#which is nice but also now I'd like to chill for a bit

[morrigansravens]

I have so many things to do! C'est fou!

[stretch-writes]

LADS men when they are sick (because i see sickfics and go "what if they were sick" because im. weird (i just wanna care them) )

Xavier:

the eeper !!! well more than usually when hes sick. it helps out though

You would have to wake him up though so he can take medicine/eat some nice soup/etc.

Also very clingy. If you go near him he'll try and get you to cuddle with him.

"you're warm and soft, i wanna hold you :("

usually bounces back within a few days. his body just needed rest and medicine.

Zayne:

does try to work if his symptoms aren't too bad (force him to go to bed)

however if he can't go to work, he'll just mostly take care of himself. Takes his medicine on time, hydrates, whatever.

If he gets a fever, i think he'd try to use his evol to cool himself down (which is probably a bad idea but idk i'd probably do it too)

sometimes it backfires sorta and it gives him the worst chills ever. like you think you can hear his bones rattling with cold. but the fever's gone though. mission failed successfully i guess?

doesn't want you near him when he's sick but does make a few exceptions (how can he resist a hug cmon now)

bounces back a little quickly, actually. impressive.

Rafayel:

definition of man cold methinks

would be really clingy, and acting like he's dying

"my sand dollar, if i die, who would take care of my paintings? Or my seagulls?"

"I would, and you're not even dying-"

doesnt like liquid medicine (i mean who does) but tries to take doses on time. (sometimes he forgors)

keeps trying to paint instead of resting. you're gonna have to tie him to his bed (NOT IN THAT WAY-)

Wants to be around you constantly and that leads to you getting sick too.

Does take a little while to heal up (HE KEEPS TRYING TO PAINT, STOP HIM-)

Sylus:

I think he'd try and tough it out a bit, but then get annoyed and go to bed KSNGKJES

"kitten i feel gross :("

does like it if you give him attention. He'd happily take any medicinal doses as long as you give it to him. (although he'd complain)

blanket hog when he's sick, and even still curls up to you if you two share a bed.

unintentionally clingy. he just likes your presence :)

Bounces back in a normal manner, and goes back to being the scary leader of Onychinus

Bonus: Luke and Kieran do sneakily search up symptoms (that usually leads to them crying that their dad is dying (he is not, google is just a cunt) )

Caleb:

i think he probably wouldn't get sick as much, but if he does, he's OUT

spends most of the time sleeping like Xavier, and his snores are so loud sometimes.

"caleb take this medicine" "nao i dont wanna :("

he thinks he can beat illness by himself (he cannot)

if he gets a fever, i think he'd be the opposite of clingy. He'd be sprawled across the bed in nothing but boxers with a fan or two on him.

"im burning like if i'm in an oven :("

does like you taking care of him, though. he is your baby, your fuckign cinnamon apple /ref

Bounces back at an average pace too, if maybe a tiniest bit faster than others.

[moonofmercury]

human reader, mild spoilers for 2.4/5/6

A deep sigh from just behind him has Jiaoqiu pausing in patting dry his feet, still tingling from the snowmelt chill of the river nearest to the campsite.

The sensation of you - well you wouldn't know to call it that, but grooming his tail, smoothing the strands even as you occasionally buried your face in the warm fur, making sounds that by now didn't even warrant an ear flicking your way to see what they were, they were so familiar - rose back to the forefront as you sighed again, rubbed your cheek against the voluminous pink fluff.

He waited. You pillowed your head heavily, almost irritatingly so, while also hugging his tail. And then there was another little sigh.

He leaned an elbow on his knee, twisting his ear back to hear you over the whispering water. "What's gotten into you?" he asked, bright, a shiver going up his back as a splash caught up higher up on his calf, almost wetting his rolled-up trousers.

He could feel you pouting, turning your face the other way, strands of fur moving with you and tangling with your hair.

It made him snicker even before you said. "Sometimes I wish I had a tail too."

You eased your grip when he jerked it a bit towards his body, making enough give so it didn't tug so oddly when you laid on it again. "And why's that?"

"I mean, if I was foxian I'd at least have the ears," you conceded considering tailless foxians like Feixiao who never seemed to suffer more than ridicule for the lack. "But you use it for so many things." There was so much body language associated with Foxian tails. "Sometimes, I know immediately if you're uncomfortable, and you twitch it just a little when you're happy," you voice was so mushily fond, it made Jiaoqiu practically wince with embarrassment right there. He could feel his ear flicking with it. Especially when you mentioned that he wagged his tail.

"Obviously it's nice to hold, so soft. Oh, I can even tell when you want something, especially food." You chuckled, only to trail off and sigh again. "I wish it was that easy for you to tell when I'm happy, or when I think you're so cute I could just eat you up."

He can feel you stiffen slightly when you realized your choice of words, which was a bit funny, but he doesn't mention it. It doesn't frighten him, and there were more important things to say.

"I already know when you're happy, or when you're sad," Jiaoqiu reached back, slower than before so as not to appear too clumsy as he groped for your hands. Everything of him was suddenly softer, his smile a little shy and reminding you of the kinds of flowers that grew in the cliff cracks of Meilin Peaks. "When you're impatient you lean on your heels, and when you're excited you balance on your toes." That was easy to notice, especially when you stood next to him. "I have plenty of ways to tell when your appetites are more like a tiger's than a human's, and you're just fine to cuddle," he recovered, rounding back with a more typical tease even as his cheeks heated.

But as he'd known, you perked up, likely also warmed by his gentle mocking, although he hoped you could tell he didn't hate it when you behaved a little more wildly with him.

You coughed, throat suddenly dry, and Jiaoqiu was handing you a thermos, not smirking, but you could feel the self-satisfied lift at the tip of his tail. Menace, you smiled as cold water soothed the cough.

"I suppose all couples have things they just know, and things that still need to be said," you admitted quietly, handing Jiaoqiu back the thermos, pressing it into his palm and watching carefully before letting it go.

"Luck you, I've got plenty to say."

This time, it was you reaching over to press one of his hands. Yeah, you were pretty lucky he'd somehow stuck around.

"If you really mind, we could always try getting you a tail for your Immersia persona."

You groaned. "No. I hate it. It's a total waste of time."

"Moze's beating your high score in the new fishing minigame.

Your eye twitched, and Jiaoqiu's prim posture told you he knew exactly what he was doing. "I'm going to get fired if I try catching up to him."

"Oh please, they never fire diviners. He's got an oarfish the night we left." He was grinning now, the tip of one fang showing and his ears set back playfully.

"I changed my mind. I'm not going back there."

"Even for me?" he fluttered his eyelashes, the barest hint of dull gold gleaming from underneath.

You grumbled and growled and combed back the strands of his tail you'd ruffled out of place. "Only for you."

But you were smiling as he wagged his tail, just a tiny bit.

[lewismcqueen]

you first.

lh44 x black!reader

part one | part two

bonus features! : director's cut | moodboard

summary: 'Thought I'd simmer down as I got older, can't shake the devil sitting on my shoulder, who...invited you?' wc: 2500~ a/n: finally writing the lewis hamilton band au of my dreams lol. this'll be another two-parter. Meaning...only two parts. Pls move accordingly <3 enjoy!

The venue you’re playing at tonight—the place where it all began—used to feel bigger. 

It used to be a gaping maw filled with strange eyes that weren’t your friends’, and therefore more ready to judge. More willing to find fault. You got up there with nothing but your guitar, a college-ruled notebook full of lyrics, and unbridled ambition.

But then the venues got bigger, the audiences more eager as you realized that many of them had come to see you, no longer just a placeholder or opener for who they really wanted to see. That nervous little girl with heat-damaged ends and rectangular prescription glasses became a young woman who hid the nerves more convincingly, until her outfits got bolder and she started getting color in her braids when she visited the salon. Venues became festival stages, where your image is projected onto screens that are larger than life. 

Now the venue feels small, but not cramped the way your bed gets before your parents realize they need to switch it out. No, the swaying phone flashlights and chorus of voices reciting your lyrics make it feel like coming back home. You smile as you strum the final chord on your guitar, and there’s a split second of silence as the last song comes to an end. They say it’s the silence after a note rings in the air that creates the magic. There’s a beat of it before the audience erupts in raucous applause. 

You thank them, your voice hushed with reverence as your eyes scan the crowd. There’s not so many that you can’t at least try to remember every face, which is a nice change from a mass of bodies too far away to see beyond those lucky enough to get the front row.

There's a girl wearing an oversized band t-shirt, her teal-streaked fringe clinging to her forehead a little with sweat. Next to her is a tall man with a high-top fade and large wire frame glasses that remind you of the 80s. The guy next to him is a bit shorter, and of a lighter complexion. He wears a knit sweater in a deep, royal purple contrasted by a single silvery chain draped around his neck that glints in the low light. He has dreads that are tied up so that they hang stylishly over one side of his face.

Wide, brown eyes stare at you dead-on, his expression ambiguous in a way that unsettles you. Something like loss. Something like regret. Minus the beard, the guy’s face kinda reminds you of—

Wait. Wait. There’s no way it’s actually him.

You know that face from a long, long time ago. You know that face, because there was also a point in time where you couldn't escape it. 

Recognition—sudden, bone-chilling recognition—colors your features before you tear your eyes away and exit the stage through the back. Your manager Jen is standing close by in her usual white tee and denim jeans, her curls slicked back into a bun. Her brows furrow as soon as she spots you.

