#coding classes for child

[kwetuhub1]

Give your child a head start in the tech industry with online coding courses. Read on to learn why they are essential for kids at KwetuHub.

[reanimatestar]

boy slash doll who's neither <3

[image description: a series of drawings of the artist's dungeons and dragons character, giuseppe. the first is a bust on her dungeons and dragons character sheet in the character appearance section. according to the character sheet, giuseppe is 7 years old and has brown eyes. she looks like a preteen human child with dark hair in a braid, facing the viewer with a neutral expression. vertical lines run down from the corner of his mouth. she is wearing a sweater and a jacket. a description below the drawing reads: "At first glance, he looks like a normal 12 year old human boy. On closer inspection, you can see joints like that of a puppet."

the second is a page of sketches. from the top: a simple fullbody drawing of giuseppe wearing a coat and baggy pants tucked into his boots, three simple busts of giuseppe smiling, laughing and smirking respectively, a halfbody of giuseppe frowning and holding a book in one arm, and a bust of giuseppe similar to the one on her character sheet.

the third is a fullbody drawing of giuseppe. he faces the viewer with a neutral expression. she is wearing a sweater with an oversized jacket, and baggy pants tucked into her boots. /end description]

[doccywhomst]

coding got me saying shit like “target the child” “assign its class” “override its inheritance” like the third wife of a dying oil baron discovering his of-age son born out of wedlock

[chilledstrawberrysoda]

Do you ever just get really hung up on small injustices in your past that aren't THAT big of a deal but we're so pivotal to who you are as a person and felt like the end of the world at the time and everything turned out okay but you still get caught up on the what if of it all occasionally and mourn the person you may have been?

[toobytoobs]

These lists are so fun to make

Things Billy has said when a JL member found him walking around as a child in the Watchtower (you decide which excuses worked and which didn’t)

“I’m Batman’s new Robin” (the blue eyes, black hair, and orphan status convinces everyone worryingly fast.)

“Im checking to see if this building’s up to code!” He had a fake mustache and a clipboard too.

“My class is here on a field trip and I got lost :(“

“Let me call my lawyer then we’ll talk!”

“Dude, did you really forget me? We’ve been working together for years!” (It isn’t gaslighting if it’s technically true)

Points behind them “OhMyGosh! A ghost!” Runs away when they look behind them.

“What am I doing here? What are YOU doing here!?”

“SIR/MA’AM, I AM HERE ON OFFICAL BUSINESS™️. PLEASE STEP AWAY AND LET ME DO MY JOB”

“Hi! I’m the Whiz Kid here to do an interview with Cap!”

“You can see me?”

“Excuse me, this is private property and you should NOT be here!”

Says Shazam and turns back into Cap “no one will ever believe you…”

[burning-academia-if]

Play Here | Intro Post

Burning Academia is a 17+ paranormal dark academia IF about family, magic, school politics, and the ghosts which haunt you.

Total Word Count w/Code: 166.5k

Words Added w/Code: 69,380

Average Playthrough Length: ~20k words

Chapter 3 Features:

See the consequences of your actions from last time (or not!)

Attend your first magic elective class

Spend the day out, dealing with others drama, getting into trouble, or doing everything in your power to avoid others

Enjoy a night in, attend a party, or break into a building

Wonder who, exactly, your father really was

Enjoy your break. It won't last much longer

And two more achievements to unlock

Content Warnings:

Severe: Gore, violence, and depictions of death and homicide

Moderate: Depictions and discussions of child abuse, child endangerment and abandonment, drinking and alcohol abuse

Mild: Discussions of infidelity

Change log

Endless coding/spelling/grammar fixes

Upcoming in Chapter 4

A time skip

An unexpected visit

Settle into your school life

Get back to your hobbies

Dive into your family history or keep your head buried in the sand

Accept our gift. You have no choice.

NOTE: HUGE SHOUTOUT TO MY BETA READERS!!!! They were great and I appreciate all the effort they put in!

[lianella-artist]

Dad!Ren and his daughter Shayla (My OC fankid!!!)

FINALLY, after some hard work i represent to you.. My OC Shayla! Shayla is based on the official cutiesigh artwork with AU Dad!Ren. This post will have all the basic info about her so far + some headcanons about Ren's family life and his relationship with Shayla. So it's going to be a kinda? long post! I've put a lot of work and love into these arts. Enjoy :3

Redacted holding Shayla!! and their very different reactions

They're just having a bit of a nap on the sofa after Shayla painted Ren's face... and Shayla is drooling on dad's soft chest😭 (kind of inspired?? by this post!)

Her reference:

BASIC INFO

Clarification: in my AU, where there is Shayla, Redacted doesn't pretend to be Ren, but acts naturally! But I use both names in the text

Shayla is a kind, naive, sincere, energetic and cheerful girl who is always looking for adventure. But often, due to her age, her trusting nature and her curiosity, she doesn't always understand the risks and ends up in various messes. The girl is very friendly to everyone she meets! She believes that the world is a kind and beautiful place! Some kids think that Shayla is strange and weird (at least because of her "weird" family), which is why she gets mocked, but she doesn't read social cues (she's kinda autistic coded).

Likes: creative activities (drawing, needlework, sewing (not very wearable yet), making different outfits, daddy's jewelry, laughing, getting up early, climbing trees.

Dislikes: being controlled and restricted, rudeness, social games (she doesn't understand them).

She is the only and most wanted child for Ren and Angel, they had her when they were 30-35 years old. They love her very much!! Thanks to Ren, the family is very wealthy! Redacted spoils her a lot, fulfills all her wishes (well, as much as possible, since it's all after Angel, of course). In Shayla's family, both parents work, but Ren does it from home like he used to. So while Angel is at work, Redacted spends most of his time with their daughter. He picks her up from school, takes her to classes, goes for walks with her + does the housework, cooks, etc (basically he's a stay-at-home dad, because I don't think he needs to spend half a day on hacking; a couple of three hours is enough). With the birth of Shayla, Ren has begun to keep an eye not only on Angel, but also on their daughter, though not as closely. Thanks to this, he manages to get the girl out of trouble in time, but he often arrives at the very last moment.

Shayla is very attached to her father, she thinks he is the coolest dad in the world!!! She loves spending time with him, as well as his dark style and tattoos! She is a daddy's girl :))

While Angel is undoubtedly still Ren's top priority, Redacted genuinely loves his daughter both as an affirmation/continuation of their love with Angel AND for who she is. Her cheerful nature often lifts his spirits. Now, he has another person in his life who helps him see the world through a different, less apathetic and indifferent lens. Ren sees how naive and kind his daughter is and protects her to keep that light in her. And when Shayla comes up with questionable ideas… He supports her! He even suggests something himself😭 BUT even he has limits. He will not do anything that might harm her.

(pretty much everything canon about how Sai describes Dad!Ren)

RANDOM FACTS AND HEADCANONS:

I named her after that meme OOHH MY SHAYLAAA😭 (I didn't have a name for her at first, so I just called her that in my mind for a while. It was actually quite funny to me… but eventually it started to grow on me, ngl, so I kept it)

You know those stories where a kid goes into their mom's makeup bag, purse, or closet and tries on something? In this case, mom is Ren💀 Shayla loves to find all kinds of alt stuff from Redacted, ask what it is, and then try it on herself! Redacted gave her some - a spiked bracelet and a silver chain!

Ren agrees to paint Shayla's nails. She wears all the colors of the rainbow, but she likes to keep all her nails black on one hand, though!

Thanks to the creative atmosphere in the family and Redacted's alternative style, Shayla will be a goth in the future! She's also going to become an alt-clothing designer.

She is wearing three of the five gold hairpins that Ren used to wear! When Redacted and Angel got married, he started wearing only two hairpins - a symbol of their relationship. Years later, when Shayla was born and grew up, the rest of the hairpins were inherited to her, and she wears them with great pride, just like the rest of her dad's jewelry.

Shayla also has her dad's features. She has pale, dry skin and black hair. However, her eyes are a unique combination of Ren's color (blue) + my Angel's (red) = creating a beautiful purple color for her.(I know that's not how gynetics works lmaoo I just think it's cute!!!)

aaaand also, @yzumimenu drew some amazing fanart of Shayla, LOOK AT HER!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AND TY SO MUCH AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[fandoms-x-reader]

Code 10-65 (MC M.I.A.)

Requested Anonymously

Summary: The brothers get into a fight / heated exchange with MC, and MC ends up going missing / getting injured. The Seven Demon Brothers x Reader Word Count: 9,648 TW: Mentions of blood / kidnapping

Lucifer was someone who always had an appearance to uphold in front of the other denizens of the Devildom.

His status was something that you admired about him. Lucifer did a good job of helping Diavolo run things in the Devildom and you couldn’t imagine a demon who was more perfectly suited for the job.

But, you had to admit that the facade he put up in front of others could be annoying at times.

You knew that it was part of his sin - he always had to put his best foot forward and present himself in the most perfect way possible.

But, you wished others got to see the real side of Lucifer. The side of him that he mainly reserved for your eyes alone.

You didn’t mind that Lucifer only dropped his guard around you, but it would be nice to be able to have some intimate moments in public without Lucifer worrying about the opinions of others.

And this infatuation that was caused by his pride was also the very thing that caused the two of you to get into an argument.

You were at RAD in the middle of the class that Lucifer was teaching when he mentioned a cave nearby in the Devildom that had some of the most unique magical items in the entire realm.

You were just trying to be proactive in the class so you expressed your interest in wanting to see the cave for yourself.

But, your excited smile faltered when you heard a few of your classmates snicker at your statement before telling you that you wouldn’t stand a chance at surviving because you were just a weak human.

You were offended by their words. After all, you might be a human, but you were far from weak. You managed to get the seven demon brothers to agree to pacts with you and your magic was far more powerful than those students could even imagine.

You could see the glare in Lucifer’s eyes towards the students and you were grateful that he was there. At least you knew one person had your back.

Seeing you mistreated was something that Lucifer would never tolerate, so the glare that he was sending them, while much more dangerous looking, was a mere warning to tell them to stop talking.

The students seemed to notice the way that Lucifer was looking at them so they quickly stopped laughing, but then one of the students turned the cards against Lucifer.

They asked for his honest opinion on if he thought that you - a human - could make it through the cave.

And now Lucifer was in a tough spot, because he wanted to defend you with his life, but the cave was not something that should be taken lightly.

He truly believed that a human wouldn’t survive the cave and if he said that he believed you could - then his credibility would be tainted and his pride couldn’t have that.

You waited patiently for Lucifer to defend you and you couldn’t help but feel a small pang of betrayal as Lucifer agreed with the students.

All he had to do was tell them that he believed in you - that you could do it if you put your mind to it. Why couldn’t he do that?

The students once again snickered and Lucifer avoided making eye contact with you for the rest of the class, knowing that he was going to pay for that mistake later.

You left the class as soon as the bell rang and Lucifer didn’t blame you. He knew that you were mad at him and that you wouldn’t want him escorting you back to the House of Lamentation today.

But, you weren’t going back to the House of Lamentation yet.

Ever since you got to the Devildom, people have been doubting your abilities. They had been treating you like a child who couldn’t do anything on their own and you were tired of it.

For once, you just wanted to prove them wrong - to prove to them that you were as strong and brave as you believed yourself to be.

So, you went to the cave on your own. Lucifer had shown everyone where it was on the map so you knew exactly how to get there.

And if things got bad, you would just summon one of the demon brothers. Just not Lucifer. You could only imagine the proud smirk he would wear if you had to call on him for help and admit he was right.

