#and remind us just how interesting and unique their music was

[onthehighwaytomel]

No Doubt is absolutely killing their Coachella set right now.

[bitchy-craft]

10 Reasons Why You Should Love Yourself | Pick A Pile

Hello and welcome to this Pick A Pile! In here you'll find 10 reasons why you shouls love yourself. I hope you guys enjoy and find this useful. Do make sure to leave comments down below on your experience! I do want to remind you all that this is a General Pick A Pile which means this is for a lot of people; therefore keep what resonates and leave what doesn't.

Masterpost > Questions > Paid Readings

Pick A Pile!

Pile 1:

1. You are a unique and special individual with your own set of talents and qualities.

2. You are deserving of love and happiness, just like everyone else.

3. You are capable of achieving great things and making a positive impact on the world.

4. You have a beautiful smile and infectious laugh that can light up a room.

5. You have the power to create and maintain healthy relationships with others.

6. You have overcome challenges and obstacles in your life, which makes you stronger and more resilient.

7. You have a body that carries you through life and allows you to experience the world around you.

8. You have the ability to learn and grow from your experiences, both good and bad.

9. You have a kind heart and the capacity to show compassion and empathy towards others.

10. You are intelligent and capable of solving problems and making sound decisions.

Pile 2:

1. You have unique experiences and perspectives that make you interesting and valuable to others.

2. You have the power to forgive yourself and others, which can bring healing and peace.

3. You have the ability to set boundaries and prioritize your own needs and well-being.

4. You have the potential to inspire and motivate others with your actions and words.

5. You have a sense of humor that can bring joy and laughter to those around you.

6. You have the power to choose your own path in life and create your own happiness.

7. You have a spirit that is resilient and capable of bouncing back from setbacks.

8. You have the ability to create and appreciate beauty in the world, whether through art, music, or nature.

9. You have the power to make positive changes in your own life and in the lives of others.

10. You have a sense of purpose and meaning that gives your life direction and fulfillment.

Pile 3:

1. You have the power to forgive yourself for past mistakes and move forward with a clean slate.

2. You have the ability to love others deeply and form meaningful connections with them.

3. You have a unique sense of style and personal expression that sets you apart from others.

4. You have the power to set goals and work towards achieving them, no matter how big or small.

5. You have a curious and adventurous spirit that allows you to explore new things and take risks.

6. You have the ability to practice self-care and prioritize your own well-being.

7. You have the power to let go of things that no longer serve you and move on to better things.

8. You have the potential to make a difference in the world and leave a lasting impact.

9. You have the ability to be kind and compassionate towards yourself, which can lead to greater self-love.

10. You are worthy of love and respect simply for existing and being who you are.

[lua-bunny]

Headcanons - Tate Langdon

imagine this as an AU where Tate just died, but didn't do the school massacre, because....too sensitive to imagine!

The reader is gender neutral!

Tate alive (90s)

-He carries one of your hair ties or a bracelet on his own wrist. He randomly stole from you one day and you never noticed. If you eventually notice, he will tell you that he likes to carry a part of you with him.

-He loves skipping school and would make you skip school to be with him.

-He would hate to go to the prom, but if it's important to you, he'll make an effort and go.

-He would probably take a while to tell you he loves you because he thinks it is initially a sign of weakness.

-He is intelligent, but not the kind of school intelligence, but rather specific, things he learned in life with his interests.

-He listens to Nirvana, a lot, and he'd be really happy if you liked Kurt or something.

-He probably fell in love for you very easily, before you even knew who he was.

-If you're one of those persons who likes rock music and has a piercing, a tatto or something like that, this guy will fall at your feet, easily.

-He hates being yelled at. It reminds him of Constance and his stepfather and he hates them. It doesn't stop him from screaming or anything, but he definitely cries afterwards.

-This boy is JEALOUS. If you were a popular person, like a cheerleader or a player, maybe a band singer, he would freak out over all the applause and attention you get.

-He's weird, so he'd probably dedicate some song with questionable lyrics, or some Russian movie about cannibalism and he'd hope you loved it as much as he did.

-He would never invite you to his house. He would also never tell his family that you are more then a friend. Not out of shame for you, but out of shame for his family.

-He would let you paint his nails black (just black) and he would help you paint your nails. He also agrees to do your makeup if you want to or let you do black smoky eyes (even if he pretends to hate it).

-He would probably write you cute notes and put them in your coat, your bag or even in your car

-If you were a fan of horror films, he would curate with you which film is the bloodiest. If you were scared, he would put some weaker scary movies on TV and hug you so you wouldn't be scared.

-He's terrible with feelings. He feels like everyone hates him, and he feels like he hates everyone. You'd basically be the only exception, but it means he'll never really let you go.

-He has a lot of sadness and repressed anger (taking into account that in this AU he never killed anyone) so he would be someone quite unstable, he would probably have borderline or bipolar depression, but he wouldn't go to any psychologist.

-He is really unique (especially in the 90s) so it would really be difficult to find someone like Tate.

-He is definitely a pathological liar. He will lie for small and useless things. that you will never discover and that in the end will become true in the story you remember.

Tate dead (Murder house season)

-He doesn't understand the concept of privacy. He doesn't care about looking at your cell phone, or your computer, saying personal things about you to your friends or parents and he doesn't understand you wanting to do things without him/without telling him. If you date him, he literally wants to be attached to your hip. As if you shared the same life.

-He HATES you having parties at Murder House or having your friends over. He will always complain about not getting attention and about how idiots all your friends are.

-Like I said, he's not good with feelings, so the only way he can express himself is by crying. He cries. A LOT. And he always expects you to comfort him (he would also use this to manipulate you if he did something bad)

-He likes to be validated. He's never received this from anyone so if you say nice things to Tate, he'll definitely love it (and probably cry)

-He likes listening more than talking. So sometimes he will sit on your bed, cross his legs and listen to you talking about anything for hours.

-He really likes contact. Be it sleeping hugging you, kissing you, or placing a hand on your thigh . He will always have one finger touching you.

-He will recommend you books, movies, songs and he expects you to like to them all and tell him about them.

-If he is angry about something or someone, he would like to be hugged like the little spoon and have his hair stroked while he complains about something that upset him, eventually, he would get angrier and knock over one of your decorations, or he would punch something, but he would always cry about it (Tate is a good cry baby)

-He would like to hide in places you couldn't predict to watch you. He likes to do this while you sleep, or while you're in the bathtub, just to make sure you're alive and well.

-He hates being trapped in that house so he would never want you to be trapped. He would like you to stay in the house because you want to and not because the supernatural trapped you there.

-He would hate the fact that you have to go to school/college/work because it means he can't check up on you and that you could be in danger.

-He's a bit obsessed with hair. He would love to touch your hair and he would love for you to touch his too.

-He would make very specific and different compliments, never obvious things. "I like the shape of your face", "the smell of your hair is good", "I like your accent", all those things.

-If you smoke, drink or something like that, he will get angry, because that means you can die outside the house and leave him, or die inside the house and get angry with him.

-He protects you from the other ghosts in the house and even from his own mother (who keeps invading your home).

-He would find a thousand things to do with you on Halloween, since it's the only day he can leave Murder House. He would like to do things that make you seem like a normal couple, for you.

-Since he can't be your boyfriend in public, he would like some matching jewelry, some tatto, anything to show that you were his and vice versa.

-He usually feels what you are feeling. If you are angry with someone, he is too, if you are sad with someone, he is too, and so on.

[wayfind-er]

10 Ways to Honor Psyche

There is no information about how Psyche was honored in antiquity; therefore, these methods are all my UPGs.

Embrace the Arts & Humanities: Psyche is the Goddess and Personification of the Soul; take some time to study Arts and Humanities. Watch a musical, visit a museum, read up on ancient Philosophy, or do something related to the arts in Her name.

Create a self-care routine in Her honor: Self-care is important to Psyche and to your mental well-being. Consider incorporating Her into your regular self-care routine or making a new routine for Her. I've added sigils of the asteroid Psyche to my skin-care products so that whenever I use them, I am reminded of Her. You can do something similar or come up with something that works for you!

Write a letter to Her (or someone you love): This doesn't have to be anything super complicated. I like to write letters to Her about my week. If something needs to be said to a loved one, you can do that in Her honor, too (e.g., gift cards, letters, telling a loved one something important, etc.).

Watch a reality show (or lifestyle videos on YouTube): There's nothing better than watching reality shows, and Psyche seems to enjoy them. It's a fun way to see an exaggerated version of life. You can watch anything ranging from the trashy reality shows, to cooking shows. If those don't pique your interest, you can watch lifestyle videos on YouTube, too, to honor Psyche.

Dedicate some time to meditate in Her name: Even if it is only 10 minutes, practice mindfulness in Her name.

Spend some time doing shadow work/journaling:  I recommend setting aside, like, 15 minutes and just writing what's on your mind. You can Google shadow work prompts and use one of those or just write about whatever comes to mind. You can dedicate the exercise to Psyche. As a bonus, if you're feeling up to it, you can then read what you wrote to Her (either aloud or in your head).

Hang out with your loved ones: Just spend time with the people you love. You don't need to do anything special or fancy. If you love someone, you should spend time with them. Psyche would be happy if you did that in Her honor.

Spend time unwinding and relaxing: Sometimes, doing nothing is harder than being ultra-productive. You don't always /NEED/ to be doing something in Her honor. If you can't take a break, do so in Her name. You and Her could both probably use it.

Dress up in Her Honor (even if you're dressing up to stay home): Psyche loves nice things and feeling pretty. Put together that cute outfit you've been thinking of, and try on those shoes that are a bit bolder than you'd usually like; dress up and expand your horizon some. **If you can't afford to experiment with your clothes, consider making a vision or mood board of the style you'd like to try.

Learn about a new/different culture: Psyche is the Personification of the Soul and seems very interested in learning about people. Consider learning about a different culture than the one you live in. It may be the culture of your ancestors or a culture that just seems interesting to you. Consider watching videos on different cultures or reading scholarly papers with primary sources.

I tried to list some unique ways to Honor & Worship Psyche that I use in my practice. There are a bunch of other lists that come with different suggestions. If you haven't already, I recommend @/khaire-traveler's Subtle Worship of Psyche, and @/differentsoulsweets' Introduction to Psyche blog. Star and dot divider by @/cafekistune

[sehyunie23]

| Autumn Fic |

Raise our Glass... to the

Story of Us

Le Sserafim is one of the hottest and rising groups in the K-pop world. Filled with the concept of fierce, strength, and confidence, making many people stan, and even support them to the fullest.

As one of the fastest-rising groups in the world, they also achieved some feats that are quite impressive for a rookie group. You can also say that this is because of the members.

We all know Sakura and Chaewon, not only they are part of the Le Sserafim, but they are also former Iz*one members. The experience they have is unequaled, they share their experience with their fellow members, giving them a glimpse of what to expect in the duration of their career.

We can include Yunjin here, as we all know, she also participated in the survival show where Sakura and Chaewon participated. The only thing here is, that she is not fortunate enough to get into Iz*one but enough about that. Yunjin redeemed herself which led her to be a member of the Le Sserafim.

Le Sserafim then continued in their promotions, not even a disappointment from their fans. They continue to grow as time goes on and this time, the group is inside their building, practicing with full determination.

And now here they are, loved by the world and continuing to achieve awards and create their own legacy through their music and charisma.

Also amidst their portrait in the public as fearless girls, they are dorks inside their hearts. With each one having the perfect fit for each other's personality, they go well. This also results in chaos, which is good because if there is no chaos, there is no peace.

"Can anyone remind me why we let Kazuha make a dance on this part again?" Yunjin asked in regret.

"What unnie? It's easy!" Kazuha said with her ever-beautiful smile and did the move again.

"THAT'S BECAUSE YOU ARE FLEXIBLE!" Chaewon the short-tempered radish roared.

"You just suck unnie! Bleh!" Eunchae teased then made the dance move flawlessly.

"I can't you two," Chaewon muttered as she surrendered to the mindset of their maknaes. Sakura who is watching them is doing good than the others.

"Oh, I can't do this shit. Can I just do an opera thingy?" Yunjin asked their director.

"Opera? How do you plan in that Yunjin-ssi?" The director asked.

"It's like I will sing one opera song and then Kazuha will dance her ballet in the opening segment. After that, we will go back to our original concept then voila~," Yunjin suggested which caught the interest of their director.

"That's a good plan. We'll dismiss you guys for now to see the possibility of Yunjin's idea okay?" Their director said which the girls cheered on.

_________________

*knock knock*

"Come in!" Yunjin said and the person who knocked entered the room where Yunjin and her members were.

"Y/n oppa! I MISSED YOU!" The maknae of the group ran and hugged him tightly like he was her teddy bear.

"Oof. Miss you too marshmallow," Y/n said while he let go of the plastic bags he was holding to reciprocate the hug of the younger girl.

"Wow, your best friend is here Yunjin," Chaewon with a tone and Yunjin just shrugged and showed a smile that made her eyes wrinkle as her mind was at joy seeing the boy who once confessed to her but only to be rejected because of her decision to become an idol.

Usually, when you are rejected by the person it equates to the two of you being awkward and like your minds separates you from each other. But this unique time, Y/n may be rejected but his heart is not hurt. As one of Yunjin's best friend, he values the time of their moments rather than the day of his rejection.

But there is also one phrase that Y/n held on to until now, and that is

*flashback*

Yunjin and Y/n are sitting on a bench near the HYBE building where the girl is training to be an idol. Yunjin here just got picked up by one of the subsidiaries, Source Music who is creating a debut team that can make the world stage.

Y/n and Yunjin's friendship has been strong from the start, not even a crack is visible on their bond. An extremely extroverted girl is with an introverted boy who is just content with what is going on in his life right now.

Though in the eyes of a stranger, the two are couples, in reality, they aren't. Well now not yet, both are yearning for each other. They are at the point of finding one's comfort and presence but one thing that stops them is their dreams.

You can't go into life expecting full fantasy, you need to be ready for the plot twist as well. Life has never been easy, but when you have a mate that helps you go through it, it feels like you are on cloud 9, floating from the darkness lurking from the bottom.

"Aren't you tired?" Y/n asked the girl that was wrapped in his arms.

