#i think it might be a little too horrific to some people?? you never know!

[astro-inthestars]

*spawns in your inbox* hello if you feel like it could you tell me tales and folklore and traditions from the philippines?

OOH OOH OOH i can do that for sure!! We've got some pretty funky tales around here! First thing that came to mind was the creepy monster folklore we have here though <333 One of the main things people might know about us!! (besides our amazing food <33)

Okay okay SO first up, over here there are things we call Aswang. It's basically like... a category almost, due to the amount of interpretations. It's the typical witch/ghost/demon around here! Sometimes it's seen as a beautiful woman, or a monstrous dog, or a elusive ghost with sharp nails and teeth!

Something that may or may not fall under this category, is one of my favorite folktale monster from over here: The Manananggal! Ohhhh this one is soooo messed up and I love it-

It's a creature that sometime appears like a normal woman, but transforms into a horrific creature, with huge bat wings, sharp teeth and nails, and a longgg tongue! Basically our equivalent of a vampire- BUT what makes this motherfucker special??? This bitch can DETACH its torso from its lower body, and flies into the night sky!! And it usually ain't pretty, with its stomach guts or bloody ripped torso flailing in the wind! Its main prey (or the target audience of this cautionary folktale) are pregnant women. Also!! Fun fact; its name, Manananggal, is from the root word "tangal" which means "remove" and with the prefix "ma" it makes the full word mean "remover" or "seperator," orrrr "one who seperates itself" quite literally in this case <3

Enough of the horrors though! Hmmm, let me tell you some traditions we have, though some may not be "official" traditions, and are just some habits we're taught throughout our life- So much so that I actually had a hard time trying to think of some 'traditions' due to thinking these are all normal... and not knowing if other countries actually did them so. . . aahaha- well anyway!

First most notable one is obviously our signs of respect, AKA the uses of the words 'po' and 'opo' and our (probably?) well-known sign of pagmamano! First of all, 'po' is a word used in sentences that indicate respect, like when you're talking to someone older than you, or someone with notable authority! Like "Excuse me po, can I use the restroom?" And with 'Opo,' it's just the "respectful" version of our "Yes" which is just 'Oo' (when you say "oo" to someone older than you or someone with authority, it's regarded as disrespect or that you treat this person casually or are very close and familiar) And pagmano? Well that's also a respectful gesture, like po and opo! But unlike the phrases, this one is a gesture, and is usually only used for older people! Usually elders, actually. The gesture is you taking the older person's hand and gentle placing their knuckles on your forehead, like this in the image!

And along with it you usually say "Mano po" or just any variation of a greeting!

Oh, here's something more "traditionally" a tradition,a nd one of my favorite ones... guess what??? Us Pinoys? We celebrate FOUR MONTHS of Christmas!!!! THAT'S RIGHT!! We celebrate that shit early <3 It's mostly because the Filipino are SUPER duper religious, but also... CHRISTMASSSSS!! We call them "Ber Months" because for us, as soon as September hits... well? That's already CHRISTMAS BABEY!! Christmas lights UP, trees READY, christmas songs BLASTING, parols SELLING- wait. hold on- DO YOU GUYS HAVE PAROLS???

I just looked it up and CHRISTMAS PAROLS ARE A UNIQUELY FILIPINO THING?? OKAY OKAY parols are basically christmas lanterns! THey're bright and colorful and AWESOME and stalls for them line the streets at Ber Months- HERE HERE LOOK!!!

These are what the big and bright ones look like!

And these are what the smaller and simpler ones look like! They're all made from bamboo sticks and japanese paper!! it's AWESOME!

Okay okay, this is probably wAyyYYY too long already but here's some honorable mentions: -Us Filipinos' daily meal ALWAYS include rice. Unless its snacks or dessert or appetizers, I guess- but every main meal, Breakfast, Lunch, and Supper, we have rice! We cook an "ulam" which is what is paired with the rice! It's like rice is the default, and whatever the food is will be eaten with the rice! Like, fried chicken is ulam! Then we eat it with rice! -We've got impeccable hospitality!!! Like, if ANY stranger comes into a Pinoy's home, they WILL offer to eat with them! No matter who! They'll always tell the guest "Kain po!" ("Come eat!") and usually the person would be modest and decline, but eat anyway! It's truly interesting how hardwired these things are... -Our modes of transportation are WAY different from American ones, I find!! Over here we've got Jeepneys, Tricycles, and Pedicabs! So i don't have to explain, here's what they look like:

Jeepneys, tricycles, and pedicabs respectively! Not much to say about the last two, but the jeepney seems REAL notable- They're from military jeeps, but longer and redesigned for transport. And yes, all jeeps have weird designs and briht colors, and most likely has anime on them. Don't ask, I don't know either. These are our main forms of transport over here!! But that doesn't mean we don't have the usual bus or taxi, of course! -Every region and town here has its own fiesta!! we've got SO many fiestas in this country!! and it all varies from region to region.. They usually span a week long or even a month!! Festivals here are typically held to honor patron saints or to display the region’s primary local harvest!

Well, anyway, that's all I've got a- ......what do you mean it's 1 am.

[thebibliosphere]

Whenever I talk about the medical neglect and ableism I've encountered as a victim of the healthcare system, there's always some cockwaffle who feels entitled to come into my inbox and make the argument of "not all doctors" while talking about how "people like them" (because it's always someone in a field of medicine who does this) are doing their best and it's really hard because so many people fake being ill to get on welfare (Yikes), but like, yeah, obviously #not all doctors, because if all doctors were negligent, bullying scum bags, I'd be dead.

But here's the thing: while I truly believe that the majority of doctors are doing their best in a system stacked against them and their patients, their presence does not negate the mass harm caused by the bad ones. And there are far more bad ones than you realize.

Fuck, John Oliver literally did a segment on this last week:

Yes, the truly bad, malicious doctors are in the minority. Most are just horrifically burned out and fighting a losing battle against a system, killing both them and their patients through a lack of funding and resources and profound overwork.

But the malicious ones do exist, and they will go out of their way to harm patients who don't kowtow to them.

I almost lost my life because when I was in my early twenties, I told a doctor I didn't think she was listening to me, and I disagreed with her assessment of my mental health (she was not a mental health doctor, and I was there for heart palpitations and chronic pain). She retaliated by putting "non-compliant" in my file.

There was also a fun little "doesn't show respect" note too that lives rent-free in my head because I know I wasn't rude. I was polite. I just didn't agree with her, and my refusal to accept her off-handed comment that "you probably have bipolar or BPD" (again, I was there for heart palpitations and chronic pain) meant I was "refusing care."

I wasn't. I just refused to be slapped with a mood/personality disorder when I was there because I kept fucking fainting when I stood up.

(Spoiler alert: it was dysautonomia)

That "non-compliant" marker followed me around for years. It followed me across an ocean and effectively ensured that any doctor I saw was going to treat me like absolute dogshit because no one wants to help Difficult Patients. It wasn't until I was so undeniably ill, literally on the brink of death, that anyone helped me.

I'm alive because of a good doctor. And all the good ones that came after him because of him.

So, I know they exist. You don't have to tell me that.

But I really fucking need you to acknowledge the bad ones and that you're part of a system with a long, long history of abusing minorities and vulnerable people. I need you to acknowledge that because it's the only way we're going to survive this godforsaken nightmare and make things better.

So yeah, #notalldoctors, but if you feel the need to say that because someone talking about being literally left to die by the medical system hurts your feelings, I'm going to have to ask you to take a step back and ask yourself if you're going into medicine for the right reasons.

Namely: do you want to help people, even the "difficult" ones?

Even the ones who might disagree with you?

Even if they're on welfare?

Even if they'll never get "better" in a way that means "cured"?

Just a thought. But hey, what do I know. I'm just someone who experienced hemolytic anemia because doctors kept telling me I was anxious and needed to exercise more 🤷‍♀️.

[thatmooncake]

To be honest and these are all personal interpretations but Sun has always read as kind of more on the sassy and short-tempered side to me, he’s never been fond of letting people move around too freely, from the start he’s always made sure things work a particular way and you go in a particular place and he’s always been super pernickety about how and where things should go and how they should work, he’s always been panicky like that for as long as we’ve seen him because he’s endlessly stressed and has a million things to take care of otherwise he’ll get in trouble and if he’s referencing keeping the lights on he has Moon to hold at bay too and has likely seen the terrible outcome of not keeping Moon in check given the way he panics so much in response to any chance the lights might go out. The implications that he knows how limited his ability to fix the problem is and yet so desperately wants to but is left basically helpless at the mercy of the lights going off at any given time is also pretty horrific and it’s no wonder he has some issues trusting others to keep themselves out of danger with that in mind.

I don’t think he’s massively different personality-wise between games, just the circumstances are different and he is under varying levels of stress in each setting which is contributing to how much or little he may be acting out or trying to control what’s going on around him (and if the daycare has been shut for a while in Security Breach he’s got an extra good reason to want to keep a new friend around despite the potential danger because he must be going stir crazy).

Also I don’t think Sun is particularly mean or a bully, I think he has his reasons to get snarky with people who are going out of their way to mess up in his space and he already has enough on his plate as it is, the guy is trying his best. I think his enthusiasm and creativity is genuine and he is sincerely trying his best but to be honest in the FNAF franchise not a single character has really been programmed perfectly to do their job in all scenarios and I don’t think he’s any exception to that. However I also think you can feel free to write anything off in fanon as being due to the virus, or due to circumstance, and basically end up with whatever version of the character sparks joy. Fanon is fanon after all, we’re all just guessing here and that isn’t a bad thing.

[celiciaa]

GILBERT VON OBSIDIAN EVENT STORY....

CHAPTER ONE.

I just love you.

translations are not 100% accurate. expect mistakes.

special thanks to @otomehoneyybearr for proofreading! ♡

minors and ageless blogs dni.

One day, I was caught in a runaway carriage in town and lost my memory.

Gilbert: This is trouble. I never expected the little rabbit would forget about all our time together. 

Gilbert: The coachman who caused this accident will be executed at once…

Gilbert: The main issue is this distance between us.

(….This is a nightmare.) 

(I'm having a bad dream right now.)

I was working at the small bookstore in Rhodolite, the land of roses and art.

But for some reason, I woke up in the castle of Obsidian, an enemy nation of military and ore.

The unrealistic nightmare of being confronted by a handsome looking man with black hair and one eye from the royal family makes me feel dizzy.

(Why am I in Obsidian? And why is a member of the royal family approaching me?)

I rolled off the bed and ran to the wall but,

The man who introduced himself as Gilbert steadily closed the distance between us.

At first glance, he looked like he was smiling, but his blood-colored eye was not, which was simply terrifying.

(He’s the infamous Obsidianite royal family who must have killed many people so far—-)

(If I'm not careful, he could kill me too.)

Gilbert: Hmm, to be so frightened by the little rabbit who loved me so much...

Gilbert: I'm so shocked that I feel like I want to prepare a cage right away.

Walter: You idiot! Don't say that even if it is a joke!

Then, the man who claimed to be the royal physician, Mr. Walter, yelled so loudly that it made me flinch involuntarily.

Walter: You always think of imprisonment and execution whenever someone is in trouble.

Gilbert: I’m serious, you know? Once I confine the little rabbit, she can't escape.

(…)

Walter: Don't threaten the injured person. Look at how pale her face is.

Gilbert: Aah, sorry? I'm the kind and sweet villain to you, so if you don't like it, I'll stop.

Gilbert: But, you know what will happen if you keep acting like that...right?

(I might actually end up being trapped.)

It didn't seem like this was the right time to be afraid and try to escape from reality.

I fought the urge in my body to escape from Gilbert standing in front of me, and held my ground. 

(First, I’ll assess the situation. If I can’t recall anything, I won’t know the right way to act.)

Emma: Why…am I in Obsidian?

Gilbert: Of course, because I brought you here.

Emma: But why a commoner like me….?

Gilbert: Because I’m the big villain who loves the little rabbit very much.

Emma: …Am I the little rabbit?

Gilbert: Yes, that's right. I love you.

(…I don't understand.)

But surely, I see my reflection captured in those seemingly indifferent red eye.

I felt his genuine feeling of love, and had no choice but to accept Gilbert’s words.

Emma: Can you tell me how I got here?

Gilbert: Sure, I'll spend the whole night telling you.

Gilbert: In bed. 

(!?) 

━━

(I never thought he would actually bring me to bed…)

After Mr. Walter finished treating me, I was led into a spacious room covered in black interior

I was intrigued by the shelves lined with many books that rivaled any bookstore,

Gilbert stopped in front of the bed and urged me to sit down.

(Perhaps this is Gilbert's room?)

(…I can imagine the consequences for not complying would be horrific.)

I tried to sit as far away from him as possible, but Gilbert mercilessly settled down close enough for our shoulders to touch.

I quickly gave up. 

Gilbert: Now, let's start off with the fact that you were chosen as Belle.

━━

Gilbert: ——And so, you are now loved by me, the world's greatest villain, and we lived happily ever after.

(No, no, no….!) 

(Wait, is what you just said true!?)

I was chosen as Belle to select the next king of Rhodolite,

Apparently, I caught Gilbert’s attention when he visited to participate in a social event,

And now he’s telling me that I’m his fiancée or something….

