#idk i might just he insane. but it feels REALLY familiar

[riotshotguns]

edit; i played more of the game and i know now ! you can have a conversation with him about it

fucked with my audio settings to hear tim’s humming better and i am so so bothered by the fact that i can’t place this tune. bec it feels really familiar

[yourstrulyrika]

i’m actually feeling quite motivated today so i might write two smuts today. also, i have a feeling my fics are too short??? idk if you guys actually think so, or if you mind but yeah. might be just me but if anyone’s willing to tell me what they think that’d be appreciated <3

anyway, as always, fem reader!! no warnings, smut full of fluff.

going down on leon kennedy ♡

Leon is the type of person who prioritises you over himself. whenever it’s protecting you, taking care of you or pleasuring you. he always pays attention to you before him, eats you out and makes you see stars before he even thinks about his own arousal. you often see his cock throbbing and leaking pre cum as he eats you out/fingers you but doesn’t even pay attention to it. as if it never existed.

you decided to make the day about him though. you tease him, kiss him all over his pretty face, covering his face with little pink lip shapes. he thinks you’re trying to get him to make love with you, but, the moment he tries to get between your legs, to take care of you, you push him away, and he whines. he actually whines.

“You’re killing me here,” he sighs and pouts his lips, face flushed. he actually acts like a baby that had his candy taken away.

but you don’t say anything in response, instead, you’re guiding him to lay down, getting between his legs and trailing kisses up from his inner thighs to his clothed cock. his cock is actually so sensitive, it instantly hardens at the sight of you between his legs, at the feeling of your warm breath on his length.

you gently tug and pull at his boxers, fishing his cock out of its confines. his thick cock springs out, making you drool. his dick is actually so damn pretty. you take a moment to admire it, and it’s enough to make his thighs tense up. any mere touch from you makes him feel all warm and fuzzy inside, thoughts clouding due to all the feelings he’s experiencing.

“Fuck, princess,” he can’t help the moan leaving his mouth, lips parting as he spreads his legs further for you, giving you the green light.

you immediately get to work— licking a stripe from the very bottom to the tip, circling your tongue around his head. you can hear his grunts, him biting his lips to muffle the sounds he’s letting out, but to no avail. the moment you take his cock in your mouth, all his reservations melt, out of the window. he tilts his head back, calloused hand gripping your hair, his touch still gentle despite him losing control. he’s guiding your head up and down, making sure you don’t gag— even if you think you’re in control, he’s the one controlling the pace.

but then you cup his balls — it’s his weakness, really, and he loses it. it gives you enough time to take him deeper, taking way more than you can take, tears filling your eyes, but still bobbing eagerly.

“Fuck— fuck, fuck, don’t stop— you’re driving me insane,”

he just can’t take it— how can he keep his composure when you keep playing with his balls, looking so pretty with mouth full of cock? you’re drooling, he’s drooling too, because fuck he’s on cloud nine. you look so pretty, saliva dripping down on your chin, moving your head up and down. he makes such pretty noises, singing praises as you coax an orgasm out of him.

his hair sticks to his forehead, eyes half lidded, lips parted as he lets out low moans and praises. fuck he loves it so much.

“baby, ‘m close, fuck, keep going—“ he grunts so prettily, cock throbbing in your mouth, feeling the familiar warmth in his lower abdomen. he grips the bedsheets, hazy eyes trying to keep eye contact with you but failing miserably, barely keeping his eyes open. he’s losing his cool and pushing your head all the way down as he cums down your throat, arching his back as he wraps his thighs around you, almost putting you in a headlock, not that you mind.

you swallow eagerly, and he moans at the sight. when he finally cools down, panting softly, he smiles at you, patting your head and letting you go when he realizes he put you in a headlock.

“Sorry, got ahead of myself. It just felt too good.”

he makes sure you’re hydrated, and as his cock finally softens, he pulls you beside him on the bed, against his chest as he plays with your hair. after a moment, he looks down at you, and you hear his soft, teasing voice.

“Sooo.. can I get my meal now? I’m starving.” he asks as he pats your thigh— you know exactly what this man means.

[junicult]

Hello!! I love your posts! Are there any physical or emotional attributes that the bachelors love about you? Can be nsfw, or sfw, whatever you want! No pressure❤️

!! what the bachelors love about you

contains ; some nsfw! fluff. suggestive. fem!farmer. minor desc of reader (very very brief appearances). facial. reader is hinted at being fairly social or enthusiastic. smut (harvey & shane). reader wears makeup. not proofread.

note ; i really tried to make this entirely sfw but i couldn’t help myself i’m so sorry 😭😭

harvey.

- there isn’t one thing this man can pick that he loves most about you.

- ever since he first met you, he always found you so beautiful, and when he got to know you he’s never fell more in love.

- so picking a favorite? that’s hard.

- there’s parts of you he enjoys some days more then others. but that’s not to say he doesn’t enjoy them all the time.

- like, you could just be casually talking to him and he can’t help but think, “her eyes look so beautiful today.”

- it’s not like he hasn’t noticed how pretty your eyes looked before, he just really noticed how pretty they look right now.

- but if he had a feature of yours he’ll never get enough of, no matter how many times he gets to see them, feel them���

- it’ll have to be your hands.

- your slightly calloused palms from your hours of farm work. you keep your hands clean any time you have the chance, washing and rubbing lotion on them.

- how no matter how much you work with them, they’ll still be soft to the touch when he gets to hold them.

- lacing your fingers together, quietly humming about your day and it might look like he isn’t paying attention bc his eyes are glued to your fingers.

- when you softly run your palm down his arm, squeezing his shoulder and leaning up for a kiss.

- when you cup your hands around his cheeks just to gaze into his eyes.

- he can’t help but feel a little sorrow when he’s at work, and he reminds himself of the fact that your hands aren’t in his.

- it’s such a subtle display of affection,

- yet it’s his absolute favorite. he can’t get enough.

- another one is when you say his name.

- it makes his attention perk in a way that doesn’t really work coming from anyone else.

- don’t get me wrong, he loves when you call him petnames, like, “baby,” “sweetheart,” or “honey.”

- they’re so domestic, it makes him swoon when he gets to remember the fact that he’s all yours.

- but when you say his name,

- ugh.

- it just reminds him of a time when you weren’t dating yet.

- when he’d spend his days and nights pining after you, thinking about you constantly with red flush heating his cheeks.

- where he would spend hours of the day wondering when you’d walk in to take up his time, and when he’d get sad if he didn’t get to hear a chipper, “harvey!” from your familiar octave bursting through the door.

- there’s nothing like it.

- when you’d so sweetly ask if he needed any help, tapping on a “harvey?” at the end so he could really melt in your hold.

- idk, it just does something to him.

- once he heard you say his name, he never wanted to hear his name any other way again.

- which also adds intoooo🥁🥁

- how you moan. (🎉🥳)

- sorry, i had to.

- it’s an insane confidence booster.

- when he buries his head into the crook of your neck, his ear just over your mouth so he can hear and feel every pant that leaves your lips.

- it’s like, he’s not even doing that much. just moving at a rhythmic pace, one that’s at the perfect speed for the both of you,

- and every time his hips meet yours, you can’t help but exhale a short, high-pitched moan.

- but that’s nothing compared to when he eats u out.

- it’s a completely different kind of pleasure,

- for you and him.

- when your head’s thrown back, fingers tight around his fluffy dark strands and you’re just so fucking loud.

- when your breaths stutter and your back starts to arch,

- and all you can get out is a weak, “fuck, harvey—“

- he’s finished.

- & so are u lol.

sam.

- another man who’s not picky.

- he’s already a pretty carefree person. super go with the flow.

- a himbo, if you will.

- and he’s so cute. i feel like there’s just air wafting around in his mind at all times.

- so whenever you’re in his presence, or he even just catches a glimpse of you, he’s like, “my girlfriend!!!”

- not a thought beyond those eyes besides you.

- he just loves your lips.

- how they move when you talk, how they curl when you’re mad, how they pout when you’re sad.

- how you use them against his, whether you’re making out with him, or just planting a gentle kiss to his temple.

- they’re so soft, and perfect. always so moist from your chapstick.

- and they’re just so pretty too. you’ll catch him staring all the time.

- he’s the type to want to kiss you goodbye, and then say “one more,” about a thousand times.

- he’ll find you all the way across the farm just to kiss you.

- HE’LL WALK A MILE JUST FOR A SINGULAR KISS.

- for this next one, i feel like i need to explain myself a little.

- he loves when you’re sick.

- HEAR ME OUT!

- no, he doesn’t love when you’re doubled over in discomfort, nose stuffy, head achy. he doesn’t like that aspect.

- but he does like the aspect that puts him in charge of you.

- as a man with a lot of allergies, he’s no stranger getting sick.

- which, as he’s gotten older, he’s more used to taking care of himself, and knowing what his body needs to heal.

- but that doesn’t stop you from caring of him, making sure he feels better.

- so on the rarer occasions when you get sick, he gets to pay you back.

- he gets to pamper you, do all of your work for you, cook (order food) for you.

- and when you’re bedridden, he gets to sit by your side, rubbing your sore muscles and keeping you company.

- it’s even better if you’re kinda stubborn, all, “i can take care of myself 😒” until you’re attempting to do your chores before sorta collapsing on the ground.

- and he won’t “i told you so” all in your face, but he does kinda give you a look that‘ll pretty much say it all.

- like, 🙂

- he just gets to grin and go back to taking care of you.

- finally, he loves how you comfort him.

- he’s not afraid to be emotional. if he has to cry, he’s gonna cry lmfao.

- he doesn’t cry too often, he’s usually really optimistic. but when it comes to seeing people he loves all sad, he can’t help it.

- like, if vincent were to come up to him and ask him about his dad, and if he’s ever coming home;

- that always makes him so sad. bc as much as he wants to, he can’t really give vincent a straight answer.

- he loves that he doesn’t even really have to say anything to you for you to realize he’s sad.

- his head hangs a little low, and just by one look you can tell all he needs is a hug.

- that means everything to him.

- when you just pull him into your chest, running your hand through his hair and up and down his back while he quietly sobs against you.

- if he didn’t think he could love you more…

shane.

- ur his sunshine.

- whatever your personality is, you guys could be so similar, and you’re still his sunshine.

- whatever u do, no matter what, you’ll always light up his day. and he loves u very much for that.

- he might not be the most expressive verbally, but he’ll definitely show you with smaller gestures.

- a small kiss on your cheek, resting his chin on your shoulder while you stand at the stove.

- and he’ll latch onto you as you try to get out of bed in the morning, pretending to be asleep while you struggle to leave.

- his favorite thing about you is how you smell.

- listen. when you’re in love with someone, their  pheromones become addicting.

- like, yes you’ve been working on the farm all day. yes you’re all sweaty. yes you need to shower but does he care? absolutely not.

- “how was your day?” he’s already leaning into the crook of your neck, kissing your jaw and ignoring the way you whine.

- “shaaane, i’m so dirty.”

- oh but…he loves it.

- “never bothered me.” he just shrugs, smirking like a bastard before pulling you in for a kiss.

- that earthy scent of yours that just reminds him of what makes him so comfortable.

- don’t even get me started on after u take a shower.