"I'm tired. But I'm not the one who gives up on my dream you know?" Yunjin said which made the boy chuckle.

"Ahhh Yunjin~ you are so stubborn sometimes," Y/n playfully scolded the girl, making them share each other's laugh under the beautiful sun.

"So why did you call me here? You're not the one who plans these kinds of stuff," Yunjin asked.

"Damn right. I gathered my whole self for this moment," Y/n said which made Yunjin giggle. Honestly, Yunjin knows where this is going.

"Huh Yunjin. What the fuck did you do to this former quiet boy back then? Why am I rambling now? The things that only you can do to me, the fuzziness I feel when you are near me, the butterflies when I see your smile, you make me flustered when you tease me even though it's bullshit," Yunjin laughed at Y/n's confession since it's her first and didn't expect it that it will be this good.

"But in the end, it's you. It's not your body, your beauty that makes me like this. It's you, It's your charms, the way you take me as your own. Every alone time we have you make me the happiest person alive and for that I made my decision," Y/n stopped and breathed deeply before looking into Yunjin's eyes.

"I may not be the one who expresses myself a lot but with you, I feel I can. So Huh Yunjin, will you be my girlfriend?" Y/n dropped the biggest question he asked and Yunjin stared at the boy with a smile.

Yunjin then steals a peck on Y/n's lips which surprised the boy. Yunjin then holds Y/n's hands making them look at each other's orbs that captivated their heart.

"I cannot, for now. We are preparing for our debut and I don't have the heart that can leave you alone in the air. So for now, I will be straight in my answer," Yunjin said even though her heart was telling her to tell Y/n the opposite. The boy on the other hand is not sad nor disappointed, but he understands where Yunjin is coming from. Though there's a tinge of scratch in his heart, Y/n keeps it cool and Yunjin then puts her hands on his cheeks, caressing it with a smile.

"Wait for me. I promise you that I may not be the best girlfriend ever but the happiness we had will be more and more. When the right day comes, I will ask you the same question and there if you still love me, let's be together for the rest of our lives. Okay?" Yunjin said full of gratitude and sincerity as she knew Y/n could be disappointed but the boy held the hand that was on his cheeks with a smile.

"Whatever or whenever that happens, I will be waiting Huh Yunjin," Y/n said, making the both of them smile.

Y/n may not have achieved what he wants, but the promise is enough for him to have faith in, especially for the future.

*flashback end*

For Y/n to wait for Yunjin until she is ready and in control of her life carrying her career. Juggling love life with a career will be hard and Y/n understands this and for that, he is ready to do what it takes to wait for her beloved girl.

"Sup Chae, anything interesting?" Y/n asked the leader of the group.

"Nothing as usual, how bout you? You creating music again?" The radish asked him back and the latter nodded.

"Yep, this one is good. In my opinion tho," Y/n said as he carried the maknae who was hugging like a koala.

"Oh? Care to share?" Yunjin said as she took a seat beside the boy.

"I plan for it to be sung by you so for now, wait," The boy said to his best friend and she just pouted but later nodded.

"Okay. Oh, wait, where are the chaotic Japanese sisters?" Y/n asked as the other members shrugged.

"Zuha is probably buying snacks at the vending machine and Kkura, may be sleeping in the corner," Chaewon said, and true to her words, the girl who has beauty in her name is sleeping at the corner like a princess.

"Damn I know I have my sight at Yunjin but you cannot ignore noona's beauty," Y/n said which made the conscious members giggle.

"Can't even argue with you there," Yunjin said while nodding while the maknae who was hugging me earlier was now sitting beside me.

"How about me oppa? Is Eunchae beautiful?" The maknae cutely asked and this one is a no-brainer.

"Didn't even need to think twice Manchae," Y/n said and ruffled her hair.

"I swear that you are siblings at this point," Yunjin said.

"Hey, I'm the only child. Having a lil sis like Eunchae is awesome," Y/n said and Eunchae nodded like the child she is making Chaewon and Yunjin squeal in awe.

Asked time went by, the Fimmies' break time ended and there, the Japanese duo noticed Y/n. Kkura greeted him with a chill and calm hello while Zuha... Let's just say she managed to plan a prank in about 3 seconds which is hella scary but is successful in pulling it on Y/n which the latter groaned at.

The Le Sserafim girls continued their practice afterward with Y/n still watching them go into their position and as always, they slayed. There are times when the maknaes live up to their name as they begin annoying their unnies but other than that, there's nothing special happened.

Of course, the maknaes targeted Chaewon first which to their credit, made her annoyed which was a win and Sakura just shrugged as she was immune from the attacks, while Yunjin, just laughed at them. Overall, the Le Sserafim is still humans! That is what makes them better! So to y'all bashers out there, grow up!

Anyways, Y/n excused himself at one point and the girls just nodded at him and the boy immediately ran to the toilet, visibly, he had many to unload...

_______________

Hours passed, and Y/n arrived at the HYBE in the morning and now, the sun is preparing to set from the horizon, giving the time to her partner, the moon along with its star friends. Not only the sun, but the girls will also take a rest now as if they want proficiently, they also need to listen to their body.

Wrapping up their dance practice, the instructor said goodbye and left while the other staff helped the idols who were cleaning the practice room now. Y/n as he saw them, he is proud. Proud that the idols that befriended him were not just for fame, but also full of humility and responsibility. As Y/n is sitting, he decided to help them too to somewhat ease their workload even if it is a wee bit.

After a bit of cleaning everywhere, the girls then went to their plans for the night. Y/n heard from Chaewon that she and Eunchae will go their home as she promised the maknae for a meal which sounds amazing while the Japanese duo will eat sushi as they crave it, then this leaves me with Yunjin.

The said girl and Y/n now are on the rooftop of the HYBE building as there is a garden on it for the idols to have a safe even if it is not that big. Since Yunjin is now well known as a celebrity in the area, having her with a boy can cause rumors not only for the company but ultimately for herself and her group. It's not a good time for them to have a rumor especially since they are still planting their name with one of the best in the industry.

Now that the two are outside, the sky is the time that everyone calls the golden hour. The orange skies and the sun peek at the horizon, ready to bring light to another part of the world. Sometimes, we just ask how did it happen. The beauty of nature is incomparable to anything man-made.

As Y/n was watching the sunset, Yunjin was at the back, looking at the boy with a small smile on her face. Yunjin couldn't be more happy as she found the greatest gem in her life, in this case, you. Y/n really did what Yunjin said, he waited patiently and this time, she wanted to end that wait for your end.

Yunjin thought about this after their Unforgiven comeback, this is also the time when she has control of her schedules, making it possible to make some time for Y/n.

Now with full confidence, Yunjin stood up and slowly walked closer to Y/n until she stopped. The boy who has his eyes closed and enjoying the natural air doesn't know what the girl behind her is planning. Yunjin then took this chance and wrapped her arms around Y/n's torso, making the boy widen his eyes as the girl who was hugging him nuzzled her head on his back.

"Y-Yunjin?! What are you doing?!" Y/n stuttered making the girl laugh.

"Thank you for waiting Y/n," Yunjin softly said, and the once-flustered Y/n calmed down and turned to face the girl who hugged him.

"Three years is a long time. You could have loved other girls than me, you may see and court some beauties as well but here you are, with me today, still clinging to the promise I made years ago. Jung Y/n, just like what I said in the past. Will you be my boyfriend?" Yunjin asked as she put her hands around his neck.

Instead of words, Y/n went for the kiss as his answer. Back then, Yunjin stole a kiss from Y/n, but now Y/n is here to take back what his from the start.

Their lips moved as one as the love that was stuck in their hearts was now free and they had the right to dance and show the hidden love but now, without limitations.

Fireworks after fireworks, Yunjin thought that this was worth it. Not a hint of regret from her past because now, she is ready to make it up for the future. Y/n on the other was overjoyed as his wait had now come to an end.

As they share their passion and love, the skies illuminate the gold and orange skies. Just as how beautiful the sky is, the love between former friends who are now couples illuminates it, making it one of the most beautiful moments in their life.

_______________

"Y/n, you can start now okay?" Yunjin said as the other members were behind her, eager to hear Y/n's voice singing in front of his now girlfriend.

"Hey Y/n, make Yunjin face what she missed for the last three years," Chaewon teased.

"CHAEWON! What was that?!" Yunjin said like she was insulted but the other members just laughed at her with Y/n giggling inside the booth.

"Oppa! You are gonna do well! I trust you!" Eunchae cheerfully said.

"Yeah! After this song, Yunjin unnie will marry you!" Kazuha said, garnering another round of laughter from the group while Yunjin was just blushing right now.

"Okay, stop punishing my girlfriend now. I will sing now, start it Yunjin," Y/n said proudly which made the girls coo loudly at him. Yunjin smiled at Y/n and the boy reciprocated it.

"Ready when you are Y/n," Yunjin said and Y/n raised his thumb. Yunjin then muted her microphone and started the music.

(Ctto; Better to listen to this cover for this part)

Y/n POV

It's kinda shitty isn't it

Not the way we pictured it

Feels like an existential crisis

Or am I being dramatic?

I looked at Yunjin as the first part commenced. Yes, we do have an interesting friendship, we may be close now but back then, many factors tried to separate us two. Does it reach the point of what are we gonna do from now?

I wish the world would shut its mouth

Give me space to fucking sort it out

Like, I'm fine, just leave me alone

I'm great on my own

The world is a bitch sometimes, but these words are not for me, it's for Yunjin. One of the most painful things to see is the hurtful comments thrown not only at her but also at the rest of her members. Many people don't know the hardships their girls went through.

But if I'm being honest

I'd hate to waste us on this

But I truly hope they find their own peace of mind

Yes, it's true, who are they to meddle with someone else's life? We live in different areas with people of different mindsets, but for now, we'll focus on ours.

I don't know what I'd be doing without you

You love who I am

'Cause I don't care as long as I'm with you

I'll reach for your hand

In this ugly world where the color is fading

You're beautiful in every color and shade I~

Don't know if you drink

Yeah, Huh Yunjin. I can't imagine a life without you. From the moment we started, it was all happiness. Our journey was not all rainbows and sunshine but heck, you made my world colorful, even just with your smile. With this Yunjin,

But raise a glass to the past in the story of us

A little bit of complication never hurt my body I know

But it's different when the target is your mind

The world targets everything in you, yet here you are my girl, still strong not only for yourself but also for your members. You are a vitamin, giving me a reason, all of us a reason to be happy.

And everybody's talking shit

No bigger hypocrite, it's fine, though

My sisters and I we sympathize

And I can see your unity with your members, the way you move as a team. No matter what words are being thrown into your head, you don't mind them.

But if I'm being honest

Never thought that I would have this

Back when all I needed was people who will stay

You stayed with me in all my lows Huh Yunjin, you didn't even hesitate when I called you for help. You made me the person I am today and for that,

I don't know what I'd be doing without you

You love who I am

'Cause I don't care as long as I'm with you

Yeah! I don't care about anybody, when I'm with you I'm happy, and that is now my promise to you.

I'll reach for your hand

In this ugly world where the color is fading

You're beautiful in every color and shade I~

Don't know if you drink

But raise a glass, 'cause

I will not get tired of saying these words to you my love. To be honest, I don't like to drink, but to the story of us, it needs exemptions hehe...

It took a while to get here

I'm fearless but I still fear

You'll disappear

'Cause I couldn't be

The person that you need

I won't ever leave

We made a promise back then, many days, weeks, and months has passed but neither, but neither one of us even tried to weaken our strong bond. My nightmare is when I'm not with you, because Yunjin, my life has been you. Now, that we're a couple, listen my dear.

I don't know what I'd be doing without you

You love who I am

'Cause I don't care as long as I'm with you

I'll reach for your hand

In this ugly world where the color is fading

You're beautiful in every color and shade I, I~

In this ugly world where the color is fading

You're beautiful in every color and shade I~

Don't know if you drink

But raise a glass

To the story of us

3rd Person POV

Y/n sang the last lyrics and not even a minute passed, Yunjin barged into the booth with tears on her face, she then hugged Y/n as tears of joy, pain, and gratitude combined in her mind.

Y/n smiled and hugged the girl back, also rubbing her back to calm her down. Yunjin nuzzles her face to Y/n's neck and she enjoys the warmth of his boyfriend, who stayed with her and treasured her. The loyalty Y/n presented to the girl is enough for Yunjin to love him unconditionally.

The Le Sserafim members saw this moment and smiled. They may not speak but internally, they all agreed to go out for a bit just to let the two have their comfort and privacy.

"Didn't know that you are that talented," Yunjin said with sniffles in between as she calmed down.

"I just wrote that based on what we and you've been through. I think it went well?" Y/n asked, unsure of what to say.

"More than well. Y/n, many problems dawned upon us but we stayed strong, it's like our problem doesn't even make us flinch anymore. We are fearless when we're together and I can't even thank you enough for what you've done. Like what you said at the end, raise a glass, to the story of us," Yunjin said with a smile and looked up on my face.

The two slowly attracted each other and slowly, their faces leaned closer and again, the love, the spark, and the passion inside them strengthened once again.

The two of them have been loyal to each other. They may have their choices, but they never forget one another.

Not long after, they ended the kiss and looked at each other with hearts shooting from their eyes. The warmth radiating between them is so strong and maybe, it will be stronger in the future.

