#I know he was a lot more competent in the books you don’t have to tell me about it

[theymademesignup08]

Finnick and morphling girl after dragging Peeta through the games:💀💀

Katniss after dragging Peeta through the games:😏👩‍🍼

#I know he was a lot more competent in the books you don’t have to tell me about it #I just think it’s funny how many bad situations he gets himself into #I like to imagine Katniss during the second games watching him do something stupid and going “oh yeah I’m going to have his children” #thg #the hunger games #thg catching fire #peeta mellark #finnick odair #katniss everdeen #everlark #the morphlings #uh yeah everlark #katniss x peeta #catching fire #thg mockingjay #better than the movies

[not-alpharious]

The Fire Warrior novelization is wild

For anyone who doesn’t know, Fire Warrior was a game from 2003 where you play as a Tau Fire Warrior trying to rescue a kidnapped ethereal before it’s revealed that the planetary governor that kidnapped the ethereal was secretly a chaos cultist and you have to deal with that too.

What’s more unusual though is that the game actually had a novel tie in and it’s wild. It’s not perfect obviously, there’s a lot of parts where it skips from the main character, Shas’la Kais, starting to do something to after it’s been done with maybe a fight scene with the boss. But to be fair it is a novelization of the game and constant variations “He then turned the hallway and shot some guys” would get old fast.

What’s even more wild is that the book treats everything you do in game as something Kais actually does. As a result Kais becomes this freakishly hyper competent killing machine fueled almost purely by daddy issues. Like he is a genuine blood drenched cryptid and there’s practically no characters that aren’t at least slightly terrified of him. And that is not an exaggeration.

Like from everyone else’s perspective Kais is just a fresh recruit on his first ever battlefield and out of nowhere he’s gunning down hundreds of guardsmen. He takes out a tank with a hijacked imperial turret, kills an attack helicopter single handedly, saves the ethereal completely by himself from a heavily fortified prison, two shots a space marine, fights off two attempted boardings of his ship (which includes killing four more space marines completely by himself), counterboards the Imperial ship where he kills even more space marines and even more hundreds of guardsmen crippled the ship with a bomb and nearly kills the entire command crew all by himself, fights off a demonic invasion in the ship while completely lost to his blood rage, cripples the imperial ship even more, killing who knows how many CSM and demons the entire time, solos a chaos dreadnought, goes back to the planet to kill even more chaos marines and demons, fights his way through a titan to blow it up, solos a warp spawn, and a demon prince, falls to Khorne for a bit and eventually even kills a greater demon.

Within the book the entire time he’s doing all this he never has a mech or supplies, he’s constantly forced to fight God with guns and ammo he’s scavenged from the countless corpses he’s left in his wake. He rocks up to the Tau ship in orbit before he sneaks into the prison literally drenched in human blood and there’s nothing they can do about it because he’s basically the single best person at killing in their entire army at this point

These are all the things he does in the book because he does them in the game and it’s a just amazing to see the rest of the world react to this video game character played straight. Usually in other game novelizations, the sheer number of enemies your guy kills is usually brought way down and is just chalked up to the enemy numbers being inflated in the game for the sake of gameplay. But Fire Warrior decided to say fuck that, our blorbo really is just this much of a hyper competent war criminal and you should fear for your IRL life.

And honestly?

I don’t think I could respect them more for that decision.

#tau empire #fire warrior #shas’la kai my psychotic beloved #warhammer 40k #warhammer 40000 #I honestly kind of wish they made him canon so that he Tau could just have this random doomslayer who gets pointed in a direction to kill

[meidnightrain]

BAD BLOOD - alhaitham

❝ band-aids don’t fix bulletholes, you say sorry just for show. if you live like that, you live with ghosts. ❞

summary: arguments with your rival, the scribe, are common but this time, he takes it a little too far when his words hit close to home

warnings: reader is gn, reader and alhaitham are rivals

notes: day 8! struggled a lot because i can’t write alhaitham for some reason so i tried my best. some references are from the bad blood remix cause i prefer that to the og song

taglist (open): @staretes , @rynnlvrs , @sentifua , @i-probably-sleep-too-much , @reilly34 , @qqingque , @akutasoda , @mhiieee , @starryshinyskies , @rintosae , @kazemiya

“and then he called my work sloppy! like, i’m the best in the akademiya! if you think you can find someone else who can do star mapping from memory, then be my guest!”

kaveh sighed at the way you were so upset over a dispute had gotten into, nursing his cup of wine. was it worth getting worked up over? maybe not but what made it worse was who you had said that to you.

“mhm, and who said this to you? crackpot old fools that archons know how long have been working in the archives. they probably don’t have enough melanin after spending more than half their lifespans kissing books,” he mumbled under his breath, taking a swig of wine.

“it was alhaitham!” you pointed at him with indignation. it was sort of comical to see the way his face contorted and how he choked on his wine, struggling to gulp it down by patting at his chest.

“why didn’t you say so sooner?!” he threw his hands up in the air, a stark contrast from the way he had dismissed your complaints. his hatred and rivalry towards alhaitham was unrivalled, maybe except to you. he knew the bad blood you had to him, though you both weren’t sure whether alhaitham harboured any to you.

ever since your schooling years in the akademiya, you had butted heads constantly, competing for the highest score in exams and winning favor of teachers. sadly, this had meant that you were both acknowledged to be the cream of the crop. you were both on a higher level than other students which meant that you were constantly paired for projects, to complement each other’s intelligence.

it had been okay at the start, speaking only when necessary, offering small snippets of suggestions here and there. but it eventually turned to something more when you started to hang out under the pretence of projects you had to do even though they had been long completed long ago. going on study dates, events hosted at the grand bazaar, stargazing. you both enjoyed each other’s company that was for sure, but your pride got in the way of expressing your feelings.

perhaps you could say it was a battle, a battle to see who would cave first and confess to the other and your competitive spirits were the what kept you both from pursuing something more. you had a deep admiration towards him, a feeling that you couldn’t describe and you know he had it too. but instead, it felt like he was rubbing salt in your wound and laughing right at you for deciding to engage in this battle of who could go the longest.

you were going to lose first, that was until an argument that you had both gotten into during your final year. you had messed up the major calculations for mapping by mistaking the vertical for the horizontal axis and had drawn on the map from the wrong side which causing you to mix the polar axis too. funny, how a single argument landed you both right here in this never ending cycle of insults and regrets, what caused bad blood between you both.

he hadn’t been understanding like most, geography was one of your weaker subjects and you still had about a week and a half to the deadline. his words were sharp like a knife, leaving scars in your back. usually he would throw insults your way and you’d brush them off, thinking that it was a part of his personality but in truth it did hurt you with pain ranging from papercuts to cat scratches but this time, it was multiple stabs in your back.

“maybe that’s what’s wrong with your life? you’re meant to be second-best, no in-between. after all, could you expect more of someone from your background?” he had said monotonously, though you felt the fury underlying in his tone. when you had gasped and shrunk back from him, did he realise his mistake. reaching out to you with a small frown but you slapped his hand away.

“i’m sorry, i’ll just…redo the whole project.” you had struggled to speak, grabbing the strewn papers on the desk and dashing out the library doors despite his calls for you to come back.

the tears that had threatened to brim in your eyes spilt, blurring your eyesight as you ran aimlessly to nowhere, clutching the blueprints with his handwriting elegantly written on. what was shiny, now all rusted from the blood you spilt that had gone cold.

were you overreacting? maybe. should you have done the project by staying up nights to get a perfect grade, presented it to the class by yourself while avoiding alhaitham entirely? probably not. years later, those kind of wounds were the ones that lasted and lasted.

the both of you had problems and you think you couldn’t solve them. he had mumbled a halfhearted sorry afterwards, though you knew that was just for show, he had practically lived with ghosts until kaveh started to room with him. you had forgiven and forgotten about the way he had made you feel, but you would never let it go.

kaveh watched you finish the cup of wine in one swallow, a bit hesitant to speak his mind when you were in a sorry state as his eyes looked to something in the distance. “i think…i’ll go get us some more wine.”

you merely nodded in thanks, grabbing the half finished bottle on the table and peering into its interior boredly. it was sad, to think about the good times he and you had. but when you looked up, it’s not the architect but alhaitham himself in the seat opposite you with an awkward frown.

“can we talk?”

<- prev masterpost next ->

© AVENTURNE 2023. DO NOT COPY, REPOST, SHARE, TRANSLATE OR REUPLOAD MY WORKS ONTO ANY OTHER SITE WITHOUT MY PERMISSION

#🕊️ - 1989 event #・ nouveau livre ˎˊ˗ #genshin impact x reader #genshin x reader #genshin impact x you #genshin x you #genshin x gender neutral reader #genshin impact x gender neutral reader #genshin impact x gn reader #genshin x gn reader #alhaitaham x reader #alhaitham x you #🗞️ - genshin impact fics #🪧 - event: 1989

[itshype]

Gaslight, Gatekeep, Girlboss, Godhood (DC x DP)

What’s the best way to cover up a secret when Danny can’t lie very well? Make an even more elaborate lie – but one that tugs on the heartstrings! My DC x DP Previous Works: Space Lover Danny, Kingmaker Danny, Service Animal Cujo, Danny yoinks Connor, Ghost Bruce HC + Ghost Jason HC

So, Danny's government just made his existence illegal. Which is rude and very othering and mean. In canon, Danny sort of slides around this but hey, this should be a pretty upsetting incident.

So, Vlad immediately switches his attitude (because your girl loves redeemed Vladdie!), and the two work together for weeks to try and minimise any chances of either of them getting caught. Danny is really feeling the whole “Only two of their kind” when his president declared open season on Danny (I don’t care if this isn’t how laws work in America. I’m not American I don’t care for foreign legal accuracy).

And so, weeks later, they’re actually together in ghost form with Extended Team Phantom (Tucker, Sam, Jazz and Valerie) trying to figure out their best way forward because if Vlad openly opposes these laws as Mayor too publicly the GIW might start looking at him way too closely and everything would unravel. They really can’t pretend that revealing the possibility of a human/ghost hybrid wouldn’t put events around whichever of them hadn’t been caught under a brand-new light.

Valerie is there pretending not to be emotionally invested in her boss’ and Danny’s welfare while reading a book and occasionally leaping in with “Devil’s Advocate” comments of how the Fenton parents and GIW might respond to some of their ideas.

Then the Justice League show up. Now there’s a whole law (please see Navigate any storm for my HC about the JLA’s relationship with the anti-ecto acts) they're obligated to step in. Now, I’ve been pretty uniform with who I’m including in these notfics so for a change, here we get Wonder Woman, Barry Allen’s Flash, Supergirl and I think Jason Todd but dressed up as Batman (Bruce got a booboo on his ickle frontal lobe and is out for the count, Flash and Supergirl are here because I loved their dynamic in all crossovers in the DCTV universe PRE-crisis).

Here we have the perfect storm of well read (Diana and Jason) but kind of gullible and not-as-paranoid as Batman (Flash and Supergirl, Jason is definitely suspicious but would defer to an expert like Wonder Woman in the right scenario).

Diana has shown up ready to fight, Hestia’s lasso glowing in her hands, and Team Phantom is sharp – they’re well trained and smart, but they can’t really compete against superhumans like the JLA. Diana demands that they all surrender and relinquish control over their human sycophants before being taken into custody for violation of the anti-ecto acts and performing actions of war on civilians or whatever other legal stuff she knows about.

The two halfas are floating and green so denying any knowledge would be bad. Vlad steps forward to try and babble on to buy Danny time and he scrambles for an escape. He doesn’t see a way out, but what he does see is the book that Valerie was reading. Percy Jackson. He looks back at Wonder Woman. Back at the book. Back at the Daughter of Zeus.

“Cousin! It’s so great you came to visit us at last!”

That at least gets Wonder Woman to pause. She asks what he’s talking about. Then “Batman” says not to let the ghost confuse them. He’s glaring at the vampiric ghost who seems to be trying to protect the smaller one. Vlad has legs, Danny has his little tail form.

Danny lets out the fakest laugh you’ve ever heard. He explains that ‘of course’ they weren’t ghosts. They were superpowered beings. Superpowered beings are protected by metahuman law.

“Batman” points out that they both look a lot like ghosts. Danny’s mind is scrambling for the right names. He finds them.

“Oh, I am actually the son of Melinoe, goddess of ghosts.” Daughter of Persephone, would make him Diana’s first cousin, once removed. Totally fit in with his power set plus she was a really obscure goddess who wasn’t very well known or documented, and therefore he could make up stuff about his ‘mother’ if he so chose.

“And who’s the vampire?” Barry asks, though Jazz, at least can tell that everyone is way less on-guard.

“I am…” There’s a very long pause. “His Father. Deimos. God of Dread. Son of Aphrodite and Ares!” Danny wants to smack him.

Okay, great, Vlad just ‘yes, and’ed Danny from being a demigod to the both of them being full-blown gods in their own right. Sure.

“Yes! I am Phantom…”

Jazz cuts him off to say that his name was Phántasma [φάντασμα] and of course the locals just anglicized it to Phantom from the original Ancient Greek. Danny agrees and goes onto explain how he was a pretty new god – y’know, comparatively – and these were some nice humans who were all considering becoming his priestesses and priest. Sam ducks in to explain how Phantom – sorry, Phantasma, was the god of ghosts finally relinquishing hold on their forms and surrendering to the afterlife. Something chill and small, nothing that would necessitate him getting involved with human affairs and no abilities that would mean any extra attention from the Justice League.

Diana starts to cry, she thought she was all alone in the world and right here was her cousin. All along she had family in the realm of men, family who had been so excited to meet her yet who had not reached out. Unfortunately, Danny made a mistake. Melinoe isn’t Hades and Persephone’s daughter. She’s Zeus and Persephone’s daughter. Diana connects the dots and in a single instant stops crying.

“A baby brother!” She reaches forward to squish Danny’s face.

Jazz takes great offense at that. Danny is her brother (though she can’t admit that). Danny’s at closest, Diana’s half nephew – but since he’s her half nephew on BOTH sides she’s willing to concede him as her full nephew.  Diana argues that since her Dad is Danny’s grandfather and great-grandfather plus great uncle, their ichor is close enough that he’s basically her full brother. Ironic as Deimos would actually be closer to being her half-brother. Vlad is a creepy old vampire though, not an adorable teen superhero.

Tucker makes up a very elaborate story about being too insecure to reach out before now. He requests Phantasm’s blessing to convey this story to Wonder Woman so that Danny doesn’t have to say anything.

Valerie gets out a notebook to try and map out this fictional family tree while googling all the deities’ names she doesn’t already recognise. It makes her thankful it is only fictional. Phantasma’s family tree looks more like a Christmas wreath. “Batman” is also trying to figure out the most appropriate relationship between Phantasma and Diana in his HUD.

This is when everyone has made their biggest mistake, not paying attention to Vlad for more than a minute. This is a problem he is thrilled to remedy. His chest swells and he starts to prattle on about how hard it’s been for him as a single father since his beloved Melinoe died in the God War (Wonder Woman’s cinematic canon prequel). Of course, Supergirl asks how they survived, and they say some very broad things about sheltering in the afterlife where Ares could not reach them, as gods are most powerful in their own domain.