- ur all clean, your hair is all wet. you look so pretty, and you smell amazing😭😭

- you just always smell so good to him. he’ll become intoxicated just by burying his face in your hair sometimes.

- he loves the way you look at him.

- it’s such a subtle thing for him to find one of his favorites about you,

- but he still loves it.

- when you’re just intently listening to him talk about his lousy day, your gaze is glued to his, head nodding along.

- you could be doing something else while he’s talking, but it still looks like he’s your main focus.

- and when he pauses, you’ll quickly mumble, “then what happened?”

- you’re so good at maintaining eye contact with him, it makes him lose his train of thought sometimes.

- he might just stutter, and then give up all together if you continue.

- also…

- they way u look up at him when ur…yea.

- big, wide eyes that gaze up so softly. your eyebrows pinched, mouth wide taking him entirely.

- he groans a little, and you don’t even have to do much if you just keep looking at him like that.

- “good fucking girl, yeah, that feels so good,”

- his jaw is slack, own eyebrows threaded while your hand wraps around the part of his length you can’t quite reach.

- he doesn’t last that long.

- pretty quickly he’s cumming on your face, making sure to get a little on your pretty, fluffy eyelashes.

sebastian.

- your teeth.

- lol.

- when he first met you, he instantly clicked that you had a nice smile.

- the way you grinned at meeting someone like him kinda just stuck with him.

- like, what was so exciting? why are you that excited?

- needless to say, he kept thinking about it.

- once you started hanging out a bit more, and eventually started dating, he got to see you smile much more often.

- especially when you hung out with sam around, and he was able to make you laugh, it was like music to his ears.

- he made it a silent goal to always see you smile.

- it sounds weird, i know, but he just loves the way your teeth look when you smile that big.

- the way your cheeks plump up, and your eyes squint a little. he’s just obsessed.

- your smile makes him smile, y’know?

- he also loves how you talk.

- it’s so quick, and when you get all excited over something your words start to jumble and not make much sense.

- but you don’t even realize it, so you’re continuing to spew word-vomit until you finally calm yourself down (with a little smile.)

- and he can listen to it all day.

- his favorite thing in the world is when you come home with a new story to tell,

- bc then he gets to sit there, watching your limbs characteristically fly about as you explain.

- and you keep backtracking, like, “wait i forgot to say that—“ and “oops, that actually happened before that,”

- it just makes him smile.

- no, he doesn’t really understand what’s going on. but it’s still entertaining.

- lastly, he loves your cooking.

- you’re not some gourmet chef or anything, but you do know how to follow a recipe.

- he’s a pretty straightforward guy.

- he knows what he wants and what he likes. yet somehow, when you’re cooking something new, he can’t help but be excited.

- the real cherry on top is when you spent the day with robin once,

- and she ended up teaching you her recipe for pumpkin soup.

- he was nearly speechless when you handed him a freshly made bowl, one just like his mom would make.

- he definitely fell in love with you all over again.

alex.

- he’s a simple man, i’m afraid.

- …he likes ur ass.

- smacking it, squeezing it, overall just looking at it whenever you walk past.

- whenever you pull him in for a kiss, his hands are falling down to your ass and giving you a gentle squeeze to raise you to your toes.

- he literally doesn’t care if it’s big, or small, or anything. as long as you have one, he’s absolutely fine.

- a simple man, i said.

- like, wear just underwear and a t-shirt around him and he’ll lose his mind. trust.

- he’s an absolute sucker for makeup.

- yes, of course he loves when you’re comfortable enough to walk around bare-faced with him. maybe even a goopy face mask over your skin.

- he thinks you look beautiful either way.

- but he swoons a little whenever he sees you all nice and dolled up, especially on nights that he planned to take you out.

- it’s like you put in extra effort to make yourself look extra nice, not necessarily for him, but he likes recognize the fact that his plans made you dress up like this.

- he’s just like, “aw, you look so pretty, baby.”

- also loves when u kiss him while wearing lipstick. he won’t wipe it off.

- his favorite though, his all time favorite…?

- how you treat evelyn and george.

- like they’re not just in-laws you have to get to know just bc ur married to their grandson.

- you treat them they’re your own family.

- you’re so sweet, and patient. especially with george.

- sometimes before you were married, he’d come home to the fresh smell of cookies in the oven (something that was pretty common) but then he’d see you listening to evelyn’s feedback so intently.

- and you’d cheerfully hand him a cookie, like, “look what granny taught me! does it taste good?”

- ofc it tastes good. the two most important women in his life made it just for him.

- it kinda tugs on his heart strings a little.

- i feel that was the moment he realized he wanted to spend the rest of his life with you, if you were so willing to spend time with the people he loves.

elliott.

- once again,

- there’s not much he loves more then anything else you do.

- he loves every part of you equally.

- but much like harvey, there’s still a couple things that he sees you do, and he’ll just think, “i love her so much.”

- and that is☝️

- your voice.

- he could listen to you talk forever.

- he’s literally leaning in, hand on chin, head tilted, listening so intently as you tell a story that’s ten times less interesting then he’s making it look.

- he’ll also keeps asking you question so you just continue to talk.

- he especially loves when you call him petnames. it makes his stomach flutter a little when he hears them in your voice.

- another thing is he loves your hips.

- how they fit so perfectly under his palms, just before he wraps his hands around your waist.

- if you have love handles or hip dips, OMMMGGG he’s fucking obsessed.

- it’s like a little spot for him place his hands.

- he loves to kiss them whenever he’s already down there. just like a little silent praise, on top of plenty other he’ll give you.

- it’s so random, but whenever he sees you holding a laundry basket or something against one hip,

- yeah. that’ll do it.

- you’re kinda like his muse.

- if he’s writing something, and there’s a female character that happens to be loved or romantic towards, he’ll always kinda characterize them off of you.

- like, they’ll have some sort of aspect that’s similar to yours.

- it’s always subconscious, he can’t help it.

- he’s always thinking about you.

[xbomboi]

misc. bribelle thoughts

prefacing this by saying bribelle is my favorite ship. actually might be one of my favorite all time ships considering whenever i catch 11:11 i make a tweet on my priv twitter saying “11:11 bribelle and rarijack” because i’m insane.

anywho…

i think it’s a lot easier to justify saying faybelle potentially has feelings for briar in a canon context because even aside from her diary, her behavior in epic winter can most definitely be read with flirtatious undertones, especially after witnessing the dream sequence

but i’m always trying to justify things to myself in accordance to canon without feeling ooc, because i’m the type of creative who would rather write my own original thing than make alterations to a pre-existing work. that’s just me.

and briar is trickier to do so with. in the show alone, she only actually verbally responds to faybelle once and it’s a line that also adds exposition. “but it’s forbidden!” girl come on throw faybelle a bone at least…

by epic winter, i’d say briar could potentially have had surface level attraction to faybelle, but it isn’t until having that dream and probably especially post-epic winter when she’d get time to actually reflect on it that she’d start to develop palpable feelings for her.

i’ve kinda noticed something about briar: she likes attention. i guess she’s kinda like faybelle in that respect.

briar grew up with neglectful parents. fill in the blanks. why wouldn’t she want attention when she lacks it properly from the two most important people in her life?

along this line of thinking, briar especially values explicit displays of affection, particularly from a potential romantic partner.

so, regrettably, let’s look at her relationship with hopper.

i.e. briar’s behavior in the webisode “Here Comes Cupid.”

when she first confronts hopper about his unconventional advances, she’s disinterested and borderline repulsed.

but after hearing him profess his love via the recording, she’s taken aback and actually grows endeared.

until this BAFOON fumbles the bag and does some really creepy shit by leaning into her personal space and calling her hot. understandably, this miffs briar and she once again loses interest.

(side note, too many people ignore how blatantly creepy hopper is to women, ESPECIALLY briar. he needs to be held accountable, not rewarded by getting the girl.)

even then, despite not necessarily returning his affections, she’s somewhat comfortable in the status quo that he devotes his attention to her. which is exactly why i think in bunny’s diary (bunny is wrong btw she doesn’t know a damn thing so idk why the one wiki that’s not the official wiki list hopper as briars crush when the source is bunny’s word like fuck all) bunny mentions observing briar appearing disappointed when ginger asks hopper to the dance and he accepts.

to briar, it’s like she’s losing one of the few things she’s familiar with, the few constants in her life. in this case, her only plausible option who she’d have reason to believe would accept. and we all know how briar is about losing things.

briar sorta settles into this state of fondness towards hopper’s affections, despite them being unrequited. because at least he gives a damn about her.

faybelle—at least, outside of her diary and up until epic winter—might as well be any villain; faybelle just wants to cause chaos for the sake of ruining somebody’s day. and i don’t think briar likes it that way.

i’d assume around the time of faybelle’s introduction to the series, briar’s stance would be one of upset towards faybelle, believing she doesn’t take their story as seriously as she(briar) does. that her role in sleeping beauty isn’t as important to her as being evil in general.

i have half the mind to say that this could potentially be read from briar’s behavior in faybelle’s diary.

first off, that underlining wasn’t added; the underlines are in the official print. meaning briar is putting emphasis on those words specifically. sure it’s a lesson to faybelle about not being an asshole, but also it reflects on briar in a way. like it could be her saying, “you’re supposed to be my villain, but you act like i’m no different to you than anyone else.”

now, this next part is obviously a surface-level gag about faybelle making a malicious act seem so thrilling, but if we close our eyes and pretend that we’re in a different world called I.D.G.A.F. dimension, we can now analyze this in a different light.

briar’s confused by faybelle’s verbal expression of almost-affection. it doesn’t help that she’s most definitely barely awake. but i’m willing to say her confusion is partially born out of actually having heard faybelle say such a thing. it’s gotta be surprising and hard to believe in that moment, because briar has every reason to think otherwise.

in the show, like i said, faybelle just does whatever the fuck. open a sweat shop? sure why not. assist her peer’s mom in attempting to turn the entire world into her own dictatorship? count her in. make a deal with the mafia? just a regular tuesday. but god forbid she focus on being the one to make the sleeping happen in sleeping beauty.

i think that irks briar. or at least make her generally act indifferent when faybelle comes waltzing around to do god knows what; if she won’t care, why should briar, right?

then there’s epic winter. or, as i like to call it in bribelle terms, “they finally fucking interacted”

when briar explains faybelle’s inclusion of herself to crystal, she simply says it’s her thing and cites the sleeping beauty story. like “hey crystal this is my villain btw, trust.”

later when briar’s yapping about the story, some may say it’s counterproductive in relation to briar’s arc that ashlynn brings up the miserable part of it only for briar to talk fondly of it, but i know briar personally, and have been filled in as to what the truth is.

briar dropped that attitude because faybelle was there. she started talking up the story, almost as a cue to faybelle, like “hey remember how you’re like a big part of my life’s purpose???”

faybelle butts in about it. and briar doesn’t get the chance to respond, but i think she was almost expecting faybelle NOT to gaf, so her doing so threw her off just a little. maybe she expected to hear something like “who cares?” instead.

then of course when they get to the castle briar’s little act is dropped and her deep fear of the sleeping beauty destiny is once again present. and of fucking COURSE that’s when faybelle decides to CARE ABOUT THEIR STORY.

