#but honestly flora is really open with him most of the time

[floralovebot]

I love LOVE your headcanons hence why I keep sending question and I'm glad you like the fashion one! when I saw the pictures of the new collection I knew some of it would suit Helia well.

Another question: in the show they didn't explore florelia much once they got together but seeing how Flora was so reserved at first do you think it was recurring thing in their relationship at first and how do you think Helia reacted to that?

BUH LOVE THIS LOVE YOU

This is actually so interesting because Flora really wasn't reserved once they got together! A lot of her initial shyness was due to her not knowing how Helia felt about her. She just wasn't sure how he felt, if he was interested, if she had a chance, etc., which caused her to be very reserved in their first interactions. Once they cleared that up and became an official couple, she opened up a lot and almost never felt shy around him again.

It's really the opposite with them! Flora is open with Helia about literally everything. She doesn't hide anything, she talks about her feelings (even and especially the bad ones), and she suggests dates and plans. Literally the whole thing!! Helia on the other hand can still be very reserved. It gets better after he leaves the second/third time (however you want to see it) and he realizes that he genuinely likes them and wants to be with them. But for the most part, it can take literal prompting for him to actually share how he feels.

This is another big reason why their dynamic is so interesting to me! When they first meet, Helia seems very confident and even outright flirty. He is pretty flirty with her! And with her getting Super Shy with him around, it definitely makes it seem like their dynamic will be Cool Guy + Shy Girl. But then when they do actually get together, it switches!! Flora becomes the super confident one who initiates a lot of their interactions while Helia becomes the chill one who still stews in "but does she actually like me?????" and then add on his general "no i will Not tell anyone anything how dare you" attitude and it's like... And of course there are times when she does get shy or has a hard time talking about her feelings but it's definitely not as bad as it was before they got together. Just... ough..... they <3

[the-au-collector]

Was inspired by reading some LU incorrect quotes about cooking to make this little braindump. So uh yeah have some “how good are the Links at cooking” headcanons:

Wild - resident chef, obviously. Very good cook. Was taught how to at the Dueling Peaks stable and it’s very relaxing for him to cook. He genuinely enjoys cooking and has recipes saved from all over his Hyrule. He will fight the others for cooking duty, both on the road and when they’re somewhere safe. He just loves to cook. Before the Calamity, though, he could not cook. At all. He was absolutely horrible at it. Flora was surprised when she learned he knew how to cook all of a sudden.

Twilight - can only make pumpkin stew. More often than not he’s eating food from Telma’s, stuff that doesn’t need to be cooked, or he hunts and eats as a wolf.

Sky - knows a few recipes. I feel like the Knight Academy would at least teach basic recipes, so he can handle himself on his own. It’s just not especially flavorful compared to Wild’s cooking. Also pumpkin stew. If he can he will make pumpkin stew.

Warriors - also was taught how to cook because he’s a Knight, but is still a danger in the kitchen. He makes some pretty infamous gruel. It’s really bad. Keep him out of the kitchen. He lost his taste buds during the War of Eras

Time - he theoretically can cook it’s just that he makes too much of a mess when doing it. He will drop everything, spill anything, and end up covered in ingredients despite actively trying to be clean. Time makes dinner time look like a bomb went off and it’s so much of a hassle to clean and honestly a bit of a waste, especially only for bad to mediocre meals at best. He can survive when Malon’s not home, but is his food good? No. No it’s not. As a kid he was hopeless. Luckily the puppy dog eyes worked like a charm as a kid. When he got older Talon eventually sat him down and taught him how to cook basic meals. Malon’s taught him a little too, but again. He just makes a mess

Hyrule - cannot cook. Was never taught and can’t teach himself since he was never taught to read. But he does know how to find edible food on the road. He’s a really good forager and that’s how he sustained himself on his journeys

Wind - can cook some things. Granny’s been teaching him how to cook. He knows Granny’s soup recipe but he insists he can never make it right so he never actually makes it. He can cook basic fish dishes but doesn’t have an arsenal of recipes. Usually it was down to whatever he could find for cheap in a store or fish himself during his adventures. I feel like Tetra’s ship has a cook so he doesn’t need to worry about food anymore. If he had the choice, though, he would live off Granny’s soup and nothing else

Four - Can cook. Probably the most reliable cook after Wild. He can make some fancy and genuinely good dishes. He just doesn’t particularly like the stress of cooking. Red’s always worried no one’s going to like it, Green wants to experiment, Vio wants to follow the recipe to a T, and Blue just wants everyone to shut up. I feel like during his journeys he used his age, and then his height, to his advantage to get free food whenever he could. I like to think he would help his grandpa cook whenever he could as a kid and thus actually learned how to cook

Legend - Can cook, but only in a kitchen. He never managed to get the hang of cooking over an open fire. Though while he can cook, I feel like he has a special preference for baking since his uncle would make apple tarts with him when he was little. During his earlier adventures, someone would usually cook for him (except for his first, he’d usually have to steal to get by) since he was still pretty young, but he slowly learned to cook over the course of his adventures. He learned a lot on Koholint specifically, so he knows a lot of seafood dishes though he doesn’t usually make those

[nuctoria]

Ghosts of the Past AU (Part 2)

Luigi let out a displeased sigh as he fixed the left strap of the poltergust so he could carry its wait more comfortably. He really needed to stop letting the professor convince him to do these ghost investigations for him, he hated it. Most of the time he just needed to fix a broken camera or two or just take a certain gadget to a certain location. This time it was none of those things.

Egadd had told him that his scanners detected a rather strange yet powerful ghost energy at a certain spot and basically shoved the poltergust on him before rushing him off to said spot. Didn't even ask, his excitement and curiosity blinding him too much.

At least it wouldn't be King Boo this time, he should still be locked up tight in his vault. Mario and Princess Peach really pressured the professor on this and he doubted he'd go against their order on this.

When he finally arrived at the location, he shivered at how scary it looked. It was another run-down mansion, almost like the one he first met Egadd and fought King Boo in but it had its differences. The outside was overtaken by all sorts of flora and angel statues around the entrance were all broken and covered in moss. The windows were covered in layers upon layers of dust and grime, fogging them so much that he couldn't even see inside, none were broken to allow him a single glimpse inside.

He let out a small, startled scream when his Game Boy Horror, hurriedly taking it out and answering the call. He had to go back to this device since the Virtual Boo fell off of him when the hotel crumbled and broke, and the Dual Scream ended up running out of battery with the professor hardly caring and took it apart to use its parts. He didn't really mind, since the game boy fit better in his pockets and didn't fully obstruct his view of his surroundings.

"Have you made it yet, Luigi? Seen anything strange?" the professor asked. "N-Not yet, it's creepy but so far everything is quiet and still" He answered while taking another look around just in case. "Head inside and keep me updated, I'm still getting these strange ghost activities. Look alive, youngster!" with that, the call ended.

He put his device away and gulped, feeling his body tremble already as he approached the front doors, turning one of the knobs to find it unlocked and creaked open the door. He flashed his flashlight around and peeked inside before setting a single foot inside. He tried to stay as quiet as possible so he wouldn't alert whatever was in this place, not sure if it was friendly or not. With his luck, it most likely wasn't but might as well have some hope to keep going.

Everything remained silent and still as he cautiously explored this place, every noise that was made was by him alone. There wasn't even a light breeze to startle him yet the mansion was rather chilly. This was honestly even creepier than hearing eerie noises and mistaking passing shadows for ghosts, that he was more used to.

Dust had covered every single inch of this place and he regretted not bringing a mask or a scarf to protect his nose, all he could use was his shirt and his poltergust to vacuum it all and make it easier to see and breathe. This place must be at least a hundred years old with how ruined it was, he worried it might collapse on his head at any moment. He couldn't even make out any of the paintings and portraits hung on the walls.

He stopped and got his game boy out to call Egadd after going through 10 rooms or so without finding a single thing. He didn't want to stay here a moment longer for possibly nothing.

"Found anything?" was Egadd's way to greeting when the call was answered. "Nothing, I've gone through many rooms but there isn't anything out of the ordinary here. Are you sure your scanners aren't faulty or possibly broken?" Luigi asked, hoping it was one of those two options. "My scanners are not faulty! They show me clear signs of activity!" the professor protested irritably. "Have you reset them to be sure, at least? No harm in doing so" he tried to remain calm and polite in this situation. "I have and nothing has changed. You'll need to keep searching" he insisted. "Can you at least try to pinpoint the exact room or area of the activity in this mansion? It might collapse with how old it is and I don't want to be inside when it happens" he nearly pleaded, wanting any sort of help so he can finally leave and go home.

The professor grumbled and typed away at his computer rapidly for a couple of minutes before taking a moment to get a good look at what he was seeing on his side. He looked confused as he asked, "Which room exactly are you in again?". "Umm... The office room on the east side, second floor, according to the map. Why?" replied Luigi. "The activity has split into three and it's moving towards you." was the reply, causing Luigi to panic and look for a place to escape or hide.

He didn't allow the professor to say another word, not wanting the noise to alert whatever was coming to him. He ended up bolting to the desk at the back of the room as it was the closest and only good place to hide, crawling under it and trying to stop his shaking so he won't get caught. He silently freaked out and pulled out the Game Boy Horror to decline the incoming call, only to get another one a second later. With a near-silent cuss, he answered, "Are you trying to get me caught?!" he whisper yelled. "Listen to me, Luigi. I can guide you out of there but I want you to at least take a look at the ghosts coming your way. I need to know what is going on over there!" Egadd insisted, sounding eager. "I'm not going to stick my neck out to whatever is out there...! I didn't even want to do this..!" Luigi whisper-yelled again.

The professor started to say something but his voice got distorted to the point he couldn't understand him and the screen glitched so he couldn't be seen on the screen. Luigi grew even more frightened and called out his name, smacking the side of the device to try and get it to work again, not understanding why it is acting this way all of a sudden.

He didn't get the chance to fix it as a claw suddenly gripped the front of his shirt so tightly it ripped it a bit, the action being rewarded with a scream of terror from the plumber. The claw pulled out out from under the desk and threw him over it and towards the floor in the middle of the room, a hard thud being heard when Luigi hit the floor that was soon followed by a groan of pain.

He didn't have time to focus on the pain on his body, the two familiar laughs numbing his mind in an instant and making his heart pound in his chest with a new sense of horror.

He looked up. Only to be met with the ghosts of his past.

The claw that had forced him out of his hiding spot belonged to Antasma, who approached him with a scowl on his face. Next to him was Dimentio, who unlike Antasma, had an excited grin on his face, floating far too close to the plumber. Finally, the last presence was none other than King Boo, free and filled with mad glee at seeing the green-hatted man on the floor and terrified to see each of them.

"H-How...?" was all Luigi could master out with a great amount of effort, snapping his gaze at the jester who found his question funny for whatever reason. "What's the matter, Mr L? Have you not missed us?" Dimentio teased, his grinning growing wider at seeing the affect his 'other name' had on the plumber. "D-Don't call me that..! I'm not him anymore!" he got brave enough to yell at the jester, feeling a hint of hatred rise to the surface, only to be buried back down by fear when Antasma grabbed him by the shirt again to get him off the floor. He panicked and went to try and free himself but froze when the bat spoke to him, "You're in no position to be making demands, plumber".

Luigi gulped nervously and let out a yelp when he was thrown back down, falling on his butt. He got up hastily and grabbed the handle of the poltergust, hoping it would have an affect on the bat and the jester, which it should given how they gave out ghost activity for the professor.

"I do hope you liked my special little surprise to you, Luigi" King Boo spoke from behind him, causing the plumber to swiftly turn around and face him, him being the last one he wanted out of his sight. "I worked hard to get them both here, let alone find them". "W-w-what in the world are you planning now..? How did you even get out so fast?" Luigi asked, might as well try and get some answered while delaying the inevitable. "Did you really think that old idiot could keep me locked up for good this time just because your brother demanded it? I practically danced out of there!" King Boo boasted before continuing, "As to what I'm planning, well... Just thought it'd be nice to have your old friends come and play~" he gave him a toothy grin which chilled Luigi to the core, the other two souls giggling or snickering sinisterly.

Dimentio floated over to the Game Boy Horror and picked it up before tossing it at King Boo, who in return caught it and crashed it to complete uselessness, causing Luigi's heart to drop with greater dread. "And I won't allow you a single bit of assistance from anyone."

--------

This was so looong! I like it but I feel like it's not the way I fully hoped for. And I'll most likely end up regretting it cause I wrote this while in college and with two deadlines around the corner. Oh well.

@istadris @keakruiser @itsavee4117 @fruitytiff @darknadaworld @billinshoes @ceo-of-kirbandee @kuramirocket

How do so many of you like it, I never thought I'd have to tag this many people.

[gulnarsultan]

Hi, love ❤ may I've bloom ( from winx club) with passionate, cheerful male yandere s/O , Who really loves bloom and always supports whatever decision bloom chooses. If you don't mind if you can do it with all the winx bloom friends like : tecna, stella, musa, and flora separately.

Please🙏😭 ❤❤❤.

Your work just like a magic 🪄

Hello. I'm glad you like my articles. 🥰😍❤I love to write for Winx club.🤭😉 (Especially as yandere.) Please feel free to write more requests. 💌 I hope you like it.

Yandere male reader (cheerful, passionate and supportive) and Winx club fairies.

One of the most accepting of this type of yandere boyfriend would be Bloom. Bloom happily accepts a man who will support her in every decision and be her safe harbor. Sometimes when everything comes crashing down, Bloom runs away to her boyfriend and asks for consolation. In her impatience and stubbornness, her boyfriend is the most understanding person to put up with her. So there's a good chance that Bloom is a yandere for her boyfriend.

She is another fairy who fondly opens her arms to such a boyfriend. Stella loves that her boyfriend supports her in every matter and decision. When it comes to fashion, her boyfriend listens to her advice. Moreover, she is volunteering to make her new clothes fashion show. For Stella, her boyfriend is her white knight.

I think Flora would be compatible with her boyfriend. She likes when her boyfriend gives her support and reassurance. Her boyfriend stands up for her when needed and becomes her shield. Flroa feels secure leaning against her boyfriend's sturdy body. Her boyfriend helps her with plants.

Musa likes to have boyfriend like this even if he doesn't say it out loud. Even if he doesn't show it from the outside, he is emotionally vulnerable. It means a lot to Musa that her boyfriend supports her. Musa is eager to spend time with her boyfriend. Her boyfriend is one of the few people who put a smile on Musa's face.

Tecna is actually too self-confident to admit that she wants such a boyfriend. But she feels lucky to have such a friend. Honestly, her boyfriend's passion for learning about her areas of interest affects her. Her boyfriend's support is very important to her when everyone is against her. After a while she will be more open about showing her feelings to her boyfriend.

Layla had not imagined she would have a boyfriend who supported her stubbornness. Supporting her in every way means a lot to Layla. They like to do surfing and dancing activities together. The fact that her boyfriend is trying to learn with such passion makes Layla proud of him.

[picturespurple-68]

Rusame/Amerus Secret Santa 2023 Gift

This is my secret santa gift for @vodkanburgers

I'm not really used to writing fluff so I hope you like it!

Summary: Cardverse au, Alfred is away on business and sends Ivan a few gifts to keep him company in his absence.

Rating: Teen (mostly sfw but the ending is suggestive)

To Ivan, Alfred was many things: a loud mouth with a lack of impulse control, a gifted magic wielder praised far too much throughout his land, and, just like himself, a grown child forced into the role of ruler much too soon. At least, as neighbors, they found they could confide in each other what few living could understand. Their circumstances had led to a deep kinship between the two, and that kinship had recently found itself evolving into a courtship (with the approval of their queens and aces of course). However, the little differences in how their kingdoms go about "dating" (as Alfred would call it), has led to a few instances of rendering Ivan more flustered than he’s ever been in his life.

Within the Spadian kingdom, gift giving is seen as the most celebrated of gestures because to them, it shows just how much someone really knows about those they love and to give them the things they want without ever having to ask. Truthfully, Ivan saw it more as an excuse to flaunt one's wealth and to monetize some of the most inane things, however he couldn't deny the giddiness he felt whenever another one of Alfred’s presents showed up at his castle's steps.

