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wen-kexing-apologist · 5 months

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ngl i am waiting for you to write about physical touch and HANDS in last twilight *insert manifestation circle.gif here*

Not gonna lie, as much as I have been enjoying Last Twilight, I haven't felt all that inspired to write about it, but it has been making me feel all warm and fuzzy now that people are reaching out and asking for my thoughts. Turns out people actually seem to enjoy my horrendously long posts!

Alright, I will talk about physical touch and hands in Last Twilight, but before I get too far in to it, I just want to say, I love the use of physical touch in shows, but I will dare to claim the use of physical touch seems particularly important, and especially complicated in Last Twilight, compared to most of the other shows I've written about. Why?

Because Day is blind, and Mhok is his caretaker, and if you are remotely aware of disability, the autonomy of disabled people, the privacy of disabled people, the survival of disabled people are often disrupted by abled bodied people. I saw a post somewhere, sorry I can't find it, where someone mentioned the rates of abuse of disabled people by their caretakers and how that might weigh in to Day's reaction to touching a shirtless Mhok in Episode 2.

So.

With Day's blindness, grief, and intentional isolation, as well as his family's anxiety, how much control has Day really had over his own life in the last year? As @bengiyo said in Episode 1, "Day's brashness in the interview when he asks Mhok if he's hot sounds like a gay man knowing that he is about to be touched a lot by a stranger" [not a direct quote, apologies].

Episode 1

gif from @dragonsareawesome123

The first physical touch we get between Day and Mhok is when Mhok touches Day's chin, making a comment that essentially boils down to Day having a punchable face. You can see how shocked Day is to feel Mhok's thumb on him. But the motion is quick, light, and slightly flirty (though maybe I'm reading a bit in to that last one since I know this is a BL). While Day seems taken aback, he doesn't seem uncomfortable with the touch at all, moreso, to me at least, he seems surprised that Mhok *isn't* shying away from touching Day after Day so loudly and blatantly declared his queerness and hit on Mhok.

photo from @thescrumptiousstuffs

The second physical touch we get is when Day leaves his car and winds up on the street with traffic whizzing past. Mhok pulls Day off the street when Day gets overwhelmed and Day goes crashing in to Mhok. I don't remember them staying pressed together for too long, but there is a moment where Mhok is embracing Day. Mhok's hands go to Day's hips while Day's hand rests on Mhok's chest near his collarbone. From my view, this is a decently intimate position for relative strangers, but they don't feel uncomfortable in it. Which is a great hint that Mhok and Day are going to become more to each other. Mhok does something here that I do think is important, which is to tell Day who is he, so Day knows he isn't being manhandled by a *complete* stranger. And though I suspect the biggest reason why Day ends up being driven home by Mhok is because Day wants to be away from Night, it cannot be denied that Day already has some modicum of trust in this random, crass man that burst in for an interview just the other day. Because, as we know, Mhok was really the only person who interacted with Day without falling victim to pity, inspiration porn, or infantilization.

The third physical touch I consider important is when Day's mother stops him from standing up. I've been reading @waitmyturtles PhD level thesis on Bad Buddy so filial piety and saving face is pretty present on my mind. I think it is important to acknowledge that Day does have some autonomy, but where he exercises it is very clear. He can leverage his blindness and his bad experiences with past caretakers to get what he wants out of his mother, and he can double, triple, quadruple the caretaker salary without consulting his mother. But when it comes to physical movement, he listens to his mother, but not to Night. Night tells him to stay in the car, and Day almost immediately leaves the car and goes in to the Society. Day gets out in the middle of traffic after a fight with Night, even after Night begs him to stay in the car. But that moment of challenge from Mhok where he tells Day to come get his ID himself, and Day starts to stand, everything stops dead in its tracks at the first light touch of his mother's hand on Day's chest. So, despite the moments of anger and rebellion we see from Day, he still listens to his mother.

gif from @dragonsareawesome123

And then Day moves to get his ID, and here is where I will mention a moment where there was not any touch. Which, probably could be an essay in and of itself, but I don't have the capacity at the moment, on this airplane, to comb through all the scenes and look for it. But here, this one feels important, because Day takes the ID from Mhok, but Mhok does not let go right away. Their fingers are so close, and in a lot of movies, the handing over of an item would usually involve some sort of moment where fingertips brush and a shockwave of electricity ripples through the future couple. But we don't get that here. The moment of connection, the moment that Day really knows he can trust Mhok, the moment Day decides he is going to hire Mhok has nothing to do with touch, and everything to do with sound. He hears Mhok read Chapter 21 of The Little Prince, a book that is desperately important to Day, and that is that. And I do think it is important that these little touches that we've had, and where we break from the romance tradition for touch are important. Because, I think it is totally fine for feelings to grow between Mhok and Day rather quickly, but I do not think it would have been wise to show Mhok having some sort of actual crush on Day from the beginning. If Mhok had some sort of romantic or sexually attractive feelings for Day before he started working there, that would, in my opinion, read as predatory in some sense. Especially looking ahead to Episode 2, when Mhok is shirtless in Day's room.

Because, the thing about physical touch in television is that a lot of different elements go in to selling it as romantic chemistry. One of the most important components is timing and close up. As a side note, I think timing is a huge factor in to why I did not enjoy Perth and Chimon together in Dangerous Romance (before I dropped it) because the camera just never lingered long enough on their faces or on their touches for me to believe they had feelings for each other. But, by Episode 3 of Last Twilight I can see the care and the chemistry between Mhok and Day. I can see the comfortability that Mhok and Day have from almost the very beginning of knowing each other, but I don't take much of their physical interactions to be sexually charged or romantic in Episode 1. Why would they be? These two don't know each other. By generally avoiding zooming in on just Day and Mhok's hands when they touch, by having Mhok grabbing Day's chin with his thumb quickly and lightly you aren't building to tension. Aof is merely demonstrating that physical touch between Day and Mhok is welcomed and Day is not going to be uncomfortable with having Mhok take care of him.

So we head in to Episode 2 with the understanding that there is some fundamental aspect of Mhok that Day is drawn to, and that Mhok and Day are going to get along.

Episode 2

Now, as much as I have loved the rapidly developing relationship between Mhok and Day, I do kind of wish we had had a full episode's worth of two angry, grieving people coming head to head. But, regardless, Aof handles the transition between casual touch and Something More with expert precision. Unsurprising, considering his oeuvre.

gif by @mooninaugust

So we get absolutely my favorite touch moment to date in Episode 2 with the absolutely terrible secret handshake between two blind people. I love how Mhok is witness to this moment of excitement and friendship between Day and Aon, and that we are too. Because it shows us where Mhok currently stands in Day's hierarchy of relationships. Mhok at the beginning of Episode 2 is still an acquaintance, some dude they hired because he cursed the family out and read The Little Prince during his interview process. The cut scene between Mhok saying Day might not want to see him, and Aon and Day hugging and doing their stupid loser handshake (I love them) shows Mhok and the audience that Day does have joy within him, and that Day is starting to build friendship and connection within his new (read: blind) community. We won't know until a little later in the episode how much Day has been cutting himself off from his old life, but for the time being Mhok knows his place in Day's life.

And Aon picks up on the fact that there is *something* even if it is not necessarily romantic there between Mhok and Day, again not by seeing anything physical between them because a) Mhok and Day did not touch in front of Aon and b) Aon would not have been able to see it anyway. But instead calls out the fact that Day has never talked about a single one of his caregivers before. We know now (and definitely should know already) that Mhok is different from other people Day has engaged with since he started going blind. We just haven't had time for their relationship to mature.

photo from @thatgirl4815

If I recall correctly, the first physical touch between Mhok and Day we get in Episode 2 is when Day accidentally touches Mhok's titty while searching for the eye drops. You can see Day recoil in shock a bit and he questions Mhok almost immediately as to why his shirt is off. Mhok is incredibly matter-of-fact in explaining that Day said he didn't like the smell of cigarettes, so he took his shirt off so as not to stink up Day's room (we can ignore the fact that he would still smell like cigs, but we ignore it For The Vine) and Day relaxes and makes some sort of annoyed comment. Again here, there is no romantic attraction in this rather intimate touch. I mean, this is Mhok's what? Second or third day? Mhok and Day barely know each other, Mhok is constantly fucking up the Whole Routine because he isn't communicating with Day about what Day's needs are, and here he is in his employer's room having his pec fondled. This is supposed to read as funny, and ultimately I think it does, but it doesn't read as romantic, and it definitely should not. What has Mhok done up to this point that would cause Day to have Genuine Romantic Feelings for him? Nothing.

photo from @moonchildridden

Again, the first hint that feelings may be approaching comes outside of the touch, with Mhok seeing how excited Day is to use those few precious seconds of better vision to watch his goldfish. And even moreso, it's not just the action that I think start the train rolling, but the conversation that Mhok has with Day where he asks if the goldfish is lonely. Mhok is able to con Day in to leaving his room by leveraging the health and safety of one of the few things Mhok has seen Day care about and connect with in the short time they've known each other. Day gets outside for the first time in god knows how long, to find that the jasmine is in bloom and to have a lovely conversation with Mhok about it. Mhok asks about Day's vision, how he sees, what he can see, and he tries to adapt to Day's necessary distance requirements. Day of course, has his head turned away and thus does not see Mhok coming in to Day's eyesight range, and bumps his nose against the top of Mhok's finger.

This little, accidental movement is one of my favorites of the episode, mostly because it opens up the conversation where Day asks what Mhok is doing and Mhok asks if Day wants to see his face. And this scene establishes exactly what I mean about timing as it relates to building sexual tension. Day ponders for a moment, the camera lingers on his face, the audience begins to feel like Day is caught off-guard, like maybe he does have some sort of crush on Mhok and he does want to see his face. Only for Day to break that tension right before it gets awkwardly long and tell Mhok he does not. This is closer to the shit that friends would pull. And thus we see that in a very quick period of time Mhok is becoming more important in Day's life as a waypoint. He is listening to Mhok, he has a slight bit of banter going with Mhok when they watch a movie, and even after Day fires Mhok (for the physical touches I will talk about next) Mhok's influence on Day's general day to day (haha) existence is clear in the fact that Day is sitting on the couch and trying to pick a movie entirely independently of anyone.

Things are starting to go smoothly, when Day's friends show up asking when he got back from America. Day panics at the unexpected arrival of friends who seem not to know about his condition, spills his popcorn, and falls to the floor, where he is desperately scrambling to get back on his feet and Get The Fuck Out. Mhok tries to help him up, but he's pretty quickly brushed off. This is the first time we see Day reject a touch from Mhok. Knowing what I know now about where we end up in Episode 3, I am realizing how important this entire scene (from Day tripping to Mhok getting fired) is for establishing a comparison point for change. Because the unwanted touch continues when Mhok breaks in to Day's room, also in a panic when Day is bathing.

gif by @btwinlines

We get such a juicy moment of Mhok and Day's trauma clashing with each other in a way that is unintentionally terrible all around. Day does not know about Mhok's backstory, Day does not know that by putting in his headphones and intentionally ignoring Mhok he is accidentally triggering Mhok regarding the death of his sister. Mhok knows that Day is upset, but only hears the room fall quiet, he does not know that Day is in the bathtub (read: naked) when he comes barging in. Again, to reference the post whoever it was made that talked about the rates of abuse/assault of disabled people by caregivers, this is a horrifically vunerable position that Day finds himself in. Mhok is far enough away from Day's range of vision for Day to see him immediately duck behind a wall to give Day privacy while he wraps himself in a towel. And before Day can really process what is happening, with both his emotions and Mhok's running high, Mhok is grabbing at Day's wrists to check them for cuts. A beautiful (and terrible) detail.

Personally, I do not think anyone's reaction to that situation is wrong, but it does give Day a second round of extremely uncomfortable and unwelcome touching from Mhok, when he's already escalated, and trying to process the fact that Mhok just barged in to his room while Day was naked and got a little peek. Here Day demonstrates that he does have autonomy, and that Mhok respects that autonomy with Day firing Mhok after two particularly awful physical interactions, and with Mhok not even saying a word in protest and just accepting his termination and leaving the house.

photo from @thescrumptiousstuffs

Now. Mhok isn't completely going out fighting, and Mhok I think has really started to realize that he cares for Day (even if he doesn't necessarily have feelings at this point) because of how badly he was triggered by Day falling silent. Mhok is a thoughtful person and respects Day's boundaries by sending Porjai to the house instead of going himself. Much to Day's chagrin, because the second the doorbell rings, you can see this hopeful look that maybe Mhok is going to walk through that door. Porjai hands Day the present Mhok bought him, and Mhok does hold the slippers close, but he relies heavily on his hands to feel the slippers to figure out what they are and what they look like. He knows immediately that Mhok has been paying attention and trying to get to know Day immediately because the slippers solve the problem Day has had with hitting his feet on furniture corners, and the slippers look like goldfish, one of the few things Day has seemed to care about since knowing Mhok.

Beyond the fact that I think Day already felt bad about what happened the other day and regrets firing Mhok, this really does demonstrate to Day that people still care about him, want to get to know him, and understand that adaptation is a constant in Day's new reality. But Mhok takes it further, by committing to the motherfucking bit to understand Day better.

Aside: I fucking *love* Aof for how often his stories focus on the overlooked or disenfranchised people, and I think that while it is going to be a feat for Last Twilight to become my favorite Aof piece considering how important Moonlight Chicken is to me, the backstories of Mhok and Day and the way they inform character decisions is perhaps my favorite of all of the shows I've seen of Aof's. I *love* the conversation that Mhok and Aon have where Aon says Day is scared of being looked at and judged by people, and how Mhok is like "why?" because he has spent the last year a visible criminal, trying to get a job, and being constantly rejected for exactly the reason he thinks. Mhok has spent so much time and energy over the last year trying to reintegrate himself in to society, while Day has spent so much time and energy over the last year trying to remove himself from society as completely as he can. Even if I am not sure that he believes it wholly, I do think Mhok understands that he isn't an inherently bad person because he was locked up, but that he is a victim of circumstance, and yet even reformed from his truancy past, Mhok found it impossible to get a job because people stopped caring about him as a person the second they saw his ankle monitor. Thus, Mhok knows exactly what it is like to be written off, to be abandoned, to be forgotten and I think it is for precisely those reasons that Mhok decides to spend the time and effort to understand the world that Day is living in.

