#but there’s something so endearing about someone liking my meme so much that they put it in a video they made

[thatrandomblogsays]

It’s a fun video, check her out @what-is-my-aesthetic

My favorite part was her immediately checking out CSPAN footage after showing my meme and…

Mood girlie, mood…

(if you had kept watching you would’ve seen the senators almost break into a brawl…)

[zhongrin]

look at me with love tears in your eyes

◇ characters ◇ zhongli

◇ tags ◇ minors dni, yandere, unhealthy & toxic relationship, dependency, dacryphilia, zhongli with a sadistic streak, overstimulation, dragon!li

◇ a/n ◇ my brain hatched this soft-but-sadistic yan!zhongli so excuse me while i just.... *dumps this idea to you*

𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑙𝑖𝑠𝑡 ⬙ 𝑡𝑎𝑔𝑙𝑖𝑠𝑡

zhongli loves it when you obediently listen to him, looking up with silent affection and all your attention. your ears focused on his smooth voice, your eyes reflecting his visage, your lips curling in a contented smile; all of your senses being filled with him, and only him.

zhongli loves it when you seek him out specifically for help. it can be the most mundane of tasks, like asking him to get an item stored in a place you can't reach. it could be a simple request like asking him to get some groceries (he'll sneakily put your favorite snacks in there too), or a complicated one like picking a set of clothes that suits you better (he thinks you look good in everything; because how could you not?). and he knows the silent requests, the unspoken plea of help when you gruffly complain into his chest as you tell him how you had the worst day in your life (it's okay. he'll make your day better. and he'll make sure that those who made it a bad day in the first place buried a thousand feet under the ground).

but zhongli loves it most when you cry.

there's just something about your tears. about the overflow of emotions in your eyes and the way they glisten against your skin.

zhongli loves it when you cry out of sadness. so vulnerable and pitiful, choked sobs and broken breaths. all broken and cracked, with him being the only string that holds you up from completely falling and shattering against dark concrete. all it takes is one push and you would be at his mercy. all it takes is a few comforting words and you'd nuzzle against him lovingly. he can make or break you and he knows it. you're quite lucky he has no desire to do the latter.

zhongli loves it when you cry out of joy. sometimes they're accompanied by a peal of wheezing laughter, other times they're a symphony of giggles and soft choked sobs. it's adorable. it's endearing. knowing that he made you so happy to the point of crying... love bleeds from his heart and covers his whole being and so who can blame him for smothering you in it?

zhongli loves it when you cry out of overstimulation. trembling hands trying to dig and push him away as he insists that you take more of him. more more more moremoremoremore. all your senses, all of your body and soul, all your heart - they belong to him and he'll make sure he takes a good care of you. so fall into this little heaven he creates for you and never try to look for your way out.

because when you make a deal with a drago̵̼͂n, there's no escape - not even in death.

© zhongrin | 2023 ◆ no repost. reblogs much appreciated. feel free to reach out to submit suggestions, feedback, comments, or if you just want to talk!

◇ taglist ◇ @genshinparty | @abyssmal-skies | @hamdehlesmis | @depressivecomforts | @sophiethewitch1 | @why-am-i-here-someone-save-me | @sunnshineflxwer | @heartonthemoon | @yuutasbabe | @percyval-archives | @carbs-need-more-love | @rebeccka | @queen-belial | @stygianoir | @silentmoths | @niktwazny303 | @dustofthedailylife | @herdrops | @diebischesther | @marina-and-the-memes | @angryhope | @mixed-kester | @shuangxo | @fiannee | @lordbugs | @anonymousficreader | @shizunxie | @ladylofspades | @sup-zfam | @ansy-tea | @irethepotato | @nachotrash | @algrimmammon | @sassy-cat-in-town | @syrenkitsune | @smokipoki | @pvbbyb0y | @shipperxchaos | @crystalflygeo | @n3r0-1417 | @ciexuvia | @illaasya | @justawalkingdisaster | @celestewritestoomuch

[wickmitz]

How do you think about Frepper? I'm neutral about this ship, but the fans Frepper attitude towards confuses me, Ivy and Freckle have only been dating for a week and know each other superficially, but everyone already thinks that by the end of the comic they will get married, I think differently, I think that in the end they will break up with each other because they are too different personalities, I literally can't imagine that both of them will be happy with each other in marriage, Ivy is assertive and active, on the other hand Freckle is passive and just agrees with Ivy, this is not a guarantee of a healthy relationship where a partner completely dominates the other, plus to all that, I will not forget how their relationship started, Ivy just decided that they were dating, and without asking Freckle's permission, she just KISSED him, again without his permission, Frepper fans think that it's cute, but when I saw it, I thought "what the hell did I just see?", in general, it's strange for me that Frepper fans are okay with such things, of course later Freckle shows attraction to Ivy, showing that he likes her in some way too, but I still won't forget how their relationship started and how Freckle used to try to escape from Ivy when she squeezed his hand tightly and forced him to her …

I'm not against Frepper, but I don't understand his fans who don't see these issues and who treat other points of view on their relationship (like mine) as … um, as nonconformity? Fans from reddit are just obsessed with Frepper, I don't know about other networks but that's how it is on reddit, I think there are people who have my opinion but are afraid to say it because of fans, of course, I met Frepper fans there who normally accept such an opinion, but still there is a feeling that such a opinion cannot be told

Simply put, Ivy and Freckle are a couple that will eventually break up with each other unless there's an event between them in the comic that changes my opinion of this couple, but that's how I feel about Freckle for now. I didn't plan to express my opinion, but it happened that way, I hope you don't mind it

first and foremost, i don’t mind seeing someone express their opinion in my inbox! you and anyone else are free to do so, even if i may disagree. this blog’s entire existence was made for me to share my opinions ( and love! ) for lackadaisy, as well as engaging with other fans, because what else is the point of a fandom blog? and as far as i’m aware, this is unpopular opinion central! most of my thoughts aren’t exactly the ones with the most voice behind them i’ve found, so i welcome all manner of different views. every fan is entitled to their own perspectives and opinions, and should be allowed to share them as they please! but with that disclaimer out of the way, i’m more than willing to discuss frepper in its entirety.

for me, there’s little confusion i carry where it concerns this ship’s popularity amongst the fandom. freckle and ivy, if we are to strip them down to their bare essentials, are a rather stereotypically ‘cute’ relationship : people enjoy opposites ( see zibwick or vikdecai for example ) and there’s an endearing quality found in puppy love dynamics. seeing ivy wear the pants and drag a shy freckle around by his ankle makes for quality content in a way! think the ‘excuse me, but he asked for no pickles!’ meme … ivy and freckle very much fit that sort of mold, and it helps that most fans are too scared to ship them with other characters in the cast too, due to what they perceive to be a lack of options. thus, frepper is an extremely ‘safe’ ship! you cannot get in trouble for enjoying something that is not only canon, but is relatively adorable ; and so i don’t believe a lot of the fans are actually thinking too deeply about the likely endgame of it all. most don’t! it’s fun to ship, and that’s all they really need i think. it’s also very easy to dismiss ivy’s forwardness as a quirk of being a young girl who’s of her temperament, recklessly boycrazy although still carrying sweet intent. this behavior is easier to hand wave when neither ivy or freckle are experienced at the dating scene as well … freckle due to his extremely religious upbringing and hermit nature, and ivy because of viktor’s constant meddling, which would hold her back more than you’d think. with that said, i don’t think any of this is excessively complicated. some shippers are rather simple minded and do not care for details and characterization all too deeply. enjoying dynamics is, at its core, supposed to be fun -- which makes simple ships like frepper prime targets for a very vocal and tight knit fanbase. there are other things i could speculate about why these two may hit so pleasantly for others, like how there’s an underlying queer theme to it ( what with ivy being the pursuer and freckle the shy, blushing flower ) or that it’s tropey enough to hit the right spots for others … though it all boils back to mere speculation. perhaps they still have time to escape this gangster lifestyle and live happily ever after? and that appeals to the lackadaisy fans who still want some sort of happy ending? it’s all a combination of frepper being easy, i think, and containing two young cats who still haven’t done anything particularly ‘unforgivable’ yet action wise. this is a ship you can root for without an ounce of worry in your heart, and so on and so forth.

but although i understand why others are so vocal about them, i don’t exactly agree with fanon’s views either! while i heavily enjoy frepper, i enjoy them as they are, and that includes their looming flaws and inevitable tragedy. they are bound to break each other’s hearts a lot on their current path ; even if they were entirely perfect for one another, this lifestyle isn’t kind to anyone, meaning if they don’t separate, they could always be forced apart via bullets and such anyway. they are young and woefully inexperienced in a manner of things, the last thing they need is the stress of a rumrunner life driving their every action, you know? i know people see them getting out together, and that is likely on the table! i do see that in many ways, but i’m also of the opinion that ivy and freckle will diverge onto different paths at some point and temporarily call it quits. from where the comic currently stands and given my view on ivy’s arc, i see her growing disillusioned with where she is and the honor and fun she saw within it as a royal spectator will fade ; she will become wary, fearful, and her resilience will die … meanwhile freckle will embrace it, similar to his cousin, fully understanding what it is and what he’s getting into ( like rocky, again ) but being unable to leave his refuge. i know lots of people think freckle will leave the lackadaisy first, but given his old concepts and former title as one of mitzi’s ‘trouble boys’, i think he will become lost in the sauce for a myriad of reasons. frankly i enjoy that twist on their relationship! since i believe ivy’s character development will revolve around maturing, changing as time stretches forward, because her character is ever growing, what with her entire schtick being the fact she’s everything a 1920s girl was during those times. she embodies that unladylike youth and manipulative sweetness, so i’d imagine a lot of her path is falling from such naive thrill seeking and stumbling upon a harsh reality. she will mature, and the very thing that should make their relationship stronger will be what divides them indefinitely. everything they have is founded on this bloody, varnished soaked ground after all … they are young adults who are experiencing what closeness feels like outside of family or platonic friends for the first time, so naturally they will overindulge in their own amateur games ; find respite in the boogie and kiss like couples do on the silver screen, laugh about it, talk about everything and nothing at all … relish in each other’s warmth and stupidly loyal protection. i’m sure frepper will grow closer before any falling out, because as it stands, it’s one of the few things they have in such a scary situation that feels comforting and kind. they will impact each other in the fundamental ways first relationships do and, to move towards your biggest gripe, do things they’ll regret or allow things to happen to them that they’re not entirely okay with.

ivy is very forceful with freckle initially, albeit in her typical saturated way ; and i can see why that would be hard to parse! especially when freckle spends a majority of their first scenes together squirming away and hiding, trying to duck her affections and bolt for it. there is a lot of boundary crossing between them! but not in a necessarily malicious way … like most things with frepper, this circles back to their mutual inexperience and how, in a lot of ways, this is their first ‘serious’ romantic relationship ever. and it’s rather common for such firsts to involve gray areas, since neither party is entirely sure of what their own boundaries are just yet! while freckle did appear frightened by ivy at first, it’s important to note that tracy’s mentioned him having a flight response whenever girls flirt with him … he is prone to run away instinctively, which if you consider his extremely religious upbringing, isn’t exactly a surprise. nina would no doubt look down upon freckle engaging with girls his age due to what most girls his age are currently doing in the roaring 20s they’re living in. sneaking out and engaging in illegal activities, dancing in a way that would disgust most of the more traditional and older generation, casually engaging in any manner of sexual activity before marriage, etc etc. and this isn’t even listing freckle’s cagey nature due to an incident we know was bad enough to send rocky packing for years, and fundamentally changed freckle himself at such a young and impressionable age. he is … very troubled! and rather scared of himself and the world around him … at this stage in life, freckle is perpetually unable to make any progress towards anything he may want, and so i have little problem myself with ivy mostly taking the lead. when left to his own devices and allowed to choose outside of influence, freckle did in fact sneak out of his mother’s house to go to the lackadaisy, surely well aware that ivy’s intention had been romantically inclined. so, to me, he has always liked her ; perhaps found her cute, in a shallow way, saw her eccentric behavior as endearing and frightening in equal measure, and while he’s still wading into this whirlwind pool unsteady and shaken, he -- wouldn’t mind it if ivy pushed a little more, or moved him around to her ( and what she perceives to be, their ) liking. perhaps this dynamic is familiar enough to him that it becomes comforting, since rocky was very much the same way in their adolescence. tugging freckle around and pulling his tail for whatever rocky wanted them to do, with little care for whatever his baby cousin desired at the time, ignoring his protests and chasing him ; nobody’s at fault here either, kids are extremely self absorbed and this is a flaw they’ll usually mature past, and while ivy and freckle are adults during the comic, i don’t think ivy’s outgrown this linear view on things just yet. she is extremely entitled! she is used to being the apple of everyone’s eye at the speakeasy due to her jazz baby status as atlas may’s goddaughter, and this gangster connection excites and awes the ladies she attends classes with at her university too. ivy pepper is used to getting her way and this has only fueled her determined attitude, her ‘pull it up by the bootstraps’ mindset, and in many ways, this is something of a flaw for her. it’s not bad to be confident and headstrong, although when you add that into a dangerous mix of rumrunning and gunslinging, it may become a problem rather quickly. but i digress! point is, ivy and freckle are hardly at fault for the awkward way they handled the start of their relationship, when it’s so new and fresh to them both.

