#that sounds like a childrens book lmfao

[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

this is how it feels to chew 5 gum being a barnaby/howdy enjoyer. im Unwell

[transmutationisms]

for tiktok and its impact on the brain, i think the problem is mainly young children whose brains arent fully developed. but for adults using tiktok definitely doesn't alter anything in ur brain. but it can change the way you understand entertainment. like for ppl who watch a lot of movies and dont read a lot and then say they have trouble finishing a book

oh my god how are we still doing this in 2023. 1. citation needed 2. yr brain never 'finishes developing', not at 18 or 25 or 30 or ever, it's a dynamic organ throughout yr entire life so good news! you can't actually calcify it by watching a tiktok no matter how old you are 3. citation needed 4. who the fuck cares if someone prefers watching movies over reading books lmfao please unpack for me why that's concerning to you without invoking reactionary theories about intelligence or degenerate art 5. you sound like any generic reactionary fearmongering about the need to protect the children and cloaking it in a thin veneer of pop neurosci doesn't change that 6. citation fucking needed

[analogwriting]

Childhood Crush

Chapter 11: Zinc

Killer x gn!reader word count: 2.7k a/n: ngl, i rewrote this like three times lmfao next

“You know, when I invited you to stay for dinner, that doesn’t meant you had to make it,” Myra said with a small laugh as she sat at the table with you and her daughter. You were currently serving up some food. “What are these called, y/n?”

“They’re cabbage rolls.” Tell someone you’re missing your brother without telling them that you’re missing your brother.

“They look so good!” Lily was grinning ear to ear. “Let them cool off a little first, then start eating them.” The girl nodded excitedly, bouncing up and down in her seat.

“Do you have children of your own?” You looked at Myra, shaking your head. “No, I have a little brother. I raised him and his friends were always around too. It was like I was a mother of three from my teens.” You never really considered Killer as one of the ones you raised. If anything, he helped you wrangle them in. 

“Sounds like quite the handful you grew up with.” There was a fond smile on Myra’s face. You laughed, shaking your head. “You have no idea.” You finished serving everyone, sitting down at the table.

You make idle chit chat with the both of them, feeling the best you’ve felt in a while. You didn’t realize how much you craved human interaction until now. You’d been holing up for so long, you were going somewhat insane. 

Myra asked a lot about you and you asked about them. Turns out this was an island of scientists. They had the most advanced medicines and groundbreaking search. They even had a training facility. With an island with as much knowledge as they had, they had to be able to defend themselves. 

“Can I visit the lab?” you asked.

Myra laughed and nodded. “Absolutely. We can go in the morning. Do you need a place to stay for the night?”

“Oo! Can y/n sleep with me! I wanna have a sleepover!” 

“Oh, I’m sure they want to have their own space to sleep, but I’m sure they’d love to read you a bedtime story.” Myra looked up at you, winking. You caught on.

“Absolutely. Whatever you want me to read, just let me know.” You smiled. Lily seemed bummed about not sharing a bed, but she was content with being able to have a story read to her by you. 

After dinner, you went to go tuck in Lily, reading her a book. It didn’t take her long to fall asleep and you headed back downstairs. “She asleep?” Myra came out of the kitchen drying her hands from the dishes. You had tried to do them, but she had shooed you away. “You cooked, so I’ll clean,” she had said.

“”Yeah. Out like a light.” You let out a small chuckle. “I remember when my brother was that little. We didn’t really have story books though, so I just came up with whatever.”

“Sounds like you raised him the best you could.” 

“I tried…” You shook your head, trying not to dwell on things.

“Anyway. Thanks for letting me stick around. I can get out of your hair-”

“You’re staying, remember?”

“Oh, you don’t have to.”

“I’m well aware. But you’re coming to the lab in the morning anyway, so this’ll be the easiest way.” She shrugged, smiling at you. You squirm a little and nod. “O-Okay. Thanks.”

“Would you like some tea? I want to poke your brain a little more. You said some interesting things at dinner that I’d like to know about.”

You blinked, nodding. “Uh, sure. Yeah. Whatever you wanna know.”

Myra and you talked well into the night. You told her some of the things you made and she seemed absolutely interested in everything you had to say. She asked questions when she had them and even seemed impressed with some of the things you accomplished. You were flustered to say the least.

Who knows, maybe if tomorrow went well, you could stay.

--

“Doctor Ziegler! Welcome back!” There was a chorus of greetings as you walked into the lab with Myra the next morning. Turns out Myra was pretty much the head of the whole island. She was the top dog. Talk about insane coincidence. That had to be a sign that you were meant to be here.

Myra showed you around and you were in awe. There were machines that you were seeing that you had never even thought could exist. There was so much you could learn here and from what Myra said, so much you could teach them as well. 

They all had been raised around science while you had to pretty much teach it to yourself. You had more practical methods for some things. You held a new perspective that they were looking for. 

At the end of the day, Myra had a proposition for you.

“What if you stayed here? You could stay at my place.”

You just stared at her in disbelief. You still couldn’t believe this was happening. You were seeing so many amazing things and now this amazing woman was asking you to stay. To help provide them with new insights. 

“I-” You took a deep breath, trying to process it.

A laugh came from Myra. “I know it’s a lot to take in. Don’t feel like you need to answer immediately. You can take some time if you need. I know you’re a pirate n’ all, but I feel like you’d be an excellent addition to our team.” She smiled warmly at you.

“Ah, yeah…let me think about it. I’ll get back to you in the morning.” 

With that, you left. You needed to talk to your brother first and foremost. While you walked back to the ship, you were mulling over your options. Honestly, they were all pointing to staying. You were looking for an excuse to leave the crew at this point. Plus, if you stayed and furthered your own knowledge, perhaps you could finally be of use to your brother. You could make better medicines. Hell, you might even be able to get your arm back. 

For the first time in a long time, you felt hopeful.

--

“Absolutely not.” Eustass wouldn’t even entertain the idea of you staying, but you weren’t going to let him squash your dreams.

“Bold of you to assume I’m asking.” You glared at him with your hands on your hips. He dropped the box he had with a groan, turning on you. “Bigs, I’m not letting you stay at some random island just cause you want to.”

He glared at you. “You fucking disappear for two days and now you just wanna fuckin’ stay? Leave us? Like hell I’m letting you do that.”

You just stared at him. The audacity of this kid sometimes. “Listen. I’m staying and that’s final. There’s a lot of shit I can learn here. And you guys have things you need to do.”

“Killer!”

“I’m not touching this one, captain. This is all you.”

Eustass cursed at Killer who didn’t even respond, letting him say what he wanted. You sighed. “I know you’re worried. But, I’ll come find you, okay? I’ll only stay maybe a year or two. There’s a lot I can learn from here. I’ll come back with more ways to help out the crew.” 

He looked at you for a long moment. “Whatever. Do whatever the fuck you want.” Then he turns on his heels and stomps on the ship. You run a hand through your hair. You weren’t expecting it to end up that badly. You thought that after your last fight he’d be willing to just let you leave.

“Y/N!” You turn around to see Dive, like her namesake, diving off the ship and towards you. You don’t have time to move as she collides into you, but you braced for impact just enough to catch her. “For fuck’s sake, Dive!” 

She just cackled as she hung off of you as if she was some small child. Well, she was shaped like one. She looked up at you, jumping off. “I heard you talking when I was passing.” She frowned deeply. “Are you really leaving?”

You nodded, sighing as you sat down on a box. “Yes. But it’s just for a little bit, I swear.” You smiled at her. She narrowed her eyes. “Don’t lie to me I literally heard you tell the captain a year or two. That isn’t a little bit at all.”

“Well, in the grand scheme of things - that’s not very long.”

“That’s years, y/n! That’s such a long time,” she groaned, flopping onto your lap. “What am I supposed to do without you?”

“Oh, I’m sure you’ll figure out something to do. Just…don’t chew on the ship.”

