i ever struggled a bit it was because i started so late it was almost impossible to pass 😂#which is why to do both is still best 😂#but i actually always made it and i never failed an exam at uni (which i studied for)#(two i was fooled into to just try without studying bc it's easy lol)#i mean i shouldn't speak too soon but i already made it through some of the most difficult of my studies #ofc it depends on what you study how well this works but i'm speaking for myself #i once passed an exam with a B studying only 2 days as one of the best students while others studied 2 weeks #and got worse grades or failed #still studying only 2 days is stupidity don't do it 😅#so the techniques i find very helpful are ofc exam questions probably the best one #if there are none make your own #then blurting for which there are different ways but i like to just go over a topic and then write down everything i remember #then fill the gaps #quizlet is also great it's an app which allows you to create cards and then tests you in creative ways #videos can be helpful as well for summaries and using summaries in general is normally enough it saves you sm time #normally you don't actually need to know everything but you should be careful it's not a bad summary leaving out too much 😅#and i also like mindmaps bc i'm a very visual person #but all those tipps are mostly for remembering information so it doesn't work so well for other fields of study #well i hope this is somewhat helpful idk 🙈#oh and reading texts over and over again is the most useless in my opinion i don't remember much at all and it takes sm time

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according2thelore · 5 days ago

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would u elaborate on why jared x dean is the best ship of all time I am SO intrigued 0v0

(from this post right here)

OKAY HAHAHA i was mostly joking! but now that i have your attention, i might spit some nonsense here for a second.

i think dean and jared would get along better than dean and jensen. do not tell jensen ackles i said that. i'm begging you. he'll cry. please do not make jensen ackles cry.

jared is very open and gregarious, and i could absolutely see dean being drawn to him for a quick game of cards or pool to sucker him out of a couple bucks in a dark bar in the middle of nowhere, because he looks dumb and floppy and makes dean harder than a fucking rock because he's got sammy's eyes.

and as everyone on this planet knows, jared is very good at poker. i think he won? a poker tournament? i'm probably making that up? and once jared takes him for what he's worth, now dean is TWICE as hard.

idk. i think dean doesn't have a lot of people in his life that can make him laugh--genuinely laugh--and i think jared's humor is just stupid enough to do it. dean absolutely thinks he's a bit of a prissy-boy, but dean thinks anyone who doesn't know what drowner guts tastes like is a pussy, so what does he know?

i think dean would be fascinated by someone so tall and so big being so outwardly funny and personable and generous. dean comes from a very toxic masculine, knife-in-one-hand-while-you-shake-with-your-other kind of world, and height and weight are deadly.

jared also has this thing he does where he makes the men around him super secure and excited about their masculinity, and dean would absolutely get addicted to that feeling [see: jared interacting with any man, but i’m in particular thinking about him and keegan allen tangled up on that boat and taking each other’s shots/drinks]

we also know how dean feels about bigger, scruffy, masculine men, lmao. plus, jared played walker, a model of The American Cowboy…dean’s jokingly asking to see his cowboy hat and then ripping a hole in the crotch of his jeans with his teeth.

sam and jensen are both a little quieter, and i think jared and dean would get along like a house on fire.

i'm talking shots, i'm talking joyriding, i'm talking blowjobs in bathroom stalls, i'm talking manhandling, i'm talking wrestling because you're alive and there's the most beautiful boy in the world sitting next to you and you have to touch him.

they're both loud and take up space because they feel like they kind of have to? but they're also both painfully earnest, and incredibly smart, and very insightful.

dean is someone who hides a lot of his insecurity and depression behind jokes, sarcasm, and a comical verve for life...sound a little familiar?

idk--i feel like they have a lot in common!

jared is very pretty-boy fraternity brother, and the only thing keeping dean from pretty-boy frat-hood is a college admission, you get me?

