#just need to find a proper name for it and some background story

[pan-perkozeq]

Something to keep my brain fixated

Cause hyperfixation is cool

[ozzgin]

Hii I was wondering if u could do a yandere Kazuya x yn x yandere Daitou I’m not sure if u do character x yn x character tho

Yandere! Yakuza x Reader Spinoff

Two yakuza men who have fallen in love with their new foreign tenant. A what-if spinoff to the original story for that love triangle spice. Happy Valentine's Day!

Content: female reader, NSFW, organized crime, obsessive behavior, violence, BDSM themes (choking), threats

Credits: My boyfriend for giving me the Daitou smut idea

[Main Story] [General Headcanons]

Kazuya is sitting on the sidewalk, checking his watch occasionally and tapping his foot. The cigarette seems to have been forgotten, hanging lowly from his lips.

"Sorry I'm late." Daitou speedily makes his way towards his friend, smiling awkwardly.

"Where the fuck were you, man? We don't know how much time we have before the cops arrive."

"Uh uh, leave it to me." The cheeky grin doesn't leave his face as he pulls out his gun and carefully but swiftly inspects the barrel and safety one final time. "(Y/N) needed some help with the mailbox. I couldn't just say no, ya know?"

The blonde man's eyebrows raise for a second, but he quickly recollects himself.

"I see. That's good."

"She asked me to show her the area tomorrow, so I'll be working extra hard tonight. Hehe."

"That's good."

Daitou glances at Kazuya, somewhat wary.

"You okay?"

Stupid question. What's he supposed to answer? Yeah, he loves waiting like a dumbass while his friend flirts with the new tenant, who conveniently happens to be a cute foreigner, who's been unexpectedly nice and relaxed around them despite them explicitly stating they're part of the Japanese mafia. Fucking hell. It doesn't help that this idiot is as obvious as a blaring, blinding cluster of ads smack in the middle of Kabukicho. He can tell from miles away that Daitou's completely fallen for her. Just like that, in an instant.

They've been partners and best friends for years now, so the natural reaction would be happiness, right? Daitou has always been one scary motherfucker. Even the seniors scramble when he's in the room, let alone women. For him to find someone that isn't bothered the slightest by his appearance or background should be a celebratory occasion. Kazuya should be rooting for him. Except, well, he fell for you just as hard. Tough luck.

The Bushido moral code, often used as guidance within their own lifestyle, covers matters such as loyalty and honesty quite extensively. A true warrior remains fiercely faithful to his master or companions. And yet, love interests are more of a grey area, especially if they happen to overlap. Who dictates the proper etiquette for this dilemma? To whom is loyalty directed towards? Truth be told, Kazuya couldn’t care less. He’s always been a man of vice, impulsive and greedy. If he wants something, he takes it.

The trouble starts when the other person is of the same mindset. Two ferocious predators eyeing the same victim.

***

You fiddle next to the tall, dark-haired man. Similarly, Daitou is avoiding eye contact, looking around in hopes of finding something to focus on. It’s the first time he’s come over since the incident. After his little mission with Kazuya, he was tasked to “interrogate” some of the remaining members to get even more names for the hitlist. He’d completely forgotten about his promise to show you the neighborhood. Hands sticky with blood, he was in the middle of his signature act of benevolence, putting the lad out of his misery.

It was around that time you decided to be the one picking him up instead, for your grand tour. Your knocks on the door remained unheard, however, so you decided to politely make your way in.

“Sorry, I hope I’m not-”

You froze in place. A man (you assumed at least based on the few visible traits left), tied up on the chair, canvas bag roped around his head. Daitou’s hands were secured around his throat. In the few seconds of silence, you could hear a muffled wheezing, as the stranger’s chest heaved in short convulsions.

“-intruding.” You mumbled, regaining your speech.

He messed up, didn’t he? Daitou sighs and slicks his hair back. He can’t blame you if you’re now terrified of him. He had to come over for some tenant checkups and you’ve been maintaining a safe distance from him during his entire visit. What can he possibly tell you? “Hey, I know I threatened to chop you up and you’ve now witnessed firsthand I’m a legit murderer, but, uh…I have a crush on you? Dinner at seven?”

You’re terrified alright, but not of his deeds. Rather, your newly discovered perversion as a consequence of the gory scene. It’s not that you relished in the torment of another. It’s the other details that left you reminiscing. Daitou’s imposing frame, the unbuttoned shirt revealing his traditional tattoos glistening in beads of sweat, his flexed, brawny arms, and large hands. You’re scared of your shamelessness. It can’t be normal. Yet you can’t stop thinking about it. Just a glimpse into this memory and your cheeks become burning red.

“I’ll be on my way then”, the yakuza announces politely.

Though he immediately stops in his tracks, and you realize you’ve unconsciously grabbed onto his sleeve. Uh oh. What now? You mumble an apology without releasing your hold. Being this close to him makes your heart drum inside your chest.

To hell with it.

“I might say something terribly inappropriate right now, but…”

“Sorry?” He stares at you, dumbfounded.

“Do you have anything planned after this?” You ask quietly.

“N-no?”

“Would you mind staying over?”

“Huh? Sure…w-what for?” His mouth is dry, and he searches your eyes in confusion.

“You know…” Choke me until I pass out and such, you think to yourself sarcastically.

He turns to face you, lips pursed awkwardly.

“You’ll have to be clear with me, Miss (Y/N). I’m not good with all this tiptoeing around and I might get the wrong idea.”

Your ears perk up hearing his final words, a deep blush now spreading over your flustered features.

“What wrong idea?”

Daitou fidgets with his glass prosthetic nervously.

“Well, uh, a man can only dream, ya know? Especially around a cute girl like you.” He reveals with a stutter.

“Suppose I’d be willing to go along with anything on your mind. What then?” You twirl your hair, gazing shyly at the floor. Not even you can believe the audacity leaving your lips.

The tall man steps before you, towering above with a certain gleam in his eye. It’s yearning. Your knees weaken.

“Don’t tease me, please. I can hardly control myself around you as it is.”

You release his sleeve and instead cling onto his shirt with both hands, looking up through your lashes.

“I’m dead serious.”

He ponders his next move with a click of the tongue, then cups your cheeks between his hands and lowers himself until his hot breath tickles your nose.

“Are you? There’s no going back after this. Can you handle it?” His voice is suddenly deeper, raspier.

Before you can respond, you feel yourself lifted and you yelp, surprised, instinctively wrapping your limbs around the yakuza. In between the greedy kisses that leave your lips bruised and swollen, you don’t notice the movement back towards the seating area.

As you pull away to gasp for air, he throws you onto the couch, flipping you over in the process so that you’re kneeling away from him. Your nails dig into the soft fabric of the sofa. You hear Daitou unbuckle his belt and you squeeze your legs together, heavily aroused. He presses his palm gently into your back, arching it. You sense his fingers grazing over your core and you whimper.

“G-go on, please.” You beg, swaying your hips tentatively. “I really can’t wait anymore.”

“As you wish, Miss.” He reassures you with a grin.

He adjusts himself and carefully makes his way in. You don’t have time to enjoy the feeling; following almost instantly is his belt looped around your neck, tightening under his grip as he pulls the ends towards him. Your head is forced back, and you groan. You can hear the leather stretch and creak over your assaulted skin, the constriction briefly cutting your oxygen intake. Hot drool trickles down your chin and your eyes almost roll back in pleasure.

“Look at my little Miss (Y/N), taking it like a champion.” He bends over and bites your earlobe playfully. “Does that mean I can be as rough as I want?”

You nod erratically.

The grip around your throat intensifies and your vision becomes blurry.

“Hey, don’t pass out now.” He inserts two fingers in your mouth, pulling you by the cheek and tilting your head to look him in the eye. “Not before you show me that you understand your situation. You’re mine. Is that clear?”

He drags his fingers downwards, aiding your response as you struggle to contract your muscles.

“Attagirl.” He concludes, satisfied.

In the morning you wake up with a dreadful soreness, and you can quickly see why. Your body is peppered in bruises. Daitou is smoking by the window and promptly flicks his cigarette out once he realizes you’re no longer asleep.

“Are you okay? I’m so sorry, I don’t know what’s gotten into me.” He begins, remorseful, and squats in front of the bed. “I hope I didn’t hurt you.”

“I will need a day or two to recover before the next time, but otherwise I’m fine.”

He beams with delight upon registering your words: next time. You can’t help but snicker at his childish enthusiasm. It’s a mystery how Daitou can switch between ruthless killer and cute partner with such ease.

Although it’s no secret, really. It’s you.

***

“Thanks for driving me home, Kazuya.”

You smile and unbuckle your seatbelt, reaching for the door handle. Daitou has been busy with work for the past days, so Kazuya took his place in looking after your needs.

“Huh?” You rattle the grab handle one more time to make sure. “It’s still locked.”

The blonde raps the wheel impatiently with his fingers. Is he to silently accept his loss? Does it even count as a loss when he hasn’t even had the chance to present his piece? Daitou has been quiet about it, but he can read that bastard like an open book. Something definitely happened between the two of you and the mere thought drives him insane.

Ah, this is so unlike him. There are few things he cares about. His pride, his Family’s honor, his freedom. Women aren’t exactly on that list, yet somehow, you’ve snuck your way to the very top of priorities and he’s realizing it just now. It’s becoming harder to ignore his maddening urge to have you. Out of all the things…He’d give Daitou the world. But not you. He can’t. He can’t.

“Kazuya? Are you listening? You forgot to unlock the door.”

“Say, (Y/N) …ever fucked in a car before?”

“What?” You ask, baffled.

“Come here for a moment.” He swiftly slides his seat all the way back and pats his thigh.

“Are you out of your mind?”

He answers your inquiry by pulling out his handgun and lazily pointing it towards you.

“I’m only going to ask once.”

You clumsily climb over the center console, straddling the yakuza with a slight pout.

“Someone’s in a sour mood, that’s for sure”, you complain. “It’s not even loaded.”

“Even I’m not crazy enough to risk shooting my Princess.” He smiles apologetically, throwing the gun on the backseat. “I thought it’d be more threatening that way.”

He removes a strand of hair from your face, gazing at you intently. His hand lingers for a second, before sliding its way down, tracing the side of your body. You shiver.

“Can you truly blame me when there’s such a pretty girl right before my eyes?” The blonde exhales and focuses on your shirt instead. “Won’t you let me prove myself?”

From this distance, despite the dim lights, you can discern his features in agonizing detail. His long lashes, his fleshy lips, currently parted, the luscious locks of hair casually thrown back. Kazuya has always been effortlessly handsome. It’s not just his good looks, but his overflowing charisma. He always knows exactly what to say and do. A devilish power to have over people, and you’re presently his victim.

His slender fingers play with your first button and cheekily undo it. You can only observe it, entranced. Your legs are weak, and your arms are stuck in place, resting limply over his broad shoulders.

“May I?” He glances up at you with a pleading expression. “I won’t be able to hold back afterwards.”

You bite your lower lip, distracted. Whether or not this is a wise choice, you can’t currently tell. You squirm in his lap and suddenly feel the pressure coming from below.

“Go ahead.” You finally confess.

He doesn’t hesitate and slithers his hand underneath your shirt, popping the rest of the buttons open. Like a hungry animal that has stumbled upon a feast, he sinks his teeth into your neck, leaving mean, wet kisses on his way down.

