#so it doesn't pursue relationships nearly as much as he does

[muzzleroars]

Was Gabriel able to retain or fix any of the relationships he had prior to his Fall? Considering how distressed he was with the changes he was going through he probably completely disregarded the idea of approaching the Ferryman, virtues or any other being for a long while in fear of their reaction and judgement. But I imagine with V1's help in bringing back his confidence, he may eventually regain the courage to reach out (assuming they aren't already trying to track him down.)

Having a greater support network outside themselves would be good for them both, as good to him as V1 is, there would be a lot of gaps it wouldn't be able to fill considering its naivety to topics outside its programming and the patchwork of experience it has developed. And it is a little unfair for it to be the sole bearer of Gabe's mental health (and vice-versa), even if it is more than willing to try. Also it would be sweet seeing V1 being able to investigate others who would normally be trying to kill it (you get that life experience, you funky little bug!)

Actually, would his fall, or his relationship with V1 be considered more 'controversal'? for the Virtues that might depend on when and how they died? At least with V1 being the only one of its model and presumably, only activated towards the end of the machine war, means the odds of encountering a Virtue it personally killed is very low.

I love your art and all the thought you put in to your world building (Unicorn Gabe is inspired) :)

waahhhh thank you!!!! and OH this is definitely something i want to talk about because gabriel does have relationships outside of v1 (and the opposite is true as well, although it's not as important nor "easy" for v1). i do have the idea that there are actually a couple of virtues that "fell" with gabriel, their dedication to him so full that they continue to follow him as they believe he must be right in what he did. he feels exceptionally responsible for them, but humans are not so rigid as angels are and they are not fully corrupt either as there is no god or council to punish them. so they sort of act as agents for him, bringing him news of heaven and its progression after his liberation, though they implicitly understand not to discuss his reputation. otherwise they try to continue doing their duties so as not to attract attention, staying quiet and tracking the movements of the other angels in hell since well....they're sort of where any sympathy for gabriel's situation ends.

those other angels are grieved by his presence and any time they come in contact with him, he is doggedly pursued while they cry out lamentations for the late archangel. he doesn't wish to engage them but that can be difficult, particularly as v1 has no issue with returning fire as it's not about share gabriel's hesitation concerning heavenly citizens. they don't know any specifics of his relationship to v1, but to protect their own angelic egos, they do view it as the instigator of his fall and an evil he's bound to now that he's become a demon. the lesser angels curse what humanity has done, they carry a burning guilt for their own creation to have so sullied the brightest of angels, while the greater angels bemoan god's very creation of humanity that their inventions corrupted gabriel to his core. luckily for them, the angelic presence in hell has decreased a fair amount considering heaven is going through its second upheaval, so gabriel's virtues are generally able to warn him about where any are posted so that he might avoid them.

where things begin to unravel is in gabriel's more personal relationships - he owes little to the angels that simply worked under him, but those like the ferryman are much more difficult to ignore and their presence looms larger in his mind now that he's been given so much time. he can't let them linger, yet how can he show himself as he is? like i mentioned, i'm drafting a comic depicting their initial encounter but...the ferryman takes gabriel's fall poorly. i will say it's a thought i've had for awhile simply based on a little coding quirk of the game - gabriel, judge of hell is a top priority for idols, while gabriel, apostate of hate is lowest priority. this made me think of how it could be reflective of the ferryman's feelings, how they are not forgiving of gabriel's choices and are agonized, bitter, and angry seeing him return to them after all this time in the flesh of a demon. they had labored so tirelessly always thinking of him, the memory of his radiance carrying them through even the desolation of hell...and now he comes back just as ruined as they are, a sinner like the billions of others that had teemed in hell. it's a deep betrayal, he was the one angel that had recognized and loved them in spite of everything, who had whispered the hope of salvation and who they loved in return. honestly, it's difficult to articulate what the ferryman goes through here - a devout soul, one that had worshiped gabriel as the light in their darkness, had dedicated any spare time in their unending labor to venerate him in their art, could do nothing but feel themselves collapse inward at the sight of him crowned with horns.

SO their relationship is exceedingly tense at first, with gabriel feeling at once deeply guilty...and a little mad himself. foremost, he does hate what he's putting the ferryman through, he feels all the resentment and disappointment, with a large part of him thinking he deserves that hatred. because this was always their hope, the rosy thoughts of one day being accepted into heaven even if they both knew it was fantasy. but he so wants them to understand why he did what he did and they're not receptive to it...they're not receptive to him, which is hard to swallow when before they would have bent to his slightest whim. it's selfish and he knows it, but experiencing that loss in their devotion to him stings more than he wants to admit. this issue is compounded GREATLY by the ferryman coming to understand just why he's traveling with v1, not only that it won his heart and corrupted him with it, but that gabriel would love the very thing that had helped wipe out the whole of humanity. it's a waking nightmare for the ferryman honestly, refusing gabriel's desperate explanations and fully condemning him when he tries to grab hold of them as they leave only to burn his hands on their holy cloth. he is so much further from god than even they are.

this got...a LOT longer than i meant, but i do think of them working through this mostly because they NEED to, including the ferryman growing to understand v1. they largely need to confront their worship of their idea of gabriel and reckon that with him as a full person, just like themself, while gabriel needs to accept that he is no longer an object of worship. i do also 100% have ideas about minos finding gabriel, since he IS an optional boss and i think of his prison weakening considerably with gabriel's fall + the death of the council. it similarly goes BAD, but that's much more self-explanatory (i've had a comic idea for...almost a month now, and it goes as well as you think. plus gabe's bull/minotaur theming is a. point. BUT i'll get to it at some point!!!) basically, outside of those couple virtues, gabriel is dealing with the mistakes he made and the lives he left broken as an angel to greater or lesser effect. plus i also just need to shake all these characters around like a dog for enrichment lol

[dreamermonica]

—gender neutral reader, teen gojo x reader hence the preferred use of glasses, established relationship, slight cursing, just a fluffy scenario i had to post with my crippling gojo brainrot before i hibernate once again

“ah.” GOJO says flatly out of nowhere. “my head's starting to hurt.”

you subtly glance at him from the reflection of the opposing side of the train's tinted windows, watching the way he removes his glasses and rubs at his eyes. you inwardly sigh.

“i can't tell if you're being serious or you just want attention.”

gojo gasps dramatically from beside you, “why would i lie about something like that?”

“can you really blame me for being distrusting?” you say blankly, giving him and and his offended face the stink eye, “especially with the amount of times you've whined out to me like some child who wants to get uppies from his mother?”

you silently relish in the way he stays silent, pouting at you whilst a victorious grin rests on your lips, your gaze returning back to the novel in your hands.

“told you so.”

he whines your name in defeat and lays his head against your shoulder, “my head does hurt though...”

the way he said it urges you to think that he is, indeed, not kidding, and most definitely wasn't just seeking attention—voice stripped of any type of cheeriness, coming out hoarse more than anything.

you pursue your lips as your gaze quickly flits to his face, before dropping to the sunglasses situated on his lap, folded neatly as his eyes are closed shut.

right. the object reminds you of what is probably causing him the headache. six eyes.

your heart nearly cracks at the small grimace on his expression, jaw clenched as his arms are crossed, head still leaning against your shoulder as he focuses on heaving steady breaths. you immediately feel bad now. terrible. horrid.

“toru,” you say, alarmed, slightly panicking as you drop your novel onto your lap, hand situating themselves on both sides of his face as his eyes still remain shut. “i thought you said the glasses helped?”

“they do,” he croaks out, the grimace slowly disappearing as he takes in the warmth of your palms, “but they don't just block out everything, you know.”

“did you overuse your eyes again?” you're ready to scold him, he can tell from the way your tone is slowly turning into one of a nagging mother hen. “this is why you should use blindfolds.”

he only breathes a noise of contentment when you start rubbing circles on his temples, practically melting in your hold.

“well—to be fair,” he starts, one eye opening, and sarcasm still evidently present even with a headache, “we were up against a pretty tricky special grade earlier. i may be the strongest, but that doesn't mean i should let my guard down. you told me that yourself.”

you hold back the urge to roll your eyes, instead staring at him unamused. you caress his cheek gently, “close your eyes, idiot.”

your annoying boyfriend deliberately opens both as if to spite you, cheekily smiling as he stares back at you, “i can still see cursed energy even if i do, babe.”

you still aren't impressed. he chuckles at your expression.

“plus, my headache disappears faster when i see pretty girls.”

“oh, fuck off,” you angrily pinch his cheeks in response as he yelps out in pain, before opting to cover his eyes with one of your hands instead. you feel his eyelashes as he blinks in confusion at the gesture.

“does this help?”

“not really. i can still see cursed energy.”

“oh.” you move to remove your hand, “my bad—”

what you don't expect next is that he keeps your hand in place above his eyes with his own, feeling your knuckles under his palm as he moves to rest his head against your shoulder once more, his eyes still covered by your palm.

“i thought it didn't help?”

“it doesn't but i like you touching me.”

you blink, clearly weirded out by the way he worded that.

“...seriously?”

“yeah, darling. now, as much as i like your voice—i really want to sleep right now, so be quiet before i kiss you stupid right here in public.”

you immediately and effectively shut up at that, hearing an awkward cough from the man sitting across from you. you send him an apologetic look, before glaring at gojo, who's now snoozing his way to wonderland.

you have an inkling that he probably won't be wearing blindfolds anytime soon. especially with how he's grinning like a madman even in his sleep with your hand over his eyes.

you sigh—noting to bring a blindfold each time you go out with the man from now on, not wanting a sore arm everytime you take the train home. you can already picture him pouting in response.

“the child that you are, gojo satoru,” you murmur whilst leaning against his head, pressing a chaste kiss to his temple.

“...you're lucky i love you.”

extra:

donning his sunglasses as he exits the train, he cheerily says, “that was the best nap of my life!”

his headache is gone, which is a relief—but unfortunately, yours is still standing right in front of you.

you clutch your numb arm—already feeling the soreness that'll come after shortly.

