#also they typically have something weird or interesting they would like to teach you about their Interest™. parallel vibes to weird kids

[sonicenvy]

my favorite groups of patrons to work with at my library are:

weird little girls ages 7-13. (something, something, recognition of self in the other, something) please tell me all about the jellyfish that fascinate you and your new knitting projects and your very specific niche interests. it’s ok if you never, ever want to make eye contact with me. i take zero offense, because like.... i feel the same way. If you want me to look in the other direct while you talk to me, go right ahead. For the autistic little girls i see you friend.

toddlers who are decently well behaved, usually because they are THE funniest people on planet earth. comedians want what 2 year olds have. they are also the most genuine, sweet, completely dead serious people out there. Please show me your scribble that is actually a picture of T-rexes in tutus. (actual picture I was shown by my favorite, now weird little girl gradeschooler, former funniest toddler on the planet O). Other notable littles that I can’t get enough of is the little russian toddler E who comes in with her grandad and they color the same coloring page together and she names out the colors of every crayon she picks from the box out loud as she’s doing it.

little old people. most of them are actually very sweet, or incredibly weird with very fascinating stories to tell you about stuff they did 50 years ago. Also so many of them are befuddled by technology things but they do want to learn! The problem is that SO many young people in their lives brush them off and don’t give them the time and space to learn. The kinds of things that seem self-explanatory to YOU certainly aren’t to them, and they aren’t always the best at articulating WHY they are confused, partially I find because impatient young people have made them feel really embarrassed about the stuff they don’t know. For anyone who is having to teach an old person in your life about tech stuff, you just have to literally imagine that you have never once in your life seen a computer. you’re a time traveler from 1970. They don’t know the difference between left and right click. They’ve never heard the word browser! Give them space and time to explain what they do know before launching yourself. I wrote a 10 step guide with very specific descriptions of everything in the GUI for a little old granny on how to copy and paste text in a word document, and several days later she emailed me to tell me that my guide helped her SO much and that she actually could use copy and paste now. I cried reading that 3 sentence email y’all. validation in this chili’s tonight. The look little old people who finally Get The Thing™ you’re teaching them have on their face in that moment is PRICELESS.

Art Kids™. You want to do art and I want to tell you about art. it’s a win win. Let’s get you some books on cartooning! Please tell me about your latest painting.

Little old grandparents looking to get stuff for their soon to be visiting grankids from out of town. yes we have activities. yes we have toys you can check out and take home. yes we have 30 different recommended book lists. yes we have that book you remember reading to your kids when they were little.

[callmerainman]

Alastor with a pure hearted s/o

a/n I'm fully aware that Alastor is aroace. My scenarios are meant to be interpreted as a deep, unconditional love, not necessarily romantic. I'm not aroace but I'm all for educating myself, so please if something's off let me (gently) know. Hope you enjoy :)

TW! canon typical violence

being a twisted person is not a requirement to reincarnate in Hell. Sins depend on religion, culture, societal norms. You were more of a victim, in fact.

you never got used to being in Hell. Surviving not only the Extermination but also the inhabitants becomes harder and harder every year.

it's kill or be killed, but you just can't bring yourself to do any harm to anyone, even if it means risking your own life.

as soon as you hear about princess Charlie Morningstar's new hotel for souls who want a second chance, your bags are PACKED

it's not like you really need redemption, you are pure hearted already. it's more a matter of understanding the reasons why you ended in Hell and coming to terms with them. maybe then the gates of Heaven would open for you. it's also a safer place for you to be.

Charlie welcomes you excitedly; Angel Dust, Husk and Vaggie aren't that friendly at first since your personalities don't match, but they eventually grow fond of you

and then there's, well...the Radio Demon.

you never met an Overlord before, and Alastor was supposed to be gone for years. But his presence wasn't frightening. A big smile spread across his face, he welcomed you like a gentleman.

you heard stories about his lifestyle and even previous murderous acts as a human, but for some reason you just can't bring yourself to fear him.

at first you were kinda pathetic to him. so naive, out of touch with the evils of Hell. he didn't dislike you. just thought your life was so easy to throw away in a society like that and that you wouldn't last long.

it seems like you two don't have much to share. he just wanders in his den, while you spend time in your room. you greet each other and have small talks, but nothing more than that. that's until he hears jazz music play behind your door.

he mentions it during dinner, and you start talking about your interest in 30s jazz music, especially the one of the Roaring 20s. you come from a later era, but you're very much cultured about jazz and its forms and that's enough for Alastor to develop an interest in you.

he has so many jazz artists recommendations, and you share some of your favourite pieces with him through your gramophone.

without even noticing, Alastor starts spending hours in your room just listening to music. some time even practicing swing dancing. and talking about jazz culture all around the world, and entertainment in general. he has many fun facts about the history of radio too!

the others at the hotel notice your growing bond and low-key support it, in their own, weird way. Angel Dust is especially convinced that you two are hooking up, as Husk not-so-kindly explains that it's more likely for Alastor to ascend to Heaven than express interest in sex.

you would start to open yourself up a bit to the Radio Demon. he doesn't understand why, since it didn't ask or never showed much empathy. but he just can't bring himself to tell you to stop. he wants to listen.

you manage to make him talk about some glimpses of his own life and thoughts. you knew that he was the complete opposite of you. incline to Evil, an enjoyer of all things that made your stomach clench. but he's still the one person who spends hours with you just listening to both jazz and your fears.

one day, Alastor decided that in no way you are walking around the city without him. it's just too dangerous for you. he tries to teach you how to use weapons and demonic powers to defend yourself but he doesn't feel like you can make it into Hell by yourself.

you like strolling through the streets with him, arms intertwined, chatting and laughing even if demons around you are shitting their pants just by seeing the Overlord walking around.

but one day, Alastor can't find you.

you're not in your room, or in the Hotel hall. No one saw you that morning. He starts to feel something he never felt in his life: fear.

he darts out the Hotel, trying to find you. that's when he sees you just a few streets away.

a group of animal-like demons is encircling you. you are on your knees, arms over your head to protect yourself. A lion-demon is holding a knife over you and your arms are covered in cuts. you hold something close to your stomach.

that's when Alastor realized that he had feelings for you.

when he threw himself between you and the demons attacking you.

it's the first time you see Alastor without a smile. his teeth are gritted, face full of unprecedented violence and will to kill, breathing heavily in and out in a sort of animalistic way, but there's no trace of his characteristic smile you love.

his body starts to morph into his full demon form. his horns grow exponentially, his body too as it hovers menacingly on top of your aggressors as they start to feel a pure fear they never felt before.

in a matter of a second, they are gone. Alastor has always been a calculated, elegant killer, but this time he only felt a raw, ferocious instinct to kill.

as he's done, he turns around towards you. he doesn't want to, but he snaps.

"W̶̞̐H̷̻͒Y̷̰̅ ̶̠͛D̸͕́I̸͔̍D̴̿͜ ̷̯̇Y̶̭͌Ỏ̴̬U̵̖̍ ̷̛͎Ģ̷̕O̸̩͑ ̷̹̈́O̶̮͆U̸͍̇T̴̙͆ ̷̧̀W̴͓̅I̷̞͑T̸̗͒H̴̹͒O̴̺̓Ṷ̵̂T̵̺̚ ̵̢́M̴̜̅E̶̬̋?̸̻͋!̸̦͂"

you flinch, you never saw Alastor lose his composure. he was always so calm and collected. his voice was static, choppy.

the tears that were cornering your eyes start streaming down your face "I-I..."

"Ţ̶̈Ḧ̴͙́Ė̵̩Ỳ̷̳ ̷̳̒Ã̸̡L̷̛͚M̶͇̚O̸͈̔S̴̜̎T̸͚̊ ̷̤͝K̷͊͜I̵̺͝L̵͚̎L̴̤̆Ẽ̴͖D̶͍̈́ ̵̻͝Y̵̰̑O̸̜͘Ù̶͍!̵̻͝ ̸͓̾D̴̯͒O̶̅͜Ṉ̶̌'̷̹͒T̵͎͋ ̶̺́Y̴̹͂O̶͍̅U̴̘͌ ̵̘̾Û̷̪N̸̩̊D̵͎̋Ȅ̴͜R̵̮͂S̸̰̄T̸̝̅A̵͓͘N̷̩͂Ḏ̴̀?̵̗̍!̸̭̎"

suddenly, your bleeding arms fall from your head. you expose what you've been protecting all along.

a vinyl, a really old record from Alastor's favourite jazz artist. a rare find.

"I-I know but...tomorrow it's your death anniversary and I wanted to give this to you...as a surprise. I'm sorry"

Alastor's face immediately softens. Eyebrows raised, smile still not seen. He's just surprised and...moved.

He doesn't say anything, he just picks you up in his arms and takes you back to the Hotel where he bandages your arms.

Feeling guilty for putting yourself in danger, you ask Alastor to come to your room in order to apologize to him.

As he closes the door behind him, he says that there's no need to apologize.

"I'm...glad that you are still in your room. Listening to jazz, alive"

words didn't come easy, but he did feel the need to say it. you smile at him.

you propose to put his gift on the gramophone and so you do. music starts to flow between the small space you shared with the Radio Demon.

that's when you and Alastor start slow dancing. his arms around your waist, yours encircling his neck. his smile is back, but soft and...almost loving.

with his silent agreement, you reach for his cheek and graze it.

"Thank you for saving me, Alastor. Even if you are everything I distance myself from in this life...I'm glad you are the person that you are with me. In my next life, I'll make sure to be a sinner again if it means dancing with you like this"

Alastor now understands his feelings. It's something deeper than care. It's love. But not the same love you reserve to a friend and not even romantic. It's something deeper, more visceral.

He doesn't answer, just closes his eyes and leans in to press his forehead against yours.

you later fall asleep on your bed to the quiet sound of the gramophone playing, hands intertwined on Alastor's chest.

[kookyburrowing]

Different Languages AU Part 1: Wait, Fuck, They Don't Speak Basic?

First things first motherfuckers, let’s get one thing straight: Basic as a language does exist in this AU!  It’s just less common outside of the Core/Mid Rim.  SO.  What does that give us?  Well, it gives us way more interesting conflict, for one thing, and for another, so many languages.  Let’s get crackalackin! 

In the Outer Rim, Huttese is largely The Language To Speak.  If you don’t speak Huttese, you might as well just hurl yourself into the nearest bottomless pit now and save yourself the time and trouble.  Even in the Core and Mid Rim, Huttese is a very common language just because of how useful it is if you ever find yourself in the Outer Rim.  Most bounty hunters (i.e. Jango Fett, just for one completely random example) speak Huttese fluently, alongside their native languages.  Naturally, then, this is a language Anakin is very familiar with.  In fact, when he became a Jedi, it was the language he knew the best, and most people thought his speech was stilted in Basic because of this.  He spoke Basic maybe once every month on Tatooine—can you blame him?  

In the Mid Rim, each planet has their own language and conversations between diplomats are typically done as they are on Earth—via interpreters, to avoid any misunderstandings.  Padmé, for instance, does speak Basic, but that is the language she would use in the Senate, not on Naboo.  The same goes for Palpatine, but we’ll get to him in a minute, because he sucks and I want to not talk about him for as long as I feasibly can.  

The Core means Basic, Basic, Basic, because of just the sheer number of people making it necessary.  Coruscant is a weird case because of how communities develop there.  Since it’s kind of like a gigantic version of a modern city (I’ll use NYC as an example because I know it the best), it’s broken up into enclaves.  Cultures clump—it’s a thing.  Some neighborhoods in NYC are predominantly Jewish, some are predominantly Italian, the list goes on.  The same goes for Coruscant, although on a supersized scale.  There’s some areas where non-Mandalorians need not apply, some where everyone is a Twi’lek or Togruta, some where everyone is a Mirialan, et cetera.  Also, Coruscant dialects of certain languages are very much a thing.

Anyway.  Let’s talk Kamino, because that’s why I started this to begin with!  

Jango Fett is a Mandalorian.  He’s also a bounty hunter.  He’s from Concord Dawn and was a True Mandalorian.  Therefore we can guess he probably at the bare minimum speaks two dialects of Mando’a (Concord Dawn, True Mandalorian) Huttese, and has at least passing Basic.  He probably speaks more than that given how well-traveled he is, but those are the ones I can name for sure.  So Jango Fett, who speaks Mando’a and Huttese and Basic, encounters Count Dooku.  Count Dooku is from Serenno, but he was also a Jedi, so he probably speaks Serennese, Basic, Huttese, and a few more.  He may even speak Mando’a, but his dialects wouldn’t be likely to overlap with Jango’s.  Count Dooku tells Jango to go to Kamino and let them clone him in exchange for an exorbitant amount of money.  Jango does, because Jango is a thinking human being and thinking human beings under capitalism do not turn down exorbitant amounts of money in exchange for what amounts to (at most) being a three or four-time sperm donor.  

And on Kamino, our intrepid Mandalorian encounters something a bit weird.  The Kaminoans, being that they are an extremely isolated species and thus have absolutely no reason to have developed humanoid vocal chords, have to rely on droid translators.  Cool!  This means Jango can speak to them exclusively in his native language (Concord Dawn Mando’a), and they can speka to him exclusively in theirs, and everyone’s largely happy.  Jango negotiates the finer points of the contract, acquires an infant who he names Boba, and calls up some old friends (and acquaintances) to teach the clones to kick ass.  He informs them they don’t have to worry about speaking Basic, so they don’t bother speaking Basic.  

Thus, we have our setup.  The Kaminoans have no reason to make the clones speak Basic because literally none of these outsiders are bothering to inform that oh yeah there’s this whole common language thing going on, and said outsiders have no reason whatsoever to tell them because it would ultimately just be an inconvenience.  They’ve got a good thing going, and Jedi are required to speak more than one language anyway.  The clones can definitely find at least one in common!

So the clones learn to speak Mando’a, understand Kaminoan, and speak and/or understand one extra elective language.  Most pick something weird because they can—everyone around them speaks either Mando’a or Kaminoan so why would they bother with languages they don’t care about, like Basic?  Unfortunately for the Kaminoans and the trainers in equal measure, they do also realize that in order to express themselves in private they need their own universal language, so they acquire one.  They just call it clonespeak to keep things simple, and for most of them, that’s their native language.  They feel most comfortable speaking in it because that’s the language they associate with safety and with their siblings/parents.  

Thus: the predicament.  

Obi-Wan arrives on Kamino.  Obi-Wan is a Jedi.  Obi-Wan speaks Basic. 

Uh-oh.  See, Jango is out of practice—the Kaminoans can’t make those noises.  Boba’s language skills begin and end with Mando’a and some random bits of clonespeak right now—he’s kind of conversational with Huttese but every once in a while he just throws in a Mando’a word or an idiom in clonespeak and Jango has to take a minute to breathe lest he slam his head straight through the wall in frustration because he doesn’t understand clonespeak.  And so much performing of charades, many awkward moments, and exactly one sentence in Basic later, Obi-Wan is heading back to Coruscant with several questions. 

First: why the fuck did Sifo-Dyas order an army who didn’t speak Basic?  No one knows.  No one can find any records of this order, for one thing.  No one knows who Tyrannus is, for another.  

And second: what languages do the clones speak?  Obviously, Mando’a is amongst them, but Jango’s extremely intensely staring son also spoke another, infinitely weird language and no one can find any record of it, and not even Jango seemed to understand him.  Do they understand the Kaminoans’ clicking noises?  Are they just mute?  Is it constantly Shut The Fuck Up Friday up in there?  What is going on?  

The Council loses their collective minds.  Shaak Ti is about ready to haul ass across the galaxy to collect these poor, lost young men—Plo Koon is right there with her.  Yoda is—well, Yoda is swearing loudly in several dead languages right now.  Mace Windu, ever the voice of reason, just has one thing to say: how about they meet the clones, first.  Before they panic.

