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sports-on-sundays · 10 months

Text

people change / CL16 / Part 1

Summary: dad!Charles x French!ex!reader - You wish you could just forget about the relationship. It's hard when you had a son together.

Warnings: 'Y/s/n' means 'your son's name', you are free to imagine the son as whatever age he acts because I leave that unspecified, mention of breaking up/divorce, broken family, censored cussing, getting drunk, toxic relationship, me sucking at writing kids (how do they even act???)

Requested?: No.

Author's Note: This was heavily inspired by the song People Change by for KING & COUNTRY at the end there especially. I listened to it while writing. So you're free to look that up and have a listen. Link to part 2 / Link to part 3

"Hey, sweetie," you say as you buckle your son into the car. "How was your day at school?"

"Fun... But Mama, I didn't know what to do."

"Hm? When didn't you know what to, love?" you ask, concerned.

"Well, we did papers and pictures about our mommies and daddies and our houses and stuff and I didn't know, Mama..."

You stop after he says this, pulling your hands away as they tremble. Your heart, at those words from your son, feels like it's being wrenched out of your chest, and you cough into your arm. "O- Oh, sweetheart..." you clear your throat. "Well, why don't you first draw pictures and write about me and my house, and then you write and draw about your daddy and his house..."

Your son does a pouting face at this. "Mama..." he complains. "Why can't you and Daddy be like other kids' mommies and daddies?"

"Love, I don't think this is the time to be talking about this. Let's just get driving home now." You hate to shut him down, but he's asking too many questions that you just can't answer.

He's asking too many questions that are making you feel too confused and guilty.

"Hey, buddy. What's up?" you smile as you get out of the car to help your son pack his bags into the trunk, and then get in the backseat. You're doing this right outside Charles' house. You're picking him up from his weekend with his dad.

The little boy shrugs as you buckle him in. "I want my grey bag, Mama! Daddy gave me some food for the ride."

"What do you say?"

"Please!" he pouts.

You nod, and give him his bag. Charles is always sure to equip Y/s/n with a bagful of healthy snacks for the hour and forty-five minute drive back home.

The whole ride, Y/s/n is unusually quiet. Even when you try talking to him, he gives short answers and makes no effort to continue the conversation. Which is very unusual from the usually frisky and excitable little boy.

When you get home and go inside, he immediately goes to his room, still not saying anything.

You sigh, feeling worried.

Did...

Did Charles do something?

Even though the two of you separated for big reasons, you've never felt too worried about Y/s/n going to see him every other weekend, except for maybe at the beginning. Over the years, you're pretty sure that Charles has gotten more responsible than how he once was.

"Dinnertime, love!"

Silence.

"Love?"

"I'm not hungry!"

You sigh, the worry sinking deeper. "You should have saved some of your dad's snack for later, then! I made dinner for you!"

Silence. Again.

You walk down the hall and knock on his bedroom door, before gently pushing it open. The little boy is sitting on his red bed. In his hand is his Ferrari hat. He's blankly staring at it.

Oh God no. What did Charles do? What did Charles say? Doesn't he understand the unspoken boundaries about this?

"Y/s/n?" you say gently, sitting down next to him. "What's wrong, sweetie? You know you can tell me. I'm listening."

The boy looks older than he is right now. You feel a sharp pang in your chest as he murmurs, "Why do you and daddy live in different countries? How come I have two houses, two bedrooms... two everything? How come, Mama?"

It takes all you have to not tear up. You wrap your arms tightly around him at this. He leans against you, hugging you back.

"Andre and Alex have a mommy and daddy who live in the same house. How come you and Daddy don't?"

"Y/s/n, it's really complicated, love. But, can I ask... What has got you thinking of all of this, love? What has got this on your mind?" You speak in a very gentle tone, rubbing his back. Obviously, this is upsetting him. Really, though, what kid wouldn't be upset?

Your son looks at you in hesitation. "I'm not allowed to say..."

You feel another pang of worry. "Love, it's okay. You can tell your mama anything."

"But Daddy told me not to."

You swallow nervously. "You're not doing anything wrong by telling me. I'm giving you permission. I can't have you feeling this upset, love. You can tell me anything that's bothering you, even if your father told you not to." Y/s/n is too much of a good kid. You don't know where he gets it from.

You wipe your son's watering eyes, trying to reassure him. He sniffs, before saying, "You won't tell Daddy?"

"Tell Daddy what?"

"What I'm gonna tell you."

You bite your lip. "Of course not, love. I won't tell your daddy."

He nods, before saying, as he starts to really cry, "Daddy cried, Mommy... I wasn't allowed to know but I couldn't sleep because Daddy forgot to read me my story. So I was going in to tell him to snuggle me... because I couldn't sleep. But Daddy was crying..." Y/s/n sniffs, and continues blubbering, "Daddy was talking to someone on the phone and he was really sad... I don't know why Daddy was crying, Mama. He said he was sad because he missed you and me to the person on the phone. Daddy was so sad so I don't know why we don't make Daddy happy and why can't my mommy and daddy be like my friends' mommies and daddies?" He lets out a sob, snuggling into you. You're speechless as your son continues, "I went and gave Daddy a hug because he was sad. He said he missed you. He asked me why I was up and said I was in trouble and said I wasn't allowed to tell you he was sad and crying. He said even daddies cry sometimes," he sniffs and lets out another sob. You hold him tight, eyes wide. "I asked him how come he was sad and he said he didn't know and he loved me and then we went to bed. I don't get it, Mama."

You try not to tremble.

Fighting off tears, because the last thing Y/s/n needs is to see his mom cry on top of it all. Not sad tears, though. Angry tears.

Why can't Charles just let go? He's so possessive and obsessive. F*ck him and his Monaco flat and his boat and his Ferrari and everything f*cking else. Why would he let his son see him so vulnerable. Doesn't he care? F*ck him.

Why can't he just let go?

You walk down the hall of the mall, your son's little hand in yours, heading to the food court because eventually, Y/s/n's complaining about how 'I'm hungryyyyy!' got too annoying, and you gave in.

Suddenly, though, his little hand slips out of yours. You look down at him in confusion, starting to say his name. He starts running away. You're about to go after him, but suddenly freeze when the little boy shouts, "Look, Mama, look! It's Daddy! Daddy! Hi, Daddy! Hiiiii!"

And sure enough, Charles Leclerc stops as soon as he sees his son, a grin spreading across his face. He adjusted his cap to be lower on his forehead, clearly trying to go incognito here. But he bends down, and the moment little Y/s/n reaches Charles, his father scoops him up into his arms, standing up with an, "Auwgh," noise, as if it were really hard for the strong man to pick up his light son. Charles holds him tight, in an embrace, before saying, "What's up, buddy? Where's your mama?" Y/s/n points, and Charles looks up.

Your eyes meet. And everything stops. The voices, the music, the whir of the escalators, the lights, heating, and air conditioning all making their own sounds, the people walking past- everyone else living their own lives disappear.

And it's just you and Charles, eyes locked, staring at each other.

Heartbeats or seconds or minutes, you don't know. You feel a certain electricity that hurts. Shocks you. Maybe Charles likes how it feels though. Maybe he loves that, with his adrenaline seeking lifestyle. Because, after all, he doesn't look away.

But in the same way, you don't either.

Finally, it's your son that breaks the trance you seemed to go into with your ex-husband, by saying suddenly words that stress you out and tear you apart at the same time: "See, Daddy?" He pats his father's cheek, which has a little bit of facial hair. "You don't have to cry anymore... You don't..." Suddenly, he looks a little scared, realizing he wasn't supposed to say that, but finishes softly with, "You don't have to miss Mama anymore, Daddy, because she's right here..."