One hand is greedily kneading your curves, encouraged by your soft whimpers, while the other strokes your thigh in anticipation. With a bit of readjustment, he finds the right spot between your trembling legs. You jolt at the sensation of his cold fingers.

“My, you’re already dripping. How lewd.” He whispers between breaths. “Do you want it now?”

He nonchalantly slips out and undoes his own pants. You lift yourself expectantly and let a moan escape your lips upon feeling the erection throbbing right below.

“Well then, can’t forget our manners, can we?” He announces, visibly excited. “What should I do?”

You glare at him, feverish.

“Stop teasing me.”

“Come on, be a good girl. Tell me what to do and I will do it, Love.”

Why, this…You lower yourself to his ear and answer in a lulled whine.

“Isn’t it obvious? I want you to fuck me.”

Words enough to send the blonde man over the edge. He abruptly clutches your thighs for support, easing himself in before continuing with increasingly aggressive thrusts. Husky whimpers roll out of his mouth, desperate and starved.

“Oh, I’ve waited so long for this. My darling, perfect little (Y/N).” He presses his forehead into your chest, indulging in the moment. “Now say that you’re mine. Please. Please say it.”

“I’m…ah…I’m all yours, Kazuya.” You manage to blurt out, growing dizzy.

“That’s my girl. Such a good girl.”

Once the deed is finished, you flop your head over his chest, trying to catch your breath. Kazuya smoothens your clothes meticulously, holding you with one arm for support. Can’t leave a lady all disheveled, after all.

“Won’t Daitou be upset?” You point out, somewhat anxiously.

His muscles are tense for a second and he furrows his brows.

“That’s one strange way to thank me for making you come at least twice. Mentioning another man’s name.”

“I’m just…” your words trail off.

“What? Worried? You think I can’t handle it or something?”

Far from the truth. Both Kazuya and Daitou are violent, dangerous men. Given their stubbornness, you’re rather certain they’d end up killing each other. Not your favorite outcome.

“I don’t want either of you to get hurt.”

He sighs loudly.

“I’ll tell you what. Under normal circumstances, I’d probably dismember whoever had the guts to even entertain the idea of meddling with you. But…just because it’s Daitou, I might be willing to share. Nothing more than that.”

Kazuya ruffles your hair and chuckles.

“Aren’t you glad I’m such a diplomat, Love?”

“More like batshit crazy, both of you.” You retort, stretching.

[ghiradellidarkchocolatebrownies]

STORYTIME: DO NOT FEED YOUR CLOWNS THIS!!

I volunteer a few days a week at a clown shelter. Earlier this month, a Teacup-Birthday mix named Kiki was adopted by a (seemingly) very nice middle aged couple, and we were very happy to send yet another clown to a good home. But disaster struck this afternoon when the couple returned to the shelter, wanting to surrender Kiki back to us. Their reason? She was not performing any tricks and had been biting them nonstop for weeks now. I was of course very shocked and confused by this. Kiki was one of the most playful and least temperamental clowns I had ever cared for.

I asked them if she had the proper environment, if they had changed her costume or markings in any way, if they were feeding her the proper diet. They said that they were doing everything right, and were following the care instructions we had given them. I usually give people the benefit of the doubt, but their story just wasn't adding up. And they were shifting nervously, and talking quietly to each other when they thought I wasn't looking. I told them to wait while I took Kiki for a checkup. As I took her to the vet's office, I couldn't help but notice that she seemed to lack any energy at all. When I tried to tickle her stomach (something that she normally loves), she snapped at me (Luckily, I jerked my hand away before she could bite).

When the vet examined Kiki, it was revealed that she was suffering from malnourishment and a button infection. I went back out to talk to the owners, and they continued to deny any mistreatment. After some more questioning and prying, they finally broke down and admitted what they had been doing.

They had been feeding Kiki a mix of mice and small bones (no problem there). But for her candy intake, they had been feeding her SUGAR-FREE candy. My heart sank as soon as I heard those words. No wonder Kiki had been so sick.

Every clown owner should know that (in general) Clowns need a healthy mixture of raw meat and sugar in their diets. Feeding them sugar-free stuff can be very bad for them and cause a LOT of problems.

For one, they will not be getting their much needed sugar intake. A sugar deficiency will lower their mood, make them more easily agitated, make them sick, and can even be deadly for some clown breeds (such as Birthday and Circus). As Kiki is a Birthday clown, she might not have survived another week without sugar.

Another thing to keep in mind about sugar-free products is that they often have artificial sweeteners in them. These sweeteners are not ideal for clowns, as most clown breeds have sensitivities or allergies to them. Simply put, most clowns' digestive systems are not properly built to process sugar-free foods. Feeding your clown artificial sweeteners over time can even weaken their immune system (This is likely what contributed to Kiki's infection).

The owners claimed that they had no idea that sugar-free candy was bad for clowns (very unlikely since the care instructions specifically list sugar-free foods under the "DO NOT" section). My boss suggested to them that we take care of Kiki for a few days, but they told us they weren't coming back. As soon as they left, we informed other local shelters about them and even posted on internet forums about it, as they may go somewhere else and find a different clown to mistreat. They clearly only see clowns as entertainment and nothing else.

We gave Kiki some cotton candy, and she's already starting to return to her old self. Unfortunately, though, this means that she's back in the system. There's no telling how long until she's adopted again.

Before anyone asks, we make sure to look into anyone who's interested in adopting one of our clowns. We run background checks, call character witnesses, make sure they have the proper environment for a clown and have the money to support one, etc. Overall, the process takes about a month or so. Sometimes it can take even longer if we have a waiting list. It is extremely rare that a clown adoption goes wrong. In fact, this is the first time it's happened in the year I've been volunteering here.

TL;DR

Don't feed clowns sugar-free foods! It can make them very sick and cause a lot of complications.

[drconstellation]

The Passion Of Jimbriel

Part 1: The Entry into Soho

The story of events leading up to the crucifixion of Jesus, and the days following, until his ascension to Heaven, are collectively known as the Passion narratives. It comes from the Latin "to suffer," or "to endure."

More than one op has mentioned there are parallels to this in S2, so I thought I would try and find how well the whole narrative was followed. Oh yes, is the short answer, it certainly does! And how! And in places you might be surprised about. I hope this series of metas might answer some of the odd mysteries of "why is that there...? that are still floating around at the moment for you.

I've tried to match the narratives to scenes and incidents in S2 as closely as I can, but I only have sketchy Anglican Christian background, so if you have had a more thorough Catholic upbringing than me and see something I have missed, slip me a message and I'll do my best to edit things.

A word of warning before we start - it's not a linear match-up. I'm planning to run through the traditional sequence of the Passion in order, but will match with the S2 scenes as needed, and those are scattered back and forth in time. It's Catch-22 again - everything thrown up in the air and landing at seeming random places, where ever they seem to fit best for the narrative.

AZIRAPHALE: Ah, you startled me. GABRIEL: Is that good? AZIRAPHALE: I just didn't see you coming.

I actually thought I might start with this little scene, where Jim gives Aziraphale a jump-scare by creeping up next to him silently. Annoyed, Aziraphale tells him to make some noise as he moves about, and Jim trolls him with some creaking noises, before starting to sing.

There were prophecies about the arrival of Jesus, but the ironic thing here is that Aziraphale, someone who has a vast collection of prophecies and is someone you could consider an expert, had no warning of Gabriel's arrival - he just crept up to the door as a nasty surprise!

Starting proper, there were the three temptations while Jesus was fasting in the wilderness.

Making bread out of stones (I've also covered the Eccles Cakes here in the Altar of Eccles Cakes. They have multiple purposes!)

2. Being tempted to jump from a pinnacle of a temple and relying on angels to break his fall.

3. Being tempted to worship Satan in return for ruling all the kingdoms of the world.

This one was actually covered in S1, at Golgotha. I know Crowley mentioned to Aziraphale that he was the one who tempted Jesus, but I wrote a meta about it because I realized most people were missing the joke in the TWO demon names that Aziraphale suggested Crowley had changed his name to, and how that relates to that particular temptation.

The last miracle performed before the Passion was the raising Lazarus from his tomb, four days after he had died.

After Crowley is dragged down to Hell for an interview with Lord Beelzebub and finds out they are being threatened with the Book Of Life for being involved with Gabriel, he rushes back to Aziraphale and says they have to hide them. As they decide they will try a shared minor miracle Jimbriel descends the spiral staircase:

GABRIEL: Hello. Where did you come back from? CROWLEY: Outside. GABRIEL: Outside? Hmm. Is it big? Can I see the outside? CROWLEY: No, no, no, no, no. No, no no. You need to stay here, inside the bookshop. We can look after you in here. Just stay here.

Inside? Inside the tomb? Aziraphale has even 'wrapped' him up for the occasion.

Later, we find out that:

AZIRAPHALE: Jim is in his bedroom upstairs. I told him bookshops are always closed on a Wednesday. As for Inspector Constable, at a guess, they were sent to verify the 25 Lazarii miracle you and I seem to have accidentally performed together the other night. CROWLEY: That's how you lot measure miracles? How many times it could have brought someone back from the dead?

Uh huh. The miracle of Lazarus.

The Entry into Jerusalem

Jesus made his way into Jerusalem by donkey to show that he came in peace, not as conquering king on a horse. Gabriel does the same.

But he walked in, you say, on foot!

Yes, but he walked by the Dirty Donkey pub on his way to bookshop.

Next, was the Cleansing of the Temple.

What temple? The bookshop, of course! Is it not a temple of books?

Aziraphale sets Jim to cleaning it, with a duster.

I'd say you could also call the bookshop a temple to Crowley - it is decorated in his colours, after all. The presence of Jim initially drives the merchants and money dealers demon away, snatching his sunglasses from his mini-altar as his goes.

The last step on the Passion I'll cover in this meta is the Anointing of Jesus. It tells the story of how Jesus had an expensive perfume, worth a year's wages, poured on his feet from an alabaster jar by woman who was considered sinful. The gathered Disciples were aghast at this waste - they asked why she did not sell the perfume instead and give the money to the poor. Jesus thanked her for preparing him for burial.

This one had me stumped for a while, and I had to think hard about where something had been "poured out" on feet, because I was pretty sure no one had been "anointed" on the head, which is another version of this part of the narrative. Then I remembered seeing a GIF that was Aziraphale focusing on the floor for a number of seconds after Crowley had upended the box Gabriel had carried to the bookshop with his fly in it to read the message on the bottom of the box.

My precious...! You poured them out at your feet, Crowley!

Alabaster is a soft white stone that is easy to carve. The bland cardboard box makes a good analogy for this. And in it we see Aziraphale has filled it with priceless treasures - not one but two lost Shakespeare plays!

If at this point you are going "Wait - Wot? Now you're telling me both Jim/Gabriel and Crowley are playing the part of Jesus here?" I'm saying yes. It's not the first time I've said it. I'm not the only op who has been saying it, either. And as we head into part two of this meta you'll see Crowley take on more of this role from Jim/Gabriel. The two of them have a lot in common, much more than you might have suspected or might even want to acknowledge. This is the past echoing into the present again. I think it also gives us some interesting things about the future to contemplate.

Next: Part 2 - Trials and Denials

Where we move on to the Last Supper, and the Arrest of Jesus before his before he is judged before a court of priests and then Pontius Pilate, and the gathered crowd.

