#this was fun to write because I was able to take from the book itself to give dimension to the mountain

[hcdragonwrites]

Letters (a @journey-to-the-au Drabble)

I made another thing (yeah I couldn’t help myself but this one is shorter I think. I hope you like it!) I just. Brain fire.

Inspired by <a href="https://www.tumblr.com/journey-to-the-au/722003448742248448/may-we-hear-about-the-yaogui-attack-0-apologies" >This Post </a>

(Also I suck at linking things I’m so sorry.)

Liu crossed out the line on the parchment before him, splashing ink onto the stone beneath his feet in an frustrated spray.

“No that doesn’t sound right either!” He gritted his teeth, growing frustrated. General Liu, one of the Four great Generals of Flower- Fruit mountain and friend to its King Sun Wukong, had a dilemma.

He set the brush down, still getting used to holding it in his hands. Wukong makes this look so easy! But things of the unmonkey nature came easily to Wukong- how could they not ? He had mastered the mysterious arts that had given him such power, had defeated the demon who had first claimed Water- Curtain Cave in his absence (and more beside.) Wukong had walked among the men of the world and had claimed treasure from dragons.

Wukong would be able to hold a brush with ease and write words with a steady hand. The general tugged at his fur and looked about himself. Rolls of parchment lay about him like discarded rinds of watermelons. All the failed attempts to transcribe what his heart was trying to speak. He tugged more, hairs coming free.

When Wukong spoke of his experience in the world abroad their mountain, he had mentioned how the important people within that strange world of mortals and immortals would communicate through scrolls and parchment.

“It was too quiet at times for my liking!” He reminisced once, splashing some wine as he gesticulated upon his throne. “What silence! What needed to be written that couldn’t be communicated with a clear voice?” He would then call for one of the troop of his subjects to retell a story, for Wukong loved the telling of a yarn through voice and act.

Liu had understood why one would want words written down however. The things he wanted to say- to tell- either fled him like mist before the sun or stuck in his throat like a peach stone. The Marshal scratched behind his ear, brushing the notched edge and remembering. Remembering her.

Rin Rin.

Liu had never been one for such deep hesitation as he was now. In all the Aolai country, among and betwixt the unicorns and the phoenixes who preened and called themselves the most beautiful, where the leopards and the tigers roamed and boasted their own majesty, Liu had faced all that threatened his home with bravery. He loved this mountain, from every blade of grass to every luminous stone deep in Water-Curtain Cave. He thought none of the beasts or birds or celestial bodies in Heaven was more beautiful than his home.

Except Her.

He wanted to tell her. Tell Rin Rin how she rivaled all the clouds in heaven for her softness. How no flower could compare to her eyes and how they shined like the sea when the sun hit it. Her smile could make the trees cry and her anger could chase the stripes off a tiger.

Liu was afraid. Not afraid of her. Afraid to miss this opportunity! His tail lashed and sent a bit of paper skittering over the stone floor, knocking into several stone bowls of almonds.

The mountain was a paradise. The waterfall that crashed beyond, the pine forests that dotted the slopes where their needles spiced the air. He had faced tigers and demons, fought and thrown himself into situation after situation of danger without a second thought for himself.

Now he was hesitant. He acted as he had on that day Wukong had found Water- Curtain cave: hesitant. Marshal Liu had not been hesitant since that time- so why had he returned to this state ?

Liu looked down at the paper and groaned.

“I just want to tell her how beautiful she is…”

Steps approached from outside Liu’s room.

“So this is where you’ve been!” Wukong called, stepping into the room with a frown on his face. “I have been waiting for you in the Throne room for hours! Sentries have spotted what look to be the makings of a camp. We have a troop of creatures lurking in the shadow of our mountain and I need my Generals— what is all this stuff ?”

Liu didn’t bother to cover up his failings- he just lay his head on the stone table and glared at the brush.

“You only called for a meeting a few minutes ago, my king.” He replied from the table.

“Minutes- hours. It has been too long! What have you been up to in here?”Wukong picked up a paper scroll, the feathered crown on his head bobbing.

“You are as pretty as a … hmm. You never finished this one Liu!”

Liu moved his face to flatten into the stone table, feeling his cheeks burn and his ears itch. Of course my king would start reading them.

Shuffling paper noises sounded again as Wukong picked another scroll up.

“My heart becomes a candle when you are near—“ he frowned. “You crossed out the rest in a mess of black.”

Liu wished he could dissolve into the stone.

“You smell as sweet as a magnolia flower- your eyes are the shape of stars —“

“Please My King.” He begged. “Spare me.”

“You wrote them Liu! I am only reading.”

“And I ask for mercy, please.”

“Seems you’ve had trouble finishing whatever you were trying to say.” Mused the Sage.

“None of the words formed well enough on the paper.” Marshal Liu sighed. There came a shuffle and a brush beside him. He lifted his head to see Wukong had crossed his legs beside him, a shoulder companionably against Lius. The Monkey King twirled the brush between his fingers, unrolling a new scroll of parchment.

“If I help you Write your love poem to Rin, Will you stop mooning so sadly ?” Wukong cocked a brow at his general, side eyeing him in a way only a friend could.

Marshal Liu felt his pride pricked, just a bit. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“Liu- you have been my friend for countless years. Longer than most monkeys usually live.” Wukong dipped the brush into the inkwell, checking the ink stone and grimacing at its diminished size. “I know you from the tips of your ears to the ends of your fur. We have fought and bled side by side. You may be a master at strategy and planning but. My friend.”

Wukong turned his whole face to stare at Liu. “You suck at hiding how in love you are with Rin Rin.”

The Marshal sat up, opened his mouth to defend, to deflect —

Wukong, Great Sage Equal to Heaven, waited. His face set in a neutral and very are you really going to argue with me? expression.

Liu closed his mouth, tugged at his fur and set his chin on the stone table. “She makes me feel so—-“

“Mhm.”

“She’s so—!”

“Mhm…”

“I just can’t get the words out!” The Marshal admitted finally. “Each time I start to tell her, I freeze. I’ve tried so many times!”

When Rin and He had shared a sweet patch of strawberries he had tried to say how he loved her.

When Rin had been tending to a scratch on his face, chiding and reprimanding him for his recklessness again. Her anger had made him want to hold her and reassure her that he was fine.

When they had decided to stay out late, tails curled together as they counted the stars. Liu had wanted to compare her to each one.

And each of these times his words had either fled him or had refused to come out.

“And you thought to write them out because they keep getting stuck.”

Liu nodded.

“Give me the words and I’ll write them down.” Wukong set the tip, ready. “If I write this for you, then will come and put your mind back to keeping our mountain safe?”

Guilt itched beneath his fur. “My King i'm sorry—“

A affectionate rub of Wukongs head against his own shut the general up as the king tugged at his ear in play.

“Liu. I may not understand the power of what you are feeling,” Wukong cut off, tail thumping against the Marshals “but that doesn’t mean your feelings aren’t important. And … seeing you so distressed makes me distressed. I can help my friend in this simple task at least.”

Liu felt a warmth well from him. For all his Kings boasting and prideful proclamations, Wukong cared for each of his subjects - even in the face of his incomprehension. He would do what he could to ease his friends, his subjects, his families struggles. Wukong began to write as Liu began to speak, his face warm and his hands slowly beginning uncurl from his fur.

After just an hour with Wukongs transcribing and Liu describing, the confession was complete. Liu clutched the scroll and strapped it to his side.

He had been able to attend the Council with a lighter heart and a smile on his face. The discussion and the plans to increase patrols along the pine forest to the west of Flower Fruit Mountain had been unanimously agreed upon as the troubling information came to light.

The scouts' reports had indicated that there had been activity - a half made campfire kicked over and cold with bones from what looked like a small deer- not a few leaps and bounds from the slopes. Liu had frowned at the description of the tracks- five footed, fur and the scent of musk in the air. Another band of Monkeys … but they seem to be scouting us as well.

When Liu had this brought to attention, an immediate patrol had been sent out to gain more information on how many may be circling their home. The unspoken kept being danced around but all in that council chamber had a suspicion. Demon Monkeys….

Until they knew further who and what they were facing, Wukong wouldn’t risk a war troop to prowl the nearby hills and leave the rest of his family and people exposed.

Liu had a bit of time beneath the growing moon of night to find Rin Rin now. Before his nerves left him. Wukongs handwriting had made the words look better, flow better, feel better to the Marshals eyes. His King had sat through his flowery language, and had written it all diligently if with a little bit of snorting at times. (“Don’t compare her to pine nuts!” “But she smells of the pines and the wood and everything I love!” “…. But pine nuts ?”)

If his words failed him, Liu had them written down. If they stuck in his throat, he could pull them apart with the help of his letter. His heart was thumping, his fur was sticking out a bit as electric nerves rolled on his skin. Liu was in full armor having come from council, and it jangled softly in the night air. But it was a comforting jangle- a separate staccato rhythm against his body.

As the moon rose outside of Water-Curtain Cave casting the spray in silver light, Liu gazed out. Some other monkeys mingled in the cooling air enjoying the clear night. Tending to loved ones by either grooming fur, sharing ripening fruits from the many orchards across the vast mountain, or cuddling down in the soft grasses to gaze upward. Liu greeted each in turn, butting heads or brushing hands. Pride welled in him, making Liu stand taller. This was his home- his family. The peace they lived in was hard won and protected by their King and his Marshals- and that peace was precious.

A small bundle of babes shot past, one carrying a lychee fruit as a prize to be kept from the others. A pair of older simians gazed into the waters of the pool, leaning into each other. Liu would fight a thousand demons, all the celestial beings in the world, to keep this peace. He would tame dragons and pull the moon down from its boughs in Heaven to preserve this peace.

Liu turned, green eyes seeking. There, just beneath the pomegranate tree overlooking a mossy spray of water, he spotted the cloud gray of Rin Rin. Even in the shadow of the tree he could see her moon flower perched behind her ear, the fur perfectly groomed in wonderous swirls. He wished he had a bouquet of moonflowers to bring her or a cup of tea to present to her. He wanted to come bearing gifts and to tend and tidy her hair and weave flowers throughout it.

He came bearing his heart instead.

Said heart thumped against his chest. Steady Liu.

Liu took a moment to groom his finger through his fur, his tail, and to dust at his armor. He grabbed at a small patch of pine needles, snapping them between fingers and briefly rubbing the tips over his fur. He wanted to look his best to smell his best to be his best.

Then, gathering himself and tapping the scroll's top at his hip, Liu straightened and stepped forward.

He would tell her how much she meant to him. He would show her how much she was worth to him- between the words he had been able to wrangle and place onto a page.

Liu would never get the chance to unwind that scroll however. The night air that had been full of gentle chatter and warm conversation was broken by screams as the mountain's peace was shattered into a thousand screams of fury and fear rang off the mountain.

[satorusugurugurl]

heya! I have a req - imagine Gojo tears up when yn kisses his forehead. he’s never felt so vulnerable 🫠

take care :)

Rest

Summary: After a long day of being Gojo Satoru— the strongest sorcerer of the modern age, your boyfriend gets to come home to your loving embrace.

Characters: Gojo Satoru x AFAB!Reader

Warnings: sweet flufffy goodness, mentions of sleep deprivation, stress, overworking, but overall it’s really sweet!

Word Count: 1.6K

A/N: Nonnie thank you for your request! I had so much fun writing this, Gojo deserves so much better! 💚💚💚

It was late, two thirty in the morning, to be exact, when the door to the bedroom finally creaked open. You stirred, wincing at the stiffness in your neck as you sat up, the book you read lying against your chest. But your neck didn't matter, not when Satoru was wincing as he slipped his shirt off and placed it in the hamper. His blindfold hand was loosely wrapped around his neck, giving you a perfect view of his dark circles.

