#I hate feeling like kindness is transactional but it's starting to feel like what do I have to do to get someone to do something nice for m

[strwberri-milk]

hii can i request lads men with a reader who has a hard time accepting kindness/affection? like someone who grew up in a toxic household maybe so now they have a hard time believing someone would be nice to them and might get overwhelmed every now and then with the kindness and love they're receiving

combining these <3

Zayne's kindness to you is second nature. He thinks of you basically every day and worries about how reckless you can be with your health or person so he's always taking care of you. It's not even because he's a doctor - it's solely because he loves you.

He takes notice of how awkward you seem whenever you receive one of his kind gestures but doesn't point it out. In fact, he just starts treating you even better to see if it helps.

Over time you'd get used to it but when you do happen to get overwhelmed he'll remind you that he's doing this because he loves you. You don't need to pay him back at all because he doesn't look at this as though it's something transactional. To make you feel better he'll also tell you that you already pay him through your love for him. You can try and convince him that it's not enough but he won't hear any of it.

Even if you try to push him away he just continues to treat you the same, telling you that you won't be able to get rid of him just by pretending that you don't love him anymore. He reassures you that he knows what you're really after and that he promises he does love you more than life itself and he's more than happy to spend the rest of his proving it. He's normally not that vocal about his affection for you so you're forced to accept his words as truth, knowing he'd never lie to you about that.

Xavier doesn't understand why you don't accept any of his attention or what all of the pushback is at first. He thinks that maybe it's just because it's not stuff that you like so he just needs to try harder, meaning his gestures get bigger. That means he gets a little clingier or tries to think of nice ways to communicate that he loves you. He's holding and kissing you, whispering sweet words to you until you ask him to give you a bit of room. His feelings are slightly hurt but he doesn't hold it against you, knowing there's a reason why you're asking him to.

When you push back even harder he decides to ask you himself. He asks if he's just not able to make you happy or if there's something more specific that he should be doing. You try to tell him that you just don't want him to do anything for you - that you don't deserve. Mind you you're doing all of this while also cooking him a meal because you wanted to show him appreciation for working so hard/you trying to make yourself feel like you earned the gifts he gave you.

He's shocked you feel that way and tells you that you never have to earn his love or care - he absolutely adores you no matter what. He does start toning down the attention he gives you to hopefully digestible bites to get you used to it.

Rafayel's loves spoiling you in gifts and his attention. He hates it when you refuse to accept them. If it's his affection you refuse he'll mope and pout until you take him back into your arms with apologies but if it's gifts then he'll just take them back to his house and try again another day to give it to you.

When it becomes too frequent of a pattern he'll confront you, asking if his money isn't good enough or his words not sweet enough. You keep telling him that it's not an issue of him not being enough, just that you don't deserve such kindness. You work harder the more he gives you, or if the day's a little rough you just shut down.

Rafayel finds a moment when you're relaxing to pull you into his lap, peppering your face in kisses and telling you how much he loves you. He aims to overwhelm you to the extent of making you shut down and melt into him. Once you're absolutely relaxed he tells you that you don't need to work so hard just for him to praise you. You deserve every bit of his love he has for you and he's just going to be more hurt if you deny him. He manages to lightly scold you, finding a way for you to relent and start accepting more of his intentions.

Sylus doesn't like it when you reject him. He doesn't want to push your boundaries too much and force himself onto you but he also unintentionally does so when he pulls you in closer to him or gives you presents of things he found while out. You occupy his every thought so it's not hard for him to find a little trinket or 12 whenever he's out and about for work.

You try to tell him to stop or that you're really okay with him needing time away from you. Sometimes you get the sense that he's just entertaining your whims without actually wanting to, shyly divulging this to you one evening when he's holding you tightly to avoid you running away from him again.

He laughs at the thought, finding it hilarious that you could really think something like that. You think he's laughing at you, pouting and trying to turn away but he turns you back, kissing you sweetly. He reassures you that there's no way he'd truly think that you were a bother to him. Everything he does for you is solely because he loves you. It takes him more time then he thought to reassure you but he doesn't mind. His attentions are already yours so there's no reason why that'd change just because it's a little difficult for you to accept them wholly..

[lilacstro]

pac: what do your tumblr followers think about your blog

this was a seemingly unserious silly idea haha, lets go. this actually is very not serious, so if you dont even have a blog, you can pick a pile, and if you have one but dont post much or dont have much followers, maybe its your sign that your account might match the description in some while. haha, regardless, enjoy<33

this reading is not for you if you are hate blogger or spread hate/misinfo through your account :/

paid readings are open :)

pile 1 pile 2 pile 3

support me on ko-fi :)

Pile 1

Haha, it seems some of you could post a lot, and your followers do enjoy it. For some majority of you, you could also be into posting manifestation, self help related kinda content. There is an empowering and uplifting energy and some kind of strong feminine energy about your blog indeed. Looks like you guys actually might post a specific genre of content and your blog overall is quite organized. Some of you could also post about things like, spreading awareness on/donation links for gaza? or ukraine? or other such things, it was coming through, and your followers support you for choosing to post this actively. I also feel you maybe are kind of an old blogger? someone who has been on here posting for a while, some of your followers might actually like to read your posts when they are free or as stress relivers, in free times or look forward to your posts. I can understand this tbh, I also liked this one blog named something luciddownloading but i cant seem to find it, ig they activated their blog and it was super sad, I hope you all keep on posting, you should get the transaction you receive if you arent, and if your blog is doing well, it is possible that it gets even better. For some of you, if you are thinking about making money through tumblr somehow, it seems possible too!! all the best and I hope it resonated.

Pile 2

Some of you here might be beauty bloggers or actually post a variety of content, or have some quirky username haha but it seems you put a lot of thought in your blog. For some of you, you might have just started posting, or your schedule might not let you post as much as you like. Some of you might even be very non judgmental and post or reblog the things you like, your blog seems like a collection of things you like rather and not really following up with some specific aesthetic, but it still looks gorgeous. Some of you might also be into posting the blunt/honest truth posts/ unpopular opinions and I see your followers appreciate that. For some of you a message is, if you are holding back thinking what you should post/post how often or on what. just take a leap or action and start. Don't think about it too much, tumblr def needs one of your cute lil blogs even if you don't post something very big/important. Start and eventually you should know. Some of you also might do secret girl blogging lmao. your account has a lot of potential to flourish if it isnt already if you dont be pretentious and post what you really love honestly, whatever that is :)

Pile 3

Your blog definitely seems to have readers from all places or countries, for some of you specifically it seems like an astro-blog/spiritual blog. Some of you might have started recently too. Regardless of whatever, your account might see a lot of transaction if it isn't already or may actually see good engagement usually. You definitely seem to put a lot of hard work in your blog, I am getting specifically for explaining things or revealing things, and I'm strongly getting a astro/tarot/witchcraft kinda blog, some of you may actually also post random thoughts/feelings/poems kind of things that you end up saving on a pintrest board. There is a lot of scope for this being a well engaged account too. Your followers definitely seem to think your blog has a lot of comforty, earthy vibe to it haha. although most of you seem regular bloggers, just incase for a few of you im saying dont give up on your blog yet if you want to, a lot of people actually admire your posts and they will just keep on growing. your blog is well loved by people who come across/read it. so dont just go yet<33

thanks for reading a silly little reading. Have a good day <3

[heyyypuddin]

Withering Petal (Armando X OC) Bad Boys chapter 6

Chapter 6 

The morning came all too quick for Amora as she rolled out of bed after getting absolutely no sleep due to the events from last night, between debating if she should call the cops and her nightmares. 

Coming out of a long 30-minute steaming hot shower, she did her usual beauty routine, needing some normalcy. After seeing what her neck looked like, she put on her black satin jumpsuit that had a halter top scarf and gently wrapped it around her neck. Thankfully, the bruise wasn’t too bad, but it was kind of sensitive.

Once she was done getting dressed, she put on the last bit of her make-up and jewelry, and she ran downstairs to start prepping her breakfast but was quickly met with a shirtless, mummified Armando going through her fridge.

Mouth agape at the scene in front of her, she quickly found some words to spew at the man: “What the hell are you doing in my fridge, and how'd you get out of the room!?” 

Armando stepped out of the fridge, holding sandwich ingredients and placing them on the counter next to him before shrugging nonchalantly and fixing his food.

“I'm hungry, so I came to the kitchen... to eat,” was the deep response. Goodness, his voice was like coffee to her—smooth and mouthwatering to hear. 

She looked to the guest room door and saw the stopper she had was all bent and broken. She squeezed her eyes shut, took a deep breath, and calmed herself.

"Armando, we both agreed that you would stay in the room until I took you out.” 

“Thats right, we did,” he hummed in agreement with her.

She stared at him, completely stumped by what to do in this situation with this man—this criminal—who is always escaping everything she traps him in. She couldn't even think of anything to say; she was never the quickest with wit. Instead, she focused her thoughts on her errands that she needed to run and what she was going to do with the man. 

Said man was watching Amora with his side eye while he was eating his sandwich. He couldn't figure out much about her. Besides her obvious beauty, he could see that she was quiet and reserved, maybe even more so than he was. Given how her house was the only one nearby for miles or how she didn't even have pictures around the house of friends, family, or even herself, he could tell she was a lonely woman. 

