#I have no idea how amplifiers work any more; this is just for shits and giggles

[aquitainequeen]

Kirigan/Darkling: *cuts off Baghra's finger*

Baghra: Son of a bitch!!!!!

Kirigan/Darkling: You said it, not me.

Kirigan/Darkling: Get that down to the lab and see what's on the slab what can be done about turning this into an amplifier.

David: Umm, doesn't the...creature that an amplifier comes from have to be dead, in order for it to work?

Kirigan/Darkling: *prods at the finger*

Kirigan/Darkling: Looks pretty dead to me.

David: i hate my life

[chuluoyi]

MARRIED ON PURPOSE

- gojo satoru x reader

"for one, i can show you incredible things!" jujutsu, madness, heaven, sin. the strongest sorcerer is sure to show you all of that during the whole duration of your six-month marriage contract.

genre/warnings: marriage of convenience, enemies to lovers, crack, fluff, slight satosugu angst/comfort, kamo!reader, very suggestive. gojo clan is portrayed as very traditional, meanwhile kamo clan is rather unpleasant here

note: the unholy amount of times i've edited this story *sigh* but okay i must drop it here or else i'm going to keep editing it and losing my mind. despite my misgivings and all, i really had fun writing this and i hope you enjoy it! wc. 5k !

a part of 1K MILESTONE EVENT

general masterlist

Some would say... marrying Gojo Satoru would be living the dream.

“Don't look that sour now, wife.”

“…sigh.”

A playful nudge at your side, a lighthearted voice— “You're going to make them question our veeery happy marriage, you know… We don't want that now, do we?”

But to you, it was more like nightmare dressed in a daydream.

It was peak comedy because why would you put marrying Gojo Satoru in your life plans? He was incorrigible, a child trapped in a man's body, and there was also the very fact that you hate him. His only redeeming trait was being born in the esteemed Gojo clan, and now held the title of the strongest.

You know you must have accumulated karma, but out of everything else, why must you end up in this predicament?

Hailing from the great clans of jujutsu society, both of you know well that marriage is the essence to make the clan greater. And when it involves the big three clans, its importance amplifies even further.

It was just that you two were too rebellious to follow it through, for one reason or another. Everyone knows Gojo Satoru was faithless to any woman, and you were not exactly thrilled with the idea of marriage as a whole.

He was the one who came to you, proposing this insane idea of a temporary marriage.

"Look at it this way," Satoru said with a wry grin, contrasting your puzzled frown on that fateful afternoon. "It's either me or Zen'in Naoya for you, isn't it? It's so clear which is the better man."

That was what grated you the most. You would be damned if you married the misogynist.

"What do you get from this arrangement, really?" you questioned begrudgingly.

His name would give you security, stop the harassment from your clan, and maybe even a better life, but you didn't quite get what he'd get from the offer he willingly extended to you.

Satoru flippantly shrugged. "Nah, you are not exactly my type, but you're still far better than the boring puppet my family have considered to be my wife."

"Who?"

"Don't remember her name. All she goes on about is that she'll be the good wife and mother of my child. Ew."

Seven hells. You scowled. Gojo Satoru and his penchant for chasing the thrill. Boring women would kill him before an actual curse would.

"And hey, for one," he shot you a smirk, visibly smug. "I can show you incredible things!"

"That's not the point! Gojo, do you even realize—" your voice rose, pulsating with righteous fury, "—how serious all of this is? My life, your life! We're going to be stuck—together!"

"Six months," he blurted, tilting his head slightly. His sunglasses slipped down just enough for you to catch a glimpse of his sparkling eyes. "It's enough time to work through our shits, and by then if you have enough, we're through."

At that time, it seemed feasible. Both of you tolerating each other to avoid a much worse match.

. . .

BACK TO PRESENT—barely a week ever since you were paraded around as his wife, now you and Satoru were stiffly poised in the studio in your formal garbs, capturing your official wedding photos.

At that time, it seemed feasible, but now, it felt like a chore, as you realized that conversing with him either spiked your blood pressure so much that you wouldn't even be surprised if you ended up with hypertension or completely sapped your energy that you were left exhausted.

"Come on, show a smiiile," Satoru said in a sing-song voice, gesturing toward the camera as it flashed for the pictures. You were beyond appalled, shooting a glare in his direction.

"I am smiling, Gojo."

"Liar. You're pouting, wifey~"

Sigh… this really is going to be one hella of a ride, huh?

MONTH ONE, and you found out that Gojo Satoru is apparently as mad as people made him out to be.

"You've got to be kidding me!" you fumed, right after he hauled you into one of the rooms in his grand, traditional estate. Your glare pierced through him, a blood vessel ready to burst. "We never agreed on ‘consummating’ the marriage!"

You wrote him a goddamn contract. And the three conditions of this chaotic marriage are: one, it would only last six months; two, no personal feelings involved; and three, nothing borderline disturbing.

And this, you concluded, was the height of what could be called as disturbing.

"We will not," Satoru replied with a hint of disdain, grimacing, as if the notion didn't sit well with him either. The audacity! "We're just going to make it as if we are—"

"And why?! Why should I do that?!"

"Why else? Because my old fart believes that we indeed haven't done so."

"Then it's your fault? For failing to convince him? Why turn it into my problem!"

"Because, dear wife," he drawled, his tone taunting on the final note. "Now we're on the same page, in case you have forgotten."

Great clans and their hollow expectations spare no one, not even Gojo Satoru. They place importance in the most banal things, such as the continuity of sacred bloodlines and such.

The only alternative wasn't appealing either. Should you be found out that you married only to divorce... sigh, you didn't even want to know how big of a scandal it would be. One thing was certain: your clan would chop you to shreds.

You really had no choice, huh?

"Five minutes," you warned, glaring at him. "Make it loud. Make it so that no one wouldn't question this anymore."

Oh and sure he would. As Satoru pulled that shit-eating grin, you were in for another ride. You waited out until several maids were nearby, left the wooden door ajar, and began the show—

His hands wrapped around your waist—the feeling was peculiar, but you ignored it—and you let him pull you near that open door. He snuggled his face on your neck—his hair tickling you in the process, but you ignored that peculiarity again—as he started making suggestive noises. "Mm, you're so pretty, darling."

You could hear those maids gasp in surprise. And to add the flavor, you faked a moan.

This is... kinda fun? A twisted part of you suddenly found satisfaction in fooling the maids. A smile tugged at your lips as you shoved him away, and Satoru eyed you in surprise and irritation.

"Husband, you're... insatiable," you worded languidly, and he immediately caught on your act, grinning. "Anyone can walk by, you know."

"Oh? But that's the point." Satoru's bright blue eyes twinkled with utter mischief, and even you couldn't deny the exhilarating rush. "I want them to know."

And suddenly you got this very brilliant idea. You swiftly moved past him and sent the books and trinkets on his desk flying to the floor, causing questionable noises.

"Oh my!" a girlish voice exclaimed.

"The master! And the lady!"

Satoru shook his head, thoroughly entertained. And you rolled your eyes. Those nosy maids would finally have enough now, and this charade would end—

"What's happening here?"

The old fart. Both you and Satoru grunted in unison. You really thought you would leave it up to the maids to spread the word, but then you were taken by surprise when he wrapped his hands around you and flung the door open, slamming you against it—and damn it hurt!—offering everyone a front-row seat to your charade.

The maids squealed. His grandfather raised a righteous, demanding eyebrow. You wanted to scream.

"Hey, gramps," he greeted jovially, breathless, his grip on you tightening and you felt heat radiating from his palm. "Ah, sorry, opened it by accident—the wife here is feisty, you see."

Your veins felt ready to burst. Was this a part of his plan all along? How would you show your face before your grandfather-in-law now that he had seen this... atrocity?!

"So, yeah, we'll resume our business!" Satoru, the idiot, said it as if it was the most normal thing in the world. "See ya!"

With that the door slammed shut, but oh no, it was not the end.

"Mmmph!?" you protested, unintentionally loud and eyes widening in alarm when Satoru muffled your mouth with his hand.

The rotten bastard! You found it nearly impossible to breathe, shooting daggers at him. "Mmmrgh! Mmmrrgh!"

"Oh... so that boy really does it huh," you heard the elder mutter in thoughtful manner from outside—and you were in disbelief at how trusting he was—before rounding the stunned maids and barked, "What are all you doing here? Go!"

You nearly sagged with relief when Satoru loosened his grip slightly, allowing you to breathe, as his meddlesome grandpa finally stalked away. Done. This horrible act was over! But wait, why did he still had his hand on your mouth?

"That went splendidly!" he snickered, appearing rather pleased with what had unfolded. "Now, if only we work together like this more often—"

This is… my life now, you lamented the reality. The feeling of his calloused hand on you made you feel things, honestly speaking, but another emotion—and impulse—currently overpowered that.

Seething with resentment, you fiercely chomped down on his hand hard, causing him to swear and pull his hand out of you.

"You—you devil! You bit me!"

"Serves you right!"

Okay, he was bad. He was insufferable. But to be frank, sometimes it wasn't all chaos.

And what's more, by MONTH TWO, you realized that being married to Gojo Satoru also comes with several perks.

"Miss, please, you're trespassing—"

You looked at the police with the haughtiest look you could muster, unamused. "Don't you know who I am?"

"No, but it shouldn't—"

"I'm that man's wife," you declared regally, motioning towards a certain tall shuttlecock a few meters away. "Is that not clear enough for you?"

For one, no one can look down on you anymore, because should they try, you have the power to raise your chin high and declare yourself as the wife of the infamous sorcerer. The very moment you did, that nosy police stopped yapping, and let you through.

The cursed boy, Yuta and his classmate had just been trapped inside a barrier a curse user pulled down, and you were assigned to look into this case by the headquarters. As much as it boggled you—because certainly, the strongest sorcerer was enough to investigate this—you still had to do your job.

“What is this?” you asked Satoru, who was observing something far beyond what your measly ordinary eyes could see. “What happened here?”

He turned to you, all with bandaged eyes. “Hmm? Oh, you’re here too?”

“Don't act surprised. Answer my question, Gojo.”

"You’re too uptight, wifey," Satoru's lips curved upwards playfully. He had taken to addressing you with pet names as of late, if anything, only to get a rise out of you. "Isn't it the time for you to start calling me by my given name?"

You let out a weary exhale, exasperated. "I'm serious, did you find anything? Who is behind this?"

"Nah, nothing for you to worry about," Satoru waved his hand dismissively, grinning. "More importantly! Let's head back and have dinner! My treat!"

You weren't that oblivious. You noticed things too.

"What do you want tonight? Sukiyaki? Sushi?" he hummed nonchalantly. "Or shabu-shabu?"

You gave him the stink eye. "Is that all you think about? Food?"

"As a responsible husband, it's my duty to feed my wife, no?"

"News flash: temporary wife."

"But still my wife, regardless. I overheard you earlier. Being Mrs. Gojo is convenient, yeah?"

You ignored how a part of your jolted at the emphasis he placed on that word, grunting. "Nah, it's meh."

Call it a feeling or hypothesis. It was similar to how he treated his students. He always said the dumbest things, but it actually served to make them feel at ease.

Then it occurred to you, could this be actually his attempt to change the subject?

"You can't cheat your way out of this." You shot him a pointed look. "You know something. Tell me."

"Hmmm? And what would I get in return?"

"Don't make this difficult. I'm on this assignment too!"

"Nah, if you call me by my name, I might consider it."

Hah. You should really read a parenting book one of these days. Taking on your husband was more or less the same as facing a kid.

"Satoru," you tested, the name rolling out of your lips far easier than you thought. Somehow, using his given name felt like some sort of a leap of faith.

He stopped right in his tracks, turning to you. His glossy lips quirked into a meaningful smile, and you felt funny.

"Wasn't that difficult, was it?" he winked, and you covered the strange heat creeping onto your face by rolling your eyes and huffed.

Needless to say, he still didn't tell you even a clue. You finally gave up, thinking that if he insisted on not disclosing it, then so be it. You trusted him on this, even as he turned your help away, and you hated admitting it, because, well…

You’d trust him with your life. He knows how to handle this better than anyone.

Being a a woman in Kamo clan is, in fact, not any better than in Zen'in—you're regarded more as a commodity than a human being.

"When will you bear the child of the bearer of Six Eyes?" in your father's eyes, you were but a tool to tie the Gojo at his hip, and your worth probably wasn't even twice of Noritoshi's. You had known he would ask this when he summoned you to Kamo ancestral home, and you weren't that naive—you had asked Satoru to join you too. But your father had insisted him to stay at the foyer, while he dragged you into his chamber.

Just because you had seen it coming didn’t mean you liked it. "Is that all? Do you really make me come here just to ask me that?"

And what came next was like a crack of thunder.

"How insolent!"

You shuddered, hating how his voice still had control over you. You wanted to stay deviant, but you couldn't keep yourself from shaking. You thought you would have to endure this shit just like you did before, until—

"Now, now... That's my wife you're talking to. I'd watch your words, if I were you."

You had never whipped your head so fast.

There stood Gojo Satoru, your husband, in all his glory. He was smiling but it was clear that he was displeased, evident from his cutting remark, and most notably, how he had unveiled his striking cerulean eyes for all to see. Truth to be told, you didn't expect him to barge in here at all.

"Gojo-sama," your father bowed his head, displaying utter respect towards him, contrasting the blatant disrespect he showed towards you just now. Satoru paid him no heed, as took big strides towards you and seized your arm, prompting you to rise to your feet.

"What is this? Why are you yelling at her?" His voice lacked its usual hint of amusement or teasing, sending a chill down your spine.

"Gojo-sama, I apologize for my tone towards my daughter earlier. I was just trying to educate—"

“My wife. She is my wife now, and it would do you better to remember that,” Satoru asserted firmly, putting emphasis in the way he addressed you, his gaze hardening. "She is an adult. There's nothing left for you to educate her." Pausing, he added, "And the way I saw it, you were just unnecessarily rude."