In the face of this intense, all-consuming, glorious sensibility, the Council collectively shuts the fuck up.  They decide to let things run their course.  

And then Geonosis.  Quickly, Yoda collects several hundred clones, manages to communicate to one of them—who speaks a really weird, ancient, and fucked up dialect of Basic that could basically scan to Elizabethan English, and whose name is probably Kowalski—what he needs, and that one tells an older, larger and more intimidating one.  Then that one yells a lot in a language Yoda has never heard before, and several hundred clones are suddenly hauling ass into gunships.  

Enter one Anakin Skywalker and one Padmé Amidala, who are about to acquire some friends, none of whom understand a word they’re saying.  They fuck some things up, get strapped to some poles to be devoured by Space Beasts of some sort, and then escape.  

Battle of Geonosis happens.  Mace Windu quickly discovers that the answer to the question what do the clones speak is effectively every language except Basic, and the answer is also supremely inconsistent.  He is Suffering.  He is Experiencing The Horrors.  Obi-Wan is likewise fighting for his life because he speaks a fancy-ass dialect of Mando’a that the clones don’t understand.  This is because they, like normal people, don’t talk like dignitaries on diplomatic missions.  

Moving on!  Obi-Wan gets assigned Alpha-17.  Alpha-17 is a demon.  Actually.  He probably speaks Basic but refuses to out of spite.  This is the biggest asshole to ever stomp his way into a Venator and terrify Anakin Skywalker into cowering submission.  (He may even be why Anakin behaved like that as Vader.  We will never know!)  Like most clones, Alpha-17 speaks four languages.  Clonespeak, Mando’a, Kaminoan, and Huttese.  In that order.  So he has no real trouble communicating with either Anakin or Obi-Wan.  

What he does have, though, is a surplus of kids.  Like it or not (he insists he doesn’t) they are his kids, and he wants them to have a shot at having a moderately tolerable existence.  Enter everyone’s favorite group of six weirdos: Wolffe, Ponds, Fox, Bly, Cody, and Rex.  

Wolffe is easy.  He’s horrible with languages, and so gets sent to Plo Koon, who speaks through a translator anyway.  Add Mando’a to the translator, and bang!  Easy.  Done.  They understand each other perfectly.  

Ponds is also easy.  He, being sensible, learned Basic, so he goes to Mace Windu, who is equally sensible (and grateful for the easy transition).  

Fox, who is a scheming little shit and also just so happens to speak Naboo, get sent to Coruscant.  The Chancellor can’t get one over on him if Fox can understand every word he says, and most Senators have protocol droids with them for translation anyway.  

Bly speaks Ryll, so she gets Aayla Secura.  Again, easy.  

Cody, on the other hand?  Cody speaks the same languages as 17.  Cody has a favorite younger brother who needs guidance.  Cody, therefore, gets deposited with Obi-Wan, and Rex?  Rex gets Anakin.  

But the issue with Rex is he and Anakin have no language in common.  Rex’s elective language was Togruti, and like the rest of his batch he also speaks Tusken sign.  Because his batch are a bunch of assholes who wanted an extremely private way to talk.  

So.  Anakin and Rex start off the war with no way to communicate!  None!  Literally not one language in common!  

And they do try to communicate—via charades, via text, et cetera—but they don’t really have access to translation software on a regular basis and thus things become complicated.  

Things are made even more complicated by the fact that Rex, like Wolffe, is shit at language learning.  Anakin, who isn’t, could try to learn clonespeak, and does!  But when you can’t communicate with the person teaching you it is immensely slow going.  

And thus, our premise is complete.  How do you run a war with someone you can’t talk to?  

Well, it depends.  If you’re Anakin, you say, maybe I can figure a way around this.  

If you’re Pong Krell?  

I dunno man.  Yell?  Yeah, that sounds about right. 

[thecarnivorousmuffinmeta]

if tom got the DADA job what would he have been like as a teacher? would dumbledore have tried to watch him/get him fired?

Tom's Not Getting the Job

Well, you answered it, anon, Tom was never getting that job.

That's the whole thing.

The first time he tries, he's only eighteen and very unqualified for the position. Dippet said no and... Dumbledore strongly implies that he put in a very strong word against Tom being hired. I'm not sure Tom would have been hired anyway, he was only eighteen and had no credentials and we're told canonically that Hogwarts teaching is a very prestigious position and they do not typically hire you straight out of school, but regardless Dumbledore did actively put in word against him which meant it probably wouldn't have happened.

Then some years later after Tom's gone abroad, Tom comes back for the interview with Dumbledore and the interview is just Dumbledore laughing at him and telling him he's an idiot for thinking he'd ever get this job and Dumbledore would never ever hire him.

So long as Dumbledore's around, Tom's not getting the job. Tom also either didn't have the connections with the Board of Governors or the Ministry/was too proud to use them to get himself that job (I'm inclined to believe the latter but technically we don't know for certain).

Tom was never getting that job.

Dumbledore wouldn't sit around waiting for him to get fired, because he already did it, he fired Tom by never hiring him. It's done. It ain't happening and the only way it would happen is if someone went completely over Dumbledore's head and there was nothing he could do about it.

Tom the Teacher

Well, he'd be in the staff meetings from hell (does Hogwarts even have staff meetings?) where every time they meet it's Dumbledore saying something weird about him regardless of whether or not he's up to shit.

I imagine Dumbledore would do everything in his power to give Tom as little authority as possible and make sure rumor's good and spread around the students that Tom sucks.

Given Tom probably isn't telling the world he's a half-blood here or the Heir of Slytherin, as he didn't seem to canonically until he came out as Voldemort/that's not a great thing to do when the Chamber of Secrets is right there and he was at the school at the time when that happened, that means the Purebloods don't like him but you also have Dumbledore's camp not liking Tom on top of that because Dumbledore doesn't like Tom.

(Now, if Tom's not becoming Voldemort, Dumbledore might not have quite the same following he does by the time we reach canon, as most of those people were involved in the conflict with Voldemort/that's what's most present in cultural memory in Harry Potter, but I imagine he's still very influential for the same reason he was such a lightning rod for the resistance movement in HP against Voldemort.)

Honestly? I see Tom being a relatively ordinary Hogwarts professor, he's probably a lot better than all of the DADA professors Harry had, maybe even most of his professors period, but he still has to deal with kids who don't want to learn and a system of magic people don't understand. Magic in Harry Potter is just memorizing spells, not how they work, and so the better wizards and witches are just those who memorize more spells faster. Tom can't make the kids who do this well do it any better than any other professor and he can't make the kids who don't do it well suddenly do it better.

It's also very out of scope to discuss how magic even works and start doing something interesting with it when it's something the wizarding world just doesn't discuss or deal with at all and will just confuse most of the students (even up to seventeen) that he'd be dealing with.

I imagine Tom hates putting up with Dumbledore and is just waiting for the man to retire or die.

[cirilla-fiona-riannon]

The Beast Wants to Tempt the Little Rabbit (Matias vs Clavis)

Translations may not always capture the exact nuances or tone of the original text. Expect grammatical errors and inaccuracies. Not proofread.

Matias End

(If that's the case, I'll keep things civil.)

Emma: "Then I'll take you up on that offer, Prince Matias."

Matias: "Of course. Since I'm taking your time, I swear to do my best."

(Whoa, the charm radiating from his smile is overwhelming.)

Clavis: "Emma, you made the wrong choice."

Emma: "Your gratitude kinda freaked me out."

Clavis: "And how can you be sure Matias's gratitude won't freak you out?"

Clavis: "Listen, I established the Lelouch family motto for your sake."

Clavis: "Matias's gratitude is torture."

Emma: "That's rude, Prince Clavis."

Clavis: "Rude? Those in the know all agree on this."

Matias: "You always say things like that whenever I try to show my gratitude. I don't understand."

Clavis: "It's me who doesn't understand."

(Clavis is oddly insistent. But is Matias' way of showing gratitude really that weird?)

Matias: "Then, Miss Emma, as a start, let me give you this."

Emma: "..........."

Clavis: "See? This is what happens when you question my good intentions. You better take this to heart, okay?"

The place I chose upon Matias’ request was a cafe in a calm and quiet area of town.

It might not have been a suitable place to take a prince, but Matias didn’t seem to mind and whispered something to one of the guards without any concern.

A few minutes later, he placed a thick book on the table.

It was the law book I had only seen once before in the castle.

Emma: “Is this the law book of Rhodolite?”

Matias: “You have a keen eye. You really are talented.”

Emma: “I studied politics in the past.”

(I never thought I’d see a law book in a cafe.)

Matias: “Excellent. You seem like someone worth teaching.”

Emma: “Teaching?”

Matias: “As a token of my gratitude, I will give you a lecture.”

(!?)

Matias: “Laws are the rules of a country. However, the majority of the citizens are not familiar with them.”

Matias: “Aside from typical offenses like murder, theft, fraud, and disrespect, many people don’t know much about it.”

Matias: “Ignorance of the law might result in you accidentally breaking it and dealing with the consequences.”

Matias: “Furthermore, being familiar with it can protect you from being exploited when facing any form of harm.”

Matias: “Knowing the law is synonymous with protecting oneself.”

(I never considered this before.)

His words made perfect sense, and I found myself nodding along.

Clavis: “Emma, don’t fall for it. Lectures as a form of gratitude? If I did that, you’d complain it's harassment.”

Emma: "I won't complain. I actually enjoy learning new things."

Emma: "He's willing to teach me out of kindness, so I'll take it seriously."

Beside Clavis, who was holding his head in disbelief, Matias also widened his eyes in surprise.

(Why?)

Matias: "This is a first."

Matias: “You’re the first woman to accept my gratitude head-on.”

His smile exuded a melting sensuality.

(His charm is just too much!)

In fact, the women seated nearby were all blushing.

The occasional release of his dangerous charm seemed like it could kill someone.

(I guess hanging out with charming princes like Clavis, Nokto, Jin, and Leon made me develop some kind of tolerance.)

Clavis: “Have you ever wondered why women other than Emma don’t accept your gratitude?”

Matias: “They all said they weren’t interested in law.”

Clavis: “It’s good that you know the reason, but unfortunately, it’s too late now.”

Clavis: “Emma, you’re a rare woman, so I’ll leave the rest to you.”

Emma: “Prince Clavis, where are you going?”

Clavis: “I just remembered something urgent. I’ll pick you up when it’s over.”

Clavis: “I’m counting on you to entertain Matias. Ahahaha!”

(He’s making a run for it.)

Realizing the lecture was boring, Clavis made his escape.

Matias: "I knew this would happen. Clavis hasn't changed much since our school days."

Matias: "Whenever I try to offer my gratitude, he always tries to escape using all sorts of tricks."

Emma: "Did you and Prince Clavis attend the same school?"

Matias: "Yeah. There is a prestigious boarding school in Acroite where nobles from various countries gather."

Matias: "Some of the princes of Rhodolite studied there for a while."

Matias: "Clavis is one of them. I learned a lot of things from him."

Emma: "I had no idea. So, you became friends at school?"

Matias: "That's right. I used to talk a lot with Clavis and Jin."

Matias: "There was a saying back then that Jin was for the chest, Clavis for the thighs, and Matias for the hips."

Emma: "I-I see."

(It probably means Jin likes breasts, and Clavis likes legs.)

(So I guess Matias likes hips?)

I've heard Jin and Clavis talk about women's bodies a few times when we were at the castle, so maybe Matias was also part of that during their student days.

(I'm surprised. He seems far from being a pervert just by his appearance.)

???: "Kyaah!"

As we chatted, we heard a woman scream in the restaurant's doorway.

Before I could grasp the situation, Matias had already sprung into action, vaulting effortlessly over nearby tables and dashing out of the shop.

By the time I got up from my seat, he had already grabbed and twisted the man's hand outside the restaurant.

(He's fast!)

I hurriedly followed him outside.

Man: "Let go of me!"

The man, restrained by Matias, struggled with all his might.

However, Matias' hold remained firm.

He pressed the man against the nearby wall and grabbed him, securing his hand behind his back.

(He seems quite skilled at this.)

Matias: "I saw you dine and dash."

Matias: "While this act doesn't directly correspond to any specific crime in Rhodolite, consuming food or drink without intending to pay constitutes a clear case of fraud."

Matias: "Moreover, pushing aside a woman nearby during your escape could also be considered assault."

Matias: "Therefore, you're guilty. You better cooperate."

(Prince Matias?)

The person who was smiling just a few minutes ago was nowhere to be found.

Instead, his eyes—as cold and icy as snow—pierced sharply through the guilty man.

Even the surrounding onlookers seemed intimidated, showing signs of fear in response to his overwhelming presence.

(He's like a completely different person.)

(The way he looks at criminals and the way he looks at those who aren't are totally different.)

Man: "I had no choice! I was injured, lost my job, and had nothing left to eat."

Man: "If I didn't do this, I would've died."

Matias: "A crime is a crime. Your excuses hold no meaning."

Matias: "If you still wish to make excuses, do so in court."

Matias: "Whatever the reason, the law is something that must never be broken."

Matias: "Criminals have no right to beg for mercy."

(I'm trembling.)

As I clenched my fingertips, our eyes met.

Matias: "You, go get the nearest soldier."

Emma: "U-Understood!"

Coming back to my senses, I quickly left the scene.

Everything Matias said was logical. But for some reason, that logic seemed to stick in my mind.

(What is it that's bothering me?)

Matias: "We had an unexpected interruption, but now we can finally continue."

As we moved from the cafe to another shop, he once again presented the law book to me.

The man who committed the crime continued to plead for mercy even as the soldiers took him away.

It was a sight I couldn't forget.

(Prince Matias remained completely unfazed.)

Shifting my gaze from the law book to Prince Matias, I noticed he no longer wore that cold expression.

The sincere and earnest prince was now offering a lecture solely for my benefit.

(The stark contrast to who he was before caught me off guard.)

(I never imagined he could be so ruthless.)

(I'm not sure who he really is anymore.)

Matias: "Miss Emma."

Emma: "Yes?"

Pulled from the sea of my thoughts, I found him leaning forward, his hand resting gently on my forehead.

Matias: "You seem a bit distracted. You don't seem to have a fever, but if you're feeling unwell, please tell me."

Emma: "No, it's not that!"

(Crap, I spaced out. I need to focus.)

Matias: "Then is there some other reason?"

Emma: "Well..."

Emma: "It's a Rhodolite rule! You have to set aside some time to space out once a day!"

Matias: "I apologize for not being aware of such a rule. I've interfered."

(I ended up making an excuse like Clavis.)

Guilt weighed heavily on my heart.

Matias: "However, this poses a problem."

Matias: "If it's a rule, then I suppose you'll have to endure it for a little longer."

(Huh?)

As I tilted my head in confusion, Matias' face, enveloped in his enticing allure, gradually inched closer.

(What!?)

Part 1 ╎ Part 2 ╎ Matias End ╎ Epilogue

[junosmindpalace]

hello! i saw you write for saiki k! if you write for him, could i request aren kuboyasu relationship hcs with a gender neutral reader? ty in advance ^_^

-when you find out about arens motorcycle license, you’re excited as hell. And you want to ride around with him! And obviously he’s just as excited about it. He got the two of you cool matching helmets and he’ll give you a ride to all sorts of places on his motorbike. 

-he’d also tell you a lot about motorbikes on your rides as well, and definitely encourages you to get your license too!

-when he first started attending pk and found it difficult to resist picking fights or having an attitude, he’d simply look to you. Something about you soothed him instantly. He also hated seeing the confused and shocked look on your face when he’d act aggressive with others, so he tries to avoid it at all costs simply for you.

-this was before the two of you started dating or were even fully friends! From the very first day he met you, he thought you were kind and even pretty cool from the way you carried and defended yourself from some of the weird characters he encountered at school. 

