#and like. it's so weird because i actually do almost kind of prefer they stay platonic.

[anderfels]

the urge to grab someone by the shoulders and shake them vigorously as i ramble on about how johnny saw flashes of his own brother when he assumed that gyro was dying and how he equates them in his mind as people who have taught him about life, dragged him out of a hole, and whose deaths that he feels responsible over.

[musings-ofthe-unamused]

Obey Me Headcanons

Topic: First Kisses

Characters: Lucifer, Mammon, Beel, Satan, Levi, Asmo, Belphie Warnings: Lucifer

Lucifer:

He’s pushy, we all know this

When he gets stressed, he turns to you as your stress reducer

But that gets tiring because all he does is rant, rant rant

You just can’t take it anymore

“Lucifer?” “Yes?” “Shut up.”

He gets offended at first

But then he gets curious 

What happens if he continues to press your buttons?

You grab him and kiss him, of course

If your lips are on his, he can’t complain

He now asks for a kiss instead to help him stay stress free

Mammon:

Most definitely shyly asks you for a kiss

Like it’s the cutest thing ever

He has this whole date planned of a movie and dinner

You think you guys are just hanging out like normal

But he’s acting weird

You guys make it back to the house and he grabs your hand to keep you from going in

“I had fun tonight.” “Uhhh me too?”

He just kinda pauses and then goes “Can I kiss you?”

He’s blushing and looking away with a tiny pout

You realize that you were on a date and suddenly your heart is poundind and you just silently nod

And then he kisses you and its so soft and sweet

Then he runs away

Levi:

Video game time!! Which means competitions

Which means making bets

If he wins, he gets to kiss you 

He said it was a joke, but we all know he was trying his hardest to win

Three rounds

At a game you completely suck at

He did this on purpose. 

You obviously lose

“I win! But..you don’t have to kiss me if you don’t want to! I mean, I don’t know why you’d wanna kiss a loser like me.”

“I want to.” “What?” “I want you to kiss me.”

Suddenly he gets so flustered and his face is all red

He starts stuttering but all you have to do is grab his hand

Levi looks at you and then

smooch

It’s quick and awkward but now he wants to have bets like this all the time

https://64.media.tumblr.com/c079a798fbcf72cb417bfe18e580cdd8/7c40ac6e565497ed-27/s540x810/0329251d21ab87bc7a724d78f92f136179bfa43c.gif

Satan:

I actually had already started writing a short story about this

You go to his room to study or read

You’re both chillin, not saying much just enjoying each other’s presence

You then want to show him something and he is close

He stares at you. You stare back

His eyes flick back and forth between your lips and your eyes

He leans in, his lips brushing against yours

When you don’t pull back, he goes in and kisses you

The both of you kinda get heated 

He finally pulls away for some air and rests his forehead against yours

“I’ve been waiting for that.”

Asmodeus:

With the way he’s so flirty, its a wonder how he didn’t make a move before

However, he’s kind of a romantic

He wants to have one of those cute movie kisses

Preferably in the rain

So he watches the weather, hoping, praying for some rain

And there is! 

He drags you outside despite your complaining

“Why are we standing in the rain” “So we can kiss!” 

You don’t know whether to be mad or kind of flattered that he wanted to kiss you in the rain

He goes all dramatic and dips you down, giving you a very wet kiss

He almost drops you as he squeals in happiness

“I did it! I finally did it!”

You hate him

Beelezebub:

Jesus he’s so damn CUTE

This is during a baking session for sure

Making some cookies for him the brothers

Things always get messy because he wants to eat everything every step of the way

You’re just finishing up the batter when he comes up behind you

“Can I have a taste?”

His deep voice scares you and you accidentally get batter on your face

You turn around and scowl at him

But…oh my god what is he doing?

“You have something on your face

He grabs your shoulders and brings you close. 

He licks the edge for your lips. 

“Tastes good,” He mumbles. “More.”

And then he kisses you

After it happens, you are red in the face and just bolt out of there

“What about the cookies?!”

Blephegor:

100% kisses you by accident

Its nap time which means you two are in his bed taking a nice long nap

While also hiding from Lucifer

You had woken up an hour ago, and saw that two have already passed

Belphie was still passed out cold

You tried moving, but instead was met with his arms wrapping around you

He let out a groan and a “Don’t go”

You can’t tell if he’s still asleep or not

“Belphie, I need to go pee. Let me go.”

He mumbles something and holds you tighter

You’re trying to pry yourself away from him when he starts kissing your neck. Then your jaw. Then your cheek

“More.”

And then he gives you a gentle kiss

You’re frozen as he opens his eyes then stares at you

“I just had the weirdest dream.”

“Yeah…”

[sapphicmsmarvel]

Modern!Azriel: "too much"

lol i’m projecting in this one. this is how my extended family has always made me feel so 🤷🏻‍♀️

tw: not eating due to anxiety.

-You kept Azriel hidden from your extended family for three years. 

-You truly did not have much association with them. They were kind but not loving towards you. 

-Your parents knew of him as well as the two cousins you were closest with that actually loved you. 

-About a year in, you and Azriel had the talk about your extended family. 

At first, Azriel was kind of hurt by it. He brought you around his family. His chosen and blood when he had to. 

-Your first major argument was about you keeping him away from your family. 

“Are you embarrassed by me?” His voice cracked. 

“What? No! This isn’t about you, Azriel.” You sighed. 

“Then what is it? Are you freaking out about commitment to something?” 

“I just don’t want to bring you around them!” You cried. 

“Why?” 

“It doesn’t matter.” You crossed your arms. 

“Yes it does! Clearly something is bothering you. I cannot rest until I know what it is, Y/N.” He sighed. “I feel like I’m back in high school and my girlfriend is embarrassed to be seen with me.” 

That’s when your tears broke. You didn’t cry often. It took a while before you felt safe enough to do so in front of him. 

“I just…” You wiped your eyes and sniffed. “I’m really scared to bring you around them because I don’t want one of the few good things in my life to be tainted by them.” 

His silence spurred you on. “I don’t want you to be chased away.” 

“Baby,” He sighed. He walked to where you were in the dining room and leaned against the table in front of you. His legs spread, he put his hands on that plush waist he loves so much, and pulled you towards him. “I don’t want to push you, I’m sorry my insecurity got the better of me. But, you do see where I'm coming from, yes?” 

You sniffed and nodded, “I’d feel the same. I’m sorry I didn’t communicate properly.” 

“You were scared.” He justified it for you. 

“So were you a few minutes ago.” You nudged his shoulder. “If you’re going to validate me, I'm going to validate you.” 

“Two people pleasers in a relationship huh?” He chuckled. 

“That’s why we’re working on communication.” You brought your hands up to his broad shoulders. “Can we talk about this tonight? I just need to organize my thoughts a bit before….” You struggled to find the right words. “Ugh let me start over.” You sighed. 

He couldn’t help his smile, his girl was trying so hard. “I want to be able to eloquently tell you what's going on. It’s not you, it’s not even me, well kind of since I’m not letting you around them. But, they are a big issue.” 

“Okay, I’ll order our favorite takeout and we can talk about it when we’re eating. Is 20 minutes enough to help you get your thoughts together?” 

“Yeah.” You smiled, he wasn’t judging you. He was accepting you. Your neurodivergency and the way your mind worked. He kissed your forehead and went off to order the food. He knew your order by heart. 

-So when you guys got your food, you began to tell the story. How you were never “one of them” despite growing up with them. You were always left out and kids were mean. Then you came out as queer, which didn’t help being left out. Everyone looked at you weird. 

He knew better than anyone how it felt to be left out and hurt by your blood relatives. Granted, completely different situations however both are valid situations. 

He assured you he wasn’t upset at you, he was upset for you. He then told you how he would wait patiently. A couple of times, you almost got enough courage to do it. But then chickened out and just stayed home with him. You never went to those gatherings without someone. To be frank, you preferred Azriel’s company. 

-So when you finally took the plunge it was terrifying. 

-It was your aunt's birthday, a week before thanksgiving. You told them about him, they were all shocked to say the least that you had a partner and had had one for three years. 

-Then you got the normal guilt trip of “why didn’t you say something sooner?” or  “why didn’t you bring him” 

-Not “what’d i do to make you feel unsafe telling me this?” But that’s besides the point. 

-So the next week, you brought him to thanksgiving. 

-Your family was shocked to say the least. 

-That the loudest, vulgar, weird person in their family got the quietest, kindest man. 

-Azriel knew how you felt about this part of the family. You had always felt left out, like you weren’t good enough. You were ostracized as a child from them because you were different. 

-You were the only cousin that wasn’t baptized. Which made you different enough. But you’d rather think for yourself and your parents raised you without religion so you could choose your own path. 

-You cussed, you had tattoos, piercings. You wore clothes you were comfortable in which meant yeah, sometimes you wore a tank top that showed a bit of boobs. You wore all black as well. Also you were the plus size family member and you were queer. So that didn’t help the “fitting in” aspect. 

-He wore a nice black henley and black jeans. As well as his boots. He wanted to make a nice impression even though you told him that he could show up naked and you wouldn’t care. 

-He would. He wasn’t modest but he’d rather not have his future in-laws seeing his ‘monster cock’ as you called it. 

-God, he genuinely loved your vulgarity. 

-He knew how nervous you were, he knew you’d barely eat anything just because of sheer anxiety. His goal was to make sure you ate some appetizers or something.  

-When you walked in, you could tell your family was just floored by him. He greeted everyone with the proper “Mr.” and “Mrs/Ms/Miss.” He shook everyone's hands, smiled at your baby cousins who knew nothing of the strange man but were comfortable enough to wave at him. 

The entire time, he had a hand on your waist. Showing he’s on your side. 

-You warned him that your family was going to eventually get him alone to talk to him about you to which he responded with “let them.” 

They weren’t pissing him off too much. He didn’t like the way some of them were around you. Like you were someone to avoid. When he knew that you were the safest person in the room to any stranger, let alone him. 

”I’m sure sometimes she can be overwhelming.” Your aunt said as if it was a fun little tidbit. But he knew it was a jab. 