This post was inspired by @mr-period 's long meta Remembering Something Forgotten-Where is Jimmy Boy?

More reading on the Dirty Donkey in my meta here.

[codenamesazanka]

I need help writing the league of villains for a fan fiction. Like can you give me tips on to write their dialogue and stuff like that

Thanks for the ask! Here are some things that I think would be helpful, but please be aware that it's my approach to writing the League the way I interpret them. I'm sure there's people who finds my fic wildly inaccurate in terms of characterization. Sometimes I go back months later and disagree with my own stuff, given new information or outlook. You'll have different interpretations than me, and that's okay. And thus,

Tip #1: First of all, it’s fanfic, it’s fun, and it’s yours. You can do whatever the heck you want! It does not matter at all what you do with the characters, their dialogue, their personalities, their relationships, etc. I’ve read plenty of AU fanfics where I could not recognize Shigaraki Tomura/Shimura Tenko, despite the character having the name, but I still liked the story okay. Really, it’s all up to you and what you want. 

That said, to actually answer your question:

Tip #2: Re-read the manga. Read the scanlations - multiple versions from different scanlation groups. Read the official. No version will be perfect, some are better than others (Viz Official has its issues, but it is done by a professional translator and I tend towards it; Fallen Angels (Chapters 1-150s) was the first to scanlate and iirc they even included translation commentary at the end of their chapters; I found mangastream to be more accurate than Jaimini (Chapters 150-250s)), but having a variety of translations will give you insight into the intention of a dialogue, and different ways of achieving it. Read the original Japanese, if you can. 

Tip #2.5: Best way to figure a character, I find, is to describe the panels they’re in as if you’re writing a very plain, objective, impartial image description. Now you have an overview of their outward behavior, their actions, their dialogue. Using that, you have the basis for developing their motivations and personality. It’s the difference between ‘Shigaraki used gamer lingo a few times here, so he is a gamer... therefore he’s obsessed with games and that’s all he does’ and ‘In the first 100 chapters of the story, despite speaking sometimes like a gamer, Shigaraki is actually seen reading newspapers rather than holding a game console’.

Put another way, don’t assume generalized descriptions or traits for a character and write them based on that. You risk writing a trope or archetype or situation rather than the actual character. 

When a loved one dies suddenly, people will be in shock, before sobbing and weeping uncontrollably. That’s generally true, but the character may manifest grief in a different way. Someone close to Toga is killed - what does she do? You can write her breaking down crying, that’s perfectly reasonable. But if you look at the manga, when Twice is killed, she doesn’t cry right away. She gets angry; she lashes out. She’s deeply hurt by his murder, of course! But the tears she sheds for his passing are few in the immediate aftermath - her grief mostly takes the form of slicing Heroes’ throats.

Tip #3: Read everything else, for inspiration, for background knowledge, for tone, for your own gain outside of fandom.

Just the other day, I read Real, the wheelchair basketball manga by Inoue Takehiko. Its three main characters are marginalized by proper society - two because they’re disabled, one because he’s a high school dropout - and there were moments where I was reminded of the League’s situation. In the first chapter, the high school dropout makes a final visit to school where his teachers didn’t think much of him, and his classmates looked down on him. As he leaves, he thinks to himself that everything he does ends in failure and he’s an idiot, all the while he takes a dump at the school gates as a parting gift.

While I can’t see anyone from the League doing that exactly shot for shot, the spirit of it - being seen as a fuck up, being unwanted, being defiant in face of that, even in a inadvisable way - is similar.

Tip #3.5: Another book I’ve read years ago is Codes of the Underworld: How Criminal Communicate. It was very informative, and I think back to it sometimes when I write for the League. 

Criminals face severe constraints on communication imposed by the action of the law, and, unlike the rest of us, cannot easily develop institutions aimed at circumventing them. This central feature of criminal lives makes communication and above all reliable communication exceptionally hard to sustain. For instance, the same secrecy that protects criminals from the law hinders their opportunities to advertise their goods and qualities… In the underworld, moreover, punishments for mistakes and irrational behavior are harsher than they are elsewhere. In the world of regular business, failures of communication can lead to a loss of business, but in the underworld they can result in years behind bars, or worse.

I don’t follow it exactly, because the League is in a children’s fantasy story, and maybe this was obvious but now that it was written out to me, I know how to give the Villains an “edge” to them that a non-Villain might not have, because as Villains, they do often logically would to be secretive and brutal and cautious. Dabi walking around in broad daylight meant their hideout was discovered and All Might literally took down the wall to the bar; a breakdown in negotiations with Overhaul meant Magne dying and Compress getting his arm blown off. 

Tip #4: Related, let the League be assholes, because sometimes they are. Let them be mean and cruel and problematic. Sometimes they’ll be jerks to each other. Nearly all of them grew up in bad circumstances where they probably were not taught important lessons and details about respect and boundaries and being nice. They are definitely not going to be aware of the intricacies of fandom's (oft-American and oft-terminally-online) consensus about problematic behavior. And that’s fine. 

I remember once receiving an ask about why Shigaraki would pull Twice’s mask off in Chapter 224. Wasn’t that terrible of Shigaraki? Yeah, it was. It was also the quickest, most efficient way to get Twice to quit his arguing with the rest of the League, so Shigaraki can announce that they are going to rescue Giran (what Twice was arguing for). After that, he puts the mask back on for Twice. If you ask me, I’d say Shigaraki thinks this evens out - he does something mean that he knows will freak out Twice for a moment, but it’s because he’s arguing for Twice’s side, and he’s putting on the mask back at the end. 

You and I would likely never do something like that because we know taking away someone’s important assistive aid, even for a moment, hurts them and we don’t want to cause them pain for even a second if we could help it/there’s not ‘evening it out’/it demonstrates a power unbalance that perpetuates ableism/there are other ways to stop someone and grab attention/we know not to touch someone even the slightest without permission/etc. But does the character you’re writing know all this? Does he care? Does he think it’s worth following these rules? Does he have time for it, does he have incentives for it, does he have the lucidity, does he think he’s an exception because of this and that, etc, etc. 

A lot of things, most people often just don’t know until they’re taught to be specifically aware. As an example: When I was younger, I knew broadly that taking things without permission was bad; but what if I took these pair of scissors from my friend’s desk and used it and put it back before the owner knew? The owner is my friend. They once told me it was okay to take it, so it counts even today, right? It was just a pair of scissors, a common household item. My friend did not care; still does not care. But knowing what I do now about things like violations of boundaries, explicit consent, the continuation of these concepts for the most trivial and mundane things even in the deepest of friendship or familial ties - I feel the need to ask to use something. That’s me and what I’ve learned through the years, though. It’s probably not going to be [fictional character].

And sometimes the League are just bad people. Shigaraki tried to kill Toga and Dabi at their first meeting. Mr. Compress is seemingly a-okay with kidnapping and murder despite his ancestor being more of a Robin Hood type. Spinner likely knowingly doomed his family to even worse ostracism and harassment from his fantasy-racist hometown when he ran off to join a group of well-televised terrorists. 

That’s also fine. They’re not real. They’re fictional Villains, and you’re temporarily using them as hand-puppets to tell a story. 

Tip #5. For dialogue, it helps knowing what each character’s voice/speaking style sounds like. Some basics:

Shigaraki: 

“Shigaraki speaks with the normal masculine contracted speech, but with a sinister tone. Surprisingly not very cussy. He likes aggravating other people though.”

Caleb Cook notes that Shigaraki talks like an overgrown kid. (In comparison to ReDestro, who “uses more SAT words, since he’s had a formal education.”)

He can be a sarcastic smartass.

Kurogiri:

“Kurogiri is Extremely Polite”

He only refers to Shigaraki as ‘Shigaraki Tomura’. Always the full name, always just that.

He speaks very formally and respectfully; however, there is also a nastier side to him that comes out when he faces off Heroes: Saying to All Might, “I can't say I like the idea of having blood and guts inside my gate, but… if they're yours, I’ll happily oblige.” (Chapter 18); mocking Eraserhead and Mic when they're being sad over him, “Have you mistaken this place for a confessional of some kind?” (Chapter 254)

Dabi: 

“Dabi is like Shoto but ruder, though not to Bakugo’s extent”

He calls people names: Toga most often, as 'crazy'; he called Spinner 'lizard' once; when he first met Shigaraki, he said 'gross'.

Note that all the examples above are people younger than him; as far as I know, Dabi refrains from name-calling his allies who are older than him: Compress, Twice, Skeptic.

He inexplicably politely calls Ujiko ‘Ujiko-san’.

Compress:

“Compress is kind of like Sero. He’s got that trickster tone to him. Gets rougher when things don’t go his way.”

Likes to call himself an ‘old man’ at age 32; talks like an older gentleman as well. 

Twice: 

Twice contradicts himself a lot. Generally, he says one thing, his alter then says the opposite of that immediately afterwards. 

However, when things are urgent or serious, his alter’s speech fades. See Chapter 148, when he confronts Shigaraki about the Overhaul plan - he spills out his feelings with no contradiction. See Chapter 224, after they find out Giran’s been kidnapped - when arguing with the League about whether to say Giran, he’s completely coherent. 

Twice argues back with the alter sometimes, rather than the alter simply blurting out the opposite of what he says. 

After he gets over his clone trauma, the alter seemed to have…integrated into himself? He still speaks in contradictions, but less so, and it doesn’t seem to be a separate voice speaking out involuntarily

Spinner: 

“Spinner also speaks the normal masculine contracted speech like Kirishima and Kaminari, but he talks like Tokoyami during the Forest Lodge arc because he’s a Stain chuuni.”

An average, normal guy, compared to the rest of the League: not very polite, but not particularly rude; no great wit or affect (after he stops being a Stain fanboy), but not unintelligible; game references infrequently.

Giran: 

“Giran is also like speaks the normal masculine contracted speech similar to Shoto, but he’s a lot more mature.”

He calls Shigaraki “Shigaraki-san”, being polite towards him as a customer. 

He calls Twice by his last name, ‘Bubaigawara’, likely because they seem to be friends beyond just business. 

Toga: 

Toga is a generally polite girl, talks like a teenager. 

She can be bad at explaining herself! Seems to forget the people are lacking context for the things she says. “Hey, my best friend Jin just got killed by a Hero, which makes me sad, as well as worried that I'm going to be cut down like nothing as well, especially because I've been told how abnormal I am, even though I think I'm a normal person just like you, because I have emotions like love and fear, as any regular human does, and that lifetime of repression has hurt me.” -> Whatever she actually says to Uraraka in Chapter 289.

Only Toga uses first names with honorifics with the other League members. This is her being cute and desiring familiarity, but still polite. 

　◦ Twice is ‘Jin-kun’

　◦ Shigaraki is ‘Tomura-kun’

　◦ Dabi is, at first ‘Dabi-kun’; after she finds out he’s Touya, he’s ‘Touya-kun’ 

　◦ Spinner is ‘Spinner-kun’

　◦ However, Mr. Compress is simply ‘Mister’ 

Conversely, only Mr. Compress and Twice call her ‘Toga-chan’. All the 20-somethings dudes call her just ‘Toga’. 

*Note what the League calls each other. They all call each other using Villain names. If the male members of the League are using first names and honorifics for each other, they’ve either gotten extremely close and intimate and weirdly polite, or they’re being possessed by AFO. 

