#have 0 clue if it actually does have iron

[cextra-loz]

This iron pill is healing me, or this eating more is healing me, or this salty cheese is healing me, or this hydration is healing me, or

[zcinderone]

An ironically conspicuous yet never exploited(except by me as far as I can see) dot that connects everything which could be the ultimate layer of secret to unravel the true identity of Arei's murderer...

It's Levi and this is where the final piece of puzzle come to make sense of itself: the Monotv recruiting Teruko do CAULKING scene!!!

This is such a detailed and prominant plot that so far made 0 sense as to its connection to the case. Monotv must have enlisted a helper to clean up the mess left in the gym. Since he can't even do caulking, it is 100% valid for the narrative that there are something in this mess he can't handle. This helper would have abundance of time to figure out the mechanism and took the tape.

(Monotv specifically mentioning he needs help to do certain chores)

Apart from the 4 involved in Ace's case, the only one awake/available late at night was Levi(and we never know for what purpose the story writer specifically left only him awake and readily came out to check the commotion either). This connects everything.

Think about it rationally. It makes absolutely no sense for those involved in the previous case to make an imitation of their own. On paper, only 4 people knew what happened, and Nico ran off leaving the only necessary tool(tape) to replicate this. Should any of the 3 try to imitate a crime only they knew and able to replicate, they are basically yelling they're the only targets from the get-go (and isn't this what's happening right now?)which is beyond absurd. However, if a third party does exist, it changes everything, they would have everything to gain from pulling an imitation since the premise would exclude their possibility permanently.

Based on the aforementioned points, I will make a tentative prediction about one event we are likely gonna see in ep 15（or 16 depending on pacing）: A scrum debate will happen soon, concerning whether or not Ace&Eden really is the only option scope for imitation crime, for they will most certainly discuss the very reason why they imitate and promptly realized the absurdity thereof. The narrative would seem really off if they don't dabble on why, accepting imitation for the sake of imitation. Some will take the stance that such attempt would be illogical for a rational conspirator in the first place, others will insist on the lack of direct evidence of a third party.

I am basing this theory on the assumption that the tape went missing under the dialogue box cg is dev's mistake, because the tape on the ground scene always includes Ace on the ground and the moment he stood it changed which feels too abrupt and dev might just forgot to add that, and there is not a single scene that showed the tape missing without such blockade.

More importantly, there were some clues to back my assumption in the "i'm not fxxing dead!" scene. The tape is placed rather near in front of Ace, a little to our right. Yet, when he stood up he knocked Eden out to our left. It would seem shaky if we take this alone by face value as it could just be a dramatic effect, but what happened afterward is the camera itself clearly turned left to film Eden gradually standing, and turned right to focus on Ace and then turned further right to focus on Teruko, which clearly suggested the actual positioning is: Eden Ace (tape?) Teruko (tape ?) . Problem is, the tape still exitsted right before, and went missing right after Ace stood up under the Teruko "yeah i figured" dialogue box, few secs before Eden stood up, therefore her positioning would exclude her possibility of getting it. And Ace couldn't get it either since four eyes were and the camera was mostly on him, even depicting him reaching his wound with two hands.

I think If the dev did had such meticulous intent for this hidden scene to be the key to locking the culprit, they would most likely be equally meticulous about either the tape's positioning or Ace's act to make unequivocal sense that one of them would have a clear window to obtain it, which in turn suggests they probably never had such intention to begin with.

Also, we got to consider factoring in complementary details like the starched clothes ball(Levi was the only one who mentioned being in the laundry room some time at night in ep10), Arei's missing glove(both Eden and Ace wears glove, Levi doesn't), enough strength to throw the rope near the ceiling(they emphasized early in one scene how high the ceiling is and eden is the smallest girl) Whit trying to make an argument about another motive Levi could have for killing Arei yet got cut off, and trying to redirect the crew's attention back to Levi's secret itself for some reason and got cut off again in ep13 11:22 12:44 (this i think is super super important and it seems only I was mentioning this). These solid details are all adding to the likelihood of Levi, and I really can't find as many other details to back Eden or Ace.

[starflungwaddledee]

hii!! i just wanna say your comic and starspeak lore are SO cool omg!! the way you incorporate the essence of the starfolk culture into their language is incredibly creative and very fitting auauagahsahdbsnsnn <3

i'm pretty interested in all the grammar of the language!! i think you mentioned that there's a question particle that kind of works like mandarin chinese, do other final particles exist? little tone indicators in the language seems like it would help mutual understanding between a bunch of mystical star-beings :0

also, if it's been developed yet, how do verbs work in this? granted, i don't know a lot about greek/latin languages or if you're basing the grammar off of them too, but does it lean more towards romance language's crazy conjugations, or a simpler "subject verb noun" structure?

sorry if this is a lot haha i know the language is still a wip, but it's such a cool concept! i think languages are really interesting and the way you incorporate it into kirby is so mmbdbbrnzmxfh✨✨

alright, this one took me a very long time to get to (because i knew it would be long and i've been working on it on and off for a while) and i'm so sorry! thank you so much for your patience veve! and it's been a little while since we've had a starspeak post so let's go!

(i will preface by saying again that the language is still very much a wip which i could change at any time, and that i'm no trained specialist; i'm just doing this for fun and there's a high chance i fully have no clue what i'm talking about 😅)

❓ i'll start with the easiest one of these and go for the question particle!

i think that Celestials are not often doubtful or questioning things, but when they do the particle is an opener rather than a sentence-final (such as ma (嗎/吗) in mandarin chinese). it otherwise works extremely similarly in that it is tagged on to turn a sentence into a question.

so the most common starspeak question particle is tc, almost a mouth sound than a word. the letters are a combination not often used elsewhere in their speech patterns, which i like to think also wraps back around to them being fairly certain of most things they open their mouths to say.

tc is predominantly used when seeking clarification about someone else's experiences, which is probably one of the more frequent times they wouldn't know something in (self-presumed) absolution.

combining it with some other things we've learned; épios (see) and eu (you) we can ask someone what they're seeing presently, where the target of the speaker (eu) is in active possession of the seeing action and vl is an active tense:

"tc vlépios eu?" // "(what's) seen (by) you?" // "what do you see?"

unfortunately in the conlangs current state, moving things around even a little bit throws out the meaning of sentences a lot, which is something i could probably iron out more with significantly more time 😅 "tc eu vlépios?" for example would be closer to "you're seen?" and "tc vlépios-eu?" would probably be like.. "what sight possesses you?", which is... still kind of the same i suppose but it's just an unnecessarily intense way to say it 😂

🥰 okay! question particle done and it was not actually the easiest but anyway; onto the personaliser! "ki".

i'm not 100% sure if this sort of thing exists in other languages or what it might be called to begin researching, but it's ostensibly a way to turn an external item or concept into something internal or individualised

asté (star/s) for instance is a very overused word in their language, understandably. you can use it to refer to gaseous bodies, other Celestials, other non-Celestial beings, or even a specific individual rank within a relationship system. ei asté applies an amount of ownership over the star/s, but still does not make them an individual in their own right. you would most likely use this if you happened to be carting around an actual giant flaming ball of gas

ei astéki however immediately makes the star something more personal, a little soul-deep. maybe it's a warm light inside you, or maybe it's the beating heart of another living being. dropping the 'ei' you could use this as a nickname, though it'd be kind of like calling someone 'person'.

"ei astéki skotei koris eu" // "my stars dimmed lacking you" // functionally just a really big ham "i missed you"

🤏 alright rolling on, last one: a diminutive. this one's easier i think; maybe i ought have started here. oh well!

like it says on the tin, this is to make things small and/or cute! the particle is ró and it is usually tacked on at or towards the end of a word. much like in english i think this is usually done affectionately. though it could be done a little pettily or rudely, being small in size is significantly less of a negatively-judged-concept by Celestials than being low in brightness.

here's some examples, probably the easiest way to go about this one! all of these are actively affectionate, not unlike a pet name?

moiydísró - (small) cheeky one astéróki - small star (personaliser; makes this a clear nickname) ei Vaýtitaró - my little gravity

💬 and then to wrap up, this last part about verbs and conjugations!

answering this one with complete confidence would require that i were a bit better at this and had it more fixed and figured out, but i'll do my best!! i'm not really basing the grammar off any one language in particular (I only use translations to form a rough sound/word and go from there), just kind of what feels like the right sort of vibe.

because i was just doing this for myself and for fun i didn't start out with any rules, just rolled with what i enjoyed! if you were doing conlang more seriously i think it would help to set those rules up at the outset 😅

in its present state, my starspeak seems to me to be a topic prominent language with less individual conjugations and more modifiers; including significant reliance on sentence order and word placement

so instead of having many different words for see (seen, saw, to see) it's more about the placement, word combinations, and other modifiers;

ei épios - me see (a request, often used in place of 'wake up') vlépios ei - seeing by me (active tense added by vl but it's not strictly necessary) eu épios - you see (the speaker sees the target) épios-koris eu - without seeing by you (sight possesses a term for "lack", so the sight itself is lacking. "you don't see clearly", ostensibly.) épios ei prioto - seeing by me before (i saw it earlier)

this is sort of a necessity because right now the overall variety of words is limited; both by the earliness of its development and also because i think that this is a species that might not have needed a lot of words.

maybe they moved the same few hundred words around and minced them up in new ways rather than making lots of new ones. maybe they might have communicated through body language as much as with words (despite how much galacta knight clearly loves the sound of his own voice) or maybe i'll change my mind and they'll be a talkative bunch and we'll have dozens of new words soon 😂

anyway, i hope this is a ~fun and cool answer~ that you will enjoy despite its incredible lateness and sprawling length!! thank you so so much for asking me about the language; as you can tell i dearly love to talk about it despite its nebulousness, and i'm sorry it took me so long to get this out!

[musicfeedsmysoul12]

List of Sexualities for Current list of Dragon Age MCs:

For Freedom’s Design

Cian Mahariel: Bisexual. Does prefer men as a whole but is fairly equal in his interest. Romances Zevran, and has a threesome with Isabela.

Lorry Hawke: Bisexual. Goes for girls mostly due to her complicated feeling on motherhood and the scare of a child. Romances Isabela. Did have a minor crush on Fenris that went nowhere.

Mila Trevylan: Asexual but unaware. She’s interested in sex but only in a ‘this sounds interesting’ thing. Does enjoy it so she remains unaware. Romances Iron Bull after a brief flirtation with Blackwell she ends due to her uncomfortable with the idea of being with someone who sees her as the Herald of Andraste.

Good Men Need Rules

Folcher Aueducan: Bisexual but unaware. He’s always just looked at woman. Romances Leliana.

Archie Hawke: Demisexual. Struggled with ideas of attraction for most of his life. Romances Merrill who he loves dearly.

Lucas Cadash: Straight. Romances Cassandra.

Crashing Fantasies

Noamahn Tabris: Straight. He once tried with a guy but deemed it not for him. Romances Morrigan

Aine Hawke: Bisexual. Had a huge thing for Isabela but ends up with Anders. Is a himbo to the max.

Davhalla Lavellan: Pansexual. Had a thing for multiple members of the Inquisition, including Harding. Davhalla ends up with Solas in the end.

Those We Care For

Rosalind Amell: Gaaaaaaaaaay. She didn’t used to be but she developed into it. Romances Leliana.

Lilith Hawke: Bisexual. Has no preference. Gets with Anders.

Shok Adaar: Bisexual. Has a thing for Blackwall and Sera. I had two ways she went I’ve landed on her romancing Sera.

Mistakes Make us People

Thea Surana: Straight. Mostly. A pretty butch woman turns her head but it’s not common. Ends up with Alistair.

Teddy Hawke: Straight. Annoyed me since I wanted to romance Isabela but Teddy kept yelling straight. Romances Fenris then Anders.

Ophelia Trevylan: Straight. Never tried and never wanted to. Pretended to be to help a friend avoid and annoying admirer. Romances Blackwall.

With Bloody Hands

Muirin Cousland: No clue. Legit this girl is only into power. She does end up carings for Alistair in the end but she romances him for the power.

Willow Hawke: Straight. Romances Sebastian because she honestly liked him but it was a plus he’s a prince.

Gloria Trevylan: Straight. Was only into Iron Bull at first but romances Cullen for the power. Does actually come to love him.

Uneasy Rests the Laurels

Lochlan Hawke: Bisexual. Romances Zevran and married Anora. Ends up in an honest triad with them.

Simon Hawke: Gay. Very much. Romances Fenris.

Edmund Trevylan: Bisexual. Romances Dorian, and loves him very much.

Revolution is Never Kind

Runa Amell: Murder. And men. Very straight, romances Zevran.

Wyome Hawke: asexual but very into Anders and Justice. Has no positive or negative thoughts in sex.

Faith Sustains

Brynja Brosca: Gay. Has had sex with men for money but rates it a 0 each time. Romances Leliana.

Aisley Hawke: She is asexual and sex repulsed. Falls in love with Sebastian and they have a chaste marriage he supports and loves even when Prince because he is a good guy.

Charity Cadash: Bisexual. Also a trans woman who doesn’t talk about it much. Romances Josiephine.

To Be Kind

Caoimhe Tabris: Bisexual. Is into buff people though. Romances Alistair.

Ivy Hawke: Bisexual. Isn’t that focused on romance with everything. Romances Fenris.

Revas Lavellan: Pansexual. Has had casual relationships with all genders. Dabbled in gender non conforming and identity stuff. Not for her. Romances Solas.

Love Yourself

Riley Cousland: Straight. Has a lot of internal issues regarding beauty and self worth. Romances Zevran.

Ivy Hawke: Bisexual. In this world also has a lot of issues she’s working though. Romances Fenris still.

Harel Lavellan: Bisexual. I never really settled on a romance for her, she’s kind of always gravitated towards Josie though. So probably Josephine.

[trans-leek-cookie]

the first thing i thought when i saw the ring metal was that it looked like a dirty soldering iron head i do NOT think its safe at all

i have 0 clue what fucking metal that is bc our class had Actual Sheet Metal we either bought or got from the class and. That looks like none of it. Genuinely color wise it reminds me of brass but like. It's SO RUSTY and also it looks, genuinely, like someone got dirt on it? HOW THE FUCK DOES IT LOOK THIS BAD WHAT DID THEY DO. I'd also be interested bc we worked w just flat sheet in class how some of the thicker stuff was done like what form of metal (as in. Like how would u buy it) they used

[princeyarthur]

Walten Files but dogs... W... Wolften Files...