listen to me, LISTEN. briar looks at faybelle BEFORE faybelle actually says “no, there’s another room far more important to our story. isn’t there, briar?” she looks at her BEFORE she actually talks. she was looking to see if she’d react, then when faybelle does speak she looks away, then she bumps her to get her attention so briar has to fight the adhd and lock in.

and faybelle just keeps instigating which honestly kinda takes briar out of her typical sulking over her destiny mood and more of like ‘what is your game here exactly’ mindset.

there’s so much to that look briar gives her. so many emotions in there.

after this they go up and faybelle taunts some more only for briar to almost actually prick her finger yada yada. and like i said, it’s a lot easier to understand faybelle’s pov. it’s very clear she doesn’t actually wanna go through with cursing briar, teasing and all. she makes as much obvious by her reaction alone when briar gets too close.

but once briar’s fine she’s like ‘yeah, okay, back to normal,’ meanwhile briar is kinda just done because faybelle is acting a fool. but she never shoves faybelle off of her unlike she did when hopper intruded on her boundaries huh briar why is that what’s that about briar still, briar has yet to have any indication from faybelle about how she actually feels in regards to their story and her role in it. or how it pertains to their relationship with each other. rather, faybelle doesn’t take it seriously much to briar’s chagrin.

then the dream sequence happens.

to me, this is the turning point.

it’s a stupid music video for an insert song, but goddamnit it confirmed darabella and even hunter got to be there with ashlynn so i’ll die standing on business.

this is what briar’s been waiting for from faybelle. that frenemy status is something i think briar wants to figure out which one to see faybelle as, depending on how she really wants to proceed with the story. and i’d say faybelle surprises her; hell, she even shows her a side of her rarely seen.

like with hopper, an outward display of affection such as this is something briar is drawn to. faybelle’s display towards briar in the dream sequence is something briar would be endeared by, as she goes out of her way to prevent her from experiencing the very thing she’s been dreading for so long. that’s gotta fit briar’s love language.

side note, i think it’s very very interesting to note that faybelle is the one to swoop in and save briar in this case, without any other characters present to show a significance in the ending of the story. i say this because hunter gets to be in ashlynn’s sequence and the bears are in blondie’s, despite none of them being in the tower asleep. all this is to say, if briar really did have feelings for hopper or really was gonna end up with him or some guy, they’d be there, right? but nope, just faybelle. I Understand.

after that we don’t really see them interact at all again, but there’s the general disdain for faybelle’s actions as a shared sentiment amongst the others. either way, by the end she shows remorse and seemingly ends on good terms with everyone, meaning i don’t see why briar wouldn’t be left thinking about the dream, seeing her in a whole new light. honestly briar would probably be kinda intrigued by the idea of the bad girl having a soft side for her. briar and i actually spoke about this the other day.

either way, this is briar learning that despite the general ignorance faybelle portrayed, she actually does care about her.

faybelle demonstrating, proving to briar that she is capable of showing affection and actually does care for her is what i think is enough for briar to begin to start falling. (which is kinda reflected in how i approached their relationship in fable fest.)

because briar knows there might actually be something there.

or maybe it’s a kid’s cartoon and one girl mean other one nice, idk.

[adventures-in-teyvat]

alright everyone hear me out. they would be the most autistic power couple

first of all, they simply would not piss each other off. i rest my case

jk i have more shit to spew. they have so much in common it’s insane—the autism runs rampant through their veins

they would just fucking get each other you know ?? i cant stop thinking about how lynette literally uses “robotic” language to describe her energy levels and sometimes even fucking pretends she’s a puppet or doesnt deny rumors about that because it helps her avoid social interaction. her idea of a good time is recharging by petting cats and drinking tea. like holy autism

kuni would probably think she’s chill and maybe the least annoying person he’s ever met because she just minds her business, speaks with honesty, does not engage in small talk, and generally doesnt give a shit what he thinks. and that’s kind of really amazing for him because that means he doesnt have to put on a show. she’s not concerned with offending him, and she pretty much doesn’t ever take offense at things he says, so he neither has to worry about his words nor her perception of him.

they can sit and do nothing together. they can drink bitter tea and say nothing and pet cats and be content while he works on his thesis. they dont assume anything unspoken, they communicate if they want to say something, they dont have to worry about mysterious underlying social rules with each other, they dont have to sugarcoat anything.

basically what im trying to say is they share a brain cell

both concerned with protection, afraid of losing people/harm coming to their loved ones

lynette is incredibly strong and resilient, but that doesn’t change the fact that she was a victim, and the people who know what happened to her (like lyney) (and in this hc, wanderer :3) would protect her so fiercely like aaaa idk if it’s just me projecting but i just really love the idea of them clinging to each other because they are so desperate to protect each other and aauauauayau heheaheheahah the angst

they might (MIGHT, im stretching but hear me out) know each other/have heard of each other because fatui (i think at the very least lynette would have certainly known about scaramouche as a harbinger, and it’s not too likely he’d have heard about her specifically, but he would probably be aware that the knave is the “father” of the house of hearth, so he’d be familiar with her affiliation in that way)

so anyways all i can think about lately is them growing close to each other and then being basically telepathic

like they just know how the other is feeling at any time and since they share many of the same feelings about people and socializing, they would just get each other and know what the other needs like AAAH I CANT FUCKING ARTICULATE WHAT I MEAN EXACTLY AND ITS SO FRUSTRATING I JUST. I THINK THEY WOULD UNDERSTAND EACH OTHER AND. YEAH. FUCK

also theyre cats🔊🔊🔊🔊

[golden-barnes]

So I have this concept in my head I think I even shared it with another writer. But anyway here it goes. Reader is the cook at the avengers tower and Bucky is convinced she's working for Hydra. He thinks she was sent to trick him and spy on him. His reasoning is she always where's these aprons that reminds him of his ma. Different aprons for every occasion. She always has 40s music playing and is always singing along and dancing. She's this soft feminine bundle of sunshine. And her chocolate chip cookies taste just like his ma's. He knows she's evil but she's really just wonderful. He has fallen for her but doesn't realize it and is constantly trying to get her to reveal that she is a Hydra agent. She just wants to make him happy because she saw what he was like when he was healing after what Hydra did and harbors a huge crush. She actually got the recipe from his sister before she passed away to make them to help Steve adjust and started making them for both of them. Anyway I'm done rambling.

Your freaking BRAINNNNN. Ugh if this starts a series in my page Im blaming you because I am obsessed but also don't have enough time to write a full story so I might do something longer later with this idk. (also I'm envisioning a chubby plus size reader because it just felt right) Hope you like it!

Warning: swearing

"Hey, Robocop, could you stop glaring at our new cook?" Sam joked, noticing his friend glaring at their newest cook.

"She's a spy, Sam." Sam scoffed at the ridiculousness of Bucky's words.

"Bucky, she is baking an upside-down pineapple cake and wearing a pink and white apron while dancing to a Nat King Cole song. If she's a spy, Beyonce is my wife." Sam tried to reason with the soldier, but Bucky glared at him.

"Maybe that's what Hydra wants you to think. They are trained to be unsuspecting and blend in." Bucky whispered to Sam, looking at the cook, who was singing the lyrics of the song that was playing. He was transported back in time when his mom and sister would do the same thing. And there she was, (Y/N) in his mom's summertime apron, singing one of his mom's favorite songs. Hydra was getting sloppy with their spies if this was what they were sending.

After his therapy session, Bucky arrived at the compound and noticed a plate of chocolate chip cookies on the kitchen counter. He didn't think much, but he grabbed one and ate it.

He paused and looked at the cookie. It was exactly like his ma's recipe. He could feel his eyes water because he hadn't realized how much he missed these fucking cookies.

"Hello, Sargent. Like the cookies?" The alleged spy asked. She was wearing a very familiar floral apron. An apron he used to laugh at, saying it looked like his nana's curtains. His ma would always stick her tongue out in retaliation. Maybe he should try and see if she has the same reaction...

"Nice apron... Kinda looks like my grandma's curtains." (Y/N) laughed at his joke.Like a full belly laugh. She looks cute, Bucky thought. But immediately shook his head. Nope, this girl that looks like a warm hug personified is evil.

"It does kinda look like that. My grandma had the same one." She said, twiddling with the edge of the apron. Hydra really trained this one well.

And every day it was like this. Bucky would find her singing and dancing with an apron that was exactly like the one his mom would wear. It was driving him insane. Sam had tried to reason with him, but everything felt like a trap. It was like Hydra stole his memories and was recreating them with a beautiful lady that was just Bucky's type.

But today, it was Bucky's last straw. (Y/N) was wearing his ma's favorite red apron. And he knew it was his ma's because he could see the J and R embroidered in the apron's hem. Bucky had bought the apron, and Becca embroidered it as a Mother's Day gift.

"Cookie?" She asked, showing him a plate of freshly baked chocolate cookies. They smelt exactly like the ones ma' used to make. It angered him.

"What's your deal? How did you get this recipe and that apron?" Bucky growled. (Y/N) took a step back, but she didn't look scared.

"You know the bakery in Queens called Paulie's?" She started saying; Bucky nodded. His mom used to bring them there anytime they were going to celebrate something special in their family.

"I used to work there part-time in high school. So did Rebecca, your sister... She was the head baker there and taught me all the recipes I knew. A lot of them were your mom's. When she retired and moved in with her grandson, she gave me all these beautiful aprons. I am sorry if it made you uncomfortable. " She said honestly.

Bucky kept looking into her eyes to search for a lie. But there wasn't any there.

"Steve went to Paulie's and tried my cookies. He said it tasted like your mom's, and that's when SHIELD hired me. They thought having a familiar aspect would be easier for your transition." She confessed.

"And the music?" Bucky whispered. He felt kinda nice; she wasn't a spy. She was just a woman who had a connection with his sister. Maybe he could find out more about her last moments through her.

"She wouldn't work if she didn't have music playing in the background. I think I just adopted that habit." She said sheepishly. Bucky chuckled; his mom was the same.

"Would you like to learn how to back?" She added and Bucky nodded, holding back the tears.

"Sure, I would love to." The smile that she gave him was worth a million dollars and he would gladly pay it if it meant he would see it again. To think he thought it was a fucking Hydra spy.

[msmargarita]

✨🤓Johnathon/🕳️ Spot Headcanons✨

These are some headcanons I wrote for my two fics:

i'm not going to turn into a cosmic anomaly and leave you forever

and

i'm really serious this time, baby

It has !!spoilers!! for both of those fics!

It's basically an AU unless I somehow foresaw the future and guessed what happens in BTSV!

Beware the keep reading button. This is HUGE.

🤓 Johnathon HCs!

HE IS A GEMINI. Like come on. Talks a lot, nerdy, silly guy. He is a canonically silly guy! In his first fight with Miles he pretends to have hurt his nose (he doesn’t have one) to trick him. So silly! I would bet there's Capricorn somewhere in there too. And Pisces. I’ll make this man’s whole birth chart if you dare me. Just dare me. I’m insane.

Jason Schwartzman used to be in a band in the 00s. I think it would be cool if Johnathon also had some sort of interest in music. I think he would have tried to learn guitar in college but only got a few chords in before life got too chaotic and every now and then he thinks of picking it back up. 

