#could i have drawn them myself? probably yes. i think i even have before

[bobbinalong]

jon visting the batcave for the first time

[space-mango-company]

Stranger | Chapter 5

Chapter Links: [1], [2], [3], [4], [5]

TW: Descriptions of Violence, Mentions of Cannibalism

Tags: Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen x Atreides!Reader, Arranged Marriage, Eventual Smut, POV Second Person, No use of y/n, Original Characters, Canon What Canon

Word Count: 2.3k

A/N: Not proofread!! Holy moly. Here it is, folks. The scene that inspired this whole fic. I had fun writing this so I really hope you enjoy it. Once again, I appreciate everyone who likes, comments, and/or leaves kudos so much. I really started this fic for myself but good golly, that dopamine rush whenever I get a notif might be more addicting than spice. I'm glad to be part of the bald man brigade.

Also, I can't believe I'm only now questioning why I decided to write this in the second person? I guess maybe I thought this fic would be a lot shorter and not that deep, lol. At this point 'y/n' probably has enough personality to just be a straight-up OC. It's funnier because I don't even find second-person or y/n fics any more engaging either. I always detach myself by giving 'y/n' her own name and only seeing her as a character in the fic.

ANYWAY, sorry to ramble. Stay safe and have a good one, ya weirdos.

You step out into the dark cul-de-sac of the guest hall, illuminated only by the large suspensor lamp in the middle. Feyd-Rautha looks you up and down, seemingly entranced by how the dim light casts his shadow on your modest dress. Atreides green, he recognized.

"Trying to sneak into my rooms again?" you say arms crossed, leaning on your door. "I didn't appreciate the last time, by the way."

"It's my house," he says cooly, "and I did knock this time."

You stare at him indifferently.

"Quite the display from you yesterday morning, using The Voice on me." His voice low and raspy, "I should have you drawn and quartered."

You scoff in his face. "You almost choked me to death. Are you trying to start a war?"

He takes a step closer and his face is inches from yours, you can feel his breath on your cheek, "I didn't think I'd like you this much, little hawk."

"What do you want, Feyd-Rautha?" you had no patience for him right now.

"Ah," he steps back, a dark smile on his face, "I've been waiting to hear my name from your tongue." His hand reaches for your lips. "I've grown quite tired of 'na-Baron'."

You grab his wrist before he can touch you. "If you're only here to toy with me, I would rather be left alone to prepare for bed." You release his hand and turn to open your door.

Feyd-Rautha props an arm against the doorway to block you. "We're to be married in three days," he says, "and I just can't seem to bring myself to let go of my 'harpies', as you called them." He meets your gaze. "You said you'd kill them. Did you mean that?"

You look up at him with steely eyes. He towered over you but your heart felt no fear, "Yes."

His coy smile returns. "Good. Come to my training hall tomorrow," he says, walking away.

"What?" you call after him.

"Dress to fight," he says over his shoulder. "I want to see what you can do, Atreides."

You needed no help from Zora in putting on a loose shirt and long pants. The plain beige outfit certainly wasn't as elegant as the dresses you had been wearing so far. But it was comfortable and you could fight in it, which was all that mattered. Still, you look yourself in the mirror. The soft, airy fabrics draped over your figure well but perhaps you were not in the best shape as you once were. Your muscle mass is much less than your brother's and he wasn't particularly built himself. You admit you did wane off your training sessions with Gurney and Paul leading up to your departure from Caladan. Nevertheless, you were still a skilled warrior. Another secret you've been keeping from the Harkonnens.

You were 14 when you started learning the blade. Watching Paul, 2 years your senior, practice with the Atreides Warmaster lit a fire in you. You didn't hesitate to pester your father to let you train with them and of course, there was nothing he could deny his darling daughter. You were a fierce and determined student. Gurney Halleck was a man you genuinely believed to be one of the best fighters in the Imperium, along with Duncan Idaho. Gurney would train you and Paul on even days. On odd days, your mother would teach you the Weirding Way. These lessons, much like the rest of your mother's teachings, your father wanted to know nothing about. After becoming decently adept at Prana-Bindu and gaining almost complete physical control of your body, Lady Jessica insisted that you also be skilled in the Bene Gesserit style of combat.

You were far from mastery in either but the combination of both trainings made you a formidable fighter. Despite this, you could never seem to beat your brother in a sparring match. A fact that frustrated you to no end, though you appreciated that Paul never went easy on you. You'd always blame it on him having trained for longer than you have. But in truth, you knew there had just always been something special about him.

"Are you ready, my lady?" Zora's soft voice wakes you from your thoughts.

"Hm? Right. Yes, let's go." You quickly tie your hair out of the way and grab your father's dagger from atop your dresser.

There was no fanfare when you entered the hall. On one end, the na-Baron's concubines sat chained on the steps of the shallow recessed pit in their leathers, their glares piercing through you. Your eyes linger on them as Feyd-Rautha and his Warmaster greet you.

"I was starting to think my lady bride was bluffing," Feyd-Rautha says as you approach him. The older man beside him offers you a polite bow.

"Perhaps she wasn't so keen on your brutish games," you bite back. "Your lord uncle won't be joining us?"

"No," Feyd-Rautha crosses his arms, "but he'll be hearing about your victory. Or your demise."

"Right. Well, I assume you'll be releasing them from those chains," you nod towards his pets "Not sure why they're necessary."

"Oh, trust me, little hawk. They're necessary." Feyd-Rautha motions to a servant.

"Your blade and shield, my lady," they bow, presenting you with a knife and a small device you recognize as a Holtzman shield.

"I've brought my own," you unsheath your father's dagger. You contemplate taking the shield but remembering that the na-Baron forwent it during his gladiator fight, you decide to do so as well. "They've no weapons anyway, the shield seems pointless."

Feyd-Rautha shrugs, "If you insist."

You take a deep breath, "Let's get this over with."

You lightly stretch as you walk down the steps of the shallow pit to stand opposite the na-Baron's concubines. You had come into this on the pretense of righteousness. For Iassa, you told yourself. But you've known her a mere two days. A part of you wanted to show off. You were good and you knew it. You could probably kill anyone in this room, even Feyd-Rautha. You craved the respect of the people here: the Harkonnens, the people of Geidi Prime. You figured this was one way to get it.

Feyd-Rautha walks around the pit to one of his concubines and kneels to whisper something in her ear. You assume a fighting stance when he moves to release her from the chains. When you meet her eyes, they are filled with feral bloodlust.

Suddenly, you weren't so bold. The veil of courage you have maintained since you arrived, even when Feyd-Rautha had your neck in his grip, is torn apart when you face this woman. You could tell no part of her would hesitate to rip your throat out with her bare teeth. You were almost relieved they were unarmed, but you weren't sure if that would make them any less lethal.

Fear grew in your chest and you had less than a moment to recite the Litany in your head before the concubine lunged at you.

You crouch down in time and slash at her abdomen as she approaches you. You turn to face her on the other side of the pit and she wastes no time in attacking you again. She attempts to grab your armed hand but you take hold of her wrist first and move to pin it behind her back. Quickly, your blade drags across her throat and she falls to your feet.

The kill has not yet registered in your mind but your heart is racing. You can almost hear your blood coursing through your veins. You held your arms outstretched, your eyes focused ahead, ready for the next one.

Across the pit, Feyd-Rautha licks his lips, smiling as he releases his second concubine. This time, you walk toward her while she moves to attack you. You clock her head with the pommel of your dagger and knock her a few steps back. She reaches a hand to wipe the blood beginning to drip out of her nose. After examining it, she snarls and bares her sharp teeth at you. Your mind is blank now. She dodges your first slash then manages to land a blow to your jaw. You seethe from the pain. You spit out the mixture of blood and saliva filling your mouth. The anger at the hit drives you to rush at her. Seeing an opening, you duck down to her waist and stab her twice. As she falls to her knees, the look of determination doesn't leave her eyes until the very last moment.

When you turn around, Feyd-Rautha has already released the last concubine. The ruthless scream she lets out disorients you. She pounces and knocks you over. She straddles you and pins your arms to the ground, your blade sliding inches away. She screams again in your face at the death of her sisters. You wedge your right knee between you and her abdomen, the only thing keeping her teeth from reaching your throat. You grunt as you struggle to free your hands. In your periphery, you see Feyd-Rautha, wielding his own blade, take a step into the pit.

"GET BACK," you roar, and he is powerless to refuse.

You turn back to your opponent still on top of you and you butt her head with your own. She loosens her grip and you kick her off to hastily crawl to your weapon. When she reorients herself and attempts to grab you again, you hook a knee under her arm and flip the both of you over. With your weight on her chest and both your knees pinning her arms down, she thrashes underneath you, claws digging into your right ankle. You take your blade in both hands and her screaming is silenced when you sink your knife deep into her heart.

When you rise, the room is quiet. Your chest heaves. The stark white ceiling lights don't help the lightheadedness that begins to wash over you in the post-adrenaline rush. Feyd-Rautha says something from behind you but his speech is garbled as you reel from the thrill of what just transpired. You were electrified. You almost... wanted more.

Then, the realization of the revolting scene you are in settles upon you and you are knocked off your high. You look at the leather-clad bodies scattered around you, the grotesque way they lay on the floor, the red blood pooling around them made brighter by the sterile grayness of the room. You did this.

A hand on your shoulder snaps you out of it. In reflex, you turn and raise your blade at the offender.

Feyd-Rautha holds his hands up, "Whoa, easy, Atreides. Trying to kill me? Don't want to start a war, do you?"

You yield your weapon. Your eyes dodge his as you look to your feet and try to steady your breathing.

"Enjoy your first taste of blood?" Feyd-Rautha says, the look in his eyes indecipherable to you. He raises a hand and swipes his thumb on your cheek. It comes away covered in crimson.

You gasp and reach for your face with your own hand. You don't even know if it's your blood or theirs, or when it got on you. Your heart pounded, unable to decide whether you were repulsed or proud.

"Look at you," he says licking the red off his finger. You could not help but stare at him through the strands of your hair that had come undone in the fighting. "You're beautiful like this," his hand reaches for your face again.

"No," you say low and quiet when you swat his hand away, "you're sick." You didn't know if you meant him or yourself. You calmly turn to leave. No one stops you when you make your way up the shallow steps of the pit. As you pass Iassa—no, Zora—by the doorway, you tell her flatly, "Prepare a bath."

You had never taken a life before. Today, you took three. You were glad you didn't know their names. You decided you'd never find out.

After Zora pours a final pitcher of hot water into the bath, you tell her, "You may go. I'll dress myself later, thank you."

She bows and makes her way out of your rooms.