The cave itself was pretty simple to get through and there were wonderful treasures surrounding you. Cursed items and grimoires that you would have never dreamed of existing. 

All you had to do was grab one and bring it back with you and then everyone would know you were able to conquer the cave with no trouble.

You decided to choose the least conspicuous item, something small that didn’t radiate too much magic.

But something unique enough that people would be impressed with your feat.

You smiled softly at the item before putting it in your bag. Time to leave.

Suddenly the entire cave shook and you nervously looked around as a creature started appearing in front of you.

Lucifer never told you anything about the guardian of the cave - a creature that only appears if someone tries to steal the magical artifacts.

You didn’t even have time to think of a move before the creature attacked you, sending you into its eternal prison for your crime.

Lucifer got back to the House of Lamentation relatively late compared to when he usually arrived.

He wanted to give you ample time to cool down so that the two of you could have a proper conversation.

When he entered the building, Asmo was the first one Lucifer encountered.

“Lucifer! Is Y/N with you? I want to go shopping with them,” Asmo said with a smile and those words caused Lucifer to pause.

“They aren’t here?” Lucifer asked his younger brother. Asmo shook his head no before replying, “We all got here a while ago - we thought they were with you.”

Lucifer’s eyes were wide but everything about his demeanor remained calm on the outside.

On the inside, he was panicking as the realization of where you went dawned on him.

Lucifer was gone in a flash without even telling Asmo where he was going. He was silently cursing himself as he made his way to the cave, hoping that he would find you there and that you would be okay.

When he got there he searched every inch of the cave and when he didn’t find you his heart began to race.

For once, the calm and cool Avatar of Pride was beginning to panic at the thought of losing the love of his life.

He noticed some of the artifacts moved from their original position and that’s when he realized what must have happened.

He immediately summoned the guardian of the cave and demanded it release you. It was as simple as that.

After all, everyone is scared of making Lucifer angry - that was one thing his status in the Devildom was good for.

You were pulled out of the eternal prison and placed on the ground in front of Lucifer. You were asleep because of the magic and Lucifer’s heart broke at the sight of you.

He carefully picked you up and carried you back to the House of Lamentation where he laid you in his bed and took care of you until you woke up.

As he watched you sleep, he couldn’t help but blame himself. If he had just defended you like he knew he should have, then you would have never gone off on your own.

When you finally started to stir awake, Lucifer gently stroked your cheek with a loving yet pained smile. He hated seeing you like this.

“You’re awake,” he stated, relief washing over his features. You nodded your head as you began to recount the previous events and you felt deeply embarrassed. You couldn’t believe you had been so reckless.

You locked eyes with Lucifer expecting him to say I-told-you-so or to have a proud look in his eyes, but all you found was worry.

Lucifer couldn't care less about being right about the cave. All that mattered was that he had gotten you back safely.

“I’m sorry,” you tried to say, but he shook his head no in response. “I should have defended you against those students. I let my pride and reputation cloud my judgment and I nearly lost you because of it. I’m sorry,” he replied, his red eyes shining with more sincerity than you had ever seen them hold.

You carefully sat up and Lucifer helped you, making sure you were okay. When you were finally sitting upright, you pulled Lucifer into a hug and he gladly reciprocated it.

“Thank you for saving me,” you told him, barely above a whisper and his worries were washed away with your words, replaced with love and admiration as he pulled you closer.

From this moment forward, Lucifer would make sure that his pride never got in the way of your relationship and he would make sure that everyone at RAD knew that you were his and they were not allowed to mess with you.

Mammon wasn’t even sure why the two of you were fighting.

He had come home from an extremely late night at the casino in pretty bad shape.

He bet a bunch of money that he didn’t have, thinking he would win so it wouldn’t matter. But, then he lost.

And they expected him to pay up. But, he didn’t have any money so they took to roughing him up instead.

You had stayed up the entire night waiting for him, worried out of your mind. You were just praying that he would come home.

And when you saw the state he was in, you couldn’t help but scold him as you tended to his wounds. It was all coming from a place of love, and he knew it.

But, he was so used to having to defend himself against Lucifer.

He didn’t even realize he was being defensive until after the fight.

A simple argument that was meant to express your concern for Mammon turned into a heated exchange of words between the two of you and Mammon went too far.

He knew he went too far as soon as the words left his lips and he saw the look of hurt on your face.

But, he didn’t know how to fix it. He didn’t know how to take it back and he didn’t know what the right words to say were as he watched you storm out of his room.

He sat in his room in silence for an hour, thinking that you just needed some time to cool off. He figured you probably went to your room just to get some space from him.

The hour he spent by himself, he was going crazy.

Every inch of his body craved for him to go to your bedroom door and apologize.

He just wanted to hold you in his arms and tell you how sorry he was; but, his fear of you slamming the door in his face is what made him wait.

When he finally mustered up the courage to apologize, he knocked on the door quietly a few times but there was no answer.

He let out a sigh as he thought you wouldn’t even open the door. But, Mammon was stubborn and when you refused to open the door after a few more knocks, he invited himself in.

He let out a small gasp as he took in your bedroom. The lights were off, the bed was still made, and not a single item was out of place.

You weren’t there - you hadn’t been there all night. And now Mammon was panicking, because if you weren’t there then he had no idea where you went.

He rushed throughout the house asking if any of his brothers had seen you, even going so far as to wake some of them up.

Satan and Asmo were the most mad about that but when he explained that he couldn’t find you, they were all on board with searching for you.

After the fight, you decided you needed some air. You knew that you shouldn’t have scolded Mammon like Lucifer would have, but you couldn’t help it.

You were so worried and when he came home injured, it sent you over the edge. You loved Mammon so much and you were worried about what would happen if he wasn’t able to escape from someone he owed money to.

You were just trying to express that concern, but you knew that he wouldn’t take you badgering him as soon as he got home well.

You had only meant to step out for a moment to collect your thoughts. You were only going to take a quick walk around the block.

But, you weren’t expecting the demons that were lying in wait for a chance when one of the demon brothers wasn't with you.

It had taken three days for the demon brothers to get any kind of lead for you and Mammon hadn’t gotten a wink of sleep the entire time.

He just kept thinking about how he would promise he would never go to the casino again. Hell, he would promise anything you wanted if you were alright and they could find you.

When his brothers told him of the possible location, he was there before they could finish talking.

He had never felt so grateful to be the fastest in his life as he approached the location.

His heart stopped beating when he saw you on the ground there. He held his breath as he hoped that you were alive with everything he had.

When he approached you, he saw that you were injured but alive.

He let out a huge breath of relief as he gently scooped you into his arms and the way you weakly said his name broke his heart.

“I’m gonna get ya’ out of here,” he promised as he felt you fall asleep. 

He quickly took you back to the House of Lamentation where everyone quickly tended to your wounds.

They left him alone as he waited for you to wake up and as you lay on the bed in front of him, he just kept whispering, “I’m sorry.”

When you finally did wake up, you saw Mammon sitting next to you, holding your hands. He had deep circles under his eyes and his eyes looked bloodshot.

“Hey,” you said quietly and Mammon let out a small laugh in disbelief.

“Hi,” he replied, as he placed a couple of kisses on the knuckles of your hand that he was holding.

You noticed the tears that rushed down his cheeks as the relief of you being awake set in and you wanted nothing more to comfort him.

You gently pulled him into the bed with you and he looked down in shame as you carefully wiped his tears.

“I’m okay,” you reassured him causing him to finally look into your eyes.

“Ya’ almost weren’t,” he replied and you let out a small sigh. You couldn’t argue with him there.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered and you shook your head no. “We both said things that night,” you replied.

“But I shouldn’t have been at that casino anyway,” he stated and there was a moment of silence before he added, “I promise I won’t ever go again if you promise not to leave me.”

You let out a small chuckle at his words before telling him, “I promise I won’t leave you, Mammon. And you can still go to the casino. Just, maybe when you have more money and not all night.”

He nodded his head, agreeing, as he pulled you into his arms and rested his head on top of yours.

He wished he had done this that night instead of fighting with you. But he was glad that he got the chance to do it again.

Because you meant everything to him and having you in his arms was everything he ever needed.

It was amazing how riled up Levi could get when it came to a game or anime that Levi adored.

His brothers knew how to push the Avatar of Envy’s buttons and Mammon was especially the worst when it came to messing with Levi. 

Whenever Mammon was bored, Levi was usually the one who Mammon targeted for some entertainment.

And unfortunately, the second-born had decided to drag you into his scheme this time.

You weren’t even sure what was really happening at first. All you knew was that Mammon had approached you, wearing a devilish smile, and asked you to go to Levi’s room with him.

One thing led to another and before you knew it, Mammon was bragging about your gaming skills and he was telling Levi that he could never beat you in a game because you were just that much better than him.

You could see the fire burning behind Levi’s eyes at every word Mammon spoke, and before you knew it, he was fuming.

The two of them started exchanging heated words towards each other and you could see Levi’s sin starting to come into play.

Mammon had a mischievous glint in his eyes as he did everything he could to push his brother over the edge just to see what would happen. Troublemaker.

The next thing you knew, Levi was setting up a game and challenging you to a match against him.

You weren’t sure how it got to this point, but you were too far in thanks to your first demon that you couldn’t back out.

And Levi’s sin clouded his judgment when he chose the game for the two of you to play.

He wanted to prove to the two of you that it took more skills than pushing buttons on a controller to be the best at video games like Mammon claimed you were.

So, he chose to play the new game that he had just ordered from Akuzon - a real life survivor horror game.

Before you could protest his decision, the game had started up and three of you were transported to a world beyond the reality you knew.

You knew nothing about the game and you were starting to panic a bit now as you realized Mammon had gotten you in way over your head this time.

But neither of them seemed to notice your discomfort, still snarling at each other and arguing.

And now you were starting to get annoyed because if this was anything like Levi’s other games, there was a possibility that you could actually die in this world.

And you were going in blind, with no expectations of what was after you or how to beat it.

And as these thoughts piled up more and more, you got more and more frustrated at the sound of the two demon brothers arguing.

You finally snapped at them after another moment to try and get them to realize the gravity of the situation you were now in.

But, blinded by his jealousy and anger, Levi began arguing with you this time and with your current frustrations, you couldn’t help but fight back.

Levi had a sharp tongue as his words bit into you unnecessarily. You weren’t even the one who started this fight in the first place. You were just a bystander.

But before you could respond to his insults - and before he could apologize for them - all of the lights went out around the three of you and anger was replaced by fear.

You could hear something moving around you, but you couldn’t quite make out what it was.

You let out a muffled scream as you felt something grab you from behind, covering your mouth with one hand and using its other arm to drag you away.

You could hear the two demon brothers calling out for you, but you knew it was too late.

 The lights came back on as soon as you were taken away and now Levi and Mammon were looking at each other with wide eyes that were full of panic as they processed what just happened.

“We have to find them,” Levi stated. “Don’t ya' think I know that,” Mammon replied.

“We’ll have to split up or we won’t get to them in time,” Levi responded.

Mammon hated the idea but agreed. Your safety was on the line and he was going to do whatever he could to help you get out of this situation.

They went their separate ways and Levi’s heart was pounding with anxiety. He was confident in his skills in these kinds of games - that’s why he bought them.

But, he never had such a big risk factored into the game. He was a demon who could most likely handle anything the game would throw at him.

But, you were just a human. He wasn’t sure how long you could last in this game and your safety banked entirely on his skills at completing the game quickly.

He wanted to focus solely on getting you back, but his self-deprecating thoughts always had a way of clouding his mind as he began blaming himself for putting you in this situation in the first place.

He knew how dangerous this game was, but he didn’t think before starting it up.