neither of them have boundaries at this moment, as they either have no clue what those are or simply haven’t realized they should set them. so, in turn, there are things that the other may do that could cause their partner discomfort … and it’s mostly done out of obliviousness and good intentions and your classic dose of intense affection. doesn’t mean it isn’t messed up to a degree, but i think it’s rather realistic, and is a hard truth that comes with many first relationships of that sort. sometimes you don’t know how to say ‘no,’ or you agree and regret agreeing later, or perhaps you simply don’t understand there’s certain things you aren’t ready for or genuinely just don’t like. again, it’s a very muddied area, and the two of them are vaguely navigating what is mostly foreign to them. they’re bound to mess up! so i ivy some slack here, and applaud tracy on the realistic writing more than anything usually. young love also happens to be a great device to use for inexperienced characters finding themselves, through the good and bad of their relationship, and frepper is all about that. maybe freckle will inevitably bring up how he feels like he would’ve preferred it had ivy asked him out properly, or gave him time to court her in a traditional fashion … and she will be surprised ( and a little wounded ) by this, since she had never considered it before … too used to her way of things to realize there’s another path they could take. i think this aspect of the relationship is important, and i can understand wishing that more frepper shippers would view it as such, or comment on it's morally gray nature without just calling it ‘cute’ and leaving it at that.

tldr : they will most certainly break up at some point, maybe even multiple times! tracy has said before that they both have some serious maturing to do if their relationship is to be long lasting, and i doubt that maturing will happen to them both at once … since they have different things to work on emotionally. but they will probably strongarm some major personal development within each other, as well as love one another with a fierceless abandon that most kids do. i could see them getting married, i could see them not, but i agree that if they were to be wed happily, they’d have significant hurdles to overcome. but personally, frepper is something i adore mostly due to the impact they’re bound to cause each other, and even if they are to separate and find someone new and more fitting, they’ll always remember one another -- perhaps fondly, and sadly, and with some anger. a time they’d like to forget, but a person they’d like to remember … which is my cup of tea overall! they much more interest me as they presently are anyway, where i can fiddle around with their budding romance and friendship bonding. and as lackadaisy grows in popularity, i do hope there’s more frepper fans who see their complexity and flaws and explore them with all of it in mind.

anyway! i hope this was coherent, and that it was obvious that i agreed with you for the most part. i haven’t really talked about frepper before with anyone so many of these thoughts sort of burst out of me! and i feel like i have more to elaborate upon, but for the sake of simplicity i kept this short. oh well! surely this is enjoyable and informative regardless.

[domesticated-whores]

hello, I've decided to do a thing that no one asked for, solely for myself. and that is heavily over-analyzing random bullshit about myself. starting with

over-analyzing the fuck out of my gender

get ready for so much useless information about the inner-workings of how I identify... longish post.

I think a lot (if not most) nonbinary/genderqueer people have a simplified gender that they publicly identify as and a different, more complex gender that they identify as internally or in queer-specific spaces.

I'm pretty open in general about being genderqueer. I don't really identify as nonbinary, it isn't my preferred term for what I am, but since I understand that it's a more common term that most people outside of queer spaces know at least at a surface level I'll use it sometimes. I don't usually get any deeper than that. I'll tolerate she/her pronouns (I'm afab and generally feminine, and I'm incredibly aware of that), if asked for my pronouns (rare, I'm very feminine presenting) then I'll say "I'm cool with anything, slight preference on they/them" because that's a lie, but it's simple and I don't care quite enough to fight anyone on it. I was out as he/him transmasc for a little while before it got to be not worth it to explain presentation =/= gender or trying to look uncomfortably masc in order to be taken seriously, so there are still people that use he/him pronouns for me irl which is nice, but I don't get *enough* dysphoria from being misgendered to try to get others to use them.

But I do have some specific shit for my gender, also. I've been studying the hell out of this shit for maybe 10 years. I'm autistic as fuck, I like researching and labeling and categorizing things, so I put a lot of thought and reflection into my gender and I really have no place to share it because no one really cares to have me deep-dive into the details for them.

First and foremost, I'm cassgender. In case you don't know what that is, it's when someone feels indifferent to their gender or generally feels it's unimportant. Different from something like agender because cassgender people still can *have* other gender identities, it isn't lack of gender identity, it's just that there isn't a super strong connection to it.

To me, I don't care if I'm misgendered really at all. I do have a preference on how I'm referred to, I do have a gender, but I also don't really think it matters in the grand scheme of things. If it's more convenient to me, I have zero issues pretending to be a cis woman. Am I? No. But I don't think much would really be different if I was, so I don't see why it really matters. I personally use almost all "gendered" words in a gender-neutral way (unless someone tells me they're uncomfy with it, where I still see the words themselves as gn but respect people enough not to use it for them), I understand gendered connotations but genuinely fail to see how they matter. Again, full respect that they matter to most people, but I personally don't see it so I won't act like I do.

Even when I did care more about my gender identity and being out publicly, it wasn't because of strong attachment to my gender. It was more of a sense of "I researched for so many hours finding the right labels, I'm going to use them openly dammit!!"

I'm also a transmasc femboy. I use he/him pronouns for myself and generally prefer those (though, again, I'm cool with any), but I'll use almost any gendered terms for myself interchangeably/by situation. For example, I tend to prefer feminine familial terms (I'm my cats' momma, I'd be an aunt if my brother had kids in the future, etc.) while I usually opt for more masculine basic terms (man rather than woman, masc pronouns, boyfriend if I'm in a relationship, etc.) and alternating on terms of endearment or authority (god/goddess, sir/ma'am, daddy/mommy, prince/princess, king/queen, etc.). If it's in lighthearted/meme terms, anything flies (girlie, "I'm just a girl," feminine urge, "girls don't want men, they want--" etc. isn't misgendering because it's silly and fun).

I'm afab, feminine as hell, and not really looking to transition medically at all, so I don't at all mind feminine shit because, uh, obviously. I wear dresses and eyeliner sometimes and have long hair and a petite, slight hourglass body and all that shit. My regular outfit is leggings and a crop top, it's a very titties out look tbh. I don't bind (use to, might start experimenting with it again when it gets colder but I can't with the tops I like for warm weather and I don't like using tape) or anything. If I could magically look more physically androgynous in the ways that I want, that'd be sick as hell, but I can't so I don't mind my body that much. I was on t for maybe 3-4 months and I got some minimal bottom growth and slight voice changing, but I was getting too many changes that I didn't really fuck with for my preferred brand of androgyny and a lot of things I wanted t didn't help, so I stopped. Like, if I could get free and easy top surgery or a reduction and somehow grow 4-6 inches in height that would be splendid, but one of those is too expensive to justify how mild my discomfort is and the other is literally impossible so I can live with what I have.

I also really think drag would be cool as hell for gender reasons, but unfortunately I'm something of a broke bitch and even being thrifty with it is out of my budget at the moment. Which is fine, I keep it on a back burner in case I have money to invest into a new thing that I might get burnt out on before it's even worth what I spent. I'm just not touching that when I'm struggling to do anything beyond pay rent and feed my cats. But it's certainly a gender thing that I put a lot of thought into.

I don't know. Again, I'm cassgender so I don't really care heavily about any of this, I'm just an overthinker so I know it because of that. It was just information sitting in my brain that I didn't know what to do with, so I'm dumping it here. I mostly want to deep-dive into my sexuality and romantic orientation, I just had to post this first because it is really connected to gender things. I have an essay-worth to say on my sexuality because I actually care a lot about that shit and I'm just at the end (I believe?) of still figuring it out, while I was pretty sure on my gender for a while and just had to settle on accurate labels for it mostly.

[latibvles]

I'm supposed to be studying for an exam right now, but you know I'm obsessed with your writing, so obviously I'm gonna send in requests instead 🤭 Can I humbly request Shifty x reader and complimenting them at random times? 💕

shifty powers is like "my wife" memes but without the infidelity he's just like . really in love with u man.

COMPLIMENTING AT RANDOM TIMES / send a gesture from this list!

There were several words to describe Shifty Powers. Humble, mild-mannered, kind; really no member of Easy ever had a bad thing to say about him. He was warm as could be. Strangers remembered him for his sharpshooting capabilities. Friends remembered him for his dutiful manner. You remember him as someone with a sincere, honeyed sentence always at the tip of his tongue — and it made you smile, every time, without fail.

“I like your hair.” he’ll murmur before gingerly tucking a loose strand behind your ear, all crooked-grin and flushed cheeks. “You smell good.” He’ll mutter into your neck absent-mindedly in the early hours of the morning. “Is that a new sweater? You look good.” A look up and down, harmless in nature, sincerity dripping from every single word.

And it hardly ever stops there — if Shifty’s eyes are good at anything, it’s at noticing the minor details. And that much, you learned quickly. If he could sing the praises of you, he’d probably be the leader of a choir. But he isn’t much of a church choir boy, so he elects to remark on the things that you do, the way that you are.

Sometimes, he reminds you of a school boy, the way his cheeks will occasionally flush or he’ll avert your gaze. It’s endearing in its own way, you’ve been together since the War’s end and he still gets so shy around you at times.

You feel his strong arms wrap around you from behind, and hear him let out a sigh of content as you put dishes away.

“You’re real’ good at that, y’know,” he mutters quietly. You can’t help but giggle, craning your head to look at him as he elects to bury his face in your neck.

“What?” you begin, reaching up to card your fingers through his hair. “Putting away dishes?”

He looks up at you, doe-eyed and goofy-grinned.

“Yeah. Something like that.”

[queenjoy20]

I’m about to get really vulnerable online on a Monday night, but I’ve reflected about this too much to not talk about, even if it is to a void. When I first watched “Lies“, I remember Adrigami’s breakup sticking with me in a way, that Lukanette’s in “Truth“ didn’t. Obvious spoilers for season 4 ahead.

Now if I’m going to be completely honest I do have a slight bias toward Adrigami, and I think I should unpack that in order to fully explain why their breakup affected me so bad. I think part of the reason I like Adrien and Kagami so much, is that I see parts of myself reflected in both of them. Without going into too much personal detail, so much of both their personalities remind me of my own, so when I see them struggling or getting excited about making friends or getting freedom, I understand that excitement as something I have experienced first hand. Now of course this isn’t my only reason for liking these characters, they are both well written and interesting characters,  but part of why I find them both so endearing is that their is this naivety and honesty they both have, but manifest in different ways. That’s part of the reason why I liked seeing them interact, with or without a romantic lens on top. They are both new to experiencing life and are fumbling their way through it, but their doing it together.

Now, to why their break up fucked me up. In both Lies and Truth we see the deterioration of the two relationships as both out heroes get so caught up in their jobs they inadvertently neglect their romantic partners. So, what differentiate Adrigami? I think honestly, it’s Adrien’s own obliviousness to his relationship and his partner. I know the scene at the dock is memed to hell and back, but the way Kagami is bearing her heart to him and he just doesn’t care. Watching them break up was like discovering a fear I didn’t know I had. The fear of putting everything into a relationship with someone I love so much for them to not even give a second thought about me. I think Adrien’s ignorance and lack of maliciousness makes it worse in some ways, like you’re not trying to be cruel because you hate me, but because you care so little you don’t care about how your actions affect me. And what’s worst is that Kagami had to come to this conclusion on her OWN, she had to look herself in the mirror and admit to herself that the person she loved didn’t love her back.