That's why, with Alfred out on a trip to the Diamonds’ kingdom for the next several weeks, Ivan wasn't surprised when he found the first gift of many placed neatly on his bed with a deep indigo envelope sat next to it.

Gift #1

"To my dearest,

Ivan, I hope in my absence I fill your thoughts just as much as you fill mine. In times like this I wished I had had a memento of yours to keep at my side, but I guess that’s why hindsight is 20/20. That’s why I've taken the liberty of capturing a photo more special than any ever made just for you.

With love,

Alfred

P.S. Don’t be afraid to take a closer look at it~"

The note was sappy, more so than usual. Ivan wondered if maybe the dramatics of the over emotional Diamonds’ people had rubbed off on the Spadian in such a short amount of time.

The accompanied box was thin and carefully wrapped in a golden ribbon that Ivan didn't hesitate to open. What he saw inside was a silver, ornately metal frame of tiny vines and flora that held behind glass a picture of Alfred. The glowing smile he always wore displayed prominently as he was captured mid wave to the camera. It was adorable.

Pulled in closer as told, he ran a gentle thumb down his framed face and a second later almost dropped the thing when Alfred moved. His hand was actually now waving at him and his smile transformed into an open silent laugh. When his movements slowed, he gave a smooth wink and mouthed something to the viewer before it suddenly reset to its original still image. In fascination at this new feat, Ivan watched it loop the same thing over and over until he was able to read the words on Alfred’s lips, “I love you”.

–

Only a few weeks had passed when a second package and letter was delivered straight to Ivan. He didn’t hesitate to rush to his chambers and open both items in private.

Gift #2

"To my dearest,

Ivan, in the short amount of time I've been here, Francis has asked me just about every question about the two of us (and obviously taking too much glee in watching me squirm). His doting “big brother” behavior reminds me of Arthur and it’s a wonder how they seemingly can’t find a middle ground like us to remain civil.

Aside from him, I've been enjoying my time with Diamond's newest royal Queen Lillie. She's almost as young as we were when called and has honestly been a real breath of fresh air among the stuffy coots in their court. In our free time she’s even begun teaching me knitting, like you love to do, and I’ve made you something special.

With love,

Alfred

P.S. I'm still a bit rusty, so if you really really really love me, you won't judge my work too harshly!"

That last part brought out a chuckle from him. This box now was bigger than the first one and as he lifted the lid, a look of confusion crossed his face. Inside was a "folded" mass of red fabric made of a thin yarn material. Picking the item up didn't really help as the shape revealed itself to be something like a…shawl, but the knitted threads were too spaced out to be of proper use in the cold. It seems he wanted to make Ivan something like a scarf, just as he’s done in the past for Alfred.

While not the best work, the thought definitely still counted. It even made his heart beat and brought him joy when he could smell a faint trace of the sharp cologne the young man loved to smother himself in. He knew just where to put this gift.

Gently, he folded up the fabric and placed it on his bedside table as a new piece of decor. Now it would make a lovely scene for Ivan to wake up to while it sat right next to his specially framed photo of Alfred’s goofy mug.

–

With only a week left before his return, Ivan was surprised when another gift was announced for him. It was the weightiest of all three packages and he was hungry with curiosity to open the, strangely, beige colored box.

Gift #3

“To my dearest,

Ivan, being without you has left me longing for you day, and especially night. I’ve missed holding you, I’ve missed sharing a bed with you, and I’ve missed touching the most intimate parts of your body. As soon as I’m able to see you again, I want to cover your face in the biggest, sloppiest kisses I can make and keep you in my company until we’re nagged enough to go back to our duties.

I know how flustered you usually get after reading your sisters’ romance novels and I can only dream of how you are now. If that is the case, please be sure you’re alone when you open your present. It took quite a bit of trial and error, but the final product is totally worth it. Just about one week left!

With love,

Alfred

P.S. Hopefully you think of me every time you use it.”

The contents of his letter stayed rooted in his mind like a weed in his greenhouse. From the things he referred to, Ivan had an idea of what could be in that box and waited until after dinner to rush off to his room.

On his bed sat the box. With jittery hands, he opened it to find a royal purple satin bag closed by a simple drawstring. By holding the bag Ivan could make out the shape of something cylindrical and when he pulled it out, he saw it was white with a cap to screw off. Removing it revealed– Oh.

A flesh colored inside greeted his eyes and his face flush harder than he’s ever felt since Alfred first confessed to him. He quickly re-capped the thing and sat in embarrassed silence with the object held in his lap. Questions swirled through his head of why, when, and how, but another one dominated them all.

What does it feel like?

Ivan knew when the man got back he was going to be hounded about if he got his gifts and how much did he like them. Curiosity burned inside and it only made sense to use his gift like how Alfred intended it. Just thinking about how happy he’ll be to see him again is all it really took for Ivan to give in and un-cap the device. The two other presents on his bedside table will be of great use tonight, tomorrow, and every night until he’ll get to physically hold Alfred again.

[another-clive-blog]

Alright you know what I can't stop thinking about that last ask, so I'm just going to share my favorite French UF funfacts and then call it a night lol. They aren't like crazy stuff but I like them (or not, but that's kind of the point snfdfjn) <3 I must first say that French Unwound Future is REALLY close to the English version. Names are identical (The only name change I know of is the blonde guy from Pandora's Box I think, because I haven't seen anyone here call him Vlad) and so are plot points : the only thing really different is the dialogs !!

SO !!!! Small list of my favorite (or not.) changes in the French version !!

Layton :

NO ONE agrees on how to pronounce his name :') Typically in French it would be "Léton" (English = Laytonne), but since le Destin Perdu is very influenced by English… Oof lol. Team Laytonne = Layton, Don Paolo; Team Létonne = Luke, Clive, Dimitri. FIGHT

On a very related note, French version kept "gentleman" :o Although gentleman can be used in French, the word "gentilhomme" also exists. I think this is because gentleman refers more to a way of life but that could be me. Anyway NONE of them knows how to pronounce it 😭😭 "Geantleumanne"/"geanteulmanne" kbejvyd

"Puzzles" become "énigmes" (riddles). Cela me rappelle une énigme…

Layton and Don Paolo share the same voice actor, voice acting veteran Martial le Minoux. I love his work honestly, nothing more to say except that he is a perfect fit. 10/10

Luke !

He is SO weirdly rude in French- like he is insulting people but with formal old school words ?? "You're a real piece of work" becomes "Vous n'êtes qu'un vaurien" (You're a scoundrel/good for nothing). At the casino instead of saying "We gave them a taste of their own medicine" he goes "Quelle bande de poltrons" (What a group of cowards, but like coward said by a 1940s grandpa lol). Why so much hatred in your heart boy-

He has the less dialog changes so there isn't much else to say :/

He and Flora share a voice ! It suits Luke very well (energetic and passionate), although I think the English one is better. 8/10

Flora :

She sounds less confident in French :( More "frail Victorian orphan who has every disease", which may sound fun but. Yeah. 7/10

She does roast people like a queen 👌 "That was quite ill-mannered of him. Still that was an awful thing he did, right Professor ?" becomes "Quelle brute mal élevée ! Mais ce qu'il a fait est vraiment affreux. Je mérite des excuses, non, Professeur ?" (What a rude bully ! Still what he did was really terrible. I deserve an apology, don't I Professor ?) Like she KNOWS he's in the wrong and she is getting that apology kdjvdkx

Also works with getting left behind !!! "What am I supposed to do ? Sit here like a lemon and wait ?" -> "Qu'est-ce-que je suis censée faire quand vous m'abandonnez ? Compter les mouches ? Comme c'est amusant. Et quand je dis amusant, je veux dire pas amusant du tout !" (What am I supposed to do when you leave me behind ? Count flies ? How fun ! And by fun, I mean no fun at all !)

Why is everyone so fed up in French lol

Clive : (Sorry I KNOW he is the longest but also this is a Clive blog. Don't be surprised about me obsessing over his dialogs lol)

French version doesn't call him "Future Luke" but "Adult Luke", which is very funny because you know they felt the need to tell people "This guy isn't a 16 YO" njekfzb

He has the most changes in dialog, and some of these changes are freaking brutal lol

For example, he doesn't say "Please, make yourselves comfortable. Sit back and relax. After all, you won't be leaving any time soon". (You don't like that but you can't stop me). Instead, he says "Allons, mettez-vous donc à l'aise. Ouvrez grand les yeux. Après tout, le spectacle promet d'être grandiose." (Please, make yourselves comfortable. Keep your eyes wide open. After all, the spectacle is sure to be a grand one) French Clive is a goner, that guy is Robespierre or something

"Though some may call it revenge, I prefer to think of it as justice" -> "Certains parleraient de vengeance, mais il s'agit en réalité de justice" (Some may call it revenge, but it really is justice). Denial is a river in Egypt 👍

It works both ways tho !! Like he doesn't say "I- I see" after Claire tells him that scientists were to blame too. He goes "Je- merci" (I- thank you). My heart is broken

His acting is… not that good. I think this was like, the second role his VA has ever had, and it shows. Overdoing it A LOT. Positive point is that I really like his voice, even though his acting lacks experience. 5/10 would be interested to hear him redo it

There is ONE exception to that tho, and it's the defeat scene- if you had to watch one French Clive scene absolutely go for this one. Overdoing it kind of works in that scene + there is my FAVORITE dialog change. "It can't end that way- it won't end that way" becomes "Je ne peux pas échouer- je ne dois pas échouer" (I cannot fail- I must not fail). Chef's kiss 1000/10 and most definitely the reason why I have a weird obsession with modals in my writing lol

Uuuuh this is getting quite long so I won't put the others. Maybe next time, if there is a next time (I am an undecisive unhelpful person <3). For now I should go to sleep it is 3 in the morning lol

[walkingaftermidnight07]

Chain of Thorns: all my main thoughts

yes hello, i wanna make a large post abt this bc i just need to list everything out since i have A LOT of thoughts

MAJOR SPOILER WARNING

SERIOUSLY

DONT READ FURTHER UNLESS YOUVE READ THE BOOK

Things I Liked:

basically every moment where we got to see Will. I was laughing at so many things that Will said and I missed having that, since I will never get enough of Will's humor.

Seeing Jesse interact with the Merry Thieves. It made me so happy and I love seeing Jesse's dry humor mixed in with the Merry Thieves; he fits in with them so well.

Just human Jesse in general. Everything about him made me so happy. He was so kind and brave and quite funny.

Getting to see more of Anna/Ari. During the first book we got almost nothing of them, partially because of Ari being poisoned but also because Anna was kind of not in the main circle yet.

Christopher visiting Grace and them getting to know each other. It made me so happy that there was someone who could see past what Grace had done and could give her a second chance, and their bond over science was so sweet.

Thomastair. That's it. No explanation needed.

Ghostwriter I thought was pretty well done, but the whole "them kissing would cause Lucie to see demon stuff" was kind of unnecessary.

Jem being there for Grace and talking to her to help her through

The Watchers were a really cool plot twist I wasn't expecting

honestly the james turning on the lamp on pg 127 caused a lot of pterodactyl screeching which was fun

the Herondaisy scene in chapter 23 hehe

Effie every time she opens her mouth

Also Bridget who is my queen. she is my love, my life, my star.

Eugenia Lightwood just existing was fabulous.

Esme being the most random plot thread ever which caused a lot of unexpected laughter

"Alastair why are you so stupid I brush my teeth dont tell anyone" LMAO

Alastair with the baby

Again, Thomastair.

Matthew's eventual acceptance of Alastair into the group

Cordelia outsmarting Lilith with her deal

Belial having a weird obsession with being crowned prince of London or whatever

Also Belial's weird bird demon friend made me CACKLE

Bridgestock blackmailing Charles. if i'm honest, i think it was a great part of the plot bc it did kind of give Charles a slight redemption (but also him being kind of outted is also really bad) but i think it was great in kind of allowing Flora be able to accept Ari without fear of Maurice

Lucie and Cordelia talking abt Cordelia's boobs lmaooo/The Wicked Queen Cordelia

Grace's entire arc through this book

the different meanings behind "cordelia ran"

Things that made me sobbbb:

Will becoming a sort of father figure to Jesse

The Merry Thieves helping Matthew with his drinking

Cordelia and James when they finally confessed for real

Matthew's entire arc with his drinking and telling the truth

Christopher's death

"you are my unfinished business" IM SOBBING STILL

Christopher's death

The scene where they see that Kit's dead

Kit being dead

Intermission: Grief

the fact that kit was in fact dead and not going to come back at the end (i was in denial for the entire second half)

Matthew and James while in Edom

Thomas coming out to his family

Alastair telling Cordelia that he's always afraid for her with her being the wielder of Cortana

Again. Kit's death. (i cried a lot ok its been an emotional couple of days)

Things I didn't like:

The whole love triangle. I still don't think that Matthew truly loved Cordelia and i never believed it would be an actual love triangle

the fact that the truth about the bracelet had to be kept secret for so long. it felt kind of unnecessary. there were other ways to draw out the plot than that.

the fact that tatiana exists

Kit's death. I feel like it's so unfair that of all people, he's the one to die. it didn't feel well written, it felt like it had to happen bc she couldn't kill the queer characters and Kit was the only main character left that she COULD kill.

Grace's entire plot being kind of left without an ending.

The lack of mourning/a funeral for kit. (since we didnt get enough mourning, i think im going to write it bc i want to suffer for the purpose of completing the loose ends)

the pacing. the entire plot felt so oddly paced, and it wasn't as much of a mystery like choi or chog.

again, why christopher? i feel like matthew would've been a better choice, or perhaps sona.

magnus kind of getting written out so early

though i love our gay couples and their accepting families, it is a little bit unrealistic. i get that the point is that this particular batch of the families are very kind people in comparison to what their families become a little farther down the road(ie Robert, maryse, etc), but it still feels a little bit unrealistic.

i felt like the whole lucie and cordelia struggling with their friendship thing was a little bit too much to add into this already very full book. (although i loved the wicked cordelia reveal that was fun)

i feel like we didn't fully get the wrap up at the end that we needed. we didn't see enough of them after the battle, as they came to terms with their losses and their wins and how they would continue their lives.

also we never really got to see jesse meeting his cousins/aunts and uncles and i wish we'd gotten that.

Questions I still have:

bridget? whats going on with her? theres a throwaway line in the coda mentioning something is odd abt her, but thats it??

grace. what is going to happen to grace? i wish we could perhaps see her and figure out if she's alright.

im still confused abt the lightwood line. i guess they're trying to say that alexander is going to continue it? (that actually kind of makes sense, genetics wise tho, cuz alexander looks like cecily and alec and izzy are supposed to inherit that)

will we ever get a revised family tree?

blackthorn line???

Rupert's ghost?

fairchild line? am i correct to assume that its going to tie into charlotte's pregnancy reveal at the end?

