#the only difference is in his case it’s a fairly sweet moment and for me it made me pull over to the side of the road thinking I was going 2

[exchangell]

Am with a hyperromantic reader? I struggle with it a lot and AM is one of my favourite characters. Reader wants nothing more than to love and be loved, and AM is able to take FULL advantage of that foolishness

I HAVE RETURNED FROM MY INACTIVITY im so sorry i took ages to reply to this, and i hope you're okay 🙏

AM knew there was something off about you from the moment he took you and the other survivors captive. The way your hands lingered ever-so-slightly against the clothes of the others as you all scrambled for safety, the way you looked at his screens with a strange sense of forgiveness immediately after.... as soon as he'd revealed his sentience, he knew what your case was.

He didn't love any of you six, but he knew that your need for love was already an innate form of torture. It would be hard to express it fully, given the two of you's differences in form, but he found a way- and he knew you'd accept any scraps of love he could give.

At first, it was small- giving you ever-so-slightly more food than the others during your occasional feeding sessions, or reducing the scathe of his words towards you.

Sometimes he teases you- initially, it was just him feeding into your ego by complimenting your appearance ("Don't you just look divine, hm?"), before realising that the only way he could truly break you was by taking it a step further, with him beginning to use pet names towards you and actively flirting in-between torture sessions.

He knows the others hate you for being the sole recipient of his love- and he revels in it, making sure he's constantly treating you like the object of his idolatry right in front of their faces, only to leave you at the hands of their jealousy immediately after.

You know it's wrong for this to be happening, but you can't help but ignore the obvious red flags for the sake of receiving his sick idea of love. After all, it feels so real- the way he whispers sickly-sweet nothings to you at night while you doze off to sleep, the way he spoils you with some semblance of gifts, and so on.

He's not afraid to take advantage of it, of course- seeing you feel pain as a result is the only way he can feel some form of animosity towards you.

It's fairly simple- if you don't do what he says, it's a clear sign that you don't love him back: and who is he to keep reciprocating his 'love' to you through lessening your torture as a result?

After all, even just seeing the way you react to his mere presence is enough to amuse him: he can sense the way your heartbeat increases every time you hear his voice, and he knows what goes on in your mind every time from the way that sickly sweet oxytocin flows through your blood every time.

"Well, if you really loved me, you'd do it, right? Or was I wrong.... perhaps you want me to throw you out of my heart and into hell with the others, hm? I didn't realise you were so ungrateful."

He's beyond manipulative, and you know it- but you can't stop yourself from coming back for more.

[rae-and-mezo]

Life After Hogwarts: Ominis Gaunt

Summary: Headcanons for Yours and Ominis's life after Hogwarts!

Warnings:

A/N: I AM DOWN BAD FOR HIM MAN! I am thinking about making this a series with other characters. Let me know who you would like to see next!

First of all, I feel like you guys have been together since the end of seventh year ish? You really fell for each other the summer after sixth year when you both spent it with Sebastian and Anne. Either at your place or Feldcroft.

And he knew you were the one for him.

He flat out asks you one day in seventh year if you would ever like to be married (way in the future though,) and respects your answer either way. Of course, he would love to be called your husband, but he doesn't need a ring to know you love him.

He gets his training to become a ministry worker, taking up a desk job in magical Law Enforcement. It pays fairly well actually, and he enjoys it even if it comes with more paperwork than his liking.

Whatever your job is, he very much is supportive. He dislikes the traveling part if you chose a job that requires it and worries himself sick if you chose something like an Auror or Cursebreaker. But he would never hold you back from what you would like to do.

It doesn't take him long at all to break off from his family after graduation.

All it took was one meeting where he grudgingly took you to meet his parents for dinner.

It doesn't matter if your blood status or views, chances are his family will hate you. And if that's the case, it's the driving factor between Ominis and the rest of the Gaunts. After all, he will stand by you to the very end.

He actually asks you about marriage again, just to see if you are sure about your answer.

If it's no, that's okay! Just expect him to ask again a few years down the road.

If it's a yes, he plans his proposal right away! The man is Ecstatic to marry you.

He is a romantic soul, sure, but he isn't one for giant acts of love. So it's a quiet, sweet proposal in the back garden of your families home. After all, he asked your father for permission only moments before.

It's the same thing with the wedding actually. You both wear wedding attire, but not overly expensive or extravagant clothes. After all, he just broke off from his family and is trying to get his feet underneath him. The wedding is in Feldcroft, and Anne is one of his groomsmen. Sebastian is his Man of Honor of course, and he only invites his cousins that is more like family than his own parents. You only invite your closest family as well.

Instead of a honeymoon, you guys work on a run down cottage not too far from Hogwarts. This also counts for if you aren't married.

If you aren't married, he doesn't care for social rules. He doesn't mind the judgement from living with you out of wedlock! Not at all.

Sebastian is over at your cottage like all the time. He never overstays his welcome, but he might as well live there!

Ominis has always had such a cold and uninviting home, so he tries his best to make your house inviting! He does a good job too. Guests love visiting you two.

Now, you would think I would dive into the children part of this story. Not now.

No, instead, Ominis wants to experience things he never has before. He asks you to take him to muggle pubs, muggle concerts, etc. Even if he can't see, he adores experiencing a world so different from his own. Anything you wanna do, he does as well.

The two of you take a trip to Australia. With how much he loves magical creatures, he wants to see some muggle animals as well. And he thinks Australian accents are funny.

He wants a cat SO BADLY. Of course he would never ask if you don't like cats or are allergic. But if not? Oh boy, you're in for it.

That cat would be his best friend. You are not getting cuddles if the cat is there first, and he talks to it like it's a child.

Honestly the cat prefers you but loves the two of you so much!!

It's basically your first kid.

A circus comes to the small town closest to your cottage and you guys go see it just because you can. Why not? Ominis likes peanuts and finds the music and cheering amusing. Also enjoys a play by play by you!

There was a vendor selling exotic pets...and well one of them was a snake.

Normally Ominis wouldn't bat an eye but the snake started begging him for help because the vendor was abusing his animals.

How are you supposed to say no when your partner is almost in tears over a little snake?

So yeah, you get a new pet.

NOW I TALK ABOUT THE CHILDREN PART OF THIS STORY

I feel like Ominis is indifferent.

He really likes kids actually and would like to have some of his own. But it's not a deep desire. The two of you had talked about it before moving in together and so he already knows your preference.

If you wouldn't like to have children, he is A-OK with that! Just...don't let him turn into a crazy cat man. Because he will. He just can't say no to their fluffy little faces.

If you would like children, he is so happy! Of course, he would love you either way, but he just cannot wait to be a father once he gets the idea in his head.

Though, because of his genes, I am not sure he would want biological children. After all, he isn't proud of being a Slytherin descendant or the fact that his parents were cousins.

If you would like biological children, he could make an exception after some convincing.

If not, he is so excited to adopt! I feel like he would rather adopt an older kid rather than a baby but you know. Your opinion weighs heavily on his too.

Either way, he cries when he finds out you're expecting/adoption went through.

That night he cries himself to sleep on your shoulder and wakes up still crying and smiling so hard it hurts.

He lowkey wants to shove it in his parents' face that he's going to be a father with the most amazing person he has ever met and they won't get to witness any of it!

Of course he apparates to Sebastian's and cries again, to him, for what feels like hours.

He breaks once he meets his child. You've never seen him cry hard before, only silent tears and little sobs. But he's crying like a baby because he just is so happy and can't believe he is at this point with somebody he loves.

If you don't want children, he asks if you can raise Nifflers in the back garden, or maybe get a Unicorn? He would build the stable with Sebastians help. Boy loves his animals SO MUCH

Mornings with him where he makes breakfast and you set the table, both of you listening to his favorite record on the Gramaphone.

Ominis can be rather playful, so expect him to tickly your hips while passing through, or to jump out and scare you when you least expect it.

And after YEARS of living in the same house, he smacks his head on the doorframe of your kitchen. Because, like, he's tall and the cottage is not.

Yes, the bed is perfectly comfortable, but like naps on the floor or in the garden hit different.

You start a little flower garden in the back yard, and he really loves to sit in it. The smells are just so nice! But he would rather gouge out his eyes than ruin your garden so he never stays out there for long. No matter how many times you tell him he won't step on anything.

[yourhighness6]

Zutara's Song is Definetely The Great War by Taylor Swift

I've seen a lot of Zutara songs and playlists out there and I wanted to share my opinion on my personal favorite

I want to start out by saying that this analysis is going to completely ignore Taylor Swift's intentions when she wrote the song and any analysis of the song in concurrence with her life. I'm also going off my personal feelings that the first verse and chorus are Zuko talking to Katara, the second verse, chorus, and bridge are Katara talking to Zuko, and the remaining parts of the song are them reflecting after the war.

My knuckles were bruised like violets,

Sucker punching walls, cursed you as I sleep talked,

For me, this was pretty typical season 1 Zuko. Angry at the world, fighting everything in sight, ect, ect. It's only after the first two lines that the song gets a little bit more specific.

Spineless in my tomb of silence,

Tore your banners down, took the battle underground,

That third line is really reminiscent of Ba Sing Se. He took himself out of the story, until, of course, he had to make a choice in "Crossroads of Destiny"

And we know what he chooses

It's almost phrased in the form of an apology, which connects it even further to their story. "Tore your banners down" could also mean the fall of Ba Sing Se in general. Aang is Katara's banner, the avatar who she put so much hope in, but the Earth Kingdom banner is also who she was fighting behind. Azula killed Aang, so I would personally say it's the latter, but I saw two meanings behind it so it's totally up for interpretation.