If smiles could kill, Azriel’s could’ve maimed her. “Actually she’s perfect.” He let his guard down enough to look at you across the room with your cousins, a lovestruck look on his face. “If she’d let me, I’d marry her tomorrow.” 

Your family was clearly surprised. You had never brought anyone around and now you bring this guy for the first time and he’s ready to marry you? 

-Throughout the day, he kept trying to get you to come out of your shell a bit. 

-When he made you snort in laughter, he let out his first real smile all day. Let these assholes see how happy you make him. 

-Then he noticed your elderly family member glaring at your tattoos. She was caught by Azriel and had the decency to have a look on her face like “can you blame me?” To which he smiled and rolled up his sleeves to show off his ink. 

She had the decency to look embarrassed. 

-Your family quickly began to see a real side of you. One that’s comfortable in her space enough to lean on someone. That someone was Azriel.

-Shortly after the meal, you two left. Claiming you had to go to Azriel’s mothers. They didn’t need to know that you had thanksgiving with her and the whole chosen family the day before. 

-You were finally able to relax when the door shut to the car. You two began the drive back home to the city. 

-You snuggled into him over the center console. Your arm wrapped around his bicep as he drove. You sighed, completely content and he kissed your temple while keeping his eyes on the road. 

“Thank you.” You whispered. 

“What for?” 

“Just…loving me as I am.” 

“You should not feel the need to thank me for that.” He said. 

“Well I am. So deal with it.” You huffed, but you kissed his arm through his shirt. “You’re never embarrassed of me, you take me in stride and love me as if I’m…” You trailed off. “Irreplaceable.” 

“You are.” He said so earnestly that you almost weeped. You squeezed him tighter. “You make me feel so happy, so….loved. I’ve never felt so loved. Those people are fools for not seeing how incredible you are.” 

You felt your eyes getting misty. “You’re so getting head tonight.” You whispered. 

He let out a loud, sharp laugh of surprise. Yeah, he was in it forever. 

[mentallyisekaid]

「 ✦ Fatui Harbingers x Signora's Sister! Reader, PART 2 ✦ 」

---

Part 1 [Part 2] Part 2.5 Part 3 Part 3.5

It's highly recommended to read the parts in order, otherwise few things will make sense!

Author's note ~ From this chapter forward, Y/N will develop a strong, somewhat intimate bond with her fellow Harbingers, but it's still, essentially, platonic. After coming up with the full storyline for this series, I figured it'd best to keep romance to a minimum, so it won't distract me or the readers from what's happening plotwise. But make no mistake - all of them care quite fiercely about you... it's not labelled "Harbingers x Reader" for nothing :) And of course, you're free to interpret their relationship in any kind of way you prefer <3

---

Featured in this chapter, we have (drum roll, if you please)... Scaramouche, Childe and Columbina!

Warnings: brief/indirect spoilers regarding Sumeru's Archon quest and Scaramouche's lore

Word count: 3k

---

A month had passed since the funeral, and the day you'd become the 12th of the Fatui Harbingers at Pierro's request.

*Note ~ Even though Signora's dead, I still consider her to be one of the 'Eleven Harbingers', and thus Y/N's position will be the 12th!

Truth to be told, you hardly cared whether such a dubious position had been offered to you out of respect for Rosalyne's legacy, or merely because they'd wanted to keep an eye on the immortal girl who possessed two Visions.

For the past five centuries, your life had lacked any clear purpose - perhaps this new title could change things to something a bit more... colorful?

Perhaps they could be the change.

On that note, there was something quite peculiar you'd come to notice about the infamous Harbingers.

Despite joining their ranks, you had kept the reason behind your questionable situation as a secret, so on a very essential level they still knew next to nothing about you (except for the Director who definitely knew enough to make you very uncomfortable!) In this regard, shouldn't they have considered you a stranger, or at least a high security risk?

Yes, yes they should have.

Yet not only did they treat you as one of their own, but it appeared that for some reason, these people cared about you to an extent beyond just professional relationships, always looking out for you in weird ways, like making sure you didn't overwork yourself, stayed healthy and never lacked any weird luxuries like expensive bath salts - that, and the fact that they were almost constantly lingering around you...

As someone who'd grown used to getting by on their own, you didn't really know what to make of their behavior. Or how to return it.

But did you dislike it? Not really. Why? Well, you were still sort of figuring that out.

You were currently sitting in Pantalone's office, looking through some financial reports while the Regrator himself was away on a business trip. As things stood, this was pretty much all that your title as a Harbinger was good for - assisting your colleagues by handling the less direct approaches to their duties as diplomats of Snezhnaya. It was only natural that you weren't yet expected, or trusted, to do any actual fieldwork.

So, your days were mostly spent being surrounded by endless piles of documents...

*knock, knock!*

...and them, as you might have guessed.

You sighed, placing the papers down on the desk when another round of impatient knocks came in. Clearly, that someone was going to invite themselves in regardless of your answer, and it wasn't hard to narrow down the list of possible suspects since only the highest ranking members of the Fatui were allowed in this part of the headquarters - frankly, the doors here tended not to be Harbinger-proof?

But it's not as if you really minded, breaktime was due anyway. Also, their company was always vastly more entertaining than work!

"It's not locked, you know" you commented, leaning back on your chair.

A scoff was heard before the door was rudely pushed open, and an unfamiliar character marched with such arrogance you'd think they owned the place. This made you raise an eyebrow; what an admirable sense of superiority? It wasn't someone you'd met before, but judging from the way they carried themselves, you recognized them nonetheless.

The man with child-like features (and a rather beautiful face) stopped in the middle of the room, staring curiously, though somewhat condescendingly, at the girl behind the desk.

"Are you," he started, "perchance the Director's newest recruit?"

"It's already been a month, but I suppose... in any case, what can I do for you, mister?"

"Mister?" The Harbinger crossed his arms, both amused and irked by your way of addressing him. "Ha, do you not know who I am?"

"Oh, no, I'm fairly certain I do," you sighed. "A presumptuous attitude, and a strikingly non-traditional kasa hat... the Balladeer, I presume? I heard you were busy playing a god in Sumeru with one of Dottore's segments, so I thought it might be a while before I get to meet the last one of my colleagues. But here you are - Scaramouche, was it? To what do I owe the pleasure?"

He was being rude too, you were just returning the discourtesy.

Scaramouche held back a chuckle, the bells from his hat jingling.

"Ah, yes, that would be me. And as to why I bothered coming all the way from Sumeru just to meet you, miss Twelfth..."

"I have a name. It's Y/N."

He clicked his tongue, taking a step closer.

"Yes, yes, whatever. Now, sit there and listen. I was in the middle of my little experiment on blasphemy when I suddenly heard that the Jester had recruited a new Harbinger, who, incidentally, has two Visions and is supposedly immortal - but she blatantly refuses to reveal anything about herself. Surely, you can imagine my slight annoyance at this, seeing as you, on the other hand, seem to know an awful lot about us."

You smiled a bit, fiddling with the quill pen in your hand.

"Yes, I don't exactly go around advertising my past to others. But aren't you same in that regard, Scaramouche?"

"I won't amuse you by answering that." He smiled eerily. "The point is, I don't like being kept in the dark - it gives people the chance to stab me in the back, and that's not something I'm particularly fond of."

"Ask the Director, then. I can assure you he knows all kinds of scandalous things about me - about all of us, no doubt."

He shrugged. "That won't be necessary."

In the blink of an eye, Scaramouche was no longer where he'd been standing before. The Sixth Harbinger had suddenly jumped on top of your desk, scattering the paperwork you'd spent hours organizing. He leaned forward with a smug look on his face, grabbing your chin between his delicate fingers.

"So, our little miss Harbinger refuses to reveal her secrets? We'll get those out of you, don't you worry~"

"My goodness?" Your previously dull eyes sparkled a bit. "What a bold move - it's certainly... something. I must say, I find your character quite fascinating, Balladeer."

"Likewise."

Behind that ruthless, indigo gaze, was a forlorn soul that had faced so much injustice...

When travelling around Teyvat for the past centuries, you'd caught bits and pieces of hearsay about Scaramouche's tragic past - most of it probably accurate. But it wouldn't have been wise to bring up such matters when you'd only just met him, especially since the Balladeer was widely known for his foul temper.

Though, judging from the way was looking at you, he probably knew what you were thinking. Even so, there was no ill intent in his eyes.

A new voice suddenly interrupted your odd encounter.

"I hope you're not harrassing our princess, dearest Scara!"

Tartaglia waltzed in to the office with an ominous smile. Scaramouche jumped down from your desk, scoffing at the sight of his ginger colleague.

"Ha, barely! I just happen to find her very intriguing."

Childe laughed a bit, stepping forward to pat your head.

"Well, I did tell you she was special, comrade. And to think you didn't believe me? Yet, here I find you. It seems Y/N Lohefalter is capable of drawing the attention of even the Balladeer himself, ahahhah~"

You followed their interaction, thoroughly entertained - compared to your previous uneventful life, this was certainly refreshing.

"Foolish boys," yet another familiar voice was heard, and Columbina strode in gracefully. "Avoiding your work to disturb Y/N with these shameful antics? Pierro would be quite displeased. Now, perish."

Damselette then turned her attention on you, smiling sweetly.

"Would you like to have an afternoon snack with me? I hope you've been eating enough, my dove."

"Now, now, don't be greedy..." Scaramouche taunted. "It's rather obvious that she and I were having a conversation."

You smiled a bit, pointing at each one of them with your pen.

"Technically, you're all are here equally uninvited. And on that note - as much as I'd rather do anything else right now - I really should continue with these documents or they're going to pile up..."

"Hey now, you know Pantalone doesn't like it when you overwork yourself, Y/N," Childe pointed out, crossing his arms.

Columbina smiled gently. "Yes, how about we go and have some tea instead?~"

Scaramouche raised an eyebrow at this.

"You sure speak to this girl in an unprofessional manner, Tartaglia, Damselette - if I didn't know better, I'd say it sounds almost intimate. Trying to snatch her away from me, perhaps? But you've already known her for a month; it ought to be my turn to get acquainted with our new little Harbinger. Y/N and I have some things to discuss, after all..."