Rambling about breed assignments and design notes for everyone pictured here + a few I couldn't figure out under the cut:

Jack: Wolf. Partially because Bon has been compared to a wolf design-wise before, partially because wolves are just... really big, and partially because I like them.

Rosemary: I've seen a few spaniel-type Rosemaries before, probably because the curly ear fur looks like her hair, and I think these are really good - but I made her a border collie mix because they are very smart herding dogs, and also because I am biased and like border collies. She might have a bit of spaniel in her, definitely a bit of some other livestock guardian dog.

Sophie: Wolfdog, obviously. I do not think she looks like a first gen wolfdog would, but I do not care because the important part is she looks a little like both of her parents.

Originally in concepting her my idea was something like Aleu in Balto 2 where even though she's not full wolf and DOES take after her mom. She also still somehow looks more wolf-like than even Molly, who ACTUALLY takes the most after Jack. However this sort of fell through once I started putting the very necessary white markings on her, because wolves don't have those. She does look very wolflike without them, though.

Also of note: she is way smaller than both parents, just like in canon! This probably would not be the case for an actual wolfdog but what ever. Also I kept calling her Soppy/Sopping wet while drawing her.

Jenny: (Welsh) Springer Spaniel - an easy choice, since they're already red, have those fluffy/curly spaniel ears, and are noted to have freckle-like spots. While drawing her I kept repeating the phrase "Jenny Letterson type animal" to myself and could not stop.

Edd and Molly: Wolfdogs like Sophie. My sliding scale for them was Edd looks most like Rosemary > Sophie > Molly looks most like Jack. This... may change later based on clearer images or notes about who they look most like, but I decided to just pick a direction and stick with it for now.

Felix: The guy I spent the least time drawing, lmao. I knew I wanted him to be a terrier. Wiry little digger. Ended up going with specifically Jack Russel Terrier because I thought it'd be ironic. Fun note! All of these were drawn on the same canvas to keep everyone all around their canon sizes no matter what their actual breed size would be... except for Felix, who is about the same size as Edd and Molly, who are puppies.

Brian: Golden Retriever/Border Collie mix. I knew I wanted him to be part border collie like Sophie, and have very similar white markings. Gotta be at least a little similar... they're also around the same size.

Susan: I spent so long trying to figure out what I wanted Susan to be and still could not figure something out. Something tall/lanky... known for intelligence... maybe a hound, maybe working? Could be a modern "herding" breed since the herding group wasn't established until 1983.... decisions decisions.

Kevin: half of whatever Susan is + ???? mixed breed.

Ashley: For some reason my immediate Ashley thought was "something from the non-sporting group". But none of these dogs really fit for her. Maybe poodle. But definitely not a show cut poodle. Probably something more puppy cut adjacent.

So sorry to Hilary and Charles who I have absolutely 0 clue for or thought about.

I am not making animatronic dogs.

[tempenensis]

philosophy of “moving forward”

Human civilization as a whole is something that always changing. Culture as part of civilization construct adapts and evolves together with human who creates it. In the evolution of ancient to modern culture, believe in myth and words of mouth on the nature of unknown things changes gradually to studying them using science; in this science is the driving force of culture change and the old believe is the opposing force.   

A subtle theme that slowly surfacing is the clash of old tradition to the new, more progressive thinking. Old tradition and rules are opposed and changes are happening gradually - and while it’s been bubbling for long, it's now culminated in one controversial life of Itadori Yuuji. 

the old and rotting : the Great Three Families

One of main undertones during student fights in the Kyoto exchange goodwill arc is how old jujutsu tradition underlined to be contrasting with the more modern principles most Tokyo students follows. This especially prominent in the fights of Momo vs Kugisaki and Fushiguro vs Kamo, and secondary drive in Maki vs Mai.      

In one of elite jujutsushi bloodline, the Zen’in family, perfection is a must.  “Possessing inherited curse technique of Zen’in family”. Other than that, they are failure in starting life as jutsushi. Even among them, women are not allowed to stand in the starting line. 

Looking at these alone, it implies on how old tradition put manifesting inherited technique among anything else and especially the discrimination towards women. It reflects the view in our real history, where women used to be banned from doing works and jobs considered masculine -- a view that has largely abandoned since women rights to be in the same level with men gained approval worldwide. 

Momo’s saying this to Kugisaki is not wrong per se, since she herself probably experiences this; emphasizing Kugisaki’s naivety to old tradition that a lot of jujutsushi still largely follow. Kugisaki herself is also not in the wrong; she’s someone who puts her ego over everything - she has her own individualistic view that keeps her apart as her own person.

Another view of old tradition is the bloodline over everything else. It’s understandable if you consider the way they prized inherited technique over everything. To ensure that the inherited technique can manifest along the bloodline, one of the way is to keep the bloodline ‘pure’, to say. That’s why marriage among blood relation is probably the norm, even though the only clue of this is Naoya in the latest chapter, who considers which one of the twin is “good”, further emphasizing how little women is respected in this household. 

Ironically in bloodline with a lot of inbreeding, it’s not the strength that is accumulated, but rather the weakness. For example, in Habsburg dynasty who used to rule Europe in the past, their long history of inbreeding caused their offspring to manifest a lot of genetic disorder - one of which is a physical disability named as their own, Habsburg jaw. Charles II of Spain was the most famous example of this. As a result of inbreeding along the Habsburg bloodline, Charles II inherited a lot of genetic disorders including the Habsburg jaw. He was even know as “the Bewitched” because of his appearance. 

In line with this are Kamo Noritoshi and Fushiguro Megumi, who were born not out of inbreeding, but possessing the inherited technique of their respective clan. Noritoshi manifests Blood manipulation technique despite being a mistress’s son. While we don’t know Megumi’s mom, it is implied that she was a normal person since Touji had left the Zen’in and would be hard-pressed if he was to marry a woman from the same bloodline since he hated the clan. And I would not be surprised if Satoru is revealed actually to be a mistress son too in the future.

As if to condemn this believe, Heavenly Restriction sometimes manifest in these clan. Touji and Maki are bound with restriction of having reduced curse energy in exchange of superhuman strength. If you think about it, superhuman strength is actually way more effective weapon to be used in exorcising curse than innate curse technique that is usually simpler and weaker. All they need is some cursed tools to use. But of course, old tradition condemns them since barehanded, both Touji and Maki can’t exorcise curses.

Women being lesser than men, bloodline purity and inherited technique obsession, twins being bad omen, and the heavenly restriction being a viewed as a curse rather than a gift -- all of the believe that composed the old tradition is actually more harmful for the jujutsushi society as a whole. Theirs is an industry who is always chronically short-handed, so you would think that if there are more people available to do the job is better. But they don’t think so just because of outdated tradition. And Zenin Naoya is created as the poster child of it. He embodies everything old that Gojo Satoru discards and loathes. 

education as driving force : Kyoto vs Tokyo

Back in vol 0, Getou calls Kyoto to be holy land of jujutsu and Shinjuku, Tokyo to be crucible of curses, where large number of curses can be found.

If we look over the history of these two places, it’s quite reasonable. Kyoto used to be the old capital of Japan, used to be named Heian. As we know, Heian period when Kyoto was designated as Japan capital is known as jujutsu golden age, when jujutsu developed rapidly, curses ran amok, and Sukuna trumped over everyone as the King of curses. We still don’t know where each of Great Families (Osanke) designated locations, but as the remaining of old capital, it is actually not surprising if the Osanke is located mainly in Kyoto, especially the Zen’in and Kamo. This also implies in Naoya speaking Kansai dialect and how Kyoto school shaped.   

The influence of old tradition is prominent in Kyoto Jujutsu school. First, most of the students are somehow connected to jujutsu families. Noritoshi is Kamo clan’s heir. Mai is one of the Zen’in. Momo with her way of speaking seems also to be raised in a jujutsu family. Kokichi has Heavenly restriction which we know is inherited among children of jujutsu clan. Other than them, Toudou and Miwa seem to be not from jujutsu clan, but they are probably admitted because of influence of their mentors - and the two of them have different mindset compared to the rest of the students. 

Second, when the Kyoto principal asked the students to kill Yuuji during exchange meetings, the four agreed to it readily since that’s how their custom dictates. Todo did not like that idea and Miwa is reluctant, but she still goes along. However she then apologizes to Tokyo students via Maki.  

Contrasting to Kyoto school, the Tokyo school is a bit departed from old jujutsu custom. Most of the students are not affiliated with jujutsu families. Maki and Megumi does have Zen’in blood, but the two of them hate the clan and everything it represents. We still have not much information on Toge and Inumaki clan in general. This also applies to students in previous generation too. Nanami, Haibara, Getou; the three of them are not from jujutsu families. Gojou is from one of the Osanke, but he loathes their custom and tradition, which might  be his main motivation to go to Tokyo school. Other than them, we still don’t know about Mei Mei, Shoko, and Utahime.

If I have to name one main characteristics that drive Tokyo school foundation is that they learn. Different from Kyoto whose philosophy influenced largely by traditional value set in stone, Tokyo school learns from mistake, learns how the era changes, learns how jujutsu changes so that they can be more humane, then develops to be an unique entity. This is largely due to Yaga’s influence.

But because of him (Itadori), there are certainly lives that was saved. In fact this time he cooperates with Todo to drive away the special-grade (curse spirit). This is not limited on the students, but after this they will accumulate a lot of regrets. Aah, I should have done that, I wanted it to be like this. Aah, I should have said it, I wanted to say it. 

Whether the decision regarding Itadori is correct, truthfully I don’t know. But for now, how about we watch over him?

Yaga Masamichi is one great educator. Rather than binding them to the existing tradition, he let the students have their own view and act responsibly. This is the wisdom that build the foundation and general philosophy of Tokyo school. And his view influence Gojo, who used to be his student, in teaching the new generation. For example this; when he asks of  Megumi’s opinion of what they should do with Yuuji. And because of it, they bends an existing law to let Yuuji alive; a very blatant opposition to old custom. 

In addition, Gojo rather tends and teaches the new generation despite wants to kill the upper management; this might also largely because of Yaga’s influence. The two of them accumulate the same regret from the incident that makes Getou to stray and learn from it -- and that regret is what shapes the learning and teaching in Tokyo school in the current time.

While the two seemingly cut from the same clothes, Tokyo school can afford to be different from their Kyoto counterpart in their teaching because of several things. First is their location. As the capital was moved from Kyoto to Tokyo, Tokyo’s population grows. More human means more negative emotion, meaning the curses also evolved to be stronger. The reason why Getou called Shinjuku the crucible of curses is because Shinjuku is red-light district, where negative emotion is probably the strongest, making curses found there also stronger than any other place. As their enemy grows stronger, jujutsushi themselves also needs to be stronger than them to be able to exorcise them. In addition, the school is where Master Tengen planted his root so to speak, and they also need the strength to protect him too. They can’t afford old tradition to weaken and hold them back, so the Tokyo jujutsushi’s thinking start to depart from old custom. The second reason is because of Gojo; that in itself is self-explanatory. 

All in all, education as a whole system is not only designed to merely giving knowledge, but also to give the young the necessities so they can develop into a proper member of society. Good education system adapts to the current era and relevant view on the development of society. In the real world, modern society aligns largely with science, so science and its philosophy are integrated as fundamental parts of modern education system. And character building is also important as part of the system -- for example being critical, to be curious and question things, is an important traits to have because human curiosity is what makes us study things we don’t understand and makes science develops in the first place -- subsequently modernize human society as a whole. 

But of course, it’s all not without repercussion. Since old tradition still prevails and holds tightly by the authority, it’s no wonder that Tokyo school is now facing difficulty after the chaos that is Shibuya. 

[deejadabbles]

Vampire Atem/Yami Alphabet Headcanons

Found this list of vamp-themes headcanons by @an-annyeoing-writer and I knew I had to do them for our favorite king-turned-spirit!

For those of you who read my Spells of Defiance series, these headcanons can be taken as 100% canon to that AU <3

A - Accident - would they turn someone to save their life?

Oof, already starting with a hard one. So, Atem is one of those vampires who hates his existence, he believes it’s a curse. However, he does still love and care for people deeply, and he knows that for many, life is sacred even if it’s a cursed life. I think in a moment of weakness, especially in his earlier years as a vampire, he might turn someone just because he’s desperate not to lose them, only to regret his decision later, especially if that someone is like him and hates what they’ve become. We all make mistakes, right?

B - Bite - how do they bite? Sensually, aggressively? Do they make it hurt or try to be gentle?

Atem is extremely gentle when he feeds off of people, always careful not to bite too deep or tear the skin more than needed, he even holds you and tries to soothe you with gentle strokes of his hands. Now, whether he tries to make it “sensual” or at all sexual...that’s a complicated topic. While Atem is almost always disgusted with himself when/while he feeds, he does recognize that there is a level of intimacy and even romance that can be connected with drinking blood, so sometimes he can be persuaded to make it a more sensual thing if you’re his lover. 

C - Control - do they take advantage of their powers?

That depends on who’s in the equation. I can see Atem using his new powers in order to bring justice to those he sees as wrong doers (like his season 0/early manga-self) as a way to make his vampire abilities useful, so from that angle he would “take advantage” of his powers. He might even get some small gratification in using his strength and speed to hunt down evil people, them cowering in fear is retribution for their wrong-doings, but even that’s not too over the top. Other than that, no, he doesn’t really use his powers for advantages over others.

D - Dangerous - how scary they can get? How bad things can they do? What’s their ethics?

So, while Atem does have a very strong moral code, Atem also has a temper, and said temper might be harder to control when he’s a vampire. Even when he’s not growling in anger, he can have this cold glare that could make bikers squeamish. There are moments, especially when he was a younger vampire, where he loses his temper and can get pretty scary. If you’re his loved one don’t worry too much, he would never lose control enough to hurt you, even though his yelling (and maybe throwing a thing or two) is pretty scary on it’s own. If you’re someone he sees a vermin though watch out, when he gets scary you’re probably going to end up dead or wishing you were dead.

E - Exchange - do they opt for blood bags or animal blood, if possible?

He opts for animal blood as often as he can. Sometimes he’ll hunt said animals himself but even that is a little too violent for his liking (Atem is a softie okay?!) so if he can go to a local butcher and get animal blood from them he’ll do it that way. He’s not fond of blood bags because A) they’re harder to acquire and B) having human blood in a cold plastic bag just makes him long for warm human blood and skin under his teeth more. Sure animal blood isn’t as sustaining for him, but Atem spent decades (maybe even centuries) figuring out how much animal blood he needs to consume in order to keep his blood lust under control so he’ll choose that over harming an innocent human.