(This…has to be a lie.)

Gilbert: Let me tell you, I don't lie.

Emma: ….

Gilbert: Huh, you froze. Is it that hard to accept?

Emma: ….I don't think I'll ever be able to accept it.

(It's as if I've been told a grand story, and…it doesn't seem like it's my own.) // (It's as if I've been told a grand story, and…it doesn't feel like it's about me.)

Gilbert: I see. Then it can’t be helped if your mind rejects it.

Gilbert: But it’s possible that your body might remember.

Emma: What?

The corners of Gilbert’s mouth raised into a smile as he pushed my shoulders and laid me down on the sheets. 

I could easily imagine what would happen next, and my blood ran cold.

Emma: Please stop!

Gilbert: Why? Didn't I just tell you that I'm your fiancé?

Gilbert: We used to do things like this quite often.

I feel his cold lips touch my ears and he bites down forcefully. 

I winced in pain, and he lapped my skin with his tongue.

(This man...seriously…)

(But I don't know...it just feels weird.)

Even though I was being assaulted by a man who I barely know, I don’t feel any disgust at all.

It seems to be true that my body remembers.

Still, my heart couldn't keep up, so I pushed back against his chest, Gilbert bit my skin once more then pulled away.

Gilbert: Did you believe that? // Did you fall for that? 

Emma: Was this a joke? 

Gilbert: You’re injured.

Gilbert: If it weren't for that, I would have forced you to remember.

Emma: ….

Gilbert: Didn't I tell you? That I’m the kind and sweet villain to you.

Gilbert: I'll just have to remind you slowly. // I’ll make sure you remember slowly. 

Gilbert: Even if you lost your memories, you can never escape from me…okay?

Gilbert combs my hair with his fingers and kisses me.

It was a gentle touch that conveyed love and affection.

(He's supposed to be scary, but...he really seems to love me.)

Why he fell in love with me was never mentioned in the conversation.

(I wonder if one day I'll be able to remember.)

(…I want to remember.)

━━

The next day, the confusion and agitation caused by the memory loss still lingered—-

Gilbert invited me to visit a quiet place full of plants.

Gilbert: ….

Emma: …..

(…There’s nothing to do.)

It felt like a laboratory, with equipment here I've never seen before and tags attached to plants. // The equipment I had never seen before and the tags attached to the plants looked like a laboratory.

(It doesn't seem like it...or maybe it really is.)

Gilbert is silently writing difficult formulas on a document.

It was somehow refreshing to me.

(I wonder if there's anything to do….)

As I looked around, carefully examining each item one by one, something caught my eye.

Emma: A rose…?

 ▸       [  next ]

[kenchosaikuo]

This is my first ever one-shot, fanfic, sort of post so bear with me if it is really bad.

The idea for this is how I think the Across the Spider-verse characters would react to you kissing them with lipstick on. Be warned it will probably be horrifically ooc or maybe it won’t, never tried writing from another characters perspective before. Tried to be gn!Reader but might lean a little more to the feminine side. It’s also not in any particular order.

Miles Morales

This boy would be a mix of nervous and flustered at the same time. Bonus points if you grab his face while you kiss him, he would short circuit in a second. He’d bounce back after a minute but still be pretty flustered, would definitely stumble over his words while trying to act like he’s ok. Would try to hide how red his face is by covering them with his hands, if you pull them away from him. Oh boy. Prepare for the rebooting process. May or may not take longer than 5 minutes. Would probably wash the mark off, y’know because of his parents and all.

“I- Uh- um. T- thank you f-for um.. that. Um. It felt n-nice” “You good baby?” “Y-yea I’m good.” “You stuttering a lot. You sure you’re good babe?” “Yea. Just need a few minutes to reboot”

Gwen Stacy

Would have a more controlled reaction. She would be flustered but wouldn’t show it as much as Miles would. She’d probably get a little red on the ears and on the cheeks but other than that she’d be ok. She might stumble over her words a bit and look away as to hide some embarrassment. Would definitely tell Hobie about what happened and talk about how life is going. Bonus points if you use her own lip stick. Would probably wash the mark off so her dad doesn’t know.

“Dang you got rizz like that” “If it’s making you smile like that, then I guess I do” “Wait is that my lipstick though” “Sure is” “Rizz 9000”

Peter B. Parker

(This is before MJ and Mayday)

I feel like he’d get slightly flustered by it but not so much so to where he would stumble over words. Almost like Gwen. He would pull you in and give you kisses in return too. Whether it be on the forehead, the lips, or anywhere else expect a kiss in return. Would probably tell you to do it again. After a few minutes of sitting on the couch and exchanging little pecks I imagine it would turn into a little movie night with just sitting there and exchanging kiss while the movie plays. Might get distracted when the movie gets good though. Would probably forget about the mark and just leave it there.

“Wait hold on I’m lost. Is she dating him or is she dating the other guy” “Wait what, I thought she was with him and she cheated on him with other guy. Dang it P now I’m confused” “Oh well this movie was confusing anyway. Now where were we?”

Miguel O’Hara

Would enjoy it. Hands down. Would let you do it. Depending on where you kissed him he would have different reactions. So like on the forehead or cheek, the more sweet areas I feel like he’d kiss you back in the same place. If you did it on the lips, depending on the time and place, it could potentially turn into a little make out session. Now, should you do it on the neck you better prepare yourself for when he’s done working. He’d also probably do it back to you as well. I mean he would get his fangs out and bite you, should you wish. He’ll mark you just like you marked him. Depending if the relationship is known or unknown to others depends if he’ll keep the mark there. If the relationship known he’ll keep the mark there until he showers (if even takes a break from his work). If the relationship is unknown he’ll try to keep it there as long as possible but if he’s gotta go that lipstick stain is coming off.

“Hermosa, what did you just do?” “Nothinggg?” “Sure. Come here Hermosa” “Yes?” “*Bites down on readers neck* Now we are even” “How is that anywhere near even”

The Spot

Would probably get real giddy and happy about it. Cause you know like after he got turned into the spot he’d get turned down by a lot of people cause they mean so it would make him happy to know he’s still loved and not considered a monster in one persons eyes. Anyways, he’d be really happy and would make sure to keep the mark on there just in case he runs into the Spider-Man’s so he can show that he’s loved by someone. Would probably look at Miles and flaunt it. Would make sure the mark stays there. If it rubs off he’ll tell you to kiss him with lip stick on again.

“Guess what Miles, I pulled a girl before you ever could, HA, take that. I’ve got more rizz than you and I ain’t even human no more”.

Jessica Drew

(Before the baby and getting married)

Would get a bit embarrassed about it. I feel like she would like it though. Bonus points if you use her lip stick. She’d probably do the same thing though. Just at a different time to catch you off guard and see you get all flustered and embarrassed. She also seems like the type to not just give one kiss but multiple. Kind of like Peter in a sense. If she were to do it back she would do it multiple times in multiple different areas. Would probably keep the mark there for as long as she could.

“My turn!!” “Wait what Jess hold on” “Mwah and mwah” “I was supposed to be the one to catch you off guard” “Haha, nope”

Pavitr Prabhakar

Would be almost as flustered as Miles but be able to handle said flusteredness better. He’d blush and maybe stutter slightly but he’d be able to cope. Would probably also grab a drink of chai so to calm himself down. He would also definitely get romantic when you do kiss him. He’d probably kiss you back too. Definitely get expect everyone to know. Gwen, Miles, Hobie, Peter, Jess, Miguel even. Everyone is gonna know. Would probably keep the mark there for most of the day too.

“Pav did you really need a cup of Chai to calm down” “N-No, I just like the taste of it” “Sure, but you got it just at this moment in time, can’t be a coincidence hmm??” “Anyways so how’ve you beennnn”

Hobie Brown

He’d probably do it right back. He’d take the lip stick and kiss you all the same way you did him. Alongside Pav and Spot he’d flaunt it everywhere he goes. He would not get flustered either, he’d be surprised but not flustered. I’ve the feeling he’d tell you to do it again and again until his face is peppered in lip stick marks. Would definitely leave the lip stick marks there. May or may not avoid taking a shower just so they stay on longer.

Oi!! Whatcha doing there” “Just giving you a little kiss” “Well you’re doing it in the wrong spot mate. It’s supposed to be on the lips not on the cheek” “Or I could not do it at all??” “Alright point taken, go on”

The End :D

It you enjoyed reading that let me know. OH and give me suggestions too and any critiques you might have. Anything that’s helpful to my writing is gladly appreciated.:D

[scribbling-dragon]

Forced Acquisition of a Child

summary:

“Jimmy,” he holds the baby awkwardly, gripping it under the arms. The blanket unravels a little, trailing below but not quite touching the floor. He’s never held a baby. He should never be trusted to hold a baby, and yet, somehow, here he is. “Why have you got a baby.”

“fWhip gave it to me,” Jimmy continues to look and sound the most distressed Tango has ever seen him, and Tango was there for the Train Incident. They still don’t have an explanation for how it appeared overnight, but Jimmy is too scared to remove it. Like the train tracks might summon another train if he does. “And then he just left.”

-

Or: Jimmy "doesn't know" how to take care of babies, and Tango doesn't know how to take care of babies.

(ao3 link)

(masterpost)

(2,185 words)

“But what am I meant to do with it?” He tries not to sound too distressed, but even he can hear how terribly he fails at that, voice coming out higher pitched and squeakier than he intends. He’s never beating the toy allegations. The baby he’s hold at arm's length looks rather content, only wriggling slightly as Jimmy continues to stare at it.

He doesn’t think it’s blinked once.

“I dunno,” fWhip is already walking away, shrugging and not even looking back at Jimmy. “Your problem now, don’t kill it, yeah? Alright, bye!”

“Oh my god,” he looks back at the baby he’s holding. He doesn’t even know how to hold a baby. He’s pretty sure there’s a specific way you’re meant to do it though. He’s not suited for this; he can keep the cats content, easy, they’re cats. If they’re not happy they go a kill something to keep themselves happy. Or they run to Tango so they can use him as a heating pad. Cats are simple, in that they practically take care of themselves. All he needs to remember to do is feed them and shower them in love and affection.

He's never even seen a child this small before. Are children meant to be this small? Do they normally emerge from rocks, is that how it works? It doesn’t seem like the way it should work, but he also doesn’t know enough on the topic to dispute it. He never thought to ask before, but maybe he should have. He really, really should have.

He thinks. Doing his best, at least, as the baby continues to stare at him. Unblinking.

It’s like having a mini-fWhip at arm’s length, judging his every move. Which…actually isn’t far off what the normal fWhip does. Enjoys doing, whichever. But he does normally blink a little more than this. Did fWhip have a staring problem as a baby? He can’t picture fWhip as a baby; he’d always assumed the goblin just sprung from the earth fully formed, or something. He rests a hand over the baby’s eyes, shifting his grip on it so it’s cradled in the crook of his elbow.

God, he knows nothing about children. This is such a horrific idea. Whose idea was it in the first place? Right, yeah, adoption program. It just sounds like a way of foisting childcare onto the other empires because fWhip can’t be bothered to deal with it.

He can think a little clearer now that the baby isn’t staring at him, judging his every move. He keeps his hand firmly pressed over their eyes, but not hard enough to do any damage. He thinks. He doesn’t even know how to hold a baby! He’s doing his best.

Never mind, just…think.

Think. Who would be able to help with this? The other empires have their own goblin children to deal with, and he doesn’t even want to know what some of them are doing to these unfortunate children that have, somehow, managed to end up in their care.

What smart people does he know that have good, well-rounded, and applicable life skills? He knows a lot of people. Not many of them are well-adjusted to normal life, meaning he can easily disregard over half of the people he knows.

He spins on the spot as epiphany strikes him, hooves clattering loudly over the stone as he realises he already has an answer, a remedy to all of his problems: Tango.

 === === ===

 Tango hummed quietly to himself as he moved back and forth, tail flicking behind him as he rearranged a few more of the files. It’s not one of his favourite tasks, mainly because Jimmy seems unable to agree on a standard filing system, making everything they have impossible to find in a hurry because it’s in some arbitrary place that made sense at the time.

It’s been a slow process of gradually rearranging everything into a proper system without Jimmy noticing. And also repositioning the documents he puts in the now incorrect places. He had thought by organising it he’d find the system behind Jimmy’s madness. But there is nothing. There is no system. Jimmy loses his files regularly, and then they have to hunt around for them because he managed to remember a tiny detail that means they’ll be able to take one of the local bandits to a proper court and go through proper legal proceedings.

The door crashes open behind him, swinging back into the wall (he’s been meaning to put a doorstop in so that can stop happening. He’s had to repair that wall three times in the past two weeks. It’s getting tiring). He winces at the resounding crash, flinching back from where his hands are in their filing cabinet, still holding one of their thinner files.

“Tango!”

“Jimmy,” he turns around with a smile, relaxing a little as his voice registers to Tango’s ears. “You scared me for a moment there, I thought there was a problem.”

“There is a problem!” Jimmy’s across the room in a moment, looking unusually distressed and cradling something in his arms. “Look!”

And the bundle is thrust unceremoniously into his arms, leaving him fumbling to balance the file and the surprisingly heavy object he’s been given. “Um,” he says, intelligently.

“What am I meant to do with it?”