There's almost a pleading in your son's eyes. A longing. You feel yourself start to tear up, but you strive to hold them back. Y/s/n. He loves us. He loves his parents so much. He just wishes they would love each other.

Charles shakes his head in surprise, stroking Y/s/n's hair, "Buddy, it's okay. Don't worry. I'm okay. I don't-" he falters for just a moment before finishing quickly, glancing to you nervously, "I don't miss Mama anymore. Don't worry."

"But I miss Mama." At this, both of you look at your son in confusion.

"But Y/s/n, Mama is right here," Charles says carefully, taking more steps closer to you. "See? Do you want to go with M-"

"No!" your son suddenly snaps, and says as if it is the most obviously thing on earth, "When I'm with Daddy, I miss Mama. When I'm with Mama, I miss Daddy. I don't wanna miss you guys!"

All the sudden, it's too much for you. All of it. Before Charles can do anything else you say quickly, your voice obviously cracking and your breath shaky, "Charles, can you take him home today? I'm sorry-"

"Of course, Y/n. I-"

You turns, jogging away. You need to get out of there.

But as you run out, you hear Charles call after you, "Y/n! Y/n, wait! Y/n, we're going to talk on the phone tonight, okay? There's things we still need to go over!"

At around 3:00 A.M., Charles calls. While you're worried to answer, you're also relieved. The fact that you're still awake at 3:00 A.M. shows how much anxiety you've been feeling about getting this call from Charles.

When you pick up, you murmur softly, "Hey, Charles."

"Sorry I'm calling at this hour. God. I just had to make sure Y/s/n was sound asleep. I'm, uhm," he pauses to clear his throat awkwardly, and continues in a softer, more delicate voice, "I'm sure Y/s/n told you about the phone call the other weekend..."

"Y- Yeah, he did. What did you do? Did you scare him into not telling me? He was crying," you say, your voice becoming harder and harder as you speak.

"What?! No! I just asked him please not to tell you. That was it. Maybe he was crying because..." Charles trails off.

"Because why?" you snap, although the sinking feeling within tells you exactly why.

"Y/n..." he sighs loudly. "Because our son loves us and doesn't get why... w- we... don't- don't, uhm.... love each other." The facts that he falters so much on that last phrase, that it's so hard for him to get out, sends a pit in your stomach. Of dread, and anger.

And without another hesitation, you just say it. "Charles... you still love me, don't you?"

There's silence over the phone. Sickly, disgusting, terrible silence. The anger rises up in you higher and higher, like a pressure, trying to push you on your tipping point. So finally you snap, probably way too loud, "Charles, what the hell! F*ck you. I hate you, you f*cking asshole. You're too much of a f*cking coward to even say it! Just like you've always been!" Your voice gets louder and louder. "Just like you've always been! Too much of a f*cking coward to admit anything! You tricked me! You had me thinking everything was peaches and cream, but it wasn't! You were being a terrible person and played innocent, and whenever I asked you anything, you did the same exact thing you still do. You just keep silent. Charles, I know you'll never grow, I hate that my son has to see your sorry ass every other weekend, and if I knew it wouldn't break his sweet little heart, I would wish your pathetic silent self would just fall off the face of the earth so I didn't have to ever have to listen to your stupid, pathetic silence ever again."

"Y/n, I-" You hang up. Charles doesn't try to call back.

Years ago.

Charles came in and stumbled into your arms, as if you were the one that needed to take care of him. You were tired, having stayed up with your fussy baby boy nearly all night, with no help, and you wanted to cry. You didn't want Charles to stumble in, drunk, right into your arms, as if he was the one who needed help. No. He was the one causing the problem. He had reeked of alcohol. He didn't get drunk this often, and you knew exactly why he was doing it now, although he'd been too scared while sober to admit it to you. It was the argument you'd had, and his way of coping was going out, getting drunk, and coming home to his wife and baby at three in the morning, wasted. Now, while drunk out of his mind, he was able to murmur, his words slurred tremendously, "Y/n... I'm sorry, love... You should've come with me tonight. I had fun... We could... make up for that argument..." He had a sickly seductive tone in his voice.

You felt rage fill up in you. Did you forget about your son? The son that you and I created together? Did you forget about that? Instead of letting any of that rage escape you, you just brought him to the bedroom and helped him into bed. You left him, walked to the living room, sat down on the couch, and held your aching, tired head, pulling at your hair, as tears escaped your closed eyelids.

Your world was spinning. Everything was wrong.

The argument. You had started it. And yelled at him. About how he was a coward and never told the truth. Even though you loved him. You thought. You must've. You... You had a son together. You yelled at him for telling you he was working when he wasn't. You yelled at him that he wasn't helping you at all and that you were going out of your mind. You said you felt like a single mom because he was never around, never helped, and never tried to. He lied and told you that an event he had mentioned that you were excited for was cancelled because he had found out more things about the event that he didn't want to deal with himself. He was becoming more and more selfish, showing who he really was more and more every single day. It just made you think- what is he doing when he gets drunk? What else is he being dishonest about?

Eventually you stopped loving him. You loved your son much more, so you broke it off. The final tipping point was when you suspected he had cheated, although nothing had ever proved that. But that was when you finally broke it off.

He was heartbroken. He held onto you. No, Y/n, please don't do this. I'll try better. I'll try better. You had told him that he had been saying he'd try better for the past year.

He had cried. Maybe even sobbed. You only saw him sob twice. Once was one time when he was drunk out of his mind, and the other one was that night when you told him you were breaking it off. I guess Y/s/n has seen him sob a third time, though.

He had said to you that he still loved you. You had said if you loved me, you wouldn't have done this. And that was the end of it.

Or so you thought.

You can't believe you're here. You can't believe he convinced you. You set up for your mother to watch Y/s/n while you drive into Monaco and.

Well, yeah. Go to Charles' God-forsaken house. To meet with him. 'Have a talk' as he put it. 'In real life.' So he can 'see your face and expressions.' And 'understand better.'

Charles opens the door. He's wearing a black t-shirt, grey jeans, and has his usual assortment of different bracelets on his wrists. And a disgustingly expensive watch. As you walk into his (beautiful) flat, you see that it hasn't changed much since you left and moved a couple hours closer to home, back in France. Just a little cleaner. But just like how it was when you lived here, there's still a stray toy on the floor here and there. As if reading your mind, he bends down, picking up a few of them, before putting them in a basket in the corner of the room. He runs his hand through his messy, wavy brown hair, looking a little awkward. "Why don't you sit down?" he asks softly, gesturing to the couch by a nod of his head. "Make yourself... comfortable... Uh... I made some cookies. Consider it a peace offering. And I... I really tried to make them good, too. I'm just going to go grab them." And before you can think or react, he's walking out of the room to grab them.

When he returns with the cookies, he sits down next to you, holding the little plate out to you. You hesitantly take one, nibbling off a little bite, nervously glancing to Charles. "It's fine..." you say. In your taste, too sweet (and slightly gooey) but besides that, alright. "But I just want to get this over with, okay? Charles can we just... have this talk? So I can go?"

Your ex husband stared down, before nodding slowly. "Yeah... Of course." He falters, before murmuring, "I love our son just as much as you do. And it hurts me to see him-"

"My God, Charles, shut up. I know what this is about. It's about you being selfish," the bitterness in your voice surprised even yourself, "You're being selfish because for some twisted reason, you still want to be with me, and you're using my son's pain as an excuse. You're just as you've always been- selfish, lying, and making excuses."