"Gojo-sama, there were just certain things in our clan that—"

"Please, don't call on us again," Satoru interjected decisively with a light yet firm voice. You could swear your heart was somersaulting at the sight of him staring down your natural enemy. "I'm sure you're aware, but your daughter bears my name now, and she will get the respect she is due. I will have a word with anyone who fails to treat her accordingly."

Somehow or another, Satoru whisked you away from that hellhole, your hand tightly clasped in his. Your relieved sigh didn't go unnoticed by him, as he looked back to you.

"Have you gone soft?" he teased, eyeing you with a playful snort. "Did you forget who your husband is? You've got nothing to fear. Not even him."

"Thank you," you murmured. Your heart was still pounding and your mind blanked, rendering you unable to engage in your usual banters.

His clear blue eyes widened a touch, blinking at your display of vulnerability, Then, he wore the most innocent expression, even sporting a silly smirk—the hardness from earlier gone. "I was really cool, huh? Totally made you swoon I bet."

And in MONTH THREE, you realized, as he laced his fingers with yours, as his laughter filled the air, as calmness swelled on your chest, and as you loudly snorted at his remark, that—

You felt warm, so warm, in fact, and maybe—

"Pfft, you wish."

—maybe... being with him isn't so bad after all.

MONTH FOUR, and you finally found out that it was Geto Suguru.

Everyone knew that your husband and the criminal used to be the best of friends. You saw them during your high school days, and heck, you used to think that Geto was the better man.

You could only imagine what he must feel.

. . .

When he got back to your shared house after the whole ordeal—after he ended his best friend with his own hands, Satoru honestly didn't expect that you would be waiting for him.

"You okay?" you asked him, brows furrowed in concern. It was probably one of the very few times you had displayed emotions other than contempt towards him.

It felt strange because he was used to your jabs, and he was not sure what sort of expression he should pull now, because truthfully, now he felt empty. Blank. All he comprehended was that he had killed Suguru, that he was gone, and that was something he must do.

It would be just like any other day if hadn't just committed a murder. On someone he held dear.

"Of course, who do you think I am?" Satoru swiftly replied, sounding smug—or at least tried to. "I'm the strongest. I’m unscat—"

"No, not that." You frowned, meeting his gaze squarely. "After everything."

Satoru struggled to choose how he should react, partly because most of his energy had gone after walking Yuta back and reassuring him earlier, and by default, the two of you should be hellbent on hating each other and wishing for this contract to end soon.

"Aww, are you worried about me?" he quipped with a touch of sarcasm just because he had to, to show you that it wasn't enough to ruffle him.

Because he is still the strongest, even when alone. Especially when he is alone.

You let out a sigh, looking away. "Can't I?"

"Whoa, that's sweet of—"

"Don't fool yourself," you stated in straight-laced manner, meeting his gaze with a composed expression. "You're not okay. You might be Gojo Satoru, but no one will be after doing what you just did."

You might be Gojo Satoru, but no one will be after doing what you just did.

Despite himself, his smile fell, and his chest burns. What is this? Were you sympathizing with him?

Does that mean that you don't see him as the entity... that was the strongest?

Before now, Satoru remembered you as the most uncooperative Kyoto girl he had ever met. Your first meeting in high school sealed your fate as the two of you could hardly get along. You didn't mince words, you didn't take shit from anyone else—heck, sometimes when he thought of you, what came up to mind was an impenetrable diamond.

Which was why he chose you. You were someone he could trust. You were pretty in the eyes and certainly wouldn't bore him either. His reasons were purely based on logic. And after four months with you, Satoru came to a conclusion that you indeed fulfilled all his expectations, if not more.

And he felt comfortable, or dare he say, secure even. He felt like he had gained a friend, who could see past his bravado and wouldn't judge him for it.

"You're..." you sighed, casting a sympathetic glance at him, your forehead slightly creased. At that moment, Satoru couldn't help but think you were incredibly endearing, fretting over him. "...an idiot."

"Heh." I really am, aren't I?

"I never knew him well..." you chose your words carefully, hesitant. "Did you try to convince him, before this?"

He barked a bitter laugh. "I did, we even made a scene in front of freaking KFC," he remarked with a scoff. "He didn't listen to me, until the very end."

You wanted to tell him “You have done everything you could” but the words faltered on your tongue. You couldn't bring yourself to say it when you saw the faint quiver of his lips, the slump of his shoulders—the very sight of a boy grieving the loss of his friend.

Your heart pricked too, somehow, seeing that expression on him. And you once again realized that your silly, exalted husband was just as human as anyone else who made him think he wasn’t.

"And you know what he said in the end?" Satoru's tone was flippant, as if asking the most normal thing around, but carried a trace of grief, evident in the slight drop in his tone if you squinted. "He said he didn't regret it, not even a bit."

"I'm sorry," was all you could manage.

Satoru's smile was lopsided. Now that he had finally accepted it, something inside him finally bleeds, and it freaking hurts. The pain gripped his chest like a swirling inferno.

But then, you boldly clasped his hand in yours, gently tracing soothing circles on its back.

"What?" he peered at you, feeling a ghost of a smile forming.

"Consider this emotional support."

And he chuckled softly. Despite the lingering ache, despite the gloom he was sure he would carry for the rest of his life, he felt the pain was more bearable with you by his side, somewhat.

How?

You blamed it on the alcohol, because it was MONTH FIVE and you were kissing Gojo Satoru, daringly.

"We shouldn't be doing this," you rasped between kisses, breathless, as your own sinful hands plucked the buttons off his shirt. The intoxication might have played a part, but the intense heat coursing through you made it hard to think straight.

Satoru crashed his lips against yours again, consumed by blind lust. "Yeah, we shouldn't," he replied in a rush. His breath was hot as he trailed his lips down your jaw and neck next, savoring the softness of your skin.

You two had attended a banquet for the elite, and you were unbelievably beautiful. Standing by his side as his wife, you drew admiring glances, with everyone marveling at what a remarkable couple you made. The Gojo heir who was born with the legendary Limitless and the Kamo heiress, as lovely as her clan's name was powerful.

His deft hands roamed the curves of your body, exploring every inch of you. The warmth of his hands tickled something inside you as you closed your eyes to sink into this very moment. Next you knew, his bare body was against yours and you were stripped out of your evening dress.

Lust flickered in his honored eyes, as he took in the sight of you in your undergarments.

"You're really pretty, you know," he whispered. The intensity with which his eyes scanned your form made you nearly squirm. "Shame we don't always get along."

"You're one to talk," you retorted, a hint of exasperation in your tone, as you willed all other thoughts away. Thoughts like what comes after this. Thoughts like—

Is it heaven or sin, if you feel both at once?

His thumb tenderly caressed your plush lips, a hint of a smirk on his beautiful face.

He has long been thinking about your body. He was but a man, after all. He just didn't expect that you wanted this too.

There was always this tension, only this time, neither of you could hold it back anymore. Perhaps it was impulse—hell, most certainly it is, but there was another thing, something more that even Gojo Satoru still didn't dare to say out loud.

"Eager, are we?" he taunted when you leaned in, yearning for the touch of his lips on yours again.

You huffed. “Shut up and kiss me.”

A rush of heat flooded your cheeks at the slip of those words. You were about to rectify it, taken aback by your own boldness, but then he drew you close, silencing any further protest with a gentle hush—

"Too late, sweetheart," his husky voice entered your ears, lips curling into the most wicked smile, and you were in a trance. And Satoru was once again convinced, that choosing you as his wife was the rightest thing there was.

If the two of you went with this, then there would be consequences. Things would become more complicated, harder to sort out.

But, he decided, as he captured your lips in another heated kiss, everything else can wait.

MONTH SIX, and you were dreading the day of your divorce.

You brought this upon yourself. Whenever you reminisced about that night, you wanted to smack yourself in the face and bang your head against the nearest wall.

This marriage has a time limit. And you were doing it out of convenience in the first place.

You weren't supposed to… goddammit—fall in love with him.

But what's done is done, there is no going back in time. Awkward exchanges and lingering stares had been gnawing at your insides these days, and you were sure Satoru too must have noticed them too. You two used to be more relaxed with each other, and he'd even flirt with you, but weeks ever since that night of drunken passion, you almost reverted back to your high school personas—ignoring each other.

This was tough. You didn't like this. And more than that, you were faced with a more pressuring matter...

Gojo Satoru, with everything he possessed, could have had any woman he wanted. This arrangement with you was temporary in the first place, soon he would forget you and flit to the next woman.

The thought made your heart ache, because you had involuntarily gave your heart away to him. Siiigh… What a predicament you put yourself into, huh?

With just a month left together, maybe you should just make the best of it.

. . .

If you thought that things were any better with Satoru, then you were sorely wrong because he too, was debating with himself often nowadays.

Days spent with you were fun and fulfilling. You irked expression somehow had made its mark in his heart. You were pretty, fit to be by his side publicly and preferably, behind the closed doors. With you, he didn't feel the need to carry this facade of being strong—he could be a clown tripping over his own trap and you would amuse him with your deadpan expression.

And ever since that night, he was constantly reminded by how soft your skin was against his. It almost drove him crazy now that he was deprived of it.

How was it the last month already? He wasn't ready to let you go yet.

When he got back home later after his class ended and found you in the dinner table setting the food, all he could muster was, "Hey. Haven't eaten?"

You whirled around to face him in surprise. "Oh... you're back. Just about to. Want to join me?"

Of course he would. And yet as the two of you sat down, it was so painfully awkward Satoru felt like he was dying inside.

Why couldn't he pull off a smart line or two? Where did his suaveness go? He was smoother than this, surely, with his colorful history. One night of passion was supposed to enhance the relationship, not to derail it. What happened to you both?

The salt was near his side when you reached to grab it and bumped into his hand. "Uh-oh."

Turning towards you, he found your spooked expression and your adorable eyes widening in surprise. "S-sorry..."

It was just freaking salt! Salt! Why on earth were you apologizing?!

Enough, he thought. This utter madness of being jumpy with each other. He'd start from his side.

Does he want you to keep being his wife even after all this ends? Yes.

Why? All reasons already listed above.

Does this mean he likes you? Apparently and supposedly, yes. Because if it isn't then he doesn't know what this funny feeling driving him mad is.

With that sorted out, then he only had one more thing to confirm. He put down his spoon and crossed his arms together. "Tell me the truth. Do you like living with me?"

His question obviously took you by surprise. "Huh? What brought this on?"

"Just give me an answer."

"You're so pushy," you grumbled, lips pursed, and he felt like you were finally back to your usual dynamics somewhat. Good.

"Sooo, the verdict? Do you enjoy being with me or not?"

Because to him, it was a resounding yes and more.

Ignoring the warmth that surged to your cheeks, you rolled your eyes. "Surprisingly, not bad, yeah," you admitted, mustering the courage to meet his gaze. "You're annoying, an idiot, a bit crazy—"

"Hey!"

"—but eventually you're still... manageable," you added, feeling your face truly start to sizzle. But covered it up by looking down and playing with your fingers as you still had more to go on. "What I want to say is... I'm glad that I agreed to this—with you—because I can’t imagine it with anyone else."

An unfamiliar tingling emotion rushed to his chest as his face too started to heat up, letting your words sink in. Is he blushing? Oh God. He sure is. And so did he feel hella giddy.

Then it’s sealed.

Suddenly he procured a piece of paper from his work uniform and showed it to you. You first saw his lazily scrawled signature before it dawned on you.

The contract. You almost forgot that you made him sign that looming piece of paper. You were almost dismayed, thinking that he would end this right then and there, but then—

“Well, then… I suppose we no longer need this.”

Riiip~

Your eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when Gojo Satoru tore out your contract right in front of your face, the most brilliant of his devilish grin adorned his handsome face, as he took off his blindfold to see you far clearly than ever. Heavens, you are cute, he thought.

“Soooo~ seems like you’re stuck with me from now on!”

You gaped, awestruck at the blatant meaning of it all, feeling how your heartbeat started to pick up the pace, when he pulled the rag out of your feet once more by tilting his head to the side, looking at you with a winning smile.

“Let’s start over! What did they say again? Ah, yeah. Here’s to the first day of our lives!”

[lunarmoves]

Can't stop thinking of the scenario where y/n leaves the Pizzaplex feeling like Sun honestly wanted them gone, and Sun becomes obsessed with finding them and also leads a robot apocalypse. What would happen if y/n caught wind that Sun is looking specifically for them and seeing all that has happened with the robots takes that as "Oh no, I thought he tolerated me but turns out he dislikes me so much he personally wants to get rid of me himself" so they try extra hard to go into hiding out of fear of what will happen if they're captured and taken to him?

ohhh my goddd nonnie u are so big brained!!!!!!! thank u for sending this in bc honestly i have also been thinking about this au for a while LMAO. if i was strong enough i would write a 50k fic spliced into two arcs (im thinking about it so hard u have no idea!!!!!!) for this but alas.... /stares at my incomplete wips/ i am not </3

(added in from future shay: what have u done nonnie this became so much longer than i'd intended, u basically get the whole fic outline here. cw for death and murder n stuff, typical fnaf. also spoilers for a fic i may or may not write?? like. this is me brainstorming and shoving all my ideas here lol. literally all of them)

okay so... let us set the stage a little bc i can't help myself. arc1 of this hypothetical fic would of course involve the pizzaplex where reader and sun get "closer" over the course of like a year. maybe more. well sun feels close to you. you, on the other hand, do not. why would you? this robot has been so passive aggressive with you and though it seems like he's nice enough to you (in comparison to the other humans), you really don't like how he treats you some days. what he says about humanity as a whole. you can't help it! yeah humanity sucks sometimes and robots were built to be everything that humans aren't, but he can't generalize in the way that he does at times and forget that these are people!! with feelings and ambitions and dreams! 'superiority complex' doesn't even begin to cover his issues, gahh!!