Tango isn’t even sure what it is yet, so he ignores the question in favour of peeling the blanket back and looking at the thing underneath. A pair of eyes stare back at him, bright blue and unblinking. Right. Alright. That’s a thing.

“Jimmy,” he holds the baby awkwardly, gripping it under the arms. The blanket unravels a little, trailing below but not quite touching the floor. He’s never held a baby. He should never be trusted to hold a baby, and yet, somehow, here he is. “Why have you got a baby.”

“fWhip gave it to me,” Jimmy continues to look and sound the most distressed Tango has ever seen him, and Tango was there for the Train Incident. They still don’t have an explanation for how it appeared overnight, but Jimmy is too scared to remove it. Like the train tracks might summon another train if he does. “And then he just left.”

Right. Goblin King…gave Jimmy a baby goblin. He’s pretty sure goblins just naturally emerge from the stone of their caves, but that doesn’t explain why Jimmy has now come to be in possession of a baby. Even less so why fWhip specifically took the time out of his day to give the baby to Jimmy.

He grimaces at the small creature, more than a little unnerved by the fact that it hasn’t blinked yet.

“And you gave it to me, why?” He holds the baby a little further away from himself, attempting to give it back to Jimmy. Jimmy steps backwards, tripping over his own hooves, and fumbling to catch himself on the edge of the desk. He succeeds in catching himself on Tango’s desk, simultaneously succeeding in disturbing the piles of paper he had spent the morning organising. “I don’t like children.”

“You're smart, you know what to do with a child, right?”

“I might have been a bandit but I never kidnapped a child.” The baby reaches a hand towards his face, grabbing hold of some of his hair and yanking. Tango grimaces at the feeling, pulling his head back to try and avoid the small fists. “I had standards. And a limit on where my patience ends.”

“I wasn’t saying you would, Red,” Jimmy frowns at him. Tango huffs a laugh from his nose, and he watches as Jimmy’s frown deepens. “You were being mean, alright. Nevermind, I don’t think you have any standards. Your standards are terrible.”

“And what does that say about you?”

“That you're lucky to have me.”

The baby makes a small sound, reaching for his hair again. He should have cut it ages ago, should have ignored Jimmy when he said that he liked it. Sure, being able to braid his hair is an added bonus that he gets to enjoy on a morning when Jimmy does it for him, but it’s not worth this. He’s going to have to wash his hair later.

“Did you date fWhip at some point,” he asks.

Jimmy stares at him. “What?” He sounds like he’s either about to start laughing or crying.

“Just,” he gestures helplessly, movements slightly hindered by the baby in his arms. “Babies normally come from a relationship. Or maybe he just really hates you.” The baby makes another grab for his face, aiming for his ear this time. “Just- take the baby, it’s not mine.”

Jimmy almost drops the baby, but manages to catch it quickly enough that it is as though nothing happened. He then cradles the baby in one arm, balancing it perfectly and easily. He looks at the baby, then back at Jimmy, then at the baby again. The baby looks perfectly content, like it might fall asleep.

“It’s not mine either!” Jimmy’s protest is loud enough that Tango worries they might be interrupted by some concerned citizen. He’s not sure how either of them would explain the baby that is very clearly a goblin.

“Alright,” he leans back against the cabinet behind him. “Let’s take this from the top. How did you go from having a meeting with the emperors to acquiring a child.”

“It was part of the meeting.”

“It was part of the meeting,” he repeats. “Alright. Why was it part of the meeting?”

“Because…fWhip got the crown, meaning he got to make a rule. And he wanted…all of us to take care of a goblin child. Like an adoption program.”

“And you just agreed?”

“Uh, yeah?” He’s pretty sure the baby has just fallen asleep. He’s heard Jimmy, several times, protest that he doesn’t know how to deal with children, let alone look after them. He sleeps in the same bed as a liar, apparently. “He has the crown right now.”

“And this crown is all-powerful, is it? All, wow, look at me, I'm so powerful and great and you must listen to my rules?”

“Only one rule.”

“That’s not the point, dear.” He sighs. “Is the crown magical?”

“Maybe?” Jimmy shrugs. “I haven’t been able to get my hands on it yet, but it’s old. Pix found it in a ruin.”

“And his first instinct was to make a game with it? This old and potentially evil crown that might be able to…I don’t know- it might do something!”

“I didn’t think about it very much!” Jimmy protests, still looking at him with his sad eyes. Those eyes stopped working around the time that he figured out Jimmy practiced them in front of a mirror to manipulate him. “This is why you need to come to these meetings with me.”

“No.” He ignores Jimmy’s still sad eyes. “I went for a few, and that was it. You’ll have to tie me up and drag me through the door to get me there.”

“I'm not doing that.”

“Which is why I suggested it,” he smiles. “Now, what you're going to do is take the baby back to Gobland, and we can pretend all of this never happened.”

“But I can’t.”

“Why.” He taps a finger against the cabinet behind him. It isn’t an impatient move, just something he does when he’s thinking hard. He’s calculating, right now, how much work he’ll be able to do while Jimmy returns the baby. He might even be able to finish organising the cabinet. And then he can relax.

“Because of the rule.”

“Alright,” he sighs. “How do you make the rule stop…being in effect.”

“You steal the crown.”

“Well,” he claps his hands together. “Fantabulous, you’ve got your solution. Get him while he’s least expecting it.”

“That’s not a word.”

“Yes it is,” he lies through his teeth. He doesn’t know if it’s a word. Half the words he says aren’t words. It doesn’t matter, they convey his emotions well enough. “Take the baby back to the Goblands.”

“But what if it gets hurt?”

“Bigger chance of it getting hurt with us taking care of it.” He reasons. “I regularly catch on fire. If the cats didn’t land on their feet, you’d have dropped one of them on their head at this point.”

“Harsh.”

“But true,” he presses a kiss to Jimmy’s cheek as he walks past. “If you're quick we might be able to go for an early dinner at Chromia.”

“We’ll go there anyway,” Jimmy grumbles half-heartedly. “It’s a Tuesday. You and Scott have your weird little competition.”

“You love it really.” He calls over his shoulder, already occupying himself again. He prefers doing something to sitting around idly. “Have fun returning the child!” Jimmy doesn’t respond, but he does shut the door gently behind him. Doesn’t make up for the hole in the wall (Tango almost managed to forget about that), but the thought is appreciated.

Jimmy is fantastic, but if he comes back with another child Tango might just kill him.

[robinette-green]

Robin's Inside the Pizza Plex DCA Romance Fics

These are fics I've started that take place inside Freddy Fazbear's Mega Pizza Plex. The call is coming from inside the plex!

A Door You're Unable to Close:

(tag)

My best friend talked me into coming with her as moral support to her little brother's birthday party. I hadn't wanted to go to that stupid birthday party to begin with and now I'm trapped in a video game, a horror video game that might kill me. I thought at the time that it was ironic that a kid named Greg had gone missing in a Chuck-e-Cheese of all places but this is taking things much too far.

Invisible:

There's nothing like working for a corporation in a capitalist society to remind you that you are nothing but furniture and need not be perceived unless needed. Even the animatronics in this place are treated more human than I am. At least I'm on the same level as the staff bots… that's a plus? Though usually, people prefer to speak with a staff bot over me, so I suppose 'even' is the lie I tell myself. I've worked for Fazbear Entertainment at their pizza plex for about a year. I do a little bit of everything. Cleaning, repair, sales… even security sometimes. Most of the human workers have been replaced with robots to cut down on employee costs. Sometimes I think I'm the last human working here, but then I remember Vanessa still works here too. Sometimes I wonder if they just forgot to fire me or tell me I was fired, but I'm still getting paychecks, so… yeah. The time clock beeped an acknowledgment as I punched in my employee number. "Attention! Freddy Fazbear's Mega Pizzaplex is closed! Have a pleasant evening!" Sighing, I adjusted my bag on my shoulder and took a long swig of my coffee.

The Star Dome (LateNight DayDreams):

An OC named Fey is a new animatronic that has been added to the plex.

Another Daycare Story:

This is another of your reader x Sun/ Moon Pizza Plex daycare stories. We start with a 20-something individual getting a job in the daycare and having to overcome a fear of animatronics. There will be some angst with Moon. Then the romance will begin. Eventually, we'll hit the events of the game and go through all that fun, but until then, this will be mostly random fluff and angst shenanigans in the loose shape of a story as our main characters fall in love.

Little Assistant:

MC is the assistant to the CEO of Fazbear Entertainment. As Vanessa kidnaps and kills children while attempting to bring Springtrap back to life, MC is forced to clean up the mess and cover up the disappearances. MC is also tasked with keeping an eye on the Daycare attendants, keeping them in line as they are forced to help kidnapping children. “Did you do it? How do we know if it worked?” “We’ll have to test out some command code on him. Everything uploaded without issue, but they do have minds of their own. He may put up a fight.” I wasn’t paying attention to the conversation, wanting as little to do with this as I could get away with. They had already forced me to help with so much, cleaning up all that mess, all that red, covering up the disappearance. Shuddering, I looked through the glass into the daycare beyond. Deep in the dark, I could see two red eyes glaring out at us, furious. I couldn’t blame him. The virus they had activated in the night mode daycare attendant was going to be used for something horrific.

Lost Time:

The reader, already in an established relationship with Sun and Moon, dies and wakes 5 years later in the body of an animatronic. The pizza plex was rebuilt after the collapse and fire. Due to some miracle, all of the animatronics had survived the disaster and were now back to work, entertaining the general public as though nothing had happened. After everything fell apart, children stopped disappearing, but the missing children were never found. Business was booming, and everything seemed to be better than ever. With the massive influx of money, Fazbear Entertainment decided to invest in a new animatronic, a drummer for the band, to add to the rock and roll feel of the Glam Rocks. But in the way of all things with Fazbear Entertainment, the acquisition of this animatronic was very confidential. Several none disclosure agreements were signed, and the whole thing was very shady. None of this mattered to me, of course. I was more worried about my new role in life. Well, it was life in a sense. I had finally woken up after 5 years to find myself strapped to a chair in parts and services, having been turned into an animatronic.

Lost in the Dark:

Working third shift for security wasn’t so bad. I spent the first few hours patrolling the halls of the upper floors, that being what I had been assigned. Then I would spend the rest of the night at the security desk in the daycare, cameras pulled up on the computer screens and keeping an eye on the ‘crazy’ animatronics that inhabited that colourful playground. 6 months of working night shift in the daycare, and I am unfortunate enough to have developed feelings for two clueless robots.

Bad Day:

I stopped with my hand on the door. I had come all this way on my day off and now I wasn't brave enough to push the doors open. Today had been a hard one. A nightmare the night before and some rough conversations had made my insides feel all squishy and tender. All I really wanted to do was lay on the floor and cry but something had brought me here, to the daycare.

Taking Time:

They needed a robotics expert and I needed a job. I had been between jobs. I had actually just been let go from my last job and was frantically looking for a new one when I had received an email from Faz Bear entertainment. They were looking for a robotics expert to run their parts and services lab. The pay was phenomenal but I would be the only one working in the lab and would be expected to keep the staff bots, animatronics, arcade games and all the automated systems in working order. I didn’t even hesitate a moment before I sent them a reply and agreed to an interview for the following day. Great pay and an entire lab to myself? Yes please.

Why is it Spicy?:

okay so... this is an AU of my Unpleasant Nightmare fic. I started this as a joke for myself but now we're here. The general idea is the same. Stuck in Security Breach and need to find a way out but Sun and Moon are extra flirty and handsy.

Out of Place:

Fosters and Green is an up and coming robotics company and is the talk of every news station in the world. They haven’t even released their first line of robots yet but people are already clambering to get their hands on a robot made from Foster and Green. They plan on releasing a few household bots that will work as cleaning staff or secretaries but they also plan on releasing a line of child care bots. Why hire a nanny when you can have a live-in one you don’t need to pay. My designated number is D-375, I have been dubbed Kate by the technicians who ran all of my quality assurance checks. My dreams of working with a family of my own were quickly dashed. Foster and Green decided that they wanted to place a bot somewhere in the public eye where people could watch it at work and so had partnered with another company who also made robots, though they specialized more in animatronics that were designed for entertainment. The two companies decided to put one Foster and Green’s N-90 models in the daycare center of Fazbear Entertainment’s PizzaPlex to work alongside the child care units that Fazbear Entertainment had created.

Taking Over:

They needed a robotics expert and I needed a job. I had been between jobs. I had actually just been let go from my last job and was frantically looking for a new one when I had received an email from Faz Bear entertainment. They were looking for a robotics expert to run their parts and services lab. The pay was phenomenal but I would be the only one working in the lab and would be expected to keep the staff bots, animatronics, arcade games and all the automated systems in working order. I didn’t even hesitate a moment before I sent them a reply and agreed to an interview for the following day. Great pay and an entire lab to myself? Yes please. I was hired on the spot. This wasn't surprising seeing as I had worked in robotics for most of my life and had some hands-on experience with these kinds of animatronics. The AI units that Faz Bear uses would be new to me but I was sure I could figure out the new tech quickly enough.

Unpleasant Nightmare:

My best friend talked me into coming with her as moral support to her little brother's birthday party. I hadn't wanted to go to that stupid birthday party to begin with and now I'm trapped in a computer game, a horror computer game that might kill me. I thought at the time that it was ironic that a kid named Greg had gone missing in a Chuck-e-Cheese of all places but this is taking things much too far.

