#Again. It's unlikely I'll ever continue this but if anyone else wants to then be my guest

[forestwhisper3]

Welcome back to [Not Quite] Midnight Meditations, although tonight, we are surprisingly more or less on time (as long as the clock still says 12 I'm counting it as on time), where I share segments from the darker corners of my flash drive. As stated before, these are all ideas that held my interest for a bit but were left unfinished for one reason or another. It is very unlikely that they will ever be fully fleshed out, but I figured it would be fun to share them.

Continuing in order from the last post, tonight's segment is Digimon again. This one is based firmly in Gen 2 and is yet another Davis-centric fic, but the concept this time is that he turns evil.

I do remember enjoying the concept of evil Davis when I wrote this (and I will admit the idea still holds some appeal even now), but I also remember being rather put off by the execution of many of the fics I read that pursued this plot. A lot of them had everyone suddenly turn on him because of one small mistake, or he decided he was tired of being "second best" to TK. That always felt sort of lackluster and unrealistic to me, so I tried my own spin on it.

This idea didn't get as much attention as the last one, so it's considerably shorter, but I feel like it sets the mood for what could have been the rest of the story rather well. Anyway, I won't keep you any longer, so here it is.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I-…I think something's wrong with me."

"…Wrong how?"

"I've been hearing voices."

Ken rushed through the forest, the others hot on his heels, adrenaline pushing them past their normal limits. Inwardly, he was berating himself. He and Davis had both considered this possibility, no matter how reluctantly on his part, but Ken thought they might have had more time- that it might not happen because it was so unlikely…

Ken stiffened slightly while Davis grinned weakly. "Yeah, that's what I've been thinking too."

"…How long?"

"About a month now. It wasn't so bad at first- I thought it might have just been the late hours mixed with my imagination…but now…" Davis gave a deep, exhausted sigh. "I'm worried, Ken."

So he had ignored the warnings. He brushed off Davis's increasing weariness, his growing paranoia and jumpiness at the slightest things, and his increasingly frequent concerns that something serious was at work.

"We can't be sure that it's something to worry about yet," he countered a bit fearfully. "Maybe you just watched too many horror-"

"Ken. That's not it and you know it."

Davis's smile was so full of sadness and understanding that it made Ken tear up even while filling him with fury.

He had ignored it when Davis had started growing easily irritated and distant as well, although that wasn't the case with the others, who had finally caught on that something was happening. Not that they could have done anything by that point- the confrontation between TK and Davis was still a painful subject for all of them.

There was no ignoring it anymore.

"You're wrong! The dark spores were destroyed! There's no way for them to be affecting you!"

"Ken-"

"Don't! I don't want to hear it!"

Tai was the one who had found the letter.

It was as if Davis had known all along that Ken would never find the strength to admit that he was slowly losing his friend. Perhaps, in a moment of clarity, Davis had realized that it was something that they wouldn't be able to fix in time and wished to explain. Whatever the reason, he had somehow managed to sneak the letter into Tai's home and hid it away in Kari's scrapbook.

Davis went missing the very next day.

A long, tense silence fell. It was the sort of silence they hadn't felt between them since the early days of their friendship. After what felt like forever, Davis sighed and stood up.

"I need to head home. I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Sure."

He nodded and went toward the door, pausing once it opened. "…Just promise me you'll think about it."

Davis was gone before he could answer. Then again, he doubted he would have been able to.

Now, they had finally gotten a reading on their leader's digivice…but he was afraid of what they would find.

Every day, the digital world seemed to grow just a little bit darker. Any digimon that weren't at Ultimate level or higher would stay hidden, and there were whispers…

"Ken?"

The tentative voice brought him out of his thoughts. The others were looking at him in concern, but he couldn't bring himself to even pretend to be all right.

"It'll be okay, Ken," Kari tried to assure him, although the way her brows were furrowed betrayed her worry. "We'll get him back."

"Yeah," TK agreed. "Davis is tough. I'm sure he's fighting whatever's possessing him with everything he's got."

"You don't understand," he whispered, not caring at how his voice cracked. "He'd been fighting it for almost a year before he disappeared. The thing about darkness is its subtlety. It waits for the best times to strike, and it always goes for your weak spots. It's amazing that he's lasted this long, but even Davis isn't invincible. One slip is all the darkness needs, and then you're overwhelmed…"

"I hate to say this, but Ken's right," Matt cut in, expression solemn. "We've all encountered darkness in some way, and we all gave into it eventually. It's a testament to Davis that he held it off as long as he did, but we have to face the fact that when we see him, he won't be himself."

"You saw the changes," Tai added grimly. "The Davis we know would never act that way. All we can do is fight and hope we can reach him like he reached Ken."

Hesitantly, they nodded.

Still, they weren't prepared for how much their friend had changed.

==============

#[Not Quite] Midnight Meditations #[NQ]MM #Digimon #Digimon Adventure 02 #Davis Motomiya #Motomiya Daisuke #Davis is a genuinely good guy going through a bad time #He has Friendship for a REASON and I will die on this hill #No sudden betrayals going on here no siree #No jealous arguments over Kari either #They're all friends your honor #Anyway this was fun to look at again. Hope you liked it too #Again. It's unlikely I'll ever continue this but if anyone else wants to then be my guest #Anything I post with the [NQ]MM tag is free real estate unless stated otherwise #Now I'm off to write a bit for the stories I do have posted #Bye for now!

[shiny-jr]

from POMEFIORE

- Warning: Yes, this is still a yandere thing. You have been warned. Gender-neutral reader. 

- Characters: Vil Schoenheit, Rook Hunt, Epel Felmier.

- Summary: (Continuation, after this “we just got a letter, wonder where it’s from”) You have barred them from entering the safety of Ramshackle Dorm, but they are determined to make their words reach you. Which is why the letters begin arriving at your doorstep.

- Note: Hoping its not too out of character.

Ignihyde   |   Pomefiore   |   Scarabia

Perfume. The carefully sealed envelope reeked of it, like the sweet smell of lavender with spice. The envelope containing the message looked like something you would find when getting an invitation to a ball or a wedding. The envelope was pristine, and the wax sealing it was done so perfectly without a single awkward edge.

It almost looked unnatural with how perfect it appeared. The thick beige parchment was cut evenly, and not a blot of ink strayed from the elegantly curved cursive words that looked like ribbons upon the page. Looks could be deceiving. It was beautiful, but as you might've already guessed, the interior didn't entirely match what was hidden beneath the surface.

To my darling player,

I am at fault and take full responsibility for my actions.

All I've ever wished for, was to admire you. You are the epitome of magnificence, divinity that I can only dream to one day achieve but knowing I will never truly reach. There's an otherworldly sort of allure to you, which drew me in far too close. Much like the man who enhanced himself with wings of wax, but flew too close to the sun so his wings melted and he met a terrible fate. You are the sun, and I was that reckless fool with fake wings.

I allowed myself to get too close, tainting your light with my imperfect presence. Your grace was the warm sunlight on my skin, when everything around me was a horrible darkness. To think, I attempted to put out that light. It was nearly diminished. For that, I should be burned. I'm sorry, so so sorry.

I've thought long and hard on what I could possibly say to you, what sort of response could be adequate enough considering what you mean to me and the delicate situation. It didn't take long for me to arrive to the answer: no response is fitting. It doesn't matter if I pen a letter long enough to rival the river of tears I shed, coat the envelope in gold and ink of silver, with a message that would have moved the seven themselves to weep. It does not change the betrayal that occurred. I betrayed the trust you gave me, and shattered it into millions of pieces. However, know that I'll be on my hands and knees piecing it back together again, even if the shards cause me to bleed, you are worth it.

The stabbing sensation on my skin would be nothing compared to the one in my heart that I feel when I consider the fact that you might despise me. There's nothing more I would want than to see your face, hold your hands and feel the warmth of your skin that's so unlike the coldness of your vessel. Requesting a meeting would be imperious, as I have no right to ask you of this. But if I could, I would love to see you and discuss what comes next, perhaps over lunch. This is just a thought, a wish of mine, but one you are not required to fulfill.

I'd love to believe that I know you and your vessel better than anyone else could even dream of understanding, but I know that is far from the truth. Even as I pampered and polished your precious doll, your secrets continue to escape me. Did you ever hear me, when I brushed and washed Yuu's hair? When I took their freezing cold hands and painted their nails? When kneeled down in front of them to polish their shoes? When I adorned the best luxuries of brand accessories on their body?

I would kneel down to no one else.

There was always this wish, a dream of mine, that one day I might perhaps one day get to pamper you. Not Yuu. But you. Is that a scandalous desire?

Your hands would be warm, and I would hold them as I file your nails. Your arm wouldn't be so rigid and mechanical, you could actually extend it as I slather a creamy scented lotion along your skin. And if you do desired, I could lift your head and apply lipstick to your lips... This is just the process I commonly used while your vessel was under my care.

Although, I would gladly take up the responsibility of nursing you back to health, or any other role you would give me. There are countless things I can accomplish for you. I commonly deal in potent poisons, but I can just as well deal in healing and comforting. I'm skilled in self-defense and various forms of magic, so I can be your companion to protect you from everything that would wish you harm. You know of my business in acting and singing, so even if you wanted nothing else I could be there to entertain or serenade you. I only wish to be with you again, even though I know I'm underserving. I'm selfish.

If you want nothing more, then I have to be satisfied knowing I was in your thoughts for a brief moment. A twisted part of me wants your mind to be plagued by thoughts of me, just as my mind and heart is full of you.

I have to remind myself, that by getting too close I risk being burnt. But, at this point, I do not care for my own safety. I only care for yours, and I do this to keep my sanity. I truly admire you so much, that I cannot adore you from afar behind a rope like sculpture in a museum. I have to stand nearby, inspect your beauty, polish you to a shine, and value you like the priceless treasure that you are. Should someone threaten to chip off even the slightest speck on you, forcing you through more suffering...

I will shatter them into a million pieces, to preserve your peace.

Yours,

Vil Schoenheit

The wonderful aromatic smell that filled your nose brought back some not so pleasant memories. The smell of the earth beneath your feet, the scent of dew collected on every still surface, but above all were fragrant tangs that immediately alerted you to any nearby presence of a student belonging to Pomefiore.

They had chased you through those deep dark woods, like a pack of rabid hounds tracking and hunting a poor wounded rabbit. Besides their shouts and footfall, their perfume gave them away. There was one in particular which you only caught a whiff of only when you had too closely encountered the dormleader. The scent of lavender and spice hit your nose, the same fragrance on the letter.

"That reeks! Burn it!" A certain feline hissed, covering his little black nose with his paws. You swore the fragrance was beginning to form a migraine at the front of your skull. If the smell was strong for you, it must've been much worse for Grim since he had a superior sense of smell.

Maybe it wouldn't be so bad, if the smell wasn't that strong and it wasn't the particular scent. Like vanilla or freshly baked bread. If that were the case, Grim might've insisted on keeping it or even be tempted to take a bite out of the sheet.

But it was lavender and spice. So the letter was tossed into a corner several feet away, left to an unknown fate that you would ultimately decide later. When you glanced back to Grim, you saw him holding and sniffing another letter.

For a long moment his sniffed the rolled up paper, his black nose twitching as he was likely just searching for another gift to claim as a snack. After a few seconds, he discarded it, sliding it over to you before he opted to dig through the pile like a raccoon digging into a heap of trash. "Meh, this one smells boring."

"Boring, huh?"

Boring wouldn't exactly be your choice of adjectives to describe this letter. It wasn't an envelope, it was a scroll tied by ribbon, attached to an arrow. An arrow, of all things, was likely the messenger for this message. Thankfully, this one didn't smell of anything. Even without a fragrance to match to a profile, the arrow was a dead giveaway.

Opening it up and using your hands to smooth out the curled edges, you blatantly ignored the wax seal over the ribbon. Once it was fully unsealed, a few single flower petals drifted down from the paper. Just another mess you would sweep up later and decide whether to dispose of it or not, like the first letter from the dormleader. For this one you were a pinch anxious. The sender was not like the others who came before.

Trickster,

It relieves me to see that you are finally safe.

To see you rest and heal in tranquility, nothing steadies my anxiously beating heart more than knowing you are sheltered. Well guarded by a trio of ghosts and the courageous feline Grim, I have no need to stress over your wellbeing with them acting as your valiant knights in shining armor! Although, I would also wish to join their ranks, blessed by your grace and fit to serve as your shield. However...

I am conscious enough to know that I am nowhere near fitting, no matter how much I may wish to reach out and shield you from every evil. In that most vital moment, I had failed to recognize you. I may have spared you from the sharpness of my blade, but I couldn't have guarded you from the suffering that was to come afterwards.

I'm so deeply and truly sorry. Many sleepless nights have followed, since and even before our first fateful encounter in those woods of the Pomefiore estate. Before our encounter, I was conflicted. I wanted to detest you, but I could not, I thought there must be a reason this was all occurring. I couldn't slumber peacefully, so long as I knew there was turbulence surrounding your beloved vessel. After our encounter, I couldn't get the vision of you fragile, frightened, and wounded, out of my mind. Raising a blade against you, who were a stranger shrouded in infamy, made my very heart stop.

Now I know why I was so unexplainably drawn to you. It was not due to the wild frenzy that overtook the entire campus, or a burning hatred to destroy, or even my own desire to discover answers I desperately wanted, although that last one may have played a role. The reason as to I was so enticed by you, a cunning 'imposter,' was because my heart recognized you. It must have been my very soul that pulled me towards you, and perhaps my own nature as well. My body recognized you, my heart and my soul led me to you, but I was blinded by my sorrows.

Throughout the few years I've had on this wonderful earth, I've seen countless peoples, and you are unlike any of which I've seen. In the places I've been, I have witnessed poetry be written by masters of literacy, melodies sung by the most angelic voices ever heard on a stage, and devoted worshippers in holy places kneel in solemn prayer. Somehow you as a single being, or entity, encompass all those elements into one. My aim is to admire beauty, and I see beauty in its finest form when I look at you.

I truly understand what you mean to me, and to others.

But at the same time, you remain a mystery. And I believe I'm speaking for all those who admire you when I say this. We could only dream of truly understanding you, when we only had Yuu.

So, I try to make sense of it all in what I do understand, in the beautiful things I adore that I associate with you who I cherish. In literature, music, photography, I see you in everything all at once. When I read poetic lines, I think I could share it with you. When I hear beautiful music, I imagine you might enjoy listening to the tune too. When I discover stunning sceneries, I plan to bring you there someday to share a moment with you.