"Y/n, no it's not!" he snaps, his eyes pleading. "I- I- I want the best for our son."

"Charles, do you still love me?"

He stares at you. Hesitates. Falters. He inhales a shaky breath, before looking down at his hands in his lap. "All these years I've never dated another woman. All these years the guilt has crushed me."

"Shut up!" you spit. "It's not guilt, Charles, of hurting me your or son. It's guilt because you wouldn't wanted to be with me longer. It's selfish. You're f*cking selfish!"

He practically begs, "Please, babe, just listen-"

"What did you just call me?"

He stares in surprise at what he just said. He swallows. "I'm sorry- It- It just came out..."

You glare, and shout, "You still love me, you dick! I hate you! You- You cheated on me!"

He cuts you off by grabbing your arm suddenly. There's a desperate look in his eyes. "Y/n... No, I didn't... I swear it on my life.. On my job, on everything I love... I would..." You're shocked to watch as a singular tear gently rolls down one of his cheeks. He's holding back more. The salty, warm tear drops right onto your palm. You wipe it off. Charles eyes plead with you as he murmurs, his voice cracking, "I would never cheat on you..."

You stare, trying to form more words, not knowing what to say.

But Charles continues, "I don't know where you got the idea I cheated on you... I know it was hard and I was being..." Suddenly there is guilt and grief openly painted all across his face. "I was being a terrible person... Giving up the most lovely, sweet wife and baby I could've ever asked for... I was young and stupid, Y/n...Y/n... I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I swear I mean it...

"I would do anything for this to work."

Another tear falls.

"Y/n... just listen... I need you to hear me out..."

He sniffs. He seems so broken. Vulnerable. Honest.

"It's all my fault, Y/n. I know. I know. I'm sorry. And I get if you're afraid... I would be, too... but, Y/n... I wish you could just understand that... that...

"Y/n, people change."

Author's Note- Just wanted to say if you guys liked this and want a part two, I'm totally open to writing that! Let me know if you want a part two, and if you have any ideas, shoot! Like should I end this happy? Or not...? And in what way? If no one gives me ideas, I'll just come up with it, but you guys are extremely welcome to let me know!!! Thank you! <3

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i-smoke-chapstick · 5 months

Note

Okay I think I’ve finally come up with a plot for that jervis story I was telling you about. This is pretty long- I’m sorry 😭

Basically could follow the same plots as the ‘come on Eileen’ story with an age gap but obv themed for Jervis’s character. For the sake of everything, since this could be already dark-ish, instead of Alice being his sister, she’s his coworker. Very similar story tied with the btas version. Anyways continuing that, let’s say reader is Jim and Barbara’s kid all the way from episode 1 when they were still in there couple era (I miss it 😔). Jim had custody over reader when Barbara was sent to Arkham but once she’s out and running the sirens club, her and Jim come to an agreement for the sake of the reader to co-parent. Reader is about 10-13 during that time and then jumping to like season 3 with jervis being introduced, reader is around 17-19 (I’m not sure if this is the realistic time jump but whatever). During the first episode with how Barbara introduces tabby to jervis, imagine that same scenario but with reader also present. Jervis realizes how much reader reminds him of the book version of Alice with their curiosity, ambition, etc. I’d like to imagine Barbara finds it cute in a way similar with that one fix you did when jervis was leaving stuff for the reader while tabby is like “Stay away from the baby 😡”.

Now when Alice gets killed, we know jervis makes him go through all these games of killing and stuff and then he has to choose the one he loves. Instead of Val, it’s reader. As much as Jervis doesn’t want to hurt his current crush, he tries to be nicer about it and shoots them where the bullet won’t damage them as bad?? Idk where else I’m goin with this lol. I’ll let you come up with whatever else you wanna do. Be creative if you’d like.

I’d say basically it follows the plot of season 3 but without Alice and reader is present.

Thank you Cupid 🙏🖤

'DON'T BLAME ME, [PART ONE]

-GOTHAM!JERVIS TETCH X READER-

⋆ 𝐒𝐘𝐍𝐎𝐏𝐒𝐈𝐒 ; Everything's always the same in Gotham. Hard to imagine things changing.

⋆ tags/warnings. GOTHAM!jervis x female reader. SLOW BURN!!! Not sure how many chapters this will be yet! LOTS OF PLOT SET-UP!! AGE GAP ROMANCE! (reader is Jim and Barbara's daughter) Readers got trauma. Reader's also a cynic and dissociating. She fell first, he fell harder. Writing this kind of artistically and as character studies for everyone. Jervis being an obsessive freak, per usual. Jervis and reader are soulmates, not just in his head but in real life! More about reader is revealed as the story goes on. I'm taking canon out back and beating it with a stick until it stops twitching.

⋆ tag list (tell me if you want to be removed!) @adalwolfgang @jervis-tetch-my-beloved @honestmrdual @moonlightnyx

⋆ 'PART ONE, - 'PART TWO, - ‘PART THREE, - ‘PART FOUR, - ‘PART FIVE, - ‘PART SIX, - 'PART SEVEN, - 'PART EIGHT, - 'PART NINE, -'PART TEN, - 'PART ELEVEN, - 'PART TWELVE, - 'PART THIRTEEN, - 'PART FOURTEEN,

Special thanks to @adalwolfgang for giving me the idea for this fic <3 really really excited to make this multichapter !!

♫ “Echoes of your name inside my mind / Halo, hiding my obsession.” Don't Blame Me by Taylor Swift

You feel like your ten again, staring into space, watching the passerby's from inside a Gala. You're mother used to take you there, when you're dad wasn't available.

You sometimes miss it, even though you used to complain. You hated just sitting there, hours on end, seeing rich people dance; like there weren't people being murdered on the street two blocks down. Maybe you took after your father in that aspect. It was a curse.

Your mom used to do your hair. You remember the way she finger-twirled your curls, gasping as she looked in the mirror. Eyes wide, she always said the same thing.

"Look at you, you're gorgeous!" You'd laugh and hit her on the shoulder, young and innocent. Sometimes, you'd make a mess of her lipsticks and bronzer. You'd try on her dresses which were far too tall for your young stature.

The sound of yelling rips you away from your thoughts.

This place isn't a gala. It's a club. And you didn't get ready with your mom, you got ready in the morning, waking up alone in your dads house.

You watch the two men argue from across the bar. You're cradling a drink; unsure what to do with it. Selina had stole it for you, somehow. You didn't ask questions anymore. You'd known her since you were eleven and she was eight. You didn't really like to drink. She knew that. You don't know where she ran off too.

Mindlessly stirring your glass in your palm, you can't help but squint under the bright blue lights. This place...it's not your first choice of where you'd like to be right now. Never is.

You hear a feminine voice calling you to the front of the club, and you can already guess who it is. You haven't seen her in a little over a week, not that it matters.

You decide to down your drink anyway. Who cares.

Pushing your way through the crowds of Gothamites, you notice the stage light up. Your mother and Tabitha stand in grand dresses. Tabitha's resting, one arm on the bar, looking effectively bored out of her mind. Your mother, on the contrary, looks utterly pleased. You fight the urge to snort.

There's a man on the stage. Long hair, cat-like smile. Your eyes follow the contours of his cheek bones. He's spouting something about waking up from an animal-identity. You're frankly lost, staring into his dark eyes. They look pitch black.

Sounds of clapping arise from the back. You simply suck your teeth. Someone new comes into the club everyday with a different act. This guy certainly wasn't any different.