Disregarding the fact that if this all were true, Danny would be about 100 years older than her, Diana acknowledges that a child without a mother must struggle and offers to help Danny whenever necessary. If he wanted to, he could come live with her in DC and meet all her superhero friends to help guide him.

They’re scrambling for a reason as to why Danny would turn down this offer. Vlad speaks first. He explains that since his mother’s death, Danny has overtaken her domain as the god of all ghosts and, while Phantom is very clearly not a ghost, he couldn’t possibly leave all his subjects. Especially since the stupid GIW keep attacking father and son. Vlad says that honestly, the US government should be glad that they haven’t smote them, the GIW and everyone else who would challenge them.

Diana is horrified. Ghosts are revolting scum, and her two new family members are full-blooded gods who shine with otherworldly power and definitely not the glow of ectoplasm.

Whenever any of the other superheroes (who are more clear-headed at this time) try and ask any probing questions either:

Danny insists that a mere mortal wouldn’t understand the scope of his abilities

Tucker yells at them for daring to question “Phantasma’s” great authority

Sam insists that she would hate to be told the answer, that everything her god does is for her to decode. She asks what they think the symbolism of Danny robbing a bank could be.

She offers to get them in touch with the president and he could make them both special advisors to the GIW – the JLA had only been called in due to how much trouble the agency were having and bringing two gods in would be a quick way to get the entire situation ship shape.

The flash gets in touch with Phantasma’s high priestess next week, he reassures everyone that the ‘misunderstanding’ is all cleared up. Danny’s officially the CEO of the guys in white.

Hope everyone enjoyed. Masterpost coming soon.

((Dan as Hades???))

Here's "Phantasma's" family tree - simplified

#dc x dp #dp x dc #danny phantom #danny fenton #justice league #not fic #mine #batman #tucker foley #the JLA #teen titans #titans #not!fic #vlad masters #vlad plasmius #redeemed vlad #sam manson #valerie gray #jazz fenton #percy jackson #greek gods #greek mythology #deimos #melinoe #jason todd #red hood #supergirl #kara danvers #barry allen #the flash

[girlsneedff]

Tetris player!Chosou x f!reader (NSFW!!)

Minors and ageless bios please dni

Mating press, slight Tetris! babble, established relationship, breeding (slightly)

Author’s yap: ok ok so I basically sat and watched this Tetris tournament on TikTok and I got inspired… possibly one of the more unserious things I’ve written, but that’s ok!!

————

Tetris! is boring as shit.

How could someone sit there in front of a rickety old 8-bit, shitty quality game and have fun for hours? It was stupid.

Well, that was before you started dating an 8-time Tetris! champion. Now the game is absolutely amazing- a Heaven sent.

Chosou Kamo’s a man of few words. Even when he finally mustered up the courage to ask you out (you were in the same humanities class), it went like this:

“Hello, we- ………date?” The blush saturated his cheeks as he twiddled his thumbs while remaining eye contact.

Oh, those thumbs.

He’s cute, and you’ve been ogling him a bit (a lot) during class, so of course you took up his offer, regardless of how ill-planned it was.

Next thing you know, you’re at his place- always watching him prep for a tournament he’s competing in. Whether it’s an actual controller or on his pc- he practices for hours- at least 3. His hair is in his usual messy pigtails as he chews the inside of this right cheek.

Next Tetrimino is an O- he moves that to the left-most end of the field. Then it’s a T- he flipped it so it fits nicely into this little slot he had created with some past pieces. He gets an I- his face lights up as he gleefully moves it to the right-most end of the field, sliding it into the perfect position and boom: Tetris!

A line of 4 disappears with this completion, and the game continues, his fingers moving at rapid paces to keep up. His eyes flicker to you, to make sure that you saw his victory, then back to the game.

You must admit, when he first told you he was a multi-time Tetris! winner, you damn near laughed at him. You wouldn’t do it in his face- but you definitely have scoffed thinking about it before.

“Hi- oh yea this is my boyfriend. Oh what does he do? Well he’s a Tetris! Champion!”

Your peers would look at you sideways.

But you couldn’t give a rat’s ass what they think now. You’d scream it from the rooftops actually. He’s made you scream a lot more embarrassing things than that.

You owe Tetris! your sex life. Truly. In your vows, you might give Tetris! a shoutout. Because the way that this man knows how to work his fingers- it’s unnatural. How he works his everything- jeez he’s Heaven sent.

————

“Baby, I need an opponent.”

You sit up to look at your boyfriend. He’s sitting in his gaming chair, still working away at Tetris, while you lie on his bed, scrolling on his phone.

“Why don’t you call up your frien-”

“Play with me.”

You freeze. This was the first time he’s ever brought this up. You’ve been coming over for 4 months now, and never once had he asked you to play with him.

“You know I don’t really know anything about Tetris!, right?”

“I’ll teach you. I just need to practice for tomorrow against somebody. It will help get me in the mood.”

It sure as hell did help him get in a mood. Sitting in his lap, he hands you his other console, makes sure you’re ok, and presses play. His console rests on your lap, while you hold yours up a bit.

…

And he lost.

…

Because how the flying fuck did you two end up on the bed?

Lock down: When a Tetrimino is put into a place where it’s no longer moveable. Kinda like how you are now.

Choso supports himself on your bent thighs with knees damn-near touching your ears as he towers above you, sweaty strands of hair still sticking to his face as he keeps eye contact. There’s no possible way you could escape this- even if you wanted to.

Then, he does his next signature move: Hard Drop. When a player drops a Tetrimino right into Lock Down from its starting position- no alterations.

Well, save for the fact that he had you line him up with your cunt, he’s by the book.

Who knew that Tetris! players would be so good at multitasking? With every stroke, he plays with your clit like he’s moving pieces- this Tetris!-junkie really doesn’t quit. He keeps it at a steady pace, steady force. All the way to left field- down. In the middle- he lets it wait for a little bit before he moves it to the right and down. It’s dizzying.

The way his dick is stretching you, and how his lithe fingers work to bully your clit into submission, you felt like you were levitating.

Then he starts fucking drawing the Tetriminos on your clit. You swear you’re actually in Heaven, the angels singing choruses of Tetris! hymns and praises while perched upon fluffy white cumulus clouds. Your mouth is in a permanent “O” position.

He definitely felt you clench around him- he lets out a breathy moan- louder than the noises he was already making. He has an airy type of grit in his voice every time you have sex- one of the many things that you love about this man.

Chosou leans close to your right ear, deepening the position as he speaks:

“Z, I, L, O, J…”

Before you know it you’re creaming- babbling random nonsense that you definitely don’t remember, but definitely know it was embarrassing. Cumming from him saying letters? How pathetic. But you don’t give a goddamn fuck.

You dig your fingers into your own flesh, since you were propping yourself up properly.

Chosou kisses your cheek and your neck as he continues to fuck you through your high.

He finally succumbs to his own desire, pumping everything that he has inside you with a soft, yet kind of whiny moan.

From that moment onwards, you vowed that you will never disrespect Tetris! again.

#jjk #choso x black y/n #choso my beloved #smut #fluff #jjk x reader #choso x reader #choso x you #jjk x you #jjk x fem!reader

[squidd325]

Hi, I want to ask do you have any headcanon about how Fang date boboiboy 's element?

Oh, absolutely! Thank you for asking, be prepared in advance for a 100-page essay though >:D /j

To me, Fang and BoBoiBoy have a chill, playful dynamic with each other. 

I personally like the initial direction of the Original series that BoBoiBoy and his elements are the same person, the only difference is the core personality that shapes into which element. 

Galaxy is still relevant but more in terms of world-building and less about characterization is my most preferred take :>

⚡ With Halilintar:

As Halilintar represents anger and Fang has a lot of pride, I feel they’re the easiest to provoke each other, either playfully or consequently leading to a fight (at the end of the day, they’d just show off their powers and act cool about it).

They’d have solo training sessions somewhere devoid of people, that’s the kind of ‘ideal’ date for them.

🌪 With Taufan:

Taufan embodies the desire to be free and out with the world. Fang fought for his autonomy at the end of Season 3 Original. I feel they’d be able to empathize with each other a lot.

Taufan loves the sky and space, perhaps he’d tag along with Fang on space missions, watching the stars through the window while Fang is driving, just the two of them in the monitor room is enough for a ‘date’.

⛰ With Gempa:

Fang and Gempa are very grounded in their duties, responsibility and diligence are qualities both possess. 

They’d bond over midnight coffee and piles of paperwork, while jokingly telling each other that this is like a date.

It is, isn't it?

🔥 With Blaze:

Whenever they find each other in the same room, Fang would know BoBoiBoy is distressed about something, and Blaze would want to spend time with him.

And spend time they do. Soccer, basketball, any physical activities,... you name it. Only that Blaze gets over-excited at times and may or may not accidentally damage something(s) and/or place(s)...

In the end, Fang just invites him out for ice cream instead.

❄ With Ais:

Ais has that “don’t care” attitude that tests Fang’s patience more times than not. This BoBoiBoy handles emotions by pushing them away and Fang would call him out for that.

Yet, Fang gets overwhelmed sometimes. Ais would just silently motion Fang to join in his activity, which is to lie down and do nothing. None says a word and it can be perfectly kept that way.

🌵 With Duri:

Duri wasn’t explored thoroughly in the Original Series, so I can’t exactly tell what he represents. I like to think he holds a mischievous strike though, it’s part of his childlike personality and aligns with BoBoiBoy’s whole person.

Duri would prank Fang to no end. And as annoyed as Fang is, he isn’t unfamiliar with pettiness. They’d pull all sorts of tricks until one gets tired and calls it quits. Then it’ll just be a pleasant afternoon where they tend to the garden together. That’s dating for them, I suppose.

☀️ With Solar:

Goodness, they contrast each other to the core. Light and dark, contradicting yet complimenting one another. Solar is always eager to show off his wits, and Fang never goes down without a fight (when it comes to BoBoiBoy, that is).

In every library that exists, there are THEM. The library at school, in space, on another planet, etc. I imagine them going through every book, competing to see who understands the subject most.

No books could tell them how actual dating works though. Still on the right track, imma tell ya...

#fangboi #asks_🦑 #art_🦑

[mellkellyismyhero]

Jonathan Stroud and Kipps

You know, as a kid reading Lockwood and Co., I LOVED Lucy, George, Lockwood, and Holly. They were all my age! Every time a new book came out I’d imagine Lucy was growing up with me.

But that meant that I didn’t have much of a connection with Kipps, who was kind of L&Co.’s punching bag (affectionate). I liked him, but I never loved him the way I loved everyone else.

Now, I’m older than L&Co. Reading the books and watching the show feels like revisiting my younger self. I was expecting to love the L&Co. trio dynamic- and I did! But one thing I really wasn’t expecting was my newfound appreciation for Kipps.

Jonathan Stroud’s decision to focus on Kipps’ transition from brilliant teen agent to terrified, washed-up adult... It didn’t speak to me as a kid because I was too busy identifying with how cool Lucy’s Talent was. But now that I’m in Kipps’ age range, I identify with Kipps a lot more over Lucy. I can’t really put it in words- this is probably going to be the first of many posts of me spewing emotions and love for Jonathan Stroud’s writing skill- but I’m going to try.

Minor Kipps-related spoilers for L&Co. books under the cut.

Kipps, in the show and books, is 20-22 years old. He’s college-aged. And he cannot do the one thing that he has trained his entire life for, and needs to adjust to that. As a kid, I just kind of saw that as the same kind of “kids rule, adults drool” thing that happens in all kids adventure stories. Can’t have the responsible adults ruining the kids’ fun!

But Kipps was unusual in that you get to SEE him go from ‘competent rival agent’ to ‘technically a useless adult’. He’s straddling the line in the way that other series, where kids get to have magic because they’re good and pure or whatever don’t.

The thing is, it would’ve been easy for Kipps to be forgotten. Just let him fade into the background and never be mentioned again after book 2. But he’s there in book 3, and 4, and 5, still doing his best to fight ghosts even if he can’t see them. As a kid, I was just like ‘huh, okay, that’s a choice’ and kind of ignored him. Who cares what Kipps is doing when Lucy and Holly are having an epic argument that’s going to bring a million ghosts down on their heads?

As an adult, I LOVE that Stroud chose to keep Kipps around. I love that Kipps found a new way to keep fighting (the goggles). I love that Kipps kind of became a member of Lockwood and Co. I love that Stroud made the readers and the characters confront the reality that one day our beloved main characters would lose their Talents too, that even Lucy would go deaf one day, instead of just ignoring the generous but very real time limit the characters had hanging over their heads.

(Side note: part of my love for this series might be stemming from my complicated feelings about the Seven Wonders book series, where a kid is told he has less than a year to live and will likely spend months in debilitating pain and then... spends that year fucking around looking for magical artifacts and not actually having any kind of physical consequences for LITERALLY HAVING A DEADLY ILLNESS-)

Anyway.

Kipps is fantastic. The way he represents the inevitable future of Lockwood and Co... the way he represents the thousands of other agents who grew too old to sense ghosts and couldn’t keep fighting even if they wanted to... the way that he tries so hard to keep the kids he’s in charge of alive but can’t because he’s only one person and he’s losing his Talent...

He’s going through such a major transition and doesn’t know what his place in the world is anymore, and honestly, what early-twenties person does? There’s something there about Talents and childhood trauma and taking your first few steps into adulthood without the tools that saved your life as a child because they don’t work anymore...

In conclusion: Kipps was an amazing character, and I’m sorry I didn’t appreciate him sooner.

#quill kipps #lockwood and co #lockwood and co netflix #l&co. netflix #l&co #l&co netflix #l&co. #mine #quill kipps appreciation

[rwrbficrecs]

Literally just finished RWRB last week and your blog pops up in my recommended like magic, perfect timing! I know you're still under construction so no pressure to answer this until you have the time. But having just finished the book I'm craving a lot of canon-compliant fics and would love any recs. In particular I've been desperate for canon-compliant Henry POV retellings of any canon book scenes (or book scenes that are "missing" or have mentioned to have occurred etc.) Much thanks and am looking forward to all the lists your blog puts out 💛 Cheers!

Hi, welcome to the fandom !! 🥰 Thanks for the request, I had a lot of fun putting this list together!