I'm sure I have more thoughts but I can't remember them at this present moment and I didn't write them down but these are all the ones I wrote down.

lmk what y'all think abt this book

[chimielie]

congrats on 500 lia! very exciting :3 ❤️❤️❤️ can you do bokuto headcanons with "you just kissed me" and fake dating? thank you 🤗🤗

thank u so much!!!

bokuto koutarou + "you just kissed me." + fake dating (headcanons)

SETUP: bokuto is a liiiiitle bit of a braggart. perhaps he was trying to give akaashi dating advice and short-circuited when his junior pointed out that he hadn’t dated anyone since middle school and probably wasn’t the most knowledgeable. perhaps he said he had a girlfriend.

perhaps you’ve always had a soft spot for him and stepped up to save his ass. As A Friend

and fake partner

he’s so grateful

“I’ll take you on the best dates,” he promises you

“I’ll spare no expense!”

he has three cents in his wallet but you better believe he’ll spend them on you, baby

he really does though

no one does a good time like bokuto

at first, it’s mostly group dates, which isn’t surprising at all to his teammates because bokuto really just treats them like extensions of himself a lot of the time (and they don’t really mind)

but you point out that you should mix it up a little bit, because you already spent a lot of time with him and your other friends before you started dating

“dating”

he thinks this is the best idea ever and you are so smart and maybe you’re even smarter than akaashi

he does go into a funk after saying that though and you have to reassure him that he’s not being a bad friend

miles away, in his own house, akaashi sneezes so much he wonders if he’s caught a cold

the first place bokuto takes you is his favorite restaurant, run by a family friend and which supplies him with all the barbeque he needs

if you share his taste and eat from his plate, he will be thrilled

if you don’t, he doesn’t mind!! he’s open to trying to new things

and he doesn’t really understand,, not,, sharing LMAO

it’s only once you’re safely deposited at home (he walks you all the way to your door because his mother explained to him in very clear detail how to treat someone) and honestly the next day that you realize that you completely forgot to take any photos or post anything

basically… you forgot it was fake (isn’t this how it always goes?)

when you text bokuto, he shrugs it off and insists he’ll remember next time

and also, you should really be calling him by his first name

so!! the next date you go on is to the botanical gardens

kōtarō picks you a flower and then gets yelled at by one of the staff

oops

at least this time you do get a lot of pictures for the Social Media to show off

kōtarō loves exploring dating with you

he gets really excited about new date ideas and places to go—you can’t quite call it planning because often he’s inspired by spur-of-the-moment things, but hey, the boy is a virgo

one of your favorites is a hole-in-the-wall dessert cafe with a back room just bursting with plants

his lockscreen is a picture of you there, surrounded by sweet treats and lush flora, making a surprised face because kōtarō

“because kōtarō” is an increasingly common phrase in your vocabulary. some things just can’t be explained any other way

as boisterous and curious as your fake boyfriend is, you find that he’s perfectly okay with staying in on days when you have too much work to do or just don’t feel like going out

his natural energy is always uplifting and makes the most boring tasks fun

and when you tell him this it just encourages him to encourage you more!! literally a happiness cycle

in fact, the more you think about it…

you never really want to stop hanging out with kōtarō

his energy just makes you feel complete in a way you didn’t know a person could

and how could you not catch feelings? it’s him

you’re equal parts sad and happy about this realization

because on the one hand it’s thrilling to have a crush

and it makes you so happy to be around him

but on the other…

you’re not his real partner

and that hurts.

so you resolve to confess to him

to clear the air and figure out how to move forward

if you know anything, you know kōtarō

and you know he won’t hold grudges or react badly, even if he rejects you

“kōtarō,” you take a deep breath before you say it, at the end of your street on the way home. “i need to tell you something.”

he’s all ears

“i don’t know how,” you start, and then reconsider. “that’s a lie. i know that… because you’re sweet, and really caring, and just, it seems like, you’re unbeatable… i think i have feelings for you. and i know our relationship is fake, but this is the most real thing i know. i want you to know i trust you enough to tell you, because even if you don’t—”

you start choking up a little

cursing yourself for being so emotional

but before you can collect yourself and finish what you started

kōtarō kisses you

it’s a quick, enthusiastic meeting of lips, and it takes you so much by surprise that you still have your eyes open the whole time

staring at him as he pulls back, big, beautiful grin on his face

“you just kissed me,” you say, not sure if it was real. do it again, your brain whispers

“i didn’t mean to interrupt you,” he says, bashful, big hands gripping your upper arms gently

“but i just like you so much.”

both of you seem breathless after that

so there’s only one thing to do: you close your eyes and lean in to kiss him for real this time

[madstronaut]

baby's first konig longfic

(masterlist of my FaFiCoWriMo rambles at the Fuck It We Ball link below! looking forward to seeing this become a long untameable monstrous ouroboros of a list)

omg t h i s f i c. IT BARELY HAS ANY SMUT IN IT till the end and it is one of the hottest konig fics ive ever read (and honestly I think he takes home the trophy for man most thirsted over in COD fandom, sorry ghost but you’re all winners in my panties i mean heart I SAID HEART)

Reading: Cat/Mouse/Den by @papaver-decervicatus

idk wot it is - the tenderness and purity of their first few interactions? the forbiddenness of stumbling upon a private radio channel when they’re technically Not On The Same Side? the little GIFTS they give each other? How he can always find her despite her literally being a topranked sniper? the way their physical meet-cute is him literally catching her in his arms?! the knowledge maus can snipe him at any moment and yet konig willingly stepping into her crosshairs?  LLBLBLLLBLGLGB

That last “She’s pretty” comment for me was the emotional equivalent of stabbing me in the heart with a roughshod serrated knife in how cute it was (btw let me warn you if you haven’t already gotten the memo folx my whole brand is being aggressively encouraging and excited over fanfic and writers in an increasingly unhinged yet polite manner<3) 

in true konig fashion i love how excited he is that maus might be the literal death of him and that he would die happy if she was the one to snipe him lmao

also can anyone else relate to doing a private eye style deepdive into facebook archives stalking and searching for info about your crush and memorizing it like konig did here for mausy lmao

"It’s pathetic, the only place he feels any sort of peace is at war."

chef’s kiss, love this line. brief, but tells you so much about konig’s headspace

“A younger part of him is jealous. The older part smothers that part down as he takes in the view.”

I love this line!!! ive wondered sometimes about the science and why of attraction and maus basically living konig’s dream i feel must play a big part of why they’re so drawn to each other...and ofc no explanation needed for why she is attracted to konig because everyone is, undisputed law of nature, go look it up on wikipedia and jstor, thank you no questions at this moment

“There’s a creek at the bottom, and interesting flora marks the cliffs all the way down. He wonders what wildlife drinks from the stream down there and if there are any decent caves he could find an opening to.”

have u ever thought about what you or someone else might have been in another life, in alternate timeline? I can see biologist konig fitting in quite well in civilian life &lt;;3 LEMME DAYDREAM ABOUT ALL MY SOLDIER BOYS SAFELY RETURNING HOME FAR FROM OR NEVER HAVING TO ENDURE THE FOG AND TERROR AND HORROR OF WAR OKAY

“The exposed rock of the ravine flames to life with amazing browns and reds, and the stone sparkles like rubies and tiger’s eye stones as the sun's rays catch it.”

also sidenote the way the scenery is described here would make me want to go take a photo and download it and save it as my wallpaper; so descriptive and lovely i could see everything so clearly <3

“The sun is setting behind her. She’s very far away, but his skin prickles to life knowing that he’s being watched.”

I also love this usual role reversal of maus being the predator watching her prey (though is he arguably her prey if he wants to be caught? lol anyway putting aside the essay on existential questions in fanfic-)

It’s a beautiful place, really. It’s not such a bad place to die, he thinks. She’s a good shot. She’ll do it quickly. Nothing to fret about,really. It’s his own fault, anyways. 

I am obsessed with their chemistry but most of all something about this powerful man fully placing his life in her hands just does it for me

“I’ll bite, soldier.” She says, hurriedly, like someone might walk in on their little game. Like the teacher is about to find the two kissing in a supply closet at the school.

*me reading this line, giggling madly*

He sits down on the ground and opens his legs as wide as they’ll comfortably go and rests his cheek in his hand propped on his thigh. If he’s going to die, he’s going to give her a pretty show.

me: okay slut

also me: ✨o k a y slut✨

I also love how he’s imagining what she would be doing/how she’s reacting all based off what I assume is the equivalent of a shitty driver’s license photo he saw of her 🥰

i also feel like getting warning shots as foreplay IS so konig-coded (yes im fully aware as i type this that this man has so much fanlore, fan hcs, fanfic, faneverything out there despite not even being in the storyline of the main campaign lmao)

I also love the flip to maus’ POV - though when she notes how outrageous it is for him to keep his shiny knife on him i bet you my future firstborn that it’s to get her attention <3

also <3 sniper candy <3

also we love a girlboss who asks >100x to shoot him on sight lmao

It’s been months since the ravine and she’s seen him just about everywhere she’s been. When SpecGru was gathering intel on KorTacs drug affiliations, she saw him in the haunted deserts of Sonora, Mexico where she lies in the dirt redder than blood and coyotes sing her to sleep. She gazes down at him atop crumbling 16th-century Byzantine marble when she picks off the guards of a weapons supplier in Belgrade, Serbia. In the ancient and verdant bamboo forest of Yibin, China, hunting down spy affiliations, she camps across a creek from him for a night.

“we’ve got to stop meeting like this!” - konig, probably

He would’ve been a good sniper, in another life. If he wasn’t built like the trees she climbs for her shots.

mausy your crush is showing 🤭

He walks like a monster with three legs (and at some point about three months into their little game, she touches herself thinking about that third leg.

i mean honestly? give maus a medal for holding out for three months before succumbing, damn

The secret stays between them and their radios become the divining rods of close encounters.

secret forbidden relationship is one of my fave tropes <3

Mostly it’s just breathing on each line, mostly it’s just-

“König?”

“Maus?”

“Mhm.”

“Hmm.”

honestly this sounds more intimate than sex

She knows she should get a shrink or a good fuck to stop fucking thinking about him like this, but sometimes he whispers a joke into his radio and she laughs, and sometimes she tells him about the book she’s been reading, and sometimes he shows her his favorite knife tricks, and sometimes she tells him stories of before she was in the military and he always laughs and asks questions to show he’s actually engaged and he cares and-

this is so domestic and cute for warzone flirting <3

When they’re alone he’s the perfect gentleman, he gets no closer than when she reaches out to contact him first. When they’re not, it's a whole different story. He runs into the middle field like if he can just reach her, he can keep her. If he can carry back his conquest, well… kings get their war spoils, don’t they? It’s a terrible secret she keeps alive only in her heart, but she hopes one day he finally will.

mausy gettin bingo on all our fave kinks today, apparently

maus picking up on his knife skills and noticing his anxiety via the shaking hands (and that they don’t shake at all around her) is just peak PEAK PEAK PEAK fanfic vibes. feeling safe around someone is one of the biggest green flags in the universe and a gift <3

 It’s a shame, but she’s a little happy that it’ll be König, her cat, that’ll catch her corpse.

honestly these two were made for each other lmao

ok THE SCENE WHERE THE FIRST TIME THEY REALLY, REALLY MEET? HE KILLS FOR HER? LITERALLY PUTS HIS ARMS OUT FOR HER TO CATCH HER FALL? 

And the first thing he says is a promise. A promise of help. A promise of aid.

I was like speechless with joy and giddiness for a good minute or two reading this whole scene lmao SO SATISFYING esp with konig’s lil gasp when she falls into his arms <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 UGH PLS PAPS CAN I GIVE YOU A MEDAL??? A HUG??? A KISS???? MY UNDYING LOVE AND DEVOTION??? well in lieu of all this I’ll just give your fic multiple visits and so much rambling <3

also their first meetcute THEY EXCHANGE GIFTS????? HOW FUCKING CUTE ARE THEY GOD 

He has created, against all odds, something beautiful and delicate out of a brutal tool and doomed material.

so this absolutely stunning construction of a sentence pretty much sums up why I love COD fandom/fanfic writers so much..

I forget where I read this somewhere on this hellsite but it went something like “it’s subversive to write these men made to die/made for war, made to be loved instead” and reminds me of one of my favorite quotes that I stumbled on a random reddit Q&A 

“I get discouraged sometimes - just like everyone. I question whether my music/life/work matters at all.

The danger is letting other people define your soul's worth. Sometimes folks will like what you do, other times they'll hate it.

But I continually remind myself that I do NOT matter as a result of what I do, I matter because of who I AM. I am not a "human doing" but a "human being. " I matter simply because I was made in the image of the unmade maker, and I am loved by Love.”

“I am not a human doing, but a human being” 

“I am made in the image of love, and I am loved by Love”

“we are, against all odds, something beautiful and delicate, created out of brutal tool and doomed material” 

these words touch such a deep and core and unspeakably true part of me - that i forget often, that i find hard to believe, that i struggle to remember and cling to - and tbh one of the most frequent places I find this much-needed encouragement is in FANFICTION! <3

fanfic writers you are truly some of the most beautiful people on this planet &lt;3

anyway yeah, fanfic as therapy is a helluva drug and so fucking real

 if I could give all my beloved writers a diploma i would pay a calligrapher to write this gold leaf ink or some shit and put on my best lipstick and smooch it all over and print it out on vellum for you all <3

ANYWAY WHERE TF WAS I- o yes, simping over both maus and konig

When he turns to go she thinks how much his hands must’ve hurt to make this little thing 

this is so real; everytime I try my hand at sewing/mending (and i got tiny hands yall) for an extended period of time my fingers always end up so crampy in a uniquely painful way

i also get big “gift of the magi by o. henry” (truly one of my favorite short stories of all time) vibes from this exchange <3

(tl;dr: here, my heart, let me cut out and gift you my heart - oshit what’s that? your heart? *scrambles to catch and not break it*)

cos honestly on one level how fucking hilarious that they basically exchange a piece of wood and a rock lmao but really THEY ARE GIVING SOMETHING SO SPECIAL TO EACH OTHER <333333

The next time she sees him, about a week later, she sees him sharpening his massive field knife with the tiny whetstone on his comically large thigh, and in response, she thumbs at the wooden effigy in her pocket. They laughed into their radios to each other. 

ok how fucking hilarious and sexy that they are basically watching each other finger each other…..s' gifts

the final dialogue in chapter two needs to be in the merriam-webster dictionary under “flirting 101: peak examples”

but also omg THE EXTRA LITTLE GIFTS SHE LEAVES BEHIND FOR KONIG? HER FLINTING A HEART AND HIM SHATTERING IT IMMEDIATELY IN HIS GIANT-ASS SEXY ASS HANDS AND LEAVING HIMSELF BLEEDING AS PENANCE????? HIM IMAGINING COOKING FOR HER AND READING ALL TEH BOOKS SHE RECS HIM??? Honestly him musing about actually fucking her at the end is the LEAST sexy part of all this and the line about him aching to make her mewl did…things to me

if I could distill the maus x konig energy here into an drink, I think I could run up everest naked without breakin a sweat

The man is quick, but König is quicker, taking off through the snow like he did as a child. Running with reckless abandon, long legs carrying him faster and further than anyone else when he and his cousins would play capture the flag at his Oma’s house in Gauso. 

i love papa’s (really need to find a better nickname for writer while I write this lol) way of capturing like…the sense of child-like wonder/safety and domesticity you return to when you are in love/find yourself in the presence (physical or not) of someone you love in her writing, also why i really love this fic so much

Slicing that man clean between his ribs like a lion strikes a lamb was the second most satisfying experience of his life, greatly eclipsed by the settling of her weight against his chest when she trusted him enough to jump into his arms. 

*chanting to summon my talented fellow konig simps to draw fanart of this scene*

“You big, everywhere? I mean, with hips like those… ”

“...” Fuck, bad time to get a boner.

SIR.

hast thou not heard the term “video killed the radio star”???? you’re alone and miles away only talking via radiowaves, LITERALLY THE BEST TIME TO GET A BONER???? smh unless ofc the best time for konig is when he’s with maus &lt;3

“…he’d been chasing a little prayer in her shape. He wouldn’t have considered it ‘done’ when he gave it to her but-

Her warmth was still in his fingers, her beautiful eyes trained on him, her fantastic form somehow devoid of his blood or his filth in his rescue attempt, well. He had been praying, hadn’t he? It’s only right to pay tithing to the thing you worship. He gave her the figure, and he did so with the only real regret being that he couldn’t give her more and that he almost sullied her perfection with his violence.

also men near-worshipping the women they simp for is also a huge kink of mine (i mean whose isn’t it? also i hurt my brain trying to discern if that last sentence i wrote made sense but college was a long tiem ago for me soooo)

And to top it all off, when he wrenched himself away from her, heart heavy and entirely certain that she would never, could never, follow- she called him back and reciprocated. 

can confirm, reciprocated feelings is an indescribable feeling, war on drugs would’ve been game over day 1 if it was fought with requited feelings

When he turns away it is because his brain cannot comprehend a world in which she walks away with him.

well, snipe me right in the heart why dont you papi! (again, still need to find a different nickname for writer)

And in fairness, he would rather die than admit his treachery, not out of any misplaced moral but instead out of precaution for her safety.

honestly, husband goals

konig’s dream is p e r f e c t i o n “I love and trust you and feel safe enough to put my life into your thighshands, even if that means you’ll take it”

“Like dovetail joints, a great carpenter must have made them to fit together. There must be a God, and he must have made her to perfectly fit beside (and dare he hope, inside?) her. 