She looked at you, a devious glint in her eye. “If you leave, there’s no stopping me from chewing on the ship.” Your face turned into a deadpan. “I will leave you with nothing to strengthen your teeth if you act like that.”

Her eyes widened and she pursed her lips. “Mmm, fine. I’ll behave.” She folded her arms and pouted. “Fuckin’ dumb,” she grumbled. “Why do you have to go?” she whined.

You sighed, leaning back on your hands. “Because…” A certain face popped into your mind, immediately souring your mood. “I could learn a lot here. Then when I come back I’ll have even cooler shit for you guys.”

Dive seemed to mull it over. “I still think you’re just fine.” Honestly, you were a little shocked right now. You weren’t expecting Dive to try to get you to stay. Or anyone really. Not from what Kese had said. Maybe he had been lying? Or maybe this was some elaborate plan to keep you on the ship so that Eustass didn’t have to worry.

But you didn’t want him to feel obligated to watch over you anymore. Besides, you had already dug your grave and made your decision. You were staying.

After a few more minutes of shooting the shit with Dive, you headed to your lab to start gathering your things.

While you were packing up your things, members of the crew came to say goodbye. You still weren’t sure how the hell to feel about everything. Was this your brother’s ploy to make you feel bad and stay? You appreciated the sentiment, but you weren’t going to stay. You knew you’d only hold him back. 

Later that night, you’re packing up your things in the lab. You hear a knock on your doorframe. You look to see Eustass, Killer, Heat, and Wire standing there. You fully turn towards them. “Hello?” You’re confused, but not exactly unhappy to see them.

Heat walks over to you, wrapping his arms around you in a firm hug as he lifts you off the floor. You sputtered in confusion for a moment, blinking rapidly as you were processing what was going on. “We’re gonna miss you.” Then he set you down and you looked up at him. You offered a small smile. “I’m gonna miss you too. 

“Be safe, y/n.” Wire was speaking this time in his usual cool tone. You look at him and nod. “Always.” There was a somber mood and this was the calmest you had seen some of them, but you supposed this was also the first time you weren’t going to see them for an extended amount of time in…almost a decade? And you’ve been at your brother’s side since he was born.

“We did make something for you,” Eustass said with a bit of a grimace on his face. It seemed like he was accepting he couldn’t stop you, but he was still clearly not happy about it. At least he was respecting your wishes.

Killer stepped forward, presenting a sheathed knife to you. You looked at the four of them before taking it gently in your hands. “We wanted you to have something to defend yourself on the new island,” Killer said. “Can’t have you dying on us,” Wire chimed in. You laughed gently, a fond expression forming on your face.

“We were gonna wait for your birthday, but…” Eustass dropped off his sentence, folding his arms and looking away. “Someone wants to fuckin’ leave.” He was straight up pouting and it was honestly very amusing.

You took the knife out, wrapping your hand around the grip. It was absolutely stunning. The metal was different colors depending on the lighting and it seemed to have a slight curve to it. Much akin to the scythes you had made for Killer all those years ago. You saw your brother’s jolly roger in the hilt and etched into the base of the blade itself. 

You felt your face soften and tears start forming in your eyes. “You guys are so fuckin’ sweet,” you grumbled, sniffling. You wiped your tears away, putting the blade up and quickly attaching it to your belt.

“We’re gonna miss you,” Killer said. You nodded, looking at all of them. “And I’m gonna miss you all too.” Your brother walked up to you, easily towering you,  and you looked up at him. There was a mixture of emotions on his face, but it seemed he finally gave in. He hugged you tightly - you holding him in turn. 

“I’m so proud of you, Tungsten. Remember that, alright?” You felt him tense for a moment before hugging you a little tighter. You just smiled fondly. Honestly, you were worried what would happen if you weren’t around, but you knew they’d hold their own. After all, how the hell would you protect them anyway? You needed this. All you had done your entire life was take care of them and it was time for you to figure out your own thing.

At least for a little while. 

“Don’t die on us, Bigs,” Eustass mumbled, clearing his throat. You let out a small laugh, pulling away from him and taking his face in your hands. You grinned widely. “You should know it takes a lot to kill a roach like me.” He stared for a moment before letting out his own large grin. “Fuck yeah. That’s right.”

“Just make sure none of you die on me, okay?” you said, stepping back and looking at the four of them. You placed your hands on your hips. “I swear to fuck that if any of you die - I will personally bring you back and end your lives myself, got it?” You narrowed your eyes at them. They all just laughed at you, your own smile spreading across your face.

You felt…at peace right now. You weren’t thinking of Kese or the things he said. You were starting to think he was wrong but…this was something that needed to happen. Your brother needed to be able to grow without you. They all did. And you needed to be able to do your own thing.

One by one, they filed out until Killer was the only one left. “It’s nice to see that spark of life in your eye again. I just wish you weren’t leaving for us to have seen it again.” You blinked, feeling your face warm up. You didn’t even realize how much you had changed yourself.

 “Listen…” You looked up at him as he spoke, tilting your head to the side. “Hm?” 

“I…” He paused, rubbing the back of his neck. “Be careful, yeah?”

You blinked. It seemed like he had wanted to say something else, but you were letting it go. You smiled at him. “Yeah. Don’t worry. I’ll come back to you guys in one piece, alright?” He nodded, quickly leaving after that.

That was weird.

--

After saying their goodbyes to you, they all bid you farewell. As the ship sailed off, everyone was waving and yelling their sentiments to you. Eustass was standing with his usual three people. “So…did you tell ‘em?”

Killer tensed but deflated, earning sighs from the others. Heat and Wire walked off, throwing their hands in the air.

“Fucking hopeless,” Eustass said with a shake of his head.

[oothepinksquidoo]

Gingerbread men .★. scrooge x reader oneshot

Hey there! So this is a one shot for my book, his past our future, but I thought it could be just fine on it's own!

Infomation: You own a bakery, Bob's kids, Tim and Katherine help out in the bakery. This is after the movie so Scrooge is all happy and stuff Pretty much all you need LMFAO (though if you want context check my past post for the link the book *hint hint*)

It had been a week since Bob had officially joined Ebenezer as business partners and life was almost perfect, extremely busy most definitely, but I wouldn't want it any other way. 

Today, I was at the bakery, it was a slow day with little to no customers coming in, this usually happened at least once a week, usually in the middle as everyone was busy. Usually, when this would happen I would usually hop in the back and bake on my own until a customer comes in, yet today was… well slightly different.

“Y/n, is it always this quiet here?” Tim asked, who was practising walking without his crutch, he still needed it most definitely, but there was a slight improvement to him since he started to take his medicine!

“Not always, kid. The bakery won't always be busy and that's okay, it just means we have to find our own entertainment.” I said with a grin.

“Like what?” Katherine asked, “And before you ask I ain't singing again.”

I laughed slightly, “Don't worry about that, Kathy.” I have some spare ingredients in the kitchen… How about we make some gingerbread men?” The children's eyes lit up when I said that, “Why, we could make your whole family!” The kids cheered, running to the back.

I hastily followed them into the back, what could possibly be more fun than spending time with these kids? And let's be honest, anything beats standing at the counter waiting for no one to come in.

≫ ──── ≪•◦ ❈ ◦•≫ ──── ≪

Ebenezer was working at his desk with a slight grin on his face as he talked to Bob, he looked up at the time, “Ah, I must be off, why don't you take a break, Bob? Go get some lunch with Ethel or whatever you please?” He said as he grabbed his coat.

“That sounds great, Ebenezer.” Bob said, still unsure about calling him by his first name, “I’m sure Ethel wouldn't mind me popping home for half an hour or so.” 

“As long as you like,” Ebenezer assured as he left the shop and hopped down the stairs, hastily walking across the road to the alleyway. Ebenezer, as he had done for the past few weeks, waved and said hello to everyone he possibly could, getting greeted back. He had to admit he loved this new feeling, yet he still felt like he was a lost cause… He knew it was stupid to think this way, and he knew I would scold him for thinking this way, but he did such a thing anyway. 