“Toru?” You hesitantly asked, drawing his attention towards the bed.

Though you could see the exhaustion in his eyes, he smiled a little on the side but still smiled for you. “Hey, Sweetpea, I didn't wake you, did I?” He walked towards the edge of the bed, kissing your cheek.

“No, I had a stiff neck, so that woke me up.”

Cerulean eyes darted towards the book that was still resting on your chest. “I told you you didn’t have to wait up for me. Just because I had to work late doesn’t mean you have to deprive yourself of sleep.” Even when he was talking, you could hear the exhaustion in his voice.

Being the strongest sorcerer of the modern age was a curse in itself. Satoru was constantly on the move. Whether yanked away for missions or meetings with the higher-ups, he rarely had a break. Time for himself was a rarity. You hated seeing him so drained. Even if you confronted him about it, he would deny it. Putting on some arrogant, cocky attitude that he was the strongest and handling some extra meetings or taking on a few more missions wasn’t going to hurt him.

Your boyfriend could put on that kind of act for himself, his students, or even the higher-ups themselves. You knew he was tired, though. He could deny your accusations all he wanted. You, however, were fortunate enough to know him better than he knew himself. That facade was see-through when it came to you looking at him.

You wanted to tell him it was okay to be tired and set some time aside for himself. Deep down, you knew if you were to bring that up, Gojo would try to ensure you that everything was peachy. So, given the circumstances, you did the one thing you were able to do.

You would support him, be there for him when he needed to vent, and help him out as much as you could or as much as he would allow you to do.

“I was just reading; my book got really good. I just dozed off.”

“Mmm, you should put the book down and get some sleep.” Long ivory fingers caressed your cheek. “I don’t want you having a crooked neck because you were up reading your smut.”

“Leave my books out of this~” Satoru snickered, rolling his eyes as he pulled back, unbuckling his belt. “Go take a shower, then get your ass in bed.”

Satoru gave you a dorky salute as he headed into the bathroom, removing the rest of his clothing as he walked. You knew he was exhausted from the shower he took. Enough to wash the white tufts of hair and wash his body thoroughly. When he finished his shower, his mind was fuzzy with sleep deprivation. Finishing getting ready for bed was a blur, but he found himself climbing the sheets next to you, his arms wrapping around your waist as he rested his head against your breasts.

Your warmth and the smell of you relaxed every muscle in his body as he rested his body weight against you. Satoru was so tired. He needed to think about going on vacation sometime soon. Getting away from the bustling life he was living sounded like a dream. One where you would join him, and the two of you would stay in bed, talking, watching movies, and enjoying each other‘s company for hours.

Thoughts of that had him snuggling his face further into your soft breasts. You could see the dark circles under his eyes from where you were propped up. Your poor boyfriend was being tugged in every way possible, which would take a toll on anybody. Just because he was the strongest didn’t mean everyone had a right to take advantage of him and use him as a weapon.

Gojo Satoru was human, and he deserved some praise and recognition. Normally, he provided that recognition for himself, occasionally giving himself a literal pat on the back. But it was nice to hear it from someone else, too. He deserved the world—nothing but happiness.

Sensing your body's tension, Satoru turned his head to look up at you. As he did, his soft white bangs moved with each turn of his head. You reached out, brushing some strands away, only stopping to push them back as if he were wearing his blindfold. His eyes glanced to where your hand was pushing up his hair, cerulean eyes almost crossing to get a glimpse.

No words needed to be said. You gave him the faintest smile before pressing your lips against his forehead. As your lips pulled away his skin, you could feel the tension in his body; fearing you may have crossed the line, you quickly pulled back, looking down at your chest with tears staining the thin fabric of your top.

“Toru?” Your voice was soft as if your words themselves would shatter him.

“W-What was that?”

“A forehead. a kiss, a little token of my appreciation for all your hard work.” You weren’t sure what to expect—maybe a thank you or a smile in return. What you met with instead was tears in his eyes. Tears that made the blue of his Iris stand out even more.”Toru! Baby, what’s the matter?”

“I just—that was different.”

Growing up as the strongest and as an only child had been rough. It didn’t matter that he was filthy rich. The staff at the house was constantly on him. His parents rarely came to see him or talk to him. Gojo was alone most of the time, and he found many of his favorite memories from that time when he snuck out of the estate and went exploring Tokyo, being held like this and having kisses planted against his forehead with something he had never experienced with anyone, even his mother.

And he liked it. Scratch that he loved it. Being able to rest in your arms to have you petting his head, and playing with his hair always had him relaxing. This was how he liked to spend his rare moments at home with you. To be in your arms, to have your fingers running through his soft hair, and to have your lips pressing against his forehead made everything he did worth it. He put so much time and effort into helping the next generation of sorcerers, trying to make this world a place he wanted to live in. The hours of the hard work he put in was worth it.

At the end of the day, he got to come home to you.

You were one of the only people who treated him like a human being rather than some tool to be used. So, after a long day of being pulled around, told what to do, and scolded, this was precisely what he needed. Gojo’s mind, body, and soul knew that, and they all worked against him and caused tears to well up in his eyes to make him feel vulnerable. Thiswas a feeling he somewhat liked as long as it was with you.

“Oh, I’m sorry, baby. I hope I didn’t insult you or make you uncomfortable.”

“No, I like it. I like it a lot, Sweetheart.” He slowly shut his eyes, his full white eyelashes resting against his cheek as he exhaled through his nose. “Could you do it again?”

Hearing him a king for you to kiss his forehead again had your heart swelling with a certain pride as you hummed happily, pressing your lips against his forehead while your nails gently scratched at his scalp. “Thank you for all of your hard work, Toru.” Your voice was angelic, easing Satoru further into the mattress as his body relaxed more, his mind slowly turning off. “Thank you for everything you do.” He hummed softly in response as he slowly began drifting to sleep, tears welling at the corners of his eyes before slowly streaming down his cheek.

Seeing the tears slowly sliding down his slightly flushed cheek had you abandoning one of your hands on the top of his head, your thumb quickly brushing the stray away. Once you were sure that the tears would stop flowing, your hands slowly drifted back up to the top of his head, continuing to scratch lazily at it as you shut your eyes, yawning, as Satoru hugged you tight, wrapping his arms around you not letting you out of his grasp. It was such a comforting and warm hug that left you feeling safe even when he fell asleep. Your nerves melted like snow on a spring day.

“I love you so much,” Satoru mumbled against your chest. Any other thoughts failed to reach his mouth; he began to breathe much deeper, falling into REM sleep.

But he didn’t have to say anything else. You simply priced one last very long kiss against the center of his forehead. When you finally managed to pull away, you found yourself cradling his head to your chest, allowing him to listen to your heartbeat because he fell asleep.

“I love you too, Toru.”

Yeah, all of his hard work was definitely worth coming home to this.

Forever Tag List:

@darkstarlight82 @pandoness @nealeart @simp-plague @sugurubabe @chilichopsticks @reap3erslov3 @wil10wthetree

[desideriumwriter]

Could you write something about Hufflepuff reader studying late in the library and she realizes she has to get back to her common room before curfew. As she’s walking back Fred finds her, walks her back to her common room while flirting and talking about random things. Just something sweet and cute. Thanks love 💗💗💗

this is suchhhhh an adorable idea!! a fun one to write too! tysm for the request!! <3

wc: 1.4k

f.w. masterlist | navi

The sun was still in the sky when you entered the library to study peacefully. Various classes had slapped you with an array of tests planned this week and you felt like a bundle of nerves.

So, you chose somewhere you knew there’d be no disturbances or noise to pull your attention from your books.

The sun had completely set now, the sky outside was black. You were probably one of the only people left in the library.

It was just you, several textbooks, notes sprawled across the desk you were sitting at, and the sound of the clock ticking.

You let out a heavy breath and flipped the page of your Potions textbook. Before beginning to read over the next section, you took a look at the clock on the wall.

9:47 PM.

You had less than fifteen minutes before curfew. Maybe you could finish this next page, maybe you could start heading back to your common room.

The walk back wasn’t terribly far, but you should probably start going now if you wanted to get there before the curfew bell rang.

Rubbing your eyes and gathering your things, you quietly began on your path back to your common room.

Turning the corner down one corridor, you ended up a bit behind a tall, ginger-haired, Gryffindor boy.

It didn’t take long for him to realize you were there, he looked behind him, looked back, then did a double take.

“Merlin, you scared me. I didn’t even notice you were behind me.” He halted.

“I know you.” You stopped and narrowed your eyes at the freckled boy.

“Me?” He pointed at himself, you nodded. “Is that a good thing?” He took a few tiny slow steps towards you.

“You're the one who set off all those fireworks off on the train home last year.” You stated, Fred winced.

Maybe it wasn’t a good thing. Most kids found that end of the year prank funny, until the express was stopped for nearly an hour.

“I’m one half of it.” Fred said, tilting his head to the side. “I’ve got a brother. We er…set them off together.” He explained when he noticed your puzzled staring.

He watched nervously as your face lit up in realization.

“The twins!” You pointed, “You both tried to put your names in the Goblet the other week!”

“Oh no, you heard about that too?” He let out a nervous laugh, hoping you wouldn't see the blush seeping across his cheeks.

Fred didn’t understand why he felt so flustered, he thought the incident was hilarious himself. But you were a stranger, a pretty stranger too.

“I witnessed it.” You tried to bite back any more laughter. “You had quite a mighty beard there.”

“Reckon it was better than Dumbledore's?” He brushed his fingers through his long hair.

“I’ll say you’ll be able to pull it off when you're a hundred years old.” You shrugged. “I’m assuming you’re Fred?” You guessed as you two began to walk side by side.

“I’m George.” He lied, no matter how many times he’s done it, he’s never got tired of pretending to be his twin just to mess with people. You nodded embarrassedly and looked at the ground, a twinge of guilt suddenly hit him.

“I’m kidding. I’m not George. I don’t know why I said that.” He stammered and shook his head, “You were right the first time. I am Fred.” You glanced back at him and gave him the sweetest smile. He felt like he could melt right into the floor.

“Well then, Fred, where are you coming back from?” You lifted your chin at him in a playful manner.

“Detention with Filch.” He sighed, you grimaced.

“Uck. Did they punish you because you tried to outsmart the age line?”

“Oh no, no. Being stuck in those stiff hospital beds felt like a punishment itself.” He scoffed, rubbing the back of his neck. “Anyways, I got caught trying to steal ingredients from Madam Pomfreys cabinets.”

“Oh?” You let out a breathy chuckle.

And what about you? Where are you coming back from

“Just the library, I have a test in Potions tomorrow. I decided I should just try and cram in whatever knowledge I could.” You cringed at the way you began to ramble. While pushing open one of the kitchen doors it was impossible to miss Freds large frame moving in front of you to hold it open for you.

“Shouldn’t you be getting back to the Gryffindor tower?” You said half-jokingly as you walked into the kitchen.

“I wanted to steal a pastry from here before I went there. Shouldn’t you be getting back to yours?” He poked.

“I am, I’ve been on my way back to the basement this entire time.” You crossed your arms playfully. His smile dropped and his brows knit together.

“Basement? Your dorm is in the basement?” Fred’s face scrunched up. You just let out a small mhm and nodded, pointing to the entrance hidden behind a stack of barrels at the end of the room.

He had to tilt his head a bit to the side to see the round door hiding behind the pile of wooden barrels.

“Seems a bit crummy to put a common room down there.” Fred said flatly, yet still looking displeased at the fact your dorms would be where the dungeons also are.