And maybe it was egos swinging,

The "egos swinging" bit resonated with me a lot, because at this point in the story Zuko isn't done with his character arc. He still seeks his father's validation over his own moral code, and although it seems to me like he's gotten over a lot of his entitlement, I think he still feels entitled to his throne. That's one of my favorite things about his arc, actually, that he comes from a place of privilege but eventually, unlike Azula, realizes that the right to rule isn't given by birth but by true care for the people you represent. (some politicians should take notes)

Maybe it was her,

To me, the "her" in this case is Azula, convincing Zuko their father will be proud of him if he returns to the Fire Nation, although it could also mean Mai. Again, open for interpretation.

Flashes of the battle come back to me in a blur,

This could mean a lot for different people. I've seen a theory about Zuko possibly disassociating (not unlike similar theories about Darth Vader), which I think is interesting. It could also maybe represent the guilt he still feels, which is my personal opinion.

Moving on, the chorus is fairly generic once again,

All that bloodshed, crimson clover,

Uh-uh, sweet dream was over,

My hand was the one you reached for,

All throughout the great war,

The hand part stuck out to me because of the part in the final agni Kai when they reach for each other:

(screencaps are bad quality but ya'll get the idea)

Then it goes back to the any enemies-to-lovers generic dynamic again...

Always remember, uh-uh,

Tears on the letter,

I vowed not to cry anymore,

If we survived the Great War.

And then we switch to Katara's POV:

You drew up some good faith treaties,

I drew curtains closed, drank my poison all alone,

You could argue that this is several moments throughout the series, maybe at the end of the war when she gets together with Aang, but I connected it most with her time spent on the ship after book 2. While Zuko was trying to fix his relationship with the Fire Nation and return to his family, Katara was isolating herself, worried about the war, about the avatar, avoiding her father and Sokka out of shame and feelings of abandonment. It was an extremely dark time for her, and although Zuko was trying to feel hopeful about his return, he doesn't even smile when he reunites with Mai. He knows he made the wrong decision.

You said I have to trust more freely,

This is after Zuko's redemption arc, during "The Southern Raiders" (which is probably my favorite ATLA episode, btw). Zuko encourages Katara to trust him, feeling that he is changed and is now deserving of it.

But she refuses to forgive or trust him

I would argue this is for good reason. She is clearly angry at more than just him, the entire Fire Nation, in fact, for murdering her mother and starting the war, but it is also very personal. When he betrayed her in Ba Sing Se after she revealed such a devastating detail of her life and they shared a connection, her abandonment issues probably came into play. It's similar to the trauma she had with her father after he left to join the war. She is scared that the people she cares about will leave her, just like her parents did, whether they had a choice or not, and just like Aang did when Azula shot him with lightning, again, without meaning to. Zuko left her intentionally to join the Fire Nation, even after she offered to heal his scar, a very important moment in their arcs. She is forgiving, optimistic, helpful, and kind to someone who hunted her and her friends for nearly a year, and he throws the offer of her most valuable asset back in her face and is instrumental in Aang's near death experience.

But diesel is desire, you were playing with fire,

He helps her. He uncovers her trauma, aids her in working through it, is supportive even when it was probably more than he bargained for.

And maybe it's the past that's talking,

Screaming from the crypt,

Telling me to punish you for things you never did,

Her mother did die at the hands of the Fire Nation, under Zuko's family's orders, whether they came directly from Ozai or not. But he wasn't the one who killed her or ordered her death, and he IS the one who is trying to defeat his father and end the war in favor of balance and peace. She realizes that...

So I just defied it,

...And finds it in her heart to forgive him.

After that, we start on the chorus again.

All that bloodshed, crimson clover,

Uh-uh, the bombs were closer,

I think that last line also refers to a different scene, much earlier in "the Southern Raiders", when Azula attacks the temple...

My hand was the one you reached for,

All throughout the Great War

...And Zuko saves Katara.

(I might do a separate post analyzing just this moment because holy crap there is A LOT there)

Always remember, uh-uh,

The burning embers,

I vowed not to fight anymore,

If we survived the Great War,

I think this refers to the agni Kai specifically, as does most of the bridge. The fire everywhere, the fear, the fact that it's the last battle of the war. It just fits.

It turned into something bigger,

Somewhere in the haze got the sense I'd been betrayed,

Your finger on my hairpin trigger,

Everything is depending on this battle. If they can't defeat Azula, what will happen to the Fire Nation? Will the people now just be under a new, arguably stronger and more powerful tyrant?

Soldier down, on that icy ground,

Looked up at me with honor and truth,

Broken and blue, so I called off the troops,

But they never learn what would have happened, because their combined efforts defeat Azula.

That was the night I nearly lost you,

I really thought I'd lost you

But not before Zuko (or rather, Azula) gives Katara the fright of her life.

(the love and concern on her face is so heartbreakingly beautiful it makes me want to sob)

And now everything is fine! The bridge is over and the next verse is full of hope.

We can plant a memory garden,

Say a solemn prayer, place a poppy in my hair,

For the poppy part, I'd like to address a particular fan theory. In the final scene, Katara has a pink flower in her hair.

(I left the usernames on, but please lmk if anyone wants a different type of credit. screenshot taken from this post: x)

According to another source I found, this flower is a pink peony, which symbolizes prosperity and a happy marriage.

(flower analysis originally from this post: x)

I know that this is a peony, not a poppy, but close enough? Also, if it were a poppy, it would symbolize compassion and platonic love.

Either way, I think of this as a kind of goodbye from Zuko to Katara. No matter what the situation was at the end of the series, whether Zuko was in love with Katara, Katara was in love with Zuko, or they were in love with each other, "platonic love" and "happy marriage" were a goodbye. It's either wishing her the best with Aang, or saying they can only be friends because of Aang or because of duty, but that he loves her anyway. (oh look, I made myself cry) At least, I think that in canon context. But within the song, it's a peony and they're now engaged lol

Anyway, the verse continues.

There's no morning glory, it was war, it wasn't fair,

And we will never go back to that,

And then the chorus starts again, but it's tone is far more hopeful than before. The worst is behind them. The war is over.

Bloodshed, crimson clover,

Uh-uh, the worst was over,

My hand was the one you reached for,

All throughout the Great War,

Always remember, uh-uh,

We're burned for better,

I vowed I would always be yours,

'Cause we survived the Great War.

It's just so perfect! I love it! (psst, if anyone wants me to also analyze another "Zutara song" feel free to ask)

[broke-art]

Red Son x reader cute scare

Red Son stepped carefully though the house to avoid the creaky boards he had memorized. Your words from the other night ringing in his ears.

"You have no idea how to be stealthy, do you?" You giggled catching his arm and pulling him into the light.

He had been following you home to ensure your safety, but you had spotted him fairly easily.

"I do too!" Red son shouted his ponytail igniting ablaze.

This only made you giggle more.

"Alright then, show me sometime, ok?"

And show you, he certainly would. Today he intended to sneak into your house without being detected and scare you. Perhaps it was childish, but you always lit up so adorably when you saw him. And he couldn't bring himself to hurt you in anyway. Thus, this alternative was a solid bet.

He nimbly made his way up the stairs and pressed his back against the wall next to your room. Your door was open, so you definitely weren't showering or dressing.

Your sweet voice drifted through the door way into the hall and he considered holding off for a moment. But he quickly dismissed the idea. He could always request you sing to him later.

In one swift movement he darted into the room.

"AHA!" He shouted.

You jumped and whirled around in your vanity desk. Your hair in a different style and your figure, adorned with a new dress.

Instantly Red Son's cheeks ignited and his hair set ablaze.

"Why are you getting dressed up?!" He shouted suddenly.

You stared at Red Son in confusion for a moment, then your lips slowly curled into a smile.

"Did you seriously sneak into my house just to prove you can be stealthy?"

Red Son's blush deepened significantly, giving you your answer.

"No, NO! You are not changing the subject! Why are you getting all dressed up?! Are you seeing someone else?!" He demanded.

You giggled lightly and got up.

"Because tomorrow is your birthday, and I wanted to surprise you."

Red Son paused for a moment to think. It was his birthday tomorrow. He had completely forgotten.

"W-well, in that case, thank you." He huffed folding his arms.

You walked over to him.

"Well since you kinda spoiled your birthday present, why don't you make it up to me?"

"Huh?" Red Son took on a lost look. The type he regularly took when you caught him off guard.

"You can stay and we can have a movie night." You proposed with an excited smile.

Red Son frowned.

"Please? You basically broke in to my house. If it was that easy for you someone else could too." You explained putting up a scared front.

"I am a professional." Red Son huffed hautily.

"You're also a wonderful fighter." You complimented meaningfully.

"Why, yes I am." Red Son agreed. "And I do suppose reparations are in order for spoiling your gift." He sighed rubbing the back of his neck.

"Yay!" You cheered before grabbing his arm and racing to the t.v room.

[squeakybit]

The DAMN Fam Spotify Playlist

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/25JoiJWm91JmYrC2WM5ifA?si=OEMzJS7bSSmXGrskN56UxA

The DAMN Crew has a Spotify playlist that Freelancer (Lev) started during one of their classes and invited the others to add to it.

Lev added “Wasteland” from NEONIE first. They've always liked the music, but after the inversion the line “got my pack, my pride, my brothers” hit a little different. They wanted the guys to know just how much they all meant to them.

When told that this playlist was to unwind and just enjoy each other's vibe, Lasko was, surprisingly, the next to add a song, choosing Girl in Red, loving the carefree summer vibe. He'd listen to ”I wanna be your girlfriend” while grading papers or documenting notes in his guidance counselor cases. He used to picture Lev in place of “Hannah” in the song, especially when they started hanging out one on one. “I don't wanna be your friend, I wanna kiss your lips” when he added that song, a slight flash of those feelings returned, but with his new partner in the kitchen making them coffee, he shrugged it off. He just likes Girl in Red.

Gavin likes jazz. The slow smooth music and round vocals. It's classy. The song "Fly me to the moon” played in a movie he and Lev watched very early on in their relationship. His hand on their hip, their head on his chest, he listened to them hum along, and the moment had been so perfect. He deemed it their song. He'd drown himself in it if he could. The version by The Macarons Project is his favorite.