He shook off the thought as he looked at my bakery, feeling much calmer at the sight of it and he slipped in. He noticed no one was at the front, he cleared his throat, “Uh, Y/n, my dear?” Ebenezer noticed the bell and pressed it, hoping to catch anyone’s attention.

“Ebenezer!” I greeted as I walked to the front, covered in flour. “I wasn't expecting you here so soon..” I laughed awkwardly.

“What on earth happened to you?” He asked with a slight laugh in his voice. He walked behind the counter and began patting the flour out of my hair, chuckling away to himself.

“Ah, well, you see I'm letting the kids make gingerbread men for their family. I think more flour got on us than in the bowls.” I laughed too, patting the flour off my clothes.

Ebenezer’s smile rose even higher, “The children are here? How's Tim now? Is he making a recovery?”

I intertwined my finger’s with Ebenezers, “How about you see for yourself?” Before he could say another word I pulled him into the Kitchen. Ebenezer yelped slightly as he was pulled unexpectedly, but soon laughed as we walked.

We entered the kitchen, and to say his jaw dropped to the floor was an understatement. “Oh my!” He smirked, remarking that the kids were more heavily floured than I was.

“It was Tim’s fault,” Katherine said, rolling her eyes. 

“As long as you two are having fun.” Ebenezer said ruffling Tim’s hair, “Believe me, there is nothing worse than living a life with no fun.”

“Exactly,” I agreed, “Which is the reason why you shall be joining us!”

Ebenezer’s smile fell, “I beg your pardon?” 

“You. will. Be. Joining. Us.” I repeated slower.

“Absolutely not.” Ebenezer refused, “I’m not wearing the right clothes! And I have to go back to the office. Imagine the looks I'd get covered in flour?”

I put a finger on his lips, “Hush now. I’m sure the kids would love it, love.” With pleading eyes, the children gazed upward at Ebenezer.

Ebenezer sighed, “Oh, very well.” The kids cheered as they ran back to the counter for the next steps.

I turned to face Ebenezer, who was in a small huff. “Good boy.” I kissed his cheek and walked over to the kids to help them out.

Ebenezer watched me walk away as his face flushed red. He cleared his throat, “I uh, uhm. What- how-”

I laughed at him, “Well, first of all, we need the flour to actually go in the bowl this time, got it, Timmy?” He nodded, giggling slightly. 

I explained all the steps on how to make the dough. I then gave Ebenezer a bowl as I demonstrated on my own so they could follow. Katherine picked up on the steps extremely quickly and Tim wasn't too bad either! Ebenezer on the other hand? Well, the spirit was there at least.

I walked around the group, inspecting their gingerbread men, “So who are you making Kathy?” I asked.

“Well, There’s me, Martha, Belinda, Anastasia, and Peter! I’m also going to make mother.” She explained as she rolled out her dough for the last gingerbread.

“And I'm going to make me, Brea, Lucy, and Matthew!” Tim added, “And of course father too.”

“Wonderful,” I grinned at them, I peaked over Ebenezer’s shoulder, “So what are you making, dear?”

“That's something you’ll have to wait and see,” He said, concentrating as hard as he could. “I do have to admit, you make this business appear easier than it is.” 

“Well, I've had a lot of experience,” I replied, returning to my own dough to continue my own gingerbread men. 

After ten or so minutes, everyone had completed their gingerbread men and were now being baked over the fire. The kids looked around the room, “Now what?” Tim asked.

“Now we just have to wait, I'm afraid,” I replied to him which he sighed too. 

“Why don't you children go outside and play for a while? When they're prepared, we'll give you a call.” Ebenezer suggested, which they both nodded to, running out of the kitchen to go play in the snow. Ebenezer smiled warmly once they left, “What wonderful children they are.”

“They sure are.” I replied, leaning on Ebenezer, I looked up at him, “So why did you visit today?”

Ebenezer rubbed the back of his neck, “ah… Such a foolish reason, I’m afraid. I just wanted to see you, since you've begun running the bakery again I've missed your company at the shop. I know I have Bob, but well. He’s not you.”

Heat rushed to my face, “Oh Ebenezer, you are such an adorable man.” I laughed slightly, “In all honesty, I've missed you too.” His face lit up at that, “But, we both have our businesses to run, we have plenty of time to see one another after closing hours, correct?”

“Quite so.” Ebenezer agreed, “Though that doesn't stop me from being here right now, I told Bob he could take an hour or so off. I’m all yours for now, dear.” 

I looked at him to see the flour that covered his cheek, “I think the flour has claimed you instead,” I joke, wiping it away.

After so long I checked the gingerbread and saw they were perfectly cooked, “Ah, perfect, would you be a sweetheart and go get the kids?” I asked, Ebenezer straight away got to it, walking to the front to collect the kids.

Meanwhile, I grabbed the gingerbread from the fire oven, the kid’s gingerbread looked beautiful! They were perfect! Ebenezers? Well, it was perfect in his own way. I had to tilt my head slightly to see the shape of men though…

I placed all the gingerbread onto cooling trays before the kids re-entered with Ebenezer. They all gasped seeing their gingerbread.

“They look marvellous! Well done children!” Ebenezer praised, he looked over to his and laughed awkwardly, “Well, mine is… something!”

“It’s beautiful in its own way.” I kissed his cheek, returning to my own baked treats, “Now, it's time for the fun part, Decorating!” I announced, the kids squealed with excitement. 

“I suppose I can try.” Ebenezer looked nervously at his gingerbread, he only made two yet he was struggling to keep up, whereas the kid made loads and they looked beautiful! 

Twenty minutes later, everyone had fully finished decorating. The kid smiled looking at their gingerbread, they both did a wonderful job, they were truly talented in the business of bakery. 

“Well done, my loves! They look so beautiful!” I praised them as I helped them pack their gingerbread into baskets. “You both are so talented!”

I walked over to Ebenezer’s, his were definitely… interesting, “Well, they look like people!” I said with a grin. “Can I ask who they are now?”

“Well,” Ebenezer began, “They're supposed to be us.” He squinted slightly, “They don't look a lot like us, huh.” 

I wrapped my arms around him, “I think they're wonderful.”

“Y/n? Can we take these home now?” Tim asked, quite giddily.

“I don't see why not?” I replied, “Why don't Ebenezer and I follow you there, it’d be nice to see your mother, I haven't seen her very much since Christmas.” Ebenezer and the children agreed as we followed them out of the bakery.

Ebenezer looked around quite confused at the darkness of London, “Did I leave Bob at the shop all afternoon?” He asked, “I’ll make it up to him tomorrow,” He said as he locked the door for me to the bakery. I linked arms with Ebenezer, as we walked; he became slightly anxious as the kids sprinted ahead. “Don't go too far ahead, children! Stay where we can see you.” 

“You know, You’d be an excellent father, my love.” I told him, and he smiled at that.

“I must admit, I have always dreamed of being a father one day. And after Isabel left me I deemed that desire as impossible.” He spoke softly.

“Well, now you have me. Maybe that dream will come true one day.” I replied, squeezing his arm slightly. As we walked I saw the Cratchit home get closer and closer in view. “Ah, there it is, the Cratchit home.” The kids ran ahead to the door, opening it in excitement to present their family with what they had made.

Soon enough we got to the door too, seeing in front of us the whole family crowding around the table, “We made the whole Cratchit family!” Tim announced, “Y/n showed us how to make them!”

Bob looked at the baskets and smiled, “Wonderful! Just wonderful! You two are the finest bakers in the whole of London!” 

One of the older kids, Martha, laughed as she noticed me at the doorway with Ebenezer, “Y/n don't take offence to that statement.” 

Bob turned around, he laughed in surprise, “Y/n, Ebenezer! So glad to see both of you, sorry I wasn't expecting visitors.” 

“It’s quite alright Bob, we were just making sure the children got back here safely, we couldn't possibly let them go through London at this hour.” Ebenezer assured, taking off his top hat and placing it on Tim, making the other children laugh.