_____________________________

One of my favorite works, I hope you enjoyed it :) 🤍

[ace-and-the-rpg-horrors]

i think a lot about Rui being like a (second after Tsukasa) older brotherly figure to L/n

Rui listening very carefully to Ichika's ramblings about Miku, finding that she reminds him a lot of himself when he starts going on about his inventions (as well as genuinely being invested in the tech side of Vocaloid.) when she gets embarrassed about it, he makes sure to immediately shut down any insecurities, not wanting to see a fellow passionate soul be ashamed of their interests- as people tried to do to him. this makes her so very happy that someone other than L/n shows interest in the things she likes. they also discuss plants together and Rui teaches her everything he learns during his time at the greening committee, in hopes to help her with her cacti

Rui becoming especially fond of Saki as she reminds him both of her brother and Emu. he finds out about her passion for hair and make-up and happily offers for her to try all sorts of styles on him, with his unique hair and eyes. if she uses mobility aids, he regularly checks them over to make sure they're in order and lends her the metal paint he uses for his robots so she can customise them. if ever there are days where she's feeling down and unable to make it to watch a show, he and Tsukasa will always organise a way to bring the show to her afterwards- several W x S performances have taken place in the Tenma living room. he shows concern about her health, tends to ask Tsukasa how she's doing once in a while

Rui once finding Honami close to tears because she thinks her baking skills have mysteriously worsened as the food she makes isn't quite as good anymore, but he finds out that it's just her oven that's become faulty and fixes it up immediately, so she's soon all smiles again. having some knowledge about cooking, Honami tries (keyword: tries) to find a way for him to eat vegetables as she's quite concerned upon finding out that he refuses to. alas, she has little luck. Rui strikes me as the type who had a space phase when younger, so gladly listens to Honami talking about astronomy

Rui, despite seeming very different to her on the surface, relating heavily to Shiho's experience of becoming isolated from peers due to them not understanding the extent of her passion for music- in his case, the same having been caused by his ambitious show ideas. he sees right through her and recognises her secret interest in cute things, and he may or may not be the reason that limited edition Phenny merch is magically still available when she has the time to go to PXL- however, he does make an attempt to get her to be less embarrassed about liking cute mascots, trying to explain that it doesn't damage her tough image. however, Shiho quickly turns the tables on him by pointing out how he's a fanboy of Shizuku MMJ! secretly which makes him shut up (she gets him MMJ! tickets in return for the Phenny merch)

[indiaalphawhiskey]

I wish Harry's management would lean more into the quirky angel-wings-wearing, 1D-shirt-selfie-taking, tipsily-men-cuddling side of Harry instead of the model-type-kissing version of whatever Harry Styles™ is supposed to be.

I’ve been thinking really hard about how to answer this thoughtfully and fairly, because I wholeheartedly agree with you. Stunts are useless to me, completely ineffective (even, clearly, to the GP) and diminish everything worth knowing about Harry.

What’s interesting though, is that in my deep frustration and disappointment about yet another unnecessary stunt, I bought My Body by EmRata on audiobook (I’m halfway through). And in the book, she says something really poignant:

“I wasn’t just famous; I was famously sexy.”

That quote has been haunting me all day because it explains Harry’s PR image so well. That one additional word is the key to understanding the ceaseless stunting circus HSHQ keeps putting us through.

See, Harry is a multitude of different, interesting, enigmatic, visionary things to us, his fans and even to the casual observer. But none of those things - not his talent, or his music, or his kindness - is what actually made him famous, or what set him apart from the 1D boys from the beginning. What made him famous, what made him different, what made him wanted, was his sex appeal - his brand and commodification as a sex symbol - which has been cultivated since he was sixteen (gross, I know. Very aware.)

And we can sit here and argue until we’re blue in the face about whether that’s something he does or doesn’t want, whether was pure marketing or something unique to him, or even how many other, more impressive, better, beautiful attributes he has and has developed since, that can and should be capitalized on.

But none of that is actually the point. The point is that this was always what his selling point was in the wider (albeit shallower) ocean that is entertainment. It’s his brand, like it or not, the way it was Marilyn Monroe’s brand, the way it’s EmRata’s brand, and you don’t keep the status of sex symbol by dating under-the-radar, interesting, talented people. You keep it by feeding it constantly, by reminding everyone of it whether they (or you) respond well or not, by remaining controversial and being linked to equally controversial PR personas. (E.g. Tom and Zendaya are cute as fuck and totally respectable. Their relationship is hardly ever in the headlines for more than 24 hrs, though, and neither are branded as a sex symbol per se.)

I’m not saying any of it is right, and a certainly don’t like it and very much wish it would stop. But sometimes, we have to look outward, and understand that things don’t live and die by the hand of fandom, as much as we wish they would; things don’t even live and die by the hand of good press.

I’m not saying don’t be frustrated or mad; I’m not saying accept it or don’t wish it would change. I’ve just found that finding a way to sit with it and understand that we (fandom) are not the audience and praise and respect aren’t necessarily the objective helps me gauge where my red lines are and what my sanity and longevity as a fan are really up against, especially when highlighting everything I don’t like seems like such a personal attack.

[pastorfutureletthembe]

Down into the VORTEX: the Curve Theory

I mentioned the Curve theory in a meta before but I wanted to dive even deeper into the fuckery of it.

I'll remind you what I call a Curve so you're all up to speed (cf: Rick and Morty):

The curve basically walls off the infinite number of universes, in which INSERT CANONICAL NODE happens, from the rest of the infinite multiverse. A model often used to explain is that the definition of a Finite Curve has no set parameters; it's just wholly random and infinite therefore can be represented as a repeating, immeasurable shape modeled with a circle. A Finite Curve would then present a finite collection of dimensions.

How is it relevant to Link Click? Well, I'm glad you asked.

I argued in the past that cakes on promotional artworks could represent curves and each curve would have hypothetically 12 repeats to offer. This is a conclusion I came to after my treasure hunt for the 5th timeline (for which I keep finding daily proofs of, by the way).

For the sake of understanding exactly how it can apply to Link Click lore, let me walk you through the basis.

Rick&Morty season 6 // Link Click BREAK! PV Note: I'm using this analogy because it is the most accurate way to bring you where I want.

By the way, we kinda already saw what resembles a curve according to the LCverse

BREAK!

If you count the circles, you'll find that five different rings turn around Saturn in BREAK! PV.

This being established, since the purpose of a Curve is to put a set of timelines sharing the same parameters together, I will argue the LINK here is a canonical unchangeable node. You guessed it:

Cheng Xiaoshi's death.

But honeslty, I don't believe that CXS is supposed to die in every possible universe - and for the sake of the argument, let's assume he isn't.

Actually, when we see flashes of him dying in LG's arms, my first thought was the first one to change the timeline and die doing it was probably CXS; that's why LG freaked out when his friend took a shot for Qiao Ling.

But let's review LG's side of everything first, shall we?

LG used up 4 pictures to save his friend

LG's ultimate goal is to save Cheng Xiaoshi's life and he failed four times. Death is supposed to be an unchangeable node and LG knows that by trying to keep it from happening, he will destroy time itself. Does he care? (/rethorical)

We know little about his previous dives, except that either he never made it this far or Li Tianchen and Li Tianxi weren't part of the timelines he knew. And, CXS died in his arms at some point, giving him access to his Back In Time power, alike what happened between Li Tianxi and Qiao Ling.

Here are some theories about them though:

If the Live Action reveals itself to be canon, it could be the Prime Timeline for Lu Guang. (We'll know for sure by the end of the month, I guess.)

In the Manhua, LG is protective and affectionate around CXS, in a very melancolic way. I'm not kidding, he's so soft it hurts.

The Daily Life in Lightime happens in another timeline and we can actually point out the moment Lu Guang dives in.

This time around, LG went and met CXS earlier than in the original timeline. (//Live Action)

It could be a coincidence that Lu Guang's character is more and more bored as we go through these examples. Keep an open mind here.

Lu Guang from the LCLA has dark hair but the promotional poster show one photograph of him with white hair. Why? There are so many jokes on LG's age in the donghua but mostly: he is so frail and remains in a sitting position if he can help it. Just like in Dive Back In Time, where he's the only one not standing. The man is exhausted. I'm just saying, perhaps his white hair isn't supposed to be white and the fact we see him with dark hair only in LCLA, played by a man of flesh, could be THE clue hidden in plain sight that this version is the original.

Note: I purposefully didn't include the musical here. The repetition of the media itself is quite interesting. Every performance is unique but the script itself is the same. It could very well be a curve on its own. Just a idea, nothing consistent.

What tells us LG isn't at his first dive is the music! Now, I won't go too deep into it because I really want to craft ONE post about this particular topic. Dive Back in Time and VORTEX are the most obvious because most of us probably never skip the intro, aaaand we get it: they are doomed by the narrative.

So yeah, this is basically why I call those "chances":

Overthink

3 more to go

Qiao Ling's birthday // Dive Back In Time

If you pay attention to the titlescreen, you'll notice free spaces in the center of the circle. By the end of the opening, one is filled, hinting that this picture has been used.

There are other winks on the number 3:

Cause I'm about to lose my- Cause I'm about to lose my- Cause I'm about to lose my mind >> Dive Back in Time When my friend are holding hands, heading into abyss I ran my lungs out so I wouldn't have missed But I missed, I missed, I missed >> Keep in Mind So what's that sound sound sound Spinning all night long long long Temperature goes down down down Got my mind feelin' drown drown drown >> The Tides

Let's assume that there are three chances left at the begining of the show. We still don't know when the inner monologue at the end of season 2 happens on the timeline, but LG mentioned his "last chance" to save CXS. The synopsis for Yingdu Chapter announced CXS died, as if it was common knowlegde (I love them for their audacity).

Are those the three last chances? To be continued.

The One True Curve

All these timelines happened inside the same Curve. Now, why do I think there ARE other curves to begin with when we already had to work so hard to get this far?

The camera isn't the same depending on who, Lu Guang or Cheng Xiaoshi, is taking the picture. The reflection changing is a way to show alternative timelines, which is different from repeats. It is a common visual clue, FOX used this technique to promote their show FRINGE for example (2 different universes crashing into each other).

There are some visuals with several clocks (I'll make a post per PV one day eventually). The first one shows a lot of different broken clocks and two merged ones as the biggest, central. This is our current curve. Our three protagonists and the antagonists are fighting over it; Light against the Shadows, as bilibili's accounts often dub the artworks. This could be our time paradox. On the second screenshot, the word LEAVE is over distorded clocks, fracturing space. Also a hint on several other realities, which have probably been left behind.

Train Trail // XETROVerthink

About that, the Vortex concept can be associated with a way to travel from one curve to another. Lots of science-fiction tvshows use this tool (Star Gate or SLIDERS).

The general idea is that, in the center of another curve the unchangeable node is different: Cheng Xiaoshi is the one trying to save Lu Guang's life.

There is of course, another explanation, just as valid as the Curve Theory: they are repeating this cycle of saving their friend over and over again. Once they run out of repeats, they die and the other go back in time to save them, completely unaware of the repeats; turning the hourglass over once again. The biggest clue for this one is... Well, the hourglass, for obvious reasons.

Link Click BREAK! PV // XETROVerthink

In XETROVerthink, we have LG appearing in the hourglass, probably in a bad shape, drowning perhaps, and CXS is swimming to him to save him; it's his turn. They are both unaware of their predicament.

By the end of BREAK! CXS's hair also turns white. It implies that he, too, went through many repeats to change their fate.

~

That's all folks! Of course I'm not close to other theories. I find the Curve Theory pretty cool. I would like to see them fight to actually get out of this canonical node, and find a place for themselves when they live their best idiots life.

I also have many additional thoughts about all of it: (Edit: you can find the meta here)

Some character presentations also hint at more than five repeats. Five repeats would be the current score for Lu Guang but Cheng Xiaoshi would have a higher number.

Some PVs enlight V for Lu Guang but X for Cheng Xiaoshi.

Some promotional posters or even VORTEX show LG and CXS as each other's reflection, as if separated by glass or water.

I'll will post more about it but 'nough said for now haha

[sillyvampireboi]

A new letter, in my electronic mailbox!

AO3

Summary: Armand starts receiving loads of love letters to his electronic mailbox, as he calls it, after the success of Daniel’s book, bombarding his useful iPad with notifications.  Why do strangers “love him” so much? Writing such intimate letters to him? While Daniel never writes anything. He must find out. 

contents: pov Armand, first person, Armand x Daniel, fluff, slight angst, slight emotional hurt, comfort, romantic, armand needs some love and reassurance!, he is sad meow meow

a/n: I just want some happiness for Armand ok? Also this whole fic was born from musings with @okaytosave <3 I hope you’ll like it :D | 👁️^👁️ <- this is Armand as emojis. No one can change my mind

let me know if you would like to be tagged :)

-English still isn’t my first language-

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

New era, new technology. New pace of life, new social norms. 

I saw the slow death of my mortal life’s world dying, inventions, religions and ideas popping out of thin air, countless wars and and even more deaths. The rotting of old academies which were the only acceptable faiths a few years prior, abandoned places and cities that were used for more polished ones’ base, art styles changing, fashion and garments changing, dialects changing, languages changing. Changing, changing, changing. 

Ever since I opened my eyes under the eternal night, I knew that change will be constant while I remain the same. This rotation happened rhythmically, slowly, inevitably, leaving enough time for its creatures to adapt. However as we waltzed into the 20th century, this sleepy melody began to alter. The music sheet decided to rewrite itself, to twitch here and there like a beetle on his back, but still following the original melody with these slight changes. 

Then came the 21th century, with his new suit and confident lettering. He glanced once onto his fathers’ theme and murdered it with a steady move of his pen. The tune turned from the unhurried pace and formed into a metallic scream. 

Changing, changing, changing. 

This one word has never been more true to any other century than this present one. 

My interest first started to grow with a funny device called the telephone. I could speak to someone in France while I was in any other part of the world with it! As years danced by me, I witnessed that same machine evolve. First it shrank. Got smaller and smaller, until at last I could put it in my pocket. 

Then came the ‘Internet’. It changed even more things in this racing century and— 

“Are you still looking at those emails? Really?” - I heard Daniel’s low vibrato next to me. We were laying on our shared bed in our new apartment. Long, thick curtains framed the windows, now placed on either side of the pale blue painting that was the sky. The blinking stars were invisible in this new hour, covered by the polluting light of the streets. 

Oh my sweet, seeing through me Daniel. He knew what worries or excites me without being able to read my mind. He simply sees me for what I am.

“Ever since you published your book, mortals keep sending me letters. People I don’t know nor have ever met. I don’t understand how they know my address.” - a loud snort was the only answer that Daniel honormed me with. He was covered with our heavy blanket that he liked, reminding him the warmth and comfort it brought him when he was still a human. As the owner of all the pillows, even mine, he was half laying - half sitting while he was scrolling through the application called twitter, now renamed as X. Not a smart decision in my opinion. It’s always been more flourishing for a company to have some kind of unique or catchy name. 