“i take it back. i hate you.”

“aw, love you too, bae.”

Zzzz...

[moon-tell-me]

Them having a crush on you...

The outsiders (separate) x GN! reader

Warnings: nothing I don't think :))

DARRY CURTIS

It's been a reaalllyy long time since he's felt this way for anyone

So a small part of him is excited when he realizes it

But the majority of him..?

Well.. that's a different story

He's very busy with work and the family

He just doesn't have any time for love or romance

You understand ://

So it's unlikely he will do much of anything on his own

He will probably even avoid you a bit in hopes of making himself feel better

That being said, if you realize what's going on, and decide to pursue the relationship, he may manage to fit you in his schedule :))

"Hey, Darry.. uhm, could we talk for a second..?" You asked, as you popped up from around the corner, completely catching him off guard. It had been almost two weeks since you two had a proper conversation, and you weren't gonna let it go on any longer.

SODAPOP CURTIS

Okay so this is gonna come as a surprise to no one, but..

Throughout his life he has consistently gotten girlfriends and boyfriends with no issue

Again, no one's surprised

I mean, look at him, he's beautiful

Anyways-

He immediately knows that he likes you

And he very quickly starts planning out how he can go about the situation

It won't take very long for him to make his move, however if you beat him to it, he would definitely be over the moon

There you are, looking as good as ever. He's already decided that he's gonna ask you out later, an- wait.. your walking over to him..?

PONYBOY CURTIS

Poor kid doesn't know wtf is going on at first

All he knows is that he suddenly enjoys your company more then before

It wasn't until you interlocked his fingers with yours one night that he finally became fully aware of his feelings

He is not nearly as subtle about these feelings as he thinks he is.

He's so obvious, you'd have to be pretty inattentive to not notice anything

Based on this, you will likely be making the first move

With a dramatic sigh you let your head fall against his shoulder. The two of you have been studying together for about two hours and your in desperate need of a break. "C'mon, you need to focus." He said, sounding more annoyed then he really was. You grabbed his hand, interlocking your fingers and looking up at him pleadingly. "Pleease.?"

DALLAS WINSTON

Ohh boy

Out of allll the guys in Tulsa, you caught his attention?

Lucky 🙄

I love him sm istg

In all seriousness, this is very new to him

He's not used to genuinely caring about someone

Besides Johnny, he's never really loved anything

He's gonna start off with his typical flirting

That won't change until he realizes his feelings

After that, he switches to being a total jerk to you

Mans does not know how to process his feelings

Just give him time tho, he'll figure it all out

Here you are, sitting on the porch of the Curtis house. It's late and everyone is inside the house, save for you and Dal. He's been real difficult lately, although tonight his attitude has noticably improved. As you watch him struggle to light his cancer stick you can't help but wonder, what did he want to ask you.?

JOHNNY CADE

My sweet, respectful boy

He falls head over heels immediately

Everybody realizes his feelings rather quickly too

Including himself

He's not stupid

He notices how his cheeks get all warm

His hands get all sweaty

His knees feel like they might give out

It's a new feeling for him

For once he has someone touching him without causing him pain

I'm gonna fight his parents- WOAH! Who said that!? 😅

If your the type of person who is really affectionate with your friends (me fr) then you might actually kill the poor kid

He asked Dally for advice only to completely ignore it

Turns out Dally sucks at giving good advice, who woulda known?

He was thankful for how dark it had gotten, otherwise you would be able to see just how red his face had gone. For some reason you had decided it would be a great idea to hold his hand out of nowhere. Why can't you see what your doing to him?

TWO-BIT MATHEWS

You guys prolly met in middle school

He pulled some dumb shii and put gum in your hair or something

After that he often teased you

Referring to you as his girlfriend/boyfriend

You better expect a lot of playful flirting with this one

He pretty much confesses his feelings on the daily tbh

Albeit in a way that makes you think it's a joke

Eventually you just kinda realize that hey, maybe he isn't joking

"See, I always knew we were perfect for each other, ever since that day in sixth grade." He teased, throwing his arm around your shoulder only for you to immediately push it off. "Get off of me, would you?"

[queen-of-deans-booty]

Your Savior

Pairing: Cop!Dean Winchester x Female!Reader

Word Count: ~1.9k

Warnings: angst, being taken hostage at gunpoint, fearful of your life

Request by @jessicalynnann: What about cop/detective dean and him and the reader are in an established relationship and she owns a cute little bakery… well what if something happens like she gets attacked but doesn’t tell him and he finds out and is upset but comforts her… 

Summary: You have a little bakery that is your pride and joy and a boyfriend on the police force who you're so proud of. He doesn't have a lot of dangerous cases until one day, three gunmen decide to take a bank hostage. A bank that is a couple of blocks from your bakery.

Square Filled: criminal au (2022) for @spnaubingo

Author’s Note: any and all comments are appreciated <3

x

You have to bake two dozen cupcakes, a two-tier cake, and a half dozen cookies before the end of the day and you’re working as hard as you can to get that done. You have flour on your apron and face, quiet music is playing from your speaker, and you have your hands elbow-deep in a bowl of batter.

The bell on the front door rings signalling someone walked into your bakery store, and you try to peek out of the room to see who it is.

“I’ll be right with you!” you call out. “Give me one minute!” The person doesn’t wait for you to come out to them so they walk into the kitchen. You’re about to yell at them when you see who it is. “Dean!”

“Hey, sweetheart,” he grins.

Dean is a respected cop that everyone knows. He has been on the force since eighteen, and he’s only gone up from there. He walks behind the counter and kisses you even though some of the flour gets on his face.

“What are you doing here?”

“What, I can’t stop by my girlfriend’s bakery?” You raise an eyebrow at him and he laughs. “No, I just wanted to say hi on my break.”

“Hi,” you smile. “Today has been hectic and I haven’t been open for nearly an hour. I just got this big order in for a birthday party this weekend. I’m trying to get as much as I can done so I don’t have to do it later.”

“Where’s Maria?”

“Coming in late. She has a sick kid at home, and her husband won’t be able to pick him up until after ten.”

“I was going to take you out for lunch but I can come here.”

“No, Maria can hold down the fort for an hour. I’d love to go out to lunch with you.”

“Okay.” He grabs one of the fresh muffins you made and takes out a ten dollar bill which he sets on the counter. “I’ll be back at twelve.”

“Hey, I don’t need your money.”

“It’s stealing. I’m a cop. I uphold the law,” he grins. He leans down and kisses you. “I love you.”

“I love you, too!”

Right before Maria shows up, your bakery filled with customers who are hungry for your sweets. With her at the register, you can focus on the big order which you’re almost done making the batter for. This whole bakery idea is all because of Dean. When you two were in high school, he encouraged you to continue bake. The school held a bunch of bake-offs which you participated in, and everyone fell in love with your food.

Starting junior year of high school, you started selling your baked goods for cheap until you got orders from practically everyone. His family owned a section of a building in the mall for their seasonal work, so they let you use it when they weren't. When Dean became a cop, you made cookies and cupcakes for all the officers in the office.

Being a cop is something you wished Dean didn’t pursue because it’s a very dangerous job, and you’re always worried that he’s not going to come home. He’s mostly a beat cop who does a lot of desk work and will occasionally do the big things like drug busts and hostage situations but those are far in between.

You don’t like it but you know he’s the best person for the job. He’s determined, he loves helping people who can’t help themselves, and he has a passion for the job. Just like you.

Noon comes faster than you think it does, and you start to clean your work space so that when  you return from lunch, you can start with a clean area. Dean walks in through the front door just as you’re finishing up.

“Y/N, Dean is here,” Maria calls from the front.

“Coming!” You put the dirty rags in the small hamper and take off your dirty apron. There is some flour on your clothes but not enough to cause you to not go out in public. That’s the reality of being a baker. You have flour on everything you wear. “Where are we going?”

“Razzio’s.”

“Italian food. Yum,” you giggle. “I’ll be back in an hour.”

“Have fun!” Maria smiles.

Razzio’s is located in the same block as your bakery so you two walk over there. The owner knows Dean from when he stopped a robbery fromt aking place, so now he gets free meals and discounts when he comes in. Dean still pays full price for the food even though Razzio doesn’t always take it.

“Dean! Welcome in!” Razzio greets.

“Hey, Raz. Got a table for me?”

“Of course. Window okay?”

“Perfect.”

Dean likes to try everything on the menu so he has Razzio cook him up something new every week without ordering, and every week, you end up loving what he brings to the table. It’s not unusual for Razzio not to lay menus down for you.

“So, I was thinking this weekend, we can take some time off,” Dean says.

“Like a getaway?”

“Yeah. My family has a cabin up north that I’d love to take you to.”

“It will be nice to relax instead of worrying about what orders I need to prepare for next week.”

“See? Win-win.”

“You’re a dork,” you giggle and kiss him.

Razzio is perfect like always, and you walked away with a free meal. What Razzio doesn’t take, Dean leaves as a tip for him. You walk back to your bakery hand-in-hand with a full stomach and a happy heart. You reach his police car when the radio he has strapped to his shoulder crackles to life.

“Unit 27, I got a 10-31 in progress. All three subjects appear to be armed. Please respond.”

10-31. You’ve been with Dean long enough to know that it’s a robbery. Subjects being armed means they have guns.

Dean grabs the small radio and presses the button to respond back.

“Unit 27 responding.” He turns to you. “I gotta go.”

“Please be careful.”

“Always,” he winks.

He kisses you goodbye and hops into his police cruiser. You watch him peel out of the parking lot before going back inside. It seems like not a lot of people have come in while you were gone so nothing bad happened. You resume your baking in the kitchen and slide in two batches of cupcakes into the oven when the hairs on the back of your neck stand up.

Something isn’t right.

You walk carefully to the closed kitchen door and peer out of the small window to see three men with big guns inside the store. Maria and the other customers huddle together in fear. Are these the three subjects the same ones that the dispatcher was warning Dean about? How did they escape? Why did they come here? Are they looking to steal some food?