-as the two of you slowly became friends, you helped him adjust to his new lifestyle and taught him about traditional teenager things he had never experienced, teaching him how to blend in more. 

-is surprisingly smooth. he’s not entirely clueless, and has surprised you with sweet romantic gestures such as buying you flowers and taking you out to cafes.

-sometimes will randomly drop some absurd detail about his past life as a delinquent that leaves you in shock (ever heard of dad lore? Its similar to that.)

-An insane artist, and so the first couple of times youve seen him sketching you’re in awe 

-you’d probably ask to keep one, and he’d smile and say “what? That’s nothing! Let me draw you something for real.” 

-(in his early crushing stage, he'd probably subconsciously draw corny doodles like little hearts and stars)

-always wanting to do something with you or for you. If there’s something you’re interested in, he’s gonna be there alongside you immersing himself in it

-dates are both planned and spontaneous! sometimes its just a chill night in or out, and sometimes you like to treat each other by doing something that the other likes or mentioned wanting to do

-was very nervous in the beginning stages of your relationship, and admittedly still gets shy whenever your relationship progresses.

-he’s a bit overdramatic when he first hears that you like him, going so far as to start imagining a family with you (cough like in s2 HAHA)

-but the two of you don’t rush anything and frequently communicate. sometimes the two of you will bicker but that's typically the farthest "fights" go. and most of the time they're pretty amusing.

-also like in s2, has the intention of marrying you in the future, but obviously doesn’t rush it like he did in his head before. he’s in no hurry, but he keeps the thought in the back of his head.

-not the biggest on pda but isn’t strictly against it either. he loves to hold your hand and does so whenever he can

-physical intimacy such as cuddling takes him a little while to get used to, unfamiliar with it all, but learns to adjust in a really short amount of time since it's you, and he would never want to make you uncomfortable. 

-(is a bit embarrassed and confused when learning to adjust though.) 

-big matcher of enthusiasm. When you’re excited about something, so is he, and vice versa. 

-a not so subtle flexer. He doesn’t always intentionally go out of his way to impress, but his skills like drawing and cooking definitely leave him a little surprised and flustered when you compliment him on them

-cooking sessions are not uncommon, especially when the two of you visit each others houses. aren is usually the one who directs and compliments you on your skill and/or kindly shows you how to do something you're unfamiliar with

-absolutely defends you with his life (both literally and not). Seriously does not tolerate any disrespect toward you

-consistently works on himself for you, determined to improve bad habits and detach from his past for a happy present (and hopefully future) with you.

first aren request! i hope my characterization is okay! take this while i try to get back into the routine of writing.

[fl3shm4id3n]

Can you do a Mexican!reader x the Metkayina+sully kids?like her showing them about her culture.

Cᵤₗₜᵤᵣₑ

𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐚'𝐯𝐢 𝐤𝐢𝐝𝐬 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧'𝐭 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬. 𝐓𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐨𝐧.

ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴜʟʟʏ ᴋɪᴅꜱ x ʟᴀᴛɪɴᴀ/ᴄʜɪᴄᴀɴᴀ! ʜᴜᴍᴀɴ! ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ (ᴘʟᴀᴛᴏɴɪᴄ), ᴍᴇᴛᴋᴀʏɪɴᴀ ᴋɪᴅꜱ x ʟᴀᴛɪɴᴀ/ᴄʜɪᴄᴀɴᴀ! ʜᴜᴍᴀɴ! ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ (ᴘʟᴀᴛᴏɴɪᴄ)

Tw: None ♡

A/N: Hopefully this is to your liking ♡, sorry if I missed anything.

Masterlist

The Sully and Metkayina kids that humans didn't have culture, or their culture was just technology. That was until they met you. A girl that was apparently with a group who had been helping the Na'vi against the RDA. At first they were a bit skeptical towards you since they've never seen you before, but they decided to give you a chance. You seemed very on going and nice to them. You had a very nice aura and welcoming personality. The kids liked you instatly.

They were very curious to know about you, how you lived and whatever else they asked. When you had told them that you were from a different race, they grew more curious. They thought all humans were the same, but no. You had told them about your culture. That was when they had learned that you were completely different from the humans that they've known and heard. You had told them everything, from the beginning. They were almost fascinated. The humans were like the na'vi, they had their owns 'clans' and own cultural customs. They wanted to learn more. So you told them almost everything that you could.

The kids also noticed a few things about you. How you never put your purse anywhere near the ground. You carried a hippy bag over your shoulder, which held your belongings and other things you liked the carry. No matter where you were, your purse never touched the ground ever. They thought it was weird, when they asked you on why you did that. You told them that it was considered by luck to put your purse on the floor. That's when they understood on whenever you sat on the floor on the sand, your purse would be on your lap, nowhere near the ground.

One night that you were all hanging in the marui of the Sully's you decided to tell them scary stories. You told them the typical story of 'La Llorona' they seemed very interested and a bit scared, they asked a lot of questions on why a woman would do such actions. You explained to them that the story is to teach that your actions have consequences.

Another thing about you, was how you respected the elders. It was common for them to also show respect for the much older people in the clan, but you? You would show them as much respect. When you were asked to do something, you'd do it no questions asked. Even towards the adults. Normally they argue on why they had to do it, you wouldn't ask why you had to do what you were told. You'd just do it.

You've also told them how you valued family. You'd explain how family was the only that was close to you and the only people you can rely on when you need it. You've also told them that not all family is considered to be loyal, and how some can be very toxic. They understood where you came from, they too also thought as their family as valuable like you did.

[silly-comics]

I got a question or more, sorry if they is dumb it probably is, anyway

Anything New About The Comic That You Got Done Yet? Not Rushing

And that last ask got me wondering sorry if this is the dumbest question, but why do you ship killer x cross and Horror x dust? If you don't mind me asking

I have no problem with the ships they just seem off to me but that's my opinion so I just wanted to know why or your opinion on why you ship them?

Sorry if it's dumb I just wanna know

Back to the question this is the last one

What ships do you find gross or disturbing? I just want your look on things

Ik this is long I'm sorry-

I’m not gonna lie, I’ve been going through one of my depressive episodes and I typically fall out of drawing for months when those happen. So I haven’t really made any progress on the comic, which is what I know yall don’t wanna hear. School should be starting back up again sometime soon though and I’ll be forced to draw so I’ll probs get back into then.

For your second question:

I ship Killer X Cross because I think their dynamic would be interesting and a bit goofy. Killer being the bastard he is goes well with Cross who would balance him out and perhaps make less bad choices. On the other hand, Killer could teach Cross how to loosen up a bit and live a little. They can also both relate on the “I was once sharing a body with Chara” thing lol. Plus, I think Cross could maybe have the same end effect that Color would have on Killer in that if they were to realize that maybe being under Nightmares power isn’t so healthy, Cross could help steer Killer towards the path of freedom?

Horror x Dust is a little more tricky to explain. I feel it came more from a place of necessity rather than genuine love for each other? They got together to stabilize each other while under Nightmare, it was a way to cope. It’s a bit toxic with Horror’s constant paranoia/distrustfulness/anger issues and Dust’s apathy/indifference and the tendency to dissociate as well as major move swings. I like to think there’s a time where they eventually work this stuff out and can actually be together, I don’t think it’s realistic. At least without another outsiders help, like shipping Horror with Farm and Dust with Fell. If it was more of a poly, the other two could help stabilize Horror and Dust I feel.

I love angst and stuff but at the same time it makes my heart ache so much 😭 so these aren’t like the only pairings I like with the group. I like the idea of it being a poly of all of them, including Nightmare, with varying levels of closeness.

For the ships I find gross/disturbing: I feel like the obvious ones do not need to be named, so just the proship ones. I’m not usually the type to go on a rant about proshipping and stuff, so I’ll leave it at that.

If you’re asking what type of ships I personally dislike though, that answer is also a little boring as I don’t really mind what other people think as long as it’s not weird. Like, I’ll occasionally see something like Nightmare X Fresh and the most I’ll do is question where that idea came from. Good art is good art so you’ll get a like from me no matter the subject (besides the obvious boundaries).

Also, guys, you gotta stop apologizing cause I love ranting and answering your questions 🥺 you guys have been very kind

[themessedupsonata]

Reality

Loki Laufeyson x Fem!Reader

Summary: You know Loki, your Husband, since you were kids and you both are extremely happy together. Then why do you still feel that something is wrong?

word count: 9.2 k (I'm sorry)

warnings: ANGST, Fluff, slight mentions of sex, a tiny bit of cursing, a couple of arguments between Loki and the reader and a slight mention of misogyny (not by Loki)

You were on cloud nine.

You and Loki had just got married. He was driving a brand new Hudson Hornet with one hand on the steering wheel and the other on your knee, making you feel all warm inside.

God, you loved him so much.

When the car pulled up, you finally saw your new home, and it was perfect. Loki knew you wanted a big house with a big yard, so the dog and (you were still trying to convince Loki that this was a great idea) your future kids could have a place to play.

He opened the car door for you and held out your hand. You grabbed it and the second your feet hit the ground, Loki carried you bridal style, making you giggle. He used his magic to open the door and you two entered the house. He got you back on your feet again, and you both started exploring the living room, which had an open concept to the kitchen and the decor was cosy and luxurious at the same time. You were so happy that you jumped into your loving husband's arms and kissed him, and he immediately kissed you back.

"I love you, Y/n/n" He called you by your childhood nickname, which made you blush, and he pulled you in for another kiss just because he could. You were finally his wife, and he's never been happier.   ***

Frigga was teaching Loki magic in the study hall. The young Asgardian prince always had a spectacular gift for magic, and he was also very intelligent. Loki was decent at fighting but not as good as the heir to the throne, Thor. His older brother was extremely powerful, but he lacked Loki's brilliant mind or even any interest in the Asgardian arts of magic. Thus, from a very young age, everyone saw Thor as the future king of Asgard and the Nine Realms, a born fighter and 'The Golden Child', as Loki liked to call him. Loki was just the weird, introverted prince that a lot of people liked to pretend didn't exist.

Loki and his mother heard a knock on the door and Frigga answered with a simple 'Come in' and you appeared.

You were wearing a simple pink dress with purple accents, and your hair was tied up in typical Asgard braids.

Your mother, Halldis, was Frigga's best friend. Halldis and her husband were given the title of Lady and Lord of the royal court when Frigga became queen. They've lived in the palace ever since Lady Halldis got pregnant with you.

"Hello, sweetie. How may I help you?" the queen asked gently.

You gave her a sweet smile.

"Hi, Aunt Frigga. Thor and I were playing in the royal garden, and we wanted to know when Loki was going to finish his classes so he could play with us."

Loki immediately frowned.

He would rather die than admit it, but he always thought you were beautiful and sweet and Loki would love to be friends with you, especially when you always seemed so excited about interacting with him.

But you liked Thor better; just like everyone else. You were just feeling sorry for him, that's all. You probably didn't even like him. Nobody liked him, why would you? "I don't want to play your pathetic childish games, Y/n. Go away!" he exclaimed.

Loki saw your smile slide quickly into an expression of hurt disappointment and your eyes glistened with tears, even though you refused to let them fall.

The dark-haired prince had a bit of a mess of memories from then on. He could never be sure if you actually looked down at your feet while whispering something about how sorry you were for upsetting him or whether or not Frigga had given him a long speech about how extremely rude his behaviour was and that he was grounded for the next 20 years. The one thing he was sure would haunt him forever was that you, sunshine in person, were crying at that very moment because of him.

***

"Do we really need to do this, darling?" Loki whimpered as you applied lipstick to your lips.

You chuckled as you looked in the mirror to see the reflection of your husband who was with a grumpy face.

"Yes, my love, we do. Wanda and Vision are lovely people and they invited us to dinner tonight, so we will." You answered.

"But I hate people. Except you, everyone else just... pisses me off and bores me the hell out."

You rolled your eyes and stood up, walking over and stopping in front of him to tie his tie.

"Stop being so dramatic, Lo. We're going to have fun, I promise. But if you feel uncomfortable, just 'If'," You gave him a death stare. "We will come back home right away, okay?" He nodded, and you stood on tiptoe to kiss his cheek.

***

Loki knocked on the door and instead of being greeted by Wanda or Vision, you were both greeted by Agnes.

"Oh! Y/n, Loki! You both are right on time! Come in, come in!"

The two of you looked at each other before you simply walked into the house, following the raven-haired woman and Loki, in turn, followed you like a lost puppy.

Apparently, today Vision's boss - and Loki's too - and his wife came to visit your friend and her husband. You were about to comment to Loki that you two had better go home when Agnes discreetly commented (So Mr and Mrs Heart would not notice anything wrong) that Wanda needed as much help as possible in the kitchen. Loki swore under his breath but you chose to ignore him and followed Agnes into the kitchen. 

Upon entering the kitchen, Wanda immediately tried to disguise the floating plates and bowls while you and Agnes politely pretended to didn't see anything.

"Oh, Y/n! I'm so glad you came!" The redhead exclaimed, pulling you into a tight hug. She pulled away from you to explain her situation. "I completely forgot about dinner with the Heart's today. Please help me; I have absolutely nothing prepared!"

Meanwhile, Loki was sitting next to Vision and facing Mrs Heart. He didn't like his boss very much (Loki complained about Mister Heart every Wednesday night to you while you two did skincare together and he painted your toenails) But even though he didn't like the man, he was still his boss; and people were very easy to fall for Loki Laufeyson's charm and smooth talk. He knew exactly what to say and when to say it to get people in his good graces. He was irresistible. That's how he won you over.

Well… At least that was the story he told you.

***

"LOKI!"

The young prince was at Bifrost hall belonged to Heimdall, planning a massacre of the Midgardian city that Thor was sheltering in when he heard your voice calling his name, more furious than he had ever heard in his life.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!?! Thor was banished from Asgard and you should be doing your best to help him and bring him back, but no! You're planning a coup d'état and I don't doubt that you're trying to kill my best friend!" you both were face to face now. Your breath was heavy and hot on his face. Even in low heels, you had to stand on tiptoe to face him in the eye. Loki's hands were clasped behind his back, his posture was straight, oozing confidence and superiority, and his facial expression was neutral. It was his way of disguising how much his heart was racing and how much his mind was screaming at him to just end the distance between the two of you. He wanted nothing more than to taste you on his tong-.

"I know you've never seen me this way, Loki, but I consider you my friend. You may never have confided in me, but I know you feel left out by Thor and I know you wanted to be king and I'm genuinely sorry, okay? You never deserved to be second. You're worth so much and I'm sorry you were never recognized as you deserve. Please, Loki. Thor has his flaws, but he loves you and he doesn't deserve it. Please…"

Before you could continue speaking, Loki subtly nodded and Heimdall sighed in frustration before drawing his sword to open the Bifrost Bridge and send you to join Thor in Midgard. Loki only had a few milliseconds to stare at the panic in your eyes as you realized what he was doing before you disappeared right before his eyes.

It was better this way, he tried to convince himself. You preferred Thor; always preferred. It was only right that you should be sent to him. Not to mention he didn't deserve all that empty flattery from you. You just wanted to save Thor and you were using your smooth talk to try to convince him to help his brother. But he couldn't deny that, deep down, he fervently wanted your words to be true.

***

Dinner went well. It had its unforeseen, but nothing too extreme. At some point, you felt your head spinning and you could have sworn that, suddenly, dinner had turned into a bizarre déjà vu, but your husband just kissed your knuckles and said you were just tired when you told him about it as you lay in your shared bed. He kissed you good night and you rested your head on his chest, quickly falling asleep.

***

You woke up with the feeling of several kisses being deposited on your neck. It tickled and you started to laugh. Your laugh was contagious and before you knew it, Loki was laughing with you. When you both calmed down, he buried his nose in the crook of your neck, inhaling your scent.