"Oh?" Childe raised an eyebrow. "Then what exactly were you and her chatting so intimately about before I came?"

"Enlighten us, Balladeer," Columbina chuckled.

You shook your head a bit.

"Let's not go down that rabbit hole-"

"No." Scaramouche cut you off with a smug expression. "These two, and the rest of them... would agree with the opinion I shared with you, don't you think? Surely it's something that we've all been wondering about."

Columbina and Childe shared a brief but knowing look - it wasn't hard to guess what the Balladeer had said to you, and though he should have gone about it a more discreet manner, they couldn't deny their curiosity either.

The angel-like Harbinger walked next to you, brushing back a loose strand of hair from your face.

"I'd rather hear this from you," she hummed.

Her touch was a little cold but gentle, not at all unpleasant. You just weren't used to this kind of physical intimacy, or rather, it had been so long since you'd experienced any kind of intimacy, that it caught you a bit off-guard whenever your co-workers offered these weird gestures. It's not like you... really minded this. But it did make it hard to refuse when they the asked you for something.

You sighed, leaning back on the chair.

"Of course, I... know you're all somewhat displeased that I'm keeping these secrets from you, about my past, that is - how I've lived for this long, and how it's possible that have two Visions. It might be difficult for you to trust me because of this, but even so, I am not obliged to reveal anything. And you know as well as I do that the Jester already knows what there is to be known; he wouldn't have let me join otherwise."

Scaramouche narrowed his eyes, not content with your answer.

"Yes, but I also know that the Director is a man of his principles - either those secrets are shared of your own accord, or not at all."

"Then maybe you don't need to know? Maybe you're better off not knowing?"

Tartaglia frowned, leaning against the wall next you.

"Being a part of the Fatui already means that we're in way over our heads when it comes to anything questionable that's going on in Teyvat. Your... situation, is included in that, even more so because you're one of us now. And in case it's not clear yet, we do care about our own, even if that often gets a bit lost behind our agendas and differences." He put a hand on your shoulder and offered a reassuring smile. "So, we'd like to know more about you, Y/N. I'm sure that's what Scaramouche has been trying to tell you too, albeit he has a weird way of choosing his words."

The Balladeer crossed his arms. "What a speech, Childe." It sounded like a snide remark, you somehow sensed that he didn't mean it as one.

"For once, I agree with these two," Columbina said. "Though both are going about this in a rather thoughtless manner. Regardless of her past and whether or not she chooses to disclose it, she is a Harbinger - and that does not necessarily mean we should know all these things about her. Her only responsibility is to serve the Tsaritsa, after all."

She smiled at you. "But it is a shame you don't seem to trust us very much, Y/N."

Reverse psychology? Smooth.

"I think you've misunderstood me, though. It's not about trust."

You stood up from Pantalone's fancy office chair, stretching a bit.

"At this point, revealing those things might or might not cost me, but I'm pretty sure I won't gain anything from it either. If that's the case - well, is survival not about keeping the trump cards you have, or at least not giving them away for free? And information is often more valuable than Mora."

"You sound like the Regrator, though I'm sure he would disagree about the Mora part." Tartaglia chuckled. "But I like the way you think! So, what is it that you'd like in return for those secrets?"

"I'd be happy to arrange whatever it is~" Columbina singsonged. "Within the bounds of good taste, of course."

Scaramouche clicked his tongue. "What an insufferable girl - what is it you want, then?"

You tilted your head, wondering why these people were so invested in you. One day, you'd surely understand... but in this moment, you could only think about their offer and how it was just slightly too tempting to refuse.

"Well, right now, I'm craving for some excitement. Something more thrilling than this paperwork I'm drowning in day after day. I don't suppose one of you has a solution for that?"

Columbina's soft laughter jingled in the air.

Scaramouche was glaring at you.

Childe's eyes were sparkling.

"Excitement, you say?!" the ginger exclaimed. "Oh, that won't be a problem. How about we make a little bet, Y/N?"

"I'm listening."

"Let's fight a bit~ I've been wanting to see what you're capable of, and a match against the Eleventh Harbinger is far from playing around, so I'm sure it would prove exciting enough for you." He nodded toward the two gemstones hanging from your belt. "Use those Visions, any weapons and all the shenanigans you can possibly come up with - if you think you can. I promise to make it worth your while. Naturally, you'd have to share some of your past in exchange..."

You raised an eyebrow at his suggestion. "...if you manage to win, that is?"

Columbina chuckled. "Careful, Y/N. You'll get Tartaglia too excited~"

Scaramouche rolled his eyes.

"I'm not sure you understand what you're agreeing to, miss Twelfth. But by all means, go play with this idiot - I'll gladly come and watch, it ought to be entertaining. The next phase of my mission in Sumeru is not due in a while anyway." (And if by some miracle you do manage to beat Childe, I'll come up with other ways of discovering those secrets.)

The Balladeer as well had grown quite captivated by you.

Childe smiled innocently. "How about it, Y/N? Are you in?"

"You bet."

---

...who in their right mind had recruited this maniac?

Sure, the Harbingers had inhuman abilities, but this was pure madness. Tartaglia had yet to even demonstrate his Hydro powers, much less a Delusion, but merely by using his agility and a pair of escrima sticks he had already brought you to your knees.

It's not as if you considered yourself to be a particularly skilled fighter, but you did have five centuries' worth more experience than him, and quite a few tricks up in your sleeve. But Childe only ever gave you the time to use your polearm - no Visions, no shenanigans - and even so, you didn't manage to land a single hit on him.

You lay on the floor of the training grounds, breathlessly gazing up at Tartaglia who was pinning you down with his knee.

"Ready to yield, girlie?"

"Ha... I'm not, *huff*, giving up that easily..."

He smiled, putting a bit more pressure on your chest - not in a painful way, but it was still enough to diminish your remaining fighting spirit rather quickly.

"Alright, alright, fine... please, *huff*... stop, Tartaglia... I, *huff*... give... up..."

"You can call me Ajax, by the way."

The ginger stood up, gazing down at you with a grin on his face. Well, at least now you knew that the rumors about his martial arts prowess weren't exaggerated? Neither was the fact that whenever he did fight, there was this euphoric (honestly a bit scary) aura around him. Reminder - think twice before you accept a challenge from this guy in the future!

That said, you had quite enjoyed yourself...

Ajax offered his hand to you, and you meekly took it, allowing him to pull you up from the ground.

Columbina and Scaramouche, who had been silently observing from the sidelines, appeared slightly amused and certainly pleased by the end of your struggle. This outcome had been more or less expected, but ever so welcome. A Harbinger never backed on their word, after all~

"Now then, my angel..."

"...you better keep that promise."

The three of them led you to a small lounge, dimly lit by a fireplace and deserted from any members of Fatui. Exhausted, you slouched down on a couch and closed your eyes.

Damselette came next to you wordlessly, laying down and letting her head rest on your lap. This was a habit of hers that you didn't mind; while admittedly rather intimate, it was something like this that you had long yearned for.

Childe leaned against a nearby wall, smiling at you encouragingly. For some reason, you always felt at ease around him. He was like an "older" sibling - more than she ever was, the one you'd already lost before her death.

The Balladeer was sitting on an armchair, observing you with an unreadable expression. The slight softness in those cold eyes was perhaps only noticed by you; an abandoned soul recognizes its own kind.

"Now then, Ajax, Scaramouche and Columbina. Allow me to tell you a story - one that discloses how my first Vision came to be. While I'm at it, I suppose I might as well reveal why Rosalyne and I shared such a difficult relationship..."

(to be continued)

[cozzzynook]

Ravage realizing Rodimus is carrying first.

Rodimus does not understand why he can’t get comfortable anymore unless Soundwave is beside him or Lazerbeak is keeping watch over him during the day.

He can’t recharge well unless Soundwave is holding him and he feels so bad because he’s always exhausted now and feels strange like he’s cold whenever Soundwave isn’t touching him or he isn’t inside their nest.

He feels like he’s going crazy when he can’t drink his usual grade and has to settle for grade that tastes so bitter without anything sweet but a few liquid drops of nickel and iron the same way Soundwave likes his. He doesn’t even like spicy copper sticks anymore, he prefers the sour kind like Soundwave, which again, annoys him to no end.

and for the life of him he doesn’t want to tell Soundwave who will no doubt worry and he can’t exactly bring himself to stop defending his spark and tanks almost all hours of the day as if something or some bot other than himself, Soundwave, Lazerbeak or Ravage would dare get close to them.

Speaking of Ravage the feline and longest companion of Soundwave is now always next to him.

During the day when he goes off to work, during the afternoons when he waits for Soundwave to get home and at night sleeping on top of him with claws extended as if to shield and protect him.

He doesn’t even mind that Ravage is doing this. He actually likes it which scares him.

Ravage paws and kneads at his tanks when he sits down. Purrs with his helm on his tanks nudging and rubbing against the sensitive metal making him feel so safe which drives him crazy because he’s one a solider and fighter and two a prime with a powerful outlier that he hasn’t had the energy to use in weeks.

He finds Ravage is never far from him and even brings him a cube of energon just moments before he realizes the helmache is from hunger and not paperwork.

He can’t find it in himself to stop giving Ravage all the scratches and pets and treats she wants. Spoiling her and picking her up when she asks which is a weird thing since she usually only lets Soundwave carry her.

She’s sort of given Soundwave the tail in favor of draping herself over Rodimus tanks during recharge and even went as far as to bite at Soundwave for trying to move her.

Both of them were seriously shocked at this since Ravage loves Soundwave and never did anything like that, ever.

Rodimus tried asking why she did that and she wouldn’t answer, just nuzzled into his tanks and set a paw over his spark and curled up against him.

She even refused the call to dock into Soundwave.

They were both thinking about taking her to see Ratchet. They were talking about Ravage’s odd behavior and decided to bring her to him who promptly told them nothing was wrong with Ravage and the feline former was ticked at being brought to a doctor when she could’ve been at home recharging.