He is also one of those guys who fanboys over old ass music, especially from the 60s and 70s. Loves Jazz, Funk and Prog Rock. Look at this man and tell me he is not a prog rock guy. He is a nerd, he might even be *shudders* a math rock guy. I also think he would have one completely random favorite artist that has nothing to do with the things listed above, like, idk Lizzo. Or Princess Nokia. He just looks like the type.

I think everyone agrees Johnathon is at least in his thirties, but I put him down as thirty-three in the end. I did that because Olivia is thirty-five tops in ITSV (according to Peter) and since he was her subordinate it makes sense that he would be just a little bit younger than her. 

“But hey! That's too young to get a PhD!” you might say, but I think Johnny is an overachiever. I think he was one of those super genius kids that got in early in college and lived for academia. A teacher's pet even.

He is a workaholic, so when he quits his job he gets really lost and doesn't know what to do with himself. He might have a new job soon doing what he loves, so you’re going to need to be on his ass so he doesn’t fall back into his old habit of overworking. 

I like to think that Miles would get an internship under Johnathon a few years in the future and they would learn a lot together. Jonathan would probably take a week to figure out he is Spider-Man and would cover for him when the boy needs to disappear. This actually sounds like a fun drabble to write about.

Johnathon may be a genius, but like he said, he is not too familiar with relationships. I think he might've had one or two in the past, but everything slowed down when he started working at Alchemax. “I’ve been told” is referring to those past relationships, in which he was probably told that he works too much and never has time to spend with his partners. He’s not been with anyone for a long time and his game consists of buying the first comic book he saw on a shelf in order to ask you out.

But that doesn't mean he is cold. Quite the opposite really, Johnathon is very touchy-feely. He hasn't been with anyone for a while and misses touching and being touched. He is most comfortable when being at least 70% curled around you. 

He smokes Dunhill Carltons (he likes to feel fancy), but less now that he isn't as stressed from work. Like he said, he used to go on walks to smoke and pass by the comic book store you work at before you guys had even met. I like to think he developed a little crush back then.

Had his tattoos done in college, so they are very faded now. He doesn’t think of redoing them because the mere thought of having to stay seated for hours in the same place feeling pain stresses him out. He was a lot more easygoing when he had them done.

He did have a superhero phase when he was a kid. He would fantasize a lot about having superpowers and flying away when the bullies showed up. Never thought about fighting back. Before becoming the Spot, he wasn't the confrontational type. The hero thing fizzled out as he grew older, but he would always dream about being stronger. Being a better version of himself in a kinda superficial, but understandable way.

He still has a bunch of action figures, he thinks they look cool. If you give him one, he won't even care if he knows the character or not, he just likes them.

Even though Johanthon says he is “good-looking”, he does add “for a scientist” in the end. I think he tries to mask his insecurities with humor, always putting himself down with a joke, always saying he’s too old, too corny, too nerdy. In the back of his head he knows the hair and the glasses are kind of a look, but he doesn’t feel handsome. You help as much as you can, but that’s an obstacle for him to overcome by himself. I think after i’m really serious this time, baby he gets better at this.

🕳️ The Spot HCs!

For clarification: the story of i’m not gonna turn into a cosmic anomaly and leave you forever stretches the plot of ATSV to a few weeks instead of a day. Just think of it like Spot taking a little longer to power up instead of a few hours.

Since he was forced to do crime to survive, I think he would've thought to himself: "Well, since I have to go rob a store anyway, might as well be that one where that cute cashier works at." 

Yes, Spot starts tracking and following you after you two meet. He uses his computer nerd powers for evil. A very unhealthy way of dealing with a crush, I think.

Spot can eat but he doesn't get any nutritional value from food. When you drink wine together or when he burns his tongue (?) from tea it's just a placebo effect. I like to think that Johnathon's mind is still inside The Spot's body, so he eats just for habit. He says he gets hungry all the time, but it's actually a deep need to consume everything around him. The little rascal.

As he powers up, Spot gets more confident in himself. He thinks the stronger he gets the further away he gets from Johnathon, his old self. Which, in the end, turns out to be true.

I think at first you don't really believe Spot is an actual supervillain which is why when you see him after the fight in Mumbattan it's such a shock. In a way, you did the same thing Miles did when he underestimated him, even if for whole different reasons. I think even though he knows you care about him, Spot knows you don't see him as a threat and that makes him want to impress you more. 

Spot knows that the reason you keep getting new jobs is because his own crazy supervillain life keeps interfering with yours, so he tries to keep it as much hidden from you as possible. He thinks what you don’t know can’t hurt you! As Johnathon, he feels guilty at first that you’re changing your whole life to go with him to New Jersey, BUT this time it was your choice! Not because of supervillain shenanigans!

He does love you (even if it was too early to know) and wants to be with you, but his head is so lost in the supervillain game, he thinks he can’t stop now. You never really realized how serious he was about “being stronger”. Which is why you never tried to stop him.

I chose I’d Rather Be With You as a theme song because I think it’s a song Johnathon/Spot would enjoy. But I also like how the lyrics match both their feelings towards you, in both fics. He wants to fly away with you once he gets all powered up, he loves your smile, etc. He does want to be your friend until the end as the Spot, but as Johanthon he is really committed to work on his bad habits in order to be with you. We gon' make it this time, baby! I cry, damnit. 

It’s also a surprisingly gender-neutral song, with no physical descriptions in it! Anyone can put themselves in the lover's place. Bootsy Collins is cool like that.

I like to think that, in the end, Spot didn't erase himself from the timeline. He just reloaded an old save. Does that make sense? Like you said, your relationship will always have happened, just in an old, non existent dimension. And since Johnathon and you still get dreams and deja vu about the whole thing (think of it as dimensional residue or whatever), you do have all the EXP of the old save. Johnathon, after going through the literal end of all existence and then forgetting about it, feels something compelling him to finally take a chance and enter the comic book store. It’s like when your body goes through something and it remembers later, even if your mind doesn't. Here's a (hopefully) comprehensive timeline:

the end.

Thank you for taking an interest in my weird AU! I would kill for you 💖

[lfghughes]

Wonderstruck

a/n: have had this sitting around in my requests and i just love this entire idea. so i rambled a bit and might make another part idk yet

warning: alcohol, creepy guy who cant take a no

Instant regret, that’s what you had. It had nothing to do with going out and everything to do with the bar that you had chosen. Not that really going to a different bar would have a different result, there would always be that one creepy dude you persisted on being around but right now there was one that was driving you insane. But you were also genuinely creeped out and trying to find a way out and any time you would turn your attention elsewhere he would make sure to get your attention again.

“Here let me get you a drink.” He told you and you quickly shook your head. “My boyfriend is grabbing us drinks right now, I’m good.” You told him but you had a feeling that this plan wasn’t going to work considering there wouldn’t be a boyfriend showing up with drinks in hand at any point tonight. Why did you even use that excuse? “Are you sure because I didn’t see you with anyone?” There it was, the dread building up.

A hand went to your back and you froze slightly as you turned your attention upwards to a face that seemed familiar but you couldn’t quite pin where you had seen him before. “Everything okay, babe?” He asked and looked between you and the guy who had been bothering you. Perfect opportunity falling right into your lap and you couldn’t be more grateful. “Honey, you didn’t bring back drinks.”

“I was waiting on them and noticed you looked a little uncomfortable. So again, everything cool here?” This time he directed his attention to the man, raising a brow as if it to challenge him. “Because I’d really like it if you didn’t make my girlfriend uncomfortable so how about you head on out of this bar before I get pissed.” This guy was an angel. A hot angel if anything. Next thing you know the creep finally left you alone and you couldn’t be more thankful for not only this guy stepping in but going along with everything.

“Thank you so so much.” But he was already waving off your words as if he didn’t completely save your night from being ruined. “I’m going to go outside for some air, wanna come?” He asked and in most cases you wouldn’t really just take up this offer but it was just right outside and your creep radar wasn’t going completely off the rails with this guy. You followed him out, leaning against the wall of the bar. 

“Are you from around here?” He asked and you shook your head. “I moved here a couple of months back so I’m still trying to figure out this whole place. I’m sorry but you look really familiar.” You were still trying to figure out where you could know his face. A chuckle left his lips as he scratched the back of his head. “Are you a hockey fan?” He asked and you shrugged at the question. “Growing up I’d go to games with my dad. He’s a big bruins fan but I wouldn’t really say I watch it unless he gets us tickets when I’m back home or it’s on the tv.”

It was definitely a bonding thing but not your thing specifically but you were slowly starting to piece together the information you were slowly getting. “Well I play for the team here, the Panthers. I’m Matthew Tkachuk.” You suddenly understood what a lightbulb moment really felt like. “Ahhh, you’re the kid who upset my dad a month back by taking out his favorite team. Makes a lot more sense now.” A laugh left your lips as an amused grin grew on his. “Send your dad my apologies.” He placed his hand over his heart as if he was truly sorry but you could tell by the smirk on his lips he wasn’t. 

“Maybe when the season starts again you can come to one of the games, I’ll hook you up with tickets. Maybe even make you a fan of a much cooler team.” There it was again, that smirk that was making you completely melt so all you could do was nod. He took out his phone handing it to you. “Put in your number and I’ll text you. Not in the fall by the way, I plan on texting you probably later tonight asking you out for drinks or dinner.” A hot blush grew on your cheeks at his words. “Well I will more than likely answer that I’m definitely free tomorrow after work if you want to grab dinner.”

[runawaymun]

okay your QiQi and Hu Tao post is so real, her trying MULTIPLE TIMES to bury Qiqi is so??? Like. A young child dies in an accident of no fault of her own, and at the last second, an adeptus, an immortal powerful protector of the land, decides "this child deserves more than she got. She deserves to live." and revives her so that she can do that, but Hu Tao thinks she knows better? Like yeah your family has been running a funeral parlor for years but you're like 19 and you think you have the authority to overturn the judgement of low-level gods?? Please. Bless Baizhu's patience to keep rescuing Qiqi tbh I would have resorted to violence long ago.

Also, while Baizhu is not my Blorbo I am extremely glad to see a familiar face genshin-posting, I want to follow people on here for that but every time I go into the tags I take psychic damage :( I suppose I shall just have to do it myself but I'm a little intimidated lol

Me every time Hu Tao shows up and starts Some Shit:

I know it's supposed to be like silly goofy and her cluelessness is meant to be endearing, but it's just...not? She is so rude and careless and there comes a point when it is no longer pragmatism about death and steps over the line into "You're just an asshole". The fact that she leaves fliers FOR HER FUNERAL PARLOUR outside THE PHARMACY is just insane behavior. It's disrespectful to Baizhu and it's so fucking insensitive and disrespectful to literally everyone else. God bless Baizhu for insisting that he doesn't have a problem with Director Hu and for being the bigger person/the adult in this situation and so forgiving and patient like it could NOT be me.

Yeah she's nineteen and has trauma, but exactly exactly exactly Qiqi's story says the gods felt so bad that she died because of their conflict that they brought her back to life to right a wrong, and it's so fucking mean that Hu Tao insists that "Qiqi isn't alive" and "that's not any kind of life to live" and "let her be at peace" etc etc like that is not your fucking decision. That's up to Qiqi and Qiqi wants to live god damn you. LEAVE HER ALONE.