Also, side note, if you live with him I hope you don’t have a sensitive sense of smell, because he heats up the blood on the stove to make it taste better and it can make the house stinky lol

F - First bite - on what occasion would they bite you for the first time?

Oooh that’s a good one. Like I said Atem has a very complicated relationship with feeding from his loved ones, especially his s/o, and he’s never going to ask you for your blood. So I’d say that not only would you have to offer your blood to him, but he would have to be out of other feeding options at the time. He knows that once he reaches a certain point of hunger he loses control and might kill you in a hunger-induced blood rage, so if drinking from you now, before he gets to that point, prevents that danger, he’d be willing to. Like I said above, Atem would be very gentle with you on that occasion, holding you close and stroking the skin around the bite mark to soothe any pain, and when he’s done he’d kiss the wound and the sore skin around it as amends.

The only other “first bite” scenario I can think of is if you spend months convincing him that you don’t mind (or even like) the occasional bite and finally convince him to drink your blood during an intimate moment, and again he’s very gentle and mindful of not hurting you.

G - Growl - are they more on the “civilized” side or do they enjoy hunting their prey down?

A bit of both, I guess? Since he tries not to drink from humans he’s more civilized in that way, but like I said before he does “hunt” evil people like an avenging dark angel, which he may get some small form of enjoyment from, so... 

H - Hate - how do they feel about their kind? About themselves?

It’s honestly pretty depressing how much self-loathing Atem harbors. He genuinely thinks he’s an abomination. It doesn’t help that in all his centuries of living, he’s met very few vampires who’re “good” like him. He’s also someone who’s on a high horse and if he met a vamp who didn’t kill human’s but also wasn’t self loathing like him, he’d look down on said vampire. I’m warning you now if you fall in love with him, his self-hatred is very upsetting and can be hard to deal with.

I - Intimacy - how fast would they let you close to them? Would they want to share with you what they are?

Surprisingly, I say it’s not that hard. See, even though Atem thinks he’s a monster and tries his best to stay away from people, he also craves companionship and love. Sure, he’s spent several chunks of his immortal life isolating himself in remote woods and tall mountains for decades at a time, but he always returns to humanity at some point. So if you show that you want to be close to him he’ll try to warn you or even scare you away a bit, but it won’t take too long to let you in. And yes, he’d share what he is with you if you started to get close to him, not only as a means to scare you away “before he can hurt you” but also so you know what you’re getting into by being near him.

J - Joke - would they do pranks on other people with the use of their powers?

Sometimes, yes. If he’s close to you, he’ll start to get comfortable and like teasing you, so he’ll do minor things like sneak up behind you soundlessly and jump scare you, or zoom past you to get to something before you and play keep-away. Also, he doesn’t do this one intentionally, but sometimes he’ll be sitting in a dark room, and when you walk in you just suddenly hear this voice calling out to you in the darkness, scaring the crap outta you lol

K - Key - what’s the way of making them open up to you?

Honestly just...continue to shove your friendship in his face. Like I said under “intimacy” he still craves relationships and companionship despite how much he fears hurting people. He may try to push you away at first but if you just continue to hang around him he’ll eventually stop trying to scare you away and start opening up to you little by little.

L - Life - do they wish they were human?

Absolutely. I can see Atem, ever the fixer of problems, spending the first few hundred years searching for a cure for his “condition” not just for himself but for others who view vampires the same way. He often thinks about what his life would have been if he hadn’t been turned, and daydreams about the possibility of becoming human again. 

M - Murder - would they kill someone while feeding? Have they ever done so?

Atem has killed while feeding, yes, but not voluntarily. I’m going with the general lore that vampires, when starved too long, can't control their bloodlust and Atem has killed while in that state. When he wakes with a limp, lifeless body in his arms, he’s a devastated wreck. Hurting innocent people is literally his living nightmare and the idea that his bloodlust can turn him into an animal sickens him. He would spend decades learning how much blood he needs to consume and how often, in order to keep that bloodlust from taking control.

N - Nature - do they justify their doings? Do they consider them natural?

Atem, the self-loathing martyr of a fanged prince, considering his bloodlust natural? LMAOOOO No. No he doesn’t, nor does he ever justify his actions. In fact, he uses the terrible things he’s done to justify why he shouldn’t be loved or even alive.

O - Odd - do they have any specific hobbies or habits?

Our gentle dark prince still loves games and puzzles, I think he’d like modern brain teasers that keep his mind sharp and un-ironically loves the puzzle games printed on the back of sunday newspapers, even though they aren’t hard (for him anyway). If you got close to him and showed him games he never got to play bc they’re multiplayers he’d honestly love you. He’d win most of the time, let's be honest, especially things like Clue, but his expression is just so cute and excited when you play his favorites that you’d lose 1000 times over just to see it.

P - Pain - are they sadistic? Do they enjoy what they do?

Nope. I think you all have the idea by now but Atem is one of the most self-loathing and gentle vampires you’d meet....or at least he’s gentle with you. Other vampires who hurt people for fun? Okay, I can see him being ever so slightly sadistic when dealing with creatures like that, he has no mercy for vampires who’ve embraced their monstrous curse, best you run the other way when he punishes them, else you may actually get a little frightened of him...

R - Roles - do they enjoy pretending to be normal people? How do they feel about leaving their life behind to start a new one?

I wouldn’t say that Atem pretends to be normal, in fact, the only part of his vampirism that he embraces is being an “other”, or rather, the aesthetic of being odd, something that most humans feel uneasy when confronted with. He’d see this as a good tool to keep people he may hurt away from him. He’s no stranger to stalking graveyards/cemeteries, creeping in the shadows in a way that has others scurrying past if they happen to spot him, basically anything that makes him seem creepy and makes others keep their distance. Ultimately it hurts him since he’s unexplainably lonely, but it hurts more to know he may hurt the humans he comes across. On the same note, leaving behind one life for another to avoid suspicion is a double-edged sword for him, while it reminds him how terribly lonely existence is, it’s good to keep those who might’ve grown close to him safe.

S - Scars - do they leave marks or try to make the wounds small and invisible?

If Atem feeds from someone voluntarily (as in, not in an animalistic state), he’ll do everything he can to not leave lasting marks. Leaving marks means more pain and we all know how much he hates causing pain to others. 

T - Turned - how were they turned?

In my fic, Marik turned Atem as a form of revenge, but otherwise, I could honestly see Atem being turned by any YGO villain. I say villain because him being cursed with this life by a villain (like Bakura for example, or maybe another minion of Zorc) kind of goes along with the original story’s need to punish Atem and cast him into darkness for things that ultimately weren’t his fault.

U - Universe - what’s their biggest wish that they can’t achieve as immortals?

Mostly just...being close to people without constantly worrying that he’ll hurt or kill them. I can also see Atem yeaning for the simple pleasure of growing old and dying with one's family. If he fell in love he would crave the ability to just settle down and grow old together. Hell, he’s even one of those morbid romantics who thinks couples dying within days of each other is sweet and wishes he could do that when he loses his lover to old age.

V - Vampire - would they turn you?

Man again with the hard ones! Oof, okay, so...If you asked Atem to turn you, he’d say no, reciting his monologue about how vampires are cursed vermin who shouldn’t even exist, even if you retained your humanity after the turn, he knows the deep reaches of this curse and what it will make you do, and he hates the idea of you going through what he has.

...However, much like in the very first headcanon on this list...Atem makes mistakes and has his weak moments. If your life ended unexpectedly, of you were taken from him suddenly, like attacked or in some fatal accident, he may turn you in a moment of weakness; a desperate need to cling to you taking over his better judgment. He’d hate himself after and the only way he’d ever feel okay with it, is if time proved that you retained your humanity. He would teach you how to control your blood lust so you don’t have to go through half the things he has, and only then would he be okay with what he did to you in his moment of weakness.

W - War - would they engage in fighting their own kind for the humanity’s sake?

Yes! No one even has to ask him, Atem basically thinks the only good thing he can do with his powers is to rid the world of other vampires. He’s basically an avenging angel who’ll hunt down any vampire who threatens a human.

Y - Yandere - would they become dangerous to you (their lover)?

For the most part, I’d say no. Atem is self-aware and emotionally intelligent enough to tell if he ever starts crossing lines into “unhealthy” territory, and if that ever happened, he’d literally run away. He would leave you in order to protect you, no matter how much it hurt. There may be one (literally ONE) incident where he does something to you that crosses the line, but he’d be instantly horrified and remove himself from your life, moving to the other side of the world with no means to follow him, if it meant protecting you from himself. Now the chances of this happening in the first place? Hard to say. I really don’t think Atem is unhinged or even violent enough for it to be likely, but, an argument could be made that after everything he’s gone through, Atem may start seeing you and his love for you in an obsessives, unhealthy way. Again though, even if this did happen he would realize it and run away before it can go too far.

Z - Zombie - are they on their way to losing sanity?

I don’t think so. Atem is as strong (mentally/emotionally) as they come. Maybe eventually, after millennia and millennia of constantly losing loved ones and dealing the the monster he’s become he would start losing his sanity, but that would take a long, long time. 

[shtern-and-art]

"Skeppy will probably cry" "Bad will probably cry". Bish, screw, that I am crying!!!

This whole thing was bloody gorgeous and I wasn't expecting that ending. I had no clue what ending to expect but that was definitely better than any I could have hoped for. Forest spirit to soulmate your honour!

I was terrified that you were gonna leave it at the point where he loses the spirit and becomes mortal again. If you had I would be actively sobbing!!!! And oh my god, the art!!! I still can't get over how wonderful your style is.

Imma ask fun things because if I don't I'll sit in a puddle of emotion all night:

What's the first tech thing Bad will buy and how annoying will he be about it? Poor Skeppy trying to answer 101 questions about something he doesn't really use XD.

Is no one concerned that the odd couple from a town they never name has a pet wolf??

Do they immediately go over to a different town or do they wander for a while. Find hidden creeks and befriend bears?

Does Bad still have a connection to nature and animals, like are creatures naturally more trusting of him?

Do they ever visit the og town again?

Does Skeppy still cause absolute chaos in other towns or has he learnt his lesson and only causes minor trouble now?

Does Bad ever try and study again? If he did what would he study and would Skeppy try to study as well?

Does Skeppy steal? I dunno, he just give off the vibe of a naughty lil trickster who'll pocket something if the owner refuses to sell it him.

Immediately after leaving the forest what the first 'argument' they have (not including the car one)?

Would they ever ride horse? If yes, how terrified would Skeppy be?

Skeppy falls outta tree. I don't know why but my mind keeps telling me that this man has great balance until he climbs trees. They are his mortal enemy and Bad finds this both hilarious and terrifying because he is going to hurt himself.

I had waaaaay more questions than I intended to have. My bad '^_^ but this story was way too much fun to read and you are entirely to blame for making it so engaging!

Make sure to take care of yourself and do stretches after and during drawing. You don't wanna hurt yourself <3

AaaaI’m so glad you liked it! :D And, dang, man, I cried while writing that part too :D

And I promised a nice ending for the main story, I did, and this one also makes the most sense narratively! For the story I wanted to tell, at least. Bad can’t really become human again, he’s changed to much. He can only move on, and do something with what he is, and has. And he did! :D That’s really nice and inspiring, this story will always have a place in my heart, heheh <3

Being a guardian spirit connected to a person and all, Bad may be not as strong as before, but he can’t die unless Skeppy dies first. And Skeppy can do that, but he’s pretty sturdy, and his lifespan operates on a whole other scale than human ones. And Bad knowing Skeppy’s real name balances it all out, makes them equal in the power and influence they have over each other.

So hellyeah, soulmates for the win :DDD

I’ll answer all questions under the cut, and this close up from one of the pages!

1) What's the first tech thing Bad will buy and how annoying will he be about it?

Probably a pager! Because it’s a more feasible thing to get than a wholeass computer Bad actually wanted :D An it means Skeppy will have to get one too, and that Bad will be having the time of his life texting him and everyone he can get a number from, even if they’re still in the room with him.

Poor Skeppy indeed, he can learn to appreciate the pagers, and later phones, too, and computers, but he really has 0 idea on how it all works and why Bad is so fascinated by it all.

2) Rat and regular people

Oh, she can shapeshift, just like Bad! If they’re out with people around, she takes form of a puppy, and Bad can pass her off as a weird mix breed rescue doggo.

3) Do they immediately go over to a different town or do they wander for a while?

Oh, since they have no end destination in mind, they can ride around for a bit, go visit some cool places and roadside attractions. Sadly, Skeppy is probably not spiritually or morally ready to full on befriend wild bears yet, and they do need money for gas and snacks. So, at some point they will have to stop somewhere and find work – at least for a bit, to save up. Life’s gonna be a bit complicated with all that, until Skeppy figures out his treasure-finding abilities :DD

4) Bad and nature and animals

He is definitely still in tune with all wildlife! Even more – Bad could become a proper guardian spirit for Skeppy in part because, in a way, Skeppy himself is part of the nature.

So yeah, Bad can understand animals (and plants) and communicate with them; they’re just more free to not take his shit, and Bad’s emotions do not “possess” them unless he makes an effort to do so.

He doesn’t like doing it, tho.

5) Do they ever visit the og town again?

Hm, I think they will completely forget about it for a while, until, like, 30+ years later they will be going somewhere, and find themselves around those parts. And they try to not appear too often in the areas they’ve spent a lot of time in already (they can be pretty recognizable, and also barely show signs of aging). But it’s been a long time, and the town’s really different now… So they make a stop, and spend a day there. They walk the unfamiliar streets between the new buildings, check out the popular hiking trail, the advertisements for hot springs and winter activities. The old cinema is still there, and is hosting an all-night marathon of classic horror movies of the last century.

Bad and Skeppy leave the town after sunset – the day was nice, but they have nothing more to do there. They ride through the forest on a well paved road, with radio playing something barely above the whisper. And in the dark of hot summer night, Bad can see the white stag running between the trees alongside their car. Shadows dance over the shimmering light of it’s fur.

Somewhere after the towns border, the stag disappears back in the forest. But the air in the car stays light and fresh, saving the smell of old pines and dry leaves all though the night.

6) Skeppy and chaos

Well, after the whole mess in the main story, Skeppy definitely learned some lessons, especially about not being a dick :D

But the thing is – he can’t really help the fact that things tend to stir up around him a lot. He naturally brings in chaos into everything, because he is, in part, a personification, or an outlet for it in the world. And so, to feel, well and good, and himself Skeppy gotta do stuff that disrupts balance, and creates some mayhem. And in gave him a lot of trouble in early life, but in the course of the main story he learned that he can chose were he lets that chaos to take hold, learned what can come of that chaos, apart from utter misery.