Some of these won't be finished and some are OLD writing of mine. you have been warned. Please don't let that stop you from reading these and enjoying them <3

[emry-stars-art]

Omg PLEASE tell us more about the hurt/ comfort after Neil gets back from evermore after being kidnapped

Oh you know the fun parts to brainstorm 👀👀 First I needed to draw some of the comfort so here’s a sketch:

Anyway this is aftg we’re talking about, specifically Riko and Nathan, so once again; it’s rather vague but take care reading on (or skip to the next bolded sentence for the comfort 💕)

I honestly still don’t have all the specifics on what might happen at Evermore! One option is just to make it very similar to Neil’s canon Christmas break, because the angles are similar: in canon, they want Neil quiet and obedient to play exy and not act out against his treatment, and in this au the only difference is instead of exy it’s… violence, essentially. But let’s be honest. This is a royal au, we have to add some things, right

So the main tenant is “they want Abram to do what he’s told without argument”. In my mind that includes being forced to watch every bit of Nathan’s work and then having to do it himself. Of course, Abram is still stubborn and still hates doing it more than he hates anything else, so it takes a long time for him to hurt or torture or kill anyone the first time he’s asked. Usually there is heavy coercion and harm before he touches anyone.

But the point isn’t to get Abram used to doing it, because he’s already as used to it as he will ever be. The Moriyamas’ focus is more on breaking down the stubborn streak and strong moral compass. The best way to do that, they figure, is to take away his personhood altogether. So Abram is never referred to as a person, and instead they more or less treat him like some inanimate weapon or like a dog. A very volatile, vicious dog. Kennels and muzzles and commands and all. Some starvation and sleep deprivation when they decide it’s “necessary”. Even long into his recovery Abram can’t hear a word like heel or sit without his muscles twitching to do so.

So it’s a mix of the dehumanization and punishment. Riko has almost free reign once again, though Tetsuji will step in at times when he deems it’s too much. (Though I don’t think he considered waterboarding/near drowning every time Abram is made to bathe or shower “too much”.) Near the end of Abram’s time, a week or so before he’s either rescued, somehow returned, or escapes, Tetsuji revokes Riko’s privileges altogether when Riko causes some heavy head injuries that concuss Abram and make him lose his sight for a while. It’s not permanent, but it’s long enough term that when he gets back to Palmetto, Abram takes a long time away from most people to recover. He doesn’t trust himself not to act before he can think when he can’t see his surroundings.

Back at Palmetto, it might take most of them a while to realize how bad it was. Day is most familiar with how Evermore works, but he was still high up in the chain of command and respect, so he wasn’t necessarily familiar with the underworkings like that. Abram was raised in the environment, he is horrifically good at more or less acting normal. And when he’s fully awake and conscious, he’s very good at keeping things separate - people can still touch him with enough warning, he still holds conversation when he has to. The worst things come to light slowly - the first time he wakes up in a flashback Abram and Day immediately decide it’s best if he doesn’t stay around Andrew. So Andrew kind of has to watch from the outside and it kills him. He watches when Abram refuses to bathe, but if he doesn’t get clean the wounds will get badly infected, so Day kind of has to make him. But Andrew can’t help - because as Day expects, Abram panics and Day ends up with several bruised ribs and nearly broken fingers. Abram won’t wear high collared or tight shirts any more, and one time in helping the Queen care for the castle’s hounds Abram has a panic attack when he’s accidentally left alone for too long. There are little punctures over his cheeks and nose in a circle across his face. He has a hard time eating around others. Abram never tells them what happened to him, but Andrew and Day slowly figure it out anyway.

As they figure it out, everyone does their best to adapt. While Abram’s still recovering his sight, Day announces himself and most of his movements. He talks all the way through finally washing and detangling Abram’s hair (even after the long time he spends on it, they have to cut out the worst mats) when Abram tells him it helps to hear a friendly voice in a language that isn’t the Moriyamas’. Day talks more often and more softly than he probably ever has in his life, because he’s made himself Abram’s main caretaker. Not to say he doesn’t make honest mistakes, because they all do, but he’s quick to change his behavior.

Then, when Abram’s almost fully recovered his sight, Day lets him stay with Andrew once more. Now it’s not as much Abram watching out for the prince - he will do his job well enough, but sometimes he still has to step back and away because of course he does. And Andrew’s approach is very different than Day’s. It isn’t as much his voice as it is his presence, or when he uses his calm but direct authority to tell Abram to go to sleep, I’m going to be right here. After Abram’s panic attack in the kennels, Andrew discovers that if there’s nothing around to pull Abram into a panic attack he won’t generally fall into one again after leaving the stressor, and Abram finds great comfort in some grounding hold on some part of him. Usually the back of his neck or his hands. He won’t let Andrew hold a knee or leg when they’re sat together, but he will put his weight against Andrew’s shoulder for balance. Little things that Andrew figures out by asking or trial and error. When Abram slips, accidentally refers to himself as “it” or “thing” - words he’d never use normally and sometimes even flinches from - Andrew learns to stay within arms reach, sometimes talking through his and Abram’s schedule. If it’s bad enough Abram might play with Andrew’s fingers and hands while he does, like he’s trying to make sure he can still touch someone without hurting them. This afternoon we discuss plans for the upcoming festival with Day, Captain Wymack, Abigail, and Aaron and Katelyn, and after we’ll eat. Join me in the garden? Always official, non-confrontational events. Slowly Andrew gets Abram readjusted to eating at a table and speaking without seeking permission first.

But again. There’s a lot of possibilities and things are always subject to change or be added, so this is kind of my jumping off point! (And is half of this summarized from things I’ve written? Yes. But I want to have something else polished and posted first so 👀 I hope to circle back to this soon) Thank you for the ask!! 🥰

[lunatic-pudge]

Medic SFW Alphabet

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This was supposed to be a Demo SWF alphabet, what happened to me? Just a small TW cause it's Medic and he's a morbid person

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A: Affection (How do they show affection? And how affectionate are they?)

Is an affectionate babe but not by much. He's usually so busy with work that it tends to slip his mind, and he's grown up not getting much love by his parents. People are usually too scared of him to know he's got a small affection bone in him. Will gladly give you lovins if you ask

B: Best Friend (What would they be like a best friend? How would the friendship start?)

The type of best friend who you're constantly checking up on. Says some of the most batshit insane things and is running on a very thin line of either killing everybody around him, or himself. You gotta make sure he doesn't get arrest for his crimes against humanity. You gotta have some amount of insanity going on if you wanna be friends with him. But if you're on his level, then well, this ain't gonna end well :')

C: Cuddles (Do they like to cuddle? How would they cuddle?)

Does love cuddling but seems to never have time for it. Loves laying on top of you and hearing your heartbeat. Will let you lay on him if you want. His big boobily breasts are warm and very comfy and he's got them big strong arms to wrap around you to keep you safe

D: Domestic (Do they want to settle down? How are they at cooking & cleaning?)

I can see it, but I can also see that he's dedicated so much of his life to his work, that he woudn't want to settle down. I view him as the eldest of the 9 mercs, even if he doesn't really look like it. So he's been through it. He's probably had lovers before but wasn't really able to commit like how they wanted him to. But if you're also a doctor, it might be easier for him to settle down cause you two can work together and such. I'd say he's pretty good at cooking, nothing extravagant about his cooking. He can be messy at times but is also a neat freak. Everything has a specific place and will get mad if it's not where it's supposed to be.

E: Ending (If they had to break up with their partner, how would they do it?)

All of his relationships have ended of his partners side. It's cause of how into his work he is. He takes the breakups pretty well. Usually just falls into his work even more.

F: Fiancé(e) (How do they feel about commitment? How quick would they want to get married?)

Would love to get married someday. But it would take a while. It would take a good few years for him to feel ready to pop the question. If he wanted his partner to pop the question to him, he'd be sending them pics of rings he likes and casually talk about ring sizes. He's a spoiled princess

G: Gentle (How gentle are they, both physically and emotionally?)

Gentle emotionally, not so much physically. Will try to be there for you as best as he can. Gives some pretty damn good advice. Physically though? Doesn't mean to be so rough. He's a feral animal. Tends to be a biter and a scratcher thinking that's a great way to show his love and appreciation

H: Hugs (Do they like hugs? How often do they do it? What are their hugs like?)

Loves a good hug or two, but only with certain people like you, Heavy, or Engie. He doesn't like when people touch him, people are gross. His hugs are very comfy. Again, boobily boobies are what your head will be resting against. Can give you the type of hugs where he lifts you off the ground and spins you around

I: I Love You (How fast do they say the L-Word?)

Takes a while for him to say it. It takes a while for him to realize he has feelings for you. And he's used to his partners leaving him. So his first I love you is very special

J: Jealousy (How jealous do they get? What do they do when they’re jealous?)

Is horrifically jealous. Has a bad habit of becoming a little too obsessed with his s/o. Doesn't like seeing people get just a little too close to you. He's already looking this person up, gathering personal info on them, and will kidnap them and harvest their organs for his work.

K: Kisses (What are their kisses like? Where do they like to kiss you? Where do they like to be kissed?)

MESSY KISSES. MESSY KISSES. MESSY KISSES. Get's a little too excited to kiss you so he kinda slobbers on you by accident. Loves to kiss you on the top of you head and loves when you kiss him anywhere. Spit in his mouth plz

L: Little Ones (How are they around kids?)

Kids don't like Medic and Medic don't like kids. Kids are terrified of doctors so there ya go. Medic stikes me as someone who got a vasectomy when he was younger cause he knew he absolutely did not want kids. Take a lesson from him, Spy >:( So he tends to avoid being around kids as much as he can.

M: Morning (How are mornings spent with them?)

He's like Sniper where he's up super early and goes to be super late. He's actually quite the morning bird. Will be up way before you. Breakfast and coffee already made. He'd be like a housewife and have your clothes out and ready and luch packed for you when you go to work. Leaves cute little notes in your lunch for you to read, probably has some dad joke in it too

N: Night (How are nights spent with them?)

You'll never see this man sleep. He gets four hours sleep max. He's always on the clock with being the only doctor of the team. And he likes to be up at odd hours of the night, running some weird experiment. He's a restless soul

O: Open (When would they start revealing things about themselves? Do they say everything all at once or wait awhile to reveal things slowly?)

Takes a bit for him to open up. Loves telling stories of his childhood. Will not talk about what he was doing in the 40's for obvious reasons. Prefers to learn more about you rather than talk about himself

P: Patience (How easily angered are they?)

Tries to be patient but sometimes his anger can get the better of him, especially if you do something you're not supposed to do. I TELEPORTED BREAD! But he's a grown man and will apologized for being mad

Q: Quizzes (How much would they remember about you? Do they remember every detail in passing, or do they kind of forget everything?)

Scarily accurate memory, especially about your person. If you let him cut you open, he will spend agonizingly long hours memorizing every single detail of you organs. Shape, size, colors. Will memorize even little details like where moles and freckles are, or how you have a slight tooth gap. Werid but cute shit, ya know?

R: Remember (What is their favourite moment in your relationship?)

It was the first time you let him cut you open. He offered to put you under so you didn't have to be awake for it. He spent that whole day learning every little detail of your person. Taking organs out to truly observe them. Being way more delicate with you and your organs than he has with anyone else. Once he was done, he made sure you were healed back up. He'll sit with you while you recover from being put under if you were. Giving you food, drinks, and lots of lovins.

S: Security (How protective are they? How would they protect you? How would they like to be protected?)

Very protective. It goes with his obsessivness. Is ready to kill and die for you at any given moment. Just give him to okay and he's attacking someone for you

T: Try (How much effort would they put into dates, anniversaries, gifts, and everyday tasks?)

Sometimes he gets so into his work, he'll forget what day it is. If he forgets a birthday or anniversary, he feels HORRIBLE. Will take you out to a fancy restaurant and spoil the hell out of you. Can surprisingly be romantic.

U: Ugly (What would be some bad habits of theirs?)

The poor thing is so mentally unwell and definitely has been through some traumatic shit and he doesn't cope with it well. Choosing to become obsessed with his work and further his delusions of being a god. You need to help ground him back into reality plz

V: Vanity (How concerned are they with their looks?)

Only midly concern. He know he's handsome and a bad bitch. So he does try to keep up with his looks. Usually is too busy being needed by everyone to really do much with his looks, that's okay though

W: Whole (Would they feel incomplete without you?)

Kinda? He's weird and flip flops between wanting to sew you two together, and being able to handle not being around you constantly. Will call and spend hours with you on the phone cause he do be loving you

X: Xtra (A random headcanon for them)

Loves music, no matter the genre. Would've became a musician but his loves for medicine and pressure from his parents meant putting music on the back burning, which sucks cause he's very talented. His favorites are the piano, violin, and cello. Yes, he owns all three and they stay in his private quarters. Likes to play his intruments on his spare time. Would be the type to release music under an alias and no one would ever know it was him

Y: Yuck (What are some things they wouldn’t like, either in general or in a partner?)

He's very picky with the people he dates. He's not an opposites attract kinda person. He wants someone who he has common ground with. Someone who's completly fine with a phychotic shit he's into

Z: Zzz (What is a sleep habit of theirs?)