Also okay yeah she's 500 years old but that is a child with severe memory loss. Yes she's a jiangshi but she literally gets lost and stuck on her orders sometimes to the point that Baizhu needs to help her find her way home. Qiqi is just out there living her life and Hu Tao said "and I took that personally" LET HER VIBE. I hate that she made so many comments on Qiqi's stiff limbs (read: her fucking disability) that now Qiqi feels really uncomfortable if anyone other than Changsheng, Gaming, and Baizhu see her doing her stretches. I hate that despite Qiqi struggling to remember loved ones' names and faces and interactions with them, she remembers Hu Tao because of the trauma that Hu Tao inflicts on her every time she sees her. Qiqi is actively trying to improve her life with researching memory/brain exercises and doing her calisthenics every day etc etc and the pharmacy literally could not function as it does now without her. She has as much a right to be a member of Liyue's community as Hu Tao does -- and yeah like you said it is so insanely arrogant and hubristic of Hu Tao to assume that she knows better than the fucking minor gods of Liyue.

Literally Baizhu and Qiqi deserve justice and it's just insane to me that the implication is that neither of them decide to press charges on her even though they have to go to the fucking cops about this reoccurring incident. And presumably the cops always side with Baizhu and so like. Again does Hu Tao ever get consequences? Do they at least sanction or fine her??? IDK IDK it makes me so mad that this apparently has happened more than once and the idea of her running off with a child who has memory loss and may not remember who she is or where her home is, she just knows she's scared and that she might literally fucking get buried alive here, makes me physically ill.

anyway I know some people will be like "it's just a game. it's not real and it's not that deep" but I'm still going to hate a fictional character over it. She's an asshole and needs to fucking grow up. Idk maybe she does as she ages. I certainly hope so.

Also hi yes <3 <3 I am so glad you're enjoying the Genshin posting because I am going to be so annoying about it for a while!!! It's nice to find out that you're a fellow Genshin enjoyer. The fandom is uhhhhh crazy. So I feel you on that. I'm slowly collecting some nice people :) Thankfully the Baizhu fans are all pretty cool! I feel like characters like him just attract good energy <3

[shinozaki-ayumi]

Ok I'm just going to post it lol.

I’ve had this theory about Dead Patient (but I guess now Darkness Distortion too) for ages, but I always felt it was too insane and I was just coping. BUT I finally saw someone on Twitter make a similar connection so I feel comfortable enough to put it out there now.

All my thoughts under the cut! Will contain some spoilers for Blood Drive and Dead Patient if you are new to the series and want to avoid those.

First, regarding Dead Patient:

So I've basically always had this theory that Ayame Itou might somehow actually be Ayumi inside her own Nirvana experiencing amnesia, and that her Nirvana took the shape of a hospital because… idk. I guess because she’s been effectively disabled since the end of Blood Drive and probably has to be in the hospital more often? If I’m remembering correctly, Yoshiki mentions in the Dead Patient drama CD that he has to bring Ayumi to the hospital, so maybe it’s the same one?

Either way it was a very incomplete “theory” and more something I thought up because it would be a fun fic idea lmao. DP isn't finished so there isn't really enough material to build a theory off of; I was mostly going off of their names sounding familiar, the amnesia thing, and the fact that the very first thing we see in DP is a catatonic Ayumi, implying that she is relevant to the story somehow. But I looked a bit more into it and there are a few things here and there that I’ve had some fun theorizing about, even if it's a stretch.

#1: This limited edition alternative costume for Ayame. They could’ve picked any character, but they picked Ayumi (this is a massive stretch, I just thought it was neat and could potentially carry some hints under the guise of a meaningless costume).

#2: The way Ayame’s name is written in hiragana, not kanji. This is pretty uncommon in Corpse Party characters. The vast majority of them use kanji -- except Sachiko (サチコ), Yoshikazu (ヨシカズ), and Yoshie (ヨシヱ), whose names are written in katakana; and Sayaka (さやか) and Ayumi (あゆみ), whose names are in hiragana. Again also a stretch, but an interesting correlation given how their names already sound similar.

And #3: This aspect of Ayame’s background, which is left pretty vague. Since this is a fan wiki I double-checked their source and it does say this in official material. The vagueness of it is obviously meant to correlate to Ayame’s amnesia, but it also leaves it open to the interpretation that maybe an amnesiac Ayumi has trauma-informed responses to these things due to her experiences in HH (even if she doesn’t remember it concretely).

Either way I didn’t really expect this idea to hold any ground and mostly put it away in the back of my mind as a silly thing to build my own post-Blood Drive headcanons with. Certain inconsistencies also existed that made me believe it wasn't possible and I was just looking into it too much (e.g., Ayame's last name is Itou, which both looks and sounds nothing like Shinozaki, so the name similarity point kind of falls off track).

Now, with Darkness Distortion:

We have another character named "Ayame." The ritual/curse in Darkness Distortion is called Ayame's Mercy. In general, people are under the impression that the girl in a wheelchair seen in promotional material is Ayame. I mean, this part of the trailer probably all but confirms that:

Ayumi is also in a wheelchair as of the end of Blood Drive/beginning of Dead Patient:

This time around, the name comparison also holds a bit more value, I think. Darkness Distortion's Ayame's full name is Ayame Kirishima. Someone I follow on Twitter pointed something out about how this new name sounds:

Translation: “I’m saying this very quietly, but, if ‘Ayame-san’ is ‘Ayumi,’ then wouldn’t her surname(?), ‘Kirishima,’ become ‘Kishinuma’?”

We know that Yoshiki is basically Ayumi's caretaker post-Blood Drive (or at least becomes her caretaker sometime between the end of Blood Drive and the start of Dead Patient) and she presumably lives with him. So I suppose it wouldn't be entirely unbelievable that an only semi-conscious or amnesia-riddled Ayumi would latch onto his name as a form of self-identification or just genuinely mistake it for her own?

The question obviously remains whether Ayame Ito and Ayame Kirishima are the same character. I don't really think it's just a coincidence they have the same first name and the setting is a hospital again. The Ayumi connection is questionable, but after getting more thoroughly reacquainted with Blood Drive (I hadn't played it since it came out 10 years ago. Oops) I feel like it's not entirely crazy to think Ayumi could have manifested her own Nirvana like Sachiko did. Maybe Ayame Ito and Ayame Kirishima function similarly to the White Sachiko and Red Sachiko in Blood Covered? (i.e., two separate manifestations of the same soul representing different emotions).

Idk. I don't expect any of this to be true lol. But it's fun to theorize while we wait for real answers.

[delivish]

haha your recent tumblr Stutters piece finally let me connect the dots on what was vaguely familiar about the pairing that was bugging me because I couldn’t remember the name for it 💡😮 ❤️❤️ so thank you! ❤️❤️❤️

The phrase was “manic pixie dream girl” 🤔 just cause to me Stan/Butters pairing gives off major MPDG energy or I guess in this specific case boy/girl/bigender?Genderfluid? depending how people write Margarine/Butters. My interpretation of the pairing is a quirky, bubbly sunshine that revitalizes a sad sack by emotionally supporting them and showing them life still has joy and meaning. 😂 Which despite feminist critique is still fun to read 😝. Though this is entirely based off fics I have read where he is a depressed alcoholic all the time, since I have no frame of reference since I don’t follow the show. Though not necessary I think there is potential for trope subversion as well. Curious what your interpretation is on how they fit together?

oooooo!! hmmm, see, while I could certainly see Stutters falling into a lot of the manic pixie dream girl tropes, I don't necessarily see it for them (and I'm not the most, like. eloquent person? so forgive me if this is all word vomit that doesn't make a ton of sense, but I will do my best!!)

namely because in a lot of MPDG tropes, the pixie is meant to be this quirky, lovable character with no real flaws whose only function to is to provide emotional support to their love interest, or to teach him important life lessons, all while receiving very little in return. and, despite the pixie's love interest being objectively the saddest, wettest beast you can imagine, somehow he still gets his girl because. idk, pity I guess?? lmao

but Butters is a significantly flawed person. they BOTH are. Butters is a gossip, he's a follower, he's naive, he's a people-pleaser who can be easily coerced; he's the type of person who won't stand very firmly on his convictions, especially if it means people might like him more or he has a chance to feel powerful and be a part of the in-crowd. BUT. he's also a hard worker, and a bright, selfless and genuinely kind person who loves life and loves making other people happy!!

and Stan is an absolute sweetheart, but i also think he can also be a sad sack who takes himself much too seriously and a cynic and someone who cares a lot about his image but conversely can be very, very insecure. his tenderness and sensitivity are assets, but i also think he's someone whose feelings can be hurt very easily and doesn't always think or even consider the ways in which his own behavior contributes to some of his grief because he kinda romanticizes it in a way! i can see him being the type of person you could come to with very real concerns, and somehow end up comforting anyway even though you did nothing wrong, lmao

(which, as an aside, is why i think Style really, really works as a pairing because Kyle is someone who absolutely refuses to coddle Stan, but we're not talking about them!!!!)

i think they would both get on each other's nerves at first. i think Stan, while genuinely liking Butters, would find him kind of weak and annoying, whereas Butters would think Stan is cool but also an impossible wet blanket at times. and because Butters can be an easy target, and Stan cares a lot about his image, I think the thought of being with Butters seriously would embarrass him a little because seriously?? him??

these two aren't the most obvious match and I love them anyway because I find all the ways they would butt heads and still fall for each other really fun. because i do think they would be good for each other, but they'd have to work at it, and that's just!!!!!!! Idk, so much more interesting to me!!! because they DO see each others' faults, and for all the ways each one annoys the other, I think they are both really, really kind people who would treat the other very tenderly, and be very intentional about it (I also think they'd have the most INSANE unexpected physical chemistry hehee)

anyway ramble over the only other thing I'll say is if you like South Park, you should definitely watch the show, all of it!! not only is it goddamn hilarious, but it is very difficult to build solid fanon interpretations if you don't engage with canon <3

[seelestia]

okay so get this, imagine you don’t know albedo and you meet the other impostor albedo (idk where this is going)

and you’re like friendly and stuff cuz you don’t know the real one

i feel like impostor albedo is super touch starved tbh

i have no brain juice, this just came to mind

— (𝐈𝐌)𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐅𝐄𝐂𝐓.

SUMMARY. something felt quite odd about the chief alchemist... but who's to say? this was the first time you met him, after all... you were unaware of many things about "albedo" and that's exactly why you're just the perfect target.

CHARACTERS. subject 2 / primordial albedo.

GENRE. mystery (?), it shifted into a character study (i'm sorry).

CW. slight yandere vibes at the end, he perceives the reader as a tool to manipulate instead of someone to romance here.

THOUGHTS. i can go on for hours abt this little funky guy and his character + anon, i'm so sorry if you expected smth more fluffy-angsty because you just get this little drabble instead 😭

✰ masterlist.

It was a simple and polite greeting when you first met him.

You were barely acquainted with the Chief Alchemist. After all, you were only a mere adventurer doing a favor for Miss Lisa, the librarian of the Knights of Favonius — but even amidst the freezing cold and hazy fog of Dragonspine, you were still able to make out the sight of that familiar blond hair.