(the fact that he's been treated like absolute shit, working in the daycare does not help whatsoever. the mean parents, the kids who don't listen to him, the staff tht does the bare minimum on him in terms of maintenance because he's the daycare robot and not one of the glamrocks. it grinds his gears)

i imagine the reader in this fic believes that robots are indeed sentient, which is why you try to get sun to recognize and acknowledge his own emotions/feelings (which he vehemently denies, even tho there are literal riots happening worldwide regarding robot sentience. he's lying to you. you know he's lying to you. but you don't know why he denies it so much. ((maybe this is the point where he catches feels for reader and is denying the fact tht he's crushing on a human lol)). the government is not happy about these uprisings, of course, and every day the news shows more and more chaos unfolding as robots get tired of the conditions they are in). but eventually, things boil over and you end up leaving. that, and it's becoming more dangerous, living in this area, with everything going on. maybe your parents are trying to convince you to move elsewhere. maybe there are other external circumstances. in any case, you leave. there is nothing at the pizzaplex for you anymore, sun has made that clear.

(and moon... well, moon has been quiet lately. too quiet. you don't know what happened to him, he won't even look at you when you manage to get some time with him when the lights go out after your shift)

((i imagine this is maybe around when they get infected. that makes everything even more complicated. if you thought sun was obsessive before, then that's nothing compared to a glitched out sun unforch. it just amplifies the more questionable aspects of his entire personality. and like, he doesn't even have vanny/afton commanding him bc as soon as he gets the virus? he kills both of them))

(((also im imagining moon and sun don't really get along in this au bc they have differing ideals/views. like to balance out sun's unhingedness, moon is significantly quieter and softer and deffo does not believe in robot superiority lol. if anything, maybe he has an inferiority complex pfft poor guy. doesn't help when he gets glitchtrap'd and wakes up with blood on his hands)))

okay so you leave, right? and a few weeks later, you see the news on your phone--the pizzaplex has burned down. you don't know how to feel about it. sure you've been friendly to the glamrocks and stuff, but you find yourself thinking about sun and moon. there's a mention of one death--a blond woman, who died from her neck snapping before the flames could reach her. you don't want to think of the implications of that. there's no mention of the glamrocks--of sun or moon or the dj. you're not sure if the news anchors are just excluding robots, but either way, it makes your heart sink. you take a moment to mourn. bc at the end of the day.... you did know sun for over a year.

not even a few days after that, there is a robot uprising in your city. it's... bad. you're at home, watching the news with your apartment half in shambles from your plan on moving back home with your parents. in my head, since utah is home to fazco (a megacorporation with hands in the development of a LOT of the robots seen in society), it also means it's a hotspot for robot riots and the like. fazco vehemently denies robot sentience because it would mean a loss of money in acknowledging their workers are people yk how it is. as such, there are maany protests and riots and stuff, from both humans and robots. it's a shitshow.

ANYWAYS you're at home and it becomes evidently clear that you need to get out of dodge as soon as you can. they were killing people. the robots, built by human hands, were killing. it brings about absolute chaos. in prior riots/protests there were never deaths. injuries, maybe, but never deaths. people start evacuating like crazy.

you catch a glimpse on the news that the violent uprising in utah caused a chainlink reaction to extend all across the nation. maybe even the world. you're scrambling all over your apartment with the tv on the news, doing your best to pack up the essentials. there's live coverage on the tv from a helicopter somewhere not far from your apartment complex. and you're able to catch a glimpse of bright rays and a cheshire, white smile on the screen--leading what looks like an army of robots--before it cuts out.

you don't even know what to think. the image is seared into your eyes, the blood that painted yellow hands and a crescent face.

you get the hell out of your apartment and book it as far as you can. communications are down everywhere--the thing about robots? they know exactly where to hit humans to cause a catastrophe. as such, your phone is useless. they've hijacked the satellites and took down certain powergrids. having a phone on you would only be a detriment, so you ditch it. there's only you now. you must survive.

and then there's a bit of a time skip to start arc2. in this duration, you're long gone from that city in utah, living with a small survival group. if you've read my summer camp au fic, this is where i'll bring in "OCs" such as vincent (a play on 2015 vincent) and jeremy (fitzgerald or the VR guy tht used to work for fazco), maybe michael if i really wanna au fudge everything. you all live day by day, trying to run away from the robots.

at this point, a majority of humanity has either been killed or has gone into hiding. i think while the robots don't want to eradicate humanity completely (after all, there are certain tasks that need humans n such), they definitely want to make them a minority. they are a little more than halfway through their goal.

it's very difficult to evade robot surveillance. there are drones everywhere. all cameras are hijacked. i'm imagining a kind of cyberpunk type world. you have EMPs and tasers that you can use to disable electronics, but they're made from scraps you and your group scavenged. and upon immediately using one, all robots in the area are informed of your presence, so they can only be used in rare and desperate circumstances. they are all connected to the same network, which means they can have a hive mind, at times. life is scary, in this regard. big brother is watching.

you've heard rumors of a human base underground somewhere--a place safe from robots with the proper defenses. accepting to any and all. the only tough thing was finding the damn place, but you've seen the clues in graffiti and hidden messages designed to trick AI (think: captcha). you and your group just wants to get to that damn base and stop living in fear all the time, being out in the open or crawling as stealthily as you can through empty streets.

the one thing sun used to emphasize to you? the way robots are more efficient. and that they are. you see it in the way a new metropolis shines like a beacon on the horizon. they've already built their own kingdom of sorts. and their ruler? you grimace as you think about sharp rays and wide, white eyes. you haven't seen him in ages--not since that initial broadcast. but you hear the whispered rumors and news. how he has created a robot haven--the celestial city. how he scorns humans. you blame yourself sometimes. maybe if you had stayed and tried harder to convince sun that humans aren't all too bad, none of this would have happened.

(a memory comes to you--of your time back at the pizzaplex. of you sitting atop the security desk and kicking your feet lightly as you entertain sun's... uniqueness. ambitions--that you did not take as seriously as you should have.

"okay, i'll bite," you said in amusement. "what would a robot takeover look like for you?"

sun cocked his head, hands fidgeting with a plush. "hmm. well. i suppose it would be a very quick thing, for one. hit hard and fast." he squeezed the plush. "take down comms. strike power sources. go for those in power first, then the weaker ones." he gave you a shrug and an unreadable smile. "from then on, carnage."

and you--silly silly you--just rolled your damn eyes at him like he was joking around with you and asked him about more hypotheticals. picking his brain, in a way. it was exact with how it played out in real time. you thought about this often, at the dead of night.

it was all your fucking fault)

and then, one day, the scout/informant of your little group--jeremy probably--comes back with some news. the celestial ruler--sun--has been taking human hostages. it's been happening for a while now, apparently, almost nearly as long as the uprising. jeremy pulls out some hazy photographs he's gotten from some of the other humans he exchanges info with. you look at them, the hostages.

after a minute or two of staring, you realize something.

they all sort of resemble you.

there's a clear pattern actually. your hair or your face shape or your eyes or your smile. some combination of them. but never actually you. you ask jeremy what it all means, and he hesitatingly says that it looks like sun is looking for someone. it's clear to everyone who it is as they all stare at you.

and you? you're panicking.

he's looking specifically for you. just you. you've never heard of the robots taking hostages, and you have no idea what he's doing with them, but it can't be anything good. especially since he keeps taking more and more of your lookalikes hostage. you think back to your time at the pizzaplex--so distant, now, that it almost feels like a dream.

he wants to kill you himself. you're sure of it.

now you're trying even harder to get to that underground base. you go completely dark, doing your best to evade detection--and i imagine there are quite a few close calls, definitely a few instances where your face is captured on camera or you have to use an EMP. until finally, you and your group manage to integrate into the underground human base.

'base' doesn't even properly describe it. it's a whole city, actually, with unsteady houses made of wood and cloth. it's the perfect place to hide.

you spend a while down there, occasionally venturing up when you're allowed to by the guards (it's rare, very very rare). the city has strict rules that must be followed to ensure it's not found. the ones in charge are constantly looking for news on the actions of sun and the majority of robots. they don't really keep the citizens updated--it would cause too much chaos, you think. but you hear whispers now and then. (the robots have expanded territory. france is completely gone. australia's still holding out. most of china and india have been taken over and their factories have all been transformed to mass produce more robots)

for the first time in a while, you think you can find peace down here. it was only inevitable that this would be ruined one day.

you wake up to chaos.

the underground is under siege. the robots have found you.

you run out of your makeshift house and have to dodge crumbling stone. explosions rock through the air, sending dust and debris everywhere. you're scared for your life--your only instinct is to run run run get out it's not safe! you don't know where your friends are. you don't know if they're alive. for a moment, you hesitate. and then you're bolting to try to find them. they had their own little homes not too far from you. you can find them. no man left behind.

you can hear bullets and the hum of energy everywhere. people are screaming and crying all around you. you see people dying before your eyes, impaled by beams of light or stray bullets. it's all you can do to dodge and weave towards vincent's house.

but before you can get there, something tackles you from behind. you roll across dirt, and find yourself pinned under a robot--a staffbot from the pizzaplex, you realize. except it looks--different. more high tech.

it seems to scan your face. and just before it can finish, you manage to grab a stray metal rod laying on the ground next to you and stab it right through the eye.

you scramble, getting as far away as you can from the thing. but-- you run right into the path of a crumbling building. it buries you halfway under thick wood, and something sears its way through your leg. you're trapped. you're trapped and there's no one around to help you.

and just when you're on the brink of passing out, you see him. standing in front of you a ways away. those same star-patterned pants and dangling cap. but he's different somehow, he looks different. you can't place it, your vision blurring into red and purple.

moon looks at you as though you are the last thing he wants to see. and then you faint.

when you wake up, you're in a bedroom. your leg is in a cast and there are crutches near your bed.

it's... the nicest room you've seen in a while. the windows are covered by thick curtains that let in a sliver of light. you have to blink a bit to let your eyes adjust. and then you get up, noticing you aren't in the same ratty, dirty clothes you'd been wearing for forever.

you try the door first. it's locked. there's a sinking sensation in your gut that gets stronger and stronger the closer you get to the window. and when you pull open the curtains, you gasp at the towering buildings, bright green and blue light, and flying drones.

you are in the middle of the celestial city.

you panic hard. and then you notice the camera in the corner of the room, looking right at you. big brother is definitely watching. you give him the bird.

you wallow around in the bedroom for a bit. you are hungry, you cannot deny. and there is only a glass of water for you set on your nightstand.

but eventually, the door opens of its own accord. an automatic lock, you suppose. and it swings open into a dark hall. you do not have any other choice but to follow. it's clear you are being summoned.

there are no places for you to run or hide. you travel down a long hallway and end up in a wide room with someone tall standing at the far end by the window. it's a scene straight out of a movie. you are not impressed.

the figure turns around, and you do a double take. it's sun--yet it's not.

he looks different. taller, stronger. with clawed fingers and rays that look deadly to the touch. his smile is sharper, his torso has all sorts of compartments and attachments. he was modded to all hell, just like that staffbot you saw earlier. it had to have been self inflicted.

he only stares at you, really. white eyes rake up and down your form, taking you in. you don't say a word, only look back at him. and then you flinch slightly when someone emerges from the shadows next to sun.

it's... moon. looking just as modded as sun. you're confused. when did they become separate? but honestly, you think it makes sense. they never really liked each other. it makes sense that sun would want to be separated as soon as possible--and they had the resources to do so. you just wonder why they're still working together. comfort in the familiarity, maybe.

moon doesn't meet your eye. you notice his is different--the red tinged with purple. sun doesn't look away from you. it makes you uneasy.

you don't know why you're here, but one thing's clear: you are not getting out of here anytime soon.

i'm honestly not sure how to end things, but in my head there's a lot of reconciliation that needs to happen. obv sun is so incredibly down bad for you at this point (and moon), but there are many issues that need to be tackled first.

sun doesn't understand why you're so wary around him. moon keeps avoiding you at every turn. there's still an entire revolution and remaking of society happening. you are constantly being watched by cameras in the building. i can't picture things as returning to normal--post uprising--but i also don't know how to end things on a happy note LOL, though i do want to instead of killing off reader or sun/moon. maybe it'll be a bittersweet sort of end, maybe reader finally gets through to sun. maybe eclipse will make an appearance (jk, idk how i would even do that, this might be an eclipse-less fic).

in any case, the next bit would be a lot of sun and reader connecting better than they had in the pizzaplex, a lot of sun trying to understand humans better cuz he's trying to court you-- and has long come to accept his emotions tbh. tho he's still kind of mad at you for leaving, so there needs to be a conversation of sorts about why you left before sun can really begin to understand how he appears to you. idk!

i also feel like moon isnt nearly fleshed out as sun is?? i dunno, i might have to think some more about him. i just know he's terrified of hurting you, esp with him still having the virus (and sun, but he has better control of it). gonna be a lot of work on your part to get him to be comfortable around you again. also, he doesn't like the fact that society has come to this. he lowkey resents sun, but he doesn't have anyone else. what's a bot to do?

also there may be a scene where your survival group tries to save you lol, maybe with an army that tries to seize control of the celestial city. which may work. this would be a bad end, i think, cuz there's no way sun's getting out of that alive.

anyways yeah. i rambled enough LMAOO whoopsie! i rly just regurgitated all the thoughts in my head. no promises that this will be a fic, i've got enough on my plate as is LOL

[tokyo-debunkers-headcanons]

Eyoooo, thanks for answering my last ask!!! anyways, gotta new one for ya, same groups if ya able but with a really pretty/attractive mc s/o like manhwa mc level kinda pretty. I can imagine kaito being somewhere along the lines of 'they tossed me over their shoulder and I've been on it ever since' with a little touch of internal screaming. I just wanna see if any of the boys would be flustered or have their ego stroked with having a really pretty s/o -👾

Thanks for sending asks in fam! This will be fun since I have so many ideas for these boys!

JIN KAMURAI

Being honest, his ego is entirely stroked by an attractive MC.

The one thing he finds a pain in the ass is all the gossip. He's always hearing some baseless rumor that someone is cheating or MC got surgery done or whatever.

It pisses him off to hear people talk about his beautiful/handsome partner like that.

Whenever he gets the chance to show MC off, he does and he makes sure their outfits are to DIE for.