“Daniel, beloved, please listen to me. — for a moment he glanced at me, the half amused expression in his eyes with his half mocked eyebrow that jumped up on his forehead — Yes, I’m still looking at these ‘emails’. I’ve been browsing through these letters and many of these individuals have been referred to me as ‘little meow meow’ and ‘dear’ or ‘demon kitten’. Please love, what does it mean? Of course, I know what kitten and meow means, however I still fail to understand how these apply to me. But Daniel, what do they mean by ‘demon’? Is this a reference to my vampire nature? If so, I would ask you to tell your followers it’s not true! Love - why are you laughing? 

Daniel’s laugh filled my ears, borrowing a giggling sensation into my body. I loved his laugh. His sarcastic wheezings were frequent and without a stop, falling like rain upon a curly head. His good hearted laughs like this however! They felt like a special occasion of my heart whether I made him laugh or not. Although I felt my dead heart skip joyously when I caused his self forgetting roar. 

“ It’s because of your face.” 

“ My face? I don’t look like a cat! I’m far from it.”

“ They think you look very pretty and adorable. Like a little kitten, who can’t do anything wrong.” 

“ ….Are they the only ones who think I look pretty and adorable?” 

“ Flirting with me huh? Are you looking for compliments, now that I’m your fledgling? You know well how I feel, I don’t need to spell it out.” 

But I don’t! Please say it! I need to know! Please please please! I can never be so sure in my or your feelings. I can lull myself into the lie of love as I did with Louis, but I'm so tired. Fatigued by the endless knot of loneliness around my neck, please spell it out for me! 

I wanted to say, but I didn’t. Just stared at him silently with my usual expression of calmness as his face was illuminated by the light of his phone. I know my face was the perfect practiced mask, but I assume my eyes showed a glimpse into my turmoil because Daniel’s features changed.  

He put down his phone, somewhere amongst the folds of our bedsheets, and oh so gently he held the left side of my cheek in his palm. I leaned into his touch immediately, melted like snow under the mellow heat of the sun. He pulled me towards him and hinted a kiss on my other cheek. 

I slanted towards him, wanting more, not simply the only child kisses here and there, but the whole family and its storm. I wanted to be devoured by his all so consuming love, finally melting out of the ice I've buried myself in. 

“ I love you.” — heard my love’s voice close to me. He placed another kiss on my eyelids, the most intimate part of the body. How frequently do you see someone’s closed eyelids? When they are in deep sleep, flying among their safe dreams? — “ And no. They are not the only ones who think you are pretty and adorable, just so you know, you dickhead.” 

Ah my dear Daniel with his sinful tongue! I relearned with him how it feels to laugh and smile. 

I giggled into his traveling lips, suddenly shy to deepen the kiss. — “ Apart from ‘not the only ones’ , who else thinks that I am those things? I haven’t seen electronic letters from my starred address. 

“Oh, so this is what annoyed you, is it? I’m not rescuing the princess with my typed out words. Will he let down his hair too, if I go to the lengths to send a raven to him ?” 

“Hm! So why this stranger, who sent 5 separate letters to my electric mailbox, all of them detailing an adoration towards myself, could express more appreciation to me then you? 

“ You think I don’t appreciate you? I rather spend my night with more useful things than typing out words I can tell you. We live together, remember? “ 

“ You are on your phone all day beloved, harassing that American ex-president with the yellow wig—“ 

“ Come on, that’s besides the point. I don’t need to send detailed emails since I share a bed with you, Armand. I can tell you how I feel, just like I did now. .. Is that really so important to you? “

I huffed and silently stood up with my iPad. He doesn’t understand. It seems so insignificant to him, such an unimportant act. Of course, he is capable of speaking and expressing his care to me in his own ways, which I really appreciate that we can talk through, but …. 

“ Hey, where are you going?” — Daniel’s voice followed me faintly as I floated out of the window, towards my destination. 

~~*~~

I was standing in front of an apartment complex, with many tiny apartments inside. As I was blinking under the streetlamp, I saw many of them wrapped in shadows at that late hour, but the one I needed still bathed in a faint yellow light. 

How the streets and buildings changed within this century! Seemingly, in a blink of an eye. All life, all beauty and art disappeared from the newly built systems, and lazily leaked into the sewers. Oh how far we got from the Medicis! 

With my iPad still in my hand, I effortlessly opened the front door and floated upwards without a sound, in the center of the zigzagging stairs. 

On the floor, I knocked on the plain white door, which wore the same lifeless appearance as its partners. 

“Who could it be that late?” I heard your soaring thoughts, grumpily addressed to me. It felt like years until you opened your door, so leisure were your movements. Upon seeing me, many different emotions washed over your fragile form, from the first surprise to the blushing anticipation. It seemed like you lost your voice, so great was your astonishment. 

“We’ve never met. I don’t know you, why did you send this? Explain it to me.” — I opened up the Pandora box of my questions, showing your own letters to you on my iPad. 

You just stared, mouth slightly agape, looking between your own words on my screen and my face. As I waited for your answer, my gaze traveled behind you, into your cozily stuffed home. Right in front of me on the wall hung a huge mirror, reflecting me in the weak light from the hallway. My eyes were huge as usual, staring into space while the rest of my face was emotionless. 

I waited and waited and waited, yet you still haven’t talked, merely your skin got redder, your veins pumping your sweet blood into your head with a thundering noise. 

“Pay him no mind.” — all of the sudden I heard Daniel’s deep voice behind me. Looking up into the mirror I saw him lazily leaning to the wall, crossing his legs and arms in a ‘I don’t give a fuck’ fashion as he liked to call it. He was wearing his black, leather jacket and little round sunglasses, which I fancied seeing him in. — “‘He understands parasocial adoration from the old word, he is just your boomer’s boomer.’” 

I felt blood traveling to my cheeks, heating up my cold skin. I saw myself blushing under Daniel’s amused gaze. He lifted his eyebrows in a ‘what now pretty boy?’ way. My blushing was followed by a surprised oh, then I remembered that I was still angry at him, so I knotted my eyebrows to show clearly my frustration. 

“Daniel I have the right to inquire about such letters regarding my self. Parasocial isn't the word that I would - Excuse me for a moment” — here I turned away from you, looking Daniel in the eye — “ I still await an answer from them. And Daniel this is the last time I tolerate your stalking while I pursue- “

“Look who's talking about stalking, Miss Stalker. Also, you left without a word. I thought we had a moment of trauma bonding.” 

“Daniel, I need to know..” — I trailed off, seeing a sudden notification on my lock screen. 

A new letter, in my electronic mailbox! Its title said: ‘Here is your first love letter, fake Rashid’.

I felt my muscles loosen and tighten on my face in a warm, familiar way. I felt my lips dancing, my blood chuckling and the air from my lungs tittering outward. 

“You sent it to me?” 

“Yes I did. And just so you know, there is more where it came from. I didn’t know it was so important to you, Armand. You’ll get my ‘love letters’ princess. 

You, who were of the utmost importance to me a few minutes ago, were locked out of my mind. The only being I saw was Daniel. Daniel smiling at me. Daniel mocking me in a sarcastic adoring way. Daniel waiting for me and holding my hand. 

Daniel, Daniel Daniel, Daniel. 

He pulled me, waltzing away with me into the cool night, back to our home. Our home. What a nectary taste it has on my tongue. 

I felt myself flying while still stepping on the dark earth, laughing unselfishly under the invisible stars, still holding Daniel’s hand, feeling the ice melting inside my heart. 

~~*~~ 

The sun woke behind the blotchy buildings of the era, smiling away the cold shadows. Daniel already slept sweetly in our room, awaiting the next sunfall. 

Only a day passed since his first letter, however my electronic, organized folders were filled with his chaotic letters. 

‘Here is your 27th love letter, fake Rashid’, I read that morning. 

I’m pretty sure he meant to annoy me with the number of ‘emails’ he queued to be sent. Instead of annoyance, they became a sacred prayer I waited every day. I’ll need to buy more space to store them securely. Or I could print them out, hang them on the wall. It would irritate Daniel so much! 

After reading his 27th letter, I ambled into our bedroom. He was deep in his vampiric sleep, laying on his back, still as a corpse. 

I climbed next to him, throwing my arms around his neck and stealing kisses all over his cold face and lips. 

“I love you Daniel.” — I whispered into his ear as I snuggled into the crook of his neck. “Thank you for your letters.” 

[miminmimikyu]

Prodigy episodes 11-12: Jankom you hero! You know that those anger management classes were good if Jankom managed to de-escalate a conflict between a tactless angry Dal and an absolutely livid Chakotay in a room with no Janeway

Jesus episode 11 got really dark really quickly.

Gosh that opening sequence of Chakotay’s life on Ysida was so beautiful. The gentle piano and strings music accompanying this montage was so understated and pretty. The soundtrack on this show...

ngl when Chakotay carved that third chess piece I thought it represented a child

TEN years! That’s longer than Voyager was stranded in the Delta Quadrant! If anyone of the ex-Voyager crew can survive 10 years on an isolated planet, it’s Chakotay, but oooff. I guess 10 years of solitude and the deaths of your entire crew weighing on your mind constantly will do that to a guy. I think that the closest he’s ever been portrayed as this.. callous(?) was in Timeless, where he also lost all but one of his (& Janeway’s) crew. It was so satisfying to see Chakotay get so many emotional moments this episode (still, quite shocking to see him try to attack defenceless kids).

The scene in the cave was so perfect, everything came together— the moody blue of the cavern, Dal’s initial shocked expression and inability to speak, Adreek’s skeleton just sitting there and protecting the antimatter for god knows how long.. and then to top it off the two-hit KO of the incredible animation conveying Chakotay’s horror and grief and guilt, and Robert Beltan’s voice acting!. (I’m so used to his clocked-out performance for a large part of Voyager, I was taken so off guard by the emotions he conveyed in this episode (and the next).…. God that was beautiful

Please.. I’m already dead π_π

I love how it’s not a sense of sudden responsibility for some children but the kids just earnestly working away that gradually drags Chakotay out of his shell. Worn down by their work ethic (and them finding the corpse of his first officer for him 💀).

Yet again: what a cool planet!! A lot of the planets the kids have visited this season have been devoid of humanoid life but each of them is so unique and interesting. Not the worst place to be marooned, if not for the beasts.

I really like the reversal of the Janeway-Chakotay dynamic here. On Voyager, Chakotay kept Janeway in check, now holo Janeway does that for Chakotay. It’s cute how he looks back at her for input from time to time.

Dal and Chakotay actually make a great duo. I really liked their heart-to-heart. Also the way they clash, definitely a different dynamic compared to Dal and Janeway. I didn’t expect Dal to confess his insecurity re:the peek at his future so soon. I don’t think that this solved it but I’m glad that he was given a bit of a confidence boost.

These two episodes sure reminded me of Resolution… stranded on a planet, the planet is plagued by ion storms, Chakotay/Janeway infected vs. the Protostar infected. Chakotay is resigned to his fate while Janeway/Adreek is set on fixing the situation (Janeway didn’t manage but Adreek did).... and then in episode 12 Chakotay tells Dal about how he always felt lost (as a child on his homeworld, in the maquis as an adult..), until he met Janeway and became her number one… that’s almost exactly the same thing that he told Janeway in Resolutions (minus the metaphor + heavy romantic overtones). Hell, episode 12 even starts with Vice Admiral Janeway getting her shoulder massaged (/manhandled. by the doctor. and she hates it. unlike when Chakotay did it on New Earth ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) ). Only Janeway isn’t actually stranded with him on Ysida…

Chakotay and Holo Janeway… do you think they explored each other’s bo-

Beverly Crusher is k i l l i n g me being all “Jean-Luc? Dunno, you know him, always working!! Hahaha, let’s talk about motherhood” while hiding her now 4-year old secret lovechild.

Anyway. So if Voyager is nearby (ish), that means that this is present-day and Chakotay crashed 10 years in the past? So besides fixing the protostar back up, they need to wipe holo Janeway’s memories, crash the Protostar in the past and I guess Chakotay just loses 10 years of his life now?

[bitchy-craft]

10 Reasons Why You Should Love Yourself | Pick A Pile

Hello and welcome to this Pick A Pile! In here you'll find 10 reasons why you shouls love yourself. I hope you guys enjoy and find this useful. Do make sure to leave comments down below on your experience! I do want to remind you all that this is a General Pick A Pile which means this is for a lot of people; therefore keep what resonates and leave what doesn't.

Masterlist > Questions

Pick A Pile!

Pile 1:

1. You are a unique and special individual with your own set of talents and qualities.

2. You are deserving of love and happiness, just like everyone else.

3. You are capable of achieving great things and making a positive impact on the world.

4. You have a beautiful smile and infectious laugh that can light up a room.

5. You have the power to create and maintain healthy relationships with others.

6. You have overcome challenges and obstacles in your life, which makes you stronger and more resilient.

7. You have a body that carries you through life and allows you to experience the world around you.

8. You have the ability to learn and grow from your experiences, both good and bad.

9. You have a kind heart and the capacity to show compassion and empathy towards others.

10. You are intelligent and capable of solving problems and making sound decisions.

Pile 2:

1. You have unique experiences and perspectives that make you interesting and valuable to others.

2. You have the power to forgive yourself and others, which can bring healing and peace.

3. You have the ability to set boundaries and prioritize your own needs and well-being.

4. You have the potential to inspire and motivate others with your actions and words.

5. You have a sense of humor that can bring joy and laughter to those around you.

6. You have the power to choose your own path in life and create your own happiness.

7. You have a spirit that is resilient and capable of bouncing back from setbacks.

8. You have the ability to create and appreciate beauty in the world, whether through art, music, or nature.

9. You have the power to make positive changes in your own life and in the lives of others.

10. You have a sense of purpose and meaning that gives your life direction and fulfillment.

Pile 3:

1. You have the power to forgive yourself for past mistakes and move forward with a clean slate.

2. You have the ability to love others deeply and form meaningful connections with them.

3. You have a unique sense of style and personal expression that sets you apart from others.

4. You have the power to set goals and work towards achieving them, no matter how big or small.

5. You have a curious and adventurous spirit that allows you to explore new things and take risks.

6. You have the ability to practice self-care and prioritize your own well-being.

7. You have the power to let go of things that no longer serve you and move on to better things.

8. You have the potential to make a difference in the world and leave a lasting impact.

9. You have the ability to be kind and compassionate towards yourself, which can lead to greater self-love.

10. You are worthy of love and respect simply for existing and being who you are.

[whatswrongwithblue]

The Fire in the Sin

Chapter 11 - Stitches

Word count: 8,912. Read on AO3. Series Masterlist. <- Previous Chapter.