Like, where it can help dismantle something destructive, and where – bring in the more positive change, that was already brewing, possible, but is stagnant for some reason.

Soooo, I can’t say Skeppy causes only minor chaos in his life, but he sure learns even more about not being a dick :DDDD

7) The studying

I think Bad will want to get a higher education at some point, because he wanted to, and because it’s already new millennia and all that. Bet he’ll go for something very technical and/or literature. Maybe he’ll start by piking up some classes in small time colleges, when they stop in one place for a while, and later get into an online program, because why not.

Skeppy is not a college guy at all. He’ll listen to Bad talk about it, read textbooks if he wants to, can research stuff, buuut going to classes and doing homework is definitely not his thing.

8) Stealing

Well, you’re right, Skeppy can and will steal stuff out of spite! And will be scolded by Bad for it, and will not feel (that) sorry about it. But real stealer between them will be Bad himself :D

It’s just… he has the corvid tendencies, and a hoard (a box) of sentimental mementos from different people and events, and the thrill of stealing something small and harmless is very exciting. Bad is very proud of his little collection. Skeppy finds it very adorable, a bit hypocritical, and kinda creepy. Like, that pretty box he gifted Bad at some point is now full of stuff like:

- pressed flower from the clearing they had a picnic at on their anniversary

- the button the waitress lost that one day the storm caused a black out in the whole town

- some small animal bones

- couple pretty rocks Bad stole from Skeppy’s pockets

- penny that was once glued to the ground

- a handful of teeth people (and not people) lost in fights with Bad

- pen from some fancy hotel

- rainbow dash keychain that belonged to a child

- the list goes on

9) Argument

Oh, that same day they’ll fight over whether they should stay at the really crappy and suspicious looking motel, or go sleep in a perfectly fine forest near the road. Ironically, Bad wanted to try out the motel (because, yay, first time spending the night back in civilization), and Skeppy was the one insisting on sleeping in nature (because the motel looks like it could give you 10 diseases if you even stand near it, and sleeping in the forest is kind of nice, and means they can cuddle).

10) Horses

The guys will probably ride them at some point. Well, Bad will ride, and Skeppy will sit on his horse and hope it knows what to do and where to go, because trying to make this giant thing do something seems dangerous. If they’ll have to actually go somewhere fast, Skeppy will not survive that day, his butt (and legs) will be dead for days to come.

And riding with Bad on one horse may sound romantic and nice, but all romance dies when the gallop starts.

F.

11) Skeppy and climbing

Skeppy is more down to earth kind of guy, more of a “rocks and caves” kind of creature, real-life lizard person or something. Up on the trees and in the air – not really his element, yeah. But it doesn’t mean that Skeppy will accept this fact easy. The embarrassment of never managing to safely make it down a tree is too strong, he just has to do it all over again, and again. And again. Because, clearly, he was distracted this time. And the time before that Bad was teasing him, and it “disrupted his flow”. And, really, maybe these trees here just do not like Skeppy much, and make him slip a lot. Yeah.

So, more often than not, if Skeppy climbs a tree, he will not stop climbing it until he falls, or the tree ends. Bad had to take him off high branches couple times, forcefully, because, of course, Skeppy was sitting there for 2 hours just to properly enjoy the sunset. He can climb down at any point, he just Choses not to. The view is amazing. The bark is literally part of his skin now, not because he holds on tight, no, he’s just Than Much one with the nature )<

---

Don’t apologize for the questions! It’s always so fun to answer them, and it makes me think more about stuff I may have skipped, or didn’t think about before. It’s really nice :3c

Again, thank you for the ask, and for being here for this story! <3

(And I’ll try setting timers for rest breaks while I draw, mb that will help)

---

In The Dark - masterpost

[olivia-anderson-fanfic]

Satisfied, Part 13

First

Previous

Next

~~~

Her head reeled as she got in the limo that Bruce had prepared to get her home. She’d gotten the Wayne’s numbers. She was allowed to come back any time. She apparently had an honorary bedroom to decorate already.

She fidgeted with the coffee she’d brought from home, still trying to get rid of the nervous energy from the night. It doesn’t matter how much time you have to prepare yourself or how nice the family is, meeting a friend’s family is a nerve-wracking experience.

Her eyes found their way to Tim across from her. He had his head in his hands like he was nursing a headache.

Marinette glanced at her drink and handed it over. “Caffeine withdrawals already?”

He looked up and smiled, taking it before speaking: “It’s not that, but thanks.”

She pouted. “Well, if it’s not that then you have to give it back!”

Tim laughed and took a sip, then his nose scrunched up and he handed it back. “Gladly. What type of coffee is that?”

She shrugged. “Instant.”

“Why?”

“Cheaper.”

His eyebrows knit together. “Do you need any help?”

She rolled her eyes and leaned back in her seat. “Just because I go for cheaper things when I can doesn’t mean I’m broke, it just means that I don’t spend money where I don’t have to.”

“Yeah, but that’s awful.”

“Not if you drink it fast enough,” she shrugged. “Weren’t you adopted, though? Wasn’t there a time where you didn’t have, I don’t know, millions of dollars to sit on?”

His face reddened slightly. “Um... about that... I was kinda rich from the getgo.”

She snickered. “The ultimate rich kid, huh? Does the money stack or can you even tell at this point?”

All he could do was grin before the car came to a stop. She glanced up and realized that it wasn’t a stoplight, she was actually at her place. That was quick. Maybe she should learn to drive.

She smiled as Tim walked her up to the apartment and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “That was fun. Terrifying. But fun.”

He grinned. “I’m glad you liked them. And, now that you’ve met my family, you don’t have to go back!”

“Incorrect.” She stepped inside and slipped off her shoes. “I’m going back every day.”

He groaned. “No, don’t do that. I can only keep you and Damian apart for so long! There’s only so many excuses!”

She walked to her mirror and started pulling bobby pins from her hair. “Don’t even see why you’re doing that.”

“It would be a disaster.”

She gave only a short laugh in response.

“No, really! You guys are way too different to get along, and he’s not exactly the most pleasant person to be around at first.”

Her hair came down in an awkward poof over her head and she sighed as she continued to run her fingers through the mess to try and fix it. “Bet you a coffee that it’ll go fine.”

“A coffee that I would already be paying for?”

Marinette snickered. “Of course,” she said, wiping her face.

“Great.” She could almost feel his eyeroll. “But, seriously, the longer it takes for you two to meet, the better. Maybe I can postpone it until one of you dies stupidly. Preferably him, but.”

She finally turned back to look at him and couldn’t help but snicker. He was still hovering in the doorway, apparently unable to come in without express permission to do so.

“I guess I’ll be stopping by Wayne Manor a lot for the next few weeks.”

“You wouldn’t. I’ll revoke your coffee privileges again.”

She didn’t even blink, rifling through her purse for a few seconds to pull out her phone. He frowned curiously as she pulled up her texts. “Mr. Wayne...”

His eyes widened and he finally came in, if only to try and snatch the phone from her hands. She grinned as she dodged his grab and slid away on her socks.

“Have those rich people not taught you that you shouldn’t wear shoes inside?”

He huffed and slipped off his shoes, tossing them at the door and making another lunge for her. She ducked out of the way and then ran to her kitchen area. But now he was blocking her only real exit. Great plan.

She laughed and tried to still look confident, but her eyes were darting around anxiously for escape. “Just give my privileges back and I won’t send anything,” she cooed.

Tim smiled smugly, apparently aware he had won. “No. I don’t think I will.”

She typed a bit and mumbled along: “Please tell Tim to give me back my coffee privileges.”

His smile dropped as her finger hovered over the send button.

They were at a standstill. She couldn’t really run (well, she could technically hop the counter, but that wasn’t exactly a thing normal people could do). Any slow attempts for him would end in her pressing the button, and any fast ones might startle her into pressing it anyways.

He sighed. “Fine. I really need to stop letting you grab phones... You can come once a week.”

She grinned and let her hand fall to her side. “Twice.”

“I won’t let you in.”

“Jason would.”

He shrugged. “Not if I explained why I was doing it.”

She pouted. “C’mon, pleeeease?”

He looked at the puppy-dog eyes. Big mistake. He groaned and threw his hands up in defeat. “Fine. Fine. Twice a week.”

She grinned and wrapped him in a hug. “You won’t regret it!”

“Definitely will, but...” He smiled and hugged back, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “See you tomorrow?”

She nodded and pulled away. “Of course. You’re paying, after all.”

~~~

Alright comet-kun has won comedy everyone go home--

But yeah I could see that. Imo Jason would probably make a bunch of really bad dating AUs for his siblings because ‘they need to find love SOMEWHERE’ and he has exactly 0 clue why they’re so popular. He never does any about himself and when someone asked why he doesn’t like Red Hood he outright ADMITS to being him. No one bats and eye. Everyone thinks Jason is just a master shitposter and/or vigilante superfan.

~

Taglist

@comet-kun @thatonecroc @trippingovermyfeet @swiftie-miraculer13 @nickristus-dreamer @moongoddesskiana @i-am-ironic @indecisive-mess-named-me @thebooki3h @insane-fangirl-of-everything @deepestobservationwombat @theymakeupfairies @fatimaabbasrizvi @clumsy-owl-4178 @fanofalittletoomuch @iamablinkmarvelarmy @nathleigh @lilkymilky @silvergold-swirl @dino-lovingreen-angel @thestressmademedoit @kissa-chan @ladybug-182 @alysrose-starchild @t1dwarrior-of-earth @spyofthenightcourt @rowanrouge @nik-nak-3 @momothefemur

does anyone know why nik-nak-3 and nathleigh don’t work

[utilitycaster]

Speaking of Halas, it was briefly brought up in the most recent episode that he might've been digging around in the ruins of Aeor some time before he got stuck in the gem, and to me it seems pretty likely: the first thing they found of his other than the Happy Fun Ball itself was some winter weather gear stashed separately (I think) from the rest of the pocket-dimension-thing, which may not have been an intentional hint to Aeor but is interesting nonetheless; what do you think?

In episode 125 he said he hadn’t gone; granted he’s not exactly a trustworthy guy but I don’t see a good reason to lie about this and he did provide what information he knew. I do think there’s a chance he had considered it and may have been preparing, but I don’t think he necessarily went himself. It’s not totally clear how long after Aeor’s fall Halas lived, since he was living in the midst of the calamity, the timeline of which is vague.

I have two separate alternate possible answers:

1. The boring and practical one: he lived on a flying city that at least spent some time floating over what is modern-day Zemni Fields, ie, high altitude and in a cooler region of the world.

2. I think there’s sometimes a hesitancy to incorporate fourth-wall/meta information in theories, but in actual play I think the best theories often at least take it under consideration (and the worst often deliberately do not). We know that Matt did not initially intend the Folding Halls of Halas to stay with the party, but Twiggy gave it to them. We know Matt incorporated the permaheart into the build when the party was frustrated during the Angel of Irons arc and had indicated they were going to see Yussa, and additionally included the notes that became Widogast’s Transmogrification, but had Twiggy kept the ball, those would not be closed-off avenues - they would just be in different places. The fundamental secret of DM-ing is that the DM is frantically shifting the set pieces around from time to time based on what the players want or need while making it seem like consistent, real scenery, and Matt is very good at doing this in game but he’s pretty honest out-of-game that he does it.

So the cold-weather gear in episode 45 very well might have been meant, at the time, as a hint for when the Aeor shoe dropped that Halas could be a resource,. But in episode 45, I’m sure that while Matt had outlined the character of Essek Thelyss he couldn’t have predicted the Mighty Nein could reliably count on him, or the Dynasty at all, when they finally got to Aeor. He didn’t know how exactly the Aeor arc would happen nor precisely when. So any theories I have need to incorporate the simple fact that sometimes, Chekhov’s Gun shows up in episode 45 and actually doesn’t really mean anything, because the first act was assuming a very different second act and the use of the Chekhov’s Gun metaphor when discussing actual play is a very tricky thing. Which is to all say: the cold weather clothes were just a *Tim Curry voice* Red. Herring.

I already got pretty off topic above (something something Clue The Movie jokes something something “too late”) but I wanted to add one more thing which is that Halas interests me less as any sort of plot hook or resource, even though he could indeed become one if someone gets possessed, or if Yussa is rescued and decides to go 0 for 3 on resisting wizardly temptation, and more so as worldbuilding. I can only explain this by bringing up the Neal Stephenson book The Diamond Age, a post-cyberpunk classic I love very very much. It famously opens with a chapter describing an almost ridiculously stereotypical tough guy loner fringes of society archetypal character of the cyberpunk genre, follows him as one of a few early viewpoint characters, and then (minor spoilers, but not really) he gets killed within the first 50 pages. The point of that exercise is to indicate that this is post-cyberpunk instead and the story isn’t about him.

To me, Halas is in a way, playing a similar role. He’s a powerful mage involved in politics, some form of immoral or amoral, doing all kinds of necromancy and pursuing immortality...and he’s literally crystalized and stagnant. I mean, it’s not terribly subtle - the previous campaign ended with the defeat of Vecna, god of being a wizard who does immortality shenanigans.

I don’t, to be fair, know if this is deliberate, but we’re currently in a story where elements of the Age of Arcanum may come back depending on what goes down in Aeor (Devexian being merely one of many potential hooks/causes) and the impact it might have on the arcane is fascinating, and Halas helps set that stage.

[raysofcrosby]

NOW THAT I FOUND YOU – M. BARZAL

requested: yes | no

warning(s): cursing, slight mentions of sex, but other than that, nothing.

word count: 5,868

authors note: welcome to my new series :) i have no idea how long this is going to last, but i’m pretty excited for it. so, first things first, considering what i have planned for the character of jeremy, i didn’t want to use a real rangers player. so jeremy is a fictional dude on the team. i think that’s it for now, i’m not really sure what else i can think of about this series. so, oh well, enjoy :)

my masterlist | stuff i have planned | who i’ll write for | requests

"I can't take it anymore!" Tito said, storming into the locker room and stomping his way over to his cubby. "I am literally going to take her to the Brooklyn bridge and throw her into the Hudson."

Mat looked up from his skates and over at his best friend as he plopped down into his cubby, huffing, and puffing as he got undressed. He looked over at Anders, who was looking at Brass...the three of them all sharing confused looks at their locker neighbor. "Uh, you okay over there Tito?" Anders asked, looking at Mat for at least the slightest hint as to what he could be rambling on about.