“You good?” she asks, silver watch catching the stage lights that manage to filter through.

You nod, but the way you’re clutching the neck of your guitar says otherwise.

Because this isn’t really where it all began. Not exactly.

It began in your dad’s dirty garage, just wide enough and empty enough to fit a speaker and a drum set. Maybe even a mic stand. More importantly, it’s got enough room for yourself, Jennifer, Sebastian, and Lewis - a new kid from the UK that lived on an air base nearby. His dark hair is cropped short, and he looks at you like you’re already friends. Sebastian had introduced him the moment your last guitarist left, swearing up and down that the kid was practically the next Jimi Hendrix and could take his place easily. 

The first thing that struck you about Lewis was that despite being the new kid in town with no more than one real friend, was that he was not a timid boy. Polite, sure, (maybe a little too polite - he insisted on firmly shaking everyone’s hand the day you met him), but he walked around in his white polo and blue jeans giving off the impression that he already belonged, and was just waiting for everyone else to get with the program. He waltzed through your garage like it was a second home, collar popped and all. 

That’s why your eyes narrow when, not even two weeks in, Lewis mentions he can sing, and even makes some of his own music at home. A solo act in the making. He says it casually, but you have a feeling that he might be vying for your spot as frontman. Lewis seems like the type to want to be the center of attention.

“Sing a few bars for us then,” you chime in. You’re sitting on the guitar speaker with your chin in both hands, your voice saccharine with a smile that is all teeth. “You probably know a couple of our songs already. Let’s hear it!”

Lewis scratches the back of his neck, his ears reddening a bit. It’s the first time you’ve ever seen him look bashful. He must think he’s being cute.

“I mean I’m not, like, Usher or anything. I can carry a note or two but—”

“Nah, don’t give me that,” you interrupt. “You look like you can sing your ass off. Give us a verse, maybe the song we did last week?”

The untitled song you’d practiced last week was tailor-made for you. You, with your endless riffs and power notes and belted choruses. Let’s see what this kid’s made of.

Lewis blinks, licking his lips nervously. “Well, alright.”

He makes his way over to the keyboard set up right by the speaker, and begins playing the main chords. How the hell did he memorize those after only hearing the song once? At any rate, the song is nearly unrecognizable when Lewis sings it. He is nearly all falsetto, his voice light as a breeze and clear as your neighbor’s crystal wind chimes. He’d make a stellar RnB heartthrob, but not a frontman for a rock band. The thought relieves you.

The three of you applaud at the end of it, Lewis shrugging it off with a lopsided grin. 

Jennifer chirps, “Your voice is so pretty!

“Thanks, but I’m way better on the guitar.”

“You could add in some harmonies, though!” adds Sebastian. “We finally have two singers.”

You hop off the speaker and approach Lewis to clap him on the shoulder. The force of it makes him jump. 

“I think I’m with Lewis on this one. Good thing you’re our guitarist though, right?”

He glances down at your hand on his shoulder, and his grin deepens into a real smile.

“I’ll be the best guitarist you’ve ever had.”

You wink. “I’m counting on it, Hamilton.”

And he was right - he was the best damn electric guitarist you’d ever had. You don’t realize it now, but he’ll also be the last.

Lewis’ playing was the embodiment of the word ‘sharp’. He played aggressively, but with precision that made every note rip through the air like a sheet of notebook paper being torn in half. He also loved to add embellishments to the sound - a bit of distortion here, reverb there. Some days he wore a metal slide around his finger, sometimes not. Lewis made every note sing regardless, the air buzzing with energy. It made Jennifer’s bass playing bouncier, Sebastian's drums more feverish. 

Sometimes he’d match your riffs, the little genius. With his guitar. His playing even made you dance one time - spinning and sinking to your knees, Lewis following in a call-and-response until you were both on the floor, riffing your hearts out. He was as tuned in to you as the rest of the band was tuned in to him. As wary of Lewis as you originally were, you can't deny that he makes you feel invincible when he plays beside you.

It shouldn't be shocking, then, that Lewis slots into your friend group like a puzzle piece you didn't even realize was missing. You try to scare him off with your dark humor, but he plays off of it - sometimes lightening the mood, other times managing to go darker. Lewis cracks jokes that make the entire lunch table laugh, but he always glances at you first. You interpret this as competitiveness, and roll your eyes at him, but part of you finds it endearing that he cares that much.

You appreciate Lewis in your own way. Threatening to beat someone up for making fun of his tooth gap, for example. He looks terrified when you do, but thanks you profusely anyway. There's a silent agreement that this is just how things are going to be until Lewis passes by your garage one Tuesday afternoon. 

You're strumming an acoustic guitar while mumbling through a song he doesn't recognize, a purple notebook sitting open on a chair beside you. You have on distressed jeans, and an old-looking yellow cardigan that looks out of place in your usually all-black wardrobe. It makes you look small.

“That sounds nice,” he calls out from just outside the garage door. He's close, but doesn't want to step inside without your permission. You speak without looking up.

“It's missing something.”

“Can I come in?”

You nod, and soon Lewis is hovering over the notebook, eyes scanning the lyrics as you bring them to life.

“Bridge.”

You stop playing abruptly and look up. “Huh?”

Lewis gives you that bashful, ‘I am pretending to not know what I'm talking about’ smile and scratches the back of his neck. 

“I mean, the song sounds like it's building up to something, but you're making the jump too soon. It needs a bridge.”

Lewis fidgets beneath your gaze as you stare at him. “You…probably didn't ask for that advice. Sorry, I—”

“Do me a favor, Hamilton.”

He blinks.

“Uh, sure. What's the favor?”

“Stop apologizing so much. It's annoying.”

Lewis opens his mouth—presumably to say ‘sorry'— but then promptly closes it and just nods.

“See you this weekend?” 

You give him a blank look. “Where else would I be?”

-

It isn’t until Jennifer’s mom stops by that the four of you consider playing at the annual school talent show (you thought the event was ‘lame’ and ‘for try-hards’, so you usually made the band skip out on it). 

“Y’all are making all that noise just for only the neighbors to hear?” She quips with a smile after a particularly thrashy number. The woman holds a plate of freshly-baked cookies in one hand, the other resting on her hip. Jennifer had clearly inherited her mother’s affinity for khaki-colored capris.

“Good afternoon, ma’am!” Lewis greets, all sing-songy like he’d been taught to recite it. You tilt your face away from him to roll your eyes. You never did come to like his incessant politeness. “Are those biscuit—er, cookies for us?”

“Sure, but only if you guys promise to at least sign up for that talent show, goodness!”

Sebastian nods a little too enthusiastically, causing his shaggy, dirty-blonde hair to fall over his eyes. “Oh, we will!”

Jennifer snorts before looking to you, and you shrug. “Eh, why not. We never play at those anyway.”

You’ve made a lot of mistakes in your lifetime, but you look back on that decision as one of the worst. The talent show goes well enough - most of your classmates didn’t even know you sang until that night. You’re on the keyboard, while Lewis plays his guitar like it’s his last day on Earth. He has a mic in front of him, too. Feeling generous, you had given him a couple lines in your verses - the less shout-y, more emotional bits. He sounds beautiful, amplified over school-issued speakers. 

You glance at the crowd and notice a couple of jaws dropping, and in the front row there’s some guy with only half a head of hair in a crisp-looking shirt nodding his head, impressed. He’s watching Lewis intently, never taking his eyes off him. It makes you feel uneasy.

When the auditorium clears out afterwards, you notice two figures standing by one of the double doors. You recognize one as Lewis’ dad, though you’ve never had the opportunity to speak to the man directly. The second is the balding guy from the crowd. They look deep in serious discussion. Maybe a family friend?

Sebastian is calling your name next to you.

“Yo, are you coming? Jen’s mom is baking tonight. Come on!”

Eyes still gazing ahead, you nod dismissively, pulling just one of the straps on your backpack over your shoulder. “Yeah, I’m coming. Just…give me a second.”

Sebastian shrugs, and joins Jennifer in moving through the aisles to make their eventual exit. 

Lewis’ dad has called his son over. He must not know the man, because his dad’s gesturing as if he’s making an introduction. They shake hands. The guy seems to be offering praise, because Lewis looks at him the same way he looks at you whenever you tell him you like his harmonies: starry-eyed and a little pleased with himself. The two men shake hands this time. Something has just been negotiated.

“Oh, that was just some talent agency guy, says his name’s Ron,” Lewis explains that same weekend after you ask him. He gives you a sly grin. “Why, you want his number or something?”

You shake your head and return your focus to the keyboard. You’re trying out melodies, something to set your new lyrics to. Lewis is busy tuning his guitar.

“Nah, I’m good. I don’t think I wanna be part of some bigwig label, or anything like that.”

“You could probably be a big star though,” Lewis says. You don’t see the admiration in his gaze. “I’m sure if more people heard you blow the roof off of the place like you do in here, you could—”

“I’m not some future burnout pop star like you, so can you just drop it?” you snap, and you immediately regret it. He turns away, a closed expression settling over his features.

“Alright, jeez. You’re the one who asked,” he mutters beneath his breath. “My dad brings these label guys around all the time ‘cuz he wants me to get signed, or something. I don’t really want to, though.”

You turn to him again. “What do you want?”

Lewis frowns, like you’ve asked him something offensive. “I wanna play with you guys.”

You’re not sure whether to be relieved at the boy’s commitment, or annoyed that he treats having a dad with connections to talent agencies like no big deal. An annoyance, even. So you just keep messing around on the keyboard.