I might have gotten a bit carried away … but I hope you enjoy the recs! Let me know if you need any more :) 

Pre RWRB canon: The Promise by 14carrotgold [June POV] i don’t just know you (i’ve grown like that too) by pagetopage [Alex & Henry POV]

Missing Scenes: All these fics by studiojude Interruptions by TheLionessRoyal (Explicit) [Alex POV] call me baby by indomitablelove (Explicit) [Henry POV] she knew me (he sees me) by indomitablelove [Henry POV] I didn't know by clottedcreamfudge (Explicit) [Henry POV] Cognac and Malaise by M0ssPiglet [Henry POV] Is this is Flirting? by M0ssPiglet [Henry POV] sink beneath the waves by indomitablelove [Henry POV - Lakehouse Scene] Lifelines by indomitablelove [Multiple POV - Email leak]

Post RWRB Canon: The B Was Never Silent by indomitablelove i bathed in the light you gave (it’s dark in another way) by pagetopage [Henry POV - sort of post canon but it’s a missing scene kind of mentioned in the bonus chapter] The Impossible by toffrox [Henry POV]

Other:  love dares you, to change our way of caring about ourselves by kapplebougher [Henry’s POV the morning after The Great Claremont-Diaz Ambush at Kensington Palace] The Total Agony of Being in Love by xslytherclawx [Henry POV of Alex’s Selfies/Turkey Scene] tread softly (because you tread on my dreams) by helenblqckthorn [Henry POV of the red room scene] safe with me by indomitablelove [Pez POV] washing machine heart by pissedofsandwich [Henry POV] The Whole Bloody Time by pawprints_on_the_moon & slytherinnbitch [Canon retelling - Henry POV] It was always gonna be you by DemonPoxHerondale [Henry POV] Competent Guardians of Horny Little Miscreants by M0ssPiglet [Amy POV]

#canon compliant #rwrbficrecs #Henry POV #firstprince #firstprinceficrecs #rwrb #red white and royal blue #missing scenes #rec request

[magnorious]

The Reveal that Changed Percy Jackson

*Spoiler Alert*

I’m talking about the Nico vs Cupid scene in book 8, House of Hades. I picked this scene, even though there were a great many in the original series that defined Percy Jackson as a story far more meaningful than just “cool tweenage demigods with magic and superpowers who fight evil”.

When this book came out, Nico vs Cupid was almost all anyone talked about. Why? Because Nico came out. Nico, an explicitly gay character in a book published by Disney, in a rather high profile series. Nico, the little angsty brat displaced from the timeline, comes out of nowhere with a world-shattering reveal.

House of Hades is already the darkest book in the series and, I think, the most polished and successful with this tone and how it feels so complete. While Percy and Annabeth are in Tartarus, the constant clever and horrific callbacks to quests from prior books quite literally come back to haunt them. The others trying to carry on without them, the ridiculously high personal stakes, the drama, the storytelling, it spares no expense in this book.

The Nico vs Cupid scene was something else, though, and all these years later… I’m not so sure it was done for the better.

—

Independent of the Big Reveal, this scene does a lot of things we’d never seen before in this series, namely this: Cupid is scary, and no one expected him to be.

Percy Jackson, though it does have its serious moments, is the series where the god of wine wears leopard print shirts and the god of the seas has a fishing chair for a throne. These characters quip and joke even when they’re trying to be intimidating and Percy’s personality, snarky and sassy and very rarely shooting straight, undercuts a lot of the attempts at looking competent and threatening (and we love him for it).

They’ve fought gods and monsters and demigods and characters have died really tragic deaths, but for the most part, these serious moments all come when we expect them to.

This scene comes out of nowhere and for anyone who hasn’t read the book in a while, here’s the context: Percy and Annabeth are in Tartarus and Nico is kind of the de-facto leader in their absence, knowing the most about Tartarus of the remaining crew. He and Jason are sent on a side quest to go retrieve the Staff of Diocletian from Cupid and Nico is not at all happy about this venture, but we don’t know why beyond that he’s Nico and he’s never happy.

Right out of the gate, Cupid is not at all who we expect him to be and this fight scene, absent of Percy, is suddenly very serious. Cupid doesn’t quip, he doesn’t show himself, and he fights dirty. The god of love, not the god of war or anything we expect to be violent and dangerous.

He’s whispering in characters’ heads, throwing them around like ragdolls, and taunting Nico ceaselessly all in Jason’s POV. Cupid gets some seriously badass lines, too.

“I’ve been to Tartarus and back,” Nico snarled. “You don’t scare me.” I scare you very, very much. Face me. Be honest.

Love is no game! It is no flowery softness! It is hard work—a quest that never ends. It demands everything from you—especially the truth. Only then does it yield rewards.

“Oh, I wouldn’t say Love always makes you happy.” [Cupid's] voice sounded smaller, much more human. “Sometimes it makes you incredibly sad. But at least you’ve faced it now. That’s the only way to conquer me.”

In all this, unfortunately in Jason POV, we’re primed only once by a previous god finally acknowledging that gays exist in this universe. This universe, based on Greek Mythology, famous for its not-straightness. Even then, audiences have spent 7 and a half books accepting that there won’t be any gays. No one is expecting this from Nico.

So when it comes, when Nico reveals he has a crush on Percy… the fandom lost our minds.

—

And I’m not so sure that’s a good thing, looking back. On the one hand, obligatory “we need representation,” but on the other, there was this one reviewer who knew what was up long before anyone else did.

She’d said something along the lines of raising damning concerns that Nico’s entire character arc was now defined by his homosexuality, that this scene frames all his anger, all his hate, all his rage and depression, about this one aspect of his character, and diminishes him because of it.

All these years later, I’m disappointed to say I agree with her.

This book series’ only major canonical gay (so far) is forced out of the closet with a proverbial gun to his head

Now, Nico likely never would have come out without that gun, but the way it happened, especially in front of Jason who he’s not friends with, showing Jason his memories because it’s not Nico’s POV and Jason has to see somehow because Nico sure won’t detail those scenes himself is... not good?

Jason handles it well, as well as he can given that this is Nico, and Cupid is an explicit villain so him forcing Nico out is in-character and not my problem. The narrative forcing Nico out is the problem—that this is a big reveal both to Jason and the audience is the problem.

The book isn’t new and with respect to when it was written and who wrote it, it’s not a terrible scene or terrible representation. But it’s not just forcing Nico out of the closet, either.

All of Nico’s character development is retroactively pinned on his sexuality

I get it. Nico’s… 14? 14 and from an era where being who he is was a death sentence, with zero education on the matter. Internalized homophobia is a thing (though Nico doesn’t actually seem to hate himself for being gay, he hates himself for crushing on Percy. Nor does he hate other gays or the concept).

Nico, though, is the one demigod who can summon any ghost he could dream up to teach him to hate himself a little less. He could have summoned the ghost of Freddie Mercury and what a dazzling mentorship that would have been.

The way the scene is framed makes it look like all of Nico’s rage comes from this one relationship, when it comes from so much more. He’s a son of Hades, a god no one trusts or likes and is synonymous with death, evil, and deceit. His sister, his last living relative, died on a quest as just a teenager. He has no friends at camp, powers that scare people, and is almost a century removed from everything and everyone he knew in his old life.

And he went and left camp *only* because of his crush on Percy? Not for any other reason?

When he does get his crush on Will, that only makes it worse. Nico did have friends, even if he didn’t believe it. He did have Percy and he’d earned the respect of his fellow campers after the Battle of Manhattan. He back-slid in HOH for this reveal, as if a romance is the only thing that could make him happy.

Cupid’s message is the narrative’s message: The only way to conquer love is to face it [in combat]

With a gun to his head, in front of a veritable stranger, instead of in, I don’t know, therapy with Apollo? There couldn’t have been any other way to fit this reveal in? He couldn’t have made his own group therapy session with other ghosts? Persephone or Demeter never sat this boy down for The Talk with a literal captive audience?

And that it’s a “reveal” at all, in incredibly dramatic fashion, a plot twist for shock value. The book couldn’t drop hints in Nico POV? Couldn’t casually state it anywhere at any time in the previous 3 books? Couldn’t treat it at all like this is normal and not a life-or-death situation?

I just feel bad for the kid. Nico can’t be the only demigod who has a guilty, unrequited crush. Cupid is forcing this out of him because that crush happens to be on another boy.

It’s in Jason’s POV

This world shattering, deeply personal reveal, and the character who’s having it isn’t even the narrator. Jason is a fine character and I know why it’s him out of everyone who could have gone with Nico, but this should have been solely Nico’s moment, not Jason’s commentary about Nico’s moment, being a non-consenting voyeur into Nico’s very personal memories about Percy.

Even if it’s not Jason’s POV to retain the surprise, it certainly starts to feel like Jason’s POV to retain the surprise. Jason can still be present, but even then—Cupid needed Nico to face Cupid, not Cupid and Jason.

—

It sucks because the scene as a whole, removed from the context, is incredible. The choreography, the pacing, the intensity of the battle, Cupid as a villain and Nico and Jason’s desperation to just stay alive.

Its impact on the series can’t be ignored. Blood of Olympus is no one’s favorite. It’s a terrible last book and not all that great as a book, period, but the ending?

Among other travesties, Nico confronts Percy, tells him he had a crush on him, and then *immediately* starts pining after Will. Percy doesn’t get the chance to talk to him, stunned at this reveal. They never have a heartfelt conversation about it, what this means for their friendship, how Percy never noticed or how this makes him feel, if he’s at all guilty for potentially leading Nico on and being a bad friend.

We get none of that. Nico just finds a pretty blond boy after, what, four years pining after Percy? One awful confrontation with Cupid and a few lines of dialogue traded with Jason and all his angst and moodiness is cured off-screen.

Can’t Nico go five minutes where he figures out who he is before he’s trading one crush for another? Can he not define himself independently of who he likes for just a couple chapters? He tells Jason after the Cupid fight that he’s over it, but… c’mon, he’s absolutely lying there, or he wouldn’t have been so hurt and upset and hesitant to reveal himself.

I love that he’s popular now, I love that he does have a healthy relationship (one that eclipsed the whole fandom for better or for worse), but the way he went about becoming popular still leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Nico did walk so the rest of the series' extended universe could run. We did get Solangelo, we got Apollo being Apollo, we got a world based off Greek Mythology that stops straight-washing history. It's just a shame that he had to be forced out the way he did, and that his whole character is now defined by his relationship with Will.

#percy jackon and the olympians #percy jackson #pjo #nico di angelo #solangelo #house of hades #blood of olympus #retrospective

[celtic-crossbow]

Hey there, first time anon here! I wanted to review blood ties properly, since i binged it in like a few hours some time ago (oops) and let you know that i truly believe it is a masterpiece of writing, i’m talking good enough to compete with many published novels out there. I really love how this fic dives deep into one of the most interesting (unexplored!!) eras of the group, the winter, i also adore how its developed through the quarry and farm eras (i’m so excited for the prison as well) and how the real romance develops and is strenghtened by time.

 Daryl is a really hot’n cold guy just like i imagine him being in truth, i love the romance so much and the way the relationship between Daryl and our reader is the backbone of the story as it should be, it pushes the plot fowards and even affects characters that aren’t them in funny (and sort of sad) ways, your depiction of Daryl is so authentic he’s truly amazing, a bit of a dick sometimes, and so true to canon he’s not all self loathing, he’s got a lot going on and you can tell just by the reader’s POV, that even with all his flip flopping she can read him like an open book most of the time. I’m really really looking foward to how thumper being there will affect his development from now on, we know he has a Strong sense of responsibility and so now the whole prison arc (if that is where we go next, i don’t really know, you work in mysterious ways Murda) will have a bigger impact on him beyond Merle being present, also thumper too, i’m counting on her being much like him from what we’ve seen of her during the pregnancy, very smart and perceptive, you could even say... observant, but also an absolute menace (thats what i got from all the moving around at least) and i look foward to seeing all the ways she’s going to change Daryl’s brain chemistry every day, for better or for worse she will torment every minute of his day, i hope she is a true daddy’s girl that will make Daryl pay for for his every sin on this Earth by being a brat just like he is.

Most of the reason why i didn’t really comment on it normally instead of writing this freaky text is to comment on the development of secondary characters on this fic, i think they are very Strong and all feel true to the show as well, there is one relationship i absolutely love in this fic, only second to Daryl and reader really, its Lori and reader, maybe its my nerd brain overanalyzing but they almost feel like narrative foils in this fic (or is it parallels? let us know if it is intentional or not please!!).

 I really love the interactions with Lori and reader, i’ve Always felt like she is overhated in most fics (sure she kind of messes up, but only wants the best most of the time) and here she feels really close to how it truly is in the show, and its so sad, especially contrasted with the reader. They both start in different positions/ -reader is in a very casual relationship with Daryl- Lori is commited to Rick (and somewhat casual with shane, but not really) - Reader knows the ins and outs of survival out there and is not completely vulnerable - Lori relies on the men around her for everything including emotional support, - Daryl is initially cold towards reader as usual with him - Lori has the full attention of both Rick and Shane/. But slowly the places of these two in the world are reversed, not completely but still, Reader gets sick and vulnerable, she doubts herself and her destiny in this world and needs a lot of emotional and physical support, she is no longer that huntress in the woods and needs to rely on a man ( still very Strong on her own tho, that birth scene is seared in my brain forever) and others to survive.

Meanwhile we have lori, and her journey is what it was in the show, she starts off with support from a lot of people, especially Rick and even Carl, but loses it and ends up sort of lonely and the presence o our reader only makes it more apparent, reader IS what Lori wants to be now relationships wise, her pregnancy was not all well but she had the support of Daryl most of the way, while Rick is distant, Can’t imagine what its like from  her perspective, seeing reader and Daryl together, him keeping her warm Always looking out for her, meeting her needs. Meanwhile Rick is out there doing thangs y’know, stuff. But she never resents reader for it, not visibly at least, she is a good friend who reassures and comforts her, and has to mostly make do on her own (and with Carol’s help, i imagine) and is really a wise figure during this pregnancy, i think in this fic her develpment really shows how she got to her s3 form. And yeah, i really love the interactions between them very much, it’ll be even sadder to see reader’s perspective of that day...

I also adore Carol in this fic very much, i think it shows how much of a caretaker she is in canon as well, we forget that everything she does, she does for someone else, Always looking out for others before even thinking of herself and really being the rock of this group ( a rock that can easily bash some skulls in) Also love Hershel having to stick his hands in places he wouldn’t go with a gun, bless his heart for not being mad af at Daryl in That scene, i know i would have lots of opinions about having to touch the man’s fluids y’know. He’s also a guiding light though this whole pregnancy, which is depicted in such a realistic way i’m in awe every time i think about it, things i had no idea could happen, how it really makes you feel the passage of time during this winter with both dread and wonder (especially with thumper rolling around in there, kid really is a menace) and with the birth scene, i knew Daryl would be the first to fold he was Always the weak link in that van, i’m sorry. Also sure Maggie is also coming out of the van with at least one new trauma, but she can handle it, Hershel will Always be God’s strongest soldier bless him twice. Also its really funny thinking of this whole thing on Rick’s perspective, it must all be one long ‘’TF is going on back there???Omg walkers!!!What do you mean Daryl passed out???Omg herd!! What do you mean its stuck???where am i going??!!’’.

And oh my God this ‘’review’’ is more than one Thousand words long, its time to stop i sound like a stalker, so sorry but i’m a Nerd with an overactive brain, i’m almost at the point of sending fanart attached, but yeah I REALLY REALLY love this fic like many do, i hope you receive all the love you can for it and are Always succesfull with everything you do, its really one of the best finds in modern fandom i’ve seen lately. Sorry for the mistakes, i’m not even near being good at formatting and punctuation in english lol. So yeah have a great night, we’re all really excited for the next chapter, i hope you’re also taking some time for yourself as well, its very important, Thanks for everything Murda

(PS: is it weird i forgot to talk about all the smut? Its really good, one of the best i’ve ever ready, sorry lol)<3

Okay, here we go!

This review was just… I cried. Hard. I mean, I love everyone’s reactions and replies but this just… wow.

Exploring the missing months was something I was so excited to do. Especially in this sense. To have him going through these months not just growing closer to his survival buddies, slowly finding them to be more of a family, but also exploring something we didn’t see on the show at all: being a partner and a soon-to-be father. I wanted to test those waters and see if I could stay true to who he might be had this all happened in canon.