Now, I can make sense of it. I understand how the poets of old felt as they penned the love and awe they felt towards the Fairest Queen. It's a rare sentiment that cannot easily be put into words, a feeling as if it held my delicate heart and squeezed when I so much as thought of you. When a song and its composer can bring an audience to tears, I understand that now too. Hearing your voice for the first time, formed a knot in my throat that prevented me from saying much. Catching that first glimpse of you, was like gazing at a perfect painted portrait hanging in a museum.

My dearest player, I am a Hunt. I am naturally inquisitive by nature, and my fondness for you comes just as naturally. You may consider it wrong, but I will continue to offer my loyalty even if you may not accept it.

My aim is to one day unlock your secrets, solve your mysteries, and understand you fully, learn what makes you tick and what drives you forward. Perhaps when the day comes when you've forgiven me for my crimes, I can proudly stand in your presence and recite the poems I have written in your name. I could admire you everyday from then on, and remind you everyday of your worth. Then, I will protect you, from all harm, and I will not allow myself to fail you once again. This is a promise.

Should you need me, I will be there.

Yours,

Rook Hunt

There was something that felt... off. Compared to some of the previous letters, these were rather tame. Of course, there was the desperation and fascination evident in their words captured by the ink, but it was nowhere near as extreme as other cases.

Although, it was still chilling, to read the thoughts they penned.

In your hand you held the arrow the letter had been connected to, feeling its thin shape and the sharpened head at its tip that nearly pricked your finger. The vice dormleader had excellent aim, and had he not been so kind, arrows like this one in your hand could've easily been driven through your flesh and caught you against a tree where you would've been helpless in their grasps.

And yet, despite the opportunities he had, he didn't let a single weapon touch you. All it would take was one arrow, one moment and he could've ended you where you stood. But he spared you. However, there's the lingering doubt that maybe the primary reason he did it was he hoped you had answers to the malfunctioning vessel. You couldn't be sure exactly why he spared you, when everyone had wanted to torment and imprison you or worse.

Beside you, there's a large crunch and a content purr. When you look over, there's Grim, happily munching away on an apple he held with his little paws. He sank his fangs into the fruit, content that he finally found an offering that appeased him. In front of him was a small basket, filled with more juicy red apples.

"These are great! And, even though I was the one who found them, I'll let you have some!" Grim picked up another apple from the basket, sticking his claws into the red peel and offering it with his little grin. Nevermind the fact that these were probably meant as a gift for you and not for him, but you didn't mind. They would have likely ended up in the trash anyways, at least someone could enjoy them.

"You should really have one. You haven't eaten all day."

"I'm not hungry, but thanks. You can have them." Ever since everything happened, you weren't too keen on accepting gifts, especially if they were consumable. For now, the only places you'd accept food from, was the cafeteria you'd venture too at the dead of night when no one was there, or Sam's shop.

In the spot of the basket where Grim had removed the apple, there was a white layer at the bottom of the basket. Perplexed, you reached in and found an envelope hidden by the piled apples.

Unsurprisingly, the envelope smelled of sweet things, apples, cinnamon, and freshly baked pies. The envelope itself was nothing special, it had no intricate wax seal or marking. It was loosely sealed shut by a brown piece of string, and covered in some white and pink apples blossoms.

The inside was less impressive, more authentic, which was refreshing in a way. Smooth cursive flowed into slightly choppy print scrawled out in uneven lines, before eventually returning back to cursive at the end of some sentences. It appears parts were rushed judging by the blotted ink stains at multiple periods. The apples were a clue as to who the sender may be, but why would the letter be hidden in a gift?

Dear Player,

If you're reading this, that means my letter got through.

Where do I even start? It seems right that I first say sorry. I'm sorry. It sounds like a load of bull, but I am sorry. Apologizing in all these other ways, won't make this any better, so, I thought this might help. I'm gonna be completely honest with you, no lies, no tricks, just the blunt truth. I'm not going to be showing you these pretty sides I polished to impress and to mask all the ugly. I'll tell you everything that's been going on. That's something only I have the guts to do.

The reason I hid this letter was because Vil and Rook have been checking anything I want to write to you. They want to keep up this positive front, they wanna at least pretend to be perfect enough to be near you. At least, that's what I think. Although I know we won't ever come close to that.

Instead of trying to write a real and honest letter for you, it feels like I was writing some essay for Professor Trein to grade. I'd have to write and write, and even if the grammar was right, the message wasn't. They want to make you think everything's okay, when it's not. I can only imagine what elegant crap they were spewing in their own fancy letters, while we're actually all a mess. We've been like this since Yuu broke down. I try to understand them, and in a way I do, but sometimes they freak me out. Yeah, I got my own problems trying to comprehend all this chaos, but they're different.

Is everyone else in the other dorms this extreme? This miserable and on the verge of breaking? Maybe you won't believe me, or maybe you'll realize that there's some truth to what I'm saying. Here, in Pomefiore, I can only tell you what I've seen. These days, Rook's smile seems strained, like he's about to snap, his eyes are sharp and watchful. The only time his smile is normal is when he's looking at some photo, but he won't ever let me see what it is. Vil, well, the only sign he's still alive and kicking are the packages that come in for him, new makeup and all that stuff, things he's using to craft that perfect mask. I did see him one night out in the hall, I swear there was mascara down his face but I was too put off to approach when he was like that.

Don't ever tell them I told you all this. Vil would probably skin me alive and wear me as a robe, and Rook... I don't want to think about what he would do... I'm kidding by the way, but seriously, don't ever tell them. I told you I would be honest to you, so here's my reason. I thought that maybe telling you all this would score me points with you, get you to trust me again. Even if this is a rotten way to go about it, I don't care.

I am rotten, and I won't hide it like them.

If I can't even be honest with you, then do I really deserve a second chance at all?

Scratch that. I don't deserve a second chance at all after everything that happened. What I did was downright terrible, but I'm trying my damnedest to be deserving again. And I won't stop trying, even if part of me thinks it's useless. I never cared for Yuu, the only reason I acted for them was because it was you behind them. My goal is to eventually be beside you, the real you.

Although, a basket of apples is a crummy way to go about things, but think of it like a peace offering. Just cause I can't get word to you, don't mean I give up. I'm not giving up. Ever. Everyone's going about their own roundabout ways of mending things. If you want to hear more, I'll gladly tell you. I don't think anyone else would tell you the truth of what's happening, because in a sense everyone wants to appeal to you with the best image of themselves they can possible portray. Don't believe all the hogwash they send you. If whoever sends something and seems to be stable, they're not. Not completely.

I'm awfully ashamed to admit it, but I'm not okay. Not since everything started, and not since everything went to hell when shit hit the fan. I'm not okay without you, and I got myself to blame for that.

This letter is helping. The thought of communicating with you again, even if I can't see your face or hear your voice and its reduced to words on paper, it's more than I could ask for. So, if you want me to spill the beans, just ask. If not, if there's no response, well, I'll get a bit of comfort thinking you might've read this. Besides, I have hope with each attempt I'll make. I'm not just rottenly selfish, I'm stubborn to a fault. And if I have to knock down someone else's chances to get closer, then that's fine by me.

All you gotta do is talk to me.

Until then, hoping to speak to you soon,

Epel Felmier

#twisted wonderland #twst #yandere twisted wonderland x reader #yandere twisted wonderland #yandere twst #twst imposter au #i didn't ask to isekaied #we just got a letter wonder who it’s from #vil schoenheit #yandere vil schoenheit #twst vil #rook hunt #yandere rook hunt #twst rook #epel felmier #yandere epel felmier #twst epel #pomefiore

[wolken-himmel]

Halloween Special 2022

In which (Y/n) falls asleep in the library on the day of Halloween, only to awaken to an entirely different universe.

In this universe, all the students the prefect previously knew seem to have the opposite personality.

Disclaimer: This was just a little crackfic for fun! Have a happy Halloween!!

"Wake up, (Y/n)! Wake up~"

A soft poke to your side stirred you out of your sleep, and you slowly regained consciousness — however, you didn't want to. In your dazed state of mind, you lazily swatted away the soft paw that continued to jab your shoulder.

"Just five more minutes, Grim..." you grumbled under your breath. "I'll be with you soon..."

Much to your dismay, the poking never stopped. Even worse, you felt something wet being dragged across your face. The texture was rough — and together with the sloppy wetness, you let out a disgusted whine. At once, your eyes fluttered open while you automatically pushed the assailant away from you. Your fingers dug themselves into a soft pelt of fur. Together with that scratchy voice... This must have been Grim.

After you had blinked the blurriness out of your eyes, you spotted tufts of grey fur. Yes, this couldn't have been anyone else but your trusty old cat monster.

"No, you need to wake up now," Grim continued and shook you awake energetically. "You can sleep in your nice and comfortable bed when we're back at Ramshackle Manor."

You immediately shot up, wide awake and senses all focused on your surroundings. The cosy, warm air that inhabited the library attempted to lull you back to sleep, as did the soft cushions of your chair — but you remained strong and awake. A flabbergasted expression appeared on your face. "Wait, did you say nice and comfortable? Since when is anything at Ramshackle nice and comfortable? It's one large dusty ruin!" you cried out and rubbed your ears in confusion. Perhaps you had heard him incorrectly.

Grim let out a series of barking laughter. "In what universe do you live, master?"

The flabbergasted frown on your face intensified even more. "Did you just call me... master, Grim?" you asked and turned to him in confusion.

"Woof, of course!"

A scream escaped your lips upon finding a grey dog monster sitting in front of you. Just like your trusty cat monster, blue flames flickered in his ears, and he wore a collar with a bow on it. Yet, it was a dog that stood in front of you, not a cat. And that fact was what led you to jump onto your chair in panic. "You're not Grim! You're a dog!" you exclaimed fearfully. "And you're nice! Where is my snarky cat monster? This is some sort of Halloween prank, isn't it? Ace and Deuce set you up to this?"

The adorable dog tilted his head to the side. "Ace and Deuce would never do anything that would compromise their status as model students. They're like the most responsible people I know on campus, much unlike their dormleader," he explained and continued laughing, the sound of it more akin to a bark.

It took you a little while to calm down your breathing, and once your eyes had shrinked to their normal size again, Grim took your hand with his paw and carefully helped you off the chair. You let him do as he pleased, but never ceased to eye him from head to toe suspiciously. "What? That's just outlandish— impossible," you muttered under your breath while he led you out of the library. The absurdity of the situation, however, soon drew a bout of laughter from your lips. You shook your head in disbelief.

"You're behaving strangely today, (Y/n). It's so unlike you to smile and laugh like that!" Grim shot you the happiest smile you had ever seen, and it was adorable how his tongue hung out at the side. "I like this side of yours, though. You should laugh more often."

"I'm laughing because all of this is so funny," you said and wiped a tear from your eye. There still was some part of you that wanted to deny this whole otherworldly experience. "Just tell me where the real Grim is and who set you up to this. If it wasn't Ace and Deuce, then probably Lilia? Yes, Lilia the mastermind." You seemed so confident in your guess.

"No, that's very unlike Lilia. He's the strictest student I know! He has no sense of humour and always complains about the youths. As if that old grandpa would play pranks at all..." Grim rolled his eyes in frustration.

Your laughter increased tenfold. Yes, someone really was playing a prank on you, and they were putting a lot of effort into it, too. "Alright, this is getting kind of spooky now. Consider me frightened out of my socks." Your laughter faded away into a distant echo, and you tried to remove your hand from the dog monster's paw. A disappointed sigh escaping your lips, you begrudgingly muttered, "I'll need to go now, though. My nap was way too long already. I need to study some more at home."

"If you don't believe me, then let's take a tour around campus! You seem like an entirely new person than the prefect I know, master." Again, Grim took a hold of your hand and dragged you away. "Come on, let's go! I wanted to meet up with Ace and Deuce, anyway. It's so hard to hang out with them nowadays... They're always so busy studying and doing extra-curriculars."

"I really wanna see this now." A little grin adorned your face as you trotted along beside him.

"Great, just follow me, master!" Grim chimed enthusiastically and let his tail wag.

You furrowed your eyebrows at the word 'master.' Never had you thought that you would hear that word from his maw, but now that you did, it still felt unreal. "That needs some getting used to..." you muttered under your breath, huffing. "Why have you stopped calling me henchhuman?"

"Henchhuman? That's so disrespectful!" Grim let out a gasp of disbelief and cried out, "You're the one who provides me with a roof over my head and food. I wish to show my gratitude and respect towards you."

"The next thing you're telling me is that you don't like tuna."

"It's not that I despise tuna... I'm just more fond of vegetables."

That was the last straw! None of this was real... perhaps just a fever dream that had gone on for too long already. You pursed your lips and merely laughed the absurdity off. "This can't be real! The Grim I know never eats his vegetables..." Chuckling to yourself, you casually strolled past a row of bookshelves. Through a few holes, however, you managed to spot two familiar students. Curiosity befell you at once. "Wait, who are these guys over there?"

"Those are the brightest and most hard-working students on campus: Kalim and Leona."

Your jaw fell to the floor. "That's not what I know."

"Leona is very nice! He's also very helpful with whatever you need — perhaps you need tutoring sessions?" Grim rambled on quietly, somehow talkative in this strange universe. "Kalim, however... isn't all that outgoing, and he's also very stingy with his family's fortunes. You should see Azul, though! Azul throws parties all the time and buys himself all sorts of unnecessary luxury items."

Just then, Kalim turned around and shot you two a glare that could almost kill. "Hey! Keep your voices down in the library!" the Scarabia student yelled. The rudeness of his tone almost made you faint, especially so when his neighbour chimed in.

"Kalim, no need to shout," Leona reprimanded and shot you an apologetic smile. "That's rude."

At once, you walked away as quickly as you could, by then practically dragging Grim along with you. He needed a little bit of time before he managed to match your pace, and only then did he notice the ghastly expression on your face. "Yeah, this turns everything upside down..." Now that you had seen that everyone really seemed to be the opposite of their real self, you grew giddy. A little grin appeared on your face as you eagerly chimed, "But look, Deuce and Ace are over there."

The two of them looked strange on a closer look; their hair was gelled back neatly. The strange sight caused you to stare at their hairdos in fascination, only snapping out of your trance when Ace began, "Prefect! It's so nice to see you, and you're smiling." He had his lips pursed in surprise. "Oh my, are you feeling unwell?"

"What are you doing out here? You rarely ever leave the Ramshackle Manor," Deuce continued in disbelief. "I thought you disliked spending time with us?"

A gasp escaped your lips, and you stepped forward to ruffle their hair, unable to hold yourself back anymore. "How did you get to that conclusion? You're like my closest friends on campus..." you said before playfully punching their shoulders.