“Cool.”

He plays even more aggressively that week. As if he’s got something to prove. To whom, you have no idea. But it ends up meaning nothing.

The following Friday, Lewis doesn’t bring his guitar. He’s dragging a small suitcase behind him, gnawing on his bottom lip. The rims of his eyes look red. 

Lewis got signed, and he’s moving away to be somewhere closer to a recording studio. The whole garage goes quiet. You don’t know what enrages you more: the fact that he lied, or the fact that he doesn’t even have the self-awareness to seem happy about it.

Instead of saying goodbye, you explode, hot tears stinging your eyes. You don’t even remember all of the things you call him that day. Maybe you don’t want to.

The band stops meeting after that. You tell yourself it’s because you could never find another guitarist.

[fickleminder]

the intern

Office!AU. There’s a charming new intern at your office.

Written for the Blacjak’s Prompt Roulette event organized by @obeymevents! My prompt was Office!AU 😬

"Hi! How's it going?"

You nearly jumped out of your seat. The handsome face beaming at you was unfamiliar, a stranger and an enigma. Who the hell was this cheery on a Monday morning?

"Um, I'm doing alright, I guess." You glanced around, but nobody seemed to be paying the two of you any attention. "Can I help you?"

"It's my first day here! Figured I'd take the office tour and get to know some people along the way!"

"Oh, I didn't see your introduction email…"

The man's grin dropped a few megawatts. "Introduction email?"

"I'm not sure if your boss mentioned this yet, but it's common practice for new hires to send out an email to the entire department on their first day," you explained. "Just a simple icebreaker, nothing fancy: a little bit about your background, your hobbies, which team you've been assigned to…"

"I'm uh— I'm just an intern! Interns don't have to do that, do they?"

"No, they don't. I guess you're good then."

Being an intern made more sense. No full time hire would be this enthusiastic about working a desk job forty hours a week. Interns could at least afford to count the days until they had to return their badges and never look back.

That being said, this man definitely seemed much older than most interns your company usually hired. A mid-career switch, perhaps? Either way, you were in no position to judge, and the least you could do was make him feel more welcomed here. Deciding to take a break from staring at your monitor all day, you introduced yourself. "Where are you seated? Who's your mentor?"

"Call me Yamamoto! My cubicle is right outside the printer room, and I'll be working under Lucifer!" Yamamoto adjusted his glasses, his eyes glinting with excitement as he leaned in. His cologne tickled your nose pleasantly. "Is it true that he'll fire you if you don't hand in your paperwork?"

You shook your head with a laugh, wondering if Mephisto had already gotten to the poor guy. "Lucifer is strict and has high standards, but he's also fair. I'll let you in on a secret: so long as you get your work done on time and show up for meetings, he won't mind if you come in a little late or leave a little earlier."

"Thank you, that's good to know!" Yamamoto checked his watch and pouted. "I have to go now, but it was nice meeting you! I hope you won't mind if I stop by to chat again?"

"Not at all," you smiled. Yamamoto was a breath of fresh air you didn't know you needed. Easy on the eyes too, especially with that slicked-back hair and sharp jawline. "I'll see you around."

.

.

.

"—never did ask, what do you do here?"

"I'm part of IT, but not front line support. Basically I'm supposed to step in only if there's anything the service desk needs to escalate or can't handle."

"Sounds like they call on you often."

"That obvious, huh? Those guys are supposed to be tech trained, and yet they come to me even for stuff they can find solutions to on the internet. It's really frustrating sometimes."

"I'm sorry to hear that. You must be pretty busy then. I'm not imposing, am I? It's halfway through lunchtime and you're still at your desk…"

"Nah, I usually pack my own meals since it gets pretty crowded in the staff canteen. Speaking of, do you know where to go for food? I can recommend a few places if you want."

"Do tell!"

.

.

.

After the printer finally finished spitting out all of your documents, you put your phone away and gathered them up. The warmth from the papers was a soothing contrast to the chill of the air-conditioner, especially on this side of the floor. You clutched the stack close to your chest as you sighed and started making your way back to your desk.

"Are you okay?" Yamamoto's head popped up from behind the dividers of his cubicle. You'd forgotten this was where he sat. "That was a pretty loud sigh."

"I'm good. Nothing like freshly printed paper to make you feel like you're getting a warm hug," you joked.

Yamamoto was already halfway out of his chair with open arms before he caught himself. He cleared his throat with an awkward laugh. "Oh, sorry, I don't know what came over me. Haha…"

It was your turn to look concerned. "You doing alright there?"

"Yes, yes," he coughed into his fist before straightening with a smile. "If you have some time for a break, how about a coffee? I haven't tried all the capsule flavors yet."

"Sounds good to me!" You were ahead of schedule anyway. A third cup wouldn't hurt. "Let me put these away first and I'll meet you at the pantry."

.

.

.

"—heard he's ex-military, but he really doesn't seem like the type. He's bad at saying no, so more often than not we end up taking the shit other teams throw at us."

"Yikes, that's rough. I'll have to talk to Levi about that."

"Huh?"

"Uh, I mean, Lucifer wanted me to meet the different team leads as part of my program, for exposure! I could bring up your issue with him, if you like."

"That's really sweet of you, but unless you can convince him to give me a raise, don't worry about it. Just focus on your internship and learn all that you can, okay? I'll be fine; I've been doing this for years now."

"If you insist…"

.

.

.

"Four hot chocolates."

"Three, but I'll throw in one of the Christmas capsules."

"Deal." Yamamoto rummaged in his bag for sachets of caffeine-free tea. "I can't believe we have to resort to bartering for these things."

"Hey, when an unmentionable colleague constantly cleans out the pantry, you do what you gotta do: hoard and trade." You dug through your own stash hidden in a drawer. "At least the weekly refills are always on schedule."

"Is that code?" Yamamoto peered at the colorful text on your monitor as he handed you the tea. "I didn't realize you were a programmer too."

"Just a side project I'm working on when I have some time. It's supposed to help the service desk track cases better, and manage our hardware and software lifecycles," you explained. "Technically out of my job scope, but Levi's been pretty supportive since he thinks this could be a useful initiative with the enough manpower and resources. I just need to get a proof-of-concept working first…"

"Half of what you said flew over my head, but I'm rooting for you!" Yamamoto gave you a thumbs up before arching an eyebrow at the goods you handed him. "Wait, four hot chocolates?"

"Intern special." You winked and tossed the Christmas capsule towards him. "And because you're cute."

.

.

.

"I need you to drop whatever you're doing and head to management's floor."

"What— now? But Levi, we have that meeting in ten minutes…"

"Lucifer's orders. He wants to talk to you about an assessment or something. Don't worry about the meeting, I can tank it."

"You're my boss; shouldn't you be there too?"

"I would, but he asked for you only. Better not make him wait."

.

.

.

You knew — you just knew — it had to do with Yamamoto somehow. The guy had just wrapped up his internship and left last week, and now you were being called into the head honcho's office.

Did he leave negative feedback during his exit interview? Had you behaved unprofessionally? You did interact with him more than strictly necessary, especially since both of you were in different teams, but he never seemed to mind your company. In fact, Yamamoto was always friendly, inviting and—

—sitting in the CEO's chair, glasses off and hair slightly tousled and a freshly pressed suit fitting him in all the right ways.

His eyes were up there, you had to remind yourself.

"—above and beyond the call of duty, don't you agree, Lucifer?"

"Yes, Diavolo." The lines on Lucifer's forehead said otherwise, but he was in no position to argue with the man who literally owned the entire building they were in. "Though, to conduct a staff evaluation in the middle of the financial year—"

"I saw it on a show once and had to try it! It was a very enlightening experience." He shot you the same wide smile you'd seen countless times over the past few months, one that never failed to send your stomach on a rollercoaster. For entirely different reasons this time, however. "Apologies for the deception, but I called you here to share some of my findings since you were instrumental in assisting my evaluation."

Shit, you couldn't remember anything he'd said before this. "Uh, you're welcome sir?"

"No need to be so formal, haha!" His boisterous laughter drowned out Lucifer's groan. "You'll be happy to hear about the new innovation fund I'm proposing. But before that, regarding that raise you mentioned…"

[fafodill]

Yeah ok, I’ll make my case for Snape/Shacklebolt, I've a completely sincere soft spot for them.

Shacklebolt’s an honorable guy, but he’s very much a manipulator. Dude’s introduced lying to his superiors that Sirius is in Tibet! He can talk down Vernon and blend in in a muggle government office! He plays double-duty working for the Ministry and the Order and he does it so well that he gets elected minister in the aftermath! He’s the “face” that gets initial post-war reforms past a staggeringly conservative government and population! He’s also highly competent. This is the exact sort of guy Snape tends to attach himself to (Voldemort, Dumbledore… heck, I’d even count Lucius and imperius-specialist Mulciber among the good-at-his-job manipulators. Obvs Voldy and Dumbles are the most competent, but even Lucy is quite good at what he does before Voldemort rugpulls him!) Snape, of course, has the rare-among-wizards gift of logic and common sense (…usually) and has a strict set of morals (even if they seem incomprehensible from the outside sometimes), which makes him an anomaly in the setting.