In your solitude, you bring your knees to your chest. You had been quick to wipe the blood off your cheek before you even reached your quarters. Now, you cup the water into your hands and rub it into your face, the slight sting of the heat comforting you.

He was a cruel man, your betrothed. This is what you've decided. Having you kill the concubines he claimed to want to keep so much. But wasn't it you who threatened to kill them? He started it, you argue with yourself, when he had Iassa killed. You felt like a child.

When you used to hear of Feyd-Rautha's exploits, you had to mask your disgust. And yet now, you had killed so easily in that pit as he had in the arena. What was this place doing to you?

When you left Caladan, Paul had never killed anyone either. You wonder if he ever does, would he feel the same exhilaration you did when you slit that first concubine's throat. No. Your brother was fierce but, like your father, he had a good heart. You beat him by three. You hoped it would stay that way.

You think about your future here, marrying Feyd-Rautha. Producing heir after heir under the Baron's watchful eye. You were a broodmare. Despite all your fancy training and education. Despite your little demonstration earlier. It was the bitter truth.

You missed home. You missed walking along the beach at night with your father. You missed your mother's gentle hands brushing your hair. You missed the banter and teasing with your brother. You missed Gurney, and Duncan, and the cold breeze on your balcony, and getting to roam free and going anywhere you pleased. When the tears come, you sink deep into the bath so they might fade away in the water.

Chapter Links: [1], [2], [3], [4], [5]

Taglist: @torchbearerkyle @austinswhitewolf @dreamlandcreations @emeraldsgirl @strawberryfieldsforevermore @bornslippys @vexis-world @aoi-targaryen @alexandrainlove @mamawiggers1980 @sstardussty @aboutthenabaron

[joelswritingmistress]

You Scare Me, Professor: Chapter 18

Summary: The reader is taking graduate classes at a local university in the wooded upstate New York. She is drawn to her professor, Dr. Joel Miller, though she is also inherently aware that he has something dark about him that she can't quite put her finger on. As the reader's attraction grows deeper, she has to decide whether to endure the danger or run away as fast as possible. 

Trigger Warning: Mention of S.A./ Violence

Pairing: Professor Joel Miller x f!reader

Early Terrible. That was the name of the swanky, bohemian restaurant Dr. Miller and I ended up at for dinner. When he pulled into the dirt parking lot, that was surrounded by low hanging trees, I was surprised.

“I have always wanted to check this place out,” I confessed, “I follow them on-”

“Instagram.” Dr. Miller finished my sentence. “I know. That's why I chose this place.”

I glanced over at him and just stared. “How do you know these things?”

“I'm sorry.” He stared directly at me, not rushing to get out of the car. Dr. Miller closed his eyes for a moment and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I know.. I know what I do is too much. It's probably wrong.” He opened his eyes and shook his head, “It is wrong. I shouldn't have been snooping on your social media before we started a relationship, or even now.”

I needed truths, and I knew now was a good time to get some information when Dr. Miller was voluntarily opening up. “Did you ever drive by my house? Before we really.. started all this?”

He looked me directly in the eye. “Yes.”

“More than once.”

“Yeah.” Dr. Miller swallowed hard. He looked like he was in the hot seat on trial. I had never seen him so outwardly vulnerable and easy to read.

“Why?”

His eyes continued to burn into mine. “I know the terrible people who are out there. I've seen it up close. And..” Dr. Miller shook his head. “I know this relationship is new, but with the murders on campus I've just taken it upon myself to look after you.. a little excessively.”

“Even before we were together.. if that's what we are?”

“I was immediately attracted to you,” Dr. Miller explained. “And almost right away into the semester the first woman was killed. No offense but I didn't think you'd be able to defend yourself if someone attacked you. So I just kind of.. looked after you from a distance.”

“That's a little-”

“Obsessive,” he finished and looked away. “I know. I just.. have experience with this kind of thing and I know, if I ever needed to, I could-”

“Experience with what kind of thing?”

Dr. Miller looked down toward the steering wheel and then back to me. “I have a story I'd like to tell you.. inside. It's a terrible fucking story, but it's something I want you to know. You'll probably want to run away afterwards, and I'll gladly drop you off back at your house with Tori if that's what you decide.”

“I'm not going to judge you.” I shook my head. “And if it makes you feel any better, I searched for almost an hour looking for information about you online.” I snickered. “I just couldn't find anything.” I added, “And I totally followed you from campus to the bar at the center of town. So I guess I'm just as weird.”

“I just feel very protective of you,” Dr. Miller told me.

I got goosebumps. We had only met that month and he already had this hold on me. It was a very willing hold, but it was so tense and so strong that I visibly shuddered. The connection was intense - and it was obsessively mutual.

“I want to listen to everything you have to tell me,” I explained, reaching for his hand, adding again, “I'm not going to judge you.”

His face remained serious. There was no crack of a smile. No hints of anything lighthearted or jovial. All of that disappeared when I asked him how he knew about my interest in Early Terrible.

Dr. Miller clicked open the door and I walked with him toward the restaurant. I purposely interlocked my fingers with his and he glanced over at me before looking down the rest of the way as we took the short walk inside.

The cozy, eccentric little restaurant was exactly like the pictures on their Instagram account had depicted. It was unique and dark, with leather couches and plants strung about in strategic places to create the motif they were going for. Behind a dimly lit bar with yellow flickering lanterns perched on the wall was a tree that appeared to be bursting through the wooden palettes where liquor bottles rested on shelves. 

There were chandeliers and odd shaped wooden tables, all seeming to be purposely spread apart so people could have their own private conversations.

A woman approached in a white dress with a see-through midriff and frayed sleeves with tassels. She smiled wide and adjusted a headband that matched her eccentric outfit.

“Two for tonight?” She asked.

“Please.” Dr. Miller nodded and adjusted his tie, putting a hand on my back as he encouraged me to lead the way to wherever the hostess was taking us.

We passed by other diners, who didn't so much as give a fleeting glance in our direction, before settling in at a table for two in a quiet corner of the establishment.

“The waitress will be right with you,” she informed us, handing over a set of menus before disappearing, seemingly, into the shadows.

I looked directly across at Dr. Miller and his face was pained. It looked like someone was literally stabbing him in the ribs. That's how uncomfortable he appeared. His vulnerability was freaking me out more than anything he’d revealed to me thus far.

The waitress came over and took our drink orders and then wandered off with a promise to return momentarily.

“There's been a little backstory that's kind of impacted my entire life,” Dr. Miller explained. “I haven't been completely successful with it and I've done some things I'm not particularly proud of in my lifetime.”

My hand topped his on the table, and I allowed him to continue without interruption.

“I told you I had an older sister,” he reminded me.

“Carol.” I half-smiled but let it quickly fade.

Dr. Miller finally managed a barely-there smirk. “That's right.”

The waitress returned with the set of beers we’d ordered and we decided quickly on a collection of tapas for dinner. When the waitress disappeared again, I returned my whole focus back to Dr. Miller, who took a long swig from his glass.

“I should've gotten something stronger.” He smacked his lips. “But I'm driving you, so I won't.” Dr. Miller’s thumb danced in circles over the top of mine.

“You don't have to tell me.”

“I want to.” His eyes lifted to meet mine and he swallowed hard. “Carol is six years older than me. She was a great big sister, still is.” Dr Miller smiled at the mention of her name but it quickly faded. “I, um.. when I was fourteen, she was twenty..” He scrunched his nose and I gripped his hand harder, “She was being attacked by a UPS man who had dropped off a package at our house.” He took a deep breath and looked back into my eyes, “I had been out playing ball with my friends and I just remembered her screaming for help. Our parents weren't home. It was the summer. They were at work, she was home from college. I was about to enter my freshman year of high school.”

“Oh, Joel..” I shook my head, naturally addressing him by his first name for the first time.

“I had a baseball bat in my hand and she was screaming for help.. crying a little bit.” Dr. Miller swallowed hard and I saw his eyes tear up as he spoke. “So, I hit him. And I hit him again.. and again.. and again.”

All I could do was listen. I didn't dare try to interrupt or idiotically tell him it was okay, or that I understood. I didn't. I couldn't imagine the trauma that lingered from everything Dr. Miller was explaining to me.

“He died from his injuries.” He wiped a stray tear that managed to escape the duct of his left eye. “We moved away not long after that. I went to a high school where no one knew me. My parents did the best they could for us. I had to sit on trial and answer questions. Lawyers tried to make it sound like I was some maniac.. but the jury found me not guilty of every charge they tried to bring me up on.”

I was speechless. I almost wished he’d saved it for behind closed doors so I could comfort him properly. What was I supposed to say? I had no words.

“I'm so sorry.” That was all that came to mind and it felt so lame. “I can't imagine what you must have gone through.” My second hand fell over the top of his.

“I'll never forget the details of that day. I think Carol was even scared of me for a while.  She’d never admit it and adamantly denies it now. But I don't blame her.” Dr. Miller looked off to the side, catching his breath and letting out a long, expressive exhale. “In time I think it brought us closer. And my parents did what they thought was right by moving us away from all the drama, and the looks and the constant questions. Some people thought I was crazy, others would pat me on the back and call me a hero. Both equally made me feel like shit for some reason. But as I got older, I realized that there was one less piece of shit on this earth because of what I did. He wouldn't be able to hurt someone else - and that helped me at least sleep at night.”

Dr. Miller scoffed and shook his head, almost appearing as if he was trying to convince himself of the next part. “I stopped him. He could still be out there today hurting other young women.” He took a sip from his beer and nearly finished it on a single guzzle.

“It's so unfair,” I finally said. “For you to have to go through that.. and at fourteen years old.” My mind couldn't even accurately comprehend what he had just told me.

“It's still better than what Carol had to go through.”

“I'm sorry.” My hand ran partially up his sleeve and back down. “I shouldn't have pried. You probably didn't want to rehash such a terrible memory.”

“You didn't pry,” Dr. Miller said, “I pried.. into your life. You just asked me why. And this is why. This is what I meant when I said I've seen this up close.”

“Have you talked to anyone about all of this?” I asked. “Professionally?”

He nodded. “It's helped. I just have very low tolerance for that sort of thing. And Alec Pryor was just another predator. He's no different than any of the others. I looked into you initially because of my interest, and then I went overboard when I thought you could be in some lunatic’s crosshairs.”

“You don't think this guy ever targeted me, specifically, do you?” The question suddenly popped into my mind.

“No, not particularly,” Dr. Miller added. “But I didn't want to take a chance.”

“Why me?” 

“What do you mean?”

“Why did you choose me? Of everyone in your life. Of all the women you could try to protect from.. the world. Why me?”