"No clue," Mat mouthed, shrugging his shoulders and looking back down as he continued to tie his skate.

"No, I'm not okay," Tito tossed his sweatshirt into his cubby and stepped out of his joggers. "Does anyone want a newly 22-year-old female college student? Because I have one and I'm not opposed to passing her off before I result to murder."

"I'm pretty sure that is illegal, buddy," Jordan said, walking by and patting him on the shoulder. "Both are, actually. Like, highly illegal."

"Oh, God Tito," Matt said, coming out from the bathrooms. "What are you bitching about now?"

"She ironed my underwear." Tito tugged on his pants over his compression shorts and sighed, shaking his head.

"What?" Mat laughed, reaching behind him and grabbing his compression shirt.

"Y/N...she ironed my underwear," he stood up and turned towards his cubby, pulling a pair of ironed boxers out of the duffle he had carried in with him and turned back towards the guys. "I went to grab a pair this morning and I was greeted with this! They're stiff, feel powdery and quite frankly smell like shit–"

"Are you sure that's the soap and not just your horrible hygiene?" Matt joked, tossing a water bottle at him.

"Manchuk...Matty," Tito smiled, turning in their direction. "How do you two feel about having a live-in nanny? Her cooking skills are subpar unless even worse if the recipe comes off of Pinterest. She consumes more wine than water– but she's great with kids."

"I'm just finding it hard to believe your only problem with Y/N is the fact she ironed your underwear," Jordan said, shaking his head. "What's the catch?"

"Yeah, there's got to be something else that has you considering pre-meditated murder," Matt chimed in with a loud laugh.

"I NEED TO GET LAID, all right?!" Tito yelled, tossing his ironed pair of boxers back into the duffle bag. "I need to have hot, drunken sex with a stranger who lets herself out in the morning! I need to get laid so fucking bad, but I can't do it with my sister in the room across from mine! It's gross."

The locker room was silent as his teammates just stared at him. Mat wanted to laugh at his best friend but didn't want to do it at his expense. Sure, he'd been there a time or two, what young guy in his 20's hasn't. But never had he yelled about it to his teammates in such an exaggerated fashion. "Have you thought about telling her that?" Mat asked, grabbing his practice jersey and sliding it on over his head. "Y/N's pretty reasonable, I'm sure she'd agree to go to a friends or something for the night."

"Oh yeah, let me just go ahead and tell my little sister, 'hey, do you mind getting out of the apartment for the night? I need to get my dick sucked. Thanks, don't tell mom!'" Tito sat down to put on his skates, giving Mat a sarcastic look. "Does that sound good to you, Barzy?"

"I don't know about Barzy, but that sounds great to me," Matt laughed as he tied his pants. "Why is she staying at your place? I thought she was in Uni? Doesn't she have a dorm?"

"Nope, she followed her doucheface of a boyfriend down here and he convinced her to stay in his apartment instead of getting a dorm." He stood up and reached into his locker, grabbing his practice jersey. "Next thing I know, she shows up at my door crying, saying they broke up and she's been at my place ever since."

Mat remembered that night. He and Tito were pre-gaming, finishing off their drinks, and waiting for the uber to arrive. They were coming off of a high, absolutely destroying the Maple Leafs 5-0 and that high followed them home. Everyone on the team was going out– it was a well called for a celebration, even the guys with families at home. Normally, the team would pregame together before taking ubers over to whatever club or bar they decided to take over for the night. But those who did have kids at home wanted to stop at home and say goodnight to their wives and kids before heading out.

They were talking about whether or not they wanted to wait up here for the uber or wait down on the street when a knock barely made noise about Tito's playlist. Mat thought he had heard something but wasn't sure if he had confused it with the bass or not. So, he brushed it off. It wasn't until a small break in the song when the two of them could hear three rapid knocks, followed by the sound of your voice coming from the other side of the door, did they know that you were there.

Mat was closest to the door, so he was the one who walked over and looked through the peephole. He knew it was you just based on the sound of your voice from when you knocked, but, it didn't hurt to be safe and check to see who was at the door– that way Tito couldn't blame him if he let a random into his apartment. He recognized the hoodie you were wearing, it was the Beauvillier Islanders hoodie that Tito had gotten you for your birthday just this past summer. Mat told him it was a stupid gift, but Tito laughed, saying that it was his way of tricking you into finally wearing something in support of him since you had stopped wearing Islanders gear the moment you started dating Jeremy last fall. A Rangers player you had met on a girls' night out in the city. "A mix of interests" as your excuse, and Tito was bothered that his sister wouldn't wear his team's logo anymore– but instead, the logo on their top rival.

It was a mess, but one that Mat never, ever wanted to get involved with.

But there you were, dripping wet from the thunderstorm that had been hovering over the city from the moment he walked into Barclay to play. You had the hood on your head and you were avoiding eye-contact with the door– but he knew it was you. So, he opened the door with no hesitations, barely getting out a simple hi before you brushed by him and darted down the hallway, a door slamming behind you.

Tito, in true fashion, paused his music and stomped after you, mumbling about how you were just going to stroll into his apartment, that he pays for, and slam his doors without even saying hello. Mat remembered laughing, just because the Beauvillier sibling dynamic was an interesting one. He came back a few moments later, shoving his phone into his pocket and walked over to Mat. He said that he couldn't get much out of you but the fact that you and Jeremy had broken up and he needed to pay the cab driver downstairs $40 for driving you from Manhattan.

Tito was a good brother. He could be a huge pain in the ass, sure. You and he had had more than your fair shares of endless, rigorous chirping fights that most of the time, left Mat standing there just looking between the two of you like he was watching a match. But still to this day, Mat could never understand why Tito didn't seem all that bothered about how abruptly you had walked into his apartment. Tito had you and Francis, and more often than not, always brushed you off as one of the guys thanks to your tomboy upbringing. Mat had a sister and she's dated one too many assholes for his liking, so he could spot it from a mile away.

Your face was swollen and red and he was more than positive that you had cried the entire car ride there.

And you've been living at Tito's ever since.

"I'm serious, I need her to leave," Tito was following behind him as they left the locker room to head out to the rink. "And I can't just kick her out."

"You literally just talked about shoving her into the Hudson," Jordan laughed, shaking his head. "I think you can do something as simple as, 'hey, maybe you should find someone to stay with for a while.'"

Tito just rolled his eyes as he stepped out onto the ice, skating beside Matt. "I'm serious Barzy, I think she's driving me insane."

"It was one incident, Tito," Mat said, shaking his head. "Y/N isn't that bad."

"It wasn't just one incident," they cut the corner, Mat pushing himself ahead. "She almost burnt down my kitchen trying to make breakup cupcakes. She's redecorated my bathroom with bath bombs and make-up, she even got rid of my Shrek shower curtain!"

"To be fair, that's your guest bathroom and that Shrek shower curtain was hideous"

"Regardless! She's slowly taking over my entire apartment and turning it into her...her...her stupid lovesick breakup reno project!" He tossed his arms up in the air, letting them fall back down and almost hitting Brass in the head. "Oops, sorry bud!"

Mat laughed as they cut another corner, shaking his head. "Have you ever tried talking to her?"

"No, because then she'd get her puppy eyes all going and I'd feel like even more of a douche for wanting her out." He huffed, shaking his head. "I need an excuse, something to just...get her out for a few weeks until I can find her someplace to stay for the rest of the year. Then plead with her housing office to find her a dorm."

"I don't know what to tell you, man." Mat said, skating ahead.

"I'll come up with something, I'm sure I can cash in a favor somewhere." Tito sighed, as the two of them joined the rest of their team at center ice for stretching.

Mat just laughed, shaking his head at his best friend. Sure, if he was in the same position, it wouldn't exactly be his ideal living situation to have his sister living across the hall– but he definitely wouldn't be as against it. At least, he didn't think so.

~

"I've figured it out."

Mat felt his foot slip against the wet tile and his heart practically jumped out of his chest as the slipping feeling. He held his right arm out, holding himself steady against the tile before ducking his head beneath the shower head, letting the conditioner rinse from his hair. He looked over his shoulder to see Tito standing at the opening of the shower area, freshly showered with a towel wrapped around his waist. "Yeah, can we not talk about this right now?"

"I'm just letting you know, I figured it out." Tito smiled, nodding before walking away from the shower.

Mat shook his head, spitting out some water before turning off the water and grabbing the towel he had hung up just to the right. He wrapped it around his waist, shaking his head as he ran his fingers through his hair to get all of the excess water out. He almost dreaded making his way back towards the locker room. Tito had been pestering him all practice, trying to make him come up with ways he could kick you out.

Fake an insect infestation? No, then he'd have to leave his apartment too.

Figure out a way to get some flooding in her room? But then he'd have to hire someone to clean up all of the water.

Every outrageous idea possible had crossed his mind and Mat had to listen to it for the entire practice. As if the practice itself hadn't been draining on him, listening to him go on and on was even more.  But, he was playing the best friend role, and did say he would help him on one condition– it didn't involve hurting your feelings.

"Great, you're here, now listen–"

"No to the insects. No to an animal break-in and we already decided that pouring water on her stuff and saying a pipe was leaking wouldn't work," Mat said, sitting down in his locker and looking at Tito. "What in the hell could you have come up with now?"

"Remember how I said I could cash in a favor?"

Mat nodded, standing up and grabbing his street clothes as he turned his back to Tito. "Yeah, did you figure it out?"

"I sure did."

Mat stepped into his boxer briefs and dropped the towel as he picked up his joggers. "All right? And who's the poor sucker?" Tito hadn't replied as fast as he had been and Mat would be lying if he said it wasn't a little concerning. He tugged the waistband of his joggers up before turning to see Tito smiling at him. "What are you looking at?"

"I'm looking at the poor sucker who owes me a favor." He had his classic shit-eating smirk on his face, the kind cameras always zoomed in the moment he checked someone hard.

Mat blinked once, twice, three times before the reality set in. His brain was racing through every recent time he spent with Tito, never once remembering an event where he said that he owed him a favor. "I'm sorry, what?"

"You owe me a–"

"Yeah, yeah, I know what you said," Mat put his arms through his sweatshirt, tugging his down and over his head before running his fingers through his hair again. "But I don't know what you're talking about. When did I ever owe you a favor?"

"When I saved your ass that night at Nest when you were picking up the redhead but that hot tinder girl with blue hair you invited showed up." Tito stood up and walked over to Mat, still smiling. "I performed the perfect, switcharoo maneuver so that the redhead never noticed you took tinder girl home."

"You took the redhead home! How is that helping me?" Mat turned towards his locker and grabbed his phone and Gatorade, shaking his head. "Besides, that was two years ago."

"It was a win for both of us! You didn't get totally bitchslapped in the club and I got laid," Tito followed behind him, staying on his heels. "It may have been two years ago, but you still said, 'Tito, man...I owe you one.'"

"I don't–"

Tito cut him off, standing in front of him as they stood in the hall. He crossed his arms, his smile falling from his face. "And now I'm cashing it in. You're helping me get Y/N out of my apartment."

Mat rolled his eyes, resting his hands on his hips. "And how exactly am I supposed to help you with that? You've literally exhausted every plausible option." When Tito didn't come up with a reply, Mat just shook his head and brushed by him.

"I've got an idea bro, I swear," He jogged up behind him as they walked out of the arena to head towards the parking lot. "But, you're probably not going to like it."

As the crisp fall air greeted them, Mat could hear the voice in the back of his head telling him not to entertain Tito. A gut feeling deep inside that this wasn't going to work out– none of Tito's ideas ever worked out. "What is it?"

Tito hesitated, unsure just how his best friend would reply. Sure, he's had plenty of other crazy ideas before– but this one might just be way out there. But he didn't care, he was a young, physical and thriving man in his early 20's– and at this point, he didn't care about logical reasoning. He just desperately needed to get laid. And if that meant brushing his sister off onto his best friend, he'd do it.

"You're going to pretend you're utterly heartbroken from some break up and can't be alone–"

Mat stopped in his tracks, whipping around to Tito with wide eyes. "Dude what the–"

"Y/N is a total empath and when I tell her all about your emotional turmoil and that I don't know how to help, she'll no doubt step in. Then I'll just figure something out to keep her out of my apartment and boom, problem solved."

"Problem not solved!" Mat yelled, waving his hand at Tito. "Your problem literally has about a million plot holes in it!"

Tito closed his eyes and took a deep breath, sighing before opening them and looking at Mat. "I'm going to need you to hear me out before you say no– which, may I remind you, isn't an option anyway."

Mat took a deep breath and sighed, knowing damn well that somewhere down the line, he'd regret this very moment he even gave Tito the chance to explain. Even his initial explanation seemed so fucking stupid that there was no way it could ever work out. But maybe, if he allowed him to explain, he'd realize just how unrealistic his plan was, and just drop the entire idea then man up and tell Y/N to stay with a friend. "Fine," he stopped at his car, unlocking it so Tito could get into the passenger seat. "But you're buying lunch."

~

This was such a bad idea– he knew it would be. From the moment the suggestion left Tito's mouth the first time, Mat knew it wouldn't work. There's no way it could. Hell, even Liana said it was when he called her for advice after his lunch. And as far as common sense goes, he likes to think that Liana has a lot more

Tito's plan stayed the same– Mat was supposed to play brokenhearted and after lunch, the two of them would go over to his apartment, where you would be home from class. Tito would comment on how Mat 'hasn't been the same' and make a joke about how the two of you should just live together in your misery. You, the empath that you were, would take an interest in Mat's "broken heart" and offer to help in any way. Tito, knowing Mat was actually in the middle of turning the third guest bedroom in his apartment into a man-cave/gaming room and how much you love decorating, I.E. his bathroom, would suggest that maybe you could help him with that too.

It wouldn't work, Mat was convinced of that from the moment the entire idea left Tito's mouth. He'd known you almost as long as he knew Tito, meeting you the summer after the 2015 IIHF World U18 Championship. You were only a year younger than them both and for the three weeks that Mat had stayed with your family, he felt like he got to know you pretty well. You guys weren't best friends by any means, but you were definitely good friends. Your friendship growing when you decided to transfer to Fordham and when you weren't hanging out with Jeremy or your classmates, you were with Tito, Mat, and their teammates.

Needless to say, he was confident walking into the apartment knowing that there was no way that you would fall for this horrible excuse. You wouldn't leave your room in Tito's apartment to come and stay with Mat because he was "too brokenhearted to function." But leave it to Tito to think that you would fall for it. He tried not to break character, he really did. But how the hell was he supposed to pretend to be brokenhearted from a failed relationship, when he's never felt that?