“Well, we have extra soup and bread rolls if you would like to stay for dinner.” Ethel said as she placed some bowls on the table, “I’m sure the kids would love to have you here and so would I of course.”

“I don't see why not,” I looked at Ebenezer as I placed the basket that had Ebenezer’s and my gingerbread men in on the floor, “What do you say, love?”

“If that's okay with you, we’d love to.” Ebenezer replied, taking off his jacket and placing them with the other coats.

The Cratchit children cheered once they heard the news of us staying over for dinner, and I was delighted too. This family was the most incredible family I could possibly imagine! In fact, I couldn't imagine a life without them, they made me feel included with their family when I had no one else to turn to. In a way, they were my family. 

[monstersinthecosmos]

May I ask you at what point it's clear Anne wrote/decided that Armand was physically a teenager? He doesn't seem to be written specifically as one during IWTV (especially) or even QOTD -- possibly why he's portrayed as a grown man in the early comic books and in the 1994 film?

Okay hahah full disclosure I’m writing this at work instead of working and I don’t have books with me to pull quotes so use your imagination or if anyone wants to jump in with some quotes please feel free!

So in IWTV he’s just described as a young man, and Louis doesn’t go crazy telling us too much about what he looks like. I have a few thoughts about this, and about how it influenced the movie and other incarnations of Armand:

Louis has spent most of his vampire life with a grown woman who looks like a 5 year old, so BIG FUCKIN DEAL LOL, wow ur 17? Get in line.

The movie specifically made him older & more spooky old world looking for the visual contrast, also to sidestep Louis’s rebound love interests both being children/young.

I don’t think we should get too nitpicky about the comic books like let’s, just. Lmao. Let’s leave that one.

By the time he shows up in TVL is when he goes from being described as “young man” to “young boy”.

I lied I do have this one quote:

This was a boy, as I had said, and he had a head of long curly hair, and he walked very straight and very simply through the silvery light and into the church. He hesitated for a moment. And by the tilt of the head, it seemed he was looking up. And then he came on through the nave and towards us, his feet making not the faintest sound on the stones. He moved into the glow of the candles on the side altar. His clothes were black velvet, once beautiful, and now eaten away by time, and crusted with dirt. But his face was shining white, and perfect, the countenance of a god it seemed, a Cupid out of Caravaggio, seductive yet ethereal, with auburn hair and dark brown eyes.

So there’s like, 12 years or whatever that she took between books and that gives her a lot of time to let her mental image and idea of the character to evolve, but also just her writing style is so different. I remember Anne saying that she also had Stella from The Tales of Hoffmann in mind when she wrote Armand, so he evolved from “ageless & androgynous” to “gleaming manikin of a young boy” !

For a visual reference, this is Moira Shearer as Stella, which Anne said was Armand in her mind:

And this is the painting Lestat mentioned:

But I think we are all aware of the tonal shift phenomenon between IWTV & TVL where IWTV is this like, heavy melancholy Gothic tome and then Lestat just shows up and fucking wrecks the place.  I don’t recall ever hearing her talk about this aspect of Armand and I don’t know if she had it in her mind the whole time, even if Louis didn’t take the time to describe it in detail the way Lestat does. I’d love to know how much of this was in her mind the whole time and if anyone has clues please let us know!!!!!!!

TLDR to answer your question, it’s ambiguous in IWTV and obvious in TVL.

HOWEVER.

I have this crack theory lmfao. !!!!!!!!!! About how Prince Alexi in The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty is also an auburn haired teenager, and how it was written in between the two VC books.

I mean like. Anne can say anyone has auburn hair but it’s just such a staple for Armand 2 ICONIC so how are you NOT gonna wonder about it when she’s writing BDSM porn? Idk.

There’s really no evidence for this except me with my Charlie Day board but sometimes I wonder if that break between books influenced her idea of him at all, and what impact it had on her prose for when she returned to Lestat, and I always wonder if they’re connected at all. IT JUST SEEMS SUSPICIOUS TO ME.

Like I mean. I think, there’s lots of teenagers in her books, so maybe this isn’t really much of a coincidence. But. I must wonder!

[princesssszzzz]

If you have any what's your opinion on all the hate daenaera's been getting?

I don’t get how anyone can hate an angel, what did she ever do other than smile and be pretty. I’ve seen comments calling her stupid and saying she shouldn’t exist and it sounds like repackaged Nettles slander lmfao. Literally the same but it’s another character. Right down to the “the story should be altered” and “she’s too young.” But I mean ironically the alterations hotd will make would be aging her up the same way they did everyone else. Really some people get upset when the story doesn’t give them what they want I don’t like canon plot points being changed (Laenor, Aemond, whitewashing, etc.) especially when GRRM writes everything for a reason and anyone wanting a girl to prove or justify her life...the misogyny side eye I have. We start off with a Targaryen & Velaryon wedding and it’ll end off with one to start the next chapter for the Targaryen dynasty. If anything people hating a fictional innocent girl just shows how insane the fandom is.

I haven’t paid attention to hotd fandom discourse for a while tbh so I haven’t seen any post recently. Craziest one I saw months ago was that her children shouldn’t be hers so it’s gone from “I wish this was altered” to “this entire bloodline should be changed.” Just bonkers smh. Anywho I’m excited to see how Daenaera & Aegon cope with being orphans and they’ll have to bring back the Daemon/Vaemond situation I love the drama. The symbolism of marriage bringing together split apart families because Targaryens put the Velaryons through alot throughout the dance so they get solace. They’re both the blood of Old Valyria, and needed repair after the damage and mistrust. I hope Rhaena gives Daenaera a ride on Morning also because the girl likes dragons let her ride a dragon 😭😭 Post-dance with Morning and Aegon getting to marry girl who’s trying to be resilient despite all the death everyone had to endure, it’s obvious that optimism and light at the end of the tunnel is a theme after they lose so much and Daenaera is apart of that. Daenaera being Queen is literally the resolution. “Hope and good feeling reigned over the Red Keep as the new year dawned.” So I just don’t get wanting the conflict to be ongoing or wanting to rebuff House Velaryon. Then we have much needed portrayal of trust between Baela/Rhaena and Aegon iii when the Targaryens just had siblings fighting for the throne. The most important for Daenaera (to me) is the light v dark battle with their personality difference and her love for dragons/him being rumored to kill dragons is just so !!!! Daenaera’s personality is Baela/Rhaena mixture it’s so interesting. It also just lets me know book!Aegon iii is not a pervert, it’s the familiarity and comfort from who he knows won’t hurt him coming from Daenaera that draws him to her nothing sexual. GRRM wants the Targaryen bloodline to be from Targaryen/Velaryon blood so anyone that really hates that is gonna have to write fanfiction 🤷‍♀️

Everyone has narrative punishments btw. Because of Corlys Velaryons suffer nonstop even post dance it’s like a curse on their house, Greens die off, Rhaena loses Morning and Aegon iii loses his innocence but the biggest punishment is that the dynasty falls because of their lack of dragons which they did to themselves

[strawberryspotsstuff]

*peaks through corner* hey just came from that previous ask and now im FORCING YOU/j to write a fishies fic >:))))))))))))))))

I REQUEST,,,, FISHIES FIGHTING OVER A MALE LOVE INTEREST READER AND THEY R LIKE "HE IS OF MINE !!!!!!!!!!!!>:(" AND HITTING AND ARGUING WITH EACHOTHER LIKE CHILDREN LMAOSIHDGAKHDJD

OKAY!!!!!! LMFAO SOUNDS AMAZING

⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆

Roblox Myths! "Fishies" x Male! Love interest! Reader

You were stationed in your room, crossed legged on your bed and sketchbook on your lap. Yawning softly, while you were distracted with the art your were creating, not hearing the muffled argument from outside your doors.

Goodpufffer crossed out, letting out a frustrated whine.