This isn’t me trying to make a bunch of Adrien salt, he is young and I have witnessed this behavior as common in most first relationships. I just think that the combination of circumstances make Adrigami’s breakup more tragic to me, and that Kagami is a much stronger person then I am, because I don’t know if I could ever recover from something like that.

[spyridonya]

For the Reverse Unpopular Opinion meme...tell me what you think about the other companions in Wrath, besides Daeran and Lann!

*DEEP BREATH* I focus on the good and not the bad of the following characters.

Arue wasn't quite the dream girl I had hoped for, but I still like her very much, and I'm honestly glad she was different from what I hoped. I liked her struggles to become better, I liked her sweetness to those who gave her compassion and her sheer bafflement on the occasion. My only sincere wish was showing more of a struggle in action than being told of it. I really wished her quest wasn't so black and white in Act 4, though I know such a thing couldn't be possible due to the writing of other characters.

The entire character of Camellia is ingenious. There is no redemption, there is no twist of love saving her, she's really that evil. Her characterization is perfect, she's cruel, cutting, and wears such a pretty mask. My only misfortune with Camellia is playing good female characters of either high intelligence or wisdom, so Cameilla doesn't have a chance to try and corrupt my KCs. Her treatment of Ember and Lann is breath taking in hit’s meanness. Her coxing up to a noble despite her peasant heritage and bastard status seems on point, and how she fools Sosiel is hilarious.

Ember is a charming character and I love her. I love her naivety and her innocence, I love that she's determined to do her best and forsake the gods, I love that the game allows her to be a paradox (because one of the deities loves Ember very much) but never calls her out on it because of her age and her trauma and genuine desire to help others. But... but I don’t want to take my smol daughter out in battle and I’m not giving her Hellfire Ray because that’s EVIL. ... though casting it on Baphomet and sending his essence straight to Asmodeus would be great.

Greybor is someone that I'd think I'd enjoy more if I sat down and respec his build. There's a lot of lore and crunch that don't fit with this guy. Regardless, I do enjoy him and his quips. He's very low key and while I don't entirely agree with his alignment, he's a great 'Cool Uncle' character that I should just enjoy.

Nenio makes me laugh. I really adore her kitsune form in theory, though I feel the artwork compared to her human portrait has no personality. Fan art tries to make up for that. Regardless of the portraits, Nenio zooms in with a comment or two that makes me laugh out loud, which is a total rarity in most games I play. ... And I really think she's one of the best portrayals of True Neutral I've seen. I know a lot of folks code her as autistic, but I'm not entirely sure if I agree, because poor social skills and hyper fixations are symptoms of many neruodivegant folk.

Regill is such a wonderful character. The initial impression of his design is such a whiplash from the character we actually get. At first glance you're seeing a three foot tall man with hair akin to a troll-doll in edgy black armor before you take in the details -- the character is old. Still, so much could have gone wrong with this character, and yet Owlcat nails everything. The writing takes the premise seriously enough to be intimidated, but allows enough levity to make Regill endearing, and never forgets at his core Regill is a gnome. And then Owlcat nails it all down with the perfect voice performance for him, something that could destroyed this character completely. Regill is such a high risk character, and Owlcat slammed it with a home run.

Seelah's personality is one of the best for a paladin I've seen in years! Warm, kind, and following her duties while putting goodness first. She likes to drink, she likes being with people, she likes giving people the chances that she was given - she's heavily GOOD and I adore it. I feel like her quest deserved far more thought and effort like Amiri's was given in Kingmaker.

Sosiel is someone that I don't play with enough, simply because in my first run I was the buffer and Daeran is a better healbot/blaster. However, he was exactly what was needed for Shelyn in Owlcat games after a horrific introduction with Valerie's quest. He was sane but naive, sweet and impressionable, and his faith is slowly put to the test that he fairs well in. On the surface, Sosiel would feel better in a more down to earth game when not romancing him. When you romance him as a demon, Owlcat goes places that few CRPGs do with LI who falls for someone who is actually evil, and how love can be corrupted.

Wenduag is... really good with axes and I enjoy her voice actress. I keep playing good characters so I don't get her until Act 3 and we all know how Act 4 goes. She's probably the most 'typical' character in the game for me. Woljif is a character that I might headcanon as younger compared to most! Mind, I see him as someone of age, but someone in his late teens or very early 20s because of his maturity and behavior. He's really a good portrayal of a young man who has had rough life, who has no real loyalty because it's never been shown to him, and is very aware what demons can do. Essentially he's my smol idiot and I love him.

Trevor as a concept is really neat and while his build is a nightmare, I find it eerily accurate to folks who go through war and PSTD without the help they truly need. They have so many skills and concepts inside that have gone missing due to trauma, and tapping into them without help is a challenge. On top of this, I almost feel like Owlcat is saying 'no, don't drag him through more shit than you have to' with this build. Trevor and Sosiel's relationship also mirrors Zon-Kuthon and Shelyn so well.

Finnean was really quiet in my run. :(((

Aivu is a delight, though I've heard stories that Aivu's inclusion meant that Azata got less story and more whimsy with a fairly powerful addition to the party. Regardless, when I found out that Aivu and Daeran had the same writer, I wasn't shocked. Aivu picks on Daeran the most! She really feels like a toddler which gives me the same emotinal whiplash as I get from Ember: these are my babies, why am I putting them near the soul eating demons?? I think Aivu was written so well, I wasn't sure if I should listen to a five year old girl about rushing down to do Midnight Fane, but I'm going back, taking a deep breath, and replaying before going into the Ivory Prison.

[callsigncrash]

More Yamori Whatnots

Once again, thank you @leleouwu for actually being interested in my writing! If anyone wants me to make like a tag list for this stuff I’m 100% down. Now, without further ado, onto the hcs! ❤️

________________________

He likes perfume but he picks it out for you due to his sensitive smells. He leans towards lighter and slightly floral and homey smells.

He loves you but don’t get involved in his work unless he brings you into it. On that note, he doesn’t mind you asking how his day was, in fact, he expects it. He’ll never admit it he enjoys coming home to someone who cares about what’s happening in his life that’s not doing it for some sort of personal gain.

Ironically turns into a bit of a germaphobe when you’re sick. He’ll make sure you have people tending to your needs and will check in periodically but don’t expect too much comfort outside of that. When you do eventually stop being sick, he makes up for the lack of physical affection.

He likes to take you shopping. His favorite places to take you, outside of your preferred stores of course, are the night shopping districts. Plus he’s down for getting you a whole new wardrobe if you decide you are going for a new style.

When he’s completely alone he listens to some classic rock. It’s a bit odd all things considered but he likes a couple songs so he’ll listen to them when he can.

Speaking of which, for any bands you like you’ll have front row tickets and CDs for.

Enjoys not talking and just existing with you.

Is the type to stare if he wakes up in the middle of the night. This happens frequently on account of his nightmares.

He also likes to hold you or your hand when going to bed. He’ll say it’s to make you comfortable but it’s really just for him.

Sometimes has you Forge his signature on documents when he’s really swamped with work.

Bonus! Naki Hcs

I’m also a big fan of Naki so I thought I’d do this for him too!

________________________

The king of clingy. He’s a sweet boy and he loves you a lot but it might be good to tell him when you need time to yourself. Depending on how he is he’ll either be sad and upset or a little mad and upset but he ultimately gives you your time. It’s gets easier for him the more you both have your alone times.

Gods forbid you bake because if you do he’ll never stop asking you to make things like cookies or muffins. If there’s a day where you really don’t feel like it or don’t have anything, he’ll either try it himself, which almost never turns out well, or he’ll take you to a bakery or cafe so you can both get something you want.

He’s a bit of an airhead at times but he tries to remember as much about you as possible. Remember that thing you said 2.5 years ago in passing? No? Well he does! It’s endearing and is oftentimes useful when you forget what you had to do that day.

He puts them away when he’s not sleeping but he has plushies on his bed. His favorite is an old golden retriever. He’s had it forever and it’s essentially his comfort item.

Want to sleep in? Sounds great to him! Unless he has something important to do like if there’s Yamori asked him to do he sleeps in.

He watches cartoons off and on. It’s mostly when he wakes up earlier than usual and doesn’t have much to do.

He’s got a caboodle box full of eyeliners and eyeshadows. He may or may not have some lipgloss in the top compartment as well.

You have a lot of “Charlie moments” with him. Refer to meme below.

His casual wear consists of a random pair of shorts off the ground and a fading t-shirt.

Has at least half his body on you at all times when you’re sleeping.

[quickdeaths]

I've had this meme sitting in my drafts in various partially-finished capacities for almost a year, since I wanted to write a lot. Shinobu is the character with the most inspirations, both individually and archetype-wise, and some of those inspirations are "what I didn't want to do," so there's a lot to say/explain. I've left them all under the cut, along with the template (I expanded it because I wanted to talk about trends and archetypes in addition to specific characters.)

Stolen from: @more-than-a-princess from like almost a year ago Tagging: A dash meme... you'll steal it! No one will ever know!

Anyway here is the blank template feel free to take it and skip All This Yapping if you want

If you're still here for the yapping, to begin, I wanted to talk about my approach to OCs, especially gender/sexual minority OCs, 'cause that informed a lot of Shinobu's characterization. I try to put a degree of "realism" into things, though I'm definitely not against smoothing things over a bit compared to what is "realistic." At the same time, my characters cover a spectrum of "how much does being queer affect their life," so that there's a diversity of experience, and also a diversity of tone. Some characters are a bit more escapist than others, in terms of "are there themes of homo/transphobia in their stories", and some are more "this character is partially a vehicle to explore those themes and the experiences that come with them". Shinobu is very much the latter, which is why so much of this is gonna be about Gender. Order of boxes will go left to right, top to bottom. 1. "Girl Prince" characters (Haruka Tenoh/Sailor Uranus, Yuu Kashima, Kaoru Seta, Utena Tenjou). I love these characters, and I genuinely love this archetype. You can trace the influence back to Princess Knight and Rose of Versailles, and then back to Takarazuka Revue, and there are a lot of examples in Takarazuka history of female fans getting REALLY into the otokoyaku actresses, including actually having romances with them. That said, I've often felt that it's an archetype that is so "aggressively anime" in how it's portrayed. Masculinity in women, especially teenage girls, is not typically celebrated by society. "All the girls have a crush on the cool lesbian (or lesbian-seeming girl)" is not really something that lines up much with what I have experienced, what I have seen, and what I have heard from others. So, it's hard for me to see this archetype as sort of "honest queer representation" (which is fine, not everything has to clear that bar.) I think Utena is my favorite example, because it is more realistic, at least, in the fact that the anime is consciously engaging with the conversation about gender and dynamics. Utena's more masculine presentation does not endear her to everyone, and some people certainly think she should abandon it. With Shinobu, then, what I wanted to do was present a girl who fits into that general archetype of "handsome lesbian prince," in a way that felt genuinely engaged with the sexualities and genders involved (while still keeping some of the silly anime vibes). By having her as a masculine trans woman whose identity is policed by her family/certain institutions, it felt more honest to me in both presenting her as someone with a large female fanbase, and also showing the internal harm that comes with that kind of treatment. A lot of her fans don't see her as she sees herself, and it's that incongruence that allows her to exist in the trope space of a "handsome prince," with all that comes with it, without pretending that every single teen girl in the world is a closet lesbian, and that being a gay teen is like a massive popularity buff.

2. Still, I wanted to steer clear from the typical characterization of a princely girl as this kind of effortlessly charming, generally positive, somewhat womanizing type, and rather go for a different kind of "prince" romantic archetype. This could also be a catchall placement for a few characters, but I only had so much room. Chevalier from Ikemen Prince is exactly the kind of "cold-hearted, ruthless, beastly" prince that I wanted to model Shinobu's persona on. It's a popular romantic archetype, so it fits with the idea of having a big fanbase, and also it's codified in such a way that it would be something people might put onto Shinobu, as an expectation, rather than something inherent to her personality. Over time, of course, one shifts to embody the expectations of others more and more, especially in Shinobu's case, where her sense of self is weak in a lot of places.