He should have taken a moment - he should have kept you safe instead of trying to prove a point.

The idea of losing you because of one judgment error that was influenced by his sin was enough to make tears start to sting in his eyes. He couldn’t lose you. Not now - not ever.

He quickly snapped himself out of those thoughts. Focus on the mission at hand.

There would be plenty of time to be down on himself later - once you were safe.

Levi raced through the entire game, taking on every challenge with unbelievable skill. If he wasn’t so worried he’d be excited about getting the fastest clear record.

He finally reached the dungeon area and took out the final boss with almost no effort. The Grand Admiral of Hell could be scary when he wanted to be. 

He finally found you in one of the rooms, passed out.

Levi felt a wave of relief wash over him when he laid eyes on you, but his guilt only worsened when he saw the blood coating your arms and legs.

Luckily, they were minor injuries and you would be okay. But you got hurt because of him and it was something he could never forgive himself for.

The three of you were transported back to the Devildom, and as the scenery around him changed back to his room, Levi noticed Lucifer standing there, looking angry beyond belief.

Lucifer ordered Satan to tend to your wounds while he gave Mammon and Levi a very long lecture.

And there it was again - that familiar spark of jealousy at Satan being the one who got to tend to your wounds.

But look at the mess his sin had just gotten you all into. He didn’t have the right to be jealous when it was his jealousy that got you hurt.

Satan tended to your wounds pretty quickly, glad to see that things weren’t worse.

You had bandages on your arms and legs, but overall, you could move and the wounds weren’t that deep.

Levi showed up at your door a little while later and when you opened it, he refused to look at you out of the shame he was feeling.

You couldn’t help but feel sympathetic towards him. His sin was just as hard to control as the other brothers and Mammon had pushed him but you were sure he was only blaming himself for what happened.

You invited Levi in and he immediately started apologizing profusely.

You couldn’t get a word in, so to stop his rambling, you gently took his hand in yours and he finally met your eyes as his body started short-circuiting at the contact.

You bit back a smile at his reaction and told him sincerely, “I’m okay, Levi. Look - just a couple of bandages.”

Levi had never felt so grateful that you didn’t hate him for what happened and you led him over to your bed, not letting his hand go.

You wanted to distract Levi from the thoughts that always threatened to cripple him, so you asked him to watch anime with you. It was the least he could do, right?

Mostly, you just wanted to spend time with him and Levi couldn’t have been more excited.

You noticed him glancing at you throughout the night and you did your best not to lock eyes with him, knowing that if you caught him staring he might flee the scene.

But, he couldn’t stop admiring you and your resilience. He made a promise to himself that night to never let you be put in danger again; and, if you were in danger, he would be the one to save you again - the only one.

The Avatar of Wrath was one known for having outbursts at the smallest things

So, it should have been no surprise when he lost control in front of you.

You had made a simple mistake in which one of his books had gotten damaged and despite you apologizing profusely, he still lost his cool.

And you weren’t sure how to react, because while you had seen Satan take out his rage on others, he had never taken it out on you - not like this.

Part of you was in shock, and the other part was defensive because it really was a simple mistake.

But, Satan was in a blind rage and before he could stop himself, he had said some really hurtful things and had even broken some things in his room.

You were hurt, angry, and a bit scared of Satan so you fled the scene, needing some time to yourself.

You left the House of Lamentation, not wanting to see any of the other brothers either. You just needed a moment to calm down.

You decided to go for a walk and just took off in a random direction. You didn’t care where you were going.

All you cared about was getting away from the House of Lamentation for a while.

You should have paid more attention at RAD when they were going over the terrain of the Devildom because, after about thirty minutes of walking, you realized you were lost.

You were so lost in your own thoughts that you didn’t even notice the scenery had changed from the normal lights to you being completely surrounded by trees.

You let out a small shaky breath as the realization that you were in a bad situation suddenly dawned on you.

You surveyed the area around you, trying to find anything that might look familiar to you, but you were completely lost.

You could hear the Devildom creatures skittering through the forest only adding to the eerie atmosphere and making your heart beat faster.

You turned around and quickened your pace. You never made a turn, so if you just went back the way you came from then you should return to the House of Lamentation.

You walked for an hour in that direction and then you paused. You had only walked thirty minutes away from the House of Lamentation, so by now, you should have been back there.

But, still, the only thing that surrounded you were trees. You felt panic starting to settle in as you realized that you were completely lost and you desperately looked around as you tried to decide which direction to walk in.

Back at the House of Lamentation, Satan had finally started to calm down and with every ounce of rage that left his system, it was replaced with guilt.

You were the only person he never wanted his sin to affect, but he lost control.

The book was one he enjoyed reading, but he could get another copy. Besides, no book would mean as much to him as you did.

Satan immediately began searching the House of Lamentation for you but only found Beel in the kitchen instead.

“Satan, what are you doing here?” Beel asked and he was a little taken aback by his question. He lived there? Was that a sufficient answer?

Seeing his slight confusion, Beel clarified his question by saying, “I thought you were with Y/N.”

“I’m trying to find them,” Satan replied and now it was Beel’s turn to be slightly confused.

“They’re not here,” Beel replied and Satan’s heart skipped a beat.

“Where are they?” Satan asked, doing his best to stay calm but his voice was beginning to shake.

“I saw them leave. I thought they were meeting up with you,” Beel replied, a bit confused as to what exactly was going on.

Satan didn’t waste any more time as he quickly exited the House of Lamentation and now it was his turn to panic as all the worst possible case scenarios began playing through his mind.

Satan thought very analytically. He could find you. He would find you. He just needed to take a breath and think.

It had been several hours now since you left the House of Lamentation and you had given up hope of finding your way out of the woods any time soon.

You hadn’t dressed for a long trip through the Devildom woods and you were freezing now. You had multiple scrapes across your body from tripping and falling due to your exhaustion and lack of visibility with how dark the Devildom was.

You slumped against a tree and fell down to the ground, taking a few breaths to try and regain your energy as your eyelids started growing heavier and heavier.

You knew that you shouldn’t fall asleep there, but you couldn’t stop it and before you knew it, you were completely passed out.

Satan searched everywhere. He refused to give up until he found you. All he could do was hope that you were okay when he did find you.

It took time, but eventually, he came across you sitting on the ground, slumped against a tree and not moving. 

Satan’s blood ran cold as he saw your form. From where he was standing he couldn’t see if you were breathing so he immediately rushed over to you, gently taking your head in his hands as he called your name.

His voice immediately woke you up and you slowly opened your eyes meeting striking green ones.

Satan let out a deep breath of relief when he saw you open your eyes and he carefully scooped you up in your arms.

Your head rested against his chest and he told you, “Get some rest. I’ll get you home safely.”

You were immediately comforted by his words, whatever fear you had of his rage dispersed by the way he lovingly held you and made you feel safe.

When you got back to the House of Lamentation, Satan set you on his bed and started tending to the scrapes you had obtained. 

There was a bit of a tense silence between the two of you, neither one of you knowing what to say to each other.

“I promise, I will do everything in my power to never let my rage get out of hand towards you again,” Satan stated after another moment, keeping his eyes fixed on your injuries.

You could see the look of sadness in his eyes and you knew he must have been kicking himself for this whole situation.

“I’m sorry for damaging your book,” you replied, wanting to apologize as well but Satan shook his head.

“All that matters is that you're safe,” he replied as he finished with the first aid kit, setting it aside and sitting next to you on the bed.

He immediately pulled you into his arms, and kept you there, relishing in the warmth you provided. He could have lost you tonight and he didn’t know what he would ever do without you.

You hugged him back before reassuring him, “I’m not going anywhere.”

Asmo wasn’t one who typically argued with you. He loved you so much and only wanted you to love him back.

So he did anything and everything he could to make you happy.

And the biggest thing that made you happy was getting to spend time with Asmo.

While he was more than happy to oblige, dedicating his time to you also meant taking it away from the things that he used to do regularly to help keep his popularity status up.

Of course, Asmo had his group of loyal fans who would support him to the ends of the Devildom without requiring him to post on FabSnap or Devilgram regularly.

But, he’d be lying if he didn’t say that his popularity had certainly taken a hit lately.

You understood that having his fans was important for Asmo. He wanted to be loved by everyone and he could get really down in the dumps about himself if he wasn’t.

You tried to be supportive and not complain about the lack of time you had been getting with Asmo.

But now you were sitting alone in a restaurant, waiting for Asmo to show up, feeling embarrassed as you texted him.

This was the third date in a row that Asmo promised he would meet you, only for you to show up and have to wait for him. 

He would either be extremely late or not show up at all and his excuse was always something to do with his livestream going on for longer than he thought it would or that he was taking extra time to make sure his look was perfect for pictures.

You knew that these kinds of things were just part of Asmo’s charm but you had been sitting at the restaurant for two hours now and you were beyond frustrated. 

You decided to give up on the date idea and texted Asmo as much before deciding to take a walk around the Devildom.

You were fuming as you walked around the Devildom and you only got more irritated when Asmo texted you to innocently ask why you had canceled the date.

Asmo’s obliviousness as to why you were upset somehow made you even more made because you knew that Asmo wasn’t doing anything to intentionally make you mad.

You were stuck between a rock and a hard place. On one hand, you missed your time with Asmo and you wanted to express your need for him.

On the other hand, you didn’t want to come off as unsupportive or ask him to take time away from something he loved.

Your mind was racing with these thoughts, clouding your awareness and distracting you from your surroundings.

You continued to walk, almost mindlessly, as you attempted to sort through your internal dilemma. 

After a while, you decided to take a breath and reset - being stuck in an endless loop wasn’t going to help you solve anything.

You leaned against a nearby wall and took a look around yourself, trying to figure out where you ended up walking.

But the more you looked, the more you realized you didn’t find anything that looked familiar to you at all.

Your mind began to race again, but this time the thoughts were purely about all the things that could go wrong while you were by yourself in an unfamiliar part of the Devildom.

As you tried to figure out how to get out of there, you heard a group of demons approaching and your heart skipped a beat as you prepared for the worst.

Meanwhile, Asmo was searching everywhere for you.

You had opened his message and you never replied to it - and that was something you never did.

He gave you a few minutes to respond, hoping that you were just really mad and typing out a long message.

But, when it didn’t come, he promptly ended his livestream and went out to find you himself.

He searched around the restaurant and asked anyone he saw if they had seen you and eventually, he was pointed in a direction.

He tried his best to keep a clear mind but it was a difficult task as more and more possibilities of things that could have happened to you continuously popped into his mind.

The demons had approached you just as you believed they would. Not everyone believed in Diavolo’s exchange program like most of the students at RAD.

One of them had attacked you and you dodged it just in time, gaining a deep wound on your arm but protecting yourself from any fatal blows.

You thought that they were going to attack again when Asmo suddenly appeared out of nowhere, looking more angry than you had ever seen him.

You could see his lips moving so you knew he was talking, but you couldn’t hear what he was saying.

Whatever it was, you watched as fear crept into the faces of every single one of the demons before they eventually all scurried away.

You let out a breath of relief at their disappearance and Asmo turned to face you.

The anger immediately dissipated from his eyes, replaced with worry as he frantically looked at your arm.

It was only a gash on your arm, but Asmo would have everyone believe you were about to die.

He helped you get to the House of Lamentation where he was even more of a drama queen.

He started crying for help as soon as the door was open and when you were met with his brothers, Asmo’s face would be covered in tears as he begged his brothers to help you.

It was really overdramatic, but at least you knew that he cared.

Asmo held your hand and gently stroked your hair as your arm was tended to. He wanted to be there to comfort you, but you could tell he was uncomfortable by the way he winced whenever he caught a glimpse of your wound.