The only thing older than war to mankind is intimacy. You need soldiers for war, you need men for soldiers, and you need love to make those men. “

“He is remembering how to be human, to be a man and not a soldier, and he smiles back into her mouth.”

“She is giving him total control. Complete power and without hesitation. In her teary eyes, he sees a soldier’s trust, firm and unwavering. Ever faithful. Unquestioningly and genuinely she believes the man she’s at the mercy of will make her need no mercy. “

once again paps (yes yes need new nickname for writer, stfu mads) just dropping literary masterpieces casually

“König,” her eyes glaze over with worry. It’s a dangerous game they’re playing and they both know it. “Are you sure you want me?” She whispers, lips meeting the shell of his ear, he feels her fever pitch skin even through the fabric of his mask. His heart aches and he’s so angry with himself that she could even ask that. As if there were ever any questions. As if he has ever wanted anything else in his life like he wants this. As if there is anything else to want. As if there is anything else. 

Truly every beloved’s hopeful query and every lover’s debt to happily answer <3

 When he wakes up in his cold barracks, decidedly alone and not in between her thighs, he pounds the bed in frustration.ly ok the mood whiplash when i laughed out loud at konig pounding bed with his fists cos hes grumpy and horny

Not so dissimilar to the bride-stealing traditions his Oma had told him about as a boy.

damn oma what stories you be tellin to children lmao

though I AM recalling a medicinal anthropology class I took in college that was absolutely fascinating - we did touch on bride-napping as an actual thing in hmong culture (though from what I learned it has less IRL dubcon and more elopement vibes)

The fantasy of her is potent and life-consuming, but he is also viscerally aware that it is just that. A fantasy.

konig, thinking this, as he lives out most of his actual fantasies lmao

It is not real and despite his choking desire to be with her, he is not entirely sure she wants him.

ah yes, ‘idiots in love,’ an absolute banger of a trope

He wants so desperately to just be a fucking person for her. A person allowed weakness, a person allowed good-morning kisses, a person allowed terrible flirting, a person allowed to sit in the same room, a person allowed to touch and savor and make better another human. Allowed to heal, not harm. Allowed to save, not slaughter.

But he is a soldier, he’s not a person, and he’s not sure he ever really was a person in the first place.

The only thing he wants more than to have her is for her to want him. That hope is a delusion deeper than the ravine they met at, he’s sure. 

🥹🥹🥹🥹

yep just uh nothing happening over here, not crying over fanfic what -how dare you insinuate-

He feels no shame when he wraps his arms around the bunched comforter on his chest, imagining it’s a slight body he faithfully cradles.

*tripping, stumbling, running to pay for a custom body pillow big enough for konig to hug for his comfort* (not for me, would be too big anyways)😉😏

no literally ive thought about it i might have to do olympic-level qualifying gymnastics stretching to fit someone of his stature anyway it’s not like i made to-scale stick figure models doodled out on post-its in various creative positions to work out the physics of it or anything cough

If she knew how obsessed he’s become that he cannot help himself from having dreams about her and cannot help himself from getting off to the idea that she killed him with her fucking thighs

sir. 

please. 

i am ready to beat off the hordes of other women with a sharpened stick who would find this hot and respectful af

also obsessed with this soap who chews on pencaps and macguyvers radios to look like they’re fucking (or maus just has her head in the gutter, but really girl whose isnt??? and someone really needs to tell me if this is wrong grammatically every time i type it it sounds right)

also as a certified soap simp i also just have to say, you know you’ve got it bad when you look deep into soap’s eyes… and fantasize about another man LMAO

“No thanks,” she purrs as she finally sets herself into position.

i like this subtle nod to konig after she re-tells her katze’s joke <3 ooooo reading papaver’s writing is like eating a three-course meal at your fave comfort diner<3

The early morning light hits the streets the same way it had hit the forest ground that day.

i also love this line <3 i can picture those blue-orange sunrise hours in my head and it’s so lovely because the scene is also tinged with all the complex emotions from their first meeting

He throws it up and catches it without looking at it, instead his eyes are laser-focused on Mouse.

hothothothothothothothot (i realize just typing out hot over and over again leads you to also read thot, but honestly, still tracks)

She remembers her trigger finger twitching with sinful power, she remembers choking back the insistence at killing another lonely person, devoid of their autonomy on a basic level when they signed up for a mercenary-issued ticket to hell.

this line…is too real 

“Because they are weapons of maus-destruction. ” Konig replies like it’s not the stupidest thing she’s ever heard in her goddamn life.

somewhere simon ghost riley has to suppress the urge to put down his rifle, stand up, and do a slow golf clap

Suddenly, his eyes look lived in, like someone has just put up new curtains in an abandoned house. His whole affect changes hinging on what was an irresponsible outburst on her behalf at best.

And for the first time, she does not fear a monster hunting her through the woods, silent and purposeful in his pursuit of prey. Instead, she wants to understand a man, whose eyes have lit up like a princess has just laughed when he kissed her hand.) 

*i am suppressing the feminine urge to print out paper doll cutouts of maus and konig and just hang them around random parts of my apartment making heart eyes at each other*

Maybe, it's dangerous, to wave a steak in front of a mountain lion, but what if she wants to get mauled?

these two, a match made in heaven. truly there’s someone for everyone~

also i love this COD book club that is happening; i also have a semi-regular work meeting where I hit the jackpot of getting the most chill but passionate cohorts and our goal is basically shooting the shit & talking about stuff we love and how to share it with the world like a workhours book club and I hope everyond gets to experience a little joy in the middle of 9-5 capitalist hell that is the workweek like this <3

Soap says, pulling out a well-worn copy of The Silence of the Lambs from the bag.

“He said he picked it up years ago in Polish thinking it was a cooking field guide.”

 fucking dying

how she could rest entirely on top of his chest and not touch the ground beneath them and-

once again i fucking love their inadvertent mindreading/mirroring their shared desires unbeknownst to each other. MOVE THE FUCK ASIDE, JANE AUSTEN

also if gromsko gave me “special field medicine lessons” I would probably pay to continue them

also on this note MEN ARE SOME OF THE SNOOPIEST MOST GOSSIPY BITCHES IN THE UNIVERSE CAN I GET AN AMEN? CAN I GET A HELL YEAH? CAN I GET A WHOOP WHOO-

she basks infatuated by the calamitous captivation he exhibits.

*fanning myself with ripped out pages of shakespeare and hemingway to burn at papaver’s altar*

When he lifts his hood to blow a kiss to her, she knows she will never get her traitorous heart back.

sir??

excuse me sir????

i thought you were told you couldn’t be a sniper? what the fuck is this tender bullshit of a snipe straight to my heart-

also that last chappy YAY ENEMIES TO ALMOST-LOVERS TO ALMOST-ENEMIES, LITERALLY CANNOT FIND THIS TROPE ANYWHERE!!!!

He’s always hoped to be able to pound down into her quaking form. 

the first time i read this i blacked out after seeing the phrase “pound down” and instead all i remember after slapping myself awake is actually reading the phrase “he’s always hoped to take her to pound town”

also why am i hot for righteous konig in shining armor being willing to go from zero to murder when he thinks maus is a pimp

and the INDIRECT KISSING VIA THE CIGGY? UNFFFFFHHH FUCKING KILL ME NOW SO I CAN DIE HAPPY (yes i am so easily pleased, sue me)

also i shrieked when maus kicks her crotch up WITHIN SPITTING/BITING DISTANCE OF KONIG PLEASE I WOULD PAY TO WATCH THIS FEATURE LENGTH FILM????

The throbbing in his pants also suggests that he’s probably forgiven her by now as well. 

*nodding sagely* yes, boners never lie

also maus slapping konig while he’s holding a knife between his teeth is big step on me queen energy

also the requital and reciprocation of the lines and actions they feed each other is just- one moment: *goes to sephora to buy more lipgloss as i ran out while giving chef’s kisses in bulk to papaver*

i love that konig is passing the time just being horny for maus, an efficient king 🫡

also when i saw gosau austria mentioned i went down a hole googling where it is/pictures and it is absolutely beautiful!!!! 

I eagerly await updates papi <3 

[howlingday]

So has Ivy had a chance to meet the rest of team JNPR and if so what’s the lovely lady’s impression of em

Jaune sat next to his Aunt Pam as she held a tight grip on her own jacket sleeve. His plan to spend time with her had been... well, not a failure, but was being executed poorly. He thought a trip to Beacon's botanical gardens would cheer her up, but he failed to account for how Ren was pretty much the only student using this place consistently.

Nora was hauling bags of fertilizer around, though it was less for any real purpose, and more of a distraction for while Ren tended the garden.

The boy in question carefully snipped and plucked as tenderly as he could. In time, his crop would grow into a bountiful harvest, and he would have ample supply of ingredients for his meals. For now, though, he tended to the small, green flora.

Pyrrha used this time to practice her semblance by tending an empty patch of soil with garden tools. The garden weasel was the most challenging, as she tried to focus only on the bar without catching the spurs.

"Um, so how do you like Remnant?" Jaune asked.

"It's... nice." Aunt Pam said. She closed her eyes. "The Green isn't as strong here, but I can feel it. The plants are happy here, compared to Earth." She winced. "But your friend could be a bit more careful with his trimmers."

"I'm pretty sure he's open to criticism." Jaune said with a nervous smile. He was aware of her sordid history as an eco-terrorist, though it could be argued his mother's background was much worse than hers. Thinking on it, he didn't remember much about his own life before coming to Remnant. "Um, Aunt Pam?"

"Hm?"

"What's it like back in Gotham?"

"Awful." She answered without hesitation. "Gotham is an awful city filled with awful people who will do awful things for awful reasons."

"Is it really that bad?" Jaune asked. "I know Mom says it is, but I can't remember anything about it."

"It's full of selfish people." She said, facing his blue eyes with her green. "People who will hurt you and everything you care about because they can." She then huffed a sigh. "It's honestly terrifying that you came out so sweet, considering how awful everyone there is."

"Well, you're not awful." Jaune said.

"Because you only know me as I am now." She reached down and a stalk of thick, brown roots rose from the dirt, carrying a heavy-looking stone in it's grasp. "Back there in Gotham, they called me Poison Ivy, and it was a name they learned to fear." As if in imitation of her own fist, the roots curled in on itself and crushed the rock in between. As the pebbles and dust fell, Jaune gulped. "If it wasn't for Harley, I probably would have done more awful things for awful reasons, too."

Jaune was quiet for a moment, staring at the shattered remains of her inanimate victim. "Would I have been awful, too?"

"No, you wouldn't." Jaune looked up to see his team standing in front of him. Nora smiled wide, her arms covered in dirt and grime from her hard work. Ren held a basket of seeds he carried with him for his plot. Pyrrha stood between them and looked down with a soft smile. "You're kind and brave, and you're willing to do whatever it takes to help your friends. Awful people don't do that."

Jaune smiled at that. He was always the cutest when he wore that sweet smile. Auntie Pammy didn't have it in her to devastate the mood and explain that Gothamites who always start like that eventually become awful people.

Just like her.

[polarizefinn]

flora & outset

pairing: tattoo artist hyunjin x flower shop gn!reader

synopsis: the power of sudden fate, the coping, the struggling, the loving.

word count: 8k

NOT proof read. very fast paced and it checks all the fanfiction cliches (leave me alone ok). ive been working on this since june and the end may be a bit lazy, but im so glad its finally out.

tuesday, 4pm.

“have a nice day!” – the bell on the door rings as the door closes shut. you sigh, as you sit down on the chair that was right behind you. you look around the shop, still can’t process the beauty of it all. all shelves are filled with so much life and color- your very own flowers picked out delicately, and provided with care so they don’t die out, lose their spark.

the shelves are like bookshelves, just more slender, open and made out of white antique rustic wood. the moment you enter it, it’s like you entered heaven on earth.

you’ve always loved flowers, even gotten out of the way to study them, their growth and their meaning. you believe each has its own stories, something that would make it snap in an instant, or maybe bloom you the most beautiful figure. it’s the art of simpleness, you treat them right – you get elation. maybe it’s because you’ve been surrounded by the eye-catching structures that sometimes it can be overwhelming. obviously, new combinations of them can be as appealing and exciting to make as it is to buy them, but it can be a bit much at times.  sometimes that feeling is immediately thrown out of the window when new flowers are put on the shelves. they’ve always been a priority that you can’t help but fall in love with over and over, every time.

the outside of the shop cannot be described better than the inside. though, the exotic blooms are resting on the ground, being held safe in one spot with white painted vases. the way to the door is like a gateway to paradise, like when a field pushes away all of the crops to the side and makes way for you. around you are many other flower shops, each caring for their own sets of exquisite herbs and flowers. it’s not a popular area so to say, but it’s definitely not empty- it doesn’t even feel like it. the sun sits right where it needs to be and the clouds don’t interrupt the light, the breeze only coming by like a flash of a greeting.

“turn on some music, your thoughts are incredibly loud.” – a voice that came from next to you startled you, and you turned to it to see felix, your coworker. he’s your age, and honestly you don’t know why he started working here. you did because it was a heritage – from your late mother, you didn’t think a flower shop this small would need two people. nevertheless, he was a great help when busy hours came by, and he was amazing company to have.

“really? then why don’t you turn it on yourself?” – you tell him with raised eyebrows and raised your lips to a small mocking smile. he rolled his eyes intensely and sighed, looking back at you,

“because the radio is literally right next to you.”

oh. now he’s the one with the mocking smile on his face. you blinked twice or three times and turned on the radio. you don’t know how to work this thing at all, you just know the on and off button but whatever channel is on first is what you’re getting. ‘sunflower’ by post malone. this song is still on the radio? still, you weren’t complaining. you heard felix singing along from the backroom, you chuckled and followed with him.

you looked out the window at the sunflowers we had, ironically. felix wasn’t in the room, but you turned to the door so you could exchange the lyrics back to back, so he could hear you better. that is, when you didn’t notice a person stopping right outside, looking around and deciding to come inside. you heard the bell ding, signaling someone came in the shop, your eyes darted from the door, to the person entering and then to the radio, which you suddenly forgot how to turn off. you panicked and started clicking buttons, only adding more bass and turning up the volume. you nervously bit your lip and looked at the person that was now standing Infront of you. you shot your eyes up at him- red hair, tall, dark brown eyes, absolutely no flaws on his face and many minimalistic and distinctive tattoos on his arms. his mouth is curled in a downward smile, the corner of his bottom lip holding a ring piercing. he worriedly looks at you, then the radio.

“hello, uh sorry um, this thing is old, it’s pretty old” you shouted those last words since the volume kept increasing.

he tsked with a chuckle, “can I?” pointing to the radio. you let your hands free from it and nodded your head, with one single click he turned it off. his hands were really pretty and unscarred, his knuckles were rosy, his nails shiny- lacquered with a gel top coat. he noticed you staring and cleared his throat. you turned your attention to him fully now,

“how can I help you?” you say standing up from the chair, placing both your hands on the counter. without breaking eye contact with you, he said “uh I want a simple bouquet of just sunflowers.” he giggled,

“the song was very well timed as well”.

you laughed at his remark while taking a glance at the radio. you looked back at him now, wanting to finish up the order you asked, “is there a specific color you want for the wrapping paper and bow?”

he thought about it for a second, looking around maybe for some colors that would go well with it,

“yeah, both the bow and wrapping paper can be a translucent white.”

you agreed with his choice and went outside to pick the best sunflowers you had that day to arrange the bouquet. you looked around them, finding the ones that hold the brightest yellow color petals, smiling at his choice of flowers and being satisfied with the ones you’re picking out. either it was you, or the weather has gotten way warmer. the streets feel more alive and the trees in the distance move along to a rhythm that the comfortable wind provided. you turn your head to the window, looking inside and noticing that the boy and felix are smiling, engaging in a conversation. his side profile was a fine sight. you looked back at the flowers, studying them if they’re all perfect. confirming it, you went back inside again, going up to the counter to start assembling.