Ratchet watched as Ravage curled up and put a protective paw on Rodimus tanks and growled at Soundwave and himself when it clicked for the medic.

“Rodimus?”

“Yeah Doc?”

“tell me, have you been feeling tired lately?”

“Umm yeah?”

“Hard time enjoying energon like you used to?”

“Yeah, i’ve been drinking the same kind Soundwave usually drinks for weeks its driving me a little crazy. I hate it but it tastes so good!”

“And has Ravage been staying with you all hours of the day and protecting you?”

“Well, yeah actually. Won’t let me leave for work without her and she sleeps on my tanks now too.”

“And have you been nesting a lot more? Often on edge without Soundwave, Lazerbeak and Ravage?”

“I uh,” the look Soundwave was giving him made Rodimus inch away only for Soundwave to pull him closer making Ravage hiss and protect Rodimus by giving a harmless swipe to Soundwave, though the message was still clear.

“I think I know whats going on.”

“You do? Great! Whats going on with Ravage doc?”

“Ravage is completely fine. Doing exactly as she should actually. You on the other servo Rodimus, are sparked.”

“Excuse me?!”

Soundwave yelled out a clip of static and Ravage stayed protecting Rodimus.

“Ravage can sense and smell that you are carrying and as such is protecting you since you are her family. She has no ill will towards you Soundwave, she is just doing what her instincts demand of her and that is total protection of the sparkling and carrier under her possession.”

The two looked at Ratchet, then Ravage, then Rodimus’s tanks before each other and Soundwave pulled Rodimus in for a tight hug pressing Ravage between the two making her yowl.

“When we get home we’re going to have a long discussion about you keeping things from me.”

-

[rivetgoth]

Kinda sucks that the initial wave of “go outside and talk to real gay people put yourself out there try to overcome some of your social anxieties try new things experience material realities have sex do drugs meet new people” etc style posting was from where I stood being said more so from a place of “you people are genuinely removed from material realities of the issues you’re claiming to care about and this stuff is meaningless if not even dehumanizing and counterproductive to both the larger issues at hand and your own mental health if you’re not forming real empathy with actual human beings in the real world” (at least that was how I know MANY people talked about these things, almost always, at least in my circles, by people who DID grow up “terminally online” with the whole cocktail of mental health and interpersonal issues to match and were really encouraging other people seek out similar healing and maturation through community and connection and putting urself outside of ur comfort zone) and has since been co-opted by frankly… tryhard bullies who are STILL entirely removed from like, critical thinking and nuanced analysis of complex material realities, let alone worrying about themselves and actually healing or growing, and instead have started using “going outside” as this weird punching down coolness/popularity contest, ie. “I actually go outside unlike you losers who watch baby cartoons and care about stupid baby shit.” It’s incredibly lame, speaks very obviously to the fact that you’re NOT truly “going outside” in a way that matters because you wouldn’t feel the need to try to posit yourself as cooler than fucking Steven Universe fans on Tumblr if you were, and it’s consequently led to the very deserved but kind of equally wild to see circular pushback of people once again having to justify their right to like, prefer staying home and reading over having kinky sex on ket in a gay bar (which, for the record, I do not believe a good 90% of the people making these posts, and at least 99% of the people reblogging them, are doing either). Great job guys.

[theweeklydiscourse]

I think one of my biggest grievances with ACOTAR is how the family dynamics is written and how the author offers no explanation at all, just expects the readers to move on. Feyre's father not even acknowledging the existence of the youngest daughter who was keeping them all alive, nesta's general cold indifference to feyre's life and an obvious preference for elain (we honestly don't see any prove of that aside from some words, typical of sjm) should've been explained by now yet we still don't get an answer for any of it and if we do the books as well as the fandom gaslights you into thinking you're just "hating" "move on" or "feyre forgave so it's okay" like idc about forgiveness I just need answers! I think the readers totally deserve to know why the main freaking character was treated in such an abusive way as by her family when their treatment of her is what shapes her and her falling for the first man who took care of her, a direct consequence of their treatment. Your MC's backstory is too important to just brush off like that.

Nesta's strained relationship with Feyre was such a huge part of her character like she was almost defined by that so it absolutely boggles my mind that she and feyre don't have a single meaningful conversation that gives the readers some answers and of nothing else then a resolution (kind of what we got in book 1 before sjm destroyed it). I feel like it's the lack of resolution between the sisters Nesta & Feyre in particular, that has made the fandom so divided.

But their relationship isn't the only such thing, SJM has a habit of mentioning things that absolutely should matter and then forgetting about them just because wasn't feeling like it. For instance: the weird triangle between Cassian/Mor/Azriel, how Cassian was pissed that Mor never went back to him after one time and her telling him to not "be her keeper" in acomaf (or was it acowar?) none of it is ever explained. As soon as Cassian as a new shiny mate all is forgotten and we're all supposed to move on to without getting any proper answers. It's so frustrating to read a book like that yk. No wonder the fandom is ready to implode.

It’s not just a lack of resolutions because there are resolutions to the emotional conflicts between the Archerons, the issue is that Maas consistently rescinds the development that occurs throughout the story to instead write indulgent and gratuitous retreads of emotional beats that already happened.

But the true issue at hand here, is that it just doesn’t make any sense.

Sure, if we take the family dynamic in ACOTAR at face value then yes, it’s horrendous for Feyre who is essentially running herself ragged to support a family of spoiled and ungrateful individuals. Taking it at face value would mean accepting the plausibility of Feyre, a young illiterate amateur huntress, supporting 3 other adults for 5-8 years with her efforts alone. But I don’t believe that scenario to be plausible, and Maas does not do a good job of convincing me that the Archeron family dynamic is believable.

The family dynamic is manufactured for the deliberate purpose of serving ACOTAR's wish-fulfillment narrative. Feyre's suffering is supposed to be indulgent and gratuitous because it makes the eventual reward of luxury and power in Prythian that much sweeter. The problem though, is that Maas expands upon established characters later on in a manner that contradicts her initial characterizations of them. So, she doesn't consider that readers actually remember previously established concepts and characterizations and feel the friction of the story's retroactive continuity. So even when Feyre DOES forgive her sisters, readers feel frustrated because the conflict never stays buried for long (because Maas constantly retreads the same plot threads) It’s not surprising that many people cannot let go of Nesta’s previous mistakes when the narrative is still grasping onto it with a cold iron grip for NO REASON.

Also, Nesta’s obvious preference for Elain is not only nonsensical, but never truly explained. I could believe it if maybe Elain was sickly and Nesta took on the role of her protector, or if they had a degree of separation from Feyre like a significant age gap, were half-siblings or if Feyre was adopted, but there’s nothing like that in the text. I just find the idea that Nesta would treat her youngest sister like chopped liver while prioritizing the elder to be unrealistic and unnecessarily frustrating.

You’re right about this lack of resolution being a factor on the division of the fandom. People debate and argue over what information they’re supposed to take seriously and remember and what can be disregarded due to its inconsistency.

[decks-writing-blog]

Here to Stay Drabbles: Not a Big Birthday Guy

Summary: I wonder, how would Gordon or Benrey try to handle celebrating each other’s birthdays?

~

‘Mr. Freeman’s b-day is on the 21st of this month. What do you think we should for it?’ read Tommy’s text.

Benrey looked up from the phone to glance over at Gordon, leading the way down the grocery store aisle with the cart. He hadn’t mentioned his birthday was coming up. It was still more than a week away but still close enough that he should’ve said something about it, right?

He turned his attention back onto the phone. ‘y u aking me?’ He’d never organized any kind of birthday celebration.

‘I was going to suggest we to go to Chuck-E-Cheese again. Do a surprise party like my Dad did for me. But then I thought maybe he wouldn’t like that. So I’m asking you. He’s your boyfriend so you’re closest to him and should know I think.’

Ooh. A party at Chuck-E-Cheese would be fun. Benrey had missed Tommy’s birthday party there because he’d been too busy coming back to life and scrambling to find a way out of Xen before he got stuck forever. But alas, Tommy was right; Gordon might not like that. The only time he’d brought up that party himself had been to complain about it how weird and uncomfortable it had been to go from his life being in danger to that ‘nonsense’. He’d immediately followed up with telling Benrey to not tell anyone he’d said that about Tommy’s birthday party, especially Tommy himself. Tommy apparently had some idea he hadn’t had fun though. Not that that was hard to guess.

But did Tommy have a point about Benrey being the person to ask about what to do instead? While it was true they lived together and were dating, Benrey had never been invited to a birthday party before – he’d crashed a few in the lab offices but none of them had been particularly fun and thus he hadn’t stuck around for long – let alone helped plan one. … He was in a good position to just ask Gordon himself though. So maybe that’s what Tommy had meant; he wanted him to ask Gordon.

Pocketing the phone, he jogged to catch up and then surpassed Gordon and his cart. Before he could protest, Benrey stepped up onto the front of it so that he was riding it while facing Gordon. Facing outward was more fun but it was conversation time.

Gordon let out a sigh as he stopped pushing. “Really, dude?”

“Yeah, really.”

“Okay, fine but I’m not going any faster. The staff here don’t get paid enough to deal with our bullshit if we crash into something.”

“That’s okay.” Their one good cart run had indeed almost ended in a crash. “We gotta talk anyway. Um, your b-day’s coming up soon. Where you wanna have the party for it? And don’t say at the lab, ‘cause I wanna go to it too.”

Gordon resumed pushing the cart with his gun hand now too. “I guess my birthday is coming up soon, huh? I’d actually kinda forgotten it. How’d you hear about it?”

“Tommy texted me. How’d you forget it?”

Gordon shrugged as he stopped them in the cereal isle. “I’m just not a big birthday guy. It kinda stops being a big deal after you turn twenty-one.”

Benrey watched for a few seconds Gordon browsed and selected his preferred cereals. He’d tried a few himself at Gordon’s instance he try different foods, none had appealed to him all that much. “Well, what you wanna do for it?”