Tip #5.5. Instead of fretting over writing good dialogue right away, just write whatever you need to get a scene over with. You can go back later to change the tone and speaking style of the sentence.

Here’s a line I had for Dabi at first: 

“Whatever hospital he works at should be shut down for incompetency in background checks.”

Wayyy too formal. Here’s the line after I went back and fixed it:

“Whatever hospital he works at should be shut down for being shit at background checks.”

Still not my best shot, but better. Sometimes all you need is just to change a word. 

Tip #6. Humor. The League is ridiculous and hilarious. Always try to have fun with their interactions and antics.

[thefirstknife]

Rewatching bits and pieces of Destiny 1 Year 1 campaign and thoughts occurred during the introduction of the Sovs. Everything looks a bit run down, and the Uldren's armor is a far cry from the fancy duds he had in D2. Do we know if the Dreaming City already existed at this point, or is their anything in the background talking about how this was some kind of deception/bluff to hide the Awoken's capabilities from the Vanguard?

The Dreaming City was made fairly early on, so it existed at the time, just hidden. It was mostly hidden because it's a sort of sacred place to the Awoken, but also because it was Riven's prison as well. The run down vibe of the Reef is definitely a part of the whole secrecy that Mara always projects; it's best if no one knows everything the Awoken have at their disposal, especially as they were coming closer to the confrontation with Oryx.

Also consider that the Reef was the first home of the Awoken as they returned from the Distributary. They made it with what little they had in terms of technology, in an inhospitable and barren place. The vibe definitely reflects that as well, life in near vacuum on asteroids and debris. The construction of a settlement began right away as soon as they got to the Reef, so the place is old:

Mara calls a caucus of elected representatives in the Sacred Fire, one of the largest hulks in the reef of derelicts. The Fire was built to support habitat construction on 4 Vesta, where Mara hopes to one day anchor the entire flotilla and set down roots—but the hopeful, fearful faces before her make Mara afraid that it'll never happen.

The early Awoken settlements are all around or near the asteroid Vesta, with the Vestian Outpost being a sort of a port of entry to the rest of the Awoken space. The Dreaming City must've been constructed on or partially from Vesta, due to the location names; Rheasilvia is a crater on Vesta, and Divalian Mists is named after another feature on the asteroid (irl!)

Here's Mara telling Uldren to go find her something that will help her make a proper city, so that her people can live on something more than just the debris and asteroid space of Vesta (this also hints at the secrecy of it all, as she specified needing a power no one would know about after Uldren suggested that making one city would be a vulnerability):

"Brother," she said, "never again can I allow my people to be divided. We must offer them more than shielding ice and cold habitat cylinders and the warrens of Vesta. We must make a culture, a thread that binds us all in pride and wonder at the mystery of ourselves. Nowhere does culture flourish better than in a city." "Gather in one place," Uldren warned her, "and you make yourself a target." Mara had considered this, and found an answer. "Go forth and find me a power unknown to all the other powers of this world. Return it to me, and I shall make of it the cornerstone of my new city, where the Awoken shall dream of all they have been and all that is yet to come."

He returns with Riven! This is shortly after the Awoken were divided into Reefborn and Earthborn. It's not super clear when this is all happening, but it's relatively early after their return from the Distributary and definitely long before the events of the first game. A sort of rough timeline of events is mentioned here, if it can be trusted:

Later would come Eris Morn, Osiris, Toland, and all the other accessories of the majestic suicide. Later would come the Reef's tentative entanglements with Vex and Cabal, Fallen and Hive, and the fateful decision to intervene when the House of Wolves turned Earthward to conquer the Last Human City. Later, there would be stories here untold, the Ahamkara and the subcreation of the Dreaming City, the shatterstone fury of the Reef Wars, brother Uldren's journeys into that fell garden...

This would put it at some point around or before the Twilight Gap and the Reef Wars. It's definitely been around for a while, but well-hidden to prevent anyone from getting too close to that sacred space, and to hide Riven's existence. Secrecy was a major component of the look of the Vestian Outpost and other Awoken spaces in the Reef, but the look also reflects their age too.

[annoyinglandmagazine]

I have a very specific take on the first meetings of Elrond and Celebrian that I am very obsessed with. So picture this. Celebrian during the Last Alliance is a pretty senior commanding officer within some of her parents forces and when she accompanies her mother to Imladris for the White Council she’s still largely fulfilling some of those duties for most of her stay, she’s out for a lot of the official events on patrols and such. She also spends most of the time around Imladris in her uniform, she has status of her own thank you very much she doesn’t need to introduce herself as Galadriel’s daughter to garner respect (Galadriel herself of course approves of this very wholeheartedly).

So in general she’d appear fairly masculine ( this was definitely not deliberate butch presentation to signal to queer elleths what are you talking about?), it’s mainly ambiguous on her part but she got her mother’s tall genes and built up a decent bit of lean muscle so people will draw their own conclusions. And while she’s in the training yard she hears someone humming what sounds like a Song of Power to enhance the stock of healing herbs kept nearby. She spots a stunning raven elleth in the corner that she was relatively certain she would be able to lift off her feet with shocking ease by the size of her.

Her conclusions were correct, the elf maid had a healer’s apron fastened over her dress and was most likely come from the Healing Halls, she was surprised she hadn’t seen her before though she hadn’t now until she’d started singing so maybe she was just good at blending it the background. She most certainly did not flex her sweat soaked muscles a little more than necessary with the next thrust, though the elleth most certainly seemed to think she had because she snorted to herself. Celebrian threw her a wink as she strode over to lean against a pillar.

She gets the name of Elwen, though she does not give one herself to the other’s great amusement. They flirt rather outrageously over the following weeks when they run into each other, sparring on occasion (and for such a tiny thing, by the Valar that Elwen was vicious. She was only two victories off drawing even with her, not that she was keeping track). Elrond was always fond of the anonymity offered by indulging his femininity, it was frankly shocking how few people recognised him when he did so, it was a pleasant way to both fulfil the need for a change that could not be ignored for long stretches of time and to experience things (and people) without the constant expectations to be a thousand different things at once. The opportunity for affairs of every nature without sullying the propriety of his reputation too thoroughly was another advantage.

So this all culminates in the first proper banquet Celebrian attends. ‘Lord Elrond, oh there you are, I was wondering if you’ve met my daughter Celebrian?’

Queue Celebrian going ‘oh shit, oh shit, I’ve been absolutely scandalous to one of my mother’s friends, oh Valar she’s going to kill me.’

And Elrond going ‘fuck, of all people you had to pick Galadriel’s daughter? Galadriel’s going to kill me, they will never find the body. Was that indecent corset really necessary?’

Galadriel finds this whole story hilarious when they tell her several centuries later (she knew the whole time and was just stirring shit up). Elrond and Celebrian are both bi so it works out anyways once they figure out exactly what happened.

[tbgkaru-woh]

Please, I am begging you on my knees, I need to know all your headcanons for the 4 fierce corpses under Nie Huaisang's control. Please, do share if you feel like it, I would love to know all your thoughts concerning that incredible piece of art!

aah, thank you for the compliment :') alrighty let's see, strap in! It's only half-way thought out but if i gave it one more minute i'm sure i could polish some details (mostly regarding jzx and sl). NIE MINGJUE

after learning about Wen Ning, Nie Huaisang's goals for ressurecting WWX weren't just out of friendship justice or revenge for his brother- he needed him back. It's what he made WWX know that WWX owed him after they find the pieces of NMJ and stitched him back together, whether WWX wanted nothing to do with demonic cultivation anymore or not. WWX obliged but NMJ's resentful energy was too strong to properly control, but his presence was too important to NHS and so he kept him chained head to toe, right by his hall's throne. Everything was easier with him there and NHS's delusion, he dressed him, styled his hair, talked to him and only tssk-ed when the feral corpse tried to bite back.

WEN NING

WWX also passed his demonic cultivation knowledge onto NHS, as NHS was always curious about it since Gusu days (donghua), and also left Wen Ning with him when he himself left with LWJ. NHS wasn't the kindest to him, as one tends to with whoever carries the name "Wen", and mostly treated WN as the main "guard dog" of the place, as he didn't want to risk NMJ for anything.

JIN ZIXUAN

there were few background moments in the show where NHS bowed to JZX who ignored him or when NHS gave a smile to JZX and i just imagined the solidarity these two noble lonely dudes could have had were they to ever interact after jzx got his shit together (or before Gusu days). I could see NHS adore JZX in a way, see him as a peer, see him as deserving of second chance at their potential friendship. JZX's fierce corpse would be EXTREMELY timid, incomplete, no need for chains, but also he was too weak as he was transformed late (was he NHS's first attempt before he decided he needed WWX to make sure NMJ comes out "proper"?) so he's literally just kept as an ornament, for the company. NHS would have gossp-y "sleepovers" with him, do his hair, perfume him, draw him, live the life that was good before everything went to shit.

SONG LAN

Let's pretend Song Lan still stayed a fierce corpse (CQL) and NHS found him kneeling by XXC's grave unmoving. NHS had no ill-will towards SL, if anything, he knew him as someone to be respected and adored, even found all pathetic like this. Song Lan would be mostly timid, with agressive bursts that required some amount of chains for its unpredictability. Song Lan was mostly used as servus around the Nie residency, mostly to stroke NHS's ego to have someone once so great work for him now.

altogether, this NHS took the petty psycho route further than in the story and lives in delusion where he gets to be the "old" self he lost thanks to everyone around him. All 4 corpses are found by his side whenever someone -who's allowed in- visits.

[xoxoemynn]

tag your most hard working fic writing mutuals uWu

Oh, buddy, I am friends with SO many extremely talented writers who work their absolute butts off to give us incredible fic and I know I'm going to miss people, so I'm going to cheat a bit and rec some recent-ish fics written by beloved mutuals. Would 100% encourage you to check out the linked story and then their entire collection of works because they are all fab. 💕

The Detectorists AU by @monksofthescrew. Two-part metal detecting AU. It is so atmospheric, so rich and tender and nuanced with some really incredible timey wimey stuff intertwined. I'm a little biased because I beta read these, but I think of them so often. Just a master class in story telling.

Respawn by @glamaphonic. This is SUCH a fun AU where Ed and Stede are both streamers. The concept works SO well, and the flirting and banter is top-tier. I know next to nothing about video games and I've still been able to follow along easily, squeezing my cheeks and kicking my feet the entire time.

wanna fly away (I don't know where my soul is) by @ghostalservice and @petrichorca. Speaking of fics I love where I know nothing about the concept, this is an Animorphs AU where Stede is just the most precious alien whom I would 100000% die for. It's such a fun, rich, layered story and I'm eagerly awaiting to see where it goes. Also just love this description of it: Our story is about finding one’s place in the universe (actually and figuratively), plays with the transformative nature of morphing and the power to change one’s body, and explores two individuals from wildly different backgrounds falling in love.

Moonstone Mage Championship by @blakbonnet. Holy crap, the WORLD BUILDING. Meow's mind is a wonder. I truly don't know how she does it, but I am literally in awe of her work on this fic. One of the most creative and detailed stories I've ever read.

Different Names for the Same Thing by @oatmilktruther. I have been rotating this fic in my brain ever since it was posted. I don't even have proper words to describe how gorgeous it is. It's basically my soul now. Abs' gift for blending humor and tenderness and making you feel the love between Ed and Stede is unparalleled.