Congrats! MC will most likely be spoiled with a new fancy wardrobe. (He would do this with any serious partner but it's AMPLIFIED with an extra attractive MC)

Whatever they need for their skincare or whatever routine they need. He'll take care of it. Just give him a list and he'll get someone on it ASAP.

TOHMA ISHIBASHI

The ego boost this man gets! OH MAH GOD!

He's not shy and he knows what he's about so he's not necessarily flustered, but he's definitely proud to land such an amazing looking partner.

A lot of others start referring to MC as royalty once they start dating, they start it sarcastically of course but when Tohma hears it, he flips it right on its head.

I mean like, using it to fluster MC: bowing, taking their coat, carrying things, etc (again, he'd be doing that stuff anyways) but he would take the time to fluster MC at the same time.

What i mean is like kissing the back of their palm and whispering against their skin something along the lines of,

"Only the best for my Prince/my Princess/ your Majesty/etc"

KAITO FUJI

Kaito does not know how the hell he got here with them but he doesn't give a single fuck.

He will spend the first part of this new relationship in all of the self doubt, because In his mind, this could be a prank or some kind of mistake. But when MC shows him that, no baby girl this isn't a mistake..? Mans here thinks he's died and that MC really is his guardian angel.

He will try to spend what money he has to try and spoil them how he thinks they deserve. He's just really trying his best.

When Frostheim throws their fancy ass balls, Kaito is BEAMING with pride. Yeah, he's on the arm of the best looking person here! Eat it!

And when they dance with him, there is so much internal screaming going on. He's worried he's gonna mess up and make MC look dumb, but with some time he'll loosen up and have some fun.

LUCAS ERRANT "LUCA"

Okay, another one with gossip. But its surprising not about the relationship itself. Its about each individual.

I think Luca and MC have separate fan clubs. I'm sure We've all seen that Luca has fans at the school. an extra attractive MC for sure has one too.

It all started with the two fanclubs talking shit about the other and spreading rumors. Like the usual rumors about cheating, or about how they don't deserve the other, etc.

However, there is a small part in each club that joined forces to try and spread gossip to break them up.

Ofc it doesn't work, Luca and his partner trust each other and do their best to communicate, so it doesn't really effect the happy couple all too much. I mean if you're gonna be subjugating a demon together, there's a LOT of mutual trust going on there.

ALAN MIDO

Alan would be a bit more protective of his partner, because in his experience (*cough cough* LEO *COUGH*) more attractive people, aren't really fighters.

If and when MC manages to prove themselves capable in a fight, he'll back off a little bit, but he'll still be a little protective.

He'd try to do things he thinks MC would like, that he's not the most comfortable with. Like fancier dates, dressing up, going out, etc.

If MC wants to squash that, they gotta do it RIGHT AWAY, since in his mind, they're more attractive so they've gotta like the fancier stuff...right?

SHOHEI HAIZONO "SHO"

Sho is a guy who will take them out for rides on Bonnie (his bike) but he doesn't really care about their appearance.

Sure its a plus and all, but he doesn't care if their hair looks really good today, they're wearing a damn helmet when they go on rides.

He figures MC knows their stuff when it comes to appealing design, so he values their opinion on his project (those who know, know). He takes all their critiques on the chin and does his best to listen.

its still his so he won't let them change it entirely, but he'll for sure keep it in mind.

LEO KUROSAGI

Okay if you think Luca and Jin fans were wildin, Leo's fanclub is WAY worse.

To start off, Leo will do small things with MC. Probably not show their amazing face too much.

It's a mix between wanting to keep things as private as possible and keeping them all to himself.

The internet being the internet, someone eventually got a pic of them together and people figured out that MC was this mysterious partner that Leo has been hiding.

Once the secret is out, he's full on bringing them into his content, like get ready with me's, matching outfit checks, etc.

On the down side, there's a LOT of MC haters out there. Leo typically ignores those comments, he figures their just jealous (of him or MC im not sure)

But if anyone even TRIED to threaten or do his MC. they're done. Their reputation might as well be in the trash. Leo is absolutely not above blackmailing someone to get what he wants so good luck to whoever fucked up that bad.

[tiyoin]

Hiii this is the first time I’ve sent in an ask so I’m a little nervous but your work especially twisted anxiety🌀 just makes me feral❤️ (also feel free to delete this if I make you uncomfortable)

But twst🌀reader being good at sing has got me in a choke hold, it feels very princess coded lol

I mean 🌀reader has grim, so they have an animal companion, they can sing🎶, they have a ‘prince’ the twst boys+yuu and they have a curse! anxiety‼️

This idea has just been giving me so much brain-rot I had to share it with you<3, and don’t forget to take care of yourself because I know how hard making & writing is so have a nice day/night

WELCOME ANON 🫶

and dont worry!! im not uncomfortable in any way, and I apperciate you looking out for my comfortably, truly.

and im so glad you like twisted anxiety!!🙈

but holy shit I never thought about reader being princess coded CAUSE YOU'RE SO RIGHT???

I DONT KNOW WHY THIS HASNT OCCURRED TO ME

THINKING ABOUT MANAGER 🌀 READER AT THE VDC FOR SOME REASON ATTRACTING ROYAL SWORD STUDENTS????

yeah 🌀 is very closed off, not looking at people in favor of the ground, hovering around other manager yuu and the rest of the nrc squad.

but that just makes the rsa students go 👁️👁️

reader is freaked out and starting to get paranoid that everyone is watching them and that there must be something wrong with them. is there something on their face? does this uniform make them look fat? is there sweat stains on their back?? arm pits?? oh god can they see their underwear?? and they're clinging to yuu like a life line

(yuu doesn't mind because they're just happy that reader is clinging to them so yuu can keep an eye on them hehe🤭)

of course vil sets reader off to cool down because he can't have their manager bring anxiety to the rest of the performers. so they go to get food!

until they bump into an rsa student...

"oh sorry, I didn't see you there!" all while they're staring at you like this:

LIKE SIR BACK AWAY!!

reader coming back to the vdc crew with a thousand yard stare as they're clutching a churro.

OR

going back to singing reader,

maybe they're in their little hiding place the woods just letting their feelings out. maybe they go a little too far and wonder onto RSA property (hypothetically because I dont know how far away the schools are. but if it's far... they take a magical little short cut that chenya uses to sneak on over 🤭)

or maybe rsa guys are doing a 'test of courage' and are sneaking tot he woods of nrc. MAYBE THEY'RE EVEN PLAYING A SCHOOL PRANK TO START A PRANKING WAR-

but one of you are in the wrong woods and the rsa guys hear and see you singing. while yes, 75% of the population is some kind of nobility they know that there aren't any princesses here. especially on sage island.

but maybe you are?? because you're a girl, you're singing about true love, the animals seem to like you, you're wearing a.. dress? a robe, even. and you look so good 🙈

and when they see you- oh no! you saw them first!

its like the fucking hunt from snow white HASDBIWEUFB they're chasing after you and you're literally trying not to scream or cry

oh god everything is so much more amplified. and luckily you escape and race into ramshackle like your life depend on it (because it did.)

AND OH MY GOD YOU ALMOST GOT MURDERED!!!

but the rsa boys are gushing and spreading rumors of a beautiful ghostly girl who sings for her true love in the forest... BROTHER WHAT ARE WE TALKING ABOUT???

so much lore to the twisted anxiety saga, and so little motivation to map and write it all out 😔

[williamswifey]

PLS A PART TWO TO THE BELLA YOU JUST POSTED. IT IS SO GORGEOUS. OH MY GOD

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐖𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐒 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐈𝐓 𝐖𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐒 - 𝐁𝐄𝐋𝐋𝐀 𝐑𝐀𝐌𝐒𝐄𝐘

part one ; the exit

masterlist

pairing ; bella ramsey x fem!reader

summary ; your ex bella had texted you after months of no contact. you knew what you were getting yourself back into as soon as you replied.

content warnings ; slightly toxic dynamic, angst with a happy ending, bella is still sort of an asshole but working on it

a/n ; hi lovelies <3 im absolutely honored at how much love part one got, i knew i had to get a part 2 up asap 😩 i hope this ending is satisfactory !!

‘hey.’

your face paled as you read the text on your screen. was this some kind of joke? was your phone company fucking with you?

your heart rate soared as you looked at the words on the screen. should you respond? should you leave them waiting? you didn’t know how to react, and your palms were growing sweaty as you felt your chest tighten.

“what’s wrong?” heather’s voice rang out cautiously, “you’ve got this…look on your face.”

“bella just texted me.” you replied, voice void of emotion.

“oh, shit.” came her softened reply.

oh shit was right.

you spent the entire afternoon staring at the text. you were tempted to reply immediately, but you didn’t want to seem desperate.

you were barely able to get any work done, you were thankful that it had been a slow day with barely any customers. you didn’t have it in you too deal with anyone else today, as you stressed and stressed over the text message.

a part of you—the smarter part, knew the best idea would be to not reply at all. you didn’t like that idea very much.

you took a deep breath, and opening the text.

‘hi :)’ you typed out, before deleting. too flirty, not enough anger.

‘what the fuck do you want?’ you typed out seconds later, before deleting the text entirely. definitely don’t send that.

‘hey.’ you message parroted theirs, but you deleted it again. what if it was too boring and they didn’t reply?

‘who’s this?’ you wanted to send out of spite.

you weren’t above being petty, but that just felt plain mean.

a part of you wanted to call them, to hear their voice again. your missed the sound of their voice, even if you only heard it for a few seconds before your call disconnected.

that idea was the worst of all.

you sighed as you flopped against your sheets, a deep sigh rumbling out from your chest.

anxieties began to rush in your mind. what if bella texted the wrong person? what if they were drunk? what if it was a prank?

you stilled your shaking hands, sending a simply ‘hi.’ as you threw your phone across the room.

you didn’t expect your phone to buzz seconds later, the sound amplifying from the pile of clothes it had fallen into when you tossed it aside.

you walked over to your phone, unlocking it.

“it’s been a while. how are you?”

jesus. so it wasn’t the wrong person, nor was it a drunken text.

‘fine. u?’

you tried to keep your text brief, debating whether or not to continue the conversation. you knew that being in touch with bella again would only lead to more heartache, but you couldn’t ignore the thrill you felt in your stomach at the chime of their texts.

‘do u still live near our old apt?”

bella’s text made you furrow your eyebrows, as you quickly sent a reply. the term ‘our apartment’ made you feel sick to your stomach.

‘i live about two hours away. why?’

your heart raced as bella’s text bubbles appeared.

‘i’m in the area for a press conference. was wondering if you wanted to grab lunch.’

fuck.

your heart raced as you read the message over and over. what did they want? were they just looking for closure, or did they want you back?

for the next few hours, you struggled with your emotions. you couldn’t decide whether it was a good idea to meet them or to leave things as they were. in the end, bella was your weakness—they always had been.

‘sure. when?’

bella was quick with their response, even though you had left them on read for a solid three hours and forty-five minutes.

‘tomorrow afternoon. come to our spot, my treat.’

your heart raced. ‘our spot.’ you and bella had found a small italian restaurant a few years back, with food that was to die for. it wasn’t well known, and it was your secret.

‘okay.’

***

you had barely slept all night. you were awake just past 9am, you had a two hour drive to make to get to the restaurant.

you showered and changed, putting on a light floral dress, your hair natural and flowy. you would pretend you didn’t put extra time into your appearance, but you knew it was a lie.

when you approached the restaurant, your heart felt like it was about to beat out of your chest. you were a few minutes late—due to traffic, and while you should’ve felt apologetic, you felt bella deserved it for being an asshole.

you walked into the restaurant, fiddling with your necklace. bella spotted you immediately, flagging you down as they called your name.

“over here,” they called, as you nearly knocked yourself to the ground from how fast you spun around.

bella was sitting in a booth, smiling at you as they gestured for you to sit across from them.

bella looked…different. a little taller, much more confident. their style had changed, and you hated to admit how good they looked.

you wanted to run out of the restaurant, your intuition told you this was a bad idea. but the heart wants what it wants.

you sauntered over to them, plastering on a smile that you hoped didn’t look too painful as you slid into the booth across from bella.

“you look stunning as always,” bella commented, a small smile on their face.

you had to remember they were just being polite as you fought back the blush on your cheeks. you thanked them, drinking a large gulp of your water, feeling the cool liquid trickle down your throat.

it was soothing, and it took your mind off bella, who was staring thoughtfully at you from the other side of the booth.

neither of you wanted to start the conversation you knew had to take place, so instead, it was silent.

you noticed they tried not to be on their phone, eyes darting all around the restaurant. you wondered if nostalgia was hitting them the way it was hitting you.

you remembered going here with bella at least once a week when you were dating, making a night out of it. it was your favorite day of the week.

now, the restaurant seemed to have lost its magic. it didn’t feel like home, not like it used to. you wondered if it had been simply being with bella that made the place so magical all those months ago.

“so, how are you?” bella asked, picking at their nails.

“i’m okay,” you replied, voice a little breathy. your heart hadn’t stopped its somersaults in your chest since you arrived, “and yourself?”

bella began to update you on their life. it was painful, seeing how much they had accomplished without you. your heart ached at the twinkle in their eyes, the excitement in their tone. the way they made you feel hadn’t changed.

it was easy to talk to bella, you forgot how much they made you feel like you belonged. it was like old friends catching up, not missing a beat. it felt like nothing had changed…but deep down you knew that everything was different.

bella was like an addicting drug. so easy to go back to…so hard to let go of. you remembered why you put up with their bullshit for so long—because they were bella and you were you.

when the waiter came, bella listed off both of your orders without a second thought, like second nature.

perhaps they noticed you slight glare as the waiter walked away, causing them to speak up.

“oh, sorry,” they said, “is that not your order anymore?”

you sighed, shaking your head.

“it’s not that, bella,” you began. their brown eyes glanced your way, and you felt suffocated under their dreamy gaze.

“it’s just—what are we doing here? i mean, you’ve been doing your own thing and i’ve been doing mine. why all the sudden did you decide to reach out?”

bella was quiet for a moment, fiddling with their rings as they cleared their throat.