“I think it’s the coziest place in the entire castle.” You shrugged; Fred let out a small noise of disagreement.

“Eh, the Gryffindor tower is the coziest. We can put Hufflepuff as a not-very-close second, yeah?” He grinned at you.

“I say you’re wrong on that.” You hummed as you tried to bite back your smile, you failed.

“Yeah? You can come see for yourself! I’ll let you have a visit and see how wrong you are!” He teased, nudging at you with a playful sparkle in his eyes. You could feel your face heat up at how his voice sounded so much flirtier than a second ago. You just prayed he wouldn’t see it. To prevent him from seeing you in your blushing state, you swiftly stepped up to the barrels.

“Er, you should probably stand back a bit.” You pointed, Freds brows knit together in confusion as he looked at the ground and back up at you.

“It…sprays you if you get the code wrong, and there's already been a few times where I’ve messed up the pattern.” You explained, Fred only nodded and took a few steps back.

You tapped the barrels in the correct rhythm and stepped back once the door began to open slowly.

From the glimpse Fred got of the Hufflepuff common room, maybe you were right. The uncountable number of plants and warm glow of the room made it look like one of the most comforting places he’s ever seen.

“It was really nice talking to you.” You told Fred as you stepped inside. “Goodnight.”

"You said you had a test in potions tomorrow, right?" Fred pipped; you stopped the door from closing with your hand.

"Yeah, we have to make a certain one by memory."

“Perfect, I've got just the thing…” He said as he dug into one of his robe pockets. “If you're not sure you made yours correctly, try and sprinkle some of this in. It’ll help.” He pulled out an extremely small sack, filled with sparkly purple powder and dropped it into your hand.

“It won’t make my cauldron explode?” You teased, knowing of him and his twins' history of blowing up the school toilets.

“No, I wouldn’t do that to you. I promise.” Even with that little smile on his face, you could tell he was actually being truthful.

“Awesome, thanks.” You grinned again, looking down and beginning to move away from the door.

Fred called out your name one more time, blocking the door from closing with his foot.

“I’ll probably be back here tomorrow night, if you’d like to chat some more?” His voice had gotten so quiet, there was a hopeful glint in his eyes.

“Yeah, I’d like that. I’d really like that.” There you went again, with that sickeningly sweet smile. “‘Night, Fred.”

“‘Night.” Fred left the kitchen with a stomach full of fluttering butterflies and a grin on his face. He didn’t even bother to steal any pastries on the way out, he was too busy being excited for tomorrow night.

tell me what you thought!

[froginmygarden]

It started with an ad: long day of work

"Hello, Surfer Smile Studio here, how can I help you? ... Yes, she does, let me check her scedual. ... No, Dr. Brown doesn't have any free time this week, but I can sign you up for next friday 13:45, would that work? ... Eccellent, we'll see you then!"

And that was the last call of the day, phone line now officialy off and with three hours remaining 'till cosing. Danny let out a painfull whine as he stretched his legs. Was he imagining it or was this day esspecially long? What he wouldn't do just for a short flight home, like right about now. But no all he got ware needles in his-

"Can you wait for Mrs. Jenkins to come by in 10? I got a go out for a bit."

"Sure," honestly he didn't want to, that old lady seemed to have it out for him since day one, he just wasn't a good enough anything in her eyes. Hell were he a dung pile she'd say he wasn't brown or smelly enough.

"Thanks," And off she went, already pulling out her light. Whatever mints Ann was using must be crafted by monks or come from heaven itself, because if that girl was to breath in your face you wouldn't be able to tell she'd had half a pack of thins a day. Or maybe the equipment was for show, and she only pulled them out when someone difficult was to show up, neither seemed more likeley.

With that he was alone at the reception. Again. There wasn't much to do but sit and wait for the next apointment, whitch was Jenkins. If only god all mighty would take her already.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The light seems dimmer then before, Danny thaught as he stepped up to the kiosk, maybe the string inside will snap soon.

"Do you need something?"

"No, just looking."

It was awfully empty tonight, no cars or pedestrians, no critters either, you could write a childrens rhym book about this.

Coming home was quiet, no lights on, no talking, just some dirty dishes and scattered toys. Dani was sound asleep in her bed. Yeah leaving her home alone wasn't the best or a long term plan, but they didn't have many options. Besides, while she had started behaving more her current age (whitch was a bit over a year old, based on size he'd guessed 13 months), Dani seemes to remember her old self, so she's not really a toddler, but this arrangment only lasts as long as everyone thinks he has a sitter for her, other times she gets a fun little trip to the dentist.

"Hi, honey, how was your day? I had the worst day today, you know. Can you immagine, some of these people-", Danny whispered on and on as he wiped the drool off of Dani's face. Honestly, she looked like a sweet little angel right now, so calm, so peacefule. It made him think that all that he does will be worth it at the end. But maybe it was just his "daddy brain" talking.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"And as you can see, this months activity has gone down by 15% since our last encounter, The Arctic seems to be retreating and recovering their losses whitch has sown displeasure amongst their current allys."

The stars were pretty today, or night, who knows. Look how they were all sparkling, and there went a satelite, and anoter one, and another, and another, and another but this time blue. Barry was bouncing his leg so hard it was kinda vibrating his chair, he didn't like that. Green Arrow seemed more interested it stringnig and unstringing his bow, whitch, sure, he'd like to have something a bit distracting too right about now. The rest seemed to more or less be paying attention, speaking of people, Supes was pretty figetty as well. Now what was that about?

"If nobody has anthing to add, this meeting is over. Green Latern, you are still expected at the med bay for scanning," and it was almost over, Hal could feel the sweet taste of ever aproaching freedom.

There wasn't anything wrong with him. What did he tell you? He can handle anything you throw his way, literally. He was just that good, so he was quickly sent on his way.

The night, as it turns out it was, was pretty nice. Not much traffic down on the roads and no sudden attacka, and it better stay that way, all he was currently interested in was crashing into bed and not getting up for a few days.

No one seemed to be awake and, while he wouldn't usually do this, he decided to just get in through the balcony, not feeling like flothing down, trasforming and then having to get all the way up again by stairs.

His head soon hit the pillow and let me tell you the feeling was euphoric, his body ached from his long patrol and getting dragged into a JL meeting right after didn't make it any better. But this? This made it all worth it in the end.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

EVICTION NOTICE

Date: XX/XX/20XX

This notice is sent to Harold Jordan ("Tenant") and further directed to all residents, occupants, subtenants, and any others in posession of the Premises.

Property Adress: Apt. nr. XX, XX of XX str, Coast City ("Premises")

Lease Start Date: XX/XX/20XX ("Lease")

In accordance with your Lease and the laws located in this State, after service of this notice you are herbally given...

He takes it back, he didn't need anything disracting or interesting at all, he'd like to have this not happen, thank you very much. He'd rather listen to Bats go on about attack probabilities and tactics.

"ssssssssssss, fuck."

What the hell was he going to do now?

__________________________________

A/N: Heeeeeeeeeyyy. Sorry for the short chapter. I know the pacing is kind of slow, but please bear with me. I want to make a little build up to their first meating, so it's not basically "So they are room mates now", I do have a plot in mind, but again this is my first fic, so if anyone has pacing or conversation sugestions I'm all ears. Thanks to anyone who read this. <3

P.S. I'm posting on the computer, not sure how to put the "Show less" on, so I'm sorry if this takes a lot of screen space on mobile. :(

If I spot too major an error I'll edit it later.

[boohorns1136439]

Learning to belong ~ poly!MHA x fem!Reader (02)

Already? I know, right. I don’t know what’s happening to me right now, but let’s hope it lasts. I never knew it would be so fun to write, clearly not the same high as reading a great book or fic, but pretty close. This is slightly longer than the first chapter.

01 <- 02 -> 03

Masterlist

Taglist

Warning: cursing, nsfw (but like you should expect it), a little smutty but nothing too explicit

tags: aged-up characters ; Pack! Izuku Midoriya X Bakugo Katsuki X Shoto Todoroki X Kirishima Eijirou ; Omega!Izuku Midoriya ; Omega!Bakugo Katsuki ; Omega!Shoto Todoroki ; Omega!Kirishima Eijirou ; technically Beta!Reader ; afab!Reader ; modern Au ; post-UA ; Reader has a quirk ; non hero!Reader ; eventually smut ; bisexual!Reader

A chilling sweetness was the first thing your nose picked up. The longer the scent wrapped itself around you, the more you recognized the undeniably sweet, tangy, and fresh aroma of ripe berries. The crispness of the scent left you wondering if the berries were slightly frozen, adding a refreshing and pleasant coldness. You couldn’t quite tell which berries they were—blueberries, raspberries, maybe even strawberries? It didn’t matter, because the blended scent left you craving a taste. You could almost picture a glass bowl full of ripe berries, your hand reaching in to devour the sweet treat.

Your body didn’t quite know how to handle it, instinctively tensing against the overwhelming sensation. You felt an involuntary shiver run down your spine as the sweetness invaded your senses, leaving you both mesmerized and disoriented. It consumed you, making your pulse quicken as your senses struggled to process it. Your head felt light, almost dizzy, like the ground beneath you had shifted. Just when you thought you might find yours footing, the coldness of the berries began to melt away, and the scent transformed—richer, warmer, sweeter. Honey.

You could smell honey now, hot and thick, being poured over the berries. The heat of the honey mixed with the berries was almost too much. Your pulse escalated, racing out of control, and every breath you took only pulled more of the intoxicating scent into your lungs. It flooded your mind, clouding your thoughts. The hot honey turned the berries into a syrupy, luscious jam, and you could practically taste it, the sweetness lingering on your lips. Your entire body tingled, unable to escape the pull of the scent.

The culprit behind the scent was obviously Todoroki. In the back of your mind, you could hear a little voice—your inner doctor—saying he was showing signs of entering his heat. But it was still confusing because you had never smelled anyone’s scent, heat or no heat, this strongly before. It had never affected you this much. Usually, you could only pick up faint hints of sweetness or sourness from others, but this... this was different. You had never been able to distinguish someone’s scent this clearly before, but with Todoroki, you could name it exactly—frosted berries and honey. Not only that, but the way your whole body tingled just from smelling it was entirely new. It was overwhelming, all-consuming. And from the way Todoroki was looking at you, eyes dark with a knowing smile, and how his scent spiked in response, you knew he noticed how deeply his scent affected you too.

"Alpha... you’ll take care of me, won’t you?" His voice had dropped lower, breathless, tinged with desperation but still confident, as if he was sure you would give him everything he wanted. As if the two of you weren’t practically strangers, as if the sterile hospital room around you didn’t exist, as if everything he was thinking about wasn’t entirely inappropriate. Embarrassingly, it wasn’t just him. You were really really trying to not focus on how your thoughts were heading down the same dangerous path.

“Todoroki, it seems you’ve entered your heat. Don’t worry, we’ll prescribe you some medication to help manage it until you can be released home.” You tried to force professionalism back into your voice, but the way his eyes, once filled with raw desire, narrowed at you with disapproval made your heart stutter. His eyebrows furrowed, and his lips parted in something close to frustration.

“I don’t want medicine, Alpha. I want you,” he rasped, his voice breaking slightly. His hand shot out, more desperate now, as if he couldn’t bear the distance between you. Before you could react, he grabbed your hand, and you were too startled—too affected by the intensity of his words—to pull away. With a shaky breath, he pressed your hand against his cheek, closing his eyes and sighing deeply, almost in relief.