Once it was completely bandaged up, Asmo took you to his room and laid with you on his bed. He brought you as close to him as he could, making sure your injured arm was resting on top of him so that it didn’t get bumped around.

You were even deeper in your internal dilemma now. If Asmo hadn’t shown up when he did, you might not have made it. He saved you - so did you have a right to be mad about everything that happened before that situation?

Asmo could practically hear your mind racing. He knew that something was bothering you and he hated it.

“Are you mad at me?” Asmo asked. It was the only thing he could think of that would be causing you to think so hard. You let out a small sigh as you tried to find the right way to word things.

“No, Asmo. I’m not mad. I just - I miss you,” you replied and he could hear that your words carried a heavier weight than usual.

He stayed quiet for a moment, hoping you would continue on your own, but when you didn’t say anything else, he begged you to talk to him.

You knew that now was the best chance you were going to get to explain how you felt and you told him everything that had been bothering you.

Asmo was taken aback by your words. He had no idea that you were feeling like this and it bothered him more than you could ever know to find out he was the reason you were feeling like this.

Nothing was more important to him than you. You were the only one who brought love and light into his life and whether he had a million fans or none, it wouldn’t matter as long as he had you.

Asmo told you all of that but you also wanted to stress the fact that you didn’t want him to stop what he loved. That would be just as bad.

The two of you lay in bed for a while as you both brainstormed, both of you at an impasse and not knowing where to take things from there so that you would both be satisfied.

That’s when Asmo came up with the brilliant idea to have you livestream with him. It would mean you and him get to spend more time together without removing that part of his life.

Plus, the more popular you were among the denizens of the Devildom, the less likely anyone could try and hurt you again. 

Asmo thought it was the perfect solution, as long as it was something you were interested in doing. 

He wanted to give you some time to think about it, so he asked if the two of you could talk about it tomorrow.

That night, he had come too close to possibly losing you and the only thing he wanted to do was hold you close so he could remind himself that you were there with him.

That was the only thing that mattered.

While Beel’s stature could easily make anyone believe he was a fighter, everyone close to him knew that he was just a giant teddy bear.

He didn’t like fighting and he despised it even more so when it came to you.

Beel looked at you like you were the sun that his whole world revolved around. And because you meant so much to him, Beel never wanted to see you upset.

He did everything he could to make you happy.

So, for you and Beel to fight, it had to be over something pretty big - at the very least, over something that meant a lot to him.

And besides you and his family, the thing that meant the most to him was food. And he had been craving a specific item from a bakery that was a bit far from the House of Lamentation.

Beel had gotten the item in surplus because he rarely had the opportunity to go to the bakery.

He had even been so good about not eating all of it in one sitting so that he would have some extra for later.

But, when he returned to the kitchen for the rest of his food he instead discovered you - eating his special snack.

And now Beel was in an intense internal dilemma as his sin fought to reach the surface and cause him to snap at you.

He knew that you didn’t mean to eat his things on purpose. You had barely gotten the chance to discover all the food the Devildom had to offer so you would have no idea what snack you were eating or that it was hard to get it.

You saw Beel there in the kitchen watching you eat, a struggled look on his face as he tried to hold back his anger. He didn’t want to take it out on you.

You wondered why he could be angry and then you looked down at the evidence in your hand and you realized what you must have done.

“Was this yours?” you asked, afraid to hear the answer. He took a moment to respond, but his reaction gave you the answer you needed.

When he finally did speak, you could tell he was holding back as he explained where those snacks came from and how he doesn’t get a chance to have them often.

He was visibly upset, even though he was trying to hide it, and you felt terrible. You wouldn’t have eaten it if you had known how it was Beel’s, especially if it was a rare snack.

You tried to apologize to Beel but he was being a bit short with you. You couldn’t blame him though. You just wanted to find a way to make it right.

Beel ended up walking away from the situation so that he didn’t end up saying something that he didn’t mean and would regret later.

When he went to cool down, you felt even worse. Beel was never angry at you, so you knew that you messed up big time to bring him to this level.

Luckily for you, during the discussion, Beel had told you the name of the snack, the bakery it came from, and where it was in the Devildom.

You had all the information you needed to buy him more and you figured the least you could do was replenish what you ate.

So, you left immediately to the place where he talked about it.

However, what Beel didn’t mention while talking to you was that the reason he didn’t get the snack very often was because the area of the Devildom the bakery was located in was a very dangerous place. 

It had been a while after you left when Beel was finally feeling a bit better.

He felt bad about being short with you and with the way he left in the middle of the conversation.

But, if you were anyone else, he would have already been on a food rampage and that was the last thing he wanted to happen so he thought walking away would be the best solution.

As soon as he was feeling better, he went to find you. He first looked in the kitchen where he last saw you.

You were nowhere to be found, but on the table where you were sitting, there was a note that you had left for Beel explaining where you had gone.

Beel felt his heart sink to his stomach as he read your words. There was no way you would go there without someone accompanying you, right?

Beel couldn’t afford to wait to find out the answer to that question.

While he was rushing to come to your aide, you found yourself in a bad situation with some demons.

You managed to find the bakery Beel mentioned and they still had some of those treats. You grabbed as much as you could afford - and carried - and you were making your way back to the House of Lamentation when a group of demons approached you and drove you into a nearby ally.

Beel showed up at the bakery a few minutes after you had left and immediately asked if they had seen you there. When they confirmed that you had bought some treats and already left, Beel was slightly panicked. If you weren’t there, where could you be?

He immediately began searching around the area, but he didn’t see you anywhere.

He heard a small scream close by and immediately rushed in the direction only to find you sitting on the ground, holding your leg.

Beel immediately rushed over to you and you were so thankful to see him. The other demons had already left, taking your belongings with them.

You were bleeding from a small wound near your ankle, but you were grateful that it wasn’t worse.

Beel was more than angry to see his girl injured but was also relieved that you hadn’t been more badly hurt.

“What were you thinking?” he asked softly, a question of worry not anger.

“I’m sorry, I just wanted to make up for the food I ate by buying you more,” you replied and your eyes widened as you realized the demons had taken the snacks as well as your wallet so now you couldn’t even replenish Beel’s stock.

Beel seemed to understand what happened by the look you were expressing and he couldn’t help but fall in love with you a little more.

You were so kind and caring. You were someone who deserved the world and someone he believed he didn’t deserve.

Beel managed to treat your small wound before offering to take you to the bakery. This time the two of you could share some of those snacks.

He had money on him and didn’t mind paying for some more. Besides, you were both already down in that area, you might as well make the most of it.

The outing turned into a pretty good date that made Beel realize he never wanted to be without you by his side. And he would never let there be an opportunity where you could be taken from him again.

 Beel was very sweet to you for the rest of the day, still feeling like the events of the day were his fault because he couldn’t control himself.

He more than made up for his small outburst and he wasn’t even the slightest bit angry about his food being eaten anymore.

Though, when you got back to the House of Lamentation, Beel made sure to tell Lucifer everything that had happened.

The demons who hurt you may have gotten away temporarily but when they messed with you, they missed with all seven of the demon brothers, and there wouldn’t be a place they could go where Lucifer wouldn’t find them and punish them.

It was no secret that Belphie tended to start fights. He could act bratty when he wanted to, and if you weren’t in the mood for his antics, it was easy to get upset at him.

And don’t think that he would back down if that happened. He would stand his ground until whoever was mad at him was forced to walk away; and, he would wear a smug smile as they did, knowing he had won.

But, Belphie never expected you to be on the opposite end of this kind of fight with him.

And it was over something that was so small but escalated too quickly.

You had come home from a very busy day at RAD and immediately went to the attic where Belphie was taking a nap.

You had recently been assigned to take charge in a RAD event that was coming up and to say that you were stressed would be an understatement.

You were overwhelmed and on the brink of a mental breakdown and you went to Belphie for comfort, hoping he could help you find a solution to your problems, or at the very least, calm you down.

But Belphie had just woken up to you being upset and truth be told, he still felt half-asleep.

He wanted to listen to you but every inch of his body was craving to go back to bed and it resulted in Belphie falling asleep midway through your rambling.

You shook him awake once more, desperate for his comfort and that’s when he pulled you down into the bed as well.

“Just take a nap, Y/N, it will help you feel better,” he told you and you let out a sigh as you felt like Belphie wasn’t listening to a word you were saying.

“I don’t have time to take a nap, Belphie. Weren’t you listening?” you asked him, turning to look at him only to be met with the sight of his eyes closed once more.

You let out a scoff as you moved from the bed, standing up and gathering your things to leave. Unbelievable.

“Sometimes, it feels like you don’t care at all,” you stated. You were exhausted and frustrated and the words left your lips before you could comprehend the weight of them.

And Belphie took offense to them. But instead of trying to convince you that he did care - an action that would have made you feel guilty for saying those words - Belphie got defensive.

He snapped back with his own snarky remark which led to the two of you arguing back and forth, exchanging heated words.

And when Belphie was in a battle of insults, he always won. Because he wasn’t afraid to go past the line that most people drew.

He immediately regretted it when the words came out and he saw the hurt in your eyes.

He tried to backpedal, but he was stuck and when you walked away he realized the feeling he got from this argument was far from the feeling of satisfaction he got when he bested one of his brothers.

You had decided to go back to RAD to work on the project you were assigned to try and take your mind off your fight with Belphie.

You could admit that you were out of line with the things you were saying, but so was Belphie. You felt awful about how things went, but you were afraid if you went back to Belphie too early, he would still be mad and the two of you would end up in another argument.

You didn’t mean to stay out for as long as you had. You were so wrapped up in your work that you didn’t even pay attention to the time.

And before you knew it, you had fallen asleep at RAD.

Belphie hadn’t gotten a wink of sleep since your fight. He felt guilty about his part in the fight; but mostly, he was anxious because he knew you left and you hadn’t come back yet.

He didn’t get any text messages or phone calls from you and none of his brothers had seen you and he was panicking.

He nervously paced in the attic as he wondered if he was the reason you were injured, once again.

He would never forgive himself if he found you hurt - or worse.

When his anxiety hit its peak, Belphie decided to go look for you himself.

His demon form had slipped out as panic clouded his mind and he raced around the Devildom, looking for you.

This was far more effort than he had ever put into anything but he could care less about that. You were the only thing on his mind.

His eyes were crazed as he looked everywhere he could think of, but you weren’t anywhere. 

Finally, the last location he looked at was RAD and he felt his body flood with relief as he saw you passed out at one of the desks - perfectly fine. 

Belphie let out a deep breath as he slowly returned to normal, taking in every inch of your body to assure himself that you were okay.

RAD. This should have been the first place he looked and if he really had been paying attention to you earlier - he would have thought about that.

Belphie cursed himself as he contemplated waking you. Would you even leave with him if he asked you to?

He approached the desks and saw what you were working on - there were still so many things you had to figure out for the event and he hated that instead of helping you, he pushed you away.

He looked over the documents and saw something he could help with. He quickly jotted his notes down on the paper and then another item caught his eye.

Without realizing what he was doing, Belphie continued to take notes about things that might help you with the event.

You woke up a few hours later and let out a groan, feeling how stiff your back and neck were from sleeping on the desk.

You let out a small gasp as you saw Belphie sitting next to you, passed out on a desk of his own. Did he come here just to sleep?

You went to gather your papers up to go back to the House of Lamentation. But, as you did, you saw there were notes all over them.

Your eyes widened as you read each paper. That was Belphie’s handwriting. He had solved every single one of your problems that was overwhelming you.