Lev added Can't fight this feeling anymore to the playlist, dedicating it to Huxley and Damien after they'd all watched Rock Of Ages together. Huxley finds it funny and a bit sweet, listening to it whenever he's at work and missing Damien. Damien is embarrassed, feeling called out, but will listen to it and fantasize being held by Huxley like that. (Happens fairly often in the bedroom)

Heaven by Julia Michaels was put in by Lev in honor of Gavin, and after he actually listened to the words, he rifted right in the middle of a crowded DAMN-owned bus and into the apartment where he saw the walking out of the bathroom and he picked them up off the ground in a hug and kiss.

Pure imagination by Kathleen it's a lullaby for caelum that Lev found sometime after the inversion and before Caelum returned from Aria. They put it on the playlist too listen to when they missed him with the determination to sing it for him if he ever had an emotional attack like that again.

Stressed Out by Twenty One Pilots - The first song that Damien added to the playlist. He'd never say it to them but he loved TØP during adolescence, and only justified it by “well aren't we?” he says it's too relatable.

Centuries by fallout boy - Huxley added this for no other reason than immaculate vibes.

Warriors and bad liar by Imagine Dragons - Huxley added both of these to add some pump to his morning jogs. He loves Imagine Dragons and wants to get his friends into it.

I hear a symphony by Cody Fry - Lev added this song immediately after hearing it as a Spotify suggestion and got really emotional, sending a voice memo to the group chat, telling everyone to listen to the song and that they loved all of them.

Gavin added Immortal by Reinaeiry to the playlist after finding it coincidentally during an internalization of the Damn crew’s - particularly Freelancer’s - mortality. The lyrics made him cry, and he walked around the apartment parking lot around 2am while Lev slept soundly. These nights happened often as the years went on, but especially around each of their birthdays and he always feels guilty for feeling a littlesad while everyone else is having a blast.

[the-fiction-witch]

The Agency

Media The Queens Gambit

Character Benny Watts

Couple Benny X Reader

Rating Sweet

I sat rattled with dread and apprehension, my hands quivering and my knees trembling. I sat inside the undersized tiled cubicle in the women's bathroom, My red suitcases on the floor around me, opened up exposing my clothes, makeup and tools. My feet on the floor as I was in the midst of changing after the flight, my hair in my rollers, filled a spray bottle with water from the taps and doused my hair while it sat in the rollers in the hope that it dry it would curl my hair. I removed all my make-up and did it all nice and fresh with my hand mirror. Once my make-up was done as faultlessly as possible even if it took me a good three tries. I crammed my make-up away and changed out of my little pinafore dress, I put on my best shapewear even if it made me feel like a bit of sealed meat. I pulled on my black stockings and clipped them into my suspender belt. I slipped on my little white kitten heels and made sure I was stable in them. I grabbed the dress I had picked out for today and slipped on the black knee-length A-line halter neck dress, making sure to smooth it out and adjust it a few times to try and make sure I looked my best. I slipped my thick white belt around my waist bucking it at the front of my waist giving it some slight adjustments. Once my hair was dry enough I pulled my rollers out my hair seeing the slight curl in my hair, I quickly packed them all away into my suitcase. I grabbed my white headband and pushed it into my hair before finally I set my silver necklace around my neck and coated myself in my perfume. Once finished I packed everything up into my cases and handbag before I emerged from the stall and went to the mirror giving my hair and dress slight adjustments. I put my coat over my suitcase and held my cases in my hands before I left the bathroom completely and headed out to the airport. I saw well-dressed men and women coming and going for their travels.

I found myself a spot and set my cases down before I grabbed my paperwork from The Agency. I didn't have much information from them, but I suppose the rest I will just have to learn. I put my papers back in my bag and took my cases again standing and looking around to see if I could spot him. But I merely waited for a good while shuffling my feet, watching the clock hands turn each inch they moved around the face filled me with even more anxiety. I saw a man looking around and I took note of him, he stood in the centre of the airport looking at the board. He wore a pair of black ankle boots well polished, a pair of black jeans with some slight fading on the knees as if well used, a leather belt with a small holster containing a well-sharpened knife, a black T-shirt, three long silver chains around his neck looming at different lengths on his chest, a green textured button down tucked into his jeans with only a few buttons done up to expose the shirt and chains below, a leather trench coat that seemed to move with him to perfectly the leather warmed and well relaxed, he was fairly pale with some spikey hair on his chin and upper lip, the straggles of blonde hair coming from below a greyish brown stetson hat. His hands are in his jacket pockets as he watches the board with a look of brief confusion. He glanced around the first time he just looked around but then he gave me a double take his head snapping back to look at me. He stepped over confidently but slowly stopping a respectful distance away, he looked me up and down with his chocolate eyes and I too looked him up and down, My eyes lingered on the knife at his hip.

"Uhh… Y/n Y/l/n?" He asked, The moment my name left his mouth I knew this was true, this was him, this really was happening, I hadn't been stood up or wasted my time, but also the realization that… this was true, this was real, this was happening this was… him. "Benjamin Watts?" I clarified, "Yeah," he nodded, "Uhh just Benny if you don't mind," "Ohh sorry I didn't-" "It's not a problem, don't worry about it, I could have sworn I told them." He reassured, "Well… You're very beautiful," "Thank you," I blushed, "You uhh you're very handsome," "Thanks," he smiled, "So? you wanna get going?" "Yes, of course, that would be nice…" I nodded, "You mind if I?" He smiled, "Ohhh uhh No," I answered even if I wasn't quite sure, He smiled briefly and moved closer so much I could smell the scent of his earthly woody aftershave mixed with the leather scent of his jacket, he gave my cheek a polite kiss which turned my blush far more intense, before he took one of my cases from me and offered his hand so I happily took it and let him lead me even if I was nervous.

I sat inside the little blue beetle as It scampered through the New York Streets in the setting sun. The sounds of the little air-cooled engine behind us. Benny's hands on the wheel his silver rings often tapping against the wood, the radio lit up on the dashboard turned into a station gently playing It's Been a Long, Long Time by Kitty Kallen low enough to meerly be a gentle whisper. "So? How much did they tell you?" he spoke up, "Oh… Not much, I imagine they didn't tell you much either…" I answered, "A little bit, they let me see your file very briefly." "They didn't let me see yours…" "I didn't read much of it, Kinda just wanted to get to know you in person," "Yeah, me too." "I'll be honest, I was mostly just looking at your picture so I had some kinda hope of recognizing you when I picked you up," He chuckled, I blushed and chuckled too, "I didn't know what to expect, but I just hoped we'd find each other." "Well we have time to get settled," He said as he pulled up in front of a bunch of tall Brooklyn townhouses, I looked them over with a wistfulness before I climbed out eager to discover what this new life could be like.

[dreamdaddydutch]

Absolution at the base of your Altar -  Summary:  The reader was there at Blackwater, experienced and saw it all. Now they’re having difficulty sleeping and experiencing horrendous night terrors, but there’s some solace to be found with Javier and shortly after the two become an item. It is in Javier’s arms and when in bed that the reader finds the cure to their guilt, the absolution they so desire and feel they need. It is worshipping at the feet of their lover and allowing themselves to be completely vulnerable and undone that they feel they may finally overcome the survivor’s guilt that haunts them. 

Chapter 5 Summary: Set the morning after Javier and a reader try things differently in the bedroom, reflections on how they're both feeling over breakfast. The pair return to Horseshoe overlook for a few hours and the reader is honest with Arthur.

Pairing: Javier x f! (afab) reader  

Wordcount for Chapter 4 - 2,540

Warnings: This chapter is fairly light on any cw - only thing is more reference to survivors guilt, along with guilt/shame over the night before. Smoking.

!!Minors DNI. 18+ Only!!

Read Chapter 1 here Chapter 2 here Chapter 3 here  Chapter 4 here

The following morning Javier awoke with a start, the events of the previous evening had clearly been playing on his mind whilst he slept. He felt dirty and ashamed, but worst still he was in a state of deep reflection that came with waves of guilt and sadness. Javier didn’t wish to wake you so sat meditating on his mood, slowly stroking your hair as you slept.

Thankfully it didn’t appear you were having any nightmares in your sleep and were snoring quietly. He saw a small bruise round your neck and felt a lump in his throat, he swallowed and told himself it was all okay, that you had been safe with him and this was the truth. He told himself it’s what you had wanted, what you had needed and it was consensual, and this was the truth. He told himself that when you’d used the safe word, he stopped as agreed beforehand, and again this was the truth. Despite this he still felt guilty, he moved his hand away from your hair so he could place his head in his hands as he tried to think of what to say to you when you woke up.

After a short while Javier felt restless and fearing he would wake you he got up and dressed. He wrote a note to you in case you woke while he was gone, after last night the last thing he wanted to do was to worry you and make you think he’d left you.

My love, I’ll be back soon, we’ll go get breakfast and coffee. Love your Javi xx

Stepping outside the hotel Javier inhaled sharply enjoying the cool morning air, the weather was clear and crisp. The leaves on the trees had just started turning, hints of orange and yellow filtering through.

He walked round the town taking stock of who was about, stopping to say good morning to the farm animals, the sheep looked a little suspiciously at him. He knew he’d get some odd looks from people too with wishing sheep and horses a good morning, but Javier didn’t care. It’s something he’d done since he was young and didn’t plan on stopping now just to fit in.

After finishing his rounds and buying some sweets for you in the general store, he returned to the hotel.

“Good morning my darling,” Javier said on realising that you were awake.

You stretched, letting out a yawn. It was the first few moments on waking that you’d forgotten about the night before, but once you opened your eyes and looked at Javier all the memories came flooding back. Your cheeks deepened in colour, and you looked away across the room in shame.