One of my biggest concerns with every chapter is the struggle of keeping him in character while being with reader. I’m so happy that you feel like I’ve done that! The story will likely always be from reader’s prospective so to know that I am articulating what is happening with Daryl through her eyes is encouraging. I want to make sure that their struggles and victories are equally explored.

Thumper is already a daddy’s girl. She calmed when he was around, they had a connection which is 100% a thing. My daughter was slightly the opposite. She was calm and never moved much; to the point I would go to the ER to make sure she was okay. But then I found that when my sister was around, my daughter would wiggle and kick and roll. I just started calling my sister to come over if I got worried. That’s where the inspiration of having them connect like that came from.

Thumper is going to challenge both of them. I won’t say much more than that but they will definitely struggle as new, first time parents.

Merle will appear. I also won’t say much more about that.

I don’t dislike Lori. I think she made some impulsive choices to ease her pain and fear. I also think that sometimes she was more blunt or yappy than she needed to be but it came from a good place. I wanted to incorporate that, like when she wanted everyone to leave Daryl upstairs. She meant well, but spoke out of fear. Reader adores her. They had their moments but I wanted reader and her to be close, like Lori being a guide for her and just a good friend. Lori does see the changes in Daryl, really showing when she’s whispering advice to him. When she’s in the van with reader and they talk, I hope I really expressed Lori’s solemnity. Just “I’ve done this before” but you can tell that she’s carrying a burden and it’s not the baby. She’s yearning for what she’s seeing. That’s why she steps in to help. She wants to see in them what she’s missing. Yeah, that scene will be difficult.

Carol is my queen. I love her so much. She will always be the biggest cheerleader for Daryl and reader. In every story I write. Here, she wants to make sure reader had the support that she never had with Sophia. There are going to be some really deep moments that involve Carol in the next chapter. Or it may be the one after that. I also love to show Carol’s growth from the sidelines. She’s a secondary character in this series but not by much.

I honestly wish I had included more of Rick in the birth scene. Maybe I’ll do a “deleted scenes” series lol.

Omg, fanart. 🩵 @bananafire11 has done two. One for The Dixon Chronicles that was a surprise and it’s attached to the chapter. And then one for my birthday that I’m printing and hanging on my Daryl wall. I will never ask for art from my stories unless I’m going to pay for it but I will never turn it down!

This was such an inspirational review and it really allowed me to think about the way I’ve constructed this story so far (not in a bad way). I appreciate every word and I’m so so happy that the series is getting love like this. I am always so hard on myself. I’m still learning to write for myself and be glad that others like it but as a bonus and not something that defines my writing. If that makes sense.

Thank you so much for this. I hope I answered your questions and gave some insight on where my head is with certain scenes and characters.

Whoever you are, thank you. I love you. 🩵🩵🩵🩵

#anon #answered asks #i will never get over this #thank you for this #i love you #murda writes #daryl dixon #blood ties #daryl dixon x reader #the walking dead #daryl dixon fanfiction

[kyupidos]

3/27/24’s delivery 🏹✉️ twisted wonderland

this happened at the start!ヽ( ･∀･)ﾉ_θ彡☆Σ(ノ `Д´)ノ,ヽ( ･∀･)ﾉ_θ彡☆Σ(ノ `Д´)ノ ;; summary. ‘how do i summarize this? ah..you, you are the tsundere. enough said.’

avg of 750~ words per bc i accidentally went a wee insane 😞

characters. special : enma yuuken , hirasaka yuuka , mito yuuta ( separate ) ;; romantic . 🖇️ tags. reader is gender neutral ( you/your ), reader is not yuu, reader belongs to the dorms of the books each yuu belongs to, pre-relationship, use of ‘dude’ in yuuta’s but it’s meant to be gender neutral ack, romantic fluff

📡 _a/n. we as a twst society don’t have enough tsundere mcs. pls bro someone write for tsundere mc bro pls pls

e. yuuken

— paint the roses red, paint the roses red.. keeping up with the 810 rules of heartslabyul is a chore, but you’d rather not it be ‘off with your head’, right? the sound of a ‘click’ brought you out of your focus, giving you time to notice four people, particularly those who you recognized to be the ones who broke the chandelier and nearly got expelled. “yo, cater,” you called out in complaint at the way he was pulling off his work for even a moment, “hurry it up and get back here. i’ll snitch if you keep that up.”

— “huh?! oh? rightt, no time to chat then!” he called out right back, and the last thing you saw was his apparent recruitment of the ones you hereby declared the freshmen delinquents before you figured you might as well get back to work—before you were promptly distracted once more, but this time by someone specifically; who you recalled to be the newly appointed dorm leader of ramshackle, who from cater’s chatting you recognized as well to be ‘yuuken’. “sorry for the interruption..” he began awkwardly, but for some reason you found it in yourself to not be rude about it unlike usual, “i’m trying to help out with the roses and all, so..do you know any places that still need painting?”

— well, at the very least, he seemed competent enough for the job; plus you’d have less work to deal with in the end. you nodded carefully, shrugging in the direction of an area you’d yet to paint. “mm? this sure is a lot of work,” and while you thought he was complaining, “but i’m sure we can get it done in time. you were going to do this with just yourself and cater, right? your work’s commendable.” your eye twitched, and you couldn’t help but feel a little flustered—you just couldn’t help but end up that way whenever someone complimented you, huh?

— “go ahead and get back to work,” you tried to distract as you started to think about how handsome he really was, which you didn’t even start to pay attention to before that little compliment of his, “i’m not trying to lose my magic any time soon.” you were a little worried he’d be upset with you at your unintentionally aggrieved tone, but by the looks of it he didn’t really mind. “oh, right, sorry, but thanks for helping me out!” and he waved before heading to the area of the maze you directed him to.

— you were just about done in your area, barely even realizing how you were suddenly so motivated to finish up. you just shrugged, before you noticed how yuuken seemed to be just a little behind, given he was without magic and needed to use paint instead; so..you might as well help him out, right? “ah, uhm, hey..!” you cringed a little at how nervous you made yourself out to be, especially when you weren’t usually like that, “do you—do you maybe need help?” “oh, that’d be nice, it’s a little hard to do this much with just paint.” that was that then, and you ended up losing yourselves in conversation, your ability to keep painting the roses left to just muscle memory; you did unintentionally insult and berate him at times though, and you were thankful he brushed it off. once you both finished though, you had to move onto separate areas of the maze to keep it up, but as you inevitably had to leave him alone, you left with a smile and still flustered, barely realizing that much.

— ..and that just a few moments later was when you found that they were promptly by cater. you’d give yourself time to be just a little disappointed, before you were once again faced with interruption, and while you’d be aggrieved about it.. “hey, so you’re into that yuuken guy, right?” “huh?! no way?!” ..but a part of you was upset you’d denied it like that. and how you’re back to being aggrieved that yuuken’d managed to get you so flustered like that. even so, you couldn’t bring yourself to hate him like you usually would someone who complimented you like he did.

— you liked it, in fact.

h. yuuka

— you tried your best to restrain yourself from yawning overdramatically as you were surrounded by people, who seemed adamant about warning you about a person who was apparently targeting people ready to participate in the spell drive tournament. well, it was an ego boost to know you were a “target”, but you were starting to get fed up with the way they also seemed adamant about “protecting” you. at least yuuka gave you a good enough space. on another note, she was really pretty and you liked her voice, maybe another reason you were alright with her concern for you as a target—you wouldn’t ever admit that, though. but then, back to the topic at hand..

— “eh, no need to worry about me,” you waved off uncaringly, yuuka raising her eyebrow at the likes, and while you’re sure the others did also, you were really only paying attention to her despite the fact that your eyes were closed with how apparently over the top you were being. “i won’t be targeted. go after some others or something, i’m fine.” her friends you knew eventually got the hint, light banter as they checked for other possible apparent targets, while yuuka seemed to linger. “my bad if i’m being a bit invasive,” she began, as if knowing you may be ticked off ( and while you admit you may have appeared so outwardly you could never be ticked off at her ), “but how do you know you won’t be targeted at all?”

— alright alright, stick to savanaclaw’s plan or admit to the girl you’ve found yourself liking, stick to the plan or tell yuuka why..nope, nope nope nope, you can’t bring yourself to step away from the plot. as for yuuka though, you can’t help but keep away from disappointing her. “whoever it is, i couldn’t care less, i’ll deal with them,” and you cringed at the way you could tell why yuuka’d deem you ticked off by how you come off, “you think i’m not capable?” but yuuka, ever so resilient ( you’d found you tend to never stop finding ways to praise her ), didn’t seem too upset about your words.

— “oh no don’t worry, it’s not like that,” she noted, making her point clear with the point of her finger, “it’s just, i want to make sure nobody gets injured, right? especially you, you know.” uh, wait—uh, huh? “me? especially?” you find yourself just barely capable of getting out as you end up annoyed with yourself at the way your face began to heat up, and yuuka didn’t take back her words at all. “yeah, i mean, we’re friends, aren’t we?” she smiled while hoping to confirm, which brought you back memories; right, that. you recall completely like it was mere yesterday, how without thinking you smacked one of your dorm mates behind the head for trying to pick a fight with her, before dragging them off to help you with something random.

— you couldn’t help but be a bit disappointed by the way she referred to you as ‘friends’, but to be fair, it should technically be vice versa in that case since the action meant nothing to you, but it made her ease up around you, it seemed, and she started to become accustomed to having at least some light conversation with you every now and then. but, you had to start somewhere, right? even if you had a bit of trouble expressing your own feelings, then surely..

— “y..yeah, right! we’re friends..” you tried to wave off uncaringly as you did so easily before, and yet you were nervous by how it came off making you look more flustered than you were trying not to be, but even if yuuka did notice, she didn’t point it out. you couldn’t help but be grateful for that. “but, uh, don’t try using that for favors, ‘kay?! i won’t be helping you around savanaclaw or in your little quest for that perpetrator of yours or anything..” you slipped up with your mention of savanaclaw; you didn’t even notice actually in your embarrassed state, but yuuka just nodded at the clue in, waving to you, mentioning how she’ll be happy to see you in class later, you finding it in yourself to at least wave back.

— you can only thank your past self for that little, unimportant action.

m. yuuta

— you were simply helping out deuce and ace around now that they were to work under azul given their contracts. absolutely not to indirectly get in yuuta’s good graces because you can’t bring yourself to admit you want his affections for things like helping lighten his load. but in hindsight, you probably should’ve taken into account that the two would probably notice why you were catering to them despite how obvious it was that yuuta was the one you favored of the trio. equally not on your mind, ace’s annoyance to the way you always seemed to be on yuuta’s mind and wanting to get your mushiness over with, and deuce’s genuine want to help the both of you out in the romance depart. so in the end, they practically became your wingmen, albeit unspokenly so.

— in which case, when yuuta initially came to octavinelle to see what was up and about with his suspicions of the anemone ( an appearance ace and deuce were thankful for anyway ), they brought his attention to your aid, ace teasingly so and deuce in a more genuine tone, but tomato tomato, they got the message across. and lucky you, because just moments ago they let you in on random little tid bits to know about yuuta, like his favorite foods in particularly, and seeing as you worked in the mostro lounge, it was of course a given that’d be your go to.

— thus when he and jack were eventually seated at one of the table booths and he called out to you happily in recognition of your figure, you did your best to keep straight faced and push away the sparkles around you at the elation that he could tell it was you from just that much. jade had finished telling them about the lounge, and it seemed they were ready to order their one drink minimum. and there you were, already ready with at least a meal you knew yuuta would like, plated and everything. maybe you shouldn’t have been so hasty and waited instead for him to make an order so it wouldn’t look like you were looking to make a meal for him..

— well, you reaped what you sowed; and he was calling out to you, and you felt like if you didn’t respond then the guilt would gnaw at you so bad you’d be willing to sign a contract with azul to find a way to redo it all—and considering all that was going on at the moment because of how many people had decided to sign contracts, displayed clearly because of the anemones..well, you weren’t up for that any time soon. thus off you went to greet him at his table, passing by jade who give you a teasing glance, which you tried not to grit your teeth at as you thinly smiled his way.

— “ah, yuuta! i’ve heard you’ve been the talk of the town lately, hm? we’ve been expecting you, so i’ve prepared you a little something..” and with an internal huge sigh of relief that you managed to play it off so smoothly, you presented him the dish you put together ( thank goodness for your excellent customer service the octotrio had ingrained into you ), before remembering jack who was beside him, “oh? and an extra, my condolences! anything you’d like?” yuuta looked like he had something to say; before a certain eel interrupted the moment.

— “[y/n], giving out free meals, i see?” jade spoke, more teasing in his tone as if he wasn’t truly reprimanding you ( he found your crush on yuuta quite funny ), “not to worry, we already have staff to deal with orders, remember? they ought to pay for their meals.” so you with forced, with an unfortunate strained breath in, to go off and do the work you were supposed to do in the first place as ace and deuce were to take over, though so obviously begrudgingly. but, they stopped you midway through your pout, “don’t worry dude,” ace strained to reassure as the anemone pulled him toward where jade directed, “we know you’re head over heels for him..” deuce was quick to follow, equally resistant ( though of course it’ll always be futile ), “we’ll—hrk—we’ll try to help out!” thank goodness you’d already served him, otherwise the meal’d have fallen to the floor the way you covered your flustered face with the tray that was holding it.

— well, at least you had a sure fire way to figure out how to romance yuuta without your accidental meanness getting in the way..

#🦢 swan signed ! #kyupidos #and i ask bc #i’m not good at writing tsundere readers myself 😞😞 #twst #twisted wonderland #twst x reader #twst x gn reader #twst x gender neutral reader #twst fluff #twst hcs #twst headcanons #twst ramshackle #ramshackle #ramshackle x reader #enma yuuken #yuuken x reader #yuuken x gn reader #yuuka hirasaka #yuuka x reader #yuuka x gn reader #mito yuuta #yuuta x reader #yuuta x gn reader

[mattodore]

100 questions with Matthias | playlist, pinterest | ←

1. What common traits do you share with your oc? What about them is the least like you?

Hm… I think Matthias and I are similar in that we’re both all-in when it comes to love, but I think just about every other aspect of Matthias’s personality and life are different from mine. Or, I hope so... lmao.

2. Do you think you would get along with your oc if you could meet them? What things would you talk about?

Absolutely not. I would be calling for this man’s beheading online. He wouldn’t like me either (let it be clear that he doesn’t like much of anyone, though). If we had to have a conversation I’d maybe listen to his thoughts on literature or history. I like listening to people much more intelligent than myself talking about the things that interest them. I wouldn’t be able to keep up with him, though.

3. How competent would your oc be in a survival situation? Would they be better off on their own or in a group?

Incredibly competent. Matthias is a savant with huge swaths of knowledge touching on a countless number of subjects, has analytical prowess, is strong and sturdy, manipulative, charming, and a natural born leader. He has all the makings of a solid survivor and could wind up on the other side of any survival scenario as the head of some fucked up cult, honestly, but…. If the situation in question is dire or inconvenient enough he’s simply not going to bother. He’d let someone else kill him off without putting up a fight. And I’d say he’s better in a group just because he needs people to make him feel real.