You take your phone out and dial Dean’s personal cell and place it to your ear. Pick up, Dean, pick up. Come on, pick up. You get his voicemail because he’s probably busy with the situation he got called away on.

“Dean, I need you here. There are three men with big guns in the bakery. Please hurry. They might be--”

“Hey!”

You look up and lock eyes with one of the suspects. You quickly hang up and duck down but he has already seen you. The man storms into the kitchen and grabs your arm tightly. You’re thrown off balance that your phone is dropped when he drags you out where everyone else is. You don’t struggle to get away in fear of being shot and let them tie you up.

“Are you the owner?” the leader asks. You nod because you have tape over your mouth. “Where’s the money?” You shake your head and he cocks his weapon. “Where’s the fucking money?!”

You mumble something underneath the tape, and one of the them rips it off you.

“Fuck,” you hiss at the pain. “I don’t have a lot of money. You’re wasting your time here.”

“No, you see, I know you have money. I see you leave this store every day with a bag full of it. Where is it?”

“Not here.”

Like hell you’re going to tell them there is a big safe hidden behind a picture frame in the abc with a bunch of cash stored there. You have most of the cash in the bank but you keep a chunk of it here for emergencies only. You’re not going to give them your hard earned money.

“Okay.” The leader points his gun at you and Maria cries where she sits. “You have until the count of three to tell me where the money is or I blow your fucking head off. Deal?”

The fear has sunk in and you start crying not only for you but for everyone else here. MAria is such a good mother and wife, she doesn’t deserve to be killed. Every customer in here has a life, someone they go home to. You cna’t do that to them. You have no idea if Dean got your message so you can’t rely on him to be here and save you.

“One.”

You look up to answer when you spot someone moving behind him. You look and see Dean’s beautiful green eyes looking into yours. He has four other cops with him that snuck in through the back.

“Two.”

He puts a finger to his mouth to tell you to keep quiet, and you look back at the man who is threatening you with a gun.

“Thr--”

“Wait! I’ll tell you!” you gasp.

“I’m waiting.”

“Okay. If I tell you, you let them go. They have nothing to do with this,” you gesture to the other hostages.

“We’ll see. Where’s the fucking money?”

You look behind the three gunmen and notice Dean and the other cops come out quietly with their guns out.

“Right behind you.”

The leader turns right into the barrel of Dean’s gun. He goes to raise his own to fight but notices the other four cops with guns on them. They are outnumbered and they don’t want to die.

“Man, you three were hard to catch. Why’d you come here?” Dean chuckles. “Lower your weapons. All of you. Turn around with hands behind your backs.”

The three men do as they’re told, and three officers put them in handcuffs. Another ones goes over to the hostages and starts to get the out of their ties while Dean rushes over to you.

“Oh, my God, Dean,” you cry.

“I’m right here, baby. You’re okay. You’re safe now.” Once free, you get up and run into his arms. You break down crying and he smoothes down your hair in comfort. “I’m right here. You’re okay now.”

One of the cops calls for backup so that the gunmen are taken away in three separate cars. Paramedics come to check everyone out, and the money that the gunmen took is being processed to return back to its owners.

“Are you okay? Are you hurt?” Dean asks.

“Yeah. They didn’t hurt us. Well, one of them grabbed my arm hard but I don’t think it’s enough to form a bruise. I didn’t think you got my message. I didn’t think you were coming.”

“I will always come. I will always be here to protect you,” he promises.

x

Follow my library blog @aqueenslibrary​​​​​​​​​​​​ where I reblog all my stories, so you can put notifications on there without the extra stuff :)

[lurkingshan]

Notes on Unknown (and Da Ge)

Oh man, I love this show. They are absolutely nailing the dynamics for this trope. The bond between Qian and Yuan is palpable, and the way they interact with each other and with Lili feels very lived in. You can feel the shared history between this little family in every scene.

We got our Sam Lin cameo in episode 3, and I was so happy to see him. We also got a couple additional flashbacks to Qian's history with his mother, so CW again for child abuse this week (you should probably just assume there will be at least mentions of it in every episode of this show). I also liked getting to see some more of Qian's work story with the H.O.T. team, and how Yuan is able to help him.

A note on the adaptation: I have been reading Da Ge this week, the original Priest novel the drama is adapted from, and I'm about halfway through. The major thing to note is that the show has significantly condensed the story. The novel is chronological and their childhoods are more than half the story, but the show has changed the structure to focus on the time when they are adults and Yuan begins to pursue Qian, streamlining their pasts into a two episode backstory. They did this primarily by cutting and combining side characters, blending arcs together, and simplifying a lot of the relationships. I think it's quite well done, and it has affirmed for me that the creators of this show know the story they want to tell. They are making use of the rich material in the novel with some smart changes to make it all work as a 12 episode series.

Notable changes so far from the source material:

They have softened Qian's characterization quite a bit. He's much harsher and more tsundere with his siblings in the novel. There are aspects of his roughness in the show, but it feels gentler.

The whole sequence in episode one where Yuan is kidnapped, Qian fights to get him back, and they have that touching brotherly love moment is original to the show. "If I lose you, I would have nothing left" is the kind of nakedly emotional sentiment you would never hear from the Qian in the novel (though we have enough hints about how he thinks to know he does in fact feel that way). The show adapted a plot that was much more cerebral (in Priest's usual fashion) to give us this more romantic take. They're using some shorthand here to make sure we understand how deep the love between them already runs, and I think it's very effective.

Qian's abuse at the hands of his mother, and the trauma it causes for him, is much more present in the show. I haven't gotten to the adult years yet in the novel, so maybe it will ramp up then, but he doesn't think about her nearly this much throughout his childhood.

In the novel Lili's paternal grandmother is part of the family unit, Qian and San Pang have another friend in the building named Ma Zi, and there are multiple gangster types that Qian gets involved with. The show cut grandma and Ma Zi entirely and blended all these gangsters into one, which I think was the right call.

[roobylavender]

hmm this may interest you, do you have thoughts on this subject matter character-wise or in a meta sense?:

https://www.tumblr.com/thecruellestmonth/740875315694501888/batman-turning-points-3-batman-under-the-red

personally i'm not a fan of bruce's disavowal of fatherhood much for the same reasons that i'm not a fan of his installing the good soldier plaque. these to me are both writing choices driven more by writers' desire to explore theoretical concepts than they are driven by a character study of bruce himself. the concept of robin as an occupation inherently equivalent to child abuse is interesting. the concept of wondering what right a father has to children he has adopted towards that end is interesting. that being said, exploring the former concept didn't necessarily demand eliminating robin altogether. exploring the latter concept didn't necessarily demand bruce completely disavowing himself of any accountability. and ultimately both writing choices ignore that a core aspect of bruce's relationships with the robins was wanting to be a good parent, or at the least a good guardian. certainly something more than a mere ally or friend. he took responsibility for these children because he wanted to help guide them towards a certain path in life where they would no longer be ruled by their trauma the way he was and is by his. allowing them to become robin to that end was obv more than questionable, but all too many writers forget and even go so far as to ignore that bruce knew that. he was well aware of his status as an enabler and he eventually hated himself for it deeply. he felt perpetually guilty and reluctant to ask dick for any support once the latter became an adult bc he didn't want to sanction and (in his mind) effectively require dick to do something that would endanger his life on his own orders. he could realistically never stop dick from pursuing vigilantism, but he could at least refuse to ask dick for that commitment any longer so that dick had complete freedom to make his own choices as to the matter. regardless, bruce had to live with the guilt of having enabled the existence of robin to begin with, and he intended to live with that guilt. it was his closest friend and his primary means of survival

if anything, that to me is precisely why his disavowal of fatherhood doesn't make sense. bruce is a poor communicator and he has a tendency to take upon all burdens at the expense of his loved ones feeling like he no longer values them or their support, but that doesn't negate the fact that he's quite hyperaware of his flaws. he's a far more relentless critic of himself than he is of others, and that stems as much from self-righteousness as it does guilt. he's supposed to be better. he's supposed to set an example. he's supposed to do the right thing. he's supposed to save the whole city even if he's only one person. and so on and so forth. bruce is possessive of highly unrealistic expectations for himself bc he's a ridiculously emotional person trying to tell himself to act like a robot. he repeatedly sets himself up for failure and then when he inevitably fails he kicks himself down like a dog. he is essentially a walking man-child simply because he cares too much and that often leads him to make stupid, emotionally driven choices: like taking random children into his home and teaching them how to channel their emotions through fighting crime, because if it worked for him it might work for them too, esp when they've got the added benefit of his supervision and well-intended (albeit awkward) companionship

all of bruce's circumstances and internalizations and traumas point to him taking what i would term excessive ownership of his crimes. he's a self-made pity puddle because he thinks everything is his fault. dick barely having a life outside of vigilantism is his fault. dick nearly falling to his death is his fault. jason failing to properly process his parental trauma is his fault. jason getting blown up by the joker is his fault. i simply cannot imagine a world where bruce isolates himself from caring or from taking the blame because doing the latter has been his modus operandi for so long. it makes more sense for bruce to disavow fatherhood in the specific context of not wanting to take the place that john and mary or willis and catherine will always occupy; it makes less sense for bruce to disavow fatherhood in the specific context of raising and loving dick and jason as if they were his own. it's very much a you don't have to call me dad but when i call you "chum" i mean "son" situation. he's never one to burden others intentionally (although we obv know this rarely plays out the way he wants it to), rather he intentionally burdens himself. that's precisely what knightfall as an arc is stellar at depicting, regardless of the fact that it coincides with the existence of the good soldier plaque. bruce in the aftermath of jason's death has to blame himself excessively because it's the only way he knows how to cope. i've never understood depictions of his grief with an emphasis on jason's share of the blame bc not only is it classist towards jason, it's also inconsistent with bruce's own character and tendency to believe that every bad thing that happens is his fault. it's why i'm not really a fan of gotham knights #43-45. a death in the family makes it clear that bruce blames himself for not allowing jason to have the space and time to process his trauma properly before throwing him into the suit. allowing him to have hope never even comes into the picture