The only other things he could grasp were that she cared for her dog, her self- vanity by how she's always looking in the mirror trying to fix her appearance, and her art. All the paintings and trinkets he's seen in the house when he was snooping have the same style and feel, and they all have the same tiny signature: ‘ The letter A in a heart shape is connected to the cursive letter J. 

She was like an enigma to him, and even more so since she exposed her connection to Victor “El Segador’. How could a woman like her be involved with such a twisted man? He has no idea. His family had their own dealings with the man, and they've always tried to keep transactions with him very small. Even his own mother hated the man; she always said

”Está sin honor, sin respeto, ni siquiera el diablo camina con él." (He’s without honor, without respect; not even the devil walks with him.) 

He carefully watched Amora as she picked up her cell but relaxed when he realized she was on the phone with the vet, seeing about making an appointment for the stupid dog. He made sure to check on the wound that the little shit gave him this morning to make sure he was good. 

“Are you sure he will be, okay? Will he need medication? .........yes, he can walk he's just limping......I understand, but if you don't mind swinging by the office just to make sure he's good, I would really appreciate it. Thank you, Mrs. Swanson. Okay, bye, see you soon.” 

He continued staring at her, unashamed, not looking away when she met his eyes. She narrowed her eyes at him, tossing her hair over her shoulder. 

“Can you go find a shirt to put on, please? I need to go out, and you're not staying here alone. Plus, we need to get you some clothes and whatever else you need,” she told him, trying not to get flustered over how it felt just a little bit intimate, with her having a half-naked man in her kitchen, talking about running errands. 

Armando felt a small smirk breakout on his face at the flustered woman, and part of him couldn't help but tease.

“Don't lie and tell me you're not enjoying the view, mi amor.” 

Her face tightened at hearing him call her ‘Mi amor’, feeling his smirk deepen a bit more at getting under her skin.

“My name is Amora, and I don't like staring at men who like to put their hands on women.” 

His smirk faltered a little at the accusation. He stepped away from the counter, prowling up to Amora, seeing the worry cross her face but standing her ground as he got closer to her.

“Oh mi amor, see, you got it all wrong... The only time I put my hands on a woman,” he breathed out, bringing his face down closer to her, leaving only an inch between them, his voice getting deeper and more suggestive. 

"Is when she's on her knees, begging for it” 

A quiet gasp released from Amora’s lips, brushing over Armando’s. Her eyes were snapping wide, and her face was getting extremely hot as the words he spoke were bouncing around her brain, hearing every single word he said in that sentence. 

Her heart started beating so loudly that she was sure he could hear it, and she knew she should say something back or even do something, but she was truly left speechless and confused. 

Armandos eyes were gleaming with smugness at her lack of words.

“¿Qué pasa amor? ¿El gato te comió la lengua?” (What's the matter, love? (Cat got your tongue?)

Amora snapped out of her daze and pushed him back, face gleaming with anger and something else.

“You know, you got a problem with personal space” she lamely hissed at him and turned around, calling for bowser so that they could go, Armando stood there gazing at hips saunter bringing his eyes to her toned bare back, his eyes going lower to her voluptuous ass.

“Stop standing there and hurry up; it’ll take us an hour to get there,” she yelled at him without turning around. 

He let out a short chuckle and responded back, heading back to the room.

“Whatever you say, mi amor.”

He heard her let out a small growl, hearing her turn around to retort, but he got to the room door and looked at her, sending a wink, shutting the door before she could say anything back.

Amora's face tightened into a snarl,hands balling into a fist, at the man getting the last word. He’s going to drive her crazy.

She heard Bowser's collar jingle, and her head snapped to where it was coming from, and she saw him limping from the living room, her mind coming off from what just happened.

Her heart warmed and her face softened upon seeing her baby, and she went to pick him up to go take him to the car. But not before grabbing some of his treats since car rides weren’t his favorite. 

“It’s going to be okay, baby, you got this,” she wooed at him before placing him back down to put on her favorite black-pointed toe heels and grabbing her car keys. 

Picking up Bowser again, she made her way to the back of the house, passing by her home gym and to the garage, opening it up, letting the sunlight fill in the room, and on her second baby, her blacked-out AMG GT Mercedes. 

She unlocked the door and carefully manured Bowser into the small of the back seat and gave him a treat to get him comfortable, and she turned in the car to have the AC start to battle off the Florida heat. 

“Nice car” came from directly behind her, causing her to snap up and turn. She came eye to eye with Armando, who was wearing a white plain t-shirt that was also tight on him with the dirty boots he showed up to the house in. 

Upon realizing he would have to get in her car with those dirty shoes, she passed him shoe booties to cover his feet. Confused, he grabbed the booties and looked at her weirdly.

“You’re not going to get in my car with those on,” she said, giving his shoes a pointed look before crossing her arm under her chest bringing Armando’s attention down to her breast seeing the thin satin jumpsuit hiding her hardening nipples. 

Catching his eyes, she cleared her throat and brought her arms up higher trying to cover her chest. He peered back at her face and smirked, walking over to the passenger side, leaving Amora standing there, her heart slightly racing and her stomach tighenting.

She shook her head, wondering what her problem was. Not understanding the way he makes her feel. Amora, get it together, girl. We were just fighting not even 24 hours ago,” she reminded herself. 