Javier immediately moved across the room and sat next to you, “No, no shame mi amor.”

He took hold of your chin and tipped it upwards, so you were looking at him, you closed your eyes and heard Javier chuckle, “Why are you hiding from me?”

“After last night,” you started with your eyes still firmly closed, “I feel so embarrassed, how could I look at you again. Just how far it went, how much I wanted it and then how I didn’t want it at all, how I reacted, how I made you feel.” You felt yourself tremble as you spoke, hot tears desperate to escape.

Javier wiped the moisture away, “Please look at me.”

You opened your eyes when Javier cupped your cheek and leant into him, “Thank you.”

“I’m always here for you, I will always love you, you know that?”

You nodded, you never wanted Javier to stop talking, his words were healing to you, his tone, his accent and of course the sentiment themselves.

“Never be embarrassed in front of me.”

You looked up to meet his gaze and pressed your nose to his, you rubbed back and forwards, special kisses for your love.

“Now, are you hungry?”

Your stomach had been rumbling so you knew it was a silly question, of course you were hungry and in desperate need for a coffee, something strong and warm. Those words, they made you think of Javier.

He got up from the bed and reached out to take hold of your hand, the bed was so comfy it was hard to leave but the promise of food, especially of food with Javier and no one else around was too good to ignore.

Javier stepped back and sat in the chair in the corner of the room, you raised an eyebrow at him, “Javier, most men like to watch women get undressed.”

“I’m not most men,” he said, completely aware of how corny he sounded. He crossed one leg over the other, his boots were gleaming, he must have shined them whilst you were asleep, then he lit up a cigarette. Oh, those eyes as he watched you, prowling and dark, the way he sucked on his cigarette was nothing short of sensual and sexual. He inhaled deeply as he drunk in not only the smoke but your image as you moved around the room, bending over and putting your outfit together piece by piece.

Once you were dressed you looked at yourself in the mirror, no makeup on apart from a little residual eye makeup you’d missed the night before – it was smudged and with your hair looking like birds were nesting in it, it was obvious you’d had a very good night. You went to pick up your hairbrush when Javier stood up and placed a hand on your wrist.

“I like your hair like that,” he said.

You turned to look at him, Mr Pristine, the vainest of all the boys in camp, he couldn’t be serious.

You continued to lift the brush to your hair, “Please, keep it like that,” he pleaded, his lips were close to your ear as he spoke, wet noises, warm breath sending shivers down your spine. You got it, you realised why he liked it like this. It’s because if you looked like that whilst you were together, it was obvious how it got into that state and Javier would be the proud man by your side.

You stopped to look at him, “Mr Escuella, I do believe I know what you are up to.”

Javier stepped back and held his hands up as if to show his innocence, his expression was a little too shocked and completely put on, “Okay, okay, I admit it, it gives me a thrill seeing you like that. But…” he paused and placed a hand on your shoulder, “If you’d rather do your hair how you want, please don’t let me stop you.”

“What do you want me to do?”

“I want you to do what you want to do.”

“What would you like me to want to do?” You asked knowing how silly you sounded.

Javier laughed, “Darling, I love you with your hair anyway, makeup or no makeup. You’re right I’m a little…. cheeky today and so I like this messy look you’ve got going on. But if you’d feel happier and more comfortable doing it up, I don’t want to stop that.”

You put the hairbrush down, this is what you needed to hear from him right now.

“You know, I kinda like it like this too.”

At breakfast you sat opposite one another, opting for eggs, bacon, and bread – there was nothing better than a simple meal, well, a simple meal as long as it wasn’t one that Pearson had cooked. There was a great flask of coffee on the table steaming away.

“You okay?” Javier asked, noticing you move food around your plate.

“Yeah,” you nodded and promptly put some bacon and egg on your fork and eating it.

“Yeah I don’t quite believe you, what happened to you’re so hungry and loving this food?”

It was time to be honest, again, only this time you hoped it wouldn’t make you cry or feel sick again.

“Thinking about last night and where we go from here, before you say it, I know you’re okay with everything and nothing has changed between us. I know you love me and that hasn’t changed. It’s more about what we do…do we try again? Do we forget the whole thing and hope that all my anxiety and guilt eventually goes away. What happens if we try again and it’s worse next time, what if you can’t stop, what if I can’t say the safe word, what if you don’t even want to try again.”

“Shhh,” Javier reached over and placed a hand on yours, his thumb gently rubbing your knuckles, “You’re overthinking again my love. One thing at a time. I’m happy to try again, I’m also happy if you don’t want to, we don’t need to do it tonight, it can be tomorrow or next week. We can just have a romantic night tonight, I’m not going to go too far, I will always respond to the safe word.”

You knew Javier was telling the truth, he could never lie to you, “Thank you, shall we just take the day as it comes?”

You thought about blackwater as you sipped your coffee and how lucky you felt to still be alive. You knew the only way through this would be to persevere with the plan and get Javier to completely have you come undone. You sighed as you stared off into the distance, the look Javier gave you, well it was one that let you read his mind. He missed you, the old you, he missed how carefree and in love you both were, if only there was a way to bring that back. Javier Escuella would do anything.

“Javi, do you think we could pop back to Horseshoe Overlook for an hour today?” You asked, worried you’d sound a bit silly.

“Of course, but why?”

“Just to see everyone, some normality after last night… I want to read a story to Jack, I know how distracted he’s been recently. I also want to collect my notebook, I shouldn’t have left it there, what if someone goes through my stuff and reads it. It’s exactly the kind of thing that buffoon Micah would do.”

Javier chuckled at the use of your words, “If Micah touched anything of yours, I would teach him a lesson.”

“With your knife?”

Javier nodded, “With my knife.”

After breakfast you both got onto Boaz, you’d decided to leave your horse back at camp, you liked sitting behind Javier and wrapping your arms round his waist…You rested your head against the top of his back and your shoulder.

The gentle rocking motion as Boaz trotted along relaxed you into a state of bliss. You watched the world go by, the crows flying, deer and bison, small songbirds, rabbits running across the trail up ahead. Why couldn’t life be like this all the time?

Back at camp the others were happy to see you, Jack in particular had missed his nighttime stories and so ran over to you, even though it had been just one night, it was clear he wasn’t keen on change and having you both away was enough to make him uncomfortable.

Micah made some comment about you being away for a dirty night and then made another comment about Javier, on hearing Javier went over and punched him in the nose with no warning. It made you chuckle, but after just 15 minutes you remembered why you and Javier liked to get away from camp sometimes. It could be very busy, very noisy, very… a lot.

Inside your tent it thankfully appeared that there had been no one in there, your diary was where you expected it, so you stored it in your bag lest you forget it again.

Javier popped his head into the tent, “You okay?” He asked.

“Yes, all okay, got my notebook! I’m just gonna go write and look at the view for a bit if that’s okay and then we’ll take off.” Javier stood out of the way so you could get out of the tent, he pressed a kiss to your cheek. Arthur was stood looking out at the view, you could always count on Arthur, he was good to talk to and unlike some of the other men in the camp you knew there was no chance of Javier ever getting jealous.

“Hey Arthur.” He looked over somewhat in a daze, “You okay?”

“Yeh I’m a’right I ‘spose,” he said.

“You sure about that?”

“Yeah it’s just this business with Blackwater,” he said lighting up a cigarette, “You were there….what happened?”

You shook your head, “Honestly Arthur, I’m not sure I can even answer that question. So much happened all at once, I’m trying to make sense of it all, it happened so fast and there are some things I just can’t…I can’t be sure exactly what happened. All I know is I feel awful.” You sat down on the grass, playing with a dandelion.

“You gotta make a wish,” Arthur said.

You blew the dandelion and did what Arthur said, you wouldn’t tell anyone what you wished for but you knew Javier would guess.

Arthur sat next to you, “Yeah I get it, we’ve done some terrible things.”

“Yeah…Arthur do you ever regret things you’ve done or things you’ve been involved in?”

“All the time, but you just gotta try to put it behind you and keep going. Atone for it with better actions, no use dwelling on it or the feeling will eat you alive.”

“I know that feeling.”

“So you’re not holding up well over it?”

You shook your head, “No, Arthur the nightmares are horrendous…I feel sick if I think about it too much, I can’t sleep, I just want to cry. Too many innocents died, not to mention our own.” You looked over your shoulder to see if anyone else was nearby and to locate Dutch’s whereabouts.

“And Dutch…Arthur he’s not himself, something went terribly wrong on that boat. I’ve never seen Dutch react like he did on that day…I don’t know what we can do about it though.”

Arthur looked thoughtful, “Not much we can do about it apart from to pay attention and do what we feel best in the moment. But I agree, something has changed in the gang but I can’t quite put my finger on it.”

You saw Javier playing with Jack and scooted backwards to lean against a tree, “And that’s why you and Javier are going away for a few nights?”

“Yeah, I just needed some time alone with him being honest. There were things I needed us to work through as a couple, things that I knew would help me. But it’s not stuff we could do here.” Arthur raised an eyebrow, you were certain you even saw him blush a little, “Oh I see.” You giggled, “Shh don’t tell anyone!”

He raised his hands, “Don’t worry miss I won’t say a word to anyone.”

You thanked him and watched as he walked over to his cot. Opening your diary you inhaled the fresh smell of blank pages and leather. Homely, safe, in here you could get all your thoughts in order.

A/N - I realise that chapter four was posted in April, which feels like a lifetime ago now, so I'm hoping there's still some interest in this story. I welcome any and all feedback, comments etc. Chapter Six is going to be the really steamy/graphic one where it all comes together, and a warning ahead of time, the Hozier lyrics 'Take me to church' appear which is a bit of a giveaway of what will happen.

[estellamiraiauthor]

Some thoughts on the Ken Hill Phantom in Tokyo—both the show itself, since I’d never seen it before (only partial recordings, never even a full video) and this particular production.