The ankle monitor has served as an embarrassment for Mhok in such a way that I truly do not think Mhok is concerned about seeming like a complete and utter fool. And even so, he starts to understand the fear that Day is living with existing as a blind person in public, because Mhok is extremely used to seeing what people think of him without them having to say anything, and now he has no idea.

gif by @btwinlines

Which I think is a good segue in to the next physical touch we get, which is Day feeling Mhok's face in the marketplace after he asks Porjai to take him there. Again, the distance of the camera, the timing of the movement does not come off as romantic, at least to me. But it does come off as comfortable. I think Day is fucking with Mhok a little bit when he touches his face, and we don't actually acknowledge or get any conversation around the way Day has just demonstrated what it feels like to be touched without warning.

And YET AGAIN Aof has their bond strength not through touch, but through conversation. Because they aren't falling for each other yet, they are still learning about one another. And so they have a conversation where Mhok apologies and Mhok explains what he was trying to do and Mhok identifies what it is that makes Day so afraid of being in public. And we end Episode 2 with Mhok being re-hired as Day's caregiver. But wait!

Remember the last touch we get in Episode 1 is not a touch at all, it's Day taking his ID back from Mhok. Well, the last touch we get in Episode 2 is not a touch at all, it's Day throwing his hands to the sky on the back of Mhok's motorcycle and letting the wind hit his face. It's Day sitting on the complete opposite side of a glass tank, and using his moment of improved vision to catch a glimpse of Mhok. They aren't touching, yet we end the episode with the understanding that Day and Mhok have strengthened their relationship and are on the fast road to friendship. Personally, I feel like it is extremely responsible of Aof to not treat touching a blind person or having a blind person touch you as inherently romantic, and to have the more stomach swoopy moments come from actions and observations entirely devoid of touch. But, I'm not blind so I don't know how much something like that might actually matter to blind people who are engaging with this story.

Episode 3

IT IS TIME FOR FEELINGS!

There are so many physical touches in this episode. The first we get is Mhok unwrapping a bandage on Day's foot, with Day looking extremely at peace with the action. The second we get is Mhok kind of poking at Day and then jokingly moving to pick Day up when he refuses to start cleaning his room. Day doesn't seem like a person generally fond of man-handling, but you can tell very easily that Mhok is just fucking with Day because Day fucked with Mhok. We are witnessing friendship! Which persists throughout the entire episode.

photo by @athousandbyeol

I like too that Mhok using the blindfold to better understand Day is not a one and done situation. Again there are a few friendly touch moments that do not at all read as romantic.Mhok steals Day’s sunglasses and is perfectly at peace with Day feeling up his face to try to see if the sunglasses Mhok is wearing are his; and when Mhok's hand envelopes Day's when they are trying to guess the shirts in Day's closet by feel alone. Day does not tense up, he doesn't suck in a breath, he doesn't really let that touch linger. He shakes it off quickly and is like "that's my hand". And again, as an aside (I hope this does not come across inappropriately but) I kinda like that Mhok is almost gamifying Day's blindness. What I mean by that is that Day and Mhok are engaging in friendly competition to see who can accurately guess the article of clothing. It seems like a great way to bring some joy and levity to helping Day get better at understanding his surroundings without the use of his vision.

I am an absolute sucker for couples in shows that have an established friendship beforehand. I don't mean friends to lovers necessarily, but too often in BLs I have noticed that romantic interests are only ever that and we don't get a lot of moments of stupidity, tomfoolery, and fun. So you better believe I was living my best life in the next physical touch scene when Day and Mhok are fighting with the dinosaur costumes on. And this is where the physical touches start to change, because we start without physical touch and end with it, where we have up until this point been ending every moment of connection and relationship progression ending without touch.

gif by @raypakorn

For the dinosaur fight, we get the non-romantic, entirely platonic assistive touch of Mhok helping (poorly) to guide Day to the driveway (this fucker was so ready to wrestle he forgot to tell Day to mind the stairs at first lmfao). The actual point of connection starts with Mhok intentionally trying to dive out of the way of Day’s touch. And once again Mhok Day’s blindness to elevate a game between them, by clapping and then diving out of the way to try to avoid Day’s movements. But that avoidance of physical interaction very quickly devolves in to a wrestling embrace, laughing, having fun, and then settling on the ground to chat until Day hears his mother’s car and they run back inside to hide the evidence of childish glee.

Day’s mother returns to find a very different Day from who she left, he’s out of his room, he’s eating in the dining room, he’s seeming much more confident in his ability to navigate around the house. And of course, she has to go and ruin the moment by pushing too quickly on a nerve about going back to school. Day wants to withdraw from school and he needs to go in person.

Now.

We have seen Day taking massive strides in his own healing process in the last few episodes because he is starting to ask for help when he needs it, and Mhok is getting better at caretaking because he is started to ask if Day wants help for certain tasks or if Day is going to do them himself, thus allowing Day to set his limitations. Knowing that Day is going in to school, he asks Mhok to help him fix up his hair, and we get the first of many more crush-level physical touches in the show.

gif by @jimmysea

I’m not Thai, so forgive me if this is wrong, but I am pretty sure that in Thai culture the head is considered sacred and having people touch your head carries a significance that I do not think Western audiences really understand (speaking as a Western viewer). If this is indeed true, then the scene where Mhok is fixing Day’s hair gets even more intense, even when there is a clear change in Mhok’s view of Day from friendly to starting to see something more. Mhok even makes a comment about how Day is a stunner (or something) when his hair is done, and when Mhok asks Day if he likes it and Day returns the question, there is a pause that is not at all dissimilar to the pause Day had after Mhok asked him if Day wanted to know what Mhok looked like.

But where the tension from Episode 2 when Mhok asks the question is broken in a way that makes it seem more like Day is just teasing, I don’t think Mhok’s deflection of “it’s alright” really returns the same level of dismissal. Because Mhok is starting to realize something about the way he is feeling for Day.

We get the inside of the Thai subway for the first time in maybe ever? As Mhok and Day make their way to Day’s college. And thus the not-a-date-kind-of-a-date adventure begins. Day is clinging on to Mhok’s arm as they navigate on to the subway car, at which point Mhok breaks off from Day to try to ask for a seat for Day. But Day grabs him and pulls him back, choosing instead of hold on to Mhok’s arm. Like I have been saying, Aof has been doing a really great job at differentiating the types of touches, and up until this point, the more intimate touches between Mhok and Day, such as when Day feels Mhok’s titty in his bedroom or Mhok’s face at the market, don’t read as romantic, because Day is taking in information to supplement his vision. Similarly, the moments where Day is holding on to Mhok for assistance in environmental navigation, such as when Mhok helps guide Day to his professor’s office or helps him down the stairs the physical touch is matter-of-fact on both ends.

photo by @athousandbyeol

But here, in the subway, we get the first instance of physical touch from an environmental navigation standpoint that reads more like a man who is developing a crush rather than Day just being guided…

…but that comes from Day, not from Mhok. Which I appreciate massively from the standpoint of ensuring that Mhok as the caretaker does not appear to be taking advantage of Day. In the subway, Day could have sat down, he didn’t need to stay standing, he didn’t need to continue holding on to Mhok. But he chooses to do that. He chooses to keep his arm linked tightly with Mhok’s, he chooses to get a little flirty with Mhok when he says as long as Mhok stays close to him, that’s all Day needs. And we get the close up of Mhok and Day’s hands when Mhok moves to tap Day’s hand gently, and the shot lingers. Because things are starting to change.

I said in a previous reblog last week when Episode 3 came out that Aof does this really interesting thing in his direction and cinematography when characters share intimate moments, in that he breaks from his standard visual format. The lighting often changes, the camera isn’t held as steady, the moments are zoomed in much closer than we are used to. We get it with Heart and Li Ming playing that spider game with their fingers the night that Li Ming sleeps over and we get it in the subway when Day stumbles slightly and swallows hard, embarrassed and avoiding eye contact while Mhok looks at Day kind of fondly.

gif by @taeminie

So we see the spark in the subway and then watch that spark begin to catch when they end up in the dressing room together. Day and Mhok both establish that they have never been in a dressing room with another person to cut the tension and nerves a bit. Afterall, this is the first time that we’ve seen where Mhok is getting up close and personal with Day’s partially nude body, when they are both calm, collected, and not amidst a panic attack about a potential medical emergency. No one is feeling violated, no one is feeling scared, no one is having their privacy forcibly removed from them. But that makes them all that more aware of how they are feeling, physically, when they are touching and being touched.

And we get a secondary Aof Camerawork Moment where the style of shot changes and we get that gorgeous zoom in on Mhok’s hands and Day’s chest when Mhok helps Day back in to his shirt. And isn’t it wonderful that the most sensual and intimate moment that we have seen from Mhok and Day so far is putting Day’s clothes back on?

gif by @wanderlust-in-my-soul

Check out @btwinlines’ post about this scene.

Day and Mhok continue their day, find the Last Twilight book, and are hanging about the market where Mhok leaves Day standing against a pole while he runs to grab a drink. As a result, we get a bombardment of physical touch, the most overwhelming to date because Day is getting just absolutely shunted around, bumping elbows and shoulders with the people at the market with no idea of where he is or where he is going. And this is where we really get an understanding of how terrible physical touch can be when you don’t have any bearing of your surroundings and can’t see where people are coming from or anticipate contact.

We got a scene in Episode 1 where we see how dangerous being blind has the potential to be, but Day isn’t being touched by anybody at that point until he is pulled off the street by Mhok. But this time while Day does have a moment where he is in more physical danger because he stumbles on to the street, he is relatively much more safe getting lost in the marketplace than when he ran out on to the street in Episode 1, cause the few cars that are present are moving slow and know to be looking out for pedestrians. Day is grabbed and directed by random strangers who are trying to help him and kind of just…drag him along until he is out of the street when he is visibly panicking and then just…left on the side of the road with an offhanded statement from strangers that he is “safe now” and they just…leave him alone and continue on their way. Even there, with a helpful touch, there is no safety or comfortability in Day’s posture, he is not calmed by hearing that he is safe. Which serves as a really great comparison point for how comfortable Day has pretty much always been with Mhok (minus the one moment of severe dysregulation after being surprised by his friends and then by Mhok when Day was buck ass naked).

Especially when compared to the relief that just rushes through Day’s body when he and Mhok are reunited and they embrace.

AND LIKE OKAY, CAN I GO ON A BRIEF TANGENT TO TALK ABOUT THE PINK SHIRT?

gif by @tomystars

You know how in a lot of romances you get that moment where you get the like, love at first sight thing? Time slows down, one half of the romantic pair picks the other half of the romantic pair out of the crowd? WE GET THAT HERE, WITH THE BLIND CHARACTER BEING THE ONE WHO PICKS THE FUTURE LOVE INTEREST OUT OF THE CROWD.

The pink shirt is brilliant, and I love how it both acts as an anchor point for Day who is able to calm down upon seeing it, and not panic or freak out when being grabbed and embraced by Mhok after having a decently traumatic experience with physical touch just minutes before while also reaffirming that Mhok is learning and internalizing the adaptations he needs to incorporate in to his own life to make Day’s daily life easier and more accessible. Mhok understands how Day’s vision functions, he remembers that Day has said he could see that shirt from Mars it’s so bright, and he provides an in for Day to maintain his autonomy by making it possible for Day to potentially see Mhok before Mhok sees Day.

ANYWAY

@athousandbyeol

The embrace they share when Day and Mhok are reunited is not charged, is not romantic, at least not to me. But what it does show is how much care Day and Mhok have for each other, how quickly their friendship is developing, and the safe spaces these two will find in the other. Day calms so quickly the second he and Mhok are touching, as soon as he has an anchor. And he won’t let go of Mhok either.

Aof and co have been playing well with dichotomies, here, a situation that pulls Day and Mhok physically apart ends up bringing them emotionally closer together. It is clear that Day does not blame Mhok for what happened, even if Mhok was gone much longer than anticipated, and that is affirmed by Day defending Mhok to his mother when she questions Mhok’s caretaking skills and holds his criminal record over his head.

And, let’s not forget, this is just writing about the physical touch, this post does not discuss whether or not the lack of touch is important. I wrote a decent chunk of this in the airport without wifi, so I could only talk about physical touch from memory, I didn't rewatch anything like I normally do, so apologies if I missed stuff.

#last twilight #last twilight the series #last twilight meta #last twilight analysis #jimmysea #mhokday #mhok x day #morkday #mork x day #physical touch in last twilight #sorry for the delay anon I know you sent this ask the other day #but fun fact it does take me an ungodly number of hours to write things so I hope you did not feel ignored #wka long post

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esamastation · 6 months

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Part thirty-five of Shizuroth, aka, the SOLDIER General's Self Saving Shizun.

Ao3 link.

Previous parts: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, twenty, twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty-three, twenty-four, twenty-five, twenty-six, twenty-seven, twenty-eight, twenty-nine, thirty, thirty-one, thirty-two, thirty-three, thirty-four

Well, Sephiroth seems to be in a better mood than yesterday. Maybe he was just coming down from his… whatever it was that happened in the training room. Angeal still isn't entirely sure. Though the Turks had debriefed him and even showed him a video, it didn't make that much sense. Especially with the blood vomiting. Which Angeal still isn't entirely over, either.

But Sephiroth seems, while still not quite himself, at least cheered up. He'd relaxed in increments during their walk into the woods, and the change of environment - or most likely, leaving the camp and its staring occupants behind - made him a little less closed off.

"This place is so alive," Sephiroth comments, peering up at the leaf canopy above then. "The air is so fresh."

"Mmhmm," Angeal smiles. "A welcome change from Midgar, huh?"

From the way he's looking around them, carefully taking in everything, Sephiroth can't remember much of anything about Wutai either - it's all new to him. Seeing his fascination kind of makes Angeal want to see his take on Mideel. Or, hell, Gongaga. Sephiroth would be very entertained by the local wildlife there, going by his reactions now.

"What is this thing?" Sephiroth asks, holding up what looks like a fistful of long grass. It wiggles in his hold, little legs kicking at the air.

"Razor Weed - I think the locals call it Leg-Cutting Grass," Angeal says, leaning in to watch the spiky beast wiggling in Sephiroth's grip. "They're pretty common and can deflate truck tires."

Sephiroth turns the little monster this way and that while it makes angry noises at him. "I bet. It's it a plant or an animal?"

"Uh. I don't actually know?" Angeal offers and gives him a look. "Someone back at the camp might. All I know is that they're annoying to fight."

Sephiroth hums, considering the weed, testing the blades sticking out of its head. He seems to struggle with something before sighing. "I can't kill it, it's too cute." He sounds almost disappointed.

"... It's just a monster?" Angeal says, giving him a weird look. "I've seen men almost lose their legs, stepping into these things."