Brushing off the tension she was feeling, she got in the car and headed to town, hoping for a smooth ride.

~~~~~40 minutes later ~~~~

 

It definitely was not a peaceful ride. Bowser kept growling at Armando and trying to snip at him whenever he could. 

“¡Maldición! Control your damn dog!” (Damn it!)

Like now. Amora tightened her hands on the wheel out of annoyance at having to deal with these two. 

""Well, maybe if you hadn’t hurt him, you wouldn’t be in this position now, would you? BOWSER SUWARU!” (Sit!)

She scolded the two. Bowser whined before sitting back down in his seat, and she saw Armando snap his head at her before relaxing back in his seat. 

“Why do you teach him Japanese commands?” came the question from the man next to her. She gave him a quizzical side eye before answering him. 

“In case I’m ever attacked and he’s helping, they can’t try to command him. Most people don’t know Japanese, plus it’s his suit name.” She finished out. 

“His name?” He inquired, raising an eyebrow at her. 

"Yeah, he’s named after Bowser, from Mario, which was created in Japan.” 

Armando gave a quiet hmm after getting his answer but continued listening as Amora kept talking. 

“My father loved Nintendo; he and my mom visited Japan often. When I was younger, he’d always bring me a gift, and I always loved when he brought Bowser teddy bears, outfits, and all the merchandise. 

Armando gazed at the woman before him who was opening up. He didn’t know why, but he wasn’t going to stop her, plus he was actually quite curious about her. 

“Where are your parents now?” He asked, wondering why he hadn’t seen any photos of them or even a phone call. 

“ Dead” 

Oh. Silence hung over them. He glanced at her, seeing her knuckles turn white from gripping the wheel.

““I’m sorry for your loss,” he replied slowly and genuinely. He too knows how it feels to lose parents. The pain of losing his mom was still with them, especially with how it went down, never forgetting her face as she shot him and then seeing her go down by that cop. A pain struck through his heart at the memory.

““Thank you, they died when I was 10... well, actually, they were killed….by Victor.” 

That brought him out of his painful memories, and his head snapped to Amora. 

““What?” He frowned, seeing her eyes narrow and well up at the information she just dropped. She looked at him and quickly looked back, sniffing.

“Victor Ortiz murdered my parents; they were DEA agents working on a case to bring him down. They were actually close to busting him when James McGrath ratted them out. We gave out our information, and Victor and his gang came and invaded our home one night, killing my parents.”

They pulled up to the pet clinic, and Amora just sat in the seat, shoulders tense, looking straight ahead, ignoring the eyes she felt burning into her head.

After a minute of sitting in silence, she put the car in park, flipping down the mirror to make sure she’s looking good before unbuckling her seat belt and getting out and helping Bowser out of the car. 

““Stay in the car; it shouldn’t take long for his leg to be checked,” she instructed the stunned man in his seat. 

He nodded mutely, and she shut the door, prancing inside with Bowser in her arms. He watched her until she disappeared from his vision, questions firing off in his head, but the main one was: if her parents were killed, what happened to her? 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Authors note:

Hey puddin! That was chapter 6. I hope you liike. I’m trying to move Armando and amor relationship a bit quicker so hopefully it doesn’t feel rushed. But now we know a little bit more about her past yaay!

Also I’m making Armando very flirtatious because in the new movie we do kind of see that he’s shameless (like his damn daddy) specially with that scene when he told Kelly she was fine…. In front of her man. So hope he doesn’t feel too out of character

Anyways I hope you enjoyyy, hopefully I’ll have chapter 7 out by tomorrow night or Monday morning 💕💕

[cosmic--dandelion]

Hot take: Blitzø's "arrangement" with Stolas isn't abuse. It's sex work.

From the beginning, Blitzø and Stolas's relationship has been mutually consential.

Blitzø is not going to starve to death in the streets if he doesn't fuck Stolas. He's a highly accomplished assassin/bodyguard/fighter-for-hire on par with people like Striker. (How else do you think he started dating a global superstar celebrity like Verosika? He was probably her bodyguard.) Hell, Stolas himself was perfectly willing to pay him regular money to be a bodyguard in "Loo Loo Land." Blitzø almost turned the job down because he wouldn't get to kill people.

Whatever his motivations are for starting his own business, it's not mere survival. It's probably a matter of personal pride since he always wanted to be his own boss and have his own circus, but he was an absolute failure as an enrertainer.

Blitzø is the one who built his entire business model off of having continued access to an infinitely powerful, one-of-a-kind magical artifact that belonged to a demon prince. Blitzø doesn't have any sort of right to the Grimoir; it was given to Stolas so he could serve the machinations of the upper echelons of Hell by interpreting the prophecies in the stars. So no, Stolas is under no obligation to just give it to him.

As seen in "Unhappy Campers", if Blitzø really, desperately wanted to travel to Earth, he could just steal an Asmodean crystal from a sucubus. He stays in this arrangement with Stolas because it's convenient for him. We're not shown how Blitzø actually feels about sleeping with Stolas, but he seems to be pretty neutral on the act itself.

This is Blitzø after sex that he hated. Dude looks borderline traumatized.

Blitzø looks, at worst, mildly annoyed when they're in bed together, and that's largely because Stolas wants the book back so he can perform a ceremony at the Harvest Moon Festival. Blitzø, in his own words, has a long list of clients waiting for heads to roll.

Blitzø straight up volunteered to fuck Stolas's brains out just to thank him for saving him and the rest of I.M.P. The first night they had sex, he spent the whole night with Stolas when he didn't have to. Stolas even offered to skip the whole kinky sex thing multiple times and literally just hand the book over, and Blitzø was relatively indifferent.

Blitzø can and has said no to Stolas when he isn't in the right headspace or just plain doesn't want to, and Stolas accepts it. He never gets angry or entitled toward Blitzø.

It's also worth pointing out as early as "Ozzies", Stolas was researching Asmodean crystal. He knows the transactional nature of their relationship is preventing them from forming any kind of meaningful connection, and it massively hurts the fiercely independent Blitzø's pride that he's basically Stolas's sugar baby.

So Stolitz is an absolute train wreck right now. It's been made very obvious that things can't continue as they are and lead to any sort of genuine, fulfilling relationship like what Asmodeus and Fizzarolli have. Their "arrangement" is unhealthy, sleazy, and exploitive on both sides: Stolas is using Blitzø as an outlet for all his pent up sexual frustration after being trapped in a loveless, sexless marriage with an emotionally abusive partner for almost two decades, and Blitzø is willing to seduce, manipulate, and lie to Stolas to get what he wants.

Look, I like Blitzø, but he is *not* a good person, or a good partner. Remember when Blitzø tricked Stolas into thinking they were on a date just so he could ignore him and spy on the M&M's? Or how he *aggressively* came onto a possibly drunk Stolas, shoving him onto the bed and straddling him when he clearly not ready for what was about to happen and was even protesting a little, all so Blitzø could steal from him. And this is totally in character for Blitzø. Look how he treated Verosika!

Ultimately, they're both very damaged, fucked up people who've done shitty things and hurt themselves and each other. I think they can cobble together some semblance of a functioning relationship when they actually start communicating with each other and admitting what they want.

[bl-danmei-planet]

Jinx: Jaekyung's POV

I'd like to analyze something that Jinx hasn't had (much) in the story yet: Jaekyung's POV.

The story is told from Dan's perspective, so naturally the reader has more sympathy towards Dan. Clearly Dan is the one who suffers in the story. Jaekyung's impulsive nature, anger, and high sex drive are something that are still a bit mystery.

Many readers are waiting for the explanation for his toxic behavior. Many readers are looking for him to "turn to a green flag". Readers love "tame the beast" type of story in romance. Mingwa has said this to be a classic story, so it will be possible it takes this route. But so far there is not character development with 50+ chapters in the story.

In Mingwa's earlier work BJ Alex the toxic top Jiwon also goes through flasbacks that explain his shitty behavior and through separation arch he realizes his feelings. At the end of the story he is a changed man. Some readers speculate that Jinx will take the same route because there are some similarities with the stories. However I'm doubtful of that.

Will there be a tragic backstory? In the last chapters it was revealed that his opponent Junmin has met him before and said to him:

This put Jaekyung's under a lot of stress. I believe this exhange clearly shows that Jaekyung's has had a troubled childhood. To me it's clear that his avoidance of emotion and cold nature is a result of some kind of trauma.

Will there be a regret arch or separation arch? I feel that now (ch. 51) we are going through some kind of introspection. Jaekyung's processing the fact that Dan might have betrayed him. In my interpretation it is miracle to Jaekyung why Dan hasn't left him before and has tried avoiding that by making him financially dependent on him. Their very first encounter starts as a transaction. Jaekyung's past lovers have been paid to have sex with him (as far as we know). He clearly has issues with intimacy. I feel that it is a miracle to Jaekyung that Dan has stayed with him. Jaekyung has broken his boundaries and played with him however he wants and Dan has submitted to him. I think one part of Jaekyung expects Dan to betray him at one point. Him ignoring Dan's feelings and doing what he wants separates himself from human connection. It might be one type of self harm to treat people shitty and be seemingly okay that they don't like you.

I believe Jaekyung's backstory will be tied to how he feels like he has to be the dominant one, the winner, the Emperor. I wish the backstory would give Jaekyung some character depth because usually very dominant and independent people have gone through something abusive and they have been forced to be in a submissive role. I talked previously how this work has BDSM undertones and how Jae's dominance plays a big part of his character. I would say he already has character depth because we have already seen him under a lot of stress and him contemplating why he is so obsessed with Dan.

Jaekyung is hard to read, he has a poker face. He simply does not show much emotion except for anger and lust. He is an emotionally detached man. This is what I find interesting about Jinx and Jae's character. How does such a cold character show love? Or even realize he's in love? I don't think we're ever going to see him as a super loving character because he has repressed so much of himself. He shows his emotions thorugh action. And with Dan the action so far in the story is possessiveness.