Some sort of post-war setup where Snape survives could frankly have them being stabilizing influences on each other — Shacklebolt has this “functional adult” thing on lockdown and has absolutely dealt with worse tantrums, and Snape has the ability to look him in the face and be like “that’s absolute bullshit” when the situation calls for it, their traumas do not seem to overlap, they can keep up with each other mentally without feeling like they’re encroaching on each other’s specialty… it’s downright nice and peaceful. They realize they don't have to lie to each other, since Shacklebolt knows Snape was a spy and Snape knows at least the general gist of what the post-war reform plan is, and then they bond over shittalking everyone in private and being the smartest two people in any given room (now that Dumbles is dead), and then one morning Snape wakes up to the shocking revelation that he’s been in a relationship for like two years and has never once been asked to be useful about it.

… Also polite, charming, ex-auror and gleefully public-facing politician Minister Shacklebolt with his bitchy dark arts-obsessed unwilling war hero of a husband is just a fun mental image.

You know what, Snackelbolt!anon? I dig it.

It does sound peaceful. A bit like Tonks/Moody. They just vibe and aren't riddled with overlapping trauma.

And I suppose Snape would still be triggered and weakened from the war but I could imagine Kingsley (being a functional adult) being able to 1) protect him from the press and prying eyes after the war to help him heal, 2) be able to get through Snape's fits of anger without flinching too much and deescalating the situation quite well (he's a politician) and 3) be one of the very few people who could convince him after a while to go to therapy.

And they develop a true respect for each other and slowly it evolves and one night Severus is at Kingsley's place (like every Thursdays) and they're talking on the couch and there's a silence and they look at each other and there's something in the air you know (even Severus can feel it and that makes him super nervous) and Kingsley is very chill about it (he's aware of what's been happening for a while he's in no rush).

And they kiss but Severus stops it because he's overwhelmed but most of all he's anxious about changing their relationship because it's actually nice and he values it and he doesn't want to loose that.

But Kingsley is chill. And it takes its time (a bit like in 'Second Life' if you know you know) and then I love the idea of 'it's two years later and Severus realizes he's in a relationship and hasn't been asked to be useful in any way.'

Yeah, I dig it. I'd like to read that first time on the couch.

[genderkoolaid]

I'd like more music recs, please. I'm checking out the few you listed and 👌🏾

Mandatory mention of the classic "Daughterson" by Joe Stevens

"Am I Here" by Jay Page was one of the core songs of a really weird summer experience (ironically in which I dissociated a lot lol) I had so I remember it fondly. He also made Invincible which is written in honor of his younger self.

"Aventura" by Mavi Phoenix FUCKS. His music videos are also really well made. I also like "World's End" from his most recent album.

saint hills has made quite a bit of rap! "Home", "Lavender", "Michelangelo," and "Quit My Job" are some hits for me

"Chartreuse" by Boy Jr. is funky as hell, and you may have seen some of their joke songs on TikTok or Instagram

John-Allison Weiss!! he made I Was an Island which I was obsessed with when I was younger & then I found out he's a trans guy!! His song "Different Now" is fucking amazing. Strong transgender energy without any lyrics explicitly referencing it.

TOBRE is really good for anyone interested sexually explicit trannyfag hyperpop.

"Hindsight Cinema" by Zann Foth is very chill & he has a unique voice that makes it just very nice to listen to. Kind of elevator music energy? Also "I Hate Reaching Out" and "Surprise"

"Sweet Cis Teen" by Dazey and the Scouts. Just a banger. To be trans is to be your own pallbearer!

"Brothers" by Skylar Kergil always makes me feel warm, its very "tboys supporting tboys" <3

"Good Man" and "Brother" by Grayson are two I found very recently! His music is very crisp.

Artists I mentioned in that other post but I'm gonna mention here too:

Anjimile is just such a wonderful artist!!! The King is a beautiful album with great visuals & "Animal" is an extremely powerful song. "Sonja Smokes Me Out" & "Baby No More" are also great. I need everyone to give this man his flowers yesterday

"Shook (Transformed)" by Cuee is a really catchy & really sweet love song, and "Proud Boi" is an explicit trans(masc) pride song!

Everything Beverly Glenn-Copeland makes is wonderful. Its great seeing an older trans man, one who transitioned after building a name for himself, and also hearing his voice in his newest album in comparison to his earlier ones. His songs just make you feel like your soul is being wrapped in a blanket. "The Colour of Anyhow", "La Vita", "People of the Loon"

Dreamer Isioma has their fucking aesthetic (dreamy afrofuturism) DOWN. His music videos (esp. for the Princess Forever album) are all super well done and feel very unique to them.

Malaika Mfalme's album "Yasmin" is dedicated to their late partner and you can feel that love and grief throughout the songs. I recommend checking out this article where they go through the meanings behind each song. "Good Man" is specifically about learning to love masculinity as a positive force.

[emeritus-fuckers]

HI I LOVE Y'ALL'S BLOG SO MUCH!!! AAAA

Okay, I'll calm down now. I was wondering if you'd be interested by the idea of a newly summoned ghoul reader struggling to get to grips with their instrument and panicking about not being good enough for tour yet and being comforted by one of the ghouls?

I'm currently struggling to learn bass to get good enough for a band I have a chance to be in and it's really wreaking havoc on my mental health being so confused and getting it wrong over and over and y'all's writing in comfort scenarios always makes me feel better... So I thought I'd shoot my shot!

I hope you're having an amazing day, this blog brightens up my day every time! <3

Water ghouls helping a newly summoned ghoul learn their instrument

Chain (it/ghoul)

Chain is a fucking goofball.

Don't let its big, intimidating form fool you, Chain is a goofy dumbass who can barely keep up a "mysterious" act.

So when you come to ghoul and ask to learn how to play bass, it's delighted to help, all giggly and shit.

Ghoul's not the best teacher, he gets too excited and ahead of ghoulself, teaching you the "cool" riffs becore the easy ones.

It does get bonus points for being patient and hyping you up, though.

And the reward kisses. The reward kisses are nice.

Lake (he/him)

He comes accross very serious and when you ask him and you are pretty nervous.

He nods and gestures for you to follow him. He finds a cozy practice room well out of the way.

Despite his scary front he takes teaching you very seriously and is very supportive.

He's actually a really good teacher and takes time to show you good technique and teach you the songs you need to learn.

He rarely gives out compliments but when he does you know he completely means it.

Also when you get him to smile, either by a joke or playing well or just by being yourself.

You end up getting very close.

River (they/them)

They are a slut about it. A complete whore.

Every single dirty joke they can make while teaching you is made. Everything from fingering it correctly to thrusting with their own bass.

Shockingly, they are still a very good teacher. Only making the dirty jokes as you get closer to mastering each skill.

River definitely sits behind you to guide your hands on new notes and skills, hands on teacher when it’s needed. Only with consent of course.

Will absolutely bring you out for food after practice. They’re a slut but a classy slut. They buy you dinner before trying to get in your pants.

Cowbell (they/it)

It's a bit surprised to be your choice for bass lessons. After all, their only real performance was what landed them a name. And it was just trying to prank Papa.

But, the name stuck and it just couldn't go out of its way to change it, especially when you started to use "Cowie" as a cute little nickname that they just needed to hear every single day of its life.

But, fortunately for you, they just so happen to play bass as well, just like most water ghouls. They were just beginner level, but still.

You two practice together, figuring the instrument out.

It's a lot of fun, both you and Cowbell enjoy it a lot, even if it's a bit frustrating sometimes. At least you get frustrated together, right?

You end up better than it. Somehow, you end up tutoring them, instead of the other way around.

Mist (he/she)

He's thrilled to help out with that. Mist really likes alone time together, especially if you two just chill, enjoying a common hobby.

So she's happy to teach you guitar. Might offer playing Guitar Hero first so you can train your fingers a bit.

The first song you learn how to play is Gorillaz's Feel Good Inc., which is her favorite non-Ghost song. And the bass is very pleasant in the song.

He casually rests against your back, just listening to you play and giving small comments on what you can do better whenever you mess up.

There's this weird feeling of comfort during your practice sessions.

She starts a tickle fight the moment you put the guitar down.

Never let them know your next move type of shit.

Rain (he/she/ve)

He's a bit surprised when you ask, but doesn't see a reason to refuse.

But hey, ve's a good teacher! Really good, actually.

Rain sometimes even organizes classes for ghouls and Siblings who want to play bass.

She first gets you your own bass and lets you customize it with stickers. Not many people know this, but Sodo got the "YouSuck" sticker from her.

He's very patient with you, starting with basic notes and riffs before slowly moving to more complicated stuff.

Somehow, no matter who ve's teaching, her work is always excellent when it comes to teaching.

And he's very sweet with his rewards, if you catch my drift.

Storm (they/he)

They're chill with the idea. I mean, if you wanna learn, then who is he to deny you the fun that is playing bass?

Also, he doesn't say bass like the instrument, he says it like the fish, which is sorta funny during the lessons.

No, they will not be corrected on how to say it.

He's gonna sit you in his lap and show you everything, step by step.

They also let you experiment and play around, offering tips whenever you ask.

A decent teacher, not too great but not too bad, either.

~

Chain, Cowbell, Mist, Rain and Storm written by Nosferatu.

Lake written by Nyx.

River written by Death.

[souurcitrus]

I had already given my opinion about the One Piece Z movie before and made my dissatisfaction clear. But since I've rewatched the movie four more times now (all for a certain character hihihi), I've realized more things about it, and I decided to talk about it in more detail.