3. I have been writing OCs for a long time, but my girlfriend was only a canon RPer for a long time. Eventually, though, once she'd left tumblr, she started making OCs for Killing Game RPs in discord groups, and those characters migrated out into our personal discord RPs over time. Frankly, my girlfriend is the reason that I have any DR OCs at all (and also is the reason I originally got into DR), so it could be said that all of them are the inspiration, but the clearest one is Rui, The Ultimate Host. She's another version of the "Girl Prince" archetype, and more typically so in her personality. Similarly to the Takarazuka Revue actresses, being a host puts her in a kind of liminal space where breaking those gendered expectations is a little more acceptable, so I think she's also in conversation with the archetype from another angle.

Rui came first, and Shinobu was at least partially a conscious foil to her of "these characters will have a lot to say to each other," and their relationship has gone, at varying points, from a rivalry, to a one-sided rivalry, to begrudging teammates, to actually being a romantic couple. For example, they both date around, but in very different ways - Rui dates a lot of girls at once, but doesn't like drama or tears, so rather than breaking up, she just sort of slowly ghosts them when she gets bored. In Shinobu's case, she only dates one girl at a time (and usually a short time) but she is very clear and purposefully cruel in how she attempts to break hearts. Defining Rui and Shinobu in opposition to each other in these kinds of ways was a big part in me figuring out the specifics of who Shinobu was and how she acted. Rui's great, and it's a shame that all of you only get to experience my girlfriend's OCs through the cameos they make here.

4. Personality wise, maybe less so, but Quanxi is a big aesthetic inspiration. Big anime lesbian, wears suits, has sex with lots of women, somewhat emotionally reserved, has an affinity for bows and arrows, etc. TalentSwap Shinobu (who is not someone I have formally codified with a page or anything, but she exists, she's out there, I promise) has an eyepatch basically as a direct reference to Quanxi's appearance. She's just a character I think is neat. Shinobu's design was harder for me to pin down, at first, compared to a lot of my OCs. I settled on the glasses, red hair, black clothes, pretty early, but there are multiple "beta shinobu" designs that don't have the same fashion sense or overall aesthetic. Quanxi (and Makima, to be fair) helped me zero in on the specific look.

5. This is kind of a joke, but also kind of not hahaha. I do have a habit of referring to any edgy characters as like, a "little Sasuke" but also it weirdly does line up? It wasn't really intentional, but she's the second child of a famous family, with a genius prodigy older brother who abandoned the family and thus ruined her entire life, and now she wants to murder him. She's pretty Sasuke, not gonna lie. I think a lot of characters, not even just OCs, but canon characters too, sometimes exist in this kind of void space where they don't seem to have much going on outside of the direct canon - no family relationships, no hobbies outside of what they do on-camera, etc. I wanted to have all of my OCs have that surrounding scaffolding, and so for Shinobu, it was this very fractured and messy family situation with an absent mother, a cruel father, and a brother who doesn't actually deserve her hatred, but who is this target/outlet for the rage at her own mistreatment that almost overwrites all her other instincts when he is around.

6. This is another "grouping of characters / trope analysis" thing. I almost see it as a companion piece to the other one. Whereas the prince girls are an archetype of "celebrated masculinity in young girls," I would say these characters (Naoto Shirogane, Ryunosuke Fujinami, Rin Hoshizora, Tomo Aizawa) are an archetype of... "distant aspirational femininity," maybe, in that same demographic. I don't have a problem with these characters (I like most of them!) but aspects of their stories play with this idea that these more masculine girls would be happier or more authentic if they discarded those elements in favor of more conventional femininity.

I think this is maybe a complicated topic, because femininity is policed in a way that's kind of "damned if you do, damned if you don't," in my opinion, and in specific, all of these characters are potentially justified in their feelings on an individual level. There's nothing wrong with presenting in a certain way, and it's not "masculine girl good, feminine girl bad," but I do think it's worth talking about that, firstly, in some cases, these stories frame these desires for feminine presentation as liberatory or radically individualistic in spite of society, which is just not usually accurate - society wants women to be feminine, it is not a radical position or one that is deeply challenging dominant narratives, so it's weird to frame it that way. Secondly, there is almost never the alternative - there are so few female characters who present femininely, and who have character beats that involve accepting and desiring a more masculine presentation.

I think a lot about gender and sexuality, so these things get under my skin a little bit. It's not anime-exclusive, either. The amount of teen movies that involve a female character going from like, unisex clothing to more femme presentation in order to be pretty for the boy, or whatever, is too damn high. Justice for Ally Sheedy, basically. I do think it's fine to present however, and obviously fictional characters are fiction, so go wild. For me, though, it's a trope I find kind of tiresome and frustrating, especially when they're attached to romance options or female characters in majority male-audience works.

So, for Shinobu, I had the thinking of like, maybe being able to thread some (nonexistent) needle with her presentation. On the one hand, asserting her gender as a woman despite her androgynous appearance and more masculine presentation, and not treating that as somehow disqualifying of womanhood. On the other hand, allowing for the possibility of increased femininity over time in a way that feels a little bit more genuine in that kind of "radically self-affirming kind of way." Unlike a cis woman character, who society wants to be feminine, as a trans woman, society's "desire" for someone like Shinobu is not, in fact, feminine, but rather than she not be any kind of woman. To me that felt like a way to engage with that trope in a way that felt more interesting to me.

[k-pepp]

The other day @themarsbar and @sillylittleflower and I were talking about reaction videos and our love of certain reactors. I’ve gone down the reaction rabbit hole and watched pretty much every reactor I could find. Because there are so many, I ended up making a list of who I liked and who I didn’t so I’d remember by the time S3 came out. I’m gonna put out some of my favorites in case anyone hasn’t seen some of them, or has recommendations not on the list, or just wants to scream in the notes section with me about certain videos.

Note: I’m only going to list some my favorite ones and not get into who I didn’t like as much because I’m not super comfy putting that stuff on main… Feel free to slide into my DMs though 😅

Brad Evans - Anyone who already watches reactions has probably already seen Brad. But if you haven’t, I highly recommend. Once you start watching different reaction videos you realize a lot of them don’t pull you in as much because half the time you’re just watching someone watch tv. But Brad’s are always entertaining. He puts in a lot of meme edits and adds his own funny commentary. He also likes the show. Which seems basic, but you’d be surprised. You can tell some reactors just watch YR for the content and some reactors are actually into it. I just remember Brad crying at the end of S1 (weren’t we all) and during the the last 10 minutes of S2 he had to get up and stand behind his couch because he was freaking out (weren’t we all).

Brad freaking out behind his couch

Harry Allen - Love Harry. He doesn’t do editing or silly jokes, but he is very, very thoughtful. At least a handful of times each episode he’ll stop to do an analysis of the character / plot or to go on a rant about something. He always apologizes for stopping the episode to talk and its like “never apologize, Harry! This is what make your videos the best!” His thoughts are very articulate and very fair. Even if he doesn’t like what the character is doing, he still tries to understand from their point of view. You can tell he’s actually invested. Top recommendation, honestly.

A Story Worth Telling - Josh and Alex are the best. They also don’t do any crazy edits, but they’re both very witty. They play off of each other well and it makes you feel like your watching the show with friends. It’s nice to watch them have conversations about what’s going on instead of just one person’s random comments every few minutes. I also appreciate that they play devil’s advocate for each other. Sometimes one of them will have a take I don’t necessarily agree with, but then the other person is quick to say “ok, but maybe it’s also…” So it feels like their thoughts on shows are well rounded. And just like with my other top reactors, you can tell they actually care about the show. They’re just very fun and lovely to watch.

Them in their crowns watching the finale

EverybodyLovesRae- Rachel only had S2 reactions on her channel, but I still recommend her videos. She does the same type of meme edits as Brad and gets super passionate about the show (especially Wilmon). She doesn’t do too much analysis, but the commentary she gives feels just like the commentary you’d see in the Tumblr tags. It feels like a friend sitting on the couch with you getting excited or mad or anxious watching each scene. Very genuine and sweet.

Rachel freaking out at the finale

Jay Per View - When I first went down the rabbit hole, I saw quite a few people recommend him. And I’ll be honest, when I first started his videos, it took me a minute. He can give off “bro” vibes and he reacts to Young Royals exactly the same way someone reacts to watching a sports game. You’ll get something like “oh he’s doing it! Alright!!” *loud clapping* “LET’S GOOO!!” But it becomes endearing. He’s just super passionate about what he watches and his enthusiasm becomes kind of infectious. Plus he’s low key funny. Out of no where he’ll pull out some random one-liner that has me cackling.

Jay cheering on the ending lol

Ricky Reviews - Ricky is very, very sweet. Like a lovely friend you’re watching the show with. He gets super excited during scenes and even cried during both season finales (didn’t we all). You can tell the general theme of my “favorites” list is a reactor who seems like an actual fan of the show. Definitely Ricky.

Ricky living his best life during the finale

Abnormally Adam - Another reactor that took me a minute to get used to. He can be a bit over the top and talks a mile a minute, but you can tell he is genuinely invested and passionate about the show, especially Wilmon. I appreciate that he replayed the “I love you” scene multiple times and just kept reacting to it lol

ChachiSays (previously Joshing Joshua) - He doesn’t do edits or heavy analysis, but I still enjoyed his reviews. He was passionate during each episode and, just like with Ricky Reviews, teared up during both finales (didn’t we all). Very sweet.

The Cornerverse - Georgia is a lot more reserved and soft spoken than most of the other reactors on my list, but she’s very sweet and has some good thoughtful commentary. I just remember during Wille’s speech she had to stop the video to process what he said because she was freaking out so much (weren’t we all). She’s very lovely.

Jackie-Ross Lavender - Jackie is a lovely man. He can be a little intense and dramatic (as shown by his thumbnails in which every single one is a picture of his head in his hands lol), but he genuinely loves the show and loves Wilmon. I joined his Patreon and he has reactions to Edvin and Omar interviews as well.

Jackie being very intense and dramatic lol

Alex Chris - up front I’m gonna warn that he only puts the first episodes of S1 and S2 on YouTube and everything else is on his Patreon. I wish he didn’t do that because I really enjoy his reactions and this cuts it off from people who don’t want to pay. But if you do want to check out his stuff, he has thoughtful commentary (kind of reminds me of Harry Allen) and he’s funny. Not in a jokey way, but he’s kind of goofy and his goofiness makes him endearing.

FictionalDarling - she does each season’s reaction as one hour long video (2 videos total). So the upside is that they’re very easy to binge, but the downside is a lot of the scenes get reduced or skipped to have 6 episodes fit into one video. I would still recommend them though. She adorable and has funny comments and overall entertaining commentary.

Niall No Chill - he reminds me a bit of Brad. He does similar meme edits and also has enthusiastic funny commentary. He’s entertaining to watch along with. He also makes some very good guesses. He figured out how Felice was going to be able to catch August in S1. I was impressed.

David vs Film - the most recent reactor that I’ve watched. I enjoyed him. He doesn’t do any edits or heavy analysis, but he’s genuinely invested and he was also entertaining to watch. He also had some funny little one liners. He kept calling the music teacher Older Anne Hathaway and now I can’t unsee it 😂

[two-sides-samecoin]

Character ask meme! Both Sam Winchester and Steve Harrington for 1, 2, 6, 15, 18?

Steve Harrington:

: favorite thing (s) about this character

Where to even begin? Lol. He’s just so sweet and kind to people. He loves the people that are his family and friends and he would do anything for them. He just cares so deeply about the people that he loves. And he’s just so sweet with kids while also being annoying about it lol. But also I love how he’s just able to be their friend and he’s so sweet. I love how he uses humor to get his friends to laugh and how he just wants to make them laugh and feel happy when they’re constantly surrounded by misery. I also love his bitchy moments and how he is very judgmental. And I love his sass and the way he’s a fucking badass without even meaning too. I just love everything about him! I also love how self aware he is in how he’s feeling - I mean he pushes it down but that’s a whole other reason but he knows what he’s feeling and just idk I love it lol.