and i'm not sure if anyone has ever considered this, but the disavowal of fatherhood really confuses me when you remember tim exists. why is bruce's disavowal with regards to jason even necessary when the crux of tim's entry into the mythos is precisely the fact that he isn't someone over whom bruce can similarly exercise responsibility and ownership.. it's far more interesting to explore the tightrope bruce walks with that partnership because he's easily in a place to deny responsibility and yet obv he ultimately can't because despite whatever reluctance he expressed initially, he eventually gave in. the tone of the grant/brefoygle run also helps with depicting that dilemma. we're not primarily privy to the bruce of old anymore, who while quiet and awkward nonetheless expressed a capacity for caretaking. there are remnants of that of course (esp after tim's mother dies). but the bruce of the 90s is more imperious and domineering because he's been hardened by trauma. he delivers grand speeches about vigilantism and justice. he sends tim across the pond because he needs proper training. the fact that they're neighbors and get burgers together sometimes doesn't detract from the physical divide present there because tim is ultimately someone else's son and possessive of a life entirely divorced of what he does in the mask. he can walk away without preamble in a way that dick (at least until adulthood) and jason never could. plenty of writers recognized that and personally i believe it's what made the 90s robin run interesting to read, but i also believe writers retroactively projected the necessity of an emotionally distant bruce to that narrative onto the bruce of old. it was progressively rewritten to be a constant rather than a development in the wake of a highly transgressive event. and unfortunately that's tainted every interaction and/or recollection that he has with/of jason afterward

[ride-thedragon]

Jace is quite aware of his precarious position within the council; he, along with Baela and Rhaena, is largely ignored by the council of old men. Rhaenyra is off visiting Alicent for two weeks following an attempt on her life. Jace knows that the only reason Great Houses are willing to go to war is because they recognize Rhaenyra as the rightful heir to the throne. With Rhaenyra dead/captured/away, Jace is utterly powerless, knowing full well that no one’s going to fight for him while she’s gone. Rhaenyra has thus far pursued a path of peace, despite all the back-and-forth fighting - not fighting. Jace isn't even fighting for his right as Rhaenyra's heir; of course he will fight for her right, but he wants to fight to avenge Luke and protect his family. It is quite sad; both Jace and Luke were painfully aware that they would always be viewed as "dirt"—bastards—in their mother's claim to the throne. The shaky standing as Rhaenyra's heirs. Rhaenyra loves her sons dearly, but her actions and decisions have landed her sons in one hell of a mess.

One conversation that needs to sweep over the fandom is that Rhaenyra, although affectionate and doting towards her children, is very similar to Viserys in the way she doomed them and their inheritance.

But yea. Rhaenyra refuses to acknowledge and entertain the conversation of their bastardy while the realm acknowledges it to every extent they can. It's incredibly isolating. Even with Jace and Luke, he learned not to acknowledge it so he doesn't let Luke, and when Luke does with Rhaenyra, she doesn't address his concerns as valid, which I really unfortunate.

One of my favourite motherhood parallels I haven't seen acknowledged by the fandom is Rhaneyra sending Jace to comfort Baela and Rhaena when he says he has an equal claim to sympathy because Harwin is dead and Alicent telling Helaena she does when she's dismissing her own loss and comparing it.

The fans have this attachment to Rhaenyra’s motherhood that doesn't allow for nuance, and I plan on analysing it soon, but yes to all of this.

Jace is also being both parentified and treated like a child, continuing the same push and pull he has with Rhaenyra throughout their relationship. She'll never answer him, and the writers refuse to address the conflict.

As for Rhaenyra, I think we have to wait and see because I'm glad they're critiquing her in the narrative but not nearly as much as they should. Her hesitancy is costing them, and it's unfortunate that she isn't fairly examined in the narrative outside of misogyny.

[starlightswordfight]

olimar louie headcanon time cracks knuckles

once again going under the keep reading tab because I NEVER stop talking

– okay first off I don't think EITHER of them are working at hocotate freight because they want to. it is VERY clear that neither of them actually care as much about the job as they do their other interests/passions, which leads me to believe that they are quite literally only still there to make ends meet or out of contract obligation. if they could leave they would. something is wrong

– not a hc but I need them to discover what unions are right now. if that doesn't work murder is also acceptable

– i think if olimar thought about it for two seconds he'd use he/they or any pronouns but he has never stopped to consider it since he genuinely does not have any time

– olimar also would have been happier as a biologist maybe. and that was the initial plan! started working at different positions first when he was younger (like hocotate freight) (big mistake) so he could get used to working before moving on to pursue his passions, and ended up just ... never leaving. "i'll just stay one more year" that's the devil talking

– learned sign language (either interstellar or a hocotate specific language/dialect) exclusively for louie. it's surprisingly also observed in the pikmin at times now!! even if they Butcher It with their Tiny Pitiful Hands. they're trying

– his trypophobia just kind of happened. there's no lore centric reason for it being there, it just freaks him out and always has

– will have to avoid things that seem completely unrelated, the worst example being literal condensation sometimes? sees the water droplets line up Not Right and INSTANTLY dies

– stims often, and it's nearly always vocal. a lot of it is talking to himself, or humming!! tries not to Interrupt the pikmin songs but sometimes does, without noticing until they stop and stare at him comically. let the man LIVE

– louie is semi verbal. sign and writing are far, FAR easier for him to communicate with. he does not like talking unless he fucking has to and even then sometimes he can't

– louie would've loved to have gone into the culinary field, and actually started attending school for it! but the environment was incredibly unaccommodating. stressful enough that he didn't feel he had a choice outside of dropping out. tried just starting work right away instead and, turns out, entry level positions in food service are also absolutely awful on hocotate!! fuck!!

– so he's working at a freight company instead. he is rightfully bitter about it

– he didn't actually ever know his parents! he was fully raised by his grandmother. their relationship is .. Mildly Complicated

– okay related to all of the above I think he's so hungry all the time because of stress. that or there may be an underlying medical reason but I am NOT equipped to write or speculate on that

– louie, too, makes art because murder is wrong

[thelovelylolly]

hi there :) i loved your latest Billy fic, it nearly brought tears to my eyes. could you please do a fluff alphabet with Billy ? Thank you 🤍 keep writing, you're so good at this !!!

Fluff Alphabet w/ Billy Hargrove

A/N: aw thank you so much love! i hope you enjoy <3 (also this isn't proofread bc im tired, what else is new lol)

A: Affection (how does he show affection/is he good at it)

He mainly shows it through physical touch or little acts of service. He's not very vocal about his love, he much rather show it. He loves to hold your hand or have an arm around you at all times.

B: Beauty (what does he think makes his s/o beautiful)

While physical looks are a huge part of his attraction towards you, he really loves your personality. He loves the little quirks about you, little things that only come out later on in your relationship. It's almost like he's the only person who knows about those things, and it makes him feel so special.

C: Comfort (how he comforts his s/o after a rough day)

He'd take you out for a drive. He'd let you pick the music to blast from the speakers in the car and let you roll the windows down. He loves to hear you scream the lyrics to your favorite songs and if he knows the song, he'd sing a long, too :)

D: Dreams (what does his dream future with his s/o look like)

He wants a home and kids, but he's terrified he'd become just like his father. He knows if he pursues the family life with you, you would never let him become like his dad, but it's still a fear he'll always have.

E: Equal (is he more dominant or soft in the relationship)

It's Billy, even ooc, he's the dominant one. He doesn't see himself as superior to you in anyway, he just knows what he wants and he's gonna get it, y'know? Your happy to let him take the wheel in the relationship, but you both know that you'd take it back if needed.

F: Fight (how would a typical fight go and how easily would he forgive his s/o)

At the beginning of your relationship, Billy would pick fights over stupid things. You fought back, putting him in his place of course, until the fighting became too much and you sat down with him to talk things out. After that, the fights nearly stop, only happening over serious things.

G: Gratitude (is he grateful for all his s/o does/has done for him)

He's so grateful for you. You helped him cope with the abuse he'd gone through, you were patient with him as he unlearned toxic habits he had because of his dad, you were an angel to him and he will always be grateful for you.

H: Honest (how honest is he to his s/o)

He's pretty honest with you. He only hid and lied about things to you at the start of your relationship, but once his walls come down, he doesn't have anything to hide. He mainly stopped hiding and lying to you because he never wanted to lose you over it.

I: Inspiration (did his s/o inspired him to become a better person)

Yes, 100%. Like before, you helped him cope with the abuse he had gone through. You helped him work on himself to become a better person, a person he would've never become without you.

J: Jealousy (does he get jealous)

Yes, yes, yes. Did I mention yes? He's so scared of losing you that if another guy tries to make a move on you, Billy is by your side in a second to scare the guy away. He knows you wouldn't leave him, but he can never too safe.

K: Kiss (where does he kiss his s/o, where does his s/o kiss him)

He loves to kiss you anywhere, but especially on your lips. While he's kiss other girls on the lips, you were different. Every time he kisses your lips, sparks fly like he's kissing you for the first time again and again. Your favorite place to kiss him is the top of his head. He loves wrapping his arms around you when your standing in front of him while he's sitting, so you would press soft kisses to the top of his head. Just gentle intimacy :)

L: Little ones (how is he with kids)

Not good AT ALL. Unless they're his, he does not like kids. He'd try to put up with other people's kids if your babysitting them or something, but he doesn't like taking care of kids that aren't his. If they are his, he's one of the best dad's out there.

M: Marriage (does he want to get married)

Yes, but I feel like he doesn't want a traditional wedding. If you want one, he'd be down, but I think he'd prefer a courthouse wedding with a small reception with your closest friends afterwords. He doesn't see the point of dropping thousands of dollars on one day, but like I said, if you want a traditional wedding day, he'd be happy with it.