"A magician? Really?" Tabitha asks, interrupting your thoughts. She sounds displeased and confounded, unsure what to make of Barbara's smile.

"Hypnotist." Your mom answers, correcting her. Ah, so thats what he is. You think. Couldn't hypnotize himself to have a better act? You almost make yourself laugh. Barbara mistakes it for agreeance.

"See! I like him! Y/N likes him!" Barbara chimes, smile lighting up to be a bit more genuine at your laugh. "Like mother like daughter. Plus, the place is packed. Be happy." She waves her drink around. Tabitha still looks peeved.

You want to correct her, but the words 'like mother like daughter' make bile rise in your throat. You don't speak.

"Just a taste, ladies and gentlemen." The man purrs, pulling your attention to him. That dark stare of his never once leaves the crowd. "But now...let us venture into something more arcane."

His eyes drift to you in the crowd, and it feels like a jolt of electricity. You wonder if he feels it too. He must have, since he cocks his head, pausing in his words for a little too long. His brows furrow, until the crowd begins to murmur. It's awfully intense.

You tear your gaze away to look at your mom, wondering if she was who he was looking at instead. It would certainly make more sense, given they must've been around the same age. But as soon as your gaze leaves his, the man clears his throat, and goes right back to speaking.

"The hell was that?" Tabitha whispers to me, and my mind goes blank.

"...No clue."

We watch the rest of the act, intrigued. He makes a man stand on the back of a chair, which definitely does not obey the laws of physics whatsoever. I can see why some people might find this amusing.

Your mom does bring up a good question though.

"So you could get him to do anything you wanted?" She asks, abet too excitedly. You want to roll your eyes. When you were younger, she would've made fun of this guy with you.

The man looks between the two of us, and you squint your eyes.

"Did you have something in mind, Ms. Kean?" He asks, and her gaze darkens. You feel a little sick.

As the act finishes, the man takes one too many bows, but the crowd eats it up. That blinding blue light still bounces off his face. Something about it is...unsettling. You notice it more as he stalks towards the three of you.

"Very impressive, Mr. Tetch." Your mom compliments. Mr. Tetch, huh. Well, you finally have a name for the man. "You have quite the gift. But you didn't answer my question. Can you make people do anything you tell them to do?" She speaks, slowly. Mr. Tetch looks flattered at the praise.

He clicks his tongue. "Only things they secretly wish to do," he remarks, eyes falling on me once more. "It's surprising what people will wish for," His eye contact remains on you, voice getting quieter. "Secretly. Deep down." He repeats.

Your mother makes a sound akin to a pleased hum. Tabitha looks between the man and you, and she looks less than amused.

"True," Tabitha speaks, pushing you to the side a bit. You watch as his gaze leaves yours, and snaps up to her. There's a ghost of a scowl on both of their faces that suddenly makes you confused. "You must be a very popular man."

She takes a swig out of her drink as she says the words, a bit sarcastically. Mr. Tetch, or whatever his name is, doesn't falter in his resolve. He instead offers a polite chuckle.

"Oh, I wish. Parties like this help pave my way, so, thank you."

"And you're new to Gotham?" Your mom asks.

"Yes...just arrived from up north."

"You have a place to stay?" Tabitha asks, head cocked. You begin to feel a bit embarrassed, heat rising in your clothes. They're asking the guy way too many questions. And he's a new comer. Poor man probably doesn't know a thing.

Before the man can answer, you butt in.

"Let the man breathe." You huff, and all three of them look at you in unison. Eyes-narrowed on you, the man blinks. Barbara looks at you, surprised, and Tabitha glares daggers.

Silence surrounds the four of you, and you shiver uncomfortably.

"Just saying." You mumble. Barbara raises an eyebrow.

"You'll have to excuse her. This is my daughter, Y/N."

Jervis's face lights up in realization.

"Ah, I see." He remarks, taking your hand. Tabitha instinctively steps close, watching the way he takes it. He presses a soft kiss to your knuckles. "Pleasure to meet you, Ms. Y/N."

"Thank you," You say, softly, looking into his eyes. It really does feel like time stops. You can understand why people are hypnotized by him.

Tabitha finally steps in between you two, as Barbara watches the interaction with vague intrigue. He drops your hand with some reluctance. You don't blame him.

"I think you should get going." Tabitha says, firm. The man simply nods.

"Very well. Enjoy your night." He speaks. "Ms. Kean, Ms. Y/N." He bids one last nod of goodbye, before turning on his heel.

#gotham #x reader #gotham x reader #batman #batman rogues #batman rouges gallery #batman x reader #gotham villains x reader #dc comics #jervis tetch #jervis tetch x reader #jervis tetch x reader imagine #mad hatter x reader #gotham mad hatter #the mad hatter dc #the mad hatter #fic series

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lunar-years · 1 month

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https://deadline.com/2024/08/ted-lasso-season-4-deal-near-brett-goldstein-hannah-waddingham-1236049653/ LOOK WHAT YOU DID /J

Article here

PHEW. Okay. I kind of cursed us I think? I’m sorry everyone. :(

now that i've had a few hours to soak this news in uhhhh. I have thoughts! As many of you know, I flip flop all the time on whether i actually *want* more Ted Lasso, but now that it's far closer to happening and we're hearing a bit more about what it might it entail, I'm unfortunately kind of landing firmly back in the "god no keep that away from me" camp. Reasons being:

The show kind of doomed itself when it made s3 because at the beginning of that season I would have SWORN there was going to be a s4, and by the end i was convinced there was absolutely never going to be a s4. They had sooooo many plots going on, and instead of doing the reasonable thing and adjusting the original vision of the show to expand the vast amount of story they'd ended up with for s3 into two enjoyable and well-paced seasons, they decided to instead squeeze it into one very mid, terribly paced season. so now s4 isn't going to make much sense because the show already HAD an ending (even if it was a subpar one)

why on EARTH couldn't they have decided to move ahead with this before everyone's contracts expired 😭 wtf wtf!!!!! this is an absolutely wretched cursed timeline. if i remember correctly everyone was under contract for 4 seasons up until May this year. and they're going to turn around and announce a s4 in AUGUST??? hello???

As the article mentioned, and expanding on point #2, it is quite likely several og cast regulars are no longer available or only available in a guest star capacity. this sucks. a show that's missing some of the characters is literally FARRRR worse to me then a show that was given an ending and is now over forever. boo. if you're not giving me back jamie tartt again like literally pack it up boys. why are we doing this.

the *only* cast member I could understand (and perhaps even endorse) being lowered from series regular to guest star capacity would be Jason, and that's mostly because I think it's very hard to rectify Ted being a part of the afc richmond / London scene again after they JUST concluded his series-long arc by having him return home very poignantly to his son in Kansas. Like...huh? He just changes his mind and goes back??? lmao*

*The article is under the impression Jason WILL be returning and whilst that confuses me i AM willing to give the show the benefit of the doubt on writing a creative, fun way of making that possible. I am willing to trust them and let them sell me on how Ted Lasso can continue on! but going back to point 3, it's unfortunately all irrelevant to me if other characters are missing. sorry but. no.

as much as i did/do love ted lasso for a vast number of characters, i am too emotionally attached to my favs to where i literally do not think i would enjoy the show anymore if any of them were missing. A roy and keeley plot without jamie visibly in their lives sucks 2 me. A roy plot without jamie OR keeley (because frankly i'm hesitant about the potential of juno returning either) also sucks 2 me. i love the characters together and considering where we left them in s3, it doesn't excite me at all to think about their futures without each other. i'm not asking for rjk to be canon, even, im just asking for them to all be like. IN IT. At the end of the day, the show I love, I love because they were in it.

based on the current specualations...if everyone is in it (with or without ted) i will be tuned in but i feel nervous about it. if phil's really not returning like certain reports are saying, i'm not watching. BUT i will follow along via post episode tumblr gif sets where i can see any of the fun lighthearted roy stuff and keeley stuff and team stuff and ignore the rest of whatever the fucks happening. i will peacefully continue to live on (and contribute to) Ted Lasso Ao3 island.