2: what song (s) remind you of this character

Don’t blame me by Taylor Swift

Lovely by Lauren Babic (it’s a cover of Billie elish’s song but I love this cover a lot)

I wanna get better by Against the Current and the ready set (also a cover but I love this one)

A million pieces by point north

Funeral home by yours truly

6: fav thing the character has said

I’m stealthy like a ninja - ngl I just think it’s so funny and I love how he thinks of himself as a ninja , it’s so cute and sweet

15: fav line of theirs

I just want to help - this is just god this is who Steve is, this quote perfectly goes with his character arc and who he is as a person and it just means so much to me

18: what’s something you associate with this character

The color yellow mainly cuz of his sweater this season but also cuz yellow just radiated sunlight and happy energy which Steve is. Also huge cuz he fr looks like he’s the best at hugs. Also using hands to talk- when talking constantly moving hands

Sam Winchester

1: where to begin? Lol. Sam is just so fucking sweet and cares about everyone in his life. He legit has put himself on the line for people he doesn’t even know like he just fucking cares so much. His beliefs are something that I fucking love where he talks about how it isn’t what someone is but the actions that the person takes. And it’s just dibxjdhdb. I love how fucking smart Sam is like he was going to go to law school and got a 174 (I believe) on his SAT scores. However, on the flip side I also love how fucking reckless and dumb he can be. He fr told Dean that he wasn’t sure one of his plans would work out when dean’s life was on line (he said it after Dean was safe and this was in season 1 lol). I love how he said the exorcism backwards to get demons out of bodies and he wasn’t even sure if it would work! Like please he’s so smart but so many of his plans he doesn’t even know if it would work and for some reason I find that so endearing. Sam is a fucking badass and strong as hell! I can’t go without saying this simply because he’s just a fucking badass - I mean he took on Lucifer and got out of his possession all because he remembered a memory in the iconic ending of season 5! It’s just god Sam is so strong emotionally and physically. It’s just so I get feelings about this. I just love this boy so much! ❤️

2: okay so this is so basic but it does describe him~ welcome to my life by simple plan

Soldier, Poet, King by The Oh Hellos

Gasoline by Halsey

Let me down slowly by Alex Benjamin

6: what kind of house doesn’t have salt? Low sodium freaks!

I have no idea what it is but this quote is just something that I love and please it’s so fucking funny 😂 like he’s in the middle of a life or death situation and all he can think of is to be judgmental and just dunk on the people in that house

15: This is so fuckkng hard for me lol especiallt cuz so have 15 seasons worth of content to think about. But anyway I picked a longer line:

I’ve got demon blood in me, Dean. This disease pumping through veins and I can’t ever rip it out or scrub it clean. I’m a whole new level of freak! And I’m just trying to take this this curse ms make something good out if it. Because I have to.

Gos it’s just - it’s just it says so much about what he thinks of himself bht it also says so much about who is he is. He’s just trying to make something good out of something that was/seen as bad and it’s just- it gives me so many feelings.

18: dogs- look Sam loves dogs and of course we have Sam’s iconic puppy eyes in general that he does. Sam was always the dog person and he just loves dogs. He legit ran away from home one time when he was young and adopted a dog. Also of course we have the iconic purple dog shirt that he wears so I associate Sam with dogs. (other rant lol but I’m still pissed that Dean was the one who looked after miracle after they already established that Sam loves dogs)

[outoftheframework]

my proposal for tropes we as a fandom should adopt in all fanworks going forward: Duke Thomas edition

So every fandom has tropes and characterization quirks that have been generally accepted into fanon and, like, maybe? they were originally based on some obscure comic panel from the 80s or something but it doesn’t really matter because we’re all just,,, cool with it? Like for example- in the dc comics fandom, an art piece could show 3 of the bats that look virtually identical except one of them is holding a box of cereal so that one is obviously Dick Grayson. . . Y’know?

Anyway, these things usually come up naturally I guess but I’ve been here a while and it’s finally time to put my foot down. It’s high time for Duke Thomas to be more in fanon than “the sane one.” Because he might be the relatively new guy but he is certainly fears no gods or laws of the land just as much as the other bats, lemme tell ya. 

TL;DR here are character quirks (”canon-based” or otherwise) that we should all really latch onto seriously I’m begging y’all to make at least one of these happen-

Duke “Habitually Jumping Out of Moving Vehicles” Thomas

This one’s actually based in canon y’all; Duke did indeed yeet himself out of the back of a cop car and off of a bridge (in We Are... Robin). Normalize Duke’s wearing knee and elbow pads as Signal because jumping out of a car turns out relatively fine once and then suddenly Batman’s rooftop disappearing act seems mellow compared to the amount of times Gordon has whipped his head around to see a now Signal-less backseat. 

Like, he’s going 60 mph?? And he didn’t even hear the door open?? and tHE DOORS ARE STILL LOCKED??

Imagine this leaking into civilian life and Bruce waking up to a blurry photo of Duke mid-escape from a limousine on the front page of the Gotham Gazette.

(more under cut)

Duke “Puzzles are my Passion” Thomas

Duke is ~canonically~ very skilled at both solving and concocting riddles (as a child during that time where The Riddler just,,, controlled Gotham, he worked non-stop on riddles, trying to make the perfect one). Please y’all- let Duke solve puzzles. Have the other bats ask him for help after 36 hours straight of brooding over some brainteaser that Duke works out within the half-hour. He texts a picture of the solution scribbled out on loose leaf in the margins of his pre-calc homework because this boy shows his work. 

My guy is a word-cross FIEND. A mind-sweeper speed-runner. That guy who mails into the Gazette to correct a solution in the “fun & games” section and also ps that photo is not of me I am simply a polite young man who is much too busy writing into the paper in the year 2021 to jump out of limos-

I also would love to see this integrated into the type of cases he investigates / runs into on his daytime patrol. Like, obviously the criminal activity is going to dramatically differ before and after sundown, but that doesn’t make Duke’s work any easier or less important. It’s a different skillset; he has to work differently. Instead of jumping into fights, halting mob meetings, saving civilians in dark allies, etc. Duke has to sort through all of the moving pieces before they all converge into something catastrophic. 

It’s a known fact that criminal organizations in Gotham make and execute a lot of behind-the-scenes plans during the day specifically not to run into the bats. And Duke knows and monitors this shit all by himself; his work is crucial to logistics and information gathering for the bats as a whole. Now criminals have like, a 2 hour gap between bat-shifts to try and get stuff done. But Duke would 100% set traps on timers or lead them on this pre-set convoluted goose chase  to distract them until the night bats come out and to let himself enjoy the whole thing playing out on the news while he finishes homework that’s due at midnight.

Duke “I Know a Guy” Thomas

So in going off of the basic concept for the “We Are. . . Robin” run in combination to his general likability, Duke has a lot of friends all around Gotham. Okay, sure, he doesn’t have a Super best friend or a Speedster on speed dial, but he does know this guy who details cars up on West 35th and will tell them all about the new mods on Black Mask’s transport vans if they come through the third floor window and bring takeout. 

Bruce and Tim will be waiting for the facial recognition software to identify at least a partial match off of security cam footage when Duke pulls into the cave, takes one look at the screen, and says “Oh, that’s <insert name, address, abridged life story, and known associates here>.” This also brings in the opportunity for Duke to have some sort of perfect recall for faces, voices, names, etc. which I think could be a really cool element for his position as the batfamily member who has a lot more personal interaction with the people of Gotham.

I’m also into the idea of a lot of people knowing/telling stories about Duke. Not to reference the Chuck Norris meme but almost like the Chuck Norris meme lmao. Think about Jason mentioning his brother to someone and she replies, “Duke Thomas? Like that Duke Thomas? The one who swam across the harbor because he said it’d be faster than the subway and it actually was?” These stories have varying levels of truth to them but Duke will never confirm nor deny when he gets random calls from family members yelling “you dID WHAT”

So those are my top three, and the following is a little speed-round of headcanons :)

Duke has a super expressive face. Like when he’s relaxed around family, you can tell exactly what he’s thinking and how he’s feeling by his visual reactions to things

Duke rotates through picking up new and revisiting old hobbies at a pretty rapid pace. Some hobbies include: bullet journaling, origami, viola, cello, synth, conversational basics in multiple languages, up-cycling and embroidering clothes

Duke has a really fucking adorable smile. He can’t help it. He’ll try to grin sarcastically or smug to be annoying but his smile just cannot be anything other than endearing. He also has a very specific booming laugh that’s an absolute treasure to hear, because it’s the most genuinely happy thing ever. 

Duke unironically enjoys Signal by Twice even though the first time he heard it was after Steph had set it as his morning alarm.

So.

Come and get your food, I guess.

Feel free to add on if you’d like! I’d love to see anything you guys write/draw/etc. based on anything from here if you feel compelled to do so!

Stay safe and be well :) 

[crymeariveronceagain]

keeper crew, ranked based on who would have been the cutest baby

because ive been thinking about elf babies okay i want to hold these children

Fitz. So smol. So good. So pure. Puts everything in his mouth. Smiles. Says every word he hears back. You say things like "Moo" and "Muffin" and "Ripplepuff" and "Whiskers" and his little face gets all excited and his eyes sparkle and he's the cutest. baby. you've ever seen.

Biana Vacker. It's those freaking Vacker Genes. Ugh. So cute. It's practically illegal. She's got a sass to her, and her eyes are soooo big. She smiles and the world falls apart.

Maruca. Wtf. How did someone so perfectly sweet as a baby become? Such a badass? She grew up really fast, but when she was a baby she was chubby and soft and smiley and talked in babbles sometimes and made happy noises so much.

Linh. SUCH A SWEETHEART. BEAUTIFUL EYES, A TINY LITTLE CHEEKY SMILE WHENEVER SHE DOES SOMETHING. And also, twins. Twiiins.

Tam. SO SERIOUS. SUCH A SERIOUS BABY. Glares at you, but his little face is kind of chubby and he looks like he could be a meme of a cute angry baby. He watches you. he knows things. He questions everything. And then his sister puts her little chubby hands on the sides of his face and looks at him and he SMILES THE WIDEST YOU'VE EVER SEEN.

Keefe. The happiest baby alive. So bright, so cute. Augh. AND THOSE BLOND CURLS?!?! THOSE ICE BLUE EYES??!?!?! THAT INNOCENT EXPRESSION???!!? ARE THOSE MY BIOLOGY NOTES. KEEFE. PUT THEM DOWN. PUT THE PEN DOWN. NOOO

Sophie. A normal baby with normal baby cuteness. Her eyes were a little too big for her head. Kinda looked like a fairy, and was always on the small side.

Marella. The grumpiest. Baby. You've ever seen. So grumpy. But? It's kind of endearing? In a really weird way.

Dex. No comment. He was bald except for two pieces of hair and he had no eyebrows.

Stina. One. Little curl. On her forehead. And an eternal glare.

[beevean]

Baroryuu for the ship meme! I saw you talk about it a little in that narumitsu section And I’m curious on your full opinion on it

FUCKING

FINALLY

THANK YOU

okay, okay so, baroryuu, otp, best ship, disgustingly underrated for being the residential lawyer/prosecutor ship

First of all, Ryuu and Barok are my favorite AA characters. I can safely say that Ryuu beat Phoenix and Barok beat Miles. And I love Phoenix and Miles. They're that good 💖

Ryuu and Barok break an important trend that all lawyers/prosecutors followed: the first time they meet, they are nobodies to each other. They don't have a shared past (Phoenix and Miles), nor Barok resents Ryuu personally (Phoenix and Franziska/Godot). You know what this means? We get to see their relationship develop in real time from scratch! And, since Barok benefits from being the prosecutor of 5 cases, rather than just 2 or 3, his character development is palpable: he goes from mere indifference, to conflicted feelings that... don't show up in the best of ways, to begrudging respect, to trust, to full blown admiration. He has no other reason to feel this way, it's just that Ryuu made that much of an impact to him :)

The biggest difference between Barok and Miles is that Miles is very reserved, and struggles with putting his feelings into words - his awkwardness is what makes him endearing, of course. "Whooop!" But Barok, oh no, the dude showers Ryuu with so many nice words once his jerkass wall breaks apart. Absolute integrity, boundless talent, I believe you saved my life, he says it! He opens up to Ryuu! Phoenix had to pull Miles' tragic past out of his teeth (to be fair, during 1-4 Miles wanted to protect Phoenix from the horrors of DL-6 and von Karma, I'm not complaining); Barok decides, on his own, that Ryuu has earned his trust. Barok is the one that twice called Ryuu in the courtroom to explain something - most importantly after G1-5, where he admits that he's been oddly fascinated with Ryuu and wants to "cross swords" with him again. c'mon. this should be the Baroryuu equivalent of Miles' unnecessary feelings.

And Ryuu himself? Look, I don't care that it makes no sense, he is. so. smitten with Barok by the time G2-3 rolls along. He hears that Barok has been attacked, but despite everyone telling him that he's fine, really, this is just a normal Tuesday for him, he freaks out and goes to his office. He goes into his office to check on him! He becomes obsessed with learning his tragic past! Again, he has no previous reason to care this much, he just does!