He's had relationships before, sure. Break-ups? Absolutely. But none so bad that he felt like he wanted to drink himself into a slumber or just hide under the covers for the rest of time. He had outlets to get out any negative emotion. He had hockey and he had the boxing classes he attended with Tito every now and again. Besides that, he never had strong feelings for someone to the point where he was feeling what you were feeling.

As predicted, you had agreed to go with Tito and Mat over to Mat's apartment to see just what he had to deal with. He felt a twinge of guilt when you started to ask the simple questions:

How are you feeling?

Do you want to talk about it?

What happened?

He and Tito hadn't gotten that far in the plan– creating a backstory, which should have been another sign that this was never going to end well. So, on the ride to his apartment, he just stuck with short answered replies– "fine" "not yet" "it's still too soon." And he wanted nothing more than to smack Tito in the passenger seat, who was trying his damndest not to laugh.

When they got to the apartment hours later, Mat led you to the third guest room, showing you just everything he had. In a corner on tarps, he had three cans of paint, all unopened and a bunch of painting supplies. In the middle of the room, boxed furniture he'd been too lazy to move. He was barely focused on what you were saying when he felt his phone vibrate and saw Tito nodding at him.

Tito: see? i told u. total diy/renovator. you could get free labor out of this.

Mat: one problem there, bud. she doesn't seem too keen to get out of your apartment. all she's done is offer to take me to lunch for the next week to 'talk about my feelings'

Tito: okay? go talk about your feelings.

Mat: I DON'T HAVE ANY FEELINGS

Mat: I DON'T HAVE A RECENT EX-GIRLFRIEND

"Are you two okay?" You asked, almost scaring the two boys. Mat shoved his phone back into his jacket pocket, staring at you with wide eyes. You had an eyebrow raised and looked awfully suspicious of them both.

"Do you guys want dinner?" Tito asked, already heading towards the door. "I can order some pizzas from down the street."

"That's okay," You said, following him towards the door. "I've got this new enchilada recipe I wanted to try and–"

"No!" Tito couldn't be any less obvious that he didn't want you to follow him, his raised voice causing you to step back and look at him in shock. "I uh, I mean...I already ordered them. Barzy and I talked about it...right?"

Mat glared at Tito, wishing deep down that this plan would fail, but knowing that he couldn't leave his best friend out to dry. "Yeah...we did." He turned to you, crossing his arms. "Hope that's okay."

"No, it's fine," you replied, nodding. "Pizza is good."

Tito clapped his hands together and smiled. "Great, I'll be right back!"

He couldn't have run out of the apartment any faster, leaving you and Mat there standing in the middle of the room. This wasn't part of the plan and Mat was pissed. He stared at the door, contemplating telling you about your brother's ulterior motive to all of this– but it wouldn't hurt Tito...it would hurt you. So he decided against it and turned to you, sighing. "We can go wait in the living room for him to come back."

You nodded and followed him out of the guest room, walking down the hallway. "Can I have something to drink?"

"Water? Wine?" He asked, waving you over to the couch as he stopped in the kitchen. "Tequila?" God, how he wanted a drink. At least it might alleviate the headache Tito's antics were causing.

"It's Monday," you laughed, leaning against the back of the couch. "I guess I could go for some wine."

"White or Red?"

"You have both?"

He laughed, turning around and placing two unopened bottles– one of each. "My mom likes red, I like white. It's her leftover bottle from when she was here a two weeks ago."

"I'll take a glass of white, thank you."

He nodded, putting the bottle of red back into the fridge before moving towards his cabinets and opening the drinking glasses– reaching up to the top and grabbing two wine glasses. When he turned back around, he looked over at you, ready to say something, but he stopped.

You were still leaning against the back of his couch, left arm draped across your stomach as the other held onto your phone. You were chewing on the inside of your cheek, your eyes glued to the screen. He normally wouldn't think anything of it, except for the look on your face. Even from where he was standing, he could notice the frown and the way that your eyebrows were burrowed towards each other. He noticed your fingers on your left hand were fidgeting, plucking at your Fordham long sleeve. Everything about you standing there was just...small, quiet– radiating energy that said, 'I don't want anyone to see me.' Which, in all of the years that he knew you, was the complete opposite of who you were.

He couldn't help but wonder what the hell Jeremy did to screw you up this bad.

He poured your glasses, putting the cork back into the bottle, and made his way to you. You were so lost in your phone, that it wasn't until he cleared his throat, that you realized he was standing there.

"Oh," you stood up a little straighter, putting your phone into your front pocket before taking the wine glass from him. "Sorry, I was just..."

"No need," he said, waving you off. "I don't need an explanation." He walked around the couch and sat down, nodding at you to join him.

You sighed, taking a sip of your wine before sitting down beside him, sinking back against the cushion. "So, Tito hasn't tried taking you to a strip club to help you out of your breakup funk?"

Mat laughed, his head leaning back against the cushion. "No, he hasn't," he took a sip of the wine, tilting his head to the side. "I don't think he'd leave if he did."

"He tried to offer to drop me off at that knockoff Magic Mike, two days ago." He looked at you like you had two heads, his mind spinning in circles at just how long Tito has been trying to get you out of his apartment. "It didn't work, it's not my scene."

"Male strippers?"

"Male strippers that aren't the cast of Magic Mike," you joked, laughing softly as you stared down into your wine. "I don't know, I just haven't really been in the mood to do anything besides go to class and sleep."

He wasn't sure how to reply. Even with Liana, he'd never really been that open with talking to her about his relationships or hers. That was a no-touch topic in their siblingship– only ever talking about it, just to say that they were seeing someone new. Never what happened during or after. Not to mention, he was supposed to be like you, heartbroken. He tried to copy your mannerisms– slumped into the couch, relaxed face– he even went as far as to try and tell himself to copy the tone in your voice.

But all he felt was guilt for playing into Tito's scheme and a genuine need to talk to you about what happened. He just didn't know how to go about it.

Your phone rang before he could ask you the dreaded 'how are you feeling' question, and you sighed, digging your phone out of your pocket and putting your wine glass down on the table. "What, Anthony?"

Mat held back his laughter as he took a sip of his wine. One thing was for sure, your attitude towards your brother hadn't changed from pre-breakup. He looked at you, your eyebrows knitted together as you brought your hand up to your forehead, rubbing it. "What do you mean? Is my stuff–" you sighed, closing your eyes. "No, you won't get electrocuted if you–"

He reached out, bumping his elbow against yours and raising an eyebrow. "Everything okay?"

You looked at him, shaking your head as you pulled your phone away from your ear. "He forgot his wallet at home and went back to the apartment– I guess something leaked and my bathroom and room are flooded."

Mat had to act like he was surprised, but if anything he was pissed. This was the one scenario that they didn't agree on– simply because it wasn't fucking plausible. "Well have you talked to him? Maybe there's–"

Your head fell back against the cushion and you closed your eyes, sighing. "I didn't leave a faucet on, I didn't even go into my bathroom before we– can you stop interrupting me?"

He could hear Tito rambling on through the other side of the phone, no doubt barely giving you time to talk because he didn't want you to fill in the gaps of his fake story. "Well, where am I supposed to go?"

Mat chewed on his bottom lip, bringing the glass up to his lips as he knew this was when Tito was suggesting that you stay with him. He couldn't look at you because the guilt was taking over. He could tell you were stressed and obviously, Tito hadn't been exaggerating at just how bad you were after the breakup with Jeremy. And if he looked at you any longer, the guilt would swallow him up and he'd cave in and tell you everything.

"No, I'm not asking–" you sighed, taking a few deep breaths and exhaling before speaking again. "Because Anthony, it's rude! "

Mat felt like reaching over and grabbing your phone, ending the plan then and there. But again, he knew that the Beauvillier sibling dynamic was a lot different than any other one. Tito knew when to stop pushing, you were his sister after all. So, he sat next to you, sipping on his wine and waited for you to ask the question they'd been pushing you to do all along.

"Can you just...ask, please?" His eyes went wide the moment he heard the emotion in your whispered reply. "I can't just...move everything, I don't even have everything. It's all at Jer–" you stopped yourself, sitting up and hunching over, resting your head in your free hand. "And he said that's all that was available?"

He kept sneaking looks at you from the corner of his eye, trying to gauge whether or not the emotion in your voice was leading to tears. He brought his phone out of his jacket, opening to type a message to Tito.

"Fine, I'll...I'll just ask," he froze as you turned to him, holding your phone away from your ear. "Hey Mat?"

He placed his phone face down and away from your sight of vision you couldn't see that he was about to send a text to Tito. "Yeah?" Yikes, that wasn't casual enough. "What's up?" Better.

You were holding back tears and for the first time, he could see the dark circles beneath your eyes, still peaking out from whatever make-up you had put on that morning. Yeah, this plan wasn't good– this on was definitely a punch in the gut. "Do you think I could stay here? I don't have much and I–"

"Yeah, no," he cleared his throat. "No, I mean yeah...you can. I've got the guest bedroom."

You nodded, looking away from him and brought the phone back up to your ear. "There, happy?"

Oh, you have no idea how happy Tito was, was all that Mat could think as he brought his phone back out. "Can I at least come and get some stuff to– Yeah...okay. Yeah, see you."

You hung up the phone and your head fell back against the cushion, eyes closed. Mat looked at you, wondering whether or not he should dare to see if you were okay. He started to reach a hand out to nudge your arm when his phone vibrated.

Tito: IT WORKED! I'M FREE!

Tito: well...at least for the next week i am. i’ll need to figure out another excuse for the extra week i guess.

Mat: dude...i don't think this is a good idea. y/n's like...really emotional right now.

Tito: AND I'M GOING ON A TWO WEEK DRYSPELL.

Mat: okay, get laid tonight and let her come back.

Tito: nope. i'm using all seven days of this time and look on the bright side, now you'll get the guestroom done faster than you planned.

Mat: are you at least coming back with the pizza?

Tito: no, just her clothes. caroline is coming over in an hour.

He laughed in disbelief, shaking his head as he looked at you– still lying in the same position from when you hung up the phone.

Mat: dude, you so owe me one.

Tito: 👍🏻

Mat put his phone back into his jacket pocket and turned to you. He was sure that the movement on the couch would have been enough to get you to open your eyes– but you didn't budge. He reached out and nudged your arm and you opened your eyes and turned to look at him. "What do you think about Chinese?"

"Let me guess, he's not getting the pizza?" You asked, drained of any energy.

Mat bit the inside of his cheek, shaking his head. "No, he said they were packed," the lie was a lot better than telling her the truth. "If you're not feeling Chinese, we can go to Chipotle?"

"I don't know," you sighed, picking up the wine glass and taking a long sip. "Do you think we'd miss him?"

Not in a million years. Even if they did, he'd just drop the bag of belongings in front of Mat's door, no doubt.

"I'll buy you a large guac and a large queso," He smiled, shrugging his shoulders. "Free of charge."

"You had me at large guac." You looked at him and then back at your wine glass, downing the rest before placing it back onto the table and turning towards Mat. "Besides, he's the one who didn't bother to offer me the couch in the new 1 bedroom he'd be staying in until everything is fixed. He can wait a few extra minutes if we're not back in time."

Mat just nodded, standing up with you and playing into your mood. "Yeah, fuck that guy."

You laughed, and for the first time since he walked into yours and Tito’s apartment...he saw you smile. He felt proud of himself for being able to cheer you up in some way. And maybe, he thought, if Tito wasn't going to look out for you...he could.

It was only for seven days, how bad could it be?

[littlx-songbxrd]

Oh dear I'm late for the party but-

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

You always seemed to me like that big, incredible blog and I always love seeing a post of yours on my feed! That's why I'm astonished, I thought you have around 1000 followers or something, that's how talented and big I think your blog is 😂🙈

What's with ☀️ about Thomastair, 🌱 and.... 📘?

Again, congrats on 300 followers!!!! You deserve them and so much more!!🥳🥳

BTW, What is the chance your particular interest in Puerto Rican history is because of my love and regard, RARA? I learned about Puerto Rico myself because of her!

DO YOU WANT ME TO CRY ON THIS VERY FINE NIGHT BECAUSE I WILL-

I VERY MUCH WILL

THANK YOU SO MUCH AND ILY AND IDK WHY YOU THINK IM TALENTED BUT THANK YOU AND I DONT HAVE WORDS AND PLS JUST ACCEPT MY VERY TIRED RAMBLING❤

You know what Im so touched you get two memes because yeah I can do that

📘= hold on tight im tired enough to share my weirdest tlh theory (that MigHt make sense)

Elias is going to turn out to be the serial killer at some point, since he's under belials influence, and Alastair is gonna be framed or suspected of him being the killer at some point in the book. Personally believe Elias is only gonna be one of the people Belial influences into the muders, but hes gonna be one of the killers none the less. Everuthing about him is fishy, hes been gone for a few months, no one knows of him, and suddenly he comes back and murders start up again. I dont trust him, and I think he'll be the killer. Theres also some foreshadowing of this through Cordelias name, sense she does share a name with the hero of a story with princesses and a king who goes mad. But thats for another day.

Now on to Alastair being framed. I have 0 clue for this rather than overthinking his tarot card, Elias cut out and CCs twitter All the tarot cards have been made to depict smth that might actually happen in choi but his. His is the only one who depicts the card the way the actual tarot is supposed to look like. And even then the tarrot card only binds the feet, not the hands. Alastair is binded with both feet and hands, and his hand are binded to seraph blades, the murderers suspected weapon in the prologue. In the back of my mind I've always wondered if this may be because CC is trying to trick us that its metaohorical, when its as literal as all the others. Also his spears make a target in his back. Something that reminded a lot of the broken spear in Elias cut out. Tbh I would have let it go if not for Elias cut out.

Everything feels way to convinient. The broken spear, the dagger in Elias cut out that shows up on Alastair Chain of Iron card. The fact everytime CC refers to "impossible" things whenever talking about Alastair

Its insane but this is what I think, Elias is gonna use one of his sons weapons while possesed and leave it in the crime scene. They'll find the weapon, trace it back to Alastair and blame him. Thats what all the symbolism is for

🌱= Over quarantine I was really bored and decided "jaja why dont I form a club". Itd look good on my college applications, and I was really bored so I started making propositions and pushing the school board for it. It was all fun and games until....it got approved. I am now president of my schools first Language and Cultures club, as of right now we are learning Portuguese and Brazilian culture

So Como vai?