Dr. Miller stared at me intently and then finally shook his head. “I don't really have an explanation. It's just been.. a feeling. I shouldn't have even pursued you, being a student in my class.”

“I'm twenty-seven,” I reminded him.

“It doesn't matter.” Dr. Miller shook his head, “Like I said, I've done some things that aren't right. I shouldn't have entertained this. I shouldn't have followed you. I shouldn't have done any of the things I've done since I've met you.”

I was waiting for the other shoe to drop. For the disappointment. For Dr. Miller to tell me it wasn't right for us to be together and that this was over. I didn't want him to have a sudden change of heart.

“But I can't stand being more than ten feet away from you,” he went on, making all of my instant anxiety subside. “And I’m praying that my story didn't scare you enough to make you want to run away. I know this sounds like a line and we haven't been together for long but I have never felt so organically connected to another woman in my life. And I've never told that story to anyone else.. not since I moved away in ninth grade.”

Why me? I still didn't know why Dr. Miller felt the way he did about me, or even why he trusted me so quickly; but I would never spill his secrets, and I would never outcast him or brand him as something terrible over what happened in his childhood. I also wasn't about to question what it was about me that drew him in. From my own perspective, I was just an average chick trying to figure out life. I had nothing over the top going for me, though I wasn't exactly unsuccessful either. I was average, at least in my eyes. Dr. Miller had this natural allure that pulled me in. I knew other students felt a fraction of that magnetism, too, and I could tell by Tori’s first expression when he walked through the door that she felt it. I didn't have that type of hold on people, and I knew it. So, I couldn't help but mentally beg the same question over and over. Why me?

“Why don't we get our meals to go?” I suggested. Immediately I could see a solemn expression plague his features and I was more specific about my intentions. “Not so I can go home. So we can go home.”

I rose to my feet and rounded the small, wooden table, positioning myself on Dr. Miller’s lap. I cradled his head against my chest and held him there.

“You've been taking care of me,” I reminded him. “Now, let me take care of you.”

CLICK HERE FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER

@untamedheart81 @suttonspuds @cesspitoflove @michilandcof @grogusmum @morallyinept @akah565 @brittmb115 @magpiepills @poodlebae @gobaaby-blog-blog @mermaidgirl30 @mandijo17 @jiminstinypinky

[bedoballoons]

Genshin Men react to Their Thirsty fanart?😊

Ooooooo oh my gosh I love this!!! I hope you liked the characters I picked! If you'd like to see others just let me know! <3

─⊰⁠⊹ฺ✿𝔾𝕖𝕟𝕤𝕙𝕚𝕟 ℍ𝕖𝕒𝕕𝕔𝕒𝕟𝕠𝕟𝕤⊰⁠⊹ฺ✿─

{༻~Reacting to their thirsty fanarts~༺}

A/n: Slightly suggestive! A lot of characters this time because I went alittle crazy! (None of the artwork in this is mine! If you look in the reblogs the artists names are there! All credit goes to them and thank you again to that person who sourced them for me!)

(Includes: Diluc, Lyney, Albedo, Wanderer, Kazuha, Childe and Neuvillette!)

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

𑁍༄Diluc:

Diluc would clear his throat, inspecting the picture while his cheeks became tinted with a light pink colour, his hand running through his firey red hair as he tried to think of what to say, settling with a safer answer. "Well...this is certainly a very amazing piece of artwork. It does however seem a bit...suggestive...flattering yes, but not very true to life. I've personally never held my claymore in that way or sat in that particular.. position. Still, I thank you respectfully for taking your time to draw me...even if it might have given others a bit to much...inspiration."

𑁍༄Lyney:

Lyney would take one look at the picture, a smirk playing on his lips as his violet eyes clouded over with mischief and flattery, possibly even a tad bit of lust, "Seems I've caught the attention of some incredible artists, their work is truly magnifique! Hmm..., because they've drawn me so beautifully and one of the main things a magician is supposed to do is please his watchers, I'll do a little comparison between the art and myself...so you can all see it for real~" He'd tip his hat before starting to recreate the pose, arching his back slightly and winking in your direction, his finger up against his mouth as he shushed you, his other hand holding the ace of hearts just right so you could see it. Seems he enjoys the attention the fanarts give him, even to the point of hoping everyone will creat more~

𑁍༄Albedo:

(...is he wearing bottoms in this picture? Cause like I'm not gonna lie...I'm not really sure...)

"Goodness..." Albedo would stare at the artwork of himself for a moment, trying to collect his words as even his pale skin turned cherry red. His voice would be shaky because of his flustered state and he'd mess up words whenever he glanced at the picture, but eventually he'd manage to say this,"I don't really know where t-to begin, I mean the art itself is impeccable, v-very stylised...and ehem...the artist clearly...k-knows their anatomy. I-...thank you for drawing me." He'd look away, his heart racing in his chest and his mind plagued with new thoughts like...would he actually look good in that situation...would people want to see it...should he...try it?

𑁍༄Wanderer:

Wanderer would look at the picture, his eyebrows furrowing and his mouth hanging open for a second, "W-what the hell is this?!? Why am I w-wet in it??? Perverts!" He'd clench his hands into fists, putting on quite the show as he tossed the drawing behind him and stomped away like he's just been highly offended...even though deep down, he found it slightly...appealing. To think someone actually had the nerve to draw him so scandalously...perhaps he'd have to find the artists who had done so, just to show them how wrong of a choice they'd made~

𑁍༄Kazuha:

"Oh my..." Kazuha would say, a blush spreading across his face and his calm personality faltering for just a second, before he quickly recomposed himself, scratching the back of his neck nervously as he chose the best words to say, "The art is very beautiful, I must say they've flattered me alot though...I don't truthfully look like that...not nearly as handsome. As for the marks...on the n-neck, I don't currently have any..." He'd probably mean that last sentence as a means to say he wasn't currently in a relationship, but to anyone who had heard it...they took it as a invitation to give him some~

𑁍༄Childe:

Childe would smile happily, leaning back against the wall with his arms crossed and his chest slightly puffed up with pride, "Comrades please, you all make me blush, the art is wonderful and in no small part because I'm in it...,but I assure you the real thing is better. I win, even in regards to myself.." He'd wink at you, leaving you captivated by his charm even though what he had said sounded silly.

𑁍༄Neuvillette:

Neuvillette would look at the art for awhile, his purple hued eyes widening as he scanned it into his memory and rested his chin in his hand, his long white hair drapping over his shoulders as he wondered if someone had caught him changing, since how could they make something so accurate otherwise... "Apologies, but where did you get this again? The drawing itself is indeed very beautiful and well crafted, I believe the artist who made this should be very proud...I'm just curious how they know what I look like shirtless...and who else might know as well."

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

ଘ(੭*ˊᵕˋ)੭* ੈ♡‧₊˚I hope you enjoyed*⁠.⁠✧

(Open!) Taglist: @kiokiee

[perdvivly]

*me and the girlies at a sleepover* bubbliterally: Do you guys want some more icecream? k-simplex: That's so kind of you! perdvivly: I'd love some, thank you! bubbliterally: And some tea to go with? Hot and cold; yin and yang. Balance, you know? k-simplex: You are so wise bestie. perdvivly: I swear to god if you bust out the plain tea again I will cry. k-simplex: Plain tea? perdvivly: I'll tell you later. *bubbliterally serves the food and drink* bubbliterally: So, what do you guys think is the fundamental problem of human existence? perdvivly: Must there be only one? k-simplex: That's such a big question! bubbliterally: Well, no, but are you telling me you don't feel some problem, question, facet of human existence more keenly than all the rest? k-simplex: I think, if I had to choose, it'd be that we're essentially finite beings in what is an essentially infinite world. bubbliterally: Oooh, could you say more? k-simplex: Well. I want to like. Do things. But there are more things in the world than I can ever possibly do. More experiences than I can ever possibly have... It sounds silly. bubbliterally: It doesn't sound silly! If this is important to you, I want you to be able to share. This is a safe space. k-simplex: I guess it informs a lot of anxiety I have? That I know my time on earth is really limited and my choices are boundless, and there's this mismatch there. And I'm trying to get ahead of the curve, I'm doing a bunch of pyschoactive drugs and experiencing novel experiences but... I mean, deep down I know I'm not being graded on a curve. I know it doesn't matter whether or not I have more novel experiences than the average person, I'm falling incredibly short on an objective metric. I'm trying to say 'yes' to life, but there's so much of life you know? I'll never be able to say yes to it all. perdvivly: It's a mismatch between your imagination and your reality? What you think you could do and what you can actually do? k-simplex: Not really. Imagination is an unsatisfactory collage of experiential texture drawn from memory. Experience is genuine data. I'm not seeing myself miss out, I'm missing out. There are feeling tones I don't know about, that I can't imagine until I experience them. perdvivly: And what about the bad things? Do you want to experience them too? k-simmplex: Heartbreak, pain, longing, death... These are all profound experiences. I think they're meaningful too. I wouldn't want to say my life was complete until I'd experienced them so, yes, even the bad ones. perdvivly: And worms crawling up your urethra? You'd want to experience that too? bubbliterally: Viv, you're being kind of a dick right now. k-simplex is sharing something vulnerable. perdvivly: You're right, thank you for pointing it out. I'm sorry k-simplex. k-simplex: No, I mean, I take your point. But even if I limit myself to the "good experiences" I'm still falling way short of infinity. bubbliterally: Mmmm. You want to be large. To contain multitudes. k-simplex: Precisely. I don't want to die before I've lived. And I've only lived such a very small amount in the grand scheme of things. And... Like it or not. I'm dying. bubbliterally: I think I will choose to not like that. k-simplex: What about you Viv? perdvivly: Ah. Hedgehogs. Nothing you haven't heard before. I think it's probably something I talk too much about already. k-simplex: No, we're genuinely curious. Please share? perdvivly: Well, I guess it's something like the uncrossable gap between souls. k-simplex: The uncrossable gap between souls? What's that? bubbliterally: Could you say more? perdvivly: Sure. It's something like. Well it's what David Foster Wallace was pointing to when he wrote "How odd I can have all of this inside me and to you it's just words". *bubbliterally thoughtfully eats her icecream*