"Sounds like their own fault," Sephiroth says and crouches down to let the angry weed go. "Off you go, little buddy."

The Razor Weed answers by trying to attack him with its grass blades, all but lunging at him. Sephiroth just snorts and flicks it into the forest with his finger. "Cute," he concludes.

Angeal scratches at the back of his head. Though low-level mobs aren't really that big of a deal, still… "We're supposed to be, ah, weeding the monster population here, you know. That includes Razor Weeds."

"It's just a little grass thing," Sephiroth says. "It barely reaches your knee!"

"They're a menace and can cast spells," Angeal points out. "Your usual Infantry troopers can barely -"

"They cast spells?" Sephiroth asks, fascinated, and stands up, looking around interestedly. "I want to see that! Let's go find another."

Oh, boy. Running a hand through his hair, Angeal hurries after him. Well, it's… a novel experience, seeing Sephiroth of all people so excited about something. And of course it would be monsters. Usually Sephiroth is more interested in fighting monsters rather than just observing them, though, but it's still a definite improvement to his mood from yesterday. Even if it's because of weeds.

That changes when they get surrounded by about half a dozen of the little monsters.

"Still cute?" Angeal asks, fending two of them off with the flat of the Buster Sword's blade.

Apparently, yes, going by the glow in Sephiroth's eyes. "Don't kill them yet, I want to see some spells!" The man - the maniac - says, using still sheathed Masamune to push the monsters back.

"You know, as much as I appreciate your scientific curiosity, these things can actually do some damage in bigger groups, you know!" Angeal calls to him.

"Yeah, yeah," Sephiroth answers, flippantly. "So what do we need to do to make them cast spells?"

One of the Razor Weeds answers for him - by casting a Magic Hammer on Sephiroth. Which, Angeal is pretty sure, Sephiroth just lets it happen! Thankfully it's not a physical attack - Magic Hammer hits you in the MP - though, looking at Sephiroth's reaction…

"Oh, you little Qi-stealing bastard," Sephiroth says, and that's that for the Razor Weeds.

"... Uh," Angeal says, while the Razor Weeds fall over, mowed down like so much grass, and Sephiroth stands over them looking very hurt and disappointed. Angeal clears his throat, trying to bite back a smile. "So. What did we learn?"

Sephiroth rubs at his stomach, and gives him a flat look. "Yeah, haha, rub it in," he mutters and then, "Oh, hey, they left the remains behind!"

"... Most things do when you kill them, yes," Angeal agrees and looks at him interestedly. "So, you remember Mako monsters?"

Sephiroth is crouching again, examining the dead Razor Weeds. "Mm?"

"Monsters that converge around Mako concentrations," Angeal explains, hoisting Buster Sword back to his back. "You… don't remember?"

"Uh. I remember that some things just sort of… disperse instead of leaving anything physical?" Sephiroth asks, sounding rather hopeful. "Is that a thing, or…?"

"It's a thing - Mako monsters. They're attracted to Mako, they are common around reactors and natural Mako pools - so people call them Mako monsters," Angeal explains. "The slums under Midgar are full of them. They're kind of like more physical ghosts, I think."

"... Huh," Sephiroth hums, and pokes at the dead Razor Weeds. "So monsters around here…?"

"Mostly physical," Angeal agrees. "I think there are some natural Mako springs around here, so there might be Mako monsters too… but I haven't seen any personally."

"Hmmm," Sephiroth hums and stands up. "That is fascinating."

"It sure is," Angeal laughs, because it really isn't, not to him, but Sephiroth has always been a bit weird. "Shall we continue? There's many more monsters to see."

"Yes, let's."

"... And get hit by," Angeal adds and looks at Sephiroth. "Actually, are you going to let all of them get a hit in? Because if you are, I'd like to know ahead of time, just in case I need to have a Remedy in hand."

"I'm not going to let myself get hit again," Sephiroth says, primly. "I wouldn't have, if I realised what it was going to do."

"... Okay. Good." Angeal nods. "There are better ways to figure out your opponents' skillsets, anyway. Or you can just let them do their thing but get out of the way before it hits."

"Right, of course, that's something you can do," Sephiroth says, sheepish, and clears his throat. "I knew that."

Angeal gets a Remedy out, just in case.

SY, thinking FF7: ... Oh right, turn based combat isn't actually a thing.

#Fanfiction #ff7 #ffvii #svsss #angeal hewley #sephiroth #shen qingqiu #shen yuan

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cod-dump · 6 months

Text

Time (another monster au fic)

———

Price hadn’t foreseen ‘non-human handler’ in his future. Two vampires, an insectoid, whatever the hell Nik was (a lycan of some kind?), and a demon? Definitely wasn’t how he thought his days would go. He especially didn’t plan on sort of adopting the vampires both being older than his grandparents. Well, Soap was. Gaz was much younger than that but still older than Price.

But, their youthful appearances have most certainly made him feel like they needed guidance even though they had far more life experience. Well, Gaz seemed to return the familial connection, at least. He would often come join Price in his office just sit and talk. It was nice having that connection since Price wasn’t in contact with any of his family, distant relatives or close family members.

“Cap… I have a question,” it wasn’t often when Gaz wanted to ask Price something.

He was smart, had seen more things than Price. He was also the type to try to figure things out on his own before asking questions (thankfully he doesn’t do this on the clock).

“Question? About what?”

“Well… Ghost.”

Price felt his heart beat quicken, he knew where this was going, “What about him?”

“Why is he here? He’s a demon, they don’t do this kind of thing. Especially not on their own free will.”

He could hear what Gaz was wanting to say. The thing he hasn’t about to actually say out loud, the thing this was all about. Laswell had the worst reaction when she had found out. Tears, yelling— The works. Nik was much calmer in appearance but Price could tell he was devastated.

Price knew the risks, he knew what he was getting himself into. It was his soul after all, he could do what he pleased with it.

“I… contracted him. He’s a mercenary, after all. He works for me, and when the job’s done he gets his payment… then he’s gone. That simple.”

Gaz’s jaw as clenched, a pain in his eyes that just pierced Price’s soul, “That’s a funny fucking way to call selling you soul to him.”

Price had years to accept it. He’s the one who summoned the Ghost to this plane, the one who offered Simon Riley’s corpse for him to root him here so he had a physical form. Price gave him rank, this human mask that he could wear. Whether he kept it when everything was said and done is uncertain. Price had feeling he could make a hell of a business off of it.

“I had my time to accept it, I don’t expect you to get it.”

Gaz couldn’t look at him, choosing to stare at the wall instead. The angle allowed Price to see the light glint off his eyes, giving away his inhuman nature. Gaz was much more emotional than other vampires. He remembers being human, he cares about humanity. He was stealing blood bags almost his whole vampiric existence before Price found him and recruited him.

“You don’t have to worry about anything, Kyle. When I’m gone Nik will be taking you and Soap with him to Chimera. Kate will make you two disappear and can go on to Russia.”

“That’s supposed to be comforting?”

“Russia does have the highest population of any non-humans in the world. Plus Chimera is nothing but non-humans.”

“Fucking- I don’t care about finding somewhere safe!” Gaz stood quickly, knocking his chair back, “You fucking sold your soul to a demon! You have a timer on your life!”

Price watches Gaz wave his arms around, tears pricking in his eyes, “You’re dying!”

Price sighs. He had accepted this himself, he knows his fate. Unless the demon themself decides to break the contract, spare the human who made it with them… Price’s fate is sealed. There has been some recorded incidents where demons completed the contract only to just leave, not taking their client’s soul. It is possible to survive, but making a demon genuinely like you to the point they let you keep your soul is near impossible.

Ghost was going to kill him in the end. Eat his soul in probably the most painful way possible before fucking off to do whatever.

“Kyle…”

“How can you be so fucking calm? Did you even consider how anyone else would feel!?”

“I made that deal a long time ago. Before I had anyone in my life worth living for. I do not regret sacrificing my life for the greater good.”

Gaz was shaking, now quiet. Price swallows before standing, going around to the vampire and pulling him into a hug. Gaz almost instantly clung to him, a quiet sob in his chest.

“I don’t want you to die…”

“I’m sorry, Kyle. I can’t change anything.”

“There has to be another way.”

“Heh, you know trying to cheat a demon out of a soul is dangerous. You know how dangerous Ghost is.”

Gaz pulls away, wiping his face, “Fuck… Yea, I do…”

Price felt dread in his chest. The first time in years he had to truly acknowledge what he had done. He felt like this after he told Laswell, after Nik, and now Gaz. Their emotions reminded him how deeply upsetting this was. But Price couldn’t take it back. He wouldn’t if it meant he would still be able to do it. Save this world from it’s own self-destruction… all at the cost of a single soul. What he’s doing wouldn’t be permanent, the rot would always crawl back. but at least his soul would buy everyone some time.

#another monster au #call of duty #cod mwii #modern warfare ii #john price #kyle gaz garrick #simon ghost riley #drabble #ficlet

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genshingorlsrevengeance · 2 months

Note

Alright, since Christmas is basically in pissing distance, we need the power of the indomitable Christmas Spirit.

aka ar team & task force defy snuggling close to their S/O by the fire

(GFL) AR Team and Task Force Defy cuddling with their S/O

AR Team: M4A1, ST AR-15, M4 SOPMOD II, M16A1, RO635

DEFY: AK-12, AN-94, AK-15, RPK-16, Angelia

WELP meant to write this way sooner during christmas when this ask was actually sent but, better late than never?

M4 relaxes, staring into the fireplace with S/O next to her.

She wishes that time could just stop, and thinks about what life could be like, assuming they both leave this war alive.

But, she shouldn't think like that, at least not for right now.

M4 holds S/O's arms closer to her, smiling and closing her eyes.

(M4A1) "...Thank you for having me, S/O..."

STAR slightly shifts in her seat as she sits under the blanket with S/O.

She doesn't really know what to do in this kind of situation, especially with their arm around her.

It made her feel safe, anxious, loved, all sorts of emotions she didn't know she had.

But, she certainly wasn't going to complain about it.

(ST AR-15) "Are you comfortable? I can move a little if you need me to."

SOPMOD is almost bouncing with energy, crushing S/O in a tight hug.

She's so excited to open her presents in the morning, and she's waiting to see if Santa will come down the chimney.

...Wait, if the fireplace was still going, wouldn't they catch on fire?

Eh, who cares? It made her feel nice, so she wasn't gonna move.

(SOPMOD) "S/O, feed me the cookies, I dont't wanna get up!"

M16 was ready to get absolutely shitfaced, but she surprisingly decides against it, and holds off on the eggnog.

Instead, she decides that she could at least do something a little romantic and sit with S/O.

Her head being gently rubbed by S/O's hand was making her a little sleepy. The fireplace was doing a good job at setting the mood too.

She stops their hand by simply holding it and smiling up at them.

(M16A1) "In the morning, we'll make a toast to a new year, so you don't have to worry about me doing anything crazy...For tonight anyway. We're celebrating with chicken and Jack Daniels tomorrow!"

RO is completely melting in her S/O's arms, feeling the warmth of their affection moreso than the fire.

She was glad no one else was able to see this, being able to fully relax without anyone to tease.

RO makes sure S/O is comfortable as well, wrapping her jacket around them.

And when she feels a kiss on her forehead, she giggles but averts her eyes.

(RO635) "A-Ah!...No, I didn't mind, it just surprised me is all...Can you do that again...Please?

12's smile seems to grow bigger as she just relaxes with S/O, feeling them lean into her.

This was a nice change of pace from most Christmas's she had, those were either spent in operations or trying to fend off AN-94.

Plus, she got to see the reaction of S/O under the mistletoe earlier, and that was something worth remembering.

She lets one eye slightly open to commit the sight of S/O under the blanket with her to memory.

(AK-12) "I always do enjoy the sight of red on the white snow...I'm talking about the Christmas decorations, by the way."

94 has a small smile form as she holds onto S/O's arm, adjusting the blanket to be over her.

She didn't really need it, but it made S/O comfortable so she was happy to oblige.

94 gives S/O her full attention as they explained many human customs of Christmas, and getting to spend it with loved ones.

And the realization finally dawned on her.

(AN-94) "You consider me a loved one by having me spend Christmas with you...This...makes me very happy."

15 was content to go into sleep mode near the fireplace. It would not set the room they were in ablaze, given that there were state of the art fire detection and supression systems.

But she wasn't entirely sure why S/O insisted on putting the blanket over her as well. It's not like her systems would get damaged.

Nevertheless, 15 went along with S/O's wishes.

It made them happy, and in turn, it makes 15 satisfied.

(AK-15) "If I can ask, why do humans wait for someone that doesn't exist during Christmas? It makes no sense."

16 has a big smile on her face, the biggest of all DEFY as she relaxes into the couch.

That in combination with S/O's blanket made her quite relaxed.

With S/O on her shoulder, there was one thing really to do.

Prod them for reactions.

(RPK-16) "Do you think if Santa was real, he'd get shot down by this base's Anti-Air? It'd make all the human children of the world quite sad, wouldn't it?"

Angelia was still working, with a laptop on her legs while S/O snuggled up next to her.

They held onto her prosthetic arm, making her slowly roll her eyes. She knew better than to question why they were holding onto that arm.

"It was still Ange", would be their answer.

She had to slightly adjust them off so she could continue typing, smiling when she saw them pout.

(Angelia) "If you like this arm so damn much, then I should just rip it off and give it to you. And quit hogging the blanket, I can get cold too, you know."

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meanbossart · 3 months

Text

Massive ask compilation time OH LORD

YES, her journals are a fun read. I somewhat wish there was more to her and The Dark Urge's interactions, too - she's wonderfully evil and clearly very attached to you if you're playing as that character, but I had hoped there was more of a reason for her obsession besides just "you were fun to cut up", haha. I remember reading her journal over a couple of times looking for something I might have missed.

His reaction was pretty in line with the Narrator's cues, just immediate rage over what she had done to him - DU Drow may be a masochist but that's reserved for people he cares about! So, her and her posse met a swift end. Also, despite the fact that the whole tadpole thing turned out being for the best, I think he's easily overtaken by resentment over his lost glory-days whenever faced with it so directly (he misses living in obliviousness) - not to mention his profound fear of vulnerability, and of feeling... Small. The way Kressa spoke to and of him would have absolutely shook him to his core, especially by doing so in front of the others.

[MORE UNDER CUT]

THANK YOU so much for your kind words first of all! As for the question, it depends a bit on the timeline; his dislike of female drow, especially at the start of his tadpole'd journey is pretty irrational and faith status wouldn't be of too much relevance, he just thinks It's in their nature to want to put him down and be conniving, and wants nothing to do with them.