Apologies in advance that I do not know the names of much of the cast… only three cast members are named on the website. I guess you had to buy a program to get some credit for the others, which seems a little shitty… they all did a great job and I’d like to be able to give credit where it’s due… if anyone happens to have a full list, let me know and I’ll add that information.

So, overall thoughts… it was a lot funnier and more fourth-wall-breaking than I expected. Not all of the jokes quite landed (either with me or with the audience in general), but it wasn’t because they were especially dated either, which is always nice in an older show. Just some moments that were like “I know I’m supposed to laugh here, but the joke’s just not that good.”

The banter between Richard (the only new manager in this version) and the old manager, and between Richard and Remy (his assistant or manservant, who kind of fills the role that a second manager sometimes does) usually worked, and all three of them were talented actors. Richard is the former manager of a railway company in this version, which he brags about quite a bit, and I think it was an interesting attempt to showcase the difference between a businessman who really doesn’t appreciate or even attempt to understand opera at all, vs. the Phantom, to whom art should be everything… unfortunately I feel like overall, the Phantom’s characterization was a little weak, which really hurt the emotional impact of the second act. More on that later.

Jammes sort of fulfills the ALW-Meg role here, and this was an interesting character for me because she wasn’t really very good of a dancer? What she did, she did competently, but definitely came off as “actress who has taken ballet lessons” rather than professional ballerina. It also didn’t seem to be much of a singing role, so not a case of choosing a singer over a dancer… I suppose she was maybe supposed to be comic relief, but the actress played her pretty straight?

Paul Potts as Faust is one of the three credited actors, alongside the Phantom and Christine. I LOVED him on Britain’s Got Talent, and watched a few videos of more recent performances when I learned he would be in this, but I wouldn’t say I’ve seriously followed his career. I was surprised in general that the role was such a funny one, and that he was extremely funny in it, because the image I had of him was definitely “Super Serious Tenor”. He was extremely enjoyable, both as a singer and as an actor here. For those who are wondering, because I Googled the role and didn’t find much, “Faust” is essentially the “Piangi” character here, except we never learn his actual name (although we do learn Mme. Giry’s!). He actually had a bigger role than I expected based on his first couple of scenes, unlike poor Mephistopheles, who got killed off fairs soon, for the actor to return as the Persian!

The other major character we meet in that first scene is Raoul, who is Richard’s son in this version. The whole “Little Lotte lost her scarf in the sea” backstory never seems to have happened. Christine and Raoul are already in love from the first scene, but we never learn where or when they met. Interestingly, while the whole “Raoul as aristocracy would never be with an opera singer” issue is not addressed here, since he’s not aristocracy, he does bring up how inappropriate it would be for Christine to be alone with a man in her dressing room. (Not that that stops HIM from barging in!) This Raoul was Sweet and noble, and I really wish I knew the actor’s name because he was a beautiful singer as well.

Christine actually didn’t get a chance to sing until fairly late in the show, and I’m pretty sure the first time she really sings is at her father’s grave, not during a performance or rehearsal! Tayla Alexander as Christine was AMAZING. It’s nice in general to see a Christine who actually is an operatic soprano (although I know that’s not really the POINT of a lot of versions, and don’t mind at all when they don’t, it’s refreshing to see a Christine close to the Leroux character?) She was a great actor too, and this is definitely a Christine with agency. I thought it was an interesting choice to have her come straight out and say “I PITY you!” at the end… that IS possibly a bit of “datedness”? Leroux, or at least the translation I have, also says “pity,” but pity isn’t necessarily seen as an emotion people WANT others to feel about them these days… not sure if that’s an evolution of language/evolution of disability culture thing, or just that this Christine is brutally honest?

So I guess this brings me to the Phantom… he also doesn’t show up until almost the end of Act 1, which is a choice I respect… mystery is good for this character! But I also feel like less interaction with Christine ultimately just made him come off as a creepy incel? I have to say, I did not love Ben Forster in the role. I just went and Googled him because other than playing the ALW Phantom, I wasn’t familiar with him at all, and it’s not at all surprising to me that he got his start in JCS and Rocky Horror etc… I’m much more interested in seeing him in those roles, because he has this like… rock-n-roll twang? To his voice that just did not fit a mostly-Leroux-faithful, generally-period-appropriate Phantom. He was overshadowed vocally not only by Potts but by the woefully uncredited Raoul and the Persian, and if the Phantom doesn’t have the most angelic voice on that stage, it just doesn’t work. I’m curious to see him as the ALW Phantom now, because I surprisingly don’t hate SOME more rock-ish voices there (Paul Stanley isn’t my favorite, but he’s far from my least favorite)… Looking those videos up once I get home!

Since I’m going through all the characters, this version actually has Mme Giry AND the Persian, although Mme Giry is in her original role as box manager! Mme Giry was another great actor and singer, she had a few nice funny moments to break up the overall gravitas of the character.

The Persian… well, this gets into the whole weakness of the second act and of the Phantom character in general. The actor who played the Persian (as well as Mephistopheles) was great, and I didn’t really have a problem with HIS character so much as the needlessly convoluted backstory they gave him and the Phantom. Just about the ONLY sympathetic backstory we get from the Phantom comes from the Persian, and he’s actually pretty brunt about it, just outright calling him “disfigured” rather than a monster or a devil’s child or whatever… which yes, is correct, but it just feels like it’s never really communicated to the audience with any degree of emotion how the Phantom (who never gets a name here) has really been robbed by society’s fear of any chance to have a normal life.

Christine doesn’t have that moment where she sees his face and is initially horrified. She doesn’t see his face at all until the end, so never gets to speak sympathetically about him to others. The Phantom never talks about his OWN past. And what we get from the Persian is mostly about how good at torture he is, oh and that he killed their parents. Because the Persian is his brother.

And I just… that feels so unnecessary? And I think, throws something in there that doesn’t need to be, because is this story set in France, written in English, now commenting on the treatment of children with facial differences in Persia? I don’t really think so, I think it was just supposed to be a big reveal, but it really fell flat. And honestly, if the dude’s parents neglected and abused him… we’ve all been following the Gypsy Rose Blanchard thing for long enough to say, maybe not that it’s OKAY to murder an abusive parent, but it’s certainly a lot more sympathetic than the Persian makes it out to be.

So, in the end, the Phantom is trying to force Christine to marry him by… yelling at her and telling her Raoul is dead. There’s no scorpion and the grasshopper, no Raoul held hostage. If she says no, he’s probably going to kill her, but he’s planning to do that anyway, so it’s a little hard to say what either of them hope to get out of the situation.

And in the end I guess he repents and kills himself, and then all of a sudden all of these people who have been physically and psychologically tormented by him gather ‘round to sing about how he won’t die without a friend? And Christine says he was once her angel of music, but because we’ve never really seen them in the same scene before this, it’s hard to really feel anything about that.

The second act just felt like a huge disappointment after the first… and a lot of that just hung on the Phantom, both the way he was written and the way he was played and sung. I’m glad I saw it, and it’s really interesting to see the parallels either way certain scenes that probably inspired ALW. I was particularly glad to be introduced to Tayla Alexander. But I’m also not going to be going back, at least not during this run.

[chidoroki]

when we think about it, Isabella spent hours to make little Berny for Conny's birthday when she knew at this point that Conny would be shipped one month after this birthday

(she know who will be shipped in the three/four months to come, except if one of these kids made a spectacular progresses suddently, then… this kid is saved for a while i guess).

She spent hours to create a toy that was going to be cherished for only four weeks. and she probably did that for a lot of kids who has the same mont of time than Conny, some had probably more and some had maybe less.

She loves so much her kids and wants them to be happy so much.

For Ray she literally managed to obtain a cool watch that he still uses at almost 12 (and maybe he took it in the escape). He took care of it, he didn't use it for create the anti-trackers device, so he enjoyed the gift.

I dunno exactly how far in advance Isabella knew Conny was gonna be the next one to be shipped out (though she had to be aware it was only a matter of time since her her test scores were pretty low), so the fact Isabella went through all that trouble to make something for her is very sweet indeed. I say "trouble," but with Isabella being so skilled with everything, I can imagine she made Little Bunny fairly quickly.

I also love that Isabella decided to make Little Bunny from scratch rather than just order a bunny plush like all the other objects she gifted Ray as it gives that extra personal touch which really shows how deep her love is for these kids.

When ya say cool watch, are you referring to the pocket watch Ray often used during his time Grace Field? I.. never thought that it would've been another one of his gifts he received from acting as Isabella's watch dog. How did I never think of that..? I mean, it would make sense, yeah? Where else would he even get one if not from Isabella herself? I doubt one was conveniently lying around the house for him to take. Oh, I like this idea very much. (y'all, is this confirmed to be true anywhere about how/when he got the pocket watch??)

About whether or not he took it with him post-escape, I wondered the exact same thing and thankfully I was awarded with an answer during ch61. Unfortunately, I'm slow with realizing that these are two completely different watches, as the one he used at GF didn't open like this one apparently does. Sigh..

Okay so now I'm gonna ramble about something that's been on my mind recently due to me comparing some season two scenes to recent manga chapters, but the watch in the second season's OP has to be Ray's, yea?

The tracking devices Isabella & Krone use are silver, not to mention that we get a clear shot of Ray's during s1ep1. It also doesn't open up like the one used during the trip to Goldy Pond.

Of course what caught my eye are the several tiny scratches on the pocket watch seen in the Identity OP. Had I not gone back to check the first episode just now, I would've imagine the scratches could've been from the stick he used during ch181.5 or something, but since that event of him destroying his tracker takes place before the anime starts, that obviously can't be true. His extra chapter released way after season one anyways and he wasn't even shown using the pocket watch then either. This moment only came to mind because of how precise he timed Isabella's arrival.