He didn’t stop there. He nuzzled your hand, the gesture so gentle, like he was seeking comfort and your touch was the only thing that could soothe him in that moment. It was adorable in a strange, needy way—like a cat demanding affection. But there was an underlying desperation in the way he leaned into you, and the way he pressed into your palm made you feel how badly he needed it. The innocence of the gesture was overshadowed by the unmistakable tension in the air. He was scenting you, while the overwhelming sweetness of his scent was making you clenched your thighs tightly together as a wave of heat washed over you.

Todoroki hadn’t forgotten his own wanted. His lips pressed eagerly against the palm of your hand, each kiss slower, more intense than the last. Instinctively, you tried to pull away, a small yelp escaping your lips, but his grip tightened. His eyes opened, locking onto yours, annoyed with your actions.

His grip on your wrist was bruising, a stark contrast to the frantic, needy kisses he pressed against your hand. His body trembled, grinding desperately —Oh God— against the blanket resting on his laps, frantically looking for any relief. Kissing your hands weren’t enough to calm him. He guided your hand to his neck, forcing your fingers to press against his scent gland, but that didn’t satisfy him either. His breath hitched as he moved your hand lower, dragging its down his chest. When your finger brushed over his nipple, a high, strained moan slipped from his lips. His hips jerked upward, aching for friction, anything to break the suffocating need building within him. His body was on the edge, desperate for release, and craving more.

You felt feverish, trapped by his grip. The warmth of his skin seeped through his shirt, so hot it was burning you in the most delicious way. When your eyes met his, the smile he gave you was ravaging, and you felt yourself leaning closer into his warmth. He seemed to have the same idea, trying to close the distance between you. Your lips are now within reach for his—lips that had been tempting him for what felt like an eternity.

His hands eagerly moved yours, guiding them to the place he needed you the most while his legs was spreading in impatience. His mind was too clouded with desire to even consider removing his clothes, despite how uncomfortable they felt against his skin. As your faces drew closer, he whispered a soft "alpha," and breathed a warm laugh brushing against your lips as his eyes fluttered shut, ready to claim yours.

You felt it before you saw it. The loud crash of the door slamming open, hands seizing your collar and yanking you off the ground with brutal force. Your head slammed into the wall, a vicious crack of pain exploding through your skull. Even through the blinding haze of disorientation and the tears stinging your eyes, one thing stood out—red. Red eyes, blazing with fury and barely-contained rage.

"What the fuck are you doing to him?"

Alright, this one’s finally done! Did you like it? I hesitated for a while about ending the chapter with “You felt it before you saw it.” Like, setting up people to expect smut in the next chapter, then plot twist: “I lied, put your clothes back on, someone’s trying to beat your ass.”

But I feel like, since I’m still at the beginning of my fic, I shouldn’t do that. I need to make y’all want to come back, so I figured not revealing who the angry person was at the end would be better (especially since I haven’t even started working on the next chapter yet).

Have you noticed? I always try to end the chapter with a little cliffhanger, so y’all get curious about what might happen next. Also, I was considering changing the reader to gn!reader so it would be more inclusive but I wasn’t sure about it.

For those who asked me to tag them, tell me if this works. I have never created a tag list before so I am not sure.

This is a long ass note, way too long. None is reading all of that 😭

As always, I am open to criticism.

Big thank you to @cafekitsune who made the beautiful dividers

01 <- 02 -> 03

Taglist

[sweetiebarnes]

Twisted Pairing: Step Dad!Lloyd Hansen x Step Daughter!Reader

Word Count: 600+

Warnings: stepcest, voyeurism, female masturbation, nudity, implied future anal, minor daddy kink, dubcon/noncon if you squint, reader is early twenties, age gap.

Request: Lloyd Hansen, Step Dad, “What’s the matter? You’re acting like you’ve never seen a naked man before.”, and anal. Requested by: anonymous

A/N: I'm sorry I've been so slow with writing these. January has proven to be much more difficult than I had anticipated. I promise the stories are coming, and I am looking forward to doing your requests. This isn't my best work, but I still had fun writing it. It has not been beta read, so any mistakes are my own. As always my work is intended for adult audiences so 18+ only! Minors DNI. Pay attention to all tags and warnings. You are responsible for your own media consumption.

Writing Event Masterlist (still in the works)

From the first time Lloyd saw you he knew he needed to have you. That’s the thing about Lloyd Hansen, he always gets what he wants. He’d only married your mother because of the connections she provided. With her he’d be able to spread his business out throughout the country. What he hadn’t expected was the delicious present she had been hiding. 

Tonight your mother was out with friends from college. Lloyd knew this was the perfect opportunity to get what he’d been craving. You. He could picture you up in your bedroom reading one of your countless books. It was cute how you always seemed to find ways to avoid him. Whether you wanted to admit it or not, he knew you felt something too. There was a magnetic pull between the two of you, and tonight would be the night he finally gets what he’s needed.

Lloyd makes his way up the stairs and stops outside your bedroom door. He’d expected to hear nothing, but instead he could hear what sounded like quiet whimpers. His eyes flutter shut as he leans in closer hoping to be able to hear you better. “Oh… Oh fuck, Lloyd.” There was no denying what he heard that time. You were in there touching what belonged to him. Without giving it a second thought, Lloyd quickly began to undress himself. This hadn’t been how he planned to do this, but when the opportunity presents itself how could he say no?

Once undressed, Lloyd opens your door. It takes you a moment to realize he’s standing there, and boy was he thankful for that. For that meant he was able to get a full spread eagle view of your soaked cunt. He watched as your finger meticulously rubbed your clit. The little moans that left your mouth were like music to his ears. It was when he let out a small grunt of approval that your eyes finally opened. 

The look of embarrassment washed over your face. But that look quickly turned into confusion and horror when you spotted that he was naked. Your eyes traveled down to his hard cock which was now between his large hand. Lloyd’s smirk grew when he saw that your eyes appeared to be glued on him. “What’s the matter? You’re acting like you’ve never seen a naked man before.” His eyes never once leave yours as he slowly strides across your bedroom. “Oh come on, sunshine. We both know what you were just doing — who you were thinking about. Come on, be a good girl, show me.” 

The more he talked, the more your body seemed to tremble from nerves. “I - I don’t know what you’re talking about, Lloyd.” He rolls his eyes at your attempt to play dumb. He wasn’t going to allow you to continue your charade of being so called innocent. “You really want to play that game? Fine, show me. Prove to me that you’re not soaked right now. Because you and I both know that your little pussy is dripping for me. Dripping for your step-daddy.” His words cause a small to leave your lips.

Maybe just this once you can give into your desires. Maybe just this once you can be bad. 

Lloyd could hear a semblance of a plea when he watched you lay back on your bed. Your legs spread wide, inviting him to come give you both what you need. But Lloyd lets out a small tut and shakes his head. “Sorry, sunshine. That pussy isn’t what I’m interested in right now. I’d rather fuck your untouched hole. Turn around now.”

[damiansgoodgirll]

Hello! Could you write something about jealous VVD. You're out with the girls and they record you having fun, shaking ass and stuff. Obviously, he's not happy about it.

Thank you ☺️

reader’s not shaking her ass because i can’t shake my ass so i wouldn’t be able to relate but she’s having some real fun 🍾🍾

virgil van dijk x reader

‼️ big virgil is mad at us, sorry + him being a little possessive

as long as you’re mine

it was rare that you had time to meet up with your friends and have a fun night out. two of your best friends had kids so it was impossible for them to stay out over 9 pm and the others were much into their perfect wives role that they didn’t even had time for themselves.

but tonight, somehow, you managed to get them all together to have some real fun in a very special club downtown liverpool.

it felt like it’s been years since you last saw them and you couldn’t wait to gossip about anyone again.

virgil wasn’t really excited about the idea of you clubbing all night. not because he didn’t trust you, but because he didn’t trust the people around you. he knew how man could get when they see a pretty lady, the knew it very well.

so he tried to convince you to stay home but you refused and met up with your friends.

you had a nice dinner and then you all went to the heaven club, your favourite place in all the town. virgil didn’t like it so he never came with you but tonight you finally had the chance to have some real fun with your friends and you couldn’t wait for it.

one drink first, then a second one and a third one. one man offered you a glass of wine that you kindly refused so he offered it to one of your friends that accepted. you all were laughing and having fun when, all of sudden your phone started ringing.

virgil was calling you but you never picked up.

what you didn’t know was that someone was filming you and posting everything on twitter. you weren’t doing anything wrong, you were just laughing and chatting while some of your friends were dancing and shaking their asses but still, someone managed to get your pictures and videos out on twitter.

you never picked up your phone that night, not until the uber you all booked, left you at home around 4 am. you weren’t that drunk but you didn’t trust yourself to drive.

you removed your heels before entering your home, thinking that virgil was already fast asleep so you were kinda surprised when you saw him sitting on the couch watching the news on tv.

“virgil?” you called him and he turned around to look at you “what are you doing still awake? i told you not to wait for me…”

“i had to wait for you in case you never came back home…i don’t know, what if you fell asleep on some cheap couch in some cheap club?” he said standing up and looking at you.

“what? what are you talking about?”

“you know damn well what i’m talking about…” he was mad but you didn’t know why.

“i can see you are mad but i don’t know why…care to explain it?” you asked him a little confused.

“did you really have to do all of that? acting like you don’t have a husband waiting for you at home? if you wanted attention you just had to say it…”

“what the fuck are you talking about virgil!” you started to get mad as how he kept being so obnoxious.

he took two seconds to take his phone out of his pocket and show you everything that’s being going on twitter “this is what i’m talking about!” he showed you one of the videos where you were seen talking with a man - the man you refused the wine from but of course virgil didn’t know that. he showed you another video of you dancing with one of your friends, and it wasn’t the dancing itself to upset him, it was the fact that a man was making inappropriate comments about you.

“virgil…that man offered me wine and i said no, that’s why i was talking with him…and sorry, but it’s not my fault i wanted to have fun with my friends and men can’t keep their dicks in their pants…i’m not apologising for that” you calmed down after seeing the videos and why he reacted that way “but you gotta trust me virgil, and it hurts me knowing that you don’t trust me”

“i know it’s not your fault…i just, i hate seeing men talking about you like you would give them a chance…and i’m sorry for overreacting…i trust you, i love you, it’s the people around you that i don’t trust, it’s the people around that want to take advantage of you and if something has to happen…”

“virgil” you chuckled “nothing is gonna happen okay? i just had a few drinks and i’m capable of defending myself if something happens okay?”

“okay but”

“no buts…”

“but” he kept going “you are mine, my wife, my love, my woman, mine, got it?” he asked, his voice showing more authority.

“i’m yours virgil, as long as you are mine” you answered back.

his lips turned into a smirk, while his hands moved to your hips “i’m definitely yours, as i sad again, you’re mine…” he whispered into your ear and you didn’t know if it was the alcohol or not but you were feeling butterflies all over your body “so now, you let me take care of you as a proper husband should do, got it?” he asked and you nodded.

you definitely wouldn’t have let him go so easily.

[fskjdhsxz]

Jealous of what a reader you are. Do you have any tips or routines? I used to be such a reader but I feel like brain rot culture has taken over my ability to pay attention to anything lol

Hi! Yes, I sure do. I struggle with reading.

1. Getting out of the habit of watching reels helped me get out of a major block a year and half ago. Which sucks because my friends love sending funny shit to me but I found that I would just get home from work and scroll mindlessly because my brain was tired after work and I couldn’t think or produce or take in any more information which brings me to my second point:

2. Get to know the rhythms of your brain. There’s times during the day it’s more able to absorb information. For me, that’s before work. For a while I’d wake up at 5-6am so I could get 3-4 hours of me time in where my brain was alert and awake. I found it was more productive to sleep early (since my brain is useless in the evenings) and use that time to actually rest, then wake up early alert and read then.