“Uh… I don’t know. The last couple years, I haven’t done anything. Before that, I got high and watched cartoons or the year I couldn’t get any pot, got drunk instead. I’m uh… not sure doing either is a good idea with the whole…” He gestured vaguely with his gun hand, currently securely wrapped in the scarf he’d bought for it. “Being inebriated when this thing is part of me sounds like a bad idea. Not to mention all my other problems that drugs and alcohol probably wouldn’t help.” He returned to pushing the cart. “So don’t worry about, ‘kay?”

“But we gotta do something. We could go to Chuck-E…”

Gordon didn’t even let him finish before interrupting. “No. Absolutely not.”

“Damn.” Benrey had expected that though.

“If that’s where you wanna go for your birthday, that’s fine. I’ll go and even try to have fun or whatever. But just… not for my birthday, okay?”

“I don’t got a b-day though.” He hadn’t been born. They’d established that for sure when going through his files.

“Decanting day then, whatever you wanna call it. It’s on April 1st if I recall correctly. Which I’m pretty sure I do since that’s fitting. We already missed it this year but I guess instead of dealing with celebrating mine, we could have a late party for you or something if you want.”

“Ooh, could we?”

“Yeah, dude. Since you’ve never had anyone celebrate your birthday before, we could totally do something. A party with gifts and stuff or we could go somewhere special, whatever you want, dude. And I doubt any of the others will care that it’s a few months late.”

Benrey’s grip on the basket in front of him tightened. It wasn’t the first time Gordon had done something nice for him, far from it in fact, but it still felt like the emotional equivalent of a surprise warm hug. His ‘decanting day’ was months back but Gordon was willing to throw him a party for it anyway because he’d never had one before. … A late party wouldn’t be proper though, would it? Surely not. But… but… he wanted it so bad. Now that he knew it was an option, how could he possibly not want it? Waiting all the way to his next decanting day would take forever.

It had been Gordon’s birthday they’d been talking about though. Benrey couldn’t take that away and make it all about himself. “Maybe uh… we could do a double party this year? Late party for me and on time party for you. Doesn’t have to big or whatever. We maybe don’t even gotta go anywhere. Could have a home party instead.” Benrey wasn’t sure where he’d want to go anyway. The main draw was the gifts, cake, and everyone being together anyway.

Getting all of the Science Team together physically in one place wasn’t exactly rare but with everyone having jobs and their own things going on, it wasn’t exactly the most common thing in the world either. Especially since Bubby had just gotten back from losing his job at NASA a couple weeks ago. So a big double party at home would be great.

Gordon thought about it in silence for a few seconds, his expression soft; he was open to the idea. “I guess that wouldn’t be so bad. So… sure, let’s have a double birthday party at home or whatever. Maybe it’ll even be fun.”

“Sweet.”

[ryuichirou]

i didn’t know you liked a/b/o stuff. do you have any more thoughts about twst characters + a/b/o? (if/whenever you feel like it)

We’re not suuuuper into it, it’s not something that’s on our minds very often, but a/b/o does have some tropes that we find interesting from time to time! There are some aspects of it that we don’t like, but we just don’t talk about them anyway, so it doesn’t matter lol

Here are some headcanons! I thought that I would write shorter ones this time, but…as always…

Riddle – he is yet to have his first estrus. He is a late bloomer… And he is also kind of blind to others’ scents, so this world is pretty much closed to him for now. He doesn’t mind it though, why would he want an extra distraction from his studies?

Ace – he wouldn’t tease his friend for being an omega… but he wouldn’t Not tease his friend for being an omega. He is the type of guy to say “he’s an omega, so what?” to someone if they’re being annoying, but fully make a joke about it himself 10 minutes later. He’s not malicious, he’s just suppressing a lot of urges…

Deuce – back then he was a delinquent he decided not to take his pills one day because he hated the fact that he had to do it. He immediately regretted this decision and barely made it back home more-or-less unnoticed.

Trey – he helped out an omega once by masking his (omega’s) scent with his unique magic. The guy was so grateful and frankly enamored that he asked Trey to mark him right there and then. Trey laughed it off and politely declined… he is kind of excited to learn what Riddle’s scent is going to be when time finally comes.

Cater – he actually claimed one guy in one of his previous schools, but they don’t really talk anymore. Cater kind of feels bad about it, but postpones messaging him every day, and with every passing day it he feels more and more bad about not contacting him. It wasn’t out of big love or anything, and guy asked for it knowing that Cater would leave soon, but.

Leona – he likes to bring up the fact that he is the only omega in his lineage when it comes to men, but hates when others bring it up.

Ruggie – he knows how to care for omegas when they’re having a hard time with their estrus. He also knows a lot of natural remedies to help with pain and stuff. Despite being an alpha, he is surprisingly good at keeping it together.

Jack – he really hates how some alphas have several omegas claimed. He actually despises it because he firmly believes that you have to be with someone who you’re meant to be with. And not in a soul mate sappy kind of way, but in a “you’re responsible for those you’ve tamed” kind of way…

Azul – the moment he realised that he is an alpha was one of the greatest moments of his life because unlike some other alphas who are all for equality and stuff, Azul doesn’t shy away from using his assets to his advantage. It doesn’t mean that Azul’s claiming people left and right, he is very strategic: for now he’s just looking, “window-shopping”, if you will. When he finds his perfect candidate (candidates?), he’ll make his move.

Floyd – he hasn’t marked anyone yet, but he’s had a couple of very close calls. He has sex very often and can’t control himself very well, and it’s a huge headache for Azul who knows that one day an omega is going to come to their lounge claiming to be marked by Floyd and demanding compensation.

Jade – his scent is actually much more potent than Floyd’s. It isn’t unpleasant, but… weird, a little sweet, “slimy” and suffocating. It’s like it literally sucks the air out of people’s lungs, and it could make a person faint. Not a lot of people would know about it though because he covers it well and doesn’t sleep around like Floyd.

Kalim and Jamil have an entire post of hcs!

Vil – a living proof that an omega can do anything, but he also doesn’t really talk about being an omega all that much – he prefers this side of his life to stay private. He almost never suffers when he’s in heat, he is that good at soothing potions and stuff, but sometimes he doesn’t numb his feelings too much, because he kind of enjoys having sex when he is this horny.

Rook – a danger to society. NRC is lucky that this boy knows how to behave. He knows everything about everyone, all the scents, all the cycles, he journals them in his mind and always can tell if omega is about to have his estrus by the way they look and act. He’s also patiently waiting until his own omega lets him bite and claim him, but he doesn’t mind the wait – he considers anticipation to be a bit part of the pleasure.

Epel – he lied that he is an alpha a couple of times… a lot of times, when he was a kid. He also lied that he isn’t sure what he is yet to his classmates. His first estrus happened not so long ago though, and he’s lucky that Rook and Vil keep his secret safe. Well, Vil just rolled his eyes and said that it’s the most open secret in the world, but still.

Idia – he is scared of everyone, but he is especially scared of alphas. He really doesn’t like them. Of course, things between alphas and omegas are much more civil in the present, but Idia still kind of considers alphas to be too barbaric and “thinking with their balls” kind of people. If asked, he would also say that he finds it creepy that they would go for someone as unattractive as he is simply due to him smelling a certain way.

Ortho – he made a library of everybody’s scent and even calculated a list of people that would make perfect couples in terms of their significant smell complementing each other’s. Thankfully, he only shared this with Idia, who told him to never show the list to anyone… 

Human!Ortho – (bonus!) he is the first alpha Shroud boy in at least 5 generations. Mom’s genes came through. 

Lilia – he had claimed a lot of omegas when he was younger and never really cared about them being obsessed with him for the rest of their lives; but he never claimed either Silver or Malleus, because he wants them to find proper mates and be happy. Malleus is especially frustrated by this.

Silver – he once walked 30 kilometers through the woods with his slick running down his legs. Why? His head was in such a blur that he doesn’t remember. Maybe it was training, maybe he just fell asleep right before his estrus hit. He’s lucky there are no people in his woods because they would’ve found him immediately.

Sebek – he almost bit Silver one time when they were still kids. Sebek was still quite young, but Silver had already started emitting a quite faint sweet scent. They were fighting, and the scent got strong enough for Sebek to feel hungry and actually try to bite Silver’s neck… he didn’t do it, but the realisation of possible consequences hit him years after that.

Malleus – he has to take suppressants now that he goes to school (and they are custom-made, because the regular ones don’t work on him, even the extra strong ones), but he didn’t before. Lilia always told him that he had to, but for some reason Malleus always preferred agonizing in his room alone all wet and sweaty over drinking a soothing potion. Maybe it’s his thirst for the dramatics of it all… maybe his custom-made suppressants just don’t taste as good. Maybe he’s provoking Lilia.

[clay-cuttlefish]

Updating the sheet has me thinking about the cameo limbo Vic's currently in, and what DC should do with him.

Vic is in this weird position where I don't really think he should be alive. He's had one appearance that was at all meaningful to his arc and one goofy oneshot since his resurrection, and it doesn't seem like anyone wants to do anything with him other than put him in bullshit spy stuff, so it kinda just feels pointless. Unlike some other ex-dead-mentors, though, it's not like him being around is a *problem* for Renee's development. Killing him off again would just be cheap, and there's no reason not to use him now that he's around. So what do you do with that?

Well. Vic died with his heroic arc complete, having passed on his legacy and made peace with his unfinished business, and now he has to figure out what to do in a world where he doesn't have a history to ground him. As a reflection of both his time seeking a purpose after Hub City and his earliest relationship with Shiva, the answer could easily be "hang out and get into trouble".

See, my annoyance with his current position is because I feel like it's kind of a waste to leave him in a dropped (I think? I might've missed something, but I'm pretty sure the Lois Lane Checkmate stuff has been ditched) team/plotline that kinda sucked, not that I'm upset he's sidelined. As much as I want to see my beloved guy, I don't actually have a problem with him showing up once a year. My ideal status quo for him, short of manifesting my stupid knockoff Birds of Prey pitch into reality, would be something like the handful of appearances in the late 90s/early 2000s where he was wandering around playing poker. No team affiliation, no grand motive, just showing up in backups and cooldown issues between major arcs.