Ace and Deuce gave each other concerned glances before they turned to you again, smiling in delight.

"Someone must have replaced the prefect we know, Ace."

"Strange, huh? But this is a welcome change!" Ace chimed politely. "Would you mind helping us with assisting our dormleader? Riddle is such a clumsy ditz sometimes... I swear, he wouldn't get anything done without us!"

At once, you clapped your hands in delight. "Yes, you needing my help is familiar now! Of course I'll help you."

"Wow, since when are you so willing to help?" Ace asked. "You usually don't want to hear any of our problems..."

Deuce waved him off at once and pushed him away. "Shh, don't question it! Let's just get back to the dorm." Without another word, each boy grabbed your hand and dragged you off into the direction of the Mirror Chamber.

°

°

°

Upon entering the Heartslabyul dorm, the stench of burnt food entered your nostrils and caused you to scrunch up your nose. The further you ventured, the worse the smell became. Eventually, you were forced to pinch your nose with your fingers, unable to bear it any longer.

"Ew, what's this smell?" you asked in disgust.

A shiver ran down Ace's back as he woefully explained, "That would be Trey and his visitor Jamil cooking again... They do this all the time." He motioned for you to stay down and increased the pace of his walking to near run. "Stay low and try not to inhale the fumes... It's not good for your health."

"What?!" you whined in confusion. "But Trey is usually great in the kitchen, Jamil as well!"

"You don't want to try their cooking, believe me..." Deuce muttered and feigned to gag. "But if you want really good food, you should go to Lilia from the Diasomnia dorm. That guy can be quite boring with his no-fun attitude, but his food is amazing!"

As you hurried past the kitchen on your toes, two figures suddenly emerged from the black smoke that shrouded the kitchen. There, in all their glory, stood Jamil and Trey, equipped with baking gloves and a large baking form.

"Hey guys, wanna try our newest creation?" Jamil asked chipperly. "It's supposed to be apple crumble... but it didn't turn out the way we wanted it to." He broke out into laughter entirely uncommon for him, and Trey joined in. Their laughter was loud and carefree, as if they hadn't just destroyed the Heartslabyul kitchen.

"Oh no, they spotted us!" Ace yelled in panic. "Run for your lives!" He grabbed Grim and you by your hand — well, paw in the dog's case — and pulled you past the kitchen as quickly as he could. Luckily for you, Trey and Jamil made no attempt to follow you.

Once you had created enough of a distance to the destroyed kitchen, you slowed down again, all of you out of breath — not only because of the running, but also because of having inhaled perhaps a little bit too much smoke. At last, you had arrived in the common room, where you would be safe from the smoke. However, a little frown decorated your face, and you couldn't help but complain, "Hey, that was mean." You pursed your lips in guilt.

"If you had stayed one more second," Ace said, "you would have died on the spot, believe us."

Suddenly, a little grumble could be heard from a couch in the farthest of corners in the common room. You watched curiously as an orange mop of unstyled hair peeked out from the back lean. "Shh, can you cause a ruckus somewhere else, please?" the student complained before returning to whatever he had been reading previously.

"Huh?" you asked after you had left the common room. "Who was that guy earlier?"

"That's Cater, I don't know much about him, though. He's not all that outgoing," Grim began.

"He's a third-year. He reads all day long and rarely ever goes out," Deuce continued. "He's nice, though— and not afraid to speak his mind. If you need someone to talk to, he's your guy!"

Ace nodded along, then added, "He's also one of the few people on campus that don't have Magicam, can you believe that? I think he and Lilia are the only ones too old-fashioned to even have a phone. Idia is pretty bad with technology... but at least he tries his best?"

"Oh my..." You gulped your shock away. "What happened to Cater..."

When Ace and Deuce came to a halt in front of you, you almost crashed into them. Luckily, you managed to stop yourself before such a thing could happen. Grim remained by your side, curious when the other two turned around to face you.

"Well, (Y/n)," Ace asked seriously. "Are you ready to face our dormleader?"

His attitude somehow instilled a sense of unrest in you, and you suddenly didn't feel prepared at all to handle the Heartslabyul dormleader. Thousands of scenarios flooded your mind... What if he was even worse than the Riddle you knew when you had first met him? Even more rules? Even more strictness? Just as you were about to turn around and run for your life, Deuce began laughing at your terrified expression.

"Please tell me that Riddle isn't that scary," you begged with folded hands.

"Scary? No, our dormleader is the complete opposite of scary," Deuce explained and punched Ace's shoulder for having scared you so much. "He's the most relaxed and fun guy around here! Although... he can be very lazy, and you can never trust him to be reliable when it comes to projects and managing the dorm."

"It's basically Deuce and me running Heartslabyul right now," Ace explained, a soft sigh escaping his lips.

That sounded stranger than you would have liked to admit, but at last you had no opportunity to voice your disbelief. Not wasting any time, Ace grabbed the door knobs and twisted them to the side. The door swung open easily, revealing an unimaginable scene of chaos in the dormleader's room. Papers were strewn everywhere, as lay all sorts of clothing items on the floor. The scenery was very, very unlike the Riddle you knew.

What shocked you the most, however, were the flamingos that walked around in his room. Weren't they supposed to be kept in their shed in the garden? In this universe, apparently not.

"Guys! Come right over," Riddle exclaimed between wheezes of laughter. "Wanna join me in building the world's largest flamingo tower?"

Just as he had said, the flamingos were standing on each other's shoulders. Two or three were already managing to stand on top of each other, barely even keeping their balances. Next to the beginnings of the tower stood a ladder that the dormleader had climbed. In his arms was the next flamingo he intended to place on top to further increase the height of his tower.

"Those poor flamingos..." you said and winced when the lowest flamingo lost its balance. Thus, everything toppled over, as well.

"Perhaps we will help with the flamingos another time, dormleader," Ace said, deadpanning. "You need to do your homework first! We know that Professor Crewel is very lenient... but you can't always slack off like this."

"Fine..." Riddle crossed his arms like a small child after he had climbed off the ladder again. "I'll do my homework if that will make you happy."

The two first-years hummed in satisfaction, then turned to you, smiling. "We'll have to stay here, so that he doesn't break any of the Queen of Hearts' rules," Deuce said while guiding Riddle over to his desk. "But you have a fun time around campus on such a special day as this!"

"And come visit us again sometime, (Y/n). We like this version of you much more," Ace added with a wink.

"Huh, okay..." A queasy smile on your lips, you waved at them one last time before Grim dragged you out of the room again.

"Let's leave! Ace and Deuce will have their hands full..." Grim announced in excitement. "I'll show you around campus! How about the botanical garden next?"

"Sure..."

°

°

°

The sound of birds chirping and the smell of the flowers that decorated the large flower beds brought some much needed sense of normalcy back. Today had been a strange day — and your friends here at Night Raven College had been behaving especially strange. The small break allowed you think: why were you here, how had you even gotten here, and how would you be able to return to your own universe?

There were hundreds of questions, of none you had the answer.

The panic that would have otherwise already taken over your senses was warded off by the peaceful atmosphere that the botanical garden brought you. Perhaps you should enjoy this little encursion. There was no benefit in going mad, was there? And, this could be a lot of fun, too.

A soft sigh escaped your lips as you trotted down the cobbled paths alongside your dog companion. "At least the botanical garden is still as beautiful as before..." Your closed eyes fluttered open when your ears noticed the sound of soft snores not too far away. After a while, your searching gaze found a curled up figure in the shadow of a large tree. You tilted your head in curiosity. "Who's that napping by the tree? Leona?" you asked the dog monster.

He, however, shook his head vigorously, as if you had just said the most outlandish things ever. "No, that's Ruggie's special napping place. He's pretty lazy and sleeps all day long— never worked a day in his life. He doesn't really believe in hard work, similar to Jack... That guy always bullies me and inflicts all kinds of injustices upon unfortunate students!"

"That's really disturbing... Jack would never do something like that," you muttered and shivered in discomfort. The confused look on your face disappeared at once upon spotting a familiar pair of twins in the distance. Even from here, you could see their pearly white yet sharp teeth in their mouths. You gulped audibly and tried to pull Grim behind a bush. "Oh no, Floyd and Jade are approaching us—"

"No worries!" Grim said, not budging. "Calm down, they're really nice."

Deciding to trust him, you remained where you stood despite your instincts telling you to run for the hills. The eel twins approached you slowly, a carefree swing to their walk. Only once they stood in front of you did you notice that their blue hair was much longer than you were used to. Even stranger, their lips were twisted into genuine smiles.

"Yooo— peace be with you, brother," Jade said and extended his hand towards Grim for a high-five. Once his palm was hit by a paw, a little chuckle escaped the merman's smiling lips. "I hope you've been well."

Floyd shot you the calmest smile you had ever seen on his face. "Oh? And the prefect! May your life be full with peace and happiness." A little bit concerned, he waved his arms around, as if to ward off the bad aura that surrounded you. "You look so shaken. Just chill— Don't let the bad energy weigh you down."

"Your vibes are really not it right now," Jade said and furrowed his eyebrows. Then, he joined in on warding off the bad vibes. You had to suppress your laughter as the twins continued to flail their arms around you in a form of some ritual. After they were done, they looked at each other and nodded in satisfaction. "Let's go see how Rook is doing!" Jade chirped and pranced off into the distance. "That boy needs some of our positive energy in his life."

Floyd remained behind to give you a wave. "It was super nice to meet you, prefect! Remember to always chill~" he stressed and patted you both on the head. "Choose the way of the pacifist!" Then, he followed his brother into the distance, an eternally satisfied smile on his lips.

This was the strangest thing you had seen all day, and you could no longer hide your shock anymore. Your jaw basically laying on the floor, you cried out, "What. Was. That." Your eyes were still as wide as saucers as you slowly turned your head to the dog monster.

"Those were the hippie brothers!" Grim explained, as if nothing was wrong. "Very nice, like I said."

You shook your head in horror and buried your face in your hands. "Let's just go somewhere else... I feel creeped out now."

"Sure, would you like a snack at the cafeteria?"

"I feel faint... so why not."

°

°

°

The cafeteria was fairly quiet at this hour, much to your delight. Having met such a strange version of the Leech twins had somehow put you into a strange state of mind. You were disturbed, to put it lightly. But after a little snack from the kitchen, you felt much better already. Still, you wished to get back to your real world where things weren't as hauntingly strange and unnerving.

It was like the creator of this universe had taken one singular trait of these complex characters and twisted this one singular trait into the opposite, disregarding everything else. Thus, the complex and diverse personalities of your friends had been turned into flat and one-dimensional caricatures of themselves. This probably was what made this entire universe of opposites so scary.

The only good thing you got out of this whole experience was that, in retrospect, most of the counters had been genuinely funny. But more importantly, you felt like you had grown to appreciate your friends more now. Perhaps it was good that Riddle always insisted on order. Perhaps it was good that Trey and Jamil could cook...

Your gloomy thoughts disappeared when you finally recognised another familiar face. You poked Grim's side until you had his attention and pointed to a table full with mouth-watering food. Two people occupied the table, a blond and a lavender-haired boy. They seemed to be talking with the camera that stood on the table, as well.

A sigh of relief fell from your lips. "Oh! Finally, someone I recognise! That's Vil and Epel, right?" you asked in amusement, though a sense of dread befell you. "You better tell me that Vil is still some sort of mentor to Epel, and that Vil is still famous and pretty."

"Yes, all of that is correct!" Grim nodded between snickers.

Yet, the smile of relief dissipated at once when you took a closer look at the table: there lay a massive quantity of food. You gulped nervously, a little bit scared when you asked, "Wait... what are they doing? They're not eating all of that by themselves, right?"

"Didn't you know? Vil is famous for eating lots of food in his live streams. What do they call it again? Hm... oh yes, mukbang! He's a mukbanger."

Then and there, you wanted to pull your hair out. The other things had been funny... but this was a little bit too bizarre to be entertaining. You felt plain out horrible, and you had to avert your gaze from the massive quantity of food. "No, no, no. That's so unlike him! That's not true!" you cried out in despair. "Vil always makes sure to have a balanced diet. This amount is definitely not balanced..."

"Look! Over there, we have another streamer," Grim said and pointed to another table with a camera. "That's Idia and his little brother Ortho."

You were baffled when you saw with your own eyes that he was smiling into the camera, talking in a chipper and cheerful way. "Wait, Idia is outgoing enough to be a live streamer?" you stammered out in disbelief.

"Yeah! Malleus, Vil, and Idia are like the most popular people on Magicam right now." Grim let out a little chuckle when he noticed Idia fumbling with the controls of his computer. "Although... Idia is really bad with technology, so his little brother Ortho always helps him out."

"Wait, how do I end the live stream, Ortho?"

"Just press the 'end live stream' button, brother."

You broke out into laughter as well. "Oh man, and Malleus knows how to use technology?" you asked with raised eyebrows.

"Yeah! He always posts about all sorts of parties he's attending."

"What kind of universe is this..." you asked yourself in amusement. This was funny, you had to admit. Your laughter grew even louder, by now catching the attention of the live stream stars in the cafeteria. "Let's go outside. I think we're disturbing them."

"Sure, I could use a breather, too!" Grim chimed and led you outside to the courtyard.

The fresh air managed to cool down your warm cheeks and soothe the aching of your face from all the laughing. Your eyes soon fell on a hunched over student by the other end of the courtyard. Seated on a lone bench, he seemed to be scribbling away in a notebook. You couldn't see his face though, his deep-black bangs covered his face.

"Who's that emo kid with the bob cut over there?"

"That's Rook. He's always had such a pessimistic outlook on life!" Grim warned, looking like he wanted nothing more than to turn around and walk away from him. "Don't talk to him, or else you'll become depressed in seconds, as well."

"No way that this is the Rook I know," you muttered under your breath, and against his warnings, you stepped forward and decided to approach him. The Pomefiore student didn't react to you until you stood right in front of him, your shadow looming over him. "Rook, is that really you? Are you alright?"

When he raised his head, you were indeed graced with the face of the usually optimistic hunter. However, this version of him had bags beneath his fox-like eyes and an unusual scowl on his face. "Oh prefect... My feelings? Don't worry about those, nobody does anyway," Rook said bitterly. "This world only brings you pain, only pain! It's full of ugly and dangerous things! There is absolutely no beauty left. But it's not as if you could ever understand me, nobody does!"

Alarmed by his sudden breakdown, you raised your hands into the air and stepped backwards. "Sheesh, you were right, Grim," you muttered once you were by your loyal companion's side again.

Just when you thought you had seen one of the weirdest things today, you noticed two figures approaching you from your right. Upon closer look, you soon recognised them as Sebek and Silver. The former especially walked at the speed of light — towards you.