4. Is your oc a daredevil, or more of a scaredy cat? What is the most daring thing they’ve done in their life?

Daredevil. Matthias has little value for his own life and often winds up doing some rather outrageous things in order to feel anything other than the numbness he's used to. I think the most daring thing he’s ever done has to be blackmailing the headmaster of his boarding school just because of the sheer gall of it.

5. What is your oc’s patience like? When waiting for something, are they able to sit still or do they fidget? How do they fidget?

Matthias is never in any kind of rush. He leans and lounges and sprawls. He doesn’t move much, but I think he does have a certain lofty demeanor about himself when he’s waiting that’s reminiscent of a big cat swishing its tail and flicking its ear; if he’s crossing his legs you’ll see his foot sort of dip and swish while he’s waiting… he taps his forefinger on his temple… and he stares very intensely.

6. How much thought does your oc put into what they wear/look like? Any reason why?

Matthias pretty much figured out what worked best for him when he was a teenager and has stuck with it since then. He has a simple skin care routine and only uses a few hair care products, so it’s not something he has to put much thought into anymore as it’s all just rote memory now. 

In terms of his clothing, he’s not very adventurous and knows what already works versus what doesn’t. He gravitates toward pieces that flatter his physique while also remaining in a color palette more suitable to his tastes (he likes plain clothing without logos or lettering and wears blacks, grays, whites, and darker shades). 

But Matthias also has a dermatologist, a stylist, and a personal trainer on retainer… he could always get them on the line if he needed to. 

7. Does your oc collect anything? What about knowledge or facts? How big is their collection?

No material possessions, but he does seek out knowledge, if that counts? He also owns a lot of books, but not because he’s collecting them on purpose… he just reads a lot.

8. What kind of flavors does your oc like? How much spice can they handle?

I think he likes both sweet and bitter flavors the most. He’s used to eating a wide array of foods, so I don’t think there’s any flavor he doesn’t like exactly. Matthias can’t handle spice at all, though, which is a shame because he does actually like the flavor. Theo finds this to be very funny, by the way… he thinks Matthias is cute when he’s trying to play off how badly the food is getting to him while drinking water in these precise, measured gulps that’re meant to be subtle but just make it all the more obvious that he’s kind of dying. His ears and the back of his neck go all red while eating spicy food.

9. How easily does your oc trust others? Any particular reason why? How trustworthy are they themselves?

Matthias doesn’t trust easily at all. I think it’s partly because he never had anyone to trust in those development years of his childhood, but also partly because of the way in which his mother shipped him off to a reformation school to be abused and tortured and then essentially abandoned him there. Even despite never being close with his mother or even particularly loving her… he still knew that there was something meant to be there between a mother and their child that was… betrayed. So he finds it nearly impossible to give his trust over to another person, especially because he hides so much of his real desires, impulses, and personality from the world. Imani is the first person to ever gain that trust and the only person after to get it from Matthias is Theo. 

As for himself… it depends on who you are. If it’s Imani or Theo that are putting their trust in him, then they can be assured that they will never have to doubt him. If it’s someone else, however… he’s only trustworthy when it suits him and his little games. He lies a lot just for the hell of it, cheats often, and amuses himself with the power of holding secrets. Do not trust this man.

10. What are some of your oc’s pet peeves? How do they handle it when the annoyance doesn’t stop?

Matthias was trained in etiquette for years, and despite frequent participation in debauchery as an adult, and a strong distaste for rules, some of his training has stuck with him regardless. That is to say that poor table manners make him feel homicidal. Open mouthed chewing and talking with your mouth full has to be what he finds the most atrocious, especially as it nearly makes him nauseous. His way of handling these annoyances is to simply leave without another word, no matter how important the conversation or the person having it with him is.

11. Does your oc have a good sense of direction? Do they get lost easily?

Matthias has a very good memory (a detriment, really, considering how much there is in his life that he’d really like to forget) and a good sense of direction follows that naturally. He hardly ever gets lost.

12. How well would your oc handle being placed in a leadership position?

Like a fish to water. Matthias has lived his whole life placed at the top of the food chain and leading the pack already. He takes up that space with grace. But does he actually want it? Well… no, he’s rather bored of it now. He wants someone to follow instead but so few people are deserving of his devotion… 

13. What is your oc’s confidence like? Are they self-confident to the point of being arrogant? Are they terribly self-deprecating?

Matthias has the confidence of a man who has never found himself to be intellectually inferior to anyone and has only ever stood above everyone else. He’s arrogant and disdainful. Comes with the turf that he also likes himself a great deal… he’s prideful to an irritatingly high degree unless you’re into that sort of thing.

14. What is your oc’s speech like? How loud are they usually? Do they have an accent or a stutter?

Matthias is silver-tongued. He enunciates every word carefully and speaks very precisely. He speaks confidently and never mumbles or stutters. However, if he lets his mind wander or slip (whether aided by intoxication or just simple distraction) his Polish accent—which was trained away when very young—slips through the cracks. You can hear his accent most notably over the letter “a” in words (Bambi becomes Bahmbi, for instance… which I mentioned months ago but now there’s the added context that this is his nickname for Theo… grins a little). 

15. What is your oc’s memory like? Do they remember certain things better than others? Do they have any strategies to better remember things?

Perhaps it’s because of how regularly he exercised his mind from a very young age, but Matthias’s memory is astounding. More than anything, though, what his memory latches onto most is violence. The traumas of his teenage years have followed him like a second shadow. His dreadful nightmares are fueled by just how much he remembers of his time at the reformation school he was sent to from ages 15-18.

16. How affectionate is your oc? How do they convey their affection? By being touchy, or through more subtle ways?

Platonically? He’s very warm with Imani. He often holds out his arm to her so she can place her hand on his bicep as they take walks in the morning. I don’t think they verbally affirm to one another how much they love and care for each other, but that’s mostly just because they already know they do from over a decade of friendship. Plus, Imani kind of has a hard time accepting love from others, so that’s also why Matthias doesn’t speak to his love for her as his dearest friend.

Romantically? Matthias is always showing his affection and love for Theo openly and without shame. He meets Theo’s needs exactly where they are, seeing in Theo just how badly he needs to be reassured and pursued, even when Theo is still trying to deny himself what he desires. Matthias conveys his affection most through words of affirmation and acts of service. He’s always in Theo’s ear whispering about how his heart beats through Theo’s or how nice he’ll be to and for Theo, how good… how he’d crawl for him… he’s incredibly devoted and Theo is very aware of that fact. Make no mistake, though, Matthias is also affectionate in other ways as well. He’s incredibly tactile with Theo, because Theo’s most comforted by the physical reassurance that Matthias is there to catch him, you know? If Theo falls, he’s got him. Matthias also isn’t shy about voicing how badly he wants Theo either. Time and place don’t matter to him at all when faced with Theo’s presence (or, even, the absence of his presence; Matthias wants him all the time). Matthias would let Theo do anything to him. He could ask anything of him.

17. How polite is your oc? Do they know how to act in a formal situation? How would they *actually* act in a formal situation?

Matthias is… hm. Generally speaking, he’s polite, but it’s not exactly… sincere. He’s all charm and pretense, I mean… he’s just following the social contract to get what he wants. In formal situations, he’s the picture perfect gentleman. He has a lot of experience from etiquette lessons to cotillions and has undergone rigorous training in boarding school to ensure infallible success in the upper echelons of society.

18. How physically strong is your oc? Is their agility or endurance better?

Matthias is very strong. You can tell just by looking at him that he’s strapping. His muscles aren’t the kind that are just for show… he’s thick all over and isn’t concerned about having a movie star six pack. He wants real, animalistic strength. He wants to ensure he’s never put in a situation where he can’t protect himself ever again. And I’d say his endurance is better than his agility by nature of having previously undergone a lot of forced labor. Plus, he’s had to adapt and has a high pain tolerance now that he’s in his twenties, so aside from, like, pretty high stamina, his actual ability to endure pain itself is high.

19. What is your oc’s creative skillset? Music, drawing, writing, dancing, etc.? Or are they lacking creativity entirely?

Hm. I think he’s not very… imaginative? Creatively, I think Matthias is very much someone who just sees what’s there… he doesn’t draw from it and add on, you know what I mean? He does some art, but it’s observational realism. He sketches landscapes almost exclusively (in fact, it’s one of the things he does in the mornings). He has a lot of free time not only because of the nature of his lifestyle but also because of how little he sleeps… so he’s had a lot of time to practice and is good at it. He’s trained in ballroom dancing but he’s not explored any other kinds of dance and doesn’t try letting loose any other way. He can play the viola and the piano (as he’s legally required to do as a fictional rich love interest™), but doesn’t compose his own pieces. He’s not a writer, surprisingly, despite reading obsessively… I don’t believe he’s ever even tried writing himself. Well, he does journal, on occasion, but that’s just drawing from his real life… his imagination is stilted. One could draw the conclusion that this is perhaps because of the childhood he had or a result of trauma… hm. Take your pick.

20. Does your oc have any favorite games to pass the time? What other hobbies do they have?

Well… he plays mind games, if you count those. He likes messing with people. Other hobbies… well, what I just mentioned in the previous question, for starters. Hm… I think he treats sex as a hobby. He reads a lot and always has. Birdwatching. Going on walks. I think he’s pretty boring, honestly. Sorry, Matthias. No, um… I really think he just… appreciates the world. It sounds weird to say, considering he’s rather nihilistic… but I feel as though his nihilism actually plays a part in why he just… sits back and appreciates what’s there, because what else is there? The birds in the trees, the rising and setting of the sun, the movement of his body while dancing, the base pleasures of his sexual appetite… yeah. That’s what life is. Experiencing it is his hobby, I suppose.

21. Is your oc expressive, or would they rather conceal their emotions? What are their typical expressions like?

Matthias isn’t very expressive. Sure, he smirks and offers an inscrutable smile, but… he’s hardly ever actually expressing his true emotions or thoughts. I’d say he normally has an intense, persistent stare no matter which mask he’s wearing for the evening. If he smiles, it doesn’t meet his eyes. He’ll raise a brow if he’s amused, and his mouth will quirk, but he never fully laughs—not easily, at least. You’d have to work very hard to earn a laugh from him.

22. How easily does your oc fare in the sun? Do they tan or burn easily? Are they completely unaffected?

Matthias wears sunscreen every day and is meticulous about reapplying it. If he tans, it’s very light. Mostly he just burns. Trust that he complains about this all the time to Imani as she’s often the one with him while poolside. She thinks it’s hilarious, because even when they were kids he’d burn along the bridge of his nose just from being out for a handful of hours in the courtyard of their boarding school.

23. How graceful is your oc? Are they elegant in their movements, or more clumsy?

Matthias is poised and confident in his movements and commands attention through them. He glides gracefully around the room when he’s entertaining guests and mingling. His tread is light, despite his size, and he has a tendency to creep up on people when they’re not looking. The way he moves is unsettling to some who’re watching on the outskirts, because it often appears as if he’s prowling. 

24. Is your oc a romantic, or are they grossed out by the simple mention of anything romantic?

Oh, Matthias is a true romantic when he finds someone worthy of his affection. Or, rather than just his affection, should I say his absolute devotion? He worships at Theo’s feet. He’d debase himself just for a rare glimpse of Theo’s smile. He’s at Theo’s beck and call.

Additionally, Matthias would never be disgusted by any of his desires or urges as he doesn’t let society dictate how he feels about anything; rather, the more his desires deviate from what society at large deems acceptable, the more he’d delight in them. So the love he feels is something he exalts, even when it skews off in jagged directions.

25. How stubborn is your oc? Are they open to considering different options or opinions, or are they more closed off?

Matthias is pretty stubborn, I think. He values his own opinions above all others. He’ll move only if he’s been proved wrong or outsmarted… which is something that always gives him a delicious little thrill. He loves meeting people who can get the better of him.

26. How does your oc sleep? Do they move around a lot? What position does your oc normally sleep in? What are their typical bedding arrangements like?

Matthias is an insomniac and gets very little sleep. When he does sleep… hm… I think he doesn’t move around much unless it’s to accommodate someone else in the bed with him (Theo…). Matthias sleeps on his back using one pillow under his head. He doesn’t like feeling constricted, so he sleeps naked with only a sheet covering his body, his comforter put away in the storage bench at the foot of his bed and only brought back out to make the bed in the morning.

27. What is your oc’s sleep schedule like? Are they a night owl, an early morning riser, or do they get any sleep at all?

Matthias likes the mornings best. I think he normally manages to get some sleep in at around 11AM-1PM in the day. Theo actually helps him fall asleep… Matthias will lay his head in Theo’s lap while Theo’s studying and the motion of Theo’s fingers carding through his hair will put him to sleep like a child with warm milk. His nightmares ease around Theo.

28. How organized is your oc? How important is organization to your oc?

Matthias is very efficient and organized. It’s personally very important to him to keep his area clean as it was a habit he developed in boarding school.

29. If a perfume was to be made to represent your oc, what sorts of smells would be included in it?

I think Matthias’s signature fragrance is already a good enough representation of who he is. He wears Francis Kurkdjian’s Oud Extrait de parfum. A strong scent that’s spicy and rich with saffron notes that’re soft and leathery. He smells warm and masculine without being ostentatious.

30. How caring/empathetic is your oc? Are they the type to immediately adopt and protect others, or are they a true sadist?

Matthias has very little empathy for people who aren’t of his concern. I wouldn’t go so far as to call him a true sadist… but he does have violent urges and enjoys toying with people. He’s protective of children and teenagers, though… it’s not something often seen, as he has no reason to be around younger people, but… Imani’s seen it first hand with her younger brother.

31. What inspired the creation of your oc? Any specific things, a general aesthetic or idea, or something completely random?

Theo. I’ve talked about this over here, but Matthias as a character exists because of Theo. His actual appearance is meant to contrast Theo’s. His life is meant to mirror Theo’s. His personality is both a mix of hard differences and similarities to Theo’s.

32. How judgemental is your oc? Do they keep an open mind about people, or are they the type to judge a book by its cover?

Matthias isn’t actually all that judgy. I mean, he definitely looks down his nose at people, but that’s hardly their fault. I’d say he’s open minded, but he’s also a lofty asshole.

33. What five objects or things could be expected to be found on your oc’s person at any time? Why?

Matthias doesn’t have material possessions that he feels he has to carry around at all times. 

But… I suppose he’d have his phone on him, a watch on his wrist, and his driving gloves tucked away in his back pocket. He doesn’t have a wallet, but he does have a card he’ll carry in one of his pockets. He doesn’t carry keys, as he has people who’ll let him inside his home when he needs to be let in. 

When he’s dating Theo, though, he often makes sure he has a hair tie or two on his wrist as well (which does in fact make me feel insane, thanks for asking). 

34. Does your oc have a pet? If they could have another one or if they were to get one, what would it be? How well could they care for it?

Surprisingly, yes. Matthias has a cat named Odious. By nature of Matthias being rich, Odious is spoiled, but not exactly by Matthias himself. He’s not very affectionate, but he does like her. She just wandered onto one of the estates and didn’t leave.