perdvivly: I have this really vivid and real and deep experience and I just... I can't share it. In principle it's just. Me, trapped inside a room with a door that says "push" and all I know how to do is pull. I keep fumbling and grasping at this door. It's door-shaped, I know about doors. I've worked pull doors. But this is different. No matter how hard I try, I'm locked inside my own head. k-simplex: It's about the claustrophobia of being trapped in your own skull? perdvivly: Not really. bubbliterally: It's about connection? perdvivly: Yeah. It feels really unserious to say how deeply this affects me. But I do... You know, I do feel things. bubbliterally: Right. No. Yeah. We get it. perdvivly: I guess if it's about anything it's about alienation and it's about isolation. k-simplex: I think there are practical steps you can take for that though aren't there? I get that expressing yourself can be hard, but everyone is in the same boat. There has been a lot of spilled ink about the art of expressing yourself lately. And, when words fail you there are haptics too. What can't be said with words can maybe be said with a kiss for example. perdvivly: The DIY pop pyschology of the modern internet aint it chief. k-simplex: I'm sorry? perdvivly: Don't be, I'm just bristling at things you couldn't have any way of knowing I'd bristle at. Which is sort of exactly the thing. I mentioned hedgehogs, you know the parable? bubbliterally: Oh from Schopenhaur? perdvivly: Yeah, exactly. bubbliterally: I see... I can understand the ways that parable interacts with your existential isolation. That can't be a very pleasant way to live. Do you feel this often? perdvivly: Daily. And you're right. k-simplex: Can I make a suggestion that might seem dismissive but I don't mean it to be? perdvivly: Of course, we're all friends here. k-simplex: What if it's easier to believe that you can't show people what you're really feeling because if you did show them, and they didn't realise what they were seeing, or if they were dismissive of it, it would be easier for you to feel like you had failed in saying what you meant to say rather than that they weren't interested in it, or by extension you? perdvivly: Oh. k-simplex: I just mean, if you can't show yourself, then you never have to put anything on the line right? You never have to expose yourself to true and deeply felt pains of coexisting in the world with other people who have their own internal worlds, which are every bit as real and acutely felt as your own. perdvivly: I'm not denying that deep down I could just be one fragile child riddled with insecurity, all this deepseated fruedian stuff that pop-psychologists would love to classify as mommy or daddy issues. But it's an untestable hypothesis right? Maybe it's a defense mechanism and it's all bullshit, but it's what I feel. I feel... Ouch ouch ouch in my brain. You know? k-simplex: I know. And I know how that might come across as dismissive, which is why I gave it the explicit caveat that I did. perdvivly: I know, and I'm grateful for the perspective. I really am. Definitely something to chew on at least. k-simplex: Yeah... What about you bubbliterally? bubbliterally: Huh? k-simplex: Is there a problem you've been sitting with a lot lately? *bubbliterally thinks for a while, drinking her plain tea* bubbliterally: Scissors congruence I think.

[sapphicwhimsy]

Pearl while sparring with Gem during the crossover accidentally rips the sunflower dress. Gem works her hardest to help fix it

thank you for your hard work solider

The sparring is nothing new. Really! They're girlfriends, it's all in good fun. They won't hurt each other too badly, the wooden swords are to make sure of that, and they'll respawn if they take too much damage. It's friendly and fun and Gem wants some of the death mementos that she'll drop, so Pearl agrees to spare.

The ground is even, the bed is set, their swords are drawn.

And Gem attacks first. It's clumsy, she isn't used to a sword in this world, Gem has admitted as such. Part of the reason for the spar, actually. Pearl joked about her losing her ability and Gem had taken it as a challenge.

And now she has Gem practically beating her to death with a wooden sword. It's fun! Really! She fights back and she laughs and it's great. The steps for both of them aren't the best, they aren't used to fighting in their dresses, and it's all great, until…

Gem jumps at her, and she doesn't back away fast enough. She jerks back but it isn't good enough, Gem lands on her new dress that's a gift from the void without her noticing but she still jerks back away further from Gem and then.

RIIIIP.

The noise is loud and grating and also so very awful. It breaks her heart more than anything she'd ever thought possible, and when Gem jumps back out of fear, Pearl can see the damage done.

"Oh no," Pearl moans in despair, and Gem is by her side again in an instance. Their swords are forgotten as they inspect the damage, and Pearl feels tears in her eyes. She didn't know something like this could rip like that.

"I'm so sorry!" Gem exclaims, as she looks at the tear along the fabric. Pearl isn't too sure what she's looking at, in all honesty. It's threads torn apart and fabric flaps in the wind and oh, her heart breaks for the pretty dress.

"Shoot," Pearl mumbles, kneeling down as best she can without possibly risking tearing it more. Her fingers lightly pick at the edges of the fabric, and she whines in the back of her throat as the damage gets to her. She can't fix this! She doesn't know how! "What am I gonna do…"

"It looks like it's just a torn seam," Gem says, without much fanfare, and when she looks up at Gem inquisitively, Gem's cheeks color as she looks away. "What? I do things without you sometimes…"

"I didn't say you don't," Pearl says in response, and Gem purses her lips as if she wants to argue, but turns her attention back to the dress.

"Anyway. It's not bad. I can fix it."

"You can?" And it's more incredulous than she means it to be, but it makes Gem scoff all the same.

"Yes! How do you think I got this dress? I made it myself, thank you." Pearl doesn't really have time to consider the implications of what that means too much, before Gem is pulling her to her feet. "C'mon. Let's get you inside and I'll get you fixed up."

"I don't have anything to wear," she protests, because she at least knows it's easier to not be wearing the clothes you're fixing up, so it probably means the same for Gem fixing her dress. Gem's cheeks shift a few shades darker and she tilts head down, determined as she leads her inside.

"I do. C'mon."

"No offense Gem, but I don't think I can fit in any of your clothes…"

"No! They're not mine. I… Ya know those overalls and hoodie ya lost last month?"

"Yeah…? What about them?" When she doesn't get an immediate reply, she spends the walk thinking, before she yelps, "Gem! Did you steal my clothes!"

"You're my girlfriend! They're soft and they smell like you, and if you wear them again they'll smell more like you again."

"That's not the point!"

"Do you want me to fix your dress or not?!" She hesitates, then relents, puffing out her cheeks as she pouts at Gem.

"Fine… But you can't go stealing my clothes anymore, Gem! I need those!"

"No promises."

[thosehallowedhalls]

A Discovery

Book: Blades of Light and Shadow

Pairing: Mal Volari x Autumn Nightbloom (F!elf!MC)

Rating: General audiences

Words: 444

Summary: Upon moving in with Mal, Autumn makes a surprising discovery.

A/N: For @dutifullynuttywitch. Thank you for being you, dear friend. My brain isn't at 100% yet, but I hope you enjoy this little drabble all the same.

Looking back, neither of them recalls who was the first to broach the topic of Autumn moving in. Mal only remembers saying, upon returning to Morella, that they’d need to get her things back to the orphanage when they had a free moment. She remembers cracking a joke about Autumn-ifying the bedroom. But if there was any official request, any drawn-out consideration, it’s long gone from both of their minds.

Not that it took them so very long, mind you, but they’ve been so busy trying to help people after the merging of the realms that Autumn moved into the orphanage weeks before her things did.

“Careful!” She exclaims when he casually heaves a box over his shoulder. “All my best weapons are in there.”

“You planning on using them any time soon, kit?” Mal asks, eyebrow quirked.

She pinches the bridge of her nose. “Are you trying to tempt fate? Why would you say such a thing?”

“All right, Autumn, I take your point.” Mal wipes the sweat from his forehead. “At least we’re almost done.”

As the sounds from the city waft through the closed window, Autumn winces. “We’re going to need some curtains though.”

“Why?”

“Don’t you hear this?”

“Hear what?”

“City boy,” she teases. “All the sounds. The people, the horses… I think I even heard a pig.”

“Ah, yes. That’s Mr. Welly’s Porcupine.”

“Porcupine?”

“I know. Terrible name for a pig.”

“That’s not what I… Never mind,” she decides. “The point, Your Magnificence, is that we need some way to muffle the noise. So, curtains. How do you not have any already?”

He shrugs. “I guess I never saw the point.”

“Oh well. We’ll go to the market tomorrow.”

“Or I could just make them.”

She looks at him like he just grew an extra head. “What do you mean, make them?”

“I mean,” he says, mimicking her tone. “That I’ll make the curtains myself. There’s probably some leftover fabric from when I made curtains for the children’s rooms, anyway.”

Vaguely aware that she sounds like a parrot, Autumn can’t help but echo him again. “You made the curtains for the children’s rooms?”

“Of course I did. I’m damn skilled with a needle.”

Her jaw is still hanging open “How did I not know this? How has it never come up?”

“No idea. I repaired all my clothes during our adventures.”

“You did?”

“Okay, the shock is getting old.”

“Sorry! But… I thought I knew everything about you.”

“Clearly not. But.” He wiggles his eyebrows. “I’m willing to let you study me.”

“Very generous of you.” Autumn laughs and shakes her head. “What will I learn next, I wonder?”

[gayuu-the-necromancer]

William Rex Chapter 11

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The moment felt like sugar in a cup of tea, spreading and melting deep into the body.

I was left dizzy and intoxicated by its sweet afterglow and fell asleep like a spoiled child in the night that had descended before I knew it.

Kate: "Nn.......Mm......"

(Birds are chirping....is it morning already?)

William: ".....zZz...."

Kate: "....!?"

The sight of a defenseless sleeping face in front of me awakened my sleepy head at once.

(Oh yeah....we were....)

Immediately, yesterday's events flashed through my mind and my heart began to pound.

(I...was so outrageous.....)

Once I became obedient to my desires, I ended up having sex.

That too, with William, who I thought was the member of the Crown I should be most vigilant of.

(Indeed, I was attracted to him)

I felt like I was going crazy with him and I wanted to know him,

Now that I think about it, it was probably the voice that I had been killing all this time.

(And I did this. I don't intend to be in a relationship like this....)

----FLASHBACK-----

Kate: "I.....I can't be myself....when I'm around you...."

William: "........Is it a 'good' thing or 'bad' thing?"

----FLASHBACK ENDS-----

(Which is it?)

The questions I have put off, spoiled by the darkness of the night are swirling around in my chest.

(......such beautiful sleeping face.....)

My head was about to boil over and I let go of my thoughts and my gaze was drawn to him on its own.

The smooth curve of his cheek, his long eyelashes, his silky silver hair, his lightly tinted lips....

(Yesterday, these lips were....)

William: "......Nmm....."

(.....!)

William: "......Fufu. You're up early, Kate."

(Nn.....?)

The moment I heard the voice, I felt a sweet numbness.

As if a switch had been flipped, my body recalls the pleasures of yesterday on its own.

Kate: "...........good morning."

William: "Good morning......your voice looks to be rather sore, huh?"

Laughing brightly, William gently combs my hair.

These hands that gracefully play the piano are meaner than I thought.

They know what I want and how I want as if reading my mind.

(.....I don't think I'll be able to look at even one fingertip properly for a while....)