A calm smile graced Sebek's features as he wrapped his arms around you. "A human... I love humans," he said and stroked your head gently, like you were a costly artifact. Then, he hummed in satisfaction and turned to his second-year friend with hopeful eyes. "Can I keep this one, Silver?"

Silver shook his head in embarrassment. "Shh, don't just go around hugging people, Sebek— I told you that it's creepy to treat humans like pets."

"Silver, you're wide awake?" you asked in curiosity. "How strange."

"I'm always wide awake," Silver replied matter-of-factly.

Yes, this was the very last straw you could take. A sense of panic made itself evident in your chest after you had freed yourself from Sebek's embrace again. You stumbled over to the dog monster and cried out, "Grim, I need to get out of here—" You couldn't take it anymore; this was all too much. All you wanted was to go back to your real friends with their real personalities.

"Why? You should stay here!" Grim whined and pawed at your blazer. "Everyone likes this version of you. The prefect from this universe is always grumpy and hates helping people — the opposite of you!"

A sigh escaping your lips, you rubbed your temples in exhaustion. "Hey, I don't smile 24/7... I'm also grumpy when I'm stressed out." Though, you pursed your lips and insisted, "I'm not from here... I want everything to go back to normal."

"Wake up," distorted voices suddenly said. "Wake up. Wake up."

You snapped your head around to find the sources of these voices, but nobody else aside from Grim stood in the courtyard with you — Rook, Sebek, and Silver had already disappeared.

Suddenly, Grim in front of you chanted, "Wake up, (Y/n)."

At once, you shot up from your table. Your back ached, as did your bottom despite the cushioned chair you had been sitting on. Your head snapped around you, and you soon realised that you sat in the library. Next to you stood none other than regular looking Ace and Deuce — as well as a cat monster!

"W-What happened?!" you cried out, still startled.

"You've been asleep for a while now, henchhuman," Grim explained and rolled his eyes. "We were worried about you! But at least you chose to fall asleep in the library..."

Upon hearing him call you 'henchhuman,' you extended your arms out to the cat and picked him up. Despite his squirming, you squeezed him close to you in delight. "Oh, Grim! Grim, my dearly beloved— I had a horrible nightmare! Everyone's personality were switched to the exact opposite— They were basically opposite, one-dimensional caricatures of themselves. It was like someone took just one character trait and twisted it into the exact opposite extreme. It was horrible! Everyone was so scarily flat... You guys were barely even human anymore, more like caricatures."

Deuce furrowed his eyebrows in concern. "Huh? Poor you, (Y/n)."

"The nightmare made me realise how much I love all of you — with all your strengths and flaws," you said, a bright and relieved smile on your lips. "There's nothing about you I would want to be different..."

"Wow, so the nightmare was that bad?" Ace asked, grinning.

You nodded, a shiver running down your back. "Let's just say I got a hell of a spook for Halloween..."

#twisted wonderland #twst x reader #twst x you #twst #twisted wonderland x reader #disney twst #disney twisted wonderland #reader insert #y/n #twisted wonderland grim #ace trappola #deuce spade #riddle rosehearts #jade leech #floyd leech #sebek zigvolt #twisted wonderland silver #rook hunt #gender neutral reader

[junipers-insects]

OKAY @apyrisol

I'm actually going to try and put some of my headcanons into words!!! These are about non romantic relationships with the Sanses!!!!!!!!!

First of I want to bring up all the friendships that people are missing out on with Dream!

Like Dream and Killer. Just imagine.... they'd be hilarious as friends... I think they have crepic levels of potential in bromance, but people just won't admit it. (I was actually going to write something with them, as an expansion for my very first fic (it sucks even more don't read), but as you can see I got a bit distracted)

And I know I've talked about dreamberry here before. But I mostly like them as close friends instead. As much as I like the whole "Swap feels left out with the other stars" thing, I think Dream would be much more understanding and sympathetic of Swap (unlike Ink, but this isn't Ink hate don't even try to bring that on this blog). Dream and Swap would be super supportive of eachother is what I'm trying to say!

(I'm just going to continue talking about Dream friendships-)

Also Dust and Dream! I don't actually have any specific headcanons about what kind of relationship they'd have.

Well, I'd imagine any kind of friendship would ever work between them only if the Stars and the Bads have a truce. Like, I'd imagine that they'd at some point end up talking more casually, right?

Like

"Oh! Hello my brother's ex subordinate!"

"Hello my ex bosses too loud brother."

I mostly brought them up because of a dream I had where they were friends.... yeah....

Hmmmmmm i guess the ask wasn't necessarily about friendships, was it?? It was really about relationships

So, a bit of undervese-

I think Cross will never ever get over Ink's betrayal and lying. He might forgive him just to stop holding a grudge, but deep down he'll always have a part of him for breaking his trust, and taking advantage of him at a time when he was the most vulnerable.

And I think Ink would just have to come to terms with the fact that every single friend he has ever made will never trust him completely, not for a long while, not after he jas earned their trusts again.

They'll pretend they are on good enough terms though. Ignoring the awkwardness.

Ehhhh can't think of anyone else rn

So maybe later I'll make another post I guess

#utmv #sans #undertale au #sans au #my art #sans headcanons #ink sans #cross sans #dust sans #killer sans #swap sans

[blueberry-bubbles130]

The disappointment of the characterisation of the Bourgeois family in Miraculous Ladybug.

This essay/post will be talking about my feelings regarding the characterisation of Bourgeois family, as I'm doing a rewrite fanfiction of Miraculous and the Bourgeois family plays an extremely important part in my rewrite.

Trigger Warnings include:

TW: Child abuse

Child neglect

Verbal abuse

Emotional abuse

Domestic Violence

If I have forgotten to add any trigger warnings in the post please comment and I'll add them as soon as I can.

Getting this out of the way with now because I don't want to focus on her in this post, and because she won't be in my rewrite at all, I don't like Zoe. In the canon of the show all she serves as is a replacement for Chloe and a wielder of the Bee Miraculous. Unfortunately in the canon show, she is tied to the miraculous and Chloe in such a way that she cannot be talked about with bringing Chloe salt/bashing into the discussion, and has no true character of her own out of just being nice. There are others in the show who already could've filled the role much better. Zoe is far better written in fanon and fanfiction. But I don't want to be beating a long dead horse so there are other posts you can read to see Zoe's poor implementation in the show, and absolutely great fanfictions you can read that gives her a developed character if you like her. With that being said lets get onto the main essay.

Who are the Bourgeois family?

In the show the Bourgeois family are an upper class family that are said to hold a lot of influence. The family consists of Andre Bourgeois; the patriarch of the family who owns a hotel, and is also the mayor of Paris. Audrey Bourgeois; the matriarch of the family and a famous fashion critic. And Chloe Bourgeois; the child of the family and the temporary bee miraculous holder. The Bourgeois family can be considered a large secondary example of Miraculous's wasted potential, and it's inability to truly give a satisfying conclusion to any concept they've tried to execute during it's run. And some will say this is just the end of an arc and season 6 will continue and deliver. But it won't, especially considering Miraculous' record with delivering on expected plotlines it isn't promising in the slightest and I do not hold hope for season 6. Despite this, I'm rather interested in the Bourgeois family, and they are my favourite part of Miraculous making it even more disappointing to see the outcome of the plotline involving them.

Audrey Bourgeois-

I'm doing Audrey Bourgeois first because despite having a lot to say about all the family members, I have the least to say about Audrey.

Audrey is characterised as a harsh fashion critic who has nothing kind to say about anyone around her. Her kind words are only reserved for someone who can truly impress her, examples being Marinette and Gabriel. Marinette being shown to the audience and Gabriel being told to the audience. She is responsible for launching Gabriel into fame as a fashion designer. Audrey isn't even remotely nice to her own family. She abandons them mostly and seems to return only when work arises in Paris. And even then she belittles both her husband and Chloe constantly.

Something I find interesting in fanfiction for Miraculous Ladybug is that before we got any glimpse of who Audrey is. Everyone assumed she'd died and they either called her Simone or Julia, Julie or Juliette. And this gave depth to both Chloe, and Andre. This will be discussed again later.

Audrey's character has at least stayed consistent throughout Miraculous' ever-increasing run, which is a miracle considering Miraculous issues with characterisation, among other issues. However at the same time it's quite odd considering unlike Andre who got more developed regarding his past and what he wants, Audrey remains quite flat character-wise with only glimpses of there possibly something else to her. I think that Audrey despite staying consistent and explaining a lot about Chloe and Andre, she's still wasted potential. In one of the episodes characters such as Gabriel, Natalie and and I think maybe Tomoe are shown watching important story information on a tv. This would seemingly hint that Audrey had something to do with Gabriel. Which is believable considering Audrey's personality and previous appearances with Gabriel. However as of season 5 this has not been expanded upon in anyway whatsoever and like I keep saying I doubt it will be in season 6 or future seasons if they get anymore. This makes me believe that Audrey should've been expanded upon as a villain, she could've stolen a miraculous and possibly became a main villain. She's close to Gabriel, she's got the perfect personality for it; the only thing she needed to be a good villain was a decent motivation and I easily could've believed her becoming a villain if she'd been given decent motivation. She's already controlling and demanding, so Zoe could've never been introduced and you could've had it so she wants ultimate control over Andre and Chloe while placing herself as some sort of evil Queen. And that's all I really have to say about Audrey. Hell! I've already seen a few posts where people state that Audrey should've taken over as mayor after Andre, which makes a hell of a lot more sense then Chloe doing it. It's not exactly the same because she's the stepmother, but something I think Audrey should've been a bit like but far more toned down for the child audience is like Julia Cotton from Hellraiser. She's just so perfect as a example of someone willing to go to extremes in order to achieve their desires. Hell it's already there in her akuma, Style Queen! Just make her an evil queen, it wouldn't have been that hard and then we wouldn't have to deal with that mess we got with them attempting to make Gabriel sympathetic but then being shown him horribly abusing his son with glee at every opportunity he gets. You could keep Gabriel and Natalie sympathetic and make Audrey even more despicable than she is.

Also Audrey is clearly abusive, and in 2023 we should not need to have debates over whether she is because some people say she's just cruel. No she's abusive, it's clearly abuse.

Chloe Bourgeois-

Chloe is definitely my favourite character out of the Bourgeois family and Miraculous as a whole, and while her characterisation post season 3 does sadden and disappoint me, it doesn't anger me like what the writers did with Andre.

Chloe starts the series as nothing more than an obnoxious bully who torments her classmates. When we get to season 2 we get to see Chloe receive more depth as a character and see how her parents helped her in becoming the person she is today. Then season 3 happened and we see Miracle Queen. Now I don't think Miracle Queen is completely horrid, It makes sense that Chloe may begin to regress or backslide into her unhealthy habits. And I've even seen people still redeem her with miracle queen being in their stories. What pisses me off about Miracle Queen, especially when people online talk about it, is that they just seem to forget about Gabriel akumatising Audrey and Andre to use as blackmail against Chloe. Like yes at the end of the day, Chloe still makes the decision to become Miracle Queen and do what she did. But you cannot deny that a fully grown man who should know better, put the two people she presumably cared about the most at this point in danger in order to blackmail her. He cornered her on the balcony and essentially railroaded her into making that decision. Like what was she going to do if she said no, she can't fight Hawkmoth without a miraculous and even if she'd tried he might've legitimately hurt her or her parents to win. Here again we see fanfics just knock the show out of the water, with many people deciding to make Chloe trick Hawkmoth into giving her the miraculous and then she just runs away to get help. Also Marinette shouldn't have gotten involved in Chloe's family drama, like why did she think it was a good idea to do what she did in Queen wasp. Just why?

Something else regarding Chloe's character arc that just genuinely confuses me is that during season 2 it's obvious in episodes like Zombizou, Style Queen, Queen Wasp and Malediktator is that they're written by other writers who have differing opinions on Chloe to Thomas Astruc. And now I think Thomas was busy on a different project while this was was being written, which is fine. But what confuses me is that surely Thomas could've looked over the episode script and maybe said to change it. Instead of just letting a character he clearly does not like get development he also didn't like and then arguing with Chloe fans and Miraculous fans who may not like Chloe but understand her character arc was butchered as well as others, on twitter over it.

As well as this is season 5, I think it's revealed season 1-5 of Miraculous takes place over 1 school year. In France the average school year is about 10 months long lasting from September to late June early July. This means each season could technically take place over about 2 months. This gives Chloe 2-4 months at most to redeem herself. Which is just too much to expect of her to try and completely redeem herself and undo a lifetime of unhealthy behaviours in that short of a timespan. No wonder Miracle Queen happened, she hasn't had the proper support to try and unlearn those behaviours or redeem herself. And it makes Andre giving her over to her mother even more saddening/rage enducing, because Zoe has been around for the same time Chloe was given to try and unlearn her healthy behaviours. So Andre has abandoned his daughter who's he risen for her entire 13-14 year life for some child he's known for about 3 months at best.

Then season 4 and 5 begin the endless parade of Chloe Salt/Bashing in order to prop up Zoe. As well as the butchering of other characters, to continue hammering in that point, such as Andre, but we'll get to him later. Now I'm not saying I'm completely against the idea of evil Chloe, there are some brilliant fanfics out there with Chloe just either hamming it up as an evil villain or treated as a tragic villain, who's fall from grace is a pure tradegy. And I love it both because it treats Chloe with the seriousness she deserves, the majority of fanfics treat the abuse she's suffered with seriousness and not as some joke like the serious does. You want a absolutely brilliant Chloe Bourgeois fanfic read "Float like a Butterfly, Sting like a Bee" on ao3 it's just so good and I can't recommend it enough.

Also on the topic of redemptions Sabrina, Felix, Natalie and especially Gabriel shouldn't gotten redemptions. Gabriel, Sabrina and Felix don't show any remorse for their actions, in fact they all show glee in their actions apart from Natalie. But even then none of them truly face any punishments for their actions and sure Gabriel doesn't get to enjoy Emilie being back alive, but he still gets away with his numerous crimes.

As a final note on Chloe's development, it's been said by some people before it's quite harmful that Chloe doesn't get treated with the seriousness that she deserves and is one of the only villains not given a redemption as well as not being what is considered a "perfect" or "idealised" victim of abuse like Adrien is. And as someone who has lashed out at others due to issues with authoritive figures in the past (not to the extent Chloe has thought, especially with the bullying and wealth, I'm also not French) I do relate to Chloe in a small way. And this makes it harder for me personally, and it really is just harmful because it might give kids who have lashed out like her due to similar or the same issues the same idea that they don't deserve love or a guardian who can actually care for them in the way they need, as children.