Horrible sleep habit. Never sleeps. Definitely someone who gets restless leg syndrome. If he's doing something, he has to finish it before going to bed or he genuinely won't be able to sleep

[necros-writing-stuff]

Eden's new spouse had a diary on them when he took them. Spouse doesn't write in the diary for a bit at first while at the cabin, then starts writing again. Eden's spouse is pretty quiet, so they get curious. Eden reads the diary, and there are a bunch of entries about how awful life was and what they needed to do to survive, then spouse starts writing again and it's all about how much better life is now, and how much they love and appreciate Eden. Cue feels.

Brief, non-specific mentions of types of abuse PC faced growing up mentioned. Other than that, pretty fluffy (with some horny strewn throughout):

Eden doesn't always come back home this early from hunts. This one, however, went pretty badly when he'd stumbled across another hunter's old metal trap and cut his forearm. Of course he'd left his cleaning shit back at the cabin. It was just one of those days where nothing seemed to go right.

You'd seemed frazzled as you buzzed around him, still too quiet to really ask if you could help but the worry obvious in your eyes. That's when he noticed the poorly hidden notebook. You'd tried to put it behind the drawer, but in your haste to appear normal it'd fallen from its hiding spot and Eden finally discovered your little secret.

He kept his discovery to himself. Best that you wouldn't know so that you wouldn't change the hiding spot and Eden would be able to read future updates you wrote.

The chance to find out what the book entailed came early the next morning. Eden had an excuse to laze around a bit with his healing arm, but you were up and out to do chores. He didn't know what to expect. Plans to run away? Gorey scribbles of his head on a pike? Confessions of love for another?

The truth was somehow worse, yet far better.

The hunter's throat had a lump growing in it the further he read. It was a diary of sorts, detailing life at the orphanage before you were taken by Eden. He couldn't read too much of it, every hit and insult dredging up memories of his own he'd rather stay buried. His stomach flipped when he got to the sexual abuse. Goddamn it Bailey. Of all people, he should know better.

Despite the horrific details, there was a hopeful tone to the words he read. A tone that made sense as he continued to read. You'd written all of this after having been at the cabin for a while, having settled in and been allowed the freedom to use Eden's things as your own. Part of him was peeved he'd lost out on using a perfectly fine note book, but it was worth the words he had before him.

"I feel safe here. I didn't think I would ever know that feeling again, but I do now. Eden keeps me happy - which is still strange some days because he did sort of kidnap me. And he was terrifying. But with every new day I just can't help but feel like I might be starting to love him? Just a little bit? Maybe it's just Stockholm Syndrome."

That was just one entrance from three months ago. The trend continued.

"Yeah no, definitely lust at least. Caught myself almost drooling at him today while he was chopping wood, didn't even stop staring when he saw me. Ahhhh I must look like a freak to him sometimes. Well ya get what ya didn't pay for mister!"

The hunter couldn't help but chuckle at that. Though his cheeks grew hot from the thought that you'd been oggling him so. He'd have to remember to tale his shirt off while getting firewood more often.

"It's so fucking stupid, but every damn time he lets me sit in his lap and he reads to me I forget everything else ever existing. It's just me and him and the story he's reading, and I never feel so content anywhere else. Well, except maybe when we're doing it. He's getting really good when he goes down on me these days, I only wish he'd do it more often. I think I might have scared him by how hard I pulled his hair last time?"

More oral... yup he can certainly remember to do that. And no, it hadn't scared him at all when you'd pulled on his hair. It had almost made him finish in his pants before he could get to fucking you properly, actually. Hence why he didn't let you do it anymore.

There were more entries that Eden had to save for later, carefully placing your book back into its place and then finally joining you outside to do his share of the chores. A bubbly feeling rose in his chest as he worked, each time he caught your eyes on him only having him remember the words you'd written about finding it a turn on to watch him do jobs around the cabin.

It had been a long time since you'd felt safe. It had been a longer time since Eden had felt desirable. Since he'd felt accepted and loved.

Each day he'd find the time to check if you'd written something new. It was meant to be private, but he felt as though he needed to hear your praise. It became a crutch, a way to tell how the relationship was due to your withdrawn nature. You still didn't speak up very often. The hunter didn't hear your voice as much as he'd like to, so your written word had to fill the void. And it did, greatly.

Each and every compliment made his cheeks grow hot, his back a little straighter and his head was held a little higher. Every small declaration of love felt to be the size of Jupiter. Every moment of frustration endearing. He'd even been using the bedroom tips you had for him - carefully, of course. Didn't want you catching on.

You would eventually. You'd learn that he was reading your diary. But for now, Eden got to enjoy you in his own private way, too.

[mint-yooxgi]

{3} - To Tempt Fate - Yandere!Trickster Deities!Ateez X Reader

Yandere AU & Trickster AU

Genre: Mature, Horror, Angst, Suspense

Pairing: Ateez X Reader (Focus on Wooyoung, and very slight Yeosang)

Words: 3,905

Warnings: Wooyoung likes to flirt and gets quite touchy, talks of death and dying. I think that’s all. This is a Yandere story, it will contain themes such as stalking, violence, obsession, possessive natures, and just general overall creepiness and swearing. You have been warned.

A/n: I honestly had so much fun writing flirty trickster Wooyoung, so I hope you all enjoy him, too! I’m really excited for this series to take off and progress, cause there’s just so much nuance and suspense going to be packed into it, that I hope I can execute it well! As always, feedback is greatly appreciated! Enjoy~

Also, gentle reminder that I do not do tag lists.

Mini Masterlist - Part One - Part Two

Just what the hell is going on here?

You thought with the amount of time you spent researching these eight tricksters and their insanity games, it would give you some sort of advantage if you ever ended up in their clutches. Now, you’re not so sure. Are you even in a game anymore, or an elaborate trap that they’ve created in hopes to claim you? 

Yet, why you? You’re no different than anyone else. Though, you suppose there never really are any sort of patterns to them choosing their victims. At least, none that have appeared throughout the years.

Normally, the rules of the game are simple: find a way out, or be the last one standing. From the lore you’ve managed to find, no one has ever escaped, leading to some horrific recounts from the people unlucky enough to be caught in their traps.

Eight are selected: one for each of them. A person whom they choose as their own personal candidate for these games. Games of which they each take turns interfering with, in order for their selected sacrifice to win.

The man on the phone was probably the one to select you this time around, but from what he implied, it’s possible they all wanted to choose you. You just hope you don’t run into any of them. Who knows if you’ll survive that.

Letting out a sigh, you unlock your front door. That notebook rests in your left hand, pencil between your fingers as you step back out into the night. You might as well start exploring and creating that map of the area. There’s nothing better to do, anyways, and if you wait for someone to come rescue you, you’ll be waiting until you die of either dehydration or starvation. 

Locking the door behind you, you turn to face the maze. Hopefully you can find some supplies, or a bag to carry things in. You only have so many pockets on your person, and running with large items in your hands isn’t a favourable option.

Leaning against the side of the shack, you flip to a blank page in the notebook. Labelling the top lefthand corner with ‘map’, you draw a little house icon to indicate where your shack is. You can always worry about a more accurate spacial drawing later, right now you’re more concerned with getting a general idea of the path laid out before you.

Keeping your guard high and your ears open, you begin to trudge towards the opening of the maze once more.

Arriving at the split path, you decide to turn left to start. You can see more options down this way, and besides, turning to the right almost immediately reaches another fork in the road. It’ll be better to explore the bigger areas first, since if there are other people in the maze with you, they’ll probably want to avoid the paths which will lead them to encounter other sacrifices.

That is, if they know what to expect.

For thirty minutes, you follow along the left side of the hedge. One basic maze technique which you’ve always agreed upon is to keep one hand to the wall and follow it around. Since you turned left to start, you’ll keep your left hand against the wall. Well, metaphorically, of course. Right now, you’re using both hands to trace the path of the maze into the notebook, but you still remain on high alert.

It’s when you reach another opening at the edge of the maze’s wall that you freeze in your tracks.

So far, all you’ve come across is a few dead ends, which is to be expected, but this? This is different.

Peering around the corner, you take small glances at the new area every now and then. The last thing you want is to be attacked by someone just as scared as you are. Who knows what skills they have, or if they have any weapons on them, too. Besides, you’ve had a creeping feeling of being watched getting stronger and stronger for the past ten minutes, or so.

From what you can see, the space appears to be another shack just like your own. The door remains closed, but you cannot tell if it’s been opened at all or not.

Clutching your pencil firmly in your hand, you creep forward. Your eyes flit to and from, whole body tense as you approach the opening.

“Hello?” You keep your voice low. A warning, so as not to surprise anyone. “Is anyone there? I promise I mean you no harm.”

You’ve handled yourself plenty of times in a fight, you’d just rather not expel that type of energy this early on in the game.

A minute of silence passes, yet you still get no response.

Pausing for a moment, you focus on your other senses. Closing your eyes as you press yourself into the bush, you listen for any other sounds you might be able to hear.

The stillness around you is deafening, but… there. It’s faint, but you can hear another person’s breathing coming from your left side.

Your eyes flash open. They’ve been hiding around the corner this entire time.

Crouching as low to the ground as you can, you begin to stalk forwards. Once you reach the very edge of the corner, you pause, taking a low breath to steady your nerves.

With nothing but that notebook in one hand, and a pencil in the other, you attack. If you can get them before they can get you, maybe you can pin them long enough to talk some sense into them. After all, you’ve done it before.

Only, when you turn the corner, no one is there.

Strange. You could have sworn you heard someone’s breathing coming from this very spot.

Standing back to your full height, you let out a puff of air through your nose, shoulders relaxing. However, that relief is short lived when you sense a presence appear directly behind you.

Arms wrap around your torso, pulling you almost lovingly into someone’s embrace. A light giggle sounds by your ear, their grip squeezing you almost giddily.

“You certainly are cautious,” he says, breath tickling the back of your neck. In the next second, a pleased hum is escaping him as he nuzzles his face into the nape. “Smart, too.”

You give him no time to react as you kick back with the heel of your foot. Luckily, you manage to hit his knee, causing his grip to loosen around you. Immediately, you take this chance to free yourself from his hold, elbowing him away from you for good measure as you turn around.

The pencil you have in your hand is pressed to his throat, pushing him firmly against the side of the maze. Your one arm rests across his chest, eyes wild as you attempt to catch your breath. Eyes which meet the most pearlescent of whites across from you.

“Hello, Lovely,” the trickster grins, and you notice how sharp his teeth are, like fangs, as his lips curl over them.

There’s a certain sparkle in his eyes as he looks at you. One which you do not quite understand.

“What the hell do you want with me?” You hiss, pushing him deeper into the hedge.

The male tilts his head, almost inquisitively. “I thought Leader made that clear on the phone? Oh, you would not believe how jealous we were that he got to talk to you first. That’s why I just had to come and see you. May I just say, you never disappoint.”

The way he licks his lips, head shifting ever so slightly as his gaze roams over the front of your body, or at least, what he can see, has a shiver of disgust crawling up your spine.

“And I thought I told you that I’m not playing this stupid game of yours.” Your lips curl, a scowl pulling at your features.

“Careful, Lovely,” he chuckles, a pleased grin tugging at his features. “You shouldn’t look at me like that. You’re turning me on; I might take it the wrong way.”

“You disgust me,” your features pull in irritation.

You physically feel him shiver beneath your hold. “Don’t tease me, Lovely. You have no idea of the effect you can have on me.” Again, you can feel his eyes roaming over every free inch of skin that he can see. He hums. “You’re so much prettier up close. Want to get personal, too?”

The pencil is pressed harder into his skin.

He chuckles, amusement dancing on his features as he lifts his brows. “What are you going to do, write me to death?”

“You won’t be such a smart ass when you’re choking on your own blood.” You retort, hand nearly shaking from how firmly you grip onto that pencil.

“You’d need a real weapon in order to harm me.” He giggles, reaching a hand up to tenderly caress the side of your face.

“Then help a gal out, won’t you?” You say, easing your hold the slightest bit to lean away from his touch.

“Believe me, Lovely,” he grins, and you can just feel the way his gaze flicks down to your lips. “There are many ways I’d enjoy helping you out.”

“You’re disgusting.” You push off of him, putting as much space between the both of you now as you can.

If he wanted to hurt you, you’d already be dead.

A pleasant shiver wracks his whole body, a light moan escaping him at your words.

“Lovely, you know what those words do to me,” his breathing deepens the slightest bit, and he bites his lower lip.

“Stop calling me that.” You snap, grip so deadly on the pencil in your hand that you’re surprised it doesn’t snap from the pressure.

“Would you prefer My Love? How about Beautiful?” He grins, straightening to his full height as he meets your gaze once more. “Treasure? Fated?” Something within his eyes flash, voice dropping to a low rumble, “Mine.”

“So, you’re all delusional pricks. Great.” You huff out an exasperated sigh while rolling your eyes. “Do you do this every time, or is this round a special occasion?”

“Of course this round is a special occasion,” he blinks at you, as if what he’s saying is the most obvious thing in the world. “You’re here.”

“You don’t know me.” Your guard is high, shoulders tense.