William: "I'll have something for breakfast. You can get some rest."

Kate: "......yes......."

I watched his back as he left the bed in a good mood as usual, and I buried my hot face in the cold pillow.

(I feel like I'm the only one going crazy)

(.....Why did William do this with me?)

 ｡⋆｡˚🦋˚｡⋆｡

(.....Why did William do this with me?)

(I wonder if he would do it with anyone....if he was asked to, even if he had no special feelings for them)

Just an extension of his affection, to help you be honest about your desires.

These words come to mind, and a hazy feeling builds up in my chest.

William: "Kate."

Kate: "Whaaa!?"

A sudden whisper in my ear and I jump out,

William: "Hahahaha!"

Smiling pleasantly, William put the breakfast tray on the sideboard.

William: "Finally, a pretty squeal."

Kate: "D-Don't sneak attack on me....."

William: "Forgive me, you looked so serious and thoughtful."

(.....Don't look at me like that)

Whenever he smiles happily and squints his eyes lovingly I feel my heart turning into a mess.

(William is someone who is willing to lend his support to anyone he likes)

(If I were one of the many who just happened to catch his eye then I'm one of the many)

(I should be able to make myself believe that this was a one-night stand, a passing affair, and that I should have no regrets. No feelings)

William: "You didn't get the answer to that question?"

Kate: "Answer.....?"

William looked at me with those eyes that could see through the depths of my heart.

(Ah.....)

(No.....don't expose my heart yet)

I find myself in a hurry.

(....Yet? What is yet....?)

I was also trying to kill my voice again.

And---WIlliam is surely aware of it.

William: "Then does that mean it's a 'bad' thing....."

William: "You didn't like what happened yesterday?"

Kate: "T-That's...."

Reflexively, the words seem to fly out of my mouth and I block them with the palm of my hand.

(No...if I say something like that)

William: "....Then why are you hiding?"

(Because, if I admit it....I'm afraid I won't be able to go back)

(I'm scared)

William's hand slowly pulls my hand away from my mouth.

Memories of entwined fingertips scrambled through my mind, ruining every bit of resistance I could muster.

William: "Kate."

(I already knew the answer to the question of what was good and what was bad)

(I just didn't want to admit it)

I had a feeling that there is going to be a lot of pain ahead and I wanted to pretend that I did not see it because I felt it was wrong.

However, for me, being loved by him so much that I wanted to shake it off.

(Is happy and painful...'good' thing)

-----Options-----

I shouldn't have, but it was a good thing.

I don't want to not do it again.

You already know, so don't ask.

---------

Kate: "........I don't want to.....not do it again."

I am so embarrassed that I almost started crying and my ears are burning.

William: ".....Fufu."

Kate: "......Don't laugh....it's embarrassing."

William: "Sorry. You look so cute."

Everything he pours fascinates me.

The more he pours...the more I want it.

(Because.....I like William)

William: "You have a bad habit of keeping your mouth shut and hiding your true feelings. How should I fix that now?"

His question was the perfect excuse for me. I couldn't resist the urge to intertwine our fingers one more time.

Kate: ".....Keep holding me...so I won't hide."

 ｡⋆｡˚🦋˚｡⋆｡

William: "You have a bad habit of keeping your mouth shut and hiding your true feelings. How should I fix that now?"

Kate: ".....Keep holding me...so I won't hide."

William: "I see. That's a good idea."

Our fingers intertwined and was sewn to the bed.

(It is easy to solve if I try to shake it off)

Therefore, the fingertips that cling to the body are full of strength.

William: "....Ah, there is one problem."

Kate: "What...?"

William: "We won't be having breakfast."

He whispered jokingly just before kissing me.

Even though I know that this is a trap to lure out my true feelings, I can't resist.

Kate: "It's easier to eat....when it's a little cooler."

I couldn't honestly say 'I'd rather kiss you than eat breakfast.'

William gave me a pampering kiss.

.........

Inside an office of a certain palace, a man with a mustache tosses a telegram onto the desk.

Mustache man: " 'They found him, he's coming' ......it's funny that this the end of a political heavyweight in such a hurry."

Secretary: "Sir, what should I write as a reply?"

Mustache man: " Write... 'That's exactly what I want. Entertain him in the mansion and make him look like a long-time ally.' "

Mustache man: " 'Whenever he is caught off guard, our men will catch him.' "

Mustache man: " 'The signal should be 'It's time for dinner'. As soon as you say that, it will trigger our best men to rush in....' "

As the secretary finished writing out the words, a knock on the door rolled into the room.

Brian: "Excuse me. It's Brian Bennett."

Mustache man: "Ah, come in."

Brian: "Sir Grimsley, what can I do for you today? ......Another civilian threat?"

Grimsley: "Oh, it's always the same, Brian."

Grimsley: "...I want you to use your pen to bring justice to the 'evil'."

...........

It was that evening, after a cold breakfast with William while laughing, that I received a call from Victor.

(It's rare to see the whole Crown together)

Victor: "Thank you for coming, ladies and gentlemen! As an expression of gratitude, allow me to sing you a song...."

Jude: "Tch, fuck this, I'm leaving."

Harrison: ".....Haa..I'm leaving too."

Victor: "Wait, I was joking! Come back come back! It's really really important!"

Ellis: "Why he doesn't get to the main topic right away, Kate?"

Kate: "Hm? Well, I guess....Victor was just trying to lighten up the atmosphere."

William: "Good for you, Victor. Now you have a friend to take your side."

Victor: "You're right. Miss Kate, you're so kind."

Victor: "I wish I could hug you right now....but we'll save that for later."

Victor: "Now! .....It's time to get down to business."

 ｡⋆｡˚🦋˚｡⋆｡

Victor: "Now! .....It's time to get down to business."

The air that Victor wears instantly goes to being dull and I unintentionally straightened up.

The faces of the Crown members also changed.

Victor: "We all know that William was the first to track down the originator of the 'Golden Butterfly' revival."

Victor: "The Marquis of Avalus. Yesterday, I confirmed the information that he is definitely in the mansion."

Victor: "The destruction of a single drug smuggling operation would be a minor blow to the organization."

Victor: "We're dealing with a powerhouse that has access to all kinds of facilities and manpower."

Victor: "If we let him go, we will be allowing a second or third sacrifice."

(...I can't believe we're going through this again. It should never happen again)

Sadness and anger burn in my heart as I recall the horrific scenes I saw in the East End.

The director of the workhouse was surprised by the arrival of the 'Marquis' played by William that day.

The Marquis and the upper echelons of the 'butterfly' would never descend to such dark depths so easily.

(So that's why they could....go on and on doing awful things)

Victor: "Her Majesty, the Queen desires that the Marquis be executed and that the butterflies be exterminated."

Victor: "William, can you go?"

William: "Ah, sure. Why not?"

An order to assassinate the Marquis.

Liam: "I want to go too. It looks like it's going to be an intense mission. Fufu.....I'm excited."

Harry: "Then, Will, are you taking Kate along with you as well?"

Kate: "...!"

William: "If she wants to. What do you want to do, Kate?"

Kate: "I...."

All the missions I have been on so far have been preparatory work for crushing the 'butterfly'.

In this assignment, William is tasked to 'terrorize' those who seek to evade the law and trample on our freedoms.

He will kill the Marquis of Avalus in a cruel and inhumane manner.

He shows the terrible consequences of 'evil' and restrains 'evil'. That is the true nature of his crime.

(...To be honest, I'm afraid to witness that)

(But I can't write about William's sins as a fairy tale master without witnessing it. And....)

(If only I didn't know how my heart would feel about his sin)

(I feel like I'm going to pick and choose what's important to me in the future)

Kate: "I want to go. If I'm not a hindrance."

William: "Of course not. If you want to come, you're always welcome."

Liam: "What about others?"

Roger: "I'll come along too. It's the enemy territory. It's better to know what's going to happen around you all the time."

Elbert: "............I'm going too."

Roger: "Ha?"

Alphonse: "......Pardon me for a moment, please."

With a mysterious look on his face, Mr. Alphonse reach out to touch Master Elbert's forehead.

Alphonse: "His temperature is fine..... I don't see any major head injury or anything."

Alphonse: "Lately, you have been out of sorts...but looks like we reached an irreversible state I guess."

Elbert: "...........I'm doing fine, Al. Don't worry."

Roger: "He's just being sarcastic, because it's rare to see you, asking to go on a mission, that's why."

Elbert: "...............There is something I want to confirm."

Master Elbert's gaze suddenly turned to me and my eyes widened.

(......Don't tell me he still thinks that I'm the 'one' he's looking for?)

The calm and serene expression, only staring at me, made me shudder.

(It's not right to make excuses, and I should probably just leave it alone.....)

(Maybe one day he will realize that he's mistaken)

Victor: "It would be difficult to move in such a large group since we would be jumping into the enemy's lair...."

Victor: "Why not take Ellis with you as well?"

Jude: "There he goes again, using my employees without my permission."

Ellis: "I don't mind going. Ah, but...."

Jude: "What?"

Ellis: "What if Jude encounters his happiest moment, while I'm away?"

Jude: "Tch, you creepy bastard. I hope you go there and die."

(Happiest moment....?)

Unsure of what he meant, I asked William in a low voice.

Kate: "So then, what happens when that moment arrives....?"

William: "Ellis will kill him."

(Eh...)

William: "I heard that's the deal."

(What kind of deal...No, I shouldn't pry)

Victor: "Ok. So it's final. William, Liam, Roger, Elbert, Ellis.....and Kate will go on this mission."

Victor: "You guys will be leaving at midnight. Until then, eat, sleep or do whatever you like."

Victor: "Oh, and..."

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Victor: "And...Kate, can you stay back for a minute? I'd like to talk to you."

Kate: "Me? Yeah sure."

William: "....I'll see you later, then."

William and his friends leave and I and Victor were the only one left in the common room.

(I wonder what Victor wants to talk about....)

(Oh, yeah....!)

I recall not completing the report and even threatening the Crown on the East End mission.

Kate: "Perhaps, you're going to punish me.....?"

Victor: "Eh? Punish you? For what? You're doing your duties well!"

Kate: "But I haven't submitted the report...."

Victor: "Don't worry about the formalities. You're sincerely trying to determine William's sin."

Victor: "I think it's pointless to report something you don't fully understand, right? I get it!"

Victor urges me to take a chair.

Victor: ".....So how is it like spending time with William?"

The question posed to me gently was the main issue.

Kate: ".....I feel like I'm being reborn."

Victor: "Haha, I see. That's an odd way to put it."

Victor: "You were as dazzling as a diamond in the rough when we first met....but now you are even more beautiful."