N: Nicknames (what nicknames does he have for his s/o and vice versa)

His go-to pet names are 'babe', 'baby', and 'sweetheart'. He isn't good at making personal nicknames, so he just sticks with the simple pet names. You do the same, usually calling him 'babe' or 'handsome'.

O: On cloud nine (what's he like when he's in love)

When he's in truly and deeply in love, his playboy personality disappears. He's a gentleman and a sweetheart, making sure you know he loves you. At first, he doesn't say it a lot, but after a few months, he'll be saying "I love you" every chance he gets.

P: PDA (is he okay with pda)

He loves PDA. He loves having an arm around you or his fingers intertwined with yours. It's mainly because he wants to tell the world your his s/o and he wants to show you off.

Q: Quirk (a trait of his that makes him a great partner)

When he loves, he loves hard. He's kissing you, cuddling you, hugging you, doing things for you. You name it, he does it. He puts his whole heart into his relationship with you because he adores you and you treat him better than anyone else does.

R: Romance (how romantic is he)

He's romantic, but not in a cheesy way. He does the dinners and flowers, but not only on special days like Valentine's day. He also gets you little gifts no matter the occasion. You spotted something you wanted but didn't end up getting? It's on your bed a few days later with a sweet, short note from Billy.

S: Security (how protective is he)

Jealous AND protective. If he gets a bad vibe from someone, he's immediately finding a reason to get you out of the situation. He'd put himself between you and danger if it ever comes down to it. He puts you before him in a dangerous or uneasy situation.

T: Thrill (does he like new things in the relationship or does he like routine)

He loves adventure, so he likes to try new things. Mainly new date locations and activities to keep things fresh. I have a feeling he wouldn't like going back to the same place over and over again (unless it's your favorite restaurant or date location).

U: Ugly (what are some of his bad traits and does he know about them)

His temper. It's gotten better because you pointed it out to him, but it used to be so much worse. He used to have such a short temper that your arguments would be over stupid little things. It was because that was how he defended himself from his dad, so that's how he reacted whenever he felt threatened or criticize. Luckily, you helped him out and now he's much better.

V: Value (is his relationship his main priority)

YES!!! Billy is head over heels in love with you, of course you and your relationship is his priority! You're basically his entire world <3

W: Wild Card

He likes to be the little spoon when you two cuddle. With your arms around him, it's a reminder that you're there with him and you love him enough to cuddle with him. It's a comfort thing, and you don't mind it at all.

X: XOXO (how often does he kiss, hug, and cuddle with you)

Any chance he gets. He loves his arms around you and his lips on yours. If you need some distance, he'll respect that of course, but physical touch is definitely one of his love languages.

Y: Yuck (something he doesn't like)

Too much complaining. He understands complaining about your day or a person neither of you like, but he doesn't like it when you or anyone is constantly complaining like they're impossible to please.

Z: Zzz (how is he when he sleeps)

Since your relationship started and you two started to sleep in the same bed, he sleeps like a baby. He snores a little bit and tosses, too, but you two are always touching one way or another while you two sleep. After a while, Billy couldn't fall asleep without you with him.

[devilmaywrite]

Chris Redfield, Jake Muller, Carlos Oliviera and Piers Nivans with a shy S/O with little to no experience in romantic relationships headcannon. Reader doesn't have much age difference with the guys. Help a thirsty bitch here.

i've yet to write for resident evil and i haven't played the games in a while so if this is ooc, no it isn't <3 rbs/feedback much appreciated

Jake:

He's never really been in a relationship either. Anything in that realm has likely been kept brief and physical. So he's a little lost when he realizes he has feelings for you. But he's not entirely against pursuing you, it'll just take him a bit to work up the courage.

LOVES that you're shy because it's that much funnier to fuck with you, which he's constantly doing. He loves to tease you, poke at you, mess with your hair, etc etc. But it's all in good fun; he just likes to see you get worked up or flustered.

He's smug and it can seem like he's had years of experience because of his confidence but you'll see him stumble here and there. But he's quick to pick himself back up, most of the time anyway.

He does find some comfort in the fact that you've had little romantic experience. It makes him feel less like a fish out of water. But he'll tease you for this too because it's in his nature.

Dates with Jake are usually low-key and low-budget, not that he’s really in a bad way financially, he just prefers this over more extravagant things since that’s not really his scene. He isn’t much of a romantic though that’s not to say he isn’t loving, in his own way.

Jake is young but still immature for his age. Probably due to the shitstorm that has been his life, as he'd probably put it. So this does pose some issues that you'll have to figure out together but Jake is resistant in admitting the fact that he has flaws he needs to work on. 

He’s also not great in the emotional support aspect at first. It’s not that he doesn’t care, it’s just that he doesn’t really know how to comfort you. On the flip side, he has a hard time coming to you with struggles of his own since he’s used to handling things on his own. So lack of communication and emotional availability are going to be common issues early on in your relationship. 

Chris: 

He's married to the job so he honestly hasn't had too much experience in the realm of romance.

He doesn't have that big of an issue with expressing this though. He figures it's best to at least be semi-transparent about it. So he's willing to try and figure it out with you! He's honestly a little relieved that you're nearly in the same boat as him.

Since you're shy, he tries to take the lead and is pretty successful. He's kind and a gentlemen (or least, he tries to be) and probably quite traditional in this aspect so expect flowers, dinner dates -- the whole nine yards. But with time, he’ll find that he prefers to just have nice date nights at home. He likes the domesticity. 

Once settled in a relationship, it's likely that you're not going to see him often. Since, like I said, he's married to the job and likely not willing to retire any time soon. 

He has a whole plethora of issues (alcoholism at some points, betrayals, his life basically being a horror movie, etc) and this can often cause a lot of problems within your relationship that he's not quite sure how to handle it since he's had little experience so this is something that you'll, again, have to figure out together. Not that he’s asking you to fix him but your support and patience is much appreciated.

He is much better with communication than Jake is but not perfect by any means. He also struggles with coming to you for emotional support at first. But he overcomes this as he gets more comfortable with you. He’s a little more apt to get physical when you need comfort; he usually just defaults to bear hugs since he’s not always the best with words. 

Carlos:

Probably has the most experience out of the 4. Nothing too long term but enough to be confident in this aspect. So he’s happy to take the lead and help you figure things out. 

Finds your shyness rather endearing and will tease you about it as well, lovingly of course. But he does try to encourage you to come out of your shell. He’s never aggressive or pushy about it though, he’ll go at your pace.

He does encourage you to be vocal about your wants and needs if that’s something you struggle with since he’s not a mind-reader, and the absolute last thing he wants to do is overstep a boundary and/or make you uncomfortable. 

Carlos is a romantic at heart and he’s a big goof, so expect some cringe-worthy but endearing jokes and pick-up lines. Dates with him are never too extravagant since that’s not really his thing either but they’re intimate and well thought out. Most of the time anyway. He also counts ordering in and watching shitty action movies a date. 

He’s more emotionally available than the two mentioned above but he’s obviously not without his flaws. He’s been through a lot and he’s trying to work through it so your support is appreciated. He’s much more communicative as well and wants there to be a mutual support system, so he’s more inclined to be vulnerable with you and he wants you to do the same. 

Piers: 

Another one that’s married to the job. He’s never had much of a chance to really explore romantically since he’s always put most of his focus into either the military or the BSAA. He’s just never really had time for it but then he met you. So he made time. 

Piers is a little shy about this himself due to his inexperience but he tries his best to open and honest about his intentions with you. Which are, of course, nothing but the best. 

He also finds your shyness endearing and will tease you about it here and there but he isn’t too mean. But he’s also extra protective of you because of it. Like Carlos, he’ll encourage you to come out of your shell and to communicate with him if that’s something you struggle with. He’d hate to accidentally make you uncomfortable. 

Also a communication king. He’s straightforward and level-headed so there’s not much that you can’t just talk out with him. 

Piers is a little on the cheesier side, much to your surprise. But he’s a sweetheart. He’s more inclined to take you simpler dates, maybe to a more secluded restaurant or café. You’ll likely end up finding a special spot that is often the default for the two of you. Though he’ll spice it up here and there. 

[johnslittlespoon]

ok okokk i may be pushing it but i just cant stop picturing barry circa 2012 with leaving!bucky. i just feel like theyd have the cutest dynamic ever. he gives art student vibes like maybe hes studying film or literature. theyre childhood bestfriends and maybe they were eachother's homoerotic-codependent-friendship canon event. UGHH theyd be so cute stfuu. and maybe bucky and gale are already established and curt is just yearning for a whileee like over a year of slow burn until the three of them are a throuple... idk i just miss curtbuckbucky. you dont have to change your canon for the long fic i just needed to share this idea lmfao

au post | NO ur not pushing it this is such fun world building teehee <33 genuinely this is gonna help me later for drafting! (FUCK MY LIFE HOW IS THIS 2K WORDS. i thought i only had a few thoughts... i was so wrong. my bad chief. enjoy/suffer ig)

ok so this is so funny because i've actually been thinking ab how sweet those two would be together, cute little nerdy besties, and how they'd meet because of course curt has to be in this fic!!

and the first thing my mind went to was the cliche homoerotic codependent friendship trope too LMAO. i'm feeling like maybe they meet on the first day of highschool; neither of them share their english class with any friends, and they end up sat next to each other, and john keeps side–eyeing him because curt looks... interesting. (ie: deep into his emo phase. the fringe. the smudged eyeshadow. chipped black nail polish, band shirts– all things john does not let him live down as they grow up.)

but his eyes settle on some pin on curt's jacket that has some character from his favourite movie or something, and the yap jumps out, john can't control it. blurts out a "you like ___ too?!" and curt's head snaps over and he nods nervously and john takes one look at those big sad charcoal–ringed blue puppy eyes and is like yup. this is the one. will protect with my life.