3. Because I read multiple things at the same time (a tip in itself!) I set timers. 10 minutes on this book, 10 minutes on the next, 10 minutes on the third book. This makes it less daunting and also kind of appeals to my attention span. What I usually find is that the knowledge that I’ll have to switch soon ends up triggering the part of my brain that can deeply focus, it’s sort of like how you get the urge to clean your entire room just when you have to leave the house for work or something. I don’t know what it is or why that’s the case.

4. Is your environment working for you? I find myself more able to focus in certain spaces. Some are too silent, some are too noisy, I like just the right amount of background noise.

5. Reading is a muscle. Just as you mentioned how our attention atrophies when we sit around consuming shortform media online, it strengthens as we continue to exert ourselves in reading a book.

6. It’s silly, but I like to develop imaginary relationships with the author of any text I’m reading, esp. with theory. That makes it more fun and less intimidating. Marx is a father to me— he’s boring and dense, but has important things to say. Lenin is like my cool stylish uncle, Kristeva is my mysterious spinster aunt, Simone de Beauvoir is my sister, Sylvia Plath is my homely best friend who’s jealous of me because I’m hotter than her, but whose writing I envy in return, etc.

7. There is no “right way” to read a book, esp. theory. Start in the middle. Jump to the beginning, skip five pages, read backward, if it’s a good text ultimately it will draw you in and you’ll consume every last bit. Let your curiosity pull you in, reading shouldn’t be punitive and it feels that way often because of how we’ve been taught to approach a book.

8. Don’t be afraid to use resources on the internet to supplement your reading. It’s not cheating to look things up, develop a roadmap, run your understanding by other interpretations of the text.

9. Annotate, but not in a boring way taught in schools. Books should be a source of play and creativity. Write in the margins, talk to your book, use it as a diary. “I’m drunk” is my favorite annotation in a book. Often times my annotations are also just lists of associations my brain makes while reading a sentence or paragraph, and nothing to do with trying to extract deeper meaning from it. You and I could read the same book and have our own universe of associations which influence our experience of the text.

[mokkkki]

the way you write is so beautiful... tips for somebody new to writing who wants to write like you?

YOU are so beautiful, thank you so much! im not sure about any tips i have, but ill give it a shot. these are what i personally believe to have been the most important things:

find your wavelength my writing became a lot more stylized and personalized after i found an author that i resonated with, as well as a couple of themes. it just helps to know what you are actually interested in writing in, versus what you think other people would like to read. im personally interested in writing about relationships and dynamics, so my writing will always be more character than action driven. also, it helps, because youre always going to end up writing what you want to write, even in the smallest of ways, so why not embrace it fully? write what you want to read. otherwise, you wont have fun. and writing is SO MUCH FUN. knowing what youre into and what youre trying to channel gives you a really strong basis for all of your writing - not only will it take time for you to find your wavelength, meaning that youll have to expose yourself to many different genres and authors, which is a must, youll always be able to look back at that ONE creative piece and grab some motivation from it.

expose and explore creativity is everywhere - tv shows, movies, books, fanfics, comics, art, architecture, history (!!!), mythology, sports, reality - literally everywhere you can think of. dont wait for inspiration because its everywhere if you look hard enough. familiarize yourself with the seven basic plots, the thirty-six dramatic situations, basic foreshadowing elements, and other essentials. this isnt something to study or memorize, just to KNOW - its good to be aware of the foundations of literature.

embrace the brainrot and maintain a balance become obsessed w your own ocs, your own plots, your own everything. be your own biggest fan. to enter an abusive relationship with your own work is extremely upsetting, because youre doing wrong by the wonderful world youve made, and doing wrong by that part of you that just wants to be creative, too - and if that happens, its probably because you arent writing what you want to write, or controlling what doesnt want to be controlled. let your characters be individuals, let them go where they want to go, just follow and note what theyre doing. sometimes writing is a passive activity rather than active creation, and thats okay! thats when you know youve built a solid world that can run by itself and you just contribute to. that being said, while theres nothing quite like the hours spent ravenously typing, you need to find a balance. you are as important as your work, because without you, the work wouldnt exist. i also reccomend forcing yourself NOT to write on specific days. some ideas need to marinate, and some people need to rest.

i hope this was helpful &lt;;3 if you ever need more help (and this also applies to those reading), feel free to reach out! im open to being a beta reader or just a brainstorming partner. lots of love!

[goforth-ladymidnight]

A Long Overdue Review of Calanmine

Tamlin Week 2025 may be over, but it's never too late for a good review, right??

@calanmine

Just in case you haven't already played this fantastic game (and if you haven't, what are you waiting for???), I'll discuss any spoilers below the cut. But for now, here are my thoughts!

First off, you should know I am not much of a gamer. So, this was my first official "dating game" experience! From the start, the music lured me in and set the mood. @thrumbolt, your taste is immaculate. It was so perfect. I was never once distracted by the songs, although I did check the credits to find out where they came from! I appreciated the direct links, by the way, because this type of music is exactly the sort of thing that I enjoy listening to when I want to be transported into a mystical, magical world. <3

Then, we get to the gameplay. Screencaps don't do the experience justice. There are sound effects and little bits of animation that really draw you in and make the game a lot of fun. @copypastus, you outdid yourself. You did sexy moments as well as silly ones, and I loved each and every one!

And speaking of sexy and silly... @highlordofkrypton, you have a way with words, I swear. I found myself grinning, giggling, *and* blushing as I clicked through the options. I need to take sexy-writing lessons from you. Whew!

Now, before I get to my favorite scenes, I wanted to take a moment to appreciate the fact that you can keep track of your progress through the image gallery. Like I said, I'm not much of a gamer, so I liked being able to see what I had completed, and hints of what was left. (Also, can we all just take a moment to appreciate that we get to revisit some of our favorite scenes in detail?? Whew. Yes. Thank you. <3

On to the game itself! Spoilers below the cut:

Because Book 1 is my favorite and I wanted to see what would happen, I went into my first playthrough as "Feyre", and look who I met at the bonfire:

Bahaha. Best. Easter Egg. EVER. XD

This was delightful. And, sorry Tamlin my love, but I Feyre said "yes" when Lucien asked me to stay. Just look at him... How could I not?

Oh, the sound I made when I saw this!! It was the perfect first ending. And, hey, what can I say? It made my Feycien-loving heart sigh with happiness.

I played the next round as Feyre again. (I wasn't done having fun! Not by a long shot.) There's a bit of familiar dialogue when she meets Rhysand, in case anyone wants to check it out, *wink wink*, but Eris was completely unimpressed. XD Not gonna lie, Eris was not my favorite in this game. That's not to say that he isn't a fun character! He's just not my type. My type is more like...

This guy.

Of course, we get all kinds of sexy Tamlin in this (there are three-ways AND four-ways!!), but sweet shy Tamlin is my favorite. <3

I know there's no special dialogue for Briar, the former Daughter of the Blessed that Tamlin helped rescue in ACOWAR, but I wanted to play as her for a short while, anyway. As it turned out, sweet and shy Tamlin made an appearance when I played as her! (Okay, it happened because I went to the cave first, but I like to think the story *needed* to happen with her that way. Hey, I'm a romantic! And isn't that what the game is for??)

Anyway, it makes me so happy that we got to see shy, goofy Tamlin as well as sexy Tamlin here.

My Feylin-shipping self was oh so satisfied. Mm-hmmm. Oh, and did I mention we get to see Tamcien? As in, we could be the throuple that never was?? The FeyTamCien?? <3<3<3 Yup. No kidding. Wow.

And, hey, speaking of ships that should have sailed... If you like to picture pre-canon Tamlin and Rhysand as messy, bitter exes, there's a fantastic make-up scene featuring them that pretty much healed my soul, actually.

Play it. You won't regret it.

Also, for the love of the Cauldron, you *have* to play as Amarantha at least once! Everyone's reactions (including Amarantha's!!) are absolutely hilarious. They really make the game.

And, hint hint, there are even more Easter Eggs if you play as the following characters:

Elain

Nesta

Cassian

Azriel

I think there are more, but these are the ones I played (including Feyre). I had so much fun playing with canon characters, I nearly forgot to play as an OC! So I guess I'll have to do that on my next playthrough. ;)

I can't thank everyone involved enough for making such an amazing game. You're all phenomenal, and it blows me away at how passionate and talented you are. I'm so glad I've gotten to know you! Thanks for making all our days - and nights - a little brighter! Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to play a little more Calanmine. <3

[crime-scene-psychic]

I honestly think that the Nolan Batman trilogy was the best and worst thing to happen to the Batman franchise, because on one hand, it was the first live-action instance of trying to make Batman more gritty and serious (because while the Keaton, Kilmer, Clooney movies took the story much more seriously than the 60s television show, they were still goofy at times, which is why I honestly think they're the best rendition of Batman, because they were able to balance silliness with seriousness, which is what Batman is all about, but that's obviously an entirely different thesis) which then allowed for more people to take comic book movies serious, consequently leading to the rise of the DCEU and, obviously, the MCU (we would not have the MCU today and the actual good movies that came out of it without Nolan's trilogy, there's simply no argument there).

However, the Nolan trilogy also unfortunately made "dark, gritty Batman" the norm, meaning that once anyone tries to actually have some fun with Batman, they immediately get shit on by comic book dude bros. It also created the most annoying characterization of the Joker that everyone has been trying to replicate since and no one will be able to replicate, because they simply do not understand the character (I honest to God think the closest live-action actor who has ever made a Joker character work besider Heath Ledger was Cameron Monaghan in the Gotham television show, and he wasn't even really Joker??? but at least he didn't make it everyone else's problem and was a good mix of goofy and psychotic, not just psychotic) and will never be Heath Ledger (but they don't stop trying much to my forever annoyment).

And while I can recognize the cultural and significant impact on the comic and film community that Nolan's trilogy had, it is still by far my least favorite adaptation because of how serious it takes itself (and of course, the racism. The racism is actually the bigger one for me. Fuck Christopher Nolan for that. Ra's al Ghul is NOT a white man just because you want a plot twist, and you CANNOT just erase Bane being mixed race because you fucking FEEL LIKE IT because him being mixed race is extremely relevant to his origin). Batman has had serious moments in the comics, don't get me wrong, and I know things must evolve and change over time and that I cannot expect an 80 year old character to not be further developed throughout the decades, but it almost feels as if Nolan and Goyer (the writer) read a Sparks Notes version of the history of Batman, cracked their knuckles, and said "yeah, I think I got it."

Spoiler alert: they did not get it.

When I watch the Nolan trilogy (which I haven't in quite some time and I really don't want to, even to prove a point to people on the Internet) I notice how uninspired it feels, story-wise. While the action and cinematography is excellent, the story is lacking for me, and when you're telling a story like Batman, that has decades of content, you cannot just forgo storytelling for cool special effects.

I'd much rather watch a Batman adaptation that has the shittiest effects known to man with a writer who whole-heartily cares for the characters they're writing and has taken time to research. And that's honestly one of the biggest problems the comic book film industry is having now, both DC and Marvel. They're not hiring people who actually care about these characters to write them and they're focusing much more at appealing to everyone they can instead of who the movies should be made for: fans.

You're gonna have such a harder time convincing my mom, a woman who only cares about Wonder Woman, to watch the new Captain America film than you would someone who has read the Sam Wilson Cap comic run. And while this entire issue stems from the fact that the film industry is just that, an industry, and has become less about filmmakers making art and more-so how much money investors and producers can get out of ticket sales, it is still infuriating to see franchises you care deeply about be ruined by guys just there to cash their paychecks and be done with it.

And really, the film industry as we know it needs to be fucking demolished from the inside out, but that will never happen and now we're a bit off-topic. So, back to Batman.