Vic has thrived as a side character in other people's books, and it would open up a lot of possibilities if he was set up in a place where writers can pull him for an issue or two without having to figure out whether any of the Checkmate stuff is still relevant or come up with a great idea for where to take him next. It's not that he couldn't develop further, but I'd much prefer him to stay static as a roaming weirdo than to rehash old arcs or go in a direction that cheapens his existing development. It's fine for him to be a supporting character in the communal toybox now that his story has ended, and he's a lot more likely to stay in people's minds and eventually be a part of something neat if he's hanging around.

That said, there are a few things about where he is as a person that I think would be worth expanding on if he's being set loose into canon to cause problems.

The first is that I want to know how he feels about being resurrected. I'm sure his reappearance would've felt weighty to someone who was a Vic fan when it happened, and focusing on Renee's reaction to him being back in Lois Lane was definitely the right choice, but looking at his appearances as a whole it ends up feeling... almost underwhelming? That might just be because making the spreadsheet broke my brain, but it's something any substantial appearance probably has to touch on. I don't even think it's weird that he's seemingly unfazed by waking up in an alternate universe, unlike some other characters who should probably have more feelings about being resurrected by continuity jank, but I do feel like there's a lot of room to look at *why* he's so chill. Even just as a contrast to a deeper exploration of someone else having a bad time about it, there are a lot of motifs to build from, and there's a lot you could do with how his self-perception has changed after yet another metamorphosis. (Based on the scraps of pagetime he's had, I'd point it somewhere in the direction of "he's been freed from old obligations, blurring the boundary between his Vic and Charlie personas.")

i also think there's a lot you could do with his old struggles with whether he was doing the right thing or just doing violence because he enjoyed it, and how he views himself now that he's stepped into a more Shiva-like role. This isn't a new development for him, but his initial shift into a wandering mentor wasn't something he planned - he initially left Hub City out of necessity, failed to start fresh, then latched onto Helena while seeking purpose. There's some interesting weight to him getting a chance to either have a fresh start somewhere else or return to Hub City without the weight of his history, and instead choosing to fuck around and intentionally get into trouble that has nothing to do with him, without even the excuse of mentorship.

There's also the problem of continuity housekeeping. It's not really necessary for tracking who remembers him since other heroes generally have their post-crisis continuity back, but the vibe of him roaming rather than returning home change a LOT depending on which version of Hub City exists (it tends to depend on Blue Beetle continuity, which is currently fucked), if Tot and/or Myra exist, and how long Vic was dead from their perspectives. Honestly there are a lot of good options here. I love Tot and want him to be a part of Renee's supporting cast, but the idea that Vic's civilian past literally does not exist is incredibly juicy.

Other than that... idk man. Just because I think he's underused doesn't mean I think he has to be important. Use him as a plot device for anyone who needs an annoying guy to make them introspect. Do more goofy oneoff mysteries. Let me write a teamup that sucks. Put That Guy In A Situation.

[madelynhimegami]

Ecolo Guide

Little over a week ago, somebody in a Discord server I'm in asked about how to write Ecolo. And I gave an extremely detailed answer. I actually like it enough that I kinda wanted to post it online, too. Maybe I'll do more, I don't know.

Anyway. When it comes to understanding Ecolo, these are the main things you need to know about his character:

Ecolo is extremely lonely and attention starved, having been left alone for almost all of his undefinable existence.

While he'd like you to believe it doesn't bother him, it does.

He truly cherishes Ringo's friendship, but has absolutely no idea how to express it.

Likewise, he has no idea how to handle genuine acts of kindness towards him.

This is in part due to the fact that he's extremely cynical. Ringo (and the rest of the physics club)'s friendship continually boggles him because it's such a sharp contrast to his worldview.

It's also because he's resigned to the fact that he can't have any permanence in his life. Most people forget him entirely, after all.

And even then, with all of time and space open to him, there's a lot more existence lacking positive influence on him (eg, Ringo) than with.

He doesn't tend to seek out permanence, either. He's very much driven by whims and prefers doing what he wants at all times.

He does a lot of thinking on his own, and can easily drop a poignant philosophical thought on a subject with the same ease as saying something weird.

"I've learned that being able to go everywhere is the same as not being able to go anywhere at all."

He has a soft spot for Ally and Rafisol, though the reason isn't super-clear. Might be that he left a permanent impression on their world…?

He is easily made jealous. In a Drama CD track, he nearly attacks a puppy alien and their parent(s) because he didn't want to lose it.

He's whimsical and curious and has an extremely keen grasp of many aspects of math and physics (he just lacks the vocabulary). He and Ringo are often on the same wavelength. (Read: they have similar flavors of autism)

Ringo herself considers herself to be a babysitter or older sibling towards Ecolo, to make sure he stays in line.

He genuinely does enjoy puzzles and games and will make a game out of any situation. Especially if it's to deflect from a serious topic.

By default, Ecolo has a very detached attitude towards what's going on around him. It's like he's constantly watching a movie.

When he gets invested in something, he gets petty and childish and even violent if it doesn't go his way.

This can and does compound with his jealous tendencies (again, the puppy)

For better or worse, he's honest. He's not a very good liar and doesn't seem too keen on doing so in the first place.

He's pretty good about keeping big secrets, though. Particularly ones that could negatively impact a given universe's rate of entropy

He also seems to have gotten better at acting/pretending, lately? My personal guess is Maguro told him about role-playing. (Or maybe it was a writing mistake by whoever wrote that one sketch in Quest...)

Feel free to hit me up with any followup questions you may have!! Hope this was interesting to somebody!!!

[trashbag-baby666]

high school au summer head canons?

OMG OMG OMG I DIDNT EVEN THINK ABOUT THIS, BUT THIS IS GOLD!!! Thank you sm anon 🫶🫶 lmk if you’d like more!!!

mota masterlist!

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

Clegan

•John practically is already living with the Clevens. So their summer time means daily sleepovers and John staying at the Clevens for two weeks and going home for two days and coming back.

•When they’re not working they do a lot of outdoor activities. It’s not necessarily John’s cup of tea but he does enjoy some outside time. He’s like a dog he needs to go outside and get his energy out.

•They go for long walks with Meatball in the forest behind the Cleven house. There’s a small creek with a little bridge about a mile into the forest that they go to. They sit on the ledge and and share a joint sometimes.

•They’ve also had just super raw sexual interactions on said bridge too.

•Gales a morning person and John isn’t so when they do things in the morning or want to go out to ride bikes. Gale has to drag him out of bed so they can go before it gets hot.

•The Clevens also have a lake house. There’s been a few times John and Gale have been lucky enough to go up without his parents.

•They’re also those families who go on like four or five vacations a year and summer is definitely one of those times. Eventually they just start bringing John with.

Curt/Ken

•Honest to god, Curt spends almost everyday of the summer working. He see’s summer as an excuse to work as well.

•This is also around the time that Curt goes through his unhealthy because I’m working seven days a week and not really eating stint. Read more about it here!

•After that Ken makes him set aside time and actually take a few real days off a week.

•They really like to do little dates and it gives Ken a reason to make a charcuterie board…and snag some expensive wine from his parents cellar.

•They do little dates at the beach’s by the lakes and rivers. Sometimes they go up into the mountains and go to those rivers. Sometimes they end up shirtless and swimming in their boxers.

•Ken tries to keep himself busy while Curt’s working by going down to the garage he works at. There’s something about being under a popped hood with his tools near by the was settling for him.

•Ken also takes Curt on plenty late night motorcycle rides under the stars. If they’re looking for an adventure, they’ll go up into the mountains and find a perfect spot to just sit and spend hours together.

Ham/Brady (lots of these come from me and @darkimpala1897 dm’s)

•After coming out as a couple during prom the two were determined to really make their summer special. Brady would be leaving to New York in August after all…

•Some of their favorite summer activities would be going to garage sales all day. Ham has a knack for weird Knick knacks and just weird stuff in general. He has these heart shaped red sunglasses he found at the bottom of a lake. He wears them all the time, although they’re rusted and kind of broken.

•He has an army green satchel he carry’s all his random shit around in.

•Brady, on the other hand, is keeping his eyes out for cool fabrics and vintage designer at the garage sales.

•They also spend MORE time cooking with each other. It’s something Ham likes to do and Brady is just along for the ride.

•More often times then not Ham is swatting Brady away and Brady just gets to wait and watch…which he prefers.

•They also join Everett and Dougie for their state park trail walks. Usually they’re about fifteen feet behind them taking their time. Swinging their hands back and forth. Ham will run ahead and pick a wild flower and bend down on his knee to give it to Brady.

-

Taglist: @austeenbootler @coastiewife465 @executethyself35 @slowsweetlove

[mossyscavern]

Gegory’s interaction with the weavers… +Sam

__________________________

Most of their first interactions with anybody who’s new is that they really do not like new comers, Sam kinda had to stop them from murdering a 10/12 year old boy, mostly cause having a random child corpse isn’t something anyone would want.

Lilian: her interaction with Gregory was… not so friendly, so to speak. He didn’t like her and she didn’t like him, after a while they started talking and they definitely talked about their adventures.

Most of her adventures were either from her dreams, before she died…

Caleb: all he thought about is eating him on his interaction. Gregory climbed up trees and stayed behind either Sam or Benny whenever he’s near Caleb, but after talking with him Caleb is more welcoming towards Gregory, especially if said new friend is a lot closer to his age then the other siblings.

They both definitely played tag, hide and seek and a whole lot of sport games with Gregory… but being dead and all? He doesn’t understand the concept of being too tired.

Tom: he isn’t exactly that social with new people, especially those that had harmed him in the first place (all Gregory did was push him off). After some time though? He kind of saw himself and Tim in Gregory.

Though they’re not really interactive as much as Gregory is with Lilian and Caleb, when they do? It’s normally a quiet hang out but they do talk to eventually, most of that is Tom asking about his adventures in the pizza plex.

Tim: he doesn’t trust him, anybody that hurt his twin brother he’ll never forgive. But through that anger he’s impressed that Gregory has guts to fight back against them… still doesn’t like how me messed with his family though.