My Father's House by @trans-top-stede. Owen describes this as "a t4t theatre au (kind of)" because it is about theatre, but it's mostly about gender and families and the healing power of queer art" and YES. It's beautiful and tender and hot and that last line has stuck with me ever since it was posted.

Gold Rush by @abigailpents. Potentially the sweetest AU I've ever read. Just pure love and romance. Just let yourself get swept away. It is lovely.

Tree Change by @clairegregoryau. I am constantly in awe of all the work Claire puts into her fics. She is operating on a whole other stratosphere and it's incredible to watch. Tree Change is a little teaser for what promises to be an incredibly unhinged Kinktober and I am just rubbing my hands with glee for what's to come. (ba dum tss.)

Matching spark and flame by @bizarrelittlemew. My current read that I am devouring, it's so fucking good. Everything Ida creates is just pure magic, and this one is no exception. Also extremely excited for the OFMD Fic Club discussion on this one later in the month, so be sure to read and join the server so you don't miss out.

I know I'm missing a bunch, but this list is already getting long and I need to get back to some beta work. Kissing all my writer mutuals on the forehead and giving them all the good writing vibes. May your muses be ever loquacious and cooperative. 💕

[roboraindrop]

I do not know Fenn but I would like to! Handing you a free gush pass for whenever you want so I can learn more about your Guy

!!!!! Thank you for the gush pass :3c Sticking to canon, Fenn doesn't have much screentime. He's from one episode of an 80s drama- He's the best friend of the episode's one-off antagonist.

For canon background on this lovely man...

His best friend Eddie just got out of prison, and Fenn is there to pick him up. He tells him that he's throwing him a welcome home party, and got him a cake and everything! He also fixed up Eddie's apartment, got him some curtains and everything! He also saved up money for Eddie so that he could be comfortable while trying to find a straight job (That bit is me reading into it, but he does hand Eddie a wad of cash, and given Fenn's stance on things currently, I think he came by it honestly.) When they get back to the apartment, Fenn is so excited to party and celebrate Eddie's freedom! Eddie wants drugs, which Fenn denies him because "You just got out and you want stuff? That's a one-way ticket right back, man!" It's clear that he genuinely cares about Eddie and wants to see his best friend do good.

It's revealed later on that Eddie is terminally sick, and Fenn knows this. He watches his best friend grow weaker every day, and tries his best to help him. When it comes down to it though, that means hauling Eddie's anger-issues having ass out of trouble any chance he can. When Eddie decides he wants to get revenge on the guy who put him in jail, Fenn doesn't argue or try to talk him out of it; It's his dying wish. How could he say no? He helps by hooking Eddie up with a criminal connection from his past, but he doesn't stick around to be caught. It's revealed that Fenn spent two years in prison for an unknown offense, and has been trying really hard to go straight, himself. His only friend left from those days is Eddie, and even Eddie treats him like he's not fun anymore because he doesn't want to end up back in prison.

The guy Eddie is trying to get revenge on wants to meet with him and apologize, so they contact Fenn to set something civil up. Fenn does his best, but Eddie's anger gets pushed to the limit. He steals a gun from Fenn's van and goes to kill the guy- Instead, he ends up shooting Fenn who jumped up to try and stop him from doing something stupid. The last shot we see of Fenn, he's being cradled by the waitress of his favorite bar, who's calling his name in a panic.

So his canon story doesn't have a very happy ending. That's where I come in, though!

Fenn and I met back when I got a job at his favorite bar as a sort of lounge singer. I'd play piano and sing, and he would sit at the bar, mesmerized. Some creep had tried to hit on me and wouldn't take no for an answer, and Fenn managed to scare him off for me. We got to talking late that night when it was just us at the bar, he spilled to me about his best friend in prison, how he himself had a troubled past, and how hard he was trying to go straight. He and I bonded really hard over feeling like we were never doing good enough, but we found solace in one another. He credits me with giving him the push he needed that night to finally give up the bad life for good.

Eddie and I don't really get along, but we tolerate each other for Fenn's sake, because he's special to both of us. In this canon, after Fenn gets shot, he lives. I'm the one holding him, calling his name, getting him taken care of. The first thing he sees when he comes to is me, tearfully by his side the entire time.

After the hospital, I stayed to take care of him until he was back to feeling strong enough to care for himself. One of those long nights, we stayed up until sunrise, just talking. Holding each other's hands. Crying for Eddie, who was killed in the altercation. He promised to take me on a proper date once he's healed.

A few months down the line we were still living together, though he was more than capable of being on his own again. He simply didn't want to, and neither did I. He did take me on a date- several, in fact. We were almost inseparable for the few months after Eddie's death.

Fenn took me to a tree lighting in mid-November, where he proposed to me under the lights of the freshly decorated Christmas tree. We got to make ornaments to decorate the tree, and he wrote "Will you marry me?" on his. I wrote a big ol' "YES" on mine, and we hung them next to each other 🥰

[planefood]

Hooray! Barrage attack!

1. Are you thinking of pitching this as a show? Or as a comic series? Or have you not decided fully yet? What shenanigans are they gonna be up to?

2. How long have you had your OCs for? What inspired you to make them, and what were their previous incarnations?

3. How did Sonnet and Lithium meet? Does Sonnet know he's... *underneath breath* kind of a stupid idiot? Or does she love him for that?

4. How does fashion work for robots? Since a lot of them have stuff like wire-tails and bright colors. Or does it not really affect them?

- 🔌

P.S: Do you have any tips for escaping... "debt collectors"? I may have accidentally pissed off the... "insurance company".

okay Hi im taking a short break from drawing thangs to answer this :) 1. I don't think i'd ever pitch any of my personal oc stories as a TV show or film. I don't like the idea of losing control and copyright of a story so near and dear to me and esp with the current state media is in a lot of stuff would be censored/edited and because I don't live in the states pitching an animated show or film would probably be near impossible for a story like this anyway. A comic on the otherhand is something im genuinely considering, I'd have to figure out the plot fully and find the time to do something like that as well. The story was written to be easily made into a comic format though. 2. These specific robot characters I've only actually had for like,,, 7 months? A lot of work has gone into them in that time span tho. But I'm sorry there isn't a huge timeline where I'm like "I drew my first robot in 2008 and that is where tandy begun" I kinda always had a background interest in robots that just needed the right spark. Back in 2020 I did some AU art of already existing characters as robots (if you know who these are, hi) but these weren't really proper characters, just a fun art prompt.

But I bought Tandy as an adoptable back last september by the artist @acid-redux heres the original design I bought here:

It's actually by a pretty slim chance that I bought this guy! I saw the character a couple months earlier and decided not to buy him initially and came back, saw it was unsold and thought about it. Even after some people told me it wasn't worth the money to buy it I decided to buy him anyway. I said I had "ideas" for him, and that I did. This is the first drawing I ever did of Tandy, if you're wondering if there's like any art earlier than this like sketches or anything I don't really do that when it comes to drawing characters a lot of the time I just go right in. (also the most recent for comparison)

But yeah I totally fell in love with the character after that! I was instantly keen on doing a story with him though with who or what was debatable. Initially he had literally nobody to interact with, I was already openly objectum at this point so the earliest drawings of him show him interacting with computers.

My bestie Marty tho @bytevamp did a character trade with me and I asked if he could design me a character to interact with Tandy, all I specified was a computer robot that wasn't too close in model as Tandy and he made me Sierra :) his design alongside my first drawing of her:

this was the first drawing of Tandy and Sierra interacting. Tandy doesn't act this meekly in the current story and Sierra is a lot nicer than this to Tandy initially.

and after that I had a third robot that I still haven't found a proper place in my story/introduced him properly. His name is just "Tinbot" and he was meant to be a robot Sierra and Tandy help get back on its feet. I might have plans in the future for him but in the meantime he's on the backburner. (side note wtf is Tandy wearing)

I'd be here all day if I were to say all the robots vs their initial designs. I usually have other people design my robot characters though (sometimes in exchange for robot characters I designed) in the story the robots are built by different people so having a mix of people design them would better give that impression in my mind. My robot characters I design personally usually come from me scribbling ideas on a procreate canvas, saving them for later and if I can't stop thinking about that one robot I drew I'll fully design them, Lithium's first drawing was in the corner of one of these random sketches, something about his lack of fingers and him telling someone to KYS really spoke to me.

3. Speaking of Lithium... I had a few ideas rattling in my brain for how they met, It was either through Cathy, through Max or Lithium met Sonnet while she was working and went OO TINY ROBOT.

As for whether Sonnet realises Lithium is a bit of a dipshit, she's fully aware of his behaviour as much as anyone else is but prefers to view him through his more positive traits. Lithium isn't irredeemable or anything, Tandy just really really hates him

4. Fashion with robots is funny, the tails don't really come into play as much since they usually just stick them over their waistband or cut a hole in their pants since their cables aren't super big. I will say one thing that I don't think I've said before is that robots can actually remove their cable tails and stick them back on when they need to charge or whatever. But if you had the option to have a tail I think most people would say yes, and robots decide that as well. Phillip and Newton decide to do this a lot, Phillip is almost never seen with his tail and Newton takes it on n off or just sticks it in his pants where it doesn't stick out since its shorter. As for colour choice robots don't have any distinct reason to choose the colours they do? Some might prefer high contrast clothing or lighter coloured clothing if their eyesight is better suited for clothes like that.

[matchagator]

Sheltered: Chapter 4

More updates later today! The sisters take the hybrids to get some clothing and deal with some enlightening developments.

Stay tuned for weekly updates or visit here for the complete story.

{Main Pairings:} Jeon Jungkook/Original Female Character, Choi Soobin/Original Female Character, Kim Taehyung/Original Female Character(s)

{Rating:} 18+

{Genre:} Alternate Universe - Hybrids

{Summary:} Realization finally dawned on Lily, knowing she now had the responsibility of three hybrids rather than three dogs. Her eyes grew wide while her eyebrows rose up in wonder before she turned her attention to her sister. The shocked expression of Rose had her smile sheepishly. “Well, at least we don’t have to name them.”

{Warnings:} Mild Angst, Mature Language, Mild Sexual Content, Awkward Flirting

{Taglist:} @chimsworldsstuff

“I’m home!” Lily hollered stepping into the house with a small bundle of clothes in her arms. She walked through the main hallway, noticing Rose’s bedroom door was closed before moving towards the living room. Her heart swelled to find the three hybrids comfortably draped along the couch while the television played in the background. She wanted them to feel at home and seeing them naturally relaxed around the house reassured her of her decision. 

She glanced around the room to assess the amount of damage control she would need to accommodate. She was surprised to find it in the same condition that it was left, which she was thoroughly grateful for. With a sigh, she finally met the bright smile of Taehyun. “I brought you some proper clothes.” She propped the bundle up to give him a better view. She gestured her head towards her bedroom, “Let’s get you dressed, and I’ll take you guys shopping.”

Taehyun jumped off the couch and scurried towards her to grab the outfit she gathered from an old ad campaign her company did. She turned to the other two men with her hands casually resting on her hips. “After that, we’ll get pizza. Sound good?” It was mostly a rhetorical question, but she picked up on the confused expression shared between Soobin and Jungkook. “Wait, can you eat pizza? What can you have?”