So many of the so called Jinx fans just straight up hate Jaekyung. I'm pretty sure everyone's minds will turn once we get his backstory. Jinx is a slowburn and people just don't seem to be patient enough for it and show their frustration in the fandom. I'm dissapointed in this because I really like Jaekyung's character. I like cold characters that are a bit of a mystery. Jaekyung portrays himself as the dominant one, but that is only the part of himself he shows to other people (and the reader). I feel that many readers would enjoy the story more if the could sympathize more with Jaekyung. But some people need to be reminded that this story is not for everyone and Jaekyung's not the typical perfect loving top many readers would like to have for themselves.

[ofallthingsnasty]

Oh, I love this 👀 My brain immediately went with arranged marriage, I hope that's okay too? Thank you for sending this, I'm starting to like him... hehe. Requests are open! tags: arranged marriage, unrequited feelings (on reo's part), yandere, noncon in those last few sentences, alcohol, minors dni word count: 1.1k

We know that Reo is just so bored with things he can easily have, with that stuffy, uptight life his parents have planned for him. So on he goes - follows his dreams, becomes a pro-athlete, plays and works alongside Nagi - but getting married to a nice, established heir his parents have picked seems to be something he can’t get out of easily. He had his fun, they argue, they let him have this, the soccer and the glitz and glam of being an established pro. It’s time for him to cave and do something for them, too. (And he should know- he can’t trust all these…  floozies throwing themselves at all these famous players, they’re probably all gold diggers anyway. No, he should let them choose the perfect partner for him, someone nice and rich and from a successful family just like him.) He’ll fight it, tooth and nail - but in the end, there is little use to it. When he sees a picture of you for the first time, he can’t help but roll his eyes at you. You’re clearly old money, all prim and proper and draped in tasteful designer. God,  you look insufferable. And he’ll let you know just what he thinks of you when you meet for the first time, even when his mother clutches her fork extra tight when he acts more like a child than the grown man he is. He doesn’t care. He’ll go through it for them, but he makes it abundantly clear that he has no interest in you whatsoever. It’s infuriating how you smile through it all, how you’re all polite and kind and invested in this when it only makes him sick to his stomach. His parents love you. And with your family’s success and your likable face, it’s decided. Your wedding is quaint yet expensive - dull and elegant just like you and he can barely hide his disgust at the fakeness of it all - imagine his shock when all of that melts away after the knot is tied and you’re finally alone with him. Turns out, you want to have as much to do with him as he does with you, that all that friendliness was just an act. You tell him you’ll play the part of the loving spouse in public, that you’ll come to all his games, that you’ll cling to him as though your life depends on it during any sort of events, that you’ll show your face with him out on “dates” and fancy getaways - but that he won’t get any love from you, either. That you only jumped on this opportunity because he was so disinterested in you, that you wanted to have your parents out of your hair just as much as he did, that this is purely transactional. Shock melts into acceptance but he suddenly sees you in a new light: More like a kindred spirit, someone pushed into this against their will and not some money-hungry person jumping at the chance to get further in life with this bond - suddenly you intrigue him, suddenly he finds himself watching you. Now you’re something he can’t have and now you have his full interest. He notices all those little, endearing quirks you have, sees how different you actually are from what he thought of you. With each passing day, he feels more drawn to you - how ironic it is that even though you’re married, vowed to stay together through everything life might throw at you, he can’t even really talk to you without you giving him the cold shoulder. It’s maddening. And exhilarating. He can’t get you out of his head, thinks and talks about you all the time - it’s all his spouse this, his partner that - yet at home, you barely look at him. Any attempt at getting to know you better, at piquing your curiosity at least a little bit, is fruitless. No matter how many thoughtful gifts he buys you (you tell him you can buy yourself treats with your own money), how many times he takes you on elaborate dates (you hate those, he should know that - you want to spend as little time as possible out in public, pretending), how many compliments he pays you (you just raise your brows at those) - there is no getting through to you. Every trick up his sleeve, he has tried to play it, to no avail. It’s eating him up inside. The mounting desperation is not only emotional in nature, it starts to get… sexual as well. How many times has he imagined you riding him, finally giving in to him, finally ending this torture. He has one last thing to try, one last shot at getting to pry you open, even though it’s scummy - but he has no more shame to feel, he just wants a taste of you. And so he takes you out to another fancy dinner, keeps your glass full and your stomach light, uses the fact that you never make a scene in public to his advantage. You don’t know what he’s trying to achieve but you play along, going from tipsy to clearly drunk in little to no time. Suddenly there is a smile on your face and would you look at that - you can even laugh. For the first since your wedding you willingly touch him, not because you’re playing it up for the paparazzi but because you want to. You clutch his arm as he steadies you and guides you outside, lean your full weight into him. And he revels in it. You’re a much better sport when you’ve had a few. And it must have been so exhausting for you, as well - all those months without the touch of another, without anyone to hold you. He’s easy on the eyes, he knows this - it shouldn’t be hard to spark that long lost flame in your belly. He wants to feel bad when he slowly helps you out of you clothes but the sight of you snuffs all of the guilt out. You’re airy and soft like this, hungry for him, even. You laugh and giggle about the fact that you’re married yet haven’t had sex yet and moan when he sucks on your neck, cry out when he finally pushes himself into you. He fucks you with so much fervor that you can only cling to him as you garble out nonsense, that you can truly only take it. He knows you won’t have forgotten about this tomorrow morning, that you’ll feel him for days to come but he doesn’t care. He finally has what he wanted and the chase has made it all the sweeter. Who cares if you won’t talk to him for a week straight once you’re sober? You’re married - not only that, he’s a goddamn star. Who’d believe you that he had to push you into this? You can sulk all you want come tomorrow but he’ll have his moment right now.

[tototalks]

Next side story, The Training of Erasmus! 🩷✨

I really enjoyed the world-building in this, and I more so than ever want nice things for Erasmus (and Kallias!)🥰

- Starting off, it’s immediately clear to see the difference between the nature of pets in Vere and the nature of slaves in Akielos where submission is given willingly and cultivated in a very different, almost scholarly way. I like that Erasmus clearly takes pride in what he does and enjoys it.

- I also really appreciate the subtlety and class of Pacat’s writing, especially given the nature of the setting. It makes the whole thing much more alive, and thus palatable to read, because this pleasure slave training could easily sound like a terrible Wattpad “how tf did this get published?’ book, but it doesn’t. It’s immersive and believable as part of the Akielon culture.

- Erasmus is really just so keen to please, and has so much pressure on his shoulders given his training. Now he has his transition into adulthood and still feels like he cannot truly reciprocate the love shown him, even by his friends. Conceal don’t feel never did anyone any good. Let it go, Erasmus.

- Every time Akielos’ marble floors are mentioned I think about how hot it must be to walk barefoot on that in the sun. All the slaves hopping and skipping in fear of burning their feet. Like walking next to a swimming pool in summer cursing your scorched toes. 😂

- The training grounds give very convent vibes, peaceful and concealed… and everyone is a virgin.💀

- If I were one of the trainees, I’d be terrified that one tiny scar from falling is enough to render the years of training useless. I fell over a flat fuckin surface this week. Makes me wonder if jealous slaves trip each other on purpose to get ahead.

- So much emphasis is put on physical appearance and the notion of perceived purity. I find this interesting actually, and it makes a real change to see these kinds of expectations put on a male character.

- Iphigen’s name was a cool choice! The mythological character of Iphigenia was killed as a “maiden” (Iphigenia in Aulis) - however, in some versions of the story (Cypria) -Artemis, the goddess of maidenhood, saves her before her father, Agamemnon, can kill her as a sacrifice… yeah ain’t foreshadowing a bitch lol

- I love that there is absolutely not a mean bone in Erasmus’ body. He isn’t jealous of Kallias, and supports him wholeheartedly in his endeavours. Erasmus’ kind nature has proven time and time again to be one of his greatest strengths. You don’t have to be a warrior to have power.

- I’m glad Erasmus got to experience real affection before truly becoming a slave, even if he was prevented from manifesting it fully. He experienced love that wasn’t transactional. ♥️

- Aden on the other hand is turning green and sweetheart, that is NOT a good look for you. Being jealous of Erasmus is like hating a cotton ball.

- Poor Erasmus just wants to read his cute love poems and is forced to memorise the Iliad, Odyssey, and Bibliotheca because Damen has the literary tastes of a five year old who likes swords. 😭😭

- I also love the detail that there’s an Akielon Homer and everyone is like “ffs how do you have THAT MUCH to say about one war??” Because same honestly. Thank you very much for the tedious lists of boats and lineages. Very helpful. I feel you, Erasmus 😂

- I like the mention of how Damen’s eyes are known to roam, and this serves only to highlight how down bad he is for Laurent later on. That boy fell HARD.

- “I wish you could have been my first.” 🥺🥺🥺 Torveld better fuckin take Erasmus to see the world like he wanted.

- Erasmus must have felt so betrayed by that kiss, but it 100% saved his life, and he definitely had to acknowledge that privately some time later on. Kallias was also his first kiss.🥲

- There’s a certain brutality in itself that comes with training the slaves for “innocence”, and placing purity on a very high pedestal. Your value being entirely attached to your virginity. So much so that one touch can render you ‘useless’ and ‘tainted’.

- I like that Erasmus doesn’t violently resent Kallias for the kiss even immediately after it happens- he’s confused and upset, but he must have known there was a reason.

- And here’s my million dollar question: WHAT HAPPENED TO KALLIAS?? 😨

[deliriumbubbles]

After all the discourse about who was "more" wrong, It's exciting to see Apology Tour put the foot down and remind us that this is Blitzo's story. It's about how he changes and grows. It's not about just letting it go because we know he hates himself. You actually have to take steps toward improvement, and that's really fucking hard to do.

Are there psychiatrists in Hell? Cognative Behavioral Therapy?

So first off, anyone who was dying for Blitzo to be the one sending tons of text messages and coming back trying to talk to Stolas, congrats because he's definitely doing that. And annoying the crap out of Stolas and just hurting him more every time he talks to him because he keeps trying to make them revert their relationship BACK to "I'm just here as part of a transactional fucking." The big problem between them, that he can't believe that Stolas would like him even though Stolas has told him multiple times by now, remains because it's not something he can just hear once and get over.