35. Does your oc have any distinguishing markings? Scars, tattoos, birthmarks, freckles, etc?

Matthias has a very noticeable scar on his chin from a decanter his mother threw at his face when he was fifteen years-old. I do think he’d have more scars on his body from the three years he spent at a reformation boarding school, but I haven’t yet decided where or to what extent the scarring goes. He has no birthmarks, freckles, moles, or tattoos otherwise. 

36. What is your oc’s fight or flight response like? What sorts of things provoke it the most?

Matthias is the fight response without question, but it takes a lot to get him to break and resort to it. Matthias has an impeccable amount of control over his own impulses and can hold off on reacting for a long time. But when his control snaps and he turns violent, it’s most likely a response to Theo getting hurt in some way. He has very little control when it comes to Theo.

37. How does your oc handle heavy stress? Do they have any specific coping mechanisms? Are they healthy or not?

Matthias gives the impression of being impenetrable, but I do think stress is something he feels. If he’s stressed, it’s most likely because of mental challenges he’s facing. As for coping mechanisms for it… he probably doesn’t have any, just by nature of stress being something he chooses to ignore most of the time. Hm… I can’t imagine he’d handle it any differently than how he normally handles his other challenges: with wine, sex, and a crowd of murmuring bodies.

38. What does your oc do to relax? Any specific activities? Why?

By all means, Matthias definitely seems as if he’d be pretty relaxed, but he’s actually on edge a fair amount. His insomnia gets pretty awful at times and he has audible hallucinations. The best way he’s found to deal with it is to relax outside, listening to the sound of the birds and letting the breeze ease the fevered rush of noise his mind tries tricking him with. He doesn’t live close to people at all, so he knows the hallucinations aren’t real (mostly, he hears screaming)… still, it’s not like he enjoys them. He views it as a weakness of his.

39. Does your oc have any nicknames? What are the origins of them? If they don’t, can you come up with some possible ones?

Matthias doesn’t like when his name is shortened, so he doesn’t have any nicknames based on his actual name. Hm... Imani calls him baby whenever she’s making fun of him, if that counts? It’s not really a nickname, though, but whatever. Theo doesn’t use nicknames with Matthias, I don’t think, but Matthias would go crazy for it if Theo ever did. He’d do anything to hear Theo call him his pet… I’d bet he fantasizes about it all the time. I’m sure he’s probably coaxed Theo into calling him a few nicknames during sex, though, so there's that.

40. What languages does your oc know? Are there any they want to learn but haven’t had the chance to? How good are they at picking up new ones?

Matthias is a polyglot. He can speak and write in Polish (and can generally understand a handful of other Slavic languages), English, Spanish, and French. He also knows ASL.

Matthias wants to be able to read as many languages as he can. Right now he’s learning Mandarin but is in the early stages of memorization. He’ll probably start working toward learning either Arabic or Hindi next… I’m not sure. He likes Arabic poetry (the translated forms he’s read) a lot, so that’s probably what he’ll gravitate toward.

41. What was the worst injury your oc ever suffered? Has it had any long lasting impact on them?

His worst injury has to be the broken ribs and punctured lung he got while he was at the reformation school. It’s the source of one of his most frequent nightmares.

42. Is your oc an optimist or a pessimist? Any particular reason why?

I’m honestly not sure that Matthias goes either which way. Everything is so… nothing to him that not even I can say how he feels in concrete terms. I don’t think he feels like there’s going to be better days ahead! or that everything is awful and will be awful forever. He’s just… apathetic.

43. How important are the rules to your oc? Do they follow them to a t, or do they enjoy breaking them?

Matthias has never seriously cared about rules and in actuality spurns them. The only time he observes them is when he can use them to his advantage or because he’s had to in order to ensure his safety.

44. How violent is your oc? Or are they more of a pacifist? To what lengths will they go to start/avoid a conflict?

Well… he’s had violent urges since he was very young. He doesn’t act on them hardly ever (now, at least), but they are there in his mind. And Matthias doesn’t avoid conflict per se, but there’s very little that he views as worthy of his attention in that way. He gets mad for a time, sure, but then he lets it go. When he does act on his urges, it’s… well. It gets bloody fast. He kind of lets it all out at once. 

45. How is your oc around animals? What about children?

Matthias is stilted with animals, including his pet cat. He talks to her like she’s a fully grown human person… he pets her a few times on the head and then pats her bum and tells her to go on her way. It’s a little funny, in my opinion. 

Matthias doesn’t really hang out in circles where children are present hardly ever, but when he is around them I think Matthias is surprisingly soft. He’s gentle with them and talks to them like they’re his equal; he doesn’t use baby talk or dismiss them. Kids really like him because of that. Matthias treats children and teenagers better than any of the adults in his life ever treated him.

46. Does your oc lie a lot, or is the truth very important to them? What is their reaction to other people lying to them?

Matthias thinks lying is fun, lmao. He only considers the truth to be important when he’s talking to people that he views as respectable. If he cares about you, he’s probably not going to lie to you. Perhaps it’s because of how good of a liar Matthias is, but he can see through lies eerily well. So when other people lie to him… hm. I think he enjoys it, because you can learn so much about people based on what they chose to lie about. He finds that fascinating.

He doesn’t like when Theo lies to him, though. Not about the important things at least, like Theo’s safety. It’s what Theo lies about the most to him.

47. How much of a prankster is your oc? Are their pranks truly evil, or more harmless, positive ones?

He doesn’t pull pranks. He thinks they’re simpleminded and uninspired. He can think of much more exciting ways to mess with people.

48. What are your oc’s nervous tics? Are they aware of them? Do they attempt to hide them?

When Matthias is nervous he’ll thumb at the scar on his chin. He catches himself doing it occasionally, but I don’t think he’s ever been aware of why exactly he does it. He stops himself when he realizes he’s going through the motions, though. He thinks the impulsivity of it is inelegant.

49. What would be the perfect gift for your oc? What would be their reaction to receiving it?

I’m honestly not sure. Matthias doesn’t necessarily care about material possessions, so you couldn’t really buy him something and expect much of a reaction from him for it. But I’m also not sure if there’s anything sentimental that would move him either. So not something made for him or something bought… but maybe something personal that belonged to you at some point. Hm. I think he’d let the mask slip and he’d offer a smile… a genuine thank you. He’d be fascinated by the choice of gift… it’d be different from what he’d expect someone to give him and it’d thrill him in that way.

50. How attentive is your oc? How perceptive are they? How easily do they get distracted?

Matthias models his behaviors off of others, so he’s attentive and watches closely. I think he’s perceptive, but not as much as his gaze might lead you to believe. Matthias can get caught up in his own orbit. His haughtiness gets in the way sometimes, so he slips when he’s having his ego stroked… it’s the best time to get one past him. Theo uses this to his advantage when he’s prevaricating and trying to avoid being caught lying.

51. If your oc was to receive an award for something, what would it most likely be for? Have they received any awards in the past?

Matthias has received numerous kinds of academic awards while in school. He’s also won awards for his manners and dancing in his etiquette lessons. No specific award I’d give him… not seriously, at least.

52. In what ways does your oc cope with anger? How easily angered are they? Do they lash out?

Matthias used to be a lot more aggressive when he was younger and was stubbornly argumentative, but he learned to control his… not anger, exactly, but his derision, as a natural consequence of physical violence at the reformation school he went to in his late teens. Matthias does get angry, but… he lets it go if it’s not actually worth his time. If you’ve pissed him off, he’ll give this tight, inscrutable smile and his eyes will glint once in warning before his features will smooth back over. He’ll keep staring until you get uncomfortable and look away first, change the subject, or leave. But if he’s actually furious over something that he can’t just ignore… he lashes out like a viper. You’ll get dizzy from how severely he dresses you down. Or he’ll hurt you, if your offense is grievous enough. I don’t think he’d be quick about that, though. He really does enjoy playing with people.

53. If your oc was to host a podcast or TV show, what would it be about? Would your oc actually be good at it? What sorts of guests would appear?

Oh God… Matthias absolutely cannot be given an audience. It would be detrimental to world order or something. Um… but I think he’d do great talking about history or literature… or manipulation tactics. I don’t think he’d have any guests on, though. He’s a one man show.

54. How would you describe your oc’s voice to sound like? Do you have any voice claims for them?

Matthias’s voice is low, cold, and seductive. There’s a gravitas to his voice and an arrogance you can just hear. If you close your eyes while Matthias is speaking, you’ll get the impression that you might need to crane your neck up to look at him… the force of his presence just spills over into every part of him, including his voice. He enunciates the letters in words precisely and has a measured way of speaking that adds a layer of… command to his words. 

I don’t have an exact voice claim… but I think his voice would sound like a harsher, deeper version of Michelle Gurevich's in Temptation (especially when Michelle’s voice starts to growl/rasp at the end of her words).

55. How sensitive to loud sound is your oc? Do they prefer constant high background noise, low background noise, or complete silence?

Hm… it depends on what the noise is coming from. He’s used to all kinds of distressing noises. In general, I’d say he prefers low background noise or silence.

56. What is your oc’s favorite color? If you had to choose one color to represent your oc, what would it be and why?

Matthias doesn’t have a favorite color… like, at all. And I’d say silver reflects him well… I can’t say why exactly, it’s just the first color that comes to me when I think of him. Maybe pale blue as well… he’s icy.

57. How good is your oc’s sight? Do they wear glasses? Do they need glasses? Do they have some form of night vision?

Matthias has perfect eyesight. The fucker.

58. How would you describe your oc’s appearance to someone who’s looking for them? What features would be most identifiable?

I think Matthias is actually incredibly easy to spot. I’d tell them to look for the tallest guy in the room who’s pale all over and broad shouldered. I honestly think that would be enough to spot him. I think his pale blond hair is the most identifiable feature he has, especially when light hits it.

59. How good at cooking is your oc? What can they cook/what is their favorite thing to cook?

While Matthias does have staff who’re paid specifically to cook for him, he actually waves them away a lot of the time to do it for himself instead. He’s a good cook. Not, like, Le Cinq level cooking, but he’s good regardless. I think Matthias spends a lot of time practicing things like cooking specifically to impress. He gives off the impression that he’s just innately talented at many things, but that’s by design. He’s actually worked very hard to develop the skills he has. It’s a fun aspect of his character, in my opinion. He seems like he wouldn’t care, but he actually cares a great deal.

(Additionally, being on Matthias’s payroll is pretty cozy, because oftentimes he just ends up doing what the staff are hired to do for himself and the staff still get paid regardless. Putting up with his uncomfortable staring and odd waking hours is worth it in the end.) 

60. How good is your oc at keeping track of time? Are they always late, always early, or always right on time?

Time slips away from Matthias frequently. He’s normally late to things, but because of his personality, a lot of people think he’s just being fashionable… he’s not. He genuinely just gets so wrapped up in whatever it is he’s doing that appointments on his schedule slip his mind and he winds up ten minutes late to everything.

61. Is your oc more quick-thinking, or do they take longer to figure things out?

He’s quick-thinking. His mind is agile and connects dots faster than most. But he’s not even half as perceptive as Theo despite having a similarly quick mind.

62. How quick is your oc? Do they have faster or slower reflexes? What things are they quickest at?

He’s both mentally and physically quick. He exercises regularly and boxes, which is something he would hardly be able to do well if he couldn’t react fast. The way he carries himself, his grace and poise, has also aided his reflexes. I think he reacts fastest when catching things… you should see how adeptly he can catch and maneuver Theo’s legs around him when Theo jumps on him.

63. How self-disciplined is your oc? Do they often think before they act, or the other way around?

Matthias is incredibly self-disciplined due to how he grew up and the experiences he had in his teens. He thinks first before acting, without a doubt. The times in which he does act first are always the moments in which his control snaps and he lashes out. He tries to avoid that happening as best as he can.

64. Which of the seven deadly sins does your oc fall under most? What about the seven heavenly virtues?

He’s lust, easily, but pride and wrath speak to him as well. 

As for the seven heavenly virtues, the only one I can even entertain for him is patience.

65. If you were to give your oc a new superpower, what would you choose and why? If *they* were to be able to choose, what would it be and why?

I was going to be funny here, but actually… I think I’d give him the ability to sleep whenever he wants. Is that really even a superpower? Probably not. But it’s all just made up anyway, so, sure. He’d have sleeping powers.

On the other hand, I think Matthias would be interested in something that could give him either greater knowledge or a deeper insight into the way people think. Telepathy, maybe? Not, like, mind control, or anything. That’s not very fun for him… he’d want to have to work for it more.

66. What sort of advice would people go to your oc for? What sort of advice is your oc actually good at giving?

I don’t think Matthias has the interest or sensitivity necessary to give people advice. I don’t know… he doesn’t really have many opportunities to try, anyway. I doubt Imani goes to him for advice when she’d rather handle things on her own, and Theo would never ask anyone for anything, especially for help. But I think Matthias would be the kind of person you would go to when you want to indulge. He’d stoke the flames of your passions and persuade you to reach for them rather than staying still.

67. How many people does your oc prefer to be around? A crowd, a few friends, or all on their own?

Matthias prefers to be in crowds of people. He has to feel alive somehow. He lives both because of others and through them. 

It’s only when he feels seen and understood through Theo that he begins to reassess and prefer the company of just a few friends and his lover.

68. What sorts of things would cheer your oc up when they’re down? Is your oc sad often, or is it more rare?

Rather than feeling sad exactly, Matthias is more unresponsive. I’d say he has a very childlike sadness buried deep down that he’s carried with him his whole life to the point that he’s now numb to it. Nothing cheers Matthias up, not really. Maybe Theo.

69. How energetic is your oc? Are they constantly tired, or constantly bouncing off the walls?

Matthias is an insomniac, so by nature he’s sort of always tired; however, Matthias has had nearly a decade to adjust and is a master of performance—you would never notice how exhausted he truly is. It’s not that he’s dull or low energy… but he’s languorous. All of his movements are languid and unhurried. Even the way he talks is measured… he draws things out. His actions only pick up if he’s excited by something. 

70. What about your oc’s lifestyle would they change if they had the ability? Why?

Nothing.

71. What is your oc’s go-to for offense? What weapon, what style of fighting? Or are words more their weapon of choice?

The personal trainer Matthias has had since he entered his twenties is an ex-boxer, so that’s how Matthias has learned to fight in a more refined, professional capacity. Before that, though, he learned how to fight from hands-on experience at the reformation school… meaning, he fought dirty and there was absolutely nothing off limits. He had to defend himself any way he could. Because of this, Matthias is rather crafty in what he’ll reach for to use in a fight, but he prefers to do it with his bare hands if it’s… a more personal attack. 

Matthias actually spars with Sehyuk at times to blow off steam. They’re never fighting to really hurt each other, which is good… Sehyuk could put Matthias out of commission for quite some time if they ever wound up actually fighting. Well, if they were playing clean. If they fought dirty it’d be a toss-up on who’d win. They’re both rather brutal.

72. What is your oc’s ideal environment like? Urban or natural? Fancy or rustic? What’s the weather like?

Matthias enjoys warm weather. He enjoys nature and likes tropical locations or locations that’re at a great distance away from other people. He likes being separate from everyone else at home… it gives him the space to drop the act and be who he really, truly is underneath it all. Space also allows him the clarity of knowing he’s just hearing things when he’s hallucinating. (Though, later this becomes unnecessary when Theo finds out about Matthias’s hallucinations and shows Matthias to record the things he thinks he’s hearing. If they don’t come through the recordings, then he knows they’re not real.)