(he also proceeds to be a giant jerkass to barok, but to be fair, he deserves to be bullied a little)

This is also where the "they have no shared past" dynamic makes their relationship retroactively cuter. Phoenix wanted to save Miles for years. He knew him, he wanted to know what happened ever since that fateful incident, of course he wouldn't turn his back to his former friend! Ryuu? Ryuu owes nothing big to Barok. Yes, Barok is one of the most cooperative prosecutors in the series, and this is not something to ignore, but dude's also been a giant asshole to him for months. But he still does it, because he trusts his clients no matter what, and he trusts Barok to be a good person underneath. He suffered so much, he's been betrayed by everyone he knew, and he still is a good person, behind his extremely abrasive walls.

And this is the first time in ten years someone has ever shown a modicum of unconditional kindness to Barok. He's no longer cursed. Ryuu truly is a paragon of justice like Klint was, but unlike his darling brother, he's too pure to be dragged into the darkness.

Barok's last appearance in the game is him bowing to Ryuu in the credits. I'm crying here, man.

Both of them are smart. Both of them are absolutely determined to know the truth. Both gleefully trample over corrupted authorities if necessary. And both of them are funny as hell :P

also. height difference. barok is one head taller than ryuu.

look at how fucking adorable they are <3 <3 <3

Also, can we talk about this shit? This shit right here? Where's my Barok breakdown, game? Where's his smile, while we're at it? Barok being overwhelmed by gratitude, his curse lifted, with the full knowledge that he has an ally, a partner at his side who accepts him even at his most broken, and Ryuu being happy that he helped someone in need and he found an invaluable friend... that's some good stuff right here, mmh I am nourished 👌

So yeah. Baroryuu best ship. I like watching funny dragon man and sexy drunk vampire bantering together. i like finding fanart where they kiss (and barok bends over because he's too big). they cute. let barok pine for ryuu pls. (and I sure hope that the number of Baroryuu fics on AO3 goes over 100 in my lifetime :V)

[brattyfics]

Like That

Pairing: Rio x Black!Reader

Summary: You and Rio get to know each other better. Loosely based on ‘Like That’ by Doja Cat. 

Warnings: Smut.

Word Count: 3.5K

Installments: Say So | Like That | Talk Dirty

And baby, I want it, and I'll just be honest 'Cause I just can't front when I look at you

About six weeks have passed since Rio declared himself your man, and you quickly learned he took the title very seriously.

He was busier than usual with ‘flipping his game,’ and you were busy preparing to transition your shop, but you saw each other often despite time constraints. You agreed date nights at least once a week were a must, but when you couldn’t see each other, Rio made sure to end nights with a phone call. Virtually falling asleep next to him gave you butterflies, reminding you just how exciting new relationships could be. It took prodding, but he told you made-up bedtime stories and the boring details of his day. In return, you shared things about yourself— childhood memories, the crazy things your mom did to embarrass you. He was sweet and attentive, and you found it refreshing to be with someone who was just as infatuated with you.

On your second date, he took you to his favorite restaurant, a fancy sushi place with expensive rolls. He taught you to hold chopsticks the wrong way the way he did and even fed you across the small table, a couple of unfortunate rolls falling apart due to his prodding. You tried your best to hide your amusement at the pensive look on his face. For whatever reason, Rio thought of himself as a sushi connoisseur, but it was clear to you that he was still learning.

“You’re no better than me!” He admonished when he noticed the way you held your chopsticks. Like his technique, it was incorrect, but it worked for you— sort of. “I never said I was.” You couldn’t keep the amusement off your face any longer. “You’re the one who comes here weekly. I thought you were a professional, and we’re in the same boat.” He folded his arms on top of the table as he insisted you were wrong, but secretly he found your teasing endearing. Later that night, he called and gave you a cheesy line about loving to see you smile.

The following week, you had lunch at a mom-and-pop soul food restaurant that served the best cornbread and peach cobbler in the city. The owners, an adorable older couple, Donna and Gene, and servers alike stopped by your table to meet Rio. Donna gushed over Rio, showering him with compliments and extra cornbread. “Girl, he is cute!” She told you, failing miserably at whispering. He smirked as you rolled your eyes, but he handled the attention well, being friendly and personable even when Gene kept going on and on about changes to the menu, one chef to another.

A few days later, he called you up randomly and asked you to get ready and ride with him somewhere. “What should I wear?” You asked, hoping for a hint. You could hear him smile as he said, “It doesn’t even matter, ma. You always look good.” The occasion had turned out to be ‘Foodtruck Friday.’ Barbecue, kebab, taco, ice cream, and other miscellaneous food trucks were parked in a spacious lot in Downtown Detroit. You settled at a picnic table and shared several plates of food as you discussed the possibility of your own mobile ‘Mad Batter’ shop somewhere down the line. It got you thinking about the future.

“Where do you see yourself in five years?” You asked the dreaded question in between bites of a colorful Korean fusion taco. He stiffened as he considered the answer. “What is this, a job interview?” Sometimes you saw peeks of bossman Rio rather than the Christopher Castillo you were getting to know. It happened seemingly out of nowhere when you asked questions he felt were invasive.

You looked up from the panko-fried shrimp, red cabbage, shredded carrots, and tasty orange sauce wrapped up in a flour tortilla with a frown. You had two choices: respond in the way he had or make light of the situation. So, you said, “Kinda. You’re auditioning for a spot on my roster, so...”

He stopped chewing the half-eaten dumpling and swallowed hard. “That’s not funny.”

“You better start taking the interviewing part of the audition more seriously then.” You wiped your fingers on a napkin, and he gathered your hand in his own, wearing a look you couldn’t decipher. “You got it, ma.”

You played a game of mini-golf at the local arcade. Rio stood tall behind you, holding you by your hips as he corrected your stance. You purposefully arched your back, brushing against him just slightly. “Like this?” You looked over your shoulder with the most innocent look you could muster, but his eyes were glued to your ass. “Yeah, just like that.” He answered in a low tone without looking up. You giggled as you took your swing, adding a wiggle for his benefit. You pretended to care about the ball as it glided across the bright green tarp towards the hole. “How was that?” You chirped, looking down the lane.

“I can’t even lie. I don’t care about the game right now. I just wanna watch you.” Your aim was terrible, and the ball never went in the hole without several attempts, but he insisted you finish playing the course. You teased him about it for days after despite his claim that he actually enjoyed the game because it was one of Marcus’ favorites.

“Stop lying! You just wanted an excuse to openly watch my ass.”

“Why you always gotta call me out?”

You shopped a cozy health and wellness store with hundreds of cool little trinkets for sale. Neither of you had been there before, so you took your time exploring, stealing unexpected kisses from the other. Rio took full advantage of the size of the store, pulling you by the hand and holding you close to his side.

He frowned at the large collection of shiny crystals. “A rock, really? What does anybody need with a rock?”

“It’s not a rock!” You hissed, head whipping around as you hoped the owner didn’t hear him.

“What is it then? It looks like a rock to me.” He picked one up, turning it over in his hands.

“It’s a crystal!”

“What’s the difference?”

“It has healing properties...” Rio snorted but strung his arm across your shoulder and listened intently as you read the info cards to him. When it was all said and done, he bought an aventurine stone to apologize to the owner for prosperity, well-being, and good luck.

The next day, he disappeared with no warning. You had been worried sick until Mick let you know he was busy handling something. It would have only taken a minute to tell you that, so you were (understandably) pissed. He showed up at the shop several days later like nothing had ever happened. “What’s up, mama?” The greeting that usually melted you grated on your nerves. All of your feelings about the situation bubbled up to the surface. It was hard to find the right words— you were still getting to know each other, so how mad could you be? At the same time, how little did he think of you to not say anything? Finally, you settled on, “I can’t do the disappearing act.”

Rio wasn’t used to answering to anyone, not even his child’s mother, about his whereabouts, but he put his palms up in surrender when he saw the serious expression you wore.

“You’re right, mama. That’s my bad. It won’t happen again.”

And it hadn’t.

But knowing ahead of time only made it a tiny bit easier, especially when he didn’t have a set return date. You were going on day seven (the longest you had gone without seeing him since you started dating) when he called to say he made it home and wanted to see you. Your heavy heart swelled with relief. You missed him way more than you probably should have, so you insisted on a night in at your place, wanting him to feel relaxed and at home instead of on guard somewhere public.

It had been a long six weeks without sex while he romanced you with delicious food and beautiful words. It wasn’t an easy task, but you knew as soon as sex was thrown in the mix, you would be done for, either destined to be his or ruined by him. It was a scary thought, but distance had indeed made the heart grow fonder, and you cared about him enough to take a chance.

He was set to arrive within the hour, but you were still unsure of what to wear, frantically rummaging through the dresser for something cute and comfortable. You let out a frustrated groan when your phone started to ring, thinking Rio might have come early, but when you look down at your phone, you see your best friend’s name and face. You swipe quickly, accepting the FaceTime call. “Hey, girl!”

“Hey, stranger!” You pick up the phone, so you can look at her. “Really?”

“Yes, really.” She replies with just as much sass. “I haven’t talked to you in what— two weeks?”

“We talk—“

“—text.”

“Okay, fine. Text. We text every day. What are you talking about?”

“That’s not the same.” She insists even as you remind her of the ridiculous amount of time you spend trading memes and food pictures with her.

“Anyway, what are you doing?”

“I’m trying to decide what I’m going to wear between this, this, or this.” You move the camera around, showing her the different options. A black-and-white tank and short set with ‘Being cute is not a crime’ in a cute font. A fuzzy grey sweatsuit set with hearts, or a simple cream hoodie with matching shorts.

“Um, what’s the occasion?” You giggle at the look on her face, knowing she thinks none of the above are appropriate for wearing outside of the house.

“Movie night in.”

“You need help picking an outfit for movie night with yourself?” Her face scrunches up in confusion. “Wait, is it movie night with yourself?” You try to be casual about it, shrugging your shoulders in response. As usual, she sees through your bullshit and goes straight into an interrogation. “Oh, bitch. You been holding out on me!” She asks you five questions in a row without stopping to breathe before settling on one. “Who?”

You gnaw on your bottom lip. “...Rio.”

“Rio?” She frowns. “Like the guy we work for, Rio? With the eyebrows and the neck tattoo, Rio?”

“Yes, that Rio.”

“Wow.” You wince but decide it’s best to get it over with. “What? I know you, so I know there’s more where that came from.”

“I don’t know what to say! From what I can tell, he’s a decent dude, I guess, but you know what he does. You definitely know what we do for him! You don’t think that could be a problem?”

“It’s messy, for sure, and I can admit that, but I’ve been thinking about getting out anyway...” She nods. “Then, I guess there’s nothing else for me to say about that. You’re both grown, and you know what you’re doing.” She was your best friend, which meant she’d always give her honest opinion, but wouldn’t berate you about your choices. Just like that, you return to your regular discussion topics, everything from warehouse gossip (yes, even in the business of crime, there’s a rumor mill) to new music releases. Before you knew it, forty minutes had passed, and Rio was calling your phone. You promised to call her more often before hanging up.

You sing your ‘hello’ into the phone, hoping Rio can’t detect the shakiness in your voice as you clumsily pull on your bottoms.

“Hey, mama. You about ready? I know you’re sensitive about your space and all that.” He was referring to the fact that he had never been past the doorway of your home. Your home was your sacred place, so you were extra careful about who came in and what energy they brought. It was always nerve-wracking to let somebody into the space that you cherished so much.

“Yeah.” He picks up on the hesitancy in your voice. “Are you sure?” You nod your head as if he can see you before telling him yes with a giggle. “Alright, well, I’m outside. Can I come in?” You bite your lip, butterflies fluttering in your tummy. “Yeah, I’ll come unlock the door.” He whispers his thanks, and you take a moment to force yourself to relax. When you meet him at the door, you do so with an open mind and heart, taking in his appearance with a goofy grin on your face. As usual, he’s dressed in all black, wearing a well-fitted t-shirt and sweatpants. He’s casual but still so high quality and attractive.

“Hi.” You breathe out like a dork when you realize you’re staring. It helps that he seems just as mesmerized, stepping forward to envelop you in a tight, warm hug. He sways you from side to side before pulling back, his hands resting heavily on the top of your ass. He settles for a quick peck on the lips because he has something to say. “You’re as pretty as ever, darlin’.” He says earnestly, shaking his head as he steps back to look you over once more.