Victor: "I know many people like you who were loved and changed by William."

(.....!)

Victor seemed to understand exactly what was happening to me and William.

Victor: "Those who flap their wings always end up with William in the back of their minds."

Victor: "It's William that makes it blow over, though."

Kate: ".........H-How do you.......?"

Victor: "He can't leave people who have their hearts tied up. He will give anything to let them go!"

(Anything....yeah, that's right)

Victor: "But all he does is give them one-sided affection, just like that."

Victor: "He doesn't ask anything in return. Even if you offer him your love, he won't take it."

The word was less resistant than I thought it would be, convinced me.

(I wanted William. He pulled out all my desires and made me my own master)

But....if I had said, 'Let's not do it again' then he would have surely stopped and walked away from me.

He would have said 'You did well' with a happy smile.

(He doesn't see me as something special)

(....But he's special to me)

I think everyone who was loved by William will carry that specialness with them, waiting for the day it becomes a memory.

(......Even me.....?)

Victor: "Are you in love with William?"

Kate: "Eh......?"

An unexpected question cuts through my heart.

(I knew I wasn't special to him, but my heart ached for love?)

(Is this feeling of wanting to give something back even if he doesn't ask for it, love?)

Kate: "....I don't know yet."

Victor: ".......It's nice of you to be able to say, 'I don't know' and not be misled by what you don't know."

Kate: "Why did you ask me that?"

Victor didn't seem to be advising me not to love him.

The voice that speaks about him also seems to have affection for William.

Because of my love for William he seemed to want something from me.

Victor: ".....I have some selfish expectations, you know."

Victor: "You know his 'evil' and you're attracted to him....so, think you can protect him?"

(Protect him....?)

Kate: "Why on earth do you want that....? William has the power to screw over any opponent in an instant...."

Victor smiled sadly without answering my unintentional question.

Victor: "Are you ready to stand by his beautiful solitude....his fate?"

Chapter 12

[shinsoup]

hate you less

☆summary☆ bakugo and you are mortal enemies, accidentally showing up in matching costumes to a mutual friend’s halloween party.

☆warnings☆ language, NOT PROOF READ because i’m lazy!!!, eh probably more. had such a strong start but i got lazy :(

☆word count☆735

he was wearing khakis and firemen boots, red suspenders the only ‘clothing’ covering his upper half and a red firemen hat to top it all off.

he was wearing khakis and firemen boots, red suspenders the only ‘clothing’ covering his upper half and a red firemen hat to top it all off.

he was wearing khakis and firemen boots, red suspenders the only ‘clothing’ covering his upper half and a red firemen hat to top it all off.

he felt like a man whore. well- that was close to what the costume was named.

‘sexy fireman.’

“you’re already in it, bakubro!” kirishima said, putting on the iconic devil horns before sending a grin at the angry blonde, “all the babes will be over you!”

“whatever,” he grumbled, grabbing his fake axe and storming past kirishima and denki.

the 1A girls were throwing a halloween party and made it mandatory that everyone invited wears a costume.

bakugo thought it was lame, of course, but when he heard booze would be present, it swayed him into saying yes.

what he didn’t know of course is that you would be there. you were in 1A yes, but he thought you were a loser with no friends.

of course that wasn’t true. bakugo just didn’t like you and was filled with rage every time you were even mentioned.

you were the only person, beside stupid deku, who was even close to over taking bakugo.

you were smart, strong, bold. you didn’t take shit from anyone. and that’s what made him mad.

who the fuck did you think you were?

everyone showed up to momo’s parents house, her mother and father being out for the weekend and letting their little daughter have a fun ‘get to together.’

“you guys made it!” ochako beamed, the pink cheeked girl wearing cat ears and a tail, a black bodysuit hugging her body perfectly.

momo and tsu showed everyone the drinks along with the food, smiles on the students faces as they interacted with one another.

“y/n! nice costume!” deku’s ‘annoying’ voice rang in bakugos ears, causing the blonde to scoff and roll his eyes-

wait. did broccoli head just say y/n?

bakugo’s eyes snapped towards the direction of the conversation, his red eyes landing on you immediately.

you were wearing a fucking dalmatian costume.

bakugo could feel himself heat up, his hands bawling into fists as sparks emitted from them.

you wear wearing the tiniest black skirt he’s ever seen, a homemade white and black spots tube top just barely covering your tits.

you had dog ears that flopped down and a black drawn on nose.

“thanks, deku! i like your costume too!” y/n smiled sweetly, causing bakugo to practically snarl as he stormed over to you.

“y/l/n! what the fuck do you think you’re wearing?!” he practically barked in your face, causing you to step back as your eyebrows furrowed together.

“a dalmatian costume?” you hesitatingly responded, sounding unsure and like you were asking a question.

“fucking change! can’t you see i’m a firefighter???”

“that’s what that eyesore is?”

bakugo felt like his head exploded, steam practically shooting from his ears as kirishima was quick to grab him.

“alright! that’s enough with you two!” he sweetly smiled as he dragged the angry pomeranian away.

“who the fuck does she think she is!” he barked at the poor red headed boy, causing him to sigh in annoyance.

“you guys need to kiss or something already, i can cut the sexual tension with a knife.”

bakugo’s ears perked up as his face went bright red, “I DON’T LIKE HER!”

“yeah keep telling yourself that.”

-

the night went by painfully slow for bakugo, the blonde staring at you every chance he got, shooting daggers with his eyes.

“bro just ask her out already!” denki said, lightly nudging him as he tsked loudly.

“fuck that, i’d rather throw myself off of a cliff befo-”

“hey guys!” mina said, making her way over as she waved sweetly.

“we’re about to play beer pong and need people, want to join?”

bakugo scoffed and looked away, trying to find you again but failed too as deku spoke up.

“sure, mina! what’re the teams?” he asked.

“teams of two, we can be partners if you want? that just leaves y/n alone—but i think shoto was going to be with her-”

“i’ll play” bakugo said quicker than he would’ve liked, causing denki to smirk and kirishima to chuckle—causing bakugo to punch him in the shoulder.

-

bakugo stood next to you as mina and deku set up the game, an annoyed look sketched onto your face at having to be with bakugo.

sure he was hot, everyone knew that, but he was a dick.

you wouldn’t take it personally if he treated you like everyone else—which would still be shitty—but he treated you like you were the scum of the earth.

he treated you with hatred.

“alright! whoever clears the other teams cups first wins!” mina announced as she rolled the balls over to you.

“don’t fuck up,” bakugo mumbled but you brushed it off, stepping in front of him to throw your shot.

you tossed it over but failed as you watched it hit the rim and fly to the floor, a frown on your face.

“since when are you not useless?”

“shut it, bakugo,” you practically hissed, moving back to your spot but not before hitting his shoulder with yours.

deku threw the ball back over and surprisingly made it in, a look of surprise on his face as bakugo cursed him out.

bakugo quickly went to grab the cup but accidentally knocked it over, causing it to spill all over your skirt and down to your shoes.

“shit!” you cursed, quickly stepping out to avoid the liquid but were to slow.

bakugo’s eyes widened before narrowing, a scoff leaving his lips as he crossed his arms.

“maybe if you weren’t always in the fucking way-”

“maybe if you weren’t so fucking self absorbed and such a dick we wouldn’t be in this situation!” you yelled, storming past him to the bathroom as tears stung your eyes.

it took a lot to make you cry, but with bakugo constantly up your ass about every little thing you did, along with ruining the one night you thought you could just have fun with your friends-

you couldn’t hold it in any longer.

bakugo watched you storm off as he stood there shocked, sure you always snapped back at his insults and jabs but never had you screamed the way you did.

his ears went red as deku gave him a sad look, not for him—but for y/n.

bakugo was quick to follow the girl, trying not to make it obvious he was chasing after you.

before you could shut the bathroom door he threw his foot in before it closed, prying it open and shoving himself in as you screamed at him to get out.

“what asshole?! come to pour more beer on me?!”

“can you calm down for a secon-”

“me?! calm down?” you laughed, angrily grabbing the neatly folded towel and harshly dragging it over your soaked clothing, “you’re full of bullshit, bakugo.”

“listen, i didn’t mean to spill that on you!”

“but you did, and i think it’s because i’m wearing this stupid dalmatian outfit and you wanted me to change,” you spat, turning on the sink and wetting the towel.

okay, you did have a point.

he was really an asshole.

his face felt like it was on fire as he bit down on his lip harshly, avoiding eye contact as he tried staring at anything but you.

“i’m…sorry, okay?”

you stopped your actions immediately as your head whipped towards him, eyebrows raised and nose scrunched.

“you—the all mighty bakugo, is sorry?”

“don’t make me say it twice,” he growled, but it was low and almost…soft.

“i didn’t mean for this all to get so out of hand,” he confessed, going to scratch the back of his neck as you raised your eyebrows.

“i just don’t understand what i ever did to you.”

“nothing,” he quickly said, “i just hate how…you you are.”

he cringed at his words as you rolled your eyes, going for the door to leave and go home—wanting to change and end this conversation.

you felt his large hand grab your wrist and stop you in your tracks, pulling you gently back as you stared up at him.

“you’re just so confident and don’t take shit from anyone—it sometimes feels like i’m the only one who can act like that.”

“you’re saying i intimidate you?”

“watch it, shitty woman,” he growled before averting eye contact.

“i’m saying…” he continued, trailing off as he bit his lip so hard it looked painful, “i might hate you less than the others.”

you felt like there was a lump in your throat as your mouth opened slightly.

“you like me?”

“hate less than the others!” he corrected, stepping back and crossing his arms over his chest as he waited for you to leave.

this is where they always leave.

“i like- i mean, hate you less than the others too i guess,” you shrugged, watching as his eyes lit up but he was quick to cover it with a cough to the side.

“hate me less to let me take you out sometime?”

you pretended to think about his offer, causing him to narrow his eyebrows as you shrugged your shoulders.

“i guess.”

he grinned at your answer as he shoved his hands into his pockets, a slight blush on both of your guys’s cheeks as you stood there in silence.

“cmon,” he coughed, grabbing the door handle behind you as he opened it slightly, “i have extra clothes you can change into.”

“you’re such a simp!”

as you walked out the door he flicked you on the side of the head, causing you to scowl at him as he walked you through the house.

“tell anyone and you’re dead.”

“wasn’t planning on it.”

[bosskie]

Mean 'n' Clean

I didn't mean to draw more today (yesterday) but I just got a vision like this and I just had to draw it... Man, it feels like all this sketching is starting to actually improve my stuff. That Molluck just looks better than all the other Mollucks I have done within a week.