Also jaja my love for Puerto Rican history comes from being puertorican myself🇵🇷 (boricua como el coquí) but reyna is godtier

ALSO YOU KNOW ABOUT OUR HISTORY???? WAIT REALLY??? OMGOMGOMGOMGOMG IF YOU EVER WANNA TALK TO ME ABOUT IT PLS I LOVE TALKING ABOUT IT

[genlirema]

Can you give me some of your headcanons for AZ and N

Aight buckle up kids we’re going for a bumpy ride (i.e. this is just me scrambling for random headcanons off of the top of my head with 0 coherent thought process behind them excuse the sporadicness also I like to use the ❤️ emoji for AZ and the 💚 emoji for N cuz I used to do that a while ago when I had a rp blog for them)

❤️&💚 AZ and N do not get along well. This could be due to N’s overconfident demeanor, which reminds AZ too much of his younger brother, whom he also didn’t get along well with. N makes it very clear whenever they met who’s the “real” king between the two, and needless to say, this is rather annoying to AZ. It would take a long while, probably years before they decide to reconcile and be friends…If they decide to do so.

❤️&💚 Both AZ and N lost their mother when they were young: N was separated from his mom at birth while AZ lost his mom after she gave birth to his younger brother.

❤️&💚 Ironically, despite both being wandering travelers/vagabonds, the two rarely cross paths with each other, if ever. This, again, could be due to how much they don’t like each other.

❤️&💚 While N’s boastful, loud, and quick-talking personality may starkly contrast AZ’s quiet and slow demeanor, deep down the two are both very similar, as both can get overwhelmed by their emotions/are pretty big softies. AZ may be slightly better at controlling his emotions, but not by much.

💚 My headcanons for N’s personality may be…unorthodox? From what the fandom usually deems him to be? Whenever I write for N, I typically give him an overconfident personality, constantly giving himself praise whenever possible. However, this overconfidence is actually a farce: He’s fully aware that he’s not as great as he claims to be and merely does it to “feel human”, as he would say. In truth, N believes the lies Ghetsis told him of being a “freak of nature” and is merely masking it behind a “high and mighty” persona in a vain attempt to feel like he’s human.

💚 Naturally, being separated from his mother at birth meant that N has no clue what his mother was like. This may add to his self-loathing and believing that he is “a freak of nature”, since he had no mother figure in his life to relate to. Not even Concordia and Anthea could fulfill that role.

💚 N holds no grudges against Ghetsis and what he did to him. In fact, despite all the lies he told to manipulate him, he cares for Ghetsis deeply. Although, it’s nearly impossible for N to say he “loves” him anymore (or anyone else for that matter) but as he would say, it’s from his lies that he is slowly discovering his own truth and ideals.

💚 Perhaps his overconfident facade could explain why he empathizes with Zoroark the most and keeps him as his most loyal companion. From the moment Ghetsis rasied him as his own, he was taught that humans were deceitful. At least with a Pokemon like Zoroark, he can hear and understand the motives behind masking yourself and making illusions. He can never do that with humans.

💚 Living with Pokemon may also explain why N is not adverse to eating meat. Ghetsis probably raised N to be vegan, and once N learned the truth he stopped that lifestyle.

❤️ AZ’s personality and psyche is much less complicated than N’s. As a wandering vagabond cursed for eternity, he’s naturally more distant, quiet, and aloof before reuniting with Floette. This isn’t out of a fear of making connections/relationships; he simply found no fulfillment in them. Once she reunited, AZ found that fulfillment again, and while he still may keep his distance a bit, he’s more of a wallflower than actively avoiding contact with people. He would have tried connecting with Lysandre first, since he would value those he deemed his family above anyone else, but I can see him regarding the xy protagonist as family too.

❤️ Like N, AZ may not remember much of his mother either, as he would’ve been around 5-7 years old when she died. The only trace of her is from Floette, which was a gift from her. AZ likes to think Floette is a reincarnation of his mom…even if she can be a bit sassy at times.

❤️ AZ does not remember his birthday, so he would joke that his birthday is on New Year’s Day since he is “the beginning and the end”.

❤️ As king, AZ was pretty much a spoiled brat. This could explain his irrational decision to create the Ultimate Weapon after Floette’s death, as he wasn’t much of any help during the 3000 year war. In fact, his brother was the tactician calling all the shots.

❤️ That weird painting of AZ in…that one castle whose name escapes me at the moment? That’s not him. That’s a random king in France who just happened to name himself after him. AZ is not aware this painting exists, but he may get a good laugh out of it if he were to see it.

[rowaning]

The Complete Fiction of HP Lovecraft rated by me, someone who read them all* but has a terrible memory

The Beast in The Cave: uh a guy goes on a cave tour and finds a creature that was like a human that got lost and adapted to its surroundings. 0/10 just because im pretty sure there was another one with this exact premise and neither of them were memorable at all.

The Alchemist: dude achieves immortality and lives in the narrators basement and has pledged to murder his entire lineage or something. 4/10 the alchemy stuff was actually kind of interesting

The Tomb: im pretty sure this is the one where a guy starts hanging out in a tomb and like travels back in time/becomes one of his ancestors? 5/10 if its the one im thinking of i did enjoy reading it

Dagon: guy lands on a mysterious island with signs of a long dead civilization. 1/10 i do not remember what happened in it

A Reminiscence of Dr. Samuel Johnson: 0/10 i have no memory of this

Polaris: also 0/10 i forgot all about it

Beyond the Wall of Sleep: could be any of the dream focused ones. if its the one about the dude sailing into the void or whatever than 4/10 not too bad

Memory: ironically, i dont remember it. 0/10

Old Bugs: 1/10 for the title god i wish i remembered this one

The Transition of Juan Romero: i got nothing. 0/10

The White Ship: this might also be the one about the dude sailing into the void? i liked that one he lived in a lighthouse and boarded a dream ship and just fucking left it was fun. 4/10

The Street: uh i think really steep street that didnt actually exist. 3/10

The Doom that Came to Sarnath: i wanna say another one of the dream centered ones where a town discovers some old relics and blatantly disrespects them and gets exactly whats coming to it. 5/10 they deserved what they got

The Statement of Randolph Carter: ok this dude shows up several times. i think this one is about how he returns to his childhood home then travels back in time and creates a time loop paradox thing. 1/10 meh

The Terrible Old Man: uh some thieves harrass a weird old guy and get got. 5/10

The Cats of Ulthar: someone is mean to a cat in a dream city, all of the rest of the cats get revenge and are revered for the rest of time. 2/10 (-3 because lovecraft has a specific name he gives to apparently every fictional and real cat he encounters and wow i wish he hadn't)

The Tree: i feel like this is something to do with a person becoming a tree but i cant actually remember. 0/10

Celephais: yeah no i got nothing 0/10

The Picture in the House: also nothing 0/10

The Temple: nope 0/10

Facts Concerning the Late Arthur Jermyn and his Family: is this the one where the dude's great grandfather married an ape? i dont think so but im not sure. 0/10, -5/10 if it is that one cause that one was especially shitty

From Beyond: nope 0/10

Nyarlathotep: charismatic dude shows up and is like get in bitches we're going to the void. i love nyarlathotep cause hes the one who directly interacts with humanity and like wears a human suit or whatever so hes just some dude whos like hey im gonna feed you to azathoth 5/0

The Quest of Iranon: got nothing 0/10

The Music of Erich Zann: narrator makes friends with an old musician whos being hunted by supernatural forces. 2/10 because i remember it but it was just ok

Ex Oblivione: 1/10 for the title but i have no clue what it was about

Sweet Ermengarde: lovecraft's sole attempt at comedy. not to my taste like at all 0/10

The Nameless city: nope 0/10

The Outsider: also nope 0/10

The Moon-Bog: sounds cool, dont remember it. 0/10

The Other Gods: dude tries to find the gods of humanity where they live on a big mountain, actually finds them, is immediately smited by the Other Gods who protect the gods of humanity. 3/10 he deserved it

Azathoth: dont recall, 0/10

Herbert West- Reanimator: Arkham man Herbert West and his assistant ressurect the dead with little thought to the consequences, then get murdered by a band of said resurrected dead. 5/10

Hypnos: nope 0/10

What the Moon Brings: also nope 0/10

The Hound: still nope 0/10

The Lurking Fear: again, nope 0/10

The Rats in the Walls: dude returns to his ancestral home, hears rats, excavates the basement and finds out that his ancestors ate human flesh, eats his friend. 1/10 it was an interesting read but can lovecraft please stop calling cats that.

The Unnameable: no clue 0/10

The Festival: nope 0/10

*Under the Pyramids: ok im pretty sure this is the one with houdini which is the only one i could not read. i went into this mentally prepared for lovecraft's bigotry but i was not mentally prepared for him dropping harry houdini, avid skeptic who absolutely would have beat the shit out of him for this, into the middle of his super racist paranormal horror. -1000/10

The Shunned House: nope 0/10

The Horror at Red Hook: also nope 0/10

He: cool title, no memory of the story. 0/10

In the Vault: wow im bad at this. 0/10

Cool Air: still no 0/10

The Call of Cthulhu: kind of all over the place, there was a thing about artists and then a thing about a cop investigating a cult. 3/10 meh but ill give it a bonus for being a staple of horror fiction.

Pickman's Model: uh artist sees some wild shit and draws it and then it eats him. 2/10 i forget the details

The Strange High House in the Mist: if this is the one im thinking of, dude does a dangerous climb to find a mysterious house and meet the inhabitant who is kind of interdimensional and also being hunted by interdimensional things. also maybe the house eats people? 2/10

The Silver Key: another Randolph Carter one, and i think this is actually the one about him travelling back in time so idk what the other one was. 3/10

The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath: randolph carter goes on a quest in the dream world to find the gods of humanity and ask why they wont let him check out this cool city he can see from his window. lots of action and very wordy and went a lot of different places. 4/10 good read but extremely xenophobic

The Case of Charles Dexter Ward: guy investigates his ancestor who looks disturbingly like him, ancestor comes back to life and kills him and takes his place and a bunch of other stuff happens. mostly a dramatized genealogical study. 3/10 not bad, very suspenseful

The Colour Out Of Space: meteor lands on a farm, scientists get weirded out by it, everything in the area gets weird then dead, alien thing gets enough power from draining nearby life-forms to escape earth. fun twist ending. 4/10 bonus for being one of the better ones, detraction for writing out a 'rural accent'

The Descendant: nope, 0/10

The Very Old Folk: nope again, 0/10

History of the Necronomicon: very dry. fake history of lovecraft's fake book thats super important to a lot of the stories. 0/10

The Dunwich Horror: isolated witchy family has a kid who no one likes that grows up real fast. graphic descriptions of renovation. a horror gets unleashed on the area and the local folklore scholars have to deal with it. 1/10 nothing good enough to counter the xenophobia

Ibid: i remember this one. no idea what it's deal was. pseudo-bibliography? it was weird. 0/10

The Whisperer in Darkness: guy has a correspondance with another guy about local folk legends based on evil crab things. other guy gets straight up replaced by an evil crab thing and first guy doesnt even notice. imagine if you followed up on a scam email and didnt realize anything was up until you saw that the face of the dude you were talking to in person was a mask. 4/10 for the comedy this guy would not last in the internet age at all

At The Mountains of Madness: guy whines about penguins and how awful it would be if there were civilizations that predated humanity. also commits grave desecration. i get hit by the realization that if lovecraft was less of a racist coward he wouldve made a great speculative sci fi author. 3/10 i would love to watch that old asshole get absolutely torn to shreds by the monster fucker community

The Shadow over Innsmouth: Fish People! Leave Them Alone! Or Else! 5/10 the protagonist gets to live the dream by escaping human society and becoming an immortal fish person

The Dreams in the Witch House: dude rents an objectively haunted room, doesnt listen to people trying to help him, gets murdered by a weird rat. later they find a shit ton of bones in the attic. 2/10 meh

Through The Gates of the Silver Key: Randolph Carter transcends time and space, then de-transcends time and space and immediately gets stuck on another planet in the distant past, makes a long and difficult journey back to earth to find that his estate is being divided amongst his heirs. the comedy potential of a man stuck in an alien body dealing with a legal system that has declared him dead is not examined. 2/10

The Thing on the Doorstep: narrator's good friend marries a fish person witch who steals his body. thats basically it. 3/10. at this point im like wow these narrators really refuse to believe the heavily foreshadowed supernatural explanations that turn out to be correct huh.

The Evil Clergyman: dude is in a room. some ghosts (?) show up. dude has a UV light for some reason. Gets his face stolen i guess and just has to live with it. 5/10 for being absolutely buck wild and refusing to explain anything

The Book: nope 0/10

The Shadow Out Of Time: dude gets his body stolen by ancient scholar species. agonizes about it for a while. finds archaeological evidence of said species. finds a book he wrote while living with said species. almost gets eaten by something. 3/10 more cool speculative sci fi but lame protagonist

The Haunter of the Dark: you'd think id remember it bc this was the last one and i read it last night. oh wait, nvm i do remember it. dude finds an old box in a run down culty church and unleashes a horror that then comes and fucks him up. 1/10 meh.

[flowerfan2]

Pineapple Dreams

McDanno, 3k, A03

Summary:  Instead of being away with Catherine, Steve is right here beside him.  This may be the best dream Danny has ever had. 

Danny comes to slowly, immediately aware that something is wrong.  He wishes it didn’t feel so familiar.  At some point, he’s really got to stop getting bashed around like this.  He’s not getting any younger.

He tries to take a deep breath, but everything feels heavy, and any attempt to move his head results in shooting pain.  There are voices nearby but he can’t tell what anyone is saying and each sound lands like a tire iron to his head.  Although he tries, he can’t make himself open his eyes.  Resigned that he’s going to have to wait, and not having any other options, Danny slips back into unconsciousness.

When he wakes again, the pain has faded to a manageable ache.  He holds still, not wanting to make anything worse, and tries to take stock.  He can tell he’s in the hospital, but he doesn’t seem to be hooked up to much, and he’s obviously breathing on his own.  He gingerly shifts his toes and fingers, and, deciding that nothing too awful seems to have taken place, opens his eyes.

“Danny,” a relieved voice breaths out, and then Steve is leaning forward, his face coming into focus in front of his own.  He needs a shave.  “You with me, pal?”

Danny can’t manage a response, but any words are tossed right out of him anyway when Steve leans even closer and brushes a kiss across his lips.

 “Glad you’re back, Danno,” Steve says softly, holding his gaze.  “I missed you.”  Then Steve sits up, straightening his shoulders as if nothing out of the ordinary just happened, and turns to respond to the doctor who has come into the room.