Moreover, this is his story, so he's just going to say more hurtful things, but Stolas at least, this time, manages to use his own words (likely bc he's not triggered at that point and has some defenses up), and is able to tell Blitzo that his words are hurtful. Instead of magicking him out. Because Blitzo would just pop back over the wall.

So we get a brief, humorous montage of Blitzo going around and apologizing to everyone and not meaning it and he ends up at the Fuck Blitzo party and by degrees, and after Stolas singing a song that suggests that he still kind of blames himself for being foolish and thinking Blitzo cared, it does start to sink in and they talk a bit.

Interesting that this is the first time Blitzo has SEEN Stolas knocking it back because we the audience know he does this kinda regularly. Along with his own damn meds. Geez, these guys.

I also like that they didn't have to villainize Verosika in their conversation. She got hurt because it seems like their relationship was going pretty well until she let an ilu slip and that just sets Blitzo off because he can never believe that. It's like being compliment shy to a million degrees. And so he turned on her, he hurt her, on purpose, and she's angry because of what he did but also because he acts like it's her fault.

IS this party a monument to pettiness? Oh fuck yeah, it is. Maybe people should just learn to let go. I dont' think that's her entire career, but now whenever they're near each other, they both snipe at each other because she was hurt and doesn't feel like forgiving him when he's not sorry. But it was a good conversation between them. Blitzo hit another milestone, admitting out loud that he doesn't want to have to be like this forever. He does it deliberately, and it doesn't excuse it, but he's seeking change. He had to get here before moving forward.

So. Now he's had "a fucking minute" to process what Stolas said, has said, keeps on saying. He's heard that Stolas craves someone to love and want him. It's out there that Blitzo stopped Striker the first time. Unspoken things are moving forward.

I heard people fussing about this being their make up episode, but given the next ep (which probably will be in October), Blitzo needs to be at a low before he starts turning things around. It's his show and more than anything, the arc with Stolas is highlighting how he can't accept good things happening to him.

Stolas still has things he needs to work on as well. Highlighted in this episode is getting a more realistic sense of what romance is kind of like because he's basically a babygay rn. He doesn't have to have another full on relationship to realize that other people could want him. It could happen, but it's not necessary. He just has to recognize that he's not unlovable. That's not the problem with Blitzo. And for him to heal from his father and Stella he does need a little more experience.

Headcanon for me: Stolas and Verosika are gonna be besties after this until I'm proven otherwise.

[cadaveerie]

the things i'm the most and least excited about for Dragon Age: The Veilguard!

includes DATV spoilers from the trailers and articles

i might continuously edit this post until the game actually launches as we receive new info!

all of these have been confirmed by the devs, except for those in which i clarify the opposite (ie: those that i write with a "possibly", which have probably been only suggested). if you want the source for any of these specifically let me know!

and a big shoutout to felassan for answering my question, because i started wondering if i just made up the 'pause during cutscene' thing, and I couldn't for the life of me figure out where I'd heard that lol

anyway, here it is!

GENERAL

no EA app or online mode/internet to play the game

pause during cutscenes

interruptible and resumable banter

no micro-transactions

CC

the character creator!!! - more diverse bodies, better (and darker. and better dark) skin tones and afro-textured hair!

change of voice pitch for Rook!

trans Rook! they/them Rook! and the ability to express that in-game!

b-bulge slider.......? t-tittie slider?????

different lighting options in character creator :]

in-game name suggestions for rook :]

nudity :D:D:D SEXOOO

PURPLE ROOK!!!!! (sarcastic/charming, like hawke. im gonna be insufferable to solas specifically)

CHARACTERS

"not that skeleton, but we're not saying no skeletons" as an answer to whether we can romance manfred (..... the fuck. idk what that means but... im game)

bi/pan romanceable companions! - it makes me happy, especially as someone non-binary and genderfluid. i'll die on this hill

paraphrasing: “the most romantic game yet”..... mmmm… yes….

the companions overall... i rly like both the designs and what we know of them

"are there companions gifts again" John: "(...) you very well might find things in the world that certain companions would appreciate!"

John: "Not going to get into specifics on interactables, but there is more to do in the Lighthouse than conversations with companions. The Lighthouse does have a kitchen, and your companions acknowledge it/use it both narratively and ambiently. Some maybe better than others."

more focus and intentionality on the companions' stories and relationships! yay!

inquisitor presence :D

maybe solas and inky? - not confirmed that they'll interact, but pleaaaase let them. no matter if it's a romance, friendship or hateful relationship, i need to see a reunion

the relationship between solas and rook! - from what they'd said it looks like they're gonna have a fun dynamic!!! i hope that it's kind of a bad relationship but that at some points there can be some appreciation, or respect. i think they said that it could be change, depending on you

cameos!!! - we know there will be some. confirmed morrigan cameo! my bets for others are on dorian (and mae), fenris (copium), zevran (copiumx2). and maybe these are reaches but... perhaps cassandra? leliana? illario? alistair? sten? either way im looking forward to it!

700 characters (wtf)

140,000 lines of dialogue (wtf x2. almost double of Inquisition's (80,000))

DREADWOLF WOLF FORM! DREADWOLF WOLF FORM!!! *scratches his belly*

LORE

visiting places we have never seen before like Tevinter, Antiva, Anderfels, Nevarra, Rivain, etc

more thedas deep lore!!! - elven gods! and this hasn't been confirmed, but since we'll go there... will there be tevinter lore? anderfels lore? rivain lore? antivan lore? titans lore (my theory is because of Harding)!?

GRAPHICS and CUSTOMIZATION

possibly a camera mode

beautiful textures!

beautiful landscape!

very nice hair physics! (big improvement)

gear customization + transmog

enable/disable helmets for cutscenes

COMBAT

I rly like the subclasses… they feel so…. gothic

combat looks more dynamic overall!

combos with the companions!

finisher animations!

mages can move while attacking apparently?

and they^ can use staffs, daggers and orbs :0

parry + shield toss :0

and i'm just excited to see how it actually feels while playing and how everything progresses!

things I'm kinda sad/disappointed about. just a little

only can bring two companions along (probably a 3 party total?)

probably no trans, they/them or they/x companions? :( (im assuming there will be characters that are trans (mae) and go by them/them or multiple pronouns, but i mean companions specifically)

only 7 companions. i was a little disappointed at first but tbh im fine w it now haha

they haven't talked about rook as a character much so im a little worried about that, their personal journey, their dialogue etc :')

that rook doesn't seem to have different beginnings depending on his origin :( not a huge deal but tbh i loved that about origins

can't choose multiple pronouns :( perhaps it's possible? they've explicitly said that you can go by he, she or they, but i don't think that implies multiple at the same time. it can't be that hard to program it so that it randomly changes between two or more pronouns, right? idk about game development so i dont actually know, sorry if i'm ignorant

this is suuuper nitpicky but in relation to the graphics.. i kinda wish the skins looked slightly.. different? idk how to put it, but they look kind of smooth? maybe too much? i just wish they had a little bit more texture, it kinda looks like they have a beauty filter, imo, and i think it would look better if they look slightly differently

and i have mixed feelings about how the characters are stylized overall. like... y'know, the whole "cartoony" discourse. at first i didnt like it at all, but since we've seen more im way more on board. still... i kinda feel like some things could look a bit nicer

idk how i feel about how the darkspawn look. like it's not a huge deal to me either, but... i just wish they looked different. lol. they do look a little bit goofy

and idk if i like the... veiny/nervous system looking-thing in demons either? like, i like it in theory but tbh in practice im not too sure

the remake of the warden's logo :((

that's it!

tbh im just happy about most things they've said and shown so far. i think a lot of these things are a good sign. also, things like the "not ea app necessary" make me inclined to believe that this is something they've had to fight for (cause you know, if ea could choose they'd do things their way) and that's something i appreciate a lot. that's why i think this and a lot of other choices and changes they've made in relation to the last game, are good signs that they've listened to our feedback in a lot of things! and i hope this reflects in the entirety of the game. i hope it's the case. idk i'm positive about this game! a little scared ofc, because i care and i want it to be as good as possible, but excited nonetheless!

are there things i didn't include but that you are excited about? what are you looking the most forward to, overall? i'd appreciate to see your excitement and know what you like the most!

[tetsunabouquet]

GOM Headcanon: Confessions

A/N: I had been thinking of how I'd confess to Akashi if he were real and I were the vice president of the student council, and I decided to make a headcanon how the GOM would react when their crush gives them an epic love confession.

"Akashi-senpai, I need to tell you something. I've been in love with you for a long time, and whilst I am know I am not the kind of girl someone of your status would fall for, I frankly stopped caring. I only care about wanting to make you happy and smile every day. I want you to know you deserve someone who loves you for who you are and not for whom your father is, even if it's not me. I just love you so much that it hurts. It hurts to keep it from you. I hate not being able to be honest with you, and I think I'd die if I couldn't confess to you before you graduate."

-You were his favorite girl in the entire student body, being a true friend. During your first year and Reo's final year, the vice-captain of Rakuzan's basketball team basically adopted you as his little sister. Nearly two years had passed since then and Akashi was preparing for his exams. -He did needed a while to process that you actually liked him back, because he had been wondering wether he had been delusional about it. -Akashi smiled warmly at you and asked you if you wanted to go out with him some time, going along with whatever you wished and whenever you wished it. -The two of you began a relationship as he affirmed he had no intention allowing his father to pick him a bride. -His heart melted when you said his heart was worth so much more then a simple transaction, and he confirmed to himself that you were the keeper he had always needed.