Later, and especially post-game, he might at least give them a chance to prove they aren't "like other drow", though it would take him a lot to ever let his guard down entirely - UNLESS you seem like a complete fool LOL he's actually easy to trick into dismissing you as long as you don't mind playing the role of a dumb idiot.

But if not, he'd have an extremely short patience for any attempts to exert authority over him or his actions - or jokes at his expense, or any level of smugness or secrecy. Nymea would definitely feel kept at arms length because of the gender+race combo alone and have to put up with a lot of snideness. Basically, she'd have to treat this 6'4" feet tall freak with kids gloves to ever develop a rapport LOL

But also... The vampirism may "help"? He'd consider her a "lesser drow" for it. In that regard her attitudes toward Astarion would probably come to be relevant. I'm not sure about that aspect of it to be honest!

First of all, this is a hysterical scenario because he Would just fucking put the ring on without thinking about it LOL so thank you for the laugh that mental image just provided me with.

Oh he wouldn't care though. I mean, he dislikes drow in general, but he is a drow (up for debate, but you know, generally speaking) and he thinks he's pretty great. As long as he's still huge and strong he could wake up a woman tomorrow and not give a damn. And, frankly, his dick could turn into a pussy at any point in time and it wouldn't change anything about his character save for having to add a recurring UTI problem to his character sheet - he'd probably have fun with it.

TOTALLY FAIR, I'm very sorry it went past the point of enjoyment for you, but I'm glad you knew when to put it down!!! We're in our hand-holding and elf-smooching era now with the occasional visceral description of violence LOL SO YOU'RE WELCOME IN IF YOU'D LIKE. Thank you for dropping by!

Just putting this here because - I actually haven't decided yet, so that's pretty funny you asked LOL I'm leaning eyes closed though, nothing like a smooch to calm the big weirdo down.

HAHAHAH WELCOME BACK, I've been around this whole time! But I was hanging out on twitter for the most part. HOPE YOU'RE INTO THE DND STUFF LOL

DROW DURGES RISE UP I'll be honest with you friend, DU drow's lore has been as accidental as something like that can be, so much of it has felt completely organic in the way it came up - I guess that's what good RPG does to your brain. The rest of it has just been a wonderful opportunity to develop my writing that I decided to take full advantage of this year. Thank you so much for the lovely message!

---

Aaaaand I can barely muster something to say that feels like an appropriate response, but again I wanted to acknowledge all the sweet compliments people take the time to leave in my inbox. Some of you guys' comments about the things I create blow me away, I think I'm pretty confident in my art but... Damn, makes me so happy to know the stuff I create can hold a little special place to some folks. Thank you all so, so much for taking time out of your day to spread a little kindness around, and make mine a little better.

Again, thank you all for humoring me, have a lovely day folks!

#ask #DU drow

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am-i-the-asshole-official · 3 months

Note

AITA for not responding to a message about an ex-classmate's family member dying?

CW: The word suicide is mentioned, but no actual suicide occurs, is attempted, or at risk. I would not say it if it were not important, rest assured.

I feel horribly guilty for this, and if I am the asshole there's not really any way I can fix it, because it's been over ten years. I have no way to contact this person anymore, and I was only about ten when it happened. There is a lot of context about how she treated me required to get how this could happen in the first place.

There was this girl in my class who sometimes would join in with my bullies on being cruel to me, but sometimes was nice, it depended on how badly other people were pressuring her, and if she knew I'd find out she participated or not. I did not consider her my friend as she was only occasionally kind to me, but I went to her house once. She had invited me, and I'd only been invited to someone's house once before this, plus I had been told it was going to be a party with many people. I thought I could fade into the background, but no one else showed up (I heard rumors it was because they learned I was going, but I don't know if that's true or not.) It was a very nerve-wracking experience, and she later confessed to me that she knowingly served me food that had come in contact with something that could make me super sick without telling or warning me. (It did give me a stomach ache, but I was lucky and it wasn't too bad. It could've been a lot worse, and previous reactions had been.) I said I forgave her for that. She then confessed to playing a twisted game with the others on a day where I was out sick. In this game, they hid in the school bathroom with a flickering light. They pretended that bathroom was haunted by my ghost, and that I wasn't just out sick, I was dead- they even went so far as to pretend that they had bullied me into killing myself and that I was making the lights flicker because my ghost was going to hurt them, and take revenge on them. It was the most horrifying thing I think I've ever learned was said behind my back, especially when I never talked about self harm, suicide, or anything of that nature- they had made that all up for the sake of a game.

At that point, I never talked to her willingly again because I was just really tired of having her come into my space, insist we were friends, and then do something mean when I wasn't around. I'd get visibly tense when she was nearby, I would only nod or shake my head when she talked to me, just little things to remain civil and no shows of trust or affection.

Then, a couple of months after I'd left that school, she texts me for the second time ever, and first time in like a year, saying her older brother died. I was really stressed out that day, I don't remember by what, though. I just remember not knowing what to say, and deleting the entire app she contacted me on in a panic since I didn't hadn't used it for months anyways.

I feel like I led her on into thinking we were close by going to her house that once, and I know now I should've just bit down the stress and comforted her... but as soon as I made that choice in my panic, I couldn't fix it- there wasn't any way to undo it and I especially can't fix it now, so many years later. I guess posting this is more a confessional than anything. I sincerely hope all her friends were kind to her and comforted her and that my choice didn't affect her too badly.

What are these acronyms?

#aita #am i the asshole #suicide cw

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the-s1lly-corner · 5 months

Note

Hey I was just wondering if you could do a tadc x reader who dies their hair very often? like every month or so they dye it a different color and no one knows what color it'll be next

TADC cast x reader who dyes their hair a lot!

UEUEUEUUEU hope this is okay! i must admit i was a little uwuwuawua on ideas for a lot of the characters </3 grr finding new songs to play on loop to get me into writing is hard; though currently antonymph by vylet pony is doing things to my brain

CAINE:

makes a huge deal of things whenever you dye your hair simply because he thinks what you do with yourself is cool; and since its the digital world you can get away with dying your hair as often as you want! cant damage what technically isnt real! probably makes hair color suggestions and is absolutely thrilled when you actually follow through within the coming days. prepare to have some weird combos, though... probably changes the color of his suit to match your hair... even adds stripes if your hair has stripes, or any other pattern dyed into it

POMNI:

honestly? more power to you, thats her reaction mostly. would pomni dye her own hair, or otherwise get anything to modify her appearance? probably not... but she thinks you look great with it... probably asks why you chose the current color you went with, as well as asking whenever you change. nothing like "oh WHY? why THAT color?" but like genuine non-rude curiosity... doesnt like outwardly betting or wondering what color youre going to pick outloud since she doesnt want you to think shes rude or something

RAGATHA:

has probably made multiple color variations of accessories she has made for you so you can wear anything without having the colors clash... thinks your hair is pretty, me thinks! doesnt matter what color it is, could literally be the unpleasant green-pink-brown color gradient meme and she would still find something nice to say about it... does sometimes wonder what color youre going to choose next... probably has a hush hush bet going on between her jax and zooble on what color youre going to choose next... huh what no jax didnt just get all moody because you walked in with aqua blue hair- no hes not passing something to ragatha, what are you talking about?

JAX:

as mentioned above he makes bets with some of the other circus members on what color youre going to rock next... if you ask him for any suggestions on what color you should change to next, dont expect any serious answers. even if he is being serious, jax doesnt strike me as the type to care much about colors and shades so hes probably going to drop the most basic colors. ..

"purple."

"what KIND of purple? light? dark? pastel? reddish or bluish?

"purple."

stuff like that, i think! probably fiddles with your hair, especially if you dye your tips a different color... jax fidget headcannon strikes again

KINGER:

on a bad day he might just not recognize you for a short moment... i originally said that as a joke but considering he sometimes forgets gangle is literally standing right next to him, i dont... think thats much of a joke... but after the initial confusion, i think he would really like whatever color you choose! likes playing with your hair, if you let him! he finds it soothing in its own way, and now he just has pretty colors to look at! cant explain why but i feel like he would be very good at identifying colors, so if you come in rocking some new color hes going to ask if its (insert specific shade of red that no one knows the name of. like. amaranth red.. or something..)

ZOOBLE:

honestly, they get it! i like to think that they swap out their pieces in order to fit whatever look or vibe they want for the day; aaaand i personally hc that in the real world they would dye their hair and get a bunch of piercings! though, they dont really remember much stuff from the real world, at least not clearly... but the point still stands, you guys probably get together to make a new look together! though, on days where they dont give any input on what hair color you choose next, theyre making bets with jax and ragatha... dont know why but i think zooble wins the most in the bets... shrugs

GANGLE:

oh she thinks its so pretty! has probably always loved things like that, since its a form of self expression! and she can kind of relate to that since shes an artist, albeit her medium is paper rather than her body... thinks... probably gives shy recommendations for colors if you ask her, is also bad at masking (lol) her surprise when you actually take her idea into consideration and follow through with it... makes her feel some type of way that someone cares enough about her ideas that they literally apply it to their appearance, you know?

#tadc x reader #the amazing digital circus x reader #digital circus x reader #caine x reader #pomni x reader #ragatha x reader #jax x reader #kinger x reader #zooble x reader #gangle x reader

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transgenderteensurvivalguide · 4 months

Note

you're trans, right? how did you come out to your parents? how did it go? how would you recommend someone go about doing it if they aren't sure how their parents are going to react? (positive to other people's kids being trans, dislike trans women in sports, generally vote democratic). i'm ftm.

sorry if this is too personal or already been answered or something

-- aar

Lee says:

As a matter of fact, I am indeed trans! I specifically identify as genderqueer, non-binary, transmasculine, transgender, and transsexual, although that's neither here nor there.

I actually didn't come out to my parents-- I came out to my friends, and then more publicly to my classmates at school. Then one of my classmates told her parents about me being trans, and that parent met my parents at a party and mentioned that I was trans. Unfortunately it just so happened that while they were at the party and out of the house, I took the opportunity to cut my hair short at home. Yikes!

Anyway, I would fully recommend actually coming out over being outed, if you have the choice, because then you have some control over the start of the conversation and can initially let them know whatever you want them to know.

As always, safety comes first. Do not come out if you do not think you will be safe. If there's any risk of harm or severe negative consequences, you should wait to come out until you're in a more secure position, like being 18 or older, financially independent, not living at home, or at the very least, having a support system in place like a trusted therapist who can help you deal with the repercussions of coming out.

There's a difference between being genuinely unsafe and feeling uncomfortable. Most people will feel their fight-or-flight anxiety response kick in when they have a really scary and stressful conversation, especially when they're talking with someone who means a lot to them and has a lot of authority in their life. But being anxious about their reaction might make something feel unsafe, emotionally, even if you logically know that you are safe and they will not kick you out, abuse you, etc.

That doesn't mean that your feelings aren't real feelings though. If you think that you would not be able to cope if your parents don't immediately and fully accept and support you, then maybe it isn't the right time to come out either. Your emotional well being is important, and if you would be unsafe as a result of mental illness/extreme distress after coming out (if your parent's reaction isn't what you had hoped it would be) then you should consider that to be just as important as if you were physically in danger from an external source. After you've had some time and therapy and got re-stabilized then you can reconsider coming out.

Let's say that you've decided to proceed with coming out. The next step is to continue to gauge their attitudes. You've already observed some of their views. This can be a good starting point to understand how they might react. Remember, though, that parents' reactions to their own child can sometimes be different from their general opinions. So they might be fine with your trans friends, but not be fine with you being trans yourself.

You can't fully predict what will happen, but making sure you have a sense of what they currently think might help a little-- if the topic hasn't come up in over a year and you're working off of what you remember them saying far in the past, it's possible their views have changed by now.

But either way, you'll never really know what will happen after you come out, so if you want to do it, you just gotta go for it.

Now it's time to prepare. You may want to have resources ready for your parents, so looking to find those resources should be your next step. Are there local support groups for parents of trans kids and do you know of any peers whose parents have attended? They might have questions or misconceptions about being a trans man, so be ready to share some basic 101 information with them and don't assume they understand what it really means to be trans. Websites, books, or even contact information for a knowledgeable counselor can be helpful.

Think about what you want to say beforehand. What's the point of coming out? Do you want something to change, like having them call you a different name, use different pronouns, buy you different clothes? Do you want them to understand the nuances of your identity and know the right terms and words to use and what terms and words are offensive? Think about all of your goals, and then write down the key points you want to get down.

This is the time to consider your answers to the questions they might ask you, like "how long have you felt this way," "do you plan on medically transitioning," "what does this mean for your sexual orientation," etc. Even if you don't know all the answers yet and are still figuring yourself out, you want to have an idea of what you'll tell them, even if it's just "I don't know yet, I'm still figuring it out".

I'm personally not a fan of gimmicky/"cute" ways of coming out when you aren't sure whether your family will be accepting. So I would recommend just using a letter to initially come out if you're worried about getting overwhelmed or forgetting important details, and being prepared to follow that up by having a sit-down conversation.

Have a support system in place. This could be friends, other family members, teachers, counselors, or online communities who understand and support your identity. I always recommend scheduling an event with friends either for directly after you come out so you have an excuse to leave the conversation and go, or at least for the next day so you can decompress and discuss it with people who support you.

When you're as ready as you can be, choose the right moment. Find a time when your parents are likely to be calm and not preoccupied with other stressors (so not on their birthday, a major holiday, etc) and either leave the letter for them or ask them if they are available to have an important conversation.

This might not always be possible, but a peaceful environment can facilitate a better conversation. Choose a time and place where you feel safe and where you won't be interrupted. This could be at home during a quiet weekend afternoon, an evening after dinner, or during a walk together, depending on your family dynamics.

Finally, it's time to have the conversation. You should be clear and direct. Tell them "I'm transgender and that means I feel I am a man," or whatever language you feel comfortable with. Don't hint at it because they might not know what you're trying to tell them, just tell them exactly what you want to say.

It’s okay to admit if you don’t have all the answers yet. Transitioning is a journey, and it's fine to be figuring things out as you go.

But if that isn't the case for you, and you are sure, then you should be ready to stand up for yourself and tell them that. They might react positively, negatively, or be unsure, but their feelings are not your fault/your responsibility because you're living true to yourself. It's okay if they need time to process the information, but don't back down and let them railroad you into saying that you're not sure or didn't mean it if you are sure and do mean it.