#ted lasso #asks #ted lasso s4 #jamie tartt #thoughtsssss

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raybyanothername · 4 months

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Hello! I completely read the soha + all the comments (plus a few of my own) and while I'm excited for the next update, I'm more curious if you would be willing to provide snippets of other characters' thoughts/reactions to Aegon/Aemond/Heleana's issues.

C73 for example. I'm curious to know what Rhaenyra and/or Daemon's thoughts were (with the other stuff she suspects) when Aegon flinches away from Viserys, Christon and Ayrrk's realizations that they ruined any sort of small trust Aegon put in them and their immediate thoughts on how to fix it, Jace when Aegon goes to Aemond to stop him from telling Alicent about the abuse (whatever chapter this was), etc.

I'm loving the one pov from Aegon, but Aegon is an unreliable narrator. Everything is his fault and he takes on too much (not that he notices that) and he's not technically a child but not an adult.

The adults in the room see stuff. They know stuff. What sort of pieces are they putting together about the Targaryen-Hightowers specifically?

Thank you for writing such an amazing story! Very excited for the future parts of this to continue on and for everyone to learn all the terrible stuff that has been happening. Also for Alicent's children to feel safe/safer.

There is a long and short answer to your question. The short answer is: Eventually! ^^'

Longer Answer: Current plan is to finish Aegon's story and then write some one shots for events he wasn't present for. Also have some possible sequel ideas, if I am still obsessive enough to commit to one idea. I am easily distracted so I am trying very hard to set myself up for success by not starting extra fics in the same universe until I finish the first one. (This is also why Concubine Beats King has just the one fic right now...)

I know Rhaenyra and Daemon's POVs are of particular interest for many (and I've gotten a couple requests for a Daemyra fic on how they got together) because Aegon has such a skewed perspective on them in the fic. Honestly, I am most excited to show the other sides of Alicent, because Aegon has Bias with a capital B and I haven't gotten to write her being her properly vicious like I want. 🤭😏

The next larger section of chapters (I am estimating 3-4, but don't quote me) will have some sneaky Aegon bits that give us glimpses into how some of the other characters are processing the events (mostly Jace and Rhaenyra, but I'm gonna try to squeeze a few others in if I can). Many of which *should* provide some much needed context. Assuming I manage to write them properly, of course.

Edit: Also! The fact that you said Aegon is neither an adult nor a child in SoHA is giving me life because that is *exactly* how I've been trying to frame it from his perspective. Both for him and Jace, which is particularly amusing to me because Helaena and Aemond are right there and Aegon just sorts them directly into 'child' category. 🤣 The hypocrisy~ (Aemond is 100% grumbly about it for sure.)

#ray rambles #house of the dragon #hotd #asoiaf #the secret on his arm #ask ray

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wings-of-ink · 2 months

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it’s like i just drank an entire oceans worth of water, buckle up because i’m about to ramble

chapter 4….hooh boy where do i even begin. i never know how to begin. to summarize, it had me on the edge of my seat. when the horses ran off and oswin curses?? that’s when the thought of “we’re so fucked” finally settled. and after that, it was just one thing after another like a literal landslide (talk about foreshadowing yikes). i seriously thought we were about to have to put down a horse and while i was still in shock, i get hit with “we’re splitting up.” like HELL NO? NO THANK YOU? and to make things better, a landslide. like wow, MC hasn’t been through enough already let’s fuck up their shoulder too. i also really thought we were about to get our arm amputated because of infection, how do you explain that to papa and da when you get home.

duri’s first appearance and introduction? flabbergasted. first it was “WHAT IS THAT 😭😭” to “gee this is one smart wolf” to “what the hell. what the hell??” ALL POSITIVE REACTIONS!! i couldn’t believe it. maybe the onions we found on the side of the road contained some hallucinogens and we were all conveniently imagining the same thing. when oswin said my healer MC was obviously delirious, i was half expecting her to ask him just who was the healer here HAHA!

you deliver once again, lunan. without fail, every time. i appreciate the maps you provide for rest stops everytime they’re always so pleasing to see <3

and how do you feel about these long rambles or bug reports…..i don’t wish to flood your inboxes with my words >_<

Oh honey, don't drink ocean water...lol

I am tickled pink that you were thrilled, my dear. Though it is chapter 4, those scenes were some of the very first I thought of when plotting this story. I have been so excited to write them and I'm glad that seems to have come across in the passages to you. This is really where some of the "oh shit" comes into play for the story. We'll have more hills and valleys as we continue as well (hopefully no more fall out from under us though). And Oswin usually only drops the F-bomb when he's really stressed, lol.

I want to make sure your MCs have lots to tell their fathers about when they get home. I have a feeling they are going to have this moment when MC gets home and be like "we let them out of the house ONE time!" and then you get grounded. I anticipate getting the MC back home for a little break around chapter 6. It's going to be interesting, lol. MC leaves with 1 companion and comes back with more people, injuries, and maybe a little something else...

As long as the journey to the city goes okay, I'm sure MC will be totally safe from additional complications...mmhmm...

LOL you know I didn't think about your onions being the cause of a mass hallucination. Sounds kinda fun really. I am glad you enjoyed Duri's grand entrance. They love that shock and awe, and they don't show those parts of themselves to just anyone either.

And not to worry about filling my inbox. I appreciate every message including the long ones. I enjoy reading your thoughts, opinions, and ideas so much. It brings me great joy to see how enthusiastic you are about the experience. And now that the chapter is cleared, I have more time to dive into here and read and respond!

Thank you so much for sharing with me. ^_^

#god cursed if #asks #twine if

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carica-ficus · 3 months

Text

"Nona the Ninth"

08/07/2024

Reading progress: 116/477 (24%) Read through since last update: 116

And I'm off with Nona! My boyfriend got me the book about a month ago, but I haven't had the time (nor the mental capacity) to pick it up back then. But it's summer and I just finished my last exam, so I decided it was finally the right time to continue the series. I know this book is only an intro to Alecto and offers something a little different than Harrow and Gideon, but I'm welcoming this change with open arms and am very excited to see what Muir's got in store for me.

Ok, enough yapping. Time for the commentary:

Starting off: background for John. Interesting, but I hate that it's so short and vague (in the best way, of course. I'm excited for it to be revealed later on.)

I'm concentrating SO HARD on connecting the pieces from Pyrrha talking to Cam (Palamedes). It's been a while since I've read Harrow, so I'm struggling to connect the dots. Although, I realize much of this is also just new info, so I don't particularly mind. I'm just making sure I don't skip over something important (i.e. I'm doing very active reading).

Yeah, I wouldn't wanna eat those nasty looking eggs either, Nona.

I like how Muir gave Nona a down-turned smile. That's such a cute addition to her design. (If I understood that part about that description correctly.)

Not gonna lie, the part where Nona's difficulty with controlling her body was mentioned was so heavy...