"HE IS OF MINE!" He challenged Angeredfish.

Angeredfish shook his head repeatedly, stomping his foot.

"NO, NO! HE IS OF NOT! HE IS MINE" He shouted back, shaking his head.

Both fish like humanoids glared at each other, Angeredfish quickly gazing over at you're door and back at Goodpuffer, and in a moment of quick thinking, he ran to your room. Goodpuffer let out a shocked gasp and followed, both slamming the door open and rolling into your room.

"oh, jeeze-" you shoulders flinched as you looked up from your book, blinking rapidly in confusion.

During a moment of silence, both Angeredfish and Goodpuffer watching you intently, shoving each other's face into the ground. The scribbling of the pencil slowly softened as you slowly titled your head.

"um, hiya you...two. What, uh, happened?" you asked softly.

Angeredfish shoved his way out of Good's grip, and very close to your face. Your head reeling back in response, hitting the wall.

"YOU IS OF MINE, YES?" Angered ask, not blinking.

Your eyes squinted in confusion. "Uh, what?"

"NO! HE IS OF MINE, STOP IT ANGERED" Good wailed, shoving him aside.

You started to shake your head, letting out a sigh of disappointment.

"What do you mean, 'yours'" You questioned, crossing your arms.

"YOU LOVE, ME YES?" Questioned Good.

"OR ME?" Angered added, both fish-people watching you with unblinking, wide eyes.

"I- Uh..." You paused. "Both?" You responded sheepishly, shrugging.

"ME, AND ANGERED?? YOU WOULD OF CHOOSE BOTH OF US???" Good shook his head in confusion.

"Uh...yeah" You grinned.

"HMPH." Angered crossed his arms, dramatically turning his head away.

"WE CAN, TRY" Good thought out loud.

You clapped your hands, nodding joyously. "Yeah! Let's try that, huh?Don't want you guys hurting yourself over me" You mumbled the last part, chuckling in amusement.

Both fishies crawled onto your bed, curling up by your body as you continued to draw.

⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆

TADAAAAAA

bro they are so cute :sob:

and uh why have one,, when you can have two :D

[piosplayhouse]

god i just saw that “ymj has no children” post you mentioned a while back and it’s??? bad. it’s so bad 💀💀

nhs is the only nie that shows up and it’s bc “well we just don’t see a lot of the nie” even though they explicitly and intentionally visited qinghe (and nhs intentionally ran his sect’s reputation into the ground!!), but jc is the only jiang that shows up and “it’s bc there’s no kids in ymj bc jc is a classist serial killer uwu maybe if he didn’t torture people in public people wouldn’t fucking hate him (also ymj indiscriminately attacks ppl and they’re probably all egotistical thugs)” LIKE HELLO???? WHAT KIND OF JUMP IS THAT???

like. one of my biggest pet peeves is how ppl misuse “begging the question” to mean “raises the question.” but if i had to explain to someone what “begging the question” is, this is too perfect of an example, bc the ENTIRE THING is based on assumptions we don’t know to be true. ARE THERE no children at ymj? IS jc classist? IS he a serial killer? CAN we trust the credibility of rumors? is ANYTHING you just said actually true??

anyway i just remembered not being able to find the post at the time but WOW it’s just as bad as it sounded

(i was in the middle of writing a response to a different one of OP’s posts but now i’m wondering if i should even bother lol)

Yeah it's just like ?? Idk op's top posts seemed fairly reasonable so I guess this is just another "Jiang Cheng eats people's brains" scenario. I think the biggest issue I have with this kind of discourse in general is the notion that "Jiang Cheng is ruining the Jiang sect by being Jiang Cheng" which I feel is weird on a lot of levels that just indicate that you straight up didn't understand half of what was going on in mdzs.

1. The Jiang sect was already ruined. You read about it. It was burned down and everyone except the sect heirs and wwx were killed, what's not clicking. The main reason that Jiang sect doesn't have many junior disciples is most likely because idk , many of the vulnerable young denizens of ymj were killed and as hard as Jiang Cheng tries, he can't force everyone in lotus pier to repopulate like shinzo abe convincing people to get married with anime. This also connects to:

2. The way sects work in mdzs is explicitly hereditary. This is a HUGE point in the world-building-- sure jc could theoretically adopt a bunch of kids or something, but what's the precedent for that? Baoshan Sanren's mountain? Blood ties are everything in mdzs. And this leads into:

3. The implication that Jiang Cheng is ruining his own sect by not getting married and having kids. I don't think I need to elaborate much on this being ummm weird as hell in many ways and also wrong because guess who else doesn't have a wife or kids... Lan Xichen?

Unorganized notes:

- Idk where people are assuming that Yunmeng Jiang/Jiang Cheng are like. explicitly ultra classist? Please keep in mind that the entire WORLD of mdzs is classist, this is a huge point of critique in the book that you literally could not miss unless you didn't read it. Furthermore, honestly, the Jiang are PROGRESSIVE in this regard. First of all, Jiang Cheng explicitly respected Wei Wuxian on a deeply personal level that defied class standards. He wanted to make Wei Wuxian his right hand man!! By mdzs standards, this is huge!! If he was really so classist because of Yu Ziyuan, as the sect heir he wouldn't have sacrificed his own safety and golden core to lead the wen away from wwx, a mere servant! The Jiang sect structure was also explicitly casual in comparison to like, idk the Jin, the guys who are the literal epitome of classism-- descriptions of lotus pier note that the civilian children living nearby would play with lotus pier disciples, do you think the other sects would let their kids do that?

- LMFAO on your mention that nhs is out there purposefully running his sect into the ground someone make an edit of that meme where the soldiers protecting the sleeping kid with jc getting hit with "ruining his sect" "destroying his sects reputation" and nhs sleeping

Ok ummm I think that's everything I wanted to say if anyone has any corrections or things to add feel free to start a discussion in the notes !!! I haven't read mdzs in... 3 years now, so I wouldn't be surprised if I got evidence wrong ^^ also ofc be polite to everyone involved and don't go and harass the person we're talking about or you're peerless cucumber (/neg)

[moriartyluver]

"I wish you died with your brother in that fire" LMFAO💀

Wine uncle Albert is so real

The idea of fl and her first son fencing actually sounds so sweet, like she’d probably be so patient with her children too aww🤭🤭

I feel like she’d also spoil them a lot, considering her love language is mainly gifts

William wanting more kids is so cute😭 he’d be the type of dad to gush over them sm omfg

🎀.

Fl is so brutal for no reason 😭

I can never see Albert as anything but a wine uncle in a typical family dynamic tbh. He’s like the embodiment of rich wine uncle

WAIT IMAGINE FL AND WILLIAM READING THEIR KIDS BEDTIME STORIES OMG

like their both sat in their kids bed and reading him a Sherlock Holmes book or something and then he suddenly falls asleep or yawns and they blow out the candles and give him a little kiss on the cheek before going to their own room awwwww

Fl is such a gift giver. It’s like her main love language. Maybe physical affection comes after but mostly gift giving. She’s a millionairess so she gives her kids whatever they want and they’re so spoiled but it’s okay in her eyes because they’re cute

Dad William is everything to me. He cures my daddy issues

Imagine fl is tired and passed out and William and his kids are all tucking her in and making her breakfast

MOTHERS DAY WITH WILLIAM BROOOOO

Why am I gushing over a man who isn’t real

[aemoglobin]

so as a kid, like maybe 4th grade maybe 3rd), i had The Urge to read every book in the kids’ section as long as it sounded interesting and wasn’t, like, an actual book aimed at children (ie, full of pictures with no writing, or only 15 pages long, etc). i did actually accomplish this goal but it wasn’t anything special.

i did read all of the wynne jones books that my library had but they left literally no impact on me outside of howl’s moving castle, and not even the sequel, just the original first book. i’m so sorry ma’am. i just literally do not recall anything that happened in any of the other series you wrote.

the fantasy series i read from garth nix is one that i’m not entirely certain is Actually fantasy but i can never remember the fucking name of it. it’s got like. a lot going on. it involves the rainbow, and crystals in towers, and at one point the protag gets banished to the outdoors where it’s snowing and Ice Age all the time and he gets a girlboss girlfriend who can kick his ass any & every time she wants. i think that was the awakening for what i like in m/f ships lmfao

after that i read abhorsen. good shit.

i came across tamora pierce in 4th grade (Circle of Magic) and was ruined for life. she set the bar for female protags for me for a loooooooooong fucking time. but i didn’t actively pursue reading the rest of her books until i was a bit older (~11yo, because that’s how long it took me to get to P in the alphabet). so she’s had the longest lasting impact. a lot of how i structure my own fantasy OCs/worlds is stolen from her. thanks ma’am i owe you my life

i don’t think i’ve read a single mercedes lackey book and if i have i have absolutely no recollection of it. zero impact. like i have an anthology by her but the story she wrote for it was so boring i don’t even remember which one it is out of all of them. sorry... 