Finally, be prepared for the long haul. Understand that your parents might need time to fully grasp and accept your identity. Patience can be challenging but is often necessary since it can take several months to years before they come around and truly support you. That means that one conversation is usually not enough. Be open to ongoing discussions and expect them to be sometimes awkward.

We have a coming out page with more info, although some of the links are old and broke (I promise I'll get to fixing it some day!)

Followers, any advice for anon?

#Lee says #coming out #ftm

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starflungwaddledee · 7 months

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Okay you gave me permission so now it's time to go fully autistic

*inhale*

So something I'm really interested in (mostly for my Bandee x Marx bias) is that comic with Marx and Bandee interacting, like, what's their relationship in this au, how'd they get to that point and heck, what was even happening? also it kinda seems like Bandee may be the main guy in this au or is just really important which makes me happy as Bandee isn't treated the best by Nintendo at all (hell, Sakrai said he didn't add Bandee into smash because he didn't like him) so seeing Bandee get the spotlight always brings me joy

And about the Meta and Galacta comic, it seems like Bandee plays a factor here too, with the mention of him being what gets the most reaction out of Meta and that makes sense because canonically Bandee is the weakest of the four and most likely to die quite easily, so it would make sense for the others to be protective of him

ALSO META BEING SEALED AWAY AND GALACTA SAYING HE'LL TAKE GOOD CARE OF, I'M ASSUMING BANDEE, DOES THAT MEAN GALACTA TAKES META'S PLACE??? HELLO???

anyway hi im really invested and also your art is fucking astounding

hell yea, fully autistic! the best kind of message! thank you also for the sweet words about my artwork ahhh! but hoo boy isn't this The Ask Ever. okay, let's get into it!

Bandee is, i think maybe obviously, my most specialist little guy ever and everything i make is likely about him in one way or another. so you're correct that he is indeed the main guy in both these AUs; he is the central protagonist which i think he deserves!!

(but he does also go through the angst blender a bit, just like... a warning. i adore happy endings but before that i do tend to meat-grind my faves pretty well in the drama machine.)

clockwork heart is actually a spin-off of awtdy (we do a little AU-ception in my household) which is our* primary au. (*a lot of my au work and headcanons are fleshed out very collaboratively with my girlfriend! the initial concept for awtdy was her idea, which i then very meanly shoved my bandee-important agenda into lmao)

awtdy sets this basic alternate world-state: during the Haltmann invasion, Galacta Knight defeats Meta Knight in battle and makes a wish on Star Dream to trade places.

this causes all sorts of terrible fun problems for everybody and basically gives rise to a bad timeline that a lot of folks do not come out of intact (rip floralia)

the Meta Knight vs Galacta Knight comic covers an important turning point in the story, where Meta Knight lets slip that he cares about Bandee the way he cares for Kirby. Meta Knight has an especially strong reaction to this for two reasons:

one is because, as you said, of the three remaining heroes Bandee is the most vulnerable-- seasoned and experienced fighter he may be, but against someone like Galacta Knight? 💦 he's still ultimately just a mortal dude. this obviously puts him at terrible risk, because Galacta Knight also considers him far more expendable than Kirby.

"i'll take good care of him" is transparently a threat and not actually... you know, kind.

secondly is because (unbeknownst to Galacta Knight) Bandee uniquely remembers Meta Knight. he knows that the timeline is screwed up and Galacta Knight is not meant to be there, and is actively working to rescue his real dad mentor. Meta Knight knows that if he's found out, Galacta Knight won't hesitate to kill him.

suffice to say the guilt of this would drive him capital i Insane!

as for the Marx "hurt like hell" comic, I am actually sorry to have to tell you that that scene is their first ever interaction in this au! 😂 in this alternate version of the story Marx is also aware of the timeline fuckery (due to his existence as an eldritch, temporal little creature) and he tracks Bandee down late in the game with a risky trade offer; which Bandee refuses. that's what's pictured in the comic!

it goes on for quite a long ways after that; though I don't know if it'll tickle your ship dynamic quite right because Marx is mildly antagonistic towards Bandee (and everyone) the whole time. so while they are cursed to be Stuck Together By The Narrative they are not really close or even particularly friendly.

they do indeed interact in it quite a lot, and I personally think Marx would gladly shoot his shot if he was offered it; but Bandee is neck-deep in a different ship for the entirety of awtdy and is especially miserable/pining as hell throughout clockwork heart.

but that's okay because Bandee is, uh-- totally fine!! he's normal. he's fine. he's very very fine and things will be very very okay.

#hopefully this last lil doodle is not too dark?#wanted to give u something for your marxdee needs bc i feel like i'm letting a fellow bandee rarepair shipper down 😭#watch me skirt actually dropping my rarepair tho. even rarer than marxdee apparently!#anyway thank you so so much for this ask and your interest?! blew my mind that anyone cared even a little bit about the stuff i'm making <3 #my art #bandana waddle dee #awtdy au #clockwork heart au #asks #cw angst #cw blood

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eddiemunsons80sbaby · 8 months

Text

Everybody Hurts

Chapter 4

Pairing: EddieMunsonxReader

Summary: You needed to escape, escape from your life, your messy divorce, and all the pitying looks. Looks you couldn't ignore when everyone in town had known you and Cam, had known your shame and failure. So, you took the first job you could get, teaching third grade in a town called Hawkins. Little did you know, you were walking right into another messy situation, a messy situation with big brown eyes and long dark waves. But he's resistant, at times unbearable and you start getting curious about the town's past, his past, especially when things don't start adding up.

18+ Only for eventual smut

Next chapter: 09/20

Word Count: 5.8K

Masterlist

1 2 3

You pushed open the door to the small cafe, breathing in deep, letting the smell of cinnamon and coffee soothe you after a restless night. Millie glanced up from behind the counter, a wide smile crinkling the corners of her eyes at the sight of you standing in the doorway. She lifted a hand, waving you over, already pulling a warm cinnamon roll from the bakery display.

“I told you that you’d be back,” she teased, placing it in a bag and on the counter.

“You did and you were right. Best cinnamon roll I have ever tasted, hands down,” you laughed, pulling your wallet from your purse. “It was the first thing I thought about when I woke up this morning.”

Well, that wasn’t entirely true but you’d rather not admit that you’d been thinking about something else that was almost the same shade as cinnamon alright, but it wasn’t a baked good. It was those eyes, intense and burning, challenging your own across the flames. You didn’t even want to admit to yourself how much he’d managed to get under your skin, crawling and burrowing deep.

“You want a latte to go with it?” asked Millie.

“Yes, please,” you responded, impressed that she remembered your drink of choice after one time considering how many orders she must handle in a day.

“So, did you get to explore much of our town yesterday?” the sweet lady questioned as she foamed the milk for your coffee.

“I did, actually. I went to the library and grabbed a couple books and then I went down to the lake for a bit. I stopped into the Hawkins diner to grab a late lunch and wound up making some new friends.”

“Well, that’s wonderful,” beamed Millie, slipping a sleeve onto the paper cup and handing it over to you, her fingers darting across the keys of the cash register to ring up the sale. “And who are these new friends?”

“I don’t know if you’d know them…”

She laughed, waving her hand dismissively in your direction, “Darling, I have lived in this town my whole damn life. There isn’t anybody I don’t know within the town limits. Where do you think they all get their coffee from?”

“Oh…well, I met Max Mayfield at the diner and she invited me out to a bonfire with her friends at the lake last night. There were a whole bunch of people there. Umm…there was Robin, Steve, Mike, El, Lucas, Argyle, Jonathan, Nancy, Will, and this guy named Eddie.”

Your cheeks blazed hot as you spoke his name and you found yourself once again questioning why. It was like you had no control of your body’s reaction to even the mere mention of him.

Millie’s lips flattened against one another and she nodded, “You met yourself a nice group of people then. I get pizza from Argyle’s every single Friday night. Boy could use a hair cut but he makes a mean pie. Who ever heard of pineapple on pizza? But I’ll tell you, he knows what he’s doing. And I take my little Bella to Robin’s grooming place every month for a shampoo and a cut. And Officer Harrington is just the nicest guy. He’s always in here picking up donuts for the station. So, what did you think of everyone?”

You had the distinct impression that Millie was fishing for something specific but what she hoped to catch, you couldn’t be sure.

“Oh, I loved them. They were a great group of people. I thought they were all really nice. Well, most of them were anyway. Eddie didn’t seem to like me all that much.”

“And why would that be? You seem perfectly likable to me.”

“I don’t know,” you admitted with a shrug. “I didn’t do or say anything. I mean, at least I don’t think I did. Well, I may have after he was rude to me but he said stuff first. He was kind of a jerk from the moment he saw me, acting like I was some intruder on his little group and wasn’t welcome.”

“Well, now, you be a little patient with that boy, okay? He’s been through a lot and it’s…well, it’s made it hard for him to trust new people but he’ll come around. He’s a sweetheart, really. He jumped my car for me just a few weeks ago when it wouldn’t start and he came over and helped me clean my gutters last year. My husband, Roy, keeps trying to act like he’s still twenty years younger than he is. He’s stubborn as a mule. He refuses to accept that there are things he just shouldn’t be doing anymore and that man’s gonna kill himself one day. I happened to be complaining about it when Eddie was in here grabbing some coffee and he just offered. Came over that weekend and went up that ladder and took care of it. I tried to pay him but he wouldn’t have it. He did let me give him some cookies though. The people in this town have been unfair to him, downright cruel if you ask me, and it’s not right. That boy’s been through enough. Don’t you go doing it too.”

Your eyes widened, shocked at Millie’s tone, as if you were the one who should be sorry, as if you were the one who’d been so damn irrational. You tried to mesh the image of the rude man you met last night who could barely carry on a civil conversation with the picture that Millie was painting but it was difficult. Based on what the coffee shop owner had told you, Eddie sounded like the nicest guy in the world so what was it about you that made him so damn unpleasant?

“I won’t. I like to come to my own conclusions about people,” you assured her. That was something you’d learned as a teacher. Previous teachers always wanted to laundry list all the bad qualities about a kid but you never wanted to know. You wanted to meet the kids yourself, build a relationship, and make your own judgment calls.

“But he makes it a little difficult when he’s rude for no reason,” you tried.

Millie raised her eyebrows at you and you groaned.

“Fine. I will try to give him a chance but only because it’s you asking.”

Millie smiled, clearly mollified, “That’s my girl. Just for that, I am going to add in a chocolate chip cookie for you to enjoy later.”

“If you keep giving me free treats, you’re never going to get rid of me.”

“Maybe that’s my plan,” the jovial woman laughed. “Maybe I’m just ensuring you stick around for a while. I think this town could be better with you in it and I think you could be better in this town.”

Your head tilted, a bit taken aback by her statement. “Oh, I think you’re going to be stuck with me for a while, especially now that I’ve found some friends. Speaking of, can I ask you something? You don’t have to tell me if it’s none of my business. I didn’t want to ask Max because it seemed rude with us not really knowing each other that well yet, but do you know why she wears sunglasses all the time?”

“Oh, that…” Millie paused, resting her arms on top of the bakery display. “Listen hon, that’s some ugly business that you don’t need to worry yourself about. That girl got lucky, very lucky that that’s all she was left with. That’s all I’m going to say about that, okay?”

“But…”

The woman held up her hand, “Darling, I don’t like talking about that time. This whole town would just rather forget it. It was a dark time for Hawkins. We’ve all moved on and there’s no point in dredging up bad things from the past that we can’t change. You’re new here and you’re so young and starting fresh after a divorce. Don’t be worrying your head about ugly stuff that had nothing to do with you.”

“Wait. How did you know I was divorced?” you asked, almost certain you hadn’t mentioned it yesterday.

“Young girl starting over in a new town? Hiding here for four months before you finally unveiled your pretty little face to us all? Getting all hung up on the mysterious new guy you met last night? Please. That has all the markings of a relationship gone wrong and a girl trying to find her place in the world again, to get a second chance.”

“I…what…mysterious guy…Millie, all I said about Eddie was that he was rude and didn’t seem to like me. I am not hung up on him.”

“Maybe so but he’s also the only one that made your face go bright red when I asked you what you thought.” She reached across the counter, patting the top of your hand with a wink. “Listen, I think it’s wonderful. That boy needs a good girl. He needs someone to love and someone that will love him, treat him with kindness. He’s been alone for far too long.”

You snatched your hand back, “Whoa there. It’s nothing like that. I just met him and trust me, he didn’t seem like he was looking for anything romantic or anyone new period. I believe he even stated that he has no need for new friends.”

Millie snorted, rolling her eyes, “Of course he did. I’m calling it right now. You two will be in here getting your morning coffee together within the month. I can tell attraction when I see it and it’s written as plain as day all over your face.”

“You’re wrong, Millie. There is not any kind of attraction going on,” you argued, shaking your head and grabbing your breakfast, suddenly eager to get out of the cafe and away from the woman who seemed adamant to hook you up with the one person who didn’t seem keen to even breathe the same air as you.

“We’ll see about that,” she sang, wiggling her fingers at you as you hurried out the door.

____________________________________________________________

You had never been so relieved to see your house, something you thought you’d never think after spending months cooped up inside it. You strode up the walkway, trying to push all of Millie’s words out of your head. It was all you’d been able to focus on during the walk home, almost walking into a car you didn’t see, the driver honking angrily at you.

That woman didn’t know what she was talking about. She didn’t even know you. She couldn’t see your attraction to Eddie written on you. It didn’t work like that and it didn’t matter anyway. You had no intention of pursuing anything with a guy whose mood was as pleasant as being stuck in bumper to bumper traffic on the freeway when you really had to pee.

You stepped up onto the front porch of your house, the warm cup of coffee between your hands. You pulled your cardigan tightly around yourself. The May morning still held onto the chill of the previous night, the day not quite warming up yet. The sun was shining bright, the sky a bright blue that promised a pleasant spring afternoon. The puffy white clouds, gathered in heaps, reminded you of marshmallows, quickly bringing your thoughts back to last night.

There was definitely something strange going on in this town, something strange with that group. Lucas’s response, that they’d all been through a lot, felt like a collective answer about something specific. Dustin and Robin had gotten very weird when you asked what they’d all been through. And yeah, everyone went through shit and you couldn’t begin to imagine the hardships Robin had gone through, but you couldn’t shake the feeling that it was more than that. It felt like they all got together every year on that beach because of something they’d all dealt with together, something dark and ugly as Millie had described it. Hadn’t Max begun to say something at the diner about it being more than just a celebration of spring arriving and then cut herself off?