“i’m sorry,” they said, catching you off guard, “for what i did. i was a selfish asshole, and i know i hurt you.”

you wanted to say it was okay, but you’d be lying.

“thank you for the apology, i appreciate it,” you decided to reply instead.

you hated how it was between you two. it should’ve been easy—it was easy…when you two were pretending that nothing had changed. the two of you had always fit together, like two pieces of a puzzle.

now that you were tackling what had gone wrong, the atmosphere didn’t feel quite as comfortable.

“i don’t want things to be like this anymore. i miss you.” bella said.

six months ago, it was everything you wanted to hear. but now, the words that rolled off their tongue settled bitterly in your stomach.

“did you think all you had to do was say you’re sorry and i’d come running back?” you spat, “plus, don’t you have a girlfriend?” you asked.

bella looked at you with furrowed eyebrows. they opened your mouth to reply, then shut it again after a few seconds out of pure confusion.

“no?”

bella looked at you as they tilted your head. what about everything you saw?

“you don’t?” you asked in confusion.

“last i checked, i’ve been single single we broke up,” bella now seemed just as confused.

“but, your instagram and the news headlines—”

“you’ve been stalking my instagram?” bella asked, a slight teasing tone in their voice as your face went red.

“i—” you tried to defend yourself, but the words died in your throat.

“i’m just messing with you,” bella said, the atmosphere balancing on the line of tense and airy, “if you’re talking about amara…she’s just a co-star. news and headlines just like to gossip.”

“oh.” you felt stupid for bringing it up. you hated how bella could manipulate your emotions so easily, for better or for worse.

they knew it too, it’s not like they were that stupid.

you felt bella’s hand brush against yours, bringing your attention back to them.

“i’ve had a lot of time to think. no one compares to you.” bella spoke, and you didn’t know how to react.

you wanted to slap them, kiss them, scream at them, and cry, all at the same time.

“you put me through hell, you know?” you said sadly, fiddling with your necklace yet again, “i was there for you. before your career took off, when you needed a shoulder to cry on.“

“i’ve beat myself up everyday for what i did. there’s no excuse. i was new to all the fame—all the interviews. i wanted to leave my old life behind—so that’s exactly what i did. i was shitty. i owe an apology for everyone i’ve wronged, but especially you.”

bella looked down guiltily.

“i can’t take back what i did,” they said slowly, “but i’d like to try.”

you licked your lips, noticing the sincerity in their voice.

their eyes were doe-eyed, lips puffy from biting down on them.

you knew you should walk away, prevent the inevitable hurt you’d go through again when bella got bored. but for now, you picked your poison. you’d take the happiness for now, a fair exchange for the pain you’d feel later.

you tried to shush the voice of insecurity in the back of your mind. for now, bella was yours, and you were theirs. they looked at you the same way they did when you first started dating, all giddy and love struck.

you laced your hands with bella’s, a smile growing on your face.

“yeah,” you agreed, as bella shifted in their seat hopefully.

“i’d like that.”

[sensei-venus]

Random Thoughts/Headcanons on Hawk/Pregnant!Reader/Pregnant!Midwife!Moon

(Unedited) (Based around this Discussion) ( @gemini-sensei because we be vibing to this shit so much🥰😍)

I keep thinking about how as they both get bigger the more cuddly they get with each other.

Hawk is all for it during the first half of the pregnancy because he feel like it’s safer. He can’t be around them constantly because he still has to go to work. With Moon basically still having her own work schedule along with Reader, it’s best bet they stay together.

Most of the day they are completely hip to hip with each other. After a long time of thinking about it they believe it was honestly their best option that they got pregnant so close together. Yes multiple hormones and growth and so on. But they got to go though it together and they could lean on each other if the need to.

(Yes I made this part a little sad. Why because I can.)

During the first half of the pregnancy Reader starts to get dizzy more often then not. At first it’s completely harmless, Moon being a midwife says it’s completely normal to occasionally get a little dizzy. It’s just a normal symptom of pregnancy. But then one day when Reader is at work, she is in her own little office and she passes out in her chair. Luckily it’s only a minute or two that she’s out but she wakes up and freaks out. She calls a ambulance and goes straight to the hospital.

Moon and Hawk drop everything and rush to the hospital.

Moon is upset because she has no idea what is wrong, now she’s thinking about her own pregnancy and how she should have been there with Reader. Hawk is the same way, thinking he should have quite work for a while and went on leave to take care of both of his girls. But ultimately they don’t blame each other because they couldn’t have known any of this would’ve happened. When the doctor finally lets them back they find out that Reader developed a intolerance to something. It was most likely brought up and amplified because of the pregnancy. No one would have know until it actually happened and they could diagnose it. The doctor tells her that she doesn’t need bed rest but she needs to be relaxed and most importantly have someone with her if she can.

After they get home they have a long much needed conversation. Hawk and Moon don’t want to force Reader to do anything she doesn’t want to, but they make a good argument.

She needs to be in a relaxed and safe environment now.

Moon doesn’t want to bring it up but she does. She has more then enough money from her mom tucked away in a offshore bank account that she can use any time she wants. It will be replenished as well any time she calls her for more. If she was frank about it none of them needed to be working with the amount of money her mom has given to her. Reader understands this and after long though she agrees that she can’t go back to work. So she leaves her job and goes to work with Moon.

Moon’s job is pretty cushioning, she has a great work schedule for the most part and luckily enough she could take on as many clients as she wanted. She promised herself and her lovers that she would stop taking any more new clients the minute she found out she and Reader was pregnant. She only had three clients who where all in late stage pregnancy, when her and Reader where about four months in she was all done. Her clientele list was completely blank and she officially stopped working after that.

Moon makes it a big deal that she pulls out her midwife equipment every once and a while to use on the two of them. She has a portable heartbeat finder. Sometimes she pulls it out and she takes turns between using it on herself and Reader. They listen to each other’s babies heart beats. Moon always giggles when she does Reader’s because Reader always ends up laughing mid way through. The little heart beats always seem to lift their spirits when some days are worse then others. Hawk loves to listen to them as well when he is home with them.

Hawk loves taking them out to baby stores all the time when he’s off work. They like shopping on line for stuff but going in person is so much fun. He gets to spend the day with his baby mamas. Looking at all kinds of new stuff that they had no idea existed. Some times his head spins a little because when he sees something he likes he always had to double up on it. Reader and Moon are dead set on making sure to get doubles of everything and or matching things. Matching outfits are Moons favorite thing to pick out with the help of Hawk.

Hawk thinks it’s the cutest thing when they first start showing. The two women do everything together now that they are pregnant. At first Moon is the bigger one, naturally do to her being a few weeks ahead of Reader in pregnancy. Reader helps her do things like reaching down, reaching up so on. They tie each others shoes if they go out and can’t wear slip on shoes. They help put on each other’s underwear. It’s literally one of the cutest things he has ever scene.

But then Reader starts to catch up with her.

Both of them are big and can’t do much. They have to work together to do the most simple things. If they need something off the floor or drop something, one of them has to brace against something and help hold the other so they can reach down and get it. Cue days where they act like they are going to get up and do stuff when Hawk is leaving for work, only for them to get back into bed or lay on the couch together. Moon try’s her best to stay active but as time goes in she just can’t. Reader hates walking around at that point and just makes Moon stay with her all the time.

Hawk literally burst out laughing one time because he came home to them both laying opposite to each other on their bed. Reader was crying because she wanted something from the fridge. Moon was also crying but because her feet hurt and she just couldn’t bring herself to get up to go get it for the other women. Their just hormonal sobbing together until Hawk brings them what they where both craving from the kitchen.

Insert Hawk crying when Moon’s baby starts visibly moving around. Kicking, punching and moving around and in her big belly. Everyone is so excited to see the baby start to move around. Reader is in awe as she feel the baby move under her hand. She asks so many questions about what it feels like because a she has been able to feel is flutters so far. A few weeks later Reader’s baby starts moving to. Both women go crazy at this. Taking turns feeling each others baby’s kick.

Hawk takes multiple pictures of them with their bumps together.

All of them are in silent awe when the baby’s kick each other for the first time. They both decide to move around at the same time as the two women are touching belly’s.

Honestly I could go on and on with those three. But Moon/Reader are always so cute with each other pregnant.🥰 I love @gemini-sensei so much because she always makes me think about some of the most random cuteness things in my head.

[92fs]

I’m curious about how you’d write/work with Matt’s character in that case. I rarely see anybody talk about his fanon characterization with an actual critical lense rather than people just complaining about his presence in general.

Thank you for giving me a reason to complain, I'll put it under read more:

First, I don't think Matt is an unnecessary character. I see how anime-watchers might think that considering his cut-down screentime, but manga isn't much better either. Still, I don't think he's an unneeded character. I think he was written in at a later stage of plot development and then he wasn't really properly added into the story.

Let's assume I'm dealing with the plot of DN how we know it. How I would fix the issue of Matt's written off/killed off character? I'd take what we have in the manga and amplify it, then develop his individual self a little more.

So, Matt's given a very particular role. He's Mello's right hand, practically. But we barely see it even though I do not believe Mello would let go of his first/only friend so easliy. For all the talk about how Matt was "written in so Mello isn't lonely", there's barely any fucking interaction between the two.

Changes that I would make to canon Matt:

1. Write Matt into more scenes at Wammy's.

Childhood-teenagehood are important phases in a story that spans over nearly three decades in the manga (if we count additional one-shots). Seeing more of Matt at that stage would be detrimental to his idea as a character.

2. Actually let him interact with Mello at a near-constant basis in adulthood.

They are implied to be close yet there are only so many scenes of them interacting in canon. I really fail to believe Mello wouldn't have a plan for Matt to leave the orphanage and contact him. Matt should be actively there from the beginning of Mello's arc.

3. Give him at least one-two private scenes with Near.

Near is one of the prisms through whom we learn about other characters: he narrates L, Light, Mello from perspectives that no one else has. He'd be vital to help narrate Matt, but we don't even know what he thinks about him.

4. Let him have a memory-sequence/flashback in at least one chapter where we learn how he felt about being next if Near and Mello die.

When you think about it, if not for Mello's thinking, Near would have died. Matt was next in line. I know that fandom doesn't give his intelligence credit for SOME reason, but there clearly were at least a couple dozens kids at the orphanage at the time of their stay. He was next if Near died, too. I'm actually incredibly curious to know how he felt about it, how he would have dealt with Light. Matt is so elusive, not unlike blunt Near or brash Mello - or direct L. I genuinely wonder what he would have done if he was next L. If he even wanted to.

Comment here: I know he died before them, but I think it was a kill-off. Plus, he had plenty of time to consider his chances before.

5. Maybe let the reader hear his thoughts on L. It can even be indirect, through Mello's voice.

We know that Mello sees L as an ideal to become. That Near first doesn't care much, but then grows curious about L's result-matters kind of approach. What did Matt think? Did he know about Mello's meeting with L (if we consider LABB canon)? Did he share his passions? Did he feels suspicious? Did he not care? Is he even apathetic?

6. Show the reader his individual interests outside of being Mello's assistant.

This reminds me a little bit too much of cases when a girl character is characterized primarily through being someone's girlfriend first and her own person second. This shit is tiring. We know what Mello is outside of Near. We know what Near is outside of Mello. Where the fuck is Matt's personality? Why do we know of the SPK members and the Police Department more than we know of someone in similar position? We know he's quiet and avoidant, and seems to joke to handle stress. What else?

Overall, I would add depth to him. But, this is about expanding on scarce canon. Fanon-wise, I would give him a spine. We know nothing about him in the years of Mello's absense from the picture, and he apparently did not stay in contact with Near. How did he get where he was? I doubt that Mello would carry anyone if they couldn't handle themselves, so clearly Matt's not his lap dog. He's his own character, and a damn adult too. I don't like the headcanons of him being that pathetic submissive dog that needs guidance. I think he's fine on his own.