Summary: Mina and Alastor FINALLY talk . . . sort of. And then fuck. TWs: canon typical violence and language, recreational drug use, mentions of a past abortion, panic attack, brief self harm, p & v sex, creampie, very brief use of tentacles. Smutty, but still pretty vanilla fluffy lovey dovey sex.

This lovely artwork was done by @ver0xinart and used here with permission. Please follow them for really unique and wonderful Alastor fanart!

Series Summary:

In the 1950's, Alastor met the woman he would eventually marry but unfortunately his Radio Demon persona went for her soul rather than her hand. He has to learn what it means to love, and cherish, without possessing and he does. Their relationship is beautiful, strong, unbreakable . . . but he carries a dark secret through their marriage for decades until eventually he has to face the consequences of that secret and leave her, without warning, for seven years. He returns, finding her at the Hazbin Hotel, and has to convince her to forgive him, while being literally bound to secrecy, unable to tell her any of things he now is desperate to explain to her.

(This is a duel timeline fic, timestamps will be a the top of every chapter.)

Chapter 11 - Stitches

Present Day

Mina’s friend had been waiting for her.

Fae was much younger than her and, in most ways, the complete opposite of Mina. Fae had died in the 1980’s, spent her entire life in New York City, was extroverted, loved being around people and partying, posted everything on social media, dressed in brightly colored scandalous clothes, and went through lovers as often as she changed her hair color, which was near weekly.

Despite these differences, they had gotten along well when they had first met. When Mina confessed to Fae that she was struggling with the symptoms of her heat cycles without Alastor around to help her through them, Fae had introduced her to the variety of dance clubs Pentagram City had to offer.

Mina had been skeptical at first and made it clear that any sex themed danced clubs were not an option – her husband was missing but not dead and she still considered herself monogamously married. Besides, large crowds gyrating around to loud emotionless sound that passed for “music” had never been the kind of thing Mina approved of. But once she had tried it, it quickly became one of her favorite ways to release the energy that was pent up inside her.

It wasn’t just sex her body craved when she was in heat. She was always so wound tight, irritable, and overstimulated by everything. And the music in the clubs overpowered all of that. She could feel it reverberating through her, pounding in her chest, pushing out all thought, and guiding her to move in mindless, energetic ways. It was addicting.

And if other dancers dared to try and touch her, it was just an excuse for her to be violent, which helped sate her needs even more. They’d leave without a hand, or an entire limb, depending on how aggressive they had been and how much bloodlust she was feeling. One time someone with a few extra hands managed to grab both her and Fae’s ass at the same time, and they had danced under his dripping, decapitated head.

After all, it wasn’t just their job descriptions that gave Abaddon’s demons their reputation for brutality. And Mina had to remind people that although the Radio Demon wasn’t around anymore, it was still in everyone’s best interest to leave her the hell alone.

That night, Fae listened as Mina filled her in on what had transpired that day, and the awful argument she and Alastor had just had. Then Fae took her to a dance club they hadn’t gone to in a while, one they were less likely to be recognized at, and therefore more likely to catfish some demons into harassing them. So they danced, and maimed, and danced some more.

Hours later, they played innocent as they left the club, allowing themselves to be followed. Fae was even better bait than Mina, with her shorter stature, purple afro dyed to match her wings, pink skin, and lime green sequined dress. Only her sharp teeth and jet-black eyes looked remotely demonic, otherwise you might think she was a harmless little wood nymph straight out of a fairy tale.

She and Mina tore their would-be rapists apart and didn’t make quick work of it.

At the end of the evening, with dawn approaching, the two blood splattered women shared a joint on a rooftop ledge, letting their bare feet dangle over the sides, their shoes discarded behind them.

“You know what the most insulting part is?” Mina asked as she passed the joint back, “it really was the sex that was keeping me quiet. The minute I go into heat - and he’s not around – I figure it out. And he knew that was going to happen, that’s why he’s been on top of me so much lately.”

“That just sounds like a guy,” Fae choked out a smoke-filled laugh. “I mean . . . you said you were sure he wasn’t having an affair, so it was seven years for him, too.”

“Alastor’s different,” Mina said, not defensively. It was just the truth.

“Please girl, everyone woman says that about her man.”

“No, he . . . I don’t know. It’s hard to explain. Sex is just . . . not important to him.”

“Come again?”

Mina sighed. It really was hard to explain.

“I mean, it is and it isn’t. The . . . mood has to be just right for him. If he’s mad, or even agitated, or if I even remotely hint that I might not be enthusiastically ready myself, he is just . . . not interested. I’m sorry,” Mina said, hanging her head and laughing a little. “I think I’m too stoned to be explaining this.”

“But didn’t you just say he was giving it to you like . . . all the time lately?” Fae asked. “What, did you guys not have sex before?”

“Of course we did!”

Fae raised an eyebrow, obviously confused.

“He . . . I mean, we-“ Mina let out an exasperated breath, “Okay, I didn’t have sex for a long time after I died. But that’s because honestly, it was never all that good and after you’ve had to kill all of your exes, it kind of puts you off men. But I still wanted it. But Alastor had two short-lived relationships when he was young and then spent the last ten years of his life a bachelor and when he came to Hell, it was like he had never even considered romance until well after he met me. The man just doesn’t think about sex like the rest of us do. He likes it. And he’s really good at it, believe me. But it’s not a priority for him. So when I say, it was out of character for him to be wanting it almost every day, I really mean that.”

Fae blinked at her for a moment, considering.

“Is he ace?” she asked.

“What?” Mina asked in return, thinking she misheard her.

Fae busted out laughing.

“Oh my God, are you telling me the great Radio Demon is acespec?! Man looks like a walking freak in the sheets!”

Mina just stared at her, not understanding half the terminology she was saying.

“He’s ace!” Fae cackled again.

“Repeating it is not going to help me understand you any better,” Mina responded, annoyed.

“Asexual. Graysexual. Demisexual. None of those words mean anything to you?”

“Fae . . . what the hell are you talking about?”

“Girl, you old as fuck. Okay,” Fae sucked in a breath, controlling her laughter. “You should really Google it but, Alastor doesn’t want sex unless he feels a super strong emotional connection, is that what you’re saying? And even with you, he has to be like . . . really happy and feeling it,” she said, with a saucy role of her shoulders that made Mina blush.

“Yes . . .” Mina answered, a little upset that Fae described him better than Mina had been able to.

“And after an initial rough couple of weeks, you two were getting along better - once you stopped having to secretly run off to go to work and pissing him off – and you stopped picking arguments as much - and then suddenly he’s all mister love machine?”

“Yes . . .” Mina repeated.

“You dumb bitch!” Fae smacked her in the arm. “He wasn’t ‘manipulating’ you, he was just happy. You,” she said, stabbing her with a pointed finger where she had smacked her, “were making him happy. After seven years apart, you really think he didn’t miss you as much as you missed him?”

Mina scowled and looked down at the street below them. She hated how much Fae was making sense, even without her friend knowing a lot more intimate details about her husband that she was purposefully leaving out of the conversation.

“Asexual,” she said, trying out the word. “I thought he was just a psychopath.”

“Oh, he’s also that, for sure.” 

She knew he was a rare breed of serial killer, one guided by a dark and strange moral compass, rather than a deviant sexual appetite. It would never have occurred to her that there were others out there that shared this label with him. Now she felt awful for not having figured this out herself after a lifetime of marriage when Fae grasped the concept immediately.

Of course Alastor hadn’t been using sex against her, that had never been his style. He would have been appalled if he knew she had thought that of him. Mina really had let her thoughts spiral completely out of control that morning.

Regardless, she was not the one with the most blame on her shoulders.

“He still sold his soul,” she mumbled.

“Okay, well honestly, only you are surprised at that one.”

“Excuse me?”

“Like, be pissed that he kept it a secret. You can murder the man for up and dumping your ass for seven years and walking back into your life like ‘hey honey, I’m home’ but the deal making? You married a deal maker. You either gotta own that or leave his ass, but don’t act surprised about it.”

Mina yanked the joint from Fae’s hand and took a long drag.

“He’s the deal maker. He takes peoples souls, that’s why he’s an Overlord.”

“Oh come on, even you’ve had to have heard the rumors about why he’s so powerful.”

“They’re just stupid rumors,” Mina huffed.

Of course she had heard them. Whispers that he had sold his soul while he was still alive. Whispers that he was just the instrument of something much more powerful. There were even more ridiculous ones. He’s a fallen angel. He’s half-Eldritch. He’s an entirely unknown entity all together. She’d heard it all and knew it was all bullshit.

“Obviously not,” Fae countered. “You know now he’s got a chain around him same as most sorry bastards down here do. What you don’t know is who’s on the other end of that chain and how long they’ve had hold of it.”

“He was supposed to be better than this,” Mina said, feeling her eyes begin to burn. She took another drag, breathing in until she felt the threat of tears dissipating.

“You’ve been looking at him with rose colored glasses on for too long, babe.”

Mina rolled her eyes. “I know exactly how awful he can be.”

“No, you don’t,” Fae said firmly. “You think you see Alastor and The Radio Demon as one and the same, but you really don’t. You see ‘Alastor’, your devoted, loving husband. And he is that. But when he’s all big and scary and doing his evil shit, you’re into it! And hey, not blaming you. The man is a walking thirst trap. What you aren’t seeing, is what the rest of Hell sees. A cold and calculating son of bitch who wants power, and attention for that power, above all else. And he is incredibly arrogant. It makes a whole lotta sense that he made a deal a long time ago – maybe even more than one - in order to get the kind of power he has and he’s just recently started to face the repercussions of that deal. And he honestly never even considered that it would jeopardize your relationship. He might love you, but he’s a narcissist. It’s going to take a whole lot more than a bit of anger from you for him to get the idea that you’ll never get over this. He’s so overly confident in how much you love him, he’s sure he can get away with anything with you, if he just gives you enough time to get over it.”

Mina was shaking her head. “I’ve loved him for 70 years. I know him better than anyone, you think I don’t know all the worst parts of him? I know how self-absorbed he can be and I know all the gory details of the awful things he’s done to others. I’ve helped him do some of it! I still never saw this coming.”

Fae stood up, exasperated now. “You are too close to him to see it. Mina, I love you girl, but we just killed like five guys tonight. And it was awesome. I was having some girl time with my bestie. I look at you like you’re this sweet, bookish, kind-of-awkward nerd who’s got some man issues and needs to blow off steam. The rest of Hell sees you as a stone-cold murderess bitch who hides in whatever fortress you’ve chosen for the decade and only comes out when you feel like eating someone.”

“How many times are you going to call me a bitch tonight?”

Fae clapped her hands together in front of Mina’s face. “You are both those things. Doesn’t mean you are two faced or faking it or whatever. It means you’re fucked up, but it also just means that your perception of people changes when you get closer to them because sometimes, you’re too close to see the whole picture. You get me?”

She did. But it didn’t make her feel any better about the state of things, it just made her feel worse. It didn’t change the fact that Alastor was still keeping her in the dark about everything.

“So, you’re saying I should just forgive him? Because I’m not sure I can do that.”

“Hell no!” Fae said. “You need to tell him in no uncertain terms that he’s gotta come clean to you about everything. Deal or no deal, you deserve to know. The only thing I’m saying is, if he does that, then you gotta really be prepared to forgive him.”

Was she?

She would still be angry. She would still feel betrayed. And the sting of seven years alone wouldn’t go away overnight. But she would certainly be a lot more willing to keep trying.

“And if he still doesn’t tell me anything?” Mina asked.

Fae handed her the joint, now just a stub, and waited for her to take the last drag.

“That’s for you to ask yourself, babes. I can’t answer that for you.”

Mina flicked away the joint and watched it tumble through the air, then she stood up, and put on her shoes.

“I have to know. Even worst-case scenario, I have to know. And I’ll promise him, that no matter how awful the truth is, I’ll stay and try to work through it. But if he doesn’t . . . then I’ll leave him,” Mina said.

She had lived for decades in Hell and done well for herself before him. And even when she was completely shattered and driven nearly insane by his disappearance, she got through it. It would hurt to learn how to live without him again. . . but she could do it. He had already forced her to face that challenge and she had come out the other side.

“Can you do it?” Fae asked, as if she could read Mina’s thoughts.

Mina recalled the last time she had made an impossible decision.

She remembered the sickness and the cramping that came hours after drinking the poison, and then the horrible gory mess of blood and tissue that came from her body weeks later. Alone, on the floor of her room on the ship to America, everyone assuming she was just seasick and leaving her be, as her body finally expelled her aborted child from her. The tiny, shapeless, barely formed infant she had held in her hands and sobbed over, before wrapping the whole mess up in her bed sheets and tossing it all overboard.

Mina shook off the memories and looked at Fae, trying every bit to be the “stone-cold bitch” she was apparently viewed as.

“I’ve had to hurt myself worse than this to survive before. I can do it again.”

____

It was daylight by the time Mina returned to the hotel and rather than raise any more suspicions with the other staff and residents, she forwent her ability to portal and chose to simply walk through the front doors. She would already have to come clean to Alastor about her job after she had used a portal in front of him, but it was still best not to let Charlie in on her secret just yet.

She glanced up at the radio tower as she approached the hotel. Alastor was up there, watching her; she was sure of it. And he would be furious.

Mina braced herself, not quite ready for the storm she was walking into, and lied to herself that she would not let him get under her skin and ruin the calm and determined emotional control she had built up on her journey home.

Seconds after she walked through the door, she was accosted by a taller blonde woman.

“Mina!” Charlie yelled as she threw herself around her, wrapping her in a tight hug. “You came back!”

Mina sighed and returned the hug. It was . . . nice, having someone just be relieved she was okay. Charlie could be annoying at times, but her genuine sweet nature was charming.

“Of course I did,” she said, and then wriggled free from the embrace. “What did Alastor tell you?”