Your heart warmed as you felt even worse about the fight now. You loved Belphie and he loved you and you never should have accused him of not caring. 

The work he put in for you told you everything you needed to know and you finished putting away your stuff before gently shaking Belphie awake.

He opened one eye and you gave him a small smile. “Let’s go home,” you told him softly and he let out a small sigh before standing up.

You didn’t get a chance to say anything before Belphie pulled you into his arms, his head lazily resting in the crook of your neck as he held you close.

“I do care,” he mumbled against your skin and you couldn’t help but hug him back.

“I know,” you replied with sincerity and Belphie was satisfied with your answer.

But, he was still a brat and when the two of you got back to the House of Lamentation, Belphie stated that you had to go lay down with him because you owed him for doing all of your work for you.

You wanted to glare at him for even trying to go that route, but he didn’t give you a chance, taking you to the attic and bringing you down onto the bed with him.

Belphie immediately pulled you close, a small smirk resting on his face as that feeling of satisfaction that he loved finally came to him.

All things considered, your work was done now and you could use some sleep in an actual bed so you didn’t mind laying down with Belphie.

And he just wanted to feel your warmth right there next to him - where you belonged. He never wanted to feel it missing from his side again.

[yourtypicalhuman09]

Beyond The Bat

(Neglected reader x Yandere batfam)

Chapter 1: In The Shadows

TW!!! Cursing !!Dark AU!!

Living in the Wayne manor isn't the sweet luxurious dream you'd think it'd be, reality is in fact much crueler. For as long as I could remember I had lived in this dreary mansion, but lived isn't the word I'd use. I was more trapped here if anything. My "family", if I could even call them that, are well respected people. They're highly skilled and talented people, someone like me could only dream to be like them. I tried so hard to get close to them, I really did try, but no matter what I did nothing worked. I did everything, gymnastics, martial arts, theater, art, music, coding, dance, volleyball, cheerleading, heck I was even in the honors society. Despite being an A+ student and a role model in high society they never once went to any of my recitals, games, or showcases. I went to galas all alone, I had to deal with the sneering faces and snide remarks of high class men and woman alone since I was 8. Not very safe for a child huh? I didn't think so either but my "father" doesn't seem to care.

Nevertheless, I have no choice in this matter and it's not like life here is unbearable. Sure I get beatings and tongue lashings every now and then, but for the most part everyone in the manor tends to forget me eventually and leave me alone. It's pretty isolating but I got used to it, after all I have duties to perform. I have my job as Student council president and I don't intend to slack off. I got that job with my own blood sweat and tears and I will not let all those sleepless nights go to waste. I don't have time to wallow in self pity I have countless of students looking up to me and counting on me to do my job.

"Young master, are you okay? You seem to be staring off into space."

I looked up to our old butler, his face jaded and littered with wrinkles that seemed to contort pathetically in worry. I knew better than to accept his pity. He seems to be a wise gentle man on the outside with his elegant wardrobe, worn old body, and soft spoken demeanor, but do not be fooled. In truth, Alfred Pennyworth was a foolish coward. This was the same man who abandoned his own daughter just like my idiot of a father. I gave him a chance, but nothing's been the same since the day he accidentally called me Julia. I was nothing but a stand in for him, someone to relieve his guilt with.

"I'm fine. Don't you have something better to do? I'm sure Bruce has some kind of task for you, no need to bother yourself with my problems"

"...Very well then...Take care of yourself young master."

He clearly had something more to say but he decided to do nothing and walk away. Like I said he's a coward. Still I'm not new to disappointment, whether it's the disappointment of missed birthdays or the way they all see me as the disappointment, it's nothing I haven't experienced before. I quickly packed up my things and headed to school. Sure riding to school on an old worn out bike isn't exactly ideal, but I have to deal with what I have. Although, I do have to take some back alleys to school since I don't want anyone seeing and starting a scandal. I can already see the blaring headlines, "Daughter of Gotham's richest man caught riding to school on a beat up bicycle!". What a bunch of nosy bastards.

"Good mornin' (Y/N)!"

I turned to face the sunny senior calling my name, his unadulterated joy making him stand out in the crowd of groggy gothamites.

"Good morning Cyrus."

My crisp responses never seems to deter the boy as he continues to walk beside me chattering endlessly.

"(Y/N) I got things you asked! It's super cool what you're doing for the school, I'm so happy I get to be apart of it! If you ever need help with anything please do ask me!"

I sighed, his joyful energy was contagious. I couldn't help but crack a smile. Though it quickly disappeared as I regained my composure, but obviously not fast enough since Cyrus' joy seems to only be growing.

"Ahhhhh (Y/N) just smiled! I made the student president smile! I'm so sigma"

Here he goes again with those weird words and that cocky grin. I sighed once again, I'm too tired for this.

"Yes thank you Cyrus get to class now, I'll pick up the things I asked for after school."

"Yes ma'am!"

I watched as he playfully saluted and ran to class almost bumping into several people along the way. I facepalmed, he was such a handful but strangely I don't really mind. It's probably the lack of sleep I'll make sure to go to bed early today, for now I have to get to class myself.

Author's note: Omg chapter one is finally out! This took me a lot longer than expected but I hope it's good I went through a tiny writer's block😅. I hope you guys like Cyrus I tried to make him a silly and sunny character but trust me he'll have lore and be a much deeper character. I also tried making (Y/N)'s backstory pretty vague since they're the narrator and I figured they wouldn't like talking about it, but their lore will be revealed more throughout future chapters. Anyways as always thank you all for reading and have a good day/night!

Credits to khaer for the dividers

@simpingpandas @rosalietodd013 @sirenetheblogger @cim0nnin @00hellohello00 @crazycaoticsimp @lovebug-apple @youdontknowshtaboutfk

[skylin-files]

girl code ⋆ na jaemin

pov: your best friend's former situationship started hitting you up. what could go wrong?

pairing: college student!jaemin x college student! yn

featuring! winter of aespa, nct members

note: this is part two. i initially planned for this to be a two-part story, but i decided to divide it into three parts.

i hope you like it; your comments will be highly appreciated. ♡

check part one here: part 1 | part 3 (final)

── .✦

You couldn’t help but be impressed by how focused Jaemin was during class. His attention to detail was striking, and when you glanced over at his notes, you felt a little embarrassed comparing them to your own messier ones. You’d thought you’d only see him during lab sessions, but after recent events, it seemed like you were running into him everywhere on campus.

“All these years in college, and why am I only seeing you now?” you asked once, half-joking, only to be met with a casual shrug and his teasing response about how maybe you weren’t meant to cross paths before. You brushed it off with a laugh, unaware of the sincerity hidden in his words—or that the boy you were getting to know had once been one of your best friend's situationships.

Looking back, it was strange that you and Na Jaemin had never met, especially considering his past situationship with Winter, your best friend, back when she was in her “situationship” phase with him. Then again, Winter never introduced her situationships or talking stages to you—she’d share stories about them but never revealed exactly who they were.

Speaking of Winter, you found yourself reunited once again, this time hanging out at a newly opened café near your university. You couldn’t help but notice, though only briefly, how she seemed to gravitate back to the area, just like that time she showed up at a bar nearby.

“Remember the situationship I told you about?” she asked suddenly, pulling you out of your thoughts.

“Which one?” you replied sincerely, given the sheer number of past situationships she’d mentioned over the years.

“The one I said looks so good—like he’s God’s favorite child,” Winter clarified with a grin. You nodded as the memory resurfaced, unaware that she was, in fact, talking about Na Jaemin—your lab partner.

“Well, he’s actually from your university,” she confessed with a sheepish smile, leaving you to process her words.

“He’s actually the reason I went to that local club near your campus,” she added.

“The club near our university? The night you texted me to pick you up?” you clarified, watching her nod in confirmation.

“What’s the deal, though? He’s a past situationship. Why were you at the club because of him?” you asked, thoroughly puzzled.

“Well, I knew he was going to be there,” Winter admitted.

“We haven’t talked for months now, but I knew he’d be at the club because his best friend is a social media guy—always posting updates about his whereabouts. They’re like a duo, always together,” she explained. You nodded, still a bit confused.

“Okay, but why go there because of him?” you asked.

“Well, after seeing his latest post, I kind of started missing him, you know,” she confessed.

You snorted, immediately catching on to where this was heading. “So, you’re planning to start another situationship stage with him?” you teased, earning a sheepish smile from Winter.

“I’m not sure... maybe if we’re on the same page,” she replied.

You shook your head playfully. “Seriously, you and your situationships. Why not just date the guy?” you suggested, fully focused on her until your phone buzzed with a new text message.

Na Jaemin: "Hey, are you free this Friday afternoon?"

Na Jaemin: "I was wondering if we could start with our lab report."

You smiled at the text, yet another reminder of how responsible a student he was. You quickly sent back a short confirmation for Friday before turning your attention back to Winter.

“So, I’m planning to go to this party on Friday. I heard his best friend, Jeno, is going, so I’m sure he’ll be there too,” Winter said, casually name-dropping the best friend of her situationship.

The name, Jeno, sounded familiar—like you’d heard it somewhere before—but you brushed off the thought and let it pass.

"Well, drink responsibly because I won’t be available to pick you up on Friday. My lab partner and I are working on a report," you said.

"Academics on a Friday night?" Winter grimaced, earning a casual shrug from you.

"It’s better to get things done sooner rather than later," you replied, pausing for a moment. "And... hey, my lab partner, he’s kind of cute," you added, almost unsure if you should’ve said it.

Winter’s eyes widened in shock. "Did my man-hater best friend just call a boy cute?" she squealed.

"I’m not a man-hater!" you protested.

"Okay, Ms. ‘Boys would do me no good and only be a distraction,’" she teased.

"I just said he’s cute," you defended, shaking your head.

Oh, how small the world was—two best friends having two entirely different conversations, neither realizing they were both talking about the same boy.

── .✦

It had been a productive Friday night with Jaemin, the two of you managing to finish almost half of your lab report. Deciding to grab a bite, you headed to a nearby diner Jaemin had recommended. On the way, you passed by a group of teenagers dressed as if they were heading to a club.

“I hate clubs,” Jaemin commented casually, prompting you to raise a brow.

“But you were at a club on a school night when I picked up Winter,” you replied, not noticing the slight wince Jaemin made at the mention of your best friend’s name.

“My best friend likes partying. That boy used to be such a homebody, but the college scene changed him. It’s not a big deal, though—he’s enjoying himself, and that’s his life,” Jaemin shared, earning a nod from you.

“So, you go to parties just to accompany him?” you asked, and Jaemin nodded in response.

“He’s actually going to a party tonight. Good thing I’m occupied,” Jaemin said with a playful wink, earning a playful eye roll from you.

Suddenly, Winter came to mind. “Winter—she’s going to a party tonight too,” you said, and Jaemin fell silent, seemingly waiting for you to say more.

You didn’t intend to overshare, but the conversation with Jaemin flowed so easily that your words just came out.

“She went to the party to see her past situationship. She wants to get back with him. Honestly, I’m starting to genuinely worry about her choices in the dating scene,” you said.

Jaemin suddenly had a feeling you were talking about him, but he hesitated. He knew Winter was the type of girl who had a lot of different situationships, which made him second-guess his assumption.

“He’s actually from our university,” you added, confirming Jaemin’s suspicions.

“Did she consider if the guy wanted to get back with her too?” Jaemin asked, earning a hum of acknowledgment from you.

“I’m not sure. I don’t know who the guy is or why their situationship ended,” you replied.

There was a brief silence, as Jaemin debated whether to share what was on his mind. Finally, he spoke.

“Well, I used to have a situationship too,” Jaemin said.