dean is a hopeless romantic (argue w the wall), and jared sits on the ground and stares up at you with big eyes when you talk because he thinks you're beautiful and loves listening to you speak (actual thing he did with gen upon meeting her), so i think dean would be a sucker.

jared’s puppy-dog vulnerability would trigger dean’s Sam Mechanism and he’d be stuck to that man like GLUE.

they’re also both super flirty, and them awkwardly trading flirtations that get more and more overt as they get tipsy, jared sliding into dean’s space, feeling so comfortable because this man looks like his best friend, and dean getting a flirty, giggly version of his little brother in his lap??? they’re exchanging handies MINIMUM.

jared is this picture:

and i mean all of this in the most normal, least parasocial way possible. <3 hopefully <3

-lizzy

#ask box #lizzy answers #j2 #jared #jared/dean #anon <3

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dallmustdie · 3 months ago

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My illiverse Headcanons!

I don't think I'm the best at making headcanons, but wtv. I'm bored and need something to do! These are all of the ones I could think of at the moment

General:

On the topic of names. They're not that different. Gerard is illi McMillin (ofc), Mikey is Mikey McMillin, Frank is Frank Lero, and Ray is Ray Jones (ref to Ray Gun Jones!)

Ray and illi are seniors, Mikey is a sophomore, and Frank is a freshman.

Mikey and illi were blessed (or cursed, depending on which sibling you ask) to share all but one class. Apart from that, illi has only one class with Ray, but none with Frank.

illi:

illi volunteers in the library. The librarians love her! Sometimes, she brings the other guys into the library.

illi introduced the others to croquet--they are the master of the wicket, after all!

illi is the senior editor of the yearbook!

She has a hard time remembering phone numbers, so she always carries a little sheet around with her most important contacts. Mikey is "Mikey >:(," Frank is "Frankenstein," and Ray is "Ray Rulz!!"

Her teachers hate that she doesn't capitalize her name.

Frank:

He skips school--like, A LOT. One percent of his absences are illness-related, while the other 99% are simply because he is not bothered enough to show up to school. The school has given up trying to contact his parents.

Frank has been in a few fights. One of them started when some guys were being assholes to illi. He stepped in, and it quickly escalated into a verbal argument before turning into a fist fight in the courtyard. When asked why he jumped in, he said, "I didn't start the fight, but I was sure as hell I was going to finish it."

Frank was kicked off the debate team because, while during a debate, he almost punched the opposing side.

Was the reason Mikey got caught selling essays. His dumbass bragged too loudly about it.

Ray:

Ray is extremely smart, but he HATES doing classwork/homework.

Captain of the debate team and is co-senior editor of the yearbook.

He is also a member of the photography club.

Ray adopted his nickname of Ray Rulz after he saw illi made that as his contact name.

Mikey:

Mikey created a chemistry after-school tutoring group to help students, but he mostly did it for illi.

He got in trouble after he was caught selling essays. He made over $200 with this hustle.

He always has music in his ears. If his Walkman gets taken, he simply moves on to his mp3 player. Then, when his mp3 player gets taken, he sneaks into illi's bag and steals her mp3 player. And when all else fails, he skips class and goes to the library.

#these suck but i hope you enjoy #illi mcmillin #mcr #my chemical fucking romance #frank iero #gerard way #mikey way #ray toro #i'm not okay (i promise)#inoverse

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lu-is-not-ok · 1 year ago

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*rises from the grave*

*trips and falls flat on my face*

Heyyyy, it's ya boy, your favorite chronically exhausted Hong Lu identity that forgor about posting to Tumblr. Hi. Hello.

So. Timekilling Time, huh? Very fun, very exciting, we love focusing on Sinners that are misunderstood both in and out of character. We love Rodya, Hong Lu, and Ryoshu focus. We love Ryoshu's butch mustache swag.

Anyway, allow me yap about it a bit, because I took frame by frame screenshots of the teaser and I haven't yapped on Tumblr in a while. I'll also give a general update on how I've been doing at the end of the post for those who are interested.