Last time I said that the movie is a disaster, but now that I've looked at other past movies, it's not that bad. I just think it could have been much better. And believe it or not, it's the first One Piece movie written by Oda, if I'm not mistaken, so I was expecting something different.

This one is long, so get ready. Maybe I'll be talking about Strong World next.

Starting with the first scene, just like the movie Strong World, the Marines are already unable to deal with the big villain. They appear at least four or five times in this movie and at no point did I think 'oh, here they come' in a good way. It almost seems like they are being thrown into the movie to remind us that they are something important.

Like, there is an entire organization that calls itself the Neo Marines, and the Marines never thought about dealing with it in a more serious way? Did Sengoku see Z hanging out with his gang and think that nothing would happen? Was Akainu unconcerned about Z until now? We don't know..

Kizaru appears almost three times, looking all powerful and not being much help until the last moment. Garp also appears just to give exposition about Z, which could very well have been done through Aokiji.

Speaking of Aokiji, he appears so many times (not that I'm complaining) but it seems like he is a bit lost. If I didn't like him so much, I'd be a little confused and annoyed every time he showed up. He gives some exposition here, some wisdom there, and he's a chill guy hanging around the Straw Hats. Other than that, I think he's a bit loose in the movie.

The first appearance of the Straw Hats is cute, like I said before, I love seeing them having fun and being friends. And again, Nami's first scene already made me feel really embarrassed.

The thing about Usopp and his plants was more of a joke, but I really thought it would be important at the end of the movie. Like, I thought he would use it for something. It could even have been used to fight that Z's apprentice, Binz.

And just so you know, this movie takes place before Punk Hazard, and in the anime there are five episodes in which Ain, the other apprentice, appears several there too, and it serves to kind of introduce Z. It's called Z's Ambition mini arc if you want to watch.

The first time I watched the movie, I didn't care about Z, he seemed like a generic villain. Now I actually like him. The scene where he talks to the Straw Hats is so cool. He's friendly, polite, funny and seemed like a nice guy. Until the moment he finds out they're pirates.

I also like his design more. Yet, there's something about me that doesn't fit. I can't tell what it is.

The fight between the Neo Marines and the Straw Hats is kind of boring to me. Binz is annoying as hell, and I think his power doesn't match his style, and the Straw Hats shouldn't have a problem defeating him. It's not like he's established as a super strong ninja who has unique abilities. He's just another weird guy that serves to make their life more difficult.

I couldn't concentrate on Ain's fight because I kept thinking about how this girl can fight with that bikini and cape. And the thing about four members being de-aged was useless. It didn't add anything to the movie.

However, she's seems to be very strong and skilled. She fought Zoro twice, she used her powers is cool ways and i think her personality could be cool if the movie didn't made her generic girl who is too devoted to male villain.

What pisses me off is that is obivious she couldn't win against Zoro bc he's the cool male swordsman. The movie would never let her have the upper hand against him, so they keep interrupting their fights and letting Ain run away, instead of letting her or Binz win against Zoro and Sanji and make us feel like they're big deal and a real threat to the Straw Hats.

Anyway, I didn't really get her power, it seems to be a differente version of Bonney's DF, but Ain's has a certain limit of how much she can de age someone.

When I saw Nami as a child I thought she would actually go back to her childhood self and that would be a problem for the crew. Like, 'oh Nami and Robin went back in time and don't remember us or trust us, we have to solve this!'.

Nothing. And the way Sanji reacts is shit. He would never EVER say such weird things about Nami. I hate his characterization in this movie with all my heart.

Now that I think about it, the way Luffy just wants to go after Z to get his hat and stuff is very much in character.

Then the marines come, without adding anything relevant to the plot, everything they say is repeated to the protagonists by Aokiji or by Z himself. Hell, sometimes they need to bring upstuff we already know. And Akainu says that they have to stop Z now, and yet they do absolutely nothing throughout the entire movie. Just like always, he's stuck behind his damn desk waiting for people to solve stuff.

At the first island, there's a old man who helps them and gives them equipment later. The clothes Usopp wears in this part of the movie are really ugly, but I think it's good enough so that no one recognizes him. And Chopper's design in this movie (and in the Post-Timeskip in general) is toooooo cute, he doesn't even look like a deer.

The hot springs scene made me kick my feet bc of Aokiji. He shows up, does nothing, threatens to be useful and give information, and then leaves as if he had done a lot. But... like, it's not like he cares, right?

The Monster Trio + Usopp fight Z, Ain and Binz, and just like I said, the movie tries to make us believe those three are big deal by taking Usopp out of the fight and then the Ain and Binz leave easely. I was dissapointed by this fight. I think Luffy losing was rushed too. He gets beaten too quick and then Z blows up the island.

Hihihihihih Aokiji freezing the lava.... And him being nice to the ladies before that... *kicking my feet in the air*

Okay, Luffy gets shot and that doesn't really matter, it's just to make Z come out unharmed and we can continue with the movie.

Then we see Garp telling Koby about Z's past, and Aokiji meets him. This scene gives a little more weight to Z, makes him seem more like a real person than some crazy guy who's gone too far. I even stopped for a moment to sympathize with him.

Aokiji gives an explanation that we had before and Luffy is unshakable, ready to fight. I like his spirit, and how everyone is ready to be on his side. They trust him so much, and he trusts them. I love them :)

That scene of Robin and Kuzan looking at each other in the rain was something. I think it shows both let go of the past to some degree. Robin is not as afraid of Kuzan as she was before. Maybe because he showed he's not going to hand her to the marines, and because she knows she can trust her friends to protect her.

In a way, she's at peace and doesn't fear him like before

(Unfortunately some people use this to ship them. I should remind you that she is 18 years old at the moment)

New equipment! The girls' battle outfits are shit!!! I want to draw different outfits for them now!

The battle begins. The fight here is very well drawn, incredible and this time I found myself in love.

Why does Chopper insist on using his panda form? He has much better ones. The thing about Ain only having to take a hit to make the guys go back to normal doesn't make sense.

Z's final fight against Luffy is interesting. This is where I really liked Z, but I think other people won't be satisfied. But, I think it makes sense. He's old, he's tired, and he realizes that his way won't work.

At least I had a second of Frobin with Franky carrying Robin, and ONLY HER, while the others ran. The way she sits like a queen on his hand is adorable. The close up on her boobs was not necessary...

Kizaru appears, only serving for Z to go there and beat everyone up. I liked this, unfortunately, once again the movie tries to give an air of importance to the relationship between Z and the Marines. Which only worked for me because I started to like the character.

The ending is kind of dark. I liked the way Z died. But... his plan was useless. In the end he got along with Luffy and Aokiji stopped him. So... yeah, its almost like Luffy gave him a talk no jutsu without the talk and made Z change his way and almost become an ally. Everything he did, all the destruction and death is useless

I would like to add real quick that the scene where Sengoku says Z is out of control for killing innocent civilians made me roll my eyes so hard I had a headache. It's not like the marines care about the innocent, old man. Go back to your retirement.

The final scene that shows why he changed Zephyr's name to Z got me, I admit. I thought it was cute. I really believe the little girl in the last scene is his wife that shows in his flashback.

I think the problem with this movie is that it doesn't have good pacing. Some things happen too fast, characters appear just for the sake of appearing, they are useless, they give information that is repeated so many times, and there is this air of emotion about Z as if he were this incredible person. And we don't know him, so it's not like we would care.

If he were connected to one of the characters, like Kuzan for example, since he appears a lot and fits into the story, then maybe I would care more about Z. Then I would feel more sympathy for him. I think the movie tries to make us like him in a forced way.

(I like Z, because I associate him with Kuzan, and because without a real and important story for him, I can kind of fill in the gaps and make him cool in my head)

And not to mention that there is so much unnecessary stuff. The generic Neo Marine's soldiers who die and aren't even important in the end, the Marines being useless, Z's relationship with Binz and Ain (who could have been used to make the three of them more interesting), Ain had potential in my opinion, and Binz could be a better character. Man, as Sanji said at some point, these two are so boring, the way they just cling to Z and stuff.

Even Kuzan being distant and having let go of his old master is more interesting. It makes Z feel more like an old hero that fell to the dark side, like a beloved teacher that is blind in his hatred and need for justice. Z is all of that, but the movie fails in transmitting this emotion about him. They could've done better.

About the animation, the Post-Timeskip art annoys me at times. But there are many other times where it's very beautiful. The animation is great, and there's a perfect balance between 2D and CGI (unlike Stampede). The writing isn't that good, there are moments in the dialogue that are bad, like the first scene with the Straw Hats.

In the end, the movie isn't horrible. It's just the ideas that are all thrown together and make it hard to like it anymore. Dude, the movie was going to be called Dream Smasher, since Z wants to destroy the pirates' dreams, Oda didn't like it so that's how it ended up with this horrible title. Decisions have been made... I don't understand why some fans think this is the best movie ever. We can say it's a 5.5/10.

[deiaiko]

#28.3 Bath

Wangnan was in the men's changing room with Nia when Grace entered.

"Ah. Hello, Wangnan. And you're Nia…correct?"

Wangnan couldn't breathe properly with how nervous he suddenly was. "H-hey."

"N-nice to meet you," Nia also stuttered.

"No need to be so tense." Grace walked away and chose one of the unoccupied lockers. "If we're going to be a team in the next round, I'd rather we get along."

"Y-yeah. Of course." Wangnan tried, but it was easier said than done. Forget his stuttering, he couldn't even look Grace in the eye anymore. Not after his pathetic display of getting Grace to pick him, and obviously not after learning that he planned to kill Jahad.