“We’re hybrids, not pets. We can eat what you eat.” Jungkook deadpanned, he had little to no patience after dealing with Rose’s foul attitude. Lily cringed at his response, wishing she hadn’t put her foot in her mouth. She didn’t want to be like most people who considered hybrids more like animals than humans. Jungkook sensed a spike in her nerves as she began overthinking her next question. He cleared his throat, correcting the tone of his voice as he realized Lily was only trying to be accommodating to him and his brothers. “We’ve just never had pizza.”

“Oh, well we don’t have to get pizza then-” She began but was cut off by Jungkook.

“Pizza sounds good.” He gave her a tight smile before turning his attention back towards the television so that the conversation would end on that note. 

Lily’s mouth hung open a small bit, adjusting to his abrasiveness as she found Soobin’s narrow stare watching her. She laughed the nerves away as she flashed him a reassuring smile despite the overwhelming feeling hanging over her. Taehyun finally emerged from the bedroom in the button-up shirt and slacks she grabbed from work. The clothes clearly didn’t suit him as they were too formal and slightly large on his frame.

“Alright, I’ll get Rose and then we can leave.” She quickly dashed down the hall, opening the door of her sister’s room with only the warning sound of a knock before disrupting her. Once in the room, she noticed Rose bundled up in her pillows with her laptop sitting on the duvet and headphones over her ears. Rose glanced up at her sister, pulling the headphones off her head with an annoyed sigh. “What now?”

Lily bit back a retort to the tone of her sister, trying to avoid a fight. “They need new clothes, so we need to go to the store.”

Rose blinked up at her older sister, “I’m not paying for them. You wanted them, you can take care of their bills.”

Lily rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. “I’m not asking you to pay, but I need your help.”

“With what?” She scrunched her nose and squinted her eyes, thoroughly agitated with the idea of going anywhere with Jungkook. 

Lily bit her lip, avoiding her sister’s scrutinizing stare. “Well, I could use your help managing them in the store, picking out outfits, and…using your car.” Even though Lily muttered the last part, Rose heard it all too well as she tossed herself back on the bed with a groan.

—

 Rose never wanted a car drive to be so short in her life. Despite her protests, Lily convinced her to take the SUV because putting the boys in the bed of the truck was “unsafe.” However, almost instantly Soobin discovered how the windows rolled down in the back seat. Thus began the battle between Rose and Jungkook, where he was defiantly pressing the button down and she would have to bring it back up as they drove on the interstate to their destination. Everyone was annoyed by the harsh wind reverberating through the window, but Jungkook refused to back down. It wasn’t until Rose decided to use the child safety function that the fight ceased. 

 It was only about a 15-minute drive, but everyone felt an uncomfortable storm brewing behind the demeanors of Jungkook and Rose, dragging time slowly as they waited for the eye of the hurricane to pass before the storm reared its head. Lily sighed in relief when they finally parked in the lot and quickly got the three hybrids into the store for some much-needed distance with her aggravated sister.

 She grabbed a cart before looking at the men, “Okay, grab some shirts and pants then we’ll try them for size. You can pile what you find in the cart.” Jungkook rapidly dashed off towards the racks as Soobin and Taehyun stayed back waiting for Lily to guide them through the shopping experience. Rose went off on her own as well, casually looking through the racks simply for the soothing therapy that came from finding the variety of styles and color schemes.

 Lily tried to gauge their measurements, noticing that Jungkook was going through the racks for larger sizes. She quirked her eyebrow curiously but proceeded to point out some areas for the other two to start their search. While the boys were busy looking through shirts, she took the liberty to start looking through the men’s pants, guessing at their waist size. Her head was getting whiplash as she flickered between the expanse of the material and the width of Soobin’s waist. 

 “What about this?” She heard from behind her. Lily twirled around to find Taehyun holding out a light-colored jacket to show her. 

 She smiled reassuringly, “Yeah, that’ll be good in case you get cold.”

 “And this?” Soobin moved in close on the other side of her, placing a white long-sleeve shirt in her view. She turned towards him, startled by his abrupt presence practically caging her between himself, Taehyun, and the cart with her back brushing against the clothes hanging on the rack.

 “Yeah, yeah. Just put it in the cart, we’ll pick out some favorites later.” She reminded him, feeling overwhelmed as his figure towered slightly over her. She breathed as he placed his item in the cart and walked back to the racks, Taehyun also moving by to add his shirt. Lily turned back to the pants, continuing her attempts at guessing the boy’s sizes.

 Rose was feathering through the hangers, her blue eyes dancing over the patterns on the fabric until something caught her eye. She heard the harsh sound of metal hangers dragging across the racks aggressively and glanced up to find Jungkook, not too far off from her, creating large gaps between the clothes for better viewing. She then noticed the large bundle of items hanging over his shoulder before realizing he took everything off the hangers.

 She could only wonder where they might have been at that point, questioning if Jungkook might have been creating a mess for the workers. Then she watched as he pulled a shirt off the hanger and threw it over his shoulder, confirming her suspicions that he was simply leaving empty hangers wherever he found them. She considered scolding him for his terrible shopping etiquette, but decided against it, shrugging her shoulders. “It’s not my problem. Lily can handle it.”

 Lily finally gave up and called Taehyun over so that she could hold some different pant sizes against his body for a more accurate measure. She held the jeans up to his hips, making sure the denim curled a little past his front so that it wasn’t too snug on his frame. He was the smallest of the three so finding his size was fairly easy. Then she called Soobin over and felt the process was more tedious since he was so tall and lean. 

 As she held up a pair of pants up against his hips, he stepped forward, invading her space once again. When she moved back to get a better look, he followed. “Soobin, stop moving.” She groaned, feeling flushed under his soft stare. He only smiled as he sensed the rapid beat of her heart compared to the steady pace she usually had. 

 She worked fast to get his size so that she could clear her mind, annoyed with herself about how easily she was bothered by his existence. She felt like she was in high school all over again, getting nervous about the boys in her class, where she would choke and crawl into her shell if they asked to borrow a pencil. She hasn’t been in a relationship in a long while and it was beginning to look obvious. 

 “Okay, got it. You can go.” She pulled the jeans away from his body and threw them into the cart then turned back towards the rack to find some other styles. The nerves in her back tingled as they warned her that Soobin still stood just behind her and seemed to move closer to her. 

She felt a pressure on her shoulder and turned her head to find Soobin’s chin resting on her, a cute round smile on his face with small divots in his cheek. “I’m done.” He explained simply, enjoying the sweet smell of coconut that wafted from her. 

“Oh, okay.” She glanced in the other direction, unintentionally shoving her hair in his face as she observed the cart to see it nearly full. She turned back to him when he pulled away to sniffle his nose from the feathery touch of her brown hair. “Well, help me find the others and we’ll go to the fitting rooms.” 

Soobin went to retrieve Taehyun while Lily looked around for signs of the independent doberman. She found him at the far end of the men’s department with a hefty pile of solid dark and white fabrics slewed over his shoulder. She pushed the cart as she approached him, “Hey, we’re going to try things on. You ready?” She asked, waiting for him to look up at her.

He shrugged, “I don’t need to try anything.” 

She acknowledged the sizes he went through were much larger. “Are you sure? These are gonna be pretty big.”

He didn’t respond, simply throwing the pile of his things in the small compartment of the cart that allowed small children to sit. He moved past her and walked towards the others without another word. Lily gapped like a fish, still adjusting to his mannerisms. “What about pants?” She called out, following after him.

After convincing Jungkook to at least try on some bottoms and getting Rose’s help to judge, the women waited patiently as the three hybrids changed in the dressing room. Lily leaned on the handles of the cart while Rose leaned her hip against the front with her foot resting on the undercarriage. The younger woman was scrolling through her phone, hoping to pass the time while waiting between changes. 

“Come out when you have clothes on!” Lily announced as she grew wary of the amount of time it took for them to change. Suddenly, Jungkook’s door opened to reveal him in nothing but a fitting pair of gray sweatpants with his bare chest glaring under the fluorescent lights of the thrift store. The girl's eyes went wide in surprise as he stood proudly half-naked for the other shoppers to witness his impressive physique.

Rose’s eyes traveled over the plains of his body, roaming over the peaks of his muscles before she snapped back to cover the view of his naked body with the palm of her hand. “Where the hell is your shirt?”

Lily cringed, “JK, you gotta keep your shirt on.” She moved across and gestured him back inside as Soobin and Taehyun emerged in their new outfits. The hybrids were acutely aware of the increase in the women’s heart rates as Lily tried to conceal Jungkook’s virtue. He simply smirked at the others before going back into the fitting room, thrilled by the attention he received from the two women, specifically the more difficult sister. 

Soobin whined in his throat when the girls seemed distracted by Jungkook but was happy when the noise he made turned their stares in his direction. Lily stepped back for a better look at the pair and was weirdly in awe of the simple styles that seemed to suit them almost perfectly. Taehyun was wearing a thin striped shirt, jeans, and a dark jacket thrown over his shoulders, which flattered him. Soobin was in a plain t-shirt with jeans, but Lily couldn’t deny that the simple fabrics complemented his handsome features. He didn’t need anything vibrant to make him stand out. 

“Tae, I love the stripes on you. It’s such a vibe.” Rose complimented wholeheartedly. The younger hybrid beamed with excitement before dashing into the fitting room to try another outfit. Rose giggled at his actions, appreciating how easygoing he was compared to Jungkook. 

“Is this good?” Soobin asked, seeking the same praise Taehyun received. Rose didn’t have much of an opinion since the outfit was pretty simple. 

Lily seemed to snap out of her trance and smiled reassuringly. “Yeah, you look great.” He returned the expression, his divots reappearing before he went back into the fitting room as well.  Once he was gone, Rose looked at Lily expectantly and cleared her throat. When they met each other’s gaze, she spoke. “You are so obvious.” She chuckled as her sister’s eyes grew wide with accusation.

“Shut the hell up.” Lily huffed with a roll of her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest. Rose only laughed harder when her sister became defensive by her statement. 

—

 After the hybrids settled on a few outfits to wear regularly and some other necessities, the dysfunctional family returned home. Lily ordered a variety of pizza pies since their fridge was empty from the three garbage disposals that moved in. Rose nestled herself into the corner of the sectional, clicking through all the streaming services to pick a movie. After a monotonous search, the girls settled on showing the boys a scary movie. Rose hoped to see the reactions of Jungkook with her fingers crossed for him to be scared by the movie. 

 Lily sat on the opposite side of the sectional with her feet resting on the chaise while Taehyun cuddled up next to her, resting his head on her so that she could massage his scalp with her fingertips. Soobin sat in the middle of Taehyun and Rose while Jungkook hugged the far end of the couch, keeping a distance from the others. The movie began and everyone settled into their spots, letting their bodies sink into the cushions as the tension in the movie slowly grew more intense. 

 Soobin and Taehyun were on edge as the movie progressed while Jungkook seemed unphased. A particular scene was playing out the intense music that led off to a jump scare, the bass rumbling through the speakers and shaking the core of the audience. Taehyun clung to Lily as he watched the movie curiously, exceedingly suspicious of what awaited them just around the corner of the dim hallway the actor was creeping through.

DING DONG!

Taehyun yelped at the sound of the doorbell as Soobin and Jungkook snarled in the direction of the front door, their defenses on high alert from the lingering scent just beyond the entrance. “Oh, pizza’s here!” Lily pulled away from Taehyun, skipping towards the door to greet the delivery driver. The hybrids watched intently as she briefly thanked the driver before walking back towards the kitchen to place the thin boxes of pizza on the counter. “Come get it!”