I'm not saying give Chloe a redemption, she just should've been treat with the seriousness she needed.

Gettting back on track lets talk about the final member of the Bourgeois family.

Andre Bourgeois-

Oh Andre, where do I begin with him, in canon.

For seasons 1 to 3 he's mainly Chloe's nervous father and enabler. Then we get a bit of depth in season 4 and 5 about him wanting to be a director but not getting to due to Audrey and politics. Then in season 5 he lets Audrey take Chloe.

A deleted part of the script was revealed in which originally he gave Chloe to Audrey which in itself is horrific because he knows how Audrey is. Not only has she subjected Chloe to verbal abuse but him as well. This would be changed in the series to him just letting Audrey take Chloe, which is just as worse. These are just as bad because either way he's trying to absolve himself of any responsibility of what happened with Chloe which he is equally responsible for as he is Chloe's main enabler. And you know I actually had some hope for him in canon that he'd realise it was time to as someone else brilliantly put it "ditch the bitch" and forge a better relationship with Chloe, but that never happened. I guess that's what I get for having hope for Miraculous's canon.

It legitimately pisses me off so fucking much than in canon he gets to wash his hands clean of the whole problem with Chloe.

Now fanon Andre is so much better than his Canon counterpart and thinking about it now, Fanon Andre has always been better than his canon counterpart.

Bringing back up the whole thing about fanfics that pre-date Audrey is that it gives not only Chloe but Andre more depth. These fanfics typically paint the picture that Andre is a man that closed off not only by politics but the death of his wife and because he's not in tune with his own emotions, he can't help Chloe so instead of ignoring her grief like her father, Chloe is lashing out instead.

Even fanon versions of Andre that are more far more closed off, corrupt, and evil are much more enjoyable to read about than canon Andre, and have more depth. Something about Canon Andre just makes him even more loathsome and detestable then his many often better fanon versions. And when he does get redeemed in fanon it's just so good, because the people writing him, understand what makes his character have actual depth to him and make him realise his faults in a satisfying way that gives him a good redemption.

Maybe it was just me projecting the fanon versions of Andre onto the Canon version that made my disappointment and anger so much worse. But either way his overall canon characterisation is disappointing.

Again if you want to a fanfic that has Andre be a good antagonist, read "Chloe and the Bee" by @anxresi it isn't complete but what is there is just brilliant. And If you'd prefer to read a fanfiction where Andre is trying his best to be a good parent to Chloe read "Float like a Butterfly....Sting like a Bee" by Bookmonkey on ao3. They're both such amazing fanfics.

Conclusion-

Overall the characterisation of the Bourgeois family within the canon of the actual show is just a neatly packaged example of Miraculous' many issues such as bad writing, poor pacing, inconsistent characterisation and either attempting to poorly redeem abusers who should know better or just letting them get away without any consequences whatsoever.

I'd like to say thank you for listening to my long feral rambles about the Bourgeois family.

#miraculous ladybug #chloe bourgeois #audrey bourgeois #andre bourgeois #zoe lee #ml salt #miraculous salt #ml critical #ml analysis #mlb chloe #andré bourgeois #marinette salt #ml fandom salt #this just has a little fandom salt though not a lot

[swiftsdelucaa]

Can you write a Amelia shepherd x reader where they get married?

❛ 𝑴𝒚 𝑭𝒐𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 ❜

𝙋𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜: Amelia Shepherd x f!reader ♡

𝘼/𝙣: This was really cute to write <3 I hope you'll like it, so so so sorry for the wait, I've been a little busy...

You watched yourself in the mirror, Maggie and Meredith were putting the finishing touches on your hair, while Cristina adjusted the details of the dress. You looked at your image still in disbelief and with a faster heartbeat than usual. You couldn't even recognize yourself, you looked like a new person. This would have been the best day of your life.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Cristina asked as she adjusted your veil.

"Yeah, please don't add anything else, I feel like I thought about this too much" it was all you wanted, you loved Amelia with all yourself, and spending the rest of your days with her is what will make you happy.

"I'm serious, you could be left at the altar..."

"Cristina, no" Meredith gave her a little tap on her arm.

"Hey stop" Maggie said to them. You rolled your eyes laughing a little bit. "Today it's her day, and it will be full of love and of the most other beautiful things of the world" you smiled to Maggie and then got up. You did a little turn on yourself to see the effect that the dress had. It was quite long, above there was a deep neckline with small straps under the shoulder placed on the sides of the arms, while at the waist there was a silver stripe which then gave space to the wide skirt. You stopped in front of the three of them a moment.

"You're beautiful" Meredith said.

"Yeah, you hot girl" Cristina added.

"Thank you" you said smiling. All that happiness was becoming uncontrollable.

"Okay, I'll go check on Amelia" Maggie walked out of the room leaving you there to reflect between the anxiety and joy mixed together. God, you couldn't wait to be her wife.

"Say it, you're thinking to escape?" Cristina interrupted your thoughts again. Meredith laughed.

"Oh my God, why did I choose you as bridesmaids?!"

About half an hour later everything seemed ready. The guests were all in their seats, waiting for you. Amelia had already entered, but you hadn't seen her yet. You motioned for Meredith and Cristina to get going as they seemed very indecisive about what to do, and then it was your time.

When you appeared in the middle of the corridor, all eyes were on you. It raised some anxiety, but nothing that didn't calm down as soon as you met Amelia's eyes, making a huge smile appear on your face. Now you were in front of her and all you could think was... she's so beautiful, I can't believe now she's mine.

Unlike yours her dress was less baggy, it was snug enough on top of her to define her shape and it had cute shoulder seams. She was perfect, like this day.

You did nothing but smile at each other and talk with your eyes all the time the priest was talking, until the time for promises arrived. He decided to start with her, so she took your hands and squeezed uniting them with hers.

"Y/n L/n, what can I say? I mean, telling you that I love you and I'll always be here for you isn't enough... you taught me to love again, and made me feel more loved and desired than anyone else has done, so I'm grateful. Yeah you've been also one of the most annoying people I've ever met" you laughed keeping to look at her with shiny eyes. "But I've learned to appreciate the little good things that happens every day, but expecially that without you I'm nothing, so thank you for allowing me to be part of your life, for keeping me sober and alive, to always made me smile even in the worst situation, I love you so much, in an indescribable way" emotions became uncontrolled, no one had ever dedicated the most beautiful words in this world to you. You sighed for a second while a tear ran down your cheek, Amelia was holding the tears too, and you both continued to smile at each other. Now it was your turn.

"Amelia Shepherd, besides being the best thing I've ever come across, you've also been one of the hardest things I've ever been able to go through. I'm a girl who knows what she wants, but when you turned down every flirt or encounter by me and you really made me feel incomplete… like a crap” she and the others giggled, then she returned to focus on you. "I couldn't stand the idea of seeing you with another person, every time you spoke, smiled or just when I met those blue eyes I was lost, so I promised myself that I wouldn't give up. But finally today you will belong to me until the end of our days, and I'll be willing to do anything to make you happy, if you are I'll be too, you're a part of me" the tears kept filling both of your faces.

Zola, Bailey and Ellis walked down the hall towards you carrying your wedding rings. They were simply the cutest thing ever. You proceeded to exchange the rings and anxiously waited for the priest to ask that question.

“Amelia Shepherd, do you take Y/n L/n as your wife and promise to love and cherish her, in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, for better and for worse, as long as you both live? she looked at you intently before answering.

“Yes, I do” she said with a smile.

“Y/n L/n, do you take Amelia Shepherd as your wife and promise to love and cherish her, in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, for better or for worse, for as long as both of you shall live?” you gave her the same gaze.

“Yes, I do!” you exclaimed.

“Well, I officially declare you wife and wife, you may kiss” you waited no more that at the same time you approached pursing your lips in a long, intense kiss, filled with so much emotion it could have gone on for much longer.

Everyone stood up applauding, then you stopped and turned towards them smiling. Everyone cheered this day, the two of you, there was no better place where you wanted to be, from today you would have met a beautiful and a new life.

#amelia shepherd #amelia shepherd x reader #amelia shepherd imagine #greys anatomy #grey's anatomy #greys anatomy x reader #greys anatomy imagine #y/n #my writing #fanfics #requests

[ghostflowerhotpotch]

So I'll just tell myself all of the things I can't say to you yet (Fic)

Pairing: Ghostflower (Miles x Gwen.)

Chapter: 1/4.

Summary: On a scale from interested to desperate, where do you rank buying a plushie of your crush?

...Could she even still call this a crush?

As Gwen closed the portal behind her, she couldn't believe she has gotten away with it. When Miles invited her and the rest of their friends to Festival, she has been thinking about what type of music she would hear, what difference she could catch from her dimension- not this.

It has been kind of an impulse purchase, she has honestly been lucky that the money from her dimension seemed to be close enough to the bills in Miles’ universe; hopefully the seller wouldn’t have trouble depositing a glitching bill. It couldn't count as scamming someone, right?

“This was stupid,” She thought to herself, yet still hugging the brown bag against her chest, almost a bit too protective, not wanting anyone to see its contents.

She doesn’t know how she managed to hide it from Miles (or Pavitr, who was very curious about it- Gwen almost wonders if Hobie knew since he helped to move the conversation around,) or even get it without anyone else noticing. Gwen didn’t think she could come up with an excuse if any of them saw this.

But she was in her own dimension again, her dad wasn’t at home right now, which meant there was no one but her, and even in the safety of her own room, she didn’t want to look at it, as if getting it out of the bag would somehow be more incriminating than having it.

Still feeling a bit silly, she sits in her bed and finally, opens the bag and finally gets her precious cargo she has been so mindful of. On her left hand, there is a medium-sized, Miles' plushie.

It was spiderman themed, of course; she wasn’t sure how it worked, but multiple companies have started selling merchandise with his name and colours in it, even if he technically hasn’t signed anything. The quality wasn’t that good, a big head with a very fluffy body and limbs, it was kind of ridiculous.

Insanely cute though, almost as cute as him.

Groaning, she let herself fall in the bed “What’s wrong with me?” she whispered to herself as she put a hand on her forehead. Looking back, she glares at the plushie, almost as if it came home with her by itself rather than being her own idea. Sighing, she lies on her side and hugs the plushie.

She already bought the damn thing; she may as well embrace it.

Miles and she had been working on rebuilding their friendship. After months of silence, the secrets about canon and Miles’ Spiderman situation; they needed to take a step back and get a chance to breathe, especially for Gwen who was not just trying to rebuild her relationship with her dad, but catch on all the classes she missed on the meantime. Considering how things ended in HQ, she was honestly grateful Miles wanted to keep in contact after that fiasco.

There was just a small problem, her crush.

“Well, can I call it that anymore?” She thought bitterly to herself, as she looks back at the plushie that she was clutching against her chest. The little Spiderman just looked back at her; unlike the real one, there wasn’t a way to take that mask and look at his face. If she had more artistic abilities, she may have tried to find a way to give a face to the plushie.

God knows the only reason her notebook has half-made songs instead of drawings like Miles, is because she couldn’t draw like him.

Gwen wasn’t always upfront with what she was feeling, not even to herself. Part of her thought if she could pretend to be okay, those emotions would eventually leave her and she could continue her normal life. Except that it doesn’t; not with the guilt of losing Peter, not with the gaping hole that felt those months when she thought her dad hated her, and not with her feelings for Miles.

Everyone knows about his crush on her, or at least the feelings he used to harbour for her; ever since the whole situation with Miguel, Miles hasn’t been the same to her. He was still kind, and warm, but it didn’t feel like it used to be, even now.

What she has for him? It was still there, as strong as ever, and she was drowning in the feeling.

Part of Gwen wonders if the people around her had pretended not to know, or at least make it easier for her because she was in such denial she would try to shut down the topic otherwise. But Jess knew exactly what Gwen must have meant by "getting too close to someone," Miguel thinking Gwen was a liability thanks to her feelings for Miles (which was sorta right,) and Hobie- the guy probably figured out the tenth time she mentioned his name.

She has been insisting they were just friends, that it wasn’t that big of a deal; but she knows it wasn’t exactly Ham the one she has been missing all those months before finding the organization, and she wasn’t going to forget about monitoring a bad guy to spend an afternoon with Peter B.

It was kind of dumb, but she has been so glad that no one has pointed out that on a mission that would have been easy with the Spot literally out of ways to travel to other dimensions, she opened the portal right where Miles was as she ignored the bad guy until her watch screamed at her. While hugging the plushie even harder, she knows you don’t risk the multiverse just to catch on with someone, and you don’t sneak out to get a plushie of someone while obsessively making sure no one notices.

As she looked at the oversized head that mimicked Miles’s mask, she thought to herself when she was going to give up acting as if those feelings weren’t there, or it was as simple as a crush.

“I love you” She whispers for the first time, and somehow the phrase feels like it almost echoes in her mind. It feels right in her mouth, the truth she has been battling for so long.

Groaning, she looks to the roof “I’m so stupid.”

Because only someone like her would get into a mess like this. Loving someone from afar while not being sure if they could actually make it work, but wanting so badly to do it.

And yet still too scared to do anything that whispers the truth to a plushie.

Perhaps even after all this time, Gwen Stacy still only knew how to run.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Oh my g-d I am typing lines and dots as separation like this fanfiction net in 2011, jeez I am old.

So! I normally just upload my fics in ao3; however, as all we know (or so I assume because multiple communities are in shambles right now.) AO3 is down, and the best way to help is to not try to get in.

And it just so happens this fic that was supposed to be a one-shot became a short fic because the comments ended up inspiring me to do more.

The second chapter will be posted in a few moments, and the link to it will appear in this post and vice versa. The third chapter will be published on tumblr depending on how the ao3 situation goes and my mood.

Hope you like it! Leave a comment if you did, is the only reason this went past the first chapter.

Second Chapter here!

#ghostflower #gwiles #gwen stacy #miles morales #atsv #across the spiderverse spoilers #fanfics

[chiaracognigniart]

TDIOBCB ship challenge:

As the ones who follow me on Twitter know, after two months drawing canon stuffs, for this March I decided to use these prompts to make some fanarts of my fic.

This means that next month my art will be again internally about TDIOBCB and nothing else.

However, before starting posting about this new challenge, I think, considering the fact that not everybody who follows me had read my fic and the characters that will be drawn, to provide some specifics to avoid misunderstandings.

As you've understood, this new March 'challenge,' unlike the previous one, has nothing to do with Canon (either from the book or the TV series) and instead is completely centred on the pairs present in my AU fic 'TDIOBCB.'