Grace had finished taking off his outer clothes and stored them in his locker. "I will be on my way then."

As Wangnan watched him disappear behind the automatic door, he realized that he would be faced with yet another choice when he entered the bath area.

This would be a perfect time to prove himself to him.

Looking back at the previous tests, Grace had made himself clear that he didn't want to have unnecessary fights. So it should be safe to approach him, right?

"...Nia, I'm going to have a talk with him." Wangnan addressed his companion, feeling a little bad for ruining their time together. "You don't have to join me if you don't want to."

Nia stared at him for a second, and then gave him a curt smile. "It's okay. I can accompany you."

Wangnan was really bad at hiding his nervousness, wasn't he? Well, it was now or never.

Wangnan puffed out his chest and made his way to the bath, easily spotting Grace on one of the pool corners.

"Mind if I join you?" Wangnan bowed, giving his humblest smile.

"Sure." Grace replied coolly.

Wangnan gulped and went in, sitting just close enough to be considered a friendly acquaintance.

Now what? Wangnan internally screeched. Watch your mouth, don't say something that could get you killed. He reminded himself.

"Wangnan…" Grace unexpectedly broke the ice for him.

"Y-yes, lord Grace?"

Grace chuckled, though a little bitter. "Don't call me that."

"U-understood."

Grace eyed him, and Wangnan felt chills on his skin despite him soaking in the hot water.

Eventually, Grace opened his mouth and asked; "Why are you so desperate to pass this test?"

"That's…" Wangnan would rather not say and further ruin his image, "...a bit too personal. Sorry."

"...Will you die if you fail?"

Wangnan held his breath as the guess somehow hit the bulls eye. He debated if he should be truthful or not.

However, Grace took his silence as an answer. "I see."

Did he, though? Wangnan bit his tongue to not let that question slip out. Instead, he said, "As you have seen, I wasn’t exactly born powerful. And to compete against people from great families in that shinsu contest…I'm certain that there will be no other chance like this again."

"I suppose that makes sense," Grace nodded. "What about you, Nia?"

"H-huh? Me??"

Wangnan let himself loose for a bit and nudged the said boy playfully, "Who else is here that is named Nia but you?"

"Ah, haha. Of course." Nia scratched his hair, "I'm…uh…just testing my luck, I guess? Ahaha…"

At least Grace didn't seem to mind the obvious forced laugh and awkwardness. He even smiled along, indulging them. "I see."

The bath entrance opened to reveal the freshly scrubbed teddy bear and foil head. They seemed to have been acquaintances already.

Out of all the participants, they both were the better choices that Wangnan would consider recruiting. So he waved to them. "Heeeyy! Come join us!"

Thankfully, they didn't turn down the invitation. But they did glance at Grace, perhaps looking for his permission. To which Grace smiled, as a sign to welcome them.

"Don't mind me asking, but…" Akraptor started right after he settled down, "what do you mean earlier by consequences?"

The question was obviously aimed at Grace. Wangnan was also curious about it.

"Like getting ourselves known as anti-Jahad?" Akraptor added while rubbing his chin.

"That, and what it entails. Yes." Grace replied. "You know, like having the tests rigged by the administrators, hunted down for being 'the bad guys' …though we'll do our best to prevent that. However, I think the hardest part is whether you'll be able to keep up with our standards. There is no such thing as a free ride, so you have to put in a lot of effort to grow stronger."

Wangnan gulped.

"But of course, there are benefits too." Everyone perked up when Grace said that. "We provide free residence with complete amenities, you can also get allowance points if you partake in daily chores… I suppose my team will also climb faster than most regulars, since points won't be an issue for me. And I have people and resources that can help my teammates to get stronger."

"You know what? It doesn't sound too bad." Akraptor shrugged. "If you'll let me, I don't mind teaming up with you."

Horyang nodded in agreement. 

"Y-yeah! Me too!" Wangnan cheered along, hoping it didn't sound too fake. He was still scared about the fact that Grace wanted to kill Jahad. But not having to deal with money sounds too good to be true.

Grace smiled, turning a blind eye to Wangnan's dilemma. "Best of luck to you in the next test, then."

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[alex-turners-world]

So, I watched Taylor's live and it was quite fun to watch actually and very insightful I must say. So I thought I'd just write a summary of that live because she talked a bit about Alex, heartbreak, healing and, you know, just some bits about that time in her life.

1. Taylor said that she met Alexandra Savior through Alex. And that her favorite Alexandra song is "Shades". She's said multiple times that she loves Alexandra. ( Love their friendship) Also she said that she has common friends with the ex. People asked her about Miles and she didn't give any answers, which is fair. By the way she said that she hadn't listened to Miles's latest album.

2. People asked her why she shaved her head and she said that she had wanted to do it for a long time and that Alex supported her about it.

3. One of the questions was whether the line "I know what you're thinking" is about her and she replied that she doesn't know. (she listened to the album I think 👀)

4. Someone was bringing up Louise's cheap cosplays and I think Taylor saw the comment, but didn't read it out loud, but said it's pitiful (lol, I hope I heard it right and really said that because the audio was a bit bad at times. Queen anyways)

5. She said that she doesn't regret any of her tattoos 👀 (Owning it. I respect that very much)

6. She said that she regrets the way she reacted to the harassment comments. (I respect that too. And she actually apologized for it in her stories a while ago)

7. Someone asked "what are the red flags in men?" Taylor just answered that there are many forms of narcissisim. It's definitely about Alex. After the breakup she liked many posts on IG about narcissisim and emotional abuse, don't really remember what those posts were about, but you can check on @snarcticmonkeys they have literally everything. So I think it's safe to assume that Alex is actually a narcissist, which is pretty believable, considering his behavior. And most musicians/actors are narcissists so...

8. There's was a juicy question about whether she had received an explanation about the breakup and she said "no". I think we all suspected that, but now we have confirmation of that.( P.S. Alex is a fucking dickhead and a coward. And a cheater.)

9. She was asked if she wants to get married and have kids and she said "yes and no". (Her answer was really unsure. I found it interesting, given how much she wanted it while she was with Alex. She probably really loved him and wanted to build a family with him and it was not just a general goal in life, you know. )

10. She said she was an alcohol addict and that she was really struggling in 2018 and she made some mistakes back then

11. She also said a few times that the relationship just wasn't meant to be.

12. Taylor said that her favorite movie is Blade Runner, but I think it's quite obvious.

13. Oh someone said that she should tell about what Alex had done and sell it to some magazine or something along the lines. She said that she would never do that ( Shame though. She really should write some memoirs at some point)

14. Good things: she doesn't drink alcohol anymore and occasionally smokes cigarettes. (Good for her, honestly)

15. She said she's been single for 6 years, so no any boyfriend after Alex. She said she doesn't feel connection with anybody.

So that's all I could remember to be honest, if anyone has watched it and wants to add something or discuss it, you're very welcome. I personally found her live quite interesting and I'm actually looking forward to her next live cause she said she would do more.

Overall she seemed to have moved on from that relationship, she was quite chill talking about all those things. I'm actually surprised she even answered some questions about their relationship. Oh she also said that she's fine with people commenting under her posts about tlsp. She was really nice and calm, I think when she said she's "healed" and that she's "happy", she really meant it. Good for her.

Anyways I'm Team Taylor now apparently hahah. And Alex can fuck himself and his cheap groupie.

[secret-third-thing]

Now I'm curious about those reasons

All the reasons kind of tangle together. And I'll be honest about how I feel. This is normally not the kind of thing I'd really talk about on tumblr.com because I HATE admitting im sad (hi, I'm sad), but the truth is that I feel like I've been kept it all in for the sake of trying to be chill b/c this fandom is already dramatic af. But you asked and I feel okay enough finally to talk about what's going on. Spoiler: most of it is not fandom related LOL.

Reason #1. My cat is terminally ill. Every since September of last year (right after my grandmother died), my cat has been sick and recently I learned he has large cell lymphoma. This is a very aggressive, incurable, low-remission rate cancer. It's expensive to treat and stressful to manage. I've been plugged into all fandom a bit less overall because of this. And my two week "sabbatical" from tumblr was mostly because of the slew of appointments, phone calls, and insurance handling I have had to do. On top of a work trip. It's just me handling this. No partner to lend a hand. 😭 I never really talked about this very much b/c I hate hate hate hate hate feeling vulnerable. But I think this ultimately was a disservice because a lot of people did not realize what I have been going through.

Reason #2. I'm focusing more on original fiction these days! Which is fun and exciting, but also tough. I try to balance fanfic with original fiction, which means my bandwidth for fic is lower. I wind up writing only things that bring me maximum joy (read: WEIRD). This also means that the fic I read is mostly the fic of the people who are talking to me on a day to day basis. This happens to be folks who write mostly non-azris stuff. Some do write some azris and I have been slowly chipping away at that TBR so I can properly support. (Also I've been in a graduate level writing class on top of all this which takes up my time). 😩

Reason #3. This is the tough one. And the one that I have been avoiding talking about because I don't really know how to address it. I have been a part of the Azris community for years and wanted to be a part of it because they 1) loved eris and 2) wrote weird shit b/c I also write weird shit 😂 But like every ship in every fandom, dynamics change. Interests change etc. There was a situation where someone in the azris community, who as far as I know is not on tumblr, more or less made a comment that was like "I wish the city you (STT) are in would be decimated" and to me, implied that by extension wanted me dead, and that really, really hurt my feelings. It also hurt that it seemed like other people didn't see an issue with that behavior. I didn't want to ask people to pick sides, so I just let that be because life is too short etc etc. I get the sense that that person was going through a tough time and so I hope they are doing okay.