I think another issue I have with newer live-action Batman adaptations is that they choose to forgo a VERY IMPORTANT character when it comes to Batman/Bruce Wayne's evolution as a character and story line.

Robin.

Since whatever the fuck the casting of Chris O'Donnell in 1995 was (why was he, like, a grown man?), people have been afraid to touch a live-action Dick Grayson with a six-foot pole (besides Titans, which I'm gonna get to in a sec). Which is ridiculous, because he is, like I said, an insanely important character when it comes to showing the growth Bruce Wayne goes through.

Bruce Wayne becomes Batman because he is so angry about his parent's deaths and the corruption of Gotham that he doesn't know what else to do. All the money in the world cannot change things for the better, his own father tried and died for his troubles, and he is left with no other option. Bruce Wayne works during the day to fight corruption via charity and his company, Batman works during the night and is able to do what Bruce Wayne can't (beating the shit out of people, mainly). The two are separate sides of the same coin.

And despite this seeming like a good arrangement, it's pretty obvious in most adaptations (at least they get THAT right) that beating the shit out of people in back alleys is not a good replacement for therapy. You're able to see the toll being Batman has on Bruce. He quickly becomes more occupied with being a vigilante than being himself. Bruce needs something to break through this internal struggle and help him balance both lives.

And so a boy named Dick Grayson comes along.

Dick's so important (and so are the other Robins, of course, but Dick being the first means I have to talk about him a bit more) because he forced Bruce to get his shit together. Here's a boy who's about the same age Bruce was when his parents died, who also just saw his parents killed in front of him, and is so full of rage he has no idea what to do. Sounds familiar...

Bruce is able to help himself by helping Dick. He gives him an outlet to vent his anger and frustrations while also looking out for him in the best way he can. While there are many issues with how Robin comes to be in various comic runs (and if this was real life it would be fucking ridiculous) Dick becoming Robin is extremely important. If he hadn't been taken in by Bruce Wayne, if he'd been allowed to let that anger continue to bubble up inside of him, he probably would have killed Tony Zucco and that would have been enough to set Dick down a terrible path he might not recover from.

The same goes for Bruce. If he were to set out and kill the person who shot his parents, he wouldn't be a hero anymore because that single event would shatter the entire point of Batman, which is that he is not meant to decide who lives and dies. If he were, how would he be any different than all the villains in Gotham that he fights as Batman? How would he be better than the corrupt businessman and politicians that he has to battle as Bruce Wayne? He wouldn't.

Batman needs Robin and Robin needs Batman, because they are yin and yang. Light within darkness, darkness within light. You cannot separate these characters and still tell an accurate story, it's impossible. I think that's a huge issue Nolan's movies have, on top of many others. You cannot accurately present to me a Batman story if there is no Robin, just as you couldn't give me a Robin story without Batman.

Every Robin is so important to how Bruce Wayne as a character is developed, and disregarding this as a creator is not only disrespectful to the character, it misses the entire point. I refuse to take your adaptation of Batman seriously if you can't figure out how important Robin is. He isn't just some kid sidekick, he isn't an optional side character, he is what makes Batman human. You cannot have gritty, Neo-noir Batman and forgo Robin just because you see him as the sidekick in tights. When Batman was silly and took itself less seriously, sure, there wasn't a lot to Robin nor Batman's troubling pasts. But now that you want to deep dive into Bruce Wayne's psyche and pick apart what makes him the way he is you wanna throw in the towel and erase the part that humanizes him? Fuck. You.

You can't make a complex Bruce Wayne and take away parts that help audiences understand his complexities, that's fucking STUPID!

Titans, for all its faults and problems, will always have my gratitude as it had the fucking balls to give, without a doubt, the best and most rounded live-action adaptation of Dick Grayson we have ever seen. Titans introduces Dick at a very important and rocky time in his character arch: him leaving Bruce.

If you're not in the know, there's a falling out between Bruce and Dick that's been written a couple different ways over the years, but all comes down to Dick being "fired" from being Robin and leaving Gotham. This is a bit of a newer story line in comparison to how long the character of Dick Grayson has been around, and eventually leads to Dick becoming independent from Bruce, signalling his evolution from "side kick" to his own hero, Nightwing. However, there's issues with Dick having to give up the Robin mantel, because it's something that is whole-heartily Dick Grayson. Robin wasn't something Bruce Wayne came up with, it was the nickname his parents gave to him. Even the colors are his, those were the colors of the Flying Graysons' uniforms. Robin is much more than just a vigilante alter-ego to Dick, it is the last link he has to his past and his parents. So when this is taken away from him and given to another, this causes a huge internal struggle for Dick, as he has to deal with the anger he now has for Bruce, a man he originally looked up to and idolized. This is Dick seeing how wrong it was for Bruce to do some of the things he did to Dick, despite at the time those choices being what both needed.

The way Titans is able to portray this extremely delicate time in Dick's story line in a way that not only makes sense for his character, but also allows for growth is really admirable. Like I said, the show isn't perfect by any means (can I PLEASE get a Romani actor to play Dick PLEASE) but it's the first time I feel that the character is wholeheartedly taken serious in a live-action setting. You can tell the writers have a better idea about how the characters should interact in a live-action setting and while some choices are questionable to me, the heart is there.

Nolan's movies in comparison feel soulless and devoid of all creativity and love. He does not care about these characters, no matter how much he tries to make you think that, and he never will. Christopher Nolan, you will NEVER convince me that you give two shits about Bruce Wayne. And if you, the director, can't bother to care, why should the audience? Why should I care about your adaptation if you can't even be bothered to put an ounce of individuality into it?

With Matt Reeves' Batman films underway, things are getting worse again. For a while, we only had to deal with the shitty Joker adaptations that tried to replicate Ledger's Joker, but with the Reeves Batman movies, the film bros are making themselves known again. I remember when the new design for the Riddler dropped and I said it was shit and people on Twitter and YouTube got SO PISSY at me and told me I just don't understand Batman and that I'm childish for enjoying the designs for Gotham Riddler/ Batman Forever Riddler and whatever and that I'm stupid, which none of those things are true, I hate to be confident in anything, but I think I know more about Batman than you do, Twitter troll.

The suit sucked and the character sucked. They just created a new character but gave him the Riddler's name. That's NOT the Riddler. That's honestly closer to Hush than Riddler, so just... do that? But of course, less people know about Hush than Riddler, and you're not trying to make a film for fans, you're trying to make money, so why would you ever be so silly as to do that! I'm not gonna talk to much about the new Riddler, just because it's super old news and it's not the point I was trying to make here, it's just something that continues to piss me off when it comes to gritty recreations of characters, because Riddler really never was supposed to be some Zodiac Killer wannabe, he's supposed to be a guy who leaves you riddles and makes you solve them and he's supposed to be a little silly about it. And I'm not saying you can't do a more gritty Riddler, because Arkham Knights did it super well imo! Just don't reinvent the wheel! Don't just make a new character and call him by another's name, that's a disservice to the character themselves and their creators.

This is a hard topic, because you have people who get the point of these characters (people who have actually read a comic before and paid attention to the story) but you also have insufferable film/comic bros who worship the ground Nolan and Reeves walks upon and who don't even take time to explore the rest of the Batfamily comics (his gang of vigilante children show up in the stand-alone Batman comics, though, so I don't know how they're missing this, unless they have the reading comprehension of a goldfish, which they probably do tbh). It's why I think a lot of these weirdos don't like Gotham Knights or Wayne Family Adventures, because they hate the thought of there being any semblance of fun in the Batman franchise. Not everything needs to be doom and gloom! Let Dick Grayson be bisexual and let Bruce Wayne have a PTA rival! You can have your cake and eat it too!

I know this seems like a silly sentiment coming from a person who just wrote an entire essay on this, but maybe don't take Batman so seriously? I don't mean, of course, that you can't care about these characters, I'm actually saying the opposite! I care very deeply for these characters, so much that I obviously spat all this out. I just think some people need to fucking chill when it comes to realistically portraying Batman. There's nothing wrong with taking a more serious approach to the characters and I have no problem modernizing them, but you can't just have action hero Batman, you have to have the human behind the mask too. And if you can't balance that, then I'm sorry, but you shouldn't be making Batman adaptations, because you obviously don't understand what the character is about.

I'm nervous to see where Reeves will go with the character, and only time will tell. I've heard rumors he plans to introduce Robin, I've heard rumors he doesn't. Either way, it's obviously out of my hands and I'll have opinions either way, but I really hope he has a better understanding of the history of the franchise than Nolan. While I appreciate, again, what Nolan did for revolutionizing not only the Batman franchise but the comic movie industry as well, I can still find faults in how he went about things. I truly don't believe we can have a worthy adaptation of Batman live action without Robin and without embracing the silliness of Batman's villains and I really hope producers, writers, and directors realize that soon.

Sorry if you read all that...

[wiyldefire]

.may you answer every question of the wynncraft oc ask game for qualia pretty pwease? :3

HAHA, YOU FOOLS! NOW I HAVE AN EXCUSE TO DO SO- Also while I absolutely LOVE the idea of answering in character I do not have that many brain cells because I woke up less than an hour ago as of starting this and have used all my Writing Juice on writing Chaerean's story...

What's your name? Does it have any special meaning? Qualia is the plural of quale, which is a word that describes a specific, isolated experience, typically in relation to an item, but specifically independent from the item itself as a whole. The taste of apples is not a quale, whereas the taste of one specific apple would be. My friend suggested this to me (TY REALM ILY) because I am shit at naming things. His original name was Cassian, which means "hollow" in the sense of a forest hollow, but I chose to believe it meant hollow as in empty because that is funnier. I changed it because in the DnD campaign I was in, one of the PCs was named Cassian, and I didn't want to get confused. Also Qualia is cooler. Everyone assumes you're human, but are you really? So he is human in the very broadest terms possible. If you were to DNA test him he would come up as human, give or take some quirks, but we aren't here to listen to me talk about karyotyping. He does not, however, have any sex characteristics, because that's an option and is funny. What weapon do you use? Do you wish it was something else? He uses a spear! He is capable of using other things, but he just likes spears the most. He will occasionally steal Tasim's weapons to try them out for fun and to mess with Tasim. How does your magic work? Did anybody teach you, or did you come up with it yourself? Tasim taught him the basics of how to do magic, and he learned a lot of theory from listening to Aledar talk about it and by stealing books from the very large amount of old abandoned places with books in them. So he mostly taught himself but Tasim and Aledar are very much the only reason that he was able to do that. What do you wear when you're not wearing armour, if there's ever such a time for you? He generally just wears armour, but if not he literally just wears a plain white tunic, green pants, and his cloak. You can pry his cloak from his corpse, and even then he will find a way to stop you. What do you know about your time before becoming a Wynn soldier, if anything? So he straight up didn't exist before waking up in the cart on the way to Wynn. He was magic'ed into existence there. He doesn't know this though. So he doesn't know shit lmao You've been around many places, do you have a favourite food from any of them? Soup. Especially if it has potatoes. And blackberries. Do you prefer warmer climates to colder ones? He prefers moderate ones, but if he had to pick he would prefer cold, because then he can bundle up in a shit ton of blankets and no one will ask him any questions. In your opinion, where has the best view out of all the places you've been? He genuinely wouldn't have a favourite. He doesn't pay enough attention to his surroundings to answer this. What's your favourite memory of your travels? Ough... hanging out with Afelis in Llevigar. It hurts, though. Which is your favourite province? Wynn, Gavel, or Corkus? Okay, so here's the thing. Wynn? He feels the distinct lack of his friends. Gavel? People treat him like shit. Corkus? People might treat him slightly less like shit but by the time he gets there he doesn't know how to navigate interacting with people who are trying to be his friend, so there is constant guilt about not being a good friend to Maxie, Rhey, and Ava. So he's kinda fucked wherever he goes. He has the most happy memories in Wynn so I guess there? OKAY so Tumblr's doing that thing where it gets pissy that I've written so much so I have the rest of them just give me a moment I will reblog and add them

[thompsborn]

darling, won't you take me home?

chapter two: i know that you make me better

The first picture Harley takes is while they're studying at the diner.