This Fanfiction is in turn inspired by another fanfic, also AU Divergence: if you're curious about what these two stories are about, you can search for them on AO3. This means that many (if not all) of the couples that will be illustrated will have no logic to exist in the canonical world, in any possible way, yet in this completely nonsensical universe, they do.

Many of the characters and their partners may have undergone significant modifications from their canonical counterparts: for example, in this universe, Viserys and Larra are a real ship, which would be aberrant if they were the same characters from the books, but in this context, it's acceptable, given that the methods and premises of their union are 99% different from Canon.

The same goes for the ship Baela and Aemond, which makes no sense to exist neither here nor there, but here it has been done, albeit nonsensically, to give it a completed sense. There will also be many ships made entirely of my OCs, and others made from pre-existing characters and OCs.

Additionally, all these illustrations will be explicitly inspired by paintings, famous and not, with a strong use of tracing. I won't copy Line by Line these paintings, but I'll use them as models for compositions and poses, and all paintings used as references will be posted below.

I wanted to specify this because recently there has been 'a debate' within the artistic community of this fandom about tracing, so I wanted to clarify my intentions from the outset. I know that many disagree with this practice, especially if those who use it then pretend not to use it, but I have never hidden my use of reference images and, indeed, I have always published with great transparency every time-lapse of the works, never cutting any steps. I don't believe that tracing is evil or a cardinal sin, especially if it's used to assimilate and improve one's skills, but one shouldn't abuse it, and pretending not to know about it is tremendously dishonest. All my art teachers since high school have encouraged us to copy from classical paintings because they believed it would help us remember and memorize proportions, composition, and anatomy more effectively, but the underlying idea of this technique is that once everything is assimilated, one should stop and start drawing without it and not continue indefinitely. Furthermore, this becomes fraudulent if the illustrations you copy part by part are then sold. I haven't yet received commissions of this kind, and all the other illustrations where I've used tracing for poses or objects were all illustrations I did without receiving a penny and that I did for pure pleasure, but I assure you that if anyone ever offered to pay me to do an illustration, I would never dare to use tracing.

That said, the 'challenge' in question is something I want to do for myself, so I don't see anything horrible in getting help with some images that help me set up the composition, and in any case, I would post the entire process. Again, sorry for this immensely long and monstrously boring screed, but on Twitter, it's better to protect oneself in advance

#illustration #artists on tumblr #chiara cognigni's art #chiara's art #digital illustration #fanart #art #fanfiction #ao3 fanfic #fanfiction art #challenge #tdiobcb #the doom in our blood comes back #ship challenge #march #au divergence #ocs

[olivieraa]

and you know what, I always have to pat myself on the back for two things.

critical thinking and questioning everything.

there are posts on my blog that go back as far as 2014 that were very pro what I happen to be anti now. some I reblogged and said nothing, and some I reblogged and voiced my confusion in the tags. I dont plan on finding them and deleting them bc they're a part of the past.

when you're friends on here with a bunch of people who all had, not even similar mindsets but the exact same mindsets, and you were the only one who thought differently, it was kinda difficult to figure out how to think for yourself. questioning things got me in trouble. I was supposed to think the exact way everyone else did or I was wrong and a bad person.

the pro-porn posts, the pro-prostitution posts, some very specific pro-trans posts, and a lot more, I'd be questioning some of what was said in those posts down in the tags and people either sent me anons or pm's and it was less so about like educating me, and more so "how dare you even question this post". very... hostile.

I was experiencing two different worlds. the online world aka tumblr's brand of feminism, and facebook and youtubes pro-mra bullcrap. and then the real world, with my real friends, who were just... normal. and coming on here was like... going to work. in a job I hated. wondering what I'll be "taught" today. what's the right way to think.

but throughout 2016 I was liking a lot of posts that just made sense. common sense. like normal humans were actually writing these posts. but I never reblogged them.

by the end of 2016 and start of 2017 I'd had enough. and I finally started reblogging them. not even in bulk, just here and there. and exactly what I thought would happen, happened. the sensitive Americans go bye-bye.

it was eye opening bc it justified so many things for me, but also, when I'm close to my friends I'll do anything for them. but never for a friend I could never be myself around. that the friendship was a lie bc I held my tongue. that a conversation could never happen bc I'm wrong and they're right and if I dont agree then end of friendship. no discussions, just... the end.

the unfollows were so immediate, and yet it felt like I could breathe again. and so I continued watching anime at the time, but then I started working, and then moved away, and so tumblr slowly drifted away from me.

and then I'd come back here and there.

but I was always, always wondering, and still do. "was I wrong?", "are the things I reblog actually wrong?", "if 10 people unfollowed me over very specific opinions that they all agree on and I'm here with the opposite opinion, am I wrong?"

but I basically answer my own question every time.

in that, its not about being right or wrong. its about questioning everything. questioning why you think that way. being able to justify why you think that way. being able to use critical thinking and have discussions, not have a fucking cult ass way of thinking and just point at someone and tell them they're straight up wrong for having a different opinion than yours.

and that's why I'll never regret the friendships that died on here. bc they are all still stuck that way, whereas I grow and learn and change.

I'm not telling anyone what's right or wrong.

I defo have a couple of boundaries for sure. there's a few things I have solid ass opinions on that I am adamant about. but for anyone that ever wanted to talk, not argue/want to fight, I'm always open to hearing the other side.

but with people like that, from back in the day, that wasn't possible.

and so if the things I reblog make sense to me, I'm gonna keep doing it. cause unlike the earlier years of tumblr where I'd reblog things with questioning thoughts, I'm finally seeing posts that just make sense.

and its amazing

[strangefellows]

Something that occurred to me this morning and that's been living rent free in my head all day RE: Canto IV part 3 and the Yi Sang / Ayin parallels (under cut bc spoilers for Canto IV and Day 50 of Lobcorp):

Watching Yi Sang's interactions with his mirror self/Sang Yi reminded me so much of the Keter suppressions, especially Day 50.

And I went back to look at a lot of the Day 50 spoken dialogue during the workday and...

I want to hope that Sang Yi makes it retroactively clear that we do not, actually, know the real Ayin's opinion on his fate. We don't. The only person who says he should be happy and satisfied and willing to fade away is "A", who we talk to on Day 50, who isn't Ayin. It's simply Ayin's Sang Yi, Ayin's mirror self, a part of his consciousness.

"A" is the one who says it's okay to fade away. "A" is the one who says to be satisfied with the work you've done so far. "A" is the one who says all that's left to do is watch. He says you/your and we/us constantly -- he's not saying how Ayin feels, he's saying how he should feel.

In fact: "A", in his final line, says 'fade away without a trace'-- which is a direct quote from Carmen. And I don't know about you, but at this point I don't trust a goddamn word out of that woman's mouth, especially when it's involved with someone she very clearly manipulated at least a little.

(I could write an entire essay on how I feel like Carmen manipulated Ayin into the situation we see in Lobcorp due to using her near-suicide against him as leverage, as well as the conversation she conveniently has with him before that about 'oh, if anyone said something mean to me i'd probably do something drastic, but not you, right, you can endure' and making him promise to continue her work...but I'll leave it at that for now.)

My point remains: how did Ayin feel in those last few moments, that final day? Was he crying? Was he angry? Did he beg not to disappear? Was he okay with it? Was he resigned to his fate? We don't know. We were just told by "A", his mirror, how he should feel.

In fact, "A" as narrator is the one telling us about all the flashbacks from a present-day perspective. He's not letting us see, he's not showing us how Ayin felt back then, he's telling us. He's not showing us how Ayin feels now, he's telling us. We're told secondhand everything we know about Ayin: from "A", his mirror, from Hokma and Angela who are biased in opposite directions. From the other Sephirah, who are also biased. Because the real Ayin, our "X", never had a voice or a face of his own, we don't know a single damn thing about him. Not really. Not like Angela and Roland. We're only told how he felt, what he was like from others' perspectives.

And it's so, so tragic.

It's why I am so sure Limbus will bring Ayin into the picture again somehow, whether or not Ayin is Dante like I theorize: seeing the parallels and seeing Sang Yi so heavily parallel "A" and Day 50 in the cutscene during the final boss fight -- it paints a stark picture that we have never, ever seen Ayin have a voice of his own. He's never been free to speak for himself. Never been given a chance to show who he is or how he feels. He's been told by everyone else who he is, and was, and how he should feel about it over and over for 10 thousand years. It's not fair. It's so deeply sad. Does Ayin even know who he is anymore, amid all the memory loss, all these people telling him about himself from biased perspectives? And he never was allowed a chance to learn-- in the end, he was told to fade away, and be okay with it, and we never even saw how he felt about that, either.

The first and last time we're giving Ayin's actual name...is right before he disappears. It breaks my heart, especially now with the parallels to Yi Sang -- Ayin, unlike him, was never allowed to fly again. He was just...swept away into nothing. (Fly My Wings fits so well as an Ayin song too, hoough...)

So I think, given we now have a protagonist who's also had his voice and face stolen from him -- who struggles to be heard and seen -- who is around people who know him and refuse to tell him the answers -- who has to find out who he is on his own, discover himself from a blank slate...I really do think at the very least we're going to get a very blatant parallel, if not Dante being Ayin outright.

It just doesn't feel right for them to just leave Ayin as a nothing character in a series where he's so, so important. We know more about fucking Carmen than him, and she's been a ghost that haunts the narrative since day one!

Anyway, oops, this got longer than I thought it would be.

#ayin #ayin lobcorp #limbus spoilers #lobcorp spoilers #i know i keep harping on my theory but i'm just So Sure of it #and anyway regardless of if i'm right Ayin DESPERATELY needs more screentime #at the very least bc so many people misunderstand him and that NEEDS fixed

[theeccentricraven]

7&7

7 & 7

Thanks for the tag, @primroseprime2019

Rules: Share 7 snippets from one of your works and tag 7 people!

From The Blood Cleaners

Chapter One

Justin leaned across the table toward Miriam.  “One day, I’m going to be a blood cleaner.” Miriam stretched out her hand and slapped Justin in the cheek, as she always did whenever she believed he was lying.  “I’m serious!” Miriam hit his face again. 

Chapter Two

“You have my commitment,” Justin said. “I won’t serve myself. I’ll serve Corpa. I’ll be Corpa’s child. I won’t make or be anyone else.”     Lord Rico turned to a sterner glance. “And you better mean it. More than you realize. Unlike the other occupations, blood cleaners don't get to be reassessed. If the job doesn't work out for you, you will be exiled to the Death Zone. That’s why blood cleaners never quit. Never.” The Death Zone. Corpa stretched far, but not infinitely. The Death Zone was nothing but endless desert and wasteland. It was the dwelling place of the lils who were somehow immune to the radiation that flooded the land. The three worst punishments for criminals were imprisonment in the Steel's dungeons, imprisonment in the Steel’s towers, and exile into the Death Zone. No one who entered the Death Zone ever came back. “I mean it,” Justin said, “or I'll be better off dead.”

Chapter Three

As Justin was about to run and make his next jump following Lord Bo’s order, he turned around and saw Joselyn getting wobbly on her legs. She stepped back as if she was about to move to the sideline.  Justin took her hand, forming a link with his almond-colored skin and her bronze-colored skin.  “Hey!” he called to her. “If you don’t want to go back to the farm, you keep going with me!” Joselyn widened her eyes. “Says who?!” she shouted back. “Says me!” Justin guided her, pulling her with him as he jumped over the next hurdle. As he kept jumping, he had to let go of her hand. She continued to follow, keeping up with his pace, and leaping without slowing down.

Chapter Four

“You didn’t steal my heart.” “Really? What about today? I would not have made it to orientation today if it wasn’t for you. I could tell that joining the blood cleaners meant a lot to you. It does to me, too. I had everything at stake. I almost gave up. You had to endure that pain longer just because of me. Why did you tell me to not stop?” Justin eyed her close enough that he swore he could see his own reflection off of her dark eyes. He felt like he was in the hot spot. Her words about “trust issues” echoed in his head. Knowing that they were going to be working together, he didn’t want to say something that would make her say he was too untrustworthy to be a good co-worker.  “Because…I could feel your desire so much, knowing how important it was to you, how what you wanted was what I wanted, it was like we were in this together. It was like, if you failed, I would fail.” Joselyn lifted her lips to a smile, though she tilted her eyes in a way to hint that she knew that there was more.  “And….” Justin struggled to continue. “And….” Joselyn shook her face in a way to hint that she was waiting too long. “And….And, ok, and because you’re beautiful.”

Chapter Five

“You know,” Joselyn said as she put her spoon down. “I think the people who quit had it lucky.” Justin swallowed his bite. “They had it lucky?” “Once you’re in, you’re in. There’s no turning back now. Blood cleaners never quit. We don’t have a choice.”  Justin put his hand on the table. “And that’s why we’re going to make it. I won’t back out of this. Neither will you.”

Chapter Six

As Lord Bo quickly took care of the clean up, Mia smiled at Joselyn. “Esa es la primera vez que vi a una pareja tener éxito en el primer intento. Sabía que podías hacerlo.” Joselyn smiled and turned to Justin. “What did she say?” he asked. “She said, ‘That is the first time that I ever saw a pair succeed on the first try. I knew that you could do it.” Justin couldn’t have felt prouder while also recognizing how difficult this would be for the other trainees. When it was dinnertime and the trainees met in the cafeteria, Justin saw how the other twelve of the group, excluding Patricia who was still in the hospital, all had disappointed faces. Justin walked by each classmate, tapped on them on the shoulder, and said, “Better luck next time.” Joselyn gave a tender elbow to each and said, “Hey, that was just practice. You’ll do better next time.” The overall mood improved.

Chapter Seven

He held onto her shoulders and looked her in the eyes. “Jos, I already wanted to survive for the sake of my mama and my sister. I promise to add you to that mix. For your sake, I will survive. If I have one reason to survive, it’s to help you get through this” Joselyn’s face brightened as she put her hands on Justin’s hips. “And,” Justin continued, “that’s not all. We’re in this together. You’re going to have to survive for me, too. Don’t die on me and I won’t die on you.” “I feel like I’m able to be with you at my side, Jus.” “Then I’ll do my part and you’ll do your part.” Justin leaned forward and touched her forehead to Joselyn’s. “I promise Jos that I won’t let you die.” “You’ve given me a lot of reasons to live, Jus, even if I can’t write my future.” “You can still write your future, Jos. We’ll be the best of the best. And if I don’t get that far, you will.” Justin could feel his heart beating faster. He could smell Joselyn’s skin as if he was breathing her in. Hot as the day was, he sweated more than he ever did. Joselyn stretched out her lips to touch his. The two pressed their lips together, neither wanting to end the kiss.