“Oh, but we do,” the way he says your name, nothing more than a tender drawl on his lips, has your breath catching in your throat. “We know you, just as you know us.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” You brush his comment off, just as you did earlier that day with the man on the phone.

The male pouts. “Leader said you might say that again. You know, we’ve been watching you for almost as long as you’ve been studying us, Lovely.”

“A mild curiosity that led me nowhere,” you reply smoothly, jaw twitching in ire as you hear that nickname again. That is, until you’re grimacing as certain memories pop up in your mind. “Well, not in a direction I wanted to take.”

Something about his whole demeanour shifts before your very eyes, but it’s gone in the blink of an eye. It’s so quick, you swear you imagine it, but you could have swore he looked angry. Upset even. Yet, for some reason, you just know that his feelings aren’t directed at you.

“We know of what that bitch did to you-“

“You know nothing.” You spit harshly, cutting him off in an instant. “Don’t pretend to know anything about me. You never will.”

The male sighs, shaking his head lightly. “You’ll see.”

You frown. “I’ll see what?”

“In time, you’ll see how much we’ve done for you. What we’re still doing for you.” He replies, briefly glancing at his feet before he’s looking up through his lashes at you. “I cannot speak for my brothers, but say the word, and I’d do anything for you.”

“Then, let me go.” Comes your blunt reply.

“Not that.” He sighs, shoulders drooping slightly. “Anything but that.”

Your eyebrow twitches upwards. “Okay, then. Kill me.”

Your words clearly catch him off guard, and you swear you feel the ground beneath your feet begin to shake.

He grimaces, gaze flitting around the clearing nervously.

“If you’ll do anything except let me go,” your voice is firm, eyes sharp, “kill me.”

“Anything but that, too.” He replies, whole body tense now.

“So, clearly, you won’t do anything for me.” You state, crossing your arms over your chest.

At the way his lips purse, you know you’ve caught him in his own game.

“I can still help you,” he takes a step towards you, only for you to mirror his movements and take a step back. “I will help you.”

“I cannot believe a word you say.” The distrust is clear in your voice, and it pains his heart more than you’ll ever know. “I will not.”

“I would never lie to you.” Inside his eyes, you see the deepest of browns beginning to shine through. Irises appear, of which take form as he stares deeply into your gaze. Almost as if he’s begging you to believe him; he doesn’t want you to look away, so that you can see the sincerity shining within him for you. “Never to you.”

“All you are is full of lies,” you spit, guard high once more as you put more space between your bodies. “It’s who you are.”

“So, you do remember,” he hums, amusement flashing in his eyes. “No matter what I say, I see my reputation precedes me.” A small, disappointed sigh. “And here I was, hoping to get a chance to prove how honest I could be with you.”

“Is this your game? Picking a target, and smooth talking them to lower their guard to get them to trust you before you strike?” Your gaze searches his every feature, watching every movement he makes closely. “You will find I am not so gullible.”

“No,” he sighs once more, “sweet words are never your forte, right Lovely?” Something in his eyes flash. “You much prefer actions over empty promises.”

You stiffen, blood running cold.

“Still, I did say I would help you out,” he hums, beginning to close the distance between the both of you once more. Only, this time, he doesn’t stop advancing. Not until your back is pressed against the opposite hedge of the maze, and he’s standing right in front of you. Carefully, he reaches his hand up to caress the side of your face. “What is it that you desire from me, Lovely?”

You smack his hand away, much to his amusement. Yet, you can see a spark of discontent travel through him, given the way his lips tug downwards. Luckily, he doesn’t attempt to touch you again.

“Take a wild guess.” You grin maliciously, eyes sharp as you meet his own.

“Well, I can’t leave you alone, nor can I let you go.” He hums, a teasing quirk to the corner of his lips. “I won’t kill you, nor can I agree to never see you again.” The more he lists, the more you scowl. “I guess I could give you a weapon, but you have to do something for me in return.”

“Of course I do,” you seethe, pushing yourself as far back into the hedge as you can. “Things never come freely from you bastards.”

“Seriously, Lovely, this is the most erotic session of foreplay I’ve ever engaged in,” he purrs, leaning in close to your ear so his breath tickles your skin. The way he places his hands gently on your hips to pull you closer into him has your whole body tensing in your spot. “Are you sure you don’t want me to help you out in any other ways?”

“Get your filthy fucking hands off of me.” Harshly, you shove him away.

The male manages to stumble back a few feet, that same amused grin dancing on his features.

“Save that feistiness for the bedroom, Lovely,” he winks, a smirk pulling at his features. “I love a woman who knows exactly what she wants, and isn’t afraid to take it all.”

You’re about to repeat your earlier words to him yet again, but you bite your tongue. The way you notice his expression falter slightly lets you know it was the right decision. So, instead, you sigh.

“What do you want?” You ask, crossing your arms over your chest.

“Oh, believe me, there are many things that I want from you,” the way his eyes shamelessly roam your figure again as he licks his lips has disgust pulling on your features immediately. “Let’s start with something simple first, shall we?”

You quirk a brow, staring at him expectantly.

“I want you to say my name.”

You blink at him, stunned into silence by his request.

He steps into you once more, lifting both hands to cradle your face in his grasp. A touch of which that is surprisingly tender, and downright loving.

“Say my name, Lovely,” he whispers, and you can feel his breath ghosting over your lips as he leans into you. “Say my name, and I’ll fulfill your every desire.”

Your breath hitches, and you find yourself swallowing the sudden dryness in your throat. From his proximity, you can see the way his pure white eyes hood over, a darkness swirling within the longer he stares at you. A look which is filled with such tender affection, you don’t understand how he could be staring at you like this.

Your lips part, and you can practically feel the swipe of his tongue over his own.

A brief pause as you contemplate fulfilling his one wish to aid you right now. You shouldn’t trust him, you know, but his offer might just be too good to refuse.

Luckily, you don’t have to decide, for the male is being harshly torn away from you in the next second.

“Wooyoung.” Another male’s voice reaches your ears, this one being much rougher, deeper. “You broke our agreement.”

Finally, without the trickster standing before you, you feel as if you can breathe again. Shifting your gaze, you see another male harshly gripping Wooyoung’s arm, holding him back from you across the way.

“Aw, come on, Yeosang!” He whines, a pout tugging onto his lips. “You ruin all my fun.”

“Your definition of fun is never just that.” The other male, Yeosang, squeezes Wooyoung’s arm a bit tighter. “You’re lucky Jongho or San didn’t find you first.”

“Like they were thinking of doing anything different.” Wooyoung grumbles, shaking off the other male’s hold to cross his arms in front of his chest.

“We all agreed to twenty-four hours.” Yeosang narrows his gaze at the male before him, his deep purple eyes shining beneath the light of the stars. “Why do you think Leader called-“

He cuts himself off, taking notice of you standing as still as you possibly can by the side of the maze.

“No, please,” you reply, somewhat sarcastically, “don’t let me interrupt.”

The male remains silent, observing you carefully. In the next moment, he blinks, swallowing somewhat thickly.

Wooyoung quirks a brow, breaking out into boisterous laughter. “Can’t wait to tell the others you were so stunned by her beauty the first time you saw her this close that you went speechless for once.”

This earns the male a harsh smack in the gut, causing him to double over in pain.

“I’m sorry for him.” The male, Yeosang, finally addresses you.

You quirk a brow. “Never thought I’d live to see the day a trickster apologized to me.”

“We’re full of pleasant surprises, Lovely,” Wooyoung manages to speak, though his voice comes out strained. Soon, he’s straightening back to his full height with a bit of difficulty, continuing to rest a hand over his stomach.

Instantly, Yeosang lands another hit on the male, causing Wooyoung to drop to his knees.

“That is for breaking the agreement, and believe me, what Leader has planned for you is much worse.” Yeosang hisses, crouching over Wooyoung’s figure collapsed in pain.

“Worth it.” Wooyoung weakly chuckles, a groan escaping his lips as Yeosang steps on his back.

Briefly, Yeosang meets your gaze. “You have twenty more hours before the games truly begin. Use them wisely; we’ll be watching.”

Without another word, the two disappear into thin air.

You blink, guard still high as you attempt to wrap your head around what you’ve just witnessed. Neither male attacked you, which is completely opposite to every story you’ve ever read about them. Plus, they’re supposedly giving you time before the games actually start?

Just what the fuck is going on here?

Swallowing thickly, you roll your shoulders, attempting to loosen some of the tension from your body. Carefully, you tilt your head side to side, hearing a few satisfying pops as you crack your neck. Slowly, you begin to walk forward.

The toe of your shoe hits something small, hidden within the blades of grass at your feet. Bending down, you pick up the object, noticing a small knife now glinting beneath the light of the moon.

Looks like Wooyoung really pulled through.

Gripping the handle of the blade in your hand, you inspect the weapon. 

This could be a simple trick. It might not even be a real knife.

Walking up to the side of the shack, you drag the tip of the blade against the wood. At the mark you see beginning to appear beneath the point, you nod to yourself. Looks like it is a real weapon. He isn’t tricking you.

You just hope it doesn’t disappear when you actually go to use it.

Letting out a small sigh, you allow yourself to relax even further. At least now you have a means to defend yourself with, even if it still relies on you being in close combat with an enemy. Something is better than nothing.

If what Yeosang told you is to be trusted, you have twenty more hours before the games truly start. You’ve never heard of a contestant being given prep time, but perhaps not all of what Wooyoung told you is lies. Given the way Yeosang reacted to the younger male, you have a sneaking suspicion that the truth is actually far worse than anything they could ever lie to you about.

A shiver runs down your spine.

What is this agreement that they have between each other, and why does it seem to concern you? 

You shake you head, clearing your thoughts. This is no time to be thinking about that. You’ve got a maze to finish investigating, and from the sounds of things, just under twenty hours to do so before you’re in any immediate danger. Hopefully, you won’t run into any more of them as you explore. Though, that might be the least of your worries.

Straightening your shirt, you tuck the small knife into your pocket for easy access. In the next moment, you move to open the notebook still held in your one hand back to the page with the ever-growing map on it. Looks like you’ve got some more work to do.

Taking a deep breath, you step back into the maze.

[yelling-space]

sex hcs

// Might be a lil heavy 4 a first post idk??? thought it be a good indicator of what u can expect from me in relation 2 each charter encase that's sming u want 2 avoid tho,

so enjoy this short summary the Main 4s feelings on/relationship with sex and daans here 2 for some reason

none the left over colours fitted Enki so i made him pink 2 spite him

Cw :(Impyed) child prostitution + s/a

Cahara

-whore by birth,slut by choise

-has a hate-love relationship with sex(regardless position) and kinda treats it like a "get out of jail free" card, rellised from a young age the amount of horrble suitions he can get out of if he opens his mouth a lil wider and swings his hips a little

-can be pear pressured/guilted into agreeing 2 sex + for as mutch as hes into and enjoys sex he feels so gross and unclean and not comfy in his own skin after regadles who its with (he will internaly throw up and try 2 rip his skin of if you call him "exotic")

-will cry if he has totally normal fully consensual sane safe sex w a partner/ his wife

-doesnt understand the religious belifes of immodesty or sodomy esply when those higher up dont tend 2 practice what they preach , OPPOSITE of a prude , open whore.

D'arce

-closeted butch top that didnt realize her desire to fuck pretty men was actually her lesbian soul shining through

-lotta her,,,less practical ,vewis on sex stem from deep rooted homophba + was 2 goal oriented and determined 2 became a knight 2 even think about or consider it before espacping the dugon

-full heartedly believed all women harbour a disgust 4 the male sex organ and that coupes just did not have sex endless it was 2 convive a child , as you can imagine she was in for a surprise when discovering that was not the case.

-horrifically inexperienced and guided by her desire to dominate, and thus becomes known for owning The Scary Strap" that medieval men are afraid of

Enki

-Dead body fucker. That Necromancy spell is NOT going to just go too waist ,

-not all that interested in sex in general and never really saw any reason to engage with it when spell books are literally RIGHT there . saying that he most definitely gets of on having something completely under his control regardless what end the "fucked-fucking" scale he's on

- not really into sex with living people + how he's probably kind of inexperienced due to an isolated upbringing hence the want for control over puppeteering a sexual partner (dead body), or the high he gets off inflicting acts of sadism given how his ideas of intimacy have been twisted from childhood

-100%%%%%%% a fucking freek btw just cuz hes not 2 instered in sex dosnt mean hes not a fucking freek man fucks dead people and probs vry mutch into s/m

Rag

-wife kink. you don't understand how much he loves his wife.

-probs thinks sex is something shared between two lovers and is something meant 2 be full of affection and enjoyed by both party's

-probs see's s/a being viewed as something incredibly disrespectful, cowardly and the abuser deserve of death getting his shit kicked in (this is funny because i like 2 imagen rag starts projecting his dead wife onto cahara when he starts 2 lose it in the dungeon)

-did not know sex work existed or brothels were a thing, got jump scared by it when taking cahra back 2 see his wife with the others , he was vry confused and not rly sure where he was MENT 2 look so spent most the time with his eyes glued to the floor, celling or his friends faces (he respects women even if he's not rly sure what's going on)

Daan

-lil sex adictic freek , dosnt even realy enjoy sex that much,just so used 2 it being apart his life hes not entirely sure what 2 do without it,+allows himself to ast least feel incontrol the situion (for once in his life) cus he knows what the goal is and faster he gets it over with faster he'll be left to his own devices again.