Yeah, no. Everything linked to Nona's disability is incredibly raw. It's filled with sadness, but also compassion and love. She allows herself to be proud of her progress, no matter how small it is, and I love that Muir decided to give her the space to do that. ❤️

One day when I re-read the series (because I will), I'm going to pay special attention to the character's relationship to sex. Or maybe I'm gonna read up on someone else's analysis. Because I find it really interesting how Muir approaches this subject, especially considering many of her characters are on the verge of adulthood and are suddenly entering a world filled with things they know nothing about (or very little). They've all been forced to grow up so fast, but had no time to actually develop into functional, grown adults. Idk, I just find all of this very interesting.

Nona not feeling any hunger? Also resistant to drinking bleach? Ok, so she is definitely immortal and I'm excited to find out why. (I.e. the whole truth about her identity.)

John, I'd laugh at your Coke Zero joke. Then make fun of you for drinking such a shitty drink.

Incorrupti? There's no full stop at the end of the paragraph, so it's obviously cut off. Strange...

I like how the parts are numbered. it's a count-down. And I love how Muir uses this trope. Just when you forget about it, you get reminded and then you think to yourself: shit.

I love the way Nona gets dressed. It's described so well. I have a clear image of her trying to both free herself from her pjs and put herself into her dayclothes. It's such a funny scene.

A CHEESEBURGER WITH TINY LEGS! CUTE!

HHHHH CAMILLA AND PALAMEDES MY BELOVED!!! They're so fucking cute.

Also, yeah Pyrrha's right about the letters. Knowing Palamedes is actually not opposed to writing pornography... 👁️👁️

Damn, Honesty's got balls. That was such a wild mission.

Of course the Convoy is transporting something, but what are those creatures (people)? Hm hm hm. They're cooking up something.

NOODLE IS WEARING BOOTSIES!!!!!!!!!

HE SOUNDED LIKE ONE AND A HALF HORSES!!!!!!!

I LOVE John's titles!!!!!!!!!!

BRUH

What is chapter #9?????

I literally inhaled it.

Bruh...

Cam and Palamedes though 😭😭❤️❤️❤️😭❤️😭❤️😭❤️😭❤️❤️❤️😭😭

How am I already at 1/4 of the book? It's been 3 days!! Guess it goes to show I wasn't in a reading slump, but was just reading boring books.

#the locked tomb #nona the ninth #reading journal #dnevnik čitanja #dnevnik citanja

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veliseraptor · 11 months

Text

October Reading Recap

The Husky and His White Cat Shizun: vol. 3 by Rou Bao Bu Chi Rou. Still in the territory of a part of this book I remember fairly well, and while the whole underworld arc is good it's not my favorite part of the book and mostly I come away from it going "Rong Jiu has rights." which is true! and I do think Meatbun knows it actually but it still hurts how his arc goes here. Me: continually getting too wound up in the fates of side characters and distracted from what's going on with the mains.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to moving into the next parts of the book, which I don't remember as well. Though I know it's a while before it gets really painful, aka what I'm most excited to reread.

Dark Carnivals: Modern Horrors and the Origins of American Empire by W. Scott Poole. I was so frustrated by this book. I wanted it to be an analysis of horror films and their relationship to American imperialism; what I got was a lot of overwrought prose and repetition of the titular metaphor that was very light on the analysis of the actual texts and heavy on the scathing opinions about what is "good" (politically) horror and what is "bad" (politically) horror. Which, fine, my politics are technically the same as his politics, but it was annoying to read in a book that I thought was going to be more analytical. I had high hopes for this book and it failed them; makes me more hesitant to read his other book about horror and World War I, which I have had on my list for a while. But I liked his book on Lovecraft, funnily enough, so not totally sure what went wrong here.

Paradise-1 by David Wellington. I did not realize that this book was first in a series and I'm a little bit annoyed about it. It was decent horror but it doesn't need to be a series and the lack of resolution bugs me, because now if I want resolution I have to read the next book and I don't think I really want to read the next book. Space horror seems like it would be such a rich land full of possibility and yet I keep being disappointed by space horror. (If, in this case, less disappointed than I was by Dead Silence.)

Remnants of Filth: vol. 1 by Rou Bao Bu Chi Rou. She's done it again! It's a differently fucked up relationship, to be sure, but boy am I already here for it, despite feeling like I know very little about what's going on. Gu Mang is my jam as far as character type, and I really like the dynamic as its laid out as having been previously between him and Mo Xi, and also how it is now. Dedicated friends/lovers turned to bitter enemies turned to one of them fractured to a shadow of himself leaving the other bereft of resolution...mm, good stuff. Can't wait to find out more about what's going on under Gu Mang's surface. Looking forward to reading more of this one and glad that I already have the second volume to go to. (And the rest, technically, but I do like reading cnovels in print when I can more than reading on a computer.)

I, Robot by Isaac Asimov. Look at me! Reading classic sci-fi knowing only the bare minimum about it. I liked it more than I expected to, and was less bothered by the way the women were written than I expected to. I didn't realize that it was more a string of short stories tied together by a frame narrative than a novel, but it was really fine that I didn't know that going in - didn't affect my enjoyment, I don't think. And I did enjoy it! I might not have read it on my own, but I read it for a sci-fi book club and ended up liking both it and the book club. Not sure I'd give it, like, a strong recommendation, but I'm glad I finally read it. It'll be interesting seeing what echoes/traces of it I can now pick up in other robot/AI-related writing.

Monstress: vol. 5-7 by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda. This comic is so good you guys. So. Good. I don't really know what else to say here, except that she continues to step up her game even more with every volume, and I don't know how she's keeping all the balls in the air that she is with this story as deftly as she is. I have no idea where this story is going, either, and I can't wait to find out. I don't know. Themes of monstrosity and agency and lack of agency and how to be a good person (or try) in a terrible world. With a whole lot more than that. Also there's gay betrayal, if you're into that.

Ariadne by Jennifer Saint. Why do I continue to read Greek Mythology retellings when at best they end up making me go "eh, it was okay I guess"? Not sure. But this was okay, I guess. I liked the same author's Electra better.

Pathogenesis: A History of the World in Eight Plagues by Jonathan Kennedy. More of a "history of the western world categorized by periods of time in which there were various diseases" which...was not quite what I was hoping for, but it was still a good, solid book about epidemiology and the impact of disease on history. A lot of it was familiar to me (how disease enabled the Spanish conquest of the Aztecs and Incas, for instance, but also British colonization in North America), but I did learn some new things, particularly in the sections about Paleolithic/Neolithic diseases. All in all a book I read because I'm particularly interested in the subject but not probably one I'd recommend as the one book that they'd have to read about it.

The Hollow Kind by Andy Davidson. I made it a goal in October to read some spooky books and ended up only reading three, but this was easily my favorite of those - and my favorite non-Darcy Coates horror I've read in a while, too. I wasn't totally sure what to expect from this one, and the slow reveal in the first two thirds particularly was very well done. I found myself slightly more compelled by the portions set in the past than by the present storyline, but not so much as to ding the whole book for it. And I liked that the monster was left pretty vague and undefined, too; that's always my preference. Some very gross descriptions and body horror, as a caveat for those who might be interested but are sensitive about such things.

Die: vol. 1-3 by Kieron Gillen and Stephanie Hans. I'm finally rereading (and finishing) this series and...I forgot how much I like it. Not only because the art is gorgeous (and the art is gorgeous) but Kieron Gillen's writing remains as sharp as ever, and the way he is playing with fantasy as a genre is very fun for me as a fantasy nerd. My favorite issue remains the one about The Lord of the Rings, though. I don't know that this one is quite as good as The Wicked and the Divine as a whole, but I'll have to reread that one taken as a whole, too, before making that determination.