She looked around the room. Everyone was already up and about. It looked like Mina had walked into another bonding activity and there were pages full of handwritten scribbles scattered all around the coffee table and bar.

“Honestly, not very much. He was up in his tower all night. What happened to you?” Charlie gasped, taking in the blood splatters that had dried in her hair and across her clothes.

“Not a drop of it is mine,” Mina said with an assuring wink. “It may not count for redemption, but I might have traumatized a few Sinners into behaving better.”

“Oh . . . well,” Charlie said, searching for the words. “That’s good . . . I guess? Anyway! We’re discussing boundaries this morning and I have a lot of apologies to make so if you would have a seat-“

“No, love. I need a shower, and a nap, and then I need to talk to Alastor. Perhaps later,” Mina said and began to walk away.

Charlie grabbed her hand and tried to pull her towards the group.

“But we already lost all of yesterday! Please, Mina, this is really important!”

Mina yanked her hand free, then took a breath, trying to remain calm. Charlie did not deserve her anger.

“Listen, dearest, I am here to help you in whatever way I can. Really. But I am not here for redemption for myself and I need . . . what is the term used these days? . . . A ‘mental health day.’ So please, excuse me.”

Mina went to turn around but stopped short as Alastor materialized on the other side of Charlie.

“If Charlie is hosting an activity on apologies, my dear, then I think it prudent that you of all people attend the day’s festivities,” he said, his hands placed atop his microphone, and his brilliant, lying smile dominating his features.

“Don’t you start,” Mina warned. “You are at the bottom of the itinerary I just listed and believe me, you want to stay there.”

Alastor couldn’t hide the scowl that narrowed his eyes.

“Or what, darling? You’ll act like a child not getting what they want and take off again?”

“You have no room to talk!” Mina shouted.

“Okay, so this is a great start, but I think we should lower our voices-“ Charlie started but Vaggie took her hand and pulled her out from between the two arguing spouses.

“Not right now, babe,” Vaggie said quietly.

The other residents stayed still as statues, caught between fear and enjoying the drama.

“Two wrongs don’t make a right,” Alastor said in a sing-song voice. “Maybe that could be the focus of Charlie’s next activity!”

“Do not stand there and pretend like you have any kind of moral pedestal to stand on! You walked out on me-“

He rolled his eyes.

“-pushed me aside when I was no longer convenient for you-“

His smile dropped just a little.

“-lied to me, kept secrets from me, betrayed me-“

Light itself seemed to flee from him as his eyes took on the red glow that always came to them when he was close to becoming unhinged.

“-you won’t even tell me what was so much more important than me, after six decades of me giving you everything. Who had something better to offer you? Or was it just new and exciting? What about me wasn’t good enough for you to even bother saying goodbye?!”

“THAT’S ENOUGH!”

He towered over her, his body and shadow seeming to envelope the whole room, and everything went blurry. Every light went out and strange flashes of red symbols appeared on the walls, and the large matching menacing smiles on Alastor’s face and his shadow’s glowed brighter, looming above all of them.

In a second, the room had returned to its normal appearance, only without Mina or Alastor.

The other six people in the room looked around, but still, no one dared utter a sound.

After a moment of peace and quiet, there was the sound of a door slamming shut upstairs, followed by an electric surge that brightened all the lights in the lobby. A few of them burst, and the ones that didn’t began to erratically flicker.

“Should we uh . . . should we do something?” Charlie asked, looking up at the ceiling.

“Nah, best to stay out of it,” Husk said.

Niffty giggled as all of the light bulbs were exchanged for rushes of green flames momentarily, and then shifted back to their normal states.

“He’s not going to hurt her, is he?” Vaggie asked.

“I’m more worried about what she’s going to do to him,” Angel said.

“Not a chance,” Husk said. “They’ll yell and carry on like this for a while, but they’d never lay a hand on each other.”

More light bulbs burst into flame and this time stayed that way, and a crack ran up the bar room wall.

“Are you ssssure about that?” Sir Pentious asked, looking nervously at the damage.

“Yeah, yeah. But uh . . .” Husk said, and the lights went out for good, leaving them all in darkness. The dim red morning light that was just able to come through the painted glass of the front doors was the only source of illumination for the entire lobby. “Maybe we should get out of here for a little while.”

“Okay, great. Let’s all go out for breakfast this morning!” Charlie said and ushered everyone out.

As everyone quickly gathered their stuff and headed out, Charlie darted back towards the lounge and grabbed Niffty by the arm, who was still standing there, giggling and staring up towards the floor above.

____

Despite the display seen down below, once they were alone in their room together, Alastor had returned to his normal appearance, but his shadow still moved from wall to wall, agitated and larger than usual. His expression was wild; eyes wide and frantic, his smile full and strained. He looked insane but no more demonic than usual.

Even if Alastor had unleashed his more terrifying forms on her, Mina wouldn’t have backed down. She was too angry and too hurt to have rational thoughts about her safety.

“You are such a fucking arse!” she screamed at him.

“You should have listened to me,” he said, deadly quiet.

“Listened to you?! I can’t listen to you if you don’t tell me a damn thing! I can’t listen to you if you aren’t here!”

“I told you to be patient. And before I left, I told you not to go back to work for that angel. I told you to stay far away from the Morningstars. And I come back to find you doing the exact opposite.”

“Abaddon is my family, Alastor. And they were here. They’ve never left me, they have always been there for me. Just because you aren’t man enough to do the same, doesn’t mean you get to be bitter that someone else treated me better than you did. Of course I went back to work for them. You left me with no one else.”

He was visibly shaking now. His fists were balled so tightly Mina was certain his claws had to be digging into the palms of his hands. Good. She hoped he bled.

“You should have trusted me,” he said.

“Why?” she asked, making her voice as calm and cold as his.

He wasn’t expecting that, and his lack of response spurred her on.

“You lost the right to my trust, Alastor. You lost the right to everything when you tossed me aside like I was nothing.”

“That is not what happened!” He was raising his voice now and that was even better. It meant he was losing.

“Then tell me what did happen, because that’s all I see. How am I supposed to trust you and listen to you when all you continue to do is hurt and humiliate me?”

“Because you are stronger than this!” he shouted. He was breathing hard now, the static crackling with nearly every inhale. When he continued, he spoke in a lower tone, but his voice was still warped. “Is seven years really so much? Compared to seventy? Compared to the infinite amount of time we have ahead of us now? Are your feelings for me really that weak?”

She gaped at him, feeling his words like a dagger at her throat.

“Fuck you,” she whispered, struggling to get the words out as her chest tightened. “You don’t get to break my heart and then judge me for how it shattered.”

Something in his features softened then but she didn’t want to see it. She didn’t want his pity, she just wanted answers.

“You weren’t even looking for me when you came here!” she cried out, forcing her outrage to build up again. “How much longer would it have been if I wasn’t already at the hotel? How am I supposed to live with someone who treats me like an afterthought?”

He shook his head. “If you had listened to me . . .  I had a plan. I was going to come find you, when I could tell you everything. And now we’re here and look what a mess you’ve made of things. If you had just stayed out of it-“

“You want me to leave then?” she interrupted; her jaw set tight.

“Well not now,” he said, with a dismissive tone.

“No, that’s just fine with me,” Mina said. “I’ll leave right now.”

“Don’t be dramatic, dear,” he sighed, clearly thinking she was bluffing.

“Alastor,” she said. “Tell me who you made a deal with.”

She watched him grit his teeth, his smile reduced to a thin line.

“I. Can’t.”

“When did you make it?”

“For fuck’s sake, Mina-“

“Why did you do it?” she continued, ignoring him.

“I can’t tell you!”

Her next few breaths shook in her chest, but she managed not to cry this time.

“I can’t do this anymore,” she said quietly. Sadly. “I love you so much, but I just can’t. Answer my questions and I’ll stay . . . or this is it. I’ll leave.”

He looked at her in shock and she knew then Fae had been right. No part of Alastor really believed he had pushed her so far away. Mina watched as the panic grew in his face and she tried to close herself off from how much it pained her to see it.

“I swear, Mina. I swear. I have told you everything I can,” he said in a rush.

She sighed and closed her eyes in defeat, trying to block him out.

“I have been trying,” he grabbed her shoulders, begging her. “I want you to know everything. I do. I just . . . I can’t.”

“I’m not listening to this anymore,” she said.

His hands dropped from her shoulders. Defeated, he turned his back on her, shaking his head.

“Mina, please,” he begged, still turned away from her, his voice low and raspy. “I am trying to find the words.”

“Just spit it out!” she snapped and he turned on her.

“I CAN’T!”

It was like a bomb went off.

All the power he had shoved off into the far corners of the hotel rushed back into the room. The floorboards and ceiling glowed and pulsed green, the lights exploded, the windows and doors rattled in their holdings, the floor beneath them rumbled, and the walls groaned.

Despite the chaos, Mina’s whole world narrowed to Alastor’s face as she saw them for the first time; the green, luminescent stitches laced through his mouth. Forcing his smile into place.

Forcing him into silence.

And the faintest outline of a chain, transparent but the same shade of green, flickered for just a second around his neck, the links behind him trailing upwards before fading into nothing.

Mina blinked twice, trying to process, when suddenly the room returned to normal.

Alastor was seated on the edge of their bed, clutching at his hair and audibly hyperventilating.

Everything switched for Mina in those few seconds after she saw the very real, very tangible magic that was controlling him.

He hadn’t lied, not about a single thing. He had been trying to tell her everything since he got back and literally could not.

That changed everything for her.

She went to him, placing her hands over his fists that were threatening to tear out his hair. For a moment, she was confused by the way the static was affecting his harsh and rapid breathing until she realized he wasn’t just having a panic attack, he was crying. Sobbing.

Alastor was having a complete breakdown and she had pushed him to it.

“Alastor?” she said, trying to wrap her fingers around his. “My love. My heart . . .”

He was still so tall, even sitting on the edge of the bed and bent over, that his head was level with her belly. She cradled him to her, keeping her hands over his own.

“You need to let go, love,” she said softy. “You’re hurting yourself.”

He let his grip loosen from his hair but then he was just pressing his palms to his temple, still looking down at his feet.

Mina ran her fingers through his hair, feeling the shallow scratches in his scalp his claws had made, before she let her hands fall lower, caressing his cheek and cupping his jaw. She tried to get him to sit up and look at her, but he was so stiff she couldn’t budge him, so she just held him instead.

She had never seen him cry, not in all their years together. He had, on a rare occasion or two, become choked up and silent, but she had never seen him like this. Never felt his tears gather on her skin as she held his face, never heard his ragged breathing as his chest heaved with sobs.

She had done this to him. Her, and whoever had control over his soul.

Mina was no longer angry at him. She was angry for him.

“I’m sorry,” she said, using one hand to stroke the back of his head as she held him to her stomach. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know but I do now, okay? And I need you to calm down. I’m not going anywhere, I promise, so just breath for me, my love.”

“I just,” he gasped out, “want to stop smiling. For one  . . . God damn . . . minute.”

Mina looked over at his shadow, which was hovering anxiously over the bed. That thing was always hard to read, even for her, but she swore she could see concern in its demonic gaze. It looked from Alastor to her, making hard eye contact with her for a moment, before seemingly deciding on something, and trailed across the wall to the door and faded through it.

Mina was sure it was standing guard outside, ensuring their privacy wouldn’t be interrupted.

“Give me your hands,” she said, reaching for them again to try and pull them away from his face. He complied finally, and she guided them until they were wrapped around her hips. Though he was still far from calm, at least she could keep him from harming himself.

“Alastor, if you can’t calm down, I’m going to sing for you. Would that be alright?” she asked. Mina was almost to the point of not waiting for a response. He could be upset with her later for using her power on him against his will, but she had to get his breathing under control now.

But after a few seconds, she heard his strained response.

“Please,” he whispered.

It had taken her some time to perfect the use of her power for pleasant things. Mina had initially only used it to harm or control others. It wasn’t until Alastor that she realized she could simply influence the emotions of others, though it had been tricky business at first. He had helped her hone that skill and now she put every ounce of her love for him behind her words as she sung.

“Why should thy cheek be pale,

Shaded with sorrow’s veil?

Why should’st thou grieve me?

I will never, never leave thee.

‘Mid my deepest sadness,

‘Mid by gayest gladness,

I am thine, believe me;

I will never, never leave thee.”

Mina felt him relax within the first line and by halfway through, he had quieted completely. She rubbed his shoulders and back, stroked his ears, and then ran her fingers gently through his hair, checking on the bloody scratches he had etched into his scalp already beginning to heal. By the end of the first verse, he was completely asleep in her arms, but she continued to hold onto him, bracing his weight against her until she felt his self-inflicted wounds fully close and her own heart began to heal as well.

___

Eventually, Mina pulled herself free of him and gently guided his unconscious form down until he was laying on the bed. She took his shoes off, placed his microphone so that it was propped against the nightstand, put his monocle on the nightstand, and pressed a kiss to his forehead. Then she switched off the lights and closed the curtains to keep the daylight out, leaving only the soft glow from the bayou to illuminate the room.

She took a quick shower, just to wash the dried blood from her hair and skin, trying to keep her mind blank. Once clean, she used her blow dryer on low, trying to make as little noise as possible, running it over her hair, ears, and tail, until just the longest parts of her hair were damp.

Alastor’s shadow slipped between the door and wall and briefly came up to her side before exiting, leaving Mina to wonder if it was checking on her of its own accord or if Alastor had woken and sent it in.

She threw on her black bathrobe and went back into the bedroom to see.

Indeed, she found Alastor awake again, sitting in a recliner he must have just manifested, placed in the middle of the bayou. He was smoking a pipe that smoldered with a dim green glow, his jacket off, his bowtie undone and hanging limp around his neck, and one socked foot was resting atop the opposite knee, as he stared into the distance of the swamp he had created.

He looked at her as she stepped into the low light of the bedroom and held out his free hand to her.

“Join me, mon cher?” he asked.

Mina’s bare feet carried her over carpet to moss in a few strides, and as she took the hand he offered, he adjusted his seat and gently pulled her into his lap. She rested her body between his spread legs, her feet dangling over the edge of one of his knees and tucked her head under his chin.