He's not sure what convinces him that this is the perfect moment to capture, isn't sure what makes his fingers twitch towards his phone, but he's sitting across from Peter and he's been entirely too aware of his crush since he realized it, and he finds it very difficult to not think about it—about his feelings—about Peter every second of the day. Taking pictures is something he likes to do, blurry snapshots of random moments that he wants to remember. Nothing as nice looking at the photography Peter sells to the Daily Bugle, but images that Harley can look at and smile.

Living with Harry, he's already snagged plenty of insane looking candid shots of him, and a handful of photos of Gwen, as well—but he hasn't gotten any of Peter yet, mostly because of the fact that he didn't think they had really become friends until the week of Halloween, but now they're not just friends. No, they're friends and Harley has an embarrassing crush on him that Harry keeps teasing him about.

Which is annoying, and also, admittedly, sometimes, kind of funny.

But they're at the diner and Peter is sitting across from him, textbook splayed open with his notebook next to it, pen in one hand, the other cradling his chin as he leans his elbow against the table. Harley doesn't care for English classes, but doing the assignments feels easier with Peter—which is ironic, because Harley knows that Peter's plans consist of multiple STEM degrees, yet he's got a knack for knocking essays out with ease whenever he gives himself the time to, and he's pretty damn good at helping Harley with his, too.

He wants to ask—but first he picks up his phone, unable to help himself as he admires Peter, snapping a quick picture and setting it back down before asking, "Have you thought about an English degree? Or, like, something similar?"

Peter looks up, nose scrunched up on his face. "Absolutely not."

"You're good at it," Harley tells him, shrugging. "I just thought you might have some interest in it or something. Pretty sure you're the only reason I'm not failing."

The end of Peter's mouth twitches up—he's been odd since the Halloween party, sometimes fully present, able to smile more, laugh easier; sometimes closed off and quiet, completely dazed, like he's sitting here but he's not really here. Right now, he seems to be having a good day. "You wouldn't be failing," he says, shaking his head.

Harley makes a face. "Sure, yeah. I'd be passing. With a C-, probably."

Peter rolls his eyes and huffs a soft laugh, turning his eyes back to his notebook, jotting down a few notes as he reads through the short story that they've been assigned to write a responding analysis to. Harley doesn't know how Peter's able to focus on the short story—Harley tried reading it, but the words started floating around the page about halfway through. The story itself is good, to be fair, and Harley does enjoy reading, but something about the font and the layout of the textbook makes his brain want to clock out as soon as he sets his eyes on it.

But Peter is scanning over the words, jotting down notes and quotes and whatever else he finds fitting. Harley doesn't look at his own book. Instead, he continues to watch Peter for a moment and then asks, "Do you like to read?"

"Mm." Peter finishes the sentence he was writing, then looks back up at Harley with a slight frown. "Kind of," he says, words coming out a little bit slow. "I mean, yeah, but, uh… I didn't really appreciate it until one of my friends in high school and I got closer. She loves to read, and we had our English classes together, so she helped me and it kinda opened my eyes a bit, I guess." He shrugs, kind of clunky as his gaze drops back to the table with his frown deepening. "I don't really read for fun," he says. "But I can, like… enjoy it, you know? When I do read stuff."

This is the second time Peter has mentioned a friend that he doesn't seem to have anymore—he'd brought up his Aunt May and an old friend at the Halloween party, when he said that he doesn't like Thanksgiving. Harley's crush makes him want to ask to know more. His curiosity makes him want to dig for the information himself.

He does neither. "I think I forgot how to read," he says instead, looking down at his own textbook with a scowl. "None of these look like words."

Peter snorts. Harley's gay little heart flutters at the sound.

It's definitely a good day.

[dogmeatthedead]

Oh boy, I've been working on this since October 4th, 2021 so excuse any changes in writing style. This is going to be extremely text heavy, so proceed with caution if you don't like that. Included pictures that should summarize.

Casual fans call him Lt.Col Wilson, dedicated fans know him as one of the youngest, most decorated soldiers who rose through the ranks of the Army at a shocking rate. Lots of characters rave about his successes, his rapid growth, and how unprecedented it is. I want to delve into how this could hypothetically take place, and thereby explore and sort out some of the super complicated Pre-Deathstroke history of the Wilson family. You know, if there were no timeline shifts and everything could have an answer.

Some of you might know this, but I’m in the Army. Now I’ve only been in for 5 years, so consider me a beginner with passion.

First, before we get started, I want to make clear that the Army loves to change how people get promoted and because of this, I’ll only be able to talk about how rank works in today's day and age since I’m too lazy to research historical promotion structure.

Second, I’m going based off of just about every version of Slade’s history, but I’m mostly going to be pulling from classic Slade and rebirth since these two books give the most comprehensive image of his rank progression. I’ll be trying my hardest to make all four timelines work in harmony; however, New-52 & Convergence will have the most ignored. I’ll try to keep parts since these are the only books that show what Slade’s childhood was like (outside of the frame of his drain clearner induced hallucination).

Thirdly, this is just for fun and I’m going to be speculating lots. Take everything here as good fun and not me making claims of canon, this is a project I’ve wanted to write up for a while so it’s full of head cannons.

Fourth comics have very wishy washy timelines so I’ll be taking creative liberties, again, this is just for fun and maybe a little education.

Fifth and lastly, the only thing I’ve read post Rebirth Deathstroke wrapping up, is the Deathstroke Year One part of Deathstroke INC. I know there’s been a lot else including the rest of Deathstroke INC, but I haven’t read the rest yet so if anything else has come out, I don’t know about it, and frankly I don’t care. This is my delusion and I’m just inviting you into it. I don’t trust modern Deathstroke writers anyway. But I have read Deathstroke Year 1 from the INC series so I’ll be including that.

Okay, disclaimers out of the way, let's get started with the basic outline of the timeline.

MarvStroke is pretty infamous for having an extremely confusing timeline, even contradicting itself at times. So what do we know?

Well, first we know that a young Slade lied to enlist at age 16. Which is totally doable, especially if he didn’t get a birth certificate when he was born which is more common than you might think. I’ve met someone who never got one when he was born so when he got one he just changed his age, after the fact he just got a waiver from the Army for it. In recent versions this is quietly retconned; however, I’m leaning towards this being the case as it gives me the most time to play with, even if it's just a year or two.

Here’s why: Caution skip if you don't want to read my head cannons about Slade's past.

We’ll lean into the Wilson family's drama-prone nature and say that Nate (Slade’s father in New 52) and Charles (Slade’s convergence father) Wilson are brothers. Sometime before Slade is born, both men hook up with Slade’s mother, but neither knows who the father is. Rebirth mentions that Slade’s mom was a party girl, and never names the father seen in the dream so it could be either brother. In both N52& Convergence both fathers have grey or white hair so either could be the blond we see. Yeah I know that Nate in the flashback was a brunette, but so was Slade so let’s just say that they’re both dyed that color. Their family is just messed up enough to co-father the kid, especially after his mother kills herself.

Neither Nate nor Charles are attached to Slade and so when Nate falls into debt, he feels no guilt selling his son. Charles never seeks out the boy who might not even be his son, and moves on with his life. The only person who notices that young Slade has gone missing is his ex-step-mother: Frannie. Frannie was married to either Nate or Charles, and one of them fathered Wade DeFarge making him either Slade’s brother or cousin. She feels guilty because she is the mother of Slade’s half brother, (or cousin) and so she finds a scared young Slade who feels broken after being rejected or abandoned by both father figures. 

Feeling pity, Frannie helps the boy fake his identity to enlist early in the Army so that Slade can finally belong to something greater than himself. Frannie and her new husband, Max, run a high level, quasi governmental agency: not a stretch to say that this is something they could do. And given what we see of her character, something she wouldn’t mind doing either. Especially if Slade never got a birth certificate like I mentioned above. Let's say that a grown Slade figures out who his real father is, and it's not the same father as Wade (classic Slade’s half brother) so this erases the issue of Slade needing to mention having a brother in any other version. (well not counting his comment in Convergence.) Since Wade DeFarge would be his cousin.

Because of this, I’m going to say that Slade’s true biological father is Charles. He acknowledges him as his father within Convergence, and yet he would still take care of Nate, likely out of spite. He calls him dad in quotations and when he calls him “Father” it could be taken as if he’s saying that he’ll never give up on his responsibilities like Nate did. Salde was thinking of giving up on being Deathstroke, for some context and the New52 version of Slade viewed being Deathstroke as a responsibility.

Okay, the confusing Wilson family timeline amended, and the baseless head cannons are over, I think. 

With the age of Slade at enlistment figured out, let's try to sort out how long he would have had to make Lt Col. So I’m going to take the controversial stance and say that Slade has an actual age of 55. 

Okay, here me out. I know Rebirth is the only book where within the pages, his age is mentioned and it says that he is 57...however. In the back page editor notes of Classic Deathstroke, Slade and Wintergreen are given rough ages. Slade is in his mid 50’s and Wintergreen in his late 60’s with a 12 year age gap. I’d give you an issue number but sadly the editors note only appeared in some of the paperback issues and all of my paperbacks got stolen.

So, given that we’re saying that Slade got his birth certificate changed to being 2 years older than he really is, this can still work out. If his actual age is 55, and he never got it corrected from the lie, the record would show 57.

So from age 16 to 55, we have 39 years to play with. 

Now for the confusing part. (I say this at every stage frankly) We need to figure out how long Slade had been in the Army, and how long he had been Deathstroke. 

His kids really are the best indication of this, which is rough, because holy shit, they complicate everything. Grant is the oldest, but Joe is probably the one who gives us the best reference point since his birth was the hallmark of Slade retiring from the Army and followed shortly after by Slade becoming Deathstroke. We can use Joe to guess the other kids' ages, and also Slade’s age at their birth.

Joseph William Wilson is roughly the same age as Dick Grayson, and because Dick is a more well known character, there's more research on his age. So we’ll say that they’re the same age for simplicity’s sake. Most sources that I could find said that Dick became Nightwing at or around age 22, so let's say that Joe becomes Jericho at age 22 also. We’ll use this age as the base line. 

I’m going to guess that Grant was 5 years older, and Rose is only 8 year younger than Joey. Hey so Future me here, this was made “cannon” in Deathstroke Year One from the DS INC series. At least close to the age of 5. This means that Grant was starting at the youngest average age that they let you start in Military School when Joe lost his voice at age 7. This puts Grant as being a 27 year old loser when he died, and Rose is super hard to account for. I’m guessing she was anywhere from 10-14 when she was found. Priest said 10, Wolfman hinted at younger around 14.

Because Slade and Addie divorced shortly after Joe lost his voice, 22-7=15 meaning that Slade and Addie have been divorced for 15 years. Grant would have been 12 which is why he never forgave Addie for leaving his father whom he idolized and hated Slade for abandoning him by going no contact and not fighting for custody. Joe was 7. 

Remember that Slade became Deathstroke shortly after Joe’s birth. 

Joe’s age of 22 minus the 39 years since enlisting leaves us with 17 years in the Army. 