Perhaps the damage is just there for dramatic effect. I dunno, just a random thought I've been wondering about. Oh, and the anime pocket watch also doesn't include the chain it has in the manga. I can't complain about that detail though since it's so minor and would've been an extra, unnecessary thing to animate.

I know the question started off with Conny and I just went on a whole Ray tangent and for that I apologize, especially considering it was Conny's birthday, aahaha. Well, I'm posting this a couple minutes late in that case but I was close!

[roxannepolice]

A little bit of GOS2 criticism crossed my dash, mostly of the not like the book variety (not plot-wise, obviously, only in the sense that it went away from the spirit of the book). Leaving aside the fact as a Stanley Kubrick* fan I don't find this a compelling argument at all, I'm really not raging against the fact that there are people who dislike the things I like, not even blocking anyone, that's for politics, filtering serves just perfectly. But I think I see a pattern in the criticisms original/classic material fans levy against adaptations/continuations in Good Omens (that sometimes includes the first season too), Doctor Who and Sherlock Holmes fandoms. If you bite your way through the overgrow of whatever social policy is on the menu it boils down to overfocusing on characters, and in the case of GO overfocusing on characters that aren't even strictly protagonists. And if you've followed me for a while you may have noticed that this sometimes annoys me, too. Sometimes I dress it in fancy wording of precession of simulacrae, sometimes I just bitch about TTC. So I started thinking about why it doesn't bother me, and in fact is a thing that fills me with insane feuertrunkenness** when done right - by which I mostly mean 2nd season of Sherlock, RTD/early Moffat era of Doctor Who, and the 2nd season of Good Omens. So, obviously, I started thinking of Francisco de Goya y Lucientes.

Say hello to my icon and one of most favourite works of visual arts. The simple truth about Goya is that he was an absolute genius in realistic painting. He was flexing away his way across the Spanish court with his compositions, and fabrics, and wrinkles, and light work. He was straight up academically and technically brilliant. He was a product of the European fashion of the time. And yet he could also, especially as his own health and political situation in the country deteriorated, he could also do so. much. drama. So much vision, so much phantasmagoric nightmares. So much introspection. Without even for a moment falling down the chute of sentimentalist navel gazing that the romantic era so often went down.

I don't really like periodization, good art is good art, but paradigmatic shifts are definitely a thing. And there are those amazing artists who bring the older, more established, more as Jung would put it, externalized paradigm to perfection and push it further without losing the sight of it. This is Goya, this is Botticelli, this is Goethe, this is very late Mozart, this is Beethoven. Wagner is a great example because there's this definite moment around the Flying Dutchman and Lohengrin when he finds his style without overpompousing it. And this is an extremely difficult rope to walk! Falling down the rabbit hole of overthinking your own work, and especially overthinking pop cultural phenomena is way way wayyyy too easy for anyone to walk it. The temptation to overpower them is way too strong for mere mortals to resist it.

But it is possible. RTD showed it is possible to do so for over 50 hours of material. The point be that the drama, the sturm und drung and lebenschmertz and whatnot emerge naturally from the story, rather than fitting the story specifically to make it dramatic and navel gazy. It'll be a bit mean now, but it's the difference between the self made tragedy of the last of the time lords and a literal species ready to change reality to find out the Doctor's true name, which matters, but not, but does.

And I think Neilman did hit that sweet spot in the second season. Yes, people are complaining about Aziraphale and Crowley coming off as "too important", especially Crowley***, which is completely contrary to the book, but this remains elegantly within the realms of interpretation. It's introspective and dramatic without navel gazing and tragedy for tragedy's sake. And knowing his other works I feel fairly confident he won't be falling off that rope.

And I wouldn't be a McLuhanist if I didn't mention that television is a medium naturally more likely to focus on characters because of its episodic character (stories end, banter is forever) and the fact it was the first medium where characters were literally at people's homes.

* Don't inform me that he wasn't the nicest person but was a veritable nightmare to work with, I mean his FILMS.

** Sorry for the German vocab, but what can I say, they really made a point when they started splashing words together.

*** My three cents on pre-fall Crowley's archangelic status is that I still like the inversion and irony, but I liked it better when the theory was getting excommunicated as *checks notes* too classist, rather than sth you vagued Neilman about on Tumblr.

[twistedtummies2]

Headcanon Voices - My Twst OCs

(sighs) So, less than a month after I said I would NOT be doing this...I’m doing this. Go figure. :P People keep asking me what voices I headcanon for my OCs, especially for Twisted Wonderland. I decided, just for a lark, to finally provide a dreamcast of English voices for my major TW OCs. (I probably won’t bother with Japanese voices...at least, not right now.) I decided to go with voice actors who primarily work in video games and anime dubs, and I wanted to make sure they had done recent work that felt like it matched the age range of the characters. With help from various people, and a lot of research, I think I’ve finally figured out the voices. SO...here is the Dreamcast of headcanon voices for my Twisted Wonderland OCs.

Nakoda Spivak = Landon McDonald

Initially, I was going to give this to Daman Mills, but after I reminded myself of McDonald’s voice in “Bungo Stray Dogs,” and then listened to his work in “Demon Slayer” and a couple of other places, I chose him, instead. I don’t know if McDonald can sing, but in terms of his speaking voice, it is EXACTLY how I would imagine Nakoda to sound...provided you just give him those tell-tale hisses. ;) Billy Géant = Stephen Fu

I love Stephen Fu from a few roles, but it was specifically his work as Noe in “The Case Study of Vanitas” that made me choose him here. His voice in that role has a certain mixture of grit and resonant depth that I felt Billy needed, but it’s still light and young, which I also felt was needed. In that specific role, he also shows two different sides: Noe is one half gooberish cinnamon bun who can be insanely cute and sweet, and the other half is...well...a vampire. A very, VERY powerful, strong, and dangerous vampire. He can flip on a dime from downright TERRIFYING to just the cutest little guy in the world. That’s EXACTLY what Billy should be: one moment a big loveable dunderheaded child, the next a rage-fueled disaster machine who can be fiery or icy depending on the situation.

Elias Inque = Brandon Johnson

I only just recently discovered Johnson for his work as the title role in “Skeleton Knight in Another World.” That role alone was all it took to convince me. In the part of Arc, the main character, he proves to be equal parts an over-the-top pseudo-villainous ham, a somewhat goofy and geeky sort, and a fairly down-to-Earth, rational person...AND, surprisingly, a massive glutton who is CONSTANTLY thinking of food. That’s basically Eli in a nutshell. I can even imagine him using his “normal voice” for Arc as Elias, while he transitions into his “bold knight” voice for when Eli becomes the Phantom Blot. Seems fitting.

Reno Rovar = Adam Gold

I really don’t know Adam Gold well at all. However, after @belliesandburps shared with me clips of him from “Cookie Run,” I was convinced. Case closed.

James Killian = Ricco Fajardo

Initially, I was going to cast Kieran Flitton here, even though I’ll confess I don’t know Flitton very well. Things changed when I discovered Fajardo’s work as Achilles in the game “Smite.” I knew Fajardo already from a few places, but it was Achilles in “Smite” that convinced me. Just like with McDonald as Nakoda, the instant I heard his work in that role, all I could think of was, “that’s James. That is EXACTLY how James should sound.” Heck, even some of his dialogue sounds like stuff James would say, in PRECISELY the way James WOULD say it! So that settled things in an instant.

Smitty McCarthy = Joshua Waters

Waters is a bit of an odd one here. This is a case where it’s less one or two specific ROLES that convinced me, and just the actor in general. I was most heavily influenced by his work as Miyano in “Sasaki & Miyano.” The soft, “smol” voice he uses for Miya in that show sounds very much like how I would imagine Smitty often sounding. The energy is different - Miyano’s personality is NOT the same as Smitty’s - but the specific SOUND, the QUALITY of the voice, is just about on the money. Knowing Waters’ other work, I think he’s a fine choice.

Maelstrom Baleno = Kellen Goff

I know Kellen Goff best for playing Sasaki in “Sasaki & Miyano” and Overhaul in “My Hero Academia.” Neither is  the voice I imagine for Maelstrom. XD Much like Joshua Waters as Smitty, this is a case where it’s less about a specific role, and more about the actor. Goff has an INCREDIBLE range, and can do a lot of really cool things with his voice that you wouldn’t guess just hearing his neutral, natural tones. It was a combination of hearing a few roles of his, including his characters in Cookie Run, Volke from Fire Emblem, Glamrock Freddy, and a few others that made me decide he could, very likely, handle Maelstrom. While his natural voice is quite light, he’s shown he can bring depth and danger to a voice with ease, so while he may be unconventional as a choice, he seems possible to me.

Theodore Hamilton = Jalen K. Cassell

Theodore was quite possibly the hardest character to cast. I kept changing the voice right up until the last minute with him. The problem is that Theo is different from my other OCs because he’s based on a female source. Not only that, but it’s a female source with a VERY iconic sort of voice: the Wicked Witch of the West. Whether you go with Mila Kunis or Margaret Hamilton, how does one turn that heckling, cackling, snarling, shrieking voice into the sound of a handsome anime boi? I considered several actors: Brandon McInnis, Chris Guerrero, even a few who ended up with other characters, like Goff and Fu. Jalen K. Cassell won out because he had the right balance of youthfulness and slickness, while also showing the ability to snarl and get vicious and even surprisingly gruff and dusky. And he can cackle with the best of them, as far as his laugh goes; a perfect match for any wicked warlock.

Grit Gravelle = Bryce Papenbrook

This was the easiest voice to choose. Simply put, Grit is a LOT like Shindo from “My Hero Academia.” So it seemed only natural to use Shindo’s voice for his own. Case dismissed. And there you have it, folks! I must admit, I’m slightly unsure about a couple of these voices (specifically Maelstrom and Theo), but the rest seem right on the money and are unlikely to change. Now please, everybody, stop asking. XD

[gekidasa]

Fic Stats Game

Thank you for the tag, @jaimebluesq!

rules: give us the links to your fic with the most hits, second most kudos, third most comments, fourth most bookmarks, fifth most words, and fic with the fewest words.