[selfspinninglies]

👁️👁️?

hi aureo that was fast . anyway explanation under the cut woo

its kinda fuzzy in my head since ive only had this idea for two days including today so . but basically theres magic in the world that this takes place in (side tangent that isnt totally important but im gonna talk about how it works now if you dgaf skip to the plot stuff) its mostly not demonized/hated/feared/whatever cause i dont feel like it . anyway basically the energy needed is inside of your blood so whenever you use it it draws it out of you in some way (depends on what its used for) or you can draw it out yourself (bloodletting) and depending on how strong the spell you're doing is a certain amount of blood will be needed which causes !! a lot of problems for magic users . also its not like . a lineage thing anyone can learn how to do it because another part of how it works is making bonds/pacts with spirits that hold power over certain things and the blood is like . the offering also and you can either use incantations of sorts to do spells or just command things that youve borrowed power over also if your family has a pact with a spirit you are automatically in that also

vey end up going into the center of the woods and there's a grave in the clearing so vey go to it and make a blood offering assuming that this is the correct place (<- its not . oops) which ends up pissing off the spirit there because they do not have a pact together so vey are Not supposed to do that . it ends up pissing the spirit off more by admitting that it thought this was the correct place to be for a different spirit who was apparently not even close to here . who knew (everyone except erika) . the spirit ends up laying a curse on nem as its one of those angry and restless ones + got angered further . the spirit explains that somewhere in their body the seed of the plant that fits them best will start growing inside of them at a random place and slowly kill them by taking all of their energy and eventually spread out of them and essentially take over their body . they don't say if there's any way to cure/get rid of and it doesn't really sound like there is . they also say that when ey're at eir deathbed ey'll drag eir body back to this very spot and become part of the forest in the same way the spirit is . (sorry i keep saying "the spirit" i know it sounds kinda weird but i havent named them yet) (also ihave sooosososo many thoughts about how this would work so . maybe another time but if you wanna hear me go insane ask)

(other side tangent) also the way that the spirits work is that if you're connected to something deeply throughout life and your death is also connected to that thing (ex you have a connection to oceans/lakes/rivers your entire life and then you drown and die) you become bound to it spiritually and it becomes literally a part of you which means you have command over it kinda (does any of this make sense . idk) but it sucks a lot because the thing draws out your energy after death to fuel your ability cause like i said earlier spells require energy n shit but you also gain the ability to share your ability with others which relieves it a little since the burden isnt all on you BUT some spirits are angrier and curse anyone who steps foot near the area where they died . also their abilities and people who have deals with them's powers are amplified in the death area

ANYWAY actual plot time . the protagonists name is erika/erik (goes by both) (any pronouns but mostly uses neos) and ney're part of a family that has a pact (<- i think im going with that as for what ill call these) with some sort of plant spirit ney aren't sure which one though ney didnt pay much attention to the explanation of it all . it doesnt care too much about its lineage its more interested in biology and anatomy related things (<- woaww title reference) and also salamanders . its not story important but ve really likes salamanders . anyway x2 nix is somewhere in nixs early 20s and lives alone in an apartment planning on going to college soon but is putting it off . probably works a shitty 9-5 that it hates idk . very tired guything . theyre kinda bored and start thinking about their abilities and general ineptitude with it and decide that they'll go to the forest that their pact spirit dwells in to feel more connected to it or whatever . ey didn't really plan things through a lot . It makes a small bag with some supplies in it just in case and goes to the place that it thinks is the correct one but ends up being wrong and ends up in a very large forest . paragraph break because this one's getting long

obviously it freaks the fuck out about this and ends up running veryvery far away from the clearing and ends up collapsing somewhere because its really fucking tired . in the morning to nix's surprise nothing happened to nix in that time . anyway first thing he does is take out a diagram of the human body that was in one of the notebooks that he took with him and starts drawing out what the curse might look like on the inside . (which is also kinda where the name of the story comes from)

hey remember how i said energy needed for spells lay inside someone's blood . and how the plants will sap off of the person's energy and therefore blood . and how erik's family has a pact with a plant spirt . hey do you think that might be just a little important -

so anyway she tries to find her way back but fails miserably because the one thing she happened to forget was a map of any kind so now she's stuck in a forest with a deadly curse and no idea how to fix herself. they frantically walk through the forest and end up finding a village filled with totally normal people yayyy . anyway when they get there they say that they got lost in the woods and need a place to stay until they figure stuff out . oddly enough someone agrees to house them for a bit . The people of the town are incessant with questions, particularly about if they've encountered the spirit . on impulse he lies saying that he didnt which totally wont bite him in the ass later i mean who said that . anyway thats basically the plot theres more but this is already long as fuck and i dont feel like typing anymore idk how much of this makes sense but whateverrr im sleepy n sickly (<- has a cold) so . yeah hope you like it :]]

[lemonthepotato]

Songs I associate with each Enneagram type (but I’m bad at typing):

One:

I don’t think I can say this

Carnivore - STARSET

Finders Keepers - Riproducer

World So Cold - 12 Stones

Alright, you ones have been getting too many unironic entries. Time for mockery.

World Around Me - Escape The Fate

Wolf In Sheep’s Clothing - Set It Off (Accidentally chose the acoustic version) (me momen)

Rock Bottom - Grandson

Molly - MSI

Oh No! - MARINA (I know I’m shit at typing but how is ‘Don’t need money, don’t need fame’ 3?? PDB is wilding)

Sorry if I put this elsewhere, but Hope Of Morning by Icon For Hire. I originally took this as a 5, 6 or 9 song when analysing it, but I had an epiphany; it’s 1 coded. Let me explain. (“My mind’s a kaleidoscope, it thinks too fast, blurs all the colours til I can’t see past, last mistake, the choice I made, staring in the mirror with only myself to blame.” Black and white thinking, self-hatred. “Sometimes I’m afraid of the thoughts inside, nowhere to hide inside my mind. I’m scared that you’ll compare and I’ll look like a lifetime past repair.” High standards, worries about being a bad person. “Self-disgust and selfishness tend to hold me awfully close, but I don’t want my friends to see that, I don’t want my friends to know.”) (I’m on the fence about this typing) (I feel like I might be trying to type every song I can, which isn’t how this works. While I Will Not Bow by Breaking Benjamin seems 853ish to me, like, I don’t associate it strongly with 8, so it doesn’t belong in this list. Same with a lot of other songs.)

Two:

Where Has Everyone Gone? - James Marriott

It Should’ve Been Me - Riproducer (“But I’m unsure of my intent. Surely my fragile hospitality would shatter under the stress.”)

Painkiller - Three Days Grace (I know it’s a fucking metaphor, before any smartahs try to correct me.)

You know I have so few 2 songs when I have to resort to Helluva Boss fansongs that are maybe semi-official now

UwU Song - Rikutzu (Idk I don’t have any 2sungs)

This song is sx2 core. (UM HELP??? I put the wrong song here, but I have no idea what the one I meant to put here was. THIS IS SUCH A FUNNY MISTAKE THO)

Sticks and Stones - The Pierces (sx2) (“I’m the one you want.” “But you get scared when we’re alone, like I might suck your blood.” “Love me more than anyone.” “Can’t undo my spell on you.”)

Jericho - Celldweller (this is such a so2 song, and let me explain!) (“self-importance amplified.” “you’re looking down, and feeling so profound. you’re so impressed by your false humility.” “an unhappy ending to your sense of deity.” “you’re so oblivious to your own frailty.” “an unhappy ending to the life you’ve glorified”)

Three:

Witness - Mindless Self Indulgence (relate as a disintegrated 6 tbh)

Copycat - Circus P (“I say everything you like to hear… I can’t remember who I am… I’ve become what you like”)

Why Not Me? - Set It Off

Good Enough - atsuover (“Why would I continue being me, when better people are all I see?… put on your mask and get up on your on your way, they love you anyway”) (suppose this could also be 1)

Scary World - Night Club (ooo3 ooo3 ooo3) (edit: not sure if I’d type this as a 3 or 4 song?)

You’re Dead - Norma Tanega (“Plan all your moves in advance.” “There’s too much work to be done.” “Don’t ever talk with your eyes, be sure that you compromise.” “You’ve sold out your dream to the world.”)

Theatre - Icon For Hire (“I’m getting pretty good at feeding them the lines they like, but I don’t recognise the girl that I see each night.”) (6 fix btw) (I’m just using this as an excuse because I keep neglecting the 3’s)

EVERYTHING - LuluYam (“I wanna be everybody’s dream.” “I want to be everything.” “A king, a lord, an emperor, a god. A fake, a fraud, a phony, oh my god. Don’t crack through my facade. Don’t crack through my facade!)

Fake it - Seether (“Who’s to know if your soul will fade at all? The one that you sold to fool the world.”) (“Fake it if you’re out of direction, fake it if you don’t belong here. Fake it if you feel like infection.”)

Pretty For You - Baby Bugs (okay, this could be 2 or 9 too, but it’s kinda sx3 for me, imo)

Ghost rule - DECO27 (Not putting lyrics up, I don’t speak Japanese and am relying on rough translations)

Insecurity - Girls Love Shoes (This song is SOOOO 3 core) (“What are they thinking of me?” “I just want to stand out, I just want to fit in” > w4.)

Four:

Happy Hurts - Icon For Hire (“Can we let the pain and happy mix?… If I had to pick between the way that I am, and the way that everyone else seems to pretend, I wouldn’t question it, not even for a second”)

Identity - Grandson

Skeleton - Set It Off

Get Well II - Icon For Hire

Sugar And Spice - Icon For Hire (“Wouldn’t you rather be broken than boring too?” Seriously, such a 4 song.)

Feel Better - Penelope Scott (“I don’t wanna feel better, no one’s ever gonna love me like that again… I don’t wanna get over it, I wanna get under it instead.”)

Pyrite Girl - Riproducer

Hurt - Get Scared (“How do you think I’m alright? And I like the way you hurt inside.”)

I Can Only Be Me - Mars Argo (“Try to take my identity, and I’ll just create a new one.”)

Only Be A Story - Icon For Hire (core fear)

4w5 moment (no I’ve never played Touhou)

Iodine - Icon For Hire (“I think I’m just in love with the feeling” “Crazy is I believe the medical term, for when we wanna recover, but don’t wanna learn.” “I say I wanna be happy, but I quickly forget. Will I sabotage all the good I’ve got left? Depression’s like a big fur coat, it’s made of dead things, but it keeps me warm.”) (9 fix btw)

4w3!!

Won’t Forget - Dabu

Pretend You Love Me - Baby Bugs (“And sometimes I wonder if I didn’t hurt so bad, would I be more lovable to my mom and my dad? And if I went back in time to see six year old me, I’d say this shit does not get better, this is who you’re meant to be and I’m a monster, so you say, and I do this on purpose anyway. I need to feel this pain.”)

Devastation And Reform - Relient K (Disintegration to 1) (“I feel like I was born, for devastation and reform. Destroy everything I love and the worst part is, I pull my heart out, reconstruct, but in the end it’s nothing but a shell of what I had when I first started.” “But they’re’d be no story, without all this dissension. So I inflict the conflict, with the utmost of attention.”)

L’assasymphonie (from MLOR) (For the same reason as Ghost Rule, I won’t put the lyrics up)

The Abandoned Castle Of My Soul - The Gothic Archie’s. Do I need to explain this? Lol

Pain - Three Days Grace.

Five:

Lateralus - TOOL (“Overthinking, overanalysing, separates the body from the mind.”)

Dream Your Dream - TryHardNinja (Ok look, I know there’s a type probably more suited for this song but I’ve been neglecting the fives.)

The Sun, The Moon, The Stars - Aether Realm (I have no justification for this)

Echo - CrusherP

Anonymous - Three Days Grace

Jail Time - Chloe Adams (“Jail time, living in my head.” 5w4 core.)

Hounds - Puma Blue

The Fool - Aether Realm (no idea what this songs actually meant to say but considering it’s called ‘the fool’ referring to the fools journey and mentions knowledge like 2ce it’s 5core.)

The Grudge - TOOL

Am I Supposed To Apologise? - Maria Mena (“I sought understanding clarity and truth, by baring all the wounds inflicted on my youth.” Literally 5w4. Maybe 4w5. In case it isn’t obvious, I’m pretty bad at typing songs.)

Can’t Get Out - Dabu

5 with a 4 fix. Yeah I didn’t say all these entries would be serious.

Breakdown - Lacuna Coil (“Shutting myself off, getting numb inside.” “I can’t stand the noise outside.” “Even if you think I’m fine, I’m still damaged, I stay out of sight.”)

Mind Is A Prison - Alec Benjamin (I’m at the 100 link limit) (“Sometimes I think too much.” “I’m always stuck in my head.” “Guess my mind is a prison, and I’m never gonna get out.”)

Everybody’s Watching Me - The Neighbourhood (“Uh, oh, where can I go? Everybody’s watching me.” “I go through all the trouble of keeping it within my walls. I try to be as subtle as I can. Assume that nothing needs me, all I’ve done defeats me.”)

Feels Like A Wish - Station K (sx5) (“You made my dreams come true.” “Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, from my mind. How can I escape, from this irresistible place?”)

People Watching - Air Traffic Controller (I originally typed this as a 9 song, but it’s soooo 5.) (“Hiding in secret from us all? Who can you trust, who will you call?” “You see the world while locked inside.”) (heavily 9 fixed with a slight 4 fix, too)

Imaginary - Evanescence. I called this the “most 9 song ever.” Yeah, uh, no, it’s the most 5 song ever.

Six:

Nightmare - Set It Off (“And all I know is that I don’t feel safe… but am I losing my mind?”)

Curse Or Cure - Icon For Hire (“Oh I swear my emotions are the enemy… I’m afraid I can’t trust myself, don’t leave me alone”)

Killer In The Mirro - Set It Off (“Never let your guard down… cause I know if you could switch this, you’d be dishing out the same shit… now I know, there’s no one I can trust.”)

I’m Made Of Wax Larry, What Are You Made Of? - A Day To Remember (“Everybody’s out to get me”; yep that’s my entire justification)

Misguided Ghosts - Paramore (“See I’m tryna find my place, and it might not be here where I feel safe… would someone care to classify our broken hearts and twisted minds so I can find someone to rely on, and run to them?”

Fear And Loathing - MARINA (Congratulations, if you’ve ever put this song in your vent playlist, you’re a 6 or 6 fix. :))

Culling Voices - TOOL (“Disembodied voices deepen my suspicious tendencies. Conversations we’ve never had; imagined interplay… heated altercations we never had, yet I’m guided by them all…. misleading me over and over. Judge, condemn and banish anyone and everyone, without evidence, only the whispers from within.” E6 blueprint.

Hearts A Mess - Gotye (6 blueprint. Actually 5 too.)

Beneath Me - Lucid Planet

JUST FORGET THIS IS A Y’KNOW SONG PLZ

I was gonna type this as 1, initially, but it’s more 6core

Paranoia - A Day To Remember (it’s literally called paranoia like-)

The World Is A Very Scary Place - The Gothic Archie’s (this could also be 5)

Diseased - Baby Bugs (4 fix go brrrr haha)

In Between - James Marriott (“It’s out of the question, it’s over the line, to not be phased, to just be fine.” “How nice it sounds to have your guard down and nothing in between.”) (694 tritype because this is the most 9-ish 6 song ever.)

Pretend - Ursa Major (“My mother said don’t feed the strays, they’ll break your heart and run away.” “What if I second guess again? And listen to the worries in my head?” “You promised me you wouldn’t leave, and boy was I naive, I should’ve never let you in my yard.”)

A sp6 and an unhealthy so2 walk into a bar.

Wired For Worthless - Citizen Soldier (“Pull you in, push you away.” “A brain built by every memory, of times I was not enough to make the ones I love wanna stay.” “Love is a lie, hope is a hole, trust is the trap that took my soul. Family is fake, hatred is home, getting abandoned is all I know.” “A brain built by every memory of times I was vulnerable in vain, which just proved that I’m never worth the pain.)