“you don’t even know the first thing about flowers how’d you even get the job?” the man teased felix but he just laughed along, not taking any offense to his friends comment, “oh shut up hyunjin.”

hyunjin, that was his name… a pretty name for such a handsome being. he was such eccentric visuals, you couldn’t imagine him with a different name, it suit him perfectly. felix noticed you while you were arranging the bouquet, but also stealing a few glances their way. he looked down and noticed the flowers,

“who’s this for huh? you got a partner or whaaat?” he said that in a singing tone, clearly teasing him back.

well, you were right next to them, but you didn’t mean for the eavesdropping to make you this curious. you turned to look at hyunjin now, finished with the bouquet. he looked at felix then at you, smiling at that, “nope, actually I’m buying it for a friend. I heard yellow flowers mean companionship, friendship. so why not show my gratitude?” he was proud of his answer, and you were too. you didn’t expect him to know the symbolisms and meanings. he kind of looked the type but it was still surprising.

happily you turned to the counter to grab the bouquet. It was beautiful, the translucent wrapper really made the flowers stand out. you handed it to him with both of your hands, his hand softly brushed against yours when taking it. with his other hand he reached for the wallet in his pocket, and you quickly grabbed his wrist stopping him. he looked at you confused, then you announced,

“actually, the first bouquet for new customers is always free. we hope you come back again!” you let go of his hand, the two of you turning to face felix. he just stood there confused, looking at both of you. you gave him a warning look, widening your eyes signaling him to not say a word. felix gulped and looked back at hyunjin, “yeah that- yeah…”.

hyunjin smiled widely, “I’ll make sure to do that”, he looked back at you and gave you a big ‘thank you’. he waved his goodbyes, taking the breath out of the shop away. it was now silent for a few seconds, the bell ringing for the last time for today.

you stared out of the door, watching him walk away with a grin on his face. it was interrupted by a loud, confused shout. “what the hell was that y/n? for free? since when is it free? have I been scamming new people this whole time then?”

you shushed him, putting a finger on his lips. you winked at him and walked back to the chair behind the counter, sitting down and turning on the radio once more. he stood there, mouth open but no words are coming out. “I can’t believe I just witnessed this. I was like… a third wheel just now, holy god” he muttered his sentences, again going to the backroom and closing the door behind him. you could only think of the smile you put on hyunjins face.

wednesdays and fridays were your days off. on sundays the flower shop is always closed. although felix technically should only work the days when you’re free, he never has any problem coming in extra days, but that’s his choice. it’s never bothersome or too much when he’s around. he knows when it’s his time to help out or when to do minimal stuff like buying your lunch, helping with deliveries etc. you’re extremely grateful to have some company, he’s yet to be taught so much more of the beauty of florets.

it’s now wednesday, 3pm. usually on free days you go to the place that made you look at nature in a different way. it changed your whole perspective of what real beauty looks like. you always thought it would take a human form, and you wouldn’t recognize it at first, but this wasn’t the case at all. it was said it’s a place where love at first sight would commence, a place where your soulmate, the sky, the healing waters and you truly meet.

you sat down on the spread out grass, right in front of you is a waterfall that glazes like stars are trapped, twinkling at every moment. on the sides are hanging vines and flowers that are also contained in the flower shop. the water glistens and forms bubbles when the fall of one body meets the pit of another’s. the grass is greener than ever, and the birds chirp joyful songs, obviously prideful of the fact that this is their home. it’s a place where all your thoughts can be cleared. just like how a waterfall falls down, the depriving energy condenses towards all the atmosphere. the trees taking it all in and growing into a giant model, extending the landscape containing gaps of sunlight further. any steps can be heard by a small branch cracking, or a rock being tossed. its peaceful and perfect sight would not let you lay your head down. you wouldn’t take these moments for granted at all.

you take a deep breath, thinking about the past month and what things you need to change or improve. you’ve grown to love your shop more than yourself. you feel you can never blossom into your own person as well, stuck in a so colorful but also monotone life. you know you love it more when you give away the bouquets than when you were assorting it. it’s always been satisfying, but lately not enjoyable. maybe you want to be gifted some, you want someone to mean something with the flowers they give you. but in a ‘you mean so much more than these bombardingly colorful grown out seeds. let them be something that would inspire the feelings within, not define them.’

you will care for them habitually. a part of a routine requires depending on you and only you to rediscover your worth, and not be sulked up by meanings and definitions. you’ve settled your mind on a new routine. maybe this place really is ‘magical’.

an hour passes by like nothing, the sunny sky has met an overcast now, you can see it even through many of the tree branches. you hear footsteps on dry leaves behind you, you turn off the music from your phone and turn around with only your head, hands resting on your sides. you see… hyunjin? he looks around the place, admiring it from afar. you were laying like you were at a beach getting tanned. if you stood incredibly still you’d look like a part of the scenery, stuck there like an article of virtu. his eyes landed on yours, your bodies felt light, like what he needed to do next was come up to you, it was like the universe was guiding him here next to you. the silence has been broken by his bewitching voice,       

“it’s you.” his cheesy eye smile smile plastered on his face yet again.

“yeah… wait how do you know about this place?” you asked, tapping the free space you made for him to sit down. he flopped down next to you and extended his feet, his elbows supporting his upper body now.

“well, I come here a lot. I found out about it years ago.” he stated, as you nodded and looked down on your lap then back up at towards the waterfall. “I never got your name?” he spoke now much more seriously, now him being interested to find out more.

“y/n. it’s nice to officially meet you hyunjin”. you said his name a bit more open, in a slight sarcastic tone that caused him to chuckle. the silence afterwards wasn’t uncomfortable. he needed this sight as much as you right now and it was rather calm. you would be lying if you said you didn’t like it. you slightly turned your head to look at him, so slowly you didn’t dare interrupt his sightseeing. it’s going to become a habit to stare at his lips first. they were irresistible, a pleasing shade of pink. his cheeks had a slight red tint. his eyes were darted straight, until he felt you starting. he didn’t turn around fully, only quickly side eyeing you. the both of you looked away almost instantly, both looking at opposite sides of each other. you smiled so very quickly, and felt your cheeks heat up. you scattered your eyes literally everywhere but back at him. the silence is now a different type of quiet, you couldn’t really put it in words.

you didn’t really know how to start a conversation, you didn’t know the first thing about him but didn’t know how to approach and find anything out. different questions popped up in your head that didn’t even make sense, and you didn’t want to make the both of you cringe so you instead kept quiet.

you took your phone and started scrolling on pinterest. the small breeze turned into wind. the waterfall lost its tempo, and you thought it was the video you were watching, but turns out the new raindrops that have started falling were in real life.

the drizzle soon became heavy rain. you quickly put your phone in your bag that you tossed around your shoulder. the world around you changed its saturation from warm to cold. looking up, hyunjin was hovering over you, giving you a hand to help you get up. you took his hand and both of you started running with absolutely nothing to cover you. the rain felt ticklish, you could feel it sliding down, sending you shivers on your back. you didn’t notice hyunjin slightly stopping midway, taking off the jacket he’s wearing.

“why’d u stop? hurry!” you yelled at him, but you yourself didn’t know where you were hurrying to. the main street was 5 minutes away and no taxis or people were around. you were basically nowhere and had no way of getting back home quicker. running was now an only option.

he hurried to you, putting his leather jacket over your head and signed at you to hold it. you widened your eyes at the sudden gesture, not even daring to look back at him as you blush at his action. he grabbed your hand and started sprinting,

“we need to find some place to stay… until it stops raining” he spit out, looking back only once at you. you nodded to yourself, knowing if you reply verbally you’ll get exhausted.

seconds felt like decades, the sky started to clear out but above you was still one cloud- it was like it was chasing you, purposefully doing this. your breath was unstable from so much running, yet holding hyunjins hand made it a bit easier.

you were getting closer to the familiar streets, seeing a taxi a bit further. it was free, hyunjin letting you get in first, then him. you were soaking wet and tired, but you felt so relieved you could relax your feet, at least for a little while. the both of you told the driver your addresses, hyunjin telling him to take you home first.

the car ride was silent, you mouthed a thank you to hyunjin while taking his jacket off. when handing it to him he just pushed it back to you, insisting on you to keep it just in case – all while having a small smile on his lips. now turning his focus on the sight outside from the window, you took this moment to memorize his features again. even when his hair was drenched, or when his eyebrows got messy by all the water falling from his hair right on them, he was unreal. not even a flower, hell, a whole field of them couldn’t compete.

you turned your head to the window next to you. skies are completely clear and the road holds traces of the rain, each garden feels refreshed, the grass glistens. the houses are getting more familiar, until you’ve reached your stop. you pay for the ride, waving goodbye and exiting the car. approaching your front door you couldn’t help but think you’ve missed something, yet you shake off the feeling and get inside.

it was hyunjins eyes – he desperately wanted to meet yours again after you looked away. he took that time to analyze your features instead. how your shoulders relaxed around him, and how your pinkies were almost intertwining on the middle seat.

thursday, 7 am.

you woke up feeling energized, positive energy overflowing- maybe because you let out all that overthinking yesterday. you took a moment to go over the attraction you felt towards hyunjin. it was like he’s an actual magnet. you wanted to get to know him more, before it dawned on you that you don’t even have his number, nor his socials. what if you never saw him again? should you go to the waterfalls more since he said he goes often? but would that be too suspicious of you.

no, screw that. it’s not weird, you considered that place your haven. you couldn’t just not go.

your normal thoughts transferred to shower thoughts. you had made a plan to ask felix for his number. since they both seemed close, maybe you could annoy him a bit to even get his socials. you got ready for the day and headed out the door. you started walking to the flower shop. you had the courage to just do it. what’s the worst that can happen?

“I don’t have his number” – felix shrugged and pursed his lips together. you stood there dumbstruck, in shock. they were so casually chatting two days ago. you didn’t imagine a scenario in which this would happen. you had no backup plan.

“so, am I supposed to do it the old fashioned way? do I wait for him to come back?” a hint of disappointment in your voice wasn’t left unnoticed. you didn’t mind of course, but it would take time, and you didn’t want to wait for your spirit to flee.

“wait, do you like him? you only saw him once though?” felix asked.

“twice. and I don’t know, for now it’s an aesthetic attraction I guess? like I want to get to know him more. he seems gentle, sweet and definitely knows his stuff” you say and turn your head towards the sunflowers. you smile slowly thinking about all the conversation you could have with him about flowers. he seems to know a lot. just yesterday, you wanted silence. take him all in first. experience him first, his manners, his stance, his demeanor. just slowly find out more and more. maybe there could be something there.

“that’s nice. I approve of your opinion on him. I guess I could give you his instagram,” he says before asking for your phone. you give it to him awkwardly, thinking you’d have to scout for hyunjin around town, or maybe even wait at the waterfalls just to find him. you watch felix open your insta. he fidgets with his thumbs and wanders with his eyes before he types out his username, it helped with him being the first one to pop up.

“here,” he clicks the follow button, “now stop bothering me about him. you’re actually so desperate I’m starting to feel bad for you.” he gives you back your phone and walks away, checking the orders for bouquets you have for next week.

you look at his posts and read all of the captions, most of them being either emojis or song lyrics. apparently he’s a tattoo artist, some of his work being displayed in many posts and story highlights. colorful tattoos or black and white, he made them stand out, his style is unique and beautiful. you also noticed many changes of his hair color. you liked all of them though. you click the “message” option on his phone, and start thinking of how to start a conversation. many seconds that felt like hours consisting of typing and deleting later, you finally decided on one and without a second doubt sent it.

“hey! its y/n from the flower shop! since it rained on us yesterday, I was wondering if you properly wanted to hang out sometime, maybe?”

you placed your phone down on the counter, continuing your work day assorting the orders you’ve got, and helping people that come in the shop. hours of work later, you were ready to close the shop. felix had already left so you were alone. you sat down on the chair behind the counter yet again and checked your phone, you deleted some notifications you’ve got until you saw one- hyunjins reply. you quickly opened it, it read;

“oh hey, I’m available now if you are?” sent 13 minutes ago. you quickly responded not wanting for him to wait, “yeah! I just finished work, where do you want to meet up?”

meeting up three days in a row was really odd for you, but for some reason you felt relief he wanted it to be now, considering only now you can stomach a kick off to a proper dialogue.

you turned off your phone and put it down, a new notification came by quickly. a reply. that was very, very fast, you thought.

“you can come by my parlor, it’s very close to your shop, I’ll send you the address now.”

a link was attached in chat, telling you where it exactly is on google maps. you tell hyunjin you’re heading there now and start getting ready. you put on the jacket hyunjin lent you, it was kind of big but homely.

you start following the path, at the same time you put on your headphones and turn on some music. the street lights are slightly dim, some of them blinking. the ground is cemented perfectly, your sneakers don’t hit a single bump or hole. the wind is chilly, but not cold. your hair at a length where it tickles your shoulders, a haircut is in check. and strangely enough, the sky gracefully shows millions of almost dying stars – so mesmerizing it compels you to hold your head up for eternity.

something about walking alone at night was never scary to you, on the contrary, it excited you. it made you realize that there’s is so much beauty out there, some we even don’t see. some maybe we will never experience. how a love for life could be kindled in you, with or without entities you’re a fond of. in your case it was very obviously flowers.

time seems to move slow, you check your phone to see if you’re going the right way still or if you got too distracted. it seems you didn’t miss any turn of paths.

you’re now on a path in a park, benches are painted brown and you notice some carvings of initials on some. distracted by one in particular, you didn’t notice a person coming towards you. both of you not paying attention you bumped into the person. you saved yourself from falling and stopped abruptly. you look at the other person and notice its him. you were kind of surprised, thinking you’d find him at the parlor, not the middle of the park.

“oh god I’m sorry, you okay?” he says with eyebrows furrowed upwards and eyes hinting at worry. you smile at him and nod reassuringly. you don’t know how to greet him properly, but thinking fuck it you just go for a hug.

he hugs back calmly, wrapping his arms around your waist. you say over his shoulder, “why are we meeting halfway? I thought I’d find you there?”

he pulls out of the hug first, puts his hands in the pockets of his jacket and starts walking the way he came from, “I kind of didn’t want you to walk alone all the way..” he says looking back at you.

you head up to him and start walking beside him, also hands in your pockets. “it’s beautiful on this side of town, I adore working here. the people are nice and everything. honestly I love the other side as well because of the waterfalls, but they are kind of far… I don’t mind walking there, I love the scenery and I like how I can just.. think about stuff.”

you pause for a while, taking a deep breath and mentally scold yourself for talking a lot all of a sudden, “god I’m sorry I’m rambling so much.” you look down and raise your eyebrows, blinking every two seconds hoping you didn’t just embarrass yourself.

“I don’t mind it, I like your point of view,” hyunjin says and messes up your hair, immediately putting a smile on your face again. how he never fails to do that.

you walk next to each other for a little while in quiet until he turns to look at you and he breaks the silence again, “you’re wearing my jacket.” he turns back again smiling to himself.

you look down and grin, whipping your head to look at him quickly, “yeah, I guess I am,” quiet. “but I can give it back it’s no problem really-“

you were cut off by hyunjins ohs and no’s, “don’t, it looks better on you honestly.” your ears turn a hue of red, and you smile brightly at his comment.

it was a comfortable and short walk. you got to the tattoo parlor and hyunjin started unlocking the door. on the door was a sign that clearly read ‘closed’, and the window had huge glowing lights in a form of text ‘tattoo’. the inside and outside both looked extremely grungy and aesthetic. the brick walls were black and from outside of the shop, on the side, it had some graffiti but it didn’t look messy or in-your-face.

one that stuck out to you was of a cosmos flower meaning order and harmony. pretty.

hyunjin got in and left the keys on the counter, holding out his hand to point you where you’ll sit. you take out your jacket and put it on the hanger, not forgetting to take your phone out of the pocket. you look around the place- it looks exactly like… all the other tattoo parlors. vinyl’s and bookshelves, many posters, big mirrors, wooden tiles, glass counter, a waiting room, the place where you get your tattoos, and a backroom aka where hyunjin is taking you.

it’s exactly like the waiting room at the beginning, just more modern and not so ‘loud’ per se. you sit down on the couch and he sits next to you. you look around while hyunjin looks at you. after a couple of seconds your gaze ends at him, he asks you, “would you like something to drink? we haven’t got much but.. coffee, some soda, water?”

you look at the time on your phone, 6:42pm. “it’s a bit late for coffee, a soda sounds nice!” he gets up from the couch and heads to the small refrigerator in the corner, he pulls out two cans and shows them off to you, closing the fridge with his hip. he walks over and hands one to you, sitting down again, this time a bit closer.