"Midorima-san, may I tell you something? I just wanted to say that I think you're the coolest guy at this school. You never allow people to push you around, you never care what they say and you've got such a strong backbone. I think you're truly strong, and not just because you have those mucles that you do and I think it's really attractive. The attitude, I mean, not the muscles though you do have a really nice body…" You rambled on and took a deep breath. "I just wanted to say, that I think I'm falling for you and think you're a really amazing, dependable guy even if you're younger then me."

-You were the senpai Midorima had been crushing on ever since he had enrolled at Shutoku and seeing you act all flustered like an innocent schoolgirl over him, shocked him to his core. -Sure, you were a schoolgirl, but he never expected to see you such a babbling mess. He never realized he had any of the slightest kind of power over you or that you even really cared for him all that much. You were always kind and helpful to everyone, after all. -Midorima said he would like to have your number in response, when he finally could speak. His face was red like a crate of cherry tomatoes, let me tell you. -He texted you as soon as he came home and hoped he hadn't broken some kind of stupid code as he was new to romance. Girls always seemed to speak about a code, at least. -Eventually he arranged a date later that week because it was the day both of your signs occupied the first and second position on the Oh-Asa chart and you giggled thinking he was cute.

"Aomine-kun, I need to tell you that I like you. Like, a lot. You're so cool, especially on the court. Just seeing you gets my heart all fluttered." You placed your hands on your heart, feeling it thump harshly underneath your flesh. There were a thousand things you wanted to say, like how beautiful his eyes were, but you knew Aomine to be a simple guy so you said it as plainly as you could, before you would chase him away by saying something cringy.

-Aomine first stared at your chest, your hands drawing more attention to it as he processed the information, but you knew Aomine could be a pervert so you didn't mind. -He started smirking pretty quickly though, you were a girl he found considerably pretty and he liked your sense of humor so it was great to hear you confess to him. -Aomine decided to ask you out for a date after the upcoming basketball match. -You attended the match and cheered for him, making him actually excited to play. -Afterwards he took you for a victory celebration dinner for just the two of you with the last thing you saw before leaving being a grinning Momoi.

"Murasakibara-kun," you said, drawing the purple haired's attention, "You are as dear to me as salt, and I would like for you to be my boyfriend." It was simple, easily processable for the childish-minded giant and with his love for food you thought the fairy-tale reference was cute and well-suited. Though panic shot through you as you wondered if Murasakibara even knew that folktale considering it wasn't as popular as Cinderella or something. Fingers crossed, I guess?

-Murasakibara might not have heard of the fairytale before, but unlike the King of the tale, Murasakibara was far too aware of the importance of salt and did not take it weirdly. -Murasakibara might have been convinced to go to Yosen partially because the coach was hot, but when it came to the actual students he found you the most attractive and he loved your fruit scented shampoo. -It did not take him long to decide that it wasn't a bad idea to give a relationship with you a shot and he nodded. "Sure." -Offered you a piece of candy as a token of love. -You couldn't stop yourself from cherishing that wrapper. You know, like in the sense of not wanting to wash your hand if it had been kissed by the boy you like. You wanted to remember that moment forever, no matter how simple and easy it had been.

"Kise, I want to tell you something and I hope you take me seriously," you said before taking a deep breath. "I know you probably get like a dozen confessions every day and honestly I wonder if mine is even going to stand out. But I really like you. And not for your looks. Neither for the money you probably make or the talent you have at sports. I like you for who you are. Like the moments you were trying so hard to make Kasamatsu-senpai proud, its like watching a golden retriever and I couldn't help but melt on the inside for a bit. If I'd only have half the devotion you show for the basketball team, I'm pretty sure I'd be the happiest girl in the world. Please be mine."

-The two of you had been partners in school projects often, it was as if luck was on your side to the disappointment of many girls at Kaijo High. So Kise knew you fairly well. -He had honestly fallen for you. Your humor always lifted his spirit and he saw you as a genuine friend. -Kise broke out in a 1000 watt smile, glowing as finally, he had been given the confession of a girl he actually liked. -He accepted your feelings immediately and you were shocked with how quickly he jumped to the occasion. -There were a couple of girls spying on you and you could hear them sob as Kise pulled you close and asked you if you were available for a date this weekend. You could not stop yourself from giggling as Kise rubbed it in their faces that he was only interested in you.

[theoldoor]

“fenrir are you FUCKING STUPID”

“MAGAWWUFHUHUHGU YYOU…DID YOU SAY YES!!?!? ..ghguughhghg.h.uuhuhgh.h.g.h. ”

“YES????”

(more doodles below jus bear w the ramblings pls)

This is when Fenrir asked for Aventurine to teach him avgin-sigonian for his Masters in linguistics - it took him a lot of courage to do it because Aventurine has a 50/50 chance when it comes to asking about his Avgin heritage, he either feels like 10 bajillions daggers and his ancestors coming to beat his ass or he feels appreciated and seen for his dead culture and this gambler is the only man fenrir couldn’t read fully.

fenrir is not the type to gamble, so of course he came up with a plan

They started out normally but fenrir keeps beating around the bush to kind of get aventurine pissed off so that he couldn’t feel sad, like too focused on being angry to hate himself type shit. As they are, they’d probably end up in a fist fight cuz yk, if you got recycled, youll still get the marks of what you once were (talia lore) the question dropped in the middle of the fight and aventurine just said yes on a whim- fenrir broke down and just be liek ‘HELL YEAH VASHA YOURE THE GOAT’

— THEYRE MY EVERYTHING IM GOING TO DIEEE (colored + full + no beating each others up version) - lil writing below too :3

i know i talk a lot about how caring fenrir is towards aventurine most of the time but that isn’t really how they act “canonically” UHGF

Theyre bicker, pester and shit. theyre the only one who can get under each other’s skin and sometimes their little momentarily bantering do distract their self esteem bc they lowk find the other person more annoying (when the suicide hotline hung up on u and ure too confused/pissed to kys typa dynamic). they act petty and would often annoy the other but would never say a bad word and would still do anything to save them. because in the end, fenrir and aventurine still considered each other family (old married couple with early love beef) considering their journey through talia together.

they still know that the reason why they found comfort in each other so easily despite all the tension is because, really, they are the same side of two coin. They are each other’s foil, they emphasize each other’s character - which is something both fenrir and aventurine HATE (self-loathe hell yeah jigsaw) but also they found that there are also others with the same wound.

They bite each other, but its their teeth that stopped the bleeding.

(or more like they bite each other’s open wound in hope to hurt the other, but actually found that the scars are from the same pair of teeth and found comfort that they don’t have to bite themselves to stop the bleeding anymore)

(do u get it pls cuz aventurine has the same pair of teeth as his masters because he probably learn more from his old master than his parents cuz he spent more time with the masters than his family haha - applies to fenrir too ahahahahaha)

i feel aventurine is charming and he compliments everyone bc thats gonna get them to grow on him - yk ppl likes compliments. if theyre not affected by compliments? money. if theyre one of those “i dont like compliments and money” he’ll just act crazy, putting himself on the line and bending them to his will by other forms of manipulation. i don’t feel like aventurine values relationship because he doesn’t even value himself, which is an important factor in a healthy relationship (regardless of romance or not). Most of his connections would mostly be transactional and he does have very few people he kept by - Dr Ratio, Trailblazer, etc.

Fenrir? he hates himself too much for compliments to work. he’s too talented to need money and he’s also a master when it comes to manipulation. As they are, same sides of two coins. fenrir has the same issue with aventurine, none of his tactics worked, he couldn’t bend aventurine to his needs so easily. so with the forced proximity, stranded in the desert with no one else but each other, they learn to co operate rather than to use one another. Both Fenrir and Aventurine would be forced to not see their relationship as transactional - and thus create a foundation for a more genuine relationship.

The only way they can break out of their habits of seeing everything being out of obligations is when they’re forced to turn their head a different way. if they were given the permission to stay, they will stay in the hellhole that they found comfort in rather than the ground where they can walk freely because they never learned to walk without the weights - they will fall because they can’t balance themselves.

—

“only a madman can beat a master.” what if theyre both madmen?

“genius on the left, lunatic on the right?” what if they’re a genius because they’re a lunatic who manage to prove the crazy theories and the other is a lunatic because they’re a genius who can come up with the crazy theories without answers?

what if theyre the death of me

[ungrateful-cyborg-moved]

On Minfilia

When you take Minfilia at face value, she’s honestly a good character. And her writing is consistent enough that I can’t completely say that the way the community reacted to her was due to it but at the same time... it kinda is, in my opinion, and most of the arguments given to “hate on her” by people are mis-attributed griefs with the storytelling itself or the gameplay.

(The way some choose to mis-attribute it speak more of those people than of the story or devs, though.)

To me, Minfilia is a just and kind woman, if a bit politically naive, who tries her hardest to fill in the shoes of Louisoix when it’s very much not what she signed up for in creating the Path of the Twelve. It’s a hell of a role to take on at 22 (time of the Calamity, since she’s 27 in ARR) and she did an admirable job with it. You can understand why those who’ve known her for a long time feel like she’s incredible, given the facts.

But if you’re not a Legacy player, you don’t know those stakes, you don’t know her, and she doesn’t know your character either (she recognizes Legacy WoLs from what I've gathered).

So your actual introduction to Minfilia goes like this: you get told by Momodi that a secret organization is interested in hiring you and to go to Vesper Bay. You go there and speak to Tataru.

A summary in two screenshots:

The named Scion depends on where you started: Thancred for Ul'dah, Y'shtola for Limsa, Yda and Papalymo for Gridania. It's not Minfilia who recruits you, it's them. She just gets to make it official because she's the boss and got the last word.

And not only that but you've traveled to the town, then get to pass three doors (and two loading screens) in total before meeting her: to enter the building, to go to the basement and, finally, to enter her office where she's talking to the main Scions.