[alastorswifee]

Get to know me!💓

~

Okay so I saw some people make posts where they describe themselves so when asking other writers and blogs to pair them with a character, they can read about the asker in their post.

I’m also making this so when I request for characters and I want the reader to have a personality like mine, the writers can know what I’m like without me having to dm them or describe it in the ask.

~

• I don’t share my real life name on the internet for privacy reasons but everyone calls me Angelk

• I’m 5’0 but if we’re doing something like the sonic universe then you can shrink down my size to what fits

• I’m a very calm and patient person no matter the situation but if things get out of hand I’ll try to calmly and politely solve it. If things still proceed to escalate I tend to get more strict and people say it sounds like a mother or teacher scolding children but hey it gets the job done

• I tend to play dumb a lot but it depends on the situation, I don’t want to seem completely clueless or stupid. I only play dumb to see what someone would tell me and depending on what they tell me I can figure out what kind of person they are

• I love reading books and poetry, I love the quiet since I’m prone to constant headaches. Romance and horror are my favorite genres, I love love. And horror movies are exactly what I love as well!

• speaking of headaches, alot of things can cause my headaches, my motion sickness, too bright of light(but it depends on the day), loud noises and if I’m hungry I get a headache

• i love dancing and singing, my family are dancers and singers so it’s no surprise when I fall into those categories

• I’m fond of any type of dance but I mostly stick to traditional, pole dancing and ballet. Tho if you catch me dancing it’s always my hips swaying more than anything

• and before anyone makes a sexual comment, pole dancing is a wonderful form of dance that I admire a lot, it takes a tremendous amount of strength, balance and trust in yourself to do it

• I’m extremely shy when it comes to singing and dancing tho AND my art, I’m aware I’m a good artist but I don’t like showing the world that, it’s almost like a hidden talent

• I love baking tho sweets aren’t my favorite thing so I bake for others

• I only like dark chocolate

• I would prefer pickles or crisps or maybe goldfish crackers

• it’s funny cause I can bake but not cook, it’s curse but I’m trying and learning to cook

• I have a dream to become a model or maybe open a cafe

• I tend to write stories or poems, sometimes songs based on my emotions and what’s happening in life

• hopeless romantic? That’s me aha

• I would be the type to want to slow dance with someone in the middle of the living room

• star gazing(tho I’ll fall asleep quickly cause I’m lame at staying awake late)

• doing skin care routines together with others if they agree that is

• my type are characters like..

Leonardo and Donatello(tmnt)

sonic, shadow and silver the hedgehog

kita, Sakusa and kuroo(haikyuu)

Akashi and Kagami(kuroko’s basketball)

Tomioka Giyuu and Sanemi Shinazugawa(demon slayer)

midoriya izuku(my hero academia)

• did I mention I love gems and jewels? Shiny things :O

• btw if someone gives me flowers, instant marriage.

• I’m a bit of a clean freak, I don’t like when a room is a mess or filthy in any way so I’m always cleaning. I make sure to have hand sanitizer or a cloth on me at all times. I’m not an overly clean freak, it depends on my environment

• I also care a lot about personal hygiene, I shower like twice a day and I do a lot of skin care.

• I tend to get worried about others and you’re thinking oh for their well being? Yes but also their hygiene lmfao

• I am a really sweet and caring person tho I tend to be too patient with people at times according to my boyfriend

• he’s right tho, I’m too nice to people who sometimes don’t deserve it

• but if someone needs confronting I’ll do so but in a mature manner

• I can tend to have an ego but not overly high, for example:

• “I mean I don’t blame them, I am really pretty”

• “I’m too pretty to die..”

• *looking into mirror and fixing hair* “huh what?”

• “just because it’s the end of the world doesn’t mean I can’t look gorg”

• “darling I’m not late I’m fashionably late, there’s a difference”

• I’m completely honest with people but if I need to lie to spare your feelings then I’ll do that or I’ll sugarcoat my honest thought

• people younger than me tend to see me as a big sister or mother figure from how I am

• I love calling others nicknames such as darling, sugar, sweetie, dear, babes, honey, sugarplum

• I love fashion and care a lot about my appearance, I tend to be a people pleaser too

• I love coffee and tea but tea is higher because it’s more calming and I love drinking it while reading or writing

• I tend to get stressed out alot cause I worry for alot of things and people even tho I shouldn’t be

• my hair is like my prized possession, it’s length..it’s reaching my bum now so it’s pretty long but I always take care of it and if anything happened to my hair I would get so mad

• makeup? I barely use any but that’s just me being lazy to actually put it on, I only use concealer cause my under eyes are horrid..goodness. Setting powder, eyeliner and eyelashes maybe lipgloss if I feel extra fancy- whoops sorry I got carried away

• favorite colours? Pink, yellow and green

• I LOVE flowers so much, I’m getting collarbone tattoos of flowers soon! My favorite flowers are sunflowers and chrysanthemums

• I HATE bugs tho with a passion and lizards, I just can’t be around them

• I would freeze up and slowly back away

• yk how everyone says fight or flight? No girly I’m freeze

• I’m afraid of thunderstorms, lightning and thunder are horrible good god

• I’m pretty calm during that time of the month but it’s mostly me whining from cramps and wanting pickles and mustard

• oh yeah I have an unhealthy love for mustard

• favorite foods? Potstickers, Salads(with dressing) and Fries

• favorite animal? Deer, turtles, jellyfish

• now I wouldn’t mind having a pet but at the same time apart of me doesn’t want them because they can make a mess at times and I don’t want fur or anything on my clothes so a fish sounds nice

• I can be flirty but that’s if I’m comfortable with you and we’re close friends, I’m also clingy but that’s if I’m REALLY fond of you

• I’m not a fan of smoking but I drink when it comes to some occasions, I’m a light weight unfortunately but I know when to stop. Tho if I had the chance to maybe get drunk I’d be a mess

• when I drink i away when I stand or walk so I have to constantly be sitting down, I’ll wanna dance a lot, I’ll be clingy with whoever is near me and I’ll be giggly

• let’s insert im with a character from that list I have from before…Sonic? Sure Sonic, it’ll go like:

• “Soniccc, babyyyy”

• “Sonic have I ever told you *giggle* that I have a huge crush on you? You’re like so handsome and amazing..” and just cling onto his arm

• lmfao why did I imagine boom!sonic

• I tend to understand how people are feeling just by looking at them, i need to vibe check people before I get to know them. If they give me a good vibe then they’re in the clear and if not then im not gonna be around them. According to everyone I know, all my feelings have been correct.

• I tend to have predictions from time to time, I either get a bad feeling about something or someone or I dream something happening and it happens irl

• it doesn’t always happen tho, only few things get predicted

• I tend to have paranormal experiences too and I tend to know when there’s another presence around which is interesting

• I believe in the paranormal based on my experiences but I’m not the stupid one to use a ouji board or do stupid rituals or taunt entities

• maybe that’s another reason for my love for horror movies

• also if someone is flirting with me, I play stupid at times or lowkey tease them about it

• “hm? What do you mean?”