73. If your oc were to be arrested, what would it most likely be for? Is it justified? Have they actually been arrested before?

Matthias has never actually been arrested, but if he were to be arrested for anything it’d be for public indecency, without question. Justified, obviously, because he’s fucking and sucking everywhere. 

74. How would your oc act when drunk? What about when really, really tired?

Matthias is very intense when he’s actually drunk. He’ll stare without talking for a long, unsettling amount of time. He forgets to mind his strength and leaves marks behind if he grabs an arm or a shoulder. He doesn’t shy away from voicing his thoughts, of which he doesn’t filter… meaning he says things that are weird and also deeply disturbing if he’s feeling angry (again, violent thoughts… he’s always had them). Matthias is also direct in a very blunt, unrefined way when he’s drunk—he’s always direct about what he wants, mind you, but normally he’s charming about it. The charm’s gone when he’s intoxicated. He’s incredibly meticulous about never drinking too much because of all of this.

When he hasn’t slept for days, I think he becomes… very quiet. He doesn’t even talk to himself, which is a thing he does frequently when alone (a habit from childhood). I think the softest he ever is is when he’s tired. Theo’s seen him like this a lot. He’ll lay his head down on Theo’s lap and just stare into space. If he speaks, it’s a few words at a time and that’s it. He becomes pliable… he’ll press into Theo’s touch and sigh… he’ll make quiet sounds of discomfort and hurt if Theo tries to shift away or leave. He’s clingy. The hallucinations are incessant if he hasn’t slept for a long time, so… I think that’s why he gets quiet. There’s already too much noise.

75. What would your oc’s dream home be like? How big would it be? What sorts of rooms would be in it? Where would it be located?

He doesn’t really have a dream home. To be clear, Matthias did actually buy himself a large home to his taste shortly after getting his inheritance… but it’s not like he’s attached to it. He doesn’t have that… desire for material things, including for where he lives. He dreams about locations, sure, but the actual house he lives in doesn’t factor into it. He just wants to live somewhere warm and in the heart of nature… he wants to always hear birds outside.

76. What is/was your oc’s relationship with their family like? Was it happy, tense, or abusive? What living family does your oc currently have, if any?

Matthias’s father died when he was fifteen and since then he’s been completely estranged from his mother as well. His relationships with both parents have always been nonexistent. His mother has resented him since birth and his father only saw him as a means to continue his legacy as well as a way to entrap his mother. Physical abuse came with his parents’ marriage, but Matthias is completely unaware of that fact as he was neglected and left on his own for nearly his entire childhood. I’d say he can hardly even recall a handful of instances where he interacted with his parents when he was young. Rather than being under the care of his parents as a child, Matthias was taken care of by the staff of the estate (who had orders not to interact with him more than necessary). He received no love, no praise, and no physical affection. He grew up on silence, literature, and the sounds of the birds in the gardens of his home. After his father promised him the entirety of his wealth in his will, his mother assaulted him physically and then sent him away to a reformation school that psychologically tortured and physically abused him until Imani got him out of there the day he turned eighteen.

77. Does your oc like to wear any particular accessories? Hats, jewelry, scarves, etc.?

The most Matthias wears are his driving gloves and one of his watches.

78. How socially skilled is your oc? Are they good at understanding social cues? How charismatic are they?

Matthias’s social skills are award winning. He’s exceptionally charismatic and well-mannered. Of course, that’s just for show. His grasp on social cues is stilted, but a smile can get him very, very far with that face and all that money.

79. For what reason would your oc turn into a villain? And if they’re already a villain, vice-versa?

Well… I think either way you view this question in relation to Matthias’s character, the answer is going to be because of Theo.

80. What is your oc’s handwriting like? How easy is it to read? Can they write/read cursive?

Matthias’s handwriting is clean and romantic. Huge swooping curves and artistic strokes. You can tell his handwriting has been something he’s worked very hard on perfecting. He writes in cursive most of the time, but not always. His print is sharp and clean, but not as extravagant.

81. How good is your oc at drawing? What is their preferred art medium, and what is their artstyle like?

Matthias is good at drawing. He draws in sketchbooks and prefers simple graphite pencils. His art style is observational realism. (Refer back to #19 for more on this.)

82. What would be your oc’s ultimate dream vacation? Where would they go? Who would they take with them? What would they do?

Whisking Theo away to wherever Theo will allow him to would be Matthias’s dream. Theo has many different responsibilities that he’s bound to… and, really, Matthias just wants to take him away from it all and keep him in bed for days. He wants Theo to rest and act on his own wants and desires for once. He wants Theo to be somewhere safe.

83. What is your oc’s favorite trait about themselves? What about their least liked? What would others like and dislike the most about your oc?

There’s nothing Matthias doesn’t like about himself, honestly. He favors his own intelligence the most.

I think he’s valued by others for his money the most, followed closely by his looks. Most people who haven’t been privy to Matthias with his mask off probably would say they feel uncomfortable when he goes silent and just… stares. If they’ve seen him without the pretense, then his derision is what they dislike most.

84. Is your oc more masculine, feminine, androgynous, or something else entirely?

I think he’s more masculine.

85. What would history remember your oc for? How would they become famous? Or are they the sort that would really only be appreciated long after their death?

In the Echthroi universe? Hm… he doesn’t covet fame in any way, so I can’t imagine it’d be because of anything he himself has willed. Maybe someone snaps a photo of him and posts it online and it blows up? I don’t know… he doesn’t even have any social media himself, so… yeah. I got nothing.

86. What would someone assume about your oc based on their appearance? Would those assumptions be correct?

Matthias has been carefully crafted to look exactly as haughty and duplicitous as he is.

87. What are some of your oc’s physical weak spots? What about emotional/moral ones?

He’s weak to being kissed behind his ears, touched along his spine, and having his head pet or his hair pulled. He’s weak to Theo and Imani… and there’s this small, trembling thing inside him that’s weak to his mother.

88. Does your oc hold grudges? For how long? Does your oc have any rivals?

Hm… I have a hard time imagining him carrying anger with him long enough to foster a grudge (outside of the grudges he has with his mother and the people at the reformation school he went to). I think if he had an issue with someone he’d do something about it rather than stew in it. And by “do something about it” I don’t mean by talking things out.

89. What does your oc’s laugh sound like? How often do they laugh? Are they easily amused?

Sexy. What? Who said that? 

No, but Matthias doesn’t genuinely laugh very often. Instead he has this rehearsed laugh that he uses to charm and manipulate in social settings. It sounds nice… breezy and light… a trustworthy kind of laugh.

His real laugh is actually pretty startling. Matthias’s voice is cold and seductive… dripping… but his laughter, when it’s honest and real, is rumbling and comes out at a much lower register. He laughs with his entire diaphragm. You can press your hand to the center of his chest and feel it rumble through your fingers. Theo actually jumped the first time he heard Matthias laugh. Matthias’s laugh is inviting and warm and always makes Theo all flustered. Even if you're immune to Matthias's looks and charm, his real laugh will draw you in.

90. Does your oc have any objects they could never give up? Why is it so important to them? Do they have any family heirlooms?

Matthias doesn’t form attachments to material objects and has nothing he holds on to. He also sees zero value in family heirlooms and his lineage as a whole. I suppose he does still have his family home (and other Evanoff homes) in his possession but he defiles it regularly.

91. What is your oc’s typical posture like? Do they slouch, or stand straight? How much space do they usually take up, both physically and figuratively?

Matthias (like Imani) was forced through years of etiquette lessons and has a very precise bearing with an easy upright posture, standing tall and elegant in the center of any room. He’s both physically large (he’s 6’3” and would potentially have been taller had it not been for his experiences at the reformation school while still growing) as well as figuratively; Matthias has a very… imposing presence and is at ease with himself no matter where he is.

92. What trait does your oc appreciate or admire the most in others? Why?

I believe it’s a three-way tie between intelligence, wit, and viciousness. Matthias doesn’t want to be bored by conversation and he seeks out stimulation and amusement to prevent that.

93. What is your oc’s preferred learning style? Observation, hands-on, instruction? Do they take notes or memorize?

He prefers to learn by himself through reading and observation. Obviously, though, there are some things he can't learn through simple observation and does actually seek those who're better educated to learn from—like his personal trainer and language tutors. He has a very good memory, but he takes notes regardless. He likes the activeness of pen and paper while learning.

94. Does your oc rely more on a logical or emotional mindset? What situations would this be the opposite?

Logical, definitely. Matthias experienced very little emotional output for most of his life and it was only once he truly bonded with Imani that he started to develop more sentimental feelings. When it comes to Theo, however, he becomes almost entirely ruled by emotion… nearly too much of it for him to bear.

95. How is your oc about keeping someone else’s secret? Are they the gossiping type, or do they hold true on their promise to keep things quiet?

He keeps secrets very well. It’s not that he feels especially beholden to keeping his word, but rather that he enjoys knowing that he’s the keeper of a hidden kind of knowledge. That said, when the secrets he’s keeping are on Imani and Theo’s behalf, it becomes much more about a sense of loyalty and love than about… mastery and power, I suppose.

96. Describe your oc in three words. What three words would they use to describe themselves?

I would describe Matthias best as a man who is intimidating, imposing, and impossible.

Matthias would describe himself as detestable, irresistible, and… a mouthful.

97. How old is your oc physically? How old are they in mental maturity? When are they most mature, and when are they the least?

Matthias is in his mid-twenties physically (I think 26-27 is a more solid answer, but nothing’s set in stone). Mentally… it’s complicated. When he was young he had a sort of agelessness about him… it was only when he first entered his teens (and the public) that I believe he began to act more like a real child and then more rapidly like a teenager. Abuse did a number on him, though, late in his teens… He’s both stuck at the ages he was during the worst of the abuse while also seeming older than he actually is. His maturity is best exemplified in crisis situations or when he’s taking care of someone (Theo…). Conversely, his maturity goes down the drain when he’s being stingy or possessive.

98. Is your oc the type to have a lot of fairly good friends, have a small group of close friends, have one or two best friends, or have no friends at all? Who are they closest to?

Matthias only has one best friend and that’s Imani, who is also the first friend he ever made (they've been friends since they were eleven and twelve, respectively). He’s also friends with Sehyuk but they aren’t particularly close. His relationship with Sehyuk is... one of convenience, I'd say, but they do have an interesting bond... Matthias is able to fully be himself around Sehyuk, which is rare for him.

99. What is your oc’s morning routine usually like? What do they eat for breakfast (if they have breakfast)? What time do they usually get up in the morning?

Matthias is an insomniac so most mornings he’s not actually waking up but rather was already there waiting for the sun to rise. Matthias will sit outside with coffee and a book in the morning and listen to the birds. If he’s having breakfast it’s most likely something light that compliments his coffee.

100. Does your character ever swear? How often? How vulgar is their swearing?

In casual conversation I’d say he doesn’t often swear since he’s more imaginative than just saying “fuck you” or similar phrases, but if he does swear in conversation he’s most likely doing it in Polish (pierdol się is easily what he says most). When he’s in someone’s ear talking dirty, however, he’s vulgar to the point of pearl clutching on his partner’s part.

#posting matthias's first since it's like 2k shorter than theo's #river dipping #ts4 #matthias evanoff #echthroi #a burning house to live in #oc extras #s: echthroi #cw domestic abuse mention #(<- briefly mentioned in one sentence and it's between his parents!! forgot to tag this) #cw child abuse mention #adding links to mattodore's playlists because i think they really set the mood while reading about them like this #plus links to their boards which i think make a lot more sense after you've read their answers... #also after going through theo's answers i'm actually a little bothered by how brief matthias's are in comparison... #theo favoritism is very real and effects all of us. so true. #i'm just going to leave matthias's answers as is but maybe i'll come back and add onto them later on... shrugs #also can you even tell that i changed matthias a little... i kept the forehead shading and then lengthened his brows #and made his nose a little bit bigger... #didn't resize the new photos i've taken of mattodore so feel free to zoom... i know i sure am

[lilislegacy]

Ignoring the whole romantic love thing, I think a lot of Annabeth’s actions in regards to Luke make more sense if you look at it through a lens of grief. ‘Cause it has all the hallmarks: anger, denial, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. She loses Luke before he even dies and it takes 5 books for her to come to terms with it.

Also, I get where Percy is coming from, but at times I found him unnecessarily unsympathetic towards Annabeth and why she might be struggling with the whole Luke thing. He is really mean/dismissive to Annabeth in BoTL once Luke shows up again. (Actually, he’s bit mean to her in general in that book, but it’s more noticeable after Luke gets there). And, of course, he doesn’t know that Luke had given her a really cruel choice between “saving” him or war. But you’d think, after she watches someone she obviously cares deeply for get possessed by the Big Bad and she collapses sobbing from the pain of it, that Percy would, I dunno, run to comfort her. But instead he talks to both Nico and Rachel first. And then he and Annabeth end up fighting over Luke anyways.

And half of the time Percy’s animosity isn’t even that Luke has hurt him and his friends, it’s just straight jealousy and he admits as much in text.

I dunno, the whole thing is messy. Understandable from both sides, but messy nonetheless.

yeah the whole annabeth and luke thing is definitely messy.

and i completely agree that annabeth started going through the stages of grief the minute she lost luke and then didn’t really come to acceptance until right before he died. that’s exactly what happened.

but i have a hard time being mad at percy for being unsympathetic towards her feelings for luke. i’m not saying it was good how he acted, but if i was in the same situation, where my best friend was constantly defending the person who is trying to kill me, betrayed me and my camp, is trying to start a war, and is perfectly fine killing people - mortal or not - i’m not confident that i’d feel any differently than him.

i think a lot of people forget that percy was betrayed by luke, too. i mean obviously he didn’t have the history with luke like annabeth did, but luke was percy’s first real demigod friend. he made percy feel comfortable and like he belonged. he taught him how to swordfight, which became percy’s defining skill. he was a mentor to percy. and then luke tried to kill him. he literally had the scorpion sting little 12 year old percy and then left him to die. so yeah percy admits being jealous, but i think it goes deeper than that. percy says it himself that him and luke are always being compared - “People always compared me to Luke.” (SoM) - but the thing is: luke is a traitor. and percy’s defining trait is loyalty. so how would you feel if your best friend, who you have feelings for, has feelings for someone who’s actions go against everything you stand for? if you were being compared to, and competing with, someone who you never want become like? and that’s who your love interest wants. that’s such a punch to the gut.

annabeth’s feelings are so valid. if i was in her situation, i probably would be the same. i have tendency to see the best in people who don’t deserve it

but if i was in percy’s situation, i would probably be the exact same as him, you know?

i have no issues with percy and annabeth’s feelings and actions. it’s just luke’s romantic attraction towards annabeth that i have an issue with, and that’s what makes the whole situation icky in my mind. but annabeth’s feelings are so understandable, and so are percy’s.

#anon ask #answered ask #pjo

[dmwrites]

“Hey.”

“Evil, I have to tell you some bad news…” Impulse ran a hand through his hair and sighed. “We lost… the others. We went to do that backrooms job you were telling us about and… the gang all died. Except for me. I don’t know how I got away with my life, but…”

EvilNotion looked up from his computer. “I have a haunted house I need you to check out. I was hoping there would be more of you alive, but… you seem like a main character, plot armor kind of guy. You’ll be fine. Probably.” He slid a file across the desk towards Impulse.