That wasn’t to say that, strange or not, you didn’t enjoy all of them. You did, very much so. They had been so kind, welcoming you into whatever kind of private celebration they were clearly having. Everyone had been so sweet and friendly and seemed more than happy to have you join their little party on the beach. Almost everyone at least.

Your eyes fell on your coffee, a pair of eyes the same shade flickering through your mind, haunting you, just the way they had last night as you had lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, waiting for sleep that just wouldn't come. You’d spent most of the night tossing and turning, your brain replaying every little interaction you’d had with the grumpy mechanic, getting more and more irritated with yourself for even caring.

And why did you care? You’d just met him. This Eddie guy was nothing to you. So, why were you letting him consume your thoughts, steal your chance at a good night’s rest? It had been a fun night if you took him out of the equation. Why were you allowing him to ruin it for you, to become the one thing you could focus on out of the entire evening?

It was those eyes, damn it. They’d looked at you with such hardness and disdain but then a moment later had melted into this warmth that had seeped into your skin, flowing through to the tips of your fingers and toes. And something else…behind the bravado, the arrogance, there was something haunted about him, something hurting.

You would swear there was a pain just beyond the obvious annoyance. There was more to that man than met the eye, things he was trying to keep buried deep, covering them with his attitude. It felt like he was trying to hide in plain sight, to protect himself but you didn’t know what from and honestly, why were you making it your problem to fix? It wasn’t. He wasn’t your problem.

You rested her forehead against the post of your front porch with a groan. Jesus, what were you doing? You didn’t know anything about this guy. You were allowing Millie’s words to infect you, to contaminate you. You were probably making shit up in your head to excuse why he’d been such a dick to you when the answer was probably so much simpler than that. He just didn’t like you. He didn’t like some newcomer crashing their little party and why should he? You’d had no right to be there, not really, especially if it had always been their thing.

Alright, enough of that. You had just stopped obsessing over one guy, trying to break down every gesture and comment to figure out the internal workings of his mind and how he could do the things he’d done. You sure as hell weren’t going to start obsessing over another one. That was not part of the new you, new life plan.

Eddie didn’t like you, plain and simple. And yeah, he was sexy as hell, heartbreakingly beautiful actually, in a very annoying and infuriating kind of way, but he was still just a guy and not a very likable one anyway.

Even if he’d sat outside your house to make sure you got in safe, that didn’t mean anything. He probably just didn’t want to have to explain to his friends if you’d gone missing or been murdered in your garage and he’d been the one to take you home. Wouldn’t want to be the last one seen with you, the number one suspect when the cops started asking around.

“Ugh!” you growled loudly, rolling your head, a satisfying pop loosening your stiff neck from your restless night. No. You were not going to do this. You didn’t give a shit why he didn’t like you. It didn’t matter.

It was Sunday and by the looks of it, it was going to be a beautiful day. You stepped down off the porch, turning to face the house. You took inventory of your space, trying to paint a mental image of what you wanted for the spring and summer. Lots of vivid bright colors to brighten up your days, a full garden to keep you busy and give you something to fill your time over summer break that was now only a handful of weeks away. You would go to the greenhouse and get some plants. Nothing like some physical labor and getting dirt under your fingernails to get out of your own head and back to reality.

The only problem was that you didn’t have a car yet and there was no way you were going to be able to haul all of those plants back on your bike. Did you really want to make multiple trips, buying only a couple things at a time? You pulled your cell phone from your pocket, flipping it open, scrolling through the numbers that your new friends had punched into your phone last night.

You considered calling Steve for a moment but quickly dismissed it, not wanting to give him the wrong idea if he’d been leaning in that direction even slightly. The way he’d wiped the marshmallow from your mouth, his thumb lingering over your lips, made you think he just might. You definitely didn’t need that kind of complication in your life right now. You scrolled back up to Nancy and pressed the call button.

“Hello?” she answered after three rings.

“Hey, Nancy. It’s me.”

“Oh! Hi!” Nancy sang happily as if your call was the best thing that had happened to her today. It bolstered your confidence a bit, having felt just a tad presumptuous for calling her, for assuming she might want to hang out after meeting you once. “What’s up?”

“Well, I’ve been meaning to get some plants for my garden at my new house and it’s supposed to be a beautiful day. I was thinking about running to the greenhouse, but then I remembered that I don’t have a car. Kind of hard to haul a bunch of plants on a bike. I was wondering if maybe you’d want to tag along and possibly be my transportation? I know it’s kind of last minute and it’s kind of a big ask for you to donate time on your weekend. If you’re busy, I totally understand.”

“No. I’m not busy at all,” Nancy laughed. “Jonathan and I are just laying here in our pajamas being bums this morning. We’ve got nothing going on today. That sounds like fun, actually. A lot more fun than hanging here with him and his friends later. You want me to call Robin? We could grab some lunch or something and make it a girls day!”

“Oh…yeah, I would love that. That sounds great,” you grinned, pleasantly surprised at how excited you were. After months of wanting nothing more than to curl into a ball and be alone, you were genuinely looking forward to spending time with people.

“Okay. Give me just a bit to get ready. I’ll shower and call Robin and then we’ll come pick you up. What’s your address?”

“Oh, it’s 444 Euclid.”

“Seriously? You’re right around the corner from us!” Nancy shrieked happily. “We’re practically neighbors. Alright, I should be there around eleven. Does that work?”

“Yeah, that’s perfect.”

You hung up, that feeling from yesterday creeping in again. That feeling that was eagerness for the day ahead that you hadn’t felt in so long. No more going through the motions of eat, work, sleep for you. You had friends now. You had plans. You had a to-do list that was growing longer by the day, things you wanted to do to make this place your own. This was definitely the beginning of a new chapter and you found you were excited for what life had in store for you for the first time in a year.

___________________________________________________________

“Thank you so much,” you told your new friends as you sat on the front porch, enjoying lemonade, a well deserved break after some hard work in the afternoon sun. “This would have taken me forever by myself. I can’t wait to see what this looks like when everything finally starts to bloom.”

It had taken you a few hours of sweaty, dirty work but you finally had everything planted in the garden. You had not expected Nancy and Robin to help you with the planting. You’d figured you would go to lunch, head to the greenhouse, and then they would drop you off and you would spend the rest of the day working in your garden. But they’d insisted and you hadn’t been ready to be rid of their company so you’d agreed. It had been far more fun that it would have been alone.

The three of you’d had a very nice lunch at the diner, chatting with Max in between her taking orders and serving other customers. You were somehow now going roller skating with everyone on Thursday. You were taken aback by this group’s instant acceptance of you, how easily they included you, but you were also incredibly grateful for it, knowing you needed to actually start living your life if you were going to start having one.

At the greenhouse, you had strolled along every aisle, Nancy and Robin extremely patient as you looked for plants of various colors that would give you the vision you wanted so badly. You’d bought a couple of large hostas that would be a pale blue, some Black Dragon coleus that would be a deep burgundy color, pink Hollyhock, blazing orange Day Lilies, bright yellow Black Eyed Susans, and some Butterfly Weed. You’d also bought two large pots for your porch and some purple Coneflowers for those. A couple bushes to frame your porch and you were feeling almost giddy at the picture that painted itself in your mind, what your house would look like in another month when everything started really growing.

This place was finally starting to feel like your own, a place you could see yourself settling in for the future. A sense of peace and tranquility fell over you as you sat on the porch with your friends. This was your safe space in the middle of the chaos that was life. This was a space that could be filled with love and happiness in the future, a space that could be filled with friends, a space that could be the site of memories you would remember far into the future.

“No problem,” Robin replied from where she sat on the floor, her back resting against the brick of the porch, raising her glass slightly. “Here’s to us kicking ass and getting all this work done in one afternoon.”

“I will definitely cheer for that,” you agreed, leaning forward in the swing to clink your glasses carefully. “Seriously, I would probably be working on this until dark if it weren’t for you two. Possibly still working on it through next weekend.”

“Well, we are pretty amazing,” Robin grinned.

You smiled, “You will get no argument from me.”

Nancy tilted her head, “I can’t wait to see what it looks like when everything starts to bloom. This house is really cute.”

You leaned back, taking a sip of your lemonade, smiling softly. “I really do love this house. This swing is actually what clinched the decision for me. Maybe a stupid reason to buy a house. I know it needs some work. It’s a bit of a fixer upper for sure but it has so much character and honestly, I’m looking forward to the manual labor. My brain could use the distraction for a while, especially with weeks of nothing but endless days ahead of my soon once school lets out.”

“I’m sure,” Nancy commented, her tone gentle, not pitying but empathetic. You were thankful for that. You’d run to Hawkins to get away from all the pity. You couldn’t bear it if your new friends started looking at you like that too. “I can’t even imagine what that must have been like for you. To find out your husband is cheating is bad enough but with your best friend? What kind of friend does that?”

“Not a very good one,” you replied, tugging on the edge of your sweater. “I thought she was. I mean, Cassie and I had been friends since tenth grade, since I first moved to Galena. She was the first person who was friendly to me, you know? I walked into my first class, Geometry, nervous as hell because it sucks being the new face, wondering if anyone is going to talk to you. The moment I sat down she was asking me all kinds of questions about myself and rambling about her life and it didn’t stop all morning because we wound up having every single class together. Cassie always said it was kismet. We were platonic soulmates or something, destined to meet and be in each other’s lives forever.”

“Sounds like you and Steve,” Nancy laughed, looking knowingly over at Robin.

“Yeah, besides the fact that he’s not a woman so completely not romantic territory for me, Steve is pretty much everything else to me,” Robin agreed with a chortle. “I couldn’t stand him in high school. Oh, he was awful. He was such a prick. So many dumb girls were always hanging all over him, desperate for any small ounce of attention the King would bestow on them.”

“Hey!” Nancy shouted, looking offended.

“Sorry, present company excluded, obviously,” Robin snorted dramatically with a roll of her eyes.

“Wait…you and Steve?” you asked, shocked though you didn’t know why. You didn’t know these people that well but honestly, you could see it. Nancy looked like the kind of girl that would have dated a guy like Steve Harrington back in high school. Hell, you had been the kind of girl who dated a guy like Steve Harrington in high school.

Nancy’s cheeks flushed, her lips pressing together as she shook her head, “Yeah, my sophomore year into my junior year. I was over the moon that Steve ‘The Hair’ Harrington wanted to give me the time of day. I felt like the chosen one, like I’d won the boyfriend lottery. All the girls were so jealous of me because I had managed to snag the King. But uh, it didn’t end up working out, obviously.”

“Why not? I mean, if you don’t mind me asking.”

“I don’t mind. A lot of shit went down,” explained Nancy, her eyes squinting as if she were having to think far harder about the answer than she should have. It seemed like a fairly simple question. Relationships failed all the time. “My best friend, Barb, she went missing and I kind of spiraled out of control. I mean, I completely lost my shit. Jonathan’s brother, Will, also went missing. It was a really ugly time and Jonathan and I grew closer, kind of clung to each other, during it all. Two people who were going through the same thing, shared trauma…at least that’s what we were told. It wasn’t too long before I realized that I’d fallen hopelessly in love with him. I still feel awful about doing that to Steve. It wasn’t the right way to go about it but I realized that as much as I liked Steve, I wasn’t in love with him. You probably think I’m an awful person now, don’t you? Especially after everything you’ve been through.”

“No, I don’t,” you assured her, surprised to find that you meant it. “I mean, you can’t help how you feel. The heart wants what it wants. Love makes you act like a crazy person and do shit you never thought you were capable of.” Honestly, the relationship stuff was the last thing you were focusing on from everything Nancy had just divulged. “But…your best friend and Will went missing at the same time? Obviously, they found Will. But what about your friend, Barb? Did you find her? What happened? Where were they?”

A flash of agony flickered over Nancy’s face, almost as if someone had pinched her suddenly. She curled her fingers in front of her, examining her nails carefully. You got the impression that your questions were bringing up some very painful stuff for her and you were sorry for that but you couldn’t help the curiosity you felt about what exactly was going on here. Every little snippet of information they gave you only left you with even more questions.

“No…uh, we never found Barb,” she answered, her voice cracking painfully. “There was a lab here at one time. Hawkins lab. Nobody in the town really paid too much attention to it. It was just some big building and no one knew or cared what they did in there. It turned out they were doing some illegal testing and Barb was accidentally exposed to toxic chemicals. They tried to hide the body, to conceal what had happened. The government wanted to cover it all up, brush it under the rug, but it all got brought to light in the end. We had a funeral with an empty casket but at least we had some closure. At least her parents got some closure. They were…it was so hard for them, not knowing, you know? They sold their house to pay for a private investigator. He was actually the one who blew the story wide open.” She cleared her throat. “Umm…and Will…it turned out that he got lost in the woods for a week. He was just a kid and he was exploring and he couldn’t find his way back. But luckily, they found him. He was in bad shape, had to spend some time in the hospital, but obviously he’s okay now.”

“Yeah, they actually had a funeral for him and everything but then miraculously there he was,” Robin added and you didn’t miss the look Nancy shot at her from the side, as if she’d said more than she should have.

“You had a funeral for him when he’d only been missing for a week?” you asked in disbelief. “That seems kind of fast. I mean, people go missing for months, years even, and they don’t do that. Did you all really think there was no hope that quickly?”

“Oh,” Robin squeaked, suddenly looking nervous, as if she realized the mistake she’d just made. “Umm…well, they had the funeral because they thought he was dead. There was a body of a boy who drowned found at the quarry.”

“A body? Whose body?” you demanded, extremely invested in this story.

Hawkins was such a small town. It seemed so quiet here, so quaint and normal. Missing people, government lab cover-ups, and bodies being found was the last thing you’d ever expected to come across when moving here. When Millie had told you this town had a dark past she hadn’t been exaggerating.

“We don’t know,” Nancy interjected quickly. “It was another kid, around Will’s age. But the body was really decomposed from being in the water for so long so it was almost impossible to identify. They just assumed it was Will because he was the only kid missing in town. But then he turned out to be alive and they never could identify who the kid was that they found in the water. Whoever it was wasn’t from around here.”

Your brow furrowed as you listened to the explanation, thinking it sounded insane. Did the people of this town really just believe that a random body was the boy that was missing without any identification done? And what about this random kid that drowned? They just let it go? Where did he come from? He had to belong to somebody. Someone was out there missing their child, never knowing what had happened to him. How had no one come forward to claim him?