“Kiss me again.” His hands cup your ass as you devour each other in the open doorway. You forget your surroundings. “Damn, ma. Can I at least get inside before you jump my bones? I don’t mind giving your neighbors a show if that’s your thing, but…” You turn to hide your embarrassment, leaving him to close the door behind you as you gesture around the room as if you’re in an episode of MTV Cribs. “... here’s the living room. The kitchen’s through the arch. The bathroom’s over there...” He follows you with his red as you point.

“And the bedroom?”

You snort. “The tour stops here for now. Sit down.” Your tone leaves no room for argument. He settles into the soft couch while you grab the snack tray from the kitchen. Homemade popcorn, chocolate-covered pretzels, and dried fruit gummies are on the menu.

“All this for me?” His arms snake around your waist so that you can curl up into his side. “What we watching?” You grab the remote. “I saw a trailer this week that caught my attention. I’ll play it for you.” He didn’t care what you watched as long as he got to be close to you, so it didn’t take long for you to get the movie started. He stole glances at you when his knuckles brushed against your bare knees under the blanket. You’re embarrassed at how wet the small action makes you, so you stretch out across the couch and place your bare feet in his lap, silently planning your revenge. The movie may as well not be playing because you couldn’t be less interested in the plot as you lightly stroke him through his sweatpants with the balls of your feet.

“Ma...” He warns, watching you in the low lighting. He’s come to learn you like to tease, but he doesn’t think he can take it, not tonight. “Hmm?” You hum innocently, loving the strained look on your face. He doesn’t move even as you sit up on your haunches and kiss him. It’s slow and long in the best way. He pulls you to sit in his lap. His hands roam your body as you grind down onto him, relishing in the feeling of the soft skin on your tummy. He sighs into your mouth as one hand finds your bare breasts.

He pulls away to talk shit. “No bra? You just knew I was gonna put out, huh?” He pushes the cotton material up so he can see you properly. “Perfect.” He murmurs into your skin. You let him kiss and lick and suck on your nipples until the pressure you feel below is too much to handle. You’re a quivering mess when he finally helps you pull the cotton material up and over your head. It lands on top of the television behind you, but neither of you notice.

You nudge him until he removes his own shirt, and then he lifts his hips to help you when you begin tugging on his sweats. They puddle at his feet while you spread your legs wide, desperate to get your hands on him. “I could cry right now.” You admit honestly when you finally see him, biting your lip. He arches a brow. “Is that a good thing or a bad thing, darlin’?” His hips jerk when you take him into your hands, the cold temperature surprising him.

“It’s definitely a good thing.” You whisper excitedly, staring with wonder as he hardens in your hands. He barks out a laugh, stunned by your ability to make him laugh, even with his dick in your hands. “That’s really nice, ma. I feel real special.” Your eyes meet, and silent promises of all the filthy things you’re going to do to each other are exchanged. “You should. I’m about to change your life.” He throbs in your hands, loving that you find small ways to challenge him.

“Come on. Let’s go to bed.” He wraps his arms around you in preparation to get up, but you stop him with a shake of your head. “I don’t wanna.”

“No? What you wanna do then?”

You answer him by slipping to your knees. You spit on his dick, stroking him up and down slowly. He watches you closely as you lower your mouth, wrapping your lips around the tip. It takes a lot of restraint, but he lets you do your thing, slowly working him deeper into your throat. He closes his eyes as he concentrates on lasting, but he can’t turn his ears off, the obscene smacks painting a vivid picture for him. When you swipe your tongue across his balls, he moves to stop you, grabbing your shoulders. Fire dances in your eyes as you realize you got him where you want him. “I don’t wanna.” You repeat.

“You are a brat.”

You release him with a pop. “The biggest.” You admit, swallowing him once more. He groans, thinking he can’t believe you’re the same sweet girl who bakes in a frilly pink apron and begs him to tell her bedtime stories.

“I want you to fuck me now.” He stops you before you can bend over the couch. “Slow down. I want you on your back, darlin.”

You throw his earlier words back at him. “That’s nice. I feel really special.”

“You should.” He mocks you, instructing you to hold your legs wide. He wastes no time licking and sucking you as enthusiastically as you had done him. “You’re so pretty. I could eat this pretty pussy forever.” He compliments as you squirm in his hold. “You’d let me, huh?” You shake your head frantically. “No! You’d drive..me crazy!” Payback is a mother, especially when Rio’s the one dishing it out. “Wait, wait—“You whimper, clawing at his shoulders.

“What?” He cajoles. He almost wants to laugh at the distressed look on your face. “I want you.” You pout, trying to sweet-talk him.

“You have me.”

“Not like this. Inside.”

“Yeah? You sure?”

“Mhm.” You swallow, watching as he fumbles around with his pants searching for a condom. He opens the golden foil packet with expert fingers, positioning himself in between your spread legs. “You don’t have any pointers for me now?” He drags his tip up and down your slit, slowly pushing his way further. Teasing. You shake your head. “No. Just fuck me.”

“That ain’t polite. You gotta say please, mama.” You scowled, but he didn’t budge. “Please.” You pleaded with the sweetest tone you could muster, sighing as he gave in. You cursed at the stretch, him at the way you squeezed him. “You feel…” He couldn’t find the words, so he buried his face in your neck, trying to gain some composure. You caressed the back of his neck sweetly. “You feel good too, baby.”

His hips stuttered forward, and you gasped as he worked himself deeper. You grasp his shoulders tightly, your nails embedding themselves into the soft skin.

“Yes!” You squeal.

“Like that?” He grits out, struggling to keep his rhythm.

“Yes, just like that!” You cry, moaning as he pounds up into you. His lips find yours again, and it’s bliss. Then before you can stop yourself, you’re calling him Daddy like it’s his given name. He groans into your sweaty neck like he’s in pain.

“You’re so nasty.” Overwhelmed and breathless, you whine your protest, “You’re nasty. Look at what you’re doing to me.” His eyes shift to where you’re connected. You’re creaming all over him and leaking down onto the couch, but you can’t bring yourself to care about anything other than coming. You do just that, mewling as you make an even bigger mess between your legs. He whispers filthy things into your ear as he finishes, grunting at the way you seem to be sucking him in even deeper.

“That was—“

“—unreal.”

“Yeah.”

Neither of you can bring yourself to move. Your sweat-covered skin sticks together. You swipe your hand against your forehead while he pants.

“I wanted to ride you at least once tonight, but after that, I’ll be lucky to make it to bed.”

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[goblinshork]

Ok so what abaut Bodyguard and Agony whith a a naga prince that just hates the royal life and dreams of just having a simple life living in a cottage and selling homemade jewelry, so Reader his childhood best friend, personal bodyguard and person who he feel in love whith decides to make his dream come true (bonus if the prince has a sister so the kingdown whont stay whiout a ruler and she helps Reader whith the plan, bonus+ if the prince is kinda huge and scary to other people but he is just a chill dude that likes to make rings and necklaces)

Short scenario please! (Also sorry if its too long, feel free to just ignore this if you whant)

Not too long at all and I think it's an extremely charming idea! Thank you for sharing; big gruff, undercover sweeties are one of the most Choice(tm) archetypes.

This also got super long, but the vibes were singing to me.

Features: Slight angst, happy ending, kissing

Bodyguard + Agony (Monster Ask Meme)

Hands, Touching Hands (m!Naga x gn!Reader) [3.7k]

“Don’t lie, how many names do you remember?”

Alok yawned, curved fangs peaking out from almost-lips.

“None, thankfully,” he said, scratching at his curls, cut short enough that they barely formed.

“Impressive.”

“Oh—no, you won’t distract me. You agree with me don’t you?”

The book Alok had toyed the entire briefing slammed shut, the many bracelets at his wrist clinking for emphasis when you did not answer.

Watching him unfurl his tense length of tail, broad shoulders rising far above you as he 'stood', there was little to say but, "It’s not my place."

"Then it’s not mine, either."

He slunk toward the door and you picked up the book--the monstrous thing--with your arms rather than your hands before following him.

"Just give it time," you said in a reassurance that was too shallow to drown his mood.

Every move forward looked painful as he slithered forward like a child first learning to move against stone rather than soft grass. Unlike when he was a child, he was stilted by frustration rather than inexperience.

The conversation was left dropped, burning like the weight of the tome in your arms. If you were alone, you'd tell him to carry it. But servants, nobles, and royals passed frequently, all low bows and murmurs, moving on a touch quicker than polite.

When you first arrived to the kingdom, a slave dressed sweetly and presented as a gift, you'd marveled at how anyone could find the royal family intimidating when removed from their wealth and status.

Baby yellow skin and soft pink dapples painted everyone of them. Alok, himself, was more pink than yellow, and it reminded you of those delicate, painted dolls you'd press your face against glass to get a closer look at before being shooed away by the shop-keep.

You supposed little had changed since then, except now you were simply stared at, expected to keep your fingers off the pretty pink glass always, always in front of you.

The hallway Alok stopped moving forward in was empty, private; his. Without a word, you tossed the horrible book toward his crossed arms and swept the windows, floors, and ceiling for anything strange. His fumbling for the book, fingers audibly skimming against pages, made you smile.

"It's clear," you nodded. "Workshop, right?"

Alok deflated a bit, too caught between the mention of his workshop and pretending to have perfectly caught the book to keep his anger stoked.

"You're asking now," he said flat, looking from the book to you.

Putting up your hands in mock defeat, you turned, alert enough.

@

"I'm not angry at you.” The slits that served for his pupils, deep red and small in their focus on the gem he was cutting, turned to you when you said nothing in response.

“Sorry, I--” was dazzled by your eyes? Was enamored by how passionate you are for perfecting that sparkling little gem? “I know.”

“I just wanted to say it.”

You stretched from your place beside the door, perched on one of the few chairs at your disposal in the entire castle, “Thank you.”

“Don’t be patronizing,” Alok grumbled, pausing in his work. “I know...I know very well you must be tired of this, even if you won’t say it.”

The window was suddenly so interesting, your throat burning as you swallowed down the feeling kindling there.

“This is my home,” you said after hearing the scales of his tail shift closer. “There’s nothing to be tired of.”

Slowly, his hand rose to hover over yours, where it lay on your lap, “But you should be. I’d give you anything you needed. They couldn’t stop me.”

Everything you wanted to say was tucked in the patch of air that separated his touch from yours.

Any person, bought and raised to be singularly loyal would hesitate at the offer of freedom, wouldn’t they?

They’d want to grab his hand, wouldn’t they?

You could only guess as a love for a prince was not something to be said aloud unless you were allowed.

And you, a slave turned body guard, were not.

Standing, you scattered the almost-moment with a shake of your head, “I don’t care about freedom half as much as you think I do.”

His hand fell limp to his side, the slits that served as his nose flaring wide, as you continued.

“I’m your bodyguard and I’ll be your children’s bodyguard and I’ll be the same to whoever you choose from that book,” you finished, thoroughly shooing yourself away, wanting so much to run out the door.

Alok said your name quietly, but you remained silent.

And everything was still until it wasn’t.

In one smooth motion propelled by his sheer size, Alok stretched to the book and hurled it out the open window.

“No, you won’t. I’ll be their prince,” he said low, body suddenly too large for the room. “But I won’t be their king.”

You did run, then.

@

Perhaps the only place off-limits for a would-be king allergic to potential suitors was his sister’s drawing room.

Adur payed you no attention as she demanded entertainment from the brightly colored darlings and dark patterned beauties of the upper echelon.

“Did you know, I simply adore the pattern of your bangles lately,” she cooed, pointing to a decorated tail. “So perfectly in style.”

She continued on, picking this and that to sigh over, as you stood against the corner that provided the best view of the room, next to the door. 

You recognized each piece she fawned over as being similar to something Alok had on display or nearly-done in his workshop. Ah, to know a magician’s tricks.

Melting into a squat, you let their voices wash over you. No heart could hurt for long listening to women enjoy court gossip as much as this bunch did...from a distance.

When you, Alok, and Adur were younger, the rules seemed less stone and more like blades of grass, flexible and beneath you. Adur set you in front of her always revolving group of friends and tried to fit tail bangles around your thighs and waist. Alok insisted you sit side-by-side while studying geography, arithmetic, and etiquette. You lay between them on sunny afternoons, napping, legs touching tails.