The other thing is that I felt like I got pushback was for being an eris multishipper. I like Azris because (in my mind) it isn't canon (just like I don't think Erislain or Neris will be canon). And sometimes I think there was tension between those who absolutely believed it would be canon and those of us who just were there for vibes. I think there was also a feeling that I didn't like Azris all that much, which to other people's credit, 1) I am Blunt af and come off as intense via messaging and 2) I was vocal about liking erislain for a hot minute. I think what sucked was that folks did not know or remember (probably didn't know) that a lot of the work that I do for eris week IS reading Azris fiction, writing nice things about the works and the authors, and trying to spread the word. If you take a look at the blog we had a bazillion highlights last year. I had to ask for help on a couple of fics because I took on too much. I thought I kept my multishipping vibes to a contained space. And you know what maybe I didn't. And I can understand if people felt that way. I also probably should have been more vocally supportive of Azris on my own blog beyond reblogs. I've always been shitty about commenting and it's something I've been working on improving. Ask me about commenting anxiety.

Anyway This all kinda compounded in me just slowly disengaging with Azris, which probably made everyone else feel bad and then it's just a doom spiral because no one thinks the other person likes them. It also didn't help that the other ships within Eris were especially welcoming and so I of course leaned into that hard b/c I felt so isolated. Again furthering the spiral of doom.

At the end of the day, I'm always gonna support Azris because it IS a wonderful corner of the fandom. The people there are passionate, creative, and SO DAMN Talented. And if you want to join the community, DO IT!!!!!! I can always put you in touch with lovely, welcoming folks. I also have Azris fics planned 👀 and will continue to do the read/highlight/etc stuff on the Eris week blog because those creators deserve all the love in the world.

But yeah. No one is at fault. I am just feeling isolated and working out the best way to proceed.

[yanderes-galore]

Romantic Yan! Mauga x gn!reader concept

I'D LOVE TO. He comes out on my birthday so this is a bit special for me/hj. Hope you enjoy my take on him! Here's me pouring general thoughts down ^^ (Love you for your Overwatch requests, istg).

If it sounds like I'm self-indulgent, I probably am, my bad.

Yandere! Mauga Concept

Pairing: Romantic

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Obsession, Manipulation, Abuse of power, Kidnapping, Murder/Death, Threats, Intimidation, Violence, Possessive, Restraints, Dehumanization mentioned, Sadism, Forced relationship.

I feel like there's a lot of scary things about Mauga.

First of all, he's huge.

He's been augmented from a near death experience to be huge and powerful.

His name even means "mountain".

Then there's the fact he takes joy in doing what he does... literal murder for Talon.

He even is oddly chipper/chill with his language.

Even when threatening others he sounds so... excited? Friendly?

He seems so nice to be around... but he's still a murderer.

He'd act the same with you.

Mauga calls everyone "friend".

If he met you he'd immediately be overly friendly.

He'd call you friendly terms, like "friend", "buddy", and "pal".

But if he felt flirty he'd probably call you by some sort of nickname.

I'm not sure what he'd call you exactly but maybe "Teuila"? It's the national flower of Samoa (from what I saw)

He could also call you the classic nicknames such as "babe", "baby", "dear", "doll", etc.

It's just "Teuila" seems more unique to him.

Mauga is another one who likes the size difference between you.

It serves as a good way to intimidate you and he likes it.

Mauga is a sadistic sociopath who doesn't appear affected by the crimes he commits.

In fact he depicts himself as "carefree".

Mauga could be the type to slaughter innocents then look at you with a big grin.

He doesn't mind if you fear him.

He'd part of Talon... he loves the fear.

He knows he's a bad person and doesn't mind.

His apathy towards the life of others is what makes him terrifying.

He only really cares about you, his little Teuila.

If I'm correct, Mauga canonically has sharp teeth.

Which means he would certainly bite you.

He may also like to hold/manhandle you a bit.

He likes the power and size he has over you.

Oh, fighting him a bit?

How do you like being pinned to a wall?

In his obsession he is naturally rough.

Mauga likes to have everyone know you're his.

No one should touch you unless they want a Talon agent breathing down their neck.

You could be a civilian or a fellow member of Talon.

Doesn't matter to him.

He plans to keep you all the same.

Would take you to bars when he could find them.

He sees it as a way to bond, probably.

Mauga could isolate you, yet showing you off can be quite exciting.

A silent challenge for others to take what's his... so he can have an excuse to break their bones, most likely.

He isn't one for "messing with your mind" manipulation.

More like... brute force.

He doesn't want to intentionally hurt you.

It's mostly just enough to show his mark on you, not to break anything.

He knows you're fragile.

If you tried to escape this mountain of a man... good luck.

He found Baptiste with ease when he left Talon.

He can find you.

He'll hunt you down and pick you from wherever you plan on staying.

He deserves to have you in his eyes.

You may cry or scream, but any hit against hist chest just makes him chuckle.

Your hits tickle him... he finds it adorable.

His "Cage Fight" ability implies chains.

This is just being clever, but imagine as punishment he chains you to him?

Now you can't run... he'll just drag you.

If anything you begin to look like a pet to members of Talon.

But they allow it.

They don't need Mauga becoming a problem.

Obviously he is quite possessive.

Loves your touch, your warmth, in a weird way your smell.

He may mark you but tries to treat you as delicately as a flower.

Like the nickname he affectionately calls you....

Mauga doesn't care if you miss your family when he drags you back to him.

He feels things would be better if you forget them.

He may end up doing something bad if you don't... wouldn't want that now, would we?

Overall, Mauga is a powerful and possessive man.

He is unfazed by what he does to obtain you... even when it includes others losing their lives for helping you leave him.

Mauga loves the challenge... even finds it exciting.

[chatonarya]

I read your yaoi theory essay and I'm just slightly confused- not about the theory. It's the fact that you say Gnosis hates the doctor. I'm sorry it's been awhile since I've checked out the story. Could you maybe elaborate on that?

Oh, certainly!

If you look at Gnosis's voice lines when you set him as assistant, there's a very stark contrast between them and the way he speaks and behaves in BI and RS. He's extremely blunt and cold towards Doctor, even in his new year's and anniversary lines, offering up only the most perfunctory, basic, and crisp greetings before retreating back into the lab. He gives off the impression that he doesn't want to talk to Doctor for more than absolutely necessary. He offers no personal information, and replies very curtly and shortly to the presumed questions that Doctor asks him, such about Enciodes's sisters, etc. In Enciodes's second oprec, Enciodes also comments that Gnosis has already made a name for himself within Rhodes already thanks to not just his talent but also his personality.

He's a lot more chill and much less snippy with Enciodes and Degenbrecher, to the point where if you were to listen to only his lines, you'd have a completely different impression of him as a character vs the way he really is in the story--and this is something I've noticed before when I read other peoples' impressions of him. There's a persistent image of Gnosis that lingers around the fandom that is very surface-level, reading him as someone extremely fixated on research and nothing more (as much as his file emphasizes it), but this is inconsistent and incongruous with the rest of his lore and something I believe is the image he chooses to project to Rhodes Island, he's put on a very reserved facade, particularly compared to how he is in RS.

Secondly, I also say that Gnosis dislikes Doctor because, well, he kinda says so. He does not speak nicely of Doctor at all in BI.

In BI-8:

Gnosis: Enciodes, your arrogance is truly loathsome. To wax admiringly about the actions of your enemy at a time like this.

Then later:

Gnosis: ...Having second thoughts now, Enciodes? Enciodes: What do you mean? Gnosis: You ignored my advice and brought that Doctor to Kjerag. Enciodes: Do you think we lost? Gnosis: Does this not seem like a loss to you?

In BI-ST-4:

Gnosis (angry sprite): You just didn't expect that the person you were trying to win over the most would almost sabotage your plan. [...] Gnosis: Also, I'd like to meet this Doctor for myself. Enciodes: Oh, are you interested? Gnosis: As if. I simply want to see whether your Doctor, who has already left a mark on this land, will end up becoming our enemy.

In addition, there is this conversation between the trio in RS-8:

Gnosis: This terrible habit of yours of neglecting the bigger picture when you take action... Forget it, you and Enciodes are pretty much the same. I'm not asking either of you to change your ways. Gnosis: All I ask is that next time, please go to the trouble of restraining yourselves, just for a little bit. You'll save me from having to wrack my brain to find ways to clean up your messes. Degenbrecher: Duly noted, Gnosis. What do you think, Enciodes? Enciodes: I have not the strength to casually cut apart a giant statue tens of meters high. Degenbrecher: Indeed. Degenbrecher: You merely invited that Doctor over, who then proceeded to nearly ruin our plans is all. Enciodes: ......