There was a twinkle of absentmindedness on his face, you noticed; as if he was treading on the line between reality and daydream, as if he didn't have a destination, as if he didn't know where he was.

If your memories served you right, Albedo had his own lab set up somewhere here. Was he just taking a walk? Could something be troubling him? Ah, but... was it really in your place to pry more than you should?

No, you should just do your job and get this over and done with. It wasn't the best idea to linger for too long in this place and besides, you were already missing the warmth of Mondstadt's calming breeze.

Cradling the sachet entrusted to you by Miss Lisa closer to your chest (of which content consisted of rare herbs from what she told you), you let out a shout into the whistling silence.

"Excuse me!"

He stopped in his tracks.

Good, now would be the perfect time for you to catch up to him! You heaved out a few breaths of relief and fastened your pace towards him. The quicker, the better.

"Mr. Albedo, thank goodness! I thought I was going to freeze to death before I even got to see you," you jested with a light-hearted smile.

He didn't respond, expression as cold as the chill nipping at your skin. You began to feel odd when your words were met with sheer silence, you felt strangely meek underneath his calculating gaze.

Perhaps, he just didn't feel like socializing with anyone? You heard from many people that he was quite the solitary one. You were curious about the Chief Alchemist before, but you weren't expecting such a distant attitude from him.

He was unlike the person Lisa and Jean told you about, even Kaeya's description was different. A genius, thoughtful and smart, he preferred to keep to himself but was still pleasant to be around; that was what you were told. But this man, the one right in front of you now, was ice cold.

Something felt... off.

All the things you wanted to say were jumbled inside your head and your speech became fumbled. "A-anyway, Miss Lisa sent me to give this to you," you tried to play it off cool, placing the sachet in his gloved hand.

Even with the fabric of the glove on, he felt insanely cold to the touch... No, inhumanely, even. You pulled away from him as soon as the item left your possession — but you swore, in the corner of your eyes, there was something akin to loneliness in his eyes.

Did he notice your haste to get away from him? Maybe, you were seeing things.

Could it be that he just didn't happen to like you in particular? Whatever the answer was, you felt unwelcome here, it might be better for you to go back and quickly.

"Apologies, but I must not stay here any longer," you bowed politely and turned around, ready to race your way out of this mysterious place. It wasn't an excuse; well, partially but before you could, your steps were halted.

"Wait."

Quite understandably so because he finally spoke. Albeit, it was just one word. But it was also one word that managed to render you frozen completely.

"...Yes? Is there a problem?" You spared him a hesitant glance. "Your name," he stated. For a few moments, there was a brief pause in the air. Confusion made itself apparent in your voice as you asked again.

"My... name?"

"Yes," he looked at you with a firm gaze, applying a bit of pressure to his tone.

You gulp, "It's [Y/N]?"

The reluctance in your tone when telling a stranger your name seemed comical, but you felt more confused than ever now. Just a minute ago, he was staring you to death like he didn't want you here. Whatever did he need your name for?

"[Y/N]..." He muttered, tasting your name on his tongue. "We will meet again," he added.

It sent chills down your spine; what did he mean by that? Wouldn't a "let us meet again" be more proper instead of that confident "will" in his sentence? You didn't bother to vocalize these thoughts of yours.

"Goodbye," he smiled, but you sensed something deeper that you couldn't place your hands on lurking beneath that smile.

How unsettling.

That day, you returned to Mondstadt and you were unaware of two things. One, the one you met was lacking a significant star on his neck. Two, those teal eyes that followed you home — but that's alright, he'll just knock on your door and invite you to an apology meal. You struck him as someone who'd say yes out of pity, the perfect target for him. Maybe, while eating the food those pesky mortals liked, he could tell you a thing or two about alchemy just like how ALBEDO would.

But he was not Albedo. He was SUBJECT 2 and this time, he will prove to the world that he was a being capable of living amongst the people, a being worthy of life; he shall no longer be the so-called imperfect experiment because you, [Y/N], will be the stepping stone for his next step.

Just the perfect target and you will be his to control.

─ ⊹ ⊱ ・・・・・・☆・・・・・・・⊰ ⊹ ─

© SEELESTIA, nov 2022. do not repost, plagiarize, translate nor claim as your own.

[qqueenofhades]

hello, it's youngin anon once again. i need advice and i have no one to ask, so i figured i could ask you. it's a lot and long, so if you don't want to answer, feel free to ignore.

idk how familiar you are with immigrant child guilt, but it weighs on me immensely. my parents work very hard and i can see the way they struggle. i remember when i was young we didn't even have a bed! me and my siblings slept on cushions. i've seen the insane hours my dad has worked so as to afford me and my siblings a better and more comfortable life. both of my parents have put in a lot of work to give us good opportunities, starting with their immigration to the US.

in nigerian culture, education is extremely important, so as i grew up, my parents have always told me to focus on my education, telling me not to work and it did pay off bc i did end up as valedictorian. college, however is presenting a new set of problems.

my dad, who i am financially dependent on (and who is paying the tuition for the state uni where i'm enrolled) has made it abundantly clear that he thinks med school is the only valid career path. i told him that my roommate was studying comms and he said that she could become a lawyer or something, before looking me dead in the eyes and that wasn't an option for me. with him, it's med school or bust.

as long as i could remember, my parents have been telling me i was going to become a doctor. every time i asked my dad to get me something, he say, i'll do it and in the future, you'll become a doctor, right? and i would agree and that was that. i've answered to all the adults who asked me that i was was going to med school and they would all give me smiles of approval. if i mentioned any other career growing up i'd be ruthlessly shot down or gently persuaded about how much more security there was in medicine.

i was aware in high school that i didn't really want to be a doctor so i sort of set myself up, enrolling under my college's science school so as to cut off my own retreat path. i figured that if i was able to bear it during high school, i could bear it during college. but i can see my own behavior and i know that i don't really like STEM. not that it's a bad field! i just don't have any interest in it. i read the textbooks to learn enough to pass the test and that's it. i don't interact with my classmates or the professors or the material beyond what's needed to get an A. this is in sharp contrast to my history classes which i have been enthralled with. I took a world history class in the first semester enjoyed it immensely. last semester i took a war and violence in africa class and LOVED it. it made me want to become an African historian/Africanist. i talk to my professors, enjoy the readings, the assignments, all the new info i'm getting on the continent where my family originates. i go to my history classes and i want to be there. i want to learn.

i don't know if i could survive academia as a profession because i've seen you posting about the struggles from working in academia and there was a large strike at my school last semester because professors weren't earning enough. if it were a perfect world or if i had lots of money i would love to get my Ph.D focusing on West African history and be a history professor, but it's not, so. i've been thinking about law school as a happy compromise. i could go to law school with a undergrad history degree and if i went to law school i could also pursue JD/MA in History. i'm trying out some law classes next semester to see how i like them.

i'm now scared that if i were to transfer to a different school in my college my scholarship might be reduced. i'm also afraid that i would lose my parents' financial support if i chose to pursue a different career path and i have no actual work experience.

and i understand my parents' very valid concerns! both of them grew up poor in Nigeria and it was their STEM educations that afforded them better lives. they don't want me to experience that level of crushing poverty that heavily defined their youth. my mom tells me about her younger brother in Nigeria who struggles to get work with his masters. my dad tells me about co-workers' children who can't get jobs in their field of profession and have to work whatever jobs come their way. from what i've seen on the news, the future job market looks bad for the young people (around the world!). millennials are having problems and my generation isn't set to do much better.

is it fair to my parents to just disregard that and pursue work in the humanities? i want to do what i want, to just live my life, but it feels like it's not just my life. it would feel so selfish to just risk that all. whenever i talk to my parents about their journey in the US i feel like i should just suck it all up and go to med school. if my parents could suffer all of that, who i am to complain? do my struggles compare?

i feel like my sense of pragmatism and idealism are warring against each other. I don't like STEM, I'm good at it, good enough to get good grades in the classes, but it's not something i enjoy doing, but there's more job security. i love history and the humanities as a whole, but i might struggle with employment.

i'm semi-familiar with the path i would need to take to become a doctor. i would have to make it into med school (high GPA, experience in science research/labs, shadowing healthcare professionals, good recommendations, etc.), survive med school, survive residency (during which residents are worked like dogs), complete fellowships, and then i would be able to practice independently. and that would probably occupy the majority of my time. people have told me that med school is hard even for people that like medicine. for me who is just tolerating it, can i do it? and what about any future patients? is it fair to them?

my mom has always said that i could just get my second degree in whatever i wanted after i became a doctor, but i don't know if i would have the mental strength/energy/free time to go back to school after med school. i feel like if i grit my teeth and bared it for all my twenties i would lose the drive to do it my thirties. it feels like i've been putting off my living my life for my entire life. in middle school i thought about high school, in high school about college, and in college about post-graduate life. i'm tired of this constant look towards the future, but it's the only thing i know how to do. my brain is constantly asking "okay, and then what?"

if i go to med school and realize that i really can't do it, then i'll be trapped. it'll be too much debt to walk away from, too many years of my life dedicated towards that end goal of becoming a doctor. i feel like if i'm going to change my future plans, i should do it before sooner rather than later. 19 isn't too late to walk back but 26 might be.

but it's not like pursuing a career closer to what i want would be easier.

there's always this big fear in the background of, what if i fail? what if i risk it all to go to law school and i don't make it in? or i end up in a low-paying law job saddled with hundreds of thousands in student debt? or even if i make it to biglaw, i still end up burned out from all the hours that they work? wouldn't i still be miserable? i'm not super familiar with how law school works but i've done some lurking around @artielu's blog and law seems like something i should also go into in only if i'm sure.

(i'm not. i'm not sure of anything really.)

it feels like no matter what i'm going to be unhappy in the future. maybe everyone feels this way, maybe a certain level of unhappiness is normal in adult life. it just makes me feel so frustrated because i'm struggling so hard for what? idk. i'm also so desperately scared. i'm scared that one day i'll wake up in the my forties/fifties and realize that i hate my life. maybe i'll look back on this and lament how spoiled/whiny i was. idk. idk.

i'm not looking for an answer to this dilemma, i know this is a decision i'll have to make for myself, but i would appreciate any advice or even words of encouragement. thank you.

Welp. Okay, first of all, I am giving you a big virtual hug and sitting you down at your coffeeshop of choice. So imagine us talking there.

Second, thanks for pouring out your heart to me about this and your various other comments and chats over the years. I only know you as one of my favorite (shh) Tumblr anons on the internet, but I have always seen how thoughtful, smart, and hard-working you are, and I don't take it lightly that you trust me to listen to you and to give you good advice. (Or uh, let's hope, at least not bad advice? Jury's out.) Likewise, I'm absolutely sure that immigrant-child guilt is something to which a lot of my followers can very much relate, and would be happy to talk with you about. So if you are one of said followers and you'd like to encourage anon to reach out to you, please drop a note in the replies! I can't speak to this from personal experience, but I'd love to help connect you to others in your situation. Because yes, it IS absolutely a universal struggle for first- or second-gen immigrant kids: balancing cultural expectations of parents, American opportunities, feeling guilty if you do what you want, etc etc.