"Good morning my queen." Your husband murmured against your skin. Your hands began to caress his scalp and he sighed contentedly.

"You remember today is the talent show, right?" You asked.

"Of course, I remember, sweetheart. Would you like to practice one last time so you feel more confident?" Loki wasn't happy about participating in the show at all, but he knew it was pointless to argue with you. Not to mention that he knew it was important to you and that you got upset when he refused to do something with you or when he did things grudgingly. He needed to be the best husband in the world for you.

"I don't see the need. We're doing this for charity and fun. We don't have to be the best." You explained to him.

Normally, Loki was extremely competitive. However, he didn't even want to go to that show in the first place. If you were happy, so was he.

You both got out of bed. He always insisted on getting up after you and not in a thousand years would you have guessed he did that just so he could admire your ass. After putting a robe over your nightgown, you went downstairs to prepare breakfast.

Loki hated cooking. But even so, he always made a point of helping you in the kitchen. He always insisted that just because you were a housewife didn't mean he didn't have to help you too. You melted every time he said it because he meant every single word. You had so many neighbours who were mothers and housewives who spent the whole day doing their best for the family without any help and didn't receive a single affection or gratitude from the husband who spent the whole day 'Working too hard' as if those women work meant less. You loved to take care of your home, but you still loved it when your husband insisted on doing all the dishes because "Your cooking was great, my queen. It's the least I can do" or when he made the bed, set the table and did the laundry without you asking. Every time you thanked him, he would tell you to stop being ridiculous, as he was doing the bare minimum as a husband. You really couldn't have wished for a better partner.

Loki always said you made the best pancakes in the world. You thought they were good, but not the best in the world. You were grateful anyway.

"Darling, it's already 10:00 am! I need to go to the planning committee and you need to attend the neighbourhood watch meeting" You commented after checking the time on the kitchen clock.

You didn't let Loki join you in the shower (which he thought was absurd) and within 15 minutes you were both ready. He kissed you on the forehead and you both went your separate ways.

Wanda and Agnes arrived a few seconds before you. Wanda hugged you and Agnes followed suit. You didn't quite know what to feel about the brunette woman. But if your friend liked her, Agnes was probably an amazing person. Deep down.

Dottie was every bit as perfectionist and arrogant as Agnes had described, but there wasn't much you could do about it. You were sitting between Wanda and Agnes, so you can hear the conversation between Wanda and a girl named Geraldine. She seemed to be very kind, and it's always nice to make new friends, right?

"Hi! Sorry to interrupt you, but my name is Y/n, Wanda's friend. Nice to meet you!" You said, extending your hand friendly for her to shake.

Apparently, Geraldine hadn't noticed you before, because as soon as she did, she looked like she'd seen a ghost. Her jaw dropped and she was frozen for a few seconds before she pulled herself together and answered you.

"H-hi! I'm Geraldine. N-nice to meet you!" She finally shook your hand after getting completely lost in her own words.

You couldn't follow anything else for the rest of the meeting. Maybe you made a bad impression on Geraldine and you couldn't understand why. But you decided to put that aside. Not everyone was required to like you and there was nothing wrong with that.

***

The meeting had already started 20 minutes before Vision showed up. Loki rolled his eyes. The two of them interacted frequently because their wives were friends and Loki had no problem with their friendship. But Loki was as new in town as Vision and yet Vision always seemed so… out of place. It was always obvious that he was desperately trying to fit in while anyone would swear Loki has lived in Westview all his life. So much so that he was a member and Vision was unaware that it was a members-only meeting.

To be fair, Vision wouldn't have been interested in being a member if he knew that the "Meetings" were a great front for a kind of men's club where everyone ate and "talked about" the most talked about topics in town concerning the lives of others. Gossip, basically. But people said that "Gentlemen don't gossip". Midgardians were very strange.

Loki had to restrain himself from laughing as he watched Vision's dilemma over having food offered to him. Nobody in that town had noticed that Vision was a robot. But who was Loki to judge? It's not like he and his wife don't have their own secrets buried in their backyards.

There was nothing Loki could do to stop Vision from chewing the gum Herb had offered him, even though he knew the chance of something bad happening was extremely high. Everything related to Wanda Maximoff was chaos.

He was obviously right.

The gum got stuck between the inner gears of Vision and now he looked as drunk as a skunk. Fortunately, no one but Loki seemed to notice Vision's sudden strange behaviour. Loki looked at that ugly Strucker watch (which he only wore because it was a gift from you) and realized he was late for the damn talent show. He let the group of men know about the show and they all left the library. When there were exactly three blocks left for the place of the show, Loki realized that Vision wasn't walking with them, but the Asgardian kept walking, after all, that wasn't his problem.

***

Vision was acting very strangely (Correction: More than usual). In several moments he almost revealed who he and his wife really were, but Wanda managed to be creative enough to convince everyone that all the wonders of the show were just cheap tricks (And she still managed to amuse the audience and got a standing ovation). As soon as they finished their presentation, it was your turn to perform alongside Loki.

It's not that you sang badly, but Loki had a beautiful voice that he always refused to show the world. After spending three weeks begging him daily to sing, he eventually relented.

Geraldine positioned the two of you on the stage (She still wasn't looking you in the eye) and you sat down at the piano to play the song while Loki sang. Loki's only condition for singing in front of all of Westview was that he would be the one choosing the song. To your relief, he chose L-O-V-E, one of your favourite songs. Everyone was shocked when they realized that Loki Laufeyson was going to sing. Little did they know that unfortunately for Loki, he would hang the stars in the sky if you asked him to. You smiled encouragingly at him before starting to play on the piano that Wanda had discreetly created because she had destroyed the original. As you'd expect, everyone was enthralled by Loki's voice and you both got a standing ovation. You jumped into Loki's arms and hugged him. He returned the hug immediately, not caring who was watching.

***

''I'm so proud of you, Lo! you were fantastic up there on stage! – You said excitedly. Loki kissed your temple and dragged you to sit on his lap on the couch.

''You were amazing too, my queen. But I still can't believe I submitted to that.''

You rolled your eyes before leaning in to kiss him, but he stopped you.

''Y/n/n, wait. Are you…feeling it too?'' He asked, frowning slightly.

It was only then that you noticed a delicious tingle that spread over every inch of your skin, tickling. You immediately took to noticing your living room, your clothes, and your husband. Everything was… taking on colour.

That was undoubtedly one of the most wonderful moments of your life. Seeing something you were so familiar with turn into something so beautiful and surreal was just magical. Your husband got even more handsome (Something you didn't even know was possible) and his beautiful eyes, which you now knew were green, were looking at you as if you were the most perfect thing to ever walk the planet earth. You could already feel your cheeks starting to heat up when suddenly you felt… A kick?

Loki was still holding you, so he felt it too. You both glanced at your belly at the same time only to realize that you now had a baby bump.

You were pregnant.

*** Those damned Chitauris spread out like worms through a Midgardian city that you would have found divine in other circumstances. After stabbing three Chitauris at once with your sword, you watched Loki get blown up by one of Agent Barton's arrows with a satisfied smile. He landed on the roof of Stark Tower and you and Agent Romanoff made your ways to the roof intending to get to the God of Mischief, but the Hulk attacked him before either of you had the chance. The scene of that huge green creature slamming Loki to the ground several times as if he weighed nothing would forever be one of his favourite moments.

Dr. Selvig was still dazed on the ground beside the portal. He explained that Loki's sceptre would be able to close the portal and he and Agent Romanoff agreed that it would be best if you held it since you were an Asgardian. You were almost able to close the portal using the golden sceptre when Stark's voice protested through the listening devices, stating that it was necessary to get rid of one more bomb. To your horror, he entered the portal passage with the large explosive object.

You didn't know Tony Stark very well, but you knew he was a well-meaning and intelligent man, and you felt saddened by his death, even though you knew that thanks to his sacrifice the Chitauris were dead. Rogers asked you to close the portal. You hesitated for a second, but Agent Romanoff put her hand on your shoulder and gave you a sad smile in an attempt to comfort you. From what you observed in the redheaded woman, she was very closed off and extremely cold and rational, so seeing her trying to make things easier and more comfortable for you meant a lot. You closed your eyes to gain courage and the portal was finally closed. By some miracle, huge red and gold armour appeared falling from the skies and you felt strangely glad that a man you barely knew was all right.

Later that day, the other Avengers said goodbye to you and Thor, who needed to get Loki and the Tesseract back to Asgard. And at the same time that you missed home, you had a bad feeling that very soon everything you knew and loved would undergo drastic changes. Despite all the nightmares Loki caused and the optimism of all Midgardians that everything would be all right now, you couldn't silence the little voice in your head that warned you that this was just the beginning of something much worse to come.

***

Loki was dead.

Again.

For real this time.

In his first supposed death, you weren't there in his ''Final Moments'' and you were still blinded by rage at his betrayal, but now that he had sacrificed himself to save Thor and you were beside him when Loki breathed his last, you could feel your heart (which was already broken by the tragic death of the woman you saw as a second mother) shattering into a million pieces. You'd been stabbed before and you were sure the blade piercing your skin had hurt less than watching your childhood friend die.

When you were sure that you had already reached the apex of pain, Thor Odinson, the great God of thunder, heir to Asgard and the nine Realms threw his arms around your waist, buried his face in the crook of your neck and cried like a little kid. You would have given up anything to take away all the sadness and pain that big man who was actually a cinnamon roll was feeling. Your best friend had lost his brother and you would have gladly switched places with Loki if that made Thor happy.

But the only thing you could do at the moment was hug him tight and pray that his blond hair would dry your own tears of pain.

***

Doctor Nielson said you and the baby were healthy.

Of course, that information wasn't enough and the poor middle-aged gentleman was bombarded with dozens of questions from your husband who was more overprotective than ever now that you were carrying his child.

You and Loki had already decorated the baby's room, and right now Loki was reading the third parenting book for the month. Wanda had told you that Vision was acting the same way and that they were even exchanging and indicating books to each other.

Being pregnant at the same time as your best friend is just magical.

You were about to go shower when Loki came running up to you with his phone in his hand and a face that was full of animation. You've never grabbed a phone so fast in your life and a few seconds later, you're sure you'd be bouncing if you didn't have a baby inside you.

Wanda had twins. Billy and Tommy.

Loki took the two of you to Wanda's house and the first thing he saw was your friends looking exhausted because the twins wouldn't stop crying. They thanked you both immensely for your and Loki's help (Loki was slightly compelled to do this, but the important thing is that he helped).

A few hours later, Agnes knocked on the door and the four of you started chatting. When the five of you went to check on the twins, they had aged a good five years, but you chose not to question it.

The next day, your water broke.

After that, it all went so fast. You and Loki opted for hospital delivery, so he quickly grabbed the maternity bag and put you both in the car. The nurses were extremely kind and careful with you, and even though Loki called Wanda and Vision as soon as you two arrived at the hospital, your baby was already in your arms.

It was a girl.

She was the most beautiful thing you'd ever seen, even though she looked just like any other baby a few minutes old. Her little face was puffy and red, she was screaming and crying like crazy and she was so tiny, but you already loved her more than anything in this world.

When you looked at your husband, he was completely transfixed looking at your daughter. You'd seen him give that look of pure adoration just for you, but now he looked at that little pink package like all of a sudden the world made sense because she was in it.

Loki was too scared to hold her because he was afraid of letting the baby girl fall, but you helped him and he immediately started crying.

He sat next to you on the gurney and kissed your temple tenderly and looked into your eyes with so much emotion that you felt dizzy.

"I love you so much, Y/n Laufeyson. Every day I think about how you are the strongest, most wonderful woman I've ever known and I can never express how grateful I am to be able to be with you and... Now you've given me my little girl and I never thought it was humanly possible that my love for you could triple.'' He kissed you passionately before looking down at his daughter.

''Welcome to the world, my Astrid.''

*** ''So what you're saying is that my brother and Wanda Maximoff are in a world where Vision and Y/n are alive?'' Thor questioned Darcy.

The two hadn't spoken for a long time and technically he shouldn't be in a confidential area where SWORD was working, but the scientist thought Thor deserved to know what was happening.

''Jimmy described it as 'A sitcom starring two Avengers.' But apparently, Loki and Y/n are supporting characters. Not only that, apparently all the other 'Characters' are real people who seem to be under some mind control to act as if the fact that Vision and Y/n are alive and living married lives in the suburbs is something perfectly normal.'' Thor didn't have the heart to voice it, but he felt that Loki was definitely not under mind control. Thor wasn't blind, he knew his brother was in love with Y/n since they were kids and he knew Loki was suffering a lot from her death, but he would never expect anything like... this.

''As Wanda seems to be the 'Protagonist', we're trying to contact her to understand what's going on, but she hasn't responded to the radio, Agent Franklin has disappeared and our drone has been turned into a toy helicopter. They even censored the broadcast! It's like whoever is controlling this will do anything to keep these people captive.''

Thor had seen young Wanda's powers in action and knew she was very powerful. He also knew grief all too well. By then he has already greeted it like an old friend, so he knew what the pain of losing someone loved could do to a person's mind. He was sure that those responsible for this mess and Westview's captivity were Wanda or his brother. Maybe it was even both. But he knew that neither Wanda nor Loki wanted to be 'saved'.

***

Thor knew you were strong and powerful. You were an Avenger and a member of the Asgard army who had saved Thor's ass many times before and he knew you were an amazing team on the battlefield. Unfortunately, before he was a warrior, he was your childhood best friend, who always took advantage of the fact that you don't have siblings to claim the big brother role. He said it was a family matter, but you know he was just scared because Hela had destroyed the Mjölnir and since he didn't know how powerful she was, he sent you to help Heimdall protect the people of Asgard to make sure you wouldn't get hurt. Thor said that he and Loki (yes, the bastard was alive) would take care of Hela. You had your doubts.

You and Heimdall taking care of everything well. You two had already annihilated several of Hela's 'Soldiers' and were now protecting the Asgardians in a secret fortress hidden in the forest. You were helping an elderly lady relax when Heimdall made everyone's blood (including yours) run cold.

"She's here.''

Quickly you and the guardian worked hard to get the people of Asgard to evacuate through the back of the fortress towards Bifrost. You were almost there when you came across Hela's huge beast. Immediately, everyone retreated, but on the other side of the bridge was an enemy army. Even with a giant spaceship providing cover when shooting the beast, you, Heimdall and other Asgardians were forced to fight back. Suddenly, something fell out of the ship and… Wait a minute, was that Bruce Banner?!?! Someone tugged at your shirt sleeve. You looked down only to find a toddler pointing at something that, despite being partially covered in fog, was definitely huge.

"Your saviour is here!''

You were never so happy to see that stupid man in your entire life.

***

When the three of you got back home, you begged Loki to let you buy a puppy. It would be great for Astrid's development, you argued, of course, Loki was reluctant because he knew your own selfish motives, although you were right about dogs having a positive impact on babies' lives, so a few days later he showed up at the house with the cutest Corgi puppy you've ever seen. You two named him Argos and he and Astrid immediately fell in love with each other.

It didn't take long for Astrid to grow up. She was a very sweet little girl who looked exactly like you. The only thing she had inherited from her father was his mesmerizing green eyes. She was also best friends with Billy and Tommy, the three children spent hours just playing in the backyard with Argos every day.

Today, when Astrid went to play at the boys' house, they had adopted a puppy named Sparky. Loki preferred to stay at home to build a playground for Astrid, and the kids were already making thousands of plans to play in the backyard of your house with Argos and Sparky who would definitely be friends. When you asked Wanda where Vision was, she said he was at work. Today was Saturday, but you preferred not to comment on anything.

The twins freaked out, and Wanda had to explain how couples sometimes fall out before her kids thought Vision was tired of them.