He definitely saw himself in Gregory and actually has hung around with him, though Gregory is nervous of how protective he is with his twin.

Benny: regret. He would try to stay away from Gregory as much as possible, mostly cause he’s a big guy and he almost hurt somebody smaller than him. But other than that? He saw the twins in that boy just like how the twins saw themselves.

Though he did try to tell Gregory about religion… it didn’t go so well.

Sam: anger, anxiety and guilt. Anger because Duncan is STILL doing the stupid sacrifice game, anxiety for this kid’s life and guilt for not doing anything.

He’s actually the first ever person Gregory talked with and had a decent talk with, actually got along a whole lot faster than the did with the weaver siblings. Though Sam is concerned with how much Gregory sticks by him.

And Gregory? He thinks most of these undead kids are weird and creepy… but cool. Tho the person he prefers to hang with the most out of all the undead spirits is Sam.

He kind of sees Sam as an undead humanised version of Freddy with how friendly he is on their first encounter, reminding him of how he met Freddy.

__________________________

I’m FREEEEEE-!!!!

… as much as I enjoy crossovers, t-this was much… don’t get me wrong I’m a fnaf fan myself it’s just a lot, like… sun being in your face kind of a lot…

yeah I’m never doing this again.

[scrunglepaws]

So, today my brain said Knux/Tails swap au. Aka Knuckles is Sonic’s young sidekick and Tails is the last fox guardian of Angel Island.

- Design-wise, Knuckles is a bit smaller and pudgier. I actually find it kind of funnier to skew him even younger than Tails was- like 4 or something, and give him an even more baby-ish look. Pudgy cheeks, his half moon pattern is slightly obscured because of his more baby-ish proportions, making it almost look like a bib. But he can still easily just pick up Sonic and chuck him, smash through obstacles with ease, ect.

- Sonic knocks away some other echidnas that were bullying Knuckles… For his weirdass knuckles? I don’t think other echidna have those? I was going to say his tail, but I guess they all have that bent up funky tail. ((Can you tell I'm lore deficient on this subject,,, girl help)) ANYWAY- Knuckles is peeved because HE COULDA TAKEN THEM >8C and flies off after Sonic.

- Knuckles follows Sonic around to prove himself and acts all tough and Sonic’s just like: “Sure, okay. As long as you can keep up with me, kid. :D” And Knux is just constantly like I’LL SHOW YOU!!! WIPE THAT SMILE OFF YOUR FACE! >8C and is just a little firecracker.

vvvv Mucho ramblings under the cut!

- Ye, I guess it makes more sense for Knuckles to get bullied for his namesake, since Tails was bullied for his. … Does that mean Knuckles used to have some goofy pun name before Knuckles? Oh no. xD

- Sonic keeps having to fly his own plane because Knuckles can’t be bothered to learn to do that. So it’s Sonic flying and Knuckles hanging on the wing? How weird. xD

- Knuckles acts like he’s so tough, but secretly does look up to Sonic a lot and genuinely seeks his approval after a while. But even so, he never gets to the point of idolization that Tails does.

- They have more of a competitive brotherhood rather than the more complimentary one of Sonic/Tails. I feel like that’s just an innate aspect of their relationship due to their differences. There’s a bit less of Sonic rubbing off on him due to admiration (ie: Tails), and more of Knuckles staying true to his nature and being stubborn to purposefully clash and compete with Sonic. In a good-natured way, of course.

- Knuckles is uncouth, feisty and whatnot- but at the end of the day, still introverted and a loner by nature. He prefers to just hang with Sonic (or alone) rather than others. Despite tagging along with Sonic all the time and helping people, his social skills are basically the same as normal Knuckles (but also, he’s baby). He’s generally quiet and stoic around others unless provoked. Sonic just knows exactly how to push his buttons, so he can be easily riled up by him.

- Even though he’s glued to Sonic like Tails was, he’s more… Distant. When he’s not making a show of his worth/strength/ect, there’s a bit less of the… Idk, I guess sweetness between Sonic/Tails? It’s still brotherly, but like… Understated.

- He’s strong enough that he can glide Sonic around like how Tails would fly him around. It probably looks a lot more awkward. Especially since Knuckles is smaller now. xD

- Design-wise, Tails is just… Taller, and I guess a bit less bean-shaped since he’s a teen (16). I imagine him being taller than Sonic, actually. Maybe some goggles, different shoes. Give him brown instead of red so he’s less match-y with Sonic? Or maybe even silver/grey… Brown and silver? Idk, my brain associates Tails with steel for some reason, so.

- Tails grew up isolated on Angel Island.  He uses the whole island as a space to lay out his various inventions and stuff. Probably built a whole ass technologically advanced city up there. The master emerald shrine is decked out with defenses.

- Despite being older, he’s less confident and outgoing without Sonic’s influence growing up. Living alone for so long, he’s even more shy and reserved. But unlike Knuckles who was generally cool with the isolation, I feel like Tails might be kinda sad, or at the very least lonely? D: Maybe he built some robot friends to inhabit the city he constructed. Give the illusion of not being completely alone. And it helps… Somewhat.

- So when Eggman comes to dupe him the first time, Tails totally falls for it just because he’s so desperate for some real company. Also, he’d be just as naïve despite his intelligence, so yeah. He might even go harder into the alliance because he thinks Eggman is really cool for also being a genius roboticist. He might even be legit heartbroken by Eggy’s betrayal- thought he legit had a friend on his level of intelligence to hang with. :c

- So, Tails and Sonic would be rivals instead of bros. So weird. But I dig it. Sonic’s rival being similar to his main enemy (Eggman) is kind of interesting?

- Since Tails has built a lot of automated defenses, basically a wholeass fortress around the master emerald, maybe he can actually leave the island more often than Knuckles was able to? But… maybe he still doesn’t as much because he’s really shy and unsure of himself around other people. And feels like an outcast not only for his tails, but also for being the last fox. And that’s some whole character arc he has to overcome or something.

- I imagine he gets excited when people come to visit him though, and he wishes they’d stay longer. Namely Sonic and Knuckles. I feel like he’d still have some innate need to impress Sonic despite having a rivalry rather being bros. But I mean, they’re still BROS, just not /brothers/. Maybe Sonic visits a bit more frequently than he would have visited Angel Island otherwise because there’s no one he trusts more than Tails to maintain the Tornado. Awww, can’t escape the wholesome Tails/Sonic shit. =3

- … Augh, it’s so weird to imagine Sonic just having friendly fist bumps with Tails, rather than hugs. The hugs are all for his little pudgy echidbro, Knux. WEIRDDD. Unless, of course, Knux is in a tough guy mood and will only accept fist bumps. … I feel like Sonic would still hug him anyway. And Knuckles would be actually cool with it after putting up a fake resistance for a few seconds.

- Cream is Tails’ rival in the same manner that Rouge was to Knuckles, and thus… is… 18?? Or maybe his age. Idk. Either way, she’s a teen. She’s still generally very sweet and polite in personality. But, to put her on Tails’ level, the biggest change to her character is that she has a comparable intellect to him. But, seeing that canon Cream does not show any leanings towards this aspect, I’m going to say that it’s very different from Tails’. By that, I mean it didn’t initially come naturally to her as a kid and she really had to work towards it. Like, very studious and booksmart or something? She  just generally has a very different thought process on techie stuff to Tails- somehow like, equally genius, but opposite? I CAN’T DESCRIBE IT. >8C;;; ??? But it’s how she continuously manages to get past his defenses and be a thorn in his side. But then he can’t even hardly be mad at her because she’s SO GENUINELY SWEET DESPITE IT ALL? AND SHE’S REALLY CUTE AND EMBARRASSES THE SHIT OUT OF HIM BECAUSE HE SORTA KINDA REALLY LIKES HER? SHIT. Anyways, they’re cute.

- But yeah, she’s always… Uhhhh… Why WOULD she try to steal the master emerald? She doesn’t have a thing for gems- that’s still Rouge’s thing. REQUIRES FURTHER THOUGHT. But on top of that, maybe she just in general tries to make Angel Island more home-y in some way while she’s there and it further flusters Tails because it’s also kind of sweet.

- Okay, I got an idea for Cream and the Master Emerald. It’s KINDA SILLY, but oh well. No one said this had to be serious, just fun. :3 Anyway- since Cream is a sweetheart, empathetic, and whatnot: Maybe she feels a special connection to the emerald and can sort of... Feel its… feelings…? I dunno how to describe it. But basically, she feels that, despite appreciating Tails’ devotion and protection, being cooped up in a dark, secluded box is just a bit. Sad for it. So she’s trying to free it for just a bit so it can like, “breathe” so to speak. And Tails, being as practical and scientific as he is, just cannot wrap his head around it. It’s a rock. What is she even talking about? It’s safer this way! Stop busting down all of his defenses just to “be kind” to a nonsentient rock! Wtf!

- Speaking of Rouge, she is now a little kid. She travels around with her unscrupulous mother and they con/rob people. Rouge understands exactly what she’s doing despite her young age and loves it. Idk Rouge’s mom’s name, but they’re like anti-wholesome. And they’re awesome. Rouge does some solo stuff away from her mom also (namely, messing with Knuckles? :D).

- I imagine Vanilla still exists, too, but she’s less present because Cream is independent now. She still loves her mother and visits her often, of course! Always a good daughter in any universe.

- Rouge needs some damn reason to still be coming at Knuckles repeatedly, uh… Maybe he keeps some sort of gem accessory special to him that she tries to steal, but idk man. Kinda lame… I’m running out of steam! qAq And there’s still some goofy, kids version of the flirting sorta going on. But it’s very EW COOTIES and silly because they’re LITTLE.

Sonic: Dangit, I can’t figure out what’s wrong with the Tornado! And ideas, Knux? Knuckles: *gets frustrated very quickly and punches a giant dent in it* Did that fix it? Sonic: *SIGHS as a random unrelated piece comically falls off* I’ll see if Tails has time to come and take a look at it.