But yeah, what the odd is this? Well, I kinda tried to vision RuptureFarms back then. I felt like drawing kinda twisted versions of those Scrab Cake and Paramite Pie ads. Yeah, that Scrab is 'dancing' on that cake, like they do after killing their victim. And well, Paramite is eating the Pie... I have never drawn those creatures before, so it was nice to finally draw them too.

That Abe, well, I felt like portraying him as a cleaner with some cleaning equipment and I wondered why he would have such an expression if he is cleaning... Then it came to my mind that maybe is cleaning Molluck's toilet, so that's why he got that toilet cleaner. Just some random stuff for fun, I have been just laughing at that Abe.

Also, kinda related to this cleaning thing. One day, I figured out why RuptureFarms is so clean in New 'n' Tasty compared to Abe's Oddysee: There are 200 Mudokons more! Yes, Molluck could figure out the amouth of Mudokons he needs to keep the place clean.

I also wanna add that despite of my own problems toward myself, I do appreciate you liking my stuff! And I wanna say this that I do love this community. I did get such a warm reception when I started to post my Molluck stuff and it still warms my heart, especially after many years of feeling like no one cares about the stuff I create. I do admire the stuff you do here like daily but I have had hard times to tell you it, even thru a like. It's nothing personal, my thought about that no one probably wants me to interact with them is just strong... I used to be lonely for years... But I'm trying my best with healing this scar and gather my courage to say the stuff I would like to say but I just cannot because of my mind... Sometimes, I also just feel so embarrassed of my way to speak...

I also wanna say that I don't wish that creating fan art is a competition. The more important thing is all the passion and love people put in it. Of course, great art deserves to be featured but it was kinda odd still (I think that they should had been a bit more neutral too, to create a more believable image of that they do really love all the fan art; this is what I mean. Just changing it to be 'one of the best' or being an artist feature video in general would had been enough). And especially to me in a sense of that I did won that SoulStorm tattoo design competition but OWI never posted it but some other submissions to that competition before announcing the winners. There was a Stranger fan art competition before and they did post the winners on social media. It's just odd and I think that I really should ask OWI about that, I'm still waiting for my prices from them. I'm just not sure of how to do it. It has just started to feel like maybe they didn't even really like my piece and just made me a winner because I probably spent the most time... If someone hasn't seen it or needs refreshing, here's my piece I did for that competition:

Sometimes, I have been thinking about 'remastering' this since it has some flaws I would like to fix. But yes, I really gotta try to ask OWI why did they kinda cancel this tattoo competition after announcing the winners, though they never did it on their media but on the competition website. I don't really mind if they don't post this since this ain't great but I still would like to hear their explanation for this. This was supposed to be a temporal tattoo they would have shared and I would have gotten one too. Well, I did get the main thing, the moolah price, at least! My inner Gluk is happy.

~ Lots of love to ya!

[tareray]

Drawings- Xavier Thorpe

“Everyone is going to be paired up by me for a group project. You two will have to work together on a drawing it is due Friday,” said the art teacher.

“Ugh,” I quietly groan.

“Bianca and Yoko,” she reads off.

I zone out as the teacher starts calling the rest of the names.

“Y/n and Xavier,” I finally hear.

“Well at least I got someone who can draw,” I whispered to Enid who sits beside me.

“You are so lucky. I got Kent,” she complains to me.

Just as class ends Xavier comes up to me.

“Hey so I figured we could start working on the drawing tonight,” he quickly says to me as we are walking through the hallway.

“Uh yeah sure,” I say trying to get to my next class.

“Alright meet me at the entrance gate at 7 pm,” he says before waking off.

“Uh okay then,” I say to myself.

7 pm

When I get to the gate I see Xavier standing there waiting.

“Hey, sorry to keep you waiting,” I say as I walk up to him.

“It’s okay I was actually early,” he says looking at me.

“So uh where are we going? I don’t exactly see a place we can draw around here,” I ask.

“Oh well uh I was planning on taking you to my art shed,” he says while walking towards the forest.

“Right because that doesn’t sound creepy at all,” I say to myself while following him. After about 5 minutes of walking through the woods I finally decide to speak up.

“You know if you wanted to murder me you could have done it like 3 minutes ago,” I say in a joking tone.

“Haha very funny,” he says back sarcastically. When we finally arrive at the shed we immediately start thinking of what to draw.

“Uh well I’m not really the best artist in the world so I figured I would let you pick and then I would try to make it look as half as good as yours,” I tell him as I look at the art on the walls of the shed.

“Why don’t we draw you,” he says nonchalantly.

“Excuse me,” I say while turning to look at him.

“Yeah let’s draw you. I can draw you from my perspective and you can draw yourself from your own perspective,” he says like it’s the easiest thing in the world.

“Uh I mean I guess that would work,” I say still on the fence about it.

“Alrighty sit down so I can start,” he says while grabbing me a chair to sit in. After about 30 minutes of sitting in the quiet he finally starts to talk.

“I like drawing you,” he mutters while still focusing on the drawing.

“Oh uh thanks,” I tell him.

“I’ve drawn you a a couple times just never when you are posing,” he tells me while looking at my face for a split second before turning his attention back to the drawing.

“Really? I never noticed you drawing me before,” I say with a bit of shock.

“I try to do it when you aren’t looking. I didn’t want you to think I was a creep,” he tells me.

“I wouldn’t have thought you were a creep. I probably wouldn’t have even said anything if I noticed you drawing me,” I tell him honestly.

“Could I see some of the other drawings you’ve done of me?” I ask him.

“You want to see them?” His eyes shoot to my face as he asks me.

“Yeah of course I want to see them. You drew them so I bet they are amazing,” I tell him.

“Keep still,” he tells me.

“Uh yeah I mean I guess after we finish here I can show them to you,” he says before he goes quiet again.

“Alright,” I say. After about another 30 minutes he is finally done with his part of the drawing.

“Wow it looks great,” I tell him while looking in amazement at the half done drawing of me.

“You are a good muse,” he tells me while pulling out a different sketchbook.

“This has most of the drawings of you that I’ve done,” he tells me while handing me the book.

“You can keep it for the night to look at them if you want,” he said while busying himself with cleaning up the shed.

“Really? Awesome thanks I can’t wait to look at them,” I tell him.

“I will probably have the other half of the drawing done tomorrow. It’s due on Friday right?” I question as I gather my things getting ready to leave.

“Yes,” he says simply while not even looking at me.

“Alrighty well I will see you tomorrow Xavier,” I say as I walk out of his shed and head back to my dorm.

The next day

“Hey Xavier wait up,” semi shout as I see him in the hallways.

“Jesus you walk fast,” I say as I finally catch up to him.

“I finished our drawing,” I tell him while handing him the paper.

“Okay. Did you look at the sketchbook,” he questioned with a hint of nervousness.

“Oh yeah they were great. I loved the one you did of me in the library,” I tell him.

“April 22,” he says randomly.

“What?” I question him?

“That was the date I drew that picture April 22,” he says while looking at the floor.

“Oh wow I didn’t know you remembered the dates of the stuff you drew,” I say shocked.

“I usually don’t but I remember that day because I bumped into you in the hallway and it was the first time we ever spoke,” he says while trying to gauge my reaction.

“Huh I don’t remember that,” I say.

“I spilled my drink on you and I offered you my jacket but you refused. Then later in the library I saw you and you were wearing Ajax’s hoodie,” he says quietly.

“So I drew you. I was going to give it to you to make up for spilling my drink on you but I didn’t figure I knew you well enough,” he tells me finally looking in my eyes.

“Wow you should have gave me the drawing I would have loved it,” I tell him.

When I arrive at my next class I hand him his sketchbook back.

“Here’s your book back. I hope you don’t mind but I drew something in it for you,” I tell him with a smile.

After she walked in her class Xavier opened the sketchbook to find a drawing of him.

“No one’s ever drawn me before,” he muttered to himself while walking away from the classroom door with a smile.

[eveistdiepommes]

💕💛 🪞^^ ~

OMG YAYY HIIEEE OKAY I CANT WAIT TO ANSWER!!!! :3

💕- So!! A character that I ABSOLUTELY LOVE AND ADORE but don’t speak a lot about is… well… there are a couple!!

The first one that comes to mind is Romania! And this is a newer favorite of mine!! I mentioned I think in an ask that I’m still catching up on newer hetalia lore and characters and stuff! And I finally got around to reading Romania’s segments and learning more about him and… I ABSOLUTELY LOVE HIM!!! He’s quickly becoming a character I attach to because of his personality, or what I gathered from personal interpretation!

He’s so positive and silly and I think I’ve seen other people describe him as an orange cat! But what I think is very relatable is that he’s charming and positive but ALSO loves folklore and (what other people consider) creepy things! I’ve always been drawn to the macabre, I practice and believe in magic, and it just so happens that my second biggest passion is Vampires (among other supernatural beings and lore!)

Other characters that fall into this category are Japan, Belarus, Ukraine, and Belgium! BIG emphasis on Belgium she’s my favorite hetalia lady!! I used to have a Belgium roleplay account on twitter (before it became confusing 🥹) so if any of you remember waffle mun… hi… that’s me🫶

💛- OKAY!!! A friendship that doesn’t exist in canon but I want to see… I might be biased here, and also I don’t think???? It’s happened in canon??? But they have interacted!! It’s..!!!!! (Drumroll)

Finland and Italy!!!! I think these two would get along so well and I’m biased because they’re my favorite characters (in the ‘im just like them’ category) Finland and Italy are both bright and cheery and sweet! Their kindness would fill the whole room up! But, I also see them as two very anxious people (IM PROJECTING AAAAH) I usually portray Finland with OCD, as I’ve been coping with my own OCD after coming off of anxiety medicine. And in the same vein, I’ve always portrayed Italy as an extrovert who is also socially anxious (and sometimes socially unaware.) I think these two could help each other in moments of stress, as I’ve always noticed I forget my anxiety when I see a loved one in trouble! The need to help people you care about almost always overrides fear, and I think their friendship would be beneficial to both of them!

(Also another friendship I’d love to see is Canada and Italy, but I could dedicate a whole post to that BAHAH)

🪞- YES! I ACTUALLY HAVE BEEN MEANING TO TALK ABOUT THIS!!! Also, heads up, this is gonna get a bit personal!!

It’s no secret Finland is my favorite character! And that’s for a multitude of reasons. But I actually first got very attached to him because of how he was physically portrayed. He’s short, chubby, rounded. I used to be very chubby because medicine made me gain a lot of weight (the same anxiety medicine I mentioned I got off of!) Well, last month actually marked a year of being off it, and within that year, I lost all the weight I gained (45 pounds!) Of course, this also was because I started exercising a bit more and stuff!! But all in all, I’m very proud of how far I’ve come and I love how I look!

