#but! he's also very emotional. and protective

[wanderingsoul6261]

He did What?

Credit for gif goes to k-wame

James Beaufort x Reader

synopsis: Requested by an Anon. Mortimer hits Y/N, and Percy takes her to James. Reader and James have been in a long running relationship.

This fic is significantly shorter than some of my others.

warnings: physical abuse

“A father should never treat his kids like you do James and Lydia. You’re a monster." Y/N wasn't sure where it came from, but she knew that she should have had more self-restraint. 

A crack sounded out and Y/N's head whipped to the side. Shock and surprise filled her body and her left ear started ringing. She could hear Percy scrambling to her, having come to take her to James at Cyril's after a miscommunication caused her chauffeur to leave her at the Beauforts's Manor. It was there she ran into Mortimer Beaufort, and obviously, the interaction had turned sour. 

Y/N would agree now that she probably shouldn't have said what she said, especially to the man before her. However, she would definitely say That she didn't believe she deserved the slap she received. It didn't matter what she did or didn't say. She could have said worse and silently thanked herself for not doing so. 

“You don't have the right to speak to me in such a way.” Mortimer scowled. She opened her mouth to retort back, but was immediately pulled away by Percy. 

Percy guided her towards the car, her body shivering as the shock dissipated and her body filled with adrenaline. After helping her into the car, he sent a quick message to James. 

Your father struck Y/N- P

Y/N sat silently the entire ride to Cyril's house. She normally made polite talk with Percy, with or without James in the car, but at the moment, she was too upset. Mostly at herself, for not having the self restraint to stop herself from saying what she did. But she was also upset at Mortimer himself, for thinking he could treat people in such a way that he has been. 

But that's the rich for you. They treat people however they feel like it. 

She looked out the window, her eyes watching as the trees and building passed. Percy had looked back at her through the rearview mirror. He took notice of the red welt on her face where Mortimer had hit her. Percy knew James had seen his message, but the Beaufort twin never responded. Taking in a deep breath, and letting it out slowly, he was already preparing himself for a very angry James. 

Time had gone by quickly in the car. Y/N blinked as they pulled up to Cyril’s home, her eyes finding James out in the front, already waiting for them. She looked into the front seat, noticing Percy already looking at her. Letting out a quick sigh, she prepared herself as James came over, not waiting for Percy to open the door for her. 

“Y/N-”

“I’m fine.” There was no hiding the red welt on her face. It stayed, even after the drive from the Beaufort Manor to Cyril’s home. His eyes made quick work of finding it. He sucked in a breath. When Percy texted him to let him know what had happened, he had hoped that it was some sick joke, but the bad part about it all? James believed that his father would do such a thing before he even saw the mark on her face. 

“How is that fine? My father-” He stopped. Y/N knew he was stewing in anger. His weren’t the only thing that gave away his current round up of emotions. He kept clenching his fists and running his hands through his hair. Amongst being angry at his father, he was upset and frustrated. Upset that he hadn’t been there to protect her. Frustrated with his life. “I ought to-” 

“No. James. Going back there and confronting him is going to fix things. It’s better that he thinks that you don’t know.” Her hands weaved into his own, preventing him from clenching his fists. I shouldn’t even have said what I did.” 

“Doesn’t mean that you deserved to be struck in the way that you did!” James argued. 

“I asked for it.” 

“Y/N.” The two stood still, staring at each other. They were silent for several moments. Y/N had pulled her hands away from his, picking at her fingers in anxiousness. He grabbed them back, stopping her from doing so. They were drowning in silence.

  “What did you say to him that got his panties in a twist?” He asked finally. Y/N looked up at him, before walking past him and sitting on the front steps of the house. He followed behind her, the two of them watching as Percy parked the car away from the front. Percy would be there still when they needed him. 

“Told him that a father wouldn’t treat his kids in such a way that he does with you and Lydia. That he was a monster.” She mumbled softly. James looked over at her. She currently had her head bowed, hair covering her face. Y/N had defended him and his sister. The woman he loved stood up for him and Lydia when almost no one else would. His heart beat for the selfless soul sitting next to him. 

James wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her into him. 

“You don’t have to defend me and Lydia.” Y/N turned her head abruptly to look at him. 

“But-” 

“I appreciate what you did. No one ever stands up to my father.” James finished her sentence for her. “I appreciate you, Y/N.” His hands grasped her cheeks. “But please, don’t do anything like that again. Not if the price is you getting punished for it.” Y/N blinked a few times, having no choice but to stare James in his face. She finally nodded. "I can't bear the knowledge of you getting hurt."

“Okay.” She mumbled softly. 

“Promise?” He asked, peering into her eyes.

“Promise.” James pressed a lingering kiss to her forehead.