You didn't know that Wanda and Vision were fighting, but you chose not to get involved. Instead, you asked Wanda if she'd like you to take the kids to the community pool. She quickly accepted and ten minutes later you and the kids were leaving Wanda home alone so she could put the gourd back in place. That was all the help you could offer her for now.

***

It was Halloween. Astrid wanted to dress up as Wednesday Addams, which you thought was weird, as the two of them couldn't have more opposite personalities, but you agreed. To match, you had Loki dress up as Gomez and you dressed up as Morticia. Your husband pretended he thought you all looked ridiculous, but you knew he loved it. Loki didn't want to go on patrol today, he preferred to 'Enjoy his girls'. All you can do is roll your eyes, leave more kibble in the pot for Argos, and take your little family to meet Wanda and the twins.

When you finally found them, you were introduced to Pietro, Wanda's brother. He tried to flirt with you, but a single deadly stare from Loki directed at him made the silver-haired man immediately shut up.

Billy, Tommy, Astrid and Pietro were causing real chaos around the neighbourhood, which drove you and Wanda crazy, but Loki said that mischief was always welcome on Halloween and had no problem letting his daughter terrorize the neighbours next door with her friends.

You and Wanda forced the children (Pietro included) to return all the stolen sweets. That took a few hours, but once they were done, Tommy used his super speed to take Astrid and Billy to get more candy (The right way this time), leaving You, Loki, Wanda and Pietro alone.

The four of you ate and talked as you made your way to the area where a Halloween pumpkin display was being held. Everything was going well until Pietro started commenting about how 'Thanks to Wanda' people were happier and that despite everything, they were having a good and peaceful life. You didn't notice when Loki and Wanda exchanged side-eye glances for a full three milliseconds before Loki got up so fast you were sure he got dizzy and dragged you away from the Maximoff twins claiming he wanted to buy toffee apples for you both.

You were so confused by his (and Pietro's) sudden bizarre behaviour that it took you approximately 30 seconds to react. When you finally snapped out of your befuddled state, you dug your feet into the ground and faced your husband.

"Loki, what the hell was that? What do you mean by buying toffee apples? You hate toffee apples. And I know Pietro is kind of weird but he seemed very sane at the tim-" You were interrupted.

"That was nothing Y/n, you're imagining things. Pietro Maximoff is a lunatic, we both know that.

"Something tells me you don't believe a single word you're saying yourself. I don't know what he means but I feel like you do." You confronted him.

Honestly, you never noticed anything strange around you. Your life and that of your neighbours appeared to be completely normal. But Pietro said something that bothered you. Of course, you had problems, but they were many... Simple. Just minor inconveniences that more seemed to be happening to give some sense of normalcy. People always said that some things were too good to be true.

Maybe Pietro wasn't a lunatic after all.

But you knew Loki long enough to know you weren't going to win that argument. So you let him lead you by the hand to the toffee apples stand and pretended not to notice how hard he was trying to look like he was genuinely enjoying the candy and that he was not wanting to throw up.

***

How?

You had been decorated as the best warrior in Asgard countless times. You had protected Gods. You were a heroine adored by billions of people and had already survived so many adventures that you could have easily written a bestselling book about yourself (That's what the most epic books of all time were called according to Stark). And yet, how could you be so… useless?

You had lost your beloved home and on the same day you had to watch the brutal extermination of almost half of your people and you could barely defend them. You barely made it out alive, for Odin's sake!

All Thanos' fault. That titan son of a bitch you would have sold your soul just for the chance to execute and watch his scaphism. You knew he had an army of titans. You knew all the stories about how Thanos was considered practically invincible. But even so, you couldn't help hating yourself for not being enough and for letting your people down.

But by the time Thanos demanded Loki hand over the Tesseract or he'd kill Thor, you knew Loki well enough to know he'd try one last thing. But you no longer thought your life was worth much. All your instinct for self-preservation has long since disappeared.

If you had to die to protect the princes of your kingdom, that's exactly what you would do.

When the Titan pinned Thor and killed Heimdall right after defeating the Hulk, you did the first thing that popped into your head. You snatched the hypercube from Loki's hand at lightning speed and ran towards Thanos

''Here. Take the Tesseract and do whatever you want with it, just go away and leave us alone. I beg you.'' You looked pathetic like that. One of the most powerful elements in the galaxy was in your hands, and yet you were on your knees, weeping and begging for a monster to spare the rest of your people. Thanos looked at you like for a few seconds before taking the Tesseract.

''I have heard much about you, daughter of Halldis. You are known as a hero. You were wise to accept the fate of this galaxy and collaborate with the greater good.'' He said before taking his army with him and leaving you surrounded by corpses and wounded people. Thor and Loki were alive. You were useful for something.

But why did you feel so… selfish? Of course, you weren't a sociopath, but still, for a few seconds, Thanos saw you as an equal.

Hero, they called you.

But at that moment you knew you were a fraud. You felt a genuine disgust with yourself and stopped believing in the mercy of the gods. If they really were merciful, they would have let you die in that carnage.

The life of any Asgardian seemed worth a thousand times more than yours. You just didn't deserve to live.

***

Loki had left Astrid at Wanda's house to play with the twins. Astrid was always playing with the twins, so you wouldn't suspect a thing. Of course, it wasn't morally right of Loki to dilute sleeping pills in the milk on the cereal he gave you this morning. But in his defence, he was going through something he never thought he would.

He was freaking out.

Loki Laufeyson had never felt that in all his thousands of years of life.

He always had things planned out and always made sure everything went exactly as he had so meticulously envisioned. Of course, not even the most detailed man in the world could control every situation every time. But even when things didn't go as Loki had planned, he always managed to stay calm and most of the time he had a plan b. When he didn't have a plan b, he quickly found a way to save his ass. Cunning as a fox, you once remarked.

The problem is that Loki was always a completely rational person who never got into a situation without weighing all the pros and cons before giving a second thought to make sure it was worth it.

You were the first impulsive decision he made. He was crying hysterically as he felt his heart being torn apart and the next minute he was driving in a car with you holding his hand. He didn't think about what could go wrong, he was so distracted in his bubble of happiness with you that he completely forgot that something could go off the rails at any second.

And that's exactly what happened.

All the decorations in the house were changing every five seconds. Loki's magic and yours were out of control and the Asgardian God was beginning to sense that everything was about to fall apart. But he couldn't bear it, he just couldn't.

Not again.

So he had to do something that he always tried to avoid as much as possible, but unfortunately, it was his only alternative. He needed to talk to Wanda.

*** How the hell did he end up here?

He was at Wanda's house when one of those nosy agents Wanda had kicked out showed up. Wanda was starting to lose control, so Agnes took the redhead to her house. Loki still needed to speak with Wanda, so he followed the two women. The hostess made him and Wanda sit down on the sofa and then Loki slowly came to his senses. Why the hell did Agnes have so many peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in her living room while a children's cartoon was playing on TV?

Now that Loki had stopped to notice things, he really felt something was missing when he walked into Wan's house...

"Maximoff, where is my daughter?" he asked, staring at the woman with daggers in his eyes.

She was still a little flustered, so it took her a few seconds before she processed his words and shook her head.

''Oh… I-I…''

Loki immediately made a dagger materialize in his hand and placed the blade against Wanda's throat.

''I'll just repeat it one more time, Maximoff. Where…" He didn't have time to finish his threat because Agnes came back into the room.

''Mr. Laufeyson, there's no need for violence, for God's sake! Astrid and the boys are probably just playing in the basement.'' Agnes butted in before Loki committed murder. The man immediately grabbed Wanda by the collar (he wouldn't let her go until he was sure his little girl was okay) and dragged her down the basement stairs in search of the children.

Loki didn't know what he expected to find in that basement; but finding multiple vines-covered columns, elaborately macabre-looking stained-glass windows, and dozens of dark magic elements were definitely not on his list.

And then suddenly, the brunette woman Loki had never liked had locked the door with her… Magic.

''The name is Agatha Harkness. Lovely to finally meet you.''

Shit.

***

''I still can't believe you of all people learned to cook. A voice behind you commented.

You rolled your eyes but couldn't help but smile.

As ironic as it seems, Loki was the one who helped you out of your self-hatred state after Thanos' victory and since then the two of you have put your differences aside and decided to try to help what's left of the world as much as possible. Thor named Valkyrie king of new Asgard and you became the Goddess of Fidelity.

You never felt you deserved the title.

Loki was the royal advisor and was doing an excellent job restoring Asgard alongside the new king. You and he spent all the Sundays with Thor to cheer him up and take care of his mental health. You helped Steve through every therapy session because you knew how difficult it was for him to try to maintain Sam's legacy like that. You and Loki also babysat Morgan one night a month so Pepper and Tony could go on dates, and even though he pretended to hate babysitting, you knew Loki was crazy about the little girl.

You two lived in the Avengers tower with Natasha to monitor the state of the galaxy in monthly meetings with Denvers, the raccoon, Rhodes and Okoye. Since the three of you lived alone and the last time Nat or Loki entered a kitchen they set the place on fire while trying to cook an egg, you were practically forced to learn how to cook. After five years of practice, you've become quite the cook.

At the moment you were making lasagna because Nat had been tired lately and that was her favourite dish.

''If I hadn't learned, the three of us would have starved to death years ago.'' You joked. So-so.

''Despite all the difficulties living in this nightmare causes, I feel strangely happy,'' Loki commented.

You both knew it was wrong. Billions of people had lost their families and friends, including you and Loki. But the two of you couldn't help but enjoy the chaotic routine you had built up together. He was far better company than you could ever dream of.

''After you're done with dinner, we could binge-watch Modern Family,'' he suggested.

''Loki we binge-watched Modern Family six times!'' You complained.

After putting the lasagna in the oven, you turned to face your friend, only to realize he was closer than you thought.

In the last few years that he's been by your side, you can get to know the real Loki. Not the man you've spent the last few years seeing as someone deserving only hatred or pity. He had changed a lot after the Snap, and you finally got to see what a caring, smart, funny, gentlemanly and occasionally kind man he was. And well, up close, you couldn't deny how handsome he was. His eyes looked at you adoringly and suddenly the air was very hot and the atmosphere had changed. He lowered his eyes to your lips and…

God, he was going to kiss you.

The man who has spent his entire life avoiding and infuriating you would kiss you and your stomach couldn't be more full of butterflies. Your heart was beating wildly in anticipation and you'd never wanted anything as badly as you wanted to feel his lips against yours.

But just as he was about to finally close the tortuous distance between you both, Natasha called you into the room to see to some business urgently. You and Loki reluctantly obey the redhead only to find her and Steve looking at the security camera footage. The shock was written on both of their faces and as you and Loki looked at the footage, you too were shocked as well.

Scott Lang was alive?!?!

***

Apparently, Wanda was wrong about the state of Westview's population. They were definitely not doing well in suburban life designed to be perfect. He hated to admit it, but Wanda needed to set them free, there was nothing Loki could do.

You wouldn't want any of this if you were alive.

He was also right about everything ending in chaos. You had woken up and gone to the square looking for him and despite wanting desperately to take you in his arms and assure you that everything was going to be okay, he was tired of lying to you. Agatha Harkness fought against the Scarlet Witch (Apparently the legend was very real and he felt stupid for not realizing the truth about Wanda Maximoff before) and Agatha was defeated.

Wanda took Loki's hand and pulled him away from his and Wanda's family so they could have some privacy.

''I-I'm sorry.'' The most powerful woman in the universe looked so small and vulnerable in front of him. Loki would never know what came over him, but he let her cry into his chest as he stroked her back.

''I'm also... sorry, Maximoff.''

Wanda and Loki weren't friends and probably never would be. But they carried the pain of a difficult past and having lost their lovers and with it their prospects for happiness in the future. He hated to admit it, but he would always feel a deep connection with Wanda and he knew she felt the same.

Wanda went to her house to enjoy her last moments with her family and Loki did the same. Astrid was sitting on his shoulders and you were holding his hand the whole way home. When he looked at you, you gave him a sad and reassuring smile at the same time and every time you did he could feel his eyes burning, his body desperate to curl up in the fetal position and cry.

You arrived home and while you sang an Asgardian lullaby to Astrid, who was hugging Argos, the little girl was falling asleep with her face buried in her father's chest. She might be young, but she could feel that this would be the end, but she needed to enjoy the last moments with her family the same way every other moment was spent: With a smile on her face.

You four deserved this.

When she and Argos were finally asleep, Loki settled her on the bed and kissed her on the cheek. He pretended not to notice the tear left on his daughter's face right after you kissed her.

You two went to your room and lay down on the bed so you could cuddle and simply feel the warmth of each other's bodies. So that the hearts of two lovers would beat in the same rhythm. You stayed that way for three minutes, three hours or three years; Loki could never tell. But then you cupped his face and kissed him. You kissed him with all the pure love you felt for him. It was a kiss so painfully sweet he wanted to cry for the twentieth time that day. You rested your head on his chest so his heartbeat lulled you to sleep. When Loki realized you were unconscious, he wanted to sleep too. All he wanted was to spend the rest of his life in your arms, in that bed. But he did not allow himself to fall asleep.

Loki knew you wouldn't be there when he woke up.

***

You thought you were used to the pain of losing people you loved. That your heart was already so broken that if someone else important to you died, it wouldn't hurt so much anymore.

When Barton came back alone and with that look in his eyes like he'd just seen his whole world destroyed, you knew Natasha was gone.

You cried for hours, shedding so many tears you could almost feel your body drying out. Natasha had suffered so much in her life and yet she knew how to be kind and give her all to help others. She always supported you and managed to comfort you when no one noticed you were not okay in the first place. One of the strongest and most wonderful women in the world had died as she had lived: Doing the impossible and beyond to save people who didn't even care about her.

And that's why all of you were here. On the battlefield in the most epic fight you've ever been on a mission to destroy Thanos and his army. Natasha had sacrificed her own life so that you all could save the world and none of you could let her die in vain.

That's how you ended up the same way you did five years ago. Kneeling at Thanos' feet as he won, as it was always meant to be.

''I am Inevitable'' He smiled sickly as he felt total victory as he snapped his fingers to finally get rid of humanity forever. Some things were just… Meant to be. Like Thanos' success in his mission. The universe was always in his favour for him to be succeeded.

But not today.

Excruciating physical pain shot through your body as you felt your right arm burn from the overwhelming amount of power coursing through your veins from the stones in your hand. You definitely wouldn't survive this.

But you had decided a long time ago that you didn't deserve to live.

''And I… Am…,'' You were making a superhuman effort to speak, but you ignored the pain and finished uttering your last words. It was time to finally find your way to Valhalla and find your parents. Aunt Frigga. Heimdall. Your Asgardian people.

Nat.

''... The Goddess of Fidelity''. You snapped your fingers and then everything went dark.

***

Thor knew he had no right to interfere, but he couldn't help but rage as he saw the looks of scorn and disgust directed at his brother and Wanda Maximoff that the residents of Westview and the S.W.O.R.D agents were sending their way. Of course, the two were wrong to enslave an entire city, but they had just lost everything. Why couldn't people understand that by willingly destroying the barrier, Loki and Wanda had given up their last chance to be happy? Why couldn't they stop feeling sorry for themselves for a second to try and reflect that those two were grieving and desperately trying to deal with this horrible feeling that no one deserved to go through?

They were all so arrogant. As if they wouldn't use Wanda's powers to bring loved ones back if they had the opportunity.

But the God of Thunder swallowed his anger and went after Loki.

He was so busy with his own grief over losing his dearest friend that he completely forgot that he wasn't the only one grieving. Now Loki was even more broken than before and there was nothing Thor could do but try to comfort him.

While you were alive, you fought tirelessly for him and Loki to have a true brotherly relationship by loving each other unconditionally. And damn him if he let anything you've fought for in your life go to waste.

Thor found Loki sitting on a bench in a small square near Westview. He was admiring the setting sun with an unreadable expression on his face.