-sex is all he rly knowns and grown up around, as well as one the only things hes ever seen actually be meaningful to anybody,regardless there relationships with there partner. but it feels like its something he owes people/doesnt really enjoy it regardless if he acrly wants it or not.

-dosnt proply understand how relationships work or that there's more 2 them then just sex (or that people could even *want* him for more then sex for that matter)

-sex was allways seen as something transactional or something for control - cant have any of that with fagcat, but can at least indulge in it in a way that makes him feel like he's way 2 finally has some small aspect control his life again.

-Honesty like ¾ his sex life is just him being abused by Pocketcat

[moongothic]

Realistically speaking. The most likely way Oda would probably do the Dragodile Divorce would be by having Dragon be like, a respectful ally who is just unfortunately straight and can't see himself dating a man. The way Oda has been treating Dragon so far in the story it's hard to imagine him going off a transphobic deep end to cause a divorce. Like I can't imagine Oda doing that, with Dragon specifically.

But I'd be lying if I didn't admit I'd find the more horrific way for that divorce to go down to be a far more interesting story option.

Because, weirdly, I think that would actually humanize Dragon a little more and simultaneously make Crocodile more a sympathetic character by extension.

Like, right now, while we haven't seen That Much of Dragon, the little we have seen has been building him up as A Great Man in the narrative. Someone who wants to help people, someone with strong ideals and willpower, someone who wants to lead the world to a better direction. A great leader with a big heart, who cares for his friends and for justice, Luffy inheriting a lot of these wonderful traits directly from his father. Oda has been hyping Dragon up for years within the story. And in my mind, all of this is making Dragon feel less human. Like, we know of The Man, The Myth, The Legend, but he doesn't feel "real". That image of Dragon Oda has built in my mind seems too perfect. And I think that does come down to the fact that we don't know that much about Dragon, more specifically, we don't know about any flaws he might have as a human being.

And I'm not saying making Dragon transphobic would make him a better character. My actual argument would be that if Dragon fucked up hardcore even just once in his life and did something horrible, that would counterbalance the overwhealming amount of positive traits he already has going for him.

Like Dragon did bring up the concept of "living without regrets" (when telling Kuma he could leave the RA to stay with his daughter); yes, this is a callback to how Ace and Luffy had made a promise to each another after they learned Sabo had died, but I do feel like in some ways, having Dragon mention that concept is also meant to show another similarity between Dragon and Luffy. Another thing Luffy inherited from his father, an ideal, a will. And I think it would be so much more meaningful if Dragon made that a goal in his life after gaining things he regretted. After making a mistake he could never take back.

And I dunno man, reacting piss poorly to finding out your wife is now your husband and breaking his heart in the process would be one easy way to end up with some Regrets™.

Yes, there is the counter argument to be made that Dragon surely could never be transphobic considdering he's specifically allied with Iva-chan and the Kamabakka Queendom. It is also worth noting how often people claim to be Okay With The Queers but only as long as The Queers are Over There, only to do a complete 180 and lash out the second someone in their own family comes out. Mind you, again, I'm not arguing for Dragon to be fully transphobic (although that would also be an option). Like maybe he had just a horrible kneejerk reaction or a slip of the tongue, one that he regretted immidiately after he realized what he had fucking done. (Hell, if Crocodile transitioned without warning and Dragon couldn't recognize him when reuniting, depending on the situation he could've even tried attacking Croc.) But it'd be too late, there'd be no fixing what he had broken. He'd be just stuck living with the consequences of the worst mistake of his life. (Also it's been almost 20 years in-universe. Even if Dragon had been fully transphobic, there's been plenty of time for him to do some soul searching and grow as a person, especially when surrounded by Iva-chan and co.)

Another thing is that... Look. If the Cis Heterosexual Dragon was Morally Pure and Never Did Anything Wrong In His Life, while the Gay Transgender Man Crocodile was ~evil~ and he was the one who had commited countless war crimes against people etc etc. Like. You get how that'd look. Especially when all the "good queers" in OP so far have been pre-transition, while Crocodile would be the first named character who has fully transitioned. 'Cause like. The mere act of transition is so often seen as morally deprived and corrupt, and yeah Crocodile is a cartoon villian. Just... having this one thing, one fucking time, where we can say for 100% sure that Crocodile wasn't the one in the wrong, and that it was the other party that did something horrible, would be kind of nice.

Also like. We don't know how the Dragodile Divorce went down and how Luffy ended up in Dragon's hands, like did Crocodile trans his gender before handing over the baby to Dragon or after. Almost regardless, but especially if he did transition before handing over the baby... Like... Crocodile is not stupid. He should have understood that Dragon fell in love with a woman, and thus his choise to transition could end their relationship. Yes, a younger Crocodile may have been a bit more naïve and trusting, but to me, it'd feel absurd if Crocodile didn't considder it at least a possibility. This man thinks everything through with utmost care, he comes up with backup plans for his backup plans. Surely he would have expected it.

So to me like

Croc thinks nothing will change -> Dragon politely breaks up -> Crocodile goes off to commit warcrimes

Would be like, the worst way things could go down. I would hate that chain of events, not gonna lie

Croc thinks nothing will change -> Dragon goes off the deepend -> Warcrimes

Croc assumes/knows things will change -> Dragon politely breaks up -> Warcrimes

Croc assumes/knows things will change -> Dragon goes off the deepend -> Warcrimes

^Would be all much more preferable options, for me at least, because the end result of the warcrimes won't seem like a result of Crocodile transitioning, it's not caused by him being a morally corrupt queer. At fucking most, in the first of those three scenarios you could blame Dragon for the warcrimes because he's the one who arguably broke Crocodile's psyche. But the other two? IDK it'd feel less like the warcrimes were a result of him throwing a fit over someone not wanting to date a trans person. Like the warcrimes came to be for completely separate reasons and have nothing to do with Dragon and getting rejected for being trans.

I dunno I'm probably not even making any sense at this point

The point is. If Crocodad Real and if there was indeed a Dragodile Divorce (only assuming because of Croc's ringfinger status) (Same for Dragon now that I think about it)

I think Dragon fucking up would make him more interesting as a character and Crocodile more symphathetic than if Dragon did everything perfectly.

That's it, that's the post, oyasumimir

[heraldofcrow]

Do you have any specific neurodivergent headcanons for bb characters by far?

Yep!! Sorry for the wait on this, I was adding to it little by little.

Without further ado—

Wait, I forgot, I need to clarify something. I don’t really believe neurodivergence refers strictly to autism and ADHD like many often try to say, so with that in mind, my answers might be more varied.

• Rom

Rom is my main headcanon for neurodivergence in Bloodborne because I suspect something is up with her basically being called the “mentally disabled spider” in Japanese, while also having been the only person in Bloodborne to have ascended. With that in mind, I see her as an autistic savant. Perceived as a fool due to stunted outward development, but a genius beyond what others could even understand.

• Laurence

This one is maybe odd, but I have Laurence as someone with bipolar disorder and autism. I don’t have some in-depth explanation for this one other than it fits with the character I wrote for him.

• Gehrman

Clinical depression, like from the time he was a really small kid. He was just different from the start and saw far more than he should have. He was never a very hopeful or upbeat person.

• Bloody Crow

I write Crow with severe psychosis that stems from schizophrenia. There are signs of him being autistic as well, but his schizophrenia is the main thing he struggles with. It is NOT what makes him a villain later on, but when his delusions get out of control and trigger his mania…well, you don’t want to pair it with hatred and anger. Sadly, Crow is overflowing with both.

• Micolash

Micolash was not brought up in an environment where he was able to develop empathy for others, so he was always a bit sociopathic. This wasn’t actually much of a problem for years though, because he tried and learned via others about socalization and interpersonal relations. Sociopaths are not inherently dangerous and neither was Micolash. He was a decent person for a long time.

However, tragedy always strikes, and darker emotional issues and beliefs were what allowed Micolash to eventually weaponize his own sociopathy, committing worse and worse atrocities without feeling the pain of his victims. I like to imagine he was fully aware of how he thought about the process. The problem wasn’t his lack of empathy, it was his choice to utilize it in an evil manner.

• Adeline

Adeline has both Borderline Personality Disorder and clinical depression. The traumatic experiences in her youth left her with a lot of unresolved emotional tension, poor kid.

• Maria

I have her as Crow’s biological sister, so as siblings, they both actually struggle a bit with the same mental challenges. Maria doesn’t really have schizophrenia like her brother, but she experiences severe bouts of depression that can lead to hallucinations and psychosis. She also deals with extreme memory loss at times and heavy PTSD.

• Ludwig

Ludwig has ADHD but people can’t really tell because he is hard on himself about keeping his focus intact. People like Maria absolutely notice his struggle and his periods of low self-esteem. He is too tough on himself :(

• Eileen

This one is actually my favourite headcanon, but Eileen has DID and has at least one other alter that she formed when faced with a horrifically traumatic event as a child. Her alter is a stiff, austere military officer-type, who is comfortable with emotionlessness and treating Eileen’s line of work as a task that must be completed.

Eileen’s alter is harmless and she is aware that she is different in this sense. It’s actually what draws her to Bloody Crow, who is already so terrified of his own mind that he finds comfort in knowing his mentor and mother-figure is not too different.

—

Some of these might change, but I am happy with most for now. I love psychology and studying it, so I think of it as a worthy challenge to try to write characters with unique mental states and accurately so. It can be a little scary because I know people really care about how several of these mental illnesses are depicted, but hopefully I am not screwing anything up too much. 😅

[cherryflavoredbongwater]

••• rhysand's son x reader

••• orpheus, rhysand's son, is an emissary to a human city where he meets a spy. sm//ut.

With Orpheus, there was never any real way of knowing what he was thinking, of what horrible thing he might do next. It was hard dealing with the uncertainty of it all, of never knowing how he really felt. He'd been raised in a household where the only form of love could be found in violence. He was a male who did not share, who did not engage in things for the fun of it. Everything needed to have a purpose.

This fae male had arrived seven months back, part of a delegation on behalf of this newly occupied city. Human lands conquered by other humans, the force such a level of brutality some of the fae had refused to even deal with them. You were a spy, you'd told him. The only one you'd ever told. After a night he'd gotten so drunk and spilled his guts, confessing horrible secret after horrible secret. The next morning, you woke with your head on his chest, his arms around you tense as he considered everything you'd been told. You could practically hear the thoughts in his head, how he would need to kill you. Before he could, you spilled your secrets, offered things that would get you horrifically tortured if anyone found out. You'd been here for so long. Most of the spies sent out had been captured within two months. For you to last nearly a year was a true testament to your skill. One he couldn't help but feel pride for.

One that made his chest beam with pride. A quiet possession, he supposed. For now, at least. For now, you'd refuse to go with him, not while so many people were counting on you to smuggle food into the city. How many would starve without you? When this was over, when everything wasn't so horrible, he'd take you away. He didn't care where. Maybe to Night, at first, until whatever fallout came from your King had passed. There was no real threat from him, Orpheus knew, but he wasn't sure about you. If you knew how he felt too soon, you might run, take a new identity. Here, in these lands, you knew like the back of your hand, you could stay hidden forever.

You were bound to get caught sooner or later. Especially as their presence increased, their own spies fluttering through the city. Likewise, Orpheus was due back to Night. He wondered if it would be easier to try to find something on you, use a little force. He knew the second you were sure that you were caught, you'd be immediately on your way out of the city. Maybe he'd take you then. He can at least pretend the only reason was to keep you safe, he can pretend he doesn't imagine his hand tangled in your hair, placing feather soft kisses down the collum of your neck.

He stands behind you, keeping eye contact through the long mirror you stood in front of, a velvet black box in his hand. You shifted on heeled feet when his voice came out soft and sweet, completely at odds with the look in his eyes and the devious smile on his lips. "I have a gift for you," Part of you hated his gifts, how each one felt more claiming than the last. Your position here worked as long as no one knew. And Orpheus, territorial as his kind often were, hadn't exactly accepted that.

Like now, the dress you wore had the same color accented that Orpheus had on his jacket. The dress he'd given you. It felt stupid to wear it now, knowing how he was. How he'd wanted some claim on you. Especially after he found out you were only invited to this party by Jonas, a warrior from the invading country. He'd lived near you and had shopped at the same markets. It was easy to get your nails in.

You still wore the dress, refusing to take it off because you owned nothing else for something like it. You hadn't even known Orpheus had been invited until he'd shown up, matching colors. Jonas would wear something green, too.

Your fingers found the box, snagging on the bow wrapped around it. "A dildo?" You hissed. His smile broke wider, one that seemed genuine. There were times when you could tell it had been fake, where he was just amusing you for some means to an end. What did it matter when you were this lonely? When you were so scared every day of your life that you couldn't stand to go outside if it wasn't for spying. You clung to that like a lifeline, knowing familiar faces had been disappearing. It would be you soon, too. Especially if you started stealing information from Jonas.

Born in a time of peace, you never realized how horrific war could be.

"Lay on the bed, baby," Orpheus crooned, hands snaking around your waist, fingers catching the zipper and pulling it to the base of your back in one fell swoop. You sighed, not feeling like fighting. Besides, Jonas would be here in thirty minutes. Orpheus would get distracted before then. Especially since the arrival of the Hybern prince. He'd been in a mood ever since, sometimes refusing to even touch you if you'd happen to say the wrong thing.