Dizzy Paranoia Girl - VocaloKAT (so613) (“Expectations high from the start, I’ll just mess it up. Congratulations, you fell apart, f- I messed it up.” “Thoughts racing up and down, oh what to do now? Follow protocol.” “Panic all around, but never make a sound.”) (lol when this song came out I kinda forgot it cuz I couldn’t make the lyrics out, until today when I remembered it existed)

Seven:

Killing Harmony - Mcki Robyn’s P (I first listened to this song with no context. If you try to do the same, you’ll understand.)

Sugar Crash - ElyOtto

Using You - Mars Argo (ok some people are saying this is a 2 mistype and maybe but idk it gives 7 vibes.)

Ruin My Life - Hollywood Undead (I love stereotyping)

We Are One - 12 Stones

Borderline - Toke Styrke

Happy Pills - Weathers (Come on. I’m allowed to stereotype a little.)

7w8 731 moment

Weak And Powerless - A Perfect Circle (I’m not trying to stereotype, I’m just saying this song captures the ego-structure of an E7 trying to escape their shame over addiction through more addiction.) (You might say E8, however, the whole coping mechanism of E8 is denial. I don’t think an E8 would identify with being weak or oppressed, but that’s a generalisation)

Anytime You Smile - JT Music (We Happy Few is 7 coded anyway lol) (“A little rain and clouds will never bring me down.” “I know we’ll get through it.” “Believe me, if I’m dreaming, I wanna keep on sleeping.” “I don’t quite like myself when my head’s not in the clouds.”) (I unironically love this song tho and idk why, cuz it’s the type of song I would hate regularly lol. Maybe it’s the fact it’s… not ironic? Tongue-in-cheek? You’ll understand my point if you know the plot of WHF.)

No One Can Tell Me - Girls Love Shoes (I originally read this as an 8 song, but I see this as a clear 7 song)

Eight:

Loose Cannon - Set It Off (Yeah this is almost entirely stereotypes. Don’t really care though.)

I Didn’t Ask For This - Beth Crowley (I wanted to type this as counter 6 but I knew I’d just be bias cuz I’m a… probable SX6.) (I don’t believe in subtypes anymore) (no I won’t elaborate lol)

Catch Me If You Can - Set It Off

Power & Control - MARINA (except maybe the line about vulnerability but PDB thinks so so it must be right! Man, I love having outside unreliable sources confirm my beliefs! Call me Fox News.)

Discord - Eurobeat Brony (fear being controlled) (8w9 ish due to wanting peace) (an excuse for me to tell you the ORIGINAL song is better.)

White Rabbit - Egypt Central (“I will not be used.” “It’s the reason I chose to cut my losses. Your lies fool no one.” “We’re falling and we’re losing control.” “I won’t be pushed aside, I will be heard. I will get what I want, what I deserve.)

SAHARA - Ivycomb (“Lost in this desert and I’m looking for freedom.” “On my own, I’ll make it.” “I’ll take it by fighting the coldness inside.” “There’s no one to call my friend, but the burden’s feeling lighter without their things.” “But I quickly take my leave and I refuse the aid.” “No one can hurt me if I’m walking all alone. They can’t desert me if I’ve already turned to stone.”)

K All The Enemies - Mario Judah. (“Bring the rage. I will not let you control me, I will not let you betray me.” “Ignite the fire in me, I will not furthermore be controlled.”) (also, 6 fix.)

FACE IT - NOTHING MORE (“Shed this doubt, stand your ground.” “A man is born, and the boy has died, face it.” “You’ll never get to me.” “I’m on my own, silencing the angels in the better part of you.” “I am your gut, I am the truth. I am the power in you.” “Gotta face this on my own.”)

Nine:

Reflection - TOOL

IN MY MOUTH. Really, you should’ve seen this coming.

:) you know exactly why

My Demons - STARSET

Circles - KIRA (“Circles and circles, I look around, I go around, looking for something that cannot be found.”)

This song also describes the 3-5 years I didn’t leave the house and couldn’t even get up. Huh? Oh, that’s a… joke. Haha… (“I don’t want to know what’s waiting for me outside. I’ll make myself disappear. Tell me I should face my fears, but it’s so dark and cloudy in my room. I’m a sunflower who can’t bloom.”)

Still Here - Difitial Daggers (10/10 spelling) (Amazing)

Begin Again - Dabu

Cemetery Blues - LuLuYam (“Why does everybody else seem to know me better than I do?” “Don’t want no damn special attention.” “The way I see it, why do I try at all? Maybe I don’t need to. Maybe I don’t want to. Maybe I’m dramatic and I can’t make up my mind.” “Try to be an optimist and I don’t wanna lose.” “Just another spectre in the graveyard.” “Cause the mask that I’m wearing is a safeguard, and the face underneath is holding back hard.”)

All The Fish Will Be Floating - Rusty Cage (“Apathy is a dangerous tool. Too much of empathy will make you a fool. Apathy blinds your eyes from everything.” “And I ain’t choosing no more, and I ain’t losing no more, and I ain’t winning no more. And I ain’t sinning anymore. Ain’t doing nothing anymore. I ain’t nothing no more.”)

Language Of The Lost - Riproducer (I literally can’t quote the lyrics rn because genius is lagging)

Spanish Sahara - Foals (I have to explain this one. “So I walked into a haze.” >The E9s forget about self. “Forget the horror here.” >escapism, a common E9 coping mechanism “I’m the fury in your head. I’m the ghost in the back of your head.” >again, loss of self, but also repressed anger. “A choir of furies in your head.”)

Don’t worry, I get accused of having shit taste all the time. I know what you’re thinking.

No I’m excluding the Enneagram album because I don’t like it. Uh… kinda blunt. :( I just don’t know how else to say it.

If you want to listen to any of my playlists: 1, 2, 3, 4

Edit: Making a new version

Edit 2: I might just update this one

Edit: didn’t include it, but whoever typed Bullet by HU as sx4 when it’s the most obvious depressed 7?? Also, hey, what would y’all type Darkest Part by Red? It fits a so3 character of mine, but I actually have no clue.

[lgbtlunaverse]

hi! I'm here from your (very hot btw) 'NMJ has to bottom for medical reasons' fic, thank you for writing it! In addition to the stellar characterization and prose, I love how you've delved more into how the Nie sect and the saber curse works! I also really liked the mention of the Nie sect encouraging men from minor sects to marry into the clan instead of the women marrying out, because it helps make sense of why the Nie sect was able to stay as powerful as it does while its best practitioners are fated to die relatively young from qi deviation.

Now, I know the "saber cultivation has the side effect of amplifying yin-essence" effect in your fic is set up to explain why NMJ needs to get dicked down for his health, but... do you have any ideas about what it might be like for female Nie cultivators in canon? like, would it have been equal opportunity qi deviation, or would women be discouraged from training too much/attaining too high of a cultivation level bc sexism (the duty to rear children), or some secret third thing? iirc there's no canon info on female Nie cultivators anyway, so I'm curious about what you would find plausible given the constraints of canon, since your approach to this aspect of worldbuilding is so thoughtful in your fic

again, thank you for sharing this story with us! hope you have fun writing the next part :3

Thank you for the praise, this is so nice!! Anyway sure i love talking baout my overly convoluted and silly worldbuilding.

So in the fic, the yin-excession caused by saber cultivation is generally minor, and only becomes a real problem for Nie Mingjue once xiyao start playing clarity for him. (And even then only because it was enhanced by liu-leaf. It's not relevant but I wanted to say it: Liu here is the character 流 which means "to flow." It's not a real plant. I made it up. But becuase it's my plant I get to say that it's actually a blood thinner, which is where it gets its name from. It was discovered by Wen doctors, who also figured out it made cores flow more easily too, but they kept that part a secret. Until now.)

Essentially: Yin is characteristic of darkness, and of destruction, and therefore is acquired disproportionally via saber cultivation which gains its power from death, as well as blood. (The blood's also relevant because multiple of the "zang" organs (heart, liver, spleen, kidney, and lung.) Either store, contain, or govern blood, and these are the organs which are considerd to be yin in nature, contrasted by the "fu" yang-natured organs: the small and large lintestine, gall bladder, urinary bladder, stomach and the san jiao. So absorbing blood, like he sabers do, is yin-natured)

(please remember this is not accurate chinese philosophy, it's fanfiction sex magic. I'm referencing real concepts but I'm not intepreting them properly!)

Contrastingly, despite countering the buildup of resentful energy that saber cultivation also causes, Clarity doesn't fix the yin-exessive nature. It makes it worse. Because Yin is also passivity, while Yang is activity. Clarity's soothing and claming nature means that it favours Yin over Yang (again i'm just making shit up here.) Essentially: it solves the main problem while accidentally making a secondary problem worse.

For most cultivators, Yin imbalance won't get you before the resentful energy does. But, as per the fic, the imbalance can actually make your core more vulnerable to said qi deviation.

Because dual cultivation helps, female Nie cultivators actually notice less of this problem... as long as they marry a man that doesn't practice Nie cultivation. Marrying within the clan, or not getting married at all, would shave a few years of your lifespan. And would leave you more vulnerable to yin-excessive imbalance than an unmarried man since your core is already naturally more yin oriented.

Now, whether this means that they'd be encouraged to train less? No, not really. In fact, it doesn't seem that "you're gonna die young" is a deterrent to any Nie training less! (of course we hear rather little of uh... any Nies that are not nmj or nhs. But the version of them I've made up is like that)

They hold martial strength in such a high regard that they're willing to take the inherent risk of saber cultivation, and so this risk being slightly higher for unmarried women makes no difference in this ideal.

Of course there is an added pressure for any women who might not want to marry outside the sect, or marry at all, but that's just a stronger version of the pressure that exists for any woman in a patriarchal society that practices arranged marriages like the one in mdzs. It's technically allowed, (Du Kangli, Nie Fengyong's husband, is actually from a family that has been with the Nie for generations, and practices saber cultivation himself) but discouraged, especially if the women in question are strong cultivators who have reached the stage where qi deviation starts to become a real problem.

One thing that does cause a bit of a problem is that, as I mentioned, once sabers get strong enough they also get pissy when they're not fed with beast blood on a regular basis. Baxia only getting fed shitty human blood for 3 years straight is one of the reasons NMJ's qi deviation is coming abnormally early even for a Nie sect leader.

That causes a bit of an issue when pregnant or recovering from pregnancy. Instead of one whiny baby asking to be fed all the time, you now have two! So the Nie basically have "maintenance" hunts, where pregnant women, or those recovering from birth or injuries, are accompanied by other cultivators whose job it is to trap the beast and set her up for an easy kill to satiate the saber with minimal danger.

[miseria-fortes-viros]

omegaverse headcanons for TRC/TDT, go

you make ONE post saying omegaverse is fun and silly actually and suddenly EVERYON—

nah just kidding ABSOLUTELY hi jess let’s do this thang. first of all let’s get this out of the way: top/bottom and dom/sub are not the same thing, and that is still true in the omegaverse!! however i do think part of the appeal of the omegaverse is the politics of it. i.e., “this man is experiencing misogyny”. class and social standing in the omegaverse are very much influenced by one’s secondary sex, and class and social standing are integral parts of a lot of the characters in trc; to change them is to get a completely different character.

SO!! my thoughts on trc omegaverse, as requested by jess. xoxo love u jess

have to say it sorry. majority of aglionby students are going to be alphas based on the aforementioned social class and secondary sex relation. aglionby student body is probably 60% douchelord alphas, 35% betas pretending to be douchelord alphas, and 5% omegas who are kind of having a terrible time. of course, most are rich enough to be untouchable anyway.

i do like the idea of adam being one of those omegas, mainly because i think it fits his storyline and character arc. it would add to the shame he has of where he comes from/what he is, the social obstacle of feeling like vs actually being an outsider, the issues he has with self worth and control would be amplified. no matter how successful he becomes and how far he gets from the trailer there is one thing about him that he cannot change, and he would hate it so much. <3

gansey being a beta but being the king of aglionby anyway because he’s gansey. gansey ganseying gansily how could he not be. “hey guys have any of you heard of owain glendower” tell me more bb. the first time he meets blue he flounders because the last alpha that was that angry at him was ronan who doesn’t count so actually probably it was his dad 5 years ago so this is uncharted territory and he fr has no idea what to do

ronan’s an alpha. declan’s an alpha. half the reason they beat the shit out of each other is because when you’re brothers and you’re alphas you try to kill each other sometimes that’s how it is. animal planet type shit. matthew is also an alpha but he doesn’t count because they both love him too much

blue is an alpha too. i just think she <3 and <3 yeah <3 but fr uhhh same impossible stuff anyone. just saying there’s a lot of attitude in that tiny girl. she’s very self assured and independent and i think any other alignment wouldn’t really be true to her character. one of the reasons she hates aglionby boys so much is their money obviously but also their abuse of the system. she doesn’t buy into the social aspects of secondary sex as much as other people do and she thinks all that posturing is stupid, thank you very much. this is also why bluedam can’t work out. blue can try to understand why adam wants to play along but ultimately won’t. adam can’t afford to reject it the way blue thinks he should. etc. they understand each other but also something is fundamentally different (blue’s loving home vs the trailer)

noah is a beta

henry is an alpha; most of the boys think he’s lying somehow (he isn’t) and his classmates sometimes poke fun at him for it

kavinsky is a beta and he SOOOOO can’t be normal about it. he hates not being a big scary alpha TM so he turns himself into someone the big scary alphas TM are afraid of. success!! anyway i just think that would be funny

idrk how to end this um. sorry for putting omegaverse on your dash (not sorry)

[weaselishmcdiesel]

I will join u in grumbaphango town weasel tell me more 👀

Congrats- you made me ramble so much I’m putting it under a cut :)