You weren’t expecting him to open about his own dating life, but you listened attentively. It wasn’t entirely surprising—he was, after all, a handsome guy.

“That was my first and last, though. I don’t want to go through it again. It’s useless. A waste of time. It doesn’t do you any good,” he continued, causing you to grin. Finally, someone who agreed with you.

“Right? How could people act like they’re more than friends but less than lovers, or even do couple things just to call it casual?” you said. Jaemin couldn’t help but smile at your firm stance.

“I didn’t expect it to end like that, you know? The moment I wanted to take things seriously, the moment I wanted to court the girl properly, she cut me off,” Jaemin admitted.

You felt sympathy for him.

“One of the worst decisions ever. I didn’t know what to do back then,” he added.

“That’s okay, at least now you know that situationships aren’t for you,” you said, earning a nod from Jaemin.

“And besides, this is probably your first time being an adult, so you won’t always know what to do,” you added, your words offering comfort. Jaemin felt that not going to another party with Jeno tonight was the best decision he’d made in a while.

── .✦

It was another day on campus during lunch break. You were sitting with Mark and Haechan at the cafeteria, scrolling through your social media when you came across photos from Winter’s party last Friday night. Your best friend looked stunning, a natural beauty, and you smiled as you admired her, noticing how happy she appeared in the pictures.

"I wonder if she ran into her situationship," you muttered to yourself.

Suddenly, Haechan cleared his throat, a little louder than usual, causing you to give him a puzzled look. He pointed toward a specific direction, and as you followed his gaze, you spotted Jaemin walking toward your table.

"Hey," he said, flashing you a charming grin.

"Hey," you responded, meeting his gaze.

His smile widened, and Mark, who was seated at the table with you, looked slightly confused, wondering who the boy was. Meanwhile, Haechan wasn’t being very subtle, eyeing both of you closely.

"I was wondering if you're free this Friday?" Jaemin asked.

Mark nearly choked on his noodles upon hearing the question, while Haechan was equally surprised, considering you usually didn’t prioritize dating.

"Why? Are we going to continue the project?" you asked, only to see Mark and Haechan slump in disappointment, thinking it was just about the project. However, they quickly perked up again when Jaemin spoke.

"No, actually, there’s this art exhibit I wanted to go to. I’m not sure if you’re into that, but..." Jaemin paused, pulling out two tickets from his wallet. "I have two tickets," he said, hoping you wouldn’t turn him down.

You were taken aback. You’d spent a fair amount of time with Jaemin around campus, but outside of that? Not much. Haechan and Mark were exchanging eager nudges under the table, clearly anticipating your response.

"Friday night, huh?" you said, looking at Jaemin.

He hummed in response.

"Is this just another one of your tricks to avoid going with your best friend to a party?" you joked, earning a laugh from Jaemin. Even his laugh was charming.

"Maybe," he said with a playful grin. "But I think this invitation is more of a 'I want to spend time with you, no academic work involved.' So, will you go with me?"

You smiled back at him. "Sure, I’d love to, Jaemin."

── .✦

You were going out with Jaemin, but was it really a date, or just a casual hangout to check out an art exhibit? You weren’t sure, but it felt different from the usual hangouts you had with him, Haechan, or Mark.

It was your first time going out with a boy, and despite the diner trip you had with him the previous night, this felt new. To be honest, you didn’t know how to feel—excited, nervous, unsure. You found yourself questioning whether it was the right thing to do.

"One hangout won’t distract you from your academics. Ms. ‘Boys won’t do me good’," Winter teased over the phone.

"Sorry, I’m not used to going out with boys like you," you muttered, making Winter wince on the other end.

"Good gracious, relax, my love! There’s nothing to worry about! Just be yourself, have fun, it’s your first date since... well, forever!" she exclaimed.

"But of course, when I say, ‘be yourself,’ dressing in a hoodie and pants is not what I mean.," Winter added, making you groan.

"You better send me the outfit before the date! I need to approve," she laughed, clearly excited for you.

From her voice, you could tell she was genuinely happy for you. Little did she know, this was just the beginning, and things were about to change in ways she never expected.

── .✦

You were incredibly nervous while waiting for Jaemin to pick you up. You had suggested meeting him at the art exhibit, but he insisted on picking you up. Your hands were sweating, but when Jaemin finally arrived at your doorstep with a smile on his face, all of your anxiety seemed to vanish. His presence had a calming effect on you.

The ride to the exhibit was short, and once you arrived, you were in awe of the incredible pieces on display. Jaemin noticed the excitement in your eyes and felt relieved that you were genuinely enjoying the experience, just like he did.

Jaemin had his camera with him, a hobby he had mentioned before. To your surprise, he was actually a talented photographer. He offered to take your photo next to one of the paintings. You were shy at first, but his encouraging smile made you feel at ease, and you posed for the picture.

When you saw the photo, you were pleasantly surprised—it turned out great, and you looked good. You weren’t as photogenic as Winter, but Jaemin’s photo made you feel like you could be.

“I look good,” you said, grinning like a child. Jaemin nodded, smiling back at you.

Just then, a random stranger, an older woman, commented, “They say the way someone photographs you says a lot about how they feel about you.” Both you and Jaemin turned to look at her, caught off guard by her remark.

The woman chuckled at your surprised expressions and asked, “I’m not a professional photographer, but would you like me to take a photo of both of you?”

You and Jaemin exchanged a smile and replied, “Yes, please.”

── .✦

It was a dull Friday night for Winter. She decided to stay in and take a break from the party scene for just one night. While strolling through her social media, she came across a post from Jeno, Jaemin’s best friend. He was at another party.

"I wonder if Jaemin's with him this time," she muttered, remembering how she had met Jeno at the party last Friday but Jaemin was nowhere to be found. With a sigh, Winter decided to check Jaemin’s social media. He wasn’t the most active online, but to her surprise, Jaemin had posted something just a few minutes ago.

The post read: "The way someone photographs you reveals a lot about how they feel about you."

The post was accompanied by photos from an art exhibit. Winter lazily scrolled through the pictures, not paying much attention to the artwork, until she reached the last one.

It was a photo of Jaemin with you, her best friend.

A chill ran through her as she pieced everything together, suddenly realizing that her situationship and your lab partner involved the same person all along—Na Jaemin.

── .✦

"What does it mean when a guy doesn't post me on his social media, but then posts the next girl he's seeing after just one date?" Winter asked out of the blue.

You two were once again at the café near your university, but this time, Haechan had joined you.

Your eyebrows raised at her question, finding it odd and sensing something was off about her lately. "Maybe he wasn't that serious about you back then?" you suggested.

Winter's blood began to boil at your response. "And he's serious about the new girl just because he posted her?" she snapped, Haechan giving her a side-eye at the sharpness in her tone.

"Yeah? It's possible?" you said, confused by her irritated and dejected reaction.

"It was just a photo dump, apparently their picture just made the cut," Winter explained, though she knew deep down her statement wasn't entirely accurate, especially considering what she knew about Jaemin.

Haechan raised an eyebrow and decided to comment, "Why are you mad about it, though? Do you post any guy on your social media?" he asked, earning a small "no" from Winter.

"And you expect them, or this person, to post you?" Haechan remarked, feeling that the conversation was a bit immature.

Winter muttered softly, only for herself to hear, "The girl he posted never posted him either."

She glanced at you, her best friend, feeling guilty for her emotions. Why was she even upset? She and Jaemin were never a thing, and besides, she had cut him off when he wanted to take things seriously.

It was her own fault for letting someone like Jaemin go.

"By the way, how was your date?" Winter asked, trying her best to offer a sincere smile.

"I had fun," you replied almost immediately, while Haechan smirked, typing on his laptop.

"Oh, yes, she did. And it wasn’t just a friendly date, either. They were holding hands, for God’s sake," Haechan added.

Winter felt like she had been splashed with cold water upon hearing that. "We used to hold hands too," Winter muttered to herself.

"Wait," you said, catching both Winter and Haechan’s attention. "You said you both knew each other," you recalled, remembering the scene from the club. "Jaemin, Na Jaemin. You know him, right? How could I have missed this? He’s the guy I’ve been telling you about," you said, showing Winter a picture of you and Jaemin—the same one Jaemin had posted on his social media.

"Oh, yeah, we know each other," Winter said, clenching her hands under the table. "You guys really do look good together," she added.

"You mean it?" you asked, recalling the first time Winter mentioned that you and Jaemin looked good together, which was that night at the local club when she had been drunk.

"Yup," Winter replied, her face adorned with a fake smile.

Meanwhile, on campus, Mark was frantically processing the information he had just discovered. While strolling through social media, he came across a 2024 photo dump from Jeno, Jaemin’s best friend and Mark’s classmate. The post was a bit late, given that the new year had already passed.

As Mark continued scrolling, he found a group photo that made his eyes widen in shock. In the photo was Jaemin, the guy he knew you had recently gone on a date with, and right beside him was Winter, your best friend. But it wasn’t just any photo; Winter was leaning on Jaemin in a way that felt quite intimate. Mark immediately felt uneasy and forwarded the photo to Haechan.

When Haechan saw the photo, everything clicked. He instantly understood what was going on, piecing it all together. Staring at Winter intently, Haechan now knew exactly who she had been talking about, why she had been acting so strange, and the reason behind her fake smile.

── .✦

Later that day, you returned home with a smile on your face. Your lab report with Jaemin was complete, and you both had done well. After class, you decided to grab dessert, and Jaemin even drove you home.

As you walked in, you couldn’t help but start questioning what was going on between the two of you. Your usual "guys won’t do me any good" mantra was slowly fading away, and you found yourself worried this might end up like the situation with your best friend, Winter. But then you recalled the conversation you had with Jaemin about situationships, which gave you some reassurance that things wouldn’t go down that road.

Settling in at home, you started scrolling through your phone, laughing at memes on your timeline. But then you realized you hadn’t come across any of Winter’s posts.

"Is she not home yet?" you muttered to yourself.

It was unusual for Winter not to be active on social media since she was always posting. Without thinking, you checked her profile, a bad feeling settling in your stomach. When you opened her page, your heart dropped. You stared at her profile for a moment, then decided to call her.

"Hello?" she answered, her voice cold.

"Winter," you said, your voice tight.

"Yes? Do you need something? I have cheer practice soon," she replied, her tone distant.

"Winter, why did you soft block me on your social media?" you asked, a knot forming in your chest.

There was a long silence on the other end. "I'm sorry, but I have cheer in a bit. I can’t talk about this right now," she said before hanging up.

You were stunned. This wasn’t the Winter you knew. She never avoided a conversation, no matter how big or small the issue.

Your grip on your phone tightened, and then a notification popped up.

It was from Mark.

He had sent you a photo—a group photo, to be exact. But this wasn’t just any group picture. In it, Jaemin and Winter stood side by side, looking far too intimate for comfort.

── .✦

tags: @carelessshootanonymous @taliaamara @zgzgzh @tinyzen @urlocalbeaner5 @profoundruinsunknown

let me know if you want to be tagged in part three/the last part. 𓂃۶ৎ

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Idia Shroud: The Daily Grind

Oooh, his limited-edition shirt (from a live performance, implying he actually may have attended a concert in-person??) has the Fates on it! Idia also talks about getting birthday messages from his mobile games… True Gamer rep... though I cannot forgive him using an all-in-one cream for his face don’t let Vil hear—

THAT GROOVY IS TAINTED 😭 The less I say about it, the better…

Rise and Shine!

Idia Shroud lived by numbers. Measurements, code, games. They were dependable things, easily controlled and predictable, unlike the fleshy meat sacks called humans. The most improbable creatures of all.