I know it’s tough to say that Grant was 27 when he died but he has to be because he was older than Joey. Even saying that he was only 2 years older than Joe would mean that he was 24 when he died which isn’t super far off. So 27 years old - the 39 years and you end up with 12 years. Age 16 when he joined, + the 12 years and you get 28. So we have our limits. Slade HAS to be a Lt Col by the time he’s 28, married to Addie with a kid.

Things only get more complicated from here so buckle up y'all. 

So it can take anywhere for an officer anywhere from 16 to 20 years to become a LT Col, so it’s just a fast track, no problem right? 

Haha sweet summer child no. Slade enlisted. That means it’d take him even longer on an already fast track.

For those of you who don’t know, in the Army there are basically two pay scales, two kinds of ranks: enlisted and officer. We’ll ignore Warrant Officers since they don’t factor in. 

Enlisted is E-1 through E-9

Officer is O-1 through O-10

Lt. Col is O-5, so that’s what we’re building up to. 

Lots of advancements are locked behind time in rank, time in servase, and achievements/ schools that factor into getting chosen for promotions. We’ll give Slade the best jumping off point, we’ll say that he enlisted as an E-3 or PFC. That way he’ll have fewer enlisted ranks to go though. We’ll brush this off and say that he enlisted with someone else, giving him a higher rank, that he passed fitness tests or got meritorious promotions during Basic Training. All are possible, not common but possible. 

Here’s where I want to curl up and die more than before, this whole thing is so painful. It’d be so easy to say that Slade just went Green to Gold, and became an officer right away. Green to Gold is a program that lets enlisted personnel go to college to get a degree while serving and commission. But...because the lore gods hate me, Slade has to have been a Sergeant at least for a little while.

One of the most common ranks that Slade is referred to is actually Sergeant so I’m guessing that he went to Ranger school and did the majority of his deployments as a Sergeant. So we’ll have to say that PFC Wilson gets promoted to E-4 right at the 6 month mark. Then we’ll say it was 2 years to SGT because of Slade's history of good service and medals. 

Slade has a Silver Star, Purple Heart and Service Cross, so just say he got one of them to help promote him quicker. This puts Slade at roughly 19 years old. Giving time for his training, and his movement to E-4. Well real age of 19, on paper he’s 21.Slade is an E-5. 

This is where he meets Wintergreen. 

I know that they say that they’ve known each other for 20 years, but given everything the timeline shows, that's just not possible. They met when Slade was on deployment, when he was enlisted. This is the best place for them to meet. Meaning that in the current day, Slade and Wintergreen have known each other for almost 40 years. Slade being 19, and Wintergreen being 31. We’ll say that Will just went Grey early. Chalk this up to comic book timelines, I’ve got nothing here other than maybe they lost count of the years after 20.

We’ll be generous and say that Slade’s been working on a bachelors in something ever since he enlisted in between deployments. Chemistry would be a good guess, but I’m going to go with something like economics as later in life Slade works as a stockbroker and you need a degree for that. Plus he uses an accountant so likely not accounting or finance. 

At the Rank of Sergeant, Slade gets his degree and commissions. Finally breaking out of the enlisted side and into the commissioned side. He’s a 2Lt or O-1, aged 20 or fake age of 22. Then… sorry I need a break to breathe…

Okay; I’m good. Then he makes 1Lt, aka O-2 in 1 year like normal, with Captain in 2 years putting him at O-3 at a real age of 23 with a fake age of 25. This progression, while fast is possible with his service record, we’ll say he’s deploying throughout this and gaining more of a reputation.

Because of the great work that he’s been doing as a Captain, he gets another promotion as a condition of going to Camp Washington. This can be done with reenlistment packets; think I’ll resign up and do X you the Army if the Army does X for me. Meaning he got a fast promotion to Major and went to the Camp Washington as a freshly pinned O-4 at the ripe old real age of 26 and fake age of 28. The stars have aligned for me and thank God, because it takes three years to be able to be promoted to Major. 

I’m assuming that he gets “promote above peers” on all the evaluations which isn’t a stretch. Slade went to Camp Washington as a Major but got promoted to Lt Col there. An interesting note is that Camp Washington takes only a year to complete, meaning that his promotion to Lt Col would have been a meritorious one. With a meritorious promotion, they put in wavers for time in Rank and time in service. Today, these aren’t super common at such high ranks but back then in the days of the good old boys club, totally possible. 

This means that he’s right on track to be the real age of 28, fake age of 30, married to Addie and having Grant right on time.

Okay, so what about the rest of his time in service?   

Slade, who got this far on combat prowess, would likely slow down doing desk work since it’s incredibly uncommon to see a LT Col out doing missions in the field. For the first time, Slade isn’t getting outstanding evaluations and his career is slowing. 

Then comes the enhancement experiments. Addie doesn’t want him to do it, but Slade sees it as a way to get back out into the field, the opportunity to go back to doing what he loves. So after 5 years of being a Lt Col, a real aged 33, fake age 35 Lt Col Slade takes the chance. And it blows up in his face. Right after the enhancements, Addie get pregnant with Joey resulting him in having superpowers like Slade let's just say he’s also this age when Joe is born. 

Then the timeline continues as normal. Joe aged 7 gets his throat cut, Slade aged 40 or 42, also when Slade and Addie get divorced. 8 years later a divorced Slade aged 48 or 50 gets Lillian pregnant with Rose unbeknownst to him.

The only reason that Priest aged up Rose was to have her sleeping with guys and having relationship drama, which served the purpose that he had for her but made no sense that Slade would cheat on Addie because that man is a SIMP for Adeline Kane and you can fight me on this. I think the far more interesting story is with Rose being younger and Slade being given the opportunity to father a young child again and all the ways he screw it and her, up. 

So when Joe becomes Jericho at age 22, 15 years after being hurt, Slade’s real age is 55 and his fake age is 57. That brings us to the right time for Joe to be at, Slade to be at, and a possible age layout of when he hit what ranks and how he might have hit them.

Thanks for getting to the bottom of this, and getting thought the wall of text. I haven't written for fun in literal years, and even though most of this was done in 2021, it feels good getting something done and out in the year of 2025.

TLDR images:

[thana-topsy]

7 and 45 for the writing asks >:) I know you've done some really meaty TES worldbuilding and I'm always fascinated by how people can extrapolate so much on what bare bones we're given

45. What’s something you’ve improved on since you started writing fic?

GRAMMAR. And punctuation. I couldn't properly use a comma to save my LIFE before my benevolent and patient beta readers pointed out all of the things I was doing incorrectly. From dialogue tags to dangling participles, I feel like my grasp on grammar has improved leaps and bounds within the last 6 years that I've been writing fic regularly. (And getting feedback).

7. Any worldbuilding you’re particularly proud of?

Oh lord this is a tough one. I've really enjoyed working with the Falmer, obviously. I was very excited to make the connection between a blind race adopting sound magic (Tonal Architecture) into their culture. Especially since it's a reclamation of sorts. Re-taking the power that their slavers used to subdue them.

But I also had A LOT of fun with...ah fuck I just went looking and realized IT'S NOT EVEN PUBLISHED. Okay, random snippet from "Ex Oblivione" below the cut on the Daedric realms and traveling between them. Explained to us by none other than my favorite teacher who never asked to be a teacher, Neloth:

“I’ve been to Apocrypha,” Aerik argued. “I know what it’s like.” 

Neloth tutted and shook his head, a smug smile curling the corners of his mouth. “My dear boy, you’ve accessed Apocrypha through a Black Book. Your physical body remained here, on Nirn. What you perceived as ‘Apocrypha’ was simply a single tome. The full realm stretches the length of Tamriel, if not Nirn itself.” 

With a quick gesture, Neloth procured a glimmering, ethereal map in the air before them—a map of Tamriel. 

“Think of the planes of Oblivion as such…” He pulled his hands apart, and the map separated into multiple layers of different colors. “They exist in parallel to our own world, overlapping and congruous. The Daedra did not create their realms, for they are incapable of creation. Instead, they used Mundus as a sort of… blueprint, if you will. Each plane mirrors our own in this sense. Fargrave, by comparison…” Another gesture and a diagonal map appeared in the center of the planes, dissecting the others. “Fargrave is an anomaly. None can say how it originated, if by Aedra, Daedra, or other beings entirely. But its position allows access to almost any known plane of Oblivion.”

“This is great,” said Aerik with a nod as he stroked his beard thoughtfully. “I’m a visual learner, so this is helping me a lot.” 

Neloth waved the maps away and they dissipated like clouds of shimmering smoke. “Because of this overlap, it is not guaranteed that we will arrive anywhere nearby the location we need to be in order to find Miraak. We must be able to locate the approximate area of Apocrypha that corresponds with Solstheim, since this appears to be the seat of Miraak’s power and the point at which he is attempting to break into our world. This will be the most difficult task, and it may take time to calculate.”

[katzkinder]

Kitty mentioned that Hokaze’s name was not only strange for a woman, but also that it was hard to find a connection with her name and the theme the rest of the Alicein have. Now I’m no expert at Japanese names (much less Japanese itself) but I had fun digging to see what I could find, and I found quite a lot! So let’s get to it :D

Interpreted to the best of my ability, Misono’s mom has a name which roughly means “one who is quick to overcome ups and downs”

Which is why she was drawn holding Jane Eyre when she and Lily met

She’s an inversion of Jane’s story, just like the Alicein brothers are an inversion of Cain and Abel

For anyone who’s never read Jane Eyre, a quick and dirty plot summary of the relevant parts is that Jane, an orphan girl, eventually ends up in the employ of a rich man who she falls in love with, however he is married and because of that, she refuses to continue their relationship. The man of the house reveals that the reason he didn’t tell her this is because his wife was insane, and she screams and barks and growls and runs around like an animal. Eventually the woman in her insanity burns down the manor, but her husband escapes and, now a widow, it would no longer weigh on Jane’s conscience to marry him. The books ends with Jane writing about how they’re expecting their first child together. The book’s themes of morality and class differences are echoed, to the result of tragedy, in the story of the Alicein

Hokaze doesn’t manage to overcome her status of being born a penniless orphan by marrying a rich man and joining the upper classes. Instead she is murdered by his wife who has been driven mad with jealousy. Her story is one of an idealistic dream, executed in a self serving manner, confronted with reality that cost her her life

Also, the 歩 part of hokaze’s name can also be read as “fu,” a pawn in shogi :))

Mikado is the emperor, kiriko is the princess, and Mikuni the kingdom they made together

Hokaze wanted to be queen but was merely a pawn, and ultimately playing a very different “game” than the royalty around her

It’s also notable that the one who put her down that path is Lily, who shares a name with the white pawn Alice takes the place of during the chess game in Through The Looking Glass.

Her scheme also gives the name she gave Misono a very different light.

She gave him a character from Mikado’s name, “proof” of his infidelity, and the one for garden, because he is the “fruit” of her labors, the beautiful rose of the future queen of Wonderland

The extreme irony here is that Mikuni is much more like Hokaze in his actions, while Misono closely resembles Kiriko’s loyalty and ability to forgive others (at the cost of himself)

Also, Mikuni is going to hate this, but

His desire to protect misono from the harsh truths of the world, even going so far as to burn down part of his own home, is… Very, very Mikado. It’s fine if he cheats, manipulates, and even hurts Misono, so long as the result is Misono continues to be able to live with such a simple and idealistic view of love and life

They look like their mothers, inherited behavior patterns from each other’s, and also share quite a lot with their father

It’s a very beautiful way of weaving them together as a family, and also Strike’s use of word play to set Hokaze apart from the Alicein cast while also giving her name something to tie her to the theme is extremely clever. Boy is it mean though xD

Thanks for reading! Lemme know what you guys think :)