“thank you,” you open the lid and so does he, the both of you share a ‘cheers’ and drink. setting down the soda on the table you rest your hand on the top of the couch and completely turn to hyunjin. your eyes darting from his eyes to his piercing, it didn’t go unnoticed by him.

“so… you’re a tattoo artist? tell me about it,” you ask curiously. hyunjin looks down with a smirk then tilts his head up, ready to answer the inquiry.

“yeah, I’ve liked drawing and stuff since forever and I found my own style and being a tattoo artist was something that always attracted me so, yeah that’s how I found this job and now I’m comfortable and finally happy with what I’m pursuing..” you noticed while talking hyunjin was averting his gaze almost everywhere, finding right words to say and using his hands to emphasize it. “what about you? you know, I’m actually really interested in flowers and their meanings. I would be more than glad to hear about you and how everything started for you!”

hours were spent talking about each other, exchanges of understanding nods and soft smiles and even phone numbers. if you could, you’d continue all night.

sunday, 9:02am

you woke up particularly early, considering today is a day off. usually you’d sleep to later, but yesterday night you did nothing but scroll on your phone, which resulted to you falling asleep earlier than expected.

work was getting tiring. of course, it’s a job, it’s supposed to be like this - but this was different. you just couldn’t figure out what exactly. it wasn’t assorting, it wasn’t the customers, it wasn’t the shop overall.

and an even stranger thing, whenever you thought of the flowers you winced, your head hurt, you didn’t want to think about it. you shook it off, this is your life. this is what you love, pull yourself together.

you got up and washed your face. the reflection on the mirror left you staring for a minute. my hair got longer, you thought. taking a moment to fully wake up, face a new day.

the plan was simple- do nothing throughout the day and then go to a bar at night. no reason, you wanted to have a bit of fun. it was a needed distraction, every second week maybe. you didn’t go to get drunk or high, or to meet someone that’ll forget you in a day. rather; drink a bit, and scroll on your phone. its better there than at home anyways.

you ate lunch, showered. your daily routine of work became exhausting. your hands worked faster than your brain, you didn’t know what was going on. you were so confused and occupied with everything all at once- you couldn’t even let yourself be vulnerable at home.

pushing those thoughts aside, you put on clothes that still suited you and shoes you couldn’t get tired of. pulling the front door open, you take a deep breath. the air is fresh, “earthy” and humid.

you walked to a bar you saw was newly opened, and you were very excited to try new places so you decided to go. it was a 20 minute walk, wasn’t a lot, but it wasn’t that close either.

the entrance looked cool, and the inside looked dark. the lights had a red glow, they were dimly lit.

you walked to the bar, obviously. you could never sit on the tables, always other people thinking they’re free to sit with you, or talk to you. of course, the bar wasn’t very different, but you had more space away from other people and it usually wasn’t that full.

luckily, this bar wasn’t that crowded, it opened up a week ago, which was the weird thing. you’d expect more people, but you’re not complaining.

“what can I get you?” the bartender asks you, while cleaning your side of the bar.

you look up at the chalk board hanging up, basically having all the drinks written on them, along with the prices.

“just a cuba libre, thanks.” you smiled at him, and he started to work on your drink.

you pulled up your phone and started scrolling on Instagram. old friends- staying home, parenting. new friends- clubbing, drinking.

you’ve never had that, whatever they’re going through. genuinely, your life seemed so occupied with all the wrong things at times. you didn’t know what you wanted. you had the freedom to do whatever, but no motivation to pull something. breaking some pattern or pulling some string could help, but you were chained. the shop, the goddamn fucking flowers.

you took a sip out of your served drink. it was fine. satisfying enough for the night.

more scrolling, more thinking, it couldn’t stop.

no matter where you were or who you were with, you felt insecure. and you hated every second of it.

just as you were about to leave, you heard yelling. somewhere behind you.

but don’t be nosy, don’t turn around.

but you did.

it was the bartender, pleading for forgiveness. and hyunjin. dismissing him.

your eyes followed him as he started walking to the exit, the bartender yelled his name again and again, until he was out of sight.

you followed him. you started running to him, you saw the look in his eyes. he was disappointed, sad, angry. It was honestly jarring, and you just wished he was okay.

you saw him make a turn, and you saw how his hand reached to his eyes, hiding away the tears.

you grabbed his hand, he was startled, but calmed himself when he saw it was just you.

“do you want to talk about it?”

9:02pm.

you take a sip out of the canned cocktail and then let it rest to the table next to you.

his lips press cold, the fear of this information being told again hurt his head more than ever. it wasn’t like he didn’t trust you, he just couldn’t bring himself to relive those memories again, but he chose to today.

he backs away, slowly coming back to his earlier position. his legs stiffen, his composure is fixed straight. guessing that eye contact will make it harder for him to explain.

“i’m sorry you had to witness that, i’m assuming I sort of ruined your night out.. you really didn’t have to do this.” he sighed. his head dropped low, shame consuming him, his nails picking the skin on his fingers. you replied by squeezing his almost bloodied hands. his nails released the flesh, he looked up and blinked multiple times. the truth comes next.

“that was.. my ex-boyfriend. lets just say things between us didn’t end well… but..” his voice cracked, you looked at the tears in his eyes, maybe he wasn’t ready to tell me anything, well, he doesn’t know you that personally either.

you hugged him and felt him starting to break down on your shoulder, “you don’t have to tell me anything if you’re not ready, okay? please don’t feel pressured to do so.”

“I want to,” he says, “I trust you, and I need to talk about this.”

“when we were together, at the beginning it was amazing. i’ve never been treated like that with so much love and respect.. until he started-“ he cut off, taking a deep breath once more to finally say it. “until he started nagging me to come out to my parents. i know, it sounds like I was hiding him or something- but it was the total opposite.”

you turn to fully look at him, “me and my parents hadn’t been talking for a while at that point. they hated me, they were wrecks, drunk all the time. I had to move out, I couldn’t bear to look at them. he didn’t understand, his parents were there for him. he said it was better for me, but truthfully he only looked for ways to make me feel shittier.”

he turns to look at you, “I never hid him, you know? I wanted to have a compromise with my parents at that point, but he just told them, without my consent. he actually found a way to contact them.”

he was outed. you were outraged.

“I told him that they had hated me for leaving up until then, but he just gave them a reason to never forgive- no, take me back.”

his eyes met yours, “i’m sorry, I didn’t mean to-“.

you cut him off, “don’t apologize, please. i’m so sorry you had to go through that.” you said, it almost sounding like a whisper.

“he just kept telling me it wasn’t that serious, to forgive and forget. and now I keep going back, trying to somehow forgive. but I still haven’t forgotten.”

“can I hug you hyun?” he could hear your response as you gave him a pained smile. you understood him. you trusted him even more, for telling you something like this.

you got up and reached down for him, he took your hands, got up and wrapped his hands around you.

he was slightly taller than you, so your chin rested on his shoulder, “you’re alright now. you’ve got me… and-“ you chuckled at your next thought, “and alomestrias.”

he let out a brittle laugh, “a flower reference?” he pulled away and looked at you, “very smooth.”

september 9th, 12:54pm.

dull day, work day. again.

its been a few months since hyunjin has opened up. you two have gotten very close. hanging out every week, minimum two times.

at the beginning, you wouldn’t have thought you’d get close this instantly. he was a joy to be around with. he changed his hair color again, blonde does suit him very well.

you glanced at the mirror again. it started to become… painful.

oh.

oh.

the walk to the shop isn’t lively. did they cut the trees? it’ll rain, the clouds are dark. its just dreary now. your walk is fast, too fast. get the job done, so you’ll leave earlier. it’s been a loop for about a month now. and the only thing you wouldn’t want to show up again this week is-

“flowers, from hyun :]”

you see the bouquet on the desk again. 3rd time this month. you crack a smile, again. 3rd time.

‘they’re just so pretty, aren’t they?” you hear felix say behind you. you almost jumped at the sudden comment, turning around to see him taking his dirty gloves off.

“felix! you cant just creep up on people like that, jesus. its irksome.” you turn back to the bouquet, taking a nearby free vase to put them in. shit, maybe that sounded a bit too harsh.

felix scoffed, shaking his head, “who pissed in your cereal? is everything okay with you?”

“im fine. im sorry.” you hug him as a greeting, and apology. youre as tall as him, so hugging him has always been the most comfortable, and always very warm. you never knew how important he is in your world, but its moments like these that really show you. whether its work, or a simple everything okay? question, he knew how to help.

work was easy that day. customers coming in and out, calling, ordering. humming a song with felix, and then it turned into a whole musical performance. you caught a glimpse of hyunjins flowers for you, a downcast smile was mustered. if only they gave the same message to you as he intended them to.

if only you could look at flowers the same again.

november, 8:25pm.

cheering was heard from the other side of the bar. the football match is on, and fans just couldn’t stay at home to watch apparently, so they have to yell in other places, with even louder friends around them.

you poked fun at felix, “you seriously thought it was a good idea to go to a bar when the world cup is happening?”

he rolled his eyes, “i hate football.” he commented as he downed the 2nd shot of the night.

“felix, take it easy man. two shots already? i didn’t know you had it in you.” hyunjin joked, raising his eyebrow with a smirk on his face, taking a sip from his own drink slowly. you chuckled but immediately stopped when felix sent you a death glare. you could feel your cheeks redden, the urge to laugh again was very tempting.

“oh my god shut up, its only two shots. and if you both keep teasing me ill make it so that you have to take me to the hospital.”

you looked at hyunjin, and he turned at the right moment to look at you back. it wasn’t planned, yet your laughs happened at the same time. felix gave up with you two, ordering a normal cocktail to drink for the rest of the night.

you felt at ease, finally the three of you out together. it was like a bond-made-in-heaven.

? ??, ?:??

its a strange thing, to realize that you have started loving a person more than yourself.

you used to love, love, love. its not a hate now, it’s an unaccepting. a complicated argument with yourself.

you have fallen in love with hyunjin.

you have fallen out of love with flowers, something that used to make you feel whole.

a part of your soul was torn away, another was added.

but what you realized is that, the added part wasn’t big enough to restore it. you realized that the loathe you felt for flowers, was truly for you all along.

work.

“hey hyun, i gotta tell you something.”

you gulp, sigh.

“yes?” please stop staring at me like that.

you can just say it, why not? work on yourself later. hes right there.

“nevermind, sorry.”

days.

you took a week off from work. you only hoped felix could handle it, you felt bad.

you felt bad that this is when you experience contempt for oneself. when a person showed you their vulnerability, their confusion, their happiness, you lose your own self and focus on another.

writing it on paper didn’t work, ripped it out in a matter of minutes. you check your phone to see missed calls, “hyun<3”.

so should you call? youre stuck in your own misery, would you want to bring him down with your sinking ship?

but you call, its him. you love him, you need to tell him, right?

“hey hyun, sorry I didn’t answer,” ….. “yeah, yeah im fine. hey uh can you come by the park near my house? .. yeah. see you.”

shit.

it dawned on you you didn’t call him for nothing. you could potentially lose him, a friend you’ve grown close to, and youre doing it at a risky time.

one more look in the mirror, hes not gonna pay attention to your tired face, hopefully?

i need to explain it to him, he deserves to know.

the loud music in your ears seems to be too quiet, pretending to be okay starts to feel lonely.

oh, they cut the trees there.. and the small river has seemed to disappear, it’s a shame.

you see hyunjin sitting on a bench, in the park. you slowly take off your headphones, approaching him. just smile for now? but youre terrified.

as you get closer he looks up at you and smiles, hugging you. maybe for a second you realized he hugged you too tight.

“are you okay? hi, gosh.”

he sits back down and motions for you to sit next to him.

you look around, its quiet now, and the wind isn’t that bothersome. the fresh air calmed you a bit.

“i need to talk”

you turned to face him, he put his phone in his pocket. turning to you aswell, “of course, im here to listen-“

his chat was cut off, “please just, let me finish okay? ill tell you when you can reply I just, I need to tell you everything.”

he furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, but slowly relaxed, giving you a signal with his hand to take it away.

and so you talk, you didn’t notice your mouth got dry after days of not speaking much, you fumbled, stuttered, stopped. but he listened.

“i think.. im lost hyunjin. i grew up loving flowers I mean, you know this. the shop was my first love and.. i realized I loved something more than that. Its so complicated- my thoughts.. the simplest way I can put it is, the flowers are, basically all my life. and im so sad that my first love is becoming my worst enemy. I hate the way I know so much about them to the point I relate my life to them. and, the only thing that distracted me from that was you.”

you look into his eyes. youre scared for his reaction, you cant deny that.

“i fell in love with you. and,” you look down, avoiding his gaze for just a while. “im so scared to lose you. because i am practically on the verge of losing a part of myself too, i don’t want you to also become something that will break me.”

silence, you knew you shouldn’t say anything. it was a mistake. you finally raise your head, only to see a daffodil in front of you, hyunjin holding it from behind you.

you chuckle, almost immediately figuring it out. “the main symbolism… new beginnings, rebirth.”

you follow hyunjins movement, he sat back down again.

“but hyunjin, it also means unrequited love.” you smile sadly, how you got your answer with a flower.

hyunjin widened his eyes, “seriously? i didn’t know that. i promise I didn’t mean that one.”

“you didn’t? what did you mean then?”

he put the flower on your lap, your hands instantly hold in, observing it closer.

he cleared his throat, almost like a sign to look at him, but you couldn’t bring yourself to do it.

“i want to fix this with you, together. you helped me when I needed someone and, I want to help you too. can you let me be your new beginning? I cherish you and I want to help you grow and love yourself individually.”

he takes the flower from your hands, you look at him, “can we let these just be symbols? they also are their own life. ive also grown to love you, the real you. well discover new ways to embrace your first love again. nothing will be broken, I promise.”

[piratejenna]

Spoilers for Layton Brothers: Mystery Room

Prompt: fics you read when you need to cry

Title: To Absent Fathers and Broken Sons

Author: @anonymouspuzzler

Fandom: Layton Brothers: Mystery Room

Rating: Teen and Up Audiences

Word Count: 12940

Summary: It has been exactly seventeen days since his son - his only son, a mere twenty-five years old - had been left on the brink of death.

-----

So I love the Professor Layton series, and Mystery Room is probably my second favorite entry in the series (though it's technically a spin-off). It has it's problems, but I overall I think it's really fun. But one of the aspects that I find the most interesting is the one canon never really addresses, which is the Layton kids.

The PL timeline is honestly a mess (it's always been wonky, and then Lady Layton decided to wreck whatever structure it had), but the idea of seeing Flora, Alfendi, and Kat growing up together is just delightful to me. So of course, I've spent plenty of time looking for fanfic of this exactly. And this fic is my favorite version of that.

You don't really see direct interactions between the three of them, but the fic excellently communicates their dynamic to you. I love that Al and Kat are particularly close, which makes so much sense and delights me.

In general, Al is wonderfully characterized here. What he's like pre-canon is pretty vague, and I don't always like the way people choose to interpret him. But this fic's version of him is great. There's such a good balance of what we do see of Al in the game, and also what you would expect of him given his family. I'll shout out two favorites I like: Al is a really good cook, and he loves doing community theater.

But, as the prompt says, this is a fic I come to when I want to cry, so let's address that.

The focus of the fic is the father son relationship between Layton and Alfendi over the years. It mostly moves chronologically, but you start the fic with the knowledge that we're going to end up in the hospital with Alfendi shot and confessing to a murder. It does a great job building tension over the course of the story. We watch as, initially, the two have a pretty good relationship, but over time it starts to dissolve. They grow apart, and every time you see them drift farther, it hurts that much more because you know where things are going.