(tiny headcanon that rly won't have a big effect on plot or anything, but i feel like it just fits very well with john/his character in leaving– dude's got madddd undiagnosed adhd. he's written off as a loud mouth/troublemaker in his childhood, but he wants to be a good kid, his mind is just always going too fast and sitting still is torture and his parents get frustrated and don't look into the root of the problem, trying to discipline it out of him instead. i will heal my inner child by healing him alright)

they're attached at the hip from that moment on and it makes sense to no one because they seem like complete opposites, curt more inclined towards the arts and bookish things and his friends are all the same, whereas john is more inclined towards athletics and science and hangs around that type of crowd as well. but they both love video games and movies and music and they bond over never really feeling like they fit in anywhere particular and both groups of friends get along just fine when they all get together. <3

but yk time goes on, they learn things about themselves as they grow up, and curt and john are so close and spend so much time together that they're already a lot closer than regular friends– they just don't realize it. they think nothing of cuddling up on the couch watching movies together, or sharing a bed when john stays over at curt's place after he gets into a fight with his parents, or being much more interested in spending time together than pursuing girls.

and curt's pretty– john nearly mistakes him for a girl that first day they meet. the summer before their senior year, john practically spends the whole summer at curt's house, and curt's mom doesn't mind; she works long hours and is glad her son isn't spending the summer moping around indoors alone, and she loves john and gets the feeling that her home is a sanctuary for him. one day they're in the backyard lazing around, and they get onto the topic of first kisses, and neither of them have had a proper relationship outside of those classic week–long middleschool flings that don't actually mean anything, so there's not much to talk about.

but being dumb teenage boys, they start worrying about "what if we're really bad at kissing and no girls wanna go with us to senior prom this year" etc. and one of them pops the suggestion of practicing together, and thus begins a summer of sweet stolen kisses and hand holding and experimenting and dancing around calling it something. it ends when the summer does because they realize that they both work better as friends, but they're as close as ever and both definitely learn they aren't straight (and they probably make a cute pact– "if we aren't in love by the time we're thirty, we'll just marry each other.")

i don't see them really doing much together because they're young and shy and inexperienced, but it's enough for john to decide that yeah, he definitely likes guys too, but that's all that really amounts to (until he meets gale) because he's growing up in a small town in wisconsin and it's not the easiest/most accepting place to find other queers. john probably ends up dating a real sweet girl during his last year of highschool, but she's going away for college and john's going to a local one so it ends amicably at the end of summer, both of them staying close friends. (if we wanna get sickeningly wholesome, maybe she ends up pining for a girl while john's pining for gale and they share their little stories and give each other advice and facetime every week to catch up <3)

(++ curt ends up falling head over heels for ken, who he meets through john when curt and john's friend groups get together for movie nights or summer parties. john pretends to be annoyed at how lovesick they are when they first start crushing, but he ends up matchmaking and being the one to push them to confess their feelings after graduation because he loves his friends.)

BUT THEN, leaving this fic's 'canon' to elaborate on the throuple stuff you said! i miss curtbuckbucky too </3

in a separate universe, curt doesn't end up with ken, and as much as he loves his friendship with john and agrees that a relationship wouldn't have worked at that time in their lives, he spends that first year of college pining. when john starts talking about some guy named gale during their second year, he's a little sad, but mostly protective, because "what do you MEAN he's in his 30s??" and "he's a BIKER?"

but john eventually introduces him to gale after a few months of telling curt about him, probably once he and gale actually start seeing each other, and curt immediately gets it. and then he's in double–hell because not only is he a bit (a lot) in love with his best friend, but he's blushing every time said best friend's new bf talks to him, and they're gonna notice eventually if they haven't already and he feels so guilty.

more yearning ensues and john is dense and doesn't realize but gale picks up on it, maybe even notices john doing a bit of pining of his own that john's not fully aware of. and his heart twists because his mind goes to his own insecurities about how john should be seeing someone his own age, so he sits john down and opens up a conversation about it. john is adamant that he's very, very happy with gale, but he tells gale about his and curt's past and admits that he has always still had feelings for him, but insists that it's not something he'd ever pursue, that he values curt's friendship more.

gale throws him off by saying he wouldn't mind if john wanted to explore those feelings, and at first john gets anxious gale is calling things off with the two of them and this is his way of softening the blow, but gale reassures him that's not the case, that he's very happy with their relationship. he just encourages that if he wants to talk to curt and feel things out, he wouldn't be opposed to john and curt seeing each other as well– gale's often busy, after all, so it would be nice for john to have someone else, as long as curt's comfortable with that kind of arrangement and as long as john keeps gale in the loop.

they decide to kinda just feel it out as they go, but soon enough gale starts coming home from work every so often to find the two of them curled up on his couch together, sweet and innocent. curt's wary at first, always slightly detaching himself from john when gale's around, but gale is always friendly and doesn't change up his routine, settling on the couch at john's other side like it's not a big deal at all, wanting to show curt he's welcome there, not wanting john to feel guilty.

it's another scenario where lines just sorta start to blur over time, curt spending a lot of time over at gale's house, and gale sees the way curt looks at him, probably noticed it from the first time they met but chalked it up to nerves at the time. curt's an angel and he's grown quite fond of him, but he doesn't want to overstep, so he leaves it up to curt, thinking maybe the boy will mention it to john one day and john will in turn come to gale to talk about it.

and eventually that happens, just like gale thought it might. curt's just gone home and john's head is in his lap on the couch while they watch tv, and john asks "what do you think about curt?" and gale tells him that he's sweet and he loves how much john smiles when he's around him, the usual. "so you like him?" john pushes, and gale immediately has a feeling where this conversation is going, drags his eyes away from the tv to look down at john.

says "of course" easily, and lets john take his time forming his thoughts. john ends up telling him that he and curt were fooling around earlier while gale was at work (and god help gale for the images that puts in his head) and that he'd made some offhand comment about how curt better hurry up if he doesn't want gale to come home and catch him half naked on their couch. and john's all shy when he says "and curt, uh. y'know. that... did it for him" with a vague gesture LOL. gale never fails to find it amusing how certain things can fluster john to talk about after all they've done together.

"so, anyway. i asked him about it after, if it was a coincidence, and he was real shy about it, but he did admit after a whole lot of apologizing that he likes you." gale listens to him nervously get his words out, petting his hair encouragingly, waits for him to be done before he asks "how do you feel about that?" only to watch the flush return when john mumbles "it's hot."

this is getting sooo long i need to take away my own typing privileges, but basically that's how things would start between the three of them– john and gale agree that gale will let himself be a bit flirty with curt and see how curt takes it. obviously this goes a little too well when curt gets hot and bothered sat between john and gale during a movie night with john's hand on his knee and gale's arm resting on the couch behind him while he plays with curt's hair.

the movie is forgotten when gale's finger catches on a tangled curl and curt doesn't bite back the little whine that slips out in time and john's head snaps over and he mumbles a "fuck" when he realizes what's happened, and his lack of filter comes out to play when he turns to curt and asks "curt, can gale kiss you?" and curt turns to gale with big doll eyes and nods.

john ends up palming himself over his shorts as he watches gale coax curt into his lap, face hot and pupils blown as he gets to see both his guys make out in front of him, almost dizzy seeing curt get so shy and needy and pliant because when it's just the two of them, he and curt are both very balanced in their dynamic. they've been such close friends for so long that not much gets the other truly shy like that, and they're always quick to voice their wants and crack jokes while fooling around and all. so to see curt get so flustered in that way with gale has him lightheaded, and by the time they all collapse into gale's bed at the end of the night, john's convinced this is the best decision he's ever made.

there's a lot of pining on curt's end because for a while it's kinda just sex when it's the three of them, and he loves it but he also finds himself wanting more but feeling too scared to voice it because he feels like he's intruding. but eventually they all get their shit sorted out; curt fits into their relationship just right in a way gale and john never intended or expected, and gale falls for curt just as much as john has and curt does the same with gale.

gale's got two sweet things glued to his side now and man, do they ever give him a run for his money, and if he'd thought john had too much energy (and stamina) it's nothing compared to keeping up with both of them, but he wouldn't have it any other way. <3

throuple things won't be happening in the actual fic, but i do love the idea of exploring the dynamic the three of them might have in a spin–off of that au so this was rly fun thx :-) maybe i'll write a pwp oneshot set in that universe as an excuse to write more curtbuckbucky once the fic is done LOL we'll see!

[fortuna-et-cataclysmos]

I have just watched Determination in the light of Derision and I have some retrospective analysis to make. See, this whole season, I have been trying to understand Marinette's behaviour in s5, and after Derision, everything is starting to fit together.

In Determination, Adrien asks Marinette to meet him at the Grévin Museum, because his feelings have changed and he wants to further explore what that means. Marinette is now aware that there is some romance developing between her and Adrien. She should be thrilled, right? That's everyone's reaction, but she is worried, scared.

When she opens up about her worries to Luka, she basically says two things:

That when she is in love, she does foolish things and she is afraid of being in love because of that

That she isn't sure about her feelings for Adrien anymore, explicitely questioning whether she truly knows Adrien

Before Derision, I always thought that Marinette's reservation from being in couple with Adrien was because of what happened in Risk and how her love for him was making her do foolish things. That's what she kept repeating, to Luka, to Alya, to herself, after all.

But there was one thing that really disturbed me about this explanation: then why was she finally embracing her romantic affection for Chat in that very same episode? Wasn't love turning her into a fool? Hadn't she convinced herself many times before that love was harmful to Ladybug's mission and that she cannot be in love with anyone, ever? Didn't she break up with Luka because of that?

And the fact that her feelings blossoming for Chat Noir in this episode nearly caused their defeat not once, but twice, was the icing on the cake (once when the wax Chat Noir manipulates her, and the second time when Chat gets captured and she thoughtlessly jumps to save him, hence getting captured herself). It is obvious that harbouring feelings for Chat Noir is distracting her as much as having them for Adrien, then why still embrace them? Why decide that she is in love with Chat the same episode that she has cold feet of being with Adrien?

Things didn't add up, and I was getting frustrating with the writing for being so inconsistant in Marinette's feelings and behaviour.