This was all beginning to sound like some weird dystopian novel to you: government conspiracies, illegal lab testing, misidentified bodies, cover-ups, Max’s need for sunglasses, Eddie’s story about rabid raccoons attacking him. How did a small town like this have such a sordid past? And why would a government lab set up operations in such a small town unless they were trying to stay hidden? What were they really doing there? Something bigger was going on here, something none of them seemed to want to talk about.

“Hey, what are you doing for dinner?” Nancy asked loudly, breaking you from your dive down the rabbit hole. You looked up to find your new friend looking at you eagerly.

“Dinner?” you asked, trying to follow the sudden change of topic. “Oh, I was probably just going to make grilled cheese or something easy and maybe work on my lesson plans. I didn’t get a chance to finish them at school, story of my life.”

“No, you’re definitely not doing that,” Nancy told you. “Come back to my place with us. Jonathan was ordering pizza for him and the guys and he always orders way more than we need anyway or Argyle just shows up with extra.”

“Thanks, but I really don’t want to intrude again,” you said, shaking your head. “I already butted into your annual friends thing last night and I feel kind of bad about it. I’ll be fine on my own.”

“Oh nonsense,” Robin huffed, rising to her feet. “You are our friend now. You’re not intruding on anything. We’re inviting you. We wouldn’t invite you if we didn’t want you there. The guys aren’t going to care and if they do, screw them.”

“Yeah, screw them,” Nancy agreed with a smile. “We can grab a bottle of wine and go hang out in the backyard if they’re being idiots. Who needs those dumb guys anyway?”

“Okay, if you’re sure,” you relented with a small shrug, not wanting to show how pleased you actually were.

“Of course we’re sure,” Nancy asserted with a smile.

You really didn’t want to overstay your welcome, so to speak. You didn’t want them to get tired of you or think you were clingy. They’d just met you and you didn’t want to come across as needy, even though you really kind of were. Needy for human connection, for conversation, for fun, for something to do, something to fill your time with.

“Let me just clean up a bit and change clothes?” “Sure, take your time,” Nancy told you, sipping her lemonade. “Robin and I will be right here waiting when you’re ready.”

Those words were like a balm to your heart but you’d never tell them that. Hearing that you had people, people who would be there waiting for you when you were ready, was like a band-aid over the wound that had been bleeding out for months. You were ready, more than ready to let it heal over.

Chapter 5

Taglist

@tlclick73 @bebe07011 @eddiesguitarskills @witchwolflea @strangerfreak @emilyslutface @fireeyes-on-teller-dixon-grimes @corrodedcoffincumslut @mmunson86 @josephquinnsfreckles @katethetank

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scribbledghost · 2 years

Text

Respect

Pairing: Prince Sidon x F!Human!Reader (no y/n) (takes place before BOTW when most Zora still dislike humans/Hylians lol)

Rating: G

Word Count: 2,055

Warnings: angst, hurt/comfort, fluff

Notes: Being with the Prince of the Zora isn’t easy. Especially as a human. Luckily Sidon knows what just to say to make you feel better.

You should have known better than to try and hide from Sidon.

Despite having a somewhat “airheaded” demeanor to the average person, anyone who truly knew him knew that the Prince was actually quite sharp and observant. Especially when it came to you.

It was… difficult adjusting to life in Zora’s Domain. Being a human, not even a Hylian, rendered you “less-than” in most of the residents’ eyes, despite your best efforts. You’d relocated some months ago to be closer to Sidon and fully lean into the idea of one day being wed to him, and ever since it had been nothing but a minefield.

Some Zora welcomed you with open arms, mostly the prince’s personal guard, Bazz, and those who knew him especially well. King Dorephan’s reaction seemed… mixed, to say the least. While he was elated that his son had found someone he cared for so deeply, there was still the issue of one day needing an heir to take over the throne after Sidon passed. And considering humans and Zora had incompatible DNA, biological children with you was impossible. But, to the king’s credit, he had largely put aside such worries for a later date. He was in good health, and Sidon himself still likely had a couple hundred years of life left in him.

However, the rest of the Domain at large was… less than pleased with your presence. At first, you’d thought it was simply the council of elders, as Sidon had warned you long before you’d made your courtship public that they would not be pleased with the idea of him being with anyone but a fellow Zora.

But over time, you began to hear whispers from far more than just the council.

The children thought you strange. You supposed you couldn’t blame them, Zora’s Domain seldom had human or Hylian visitors. A few other Zora scattered about tended to give you angry glares or ugly looks, something Sidon had reassured you was due to them being part of a particular “fan club” of his and likely simply jealous of you as a result.

These, you could handle. But over time, you began to hear whispers from others too.

“I’m sure it’s simply a phase.”

“He wants to be like his sister so much he just went out and found a random human to be involved with. The novelty will wear off eventually.”

“How could she possibly know enough about the Zora to rule over us one day? She’s a fool, and Prince Sidon would do well to move on sooner rather than later.”

“She tries far too hard to fit in here. If she thinks it’ll ever happen, she’s even more oblivious than I thought.”

“She’s holding him back.”

All of these comments you took in stride. You tried your hardest to shrug them off, to not allow them to affect you. And for the most part, you succeeded, with some aid every so often from Sidon. He would reassure you that you were not simply a novelty, that he loved you dearly and that he would one day wed you properly, despite whatever objections he faced.

But one day, you overheard a certain conversation that simply… broke you.

You’d decided to go for a walk up to one of the waterfalls close to the Domain. Along the way, you came across a small group of guards talking amongst themselves.

“Looks like you lost the betting pool, Tottika. The eight month mark passed last night.”

“I know. Who’s still left in the running?”

“Bazz for sure. He’s put his earnings on them actually getting married.”

Your attention piqued, and you stopped in your tracks to try and keep quiet enough to not draw their own gazes.

“He’s a damn fool. There’s no way. Who else is still in?”

Your heart began to fall.

“Rivan’s still in. She’s betting on another year or so. I think Torfeau might still be in too, but I can’t remember how long she’s bet on.”

Your heart sank, the topic of conversation beginning to dawn on you.

“Quite honestly, I can’t believe they’ve lasted this long. She has to be doing something to trick him. There’s no way Prince Sidon would’ve stayed with a human for this long of his own volition. Not when he’s got so many better options.”

Your chest ached, and you turned back to make your way back to the palace.

You’d gotten used to snide comments from other residents. Gotten used to harassment from the council and other older Zoras. But the guards… you’d thought that at least they were alright with your presence. You’d even gone so far as to consider some of them your friends.

Apparently not, considering they’d all been taking bets on how soon you and Sidon would split up. At least Bazz had some faith in the two of you, but apparently the rest did not.

The other voices through the domain fell flat as you made your way back to the quarters you shared with Sidon. As expected, he was still sitting at his desk when you entered quietly, a quill softly scratching against the parchment that he wrote upon.

You had every intention of simply tiptoeing past him and curling up in the waterbed that he’d had built for you since sleeping with him in his usual pool wasn’t always feasible. But, much to your chagrin, he seemed to have noticed your presence anyway.

“You’re back early,” he commented lightly. “You just left, darling. Is everything alright?”

“Yeah,” you mumbled, choosing to forego lying in bed and instead moving towards a nearby window that overlooked your home. “It’s fine. Just didn’t feel well, that’s all. So I decided to come back.”

“Now dear one,” Sidon gently scolded, “there’s no need to lie.”

You exhaled a long breath and turned towards the view below. He was right, there was no use in trying to lie to him. He could read you like the documents he pored over every day.

“I… overheard a conversation between some of the guards.”

“Something tells me overhearing a simple conversation would not normally be enough to upset you so, my love.”

“They,” you began, then paused. You knew getting them into trouble with Sidon would only make the situation worse, but you also knew that Sidon wouldn’t want to be left in the dark about such things. “Turns out they made a betting pool. Of how long it would be before we… before we split. And apparently there aren’t many people still left in the running. In fact, only Bazz is confident that we’ll last long enough to get married.”

“They what?” you could hear the anger rising in Sidon’s voice despite keeping your eyes averted from him. “This is unacceptable. I’ll have to bring them all in for a proper meeting right away and let them know they are to disband this immediately and treat you properly. In fact, perhaps I should call a Domain-wide meeting instead, considering how others’ treatment of you has been equally appalling.”

“Sidon, it’s not that big of a deal-”

“Nonsense!” Sidon began. “I will one day be their king, and you will one day be their queen. They must learn to treat you with the respect you deserve, and I’m sure in time they will learn to love you as I do-”

“Sidon.”

He stopped in his pacing, and you could tell he had turned to where you sat against the windowsill overlooking the domain.

“Please,” you said, then heaved a sigh as you continued, “don’t say anything to them.”

“Why ever not?” he asked, a slight undercurrent of anger that was not directed at you lacing his tone.

“Because,” you sighed again, “the only thing I can think of that’s worse than people thinking poorly of me is people still thinking poorly of me but being forced to treat me otherwise.”

Sidon fell quiet.

“I… I’m not sure I understand.”

“I can tell when someone is being untruthful in their words, Sidon,” you said, still not turning your gaze from the domain below. “I can tell when someone is only kind to me out of obligation, and it only makes me feel worse knowing that as soon as I turn my back, they’ll whisper among themselves. I’d much rather them simply be openly honest than be forced to lie. I can think of few things worse than people being kind to me just because you ordered them to.”

Your voice progressively got quieter, melting into a whisper by the end of your explanation. You curled in on yourself, willing yourself to keep your emotions and tears in check. Crying would solve nothing, and would likely only serve to make Sidon feel that much more determined to try and make his fellow Zora like you more.

The room was silent for some time, the only sound being the muffled waterfalls outside. Then, you softly heard Sidon pad his way towards you, not stopping until you heard him next to you.

“My love,” he murmured in an attempt to properly catch your attention. You turned to face him, finding that he’d knelt down to be nearly eye level with you as he reached a hand out to you. You took it, and he gently brought it up to his lips in a kiss before lowering it again.

“I know I have said it many times before,” Sidon said, “but I think it bears repeating all the same.”

He paused for a moment, as if collecting his thoughts.

“I adore you. There is no one I’d rather be with than you, my darling. The… incorrect opinions of others do not change that. They will never change that. You have done so much in your short time living here, whether any of them realize that or not. And one day they will, I believe in that. One day they will look upon you and recognize you as their queen, as the person I have chosen to rule by my side in the coming years. I am sorry that they seem to be blind to that right now. But mark my words, my love, I will do everything I can to open their eyes.”

Your vision blurred as he spoke, so sure in himself and his ability to make the rest of his people love you. In a way, you felt yourself almost able to believe it as well.

Before you could stop yourself, you surged forward, wrapping your arms around Sidon’s neck and burying your face there. Your breathing hitched and hiccupped, and you felt his arms wrap around you as he let you release the emotions that had been building up. He softly soothed you, running a large hand up and down your back and gently murmuring professions of love to you until you had no more tears to give.

As you felt your eyes dry, you pulled back, bringing your hands up to either side of Sidon’s jaw before leaning in for a kiss. And another. And another.

“Would you like to change into some swimwear and have a nap with me in my pool?” he asked softly when you finally parted from him. “Or would you perhaps prefer to have me share your bed instead?”

You thought for a moment before you spoke.

“I’ll go get changed.”

It only took you a few moments before you walked back in and took Sidon’s hand as he walked into the water. Shortly after joining him, he pulled you to him and leaned back against the wall, allowing himself to float in a sitting position as you sat across his lap. Within several moments, you could hear soft snores coming from your prince, and yet his hold on you never faltered.

Sidon held you close as he floated in his sleeping pool. You nestled your face against his neck, one of his side fins resting over your head as you did so. It was as if he was subconsciously shielding you from the outside world, lulling you into drowsiness as you joined him in sleep.

You knew he loved you. Never once did your belief in that falter. You could only hope that one day, with perhaps some encouragement from Sidon, the rest of the domain would come to enjoy your presence too.

#Sidon #prince Sidon #sidon x reader #prince Sidon x reader #ghost scribbles

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hollowed-theory-hall · 14 days

Note

what do you think dumbledore’s letter to the durselys said? i always thought it was something threatening, especially considering the “remember my last” letter

I agree with you, from Petunia's reaction to the "remember my last" letter it very much seems like Dumbledore's first letter was a threat:

Aunt Petunia looked as though she might faint. She sank into the chair beside Dudley, her face in her hands. The remains of the envelope smoldered into ash in the silence. “What is this?” Uncle Vernon said hoarsely. “What — I don’t — Petunia?” Aunt Petunia said nothing. Dudley was staring stupidly at his mother, his mouth hanging open. The silence spiraled horribly. Harry was watching his aunt, utterly bewildered, his head throbbing fit to burst. “Petunia, dear?” said Uncle Vernon timidly. “P-Petunia?” She raised her head. She was still trembling. She swallowed. “The boy — the boy will have to stay, Vernon,” she said weakly.

(OotP, 40)

She seems petrified from fear. I think he made a threat of what would happen if Harry left their house before his 17th birthday. What exactly the threat was, I can't be certain, but for her to react like this it must be bad (or at least something Petunia thinks is bad).

Like, I'm thinking it's not something simple, that would cause discomfort, the threat must have been something more pressing. But, knowing Dumbledore, it wasn't a straightforward threat. It was the implication of horrifying death and torture to Petunia and her family if Harry left, but without actually saying the words. Just implying them. So she'd know, but he could always say he meant something else entirely.

I don't even know what he could say that will fit this criteria, but it's the sort of thing that's up Dumbledore's alley. Benign threat, I think that's what I'd call what he probably wrote there.

I doubt there was much in the way of explaining anything, like: "there will be no harm as long as Harry remains in your home,"

Which could refer to the blood protection on Harry (something I should write about eventually), but Petunia would more likely read as a threat to her own and her family's safety. That's like, the idea of the kind of threat and explanation he'd make.

Also, a non-specific threat can be way worse than a specific one. It leaves the threat up to your imagination, so you imagine the worst thing you can. A specific threat, well, it tells you exactly what will happen, and it might not be as bad as the person writing the threat thinks.

Things I think were in the letter, not necessarily in this order:

"Good evening, Mrs. Dursley" — I assume the letter was polite.

"It is most grave that I must inform you your sister, Lily, and her husband have been killed at the hands of a dark wizard"

"Before you is their son, Harry Potter, which I request you treat as your own" — he mentions something along these lines in HBP.

"I have left magic to ensure no harm will come as long as Harry is in your home until he reaches majority" — I don't think he explained anything further about the blood protections. Or who would come to harm.

"He will be expected to join Hogwarts when the time comes"

It was a very succinct letter that did everything Dumbledore needed it to with the minimal amount of words. That's what I'm thinking at least.