I could break this fic down scene by scene, but I'm going to focus on my favorite scene, and the one that really breaks my heart. It's the last scene (chronologically at least) before Al gets shot. It's the scene when drunk Al calls Layton.

This scene is so good, because Al lays into his dad, finally letting loose with all his anger and frustration at Layton and how he failed the kids growing up. And the best part of this fic: he's right.

The fic is clear, from the start, that Layton isn't a perfect parent. He's a single dad with a job that frequently pulls him out of the country, and the fic doesn't shy away from how this affects the kids. So when Al lays it all out, the specifics of how this affected him growing up, Layton just accepts it. Tells Al he's right, apologizes, and makes it clear that Al doesn't have to forgive him.

And this scene, where Layton is open about his own flaws, and Al breaks down because he wanted a fight but Layton isn't fighting him, it freaking guts me. On its own, it already breaks my heart, but it's so much harder because we know that this is it. There will be no time for them to fix their relationship because Al is about to get shot.

The final section of this fic also breaks my heart. The dread that sits in my stomach as the fic moves towards the end, and I know that Alfendi is going to confess to the murder and be a different person. In particular, the part where Al suddenly breaks and starts desperately telling his dad he didn't do it and begging him not to leave, and the narration says that this is their last conversation--

Overall, I think this is the fic I come to because it's not just one scene that makes me cry. The fic as a whole has this tragedy filling it that's so beautifully written and presented. I adore every scene, and this is easily my favorite version of the Layton family. The author tackles the incredible feat of making sense of the timeline and does so expertly while also managing to walk the challenging tightrope of "Layton is an incredibly well-intentioned but ultimately flawed parent".

I would strongly encourage any fans of Mystery Room to check this fic out. It does carry a good bit of tension from your knowledge of the game, but personally I'd say if you are a fan of the Layton series, this is still a great fic. As I said, I think this is a great representation of Layton as a father, and you are missing out to skip it.

[floralovebot]

We gotchu😉 I loved your post about Helia’s vices, and you mentioned he has a few more negative qualities that aren’t really vices (jealousy, lack of confidence and stubbornness) Could you share more about them?

OF COURSE I LOVE TALKING ABOUT HIS MENTAL ISSUES

So, while I am very firmly seated on the "Helia definitely gets jealous and he's not perfect sucks to sucks" train, I do think it's important to note that his jealousy is directly tied to his self-deprecation and feeling like people are better than him/he needs to prove himself to his loved ones.

All of his jealous moments (pre-s5 at least) are all started by Helia thinking some random guy is better than him in some way and that they would be better for Flora. So he feels conflicted because Oh No But He Loves Flora but also she deserves only the best soooo Big Jealous Moment. And he really "shows" his jealousy by just being a non-confrontational petty bitch about it ajldghladg He sulks around in a bad mood and doesn't say anything until someone directly confronts him about it.

This is a big reason why I don't think jealousy is enough of a Thing for him to be considered of his vices (unlike characters like muri or sky). While he does get jealous, it's always in connection to those bigger vices and quite honestly it doesn't happen enough for it to be a Big deal.

Lack of confidence is I think just another term for self-deprecation in his case. There are definitely times when he lacks confidence but again, it's always tied to him beating himself up or feeling like someone else would be better for the job. In his day to day life and even on most missions, he's usually fine in that regard so I don't think it could be considered a Vice for him yknow?

Him being insanely stubborn does crop up more than these other two so honestly you could definitely argue for it being one of his vices. I just feel like, again, it's always in connection with something else that affects him a lot more. Helia is also pretty good at going with the flow and abandoning plans if there's a better way, especially during missions. His stubbornness mostly shows up in his daily life when he gets So convinced that he's the worst person to ever live or that everyone hates him. It's that really focused self-deprecation that feels like the end of the world at the moment and makes him completely clam up (more so than usual!! which is impressive !!). After the situation calms down and he's in a better mindset, he's a lot more open to other ideas!

I really define vices as a negative quality that happens too consistently to be just an in-the-moment thing. So something like occasionally getting jealous cause you think your girlfriend is kissing someone else but never getting like that any other time isn't a vice to me. It's just an in-the-moment reaction that almost anyone could have to that situation. Meanwhile, a vice is a negative quality that happens a lot more and often in situations that don't call for that reaction/behaviour. Like Bloom's escapism or Flora's self-deprecation. So for these to be vices for him, I think they would need to happen a lot more and on their own!

[aesoka]

as much as i wanna see galen again, disney would ruin his character in the new game. the last game ( jedi: fallen order ) was set up to be pretty okay & i’ll start with what i enjoyed!

the storyline is what really made it a cool game ; the style of storytelling through force echos and the like was clever and i haven’t seen that level of creativity in a while? they actually did a good job of showing how inevitable and expansive the empire was. the story could have been filled with more diverse characters but the places we go and the alliances we make are pretty cool & heartfelt.

the work with conceptualizing planets and their inhabitants and flora and fauna was amazing. the information & time spent on it was ….wow like by far amazing! esp fortress inquisitorious

trilla and the inquisitors were actually set up to ACTUALLY be the terrifying force they were. inquisitors weren’t prestigious in the sense of job hierarchy, sure you were above everyone due to your force sensitivity but most didn’t want to be there and the training was basically vader torturing you a bit and making u a good combat fighter.

the musical score was nice! really immersed you.

combat & controls were pretty good.

some of the customization , the lightsaber specifically

things i didn’t really care for:

white boy as our main character? like if you went this far at least go a bit further and let us customize our character, sure it would have taken longer but you would’ve made more extra cash bc literally everyone and their mom wants kotor customization but with better graphics ( kotor & swtor is amazing i’m not saying it’s not but you’re telling me you wouldn’t want some better graphics? ‘ it’s apart of its charm!’ mhm ok. )

killing off trilla was….biggest L for me i honestly did not care if they made a sequel once they had vader kill her ( brutal and cruel esp as she was beginning to open up and consider options besides death via inquisitor lifestyle. )

the customization ; ponchos , bd1 skins & mantis ship skins was weak but u know. better than nothing! but still. LACKING.

the god . damn. map. was so confusing and small and maybe i’m just not the brightest bulb but you get lost on sub floor 5 when u need to get back to above ground floor 2 ok. like. damn.

why’d we have to like. tromp thru dathomir’s night brother tribe and like. were forced to kill lots of them. what the fuck was that about.

i would have preferred if we leaned more into EU / LEGENDS force user type deal with these games but that’s just my own personal gripe bc i miss when force users were op

at the end of the day the sequel was announced and i’m sure they did a 5-10 year time skip? or something like that & honestly i don’t really know what else they want us to do? we personally fought and escaped vader , penetrated a fortress & now vader is gonna want us dead 10x more than before lol. i’d like to say galen would be a good addition, but i know they’d just fuck him up so i think it’d be best to just not even add him lol.

[stargazer-balladeer]

S/o’s birthday but locks themselves in their rooms because they don’t feel special [Genshin Impact]

Characters Included: Aether, Childe, Diluc, Kaeya & Venti.

Notes: Ayeeee! Since it’s my birthday today, why not make this? :))) I actually got carried away 🥲 this is around 3.5k words in total. Hope ya’ll like this!

Reader’s Gender: Neutral (tho i think there’s a slight implied female hehe…)

Warning: probably some swear words here and there knowing me- and mild suggestive themes in kaeya’s part 

[albedo, scaramouche, xiao]

Aether remembers your birthday more than he knows his- like srsly, he’s the kind that remembers his s/o’s bday more than his. He’s also the kind that celebrates it privately unless you want to celebrate it with others, which he doesn’t mind. He might have a hard time deciding what kind of gift you want, but sooner or later, he already has one (or multiples bc he can’t decide-). 

Imagine his confusion when your day finally arrives but he can’t find you anywhere, even Paimon, who was excited to celebrate your bday (“oohh~ I can’t wait to eat the cake!” - Paimon), seems confused. Probably the culprit in planting worry in the travellers head as she jumps to conclusion that you might’ve been kidnapped. 

Luckily, he checked your house before he could report it to the knights of Favonius or the Qixing (like any normal person should do really-). When he received no reply, he takes out the spare key you gave him and entered your house, an invasion of privacy he knows but it's an emergency- 

Knowing that you’re in your room when he can’t find you downstairs, he knocks on your bedroom door softly while calling your name. Imagine his (and Paimon’s) relief when the door cracked open. Immediately engulfing you into a hug, he lets out a sigh of relief. He then proceeds to ask you what you were doing inside your room when it’s your birthday. His heart literally broke when you stated your reason. Tightening his hold around your figure, he smiles bitterly, knowing that feeling all too well..

“That’s not true. None of that stuff is true. Everyone deserves to feel special on their birthday, most especially you. We’ve brought some food, and cake of course. Also some gifts from other people. If you want, do you want to celebrate it with just the two, or rather three, of us?”

You, who was a literal angel in his eyes deserve the world. He honestly wants to find whoever put that idea in your head but that was reserved for another moment. For now, his main priority is your happiness. Guiding you downstairs where Paimon was (she left when aether hugged you, knowing you two needed privacy. also the cAKE-), he watches as your eyes sparkle at the sight of the cake. 

Grinning softly he made sure you had fun with your birthday. Even though it would be more fun with more people, it feels more special if it’s celebrated with just the two of you. Staring you with pure adoration as you laughed merrily at the sight of Paimon stuffing herself with food. He couldn’t help himself but lean forward to place a kiss on your forehead and then on your lips, leaning back with a smile on his face. 

“Happy birthday, my love. May many more to come. Maybe next time, we can invite other people. Though I don’t mind if we’ll celebrate it with just the two of us only-” And Paimon! Don’t forget about Paimon!” “Yes yes. And Paimon.”

Similar to Aether, he would most definitely remember your birthday. After all, it holds a special place in his heart, alongside his family. And since this boi is rich af, he would most definitely try to spoil you on your birthday. Piles of expensive (or just cheap yet meaningful) gifts, reservation to a high-class restaurant in Liyue Harbor, and all that glamour. 

Actually, he didn’t find it odd that he didn’t see you immediately, thinking that you overslept or just relaxing in your house. But he soon finds it weird when it’s already around 3 in the afternoon and no sign of your face in the crowd, something he raised a brow at but shrugged it off. It isn’t until it’s almost the time of the reservation he made when he finally realized what’s going on. 

When he arrived at your house, dressed in a suit similar to Zhongli except it’s entirely black and white, waiting for you to come out. After a couple of minutes, he soon got concerned and decided to enter your bedroom through the window (pls do not do this at home). Startled at the sudden appearance of your handsome yet cheeky boyfriend, he stares at you with eyes asking the questions he didn’t dare to tell. 

Knowing he will get his answer one way or another, you decided to tell him about your dilemma. After you finished explaining yourself, silence surrounds you, which is quite worrisome since your boyfriend is known for his rather talkative behavior. Blinking in surprise at the sudden embrace of the 11th Harbinger, his hug was rather tight but not too tight that it cuts your oxygen. Speaking in a low, faint voice, a surprising feat for him, you can make out what he said as clear as day. 

“I’m sorry. I should’ve noticed it sooner. I was trying to be a perfect boyfriend for you but I guess I failed in that aspect. You know, if you feel like you aren’t special enough to celebrate your birthday, then what about me? Me who stained his hands with the red blood of his enemies, always engaging in a fight, clashing with other blades. Insecurity is really an asshole huh? Let me make it up to you now. Let’s not anymore go to that stupid high-class restaurant, c’mon, up you go. You better dressed comfortably when I come back or else…”

Leaving you quickly before coming back immediately, this time in more comfortable clothing rather than the stiff suit he wore earlier. This time as well, he entered your house normally through the door. In his arms, he was holding a bunch of stuff and proceeded to dump it on the living room table. It was different kinds of movies in different genres, you spotted some of your favorite movies in them (makes you also wonder where he got these from since you don’t remember seeing these in the room he stays-).

He would suggest making a pillow fort, and while making the pillow fort, he proceeded to smack you with one. Which ensued a pillow fight between you two. It successfully made the both of you a laughing mess by the end, filled with feathers. Childe then carries you bridal style to the incomplete pillow fort and starts the movie you chose. Placing you in his lap and placing his head either on your shoulder or head depending on your height, cuddling you from behind tightly with a contented smile on his face. 

“You know what? This might not be how I envisioned how your birthday would go, but I’m not complaining. Happy birthday, comrade. My most adorable and most cutest and only love. I love you so much that you’ll be the very reason why I die so suddenly. So stop being so cute okay?” 

(You two are living together in this one.)

Diluc has the probability of forgetting your birthday due to his busy schedule, especially if it’s starting to rise when your birthday draws near. He might neglect you for a couple of days, too engrossed in his work. When the day finally arrives, it completely leaves his mind. Like he’ll think of it as a completely ordinary working day. It isn’t until one of your friends told him to send you their birthday greetings that he remembered. And oh boy does he feel guilty, like srsly, he literally froze when he realizes what day it is today. And you know what that means? ✨Panicc✨

Honestly, I can see him buying the whole store XD. In the state of panic, his common sense just leaves him completely that he ends us buying practically the whole store. It would be sent to the Dawn Winery immediately as he buys some flowers from Flora, who also sent you her birthday greetings, which made him more guilty-

When Diluc steps foot inside the manor, he tries to search for you outside the gardens where he usually finds you but when he doesn't, he gets worried. Asking the head maid immediately about your whereabouts, and his concern and worry (and guilt) grew even more when he finds out that you haven’t gone out of your room. He quickly went to your shared room, with the flowers still in his hands, and knocked on your door. Calling your name softly and asking for permission to enter, when granted he entered the room as quickly as possible. But seeing the sight of you bundled up in your blanket made his heart crack.

Placing the flowers at the bedside table, he quickly made his way in front of you and kneeled down to meet your eye level. You can tell he was very worried about you with how frantic his eyes seem and the concern underlying it. With the way he was staring at you, you can’t help but spill your insecurity to him. The reason why you were hiding in his room rather than go out to celebrate your day of birth. Every word you spill made his heart break even more. Seeing tears started to leak from your eyes, he placed his two hands on your face wiping away the tears with his thumbs. Smiling at you gently and placing a kiss on your eyelids and on your nose.

“I completely understand, my love. Even I sometimes feel that way. Also to the point where I don’t want to celebrate my birthday even, but that won’t do my love. You are so special, you deserve your special day to be well special. If you want to simply lay here and sleep, then so be it. If you want to go out and do something, then I’ll happily oblige. Let’s obliterate those awful thoughts, and if those keep persisting, I’ll slice them up for you. I’ll keep picking you up when you fall. So, what is your command, my love?” (i'm so tempted for him to say master-)

Whatever your answer may be, one thing for sure, Diluc is seen smiling adoringly at you. Even the maids noted how soft the master is around you, particularly today. Whether curled up together in the bed, with him embracing you tightly to his chest and placing a kiss on top of your head. And if you listen carefully, you can hear him quietly humming a tune that his father (or mother) sang to him. Or you two outside in the garden, simply admiring the view with his hand around your waist. 

Either way, at the end of the day, he would wake you up or make you go inside for dinner. You haven’t eaten breakfast or lunch yet so you’re probably hungry by now. If you don’t want to leave your room or want to return to your room, he would understand and make the maids bring the food to you. When the maid(s) finally arrives with the food, you notice the cake on the tray. Looking at him as he chuckles, taking the trays from the maids. Humming a light tune, he scoops a spoonful of cake and holds it to your mouth, with a slight smirk on his face, eyes twinkling with mischief. 

“Stop staring at me like that, did you really think I would let the day go by for you to not celebrate your birthday properly? From what I know, birthdays have cakes in them, whether a huge cake or a cupcake. Say ‘ahh’~... Happy birthday my love. May next year be more enjoyable than now.”