 What the hell is going on?  Danny quickly closes his eyes again and tries to think.  He really doesn’t feel injured and all his limbs are still attached.  Maybe there’s a life threatening bullet hole somewhere he can’t figure out?  Maybe he’s been diagnosed with a fatal disease, or the building’s about to collapse? Terrorists, perhaps?  

 It’s got to be something dire, because Steve does not <i>kiss</i> him.  Sure, he throws an arm over Danny’s shoulder, gives him a socially acceptable bro hug, flashes him those shining smiles, but there has never been any <i>kissing</i> involved. They may be friends, even best friends, but it has never gone further than that, no matter how chummy they are on movie night, not even when there was only one bed in that damn D.C. hotel. Steve’s not interested in him, not that way.  If nothing else, Steve leaving the island to find himself right after Danny got shot had made that abundantly clear.  

 Danny resolves to just play dead (not actually dead, just sleeping, it’s a saying) until he figures this out. He’s a detective, after all, there must be some clues to consider if he can concentrate hard enough.  With this decided, Danny forces himself to relax, and hopes Steve buys it.

 “Hey, buddy, good idea,” Steve says, apparently in reaction to his feigning sleep.  “I’d want to tune out, too, if I had a day like you did.  Today sucked, but you’re okay now.  You’re on the mend.  I’ve got you.  Sleep for a while, you’ll feel better.”  Danny feels Steve’s hand land gently on his shoulder, and it’s all he can do not to shrug it off.  It isn’t like Steve to tease him, not when it matters.

 Danny tries to listen when the next doctor comes in to poke at him, but his brain is still foggy and he can’t focus. He thinks he dozes for a while, safe in the darkness.  It’s much less confusing there.  When he surfaces once more, Steve is still right there next to him.

 This is definitely not normal Steve behavior.  Sure, in the past when Danny has gotten injured Steve will sit at his bedside until he wakes up, but then Steve’s off and running, tracking down the suspect, saving the island from the scumbag of the week.  But Danny’s already woken up once, and doesn’t seem to be at death’s door, yet Steve is still here.  It doesn’t make any sense.

 It must be a dream, Danny decides. He got knocked out, his brain got scrambled, and now he is caught in a dream, a dream where his painstakingly secret crush has turned out to be not so unrequited as he thought.  A dream where his feelings for Steve are returned.

 Danny is considering whether he can convince his addled brain to stay in this dream for a while, to bask in the fantasy sunshine of Steve’s love, and maybe get another one or two of those kisses, when his musings are interrupted by a well loved voice.

 “Uncle Steve, hi, I came as fast as I could, how is he?”  

 What is Grace doing here?  She’s in college, on the mainland.

 “Gracie.  He’s fine.  Don’t worry.”

 Steve’s hand leaves Danny’s shoulder (his hand was still on his shoulder?) and Danny can tell he’s getting up and hugging Grace.

 “Is my dad going to be okay?”

 “Absolutely.”

 “But you said he was drugged.”

 “It only lasts a little while, and he’s already waking up.  Come on, sit with him a minute.  Take my chair.  I’ll go grab a coffee.”  

 Danny is distracted by Grace leaning over him and giving him a gentle hug, and then he realizes he’s alone with her. He shouldn’t feel so hurt by Steve’s departure, Steve was never really here anyway.  

 “Danno, stop faking.  Why won’t you open your eyes?”

 Danny can’t help a small laugh. His daughter is too smart for her own good.  He looks up at her, drinking in the sight.  He may not have Steve, but Grace is as wonderful as ever, although she is looking far too grown up for his tastes.  He supposes dreams are weird that way.

 “When am I gonna wake up?” he asks, realizing as he does that dream Gracie isn’t likely to know the answer any more accurately than Danny himself does.

 Grace smiles and shakes her head. “You’re wide awake now, Danno.”

 “Nah, I’m not,” Danny says indulgently. He doesn’t want to argue with dream Grace, but she’s wrong.  

 “Steve says the drugs will wear off soon.  You’re going to be fine.”

 Danny closes his eyes again.  He loves his monkey like crazy, but he does wish Steve would come back too.  They could all be here together in the dream.  A dream family.  That would be awesome.

 “Danno… open your eyes.  Talk to me.”  Grace can still whine with the best of them, even in his dream.  Too bad.  “I’ve got to go soon, I can only stay until Steve comes back.”

 Danny squints one eye open. “He’s coming back?”

 Grace grins at him.  “Of course he’s coming back, silly.  Where else would he go?”

 Okay, that’s not a helpful question. Steve has plenty of other places to go, all of them away from Oahu.  Away from Five-0, and his ohana.  Away from Danny.

 Danny presses his cheek into his pillow and pulls an arm up over his face.  He doesn’t like feeling so confused.  Grace is keeping something from him, and so is Steve.  There has to be a reason for the way everyone is behaving. He just wishes dream Steve would return and keep him company until Danny’s brain clears up and he can return to reality, whatever it might be.  He’d be fine with being best friends again, especially if Steve would keep kissing him every so often.  It could be their thing, their special best friends/partners/housemates thing.

 Danny drifts off, and then Steve is back, bringing the welcome smell of coffee into the room.  Grace whispers something about being late for an appointment, and Steve tells her they’ll talk later.

 Steve sits down next to Danny, and Danny risks a quick glimpse.  Steve is gazing right back at him, a terribly fond look on his face.  Danny quickly closes his eyes again.  He’s got no fucking clue what’s going on, and it’s making him nervous.

 “It’s all right,” Steve says, his coffee breath in Danny’s face.  “Take all the time you need.  I’ll be right here.”  Then there’s an unmistakable brush across Danny’s cheek.

 Again, a <i>kiss.</i> A <i>kiss.</i>  It doesn’t make any sense, but Danny likes it anyway.  Loves it. Is already addicted to it.  He can’t help tilting his head towards Steve, and he’s rewarded with a quiet chuckle and <i>another kiss,</i> this time on the lips.  He wonders if he can dream this dream forever, because it’s pretty damn good.

 “You really should wake up soon,” Steve says, pushing Danny’s hair away from his forehead.  “There’s still lots to do.  Grace is handling some of the last minute stuff, but she keeps asking me questions, and I know you’ve got opinions, even though you’d think everything would be decided by now.  Who knew weddings were so much work?”

 Danny sucks in a breath, stricken. If Steve notices he doesn’t say anything, just moves his hand to hold Danny’s as a nurse engages him in small talk about his favorite surf spots.

 That’s why Steve is here.  Grace is getting married.  Danny knows he should be happy for her, but at the same time, this information sends his dream crashing down around him.  Steve isn’t here for Danny, he’s here for Grace. That’s why he came back from wherever he danced off with Catherine, trekking the Himalayas or saving endangered pandas.  He’s just here for Grace’s wedding, and then he’ll leave again, and Danny will be on his own, pining for what might have been.

 But if Grace is getting married, why can’t Danny picture her spouse-to-be?  And he’s sure that the last time he talked to Grace, she was single, and confidently declared that she wanted to remain unattached, at least until she decided where to go to grad school.  Although, if she’s already thinking about grad school, what’s happened in the meantime?  Isn’t Grace just a sophomore?  

 It occurs to Danny, like a beam through the fog of his mind, that whatever he got drugged with must have affected his memory, because he’s got no idea what led up to his little girl getting married.

 Danny’s confusion must show on his face, because Steve has noticed this time (he can be very observant, it’s annoying how easily he can read Danny), and is now clearly worried about him.  Danny can’t stand this, can’t stand being so disoriented.  Nothing makes sense, and it’s scaring him.

 “Danny?  You okay?”

 Danny squeezes his eyes shut, and a tear slides down his cheek.  Well done, he thinks to himself.  Now he’ll definitely believe you’re asleep.

 “Hey, it’s okay.”  Steve wipes the tear away with a fingertip, and Danny squirms.  “Really, you’re gonna be okay.  Trust me.”

 Now there’s a loaded comment. Trust him. Danny does, though, despite Steve leaving after he was shot, despite the fact that Catherine went with him, despite everything.  Danny doesn’t remember what day of the week it is, or whether Grace is marrying a boy or a girl, but he knows he trusts Steve.  He just wishes someone would tell him why he feels so lost, and why he can’t ever catch a break.  He’d almost rather not have had this stupid dream, not when Steve is just going to leave again.

 “The drugs will wear off soon, Danny. You got a low dose, just hang in there, it’ll get better.  Noelani went over the results from the last victims, and she’s sure of it.”

 Danny’s not sure what Noelani has to do with any of this.  She can’t keep Steve from leaving.

 “Come on, relax.  Take some deep breaths for me.”  Steve is running his hand over Danny’s hair again, and Danny wants to scream.  Deep breaths aren’t going to help this situation.

 “Tell me what’s wrong, Danno. Just tell me, let me help.”

 Steve’s affectionate tone breaks him, and Danny can no longer control himself.  “How soon are you leaving after Grace’s wedding, huh?” he spits out. “Might as well go now.  Save me the goodbyes.”  He knows he probably isn’t making any sense, but he doesn’t care. He just can’t go through it again, losing Steve.  Waiting for his texts as they get more and more infrequent, wondering if things will ever go back to normal.

 Steve takes Danny’s face in his hands, and speaks firmly to him.  “Danny, open your eyes.”

 Danny shakes his head.

 “You are a stubborn bastard, aren’t you,” Steve says, and leans down and kisses Danny, right on the lips. It’s a more assertive kiss this time, and Danny feels himself respond, a strangely familiar feeling coursing through him.

 Danny can’t help looking at him when Steve pulls back, even as he pants to catch his breath.  “Why do you keep kissing me?”

 Steve smirks.  “Preparation for the wedding.”

 “What does that even mean?”

 “We’re gonna kiss in front of everyone, and you’re acting like you’re out of practice.  So, I’m fixing it.”

 “Steve…”  Danny looks around the room, hopelessly out of his depth, but no one is there to give him a clue.  “I don’t understand.”

 Steve’s grinning his just-for-Danny smile, and Danny recognizes it, despite his confusion.  “There <i>is</i> going to be a wedding, you were right about that.  But Grace isn’t getting married.”  Steve shifts and pulls a box out of his pocket and places it in Danny’s hand. “We are.”

 Danny stares as Steve opens the box for him, revealing two simple gold rings nestled in the black velvet.

 “I picked them up from the jeweler yesterday, just before all hell broke loose.  They’re ours, exactly how we wanted.  See?”  Steve takes a ring out of the box and slips it onto Danny’s finger.

 “You’re joking.”

 “I am not.  This is your wedding ring.”

 “I’m dreaming.  Not that I mind, actually, but this has to be a dream,” Danny insists, but Steve just smirks at him and puts the other ring onto his own hand, holding it up and smiling at Danny.

 “It’s not a dream, pal.  Just rest, and try to relax.  You’ll remember soon.”

 “Remember?  What are you talking about?”  Danny’s chest feels uncomfortably tight, and he wonders if he is having a panic attack.  He’s pretty sure you can have a panic attack in your dreams, he’s had nightmares of every shape and size, why not add panic attacks into the mix?  He’s drawn away from this line of thought by the squeak of the hospital chair as Steve shuffles it closer to Danny’s bed.

 “I wasn’t supposed to say anything until the drugs wore off, apparently it agitates people to realize that their memory is impaired.”  Steve leans in and wraps his arms around Danny.  “I didn’t mean to stress you out.”  Steve is pressed so close against Danny, he can feel the rise and fall of Steve’s chest against his own.

 “Breathe with me,” Steve implores. “Come on.  You can do it.”

 Danny does, his nose practically touching Steve’s cheek, warm air exchanged between them as Danny matches his exhalations to Steve’s.  When the room stops spinning, he pulls his left hand out of Steve’s grasp, and looks at the ring Steve placed on his finger.  He slides it off and sees the simple inscription.  <i>Danny & Steve -- 10/1/22</i>

 “No way.”

 Steve catches his gaze, and looks at him steadily.  “I wouldn’t kid you about this Danny, not after how long it took us to get our act together.  This is real, I promise.  Here, wait a sec.”  Steve takes out his phone holds it out to Danny.  “Our engagement party, back in the spring.  You drank three pineapple mai tais.”

 “Now I know I’m dreaming,” Danny mutters.

 “Come on, check these out.”

 Danny looks at the pictures as Steve swipes through them.  There are multiple pictures of Steve and Danny with their arms around each other, dressed smartly in slacks and dark button-downs, elaborate leis around their necks. There’s a picture of them kissing while surrounded by their friends and family.  There’s a sweet one of Danny’s mom in the middle of a Steve and Danny hug, and a picture of Tani doing a Charlie’s Angels pose with Mary and Bridget. Everyone’s there – their friends and family, ohana from the island and from New Jersey.

 Steve swipes to another picture, just the two of them dancing in front of a banner that reads “Congratulations Steve and Danny.”  Each of them have a plumeria flower behind their left ear.

 It’s still awfully hard to believe.

 Steve swipes once again, and this time it’s a silly photo of Danny’s kids making faces behind Steve’s back. This one is easier to accept, although… “Charlie looks so big.”

 “Growing like a weed,” Steve confirms. “Grace is going to bring him by later, if you’re still stuck here.  But I think I’ll be taking you home soon.”

 “Home?”

 “Yeah, babe.  Home.”

 <i>Babe?</i>  Isn’t that Danny’s line?  “This is a very confusing dream,” Danny says.  

 “A good one?”  Steve asks, his eyes searching Danny’s face.

 Danny can’t possibly lie about this. “Are you serious?  It’s amazing.”  Danny doesn’t know what to think as Steve flat out climbs into the freaking hospital bed and snuggles – snuggles – up against him.  Could Steve be telling the truth?  Are they getting married?  How had Danny possibly pulled that off, luring Steve back to the island, away from Catherine, and back with Danny where he belongs?  How had Danny convinced Steve McGarrett to give him his heart? It is both too incredible to believe, and at the same time… Steve asked him to trust him, and he does.  God help him, he does.

 “Enough worrying for now,” Steve says, snuffling against Danny’s neck.  “Sleep for a while.  It’ll all come back to you soon.  Hopefully in time for the bachelor party.  Kamekona’s going to be pissed if we have to cancel.”

 Danny lets himself drift off, safe and warm with Steve’s heavy arms wrapped around him.  When he wakes a few hours later, his fiancé curled up against him, Danny knows this isn’t a dream.  It’s his life, his wonderful, crazy life, and it’s better than any dream he possibly could have imagined.