“I- what? Did you hear me? I said they died!” Impulse said in confusion. “Skizz and… Tango and Joker.” he kind of coughed out that last part- technically, Grian and Scar weren’t employed by EvilNotion Paranormal Investigators Company, but Tango and Joker had to go out of town, and Grian and Scar had asked to come along, and they all thought it was going to be such an easy job…

“Yeah, I heard you. But ghosts won’t bust themselves- ha, get it, bust, because cu- you get it, I know you do. But regardless, I still have this job, and someone has to do it. So go. I’ll send the bodies and condolences to the families- do you have the bodies?” Evil looked over Impulse, like he had the head of Skizz in his pocket or something.

“Uh, no, unfortunately not, they were kind of… in pieces.” Impulse said awkwardly.

“Just condolences then.” Evil muttered. “Okay, so the truck’s all loaded up- see you later.” He looked back at his computer, the conversation clearly over.

Impulse stared at Evil in confusion. “No- Evil, I don’t know if you’re understanding me. It’s just… me… just me left here. We need to mourn! We need to… I dunno, plan funerals. And block Skizz and Joker and Tango’s numbers just in case a telemarketer tries to take it over or something, I dunno.”

Evil looked back up from his computer reluctantly, wearily, like he was the victim in this conversation. “No, I get that they’re dead, man. But work’s still gotta get done. I already booked this job while you guys were gone. I’ll hire some new guys, it’ll be fine. It can’t be too hard to find a couple of idiots with nouns and verbs for names. Get going, now, we’ll discuss things when you get back.”

——

It felt weird to be preparing to go into a haunted location alone, with no chatter or jokes slung about the truck. But Impulse had always been pretty competent at this whole ghost-hunting thing, and the motions were easy to him. He figured he should be mourning right now, but frankly he was still baffled by Evil’s indifference to the whole situation. Maybe he wasn’t such a great boss after all. They did always have a lot of pizza parties, but Impulse was beginning to wonder if that was worth not having healthcare. And weird indifference to employees dying, apparently.

But, regardless of the thoughts in his head, Impulse found himself at a small little woodland cottage that claimed to have a “malicious ghost” haunting it, just as the sun set.

“Right.” Impulse muttered, scanning through the file. “Ghost name… Vincent Goldstein. Easy, simple, okay.” He grabbed some equipment, as well as the keys to the house and headed outside. Almost immediately, he almost slipped on a half-drank can of soda, which was laying on its side and actively spilling out of the can.

“Wha- hello?” Impulse looked all around, the deepening shadows playing tricks with his mind, but nothing looked out of the ordinary. No one seemed to be around. “That’s… odd.”

Impulse went into the house, listening carefully at the doorstep for any footsteps or odd noises. There was nothing, so he continued inside, shining his flashlight around and making mental notes of anything that seemed odd. It wasn’t too long before he discovered an area that seemed colder and mistier then the rest of the house. He would normally have relied more on his EMF reader, but the thing seemed to have broken at some point, stuck on EMF five and making that annoying beeping noise. Either way, Impulse trusted his own capabilities enough to garner a guess that this might be the spot of the haunting problems, so he went to go get a camera and set up a few things. There were some items in his way as he went back outside, like a mug and a hammer, so he marked it down in his notes as a sign of paranormal activity. There was also a monkey’s paw in a desk drawer that he gave a wide berth to as soon as he saw it- he did not need such trouble on this mission, and plus, he didn’t have anyone to bother with it besides himself.

The monkey’s paw bothered him- it reminded him of his lost friends. He didn’t like the quiet they’d left behind, that’s for sure. Usually he had Skizz saying some silly little thing, Joker and Tango arguing, Grian singing, or Scar being scared down the radio. He tried to push down those feelings again, focus on his work. After, like Evil said, he could process all of this. But he had to do his work first.

Back in the house again, Impulse noticed a few more misplaced items, and wondered to himself if he’d missed a haunting. He was just setting up the camera when there was a sudden chill on his arm, like something ice-cold was touching him. Impulse looked all around. There was nothing there, but he was starting to hear what was either the wind or whispers. He stayed still, camera in hand, straining to listen-

Impulse’s phone suddenly rang, like a gunshot in the silence. Impulse screamed, both feet leaving the ground as he jumped, and dropping the camera he was holding. He scrambled for his cell phone and answered.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Impy. So I was thinking about Skizz’s gravestone. Something like ‘he lived how he died: screaming. Also-“

“EVIL!” Impulse shouted, leaning against a chest of drawers weakly. “I am in the haunted house right now, you can’t just call a man out of the blue like that- I dropped my camera! Dang it!”

Evil clicked his tongue. “Does it sound like I care? Anyway, I was looking at the, uh, roster of who went on that backrooms mission… who are Grian and Scar? Last time I checked, Tango and Joker were not spelled that way.”

“I- uh- oh no, I think the ghost is messing with the cell phone service!” Impulse made some whooshing and static noises into the receiver. “Gotta go, see you later!” He hung up. “Yikes.” He said to the empty room.

He finished setting up the camera with no more distractions, although he was distressed to find the camera lens cracked right down the middle. He headed back to the truck and looked at the camera- it was placed great, but there was another mug covering up most of the lens.

“Darn it!” Impulse cursed, then paused. He’d done a lot of jobs, knew a thing or two about ghosts… he’d never seen a paranormal entity be purposeful in throwing household items around. Entities weren’t ever so purposefully annoying, just destructive.

Something was brewing in Impulse’s head, a thought he dare not get too excited about yet. He grabbed a spirit box and dashed back into the house. He stood, not in the hallway, but the middle of the living room and turned on the box.

“Is anyone there?” He asked, eyes fixed on the box. For a moment, there was the familiar heavy static. And then, clear as day-

“Dippledop?”

“SKIZZ!” Impulse shouted, almost dropping the spirit box. “Is that you?”

“Hey homie-buddy! It is me!”

“I’m here too, Impulse!”

“Where are youuuuu!”

“Scar? Grian? Oh my god!” Impulse sat down hard on the couch, holding onto the spirit box like it was the only thing in the world. “You’re here! You’re all ghosts?”

“Yeah, buddy!” Skizz said.

“We’ve been following you since we died in those backrooms.” Grian said.

“You scratch your butt a lot when you think no one’s noticing.” Scar remarked.

“Scar!” Grian chided him while Skizz laughed. Impulse laughed too.

“So, okay, you’re dead? All of you? And you’re all ghosts… man, I missed hearing your voices so much.” Impulse felt a tear sliding down his face. “I miss you.”

“We miss you too, buddy”. Skizz said, and he felt that cold sensation on his shoulder. They must be standing around him, but he still couldn’t see a thing.

“How- what can I do? How can I help you guys?” Impulse asked.

“We’re dead, Impy. You can’t help us.” Grian said.

“We just wanted to say that we’re here with you.” Scar chimed in.

“I wish I could save you.” Impulse sniffed and wiped his eyes. “I wish… oh.” He went silent, the only noise coming from the static of the radio. “I know what I have to do.” He stood up and walked over to the desk nearby.

“What’s he doing?”

“Impulse?”

“Woah, woah, Impulse, hang on, hang on, let’s t-”

Impulse shut off the spirit box and set it down on the desktop. He opened the drawer he’d opened before, and there it was, waiting for him with three fingers raised.

Impulse took the monkey paw in his hand and laughed, although it sounded hollow. He took a deep breath, and then another. His heart was beating so fast in his chest, but he savored the feeling, savored every sensation he could possibly have in this moment. Then, he licked his lips.

“I wish for life.”

Gashes appeared on his body at once, bloody and deep.

“I wish for life.”

Across his back and arms, he could feel gouges in his skin, his muscle.

“I wish for life.”

He gasped out one final time, and blood poured from his mouth. He fell to his knees, choking and coughing. He felt a hand on his shoulder, warm and comforting, and looked up to three figures looking down at him. He smiled, something desperate and sad and happy all at the same time.

He collapsed to the ground, dead, just as his cell phone started to ring. Skizz reached down, blood dripping from his fingertips and tap-tap-tapping onto the phone screen, and picked it up.

“Impulse, it’s Evil again, do you care to explain why the fuck Tango just called me, sounding very much alive, and asked when the next ghost hunting job was? Did you seriously, actually have randos working the fucking job with you? Impulse? Impulse, answer me god damn it!”

“Impulse can’t come to the phone right now, he’s a bit of a sacrificial lamb. Oh, and it’s an shade, by the way.” Skizz rasped down the line, and hung up.

——

You may be asking, why EvilNotion? Well, this whole fic spawned from Impulse’s solo phasmo stream a little while ago, where he was waiting for the spirit to appear and Evil kept sending donos to scare him. That’s what the phone scene came from, and the rest of the fic followed from there. I feel bad that I made him a bad boss, but it did make it funnier lol

#long post #impulsesv #team GIGS #blood tw

[is-the-owl-video-cute]

Hi!! i found your blog via looking through the falconry tag. I see you talk a lot about Ben Woodruff, a falconer from Utah. I want you to know that i’ve apprenticed with Ben Woodruff for years, and have worked extremely close with him for about a decade. Ben is not what he seems in person. Don’t let his charisma fool you, he’s an awful falconer who used to be great 20 years ago but has been black listed by many on the falconry scene in the state. he has killed dozens of birds, has shoddy paperwork, and his ego is what drives him to continually try to be relevant in the falconry community. i’d love to talk more in-depth with you about him if you’ll have me, but he was the worst sponsor i’ve ever had in falconry. he never took me out flying with my birds and encouraged illegal activities constantly. i was his close personal friend for years and defended him for a long time until he killed two eagle owls via neglect at a park i worked at with him and i finally had enough and cut all contact with him. even this past weekend i was at a falconry event that he continually broke the rules on. he makes decent educational content but i only have to speak up about him having “competent care” when i know he has anything but- his neglect has killed dozens of birds and im shocked he hasn’t lost his licensing forever with. he was recently fired from his educational job at Evermore Park because of improper licensing. He talked me into breaking the law so many times with my birds, i’m ashamed to say :/ i don’t practice falconry right now since he ruined it for me, but im hoping to get into it soon with a proper sponsor who actually practices what he preaches. ben is not that person.

my intention is to not put you down personally or make you feel bad, but rather to highlight ben as a charismatic and manipulative person. his educational content may be good but the person he truly is is far from what you see him put out on youtube. i’d love to talk more in depth if you’ll have me but if not, take care, keep chatting about birds and falconry!

Believe it or not, this is not the first message I have gotten about him in the past few weeks. It’s disheartening to hear, I was hoping he would be the one falconer one YouTube to not turn out to be a total bellend. I enjoyed some of his theories and historical anecdotes, and he does post legitimately good informational content on his channel. I had a bit of a funny feeling when his book said something about starling harnesses not being “politically correct” or perhaps it was “this trapping method is not for the easily offended”? Some weird phrasing like that which rubbed me the wrong way. I found myself watching fewer of his videos after I read that because it felt off, but I didn’t have anything else negative to say against him previously as I’ve never met him, so I didn’t really stop recommending his videos, just stopped posting his content unless prompted.

I’m going to say that my most sincere advice for you would be to find a sponsor who is not a white man. I have dealt with many falconers and I say with no exaggeration that every white man I have met in the sport has either been unethical with birds or abusive to people, not uncommonly both. Something about falconry attracts the most obnoxious men on the planet, the Trump variety typically, but the Andrew Tate variety isn’t exactly rare among them either.

Not to say every woman in falconry is a saint, I know more than a few who are just horrendous people all around, but usually you have better odds of a positive experience.

[prettyboysdontlookatexplosions]

@thegoatsongs asked about my Jonathan Is Too Human To Be A Man In This Culture hypothesis and i have to like restrain myself from developing it at length or getting too attached to it as of yet because tbh i have never actually watched any dracula adaptation so i’m going off second- and thirdhand impressions + cultural osmosis.  but (vague spoilers herein!) there seems to be consensus among jonathan enjoyers who have partaken of adaptations that our friend jonathan is poorly served by them on the whole, suggesting that, at the very least, dracula adapters are mostly not looking at this guy and saying as we have declared here “hey this dude is a compelling protagonist on which to focus narrative energy more or less as he appears in the original text.” which has bothered me for like almost a full year now because like i can kind of see how you would get there from the castle portion but i don’t get how you get there from the castle portion PLUS like… everything that happens in october. like, jonathan enters the book as a gothic heroine, but he leaves it on very firm footing as more or less an action hero. i like many people on this website find this insanely viscerally compelling even just at face value as a fun juicy emotionally engaging pulpy fictional narrative. The Culture At Large meanwhile seems to have totally left it on the table over the course of 6 million adaptations.

and like, on the other hand i don’t ever wanna make definitive over-determined claims and i think it’s always worth keeping in mind that adaptations influence future adaptations and once even one adaptation exists future go-rounds are almost never reacting solely to the original source text and are influenced not only by other adaptations but by other cultural trends and developments etc etc etc. but on the other hand i got 5 hours of sleep last night and am Posting through it and we’re all on tumblr to be bisexual eat hot chip and speculate in wild overgeneralizations about The Culture so given all those caveats i will say that especially given that the book’s been fully in the public domain since fucking 1962 and given that its popularity remains such that two separate New Take On Content From The Novel Dracula movies came out this year alone, it’s hard for me not to get a little But Why re: the jonathan of it all, and it’s also hard for me not to feel like part of the issue here is that people don’t know what to make of a male character who is so profoundly vulnerable and victimized, who is shown in moments of terrible weakness both narratively (through his powerlessness and at times literal paralysis in the castle) and emotionally (through his delicate and frazzled post-castle state in which mina must take care of him)…. and who is also shown to be a competent, decisive, courageous, knife-sharpening vampire-slaying badass.

i don’t think this is necessarily unique to jonathan in the cast of dracula or in the culture at large (one thing i’ve been meaning to revisit is megan abbott’s paper on how screen depictions of philip marlowe smooth out the “troubled masculinity” that jumps off the page in chandler’s novels), and i also don’t think the problem of “this whole ass human is breaking gender” is limited to male characters (absolutely unhinged and derangedly niche reference to make but i got five hours of sleep last night: i did think while writing this out that it reminded me of the ways animorphs ghostwriters kind of reduced rachel to a tormented badass while failing to capture her clearly established vulnerability and compassion). but jonathan is a character that i have thought about a lot in this regard simply because i find him so appealing for frankly unsophisticated reasons.

somewhere in there also is floating the thing about straight men responding with incredulity to the fact that any woman might find timothee chalamet hot when meanwhile many women are like “uh guys who look like consumptive orphans are my number one type and always have been hello???” like, something something the assumption that there’s an inherent contradiction between weakness and masculine appeal when many women attracted to men know it’s The Opposite. (what is the castle sequence if not something that would get tagged “whump” on ao3? what did stoker do to jonathan if not break the cutie?) but again (1) this is not a well developed or articulated theory i am simply Posting please no one @ me about coherence or evidence at this time (2) legit i slept like 5 hours. probably less.

#dracula daily #dracula spoilers #sorry for referencing tv tropes in 2023 you can’t get mad at me on this the day i am so sleepy