And the art really is gorgeous. Stephanie Hans remains a fave.

Homegrown: Timothy McVeigh and the Rise of Right-Wing Extremism by Jeffrey Toobin. A decent narrative about the Oklahoma City bombing, certainly competently written, but he interrupted himself a little too often drawing parallels to January 6th, in my opinion, and I don't feel like I took anything particularly new or fresh away from this. Which is maybe an artifact of the fact that I've read a number of better books about the rise of right-wing extremism in the 90s, and this one wasn't one of them, but I'm going to go ahead and damn with faint praise when I say "it was fine."

currently I'm rereading Banewreaker by Jacqueline Carey which is a fascinating text in ways that I'm going to need to chew on for a bit, so that I can finally read the sequel. but then a bunch of stuff came in for me at the library, so I'm next probably going to be reading Silver Nitrate by Sylvia Moreno-Garcia, and then Godslayer by Jacqueline Carey, and then The Art of Prophecy by Wesley Chu, and then Children of Memory by Adrian Tchaikovsky, and then Our Share of Night by Mariana Enriquez. or that's the plan, anyway. we'll see how fast it gets derailed.

also somewhere in there planning on reading more Female General and Eldest Princess and most likely the second volume of Remnants of Filth. I'm trying to spend less time on the internet in general (you absolutely could not tell I am sure) so let's make it a busy reading month instead.

#reading recaps #sometimes i read things

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oblivious-melodies · 5 months

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I can’t believe I’m only just finding your IF now! Especially since there are 5 chapters out, which I’ve just binged in one go. This is completely up my alley with the historical-inspired fantasy genre & a genderlocked female MC. Your writing flows beautifully and is perfectly suited for the time period, it made me feel immersed in the setting.

I think my fave aspect is having two MCs with alternating POVs, which not many IFs do. I wasn’t sure I’d like it since I usually only play IFs as a female MC, but Ambrose is likeable and I really feel for him due to everything he’s been through (the flashback with Felix :( ). Although maybe I’m biased because I still like Artemisia a bit more. Her perspective as someone starting out on the “wrong side of history” and a bit more entrenched in the societal conditioning she was brought up with is interesting and I’m excited to see her character arc develop.

I really like the sibling dynamic, especially how differently they think of each other, their family, home, and their persectives on the same topics/situations. You can feel how their life experiences affect this, with Art being more sheltered due to gender roles, whilst Ambrose got to go off to university, meet different types of people, and travel to multiple countries - something i’m sure Art was jealous of, especially one that focuses on learning. It’s just funny that Ambrose thoughts allude to casual premartial sex, but Art takes a hit to her reputation just for going to a childhood friend’s house without a chaperone.

Also I’m not sure if i’m reading this correctly, but it felt like Art thought of Ambrose and their childhood more fondly than vice versa. I’m guessing it’s because she’s younger and her world is still relatively small, it seems like she never met a kindred spirit like Ambrose had in Felix, so comparatively he was a bigger part of her world than she was of his. Seeing the siblings reunite is what I’m most looking forward to, although I’m sure it will be a while off yet.

I really liked the other characters too, Ambrose/Jacob was unexpected but sweet, and Hyder is growing on me 👀 (although I’m worried about how fervent he is about the cause 😭). I’m not sure what the real world equivalent would be for Hyder’s background, but as someone who’s British (South) Asian I thought his character was well done and makes sense (although I may be reading stuff into his characterisation that isn’t there lol). I’m interested how the themes of class, gender, race, colonialism, etc. will continue to be tackled because it’s been done well here in a way that interests me more than most IFs.

I saw you wanted feedback as well, so the main thing I’d say is that it’d be nice to have more choices at times. Even though the MCs are set characters sometimes I wished to have a bit more input. Also is there any way to add saves within each chapter? Anyway sorry this ask is ridiculously long, I can’t wait to see how ch6 goes! <3

Hello!! thank you so much for your lovely thoughtful message - I read it last night and wanted time to properly address all of your comments, it was such a joy to find it in my inbox!

I'm really glad you're enjoying the dual characters - the scope of the game is very wide, and it's more a portrait of a society and a country than it is a single person. But then, it would also be impossible to show that in all of its variety through the eyes of just one individual, due to the trappings of gender, class, and race. Though they are still family, and share an ethnic background and social class, Ambrose and Artemisia's experiences and opinions are profoundly shaped by their gendered upbringings - I'm really happy that that fact shines through in the narration. Though Artemisia is frustrated by her misogynistic society, she's also not immune to contributing to those forces, too. Likewise, Ambrose is also designed to somewhat express how damaging the binarism of gender in this society is to its citizens. They definitely also perceive their family and childhood very differently - you might wonder how trustworthy those recollections are...

I'm particularly happy to know how well Hyder has been received - he's probably my favourite character in the game. And you're right - Hyder does draw inspiration from real-life histories of Anglo-Indian encounters. There's a painting, specifically one from I think 1807, of a biracial family in India with a child, which I think specifically sparked the idea for his character (though he isn't designed to be from one singular real-world nation)! In writing about empire and race, I'm aware I'm necessarily dealing with a large white hegemony - but I also wanted to show that Regency society was not without its diverse aspects, and that should be more of a feature as the narrative progresses. I'm not a person of colour myself, so to hear that you've found something meaningful and resonant about his character is really good to hear - I want to make sure my depiction is respectful, but also nuanced and memorable at the same time!

I'm a researcher of this period, and so overall it's really nice to hear that my writing has that sense of authenticity! I think I was really frustrated at how much Regency romance has been depoliticised and idealised, especially when in academia there's so much focus currently on addressing how even the most innocuous aspects of the period were connected to larger systems of empire, class, and industry - even romance itself, because marital and romantic choices were themselves fraught with huge social and economic repercussions.

It's really helpful to hear constructive critiques as well! A few of my friends helping me with playtesting have talked about the possibility of including more choices and I think that's a very fair criticism. It's particularly an issue with Ambrose's chapters so far, he's a lot more railroaded than his sister (mainly as he's having to exist in seclusion rather than having access to her same social and physical mobility). That will change soon, however... and yes, I'd really like to be able to implement a save function! Apologies for limitations like these - I am relatively very new to Twine and my knowledge does have its boundaries. I'll look into it as a possibility - I'm aware it would make playthroughs that much easier for readers! Thank you so much again, this message really made my day! :)

#ask #anon

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aihoshiino · 11 months

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what's your #1 chapter/moment? by character if you're up to writing another essay

"if you're up to writing another essay". you guys know me so well <3

For the sake of not taking like 8 weeks to answer this ask, I'll limit this to just the Hoshinos for now.

Ai: So, my actual fave Ai moment is not from the manga itself so I'll pick my fave manga moment then talk about my actual fave moment. It's fine, she's my favourite so she gets preferential treatment!!!! (saitou behaviour……)

From the manga itself, my favourite Ai moment is her death, believe it or not lol. I'm one of the Oshi no Sickos who think her arc being capped by her death is narratively speaking the perfect conclusion to everything we learn about her life – the entertainment industry ruined every opportunity Ai ever had at a normal life up to and having that conclude with Ai's literal, actual life being taken by an embodiment of the misogyny and violence that's been inflicted on her since she was a child is such a miserable, cathartic bit of tragedy. But moreso than that, what resonates with me so strongly about this moment is how Ai responds to it - or rather, how she fails to respond.