''There's nothing I can do, brother. Nothing in this world can bring her back. I… I just want you to know that I understand your pain and that I will be here with you for as long as it takes if it helps you feel better.'' Thor finally spoke after sitting down beside his brother and staying in silence for several minutes. He never needed to comfort people who were grieving before. Despite knowing it wasn't enough, the blond God was trying his best.

And Loki knew it.

He knew that Thor meant every word and that he would indeed be sitting beside him in silence, watching the sunset for the rest of eternity if that would make Loki feel any better. When he looked away from the west into Thor's baby blue eyes, Loki began to cry.

The Loki of a few decades ago would rather die than allow himself to be in such a vulnerable position in front of Thor. But this Loki could only feel gratitude for having a brother who loved him till the moon and back and would help him deal with his pain and his hysterical crying without the slightest bit of judgment. That he would let Loki stay in his embrace forever while trying to ease his pain, even if Thor himself was miserable.

He still hadn't made up his mind if he regretted going after Wanda the instant he heard about Westview. If he regretted asking for a happy life with Y/n to the redhead who accepted the proposal immediately because she understood Loki's pain and because you had been very sweet to her when you rescued her in Sokovia and she never had a chance to thank you or become your friend.

The only thing Loki was sure of was that his heart would never heal and that his biggest regret was spending more than a millennium being hopelessly in love with you and never telling you.

[crepes-suzette-373]

Garuda, Judge, Germa 66, The Divine

@sangerie Perfect timing that you bring up Garuda in your reply, because I remembered a while ago that I didn't check what Judge's current belt looks like when I made that other post and I was just about to make a new post about my findings.

---

I messed up and completely forgot to check when I made that other post. That was just more of an idle thought, though, not something I really wanted to analyse or make theories out of. This one is the (conspiracy) theory/analysis post.

Artistically this is big enough difference that I cannot chalk it off as "simplification/wonky artwork because of image size":

Plus, the "simpler" shape from the MADS flashbacks would be drawn long after the WCI arc. So this has to be a purposeful change on sensei's part.

What was it beforehand and why the change? What is the newer shape supposed to be?

So anyway, that realisation prompted me to look into Karura (the Japanese interpretation of Garuda) because I thought the current belt shape looks like the helmet Judge is wearing, which in turn vaguely reminds me of headdresses in Buddhist gods' statuary.

I think there could be connection between the two in terms of design:

Like, his hair could look reminiscent of the Karura's "fire halo".

The Karura in Japan is a being who is heavily associated with flames (which happens to also look like number 6 spirals in the statue, very interestingly). Some Buddhist teaching even say the Karura either manifests itself as flames, or lends its flames in support to other deities.

Karura's "fire halo" behind Fudou Myou'ou:

This I find to be even more curious, because in the first place Garuda is divine being, and Garuda's "holy flame" is something that purifies evil. Judge seems to be awful in every way, so why give him a nickname that's based on a holy being? Is this just irony, or is this a hint that there's something weird going on that has yet to be revealed? (something in their ancient history?)

Also, about the "69" in the skull's eyes. Even Sanji's Stealth Black/Osoba Mask belt has that "69" element, even if it's in the little wings on the sides and not the skull's eyes. Is that symbol so important that it needs to be everywhere? (to sangerie, if you see this: Niji's belt still has that 69, even much later in the cover story, it just sometimes look wonky in the art because it's too small)

That symbol is known in Japan as "two tomoe" (considered different from yin yang by the Japanese). A tomoe is that comma like shape, and the Germa one is specifically the "right curling" one, because there are versions of it that goes the opposite direction.

A tomoe is also a divine symbol, so it's very frequently seen as the "crest" of shrines. Funnily enough the origin of the tomoe symbol is actually water, but I'm not sure if sensei would go out of his way to research that. If he was using this as a purposeful symbol I feel like he's using it more in the generic divine/shrine related usage.

It's a symbol you see in the drums used by the the Raijin (god of thunder), which also was the design inspiration for Enel.

Interesting thunder/lightning connection there. It's 3, though, and not 2, so I'm not sure if this means anything.

You see that exact symbol with just two in Wano, though it's turned 90 degrees anticlockwise:

I have wondered multiple times if the Vinsmokes have connection to Wano in their past. Even literally just a few hours ago I made a post mentioning the same thing. I always worry that I'm making too deep of a reach, but every now and then I still wonder.

It also has historical connection in Japan, since a two tomoe design is a common samurai crest. I highly doubt it's related to this, but that exact "69" shaped crest is the crest strongly associated with the 47 Ronin.

The interesting thing about the 47 Ronin is that even though they're typically celebrated as heroes who defeated an evil lord even to this day, by historical accounts the 47 ronin were actually the ones in the wrong and the guy they had revenge on wasn't a tyrant or corrupt official. Still, I don't think this has any relevance.

I mean, there's nothing about Germa that suggests that "they seem evil, but actually they're secretly good".

I will admit there is a part of me that is developing a suspicion that there could be a random twist where Germa's whole point was "their motivation/end goal is not bad, but their methods is what's really absolutely disgusting" for various reasons. As in, what if their desire to conquer the North Blue is not just for greed or power, but for a bigger goal beyond it, and this "bigger goal" might not be entirely bad.

I doubt it, because so far everything that we've been shown is just nasty. I'm just automatically suspicious because the World Government labelled them evil, and I don't trust WG.

It could just be something like "they're so evil, that even demons are disgusted", though.

[ruthlesslistener]

for the ship/don't ship meme: Aeris and his Dubious Decisions Trio (Drifter, Misraaks, Taniks)

KJHSDBFGKJSHDF I SHOULDA KNOWN YOU'D ASK ABOUT AERIS'S POOR CHOICE IN MEN

(preliminary note: Aeris is aromantic, so saying that I ship Aeris with anyone here defines a close sexual partnership rather than a typical romantic relationship, as he's incapable of anything else. We aroshippin in this bitch)

Putting this under a cut bc its gonna get long and there's going to be talk about sex. Lots of OC x canon stuff in here for the 3 people who are into that sorta thing

Aeris/Drifter: Don't ship, casual fling

Why don’t you ship it?

-Aeris chose Drifter to pop his cherry/teach him how to fuck for two reasons: one, he knew that Drifter was pan and thus actually interested in him, and two, he knew that Drifter wouldn't make it weird or judge him for his...everything. Drifter also thinks he's kinda cute in a weird, awkward, gangly way, so he was more than happy to have a casual fling with him and teach him the ropes

2. What would have made you like it?

-Not sure honestly! I like the thought of Aeris and Drifter being bros who are comfortable enough to fuck if they want it (like how straight men will compliment each other's ass and dicks, but these guys actually mean it), but as an actual pairing they're more just for character development than anything else. I prefer Eris/Drifter QPR too so Drifter is kinda taken in that regard, though Drifter DOES like to crack jokes about fucking both Aeris with an A and Eris with an E to those in the know

3. Despite not shipping it, do you have anything positive to say about it?

-Even tho Aeris never really sought Drifter out after he got confident in his abilities to not fuck up a fling, I have a fuckload of fun imagining them going 'nice cock bro' in casual conversation or Aeris showing off in Gambit while Drifter hypes him up. So they're still very much a fun duo to fiddle with but it's not much different from how they were before

Aeris/Misraaks: FWB ship, kinda complex

I'mma count this as 'ship' even though its not too far off from the Aeris and Drifter thing in that a heatmate is just an inherently more vulnerable, intimate position than a casual fling. However, Aeris is still aromantic and Misraaks is someone I view on the ace/demi spectrum, so it comes with a caveat in that its again, not a ship so much as this grey zone of 'I trust you to see me when I'm aching and needy and vulnerable but I don't want you as a partner'- made even MORE complex in that Aeris treats Eido like a younger sibling which gets Weird when you factor in the fact that he's fucking her dad (though obviously the adopted sibling thing isn't literal)

What made you ship it?

-Aeris/Misraaks was the first thing I considered when thinking about fleshing out Aeris's sexuality. Partially because Misraaks is hot, so of course I'd want to throw people at him, but also because his chill, laid-back personality meant he was perfect for Aeris's tendancy to want to experiment with things.

As for how they fit together- it works because Aeris, as the Young Wolf of his universe, already has a history of trustbuilding exercises with Misraaks, so Misraaks knows that he's a very quiet, dependable individual who'd never divulge any personal information and would meet any of his alien eccentricities with curiosity instead of fear or judgement (and that Aeris is brutally honest, so him offering himself as a heatmate because he wants to help + is curious is genuine). Aeris is also in the unique position of being both outside of traditional Eliksni culture while also being feared and respected enough by them to be a Kell's heatmate, so even if something DID come out about them fucking, there wouldn't be any social consequences to it re: hierarchy stuff. Oh, there would be gossip for sure- but how could you tell a godslayer who he could or could not share his body with? Or judge a Kell for wanting someone so strong as a suitable mate? Not to mention not needing to worry about any STDs or pregnancy issues with Aeris, as Misraaks might for any other Eliksni

And Aeris- as he very quickly found out when sleeping with Misraaks- is a size queen and a masochist. So Misraaks doesn't really have to worry about Aeris just gritting his teeth and bearing it. If anything, he has to tell Aeris to slow down before he does something that causes Misraaks irreparable distress, even though Aeris himself can bounce back from any injury. It makes finding relief during his heats all that much easier, even if Aeris can't give him pheromonal relief

2. What are your favorite things about the ship?

-The comedic relief potential inherent to anyone figuring out that Aeris and Misraaks are fucking. I mean, its a very poorly kept secret if you knew where to look, but...who's looking?

3. Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?

-I literally made Aeris and this pairing, I have nobody to argue with but myself

Aeris/Taniks: Ship. Just outright ship. Aeris is still aro here but honestly I don't think that matters here because the whole thing is a goddamn disaster from start to finish. They're the world's most beautiful car crash

What made you ship it?

-The moment the whole 'OOPS I ACCIDENTALLY MARRIED TANIKS THE SCARRED WHEN GUARDING A NEWLIGHT' moment went down in DnDestiny! I had ZERO recollection of the 'bite to denote marriage' headcanon at the time I decided I wanted Taniks to bite Aeris, so running with the joke was great fun. And then, of course, as soon as you start joking about it is when it becomes serious, so here I am

2. What are your favorite things about the ship?

-That it works surprisingly well given the circumstances. Aeris is aromantic, autistic, and a living weapon- he took the 'you are a dead thing made by a dead power in the shape of the dead. All you will ever do is kill' thing that the Witness said to him in the Black Garden waaay too literally, and nothing he had to do ever really disproved that, either. Taniks is undersocialized to the point of being feral, doesn't know what love is, and is only seen as a murderous killing machine by both Eliksni and humans alike, so their character parallels are wayy too fun to play around with. If there was anyone for Taniks to be accidentally married to, then Aeris is probably his best bet. Now he's just gotta get over the fact that Aeris thought it over and actually wants to be tied up with him...gl with that buddy

Also, Aeris has a lot of really, really hard kinks related to his issues with personhood that really only another guardian or someone like Taniks can resolve. And Aeris doesn't get along with other guardians well enough to form a sexual relationship with them, so...Taniks it is then! Works out in the long run anyhow bc of the aformentioned size kink thingy he's got gong on, bc Taniks is a big boy. There's more of a social consequence to the whole ordeal, of course, but Aeris doesn't give a lick of a shit about that

Plus they have the extra fun of 'enemies to...whatever the fuck is going on over there.' 'The only one who can see the humanity in a monster is another monster' sorta deal. Idk they both need therapy for their traumas but they're gonna do it in the most fucknasty gorey way first

3. Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?

-See above point about me literally making Aeris and thus being incapable of having an unpopular opinion on a guy very few people know about.

The closest I can come really is that the jokes about him and Taniks getting divorced ain't happenin because uh,,,those bite marks aren't going away any time soon. As in, ever. Idk about Taniks being able to shed them out but Aeris isn't getting out of this one in the slightest

[imeanwhynotbruv]

Hi! I saw your Soldier Boy AU and I really liked the concept! You mentioned that Spider wouldn't know how to not act like a solider. I'm curious as to how do you imagine this would crop up? It's such a sad thing for a child to go through, and I wonder how the revelation that this kid doesn't know how to be a kid would strike the other kids and adults. I also wonder if Spider even recognizes his upbringing as something abnormal, as kids who grow up in abusive situations typically don't know something is wrong until they find a point of comparison or someone to explain to them.

I look forward to seeing what you do with this AU concept! It's so interesting! :)

Soldier boy Spider Au

AAAAA! I’m so happy you liked it! Im also looking forward to how this au will change but here’s what I think the answers would be so far

I don’t think the other adults would really realise it at first when Spider is still technically their captive. Like they know he’s a bit of a weird kid but they assume it’s just him being worried after practically being kidnapped.

I love Jake, don’t get me wrong, but I don’t think he’d notice it right away even when Spiders is interacting with his kids, he’s probably just assume Spider was a well behaved kid (which he’s not really, he’s just scared to get into trouble because they’ve all been really nice to him for the most part) he’s also really busy with his duties as Olo'eyktan and doesn’t have as much time as he’d like even with his own kids, let alone Spider.

I think it would take Neytiri to notice and point it out to him, like she wouldn’t want to notice because she doesn’t want to like this kid, but she just can’t help it. She sees the way Spider won’t hesitate to do what he’s been told even if he clearly didn’t want to, even if he’s doing something else. She watches the way he gets nervous when he hasn’t been given exact, to the point, instructions or how worried he gets when he can’t figure out something that would be simple.

Neteyam would definitely notice, his big brother instincts just on overdrive all the time with his siblings, and because Spider now spends so much time with them that extends to him as well. He sees the way Spider can go from smiling and laughing to cold and professional when an adult (especially his parents) try talking to him.

Kiri would notice and just decide that yeah, she’s going to drown him in her friendship and there’s nothing anyone can do about that.

Lo’ak wouldn’t notice at first, or at least he doesn’t know why Spider acts the way he does. I can definitely see him not liking Spider at first (something he later feels guilty for) especially when after they let Spider outside, Jake is like “why can’t you listen to me like Spider?” “Why can’t you just behave like Spider” Jake doesn’t mean to but he causes a bit of a strain between the two of them in the beginning mainly because Lo’ak thinks Spider is trying to make him look worse, and Spider doesn’t know what he’s doing to make Lo’ak mad and that makes him mad to.

Tuk definitely gets attached to Spider quickly, he’s always willing to indulge her and play with her. However she quickly realised Spider doesn’t really know how to play anything, even hide and seek to her horror, so she takes it upon herself to teach Spider all the games she loves. So she doesn’t know why Spider is the way he is, but she definitely wants to make him happy and by making him play with her, she’s accidentally giving him everything he’d missed out on and he doesn’t understand why he’s enjoying it so much.

Ronal notices almost instantly that Spider is weird, but at first she just try’s to pass it off as a human thing. The more she watches Spider sound the village the more concerned she gets. Spider is too willing to do tasks and not willing enough to ask for help. Maybe he hides and injury (because he’s not aloud to be a problem)or something and she decides enough is enough and talks to Tonowari.

Tonowari also notices quickly, he’s too much of a protective dad not to notice, like Ronal he thinks it’s a human thing but when his wife comes to him to compare notes they realise it’s quite a problem so he decides to talk to Jake.

Jake and Tonowari then have to give a very confused Spider a ‘your not a soldier’ talk, at first he doesn’t understand but they don’t let him leave until he does.

Spider definitely didn’t know his upbringing wasn’t normal, he didn’t have other kids for reference with until the Sullys and a lot of the adults wouldn’t talk to him. Spider is definitely worried the first time he sees Lo’ak talk back, when Tuk throws a tantrum, he doesn’t understand that what happened to him wasn’t just the norm.