Not only is Gnosis uninterested in forging a personal connection with Doctor the way Enciodes is keen to do (something which Gnosis tells Doctor point-blank), I believe part of Gnosis's frostiness stems from the fact that he is holding a grudge over Doctor's interference during Break The Ice. Gnosis was against inviting Doctor to Kjerag, and Doctor nearly made them lose everything they've been working towards during their most important scheme, of which Gnosis himself repeatedly says there is no do-over and which could easily cost Enciodes his life (both of them, likely). Gnosis is also very aggravated and frustrated trying to outmaneuver Doctor in BI, which he doesn't manage to do. That's reason alone for Gnosis to be very cold to Doctor, regardless of Doctor being Karlan Trade's ally. By the conversation in RS, we also see that neither Degenbrecher nor Gnosis have forgotten that Enciodes inviting Doctor almost messed up everything, and they're still giving him flack for it three years later, Degenbrecher more bluntly and Gnosis complaining about having to clean up Enciodes's messes.

So with all that, namely Gnosis unhappily having to deal with the monkey wrench that was Doctor during BI and then his frigid and borderline rude demeanor within Rhodes Island, I believe that he simply does not like Doctor very much.

[silver--scar]

I’m curious - to you, who is Brimmy? What is his personality? What does he like and dislike?

Omg thank you for this question

Ahem ahem

Who is Brimmy to me?

An essay by Silver Scar /j

He's a little guy. A little goober who I enjoy seeing on the screen. A nice warm up doodle before I do art. He's a chill guy who lowkey doesn't give a fuck. /j I've ranted about this before in a previous post, but Brimmy has quite a little bit of significance to his character, which I won't delve into here. You can use this, and it'll take you to that post.

Now, aside from the obvious being that he's one of my favorite characters purely by simple design and the little screentime he gets, how do I view his personality?

I kinda like sticking close to canons. I never had the creativity nor the courage to really branch out in my viewings of characters in media. Sure, Brimmy is a background character, but he has a teensy-weensy bit of personality to him. He is clearly a boy of action, as seen when signing up for La Resistance, writing in a notepad for Cartman's gift requirements in Damien, participating in Butters' Weiners Out movement, and fighting alongside the other kids in Merry Christmas Charlie Manson, being the one to go further in destruction with throwing molotovs, stealing TVs, and even beating up a security guard with a Mr. Hankey toy.

And while any boy loves to play video games, I certainly would like to believe that Brimmy is a bit of a gaming addict, as he's often spotted where a game cabinet would be, as seen here in these examples:

Yes, that boy will ask you if you have games on your phone. And speaking from childhood experiences, I'd like to imagine he and a friend he's sitting with on the bus enjoy watching each other play mobile games (as long as he sits still, since there's a clip of him standing in his seat to look out a window. Considering he's lived in South Park for a long time, there couldn't really be anything interesting to look at so maybe he's just a bit hyperactive).

Another addition to his personality would be his nasally, sorta stuck-up tone when you meet him in TFBW, showing in just those few seconds that Brimmy can be a bit snippy and have an attitude ("What do you want? I'm busy!"), as well as an ego and a confident persona he tries to play off ("You totally caught me waiting for my girlfriend. Yeah, she's a Raisins Girl nbd").

And while I'm here showing different images, I do not care what people think, but I am going to vent my unserious frustrations here.

This is not Brimmy. This is a different character. I know this because this character has multiple sprites with the same hat, and also because he and Brimmy were seen in an episode together, meaning they can't possibly be the same. GET IT RIGHT /lh

While trekking in this territory so I can share my first headcanon, since Brimmy is still unhatted, I love both headcanons of Brimmy having blond or brunette hair. I even like to imagine he has red, noirette (like his suspected parents both have), or even minty blue hair like the mayor, which could be why he keeps that crusty dusty musty beanie on his head. Although, personally, I'm more favoriting to him having a mix of blond and brunette hair. Y'know, like, salt and pepper hair. Flecks of brown and gold hair, you get what I'm saying??

Getting into the question of what I think he likes or dislikes, I have both canon and headcanon ideas.

Along with said image above of Brimmy gaming, and his love for Cyborgs in TFBW (quoting that it's "his thing"), it's safe to say that I'd like to view him as a bit of a sci-fi nerd, sorta like Kevin Stoley but more toned down, I feel. And while I don't really like overplaying character traits like most people in fandom do (for example: Clyde's favorite food being tacos when he's only mentioned the food twice in the entire series), just this once I'm letting it slide by saying I'd like to imagine Brimmy writes quite a bit of notes. Just to keep things in track and make sure he doesn't forget anything, or maybe just to keep tidbits of miscellaneous info close to him. Also, since it's suggested that Brimmy is a sci-fi kid, I imagine that in fantasy roleplay, he takes a backseat and sorta goes with the flow since fantasy may not be his kind of thing. In fact, I recently started headcanoning that this kid in TSOT is Brimmy, just chilling out in The Giggling Donkey with some fantasy named alcoholic beverage lol.

In fact, now that I'm getting more headcanon-y, here's some Likes and Dislikes I'll list out for him here! They're barebones and probably ooc (But Silver, how can you be ooc for a bg character? Trust me, sometimes my opinions are so shit that it just defies logic lol) so just hear me out sdkfhjfs

Loves Rocky Road ice cream. Can never get enough of the marshmallows littered inside.

Arachnophobia and a little bit of katsaridaphobia (roaches) and ranidaphobia (frogs).

I've yet to check if Brimmy was in the music class with the other kids, so this headcanon can go two ways: Is actually pretty good with the flute but hates it. Or if he isn't, then he's enrolled in choir, and he's pretty good but still hates it. Either or.

Has a particular love for racing games but mainly sticks to shooters like other kids (Halo is his favorite game despite the preference for racing).

While most kids hate math class, Brimmy hates, hates, haaates history and reading class. It makes his brain go to mush with boredom.

Will not touch onions. Does not enjoy it in his food that his family prepares or orders out. Will take his time picking it all out, even if it's finely diced.

Adores robot action figures the most. He'll save up his allowance for the most teched out one if he has to.

If it weren't for school, Brimmy would be an early riser. He just enjoys the silent and crisp atmosphere when he's awake before anyone else.

Crazy scared of the dentist. Doesn't like when random adults poke and prod at his teeth and often worries they'll take them out. The candy at the end doesn't help.

LOVES TV shows like American Ninja Warrior or Fear Factor. Any other similar TV shows you can think of you can replace with these. I don't really remember the shows from my days or the ones that air now lmao

And that's about all I got. TLDR, Brimmy to me will always be a special character. He may do nothing or say nothing, but goddamnit, I love the little guy. No clue why I do, or maybe that's exactly the reason, but Brimmy (along with Christophe) will be one of my top favorite characters.

Now, take these, and begone with you!

[deanwinchesters67impala]

Dean Winchester and Onsies

Summary: basically just Deans reaction to a onesie pajamas?

Warnings: not quite smut but maybe a bit inappropriate, not a baby onesie, improper grammar

A/N: this takes place inside my DR, along with most other stuff I'll write (unless rec) so if it's specific or not 100% Canon that's why. Hope you enjoy :) also if it sucks its almost 11pm and I should sleep so blame it on that

After a long day of hunting im exhausted. The hunt was rough, cold, and took so much out of me. Ive got some minor injuries and brusied ribs, but nothing ive not dealt with before.

After brushing the snow off my coat and stomping it off of my boots, the first thing i did when we got back to the bunker was to take a long hot shower in my bathroom. Dean joined me as he needed to shower too and we had a nice innocent shower where he washed my hair and gently cleaned me up. He even took special care to give me a head massage.

After we got out he dried me off with my favorite fluffy towel that was warm from the towel warmer he bought me for my birthday. The warm soft towel envlenoped me and shielded me from the harsh chill of the bathroom. I sit on a stool infront of the bathroom sink and do my skin care while dean sits next to me. He's seen me do my routine a million times and he doesnt hesitate to use some of my stuff. After im done i plop my hair in a soft satin scarf so that my waves will be nice and bouncy in the morning.

While i do that Dean pulls out some clothes from my closet. He grabs his toothless onsie, a pair of black sweatpants, and two pairs of his boxers. I look at him a bit confused, "Bear, none of those clothes are mine. I have the Luna onesie."

"I know princess, but I want you to wear my toothless one. You always look so pretty wearing my things. Please?" He pouts slightly and I sigh.

"I'll wear it. I'm too tired to argue anyway." With a small kiss to his cheek I pull on a pair of his boxers smiling as the soft fabric hugs my hips and thighs. Then I step into the Toothless onesie and zip up the fleecey fabric before pulling the hood up revealing the Nightfury's cartoon face. "There. I'm all dressed. Can we lay down now?" Dean is now just wearing his swears and he smiles at me and nods,

"'Course we can Sweetheart. Cmere" He scoops me up and carries me to our attached bedroom. He lays me down on the sheets and lays down next to me. I still sleep with a couple stuffed animals, both of which dean got for me. One is a large stuffed shark which I currently have tucked agaisnt me with my arms around it and head on it. It smells like dean and makes me happy. Dean kisses my head through the fabric of my hood and then pulls the comforter up over us and wraps his arms around me as he becomes the big spoon.

(End here of you want pure innocent fluff)

If I didn't know better I'd think this was the end of our night and we'd just sleep innocently. But I'm dating dean and wearing a zip up onsie with no bra on underneath. So I'm not naive. As he does almost everytime I'm in one of my character onsies, his hand finds its way to my zipper. He unzips it just enough that he has access to my breasts. He gently cups one of them in his hand gently kneading the flesh. My body let's out little hums of content, but I'm too sleepy to give him a real reaction. He knows this and isn't looking for any big reaction. He just kneads at me a couple more minutes before resting his hand there and burying his face in the nape of my neck. With that we both fall into a deep and fitless sleep.