Tagging: @buffythevampirelover @rickie-the-storyteller @13-frinfransstudios @author-a-holmes @charlesmoffat @selenekallanwriter @acmartin

#tag game #writing #writers #writeblr #current wip #wip #work in progress #wip stuff #snippet #excerpts #ocs #creative writing #writers on tumblr #writing community #writer community #writers community #writeblr community

[kandyrezi]

Say, how would Ivlin, Rieta, and f!Kcalb react to realizing that their darling was checking out their ass when they bent down to pick something up?

(a/n: there's not enough love for okegom girls, so i'm always up to the task to rectify that. <3 i changed the prompt just a tad. warning for suggestive themes, but not much else.)

⌜ivlin.⌟

ivlin is no stranger to being ogled at. she doesn't much like being looked in such lewd manner by just anyone, but she will gladly indulge her darling if she knows she's already 'distracting' them enough.

during one of such instances, when she's leaning over the desk and pointing out things to you on a map she has laid out in front of you, but you're too focused on the v-shaped neckline of her military dress, exposing some of her cleavage. all her words just go into one ear and out of the other.

except for one sentence.

"did you hear what i just said?"

suffice to say, no.

her gaze is quite intense. "and why is that?"

she doesn't need to ask, because she's already well-aware. ivlin just wants to make you squirm, as she revels in the bit of control she has over you.

and so, when she notices you gawking, she'll start giving you more for show later on; making sure you feel her chest pressed against your back when she wraps her arms around you to hug you from behind, or wearing short skin-tight skirts, with similar low-cut tops - just to punish you later on in her chambers for looking at her inappropriately when you were supposed to be working.

⌜rieta.⌟

you were doing some rearrangements in the library located in the flame devil's mansion. you were a bit of a klutz, honestly, no wonder the books and manuscripts kept falling out of your hands.

rieta even scolded you, "you should be more careful with these. lady ivlin would be displeased at your careless handling of them."

"i know, i know, i'm just in a rush to get this job over and done with..." you sighed.

"be more slow and meticulous with them then. i'll help you out if you want me to."

smiling in gratitude, you went to pick up some of the books that had fallen down. you noticed rieta had as well. her back was turned towards you, as she looked through your stacked paperbacks and bent to pick them up. her maroon pants and a long skirt over them didn't hinder you from looking at her ass.

you kept working and continuing on where you left off, stacking everything in alphabetical order - when rieta was facing away from you, you took the chances to glance at her.

"i know you keep staring at me." she said, snapping you out of your trance, and looking at you with a certain 'knowing' gaze.

"hah, yeah... i just can't help it." you replied, no use in denying it when she caught on to you being unsubtle. she raised an eyebrow at you.

"yes, and particularly at my… rear end."

you smiled. "it is a very nice rear."

"you really are shameless." rieta said teasingly. you guess being a klutz had some mild advantages, at least.

⌜fem!kcalb.⌟

kcalb noticed her sister had unknowingly dropped her writing quill when transferring her paperwork. it'd be polite of her to take it and bring it back to her, and she carefully bent down to the floor to pick it up - unfortunately, her skirt had gotten stuck on the edge of the doorframe, and of course, you were walking behind her... and did you ever gain an eyeful of her lacy, black underwear clinging to her skin.

where she lacked in the chest department made up for her nice rear end. when you realized how intently you were staring, you looked away, blushing and beyond mortified at how disrespectful you were being. unlike someone like grora, you had some decency around here—

"...where were you staring at just now?"

you quaked. "n... nowhere, h-honestly, miss kcalb...!"

"really?"

"i, um..."

it was silent, being completely unable to come up with something coherent without being a liar.

she glared at you.

"...idiot. don't let me catch you doing it again."

she turned around and sauntered away from you without another word. your heart nearly leaped out of your chest, and you were sure your cheeks were still tinted red.

#funamusea #ivlis (funamusea) #rieta (funamusea) #kcalb (funamusea) #yandere x reader #although this truthfully has little hint of yandere. lol #mogeko #okegom #ficlets

[aspd-culture]

alright. either all of you need to stop being so god damn relatable, or i need to reevaluate my entire life and see a doctor.

... i do have an (informal) NPD diagnosis, though, so i have no idea where that line is drawn since i know they can have some similarities, i think? so i might as well ask: do you or any followers have any info to share on how to differentiate between NPD and NPD+ASPD?

aspd-culture is

Yep! I can definitely help with that. A major characteristic of ASPD is self-esteem that is affected by very in-the-moment things; for example, if I am playing a video game and doing well, my brain will be pumping me full of good self esteem - "I am so cool and I may not be good at this game usually but if anyone saw me right now they would think I am such a good gamer everyone look at me I am getting a free trial of being a god" - but then, just as fast, if I mess one thing up I will spiral downwards into believing I am so bad at games that I should never touch one again, lest anyone ever have to witness the horror that is my terrible lack of gaming skills. This goes for pretty much anything including weird things like feeling better than everyone because I am forcing my body to stay awake even though it is tired while everyone else is controlled by their flesh vessels. This ego is also affected by other symptoms, so if I am successful at lying or manipulating, I am more likely to have an extremely elevated self esteem in that moment, and the opposite if I get caught doing one of those things.

Meanwhile with NPD, there is a somewhat more stable, episodic self esteem wherein for long periods of time there will be elevated self esteem with episodes of ego crashes. In the case of the two of them, anecdotally I have heard that those ego crashes become very easy to cause by things that would affect self esteem in aspd, and that those crashes are sometimes easier to recover from by exploiting ASPD's symptom based self esteem (not allowing yourself to get bored, being manipulative, successfully lying, etc).

So, if someone just had ASPD their arrogance would be more temporary and less intense (I am doing so well at this game my teammates are so lucky to be playing with me while I am doing this well), while if they had NPD it would be more intense (I am the best at this video game. My teammates are lucky to have met me, and I should invite them to a party - gaming term for a digital group used to make sure you're on the same team during team games for those who don't know - so that they can continue to benefit from me carrying this entire team and maybe if I do they'll tell me how great I am doing) and if they had both, they might think something in-between (I am the best at this game, my teammates should feel lucky that this game requires teams so they get to play with me. Maybe I'll invite them to a party so that I don't risk having a crappy team next game because then I won't want to play anymore and deal with an ego crash, and maybe if I do, they'll point out how my double kill basically won the last round for us).

NPD also often thrives on attention from other people, whilst ASPD comes with a disinterest and sometimes outright disgust or fear at the idea of interaction with people outside of what is necessary for convenience. Both tend to view relationships as transactional to some degree, but pwASPD are generally looking for more tangible and/or practical benefits from people, whilst pwNPD are generally looking for the good feelings they get from attention and praise from others. I don't have much info on how this specific symptom looks in people who have both.

A big one is that whilst pwNPD may disregard others' rights, feelings, opinions, safety, etc in favor of their own, pwASPD are more likely to disregard both others' and our own rights and safety in favor of avoiding boredom and/or gaining something. People with just NPD are unlikely to consistently disregard their own rights or safety whilst doing so is a part of diagnostic criteria for people with ASPD. Someone with both may think they are invulnerable due to their NPD, and because of that put themselves in situations that are dangerous even though that is a risk to themselves because they believe they will be able to charm their way out of the situation should it go poorly, or may disregard their own safety but never disregard their own rights.

PwNPD have a tendency towards jealousy and envy that is not as prevalent in ASPD, whilst pwASPD have a tendency toward impulsivity and irresponsibility that is not as prevalent in NPD.

Both cause a tendency to lie to and manipulate others for their own gain or to avoid their own loss, tend to come with low to no affective empathy (as well as cognitive empathy, sympathy, and compassion in some with the disorder, although many people eith either or both have some or all of these outside of affective empathy), and a fear or mistrust of others' intent. Both can also cause issues forgiving other people and can lead to intense but short-lived serious relationships (for example, getting engaged to or moving in with people quickly over and over, but not actually staying together long enough to get married).

ASPD causes issues managing anger and boredom that can sometimes lead to being seen as aggressive by others, whilst NPD causes issues managing self-esteem while alone that can sometimes lead to issues with dependency on others.

I am not an expert on NPD as I do not have it, so if any of this information is inaccurate for NPD (not that you personally don't experience it, but that I am entirely wrong about something) pwNPD feel free to let me know and I will correct it. Also feel free to add on anything I missed to help anon!

Edit: Correction from replies. Thank you!/gen

#aspd-culture-is #aspd culture is #aspd culture #actually antisocial #actually aspd #antisocial personality disorder #aspd #aspd awareness #aspd traits #npd #cluster b #anons welcome #comorbid conditions #comorbidities

[justsomerandomfanfic]

Arcades And Iced Coffee - Eddie Munson X Female Reader - Ft. Dustin

Title: Arcade And Iced Coffee

Eddie Munson X Female Reader

Additional Characters: Dustin, Sam (OC), Reader's parents (Mentioned)

| Part 1 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 |

WC: 1,837

Warnings: N/A

When you heard your co-worker, Sam scream, you immediately paused what you were doing and went over to her. She had bursted through the kitchen door, sobbing. Her eyes were wide and she was stumbling over her words.

"Sam, what's wrong?" You asked and she just continued to cry, shakily pointing her hand over to the kitchen.

With furrowed eyebrows and already confused, you made your way to the kitchen. Slowly opening the door, you froze. Rubbing your eyelids with your hands, you thought you were imagining it. Opening your eyes, you knew you weren't. There, on the ground was Dustin, covered in those weird webs, looking up at you with doe eyes.

"Y/N!" He exclaimed, jumping up and wrapping you in his arms.

Surprised, you hugged back, racking your brain as to how he got here in the first place. The only answer you could come up with was that he went though the same portal that you had gone through.

"I can't believe you're here" You spoke, hugging him tighter before pulling away.

Looking at him, he had gotten taller; you had noticed. You were very glad to see him, but you were worried about how you were going to get him back to his time.

"How did you get here?" You asked and Dustin began his rant.

"I was biking home and decided to take a shortcut through Cherry Woods, then I found this weird hole and accidently fell into it. Then I was in the Upside Down again and found the wall like you had but instead of finding myself in another forest, I fell into this kitchen!" Dustin explained, looking around curiously.

"Mmm, convenient. Well, we need to get home! Where's the portal?" You asked and he shook his head.

"I don't think I'll ever make it back home. It closed up behind me." He sighed sadly.

You hummed, rubbing his back like he did for you when you had gone into the past.

"That happened to me too. Well, you don't have to worry about them finding you missing. When I got back here with Eddie only one day passed, so I think you'll be okay." You reassured him and Dustin nodded, before looking around again.

"Where am I?" He asked and you smiled, beginning to help get the extra webs off of his curly hair.

"My work. Thankfully, I'm on break. Come on, you scared the crap out of Sam. I want you to meet her." You spoke, before leading Dustin into the cafe.

Walking up to Sam, she looked at you and the teen next to you, eyes red and puffy from her tears.

"Sam, this is my cousin... Dustin." You introduced them and Sam's face lit up immediately.

"Oh, hi Dustin. I'm sorry for crying, I just didn't expect to see anyone else here." She apologized and Dustin shook his head.

"It's alright. I'm sorry I scared you." He said and Sam giggled, wiping her eyes.

"Don't worry about it."

You turned to Sam, giving her a smile before leading Dustin out of the cafe. Dustin's eyes lit up when he saw all the buildings and stores around him. Everything was so different in the future. No flying cars like you said, but there was a car that was parked outside; its car doors lifted into the air light wings. A young woman got out and stood by the car, before waving to you in greeting, You turned to face the cafe, calling into Sam.

"Sam, you girlfriends here!"

Sam rushed out of the building, fixing her hair by raking her hand through it. Noticing her girlfriend she walked over to her. Sam waved you goodbye and she and her girlfriend left. You sighed and patted Dustin on the shoulder. The poor thing must have been having sensory overload with everything that he was seeing.

"Alright, well, I lock up in..." You checked your Apple watch, "An hour, so let's go back inside and I'll make you a drink while I clean up."

Dustin nodded and followed you in. Sitting down at a booth, Dustin watched out the window as people walked past, amazed by their outfits and their style. It was unlike anything he'd seen in the 80s. Almost; four teens walked past, all wearing fanny packs.

"You guys still have fanny packs?" He called to you and you nodded.

"Yep! You're lucky you came now, some of the 80's styles and trends are coming back." You spoke as you made Dustin a caramel macchiato.

Stepping around the counter, you placed the drink in front of the boy, who's eyes widened comically more. You had topped the drink with whipped cream and chocolate drizzle.

"What is this?" He asked, and you smiled, leaning against the back of the booth.

"It's called a caramel macchiato. Cold coffee with caramel, chocolate, vanilla syrup. And because you're my favorite cousin, I added whipped cream and chocolate drizzle." You grinned and he chuckled nervously.

"I've never had anything like this." He mumbled, slowly picking up the cup and taking a sip.

Taking a seat across from him, you watched as he sipped on the drink, taking in every flavor. Finally, he set it down and moaned quietly.

"This is good." He stated and you laughed.