Even though it would make so much sense for her to be bitter or angry or upset, she makes an active choice to spend her last moments alive pouring out love and literally spends her last breaths on telling Ruby and Aqua she loves them. It says so, so much about what a deeply kind and incredibly strong person Ai is that she was able to do that.

My actual favourite Ai moment is her conversation with Kyun in Viewpoint B and the reveal that their meeting in the park was so impactful to Ai that it lead her to consider Kyun her closest friend for years afterwards. Like her death, the way Ai goes out of her way to approach Kyun and try to reach out to her speaks so deeply so her kindness and her desire to connect with other people and there's a little part of me that always wonders if maybe if this fleeing friendship had come to pass for real, Ai might have been saved. At the very least, there's something bitterly sweet about knowing that for as alone as Ai was in B-Komachi, she had someone she called a friend even so.

Aqua: Honestly, I love so many Aqua moments, it's hard to pick just one but I will never be over the Piyeon ruse. Aqua was so put out by the girl he has a crush on not talking to him that he dressed as a bodybuilding chicken with a squeaky voice for a week. Literally the most teenage thing any teenager in this series has done. Embarrassing ass kid.

My actual serious answer is Aqua's breakdown during Tokyo Blade - specifically, the 'internal' scenes where he's confronted by both Goro and his younger self. These are so, so important for getting at the core of who Aqua really is and they're honestly bone-chilling to read. Seeing Goro as this malicious, intrusive force who is preventing Aqua from being happy, seeing the words he batters Aqua with and realizing that this is the kind of shit Aqua probably thinks about himself every day honestly kind of turns my stomach a bit! It's clear before this that Aqua struggles with self-hate and self-blame but seeing the sheer extent of it is so horrible.

That this confrontation essentially climaxes in the hallway where Ai died, with Aqua face to face with his younger self, also underlines something that's really fundamental to understanding who Aqua is; at his core, Aqua has never stopped being that little boy covered in his mother's blood. He has, emotionally speaking, never been able to leave that hallway and until he allows himself to do so, he's going to continue self destructing and taking everyone down with him.

It's honestly the scene I'm most excited to see animated... season 2 can't come soon enough!!!

Ruby: Without a doubt it has to be her and Ai's dance practice scene back in volume 1, but especially in the anime's portrayal of it. I think OnK's handling of the past life stuff is at its best in moments like this, where it actually meaningfully engages with what it would mean for someone to carry such deep trauma from their past and how it would continue to affect them going forward. We get little hints of this leading up to it, like Ruby outright saying she's never thought about her future (implicitly because she was aware she would not have one as Sarina) and the way she so enthusiastically gives her all to playing and having fun with other kids at school - because those are things that she never got to do as Sarina. But her dance scene and her thoughts leading up to it really hammer in just how deeply this has affected Ruby - she spends almost three years living with the expectation that at any moment, her body will betray and hurt her for seemingly no reason to the point that it affects how she walks and carries herself moment to moment.

This is also a really good Ai moment for her as a moment and it also highlights something really special about Ai and Ruby's relationship I feel we don't get as much post-timeskip; how genuinely healing and wonderful their connection was for both of them. I've talked before about the running motif of toxic motherhood on Oshi no Ko and how Ai, as a character, is sort of a refutation of the other shitty oshi no moms in the series. Knowing that both Ai and Ruby are victims of toxic mothers, it makes it so deeply, incredibly powerful that these two victims find healing and acceptance in each other and the genuinely loving and supportive mother/daughter bond they have with each other.

The anime's version of this scene is also just easily one of its biggest highlights for me. The gorgeous colours, the overlapping of Sarina and Ruby's voices and the palpable affection Ruby and Ai have for each other... it's just so lovely and it makes me a little teary-eyed every time I watch it. The transformation of Sarina's sorrow into Ruby's joy and empowerment is such an important foundational part of Ruby's arc in the first part of the series and I'm so glad the anime really got it right.

#oshi no ko #oshi no posting #onk spoilers #ai hoshino #hoshino ai #ruby hoshino #hoshino ruby #aqua hoshino #hoshino aqua

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m34gs · 2 months

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For the fanfic ask game: 4, 7, 8, 13, 27!

Thank you for the ask, friend! I am very excited to answer now that I am feeling better!💜💜 (from this post)

4. a story idea you haven’t written yet

I have...SO MANY. You have no idea. I even cleaned up my folders, and somehow I ended up with MOre??? I'm truly hopeless. This brain doesn't rest. So, I think I'll indulge myself and talk about more than just one :)

Rin is Human: a Blue Exorcist au where Rin is the only human in a school of monsters (I am a sucker for this kind of plot/setting)

Four Brothers: I want to write a really serious Blue Exorcist fic in an AU where none of them are demons or exorcists, where an overworked Mephisto and a heartbroken Amaimon have to suddenly raise their 16 year old brothers Rin and Yukio after Shiro's untimely death. It will be an angsty feast (but I promise no one aside from Shiro dies).

Teach Me to Play: Twisted Wonderland Kalim/Idia fic where Kalim stumbles across the board game club meeting one day and becomes enamored by how expressive Idia is when playing; and subsequently begs Idia to teach him video games and board games so that he can continue seeing those expressions.

Octavinelle wants Trey's baking: for this one I am going to share the notes I have thus far because I feel you'll appreciate them. This is based on one of our many many conversations:

Azul wants Trey’s cooking in his kitchen; he keeps trying to get Trey over there working for him. Trey is confused and also a little nervous that Octavinelle has such an interest in him. Riddle wants to know why the fuck the Octotrio are trying to steal his vice housewarden. Cater is ugly-crying in the corner and eating ice cream straight from the tub because he thinks his boyfriend is gonna get eaten by the fish mafia. Ace and Deuce make Cater’s crying worse.

7. your preferred writing fonts

Times New Roman. Why? Because it's what I'm used to. Yeah, now the default font in Word is calibri and I've gotten used to it, but a long time ago it was Times New Roman and let me tell you, I used to write so much on my family's computer that it became a comfort for me to see (my sister and I both used to take turns writing and we would write for hours and hours; and my mother never denied us our writing time as long as chores and homework were done because she was happy we were being creative and also not getting into trouble). It's a bit nostalgic and it looks right to me. Though, Calibri has grown on me and if I had to choose a second, I would choose that one.

8. if you had to write a sequel to a fic, you’d write one for…

This is so hard. Honestly, if I'm going to write a sequel I usually have it planned before the first fic is done. So, unless it's for one of our ongoing aus (Bar and Saw) or a fic that I've already started writing a sequel for, I don't think that I really would...

But in the spirit of the question, if I *had* to choose, I might write a sequel to If I Lay Here, my Haikyuu!! Shizumo/Yachi fic for whumptober 2023. In the fic, I left off with the girls deciding to run away after Yachi's mother disapproved of their relationship. If I were to do a sequel, it would probably be a snapshot of their time finding themselves and setting themselves up in their new life together.

13. a fandom you’re thinking about writing for

I, too, am thinking of writing for Link Click. Honestly, it's so good. I don't know if I'll wait for Season 3 before I start, it depends on what I want to write and how Season 2 goes (I'll probably decide once I finish watching S2, honestly, but since I do a lotta writing in AUs, I could easily see myself writing for the fandom before S3). I also am sorely tempted to write for Hakata Tonkotsu Ramens, but I'm less confident in that my grasp of the characters in that one, so it might be a while before I venture there.

27. your favorite part of the writing process

I have many favourite parts! One of them is the planning process! I love thinking about an idea and rotating it in my mind until I have a shiny little plot outline :D

#thanks again for the ask!#for fun #ask game #writing asks #fic writing

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