He tossed his pipe to the ground, and it burst into green flame, leaving no trace of it but a small, lingering trail of smoke. With both hands now free, he cradled her to him, one hand stroking her thigh over her robe while the other traced lazy circles at the base of her neck.

“When you left,” she began carefully, speaking softy, “I was so alone. I needed my family.”

“I know,” he said quietly.

“Abaddon didn’t take me back as a torturer. They promoted me. Offered me the chance to go to the mortal world and look for you, if I worked as a bounty hunter instead. Even Rosie thought it was a good idea. She’s the only other one who knew.”

She felt him stiffen a little beneath her, but he stayed silent, allowing her to continue.

“I didn’t know what else to do. I had nothing left. So, I took the job. And when they told me about Charlie’s idea . . . there were these rumors. And you probably can’t tell me if they are just rumors, can you?”

She felt the slight shake of his head above hers.

“No, I’m afraid it doesn’t seem to work that way. You could be dead wrong about something but as long as you’re making guesses, I can’t even try to lead you in the right direction. It’s . . . maddening.”

“Okay,” she said. At least she understood the rules now. She could work with that. “Well, there were rumors that somehow Heaven was involved. That it had something to do with exterminations. Or Lillith and why she left, too. That’s why I came here. If anyone could get a key to that place, it’s Charlie. There must be something to all that because this is the first place you showed up, right?”

She sat up a bit to look at him, to try and read anything in his face, but he just looked at her with a sad smile. Mina sighed and rested her head against his shoulder again.

“I would have told you all of this sooner. I don’t know if I would have quit once you got back because honestly . . . I really enjoyed it. But I thought you were purposefully keeping things from me. So, I kept my own secrets from you and I continued to work, just out of spite, because I didn’t know. I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright,” he said.

“There’s something else.” She paused, still nervous to tell him the next part. “I’ve been let go. At least for now. I’m not sure what I’ll do if I get asked to come back. Abaddon took the fire from me. I can still use the portals, but I can’t wield any flame. That last night that I disappeared, things went really badly. I wasn’t just shot . . . I . . .”

Mina stopped, taking a deep breath. She closed her eyes, and pressed her face deeper into the side of Alastor’s neck as she recalled the sight of Ro falling dead from the sky.

“Someone had a gun with Carmine steel bullets. I almost died. My partner, Roena, she did die. And Abaddon blames me, at least partly. I wanted to tell you, I really did, I was just too mad. I almost wanted you to find out from someone else, just so you would know how I felt every day that you were gone. How much it hurt not knowing if you were okay, or hurting, or happy . . . without me.”

The hand on her thigh ghosted up her side until he reached her shoulder, then he slipped it under her robe and palmed the smooth, scarless skin on her shoulder.

“I was okay,” he said after a beat, “because I knew you were okay. But I wasn’t happy. I hated that you weren’t with me. If I had come back from that, just to lose you forever-“

His voice cracked and not just from the radio effect.

Mina knew he wasn’t just talking about her brush with death. It was the combination of that, and her threat to leave him, that still had him so shaken.

She sat up enough to look at him again.

“I’m not going anywhere,” she said with conviction. “Whatever happens, whatever your deal is, whatever it makes you do, I refuse to let it break us. You were right. We’re stronger than that. And I swear, I will burn everything around us to the ground if anyone tries to take you from me again.”

His smile shifted into what she knew to be his genuine smile.

“That’s the most romantic thing I think you’ve ever said to me.”

Mina didn’t return his smile.

“I said such horrid things to you,” she said, cupping his face. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean any of it. I love you. I need you to know that, okay? I love you more than anything.”

“Je t’aime aussi,” he said, and pulled her robe down from her shoulder to kiss where his hand had been.

I love you, too

“Je t’aime chaque jour davantage,” he said, and kissed her throat.

I love you more each day.

“Je t’aime pour toujours,” he said, and kissed her mouth.

I love you forever.

Mina kissed him back, trying not to let her thoughts wander to the stitches she had seen on his lips earlier. Trying not to wonder if they were there now and if they were, how many times had she kissed him like this, not knowing they were there. She still knew almost nothing about why he had left, but she knew one thing for sure.

She ran her fingers through his hair, grasping at the back of his head, intensifying the kiss.

He was hers.

Alastor matched her fervor, parting her lips and meeting her tongue with his own. His hand slipped lower under her robe and caressed her breast, playfully pinching a nipple until it stood taught and hard beneath his fingertips.

She was his.

Mina forced his head back and kissed the exposed skin at the top of his high collared shirt, growling as she bit the soft flesh there just hard enough to mark it.

There was no room for anyone else in their relationship. Whoever bargained with him for control over his soul clearly hadn’t counted on Mina being in the picture. But she was, damn it, and she was not about to back down from a fight.

Alastor’s hand left her chest and found her thigh again, slipping under the robe there and following the path up the back of her leg to her ass, and finding only disappointment with how her legs were pressed tightly together due to the position she was in on his lap.

“Are you still in heat?” he asked, digging his claws into the supple flesh cupped in his hand.

Mina didn’t know how he had found out because she was certain she hadn’t told him, but it didn’t really matter then anyway.

“No, I don’t think so,” she said honestly. Not that she needed to be with the way things were going.

“Pity,” he said, and lightly spanked her. “Stand up.”

She did as she was told and he undid the loosely tied sash of her robe and Mina dutifully helped him get the rest of it off of her. It was tossed onto the mossy ground somewhere behind her and immediately forgotten.

He scooted to the edge of the recliner and pulled her naked body flush against him, kissing her at the bottom of her sternum and slipping a hand between her legs.

Mina shifted her weight, parting her legs to better accommodate the width of his hand, and he began expertly moving a finger between her slick folds.

She kept one hand on his head while the other groped at his shoulder, squeezing tightly as she held on.

In seconds she was gasping and moaning as he worked her up, her legs going weak at the knees, and she had to lean into him more for balance.

“I think you are still in heat,” he said, nipping at the bottom side of her breast. “You’re positively dripping right now.”

“Hmmm,” she whined, rocking her hips a little as he curled a finger inside. “This is all your doing.”

He took a nipple in his mouth and sucked, letting his teeth graze and tease the pale skin around it until it turned bright red as his attention. Then he slipped a second finger inside, careful not to let her feel his claws, and pressed the heal of his hand against her clit.

Alastor must have been right, and the last remnants of her heat cycle were still affecting her because Mina came hard, crying out his name. But it was over too quickly, and she was still aching desperately for him now that he had turned her on.

She shoved him back and he laughed as his back hit the recliner. Then she was kneeling between his knees, undoing his pants and impatiently yanking on them until he obliged and lifted his hips enough for her to pull them down to his thighs.

Mina purred as she buried her face in his crotch, breathing in the musky smell of him and she took his length in one hand and began to stroke. She felt another rush of wetness between her legs and fantasized regretfully about what an amazing day they would have had in bed together if this is how strongly she was desiring him now, in the final hours of her heat.

She bit hard into the flesh of his inner thigh, earning her an appreciative yank on her hair, before she took his shaft into her mouth and began moving up and down, sucking and working her tongue along the bottom vein, feeling him twitch with arousal. His head fell back as she gave his tip special attention, swirling her tongue in small circles around its opening, while pumping her hand at his base. If she knew him well, he wouldn’t let her go down on him for long, so she had to make the most of it while she could.

As expected, it wasn’t long before he was saying her name and grabbing her again by the hair, guiding her back up and on top of him.

Normally she would try to protest a little, but she knew then that they would both prefer for him to cum inside her. Especially with her hormones flooding her brain, she really wanted to feel him fill her up.

She rested her knees on either side of his hips, impaling herself on his length. She was so wet that her slick coated the inside of both her thighs, and his cock slid easily inside. It allowed her to waste no time adjusting before she was rocking her hips against his.

Mina grasped at his shirt, frustrated at the lack of skin-on-skin contact, but the teasing that the barrier between them created helped build up her arousal even further. She rode him just like that, with him nearly completely dressed while she was fully nude.

Alastor stayed leaning back deep in the recliner, enjoying the view of her pleasuring herself on him, and with enough space between them to adjust his arm at the right angle, pressed the pad of his thumb against her clit, so that she rocked against it with every forward motion.

His other hand roamed her body, scratching up her thigh, stroking the end of her tail, massaging her breast; touching her everywhere that it could reach.

After a few minutes, Mina was arching her back and crying out, so he pressed his thumb harder into her clit, working her with fast little circles until her walls were clenching around him once more. He had just barely refrained from cumming himself as he watched her reach the peak of her pleasure and he was glad for it as she caught her breath. Alastor could always tell when she was really sated or not and the needy look on her face told him she needed one more.

He wrapped his arms around her torso as he sat up, letting them both fall into shadow, and reappear naked together on the bed.

They spent a minute just kissing and caressing each other, letting Mina’s desire rebuild and his own retreat just enough to help him last another few minutes. Then he flipped her so that she was on her knees facing away from him, and he grasped his cock, using it to tease and rub against her soaking wet core, until she was crying his name again, her tail raised and held up to the side, giving his eyes a full view of her needy sex. He braced his tip at her entrance and pushed in with a single hard thrust, earning a satisfied moan from his lover, as she arched her back deeper and let him pound into her harder.

He fucked her hard and fast, just the way he knew she liked it when her body desired to be bred. But after several minutes had gone by, he could feel his balls beginning to tighten, his antlers growing large and heavy, and knew he wouldn’t last much longer at that pace. She was right at the edge of her third orgasm but Alastor knew she was overstimulated and needed something to push her over. From experience, he knew the angle wasn’t right for him to stimulate her clit with his hand. He couldn’t reach her there, not with how much she had her thighs pressed against her body.

But his shadows could.

He sent two tentacles to wrap around her, one to caress and pinch at her breasts, while the other went between her legs and began stroking her clit. With his hands free, he dug his nails into the flesh of her thighs and hips, and she pressed herself harder against him in response, begging for him to mark her until she bled.

They came together, her screaming into the bed sheets as he silently gripped the curves of her hips, feeling the blood gather at his fingertips, his rocking becoming slower as her body relaxed beneath his and he finally began to soften inside her.

Then he pulled out and fell into bed beside her, his shadowy tentacles dissipating into nothingness, as she flipped onto her side and spread herself across his chest. Both bitten, scratched, and bleeding from purposeful, territorial marks, and finally fully sated.

She languidly ran her fingers up and down his chest, over the permanent scars that she had memorized over the years. He rubbed circles around the base of her ears, letting the sounds of her purring relax him further.

Eventually, their love marks healed, leaving only traces of blood that would be washed away later. It didn’t matter. They only served as temporary reminders as to what they were. Even the rings they each wore were simply symbolic. What mattered most was each other.

He was hers. And she was his.

And now he was certain that no force would ever be able to take her from him again.

They crawled under the blankets together, uncaring about the late hour of the morning, or the rest of the hotel, and fell asleep wrapped up in each other.

___

They were both startled awake by the sound of the bedroom door flying open and slamming against the wall.

“It stinks in here!” Niffty cried out and frantically began rummaging around the room.

She grabbed at Alastor’s jacket and then quickly darted over to Mina’s robe, tossing them into the laundry bin.

“Why are you two so messy?! Don’t you know where dirty clothes belong? Who raised you? You don’t have to make my job harder, you know.”

Mina and Alastor sat up, watching the tiny woman as she worked her way around their room. Mina cautiously kept the comforter held tightly to her naked chest.

“Are you kidding me?!” Niffty said as she flung the bathroom door open and looked inside. “Mina, you left black fur everywhere in here!!”

“That can’t be sanitary!” she said, pointing at the bayou sitting nestled into the far wall. “How many fireflies having infested the hotel because of that?!”

She scurried over to the end of the bed and began yanking on the blankets.

“Blood? Really? Do you know how hard blood is to get out of silk sheets?!”

“Niffty!” Alastor shouted, grabbing hold of his edge of the sheets before they were pulled any lower down.

Niffty froze and blinked up at her boss, looking shocked that he had raised his voice at her.

“Give us an hour,” he said sharply, then lowered his tone. “Please.”

She looked abashed for a second but then rolled her one large eye at him.

“Fine. But don’t complain to me when your bed isn’t made in time.”

Niffty slammed the door on her way out.

Alastor and Mina looked at each other.

“Didn’t we lock that door?” she asked.

Next Chapter ->

@inuhalfdemon @saccharine-nectarine

Author's Note:

I make it very clear in this chapter that Alastor is depicted as demisexual, and hinted at being demiromantic. Asexuality and aromanticism are spectrums and can vary from person to person, so rather than try and write him in a way that everyone under those labels can relate to, which would be impossible, I've chosen to write him experiencing sexual attraction and love in the same way I do as a demi person. Write what you know, as they say.

Being aroace-spec is part of the reason why reader inserts are something I struggle to write, even if they are more popular. Although I am a cis woman, I relate strongly with Alastor's character, and Mina is based off my own wife rather than myself.

The conversation with Fae was important to write out as a statement of respect towards Alastor's canon asexuality, but also for Mina to understand him better going forward in this story.

That all being said, there will be a lot more smut in this story going forward, including kinks that I would never be interested in real life, but are very fun to explore in the world of fiction. So, if an ace person having a lot of explicit sex is going to bother you, you have been warned. And if you are a smut skimmer and just here for the cartoon dick, please stick around.

[rosehippiefield]

I love that no character is one-dimensional:

Sara is not goody two shoes protagonist with unwavering hope (I like Makoto it's not his slander I really promise I love kind guys), she has the highest chance of winning. It can't happen to ultimate cinammon roll. The balance between her caring side that wants to protect everybody and using charisma to her advantage is so tricky and yet it works (though I am a bit baffled at how she changes without Joe in AI simulations).

Joe is not only cheery cheesy best friend that dies just so you can cry about it (even if it's true as well). Joe is distrustful, he is scared and he kind of wants to escape with sacrifice card knowing what it entails. So he came up with a plan where good people being majority would live, and if not he can feel less guilt. Amazing idea! And we all know how he returns in second chapter. A sing of ungrounded guilt that doesn't correspond to reality whatsoever but can't be combated with logic alone. In best case scenario it is defeated with reminder of how real Joe behaved, showing how faulty our perception can get from trauma.