• or

• “oh that’s sweet darling, so are you..”

• depends on my mood

• anyways

• is there anything else I should add?

• I randomly do stuff like lift my leg into the air or do the splits like for no reason..does that count as need to be known? Idk-

• i mean my scent- it’s Japanese cherry blossom perfume, everyone seem to love my scent so thought it was necessary

• I have a sucking addiction and before you all say something, I mean I have an addiction to wanting to suck on something like a lollipop or popsicle, like my mouth needs to be occupied sometimes but not all the time

• good god if I don’t wear my glasses I’m completely blind I’m telling you my eyesight is so horrible darling you wouldn’t believe

• I love this thing I told someone the other day and I’m gonna quote it

• friend: I need to take you on a roller coaster some day

Me: I dunno..it might ruin my hair

• sigh I’ll never get why I’m like this

• I love library trips but no one exactly wants to go with me so it’s always a solo trip

• I also love sleeping and taking naps, I tend to need them. I can’t stay up late tho so idk why I’m constantly tired

• I feel like I’ve been rambling for too long now..hm

• I think that’s all??

• thank you for patiently reading through this sweethearts! I hope this is helpful for if I ever put in a request or if you wanted to get to know me then I’m flattered you read this, we should totally talk in dms if you’re interested!

[tridentqueen]

I didn’t read the books so i am not too sure, but could it b that this site got sth mixed up?

https://the-targaryen-realm.fandom.com/wiki/Aegon_II_Targaryen.

Cause it says aegon and helaena had four kids, and that aegon had 3 or 4 more wifes after her.. im sorry if i Sound stupid hahahah but i really read it there for the first time, i thought they only had 3 kids together and i didn’t know aegon remarried

think He had like 2 bastards right? Is it known who the mothers are (maids or wh*res?)

The confusion on my face as I read the page you linked lmfao but it looks like it’s a wiki for a roleplaying game, and that’s where all the stuff about aegon marrying multiple times comes from.

Not stupid at all! There’s so many wikis for different things it’s difficult to keep track. This is the wiki for the books.

To answer your questions (minor Fire & Blood spoilers): Aegon only married the once (and, yes, he and Helaena had 3 children not 4), and he had 3 bastards. 2 of the mothers worked in the brothels and the other mother was a servant in the castle.

[let-remy-cook]

The Tale of Remy, A Rat Enchanted || Part One

A/N: Hello and welcome to my Remy Backstory, which will probably be my rp magnus opus lmfao. Whilst everyone else was doing wonderful swynwrimos, I was writing thousands and thousands of words about a rat in the style of The Tale of Despereaux. That children's book is one I've constantly cited as one of my greatest influences as a writer and a reader. It shaped my tastes and taught me really interesting things about voice and narrative structure, which persist to this day. So with all that said, this is in many ways an homage, and as silly as it is to dedicate a glorified Ratatouille fic to an author, it is dedicated to Kate DiCamillo. She will never read it, but I hope y'all do lol.

i will be releasing it in little chunks (the chapters of Despereaux are very short, normally just two or three pages). So... enjoy!

Chapter One: A Rat Enchanted

Once upon a time, a very special rat was born in the streets of Paris.

He was born during the rainy season, which rats referred to as the Great Wet. The Great Wet was a very difficult time for any street rodent, whether you were a rat or a mouse or even a squirrel, and squirrels have the unfair privilege of being very welcome in green places with lots of trees. But if you are a rat, you have it worst of all. This is one of the sad truths of being a rat. You are often too big to fit into nooks and crannies unless you spend weeks in advance chewing out rat-doors and rat-tunnels, which some rats do. But if you are a pregnant dam, you have no time for chewing out escape routes. And there are no homes for you in the trees. The places most welcome to you will be the greatest, wettest of all– the below places, like the sewers and basements. Many pups will die if they are born during the Great Wet, in all these below places.

Yet this was the place where Remy was born.

(Remy is the name of our special rat, although he will not come into that name for some time. Still, it is rather rude to refer to him as simply ‘the special rat’ and so we will call him by his name, the name that he chose for himself.)

Remy was born as the rain came down in spades and gushed through the grates. He was born in a box of gardener’s gloves on the top shelf of a basement home. The water filled the basement and the sound of the rain filled Remy’s sensitive ears, while his nose filled with the smells of his siblings on either side of him, as well as his mother’s milk, the soil from the gardener’s gloves, and most importantly of all, the faint memory of the fruits and vegetables those gloves had tended. Remy was so fascinated with all those smells in particular. His siblings mewled and suckled, but Remy sniffed and sniffed and sniffed.

And the more Remy sniffed, the more that he smelled. Because the rain had washed in the whole wide world of Paris– all those above places, now below.

He smelled the warmth and dust of horses

He smelled the smoky remnants of discarded bullet shells

He smelled the rankness of spoiled meat and the riches of spilled wine.

And oh, there was even more. It was like a soup of scents, many of which Remy would spend his pup hood searching for again, because of the way they made him feel. He did not have the word for them then, but I will tell all of you now: it was magic that Remy was smelling, magic that danced on the tip of his quivering and curious nose. Magic, and hope, and dreams, from a city that looked out their windows into the Great Wet, waiting for the sun.

Perhaps if it had not been raining, Remy wouldn’t have been different. Perhaps he would have suckled his mother’s milk and grown up a regular rat like his brothers and sisters. There would be no story. There would be no miracles. And there would be no heartbreak.

But it was raining on the day that Remy was born. And so Remy sniffed, and he dreamed, and magic nestled itself inside his heart. He was a rat enchanted, and this is his story.

Chapter Two: The Below

Remy quickly realized that he was different.

It wasn’t hard to figure out. While his fellow pups ate regularly on schedule, Remy missed feedings because he was too busy sniffing out things he really should not be sniffing out, considering his size and his age. He was blind, just like his siblings, and hairless, just like his siblings, but still he could not help but crawl around and treat his whiskers and nose to all kinds of wonderful sensations.

At first, his mother chastised this behavior, because her heart was filled with love and worry for all her pups, and she couldn’t bear the thought of this strange baby of hers getting lost or not eating enough. But she also quickly realized that Remy was different, since he could describe to her the entire layout of the basement without even opening up his eyes. He was strange, but smart.

“Oh, but you really need to eat more,” his mother urged him. “Eating is the most important thing in life.”

This was Remy’s first lesson. And it must be said that it was one he took to heart, no matter how different he became.

Still, he grew to be slim and long, a bit smaller than average for his age, which also set him apart. And every day, there would be something new and bizarre that Remy would do.

One day, Remy asked if they ought to all give themselves names. The colony did not know what he meant by that! A name? How unnecessary, the rats chattered among themselves, when they had scents which distinguished one rat from another. Scents were better than names, because a scent could not only mark a rat, but let their fellow rats know where that rat had been and what they had eaten and if they were in heat or not. It was all useful information.

The next day, Remy asked if they all could smell the music. Someone was playing a guitar upstairs, each note as crisp as the first bite into a carrot. Ah, Remy wanted to listen forever! It was a banquet to his senses! But all the rats chattered at him that they couldn’t smell anything, certainly not carrots. There were no carrots discovered in the heap of trash behind the house either, so Remy must have his scents confused.

And then the third day, Remy asked if anyone would like to come upstairs with him, to sit at the foot of the wonderful music, and feast on the sounds.

At this point, the king of the colony, who was Remy’s father, scuttled forward and bit Remy’s ear.

“Ow!” Remy exclaimed.

“Let those ears of yours work properly or shall I bite your nose too?” exclaimed his father. “We never go upstairs, unless the big-feet leave the house! And when we do, I decide who stays and who goes. Were you not paying attention to the lessons?”

“Lessons?” Remy had not been paying attention to the lessons. He had been paying attention to the music, which smelled quite like celery, carrot, and potato this time.