The first thing I've noticed in the teaser is Dante actually lays out the exact traits that their choice of Sinners would need. These being (exact wording):

Someone who can support Dante

Someone who can remain laser-focused on the case

Someone who can be free from biased judgement while making rational, quick spur-of-the-moment decisions

In other words, we need Sinners who will help Dante out, are able to stay focused, and who can think on their feet without relying on their own internal biases.

I think it's important to lay those out as clearly as possible, because it makes the selections made by Dante and Verg very interesting, and also kind of funny.

Let's look at Dante's picks - Yi Sang, Meursault, and Faust. These are all, at a surface level, decent general picks, as all three of them are seen as smart and rational. However, if we look at them while keeping the previously mentioned traits in mind, it turns out these three might just be some of the worst picks Dante could ever fucking make.

The biggest issue - none of these bitches can think quickly. Faust is especially notorious for this, as it's consistently pointed out how she always needs a long time to come to a conclusion or otherwise has to pause to come up with answers. We also know Yi Sang is the type of person to get lost in his thoughts and just meander instead of getting to the point. Meursault is a bit of an outlier in that we see that he can think quickly, but if he's not given any orders he's never gonna act on those thoughts. Admittedly, he has been getting better at speaking up over time, but he's still mostly in this "only does what he's told to do" mode of operations.

This is where their issues split up a little bit.

Yi Sang is probably the most likely to be supportive of Dante out of the three - we see that he cares about others and has learned to interfere and give advice when he feels it's necessary (though who knows if he's doing well enough to keep that up after Canto 6, oof). No, rather his other issue lies in the focus department. This is the guy who, as I previously mentioned, meanders all over before getting to the point. Again, like Meursault, he has been getting better at not doing that, but he's still got ways to go.

Faust and Meursault on the other hand have the opposite issue. While they're fairly goot at staying focused on what they have to do, the issue is that they never fucking speak up. They're probbably the furthest from being supportive of Dante. They're most likely to learn info and just keep it to themselves until everyone has wasted way too much fucking time. Hell, Meursault would probably make a decently good detective if allowed to do the case all on his own, but since he's meant to be a part of a group, he's unlikely to help out that much without Dante directly ordering him around.

Now, onto Verg's picks - Rodya, Hong Lu, and Ryoshu. This is where things get really, really interesting. Because we have the reverse situation to Dante's picks - on the surface the choices seem random and counter-intuitive, but if we look deeper, it turns out they all fulfill the requirements surprisingly well.

I'm about to go on a tangent here, but I find it extremely important that we're focusing on this group of Sinners in the first Intervallo between what I consider to be the most thematically different arcs within Limbus. The first half of Inferno has been pretty squarely about confronting one's past, whether learning to face it properly after running away from it (Gregor, Rodya, Sinclair), or learning to move past it after refusing to let go of it (Yi Sang, Ishmael, Heathcliff).

However, looking at the Sinners we have left, it feels like the second half of Inferno might be focused less on the past specifically, but more about the Sinners' general reality. Especially the next upcoming trio of Cantos - Don Quixote, Hong Lu, and Ryoshu - have some heavy thematic focus on the idea of one's perception of reality, especially fitting for the three Sinners with weird eye shit going on.

With Timekilling Time focusing on the Sinners most misinterpreted by others in-character (and out of character), it feels like the perfect intro to this switch in thematic focus - exploring the actual realities of people who are otherwise hard to understand.

Anyway, back to discussing how Rodya, Hong Lu, and Ryoshu fit Dante's requirements.

Supportive of Dante - this is the requirement all three fulfill pretty well. Let me explain.

Rodya is probably the most obvious - she's a hypegirl through and through, and happy to take the reigns in some way or another if nobody else is able to, as we see in Canto 2. She's often one of the first people to point out when someone is not doing well, and shares a lot of her insight if in the mood, but she also knows when discretion is necessary.