But everything golden goes grey eventually.

“Well, do tell me. Did he throw it in the fire?”

You turned from the window, swapping red, setting sun for sharp, red eyes, “Out of the window.”

The room was empty but for you and her now. Adur pacing around, tail making quick work of circling the room as she read from her collection of letters.

“Still the amount of melodrama I expected so,” she shrugged, raising shoulders toward her pleased mouth as a silent finish to her sentence. “I, on the other hand, did pick.”

You rose, legs tingling from the sudden change. “Who?”

“Prince Talsa,” she said after cutting open a letter with her claw, “I’ve already decided on a short engagement and a respectable wedding down south. Perhaps closer to his kingdom than ours.”

“Talsa? Not rare one who everyone’s after?”

Adur looked at you as though you should know better before deigning to explain, “Prince Talsa is rather plain looking for a naga, yes, but that’s just the point.”

“Go on,” you said, wanting so much to be distracted.

“Think about it,” Adur scoffed. “Rare, beautiful babies create wonder amongst people, but children who look as though they could be born anywhere....don’t you see the appeal?”

She leaned against the window, long black hair obscuring her pink and yellow face, “They would be royalty that even the most common of folk could feel familiar to--feel endeared to. Even someone as devoid of charm or pretense as Alok could gain some favor. From their birth, I’ll have them attend every little festival and celebration. Their bond with the people will be unshakable.”

“You’ll make the best queen,” you said, unthinking to the implication.

“Has something happened to Alok?”

“No, you ju--”

Adur turned to you, delicate face empty, “It doesn’t matter what we know. He’s the eldest and alive and destroying a book won’t change that.”

Your hands shook as you laced them together, risking at least your life, by asking:

“What if we could change it?”

@

Everything in the little room lacked splendor, save the jewelry that her brother displayed to no one but himself, built only to separate Alok from his mentor. A failed attempt to elevate a man too gargantuan to grow further.

Even the flooring was rough on the tail, not smooth stone but brick for retaining heat. Only care for function within these four walls.

Adur noted her brother’s tail was bare as she swept over the lacking room, only his leather work belt draped over the apex where tail met torso. Every bit of jewelry he wore crowded his wrists and fingers, noisy as he worked on some large bangle unfamiliar to her.

He looked haggard, frown too ugly and deep to be a mere product of concentration. Grey tickled the roots of his bangs, pronounced enough to shine in the lamplight. Alok was getting too old to be a prince with only time for his hobby.

“Sometimes I think it would be kinder to simply put you out of your misery,” Adur said, closing the door behind her.

Alok’s back tensed, but he did not pause his work, “I’m surprised you said it out loud, but don’t say it like a joke.”

“Don’t be so serious,” Adur sighed, “of course it was a joke.”

“Where is--”

“Your human delight? Running errands for me.”

Alok did turn then, face flickering through emotions too fast to name, “They’re just as much your dear friend as mine, you little viper.”

“Forgive my callousness, but I find you respond to little else,” Adur said, picking at the sheer fabric of her top so it draped correctly against her arm again. “And perhaps they are my friend. But they are not just yours.”

“I won’t be king...even if they weren’t here.”

Adur laughed in a sizzling tone, forked tongue dancing with humor, “Oh? And I suppose your little fantasies of running away involve you doing so alone?”

Only the flames licking back and forth in the small forge answered her.

“You’re too old to be deluding yourself like this,” she went on, dropping a bottle and a sheer robe on Alok’s work desk. “It’s time to make choices once and for all, brother.”

“I’m not--”

“I’m not asking you to rule. You’d be pathetic at it, yes, I know. If not for our dear human friend, you’d have flunked every tutor save for your precious jewelry maker.”

Alok curled back over his tail, fingers picking at the fabric of the robe his sister had dropped. “Then what are you asking?”

Hand on the doorknob, Adur smiled, “if you had your way and left to live like a common man with your human, would you really never come back?”

“Never.”

Adur opened the door. “Good.”

@

The drider--Woodnet? Woodne? Wodner?--stayed near the the door as you did, but unlike you his sleek, black legs rested on a few thin lines of webbing where wall met ceiling.

Slowly, Alok raised his face to address the bodyguard, entirely unused to being the short one. Worse still was the struggle to match sights with the correct pair of the drider’s many blinking eyes. If you were here, you’d have nudged him to follow your lead already.

If you were here...this wouldn’t be happening in the first place. Just another wishful thought to swallow down as Alok struggled to stay polite in the face of his father’s prime bodyguard.

“Outside the room is fine,” Alok said in a clipped tone, turning as he did to avoid dealing with anymore niceties.

“Forgive me for questioning, Prince Alok,” the drider said, voice drifting down like floating silk. “But bathing is when you are most vulnerable. I can not help but object to the risk.”

The drider polished each word, in no hurry to finish his sentence and Alok’s eyes rolled once--twice--thrice by the time there was silence. If only this were any guard other than his father’s favorite.

“I understand,” Alok said. “But, the windows are trapped and you will be guarding the only entrance.”

The sound of burdened legs skittering down stone, followed by the opening and closing of the lone, stone door was his answer.

Driders were generally no longer friends of Alok’s kingdom. Wodnel....no, Wodni perhaps, was a relic of a time long gone, when his father was just proving himself a leader of a nation. That Wodnir--that was it, Wodnir--was so protective of Alok, having sparsely been involved with him and having been enslaved through ruthless, warmongering means made Alok’s shoulders bunch, the muscles between protruding over scales.

Is that how it was between you and he? Did you feign fondness and care or was it true? Was it true but maligned of him to hope for it due to how you came to be near him? Because of he was?

Alok disrobed and slunk into the hot water, hoping to drown his pithy doubts that crowded so large in his mind.

Flakes of shed rose to the top the longer he soaked, proof of a difficult shed. There was sure to be more bits to come as he scrubbed himself with the, apparently, ‘to die for’ body scrub his sister had left last week.

You were usually the one to soothe his bubbling stress in a life of constant politics and decorum, but the bits of dead skin were proof enough that Alok truly was getting too old for delusions. You’d only been away for a week and a spare number of days and here he was, so tense that not even a hot bath could unfurl him.

Ugh.

Politics and decorum. How would he survive tonight without you? Adur was announcing her engagement tonight, in tandem with the nobles emerging from their collective sheds at the tail end of the Harvest Festival.

Alok scrubbed himself raw, hoping to emerge a new man who could weather life half as well as everyone around him. But the harder he lathed himself in soap, the clearer the truth rang.

If only he could have you.

@

You had relieved Wodnier of his duties, thanking him with a bow, and standing stiff beside the door for precious minutes, waiting for his delicate range of hearing to wane.

As an apprentice, you had met Wodnier often enough to know he wished you well as much as any spider did a fly.

Hammering against your chest, you feared the vibration of your heart was loud enough for him to hear. And there was always a chance the door shutting at the end of the curved hallway was a trap; that Wodnier still stood in Alok’s quarters and was not making his way back to the King.

But you didn’t have time to be safe, only quick.

Jittered by adrenaline, you sprinted to Alok’s room---toe first, heel last--and back, holding your breath once you made it back to the door of the bath.

Sweat pooled against your forehead, but nothing sprang toward you sans the faint sounds of Alok bathing.

You slipped past the door, the pack in your hands bulky enough that the door opened wider than you’d wanted, the hinge creaking.

“Alok?”

The figure behind the curtain froze before calling back your name.

“We don’t have much time, Alok,” you pressed in a sure voice, but your legs wobbled as you neared the curtain. “I’m....I’m running away and I’m taking you with me.”

“What?”

Coming past the curtain, your chest could barely contain your quick breathing. His hair was devoid of any gray, blacker than pitch as it fell just above his ear holes and forehead. Muddy brown and maroon scales were sleek and wet, droplets rolling down his body, even near his---

You looked back up quickly, away from where his belt always covered. “I mean, I want us to run away and we need to go now.”

Having followed your wandering gaze toward the apex of his stomach and tail, Alok frantically looked toward his arms, the muddy water, “What in the fuck is this?”

“Adur is helping us,” is all you said and it was all Alok seemed to need as he picked up the bottle the dye had been in, nodding. “She said it’ll only last until your next shed but, by then, hopefully....”

“She wants to be queen very much,” he murmured.

You tore open the pack, reminding yourself that time was short, and held them out. “Yes. So, we need to go.”

“You have no idea--,” Alok started, before interrupting himself. “I need something from the workshop.”

“We don’t have time.”

He shook his head as he took what you offered, dressing himself in plain leather and thick, scratchy wool. “It will be quick.”

You opened your mouth--- “Please.” --but couldn’t keep firm in the face of his pleading.

“Okay.”

@

Alok threw a few rings, bangles, and tools into the bag.

“Only enough to sell and get started again,” he assured.

But as you turned to leave the room, his hand was on your arm, pulling you back.

“We--”

“I love you,” he breathed, holding two thick, ornate bangles in his free hand. Both were decorated, from the side you could see, with marigolds, jewels gleaming in the center of their petals. You recognized each one.

One was the size to fit a large tail while the other...

“Alok.”

“I want us to leave belonging to one another.”

Your shaking hands dropped the large bag and his slid to hold both yours in his large one. “If we leave together, we’ll live together too won’t we?”

Even your head shook now, from side to side, hoping to discern the moment as waking or dreaming. “Alok. Of course, because...Of course we will.���

“Oh, please say it,” he said, tugging you nearer still.

He repeated your name and like a spell, you found your words, “We’ll live together because I love you, too.”

His thin mouth, soft and bloodless, fell to yours from his full height, his body curling over you as he pressed against your lips again.

“Let me put it on you,” he whispered, mouth moving against yours as you clung to him.

“Hurry and then we can....Just the bangles and then we must go before it’s too late.”

Careful of his claws, he lifted you to sit on his work table before slipping his own bangle over the small tip of his tail and up further, until it stuck in place under his belt.

There was no time to remove your pants, to mold the bangle against your bare thigh as was intended, but Alok’s thick hands skimming around the metal the entire way up burned as though he were doing just that.

You slid off the table, when the bangle was snug, to melt against him for one brief moment of loving calm, your face rubbing against his neck.

You didn’t have time for more.

After disentangling from his tight hold, you threw the bag at him, near tears as he scrambled to catch it. “I know it’s selfish, but I’m so glad you’re going to be mine instead of a king.”

And then you ran, hand in hand.

@

“Hey! Heeeeey,” one of the children yelled as the whole group of five ran toward you, kicking up dust on the dirt-packed road. “My momma said that snake man eats kids who don’t do chores!”

“My papa said he can’t help with the festival because he’s growing more arms!”

“That’s dumb, Brittany. My papa is smarter and he said the same thing as Corey’s momma. He’s a kid eater!”

The group shrieked in delighted horror as they squabbled on the specifics of what was really, truly going on in their village.

You hiked the basket in your arms higher after several attempts to respond, loudly telling them to pay attention or you’d leave.

As though pulled forward by strings, they straightened as still as a child could, a few even holding their hands over their mouths to keep silent.

“All of your parents are right,” you nodded, “Every two months he must curb his huge appetite and force back his new, child-grabbing arms so he doesn’t hurt the very naughty children of this village.”

They all clamored to stress their innocence in a cacophony of babbling that soon grew into questions.

“Is that why you live with him? ‘Cause you protect the village?”

“And him,” you said.

“At the same time?!”

“Of course, it’s my job. Now go back toward the smithy before you find out just how many arms he has.”

Lunging forward in jest was enough to urge the children away, all of them teasing the other that they would be last to get there and a snake man’s lunch.

@

“You’re horrible,” Alok groaned, scales pale pink and yellow from a successful shed. “Soon, they’ll be grown-ups, running us off.”

Hefting the basket onto the dining table, you laughed, “they adore you in secret.”

The cottages here were baked of mud, hay, and a few supportive beams of wood and yours was no different. There was no splendor in the room-less house, but it was truly yours and his. And that was luxury enough.

“They had enough this time?”

You shook the canteen of dye, moving to stand next to him on the low hammock that served as bed, “And the next shipment of birch will contain enough to last us three months or more.”

Alok smoothed his claw down your face, his own expression wistful, “I feel too content to explain.”

You pressed your nose against the pink of his jaw, letting him raise you to straddle him.

“Then show me.”