“Bah, you ridiculous runt,” said the king. “Pay attention. Or one day, I will have to ask you to leave the colony.”

Remy nodded, running one of his delicate paws over his trembling whiskers. Well, Remy did not want to leave the colony. Perhaps he was very different from his siblings, his aunts, his uncles, and his cousins, but he loved them anyway. They were his family, and their scents were still his favourites, even more so than the music. They were the scents of home.

Since that day, Remy attempted to curb his strange questions and strange behaviors. He was a smart rat, after all. Smart rats (and this goes for people too) have a gift for tricking others into believing that they fit in. In fact, Remy put his smarts to good use and quickly became one of the best foragers in the colony, and so the king sent Remy out of the basement into the above world.

Chapter Three: The Above

The day Remy poked his head into the above world, the world welcomed him with light, sound, and scent.

Oh! It was even better than the guitar! Remy’s senses came alive. He could taste the sunshine on his tongue– as sweet and hot as melted sugar. The breeze tingled like pepper in the nose. Remy scampered out with abandon, forgetting the lessons he had dutifully practiced until this point.

“Hey! Come back here! Come back!” shouted Remy’s brother.

Remy skidded to a stop, his fur sticking right up. “Right!” Remy turned right around and scampered back, twitching his whiskers apologetically to the mischief that he was leading. He couldn’t forget them. As the lead forager, his duty must be to his siblings.

But from here, Remy could smell into the faraway places. He stood on his hindlegs to sniff, sniff, sniff, catching not only the rich smells of fresh food, but the traces of the lively, bustling city. Big-feet! That’s what he smelled. They smelled amazing to him, as distinct from one another as one rat to the next. He could not resist learning more about them, and so he beckoned his siblings forward. Instead of exploring the trash heaps along the streets, they headed deeper into the city.

The troop zigged, zagged, and skidded. They scuttled, dipped, and raced as gracefully as– well, as gracefully as rats. I know that rats are probably not what you think of when you picture a graceful animal, but they really are nimble creatures worthy of the compliment.

It did not take them long at all to arrive in a trading market. The air was kicked up with dust, warmed by the sun, and full of human sweat. It was also full of fresh vegetables, ripe fruit, raw cuts of meat, fresh fish from the river, baked bread, and bowls and bowls of spices and herbs.

It was the best-smelling place in the world. For once, Remy and his siblings all agreed.

His siblings began to plot. What foods should they go for first? How would they avoid the big-feet? Ah, perhaps there were some trash heaps in the immediate area that they could scout for. Yes, a good idea! What did their brother, the lead forager and most clever among them, think?

But Remy wasn’t listening.

Remy had his paws grasped together, his entire body trembling at the scents. It was not just the food, the food, the food! It was the big-feet. He quivered as he drank in, for the first time, the smells of human emotion. There, a man arguing with another– their emotions stung his nose. And over there, two men were laughing with each other. Their laughter was milk-and-honey, and filled Remy’s stomach to bursting. And in the middle of the market, a man presented his pregnant dam with a flower, and the dam laughed and kissed the man on the mouth. To Remy, this kiss was the most delicious emotion of all. It tasted like a sunshower– like rain and like light– and he wanted to wrap himself in it, and die a happy rat.

It was too much for such a small, young, strange rat. And so Remy put his paws over his eyes and began to weep.

“What!” squeaked Remy’s sister. “What dreadful noise are you making?”

“Did I step on his tail?” asked Remy’s brother.

“Was he bitten by a mosquito? Is he dying?” asked Remy’s brother (another one).

“By the king’s whisker, he’s leaking!” said one of Remy’s cousins, jumping back.

Remy could not answer his family, even though he wanted to. He could not explain where the tears came from, or how he, a rat, could cry them. It was yet another unexplainable thing about this unexplainable rat, and it struck him right then what a miserable fate it was to be unexplainable. In fact the more he cried, the more his own loneliness bloomed, tasting as bitter as coriander. It hurt his teeth. It hurt his heart.

“I think we should leave him here, in case it's contagious,” said Remy’s sister, who was the beta for the troop and also one of the smarter ones. To her credit, she said it sadly. Remy could taste his sister’s regret. It was also as bitter as coriander.

So Remy nodded to his sister, to let her know that he understood and did not take it to heart. (But he did take it to heart. He took it to heart very much.)

One by one, his family turned away from him, until Remy was alone.

But he was not really alone, was he?

No. Remy looked up from his paws and he looked through his tears to the market, where all the humans moved in front of him, talking and yelling and laughing. It remained the best-smelling thing in the whole world. And right there, Remy’s wish was born. Oh, he thought to himself, how I wished I could belong among them.

[3k626ekful7ozxujar43keiw236in2h]

Hair length tax smh.....

[rougarou-rick]

[ I have the funniest mental image of Rou in his wolf form and doing guilty dog that won't look at the thing face while a fucking leopard that looks teeny next to him snarls at him fkakfkskf ]

[bumbleklee]

diluc as a single dad hcs - sfw

my friend mains diluc and i have qiqi and all we do is talk about an alternate universe where diluc is a single dad to qiqi and it makes me cry (つω`｡) annnnnyways here’s some general diluc as a single dad hcs with a daughter whose around 4. hope you enjoy <3

if diluc was a single dad, something happened to his partner (he wasn’t careless enough to knock someone up from a one night stand)

part of him wanted to give the baby up for adoption - how could he raise a daughter on his own? 

but another part of him (the stronger part) told him that without this baby, diluc would have no purpose and that she had to be a sign from his own father

so, diluc made the decision to become the best dad ever

when she’s a baby, diluc messes up a lot

once he had to make her bottle four times because it was too hot or too cold or he forgot to put the bag inside of the bottle

but slowly, he adjusts to his new life and was often seen wearing his daughter in a wrap around his chest around mondstadt

he put aside his animosity with the knights of favonius for the sake of his daughter and only for the sake of his daughter

jean taught diluc how to do hairstyles other than a ponytail, like braiding and pigtails, and lisa gifted diluc a plethora of children’s books

diluc even let kaeya into her life, under supervision of course, because he realized it would be selfish to keep his daughter’s family away

his daughter really liked kaeya and although diluc would never admit it, he was glad

she befriends klee too and it makes diluc anxious,

she’s pretty self-sufficient even at four but diluc still babies her (because she’ll always be his baby, no matter how old she is)

he’s always buying her things even if she doesn’t need them

her toys are literally overflowing their bin and she rarely rewears clothes because diluc just buys her new outfits weekly

his daughter hides behind diluc’s legs 90% of the time they’re out in public

either that or she’ll tug on his arm until he lifts her up so she can sit on her hip and hide her face in his chest

she probably doesn’t like thunder so when it’s storming really bad, she’ll sneak out of her bed and crawl into diluc’s and hide under his blankets so when he wakes up there’s just a lump next to him

and some days when it’s really bad, she’ll wake him up so he can hold her and cover her ears from the loud sounds outside

diluc doesn’t yell

not that his daughter ever does anything to warrant yelling (he taught her to be very behaved) 

but she’s a kid and she can’t always be perfect so in the rare event that she’s in trouble, diluc will kneel down to her eye-level and scold her in a very calming, soft manor instead of being angry

he’s just super understanding and patient with her because he knows children need special attention

like if she’s sitting at the bar at angel’s share and she accidentally breaks a glass, diluc will just shrug his shoulders and tell her to be careful

diluc dances in the kitchen with her on saturday mornings and she has to stand on his feet so she doesn’t trip

and when he has to work the bar on weekend nights, his thoughts are filled with his daughter

he knows she’s okay and she’s probably having a fun time with barbara and jean but he just misses her

so when he gets home, he always gives her the biggest hug and only lets go when he feels her pushing his face away

diluc can only smile, wondering how he ever even considered giving away the light of his life

a/n: if u want more of these or a one-shot/story based around single dad diluc (or any other character) just lmk cause this is my favorite thing to write about lmfao