Hong Lu is a fun one here - he's extremely perceptive and insightful, often sharing his thoughts with very little prompting. His only issue is that he tends to backpedal when he feels like he said something wrong, or generally just words shit in weird slightly offensive ways. He's supportive, he just doesn't always talk like he is.

Ryoshu is one I find most interesting here, as a lot of people seem to miss this about her character - despite her short temper and peculiar manner of carrying herself, she's actually pretty understanding and helpful towards people she's on amicable terms with. She always explains her acronyms if asked (and when she doesn't it's usually because people stop asking or Sinclair translates instead), she listens when told to stand down or otherwise do something when asked of by Dante or Sinclair, and the reason she tends to stay quiet is because she only speaks when she feels what she has to say is important.

Staying focused - this one is a bit harder to judge, but I'd say the only one who might not fulfill this one is Hong Lu, but only by a margin. Ryoshu is shown to get so focused she gets impatient when she can't get to the point, and Rodya always has her goal in mind even when she might act like she doesn't. Hong Lu is a bit harder to judge, as he seems to be the type to prioritze gathering information and satiating his curiostiy over the main goal, but in a case like this that might just be a massive plus.

Unbiased quick thinking - again, all three fulfill the quick thinking part very well. Rodya shows it constantly throughout Canto 2, Hong Lu shows it best in social interactions, and Ryoshu just doesn't want to waste time and so she naturally thinks quickly as well. It's when we come to the unbiased part that things get extremely interesting.

As individuals, Rodya, Hong Lu, and Ryoshu are all very biased people. Rodya sees the world from the perspective of someone who suffered in the poor Backstreets. Hong Lu sees the world from the perspective of a rich Nest dweller coming from a family of dubious morality. Ryoshu sees the world from the perspective of (probably) an ex-Ring member obsessed with the art that is reality. Their backgrounds color the information they take in a lot.

However... this means that as a group, all three balance each other's biases out. Rodya's cynicism gets balanced out by Hong Lu's idealism, which is balanced by Ryoshu's realism. Their backgrounds couldn't be more different, and thus give the widest possible perspective when put together.

I think this is the point Verg is making with this selection. Dante's selection is the easy way out. It's people that Dante already knows how to deal with, and would rather pick even if their skillsets don't fit the situation. Verg is making Dante learn how to work with Sinners who might be harder to deal with, but have skillsets more fitting for the situation at hand.

Dante can't keep half-assing everything by always turning to the same few people. Every Sinner in the group has their use and are smart in their own unique ways. They have to figure what every Sinner's strong point is, otherwise they'll end up putting everyone in danger by relying on people who are simply not good in a situation while ignoring those who could help.

So... that's what I think.

Anyway, personal general update - I'm still alive! And also very swamped with college and constant exhaustion. So, things will have to change a bit moving forward.

Number one - I will not be returning to old analysis requests. There's too many at this point, and I just don't have the time to sit down and write longass posts whenever I want anymore. However, that isn't to say E.G.O and Sin analyses will never return! I have plaaans for what I want to do with those moving forward, it just may take some time to materialize.

Number two - I'm generally just more active on Discord than on Tumblr. Yapping on Discord feels more natural for me, as it's just... less formal than making a full post I guess. So, if you want to discuss things with me, or if you're on a server that you think would do well with having me yapping in there, feel free to shoot me an invite link in replies (or in DMs if you don't want it to be public)!

Number three - Go check out the Absolute Pride Resonance event on Youtube! I'm not a part of it maybe next time wink wink nudge nudge, but you should still check it out cause it's a bunch of cool people doing very scuffed streams, as is fitting for the scuff Project Moon is known for.

Alright, that's it. I still don't know how to end Tumblr Posts. Bye.

#lu speaketh #limbus company #lcb spoilers #intervallo 6.5a #timekilling time intervallo #we're back baby #rodion lcb #hong lu lcb #ryoshu lcb #fun fact i'm up to 1.1k hours on limbus #god help me

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