This is just pure, unedited brain leakage, so pardon the… Everything. ._. Just figured I’d throw it out in the void because I bothered to write it all down! I don’t think I’ll do anything with it myself, but it’s pretty fun. I wish I didn’t suck at drawing Knux because the lil pudgy version of him is so cute in my head. I also sorta dig this dynamic between Tails and Cream and am a tad tempted to maaaybe… Idk… write a little something for it. Probably not with all the other things I need to write first, though. :T

[betterbemeta]

One of the funniest things about warhammer 40k is that so much of its worldbuilding relies on an idea of 'the human psyche, its desires, fears, drives, insecurities, triumphs, dysfunctions.'

And on one level, the grim darkness of the setting is due to IN-UNIVERSE complete misunderstanding of that thing. Like the way that religious fundamentalism, fascism, reactionary politics, mistake the structures that enfranchise wealth and power for natural law. And then mistake observing how different classes react to living under such brutal conditions as 'human nature.'

But on another level, the misunderstanding ALSO comes from OUTSIDE the fictional universe. Like, OKAY, I'm not some kind of all-knowing superbrain that knows exactly how all people think and why. But even I can see that:

the archetypes baked into the Chaos Forces,

the paranoia of the Imperium,

the genres of power fantasies represented by different space marine chapters,

the repression of the Aeldari,

Drukhari hyperviolence,

etc. etc.

they have nothing to do with deep memes in the human psyche. They have everything to do with the projection of some specific British guys in 1987... underneath layers of collectable/toy marketing and the hangups of licensed paperback authors.

(I still don't know what the fuck is up with Bill King. Why is he like this???)

BUT, I think this element of shallow unreality actually works to Game Workshop's benefit a little because there is this... unspoken smugness that follows Warhammmer 40k around. A little self-superiority transcends what faction you prefer or if you care about books or games or the tabletop or whatever. There are two expressions and it exists in both:

you kind of know that this fictional universe's emotional core is based on silly bogus grounds. you feel better than its characters, more hinged, with a more realistic relationship with desire and self-actualization. You're on the outside looking in and it's preposterous, or,

you are a silly person who thinks the universe IS accurate to the thoughts and feelings of human people and this gives you CONFIDENCE because whatever you believe you also FEEL you are 'built different' because you ARE built differently than its model.

It's almost unbearably easy to roll your eyes and be like, how eldritch can the warp be??? if its just some thatcher era people being weird about gender and self-security???? Especially when much of the media outside tabletop battles you could 'win' styles that the universe's hazards are basically a calvinball heads-I-win-tails-you-lose situation. We're told that scary feelings and a bad relationship with self-esteem are as unconditionally deadly as machine gun fire, like 'you just explode, don't pass go, no argument, you're done.'

But to me, that frustration is also part of its charm. And part of its potential to connect to our real world despite being so goofily misfit. because every day political interests that have no true objective but making sure you stay put and perpetuate the conditions that benefit them, to your own destruction... they are gonna try to mow you down with your feelings. They ARE going to take advantage of the insecurities you feel and abstract them until they're such an unrecognizable shape that pursuing their goals is synonymous with what you think your desires are, to your eternal dissatisfaction. And not for the normal reason that desires can never be satisfied without fading away into emptiness. In real life too, powerful and stagnant structures leave futile placebo actions as the only option in dilemmas they themselves create: ones that will frustrate you and cause you to escalate your efforts that in the end reproduce those structures themselves. We have a relationship with phantasmic catnip. We're attracted to round hole square peg when our reality is difficult to reconcile and 40k is the universe of square pegs sold at ludicrous prices to ineffectively jam through the hole of your heart

[weebsinstash]

so with a platonic yandere (or yanderes) how does it work, do you just never get the chance to have a romantic relationship, do they force/encourage you into one with someone 'approved' like a family friend or someone 'in the know' sort of thing, or do their feelings change or border on the romantic side as well?

Well, I find for me personally it often depends on the character themselves for like, what kind of relationship im looking for, or, yeah sometimes i just switch it up based on concept, sometimes i get a real specific idea that stays in my brain and I can go back and forth depending on, I guess, preference. It's kind of a recent-ish development for me to think of platonic yandere AT ALL since like 99% of the time my brain goes "well if they don't love you romantically or want to fuck you what is THE POINT"

And it kind of took me a while to realize that sometimes "the point" of platonic yandere can be that they technically "don't get anything back". If they scoop you up and force therapy on you, it's because they want to legitimately help you, not to say a romantic/sexual yandere wouldn't, but for a platonic one it's more I guess "selfless" because they aren't like, getting a spouse or a fuck buddy out of it. With a platonic yandere, they don't want you to hook up with that guy because, yeah they're jealous you're not spending time with THEM but its like, spending time watching movies or going to the park or playing video games, spending time with you as you, doing potentially anything, but also they have you up on this pedestal and the guy is just an insignificant little worm to them. He thinks he can date THEIR sister? Creep creep go to jail eat dirt go six feet under here's a shovel start digging

I can be so moody and contextual about the whole thing, like for example, I've been making a lotta posts about a purely platonic yandere Batfamily with Bruce as you know the patriarch and all that, basically becoming a father figure to you even if you're already an adult, where he is like emphatically "no, Reader is your sibling, S I B L I N G" and getting out the batbottle and spraying them like cats any time he may notice anyone in his house catching feelings for you, but i also thought about, (this is kind of an AFAB specific idea sorry) what if Damian specifically developed one of those weird "big sister when i grow up im gonna marry you" complexes and Bruce is NOT having it when suddenly Damian hits him with "but FATHER, if I'M Reader's husband when I come of age, then our offspring will be YOUR biological grandchildren" and Bruce finds himself sitting there suddenly vividly picturing you holding a fat little newborn with a big head of black hair and smiling up at him "dad come hold your grandson 🥰" and he's. He's gone, like, suddenly he can't see it any other way. OBVIOUSLY Damian is the perfect husband for you, Bruce is helping raise him? Who would make a better spouse for his adopted daughter than his ACTUAL son? Talk about keeping it in the family

In his eyes, his son would make a more than competent husband once he comes of age, especially considering not only is Damian his son but, extremely similar to Bruce himself; broody angsty genius with superhuman skills, intelligence, athleticism, etc. And if not Damian, isn't Dick lowkey his favorite child, and also, you know. Already an adult and not nearly as emotionally constipated 😅 Bruce can trust either one of them to take care of you, building off of a paranoia that any place outside his family and his home is fraught with danger and anyone who hasn't been explicitly vetted by him suddenly cannot be trusted in your presence

I keep finding myself drifting back to platonic yandere but only in like, almost extremely specific circumstances, like for real those age regression ideas i realized are coming from like DEEP places of trauma and rejection for me and feeling like I'm so permanantly damaged i literally need a do over and need to be all but remade from scratch, being helped when i was younger and at my lowest points in childhood, and I'll admit I've noticed most of these platonic yandere ideas usually revolves around aspects of family, fatherhood, childhood, etc. Like literally right off the top of my head, two characters who kind of got the platonic yan ball rolling were Stolas from Helluva Boss and Nolan Grayson from Invincible, both of them fathers. Of course I would absolutely let Nolan tear this ass up too though as you guys have seen, like i find the Viltrumite Reader concepts kind of keep fluctuating between "he wants to mentor you and then catches feelings" to "no he just wants to be your dad and Viltrum mentor and after your real family dies during some kind of monster attack he just straight up adopts you and moves you into his house and the government lets him bc, i mean, they need to keep an eye on you as a Viltrumite"

Of course I also like the idea of sort of a middle ground. You know, like, the yandere begins purely platonic without any sort of intentions but it develops into something deeper after they've already come to know you and you trust them, or even, they're actually totally 100% "a normal person" and something happens to you or them where they suddenly become yandere. Like imagine you know someone for like a couple years and then all of a sudden, they're acting differently. So I've also thought about, Bruce and Reader are work friends in the Justice League and his feelings begin as purely protective and platonic and he knows you for a decent chunk of time but when he starts getting to know you more personally, more details about you the person under the costume, maybe he eventually realizes he's getting extremely jealous watching you interact with other men and, maybe in the process of taking care of you his feelings change. You get wounded on the job and you don't have any family to help provide any care while you're still extremely weak and recovering and he's helping you and that's when he suddenly realizes "oh shit this line of work is so dangerous, he doesn't want you to die, he doesn't want anyone to die but like you most specifically, he doesnt want you doing this anymore" and maybe he brings you to the manor for recovery and you never wind up leaving

But typically yes, as you suggested, usually when I've picked a character to be a platonic yandere it's because I can see them being overly protective to the point they won't let you date at all, even if the specific reasons for WHY may change. Like hypothetically for some of the ideas I've had, Stolas doesn't want you to date or have sex period because he's kind of Goin Through Some Shit and this is kind of like his second go around of being a dad and him expressing some sort of trauma or guilt over Octavia and he sees you as His Extra Special Little Girl and you don't get so much as a kiss on the cheek with another person until like, he's had enough years with you to be satisfied with "your childhood" kwim. Or a yandere who declares themselves as your sibling not completely against you dating or all that but they just have EXTREMELY high standards. like lmao imagine, like, someone like Deku basically inserting himself in your life as your brother and you're like "ok fuck dude, who do you think WOULD be worthy of dating me" and he's just like "I guess someone like All Might!" Like bro that platonic obsessive little twink is NEVER letting you get laid, you suck off ONE dick and he's holing up in his room CRYING because "someone's defiled his baby sister and made her dirty" not in the sense that he like doesn't like you anymore or he's judging YOU but in his mind your "purity" has been tainted by someone else and the only solution is to like, kill/get rid of that person and "atone" by never letting it happen again, cause obviously by letting you suck that guy off Izuku FAILED YOU, and maybe at some point he snaps and you wake up from one of your mandatory sibling cuddle sessions and he's pressed way too closely to you as he declares he's the only one worthy of you and he's sorry he didn't realize HE'S the husband you needed

Really I'm just a creepy little freak and it can depend on how I'm needing or craving to feel accepted in that particular moment in time 😅