The luck of the draw had been unkind to him this year. A test ("In person attendance is required, Shroud," Trein had told him sternly), on his birthday! If a higher being existed out there, Idia was certain he was their least favorite child.

Touching grass? Tch, so annoying.

Idia drew out a ragged groan and rolled his neck, which still ached from having slept upright in his gaming chair. Clasped in his hands was a rectangle, its screen glowing as one of his many mobile games booted up. He had a list to run through, missions to complete--all a part of his routine.

Another day. Better do my dailies before heading out.

He sighed.

A familiar home screen unfolded before his eyes. It was a lounge, newly refurbished and dipped in a neon glow. Balloons clouded the ceiling, banners and streamers were strung up, confetti dusting the floors. Jewel-colored flowers in crystal vases and sumptuous dishes crowded the avaliable space on tables. On special occasions, the background was automatically decorated in honor of the holidays.

A grinning anime girl faded in. She was dressed in a fluffy cloak and hat, keeping her cozy for the winter season. This particular version of her was a SSR he had dumped money into to max out (no expense spared for the best girl).

"Happy birthday, Gloomurai!" she chirped, parroting the same phrase that she did to all players once a year. "Geez, did you sleep in again? Wakey, wakey! How are you going to enjoy your birthday if you're only half-awake for all of it? ... Wh-What? You're wondering if I prepared anything for you? Don't be stupid. I-It's not like... I... like you or anything..."

"Hihihihi... Aaaah, the way she runs hot and cold is so cute, just the best! This is peak content!" Idia chuckled to himself. Here, in the comfort of his private quarters.

Beep, beep, beep!

Idia yelped and leapt up in his seat, nearly dropped his phone. He squinted at the blinking envelope icon that had overtaken the screen.

"... What? A new message?"

Who's it from? I-I don't talk to any of my classmates enough for them to contact me out of the blue like this... C-Could it be Riddle-shi shouting at me to attend the next dorm leader meeting?

Idia cautiously opened the message. He winced as he braced himself for the redhead's shouting (all caps) from the other end.

A cheerful jingled played, followed by pixelated fireworks popping off. Ortho exploded forth from the envelope with a giggle, the words HAPPY BIRTHDAY blinking on either side of him. The video message began to roll.

"Gooood morning, nii-san!" his little brother cried. "Did you get a good night's sleep? I hope so, because you'll need all that energy for your exam--and your birthday party afterwards!"

"B-Birthday party? When did I agree to attend that...?" Idia mumbled, running a hand through his fiery hair.

The prerecorded Ortho continued. "But I know you. You're probably thinking, 'Birthday party? When did I agree to attend that...?' ... Right?"

H-He got me nailed word for word!!

"We can't have you shut away in your bedroom as soon as you're done with that test! So to make sure you don't try and squirm out of socializing, I've recruited a guest character for an escort mission to your class and then to the birthday party afterwards. They'll be by to pick you up at 7:30 am. See you then, nii-san!"

Ortho waved farewell before he blipped out of existence. Idia sprung out of his gaming chair, slick with sweat from a freshly sprung, anxiety-induced leak. He stared at his phone in disbelief, his eyes wide and bugged out.

"D-Did I... Did I hear that message right?! S-Someone's coming to escort me to class?! But the time right now is…!!”

Knock, knock, knock!

“E-Eeeep!!”

This time, he did drop his phone. Its fall was cushioned by the mountain of cardboard boxes, opened chip bags, and volumes of manga loitering on the floor. The impact restarted the video message: “Gooood morning, nii-san! Did you have a good night’s sleep?”

“Idia-senpai?” a voice called out, joining Ortho’s. Your voice. “Are you there? I’m here to grab you for class.”

Th-Them?! He turned paler than Death, even as his cheeks and the tips of his hair burned bright pink. Why… wh-why did Ortho have to choose THEM for this?!

“H-Hold on a minute!” Idia called out.

He crumpled to his knees and gathered as much of his junk as he could, shoveling it into convenient hiding places to create the illusion of tidiness. His closet, under his bed, empty boxes and bookshelf space.

“How much longer?” you asked worriedly from the other side of the door. “You might be late at this rate—and you know how Professor Trein can be about tardiness.”

“A-Almost…!!”

Idia grabbed his phone and got back up, glancing at himself in the reflection of his monitor. His bangs had gone awry, covering one eye in cobalt bangs. He hurriedly brushed them away, trying to get his hair to behave as best he could, then attempted to straighten out the creases in his pajamas.

Screw the school uniform. There was no time left to make himself any more presentable than this. He’d have to deal with the disapproving shake of his teacher’s head when he slumped in. If was preferable to keeping you waiting.

His temperature spiked again. Pink became red. He waved frantic hands at his hair, urging them to cool off back to blue.

Calm down. C-Calm down, you’ve got this!! You’ve played so many dating sims, summon that main character charm!

But in real life, there were no clearly defined routes to head on. No dialogue options to choose or love flags to trip. No resets, should he fail miserably. He was left on his own to fumble through social interactions—and their consequences.

He shambled over to his door and, swallowing hard, cracked it open. A sliver of light poured in from the outside, along with your smiling face. He was a monster crammed into a gap, and you were his savior.

“There you are!”

Idia tried to picture a brazen male lead. The sort of guy that leaned against doorframes with a cocky smirk and casually went, “Hey, you.”

Nope, nope, nope!!! WAY too cringe! I-I can’t say that like I'm a confident alpha dudebro…! I can’t…!!

Idia froze, his mind defaulting to a 404 error. Even his heart seemed to stop, seized by clawing panic.

“H-Hey,” he said meekly.

"Happy birthday, Idia-senpai.” You blinked, slowly taking him in. "Did you sleep in again?"

E-Eh…? What is this weird sense of deja vu? They sound almost exactly like the birthday login lines from earlier... e-except it's a real person this time, not a fictional character...

The pace of his heartbeat quickened.

S-Something’s wrong with me. Th-This reaction’s definitely not normal!!

He flushed again, fervid as a flame. Short circuiting, overheating.

“Er… Idia-senpai? Are you feeling okay? Your hair, it’s going haywire, shifting colors like a lava lamp,” you vaguely gestured. “And you’re still in your pajamas. You hardly look ready to leave your room."

“I-I’m fine!” he squeaked. “I wasn’t expecting a guest, s-so… I didn’t prepare to receive… any... one…” Idia trailed off.

"Hehe. How are you going to enjoy your birthday if you're only half-awake for all of it?" You extended a hand to him. "Come on, it’s time to wake up.”

Just like the greeting from the mobile game.

Idia shyly ducked behind his door, hiding his burning face.

Is this a dream? If it is, I don't know if I want to wake up from it.

[crooked-wasteland]

Taking out the themes of Colonialism and Tourism from Lilo and Stitch is to dig the foundation of the story out from under itself.

One of my favorite examples of how the white washing of colonized peoples affects their wellbeing was the scene at the very beginning of the 2002 animated movie. Lilo is late to her dance class, a class that teaches the traditional Hawaiian style.

While I think most are aware of this fact, Hula is a choreographed story. I learned Hula from my own dance teacher as a child, who was a native Hawaiian. I was inspired by how the motions told the stories of Hawaii's mythology and I understood the reverence for the art even then.

So the fact that Lilo is both a dancer and a student of her culture is important. It bleeds seamlessly into her storytelling around Pudge the Fish. Her beliefs and customs around Pudge, while often elevated as autistic coding, is also just a way to show how White colonizers erased native culture. Lilo truly believes Pudge can control the weather, much like many Polynesian and native American mythologies have the same beliefs to their lore as any other religion.

But instead of her beliefs being valued or understood, especially in regards to her trauma and how a bad storm resulted in her parents' car crash, Mertyl, the very white American girl from the mainland, calls Lilo crazy. And in 2025, we have to be more aware of how colonialism and religion also go hand in hand. All religious beliefs outside of the white Christians' magical man from the middle east are obviously silly little stories and fairy tales.

And Lilo fights back. Physically and without restraint. She defends herself and in that way defends her culture.

But every time Lilo fights back against the colonialism that is actively alienating her from her own home, she is told she's in the wrong.

Just like how Stitch is considered an abomination for merely existing.

Lilo and Stitch connect on the grounds of their shared anger at social structures they don't understand, a sense of powerlessness, and a longing for stability and community.

Lilo replicates colonialism onto Stitch in the sequence where she tries to make him like Elvis Presley. Trying to construct this idea of Stitch that is more understandable and palatable to others. Her crayon chart and use of the words "good" and "bad" is Lilo's way of trying to fit in. It's her child's mind attempt at accepting assimilation.

And it is reinforced through Nani's journey of finding a job. She's not seeking a job out of her own needs or desires, but because the US Government in the form of CPS will claim her unfit to take care of her sister if she doesn't. Nani is constantly creating a different version of herself to be accepted, assimilated, all while Lilo is attempting to do the same to Stitch. And Nani's reasoning of trying to keep custody of Lilo in the face of an abstract entity that has unimaginable power is a perfect allegory to Hawaii and her struggle to maintain her culture in the face of colonialism and gentrification.

If you remove the colonization themes from Lilo and Stitch, you have removed the fundamental structures that keep the story together.

[reynardwrites]

Oz really just spends the entire fucking show killing every man he could have been.

Jack, the honest, reliable provider and protector

Benny, the sweet, kind, innocent child

Alberto, the brother who never stopped trying for his sibling, no matter how much of a fuck up he was

Taj, the son whose mother loved him so much she held him as he burned alive

Sal, the respected, gentleman gangster with honor and a code

Victor, the true believer in the class solidarity Oz preaches so selfishly

[txttletale]

can you explain family abolition in a few words?

sure. there is no one unitary 'family abolitionist' perspective so be aware that i'm explaining this as a marxist and not as an anarchist or a radical feminist.

basically, "the family" is a social construct rather than a fixed self-evident truth. the family has been created and can be shaped, altered, or--indeed--abolished. this is evinced by the broad anthropological and historical record of radical transformations in what constitutes 'the family' (cf. clans, the extended family, the nuclear family). viewing the family as such opens it up to critique and also to the concept that it could be replaced with something better (in much the same way that, for communist and anarchist, refusing to accept the timelessness / naturalization of the bourgeois state opens up new horizons of political thought outside of engagement with electoral politics.)

among these critiques of the family are:

that it is a tool of patriarchal control over women and children by creating an economic dependence upon spouses / parents

ergo, that it enables and causes 'abuse' -- that child abuse, spousal abuse, and intimate partner violence are not abberations of 'the family' but in fact a natural consequence of its base premises re: power and control

that it serves as a site of invisiblised economic labour (e.g. housework)

that it is a tool of the capitalist (formerly the feudal) economy's reproduction of inequality via e.g. inheritance laws

that it serves as a site of normalization and reproduction of hegemonic ideology--i.e. that it is the site where heteronormativity, cisnormativity, gender roles, class positionality, & more are ingrained in children

among solutions family abolitionists propose to remedy it are:

the total dissolution of any legal privilege conferred by romantic or blood relationship in favour of total freedom for any group of people to form a household and cohabitate

the recognition of housework, the work of childrearing, & the general tasks of social reproduction as 'real' labour to be distributed fairly and not according to formal or informal (feminized) hierarchies

the economic and legal freedom of children--(i.e., allowing children unconditional access to food and shelter outside 'the family', allowing children the legal right to informed consent and self-determination)

similarly, the emancipation of women from economic dependence on their partners--both of these can only really be achieved via socialism (as marx put it, 'women in the workplace' only trade patriarchal dependence upon a husband for patriarchal dependence upon an employer)

communal caretaking of children, the sick, & the elderly

yeah. i know. this is a lot of words. its not few words. sorry. it's a complex topic innit. this is a few words For Me consideri ng that i've got a long-ass google doc open where i'm writing up a whole damn essay on this exact topic.

tldr: the family is not inevitable, it is constructed & can be replaced with something better. full economic freedom from dependence on interpersonal familial relationships for everybody now. check out cuba's 2022 family code for an idea of what this could look like as practical legislation.