Rose paused the movie as the men rapidly jumped from the couch with excitement. They inhaled the scent of the food, letting their mouths drool from the delicious taste as Lily handed them paper plates. She ordered various toppings since it was their first time trying pizza and she only hoped they enjoyed it as much as any other person. Jungkook stacked slice after slice on his plate, creating a small tower before dashing off to the couch to begin eating his food. Soobin and Taehyun followed Rose’s lead of taking two slices at a time with the promise of having seconds if they were still hungry for more. 

Lily waited last to grab her pieces of the pie before joining the others back in the living room. Rose resumed the movie while they ate and then watched intently to see the reactions of the hybrids as they encountered the flavors of the pizza. Lily chuckled as she watched Jungkook devour the food on his plate unapologetically, assuming that he seemed to enjoy the taste even just a little. Soobin shyly bit into his food, chewing thoroughly to divulge and savor the mixture. Taehyun’s eyes were large with wonder as he enjoyed his first piece before excitedly scarfing down the rest.

The girls watched the hybrids happily enjoy their meals, imagining the rapid wag of their tails if they were in their dog form. After they finished eating, the movie ended and Rose clicked on the suggested title that showed up during the credits, indulging in another movie for their first official night together. While she wasn’t completely on board with the idea of being the caregiver of three grown hybrids, she wanted to at least make living there as painless as possible by keeping them busy. 

Jungkook was mindlessly watching the movie, unbothered by the jump scares of the scenes when he began to smell a swirl of sweetness suffocating his senses. He inhaled the scent deeper, trying to pinpoint the delicious scent only to realize it was coming from just next to him. Rose’s usual floral cream smell was heightened by the hint of sugar as her body prepared itself for fertilization. His mind was hazy with lustful intent as vivid images of filling her with his seed became ingrained in his brain. 

Rose was only partially paying attention to the movie as she scrolled through social media on her phone. She laughed to herself at a meme her friend shared before feeling the cushions around her sink from a shift in weight. She glanced up, startled to find Jungkook and Soobin leaning in close. “Um, excuse me. Back up.” Her eyebrows furrowed as she pushed Jungkook’s face from getting any closer. 

“You smell good.” Soobin whispered from deep in his diaphragm, the sound similar to a growl as his being dripped with need from the intoxicating scent. 

Lily glanced over from the small whispers that distracted her from her movie, surprised to see the two hybrids literally cornering her sister. “What are you guys doing?” Her voice was harsh, uncomfortable with the predatory look in Jungkook’s eyes as he stared her sister down. 

Taehyun lifted his head from her lap, catching a whiff of the sweet smell drifting from Rose. “She’s ovulating.” He stated, trying to blow the scent from his nose to avoid getting heated from her smell. 

Rose was shocked by Taehyun’s statement, the hovering presence of Soobin and Jungkook finally clicking as she realized they had ill intentions for her affections. “Oh my god! Are you kidding me?” She abruptly got up from the couch, pushing past the two offending men to break free from their intensity. She glared at her sister, “I can’t believe you brought home these horny mongrels. I’m going to my room, where I’m safe.”

Rose made a statement by slamming her bedroom door before catapulting herself on the bed and burying herself under the duvet to hide from her new reality. In her makeshift tent, she pulled out her phone as the bright light illuminating the screen projected over the fabric of her sheets and tapped on Taehyung’s contact. She needed to vent and she clearly couldn’t do that with her sister, the root of her problems, so she reached out to her dear friend from class. 

“Hello?” His deep voice instantly soothed her as she pressed her ear to her phone. 

She smiled as her heart leaped in her chest, “Hey. Are you busy?”

“Uh, no. Why? What’s up?” On the other end of the phone call, he tucked the device between his shoulder and ear while he stirred his ramen noodles.

She sighed dramatically, “I’m just overwhelmed and I could use a friend.”

He smiled, biting his lip as she referred to him as a friend. He loved that in her time of need, she thought to reach out to him. “What’s bothering you?” He quietly stole a sip of his broth, waiting for her response.

She clicked her tongue with annoyance, “My sister insisted on bringing home three dogs…and they’re not like little puppies. They’re large, full-grown dogs.” She strategically emphasized her words to convey the weight of the situation.

“Wow, three. That is a lot…Where did she find them?” He asked, curious about the abrupt presence of three dogs in his classmate's life.  

Rose felt a small pang of guilt as she remembered their story about their previous home. “She found them abandoned on the road.” 

Taehyung felt a sadness in the pit of his stomach as he was a lover of animals. “Oh, that’s terrible. It’s nice that she took them in, but if it’s too much she should take them to the shelter.”

Rose knew they couldn’t. “Yeah, but she’s already attached.” She pressed the pads of her fingers to her temple, “Honestly, there’s only one that’s a problem, but I know she won’t get rid of him.”    “Oh?”

 “Yeah, he’s a doberman. He doesn’t listen to me, like at all.” She huffed, causing a small laugh to escape Taehyung’s lips from the speaker of the phone. “It’s not funny. He’s such a brat.”

 Despite the annoyance in her voice, Taehyung imagined a cute pout on her lips as she spoke and he couldn’t take her seriously. “Sorry, I don’t mean to laugh. You just sound cute when you’re mad.” She rolled her eyes in response and sarcastically laughed. He settled his laughter and spoke up again, “Well, if you ever need to escape the beasty, we can always go out together.”

 He froze as he realized how that might have sounded and panicked as he waited for her interruption. Rose bit her lip, her cheeks feeling flush with the idea of going on a date with the ever-handsome Taehyung. “Go out?” She probed, hoping he might ask her on a proper date.

 He stumbled and cleared his throat, “Yeah, you know, hang out.” He quickly clarified, avoiding the possible rejection. 

 Her shoulders dropped and she was glad that she wasn’t talking to him in person to see her disappointment. She swallowed her emotions, “Oh yeah. That would be great.” She hummed a little unsure of what else to say and settled on calling it a night. “Thanks for letting me vent, but I should head to bed. Talk to you later.” Taehyung shared the same sentiments before they wished each other a good night. Rose sighed as she pressed the ‘end call’ button and let her phone drop from her hand. She smothered her face into the plush of her mattress cover, “Fuck my life.”

Previous | Next

[miraclesabound]

Accessory to Murder

Summary: Reader has hit a creative wall, and not even Morpheus's love for her can help. Maybe it's time to go to the actual source.

Pairings/Characters: Slight Calliope/F!Reader, background Morpheus/F!Reader

Notes: Reader isn't a professional writer, but her stories are still important to her. Set after Season 1 of "The Sandman". Even though she doesn't say it directly, Reader has a bit of a crush on Calliope. Also on A03.

Warnings: Within Reader's story - description of injuries, death and medical procedures, realization of murder. Main story - creative frustration, heavy self-doubt, especially painful writer's block, Morpheus accidentally making things worse, cathartic tears

Tags: @ineffablepspspscal @insomniamamma @blueeyesatnight @yayforawesome @whovianayesha @oonajaeadira @depressedswampwitch @heybluechild

When you see your beloved's ex-wife in your living room, all you can do is sigh.

"Morpheus shouldn't have called you, my lady." You love your Lord of Dreams - in some ways, he even TAUGHT you how to love. That said, he has a tendency to overreact when you're stressed, and you suspect that he's the reason that the Great Muse is currently making use of your couch.

"If I'm intruding, I'll go," Calliope says.

Your cheeks burn; you hadn't meant to insult her. "No, please feel free to stay - do you like tea?"

The beverage break seems to be just what you need - after you're done, you're more confident showing Calliope what's been troubling you. "I've got so many orphaned bits here," you tell her as you pull up your scratch document. Seeing your most recent one, you roll your eyes a bit. "This one's the perfect example."

John Glass was no relation to the county medical examiner, Dr. Angela Glass – they wouldn’t have let her do his autopsy if that were the case. She’d heard his name before – he was the pyrotechnician who designed amazing summer fireworks shows for the local baseball team. Unfortunately, his work had caught up with him, according to the police report she’d received. After a game the previous night, John hadn’t returned home – and when his daughter June went looking for him, she had found him dead behind the outfield with a horrific chest wound. He’d been right next to the launch site, and even if he could have called for help, no one would have noticed with all the noise and light and smoke. Angela’s heart twinged for the man laid out on her table. In her years as ME, she had seen her share of ironic deaths, but this one was especially brutal. She could only hope that the mortar that took his life had killed him instantly. Taking a chance to steady her breathing, she activated her recorder and started taking her notes. In the first hour, John’s results were straightforward. The chest wound was obvious, and Angela wasn’t surprised at all to find bits of shrapnel scattered throughout his body. However, at minute 74 of the autopsy, Angela noticed something odd about John’s heart. There was no debris in the muscle – at least not the large pieces that had cut through his limbs and stomach – so Angela didn’t understand why she was seeing cuts on the heart. Furthermore, the cuts in question weren’t jagged like you would expect – they looked almost surgical. So what had caused them? A horrible thought occurred to Angela, and she spoke it into the recorder before she lost her nerve. “The wounds on the heart are more consistent with a stabbing than an explosion. Cause of death may need to be revised to homicide.”

"See?" You gesture helplessly at your screen. "It's all nonsense! I don't even know the murderer or their motive, and everything online says you have to know that first. Plus which, I thought I was being clever with that "not quite family" bit, but now I think it's me being fake-deep."

You can tell you're building into a rant, but you're not sure you can stop yourself. "And every idea I've had lately feels this way!" you tell her. "I haven't been able to write a proper story in months!"

"If this is hurting you, why not try other art forms?" Calliope asks.

You sigh. "Because I did try," you say. "And I'm crap at all of them. Writing's all I've got - or at least it was..."

"Morpheus didn't say this, did he?" Calliope has seen the thawing of her ex-husband's heart, but she knows he can still be callous.

You shake your head. "No - and he even tried to help! He offered to let me find my story in the Library...but that felt like...artistic cheating I guess..." Tears start stinging the corners of your eyes. "What if...what if I can never write again?"

"....there's something else going on here." Calliope's voice makes it clear that she's making an assessment, not asking a question.

You nod, and the tears flow more freely. "I'm so scared, my lady! If I can't write, I have nothing to offer, and if I can't offer anything, then I'm going to be alone..."

The Muse does a double-take. "Wait, you think Morpheus would leave you?"

"Why wouldn't he?? He isn't just a man, he's a foundational power of the Universe! If I can't bring something to the table for our relationship, if I can't MAKE something, then...then...I'm...just another human..."

Calliope cups your face, making you look her in the eyes. "Don't speak that way. I see how he loves you."

"But is it enough?" you ask. "He loved you too once - you had a family together, you have a royal lineage, you inspired Homer - and he still left! What chance do I have!?" Calliope pulls you into a hug, and you break into full-throated sobs. For several minutes, you cry into the fabric of her tunic, and she holds you with the strength of ten thousand years in her arms.

When you're able to catch your breath, she strokes your hair, still letting you rest on her shoulder. "I can't control what Morpheus does," she tells you. "But there are two things you ought to know."

"Oh?"

"Morpheus didn't leave me - I left him. And he wasn't the one who called me here tonight - it was all you."

"What? But how?" you ask, looking up at her. "I made no altar, I possess no scroll."

"My dear girl, your fire for creation existed long before you met Morpheus...I have known you for many years." She smiles and your heart swells. "That passion is still there, and it's what called to me - I wouldn't be here if you didn't have some spark left."