Third, and this is just me talking: if you absolutely feel this way, then no, I don't think you should go to medical school. I realize that this is far easier said than done, but if you continue to feel this strongly about it, then... you shouldn't be expected to do it, and that's just something that everyone in your family will have to come to terms with. After all, your parents came to America so you could be raised as an American, and there would be multiple pathways to success -- not whatever just they themselves had to do in order to get here in the first place. I'm afraid that you'll eventually have to bite the bullet and have an honest talk with your parents about this, but it may help if you present this as both your own success and THEIR success. After all, you're smart, talented, you have so many options, and you'll clearly succeed at whatever you choose to do. And that means THEY did their job right: they worked hard, they raised you right, they brought you to a place where there ISN'T just one narrow pathway to having a fulfilling and prestigious career. It doesn't mean they "failed" to make you a doctor. It means they succeeded in making YOU, and opening up so many more things for you to do.

Obviously: that's going to be hard either way, your parents are probably going to be upset, and that's very tough to deal with, especially if you're a close family unit and if you're financially dependent on them. You're the only one who can choose when to have the conversation and what might come of it, but it's still something that you do have the right to do. If you want to research other aid options or scholarship packages, or reach out to financial aid/admissions officers at other schools to see what it might take to transfer (that is, if you need to transfer), that's your right to do. You're an adult now and you have the right to take legal and personal responsibility for your own life. If you know what you want to do and how you want to do it: then again, isn't that why your parents came here? Isn't that what they were working to achieve?

Yes, academia is hard. No, there's no guarantee of getting a job. But there isn't the guarantee of getting a job in medicine either, especially if it's something you're forcing yourself to do and which (as you note) would impact negatively on you, your colleagues, and the patients you would be expected to serve. Especially post-Covid and in the American healthcare system: being a doctor/nurse/healthcare professional SUCKS! Even if you like it and feel called to do it, it still sucks, and the only people earning a lot of money from it are the senior/career/specialist types (as is the case in every field). Of course your parents have expectations and dreams for you, but they also don't get the right to control/dictate your entire adult life just by virtue of deciding to bring you into the world. After all, they did that, and that means embracing you as a person with your own choices. (And this goes for all people with controlling/bossy parents, regardless of immigrant or non-immigrant background). So again: this is what they wanted for you, and you've paid that off already.

I absolutely feel the "I spend all my time thinking/worrying about the future and being scared that I'll end up wasting my life" thing, which I think is common to a lot of high-achieving smart people (we are terminal overthinkers to a one). I can tell you now that life has a way of surprising you, and when you get a little older, you start becoming more comfortable with yourself, your accomplishments, your talents, and knowing what you're good at. So I don't think you will find that you've wasted anything. Likewise, when it comes to studying for advanced degrees in history: do you think it might help with your parents if you agreed to pursue a name-brand school? It's still not guaranteed, but trust me, going to a place like Harvard or Yale makes it tremendously easier to get a job or a future opportunity just by virtue of having that name on your CV and the people you will meet, and I have no doubt that you would be able to get in. As well, I don't really think your parents could argue with you going to an Ivy League, or think that you weren't applying yourself.

Likewise, if there is anything I can do to support you in this, please feel free to message me privately/off anon. I will write a letter of recommendation for you, I will see if I know a person who knows a person, I will help look at application materials, so forth and etc. I mean it: I WILL help you in the real world if I possibly can. I'm sure you have tons of other enthusiastic recommenders, but still. Also, I will say that despite the current (terrible) academic job market, I have seen quite a few openings for professors of African history/African studies/African-American literature and culture, and that's just in the US. There are also lots of opportunities around the world.

Anyway: I hope that's helpful to start with. I am giving you all the hugs. Please reach out to me again (especially via private message) if I can help with this in more tangible ways. And likewise, if any of my followers would like anon to reach out to them: please make a note in the replies. We can do this together.

<3

[nico-di-genova]

Can u talk about charles' university times?

Also the flashback of him telling jules that he's quitting made me want to die 🩷

I can always talk about Charles’ uni years!!

So he’s a scholarship kid for the most part, his parents helped out where they could. He actually got a decent amount of scholarships though, enough to pay for tuition and housing, really all he pays out of pocket for is some of his books.

He kind of went crazy his first year, like partying every night crazy. Most of his childhood was spent with his dad and Arthur, and though he hung out with Lorenzo and Jules a lot, they never included him in their partying. So Charles, given his first bit of freedom in uni, very much went overboard.

He slowed it down once his grades started taking a hit, not anything major, most of his first year classes were stupid easy, but enough to make him realize he maybe shouldn’t be out every night.

Once his professors began to realize just how smart he is, they help him get onto projects that typically only upperclassmen work on. He quickly becomes known as “that genius kid”.

He starts to wear glasses during this time, because he’s always straining his eyes working late working with numbers and math that he writes in minuscule notes. He still wears glasses sometimes, only when he’s trying to prevent a headache because he actually hates how they look on him. Usually he wears them post race, when he’s going over data from the day. Max loves them, more than Charles knows, post race Charles curled up in their hotel room with his glasses and notes is probably his favorite Charles.

Also, Charles in the club? Unhinged, insane. Drunk Charles is dancing on tables halfway through the night, sweat drenched and flushed. He maybe starts going overboard with the partying because he likes the freedom he can feel when he’s drunk and uncaring. He’s so used to walking around with all this pressure and anxiety, feeling like everyone’s watching him, that when he’s in a dark club and surrounded by hundreds of people it’s a little freeing.

He’s hooked up in club bathrooms. Not a ton, but enough he’s familiar with the mechanics of it. It might come in handy in the future…maybe 👀.

His favorite class was Motorsport Vehicle Performance, taken in his third year. It’s what solidified for him that this was definitely what he wanted to do, not just have a hand in building the cars, but work with the data and simulations, work with a driver to achieve that peak performance. He took it all very seriously, maybe too seriously, tbh he was a major nerd. Charles in school vs Charles in the club, two very different people.

Dated exactly One (1) person during his uni years. She was in the program with him, they met during a mathematics and modeling class in their second year. Her name was Hannah, she was the only other person to consistently show up to class like twenty minutes early. Charles liked having someone to sleep with at night, even if it was cramped on his too small dorm bed. They broke up at the end of third year, after Charles spent weeks with Arthur at the track (Arthur was starting F4) and they just kind of grew distant.

Frequently begged Lorenzo to send him care packages because the food in the food hall was very much Not It. He never asked his mom, didn’t want to stress her out with everything happening with his dad. Lorenzo ofc always sent stuff. He also visited Charles at school when he could.

Idk, this is random rambling, maybe not what you were looking for. But know Charles looks back on his uni years fondly. And I could probably talk about it for hours.

[trickstarbrave]

still trying to get back in the swing of writing....

vivi and steren arrive in skyrim. find and adopt a scrib.

included is my hc nerevar is part nord. bc idk what you want from me. vivienne is from @mulberrycafe i just like these two together a lot

Finally, after so long at sea, the ship docked in Windhelm. It was cold--frigid, even, and miserable. The Illiac bay would be warmer, but Steren really needed to get off the boat. Sleep and proper food had done wonders to help him recover, but what he really needed were some proper healing potions and food that weren’t rations. He was able to walk around without much pain after months of agony, but Dagoth Ur’s attacks were… Harder to heal naturally than other attacks, and the months of abuse were not doing his body any favors. He was afraid if they stayed for several more months on the ship his condition would start to deteriorate again, worrying Vivienne. 

Besides, they could always move somewhere warmer if they needed to, years down the line. They were dunmer, after all, and very long lived… 

He ignored the sinking feeling in his stomach when he realized corprus would mean he would outlive Vivienne. They would cross that bridge when they got there. Right now, Steren was still in poor physical health and Vivienne was in a delicate state mentally. Besides, would Vivienne even believe him right away? He didn’t want Vivi worrying that he went insane after so much abuse. There would be time to tell him, when they were both much more stable. 

Vivienne had covered himself up for the most part; a heavy scarf covering most of his face and his hair, long clothes covering up everything else…The only thing really exposed were his eyes. Steren had agreed it was also for the better; someone might recognize him and try to ship them back, but deep down he knew it was much more likely someone would call him “Vivec”. Steren covered the red star on his forehead with a bandana just as the ship docked, and walked with him hand in hand into the city.

“... When I heard our people were living here after the Red Year,” Steren remarked, looking at the cramped living quarters, “I didn’t imagine it to be like this.” 

The Grey Quarter, as it was called, was kind of a mess. The nords at the docks told them if they were looking for refuge to head there, yet it was obvious the Grey Quarter was what used to be the ‘lower class’ section of the huge, walled city. Stone buildings in disarray, frayed banners blowing in the arctic winds, sad stalls where people bought and sold goods…

For many dunmer this was probably their ‘safe’ option. There were foods and alchemical ingredients they were familiar with. A young bull netch hovered around some steps, making a soft, rhythmic tone. There were banners and urns and baskets all with house sigils and signs. People have built lives here, over the past two centuries, children running through the cramped streets and alleyways. 

However, the chill sunk in through the wool clothes he was wearing making him shiver, and he knew this wouldn’t be a good place for them. Lodging at the corner club was too high, and there were few places for them to find a decent place to live, not to mention there were nords occasionally harassing the dunmer who dared to step outside the Grey Quarter on the regular. 

They could grab some supplies while they were here though. Kwama eggs cost an arm and a leg, much to his disappointment, but they had familiar ingredients he could make some rudimentary potions with and a few alchemical tools, not to mention some warmer clothes for both of them. They had little gold, but it was important to get the essentials. 

“I know…” Vivienne said softly, looking over it. “I’d imagined it… Different.” 

“I guess Windhelm might not have been the best place to settle.” There was probably some complex history on why they settled there, but Steren didn’t know it and didn’t care to find out. 

“What do you think we should do first?” 

“Since we’re still traveling and short on coin…” Steren put the tools and ingredients in the bag that got swiped from his client months ago. “I think heading further south would be good. The Rift supposedly has a climate a little closer to Northern Morrowind given the Velothi mountains are nearby. Plus there should be more work rather than here in the cramped city…”

There was something off about the air of the city, something that Steren didn’t like. A weird tension in a lot of the nords they passed by. It gave him the impression something was going to happen soon, and what, he didn’t want to find out. 

“I don’t want to be any closer to Morrowind then we have to be…” Vivienne’s ears tilted down, but Steren smiled reassuringly. 

“It will still be very different to Morrowind and I doubt they’d make the trek just to look for us in the Rift.” Steren gave his hand a squeeze. “Besides, I’d always wanted to see the Rift some day.”

“You did?” Vivienne asked. 

“Yes.” Steren answered, remembering all the stories Nerevar’s ghost would tell him as they traveled. The long walks were much less lonely after he got the ring, able to see and converse with his father. “One of my fathers was part nord.” He admitted. “He never knew his father, but he was originally from the Rift.” It wasn’t a secret at the time; many people could see it in Nerevar’s features. Yet, as time went on, that part of him was washed away from history. Instead he was Saint Moon-and-Star, hero of the dunmer, champion of the Tribunal. The masks ordinators wore looked uncannily like him but erased all the nordic features from his face, fixed in the permanent, serious gaze he gave. They never captured in any art the way his eyes crinkled when he smiled, the way everything lit up when he grinned. They never captured the furrow in his brow when he was worried, nor the tenderness in his expression when recounting fond memories. 