#hp #harry potter #harry potter thoughts #hp thoughts #asks #anon asks #anonymous #albus dumbledore #petunia dursley

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lovelacefc7723 · 9 months

Text

After watching the preview episode of the re-cap show, my first thought is actually a confirmation of something I believe for awhile now, and it's that in my opinion Tobin & Christen truly are in a different phase of their life now. They've changed, right in front of our eyes, they have built this whole other work reality that no longer NEEDS to be connected with the field, they are beyond. I'm not saying they're retiring tomorrow (even though I think they WILL do it very soon), I just feel they have found their dimension elsewhere. And it's deeply beautiful.

I noticed just how GOOD they are despite this being their first experience in this kind of projects. I remember Tobin's first videos for the company, about her art, and she didn't even look at the camera. Since becoming co-ceo, and maybe since stepping up after Pinoe's silent exit, she kinda found this new confidence. She joins events and promotional works by herself that before she would have attended only with Christen, or not attended at all.

Now she produces and hosts a show, and she's funny, charming, thoughtful, wonderfully loud when she laughs and freely honest when she speaks.

Even the choice of their first guest is pretty revealing. It actually tells how little we know about their lives and their relationships. That's why I usually talk about opinions and impressions, because that's all we have.

And exactly about my opinion about their new phase of their life, I think Ellis and Christen probably might have talked about things at some point. And not about her tactical choices but about her silence when Christen tried to expose Dames' toxic behaviour. It's not something you just ignore and sit together to joke, laugh and talk Football.

The interview was actually really brilliant and honest. I think Tobin took the lead because anyway she had a different relationship with Ellis but also it really seemed more her space, she has always had a complete vision of football, tactically and strategically. That's why it seemed she really talked Ellis' language. And it was deeply fascinating, curious and educative.

I'm not gonna deny that listening to Ellis actually talking about football and about her choices was truly interesting. Despite all her personal mistakes, I think she really knows her job, and she knows how to do it. I never heard Vlatko having such professional insights and I really admired him before, when I still had not realized he has no idea how to manage team and players and he doesn't really care about them either.

Ellis was pretty honest about her tactical decisions, I don't know if she would do exactly the same now, especially with Christen. But I still love how equally honest Christen was with her. The quote "I'd let you babysit my daughter but I don't think I'll play you in this game" is not really a joke and both of them know it. But it was a moment of Truth.

I think Ellis appreciated and appreciates Christen both as person and player, she made a choice, a debatable one, but still hers. And Christen faced her for it. But in the end I liked to see that she still considered her time playing for Ellis as a learning experience, it puts everything in perspective.

I always thought Christen was way much more than the sweet and zen person we often see. She did make a few interesting remarks to Ellis among the lines of jokes, she knows how to tease Tobin (probably her favourite pastime), she can be snarky and witty, and it's pretty awesome.

That's why I was in love with the blunt confrontation between Tobin & Christen. It was actually what I expected, Tobin always so free and direct, Christen so smart, witty and a little biting! The Daily Debate was just amazing but what I noticed is that every time Tobin talked, with Jill or simply telling something, she always included Christen in her moments, in her thoughts, her memories, her experiences, she looked at her, waited for her reaction.

The most technical part of the conversation was so intriguing for a football fan. I loved the Marginal Gain philosophy, it's the success in the details.

Also, about the USWNT, I think Tobin doesn't have much admiration for Vlatko, as coach and person. At one point she said something like "talking about chewing and spitting …" and she went on saying she and Christen wouldn't be at the World Cup, it says something.

In the end, I think they really nailed this first episode. I wanna see Christen take the lead in the next episodes and I can't wait for them!

#tobin heath #christen press #woso #uswnt #football #soccer #re inc #jill ellis #women's football

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sparkles-rule-4eva · 10 months

Text

HAPPY WHOLESOME SONIC AND TAILS WEDNESDAY BABEYYYYY!!!!!!!!

It's been like a million years since I've actually been able to post a fic for Wednesday, but I've got one!! I've finally got one!!

HERE YA GO, GUYS!!!

---------------

"Girl Talk"

(this takes place in the Sonic Boom universe, after the episode "Cowbot")

It had only been yesterday when Sonic and Tails had found themselves spending a day and a half over at their lair of their supposed arch-nemesis, Dr. Eggman, to help him repair his defenses. Sonic still wasn't sure why they'd bothered helping the guy, considering he was always trying to destroy him and his pals.

Well, he supposed that was a hero's duty. Help everyone. Even if they didn't deserve it at all.

Beyond the fact that they were helping their enemy, probably the thing that had caught Sonic the most off guard was Eggman's completely unexpected question at the campfire.

"What's up with you and Amy?"

He'd had absolutely no idea how to respond to that. In fact, he'd never responded. He'd just made some lame attempt to change the subject, though he no longer remembered what he'd said to do so.

What was even more nerve-wracking? Tails had looked just as interested to hear the answer.

Sonic stared at the ceiling of his shack as he reclined uneasily in his hammock. Pfffft, he had no reason to get so flustered over such a silly question. He was Sonic the Hedgehog! He feared nothing! He especially didn't fear something as simple as love, and attachment, and relationships . . . ? Right?!

"Why do you look like you just got back from Meh Burger?" a familiar voice called teasingly, and he jolted upwards, almost toppling off the hammock.

Tails was walking through his empty doorframe, a gleam in his bright blue eyes and his twin tails waving up and down behind him.

"It's nothing!" Sonic protested, standing up and stretching, overall trying to act as casual and relaxed as possible. "Just thinking."

"About whaaat?" The tone couldn't get any more teasing. "About who?"

"I don't know what you mean," he tried to bluff, but the little fox's eyes glinted at him knowingly.

Sonic sighed heavily.

His little brother knew him far too well.

"Fine, fine, fine." Sonic waved a hand, then glanced around nervously. "Can we just take this somewhere more . . . private?"

"We can go to my lab?" Without waiting for an answer, Tails turned and helicoptered away back towards his workshop. Sonic took off after him, reaching the place at least five seconds before his brother did.

"So . . . what is up with you and Amy?" Tails asked once the door was closed and the windows were locked, quite clearly repeating Eggman's words.

"Amy's just a really good friend!" Sonic tried to protest. "Yeah, yeah, she's got a thing for me, but that doesn't mean I reciprocate!"

Tails shot him a look. "So you know she likes you, and yet you don't discourage her, you hang out with her alone, you're always making jokes and puns around her and waiting for her reaction, and you even go to the movies together?"

"Those are all normal friend activities!" Sonic practically screeched, his voice high-pitched with desperation. "Sure, I like being with her. She's a great person. And she's a great friend. And a cool fighter. And she's strong. And independent. And . . . well . . ."

Sonic trailed off, realizing his argument no longer was making sense, all he'd done was go on a tangent about all the things he liked about Amy, and Tails' smirk was as smug as ever.

But when his brother finally replied, it wasn't as teasing as he'd expected. "She makes you happy, doesn't she? The way Zooey makes me happy?"

"You're not old enough to be giving me advice on girls," Sonic grumbled.

"I'm not the one running from my feelings," Tails pointed out.

Sonic made a frustrated noise.

"Okay fiiine, I guess I do kinda sorta like her. So what?"

"So . . . ?!" Tails bounced up and down a couple times. "You should go ask her out!"

"But I don't actually know what I'm doing when it comes to girls!" Sonic complained. "Yeah, Amy's not the only girl to have ever liked me, but I've never actually had a girlfriend. How are you even supposed to treat them? And doesn't being in a relationship mean getting tied down somewhere and not having freedom anymore? I'm not even sure I want a relationship, Tails."

"That's not what relationships are about," his brother argued. "They're about love, duh. Choosing to love and care for that one person. Finding happiness and contentment in each other's company. Putting their needs before yours, because they're special to you." Tails' blue eyes gleamed. "Isn't Amy special to you?"

"Well, I guess, yeah," Sonic mumbled, kicking at an imaginary rock on the ground. "I just . . . I don't think I'm ready for a girlfriend, at least not yet. Can't I just give it some time?"

Tails snickered. "Of course you can. There's no rush. I just wanted to make sure you understood this stuff."

"This feels backwards." Sonic sighed, but grinned. "Okay. Ya got me, lil bro. But!" He jumped up and grabbed his brother by the wrist. "Everything that was just said is entirely confidential! Got it? No breaking the bro code!"

"I know, I know!" Tails laughed, squirming away as Sonic started playfully poking him all over. "Understood!"

----------------

🥰 this'll be posted on AO3 ASAP! (It's a busy day for me haha) it's already posted on Wattpad if you follow me and the one-shots book there. 😜👌

Update: here it is on AO3!

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callimaria · 2 years

Text

wrapped around the finger of a kid? losers (/j)

warnings: yandere, NOT romantic

characters: vil s., rook h.

a small child brought onto campus, that’s what you were. small, weak, helpless, without magic to even protect yourself with; considering the mirror sent you, many thought of it as an offense. yet you were precious, and you could plan clever little tricks, charm other students — and one day, in the future, you will realize that your charm perhaps did more bad than good.

you were oblivious, and held no clue about the dangers ahead of you…

or the dangerous people to avoid, really.

vil:

at first, he scoffed at having to host you in pomefiore, (first impressions weren’t great, you had tracked in a lot of dirt, and was a little roughed up as well) but he had warmed up to you.

oh, yes, he warmed up alright.. you enjoyed the company of the other students, but then ‘big brother vil’ always sweeps you away. you’d question why, but he’d always distract you.

“little potato, come here for a moment”, “let me fix your hair”, and “no need to talk to them” were some of the most common things you’d hear from the blonde, as he waited for your arrival everyday.

at one point, his bedroom permanently became yours as well, and when he had to go, you could play by yourself. alone, that is. he’s so attached, why would he ever let you go? just stay in his room, it has everything you need, so don’t question why the door’s locked.

he’ll keep you forever, because you’re just so adorable. he’ll spoil you, give you the world, end the world for you. and you… won’t disobey him, will you?

💗

“come on, now,” a pomefiore student said, words like sugary syrup. he said your name, handing you a little candy. “i’m not sure why you’re kept away from all of us, but i wanna play with you too!”

you finally were brought to a party, and you stuck to vil’s side like glue. he was all you’ve known now, so it should have been expected.

however, he had left to get something (clearly agitated on having to leave you, his sweet little potato) and you had wandered off, giving into childish curiosity.

when you got lost in the crowd of people, you started to cry, realizing you couldn’t see vil anywhere — realizing you now had no one to help you… that was when a student encountered you.

“p.. play?” you asked, gingerly holding onto the candy.

he nodded, smiling. “yep! i have a little sibling at home, just like you, so i th…”

as the stranger held his hand out, you sniffled, before feeling a strange prick at the back of your neck. it hurt for only a second, before you blacked out, ears ringing the entire time.

💗

you woke up on a plush, and familiar mattress, a satin pillow beneath your head. groggily blinking, your head felt so.. fuzzy, and off. even your body ached all over.

a large hand rested on your forehead, perhaps to check your temperature.

“v.. vil..?” your eyes closed, unused to the light. where was vil? was he here?

“yes, little potato?” hearing his voice brought you comfort, as you relaxed into the cushions.

“wha’ happened..?”

“you managed to get sick, somehow… but it’s okay, in my care, you’ll recover quite fast. so don’t worry,” was his response.

you… got sick? is that it?

suddenly, you feel more tired. you can’t remember anything, so it’s best to trust vil, right..?

yeah, yeah.. should just sleep it off.

actually, vil kind of smelt like.. pennies?

oh, no — like metal.

💗💗💗

rook:

a child summoned by the dark mirror? oh, and handed off to pomefiore as well?

he’s the first one to greet you, mostly because he had scared you outside, having jumped out of a tree. he found your reaction delightful, especially when you got over the shock and was in awe of how sneaky he was..

and therefore he stuck around you more, becoming your own guide as he and you ‘adventured’ around campus. the moment you warmed up and accidentally called him ‘brother’, he had dramatically shed a few tears, theatrically spouting out words you didn’t know.

you found it funny, and gladly always tried to find rook whenever you were bored. (he was over the moon about it, you really chose him?) sometimes, though, you forget he expects you to be with him.. but that’s fine!

it’s not like he isn’t watching your every move, after all. he’ll give himself away with small ‘mishaps’, like rustling in a bush or clearing his throat a little too loud; only because your reactions were like pure gold to him, and it only made it better how those reactions.. were at him. only him.

💗

you cheered as a savanaclaw student swung you around, filled with joy as he held on tight, giving into your childish whims. the student was actually quite friendly, accepting your requests of wanting to play.

after all, you were just a little kid, and you liked fun just as much as anyone else.

“again, again!” you cried, giggling as you went up and down, enjoying the thrill.

“alright, but this should be the last time..— i do have to study,” the student sighed. he almost wanted to tell you he could sense somebody nearby, alarmed and concerned for your safety, but he held back his tongue.

“aww..” you pouted, before brightening up as he swung you around once more.

you could barely feel the eyes on your back, unknowingly used to the feeling, thinking it was normal.

as the student let you down, you squealed as an arrow flied past you, stabbing into the dirt right beside his foot.

mumbling a curse, you winced as your arm was roughly grabbed, getting dragged along as the student — far more athletic than you were — ran.

but… you could only furrow your eyebrows in confusion.

weren’t the arrows.. normal?

they always came when you accidentally stuck around someone for too long, at least getting shot once, ‘n then rook usually always comes in and steals you away! so.. it should be fine, right?

so why does the nice stranger look so cautious? rook just doesn’t like when playtime gets too long.

💗

the next day, you couldn’t help but stare in awe as rook stood in front of you, wiping something off with a cloth.

it was a little bit dirty, most likely from how much it’s been used.

as you mindlessly rambled to him on what your day was like, (he always listened, with his signature smile — even if most of the day was spent with him) you couldn’t help but wonder if you were gonna see that nice stranger again.

i mean… the arrow felt different from usual.

maybe he got mad?

..hm, no. rook was always so nice to you, and he was the best, and..— so there’s no way he got angry at all.

brain too puny to think abt french, it’s also 3 am (no dialogue from mr hunt today) AND ALSO BC OF THE TIME I’M SORRY IF THIS SEEMS A LIL IFFY (anyways)

ahoy, twst fandom

my first piece of writing for idv was yandere so i thought i’d make it a tradition n do it for twst too

#twisted wonderland #twst #twisted wonderland x reader #twst x reader #child reader #platonic #yandere #yandere twst #twst vil #vil schoenheit #twst rook #rook hunt

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