Which seems entirely trivial but I feel like it create a pre-existing distance before you even get to meet Minfilia.

In the Solar, she introduces herself, then immediately puts some distance between you and her by walking behind her desk—ironically while telling you that you're amongst friends—and starts her speech about the Scions, the Echo, the Primals and the fact that your Echo is especially strong. A speech she ends with this (notice the crossed arms—distance, again):

The next cutscene is about the perks of the job, settling once and for all that your relationship with her, even though she calls you friend, is transactional and hierarchical.

Which is fine, I'm not complaining. But she's our boss, which sets her apart from every other character in the story, Scions included.

The next hours are literally spent executing her orders, going back and forth between Vesper Bay and wherever she sends you (and we didn't have the aetheryte tickets until patch 5.3) until she gets abducted.

We meet quite a lot of NPCs who tell us that she's a great diplomat (something we didn't get to see so far since she doesn't accompany us on our diplomatic mission to talk to the Sylphs about Ramuh) and talented to bring people together (which is probably true but always happens off screen). We don't get to see it until well after they made her go from our boss to a damsel in distress we need to save.

To quote Erenville: first impressions last.

Especially when the story doesn't give you opportunities to change it for hours of gaming time.

She's not as passive as people tend to remember, but they botched her introduction to non-legacy players, in my opinion.

So I can't say it's entirely fair to pretend there's no reason to dislike her, or at least to not care much about her. There are other characters who play a similar role to her up to a point: the Exarch for example. But the Exarch goes, literally, outside to meet with us. We get to see him deal with Ranjit and the threat of Eulmore. By the time he needs saving, we've seen what he can do, even discounting his help in the first dungeon. I don't think he would have received such a warm reception if he'd just been waiting for us passively in the Ocular for the first half of Shadowbringers.

It's worth mentioning that the writers were working on the 1.X patches at the same time they were writing ARR, though. And to me, it feels like they either forgot or didn't care that new players wouldn't have a pre-existing rapport with Minfilia.

After all, Louisoix tells her in one of the short stories to wait for "one who bears the light". When we meet her in the Solar, we doom her: her role was to serve as a bridge between 1.0 and 2.0. To wait for us.

And we're here now.

(I don't think they meant to keep her around, even without the general disliking of her that players had—and that's probably why the twins were here from the start.)

[tenderhungering]

veep headcanons? :3

oh this will take a WHILE……i love veep so much. i’m about to wrap up season 6 right now ! i think i’ll do little headcannons / analysis for each character ! i might do a part 2 because i want to also do some more supporting characters. like you know damn well im gonna wanna write for catherine and marjorie as a whole,,,

Selina

named catherine “catherine” like her mother in order to be able to yell said name in anger the way she never could yell back at her mother

the severe mommy issues make her need every single one of her staff to be emotionally involved in her. if she isn’t the center of their life, she gets anxious about it, even angry. she needs to be validated

depends heavily on spellcheck,,, i just think she hates phones for some reason.

she can tell EXACTLY how someone is feeling by making it up in her head and believing it ❤️

got arrested once in her youth and it was wiped off the record. #supportwomen’swrongs

Amy

would do super super well taking up something that makes her adrenaline pump. they keep trying to get her to relax by making her get massages, meditate and be in quiet. she needs NOISE. she should be allowed to beat someone up at least once a day

had a little gray cat whenever she was younger. she likes them ! they’re similar to how she is whenever it comes to boundaries.

bisexual but she has a stressful job so she doesn’t have time to think about that rn

she would benefit from me in her life actually

actually really liked dan bc dan seems to personalize the relationship to the person (dan is so kind ❤️) so she was into him but suddenly got the ick.

Dan

trigger warning for SA and grooming: i think dan’s relationship with sex is so affected by the fact he slept with his teacher whenever he was younger in exchange for a good grade. it has made him view it was an exchange, a transactional affair. it’s why he’s so shit at intimacy, he doesn’t see to her anything out of it.

watches all the latest movies but it’s only because he keeps taking women out to go see them:

has a really sensitive stomach,,,,he says it’s something he ate but i feel like whenever he gets anxious it happens to

catholic guilt galore but he’s busy so he CANNOT get into it

he’s so the type of boyfriend who does baby talk and when he’s recorded he gets real mad about it. get that camera OUTTA here

Mike

he is like a baby duckling to me that’s why he wanted to raise them actually

has so many useless apps on his phone. why do you have a flashlight app you have a flashlight BUILT into the phone. its okay though bc he watches lot of youtube tutorials

probably wanted to vlog at some point but he got yelled at by selina in a clip so he stopped

the personality hire,,, everyone loves him but god he can be so bad at his job sometimes. everyone gets mad but never enough to fire him

because he started dating wendy, he started to dress up a little more ! ties and handkerchiefs match. i love you dad

Jonah

he so ran one of those private meme accounts whenever he was younger but he got so bad at everyone saying they were lame he just posted a screenshot that said SUCK MY DICK SON and blocked everyone

his incessant gross comments are a result of being around a bunch of rich white men that happen to be politicians that tend to laugh at them. he has daddy issues. he needs the validation

his little curls going missing are a result of him getting his hair straightened because he wanted to look more professional actually. he burnt his hands so he begged his mom to help him

gets really anxious about his health CONSTANTLY and has a will written out already because he’s scared one day it’ll (he doesn’t know what) catch up to him

Gary

he knows the lyrics to every new pop song ever. he loves it. he used to play Just Dance whenever he was in college or something i don’t know i feel like he might’ve even been in a club that requires that

has an extensive skin care routine. he puts on those fluffy headbands sometimes but stopped bc he realized it was to keep your hair dry and his is so short lmao

definitely has an undiagnosed anxiety disorder. he just pops a pill of whatever and hopes that it works (it doesn’t)

needs heavy validation from authority figures,,,like badly,,, i think that’s why he enjoys it so much whenever any of selina’s boyfriends acknowledge him as a person (or anyone gives him any importance)

he needs someone to tell him what to do because he is so lost on having any identify that isn’t directly tied to someone else ? he’s not even really sure what he himself likes anymore. uses “we” more than he uses “i”

[leviathans-watching]

Helloooooo!!!

I really loved and enjoyed the latest fic about Solomon and being his rival🥺

I'm a sucker for a good "enemis/rivals to lovers" damn

Could you perhaps write a part 2 for it? (If not, then ignore this ask :)🙏)

Maybe Solomon finding the witches that hurt mc and dealing with them and then mc finds out what he did for them? Or maybe Solomon spending more time with mc with the excuse of "protecting them bc obviously they can't" but in truth he just wants to be close to them?

Whatever comes in mind! I love your writing and your ideas 😚🥰

Have a great day/night and a fantastic Christmas!!!! 💜💜💜🥰🥰🥰⛄

rivals au w/ solomon pt 2

includes: solomon x gn!reader (no pronouns mentioned)

wc: .4k | rated t | m.list | pt 1 | pt 3

a/n: he's such a dork, i hope you enjoy lmao. thanks for the kind words and for requesting!! my inbox is closed for reqs atp but you can still leave feedback and chat with me!!

*holding hands out pitifully* reblogs? p-please? OwO

“so, mc,” solomon hums, plopping down next to you like it’s an everyday thing, “which witches were the ones you had trouble with last time?”

“what are you doing here, solomon?” you ask, fixing him with an unimpressed look. “you’re in my seatmate’s spot.”

“not anymore.” he flashes you with a charming grin. “we traded.”

“you…traded.”

“yep!” giving you a smirk, he scans the room. “man, i like this seat, too. the only downside is the person i’m stuck beside.”

“no one’s forcing you to sit here,” you tell him flatly. “so go on, like a good little sorcerer, and get back in your normal seat.”

“aw, do you truly hate me that much?”

“yes.” you don’t even spare him a glance, organizing your papers.

solomon doesn’t bother to hide his chuckle, leaning back in his seat languorously. he can’t really pin down exactly why he’d switched seats with the poor shmuck who’d had to sit with you before, and he doesn’t really try. by the time he’d stopped to consider what he was doing, he’d already sealed the deal with your old table partner. it’s not his fault, really!

ever since you’d showed up at his house on that rainy day, he’s been feeling weird whenever he thought about you. you didn't seem to be affected, which only pissed him off more. damn, you got under his skin in a way nobody else could.

“hey, mc,” he says, reaching over to grab one of your books, “you actually take notes on this crap? it comes naturally for me.”

you snatch the book out of his hands, placing it far out of his reach. the fact that he consistently scored higher than you on exams and tests was a sore spot for you and a point of pride for him, especially since it was always only by one or two points.

“the brothers like to use my notes,” you explain coolly.

“you actually help them?”

“sometimes,” you shrug. “i mean, it’s not like i do it for nothing. it’s all transactional.”

he whistles. “how heartless of you.”

you scoff. “says you.”

as your banter falls into its familiar pattern, he feels a bit better. so what if his emotions were all tangled up when he thought about you? you were still the same old annoying, stuck up, know-it-all mc that you’d always been. so what if his heart started to beat in his chest at the thought fo you, or if he couldn’t look away from your concentrated face when you took your stupid notes.

everything is normal. everything is fine.

then you look over at him, making a what do you want? face, the light falling over your eyes in a way he’s never seen, and he has to look away first, heat exploding across his face.

everything is not fine!

leviathans-watching's work - please do not copy, repost, or claim as your own

[cindersnows]

ok @storgicdealer i started writing out a thing in your askbox and then lost it so im writing it in a post instead.

freevic ramblings

(...that kind of ended up turning into mangvic my bad)

ok so like. vic escapes the youtube video. and they find the freedom ad and instantly go into the outernet. theyre one of the first citizens of carteblan, and exactly the type of stick freedom had set out to help when he started a city in the outernet.

(for a little context; the original victim is still dead, as well as all her clones. in my hc/theory, the victim we know who starts rocket corp and lives in the outernet escaped from a youtube video after basically just living out his own death in a fucked up loop over and over until she gained sentience and decided to break out. she's like. a copy of the original victim. haha xerox of a xerox.)