All of this is to say, I give Finland my body type. While I am short and slim, I’m by no means a twig! My portrayal of Finland still has a soft tummy and rounded face and thicker arms and thighs! It’s mostly my height I give him, making him the second shortest Nordic, but even then… he’s still taller than me 🥹 (I’m 5’2” / 158 cm for reference!!) I know a lot of people portray Finland as chubbier/fatter and let me tell you THAT IS AMAZING AND CORRECT AND BEAUTIFUL!!!!! I LOVE CHUBBY FINLAND TO THE DAY I DIE!!!!!!! The only reason I give him my body type as I grow and change is just for the simple fact that I am very attached to him! I see myself when I look at him, which probably sounds really silly! But these stupid hetalia characters have been with me at my worst moments, have been with me through hospital visits, and they give me a lot to look forward to!

WOW THESE ANSWERS GOT DEEPER THAN I ANTICIPATED!!! ANYWAYS!! THANK YOU FOR INDULGING ME!!! 🥹🫶

[almea]

ngl I thought one of blake's "truths" was going to be "i choose you in the forest back in initiation" imagine them acknowledging in canon that blake spied on yang from a tree and said "yes, this is the partner i want for life" when she could have gone for literally anyone else but even back then she was drawn to yang

Nooooooo, that would have been so cute!!!

We already know there was at least one line cut from that scene (😭 I really think they should have kept it in because the way she giggles at everything Yang says is so obvious and so cute) so I wonder if they considered having that be one of Blake's truths. I guess it could be a little hard to fit in organically based on the flow of the conversation. I will content myself with the knowledge that Blake and Yang are All About communication and Blake will probably eventually tell Yang one day Yang's going to look at her with her big gay eyes before kissing her all over her face.

[animebw]

So I've been musing over the differences between Sunshine and School Idol Project over the past few days of semi-hiatus, and I think a few stray thoughts have clicked together. There's a subtle but critical difference in the way these two shows carry themselves, a difference that ultimately explains why I enjoy SIP more. And it comes down, believe it or not, to realism.

Like, let's be clear, all iterations of Love Live are farcical melodramas first and foremost. You are not gonna catch me calling any entry in this franchise a nuanced and grounded take on the human condition. But there's a subtle, meaningful degree of realism in SIP's character writing that just isn't quite there in Sunshine's cast. The girls of Muse, on some level, all come off as believable, if exaggerated, teenagers within their circumstances, while Aquors' characterization leans a bit more, for lack of a better descriptor, "anime quirky." As much as I love most of these characters, I'm always conscious of them as characters in a way that SIP mostly manages to avoid throughout its run.

To explain what I mean, let's compare the student council presidents, Eri and Dia. Now, neither of these characters are my favorite member of their respective franchises. But it's worth noting that when I look at Eri, I don't just see a character who is a student council president. I see a girl who is a believable student council president. Eri is mature, she's sensible, she's got a strong work ethic, and while she has her flaws, she's a natural leader who clearly feels comfortable taking charge and handling difficult situations (which makes Honoka's arc in the second season all the more compelling as we see her struggle to live up to that example). If I met her on the street and didn't know her already, it would probably only take a few minutes of conversation for me to assume she held some kind of leadership position. I don't have to stretch my imagination to wonder how a person like her could be a student council president, because it just makes sense that someone like her would be drawn to a role like that. It feels natural.

That is not the case with Dia.

Dia is, quite simply, a mess. She's overly intense, deeply insecure, quick to anger, and seems to consider dealing with other people an extremely difficult hurdle to overcome. If I was meeting her for the first time, I would assume her hobbies were sports or something else competitive before I pegged her for a leader. Which is not to say you can't write characters who don't quite fit the roles they carry out! But with Dia, it's not just that she doesn't strike me as leadership material; I don't see her as someone who would want to be student council president. I can't picture her looking at the kinds of tasks and responsibilities this job entails and saying, "Yes, this is the path I want to pursue. This is what makes me happy." Student Council President is a title she wears, but it doesn't feel like a life she lives, or a life she even wants to live. And we barely even see her do any council work in the first place, so it's not like we have a sense of how she operates in this position. There's just very little connection between the role she supposedly carries out and the character we're presented with.

Point is, when I look at Eri, I have no trouble believing that her journey in life naturally brought her to this point. When I look at Dia, I find myself asking how someone like her ended up pursuing this path when it feels like by all rights she should've landed somewhere else. It feels like "student council president" is a character trait slapped onto her rather than a natural extension of her as a person. She is a "student council president" not because it makes sense for who she is, but because "student council president" is a popular archetype in anime, so this show must have a "student council president" as well. And it just requires that extra bit of suspension of disbelief to buy into that Eri never demanded of me.

Yes, it's a minor detail. One might even call it a nitpick. But it's paying attention to those little details that made SIP's cast so easy to buy into. It's the difference between Maki being a rich girl who's family owns some vacation houses and Mari somehow becoming the goddamn school director while she's still a teenager. It's the difference between Nico's gremlin energy coming from a very recognizable brand of turbo-geek toxicity and Yoshiko just being so overwhelmingly chuuni. Not to mention how SIP grounds its characters' lives in subtle, genuine imperfections, like Nico's family situation forcing her to take on more adult responsibilities, or Rin's complex over her perceived lack of femininity, or Nozomi struggling to form lasting relationships after changing schools so much. As absurd and over-the-top as Muse's members are, there's a truth to the way they exist in their world that truly makes them leap off the screen. And as much fun as Aqours cast is, that subtle grounding just isn't there. They're quirky and lively and pull at my heartstrings, but they exist solely as fun characters, not as people I feel like I could genuinely get to know and share a connection with.

[fontasticcrablettes]

@adeptarcanist

…Problem: now I need to see Raine x the Wonder Chef. Maybe he’s drawn to her unique spirit of culinary experimentation, the only person in the world capable of appreciating the wonder behind the inedible food……. …or maybe he’s just succumbing to that instinct of horrified fascination with a train wreck.

Well have I got good news for you. The answer to "Which of those crack ships I mentioned is the one that I myself have written?" is in fact, Raine x Wonder Chef. I have the original Word file, which helpfully recorded the exact date it was created, so I can tell you that I wrote this at the age of 15 at 1:44 AM (it was probably a school night):

Genis yawned and sat up in bed, wondering why he was awake.  He rubbed his eyes, looked around his room, and realized Raine’s bed was empty.  Huh, that was odd.  Raine was usually a deep sleeper, and rarely got up in the night. 

He remembered when he was little and used to sneak out of the house at night with Lloyd, and Raine just snored as he crept out the creaky door.  Her arms would hang off the side of her bed, blankets kicked to the floor, book she’d been reading before bed resting under her cheek. 

But now she was missing, and he was a bit concerned.  He crawled out of bed, noticing the open window with the ocean visible in the distance, illuminated by the full moon.  Perhaps it was the sound of crashing waves and the smell of fish and salt that had woken Raine up, although they’d been in Palmacosta for a few days so she should be used to it by now. 

Well, if Raine was up, too, then he didn't know how many of them were actually asleep.  Colette had been in bed resting all evening after the fight with Kilia, and Lloyd had diligently sat by her side.  Whenever Genis poked his head in, she was always awake, staring blankly at the ceiling or chatting with Lloyd.  He’d always tell her to go to sleep, but she’d just smile and say she wasn’t tired yet. 

Genis left the room, seeing Kratos and Lloyd’s room door open.  They were probably out training somewhere.  The question was, where was Raine?  He walked down the stairs to the main room, looking around.  

Wait...was that voices?  Yes!  He heard something coming from the kitchen!  It sounded like Raine’s voice, too, from the sound of things.  Happy to find her but dreading what she might be doing in the kitchen, Genis approached the closed door and listened, wondering who she could be talking to.

“It’s so large!” Raine was saying.  “I’ve never seen one quite this size before.”

“Yes, I know,” a male voice Genis didn’t recognize said.  “I’m quite proud of it.”

"I've seen one before, of course, but a more average size, you know?”

“Yeah, I’ve never met anyone else with one this big before.  It makes me feel special!  Do you want to touch it?”

“Oh, could I?”

“Go ahead!”

The was a pause.  “Wow, it’s so smooth.  And the shaft is so thick!  Is it even practical?”

“Well, it’s really more for show, if you know what I mean.  But we’re really getting sidetracked.”

“Yes, I know.  I’ve cleared the table, just like you asked.”

“Ah, good.  We’ll need plenty of room to make our magic.”

“Magic, hm?  I know a thing or two about magic...”

They were quiet for a bit, and Genis overheard the clank of a pot and shuffling things around.  He was very confused about this conversation, but didn’t want to interrupt.

“Ok,” the man said.  “Now you just need to take off – oh!  Very nice!”

“Yes,” Raine said, uncertainty in her voice.  “But I don’t know...I think they’re too small.”

“Nonsense.  Just look at them!  So round and smooth, the skin so white and soft...they’re perfect.  I want to just put my mouth around them - lick and bite them.”

Raine laughed.  “Oh, you’re just saying that.  But is it warm enough yet?  I feel a bit wet.”

“That’s because it’s so steamy.  But yes, I think everything’s ready.”

“Oh, I’m rather excited.  I’ve only done this a couple times and I’ve never been very good.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll guide you.  Are you ready?  First, this goes in here...”

Genis was starting to get a bad feeling about this.  Without knocking, he burst into the room, a bit afraid of what he would find.  “S-Sis!  What are you...?”

Raine and the Wonder Chef looked up at him, standing over a boiling pot of water.  The Wonder Chef had two onions in his hands, his giant fork leaning against the counter. 

“Genis?” Raine asked.  “What are you doing up?”

“Uh, I saw that you weren’t there and wondered where you went....”

“Oh,” she said.  “The Wonder Chef was trying to show me how to make a soup.  I wanted to surprise you and Lloyd tomorrow for dinner.”

“O-oh.  I’ll just...head back to bed now...”  Feeling a bit embarrassed at his outburst, he darted out of the kitchen and headed back upstairs.

--

“Your brother’s so cute!” the Wonder Chef said after Genis was gone.

Raine just sighed and shook her head.  “He can be rather overprotective at times.”

The Wonder Chef just shrugged.  “Now, where were we?”

Raine smiled and leaned against him, ripping his chef’s hat off and winding her fingers through his blonde hair.  His hands slid across her chest and over her shoulders, pushed her robe off and it fell to the floor. 

“You tell me,” she whispered in his ear and drew back before he pulled her into a passionate kiss.