"I knew you would like it. If I remember correctly, you have a major sweet tooth." You teased and Dustin rolled his eyes.

~~~

After you washed up the tables and double checked the dishes, you hung up your apron and grabbed your bag and the cafe keys. Dustin met you at the door, watching the world outside.

"Well, it's only four. You want to walk around? I can show you the cool things." You asked and Dustin nodded without hesitation.

"Alright, let's go." You spoke, stepping out of the cafe with him and locking it up behind you.

Walking down the sidewalk, you decided to show Dustin the new arcade that just opened a few shops away. Walking inside, you took a look around, surprised to find it wasn't busy. You and Dustin walked around the different games, Dustin looked like a little kid in a candy shop, looking at every game and almost jumping with excitement. You check the time on your watch and shrug, might as well let the kid have some fun. You walked with him to the card machine and pulled out a twenty. Slipping it in the machine, you grabbed the card.

"This, my dear Dustin, is an arcade card. Basically I can put money on this and use it basically forever." You spoke, handing the card to Dustin.

He took it in his hands, "Like a credit card?" He asked and you shrugged.

"Yeah, but I don't get trapped giving money to them if I overspend." You spoke before gesturing to the arcade. "Have at it. You've got an hour."

Dustin jumped up, excitedly running to a game and started playing it. You watched as he played, buying yourself a soft pretzel as he played.

Dustin rushed off to a game that had caught his eye. It was called Carnival Wheel. Dustin took a moment, but he slid the card through the sensor and followed the directions. Pulling down on the lever, he watched as the bit wheel spun before landing on the number thirty. But, no tickets came out. Frowning, confused, he rushed over to where you were.

"The tickets won't come out."

Eyes wide, you nodded quickly, "I forgot, they automatically go onto the card. So once you're done, you just swipe the card on the prize machine and it will show all your tickets there."

Dustin nodded, understanding before smiling and rushing back out into the gaming world. He then played a Jurassic Park pinball machine, Polar Slide, and even went to a regular game of Pac-Man. Lastly, Dustin spotted a racing game called Mario Kart. He knew who Mario was, but he was amazed at the new changes and characters they added in the future. Waving you over, he begged for you to race him.

"Come on, I bet you won't beat me." He spoke, hopping into the seat.

You hopped into your seat, grabbing the wheel. "Oh, I don't know... I'm pretty good." You smirked and Dustin rolled his eyes, swiping the card. You chose Yoshi and Dustin chose Bowser.

As the game started, you were proud that Dustin beat you. "You're a natural."

"Haha, yeah, well maybe I used to play video games on my Nintendo System." He replied, grinning at you as you got out of the chair, him following.

Walking over to the prize machine, Dustin swiped the card and saw the amount of tickets he had won. You were honestly surprised. For his first day in the future, the kid got over a thousand tickets.

"Wow, okay, what do you want?" You asked, gesturing to the array of prizes.

Dustin thought for a moment before pointing to the case at the top.

"Good choice." You spoke, before pressing the button.

Dustin's prize slid out of the case and fell to the prize slot. Dustin grabbed it and immediately opened it up. He picked up the sticky, yet satisfying slime and played with it in his hands.

"What is this? It's even scented!" He asked and you chuckled.

"Slime, a huge thing for years." Dustin nodded and put his slime back in its container, and into the pocket of his shorts.

You sighed, "Well, it's getting late and I have to get home. We have a guest bedroom you can use."

Dustin frowned slightly as he followed you out of the arcade and back down the sidewalk. "Will your parents be alright with me staying?" He asked and you nodded.

"They are out on their summer vacation. Won't be home until August 20th or something." You answered as you reached the end of the block.

"They went on vacation without you?" He asked and you nodded, "Why didn't you go with them?"

"It's their thing. I'd rather stay home rather than sit in a fancy restaurant and drink tea." You joked, pretending to drink tea with your pinky up.

"Yeah, but it gets lonely, doesn't it?" He asked and you shrugged.

"It used to, but I got Eddie now. Remember?" You smirked and Dustin nodded, his smile reappearing.

"How is he?" He asked and you smiled at the thought of your boyfriend.

"He's doing great. I was able to get him to do something about his hair."

Dustin gasped, hand over his heart. "You made him get rid of his mullet!?"

You laughed, "No! I love that thing. I got him to style it nicely at least, so his curls wouldn't frizz."

Dustin sighed, "Thank god."

"You had almost the same reaction as he did. 'Oh no, please don't take my hair away!'" You claimed, placing the back of your hand on your forehead, impersonating Eddie.

Dustin laughed, and you two talked about Eddie's hair until you finally made it home.

_____________________________________________________

Taglist:

@fuzzy-purple-crayon @pure-fvcking-hatred @emelieh99 @eddiemunson4ever @readers-posts @fentyreligion @girl-with-an-orange-cat @mrs-billyrussooo

Let me know if you want to be added to the taglist

#eddie munson x y/n #eddie munson x you #eddie munson x female reader #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson #fluff #cute #stranger things s4 #stranger things #dustin henderson #future #gay

[popchoc]

@heyfarfallina asked: could u please do 13. let me help you for marina (bc i think this one suits them)

Maya Bishop & Carina DeLuca, Station 19

13: Let Me Help You

****************************************************

"I thought we came here to do nothing for a change," Carina grumbled beneath her breath.

Maya laughed. She'd never seen Carina this clumsy before, as they were still getting to know each other on so many levels, and she had to admit: she was quite endeared by it.

"We did. I just need some steps to ease into that mood of... relaxation," she smiled at her. "You know, a cooling down routine to regulate my blood flow. Besides, once we're in the water you'll see how calming this is gonna be. Scuba diving is actually a pretty lazy sport. Or at least, here it is."

Though she never specialized in it, Maya had to learn how to scuba dive at the Academy as part of her firefighter training. And while trying to navigate through cold, murky water did not make her heart beat any faster, she couldn't deny that the feeling of weightlessness as well as the quiet underwater world did her good - probably better than any yoga class, Wednesday night or therapy session. (Not that she needed the latter.) She just really preferred clear tropical oceans over the Seattle lakes.

"Yeah, well, I’ll see about that when we're actually in there," Carina sighed, trying to keep her balance on the rocking boat. "Right now I don't even remember how to put this on!"

Unlike Maya, Carina had no underwater experience - except for some snorkeling during their family vacations on the Italian islands (but even then she was mainly keeping an eye on Andrea instead of the fish) - which is why they’d signed up for this so-called Discovery Dive that didn't require any skills or knowledge besides some basic instruction.

Carina knew that Maya could easily choose to join another group - go further, longer, deeper... wherever these certified divers where allowed to go - but she'd been clear right away that she'd wanted to do this with Carina no matter what, not caring about any wreck or challenge she might miss out on. Something Carina appreciated a lot, but that also made her feel somewhat of a burden - despite Maya telling her there was really no need to.

Maya quickly stepped closer, taking the heavy weight belt from Carina before it could drop on anyone's toes.

"Here, let me help you," she smiled again.

"No, no," Carina objected, "You're not even ready yourself. I'll just ask the—"

"Carina! I'm here to assist you. I'm your buddy, remember?"

Not waiting for her response, Maya wrapped the belt around Carina's waist, tight above the hip bones. Neatly threading the strap through the buckle, she continued, "Your buddy and your girlfriend, so this really isn't anyone else's job but mine. Here, see, right-hand release!"

She looked up again, her eyes meeting Carina's as it turned out they were staring at her.

"What?" Maya frowned. Wait, had she been weird?

Carina squinted, trying to see through Maya's aviators. "I'm your girlfriend?"

Maya's smile returned as quickly as it had vanished. "Well, yeah," she chuckled, "You think I would come all the way here with just anyone?"

The question seemed easy, yet when Carina didn't answer it - or worse: gave any reaction at all for that matter - Maya took a step backwards. "Wait, did I just say something silly? Am I... am I wrong?!"

As Carina quickly pulled her back towards her, using the front chord of Maya's wetsuit, her face lit up and her smile grew wider than Maya had ever seen. "I was just letting your words sink in. You were so clear before, about not needing a g—"

"That was stupid," Maya cut her off, her eyes studying their bare feet all of a sudden. "I should never have said that."

"You needed time," Carina said with a soft smile, gently lifting Maya's chin with her index finger. "There's nothing wrong with that." And then, after a teasing wink, "But I won't lie, I'm very happy if you want to dive in with me."

Giggling by her words, Maya glanced at the ocean around them, before swiftly staring - and willingly drowning - in Carina's eyes again. 

"Let's jump in," she sighed blissfully. And when their lips met, they both knew she wasn't talking about the water.

****************************************************

3k Celebration Prompts (closed)

#writing prompts #fanfiction #maya bishop #carina deluca #maya x carina #station 19

[gayspock]

OK SOMEEEE gripes

im ACTUALLY extremely conflicted on some of the present day stuff and i think its mostly down to the characters

like im very happy with jeff, and i think he's fine as is - brilliant, even, bc hes a genuinely refreshing take imo as opposed to what they could have easily done (i.e unlikable, distant from it all husband). not that he would be CRAZY or unreasonable to resent shauna, but like... its just fucking so much funnier + more interesting to me to see a character kind of just go with it, rather than to have them stew in angst. like i think its more interesting and allows for them to explore different beats than what you'd assume they would if you'd just known the basics of what shauna was up to. imo

similarly i was happy with adam as a character, too, and i think they developed him well enough for who he was and how he functions in this story. im glad he didnt turn out to be javi (if he was, i guess, bc he still could be technically that kinda suck wway more now tbh booo) and whilst there was nooo way he was gonna survive if he was just some guy which he was

theres also guys like kevyn. my jokes aside abt how scary he is im kinda fine with him, and i do actually makes some kinda sense that hes a cop + that he's now so straight-laced. some loser divorced dad. and it'd be a good comparison to natalie, and the lifestyle she lives now and how their paths diverged. however i kind of wish they'd... just let him go? like i wish he'd been at the reunion, and they'dhad that exchanged and then he'd just walked away to his wife and kids and her back to the yellowjackets no return no return no return huh what was that YEHA. my point is. i feel like there's no true resolution between them two thats organic and it just kinda feels weird to keep him around past that. i know they need a cop character for whats happening with shauna now but it just feels kinda ... bizarre to have him playing that role with that creep dude. bc whilst i do prefer limited characters in a show like this and to keep it tight and clean it just feels weird for it to be him and for it to be THAT insular AND, again, for him to keep sticking around when i dont feel like theres anywhere for him to go.... like its kinda DIFFERENT with the other cop dude, bc he isnt pre-established and he does kinda just function moreso as just. a fucking yuckhead fuckhead but instead its just this weird uhhhh. and kevyn is back! um. he will continue serving this purpose and we will never touch on him and natalie again. bc we shouldnt ofc but it also feels weird to have him there without ever mentioning it LOL

who else. fuck. like i am also very conflicted abt tai's wife and son like.... they do just feel a bit like- theyre just there? and i think that DEFINITELY makes some sort of narrative sense with tai, and with her whole deal- she has it all, she has everything but she has nothinnggg but... IDK KINDA SAD MAN. bc its weird i'll go back to this with jeff and callie, but it does make SENSE that the non-yellowjackets characters are always gonna be secondary with the story theyre telling in more ways than them just being secondary characters but with how fucking impossible it is to reconnect with fucking ANYONE after everything they did/went through BUT ITS LIKE... like i said i kinda like jeff and ironically his absolute lack of personality became a personality, whereas with simone&sammy i feel like theyre just kinda... SUPER functioning and that does kinda make me worry because whilst i know a lot of ppl are yelling for tai/van endgame... i dont know it feels weird to write them off fuckin completely which is what i feel like the show might kinda lean into at some point...😭like i want more for them, and from them. and i also sorry i also hate fucking "scary child who sees the supernatural" trope SORRYYYY its so tired to me and so lazy . give this kid some proper fucking development

and i think its also another issue im having with the present day stuff. theres too many characters rn and its being misspent. like do not get me wrong im not against quirky elijah wood BUT i feel like misty's ENTIRE. FUCKING. ARC. RIGHT. NOW. would be so much more fucking effective if she was alone and tracking down natalie by herself and kinda struggling with that. OR if they kept up her rapport with jessica- like have her tag along, whether it'd be under the guise of a fixer or not, and maybe have her cause some tension bc again if eel like.. ITS SO MUCH WEIRDER just having jessica's entire stint just come to an end in the way it did and it would have been a much more solid throughline into s2 than to bring in elijah wood whos just genderbent misty and its like . ok its just nott.... INTERESTING TO ME... SO WHAT. SHES FOUND A GUY LIKE HER? WHO CARES MAN. IM SAYING THIS AS A LITTLE FREAK WHO CANT CONNECT WITH OTHERS & YEARNS FOR KINSHIP, LIKE... I JUST FEEL LIKE ITS KINDA BACKWARDS AND REGRESSIVE AND NOTHINGGGG. jessica was a much weirder fucking dynamic and i think could have been interesting and i do think theres ways they could have had them both pursue natalie but now its just... ehhhhhh like

and i also feel like elijah wood is kinda bringing up the comedic parts of misty's story and dont get me wrong i LOVED a lot of the dark humour bits from her in s1 but i feel likw now its kinda getting too close to just. that. kinda like just oh funny joke funny dark humour. and losing a lot of the substance it should have, which is kinda necessary to the humour itself....AND he's sort of stealing her limelight like WHO CARES. GO AWAY DUUDE. have confidence in misty to be able to CARRY this shit, cmon, bc no offence elijah but SHE WAS WAY BETTER AT IT! bc thats whats so GOOD ABOUT THE SHOW OTHERWISE- you have the confidence to let all these girlies to carry their plotlines by themselves, so dont slip!!! GET BACK UP. and again im saying with the too many characters thing- its just... ehrhh. who cares to spend so much time on him??? whos just out of nowhere when its like.. again i'd prefer it if you spent that time with taissa or with .....

CALLIE. SHHES PROBABLY THE PERSON IM THE MOST CONFLICTED ON IN THE WORLD. bc in so many ways again i feel like we cant focus on her too much in shauna's little life that shes made for herself but I JUST... I CANT HELP BUT FEEL LIKE WE'RE IN THE MOST UNCOMFORTABLE SPOT IMAGINABLE WITH CALLIE, wherein we dont get enough of her and her side to really empathise with her but we get too much of her to find her on the wrong side of irritating-AND THAT. SUCKS. THATS THE WORST. EVER. BECAUSE SHES LITERALLY A TEENAGE GIRL. I FEEL LIKE THERES SO MUCH MORE THEY COULD DO WITH THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SHAUNA/CALLIE IF THEY PUSHED FOR IT MORE, BUT ITS JUST... again its in this such an awkwwaarddd position where they only bring her in to be difficult it feels like. and the thing is? shes being reasonable. MORE than. shes totally justified in all the shit shes doing. but bc of the unfortunate way its framed she comes off as...... sadly.... unlikable which . again AGAIN IT SUCKS. BECAUSE SHES A TEENAGE GIRL AND THIS FEELS LIKE THE FIRST SHOW IN A LONG TIME TO HAVE A CAST FULL OF UNLIKABLE FUCKING TEENAGE GIRLS BE THE BEST EVERRRRRR AND SHE COULD BE SO GOOD MAN SHE COULD BE SUCH A GOOD WAY FOR SHAUNA TO LOOK INTO THE PAST BUTEE..... they kinda just write her off too and bring her up to cause complications obly. thats all it is. and i dont know i do get it i dooo get it bc again it makes SENSE with shauna and who she is and where her life is that the presentation would thereforebe kinda more her perspective but also... i do just feel... ITCHES. LIKE IM CLAWING AT THE WALL

ok last thing maybe idk. idk how i feel about lottie at all. its strange. i felt like she..... was kinda not present enough in s1. does that make sense ever at all. i wish we had more from her and her whole visions thing, and she had as much focus in the past as the others did from the very beginning. bc i feel like in s1... we didnt see enough of her in that regard? like we got her- we got bits of her. but not enough of her-her. bc im fine with her kinda story on paper (ish) and how its playing out but i t does feel weirdly unba;anced across s1 / s2. and its throwing me a bit there

#Egg.txt #yellowjackets liveblog