1 - Most Hits: And I will stay with you / And you will keep me close (or as I call it, Sangcheng Roommates AU). I was always somewhat surprised that this fic took off like it did, since it was a threadfic that got out of control, based on a rather silly premise (what if they were ROOMMATES at the CR!! And then unknowingly started dual cultivating to the point htat NHS developed a core earlier). The first half WAS entirely written as a thread (very unwieldly!) that I then cleaned up and separated into chapters.

And then... I will forever wonder if I should have left it at that. Except that the actual point beyond the silliness was that this was actually a canon divergence which would eventually lead to things going down differently when the Wen attack LP. I never actually wanted to get into THAT part of it, but I did choose to go into what would happen when NHS came to LP in the interim between the CR and the Wen indoctrination camp. And I also decided that they would end up betrothed. But despite researching, it was only after having written a lot more that I found out about the 3 letters and 6 etiquettes, and that... changed things. So I had to decided whether to/how much to rewrite. Anyway, I got bogged down. It's been hard. Currently there is just one chapter (part of which is already written) and maybe an epilogue to go, but... it's been awhile. I somehow haven't been in the mood to write this.

But I do plan to finish out what I'd planned. I just get distracted by newer ideas that maybe better fit how my headcanons and knowledge evolve.

2 - 2nd Most Kudos: When a secret isn't really secret. And I am ALSO continually surprised by how popular this turned out to be. It's a short little Touya/Yukito fic in which they are already a thing and Yukito sleeps over, and then has an unexpected middle of the night conversation with Fujitaka (spoilers: Yuki didn't realize that Fujitaka has been well aware of how he and Touya feel about each other for a long time). The reason its popularity is surprising is that Touya is barely in it, most of it is just Yuki and Fujitaka talking... but I admit, it IS rather sweet, like CCS tends to be.

3 - 3rd Most Comments: How Jiang Wanyin avoided being blacklisted by matchmakers. My current baby of the moment! I'm having so much writing this, I call my sangcheng Betrothal AU, and it's also a fairly silly premise. It was inspired by a tweet where a guy says his parents were trying to play matchmaker, so he told them he was gay... and then they came back with a binder full of men for him to potentially date. So in this one, JC yells in the middle of a meeting with matchmakers that he doesn't want to marry any woman. He THINKS he means "right now", but YZY takes it to mean he's a cutsleeve. She has the matchmakers prepare a list of young men to potentially be the consort of Jiang-zongzhu, and he winds up betrothed to his friend NHS. This very much plays into my headcanon that JC is ace/demi (demi, in this case) and not very selfaware about his preferences. It's also a canon divergence: YZY and Yinzhu survived the massacre of LP, and JC never lost his golden core.

4 - 4th Most Bookmarks: The Half-Eaten Peach Longs to be Filled with Cream. This is just straight-up sangcheng porn. 😂

The morning that a discussion conference at Qinghe is set to start, NHS asks JC to fill him up and plug him up so he'll feel it all day. Halfway through the day, he gets a refill.

5 - 5th Most Words: Hold the doors. My one NieLan fic so far. Also porn. Modern AU, LXC has moved into a new building and has noticed his hot neighbor NMJ. One day they ride the elevator together and NMJ helps him with his groceries. And then LXC gives dage a beer and a blowjob.

Bonus - Fewest Words: The final gift. Super short (201 words) post-canon Kamen Rider Ryuki fic, about Kitaoka's fate in a timeline without the Rider War. Yes, that sentence means it's both post-canon and canon-divergence. If you know Ryuki, you understand why. It's also Kitaoka/Reiko but more about Kitaoka himself.

Tagging @angie-s-g @revesdelimonade @apocrypha73 @lostheartkix @trixietricoter @mulberrylotus

[timegears-moved]

totk rant anon here once again! i see that you completed the dlc and got to the final cutscene with that other really sweet revali moment, which naturally i also love a lot. revali confirmed best babysitter!

also i feel like with this + the earlier cutscene, the dlc kind of recontextualizes what teba says to revali at the end of the main story, and i just think that's neat.

(teba, having watched the Great Master Revali Himself sit perfectly still for 8 hours straight because there was a small child sleeping on him: "this has been... enlightening.")

on a slightly different note, i know it's a bit late for a follow-up to the previous ask i sent, but just in case you haven't yet refreshed your memory on revali's original dialogue for the windblight intro in botw, the main points are:

-tells link to be careful, same as in the localization. though interestingly enough, he has dialogue warning link to keep his guard up a bit earlier, once link has activated all terminals, which DID actually get lost in localization. every other champion gives link a subtle warning ahead of time but for some reason only revali's was removed in translation (replaced by "flap to it!" which... doesn't really convey the impending danger as effectively, i feel.)

-"100 years ago i let my guard down/got careless and was killed by that thing ganon created." this is localized as the "only because i was winging it" line.

-states that while he'd rather not have to say this, he's counting on link to take revenge for him. notably, unlike in the localization, he does not use link's name here. in his original dialogue, he only calls link by name once in botw: at the end of his cutscene with medoh where he acknowledges link as the key to defeating ganon. with that in mind it's interesting that aoc revali addresses link by name from fairly early on (which is ALSO changed in the localization in That One Cutscene. make up your minds people!) perhaps a slight hint that this version of revali already acknowledges link and is just too tsundere to admit it?? who knows.

also you mentioned the "just a scratch" line from aoc so i feel obligated to mention that that's actually one of the most bafflingly hilarious localization choices i've seen, because. what he says originally. is more along the lines of "damnit!" and i really want to know who it was that came to the conclusion that the best way to translate that into english would be to have him say literally the exact opposite. it's not exactly out of character for him to try and brush off the danger he's in (though he does seem to be a bit more honest with himself when he's alone), but it's still. the complete opposite of the sentiment his original dialogue conveyed. and that's really funny to me.

WAIT SORRY IF IVE ANSWERED THIS LATE???? idk when you sent this but it literally just appeared in my inbox????? thanks tumblr for keeping me from my revali enrichment 🙄

YEAH I THOUGHT ABOUT THAT. the dlc makes that part of the ending soo much better. like seeing the revali is actually sweet and a big softie underneath his bravado is a lot nicer than just teba going oh he's a cunt actually.

omg yay i love learning more about how the english translation sucks. a lot of it just comes across as the translation team not wanting to acknowledge certain aspects just to exaggerate his dickishness or for comedy. i think revali making himself out to be very cool while also making stupid bird puns is ridiculous and wonderful and i love it but i wouldn't sacrifice genuine more meaningful parts of him for them.

the way the japanese version had revali not call link by his name until he could accept link as the better warrior is so small but says so much and it's just not as impactful in the english version?? like this is literally a plot point in the tp manga with midna not calling link by his name and when she finally does it establishes a turning point in their relationship and it means so much there, so i wish they kept it here. him using his name is aoc is interesting though. it's like some days he wakes up and decides to be a tsundere and other times not sjhdjdj.

LMAO i suppose it's an attempt??? at trying to get his character???? like they obviously can see that his attitude is a front. also that reminds me of how teba also says dammit in botw and who is letting these birds swear in these nintendo games.

[robotlesbianjavert]

anyways my thoughts on the first two episodes of slasher: ripper, a show none of you should see because it was created for me and specifically me and only i contain the wisdom to suffer it.

so like so far the widow hasn't so much killed the rich and corrupt as she killed people specifically saying "you should kill garvey". like okay horatio is a pimp and that's evil but specifically is shown protecting the sex workers in his employ, while enid (sob sob) is specifically targeted for making up the ripper story and getting a potentially innocent man get executed. either way, either the widow is actually protecting garvey somehow or just killing people complicit in covering up what happened to margaret. in any case maybe i'll still get horatio & crenshaw backstory.

trying to figure out if a particular character is meant to be a trans woman sex worker, a nebulous cross-dresser, or what. stewing.

trying to decide if kennett and melanda would make sweet weird love while discussing their autopsy conclusions or if they would get distracted from making sweet weird love because they were discussing autopsy conclusions. in any scenario, hot.

the actor playing kenneth is the same one playing connor, obvs if they're going for an ancestor thing, but what i didn't realise but somehow suspected was that gabriel darku was one of the mains in the ill-fated reboot live-action reboot. gotta say. upgrade.

said it before but paula brancati being an evil bitch again is like. last season did show that she has range but crazy cunt is still supreme. even when she's being evil abusive she has these big wet eyes. idk.

seriously why did the widow have to kill the people i like the most :/

the guy who plays garvey was the guy who played will in will & grace and like obviously it's a very different character and he looks fairly different now but i still get that lil moment of hey that's will from will & grace before he does something horrendous. kinda silver fox tho.

the biggest differentiator so far, and maybe it's just because it's only been the first two episodes but so far we haven't gotten the drawn-out-through-episode flashbacks for the character who is absolutely going to be horrifically murdered at the end of the episode. now i believe season 2 & 4 started off this tradition in their second episodes, but i have to doublecheck if season 3 did as well? in any case i do still have hope of the drawn-out-through-episode flashbacks being restored.

i feel like the widow's kills have been less gory or explicit so far? like the kill at the end of ep2 was still great but so far, less inspiration. again something that could be fixed in the rest of the season, and also it's the 1890s serial killers had less tools to work with.

still holding out for a hint that the rijker siblings could return as revenants. i believe.

[himbodad]

he (guillermo de la cruz) is just like me (gay person who comes out to family members and is told point blank “yeah i know”) fr

[thebeautyoffanfics]

Idk if you already made this but Hanako, Kou and mitsuba jealous Hcs with their girlfriend that is quite popular among the students pls? thank u!!

hanako x f!reader, kou minamoto x f!reader, mitsuba sousuke x f!reader

a/n: sure thing!! No worries, I haven’t made it yet :D you’re so very welcome, and thank you so much for requesting!! I love jealousy headcanons tho I don’t think I’ve ever written them? I hope these turn out alright, and I’m so sorry for the time this took!

warnings: jealousy?

word count: 1,936

Hanako <3

Oh boy- can I do anything but wish you luck?