Oh mae you’ve gotta listen to me listen—do you know how much love just one mumbo can hold in him? All these boys, grian zed tango, they do this crazy amazing shit but each of them are so passionate (mumbo does too but for the purposes just imagine mumbo ok listen) imagine literally any of them approaching mumbo to say hello for the day, not a single one could do it without pranking him along the way, something simple like tapping his shoulder on the wrong side, and then how prideful mumbo is to hear about the latest thing grian built, the latest game tango invented (seriously how does he come up with these games), the newest, mind boggling Minecraft defying contraption zedaph invented—it would make mumbo the proudest man on the server. He has these fantastic boyfriends that are all doing such incredible amazing things. I personally believe a mumbo needs to be in such an enriching enclosure. Because who better to compliment your work than Mumbo K Jumbo, who can become awestruck at the simplest things but never fails to give the most sincere compliments and feedback. It’s enough to motivate more builds and games and machines for millions of years frfr

And I’m not stopping there. I have too much boy on the brain. Grian? The fuckin? Crazy one? With zedaph and tango? The other crazy but in different flavors ones? The way grian would instantly go to one of them after a successful prank to hear their explosions of laughter or praise, or enlist one of them to help construct something specifically needing their expertise. Of course I draw grian uh. Brunette but yknow everyone calls him blond SO YOU CAN IMAGINE EVERYONE- MUMBO EVEN- teasing them for being the blond menaces. If they’re around there’s schemes sure to follow not far behind. Each one only amplifies the other- tango has that infinitely supportive energy, zedaph with infinite ideas and confidence, grian. Is. Well. He’s grian of course. He’s eager to get on literally any plan with even a modicum of prank involved. Does this leave mumbo most often dodging their attacks left and right every day? Yes but don’t worry about that

AND IF YOU CAN STOMACH JUST A BIT MORE FLUFF I IMPORE YOU to imagine. Just. All four of them. Crawling into bed, grians there first bc he’s a brat, zedaph close behind bc I think he’d specifically demand grians cuddles bc. Sweater on sweater violence etc etc. then there tango bc with his long arms I’m sure he tries to hug em both at once, probably can’t really do it but by golly the spirit is there. Where’s mumbo you ask? Well the fuckers always working late at night. He woulda probably been first in bed if he were in the house at all. But he comes in late, he assumes after they’ve all fallen asleep—they know he wouldn’t be back soon. But he loves to see them, tumbled around the bed with the sheets messy, so he can tuck them all in. When I say the amount of love this man can hold. Hell tuck them up all nice long before he even gets ready for bed himself. I doubt he’s a very quiet man so amidst all the noise from fumbling around opening the closet for his pjs and turning on the sink to brush his teeth, the other three wake up, silently deciding to stay put as they are. Only so when mumbo walks back, ready to climb in next to whoever’s on his side of the bed, they all lunge and nearly give the poor hairball that is mumbo jumbo a heartattack. pulling him in under the covers unknowing of how much work he put into tucking the sheets around them. But don’t worry. They are all sleep :)

[jurygarroth]

i just read your post about gene and dante, and it really made me think about them. i really love your ideas about how dante feels about gene, and how he feels as though he's almost haunted by the different versions of his brother. but, it made me wonder how you think gene feels about dante.

do you think gene actually hates dante like he says? or is he apathetic towards him? or maybe it's more complicated?

do you think gene ever cared for dante? and how do you think their relationship would grow (since we only see a little of it in s3)? like if you could come up with an imaginary version of mcd, how would their stories go?

these are just some questions i started to ponder after your post. i found it very thought provoking and i'd love to hear what you think (if you want to share it of course)

yes.. if I think about the MCD Bluebros too hard I start seeing shrimp colors

I think Gene did care for Dante, I like to think he became head guard so that Dante and his family could have a comfortable life. he must have told Dante or otherwise noticeably hinted to him about his plans to make the lord's daughter fall in love with him, and Dante fully knew about Gene's underhanded tactics, so he might have held quite a bit of trust in him. it doesn't cross his mind that his sweet little brother would go against him, because he did everything for his sake after all.

when he found out he snitched on him, I'm sure in that moment he really did hate Dante. dying and becoming a shadow knight just amplified that, because Gene is a shadow knight who embraces his anger and hatred. whatever love he had for Dante before, he sees that Dante doesn't care about him in return, so he turns that on him in a "I dedicated my life to supporting you and you betrayed me, so now you have to feel pain equal to mine" way

(actually isn't it funny how Gene is a dead man walking alive, and after being forgotten it's like Dante is dead to his village and parents too? like they're both ghosts in this world?)

I'd keep pretty much everything from canon because it's honestly my favorite conflict in canon MCD, Gene is one of the shadow knights ever and he's so cruel and resentful and I love that he haunts Dante's narrative and then torments him when he does meet him again. I think seeing Dante have a happy family and community should fuck him up a little. he did what he could to make Dante suffer, but Dante picks himself back up while Gene will never have that support and community with the shadow knights, and that pisses him off. I want Gene to stay loyal to Shad because someone's gotta do it while every other shadow knight defects, but his frustration builds from Shad's constant demands and the knowledge that Dante is learning to move on from his past. he was serving the lord when he was alive as a guard, he was serving Zane when he was involved in the shadow knights' plans, and now he's serving the Shadow Lord, and it gets him rewarded with power but it always feels like shit and he can never seem to escape or change. so he sticks with Shad because there's nothing else to do (and he knows Shad would destroy him if he tried anything funny) up until the endgame where it's clear that Shad is just going to straight up destroy the world, and at that point everything is futile so he'll finally pour out his soul to Dante, and then drop dead ✌️

and throughout this Dante is going to continue his arc of finding new family, growing into the role of the steady, always reliable rock for all of Phoenix Drop, he still feels grief over Gene but he's working through his fear of him. Gene doesn't leave him with any time to tell him if he forgives him or not, but when he buries Gene that decision doesn't matter. when he stands at his grave he doesn't have to be the monster anymore. he's just his brother.

it's not a happy ending for Gene but that's just how I think he would go. I want the tragedy! and I'm planning on pawning off the one shadow-knight-redemption-arc ticket for Sasha, she might not make it in the end either but I think it works better to split their fates like this, you have the shadow knight that wallowed in resent after his perceived betrayal, went too far to go back, and the shadow knight that realizes the truth of her perceived betrayal just in time to turn back from falling into that fate

[binarystargames]

Liminal Void/Valiant Horizon double header update

Hi there! Been awhile since I checked in about either of these.

Liminal Void

Since my last update I've proceeded to make a ton of ships (18 total). Mostly they're a stack of Integrity/Armor, a unique trait for each (like cargo ships always have extra cargo/storage/etc space, naval ships have integrated weaponry or are better with it, etc), a room loadout, and some Hardpoint tools/weapons.

Room loadouts are functional things like storage, medical bays, etc but they're also more standard stuff: where do people sleep? How good of a galley do you have? Is your head a broom closet or can you take an actual shower in there? Things like that.

These are super important because I'm thinking about not only functional stuff but how awful it is to live on a ship that's built solely for function. Unless you're living in the lap of luxury as far as your loadout, it's guaranteed to be worse than any living conditions you can find not on a ship. Maybe that's fine if you mostly expect to be getting rooms while in ports though! Decisions, decisions.

They also tell a story about what kind of crews typically run the ship: For example, for the Ore Hauler, there's a few nice bedrooms for officers and a bunch of awful, crowded bunks for the proles, because there's an expected hierarchical relationship between overseers and workers; but for the Brawler (a close-range gunship), it's tiny to fit more weaponry and only has one bunk with a tiny head, because it's not expected to be stayed in for too long and is expected to always have someone at the helm.

Likewise with Hardpoints. For example, unlike all other civilian craft, the Ship Carrier has weaponry because it carries other ships: it's a prime target for hijacking. Others have things like work platforms, external quarantine storage, and asteroid anchors, some of which can also be used in combat to awkward, but great effect.

Rooms are by "segment", which I'm thinking of as roughly a 15 cubic meter space. Multiple-segment rooms have an amplified effect, but take up more space on the ship - and if it gets hit, all segments of the room are probably damaged or ruined.

I also added rules for how to do stuff with them. It largely follows the Total//Effect Clashes and Dueling idea but I've made a few key distinctions here:

A lot of "combats" aren't really going to be combat as such, especially if you have a civilian ship. Mostly you just want to get out unharmed. Being in space combat is a really bad, expensive idea! And sometimes there's nothing to fight as such, there's just a big asteroid field trying to tear apart your ship. So there's some rules, mostly leveraging progress/resistance and threat/tension for that kind of thing.

I'm going with Integrity/Armor: Armor's cheap to fix and acts as ablative HP to Integrity's Real Shit HP. Much like personal injury, if you take Harm to Integrity, you're rolling to see if something really bad happens.

I also added ~The Economy~, the long-awaited rules for how to buy, sell, restock, etc. I'm following a lot of the SRD's Income and Expenditures but I'm introducing a few concepts that I'm probably going to back-port. The general vibe is:

Currency is Credits or Scrip. You can spend credits anywhere, you can only spend scrip at company stores. (Or you can exchange for credits, but it's rarely 1:1.)

Each thing you're getting/giving has a set Magnitude (representing what ballpark of price it's in) that's 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, and so on. (Values chosen for easy multiplication: most people can multiply by 2's, 5's, or 10's and it's all variations on that.)

But that Magnitude is multiplied by a Value: this one's a die roll depending on how much the buyer/seller values it, scarcity, negotiation tactics, etc. (Standard Total//Effect Low/Mid/High, except on the low end instead of Low - 1 potentially going down to 0, it bumps Magnitude down a step.)

Likewise with expenditures like fuel, food/water, repairs, etc., each has a value that's determined on purchase. Certain facilities on your ship can make this easier/cheaper or negate it.

If you can't pay for, or don't want to pay for, an expenditure, you can Risk It: this gives a chance every time the neglected thing's stressed to have it fail at the absolute worst time. (Like if you Risk It with fuel, well, I hope you're packing a distress beacon.)

I'm working on debt next but it's likely going to be like: you put down your ship as collateral for a loan, you have to pay interest every time you resupply (a portion of the load depending on how good a deal you got), if you can't or don't pay you might get a repo man after you.

I also wrote up some of the setting, specifically the three poles:

Earth's where it all started but it's kind of old and busted compared to the old days. It's still the breadbasket of the galaxy, so there's some life in it; but for the most part, it's very hard to live there unless you're already rich, having an atmosphere is a prized commodity.

Mars is where most of the galaxy's metal/hydrocarbon mining happens (as penal labor, largely). It's also where most of the shipyards are.

Ganymede was founded by techies and focuses hard on high-tech stuff and experimental working. They're also the ones most interested in pushing the limits of the known universe further out, but their corporations met stiff challenges from inhospitable regions, mysterious occurrences, and the desire of those out on the frontier to break free.

I wrote a few scattered things for these: a page of description each and a handful of plot hooks. This is about the level of setting I'm aiming for, but I'll add a few more categories later.

Valiant Horizon

On a less grim note than space capitalism, Valiant Horizon's mostly in "flesh out the soft stuff" mode - the main mechanics are basically done so it's mostly a matter of that and refinement. Specifically, I recently tackled Heroes/Classes as a concept.

The idea behind each Class is that characters in this setting were bonded with hero-containing Crystals. Classes are just the archetypes of these heroes. As part of the game, when you level up and when you meet new characters/heroes in the same position, you flesh out the story of that hero: starting with an In Media Res moment in their life, and adding more as you level up. You can learn up to 6 things about a Hero: this takes you through the 1st Tier (Fledgling, levels 1-3) and 2nd Tier (Famous, levels 4-6). At Renowed Tier (7-9), you're focusing on making a legend of your own.1 This has a multi-fold effect: not only are you describing the person in your character's head, you're creating the setting through anecdotes (which I love to do, see ANOINTED) and defining your character better in the process (as there's meant to be some kind of special affinity between the two: in defining the hero's life, it's also reflecting on their bonded character.)

So that's those! Major progress being made. (And I got an artist for Valiant Horizon. Hopefully more on that soon!)

I haven't written this fully in yet but at Level 10, the pinnacle at Heroic Tier, you perform the final thing that seals your legend: you come up with a Class based on your exploits that survives to the next game, and your character is now a Hero for someone in the future. ↩︎

[whataphantasia]

What would happen if Ely put on Zim’s or one of the other irken’s PAKs?

dude. do you have any idea what this ask did to me. anyway

yeah uhm you made me make 3 of these. i kinda assumed a zib-like situation, where they've been like this for a while... i think i will ramble about it below da cut.

i only did zim, tib, and ksehi for this one,, but i'd imagine a potential tak to be like tib's and a potential ai to be like zim...

how did they get the paks on them? i suppose it depends :3c lets see...

zely is scary. zely can take over the world... but the ely side has no real interest in doing that. maybe they'll change a few things about the government but it's not like they're going to turn the earth over to the armada or rule the place. really, the whole pak situation just makes it easier for ely and zim to talk and for them to accelerate his i-hate-the-armada-now arc LOL.

but. they'd have fun shenanigans together. zim lets ely wreak more havoc that they'd never be able to do otherwise and it's great (much to dib's dismay) anyways hope zim gets his body back!

tellie... unlike zim, tib doesn't like, want to take over the world. he would also never want ely to lose any of themself, but yknow. he's still THERE. he gets cold easier so they wear their jacket more, and his chronic pain and tiredness gets transferred to them 😭😭 but but. his genius and cool pak tech is definitely a bonus ely makes use of LOL. and this is definitely the most energy he's had in a LONG time. they make each other better while they're together!! they've always done that!

(also hehe tellie... like a telephone...)

ok uhm. elehi. they're both storytellers and love collecting shit, this just AMPLIFIES that. i feel like,,, it'd make ely more organized, and ksehi less high strung... or something.

but also ksehi's probably out of it's MIND right now. that's it's CRUSH how is it supposed to ACT?? LMAO um it's inner thought process is super funny during all this and ely keeps trying to calm it down,,, they're working it out...

in all of these situations ely already knows the effect of a pak attached to a human... it's a wonder how they AREN'T, like, dead or not themself anymore!! i can imagine a single chapter in the fic exploring this or wtv LOL shenanigans would happen

and also it'd be dib's worst nightmare </3

they r all fine after this. they get plot armor. it was for the silly 👍👍