He doesn’t understand the strange looks he gets when he asks them weird questions he thought were normal. He’d definitely shocked when he’s woken from a nightmare by Neytiri and comforted, when Jake doesn’t get mad at him because he can’t master the bow immediately, when Ronal explains to him that yes, even a scratch (it’s really not a scratch) deserves to be looked at, when Tonowari doesn’t get mad at him for being tried from work and instead encourages him to take breaks.

He’s shocked at the reactions of other kids when they look at him horrified when he’d talk about his childhood. How their stories are so much different to his own.

He definitely has a good cry when Tonowari and Jake really explain that no, that was not normal and was not his fault.

•••

Anyway those are some of my ideas!

Thank you for asking!

Let me know if you have any suggestions/request/questions I’d love to answer them!

I hope you enjoyed❤️

[dballzposting]

I don’t know how to fucking draw. 

Yamucha mall santa

BELABORED Textpost about Yamucha Dad Swagg under the cut

It’s a very simple equation .. it takes a village to raise a kid and Yamucha is a part of that village.

Picture this. Trunks is just a little guy walking around Capsule Corp. Sometimes he goes days without seeing his father, and when he does see him there is no warm greeting. That’s fine and cool because that’s just Vegeta’s way and Trunks is used to it / raised to it. He sees his mother more frequently than his father, but she is just as busy, and she is always trying to teach Trunks about computers and whatnot - this is fun and fine because Trunks doesn’t yet know that he lacks the natural spark for invention and that his potential pales in comparison to his mother. So it’s good bonding time.

Ultimately, his parents are concerned with his growth, and they do much to encourage it, and that’s awesome. But warm family time just isn’t the love language of the house. Trunks’s grandparents are pretty warm, but they also aren’t that interested in playing video games, just the technicalities of it, so Trunks’s conversation material is stunted.

Trunks will see the other Z Fighters occasionally, but he mostly knows Of them than Knows them. Sometimes, though, his mother will have a friend over.

And something interesting happens when Yamucha visits. Trunks can actually hear his mother laughing from the other room. 

And if he sneaks around the corner, he can see his mother actually having a real damn conversation with someone for once. Trunks never sees his parents converse like this, so it’s odd and enamoring to see Yamucha and Bulma talking like normal people. 

It’s weird, because it’s not typical to Trunks’s house, but he’s seen it in others, like how Gohan and Videl talk for instance, and it’s sort of .. nice to see.

Not that he’s thinking in those terms - he’s like, IDK, 9, and though he’s a precocious kid, he’s not yet adhering to adult standards of what’s “nice to see.” He doesn’t think that it’s “nice to see” his mother be able to have a non-argumentative conversation with a man. He’s not concerned about what’s good for his mother or not, not in that way. He’s still a kid.

But. He does grow comfortable to the sight.

Bulma and Yamucha’s conversations are still pretty much what you’d expect - Yamucha is only visiting to get this car fixed, she makes some harshly-toned but inconsequential joke about his being unwilling to pay someone to fix it so he’s hoping to get it fixed for free by a friend, and he rubs his neck and says “everyone’s a critic,” and she fixes his car and makes him have tea with her as payment. She complains that he never fucking visits unless he needs some help and he says the same to her. She asks him how life is going and he tells her that Puar is starting a new semester at Shapeshifting University, that he’s working on his Master’s. She says that she’s working on a new type of engine that will revolutionize the industry and he says that his wood stove keeps breaking in odd ways that he can’t make sense of.

She asks him if he still trains and fights and he says Sometimes. He asks her if she finds herself yearning for adventure and she says Sometimes.

IDK where I’m going with this. I don’t know what I haven’t already said in previous posts. It’s just that Yamucha is a nice man ...

Trunks is used to being either A.) treated like a little adult or B.) brushed off, so when Yamucha literally treats him like one would a child, it completely throws Trunks off of his rhythm and he doesn’t know what to do about it.

He ventures into the room where Bulma & Yamucha are conversing and Yamucha is quick to be like HEEEY KIDDO! THERE YOU ARE. WAS WONDERING WHEN YOU’D SHOW UP. HOW’RE YOU DOING?

and Trunks is like HWAH becasue now this man is talking to him and now he’s gotta snap to attention and be polite and civil like his parents taught him. But also it’s Yamucha he doesnt hold him in a very high regard at this time. And he’s just gotta get throuhg this exchange of pleasantries so that they can all move on with their day.  

Unfortunately however Yamucha is not Vegeta and he is not bored with pleasantries, he’s honestly interested to see Trunks join the conversation. Trunks is a funny little DUDE yknow? He’s always running around and defeating bad guys and stuff. Yamucha held him when he was a baby a few times and he always sends him a birthday card in the mail. He’s honestly interested, at the high point of the day before the daily fatigue has set in, to invite him into the conversation.

Trunks has no tact for this however becasue he’s not used to this senseless genuineness from an adult. Usually adults will get whatever info they need out of him and then exit the conversation. Usually there’s a point where the adult gets bored and tired and Trunks is used to this pattern and he knows how to recognize it and stop talking about things that only he cares about.

But before Trunks can understand what’s happening he’s being launched into this conversation about Minecraft because one thing led to another and now Bulma has momentarily adjourned the room and Trunks is sitting at this table explaining Minecraft to Yamucha. And he’s sort of fretful and stressed about it because he doesn’t know why Yamucha is doing this to himself? This isn’t typically how things go. 

So Trunks at every sentence is trying to pull the brakes on this whole operation, growing more anxious about it the longer it persists, and it does inexplicably persists - Trunks just keeps trying to wrap up his thought but then Yamucha seems to keep encouraging him. “So it’s a computer game? You can play it with an XBOX too? What about a PS2, I used to have one of those.” “You craft what you mine? What do you mine, rocks and stuff? Oh, that’s just the term for the mechanism of acquiring world blocks? And you can craft? Oh, Minecraft, that’s clever.” “You can build anything you want? What do you build?” “What’s a mob? What’s an NPC? Oh, they’re bad guys? Sometimes? Do you fight on Minecraft? WITH A SWORD? I see why you like it.” “Is there a plot? What’s ‘sandbox’? It’s an ‘open world’?” “Can you play it with other people at the same time, like those arcade games where- oh, different screens, same world? REALLY? Over the internet you say? Now how does that work?” “THEY HAVE WOLVES IN MINECRAFT?”

And Trunks keeps trying to Not go overboard but if you ask an obsessed 9 year old about minecraft What TF Do You Think is gonna happen.

Trunks is WAITING, WAITING, WAITING for the inevitable “say, kid, yknow, it’s getting late, I gotta run...” or whatever polite manner Yamucha will use to end the conversation. Trunks is keeping vigilante for it. He’s studying Yamucha’s face and words for any hint of it. 

Eventually- “say, I don’t suppose you got any snacks around here in this house of fortune, do you?”

There it is, the Topic Change. Yamucha moves to stand and Trunks silences the urge to finish the tangent he was on. He’s actually relieved - that was getting scary, he didn’t know when the interruption would come. He doesn’t want to embarrass himself any further, so he’s glad for the long-awaited topic change.

They set out to amass a plate of snacks. Yamucha encourages Trunks to pick his poison, and Trunks doesn’t know why he’s still being involved in this operation but he likes snacks so he sticks around. Yamucha remarks that Bulma hasn’t yet returned and Trunks can’t stop himself from responding immediately with what was on the tip of his tongue: 

“Yeah, she doesn’t like to hear about Minecraft.”

Yamucha laughs it off, genuinely entertained, saying something about how Bulma didn’t have the patience for most things. He suggests that they go find her and bother her, and Trunks says that she doesn’t like to be bothered when she’s working, and Yamucha says “yeah I know.”

Somehow though they end up talking about Minecraft again. And this vexes Trunks so strongly. Especially when Yamucha finally says “yknow I don’t really understand the appeal of video games myself .. I dabbled in it but it didn’t really take me far” THEN WHY ARE YOU ASKING ABOUT MINECRAFT ???

My point is that the “topic change” was not a topic change, Yamucha was totally gonna return to the Minecraft thing. Which, again, makes no goddamn sense to Trunks. 

Yamucha’s just a nice dude. And he’s not annoyed with Trunks becasue he A.) isn’t as seriously-minded as Bulma and Vegeta are and B.) is not Trunks’s actual father so he doesn’t need to fucking see him all of the time and deal with his shit on a regular basis.

IDK. That’s just a story. I feel like it’s a good place to start the development of Trunks getting attached to Yamucha though. Like there are many ways you could spin this but it all sort of starts the same .. Trunks getting judgeless attention from Yamucha, who is warm and friendly and chill and visibly mature and middle-aged.

I mean this could happen at any time but hear me out:

Trunks ages 0-5 would respond well to any friendly adult because’s that’s what babies are like. As long as the adult didn’t have a scary face.

Trunks ages 6-9 will take a bit more convincing to warm up to you, because he’s got opinions and a snotty attitude. But ultimately he’s polite when it matters and he likes to have fun, so if you’re fun then he’s fun, and he’ll be excited to see you, because that’s what kids are like.

Trunks ages 10-15 is an even tougher sell, because his precocious self-awareness now actually MEANS something, and progressively more so throughout the years. And though he’s living life pretty naturally and in-tuned with himself by necessity of his craft, he would still shudder at the sensation of affection / want of attention from an adult other than the expressly accepted Bulma & Vegeta & his grandsparents & Gohan & Videl & to an extent Goten’s parents. Being a little baby kid and wanting to spend time with a beloved adult is one thing, but Trunks is much too self-aware at this age to allow the easy flow of vulnerability. Like, HOW STRANGE. How strange to think he would need something from someone. How strange to think that there could be a shift in the familial dynamic that’s always been. So he would experience some confliction and some shame at a perceived immaturity of the self. Even though he is getting older, humans develop in a gradual way, and by his Saiyan blood he is still a baby, so he is still responsive to warmth and attention, even when it is bewilderingly unconditional and pleasant.

Moreover: Trunks has himself a self-image of self-sufficiency and independence by this time, and he would struggle with how small and clingy he feels when Yamucha is nice to him, and he may just avoid him entirely for it.

Trunks ages 16-18 is no longer susceptible to a new juvenile attachment but he is a kid who likes to party. He is friendly enough and could make a mentor out of Yamucha yet. He could love him like one too.

However in the event that he already had the experience of wanting Yamucha to be his dad when he was younger: by 18 he thinks he’s totally over “it” though he never gave “it” credit for what it was: how much he appreciated the sense of safety that being raised by a village gave him. And that’s literally a normal thing and Trunks is literally capable of seeing that but he’s not Goten so he still is a little slow on the uptake. So he thinks he’s “over it” but as soon as he gets eyes on Yamucha he .. Oh my god I’ll just repost the last image file of a previously-shared comic

This is just so goddamn funny like .. That first panel I wish was way bigger becasue I think it’s everything. The crazed and vigilante yet amiable and PLACID look. It’s like he’s a shark and he’s caught blood in the water. It’s like he was a normal dude before but then he got eyes on Yamucha and his middle-aged man used-car-salesman swag and a biochemical reaction began to occur in Trunks’s brain and he’s become one-track and pursuit-predatorial and now he’s looking at him like this

With so much warmth and love and contentedness .. like he thinks he’s amazing. Like he’s out for blood.

And then he warmly says “you could marry my mom and I wouldn’t be mad.” LIKE ... that’s so funny .. he’s 18 so he thinks he’s an adult but he’s still Someone’s Boy. He’s still a kid. It takes time to mature fully. He’s tall and taught like a greenbean plant and he hasn’t actually yet matured into the heat of the season ... He’s tall and energetic and he wants Yamucha to marry his mom so that he can see his mom get along with someone and for that someone to be Yamucha. It’s not that Trunks dislikes his father - he really really doesn’t - but it’s that he also wants Yamucha to be his dad.

By the time we get to Trunks age 23 - GT times - he really is beyond this. He really is a chill young adult by then. He doesn’t feel the juvenile attachment. He’s a mature organism. He probably forgot he ever felt that way to begin with.

It’s just funny idk.

ANYWAY.

In the event where Bulma and Vegeta formally split (which wouldn’t happen because Vegeta has nowhere else to go really...), Bulma would be cool with it but like any woman with self-respect she would undergo a certain grief to start. It doesn’t last long and she knows she’s happier being single but she allows herself the tenderness. And in this time she may reconnect with friends to feel better, including Yamucha.

And Trunks is around age umm idk let’s say 9 again, and he doesn’t think that his parents formally splitting is a big deal. From his POV, the only thing that will change is that he won’t see his father at the dinnertable anymore and he won’t train with him in the gravity chamber for a while (I say “a while” because Vegeta will come crawling back to use that fucking thing). But Trunks still knows where to find him, and he will still be training and learning under him. So it’s not a big deal.

His mom seems a little sad, which he wasn’t expecting. But she’s said and will keep saying that it was for the best and the mature thing to do, so Trunks doesn’t think much of it.

But much like how this post started, there’s a day where Trunks can hear his mother laughing in conversation in the other room. And it strikes him, rings in his head like a knell, secretive in its pull but inexorable all the same-... it’s been a while since his mother seemed so happy to be talking to someone. 

Under the guise of helping Bulma through this difficult time, but really for old time’s sake, but really actually because Yamuch’s cabin has a cockroach problem right now, it’s been arranged where Yamucha is gonna hang out and live at Capsule Corp for a while. 

OK don’t let me make this damn post so damn long. You know where it’s going. Trunks despite himself warms up to Yamucha and at the end asks him upfront if he’s gonna marry Bulma. And Yamucha is like NOOO No No No NO! Lol. And Trunks is like WHY NOT?? YOU GET ALONG SO WELL .. 

and Yamucha explains that he’s just trying to be a friend right now because he and Bulma did NOT work out in the past. And Trunks is like “Ok so are you going to live here forever then..” and Yamucha is like..........nooooo.........I’m gonna go home to my cabin ..........

and Trunks is like WHAT ???

And Yamucha, who is not trying to become a father, and who has been unsure how to treat Trunks as he sees him getting more and more clingy over the weeks, has to finally concede at this moment that: Trunks evidently needs this right now. He needs a friendly father figure. Yamucha wasn’t trying to get involved in all of this because he at this point in his life does not feel confident enough that he has what it takes to be a good parent .. that he could really give a kid what he needs .. he doesn’t think he’s good enough ... but at this moment he realizes that Well Soemone Has to Watch Stupoid Movies with This Kid and It’s NOT gonna be Vegeta So.....!!

so he tells Trunks “you know where to find me..!” and that he can visit at any time. But Trunks still seems a little sad about it and I can tell you why: it’s because he wants to feel loved enough that people will seek HIM out, not that the onus is always on him to maintain connections.

Yamucha sees that he’s still kind of sad so he makes an impulsive promise to “visit sometimes” and Trunks seems happy to hear that.

In any story you want to spin about Yamucha Dad Swagg I think it pays to consider Trunks’s hesitance to attach, because of his attitude problem and because he does already have two parents, and also how as a kid he responds to the budding connection with insecurity and confusion because even as a kid he takes it upon himself to be totally self-aware and to know everything, because that’s how his parents are raising him.

And it pays to consider what type of attention and affection that Trunks is actually receiving at home.

And it pays to consider that Yamucha is sort of washed-up and is in some ways content with that and in other ways insecure, and that he doesn't feel quite good enough to be a father but he doesn’t want to be without a family for forever, but he is a nice person who is good with kids, and Bulma is a dear friend of his, and he will do what he can to do well by her son. And he’s just naturally friendly and goofy and that gets him into hot water when he accidentally causes Bulma’s evidently-underappreciated son to latch onto him, like a baby bird imprinting upon you because you just happened to be there.