[sinkableruby]

deltarune is utena: a collection of parallels

since chapter 3 and 4 came out and it's become increasingly clear to me that deltarune is taking some heavy utena inspiration, i wanted to collect the parallels i noticed along with a friend. this is spoilers for deltarune chapters 3+4 and for revolutionary girl utena.

now, the first and biggest parallel i noticed: kris is anthy in deltarune.

- cages for a "greater power" as part of a plot. agency removed due to that role

- working together with (and being manipulated by) a much older figure as a child to orchestrate the negative events and forces of the plot

- being pushed towards a powerful girl closely connected to their manipulator in order to hold more control over that girl

- the truth is, i...... nevermind.

there's more, even.

kris sleeping "like a corpse" through class and other imagery of death for them; anthy sleeping in her coffin.

kris trying to protect people: susie, noelle; anthy trying to protect dios and utena.

both of them trying to return to an ideal of the past, which is why they're doing the things they do (kris's feelings about dess. anthy's feelings about dios).

both of them taking on the painful and harder part in their plot instead of their co-conspirator/abuser.

the egg rooms; the chick needing to break the shell of its egg.

you can even say that the tendency of players to blame kris for things we made them do, or condemn them excessively for their involvement with the knight or carol or for them not telling susie the truth as though they are a demon and not a traumatized child is similar to how anthy is blamed for everything as the rose bride and used as a scapegoat.

prankster's gambit

what does this all mean for kris? mostly bad things! yay!

the next big parallel i noticed: susie/noelle as utena. noelle and susie both being utena seems weird at first, but it actually makes sense when you consider their interchangeability in the text of the prophecy. i imagine that carol wanted noelle to be the one adventuring with kris in the dark world to control both of them better, but susie got in the way. also, we see both of them are strong, and very much revolutionary in how they can bypass the limits of the game, of what we can normally do

the parallels are pretty strong for each, with susie:

- wanting eternity

- being a deeply lonely girl believing in true friendship and empowered by it. also, the protagonist. and someone who is seemingly miraculous, pulling through even when all seems lost and saving herself and others with the power of hopes and dreams

and noelle:

- manipulated by a ring, a symbol of love. we are akio in the weird route. our scenes with her are coded like an abusive relationship

- i can't remember...

there's also noelle's stuff with nostalgia, and her nervous babbling in That Scene in the weird route is reminiscent of utena's in That Scene of episode 33. basically, susie is utena in the main route, and if you choose weird route, noelle is instead

given all this i would be shocked if deltarune was not taking inspiration from utena here (and i wouldnt be surprised if the rose that was originally in That Scene in the weird route was taking a leaf out of utena's book). deltarune is utena yay yippee

[elliespassagerprincess]

Hi love would you mind making a part for professor!ellie where reader is pregnant again OR when their daughter grows up ?

Amazing work btw

Headcannons: professor!ellie williams x reader

masterlist

professor ellie masterlist

☆ Aurora’s favorite thing to do is sit on Ellie’s lap during her late-night grading sessions, asking questions like, “Are your students as smart as me?”

☆ She wears glasses just like Ellie now—reader thinks they’re twins.

☆ Aurora mimics Ellie’s mannerisms, like adjusting her glasses when she’s nervous or tilting her head when thinking.

☆ She already knows how to read short paragraphs and corrects people’s grammar—even Ellie’s, which makes her beam with pride.

☆ Aurora's drawings always include three people—Mama, Mommy, and her—but now a fourth baby blob is starting to appear in the corner labeled “Arny.”

☆ When you went into labor, Aurora tried to pack her own bag “to help,” which included crayons, a banana, and Ellie’s old lecture clicker.

☆ Ellie sometimes brings Aurora to campus events. She introduces her proudly with “This is my daughter. She’s smarter than my entire first-year class.”

☆ Aurora makes Ellie bracelets from string and demands she wear them even during lectures. She always does.

☆ Aurora asks science questions constantly. Ellie answers all of them with a whiteboard and diagrams.

☆ You once walked in on Aurora “lecturing” her stuffed animals, using Ellie’s tone exactly.

☆ Ellie writes down Aurora’s quotes in a leather-bound “Aurora Archive” journal.

☆ She refers to Ellie as “the smartest person alive” and you as “the prettiest.”

☆ Aurora’s handwriting practice turned into a full essay on why “Mommy Ellie is too bossy, but I still love her.”

☆ Ellie was obsessively thorough about the IVF process, reading every published study on embryo grading, success rates, and maternal health. She made color-coded charts for each clinic they considered.

☆ The decision to have a second child came after Aurora turned five, when she looked up at them one night and asked, “Why don’t I have a baby brother or sister?”

☆ Ellie wanted a boy this time, not because she loved Aurora any less, but because she was fascinated by how different he might be — still theirs, but uniquely his own.

☆ You carried Arnold, just like with Aurora, and Ellie was even more attentive this time—bringing snacks, checking nutrient levels, monitoring stress like a hawk.

☆ You used the same donor, ensuring Arnold and Aurora were biologically related, and Ellie cried when they found out the embryo had successfully implanted.

☆ Ellie held her breath during every scan, gripping your hand tightly until they saw that tiny heartbeat flicker on the screen.

☆ At home, Ellie converted her study into a nursery months before it was needed, painting it a rich forest green and hanging hand-painted space-themed art on the walls.

☆ She read academic articles aloud to your belly, mumbling about epigenetics and language development, hoping Arnold would be a little genius like his sister.

☆ Aurora would whisper secrets to her unborn brother, telling him what not to do so “Mama doesn’t freak out.”

☆ You and Ellie filmed short video diaries for Arnold, each one ending with Aurora saying, “Hurry up and come out, dummy.”

☆ Your pregnancy with Arnold was harder than Aurora’s — more nausea, more exhaustion — and Ellie handled everything from meals to laundry to carrying you to bed if you fell asleep on the couch.

☆ Ellie barely slept the night you went into labor, pacing in circles around their bedroom and triple-checking the hospital bag every 10 minutes.

☆ When Arnold was born, Ellie was the first to cry, trembling as she cut the umbilical cord and kissed your sweaty forehead, whispering, “You did it. He’s here.”

☆ Arnold was a quiet baby—unlike his fiery older sister—and when the nurse handed him to Ellie, he blinked up at her with wide, moss-green eyes.

☆ Aurora was the first to hold Arnold after them, sitting carefully on the hospital bed, her small arms wrapped awkwardly around her baby brother, declaring, “He smells weird. But he’s cute.”

☆ Ellie took an extended sabbatical from the university, something she never did for herself, but did without hesitation for Arnold and you.

☆ She kept a detailed baby log, recording every feeding, nap, and developmental milestone like it was groundbreaking research. (“He smiled at 4 weeks. Do you know how rare that is?”)

☆ You would often find Ellie in the middle of the night, swaying gently in the rocking chair with Arnold on her chest, whispering about constellations and music theory.

☆ Aurora helped with diaper changes, read bedtime stories to Arnold (whether he was awake or not), and told everyone at school, “I have a brother. He’s gonna be smarter than all of you.”

☆ Ellie constantly takes pictures of the three of you—you nursing, Aurora playing peekaboo, Arnold asleep on Ellie’s chest. She prints them, dates them, and keeps them in a growing archive labeled The Love We Made.

☆ Arnold has Ellie wrapped around his tiny fingers already—she holds him like he’s made of glass.

☆ She was an emotional wreck the day he was born, whispering “You’re here. You’re real,” over and over.

☆ Ellie sobbed in the hospital bathroom, clutching a photo of Aurora and trying to calm her nerves before holding Arnold for the first time.

☆ She made laminated feeding/diapering schedules and color-coded copies for both reader and herself.

☆ Ellie insisted on staying awake every night at first. You had to force her to rest by dragging her to bed.

☆ Her obsession with checking his breathing every 20 minutes has led to installing four different monitors.

☆ Ellie reads academic articles to him during nap time—“gotta start the kid early.”

☆ His nursery is space-themed. Ellie picked every star and constellation herself and even made a mobile from scratch.

☆ She prints out graphs of his growth and annotates them.

☆ You caught Ellie softly kissing Arnold’s forehead while murmuring, “I’ll protect you forever. I promise.”

☆ She calls him “my little theory” because she wants to “test how much love a person can feel before they combust.”

☆ Ellie holds Arnold for hours while writing lectures one-handed, content even if it takes twice as long.

☆ She talks about him constantly at work—“Sorry my email’s late. My son drooled on my laptop.”

☆ Ellie insisted on giving him a middle name that references a philosopher—Arnold Pascal Williams.

☆ She puts little leather-bound books in his crib for aesthetic photos.

☆ Ellie made a password-protected photo archive titled “Arnold Growth Logs.”

☆ She has framed side-by-side ultrasound pictures of Aurora and Arnold on her office wall.

☆ You found Ellie singing lullabies in Hebrew and Latin just for “academic diversity.”

☆ She’s more patient with Arnold than she’s ever been with anyone.

☆ Ellie’s phone is overloaded with baby pics—she has a folder just labeled “Arnsmol.”

☆ She wrote a 10-page email to the pediatrician just asking about sleep regression.

☆ Ellie gets extremely possessive when someone other than you or Aurora holds Arnold.

☆ Her glasses fog up when she gets overwhelmed watching both kids together.

☆ Arnold’s first smile made Ellie go silent for ten minutes, then cry like a waterfall.

☆ She lowkey competes with you over who Arnold calms down with faster.

☆ She stares at you when she’s breastfeeding, completely mesmerized.

☆ Ellie reads textbooks on postpartum care so she can understand everything reader is experiencing.

☆ She canceled her own faculty conference trip because Arnold had a cold.

☆ Ellie redesigned her lecture schedule so she never misses bedtime for either child.

☆ Ellie’s gone full mama bear—she snapped at a stranger who called Arnold “it.”

☆ She started a private blog documenting her “Motherhood and Academia” journey, but only you have the link.

☆ Ellie sometimes forgets to eat if the baby’s crying—but never forgets to feed him.

☆ You teases Ellie about her “unofficial PhD in parenting.” Ellie secretly loves it.

☆ Arnold’s first laugh made Ellie record five videos trying to recreate the sound.

☆ She leaves love notes inside your breast pump bag.

☆ She wants to homeschool both kids—your not fully convinced yet.

☆ Ellie smells Arnold’s head constantly. Says it’s “baby serotonin.”

☆ Ellie cried when Aurora said “Arnold is my best friend forever.”

☆ She’s started humming lullabies even while writing lectures now.

☆ She talks to Arnold about how they’ll build rockets or dissect frogs together someday.

☆ Ellie calls Aurora and Arnold her “entire thesis on love.”

☆ She still panics during diaper changes—even though she’s read three parenting books.

☆ Ellie smells like baby lotion, chalkboard dust, and coffee now.

☆ Her voice softens immediately when either kid cries.

☆ Ellie doodles tiny versions of Aurora and Arnold in her margins during meetings.

☆ Ellie sometimes stares at you and just whispers, “How did I get this lucky?”

☆ She tells Arnold he looks like you, then whispers, “thank god.”

☆ Ellie calls their family of four “the most important study she’ll ever conduct.”