Then, Derision came out. Suddenly, we have a very strong backstory of Marinette, the kind we never had before. And everything fell into place.

In Derision, we learned of Marinette's trauma with confessing to Kim, and how she later on swore to never let herself fall in love with someone before she knows them fully, and to never trust someone who is Chloé's friend again.

Cue to the second worry she shared with Luka in Determination: that she may not know Adrien as well as she think she does. He is Chloé's friend after all, isn't he? What if he ends up treating her the way Kim did? (I have another post dedicated to this if you're interested)

The parallel between Kim and Adrien is too much for Marinette. We tend to underplay the impact of traumas, because they make us feel weak, stupid. Why would she be so impacted by a stupid prank, right? Facing the truth that Chloé and Kim's prank did a real number on her, to the point of making her scared of being in a relationship with Adrien is too much for Marinette to handle. Especially after pursuing him for nearly a year.

So what does she do? She finds another reason to not be in love with Adrien. A rational one. Like, how being in love makes her do stupid things, so she must not be in love with Adrien for the sake of Ladybug's mission.

This justification does have truth in it: she does feel guilty about prioritising Adrien over her mission while under the effect of Risk. But that's not the main reason she is trying to distance herself from Adrien. If it were, it would have also been valid in the case of Chat Noir. The same reason would have also pushed her to deny her feelings to Chat Noir. It doesn't. To the contrary, in the same episode she denies her feelings for Adrien, she embraces those for Chat Noir.

Why? Why Chat Noir? To quote Alya in Passion:

You find yourself a new lover the moment Adrien starts to have feelings for you. Coincidence? I think not. I think you may be running away from your feelings.

Chat Noir is the perfect go-to crush for Marinette, someone to funnel all that affection she holds for Adrien because: 1) she trusts him a lot, even though she doesn't know who is behind the mask. Chat has proven again and again that he'll be there for her, even at her worst. So he is a safe choice - minus Luka. But she never loved Luka the way she loves Adrien, did she? I assume not. Which brings me to a hypothetical 2); in an unconscious level, maybe she recognises that Adrien and Chat Noir are similar, interchangeable even. I wonder why 🙄

So she ends up replacing her dreams and love for Adrien with Chat Noir. But as I mentioned before, this doesn't solve any of her worries. For one thing, loving Chat Noir distracts Ladybug just as critically as Adrien does. Ladybug's failures in Determination is proof of that. But also, replacing Adrien with Chat Noir doesn't address her worries concerning her trauma and trust issues either: she is worried that she may not know Adrien fully because he is friends with Chloé, but she is uncomfortable with loving Chat Noir because after all, she can never know who truly is behind the mask.

As such, when we see Marinette break down at the end of Determination under the rain, we hear her say:

It's a catastrophe. I think I am falling in love.

She is looking at a poster of Chat Noir as she is saying that, but she never completes her sentence to say "I think I am falling in love with Chat Noir." Because the issue here is not Chat Noir, per se, it is the fact that she is falling in love despite herself, again. And with someone who conflicts her just as much as Adrien, again. She does realise that things aren't getting better for her, that loving Chat Noir won't be the resolution to her romantic anxiety she so desperately seeks.

Still, in the later episodes (like Elation), we see her managing to ignore the bad feelings her experience with Kim has left her, and letting herself love freely Chat Noir, even if for one night. That's a real success, if you ask me. She is willing to accept that the past is in the past for both her anxieties and focus instead on what she wants in the present. But the poor girl just can't get a breather.

In Elation, the Monarch nearly akumatises her, reminding her that when she is in love she is weak and prone to mistakes - see worry number one she shares with Luka.

And everyone, including the freaking supervillain, is telling her that she is ought to be Adrien, hence remind her all the worries she has concerning not knowing him well enough, and exacerbate her fear of repeating her trauma.

Consequently, at the end of Elation, she gets depressed. She can't love Adrien, she can't love Chat Noir. She is entangled in two worries, one stemming from being Ladybug and the other from her past as Marinette, and she can't see the light at the end of the tunnel. She now also knows that trying to stop loving someone just doesn't work, because she tried it before, and failed. What else can she do? She is stuck. Up until, to the Kwamiis Choice, which I must also rewatch before analysing further lol. But that's the gist of it.

[dramioneasks]

Christmas Fics 2023 (Part 6):

Warm For Christmas by MidnightPhilosopher - T, one-shot - Head Girl Hermione suddenly finds herself without plans for Christmas break during her eighth year at Hogwarts. Head Boy Draco doesn't have any plans either. Neither wants to stay in the cold castle for the holiday. So they run away.

Sounds Worth It by RoseHarperMaxwell - T, one-shot - The first time Draco seeks her out at the hospital is a crisp October day, which happens to be the six-month anniversary of her divorce. “Hello,” says Hermione, glancing up from her paperwork. “Draco. Can I…help you?” He’s well put together, dropping gracefully into the chair across from her desk without invitation. “Yes. I’m in need of medical attention.” “I see.” Hermione does not, in fact, see. This is quite unorthodox. There’s a triage procedure and rarely does it result in patients coming to her office. “Tell me more.” Five times Draco fakes an ailment as an excuse to visit Hermione, and one time he doesn't. D/Hr Advent 2023 🎄

A Family of Their Own by MarinaJune - T, one-shot - Draco is at St. Mungo's with minor injuries and Hermione means to go pick him up, except a certain little boy catches her on her way out.

grey clouds and cocoa cups. by crownedgrief - T, one-shot - “—I’ll fill your plate at every meal. I’ll carry you to every class. I’ll make sweet, sweet love to you every night.” Madam Pomfrey doesn’t ask how Draco’s face suddenly comes to be broken out in pus-filled hives. Hermione doesn’t offer any explanation beyond “he really should be more careful, Madam Pomfrey, don’t you think?” to which Draco responds with two fingers flipped up. - Hermione and Draco falling in love slowly.

Walking In A Winter Wonderland by potterhead25919 - E, WIP - Hermione Granger Portkeyed into France. Or what she thought was France until she looked around, pushing the hair being whipped around out of her face. Everything was blanketed in layer upon layer of snow, giving it an innocent, serene look. Trees stretched for miles, surrounding one solitary cabin. Well, the word cabin might have been an understatement. It looked like someone made the smallest mansion, at least 7000 square feet by the looks of it, and then dropped it in the middle of nowhere, sticking out like a sore thumb. Since she didn't have anywhere to go because technically she should be in a warm villa with Harry and Ginny for the holidays, she started the trek on foot to the front of the "cabin." When she reached the front door, she knocked twice, praying someone would be there. In the meantime, she cast a warming charm and huddled under the front stoop. A series of locking noises could be heard from the other side, and finally, a head peaked out of the door. A blond head, with silver eyes and a surprised expression on her face. "Granger?" Draco Malfoy stood in the doorway, looking very confused.

Penguins, Pebbles, and Other Reasons to Pursue Unemployment by mightbewriting - T, one-shot - “Is that…shit? On my desk?” Granger doesn’t so much as look up from her mountain of teetering parchments at Draco’s question. Her hair: frazzled. Her frown: ominous. The energy in their shared office: frantic. “Penguin shit,” she says. “Specifically, it’s penguin shit.” [In which a penguin-themed mishap at the Ministry nearly costs Draco his sanity.]

Family Christmas by Eldyra - K, one-shot - Draco and Hermione are married and just had their first child. Everything is perfect. Well, almost everything. With Christmas around the corner, can the complicated relationship with Draco's parents be salvaged? Are Lucius and Narcissa willing to overcome their prejudice now that they're grandparents?

A Perfect Christmas by cleotheo - T, one-shot - When Hermione's plans to host Christmas hit a snag, her husband, Draco steps in to give his wife the perfect Christmas she'd been so looking forward to. Fluffy, Dramione festive one shot.

To the future by Lunapon - not rated, one-shot - A very short story about Hermione’s eighth year at hogwarts which is filled with old friendships and new acquaintances, with Christmas just around the corner.

All Wrapped Up by Nusilverwolf - E, one-shot - She wanted him. This aggravating, arrogant, arsehole. This handsome, hypnotic, hopeless fool. “Granger, please.” Draco begged, head tilted back to expose the flush spread across his cheekbones and the lust in his eyes, “Just unwrap me.”

Snow On Snow by ifyouwereamelody - M, one-shot - “Alright, listen up, folks! Snow’s really coming down now, and I’m sorry to be saying it but the pass in’t safe to use. Looks like we’re all stuck here ‘til it can be cleared. That’s gonna be tomorrow at the earliest.” The rest of the pub breaks out into chatter, but Hermione just sits there, muted, struck dumb in more ways than one with not a thought in her head other than oh... god. All Hermione was looking for was a nice, Christmassy evening with Ginny in Britain's highest pub. Instead, she gets an ex, a snowstorm, and a whole heap of buried emotions brought back to the surface. Wrap up — there's a blizzard on the way.

In Perpetuity by loafy531 - M, one-shot - Hermione brings Draco to Christmas at the Burrow as her fake boyfriend. Christmas fluff with a side of post-divorce angst. “Who says you need to be your old self at all? How about, just be the version of yourself you are right now. Are we not perpetually destroying and reinventing ourselves with each passing moment? It’s practically the human condition, Granger. And anyway, who is he to say what, or who, is and isn’t right for you—Hermione Granger— the woman who single-handedly saved the wizarding world. Some nerve.”

Is That Mistletoe? by ohthedrarrydrabbles (ohthedrarry) - G, one-shot - Christmas Day arrives at Hogwarts with the sound of Draco trying, and failing, to win a war against an artificial Christmas tree in the Head Boy/Girl shared dormitory. Hermione is charmed to say the least.

[oh-hell-help-me]

Day 13: Feral

The whispering was new.

Then again, after the spectacle they made in front of everyone in that facility, Bowser wouldn’t doubt that they became the number one topic for gossip.

It would have pissed him off, but…

Looking down at Luigi, who is now adorably burrowed into his arms in embarrassment, he finds it an acceptable consequence.