"Then...what do I do now?"

"You make your request of me," she tells you, stroking your cheek. "How formal you wish to be is up to you."

You kneel on the ground before her - if your eyes don't deceive you, her beauty becomes even more dazzling. When you speak, you don't know where the words come from.

"O Gracious One, O Chieftaness of Song, hear the one with aching heart and stopped tongue, and grant relief however you see fit, by inspiration or by other ways."

Calliope offers her hands, and you kiss the knuckles with appropriate reverence. She helps you to your feet, pulling you into another strong embrace. "Don't hesitate to call more purposely if you need me, my dear."

"I won't," you promise.

After she leaves, you feel no sudden burst of desire to write - but you do feel calmer. Perhaps, you think to yourself, Calliope is not only the Muse of Wordcraft, but the Muse of Catharsis.

[consul-valerius]

To Fuck Around is Human; To Find Out is Divine (1/4)

It just wasn’t fair ; it wasn’t fair that Sam always got what he wanted, and Valerius always ended up like this . And it wasn’t fair that he loved ending up like this—it just made Sam cheekier, more boastful. […]“Pretty soon you’re going to be thanking me, boy,” Sam whispered in a low growl. These next words were for Valerius and only Valerius. The attention alone had him on cloud nine—how pathetic . “You can cry and pout all you want—you and I both know how this story ends: with you begging daddy for more .”

Valerius attempts to dominate The Duke of Pearl Isles, which goes just as well as was expected. But with his spouse's help, can he for once turn the tables on him? Or will all three fall back into their usual roles?

Rating: 18+ minors DNI or I’m gonna eat your homework

WC: 5728 (im sorry…… my brain exploded)

Characters and relationships: Valerius, Sam, Lucio, brief DonDon, and two nameless OCs; primary Valerius/Sam but background Sam/Lucio and Valucio (and obvious ValDonna)

Content warnings: established Dom/Sub dynamics; non-consensual/dubiously-consensual spankings (did I just make up a word lol); punishments; light bondage; humiliation & degradation; daddy dom, Valerius’s canon foot fetish

A/N: its whack a doodle time. It is whack a doodle. Time. LOL I got my dick back in force and now I’m going to just dedicate time to doing self indulgent smut of these three LMFAO I can’t say there’s NO plot, but this is just a silly little blip in time for them that is vaguely post-game/whatever AU the tales take place in :’)

Preview undercut—full fic linked in the title✨

“Enlighten me, consul,” Sam was practically growling now, teasing a strand of Valerius’s bangs between two gloved fingers. “Seeing as you are suddenly the expert on discipline , what’s the proper way to teach a man like me some manners?”

Sam was clearly baiting him; everyone knew it, most of all Valerius. But he was giving him an out too: if he apologized, tail between his legs, Sam would let it all go. If it was really pretty, maybe he would even invite Valerius onto his lap next—he would have Valerius do something extra special to apologize.

On his lap next to Lucio—Lucio, whose eyes were glued to every move Valerius made, those eyes moving quickly to capture every breath, every small shudder. Valerius sucked in air through his nose, bracing himself to apologize. He wasn’t sure why he had looked to Lucio—normally he could turn to Donna for some visual reassurance.

Instead, Lucio quirked his brow at him, a wicked smile on his face as he tilted his chin up at Valerius.

You don’t have the balls.

“Well, obviously a spanking would be in order.”

Valerius tried not to jump at the ruckus he had caused. The two women tried to stifle their chuckles; Lucio chose to laugh and giggle openly, even so much as to kick his legs too. Sam’s eyes snapped to him for a moment before zeroing in on Valerius. Before Valerius could take the words back, Sam was laughing next, loud and hysterical.

“And just who would be able to do that to me, hm?”

This was bad. This was bad, and Valerius needed to stop.

“Oh, I can name quite a few I’ve seen firsthand tanning your hide—”

Sam was going to kill him. He was digging his own grave.

“My spouse, of course, being one of them.”

But how could he stop when Lucio looked so thrilled? Looked so impressed by him , not Sam, not even Nadia.

Sam’s eyes widened; it only made his forced smile all the scarier.

“Ah, I see ,” Sam chuckled, his voice too sweet. “Gonna run and tell on me like you always do? Gonna go tell mommy that daddy’s being a big ol’ meanie?”

Valerius felt his stomach drop, his face instantly igniting. Damn him . Damn him for saying that in front of those women—they would get the wrong idea, that he was really into all of that. Really, it was for Donna. And for Sam. And it made him happy to make them happy, it wasn’t that he was into it—

“Does it look like I’m running ? Are your eyes just as bad as your decorum?”

Sam sucked in a breath, practically hissing as he tilted his head down at Valerius. Valerius swallowed, his eyelashes fluttering.

“Oh? You gonna do it then, Valerius?” Sam took another step forward. Valerius took a step back. “You gonna put me in my place?”

Valerius felt like his brain was turning off, that he could will his soul from his body at this very moment. Lucio’s small giggle broke him out of his stupor.

“I could if I wanted to.”

“And you simply just never felt the urge? With how ill-mannered and barbaric I am, you’ve just always so happened to let me throw you over my knee?”

“I said if I wanted to—”

“Seems like you wana now.”

“Well, perhaps I do “wan-ah” —!”

“ Perfect!I”

[ambiguouspuzuma]

I'm so tired of shopping for books which all have the same selection of buzzwords on the cover, front and back. I've spoken before about bookalikes being described as deliciously dark and twisted, but there's an equivalent for every genre: a handful of phrases that get slapped above the title as sure as the author's name appears below it.

Yesterday I looked in the book shop window. They were promoting new releases with their own displays. The Whalebone Theatre looked interesting, but when I went to see what it was about the card just described it as a tour de force. I turned to the The World: A Family History, another interesting title, but again the card just called it a tour de force and told me nothing more. What are they about? What genre, even? I had no idea, and the display had no information to give me.

It's like the whole 'is it creepy or wet' dialogue. You ask the display what the plot is, what the setting is, what the tone is, and it just laughs and says "it's a good book sir". But any book, given that it's made it its way through the traditional publishing process, can find somebody to say "this is a good book". In fact, all of them do, and that synchronised clamouring only helps them fade into the background noise.

Just let the author write a proper blurb, and lead with that. They're the most qualified to describe their story, and that also gives the reader a hint of their writing style and voice, which is equally important. Besides, surely they've needed an elevator pitch at some point in the process? I'm sure they didn't just say 'it's a tour de force' and have agents and publishers clamouring to snap it up on that basis alone. Why not offer readers the same respect?

I can't think of another type of consumption where you're asked to rely on such assurances so close to the point of purchase. When you go into a restaurant, the menu tells you what each dish is, and often some detail of what ingredients they contain. It doesn't just describe them all as 'a must-eat' or 'unspitoutable'. Why are readers, theoretically the most able to tolerate more detailed written descriptions, not trusted with them?

[spiraldancer]

Ariadne's Thread: A Workbook on Goddess Magic ( Shekhinah Mountain Water).

Cycle 1: Questions to Ponder

To Kick off This Blog I've decided to Answer the questions within Cycle one:

First one is: What is a Witch?

If I am to look at the English word, it's derived from the Germanic word, Witch, as in Wise woman and essentially that is what a witch is to me, a Wise woman that knows herself intimately and therefore knows the world around her as she can be guided by her intuition.

The Word "Bruxa" is derived from the Word Bricta, Likely the root word that "Bridget" or " Brigid" was derived from and it means enchantment or magic or spell if you will. I see this word then relating Bruxa deeply with the Goddess, namely the Bruxa being a worker for The Goddess in all her forms.

The Witch/ Bruxa therefore becomes a symbol of Woman's myths and deep inner wisdom but also becomes a symbol of the wild untamed spirit of women that Patriarchy has repressed and demonized and her resurgence spells to me the beginning of the end of the Repression of Her and of her Daughters.

The second question that was posed by the book is whenever or not I see myself as a witch and short answer is: Yes. Long answer is that I see my ease with identifying with the term as me coming home after trying to squeeze myself so hard in patriarchal institution and thoughts; from being overly skeptical to trying to become a Christian girl; none fit like being a witch and a follower of my goddesses nearly as well and blends my love of Mythology, beauty, nature and reverence to The Female form that I did not find in overly ascetic religions and spirituality and in overly rigid atheism and In Phallocentric thinking.

Third question is what Makes a woman a witch?

I suppose in other times just a woman claiming to be a witch would be enough, but as both witch and women become shredded beyond compression as terms ( including males in the definition of women for example and regressive gender roles in New age spiritualities with a poor understanding of what constitutes as Divine Feminine), I suppose I am somewhat of a gatekeeper of a term. I suppose the closest people to embody the witch are those willing to help their fellow sisters when comes the need and that becoming one's Proper witch self comes with time, effort, trial and error and the general wisdom gained from the passage of time and deep immersion in the Self and Of The Goddess. I suppose it's why witches have been associated with Crones or the elderly woman in general; it may indicate that a Woman or Witch Woman is at her most powerful when aged or aging. I do think we all have innate magical qualities, some more developed then others and that a magical path is a girl and woman's best friend into developing such skills.

From the 4th question, I actually did grow up in a culture that suspected of the witch and saw her as a force of spite and evil even if many relied on witches to heal themselves. I've always been uncomfortable with this stories but am reclaiming this role for myself as even the negative connotations I feel strip the witch of her moral complexities I think. I'm sadden by those burned and killed to this day when accused of witchcraft, even if they weren't actually "witches" in the proper term; it does show that everyone is seemigly afraid of a woman's power and will burn her for it. I'm mixed on the idea of Goddess religion becoming even more mainstream and accepted, in a sense I have plenty to thank to many groups of outrageous women that helped pave the way for current Pagan thought, but I suppose I'm sadden how little traditions are 100% female focus or don't try to insert some heterocentric form of duality in it.

I elucidated my religious background further above, but yes I did go through a period of catechism thanks to my abusive mom but I was deeply uncomfortable by the idea of God and of a male God and was critical of male religion as the tool of social coercion that it was, winch my father tried to stir me into Atheism; but rather then fully indulging in that I became Agnostic for a bit until I decided to research into Wicca and had many of my thoughts and feelings affirmed by dozens of pieces of Pagan thought and never looked back. As I delved deeper into feminism and female spiritual thought, it has led to my goddess focused lean right now. Needless to say and to answer the 6th question my spiritual background has little to do with the Goddess and is actual opposite of it in many regards.

7th question asks me if I believe in a conscious being that can create life and the universe and how this being is; I like the idea of a Creatix instead of a Creator and see much of everything as tending to be female. Even many "male energies" I see as being Her all along. I suppose I believe in Passive energies and Active ones, Offensive vs Defensive, Kind Vs Harsh rather the n a strictly male-female polarity, male and female meant for each other way.

The 8th question asks how The concept of Goddess affects me; and needless to say I've always been enamored by Goddeses of Greek myth and much to no one's shock im a Greek hellenic devotee.

The final Question asks who or what is the Goddess; even if I believe in her as an actual creative energy, I feel we relate to her through powerful symbology to embody her power and to better worship her. We feel naturally attuned to Her and recognize her as a primordial mother that we as her daughters do things to please and she in turn helps us and our lives by giving guidance and meaning to.

And thus I'm closing off Cycle 1 of the book. Thanks for reading.