in the beginning, most of the houses in carteblan are still being built, so vic ends up rooming with freedom. and they were roommates. they become friends pretty quickly and freedom tries to help vic come to terms with their trauma and stuff, (he doesn't know that vic escaped from the youtube video --- vic is insecure about being a copy so they lied and said they just survived the deletion and got to the outernet).

they both get happier together even after vic decides to move out and start their own company. freedom's happy that vic's moving on from what noogai did to them and becoming their own person (hahaaa if only he knewwww,,,). freedom also decides to support the company as it's the first proper organization thing to open up in the town and it's pretty useful! as carteblan grows, freedom gets officially appointed as mayor and rocket corp kind of becomes tied in with the government, giving them tech and stuff.

i don't think freedom and vic ever properly label their relationship as anything other than a friendship, though they do go on dates and stuff pretty frequently. its pretty queerplatonic actually. vic likes to spend time with freedom a lot because he makes it feel like a normal person, a good person who's doing what's right for society. for freedom, hanging out with vic is like a breath of fresh air, one of the few things that didn't change after he was given responsibility over and entire city of traumatized stickfigures.

sometimes vic has major depressive episodes where its difficult for him to do any work which makes him even more frustrated, and freedom is the only person she really considers close enough to help. they remind me of that one short where the couple text each other "feet pics" to get each other out of bed when they're sad.

honestly, when i think about it, i'm pretty sure freedom is the only person vic actually considers a friend. most other people she hangs out with, she only vaguely likes, and a lot of the time she has to pretend to like people for pr. (in my hc, their relationship with the mercs is purely transactional, and i doubt either party is looking for more.)

both freedom and vic have insecurities about their relationships with other people; freedom has gotten into multiple romantic relationships over the years, though none of them have really stuck, and he often feels like people only like him for his power. vic feels like that too, but with the added feeling of "if people knew the real me, they'd hate me". they lie to everyone, so they feel like everyone's lying to them in return, with the exception of freedom, who's only ever been honest (and vic convinces herself that she's not lying when she says she's happier now and that rocket corp is working for a good cause).

freedom's probably unsure about the idea of capturing chosen (and dark?) at first, but vic manages to convince him by talking about how many people have been hurt by them and lost their home websites/games because of them. the capture is left up to rocket corp alone, since it was their idea, and since by this point rocket corp is basically just the military but if it also sold household tech. freedom's proud of vic for taking the steps to help keep other people safe after vic has frequently beat themself up for acting 'selfishly'.

spoiler alert: freedom gets called to the rocket facility after a massive fight is reported and the place basically blows up, and finds the color gang + chodark + kingduo + the mercs + vic and several other workers all badly hurt with signs of them having gotten into a fight. freedom automatically takes vic's side, because those are two terrorists fighting against fucking Rocket Corp, of course he's going to assume vic's in the right here.

but then cg and kingduo explain the situation (including the torture and the interrogation and sutff), and while freedom doesn't want to believe it, vic refuses to answer when freedom asks if it's true, and freedom knows in his heart that vic was the 'villain' here.

freedom is just. extremely disappointed in vic. and vic in turn feels horrible, because she was convinced freedom would take her side, having seen the ugliest parts of her and accepting her regardless. but freedom thought that vic had moved on, that she no longer wanted revenge, that she was happier.

he can't bring himself to formally arrest vic, much to the protests of cg+kingduo+chodark. they're best friends, after all, and freedom knows from his experience with his own animator that hurt people hurt people. but vic still needs to face consequences, and freedom knows more than anyone else what would hurt vic the most. he strips vic of his power, removing him from the position of the ceo of rocket corp and saying the government is going to take full control of it.

he also says that he's going to completely cut contact with her.

this hurts vic more than anything else, being abandoned by the one person she considered a friend, close to a lifelong partner, all because of her own actions. even after mango and purple decide to help pick vic off hir feet and become a better person, vic spirals, shutting out everyone else and refusing to connect with anyone.

it's only when mango lets vic stay with him after she loses all her property, continuously being kind to them even after seeing what a horrible person they are (because he's been in their place), that vic starts to open up.

this DOES lead to vic beginning to put mango on a pedestal the same way he did with freedom, but i mean, people don't change THAT easily. it'll probably take a few talks with purple to help break the cycle, since purple also struggles with idolizing people (albeit in a different way). i could say So much about victim and purple helping each other become better people but this is so long and also that's off topic so that's a ramble for another day.

[santacarlatourism]

May I please request Kevin Khatchadourian, spending time together headcannons? I love your work so much, it’s genuinely under appreciated! Take your time ! <3

Aw, I'm glad you like my writing, tysm!!! here are some headcanons <3

⮞ one of the quotes in the book is "kevin was a shell game in which all three cups were empty" and i think about that a lot and i think it applies here. the version of kevin you're getting can vary wildly, depending on how he wants you to perceive him, and there's not necessarily a rhyme or reason for the choice he makes.

it's likely if he's voluntarily choosing to spend time with you, though, that you get something closer to his authentic self. and i think that makes him question why you're choosing his company. you're not like lenny-- some loser who idolizes kevin and is easy to manipulate.

so it creates a cycle. he keeps spending time with you to figure out why you like to spend time with him, and the more time he spends with you the more curious he is about why you keep spending time with him.

⮞ you're still initiating most of the hang outs because kevin is not interested enough in most things to suggest anything.

⮞ tell him you need to grab something at the mall and ask if he wants to run over with you. he'll agree and he'll hate it.

however, you spot a sporting goods store and suggest you two dip in there, aware of kevin's love for archery. this... somewhat alleviates kevin's mood. archery is one of very few things kevin has an interest in, and as he peruses the equipment you can probably even get him to explain some of the sport to you and answer questions like what makes a good bow, are there different kinds of string, etc.

the more specific your question is, and the more they build off of previous answers he's given you, the more you seem to really be listening... well, the less likely he is to ask if you're stupid in response to one of them. and, admittedly, the more likely he is to decide that perhaps this trip was worth it.

don't get any ideas about buying him anything though, as a friendly or romantic gesture. something about that, especially so early on, is too easy to kevin. it's too transparent what your motivations are, and he'll stare you dead in the eye, "what, you want to buy me a little surprise just so i'll like you more? my parents can buy me this shit. doesn't make them special either."

gift giving, with kevin, should come much later, where he's less likely to see it as you initiating some sort of bribe or transaction.

⮞ i think i maybe mentioned this in another post, but i think a lot of hanging out with kevin comes down to parallel play more or less. he's on his computer doing his own thing, reading his copy of robin hood, outside shooting arrows, etc. and you're nearby, doing something. and while he looks like he's paying no attention to you, he's analyzing the situation. why isn't he as bothered by your company as he is by frank's, eva's, celia's, or even his ostensible friend lenny?

eventually, kevin realizes that the reason for this is that when he's with you, he feels like he does when he's alone. by this i mean... to some extent, kevin's actions with everyone are performance. this is the case with both franklin and eva, with his sister and with his peers.

but when he's with you he feels as himself as he does when he's utterly alone. except, perhaps, less bored.

this is where, if it hasn't already, kevin's interactions with you take a turn. his fascination grows beyond why you enjoy his company-- all though it's still a question-- and more on to you as a whole.

⮞ he starts playing hot and cold more. he wants to know how you react when plans with him fall through due to him cancelling last minute. do it back so he can be surprised by how displeased he is. it's going to be apparent he's testing with you, playing with you, but not necessarily why.

he may start suggesting hang outs here, but be warned, they're things he thinks you'll hate. he's curious to see if he's right, if he knows your tastes that well. but he's also just as curious to see if you're willing to put up with something you hate for his company.

while out you notice he's not enjoying himself either, and call him out on it. you ask if he even likes this activity. "nope," he'll respond, with a little smirk. you roll your eyes.

but honestly? he grows to find that he enjoys reveling in his contempt for people in your company more than he enjoys doing it alone. your sarcastic agreement with his snide remarks, the little light swats you give his arm when he's just far too harsh.

⮞ before you and kevin are really dating, people around you would have just grown to assume that's what was going on because your hang outs and time together had grown towards increasingly romantic activities in part because those were things you two simply hadn't done together yet.

in person or on the phone, kevin mentions to franklin that he's taking you to the movies. franklin teasingly tells his son not to do anything he wouldn't do and kevin freezes for a moment, realizing the implications, but it's not going to be clear how he feels about them for awhile. but it makes sense, kevin supposes: if you two are going on dates then you are, by default, dating. he's not too perturbed by it: dating isn't the same sort of romantic commitment as a relationship.

but even when it develops into a formal relationship much of the way he interacts with you is the same. for kevin putting a name to it is more so just to officialize what's already been going on for awhile. To keep you from getting any ideas that you can just easily dip out without warning at any time. Similar to dating, by the time it becomes a formal relationship you two will arguably have been in a relationship for awhile.

⮞ once kevin realizes he actually enjoys your presence and perhaps even likes you as an individual, he becomes more indulgent at times. he may show you how to fire a bow, or walk you through some of his computer knowledge so you can get your own to work better. share some knowledge with him in return-- if you know him well enough to know what he'd actually value learning.