After coming back to the castle, and secluding themselves in an unused office, Bowser and Luigi had a talk.

Neither said ‘I love you’, exactly, but they also didn’t deny it either.

It was…

For Bowser, he had his revelations only a few days ago, and…

He didn’t want to fuck up one of the best relationships he had.

Bowser is extremely aware of his past relationship history, like with Peach -especially with Peach.

And now, confronted with feelings for Luigi?

Luigi, who has been on the other side of his wrath for years?

Luigi, who has recently become Bowser’s friend in spite of that past?

Luigi, who is one of the few outside his family who gave him the chance to be ‘Bowser, the Koopa’ instead of ‘Bowser, the fearsome Koopa King’?

Out of everyone, and everything he treasured, Bowser is unprepared and unwilling to jeopardize what he has now.

And then there's Luigi's own feelings.

Their talk was... awkward, around that.

It's not that he didn't feel the same way (even more so, to Bowser's surprise), or that he doesn't want to pursue a relationship (he does), but that there is the undeniable fact that they are still two idiots in...

Well, the fact neither of them is sure enough (or brave enough) to say 'it' was everything in a nutshell.

But honestly?

Even if it doesn't work out the way they wanted, their agreement to take it slow -to take a terrifying chance- had also felt like the best decision they've made.

(And Bowser didn't need to hear it from Luigi, not when his soft eyes looked at him -really looked at him- and still regarded him with an affection that left Bowser burning.)

Still, the fact that 'the whispers' followed them back home is… odd.

They weren’t even distinct whispers, which was strange in itself considering his relatively great hearing. And it's not even their indescribability that has him unsettled.

It was that they occurred even when no one was there.

At first, Bowser assumed that maybe some other ambassadors or nobles have taken to following them. Or that the Koopalings have gotten curious about the new development. It wouldn't be the first time.

Except...

His- well, Luigi has also noticed. Sometimes, it was even before he heard them.

And the kicker? The big, RED FLAG that had Bowser's scales flare and his lungs fill with angry smoke?

Apparently, Luigi has been feeling watched for days.

Almost a full week.

The fact nearly sent Bowser into a higher plane of fearful rage.

And the only reason that the castle hadn't experienced an indoor volcanic eruption via Bowser was because of Luigi-

Because, even as the human told him this, he clung to Bowser in trembling fear- seemingly imploding in guilt as he sobbed out that he didn't think it was real- that he had doubted himself enough to think it was his own "stupid" paranoia.

Bowser... deflated, at that.

Never mind Luigi's lacking self-preservation (even to the human's protest that it works 'fine'), Bowser knew the Green Bean enough to understand that he can doubt himself enough to believe his own lies.

However, it wasn't enough to really quell the urge to physically blow up the castle, and without any outlet, well...

The Koopa's quirk of biology decided to act up.

Before either of them could really register it, Bowser's head darted forward- jaws wide (and definitely scaring Luigi) before clamping down-

And picking up the human by the back of his overalls.

The events afterward could be remembered in a distantly hazy way, much like every other time it happened to Bowser.

Intellectually, he could say that he had taken the Green Bean to his chambers, refusing to let him out of his mouth until he trashed his bed to make a nest with the materials in the back corner of the bedroom.

He could also say that he remembers firmly burying the human into it before quickly making his way out of the room and clearing the path toward the rest of the Royal Wing.

He knows that he had plodded into each bedroom of the Koopalings, trampling whatever was in his way to gently pick them up by their respective tails and making his way back to the nest where he also buried them into.

(He also, vaguely, remembered seeing the kids exchange words with Luigi in equal parts exasperation and concern. Had he been in his normal mindset, he would have been chuffed to hear Luigi describe him as 'feral'.)

He remembers, more clearly, that he had practically scared away every soldier in the chamber's vicinity, taking exception to Kamek poofing in to try to talk to him- and having the wizard quickly catch on to what's happening the moment Bowser tries to scruff him.

(He does, in the end, get him to the nest after the Magikoopa placed visible barriers in the Royal Wing's perimeter.)

Bowser would embarrassingly remember that he had fussed over everyone he brought in, nudging them closer to the middle before curling around them protectively.

It wasn't until every other occupant of the makeshift nest fell asleep that Bowser calmed down enough to snap out of it...

And then go into a dead stare of realization.

"Fuck."

This is going to be a problem.

[delucadarling]

Extremely self-indulgent Barbie/Felix rambling ahead

It took me a while to really get through the F route, because they're written so young, and Barbie would certainly consider herself too old for him, along with the fact that I found them...almost a little too opposite in personlity. I did find a way for their dynamic to work though, particularly after Holiday Magic (Barbie and Felix bond deeply over their shared enthusiasm for Christmas).

But also, one of the last asks Mishka answered had me realizing there is a bit of drama to be had in the F romance, at least where Barbie is concerned. She's a bit gun shy of starting a relationship (I like envisioning her as a divorcee who far prefers single life to being married to her ex-husband) but very much enjoys casual dating and casual sexual relationships. Meanwhile, Felix is very gun shy of having sex too early in a relationship, only to be discarded afterward. Which...is exactly what Barbie wants! Not that she intends to discard Felix, but she doesn't have any intentions of pursuing a relationship with him. He's too young and has a lot of growing up to do in her eyes.

I kind of like the conflict that could happen between them in that way. Felix pursues Barbie because he likes her, he wants to date her, but Barbie (gently) rebuffs his attempts. She's got a job to do, he's young, he's flighty, given enough time he'll find another pretty person to chase after. His charm does work though, and Barbie's walls crack a bit. She's willing to give him a chance.

Then, once she does decide to date him, he's not nearly as physically open as she hoped/expected. She wants to sleep together right away, but he sort of recoils whenever she makes steps in that direction. It puts her on her back foot a bit, because what the heck? Doesn't he want her? Wasn't he wooing her for weeks/months?

He explains that he only wants to have sex in a deep, long term relationship. Barbie pulls back at that point, because she just ended a deep, long term relationship that sucked the soul of her and wasn't at all fulfilling. She's just not willing to do that again, especially when she still isn't really taking Felix as seriously as he deserves.

So it's a lot of on again off again, because as much as they both see the relationships they want from one another aren't compatible, they also can't really stay away from one another. The feelings are there, which Felix KNOWS and finds so frustrating, while Barbie's just deny deny deny.

[puts them in the washer on heavy duty]

[deconstructthesoup]

Fantasy High Adventure Time AU

And I am back at it again with the self-indulgent nonsense...

Okay, so, yeah, this started with my post where I noticed the stark similarities between Marceline and Fig. Which, of course, sent my ADHD brain spiraling, and I decided to actually COMMIT to this.

Also, fair warning, this isn't gonna be neat and organized like my others, this is just gonna be *wall of incoherent text*. If I could draw, this would be entertaining, but, uh... YEP!

*clears throat*

So... Fabian and Kristen are the only two humans living in Ooo, and while they both arrived on its shores in different circumstances, the two of them were both taken in by a goblin family who'd left the goblin kingdom and taken up residence in one of the destroyed cities. Eventually, the two set off on their own, along with their adoptive brother Riz, to pursue a life of adventure and heroism just outside of the Candy Kingdom.

All of them have pretty different motives for going into the hero business, though it mostly comes back to just wanting to stick with each other. Fabian's in it for the adrenaline rushes and the glory, Riz is in it for the detective skills and putting bad guys away, and Kristen's just in it to help others out. Riz is, of course, the braincell amongst the three of them, and he's usually there on the sidelines rubbing the bridge of his nose while his siblings are getting themselves tangled in romantic subplots.

The three of them mostly answer to Adaine, aka Princess Buttercream---a girl who was mutated into a candy person after nearly dying in the aftermath of the Great Mushroom War, and has since built herself a kingdom dedicated to peace, learning, science, magic, and sweets. She's incredibly intelligent (and, unlike Bonnie, actually has a lot of interest in magic) and a very capable ruler, but she does occasionally get herself into scrapes---so, it's a good thing she's got three intrepid heroes watching her back.

Not too far away from where Fabian, Kristen, and Riz live is the Thistlespring residence, where their friend Gorgug lives---a shy half-giant who has a passion for tinkering and dreams of adventuring, but is held back by his fear of his giant fury taking him over. The heroes still visit him constantly and encourage him to try as best as he can, eventually giving him the confidence he needs to start making his own path---and to finally ask out the girl he likes.

Another close friend of the heroes is Figeroth the Demon Queen, a devil-may-care rock star with powers that come straight from the Nightosphere. She, too, remembers what life was like before the Great Mushroom War, but she doesn't really think back on it as much as she maybe should. Fig and Adaine are best friends, and have been since they met in the wastelands of the ruined planet... though their relationship's been a little bit strained as of late, mostly due to Fig's long-ago breakup with the former princess of the Fire Kingdom and the current librarian of Wizard City. Adaine's been trying to get them back together, and while Fig and Ayda are talking again... there's still a while to go.

The Candy Kingdom is constantly under attack by the Ice Queen, who at the start of the story just appears to be a wicked witch who plans on imprisoning Adaine and taking over Ooo... a witch that, unfortunately, Fabian has a bit of a thing for. But after some digging, Fabian, Kristen, and Riz find out that the Ice Queen is actually Adaine's older sister Aelwyn, who's been driven mad by a crown that their father had uncovered in the days of the Mushroom War. Aelwyn has forgotten almost everything---including her best friend and girlfriend, Sam Nightingale---but she still dimly remembers her connection to Adaine, even if Adaine was too young to fully remember her. (Oh, yeah, also, Aelwyn's, like, twelve years older than her in this.)

This is all I really have so far, though I've got a couple other snippets---Ragh also starts out as an antagonist but grows into a solid ally and Fabian's love interest, Tracker and Jawbone are part of a group of werewolves who are descended from some of the original humans, Ostentasia is an LSP equivalent---but, yeah, this is all I can get out right now.

...I gotta go to bed.