It’s all very simple really. At a Z-team get-together Trunks really wants to pull up a chair between Yamcuha and Bulma but he doesn’t know how to do that without it being weird (he thinks it’s weird becasue he’s self-aware to his own detriment). And he really wants the simple comfort of physical affection that he stopped receiving when his mother set him down as a baby for the last time, but he doesn’t know how to hug Yamucha without it being weird. And he really wants to just like stand next to Yamucha or something but he feels like if his own real father sees him standing next to Yamucha it’s gonna be weird.

In reality Vegeta doesnt give a shit, and if he knew about all of this then he would encourage Trunks to seek out the humanistic family structure he evidently needs to thrive, becasue Vegeta knows that he’s not capable of paying out in that way. But this all goes unspoken so Trunks just feels weird about the way that everything seems like it’s going to be okay whenever Yamucha is around, and he’s trying to find a situation in which it would be acceptable for him to cuddle up with Yamucha like a cat. 

It’s sort of stupid because that’s literally all it is. And there IS a day where Trunks drags Goten over to Yamucha’s cabin and they roast chestnuts and watch Caddyshack (1980) (one of the only movies that Yamucha owns and he always watches it when he’s sad and drunk and he doesn't even recognize it when he’s sober? He doesn’t know why he has it.).

And it’s fun obviously becasue Goten is there and they eat popcorn but when they’re watching the movie on Yamucha’s new couch (it’s new at this time) (it’s red and swanky) (he thinks it really classes up the place) (now there’s popcorn oil stains all over it of course but he’s trying to be gracious about it), Yamucha realizes that it’s a movie unfit for kids, and Goten gets bored when the popcorn is gone, and Trunks is not watching the movie at all because he is taking this opportunity to hug yamucha as hard as he can as he settles next to him on the couch.

And Yamucha is thinking “ummm this isn’t a very good movie for kids” but he literally can’t get up and do anything about it because Bulma’s damn bastard whelp is clinging to his side with the ardent ferocity of a drowning monkey to a floating log. And also the kid is pretending to be asleep so that no one will try to disturb him but his grip strength gives him away. And so basically Yamucha has to just sit through this weird movie. And Goten gets bored and really does fall asleep next to Trunks. So now Yamucha is committed to this damn movie. And there’s popcorn butter everywhere

Anyway. If Trunks started to bond with Yamucha then he really would want to learn stuff from him / model after him. And that’s where we may run into problems, becasue in practice, their continued involvement may be more of Trunks fixing Yamucha’s car then it is Yamucha teaching Trunks how to do stuff.

But there is still quite a bit that could be done here. Trunks would learn the Spirit Ball from Yamucha. He would learn how to go to diners and tip 30%, 40% if the server was cute. He would learn how to relax and enjoy life. He would learn how to hang out. He would start getting into Yamucha’s music, and then music composition once Yamucha pulls out his old guitar. He would pretend to care about baseball. He would have a new appreciation for monocolored suits. He would try whiskey for the first time. He would develop on his emotional intelligence so that he would eventually be on-par with Goten. He would listen to stories of the past because lord knows that Trunks’s parents don’t fucking tell him anything. ETC.

One more thing. You know that one .. science experiment where they put a baby monkey in a cage of sorts and gave it two “mothers,” one made of warm cloth that served no function and another that was made of wire and that contained a source of food? And they discovered that when the monkey was scared, he always huddled up to the cloth mother for comfort, even though she was not the one to feed him? And the result was something about the realization of the importance of comfort for babies? Yeah well it’s kind of like that .. Bulma & Vegeta are the wire mothers who offer substance of body mind and character, and Yamucha is the cloth mother who can’t do much for him but he’s always down to watch a movie and hang out or something. 

END POST. Good grief

[max1461]

Is linguistics a science? What do linguists do on the daily?

Oof, this is a hard one!

Linguistics is a very diverse field. What I'd say is that some parts of it are science, some parts are humanities, and some parts are somewhere in between. I would say, uh, the mean scienceness of linguistics is about the same as the mean scienceness of economics, but the variance is way higher.

If you do research in e.g. speech production or neurolinguistics, you're unambiguously doing science. You're running experiments, you probably work in a lab, you're thinking about, you know, brain regions and the anatomy of the vocal tract. It's pretty human biology flavored, from what I can tell.

If you're doing research on child language acquisition or speech perception or the like, you're still doing science, but your methodology is going to look more like e.g. psychology than neuroscience. Psychology is also a really high variance field, there's some solid research and some total bullshit. Probably the same applies for these areas of linguistics—although I do have reasons to think (hope) they are a bit better than psych over all, which I'll get to in a minute.

Then there's phonology and syntax, the "core" of linguistics. These are... weirdly difficult to classify. See, human language, at its core, is a set of interlocking formal systems. It is rules-based. And by "rules", I don't mean the "grammar rules" you were taught in school. I mean the linguistic patterns you subconsciously internalized as a baby, which let you learn to speak your native language without anyone actually teaching you. These rules govern the pronunciation of sounds in a given language (phonology) and the order of words in a given language (syntax). The fields of phonology and syntax involve studying these formal systems on a language-by-language basis, trying to understand how these formal systems are structured across languages.

The actual methodology here is something like this: imagine you were given a bunch of math symbols that you've never seen before, and a list of anywhere from fifty to several thousand equations using those symbols. And someone said "all these equations are true, but I'm not gonna tell you what the symbols mean. Just look at all the equations and put together a consistent theory for how all the symbols behave". Ok, that's syntax and phonology. In syntax, the "symbols" are words in a language and the "equations" are valid sentences. In phonology, the "symbols" are sounds and the "equations" are words. And you do an analysis, and you produce a theory of the symbols which accounts for all the equations that you see.

So, anyway, it's kind of weird. It's kind of its own thing. It's definitely empirical, like a science. And it's far too formal and math-flavored and puzzle-solving-y for me to call it a humanity. But you're not running experiments, exactly, you're not doing a lot of the typical science things. It's all done with pen and paper, like math. So it's kind of its own thing. This is one of the things I like about it, by the way. It's puzzle solving about language. It's neat.

Anyway, then there's historical linguistics, the study of how language changes over time. Historical linguistics involves the comparative method, which relies on the neogrammarian hypothesis. Basically, it involves the same kind of puzzle solving methodology as phonology and syntax, but with a lot of engagement with historical texts, evidence from archeology, and so on, at the same time. It's got a lot of the best parts of the more methodologically rigorous humanities (history), but with a much more STEMish flavor to actually do. All of linguistics has a STEMish flavor, pretty much. It's pretty cool. Historical linguistics is the subfield I'm principally interested in.

All this readily-observable formal structure in language is why I have hope for the psychology-adjacent fields of linguistics, by the way. The formalism constrains what kind of questions are meaningful, it gives us a more precise language to talk about what's going on. In essence, we know that language is the kind of thing which has formalizable patterns in it, whereas IMO we don't have strong evidence that human emotion or (non-linguistic) human social behavior have this same kind of defined symbolic structure. So it feels that people who study speech perception are maybe getting at something a little more concrete and specific than the people who put together the DSM. But, you know, that's just me—I'm not a psychologist, so I don't want to make claims about the field too confidently.

At the least sciency end, you've got things like sociolinguistics, which is methodologically similar to sociology. Difficult to place is linguistic fieldwork, which involves methodologies from all of the above, plus a healthy dose of human interpersonal skill, and involves going out into the world and documenting the way language is spoken directly. Sometimes this involves studying small or endangered languages, etc. There are a couple of people in my grad program who do fieldwork in the Amazon, and they often tell stories about encounters with terrifyingly large spiders. Surely the most adventuresome subfield. And there's formal semantics, the youngest field of linguistics, which is sort of in the syntax/phonology realm of studying language as a formal system. It basically involves trying to understand the logical structure of languages, and has significant overlaps with CS, formal logic, and (analytic) philosophy. Actually, all the fields of formal linguistics have significant CS overlap—computational linguistics is the most popular subfield right now by far.

The thing that makes linguistics hard to classify is that there really is a lot of cross-pollination and sharing of ideas between these fields, they aren't siloed off from each other. So, what do linguists do? A lot of different stuff! Is it a science? Sort of kind of. But it's pretty cool either way.

[solarishashernoseinabook]

Tell me about the process of writing trr 👀

Thank u so much for indulging me 😭

Um. This got very long. So most of it's going under a readmore.

One of the first things I did when I started TRR was come up with three principles for writing autistic!Halt, which I stick to every time I write him:

Halt is an autistic character, not a character who happens to have autism. Essentially meaning: Halt's autism must affect the narrative. TRR (as well as many recent one-shots) would not be the same stories if Halt was neurotypical, and I figure if I did write something where Halt's autism didn't affect the story, then I've written it poorly

Halt's autism can't be discarded for the sake of the story. Pretty self explanatory. In a lot of media with autistic-coded characters, they're portrayed as weird and having some social difficulties or weird interests in a way that can be summed up as being "lolz so QUIRKY 🤪", but those traits can be highly inconsistent depending on what the plot needs. I was determined to not do that in TRR.

Halt's autism is value-neutral. There's two broad camps that a lot of autistic rep or autistic-coded characters fall into, mainly depending on the genre they appear in. If they're in a more serious story, the focus tends to be on how much of a problem they are for their caretaker, and if they're in something comedic, the focus will be on how much of a jackass and/or how clueless they are and the basis of the humour will be other people responding to this. In either case, we're supposed to sympathise with the non-autistic characters and relate to how difficult dealing with an autistic person is. The other alternative is that we get an inspiration-porny depiction of autism where the autistic character is so saintly and good and wonderful and inspiring, which is also pretty damn dehumanising. So for TRR, I tried to avoid both those extremes. If characters had problems with Halt's autistic traits, that was their fault - any problems they have with him are part of a failure to accommodate him, or because they pushed Halt out of his comfort zone. Of course, Halt would have to meet them half-way here: if he's rude, he does have to realise that and apologise for that rudeness. At the same time, Halt isn't better than anyone else by virtue of being autistic. He's not an inspiration to them, nor is he there to teach them how to be better people: he's just another character, just like any of them. Maybe I haven't always pulled this last principle off correctly, but I try.

The rest is going under a cut sorry :"D

Another thing I did really early on was settle on what Halt's autistic traits would be. In canon, Halt dislikes loud noises, doesn't seem to look at people very much, he can talk for a long time on things he knows but doesn't otherwise speak very much, and he loves archery - he's one of the Corps' best rangers. Using this as a basis, I decided Halt has noise sensitivities, generally avoids eye contact unless he knows people well, and that archery is one of his special interests. I wanted to make Halt slightly touch adverse, so I gave him my trouble with being touched around the shoulders. Finally, based on how many times Halt gets quiet and avoids people in loud situations, I decided to have him shut down instead of melt down when he starts to get overwhelmed.

And then I had to decide how to actually write that autism - as in, like, the mechanics of writing. There's a subtle difference between how Halt's POV scenes are written versus everyone else's. When I write from Halt's POV, I don't typically include any emotion from other characters unless it's very obvious, or I describe body language without much detail. If Halt meets someone for the first time, the other character will be described with a hair colour and maybe their general build and that's it - Halt doesn't like looking at faces much, so you won't get details like their eye colour or distinct facial features. This means a lot of perspective-hopping, because if the other characters' emotions are important to the scene, then I either can't tell it from Halt's POV or I need a scene afterwards that backtracks slightly to explain what we missed. I also try to focus more on the information coming through Halt's senses - what he's hearing or feeling, for instance. It was the only way I could think of to actually get across social difficulties and what having sensory processing disorder feels like, lol

More recently, I reread RA's two prequels (which cover the same timespan as TRR) and made extensive notes on the plot/characters...fully knowing I would need to discard 85% of it for TRR. I can at least make shout-outs to it, or use it as a basis for what I write. I turned those notes into a 41 page document that describes characters, locations, and events, complete with sub-headings!

WHEW okay thank you for enabling me :D I mainly focussed on character creation i know but i had the most to say about it 😭

[zukkacore]

Hi do you. By any chance want to expand on both 1) Sorcerer Wizard and the dichotomy and 2) Sorcerer trans thoughts??? Bc BOY I would LOVEEEEE to hear them if you’re willing to!!!

Hiiiii beloved old man yaoi mutual anyway sorry this took a hot sec bc I do have more thoughts on this but tragically they’re kinda formless and incoherent. Prepare for the unorganized paragraph monster. Anyway I’m like pretty bad at understand dnd as a system but I have seen other ppl who are actually better versed than me express like. A sorcerer / wizard multi class is pretty counterintuitive. And like, if that’s part of the character arc that’s fine, obviously with Gorgug it was an intentional character choice and they made a profound point of of him doing unexpected and not typically “optimal” just bc he liked it & bc of that he has a perspective on rage AND artificing different from everyone else. Idk if im over explaining the obvious with the like, oh wizardry is abt understanding the fundamentals and components of the arcane it’s abt studying the world whereas sorcery is abt control and understanding of the self etc etc. like described as the ability to “project one’s will” into the world and the meta magic mechanic is a way to actualize like. Being able to literally change the rules of magic (honestly very interesting and cool imo).

Like, I don’t think they HAVE to be opposed in terms of what they’re doing, if you think abt it like. Art rules ya know? Like you gotta learn the fundamentals and the rules before you can break them. So I could see that being a reason to study wizardry. And if your character just has a natural curiosity than sure. But also, I GET the reason why it’s an impractical build and a weird choice for a character beat bc the drawbacks of losing high level sorcery aren’t really compensated for in getting some wizard levels. Esp bc they’re different casting modifiers or whatever, int vs charisma. Like you have to have a high modifier in both to even make it worth it. AND on a character beat level, not to make this JUST abt our favorite sopping wet cat Jace stardiamond but like. Wouldn’t it be kinda counterintuitive to learn all these rules and fundamentals of magic and everything in those classes is saying THIS is how it works meanwhile there is something inherent in you that could change that? And I was like oh haha trans bc it’s abt saying like oh something essential is actually less rigid than you think + projecting your will is in my mind kinda like the ability to self-determine?

At the same time the counterpoint to this is that sorcery is about inherent magic so that IS like oh this is essential to your person. At the same time I feel like the distaste toward sorcerery bc it’s inherent or essential is kinda unfair bc like? Yeah divine right is not real, someone being inherently divinely powerful is not a thing in real life but also how different is that from the divine right of being a chosen one for a deity (like. Not to go toooo into fantasy high but Kristen IS a chosen one). So I get the counterpoint that sorcerery is bad and essentialist but eh? Like take it for what it represents on a thematic level, don’t take it so literally.

Not to backtrack but I don’t think self knowledge vs worldly knowledge HAVE to be fundamentally opposed, but I do think one class transitioning into the others would be really difficult bc it’s someone learning a system and realizing actually it’s bullshit and broken & malleable vs. someone who intuitively GETS that rules are kinda just made up and the education system is saying no this is truth. Despite everything about you being a contradiction to that. Like, I feel like a sorcerer is coming into low level wizardry learning “you can’t do 1 - 2” and intuitively they go but you can? But at that level it’s like no, you’re not ready to teach someone just being introduced to those concepts abt negative numbers abt imaginary numbers etc etc etc. (similar w biology. Like yeah we all took 7th grade bio where we learned there are 2 sexes. But actually the human body a lot more varied & complicated than that. These are rigid categories we made up to “better” understand things or articulate a certain idea but they also cause systemic harm) Also. There are some particles that behave differently when observed. Science is weird and contradictory sometimes & there’s a lot of stuff that was believed to be true and gets kinda reassessed w more data. I respect the wizard’s quest for knowledge as someone who is a turbo nerd. I respect it so hard. But also. I get why riz spirals abt it. It’s hard to be bleem coded and love complete taxonomies when you know the world is a lot more complicated than that. I get why a sorcerer wouldn’t be able to hack it. Again not to make this abt blorbo from our shows but the failed to wizard multiclass thing opened SUCH a can of words in my brain…..