He helped you step out of your dress, laying it over the chair. "He'll be here soon," You reminded. Orpheus just hummed. He seemed in a good mood. Sometimes, that was another sign that everything was about to quickly turn sour.

He pulled black panties over your hips, tossing them to the side as he sunk down on his knees. His hands held your thighs apart, eyes flickering over your cunt. Not bothering to ease into it, he places feather soft kisses along your clit. You were wrong before, about the possibility of Orpheus not being interested and bored. He chuckled when you flinches, curling your fingers into the bed sheets.

He was so vulgar. In Prythian, they had expected their females to have a certain level of modesty. In Edona, it was different. Sex wasn't something celebrated so freely. You weren't supposed to have a silicone shaped cock pressed into your pussy right before an event full of people you were spying on.

In a week, you were helping smuggle other captured spies out of the country. It was hard and brutal now. It was typical for the heavy winter snows to hold off until the beginning of January. You couldn't begin to imagine what it would be like then.

You pushed the thoughts away, letting Orpheus put your legs over his shoulders as he began eating your pussy in earnest. His hands rubbed your skin, sliding over your stomach and thighs before coming up and pinching and tugging on your nipples until you were groaning and rolling your hips against his face. You came with a sharp cry, legs falling open. Orpheus presses his cheek against your inner thigh, resting there and gazing at you with a shit eating grin. You wondered how late Orpheus would come after you.

His fingers slid into you, his eyes falling to your face. He softened his features, looking at you with utmost care and concern. It wasn't real, you had to remind yourself. He wanted any and all information you could give him. You suspected it was part of the reason he kept you around and alive.

It was nice, though, to have someone look at you like that. You dropped your head back, arms spread, gasping as the heat built in your stomach. His fingers curled in your pussy, wet and slick, as his thumb rubbed circles into your clit. You pushed away the jealousy at how he learned how to be so good at it. The right pressure, the right speed, everything about it had been wonderful. "Are you okay?" He asked after a moment.

You chewed on your lip, thinking of a lie.

Admittedly, you knew how he could tell something had been off with you — you'd been a virgin when you met him, let him claim you entirely. Before that, any acts had just been about getting it over with. It never took real work to have you clamped down around him, cumming and crying.

It made everything all the more sensitive. He'd slowly gotten you to last longer. Another source of pride.

He often tried to pretend like he didn't think this was what care was.

He thought of you often.

What were you doing? Did you eat? Did you miss him like he missed you? He hated the feeling, the unwilling concern he had.

He pushed the vibrating dildo into you, the front of it curling upward, settling over your clit. He had the ring. Whenever he'd moved his finger, it would either pick up speed or slow down.

He couldn't wait until you found it out. Especially as you wouldn't look at him, wouldn't acknowledge the fact that you knew him at all. Orpheus slipped your panties back on, helping you stand. "Let's get you dressed, yeah? Jonas should be here any minute. Wouldn't want to keep him waiting, would we?" You shook your head, stepping into the dress he held open, letting him pull it up over your hips before zipping. Your legs trembled for a moment. How many times had you come? You'd been so stuck in your head that you couldn't remember if it was three or five or six. The stress didn't coil as tightly anymore. It felt like you could breathe lighter now. Maybe it had been more than that then.

A sharp knock rapped against the door. Jonas.

Ever the gentleman, Orpheus walks you to the door on shaking legs, threatening to give out underneath you. He kisses you, leaving your lips swollen.

I hate you, you wanted to scream. Another part of you, the part you would never let say the words, wanted him to toss you over his shoulder and take you away. Maybe let him put a baby or two in you.

He kisses once more, promises to see you there, before he winnows away. Jonas smiled as he waited on the other side. True to his word, he wore green. It wasn't the deep forest green that you and Orpheus wore. It was a lighter shade, light enough that it seemed to clash awkwardly with your dress.

You took his hand, forcing yourself not to recoil. Tall, powerful, and human, he was everything the invaders had claimed to be. Jonas, you knew, was currently pushing towards having all the fae, citizens and visitors alike, sent away from the city. Orpheus included.

Wouldn't him leaving make your job easier? Give you less distractions?

"You look flush," He says, eyeing your face. You glimpsed at the window as he led you outside and true to his word, your face had pink tinged over your cheeks, face, and neck.

"It's the shoes," You lied lamely. You banished away thoughts of Orpheus and his tongue. "I keep falling,"

He only gives you a cold smile, his arm tightening around your own. Whether or not he could tell you were lying, he never called your bluff. "Don't worry," Jonas flashed white teeth. "I won't let you fall,"

The first three hours had been dull, this part used solely for diplomatic purposes. You fluttered around, arm in Jonas' as he spoke to advisors. They didn't really acknowledge you, maybe only giving a short nod of their heads. They spoke openly around you, of pushing westward.

And then the music picked up, chairs and tables were moved and Jonas pulled you to your feet. His touch had been wrong, had seemed to always be at odds with Orpheus.

You were thinking as much when you jerked so hard you almost fell out of his arms as he left you through the dances. The dildo started vibrating, pressed against your clit just right and buried deep in your pussy. Jonas steadied you, laughing to himself softly. "You may need smaller heels next time,"

You nodded, clenching your thighs together. It came in bursts and you swore you could feel the phantom pressure of his fingers.

It continued, a will between yours and his as he tried to make you orgasm. You wouldn't, refused to. At least while he still refused to show his face. You could imagine him with another fae female in his lap. It wouldn't be the first time.

Where is he, you thought bitterly.

Your fingers tightened in his as the music picked up. Against Orpheus, you would always lose. You lost this one too, lips clamped shut as Jonas led you to the end. The vibrating stopped with the music, freeing you from both. You dropped his hand, offering a flashing smile and a quick promise of return.

You found yourself in a bathroom, locking the door behind you. You smoothed your hair out, straightening your dress. The door popped open with a click. In walked Orpheus.

He leaned against the closest wall, "Wonderful," He commented, voice soft as if you'd somehow passed a test. He came up behind you, standing. You leaned back, his hands instantly tangling around your waist. He kissed your jaw, asking, "Did you get what you need?"

Four hours in, he certainly hoped.

You nodded, fingers reaching back to curl into his hair.

This is right, your body screamed. It belongs with him — to him.

He never seemed to care that Jonas would eventually expect you to spread your legs. Never even mentioned it. Even now, it never occurs to you that he doesn't expect it to happen, that he wouldn't let Jonas put his hands near you.

"You're a real bastard," You whispered. You watched his thumb find the ring, tapping twice before it switched back on. "Stop," You heaved, head rolling back onto his shoulder. There would be no more from you tonight. His head tilted back, considering you. He shut it off without comment. "Shall we sneak out then? Last I heard, Jonas already found someone new,"

A lie, you knew. The thought of going back out there filled you with dread. Of dancing with Jonas more than you already have. You grabbed his hand, opening your eyes to look at his face. His hands ran over your arm, comforting motions. They dropped when he realized what he was doing. "Take me home, Orpheus,"

With a small sigh, he winnowed, wanting nothing more than for home to be back with him. He would get that eventually, he reasoned. He knew you well enough, knew that your resolve would collapse entirely. You'd be his, one day.

He just needed a way to tell his father.

-------

orpheus, kidnapping you you:

[parachutingkitten]

Not an ask per se, just a similar feeling. You’re someone whose Ninjago stuff, here and on YT, I’ve really enjoyed for at least a few years. And I’ve been similarly obsessed with the show for some time. But… it’s as you say — DR is objectively fine, objectively nice, but I don’t feel the same obsession about it and its characters, plot, etc that I used to feel all the time with Ninjago. And I *cannot* figure out why, and it’s also been driving me slightly up the wall. It’s maybe because I genuinely try to give media the best chance when I interact with it, but despite multiple DR rewatches I don’t see what everyone else sees. And the disconnect is a sad, like you mention — I joined the community here because I was so glad to have people who loved this show in the same ways I did, and now it’s like they’re all on a different wavelength and I want to be there but I’m not. It’s definitely strange for sure, made worse I think by the fact that DR isn’t like horrifically bad or anything, I just feel… okay, when watching it, and can’t even explain why.

I don’t know how much sense this makes, but I thought it might be something for you to think about if you’d like. I’ve been tossing around the idea that I don’t love DR because it is… good. It’s good, but too neat — if that makes sense? The new characters — I love them all, but their personalities and backstories and situations they’re put in all remind me of several other stories. The subplots of the episodes always have an end goal in mind, often an emotional realisation, and whilst that’s a neat way to tell stories, it doesn’t feel like, to me, the way Ninjago used to tell stories. Like, the first thing that comes to mind is Sora feeling hopeless and that episode with the djin where she realises that it’s important to hope. And maybe this isn’t a great comparison (as I’m typing it out, I realise that it isn’t the best example oof), but I immediately thought of Zane after Seabound, when he’d turned off his emotions. Sora’s bad feelings, whilst not as ‘significant’ as Zane’s in that context, began just before and were wrapped up neatly in that episode and not brought up again. Zane acts detached from the start of S16 if I remember, and it’s only near the end of the season (I think! I know that it’s a few eps at least) when he meets Sally, talks to her, learns a little about her life, and is able to come to the realisation that he shouldn’t be repressing everything. I think DR, because of the amount of characters it has, especially those that are new, and the amount of new worldbuilding, plot stuff, etc that they have to add in, it being a reboot/sequel type of thing, leaves less time for the nuance and time devoted to the character arcs in the original show. Or maybe I’m just crazy, honestly idk.

Something else that stands out to me is the fact that DR has to establish so much about these new characters and their world that they… they do something that old Ninjago didn’t do, and whilst it’s maybe objectivity a better storytelling choice, I think it’s part of the reason I’m not really feeling it. What they do is that they have the characters act kind of realistic. Arin worries about his parents, often. Sora did too. Wyldfyre and Kai definitely have a few moments where it’s implied that they’re confused about what’s up with their powers. In Ninjago up to s16, because they wrote a lot of it without intending much or anything to come after it, I feel like they thought less about this than the DR writers, who know that they’ve got a few seasons lined up, do. For example — hands of time is when we find out about Ray and Maya, but it was never often addressed by Nya and Kai. It’s brought up in s4, of course, but if they were real kids whose parents had vanished one day they’d probably bring it up more often, like Arin did. But it’s often not done in the narrative because the writers gave them other things to focus on, because they’re storytelling devices and not real kids. There was no real buildup to Nya being the water ninja, for example, but Sora’s said to be good with tech a few moments after we meet her. This ain’t a critique of either show — just a different choice I sort of picked up on, if it even makes any sense. And as crazy as it may sound, I liked that about the old Ninjago — it saw the characters more as storytelling devices, I think, than relatable to the audience (Kai was the hothead, Jay the humour, etc — ofc they were more than that, but they retained that sort of vibe from S1 a little all throughout the show I think). DR, on the other hand, seems to want their characters to be more relatable, more multifaceted, make more sense — which, when coupled with the fact that they’re new characters and that the ninjago fandom has historically thrived on gaps in the show to enjoy it (we’re a very AU, OC, heavy fandom, etc), I think DR attempting to flesh out their characters in the way that we’re often used to doing with the old characters in fic, art, etc means that I like DR a little less because there’s less to ‘work with’, and less that inspires thinking of the characters in different situations — bc whilst relating is nice, it is also enjoyable when the characters are written with some core characteristics in mind and you explore other parts of them or those characteristics in different contexts. I don’t think makes much sense, but I hope that it maybe gives you something to think about — as you can probably see, I’ve been going a little crazy over not liking it and not knowing why, so I know that the feeling isn’t great.

I'm picking up what you're putting down here. My next video has a bit about getting disillusioned with a fandom, and it sucks. It always does. It's heartbreaking when you feel like that special bond between you and your show was somehow broken. I empathies, and it's important to feel it out.

Now, I don't think ninjago was better at character arcs, i don't think having a character arc be longer is better, or even really a characteristic of classic ninjago, but I do think the DR character arcs feel very by the book. They're following the screenwriting 101 guide perfectly, but it ends up feeling a bit lacking because of it? If that makes sense? Now, ninjago was historically very bad at character arcs, but when they got it right, they always had a bit of a spin on things, and interesting visual payoff, whatever. I think the zane's emotions arc isn't particularly great (and the sally piece is sort of at the end of the first half of the season ;) I would argue sora's arc in season 1 about finding confidence is better, but that doesn't mean I find it much more enjoyable.

I will agree that that the characters in ninjago definitely feel more like characters, while the DR cast (old cast included) feel more like people. Neither are a bad thing, but I think it definitely has an effect on the tone. Characters allow for a more lighthearted goofy vibe, because the show isn't asking you to completely suspend your disbelief most of the time. DR on the other hand, does want a little more vulnerability from its audience on a regular basis.

Lastly, I do think you're onto something with DR being fully planned. The two seasons we have so far feel very indistinct. There is less of a defining singular "adventure" in each season. And again, that's not a good thing or a bad thing, but it ends up making things feel different. Ninjago is an episodic series of adventures. DR is a continual evolving set of circumstances. Those are just going to feel different.