The only thing immortalized in his legacy was war, it seemed. Not who he loved. Not his son. Not his joy. Just violence. 

“Oh,” Vivienne looked away slightly. “Then we should see it--” 

“If you don’t want to, we don't have to.” Steren added. 

“No, we’re already here--”

“There will be plenty of time for us to visit later.” He imagined they’d be in Skyrim at least a few months; certainly enough time to make a visit to the Rift. 

“I don’t know where else to go anyways.” Vivienne admitted, his hand tighter in Steren’s. Steren took note of the way his cheeks were starting to turn red from the chill of the wind, Steren reaching one gloved hand up to warm the light-grey side of his face. 

“Then… We can start there. Look for some work, figure out where else you want to go…” Vivienne could pick the next place once they got their footing. “My father said the Rift was beautiful this time of year and great to camp in, so we should be able to survive roughing it out there while looking for work.” Nerevar described the trees as looking like all the most beautiful colors of fire in the chill of autumn. There was pretty good wildlife there too; easy fish to catch, deer, plenty of clear spring water to drink from, and lots of gorgeous sights. 

Steren was going to continue though, when he felt something on his leg. He looked down, seeing a cold little scrib moving slowly, scratching pitifully at his leg. It was so cold the poor thing was probably having trouble moving, barely able to hiss. 

“Damn pest…” A dunmer swore, ready to wack it with a broom, before Steren scooped it up with one arm. “We keep trying to get it to leave but it keeps digging through trash and begging for scraps. Don’t bother feeding it or it will never leave you alone. Can’t even roast the damn thing because it keeps escaping when we try…”

Vivienne looked at it curiously as it started to nuzzle closer to Steren for warmth. Steren felt his heart tickle; he’d often see the little things out in the wild, giving them a friendly little pet while they foraged and dug around in the ash. They were commonplace in Morrowind; with so many kwama egg mines there were inevitably wild and feral larval kwama moving about, looking for a new place to settle. Natural kwama colonies were typically deep in mountains or jagged caves hard to get to, with scribs looking for places they might eventually set up homes in as adults. 

This scrib was obviously a feral one; an egg from a mine hatched outside it at some point, and not knowing what else to do, he probably went looking for any miners with the scent on them from the mines. Then he hung around the Grey Quarter in hopes of being looked after while everyone else treated him like a nuisance. 

He looked at Vivienne, but already Vivienne was giggling softly, petting him.

“You want to take him?”

“He’s not welcome here, so…” Steren knew the feeling very well. That, combined with how much he missed his parents and everything else he’d been through, there was a sort of kinship with the little insect not wanted by anyone else. 

“Then let’s take him.” Steren smiled warmly at Vivienne, shifting his grip slightly so the scrib could more comfortably cling to his wool tunic and keep himself warm.

[waywardsalt]

im actually going to tear into totk’s dragon’s tears/ memories rn bc i remember feeling distinctly unsatisfied with them when i got all of them so im just going to write some general bullet points about them, about what i dislike or maybe what i do actually like about them, leaving out both master sword scenes and the mummydorf one because i’m here to talk about the stuff in the past not that

- off the bat (i play this game in english btw so all of this is based on the english text and translation i am aware some stuff is slightly different in other languages) im not really a fan of how the descriptions of all of the tears is just a literal description of what happens?? i think my issue with it is that some of the text is a little bit too in depth, as in it just tells you literally everything about the scene. this might be nitpick-y but i personally dont like it

- what’s up with zelda saying ‘but that must mean...!’ at the end of the scene. is it suggesting that she’s made the realization that rauru and sonia are the first king and queen of hyrule? because they literally tell her that like ten seconds before. i guess it’s suggesting she’s realizing she’s in the past but... idk the texts says ‘she’s left startled by a suspicion that she’s heard those names before’ yeah theyre the first king and queen of hyrule?? they tell her that. they tell her their names and that they are the first leaders of hyrule is she just now connecting the dots that she’s in the past? that’s what the next cutscene implies. but all of the surrounding dialogue and the description don’t suggest that that’s what she’s realizing i feel like this was kind of muddled in the translation

- why did sonia elbow rauru he was just standing weird he didnt say anything this isnt a nitpick im just confused. is it because he’s not being very empathetic towards what zelda’s going through? she elbows him and then she goes and talks to zelda why even elbow rauru. ordinarily you elbow someone like that if you mean for them to go do something why elbow someone if you’re going to do the thing you want anyways

- why doesnt zelda offer to help with the purah pad or anything like that. what happened to her sheikah tech fascination from botw. not even as someone actually familiar with the technology who could give mineru some points as to how it works

- what are sonia and zelda doing behind rauru when he shoots that insane fucking beam at the mulduga swarm they’re clearly doing something with their stones but like... are they amplifying rauru’s power somehow?? what do time powers have to do with the beam of light i dont- what were they doing please the text description only mentions him using his powers so are sonia and zelda just... supporting his powers? idk man

- dragon tear #5 is a whole can of worms with its worse-than-oot reenactment of that one scene from oot. why the focus on sonia and her tear btw. i mean yeah she dies to motivate rauru and zelda but like. why not aim for the new girl who probably doesn’t know how to use it as much and is probably more likely to be separate from the king who can shot insane lasers. im really not a fan of this scene for how strongly the game sides with rauru and zelda being passive and judgemental but ganondorf is literally the best part of it there’s a lot of character in just how he picks up his sword and stands up to leave

- putting memories 6 and 7 together just because of how there was just. no fucking care put into the idea of zelda learning to use her time powers. memory 6 zelda talks about wanting to use her time powers and sonia gives her tips on how she could use it and visualize the use of it and then in memory 7 she can just use it perfectly with great control and timing. why even bother talking about her nothing yet understanding how to use it when the very next scene she just uses it like it’s nothing. how much time has passed we get nothing to show us zelda trying to practice this power just. nope. she’s good she can use it perfectly. also more awkward dialogue sonia saying ‘what a picture zelda paints of him’ as she is. looking directly at zelda. change the line to like, ‘what a picture you paint of him’ she is literally looking right at zelda so why would she say it like that

- generally i feel like memory six should have been before 4 and 5 (4 being where she uses some power to... support??? rauru and it being before memory 5 so that there isnt this weird break in between the memories concerning ganondorf.) memory 6 does not have anything to do with memory 4 or 5 so just put it earlier so there isnt a weird shift in focus between the two big ganondorf scenes

- good god they introduce the idea of sonia and zelda being aware of ganondorf using a fake zelda but theres literally nothing about it having been a problem or them having experience or like. anything. they just TELL you that they know and suggest that it’s been like. a thing for a bit??? also obligatory ganondorf’s face model rigging is fucked comment he’s still the best part

- the pacing of these memories is just weird in general, memories 7 and 8 being separate but the same scene is strange when other memories are long as fuck but cover one event each, plus theres clearly barely any passage of time between memories 7 and 8 it almost feels like they were split up to fill space or just because otherwise it’d be... too long? man idk

- ‘queen sonia needs you!’ girl she is DEAD good fucking luck doing anything to help her

- ganondorf’s horse and its armor both look sick as fuck i really wish you got to see more of it outside the memory it appears in

- everything about the original sages honestly sucks. they aren’t characters they’re just walking macguffins. they have no names and are not relevant or mentioned or make any appearance until they are needed by the story. why does the zora sage talk about getting word about the attacked gerudo village in this scene when like. they’ve all met up and have clearly. been together for a bit. when she gives them the news it’s clearly the first they’ve heard of it... but... why would she wait until this moments to give this info unless for the benefit of the player watching the scene. why does the ZORA sage have this news and not... the gerudo sage?? what’s with the masks. they’re all made of zonaite or whatever sure theyre gifts from rauru but like. i hate that it kind of denotes them being subservient and lower than him and the zonai. honestly i really hate this scene in general mostly because of the uncomfortable showing of how rauru absolutely holds power over them and despite them being leaders as well they are expected to be wholly blindly loyal to him. rauru only gives them these stones when he needs their aid and they swear loyalty too him soon after but you also see that sonia and mineru have stones, too, so they’re clearly withholding these things despite it being kind of reasonable for him to give each race their own secret stone as further proof of their pact? there is so much shit to be said about the imperialistic themes or whatever in this fucking story and i really hate it

- i do kinda like how the next scene shows you that the one rock in the corner of that first hidden room in the forgotten temple is sonia’s grave

- zelda’s phrasing and description of how she and link found ganondorf is weird to me ‘he’s still alive’ ‘he lives on’ girl that was a mummy. he was not moving until you got there. he’s undead at best as far as you know. this is def a nitpick but eh. also the reliance on link is a... bit odd when zelda does not actually know that link is safe until she gets the master sword. its fine but still. also her shell-shocked expression after rauru talks about her being in the past for a reason is a bit... it doesn’t fit her emotion it’s kind of similar to the expression she had when sonia was killed

- the memory about the imprisoning war starts with practically the whole story up until now being repeated back to you by mineru with a decent amount of bias on mineru’s part and while it’s fine because of some of the extra stuff you learn but it does a lot more telling rather than showing when it comes to the actual imprisoning war and... idk the whole thing about their ‘fight’ kind of falls flat when you don’t actually see any fighting you just see that the sages have gotten their asses beat. i think it would have been a little interesting if in the god-awful repetitive sage-awakening scenes they had actually showed you the og sages fighting ganondorf instead of just. slow-mo freeze-frames for whatever. once again ganondorf if the best part of the scene

- the rest of the memories are fine idc

i get the feeling that the japanese-to-english translation was either all-around rough or somehow rushed, because some of the phrases in the game as well as some of the dialogue is really awkward and... could have been better. i don’t know how it works but it feels like a lot of it was very literal, direct translation and no one at noa thought that it ought to be tweaked just a little bit

these memories also do a fuck-ton of telling rather than showing and it really is like they don’t really trust you to connect the dots, and some of it does come off like they either didn’t want to make more memories or ran out of time or something. i felt like the memory of ganondorf just summoning his monsters and riding on his cool horse could have been a bit longer to actually show us the forces of hyrule fighting him and having a hard time with it

a lot of the character animations doesn’t have a whole lot of personality to them, ganondorf is the character who had the most distinct and interesting movements. rauru and sonia had their... singular movement (rauru putting a hand to his chin and sonia taking zelda’s hands) and zelda was kind of just... standing around and reacting to stuff, and neither mineru nor any of the other sages had any really interesting animations asides from mineru’s coughing fit in memory 16 (plus her reclining chair that was a nice touch). very few of their movements really express anything about the characters besides some really baseline values or traits.

the ordering of some memories is kind of odd, the excessive flashbacks in memory 17 are a bit much, the telling rather than showing, the sometimes awkward dialogue, a lot of the scenes are characters just... talking at each other, you don’t actually see very much of hyrule in the past or any characters beyond the main four, and it really did nothing to actually get me to care about these characters at all.

tldr i dont like totk’s dragon tears