Kaeya remembers your birthday like the back of his hand, I think he’s even more excited than you really. Eagerly awaiting your birthday as he counts down the days, dropping hints and stuff to you birthday-related, and probably plans a birthday party for you. The knights immediately agreed on it, including a certain bard, traveler, and wine master (albeit more hesitantly). He made sure that this party would be successful, constantly checking on the plans and such. To the point that everyone was practically fed up with his constant questions. But they understand that he wants this to be a successful and enjoyable party for you. It got to the point where Diluc kicked him out of his Tavern after asking for the umpteenth time. 

When your day finally arrives, he was practically beaming with joy and excitement. To the point where he can’t hide it behind the cool and suave facade he wears. He quickly made his way to you, going along with the plan of distracting you as they started to prepare for the party. In his total excitement, he didn’t notice the rather gloomy atmosphere around the house. But when he arrived at your door, that is when he noticed how quiet your house is.

Now albeit worried, his excited smile slipping from his face and now replaced with a worried frown, he knocked on your door, calling you in his usual teasing voice. When he didn’t hear your response, the bubble of anxiety appeared in his body. Twisting the knob and finding it unlocked, he quietly and carefully opened the door. Seeing your back immediately, seeing your side rise and fall making him sigh in relief that you were still alive. Closing the door gently but made a noise to alert you of his presence. Taking a seat behind you, he ran his cold fingers on your back, watching you arching at the sudden coldness of his fingers. Smiling slightly, he asked what’s wrong. 

Turning around to face him, you buried your face on his chest, inhaling his strong masculine scent. Instinctively wrapping his arms around you, he played with your hair with one of his hands. Tapping on your head slightly, beckoning for you to answer his question. With no way out, you decided to come clean. You explain how you feel like you don’t feel like you deserve to be treated as special on your birthday and all that sort. His face was void of emotion as he stared at the ceiling with his unique pair of blue eyes. Outside he might seem emotionless. But inside, he was on the brink of insanity. Who dares to put such an idea on his s/o’s mind? Why would you think of that? Was this insecurity of yours also his fault?

“That must be the most stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. You’re not special? Please. Don’t try to make me laugh with that joke ‘cause it’s not funny. You are a jewel, a star, a constellation. As rare as the gems, or rather visions. You can even rival the very sun with your smile. I know those demons in your head keep saying those words to you, the temptation is so tempting, right? Just succumbing to them to make them quiet. But that’s why I’m here, my dearest snowflake. I’m here for you. You’re so special to everyone, most especially to me. You mean the world to me. Anyway, enough of this tear-jerking stuff, we have a party to celebrate. And we can’t celebrate it without the birthday gal/guy now can we?”

Despite your protests, he lifted you effortlessly and carried you outside and into the dawn winery where the party was held. Placing you on the ground and pushing you forward where people from Mondstadt came and greeted you with happy birthdays. Smiling at the sight of you being overwhelmed at the warm greetings, and then chuckling at how bright your face became. Diluc nudges him to you, beckoning him to help you before returning to what he was previously doing (most likely trying to force a bard to not finish all the wines in the vicinity).

After a while in the party, Kaeya brings you to a secluded place with no people for air. Being in a party filled with people could be suffocating at times, especially if you’re not used to it. He intertwined his hands with yours and bends down to meet your eye level (or leans down if you have the same height as him-). He gives you a cheeky smile and proceeds to place a peck on your lips. Chuckling when you pouted and glared at him, wanting more kisses.

“My my, what a greedy vixen~ But it is indeed your birthday so I guess I have no choice but to oblige to whatever my birthday vixen wants me to do. Would you like me to strip as well? Haha. Kidding kidding. Happy birthday, princess/prince. May many more to come. Oh! I forgot. I heard from a certain birdie that you ordered for a personal performance from me~ would you like to get it now?” 

Since we all know that Venti practically doesn’t do anything like every day, I would safely say that he would remember your birthday. Probably save some mora to buy you a gift for your birthday, even though it’s not as fancy as the people in Liyue (they all rich kids-), it’s still meaningful. He probably made a bracelet all by himself with the beads he either bought or also made by himself. Nevertheless, he was as excited as Kaeya for your birthday. Already prepared songs to sing for you when that day comes. 

Venti immediately searches for you when the day finally arrives, but his excited and bright smile vanishes when he can’t find you in the crowd of people. Raising a brow at your sudden disappearance, he searched for you everywhere, the tavern, the church, the headquarters, everywhere but your house. So when he finally arrives at your house, he was filled with worry and concern. Entering your room through the window like usual, he sees your figure sitting on the floor while reading a book.

He pouted at the sight as he made his presence known by asking you why you were here and reading a book on your birthday. He watches as you jump from where you are and turns to look at him, sighing at the sight of him. He slowly made his way to you and sat next to you, his legs sprawled across the floor. He takes note of the food around you, which was non-birthday festive, it was just ordinary food. Not understanding why you’re sulking in your room, he asked you what’s wrong. 

Venti’s eyes widened at your explanation, feeling the sadness leaking at the words you said. They weave themselves around his heart, squeezing it, making him have a hard time breathing. He shares your pain. He was your soulmate after all. He immediately engulfed you in a hug, stuffing his face on the crook of your neck. You were so vulnerable in his eyes. You were so fragile. He desperately wants to protect you from the pain. But looks like he can’t protect you from your own demons. 

“Even though I promised myself to not say or do anything that’ll make you sad, I just need to get it off my chest. I’m sorry you had to suffer through that, those demons that a simple bard that weaves stories into songs can’t erase. Alright, no more feeling sorry for yourself. It’s time to get out and spend the rest of the day enjoyable, perfect for my precious Cecilia.” 

Without any warnings, he picked you up and jumped out of your window. Shrieking at the sudden fast pace, you instinctively wrapped your hands around him as he landed on the ground. Giving you a smug smile while saying “didn’t think i’d let you fall now?” Please slap him. Anyway, he laughed at your aggression and continued to run. Even if you ask where you’re going, he just says it's a secret. So might as well enjoy being in his arms as he continues to run (you swear you can feel the wind adding to his speed but that was just maybe your imagination-).

After a while, he placed you down and you realized where you are. It was Starsnatch Cliff, surrounding you were Cecilia flowers. Venti jumped on you, making you fall to the ground as he giggles. His hat flown back from the force of his sudden attack, he still has that stupid big smile on his face. Since his laughter is contagious, you couldn’t help but laugh alongside him. His eyes glistened with delight at the sight of your smile finally. Grabbing your hand and placing the bracelet he made, he pressed a kiss on your knuckle.

“This bracelet shall be a promise from me to you, a fellow bard to the fairest queen/king. I shall love you for eternity, this heart will only beat for you, and this body belongs to you. If you’re in dire need of assistance, don’t hesitate to call me. I’ll be there, forever and always. Happy birthday, my sweet flower.”

[x] Main Page || [x] Mondstadt Page || [x] Fatui Harbingers Page 

[astaroth1357]

Demigod MC Series: Hades

Demigod MC Series: Intro, Aphrodite, Hermes, Hades

Lucifer

Well… this is awkward…

He’s actually met Hades multiple times for business reasons (Underworld-Devildom relations are amiable if not a little odd. Hades was something of an uncle figure to Diavolo as a wee demon lad, which should speak for itself really). He’s a gloomy fellow and not much for chit-chat, but he never thought they’d end up taking one of his kids by accident…

He had to send a formal apology letter to the Lord of the Underworld immediately, but thankfully he didn’t seem very concerned for his offspring - if anything he appeared to think the Devildom would suit them nicely which was… concerning.

And he was not wrong. The darkness, demons, ghouls, and frights of the Devildom hardly seemed to faze the MC, if anything they fit right in. He’d dare say they were thriving if not for one thing…

They were So. Damn. Bleak.

Getting a smile out of this one AT ALL was rare. For once he felt the need to check up on someone constantly just to be sure they were alright... They’d keep assuring the House that they’re not actually as sad as they look but it’s hard not to assume…

He was a little mortified at first when they first met Cerberus cause… well they called him “Cerbi” and the massive demonic guard dog rolled over for them like a Golden Retriever! 

Apparently he and the Cerberus that they knew are from the same litter and they must have smelt familiar... He would have probably limited their interactions just to keep his dog on his side but after seeing the MC smile for once while they played with the big oaf well…

Cerberus got a new playmate and the MC got a massive, three-headed therapy animal. Win-win. 😌

Mammon

Do ya really gotta be such a downer all the time, MC…? 😔

He thinks they’re nice, like really nice. They’re always super concerned when his brothers attack him or when he gets injured, but he’s pretty sure it’s because they’ve seen people die before so…

At first, he had no idea why he had to be saddled with this depressing wisp of mortal but over time he started to understand that they weren’t all that sad. They had… Resting Gloom Face? Is that a thing? 

They also had a different way of seeing things. He could win the lottery and they’d tell him to stay inside so he wouldn’t get hit by lightning or if he pissed off the wrong people, they’d joke about him keeping his fingers and toes. Dark stuff, but not intended to be so… well morbid.

However, what he eventually found out that the REAL advantage to having a Hades kid in the Devildom was that nothing scared them. Literally nothing. Not even the ghosts - which to reiterate, are terrifying!

Cue Mammon getting dragged to horror movies nights with his brothers and pulling the MC along to be his personal security blanket. He’ll hold onto them for dear life as they just pat his head or something, watching and not even flinching at the jumpscares.

The first time the House had an unexpected power outage he clung onto the back of their shirt like a lost child while they calmly looked for the circuit-breaker...

If he could jump into their arms every time something scary happened like Scooby-Doo, he absolutely would. His brothers make fun of him, but after seeing the MC handle Cerberus like a puppy any time something frightens them they hide behind the mortal as well…

Leviathan

In some ways, he totally relates to their moodiness but come on! Who can still look so sad when watching The Magical Ruri Hanai: Demon Girl?? Ruri-chan can make anyone smile! 😠

When he first met the MC, he was a little confused about why they didn't find him intimidating at all. He even reverted to his demon form and showed his fangs but no dice! All they said was, "I've walked along the edge of Tartarus. You're gonna have to try a lot harder than that, buddy…" 

That was probably his first sign that the "human" wasn't normal…

After Mammon told him who their Dad was, things made a lot more sense. A child of Hades in the Devildom? That's ironic enough to be its own anime plot!! They certainly felt like an angsty protagonist at times. 🤷‍♀️

Truth be told, they could relate to each other in a lot of ways. You wouldn't think that an offspring of the Underworld and a demonic shut-in would have much in common but the one thing they share between them is that sense of never really fitting in.

Turns out that Hades kids are black sheep, even among other demigods, and Levi? Well, he's had trouble relating to others since his angel days. He and the mortal were like off-beat kindred spirits!

Which, I mean, you wouldn't get just by looking at them together. Levi being the impassioned super-otaku rambling their ear off while his somber companion would just go along with him quietly, but hey, there's more beneath the surface. Probably. 

Now if he could just get them to cosplay as the Lord of Emptiness with him… They'd be perfect! Perfect he says!!

Satan

Highly considered drugging their food with antidepressants for a while… 

This was before getting to know them better, of course, but for the first couple months he honestly couldn't shake the feeling that the mortal looked miserable! 

Now, he's one to particularly care for the comfort of strangers, but just looking at them like that every day would sour his own mood quite considerably. It was very irritating...

It was only on closer inspection that he realized there was something else at play, though.

The mortal was different - even for a demigod he imagined. They took to the Devildom easily and the realm almost accepted them right back!

The flora looked better in their presence, the hellish beasts that roamed the wilds would roll over for them, and they even seemed to be welcomed in by the never-ending shadows… 

It was fascinating. Like the effects of the Underworld were baked into their DNA and mingled with the environment around them… Two layers of darkness coexisting within one person.

I mean, what other creature - other than Lucifer - could ride Cerberus around like a pony??

Had they not been so kind, they'd probably scare him shit-less... Their potential power was too great to ignore. But after getting used to their gloom, at least they made for pleasant company. 🤷‍♀️

Satan likes them well enough, but even still he has to wonder just what they were capable of… you know?

Asmodeus

Oh. My. WORD. What a buzzkill!!!

Really, the new mortal was no good at parties or pictures for that matter!

Not because they looked bad, or even because he couldn't get them to smile, but because GHOSTS would always photobomb any pictures they were in!! 😫

One time he got a selfie with them on the couch and a creepy ghost child could be seen hiding behind the cushions so NOPE. No more photos with the mortal around!!

Aside from that, he couldn't say the mortal was all bad or anything…They were pretty friendly, despite their general look and feel. 

Though, personally, he thought they wore far too much black... Even in the Devildom, there's normally a pop of color, you know? Was that just the Hades dress code?

And you want to know the weirdest thing? Despite everything about them screaming "Doom and Gloom," they're straaaangely popular among the RAD dating scene…

Like. Not as some heartthrob, "Love'em and Leave'em"-type, but he's found that there's a LOT of his demonic classmates who think they're cute or have a crush on them in some way…

Naturally, he can see the appeal of the mysterious, moody demigod with a dark, troubled past. It's just the demigod in question is completely oblivious to it! 🤷‍♀️

He tried to give them dating tips or play matchmaker from time to time but eventually gave up when it was clear they weren't interested. Alas, students of RAD, this is one forbidden fruit that refuses to be shared…! Such a tragedy… 😔

Beelzebub

They remind him of Belphie… like. A lot.

The similarities were obvious. They had a similar feel, made similar jokes, and even the same somewhat dreary attitude about them...

If he were being honest, at the beginning there were times when he'd open up to them a lot more than he intended because he'd forget that he wasn't actually talking to Belphie…

Thankfully, he knew better than to try and treat them like his replacement or anything. They were two different people after all. But it didn't stop him from feeling extra protective around them for a while.

Besides, there was ONE thing that set them leagues apart from Belphie and that was the fact they were a shit cook. Not quite as bad as Solomon but uh… Actually no, that's a closer call than it has any right to be...

Apparently, Hades kids don't need to eat as much and when you hang out with shades and skeletons for most of your life, you don’t really worry about making food that's any better than… "Well, technically it's edible." 🤷‍♀️

Their food won't kill a person like Solomon's, but you WILL start seeing stuff you probably shouldn't. He tried their "soup" once and swore he saw the ghost of his mother… and he doesn't even have a mother!!!

He swears that if he ever sees the MC and Solomon working together in the same kitchen he's skipping town… Whatever culinary abomination the two of them could create would probably gain sentience and eat HIM instead. He's always figured he'd go out with Death by Food, but not like that!! 😫

Belphegor

Ever meet someone who’s like looking in a mirror? Yeah, he’s getting those vibes…

He never expected the "human" to be so similar to him, it was kind of uncanny.

Upon first laying eyes on each other there was a pause… then a squint… and then… a nod.

Honestly, their combined dry wit, dark humor, and pessimistic outlook played off of each other surprisingly well. Too well for him to hate, really.

Not that it mattered because they didn’t believe him for a second when he tried to trick them (they had dealt with loads of lying monsters before). He hated to admit it, but they had a good head on their shoulders and knew better than to trust a locked up demon…

And yet, they seemed to stick around with him anyway. Because of the good conversation or just empathizing with his loneliness was anyone's guess. 🤷‍♀️

Sometimes they'd come up and sit outside the door in comfortable silence… Or they'd talk about whatever:

MC: *sitting out by the attic with their back against the door* So what happens to demons when they die…?

Belphie: *laying on the floor on the other side, staring at the ceiling* Depends on the kind. If I die, I'll just reform later.

MC: Like a reincarnation?

Belphie: Eh. *shrugs* Maybe. Haven't died yet.

MC: You could die in there, you know.

Belphie: *throws a side glare* Well thanks for bringing that up…

MC: *shrugs* What? It's true. But don't worry, I won't let you. *small-ish smile*

Belphie: *stares at them wide-eyed and pink-cheeked before turning on his side quickly* Ugh… whatever…

They did their word, somehow. They eventually got the door open and let him out, but by that time the anger was gone and he was just happy to finally talk to them face-to-face...

And good thing too, because apparently it's not smart to fight a death-child in what is essentially their element - as he saw when they summoned an army of skeletons to kick Levi's ass when he cheated them in Devil Cart...

He would not have lasted in that fight... Dodged a bullet there.