Keiji is not just sexy detective that supports Sara, oh no. This guy gets close to our heroine on purpose and I dare say kind of uses her for own gain. Then, his trauma doesn't equal all of his character nor it magically justifies killing Megumi, it simply explains his current actions. And of course I really want to believe that he is not some creep flirting with people in most suspicious way. He just needs excuse for evading akward questions. This man, deprived of sleep because of his sins, is both cunning and kind, capable of cruelty and striving to be like his idol.

Kanna and Gin are not annoying children that constantly need saving or exist to evoke sympathy. In Kanna's case sympathy is natural, but it is not the only thing going for her. Kanna is about giving a chance, letting go regrets, making thought-out sacrifice and when it fails moving on to make sure it doesn't have to happen. She develops constantly, bringing ideas to the table and trying to get all group stay united. Kanna makes conscious choice to spend time with Shin to get information, so while she can be manipulated it's not always the case and she's not all naїveness. Her arc of overcoming trauma and insecurity may seem familiar to characters from other media, but it is unique and distinctive.

Gin is autism representation without making him vilain or weird. He has some pecularities, for example, wearing animal-like clothes and repeating animal sounds, and yet nobody bats an eye, so surely he's no outcast or useless (on the contrary, he is quite useful remembering names in the bar, using scent, helping morally etc). Gin's the least morally gray of the cast, but it doesn't mean he is cardboard nice support kid either: he has his dislikes or his own thoughts (he is quite distrustful toward Kanna because he's younger and doesn't use age as justification for her actions).

Reko seems simple enough, a hot-tempered rock star, emo/punk lady many would like to date. Strict to the strong, kind to the weak. She had a lot of changing in the past and it continues here, she is becoming softer. But it's not her only trait: she's a talented singer that was interested purely in music and it's perfection. She ignored to some degree her happiness, her band, her beloved brother for the sake of art. She wasn't indifferent, but appeared as such. And now, finally having a better understanding of what's important and bright future ahead she ends up in a death game with Alice. Their plotline is prominent in second chapter and is devastatingly tragic.

Alice looks like comic relief with his exaggerated reactions and bizzare choice of words (personally I love this type of speaking it's cool). But he is actually not only a scaredy cat: he is a person without a purpose. He searched for it in a path with sister, but no happiness came, only murder of Midori. Alice hides his soft side to not be hurt, he on purpose builds a wall and appears so arrogant because when he was openly kind the close ones were indifferent (not to mention prison, I admire how Alice kept his sanity at all).

Shin is a prime example of morally gray character done right (majority here are morally gray but with him being antagonist it's far more prominent). I have seen various post about fandom interpreting him either as "totally evil manipulator", "Kokichi/Nagito kinnie", "cinnamon roll he did nothing wrong" or "what a loser". But he's not just good or bad, him having antagonist status doesn't make him Ouma copycat or Komaeda's successor, and while I get him being a loser is funny it's not the only thing to define him (though it's more of a joke than serious interpretation). Shin is very insecure and distrustful guy who "sees shadows where there aren't any" (quoting Sara) due to 0% and wants to live, using all methods... until he gets attached. He plots mainly against people he considers his enemies (to tell the truth, with 0% anybody could be classified as enemy), and I think he wouldn't abandon those close to him like Kanna, perhaps partly due to guilt of using her. In general, his actions, while obviously not the best (and he knows it perfectly well), come from fear of death and paranoia rather than pure malice or craziness.

Nao may appear as mentally weak girl you constantly have to help and can't rely on. Yes, Nao has problems with dependance on other, but she has her own aces up her sleeves. She's creative, smart, open-minded. For me her advantage lies in unexpectedness: who knew she saw through AI's lies? For her own sake and for the group Nao is capable of difficult actions like puching fake Reko. This girl is about growing more responsible, learning to trust your own judgement (she has great intuition by the way) and becoming independent.

Kai is quite too unique for stereotypes in my mind, a mysterious but awfully suspicious man. He looks so feminine but don't let that deceive you: he's assasin. Assasin that doesn't kill. Kai is the person escaping from his bloodied, horrible, traumatic past into right, calm, tranquil future with only householding chores and not killing attempts to protect... wrong people (Sara is not bad person, but her father is likely to be tied to Asunaro). So poor househusband is leaping from one abusive enviroment into another, but now being genuinely loyal and unaware of all skeletons kept in closet.

Q-Taro is certainly not only kindhearted big muscular guy (that dies in certain chapter) or stupid. Yes, he looks like parody on American, yes, all his accents make his speech a bit silly and stereotypical. No, he's not dumb. In fact, many plot twists involve him in some way (especially the banquet). Also, he could sacrifice his life for somebody, but he is equally capable of doing the opposite. Q-Taro is quite honest but not above tricks to leave this place, he cares for th group (taking into accout his team-spirited profession) but prioritises himself until later; he knows how sinful people are including him and that allows him to forgive quickly.

Finally, Mishima dies so early you don't hope to see him after 1.1. But if you think he's the shock value first victim that dissapears after, you are not quite right. Mishima, being dead, yet has influence on story as well, either through mystery of his head or AI that appear three times (maybe something is really up with him). Not to mention Ytts where his character shines and not burns. Him being almost perfect doesn't ruin anything, it motivates to become better as well because he wasn't always like this. Plus, he's no ideal, Mishima understands how world works but is passionate to a fault, not to mention his suspicious behavior. He is example of a person that matured, overcame his main faults and inspires the same in others.

Of course, everyone can interpret these characters differently and it's great, those perseptions can be true all at once. They are so interesting and captivating thanks to many layers of depth where everybody can see something unique.

[journalsouppe]

Here's one of my favorite spreads-- Professor Layton and the Curious Village!! I absolutely love this game and cannot wait to play the sequels!

Writing typed below!

Rating: 8.5/10 Played: Spring 2023 Port: HD mobile (iPad) Favorite? Y Replayable? Y Recommend? Y Series: Professor Layton

Comments:

That tower is insane

Omg I love the memopad, I feel like I'm on Blues Clues

I love the mystery surrounding the tower

omg are we building a robot dog?? -> yes <3 Hot Dog

Omg crash box match puzzle!! ... WHAT THE FUCK

Layton: ew this bottle is so gross. Luke stick your hand in there

What if we were germs in a glass jar and we held hands

Layton you better have Luke on a leash or smth he better not get kidnapped oh my god I am so stressed

Luke is softie for animals T^T <3

A WORM'S DREAM

STACHENSCARFEN omfg not the ace attorney name

veil of night my beloved <3

that old man is BOOKING IT

matthew is the only real one

love the chess puzzles

gorgeous grave statue

these inn items??? T-T

sewer time

Luke: don't worry professor! No one would ever dream of stealing the Layton mobile

Layton: .... Just what do you mean by that Luke

THE FERRIS WHEEL???

Omg layton in a crown

I like how all the tower puzzles are difficult

don't like the creepy lady

is everyone a robot??

YEA A LOGIC PUZZLE

the flying spike ball is insane

He just built the sail??

The ending was SO SWEET T^T

Game Dev Notes:

Beautiful animated scenes

iconic and calming music

stunning 2d art (character and environment)

great range of puzzle difficulty

interactive background and collectibles

different rewards for finishing puzzles

recap questions to see if you were paying attention to the details

great interweaving of puzzles into the story

interesting overall mystery

ability to explore both before the end and after (& gold layton if you solve everything)

Summary:

I absolutely love this game. It's so charming and sweet with a fun story surrounding puzzles. I love the characters and I love their little quips. I love the range of puzzles and how some of them have historical context. It's such a simple concept that was executed very well. Although the story isn't ground breaking, it was still really fun and shocking. It reminds me a lot of an ACD Sherlock story as it's just another one of Layton and Luke's wacky adventures. It is also set up in the perfect way to allow both sequels and prequels (which is what did happen lol). There's a ton of added replayability such as bonus puzzles, finding every furniture piece and arrangements, finding the charms, etc. It's so interactive and doesn't punish the player at all. This is an amazing puzzle game and there's no shame to not knowing the puzzle answers. You don't get full points if you mess up but that's fine as the picarats don't affect main story gameplay. I am so exccited to see how the sequels expand on the characters, especially Flora! She seems like a very unique character and I am so excited to see more of her. I am also just so happy to finally experience the beautiful music I have been listening to for years in the game. The music is so incredible and charming, it makes me want to find a nice, small European town to explore. What a great game and I am excited for what's next! Hopefully in time for the New World of Steam!

All of the stickers I got from Daiso. If you are interested in the materials I use you can check out my pinned post in my blog!

[artonice]

Am I delulu?

Anyways... seriously y'all. I started publicly sharing B/V stuff in March. I'm just a girly from Boston who is obsessed with ice dance and the athletic, emotional moments it creates. I also enjoy its connection to art. Their 2023 FD reminds me so much of the above painting. I like to post comparisons and Kiki with the girls. Ice dance slays so hard bc I've never seen anything like it before! I really earnestly just enjoy all of the mechanics.

The dedication, the performance. Y'all caught me vicariously living, babes! We all wish we could've been something like a ballerina or an ice skater. Seeing Bella skate, inspires me to do the things that little me dreamed of. Still! Which I enjoy just as equally. Because everyone seems so grumpy all the time and I love having something to cheer for and believe in. I've competed for 2 bike races since following Bella. Because I'm rooting for someone who does cool stuff and think, wait I can do cool stuff too. And the duo for sure inspires me to paint and write and listen to good music and all that other important stuff. Like a good tv show or my favorite book would.

But this is my crutch, y'all. These are very real people. Celebrity and influencer culture makes us depersonalize the figures sharing their lives. I can def see how I get lost in the delulu of their skating story, and Bella's underdog lore (which is mainly why I'm here y'all). I know it's still a risk that skaters can see this post, but I just wanna yap to no one about how weird the modern world is. And I think Tumblr is probably the most private place out of all socials to yap anyways.

So, my point. I feel weird! I feel so weird making edits and talking about how inspired I am by these strangers, especially when the inspiring strangers can see😭. Bella follows my insta account (as well as a bunch of others) bc she's a cool and connective girl broooo like Bella pls don't unfollow girly I'm just saying I don't wanna freak anyone out 😭🫶. Cause I couldn't imagine all these people being so focused on my life and what I do, it might stress me out bad yall.

I know I'm delulu, but more so I'm sensitive. That's why I like this sport. And I like to chit chat!!! Combined with this hyper digital, often fantasy focused world we live in (movies, tv, sports, books) I don't want to be confused with some crazy person who can't decipher boundaries bc I run an active stan account. And no hate to my fellow Stan accounts, this scenario feels unique bc ice skating fan accounts have audiences that often include people in the skater's communities or families, if not the skater themselves. It's not like I'm posting about Taylor Swift who won't see it. Girl, my T-swift is 5'ft tall and can jump 6ft high in the air. Her Eras Tour starts in Lake Placid this July😭. And you bet your ass I need to talk about it!

But I also gotta remind myself that this isn't my favorite TV show but people's real lives. Like fr. Sometimes the competition is so good you'd think it was scripted, y'all. God, like let me keep yapping forever huh?

Anyways, I am so glad I get to connect with my favorite athlete, as I'm sure her other fans appreciate it too. She's honest and open to chat for a reason, it keeps us feeling like we are on the road to the Olympics with her. I'm gunna keep posting cause I love the idea of turning all of booktok on her lore and getting a million people to root for them so I can see them at freaking SKAM 🤨. The conversation between influencer and audience is just hella interesting. And I hope I'm towing the line okay!

[marinavarshavskaia]

Tyler Joseph is a genius

I’ve been studying psychology and personality types for a while now (maybe 5 or 6 years), and his personality is insanely interesting to study and observe.

He has always been sort of like a mystery to me. I tried to type him, i tried to study his interviews, but nothing really seems to connect in my head. He really reminds me of my sister, who is just a few years younger than him. They’re both quite emotional and they have this hidden anger within them, but they really try to hide their emotions behind this metallic ass bombastic ass “no one can break” ass shell. They’re also both quite aloof?? I guess. I used to think it was a bad thing, now i think that it’s not really a crime for someone to be aloof if u just treat it like a personality trait. As u grow and evolve, you actually learn that we all have shitty personality traits that, if not toxic, can be accepted. Not by everyone, i guess, but by some.

It also seems to me like Tyler has a VERY strong tendency to daydream constantly. I noticed that people that are very aloof tend to be like that, cause they are not 100% connected to reality. When u daydream all the time, people turn into shadows that just float around u, and it becomes very hard to connect with them and view them as real human beings. So i don’t think that he wants to be mean towards others, he’s just really not present enough.

His imagination can influence his personal life badly, but it also helps him with his art, which is fantastic, honestly. Sometimes u should sacrifice some aspects of your life to become the greatest. Maybe it’s naive of me to think so, maybe it’s the truth, i honestly don’t knowowowoowowowwow😭

But what makes him stand out is his strong sense of identity. His identity is so present that u can literally see him in a gigantic crowd within a few seconds, and it has nothing to do with his appearance. Sometimes someone’s energy is so strong that they just can’t help it, they’re always separated by it from other people. I also feel like even though he wants to be seen as someone who’s “cold” or “tough”, his warmth is extremely visible to literally everyone. He is a lot more feminine than masculine, and it seems to be one of his insecurities. It’s hard for him to accept his soft spot, his warmth and his feminine side, which is a lot bigger than his masculine side. Maybe it’s just my opinion, idk.

He looks inward a lot. He looks inward so much that we basically almost never hear about his exterior world in his songs and in his interviews. People connect to him because of it. The more insincere u are, the more u try to write songs like you’re part of some sort of morally superior movement, and your identity is literally non-existent. What’s unique about Tyler Joseph is the fact that he didn’t start as a musician with some sort of idea of a group he could be a leader of, he only wrote about his own experiences and thoughts, looking inward. His identity came first, other people’s struggles second. It’s how it’s supposed to be, honestly. People cannot relate to u if u don’t understand who the hell you are as a person. And it’s not even selfish to put yourself first in that regard, that’s absolutely ok.

I think that Tyler is one of the greatest artists out there. I love him and his loyal fan base. He deserves his success, his influence on people’s lives is undeniable, and his music literally saved my life at one point.

Thanks for putting up with my insane rant🥺❤️