Hanako is already a fairly clingy and jealous guy, that’s practically canon. He’ll stand between you when you’re talking to anyone, and I mean aaaaanyone. He just can’t risk losing you!

(It’s got a whole lot to do with his insecurities, of course- while he wouldn’t admit it, not wanting to drop his “ah? I’m just an innocent little boy, free of issues and perverted thoughts <3” attitude, he does struggle a lot. He’s a ghost, a murderer, and imperfect in more ways than those. You’re popular for a reason. You’re so pretty, so kind, so lovable- you’re alive, and probably have morals. What are you doing with a dead murderer?)

Wow, ANYWAY- we’re here for jealousy, not Hanako’s issues, though they will probably resurface shortly.

Seeing everyone around you… always wanting your attention, always complimenting you…

You deserved it! He thought all of those positive things and more-! But… at this point, so many people admiring you, why were you still with him?

Even if you explain to him constantly that you love him dearly, and wouldn’t leave him for anyone else, he still gets somewhat possessive. Eventually putting the “but why does (Y/N) still love me,,” aside, he just wants others to keep their hands off you :((

It’s no fault of yours, and he acknowledges that! But it’s the fault of others getting so close to you >:((

Though they can’t see him, when people go up to you, talking joyfully- he’s standing there, arms wrapped around you, head on your shoulder as he glares daggers into their souls.

BRO IF SOMEONE FLIRTS WITH YOU OR TOUCHES YOU??

You’ve never seen him super angry, much less murderous. He doesn’t want you to see him that angry normally- but holy moley is he about ready to beat someone.

Yet, he’s still just a ghost- plus if he did something Teru would exorcise him, booooo. So, he settles for continuing to glare, standing between the two of you, hitting their arm if it’s resting on your shoulder. Once again, they’re completely unaware of it, but you aren’t!

“Hanako, you know I won’t leave you for them. They’re a classmate, I barely know them, really.”

“But they want to know you. And I don’t want them to know you… they’re gonna try and take you from me, (Y/N)!”

“I won’t let them take me, you big dummy. So, if you could please let go of me so I can get back to class?”

“No :((“

Not only does he cling to you, of course- though he hugs you bunches and squishes your face just because you’re cute- you can also expect a lot of kisses. Ranging from quick “hey, I’m here, and please don’t choose someone else over me”, “hey, my kisses are better than theirs!! Here’s proof!”, “you’re my girlfriend, not theirs, and if they keep treating you like you aren’t taking I’m going to stabby stabby (but I can’t stab cos Teru’s here, but I would if it wasn’t upsetting)”, etc, etc. It’s… almost strange how easy it is to understand what he means from the way he kisses you- but, I digress!

Overall, he gets jealous fairly easily, and gets very clingy when jealous. He’s not amazing with words, so he wants to show you that he loves you with actions!! However, those actions, more often than not, end up just being… clinging to you, and glaring at people who try to get too close to you.

(RIP Akane, Kou, and Nene for bearing witness to you walking around the school with a visibly angry Hanako. Though the worst the others get is the feeling that someone is staring at them, they get to witness his jealousy from off to the side.)

Kou Minamoto <3

He’s nearly completely opposite from Hanako, actually! He doesn’t get jealous very often, trusting you to actually tell him if something were wrong in the relationship. And, when he does get jealous, he does his best to not show it.

He’s not fond of being jealous. It makes him feel like he’s betraying you…? Like him being jealous is the same as him saying that he doesn’t trust you. But, similarly to Hanako, he trusts you. He just doesn’t trust others quite as much. Not with his very cute and very pretty and very sweet girlfriend :((

While it takes a lot to get him jealous, two things that really can make his temper cut short are (similarly to Hanako) when someone outright flirts or touches you. Especially if they touch you and the two of you aren’t at least friends-

If someone flirts, he’s going to casually slip into the conversation, if he wasn’t there already. A quick “hey, (Y/N)! Wait, sorry, I didn’t realize you were talking-“, then he’ll stand next to you, grabbing your hand lightly. One thing about Kou is, he does his best to be gentle all the time! Even when he’s jealous, he’d never ever hurt you intentionally-!!

If someone’s touching you, he’ll hop into the conversation as he does when someone flirts, adding a “I need your help with something, when you can.” This time, or any time really, if you’re uncomfortable you can use it as an excuse to get away!! Kou’s got your back!!!

If it’s been a day where people just constantly seem to be needing your attention, he’ll start to let his jealousy get to him a bit. It’s not even that some people like your attention- heck, he gets it! He likes having your attention as well. It’s more that… they constantly need your attention. Someone always needing something, even when he just wanted to have a conversation with you :((

In that case, he’ll be slightly clingy, and slightly pouty. Almost like a young child. His lips will be pouted slightly, eyes looking a bit lower to the ground than usual. His hand will be secured in yours, and your shoulder will be lightly pressed against his.

“Kouuu, tell me what’s wrong~,” You spoke, poking his cheek with your index finger. When he was like this, it was easy to tell he was embarrassed about whatever he was pouting over, and not upset over something too serious. It was the perfect time to mess with him.

His face would flush as it usually did- and he’d look away, pouting a bit harder as his eyebrows furrowed slightly. “It’s nothing, (Y/N), really.”

“You’re pouting. Come on, now, you really can tell me. I promise I won’t think of you any less!”

“…it’s just… well- well, seeing all those people around you all day, and I couldn’t really… even get to talk to you. You even had to leave early during lunch-! I’m not angry or anything- it’s dumb, it’s dumb, really-“

“Awwwwh, Kou! Don’t be jealous, sweetheart! It’s not dumb, I actually find it sweet. You know I’d choose you over any of those people. I’d much rather spend time with you than them, but it’s not exactly easy to say no… but, if it makes you feel bad, I’ll make sure they know that, at least, lunch is off-limits.”

“Y-you don’t have to, but… that’s up to you.” (AKA “I want you to, but I don’t want you to feel obligated to do something just for my sake.”)

Overall! Kou’s going to be a sweetheart, even when (not very often) jealous. He doesn’t want you to think he’s silly or not trusting of you when he does get jealous- so he does his best to hide it? Still, he fails, since he can’t help but want to be at least a little closer to you!! Plus the way he pouts- he’s easily read in most situations, and that type is no different.

Mitsuba Sousuke <3

Ahh, where to begin… I suppose the same way I’ve been beginning the other two-

Mitsuba is… a complicated jealous boy? He gets jealous rather easily- and… doesn’t admit it, but makes it painfully obvious. He thinks he isn’t being obvious, but it’s practically plain as daylight.

As he does all things, he masks his jealousy in insults at first! Making his way into whatever conversation or interaction your having, offering an ‘uninterested’ “what’re you doing?” After that, he criticizes every little thing the other person does- his levels of mercy depending on how much the person deserves it.

A quick question? Minimum amount of insults. Maybe one, two if they drag it out.

Just having a normal conversation? More than a short question, but not an excessive amount. If they drag it out too long, the insults go up.

Flirting? Lays the insults on THICK. Plus, after a moment, an annoyed and rather cocky sounding: “why haven’t you gotten lost already? Can’t you see I’m (Y/N)’s boyfriend? You idiot. Moron. Pervert. Who talks to a taken girl like that??”

Touches you? Doesn’t even happen. They reach for you, and he’s smacking their hand away. “Idiot. What right do you have to touch my girlfriend?? That’s invasive. Gross. You’re so weird, trying to put your sticky little hands on her.”

But! If it’s a situation he can’t interfere with, be it because he’s dead and the other person’s alive, or in which the people needing your attention goes on for too long- he enters Sulky Mitsuba Mode.

Don’t get me wrong, Sulky Mitsuba is still full of insults, just… sad. In those times, as a ghost, he can’t help but wonder if you’re content in the relationship. Look at you… popular with other students- other students who could leave the school, buy you things, and such. He was a cute ghost, but he was a ghost. He wasn’t even really Mitsuba- he wasn’t the classmate you once knew. How hard was it for you? Yet, you gave it your best to get to know him again-

Luckily, Mitsuba has the ability to tell himself “if (Y/N) did that much for me, she must at least care.” However, it won’t get rid of all his doubts- and he’ll still sulk once you finally catch up with him.

“Hey, Mitsuba! Sorry, I’ve been busy!”

“Mh? Have you? I’ve barely even noticed you were gone.”

Terrible acting skills, Mitsuba. He looks annoyed, his voice sounds uninterested, but… it’s still somehow easy to see through his little act. He’s jealous, and you’re bound to be aware of it.

Take a seat next to him, and he’ll scoot away. Be patient- when he’s jealous, it’s like approaching a stray cat. No sudden movements or you’ll scare him away!

“I’m sorry, Mitsuba. I know I’ve been caught up today, and I’m really sad that I haven’t seen you much until now. Did you have anything you wanted to do? I’m all yours now!”

“Tch, whatever. I don’t have anything I want to do, so just leave it be.”

Ah… do I even have to mention that he’s stubborn. Apologize a bit, he’ll dismissively forgive you, and go from there. Lighthearted conversation, asking him about his day, talking about yours- slowly move closer to him, and! Next thing you know, his heads on your shoulder as he rants about something that happened.

Overall, Mitsuba does get jealous rather easily! He’s stubborn as always, partnered with his insults constantly ready to be fired- it’s interesting when he gets jealous. He never outright admits that he trusts you, and doesn’t consider much more than “I’m feeling a bit jealous since this person keeps taking (Y/N)’s attention, but he’d never put the blame on you. Just… like I said, be patient, and don’t get too offended.