“Good. Now I’m going to text my parents and tell them I’m staying the night at Cyril’s, and then we are going back to your place.” James’ voice was authoritative. There was no room for debate. But when the end of the night finally came, and James and Y/N were at her own home, in her own bed, she didn’t mind it. With James holding her against him, murmuring soft words of endearment into her ears, she didn’t want anything else. 

And as she fell asleep, feeling James press a soft kiss to the crown of her head, she knew one thing. 

Even if she did make a promise to James, she would always stick up for him and Lydia, no matter what.

She just wished that she had done it more often in the past few years that she has been in their lives.

-----

@sillyfreakfanparty @honethatty12 @lifeonawhim @ashamedtobewhitemanswhore27 @maryvibess @wheredidmyeyesgo @imasimptoowth @avada-kedavra-bitch-187 @benbarnesprettygurl

#james beaufort #maxton hall #james beaufort x reader #maxton hall: the world between us

[zelda-the-sacred-realm]

I’m curious and if it’s alright I’d like to ask about the way you characterize each of the links that will be in your comic:) if it’s not to spoilery I would really like to know their different personalities

Thanks for the question, I gave some aspects of their personalities in an old post, but I'm happy to expand this aspect a bit ☺️

Link: He is a gentle, hard worker boy. He doesn't have much confidence in himself but when others believe in him he shows a lot of strength. A father figure is among the things he would like to have, which is why he often identifies his team as a family. For the rest he is a diligent, kind and friendly boy, but he also demonstrates some spiteful behavior if he is treated badly. He keeps the hood over his head because he is shy, which for him is a way to make himself noticed less.

Sky: As I have often said he is an extremely good and kind person, he shows unconditional affection to everyone else. He is supportive and knows how to cheer everyone up! He can also be serious when necessary and is very scary if angry, he is also protective, but his head is in the clouds and this leads him to forget some important details 😅

Time: He is a serious, grumpy man and often instills fear in others. His strength of mind is undisputed as is his courage and valor, but he too has wounds that he hides. Showing weakness is unacceptable for him, they have too many expectations of him, a hero known throughout the world for his adventures. He expects everyone to behave with honor, without showing fear, this often makes him demanding with Link, and seeing him afraid is something he doesn't accept. Despite this he is protective and always acts like a hero, protecting others at all costs.

Twilight: Sunny, confident and strong, Twilight is a truly incredible person. He knows how to evoke many positive emotions in others, and is seen as a big brother. Although he is often seen as an always kind and smiling person, he can also be very severe and a little arrogant, especially when the moment requires it, an attitude he uses to frighten his enemies or those who challenge him, he often defines himself as a bit of a beast, since he is aware that his wolf form has established that type of behavior in him, especially when he has to protect those he loves.

Wind: A child in spirit, he is absolutely playful, funny and very enthusiastic, he attracts good humor and brings a lot of it. He's also a pirate so he tends to fight on impulse every now and then, but most of the time he follows Time's directives, also because for him he is the best hero in the world! He also has some moments of seriousness, and often hides some details of his adventures, it seems that he has seen very dark things.

Wild: Charismatic, wild and uncontrollable, these three words represent him most. He faces adventures with great enthusiasm but teamwork makes him a little nervous and he just doesn't accept orders. He is a kind person even if not like Sky, but he really has some dark moments and doesn't talk about the past willingly, in fact many identify him as mysterious. Even though he is friendly, he doesn't show his true self often, but he cares about others and uses his strength to protect them.

Worlds: A guy seen as arrogant, salty and even a little presumptuous, is actually a very intelligent person, and everything he does always has a reason. It has two versions, one is courageous, calm and very rational, the other is cowardly, sensitive and foolish, this is because he is Ravio and Link united in a spirit. Worlds is also very introverted, if he doesn't feel he has to expose himself he tends not to, but this doesn't mean that if he thinks something is wrong he doesn't point it out. Playing in a team is an experience for him, but his dual personality makes him difficult to manage in battle, you know... sometimes he runs away... sometimes he attacks courageously 😅

These are small additions to the old post, I'm sorry I can't reveal every aspect, I prefer you get to know them along the way

Thanks for your ask! 💖

#zeldathesacredrealm #sacred realm #zelda comic #zelda au #legend of zelda #sr boys #sr link personality #links meet au #artist on tumblr #zelda fandom #fan comic

[lady-of-endless]

Risotto Nero romantic headcanons (sfw+nsfw)

Author's Note: Sorry for being an old-school romantic and writing headcanons like these, don't come at me. I wanted to take my time with Risotto as he is so complex. I really hope that those are not too far-fetched. I hope you'll enjoy it! The lovely gif is not mine, I'm thanking the owners for it.

P.S. Prosciutto will be next. I just have to calm down from the feels I have for the husband, I mean Prosciutto.

SFW

- The most beneficial context for your relationship is for it to start off as a partnership, a team. This way, you go through many critical and dramatic experiences together and that will only bring you closer and strengthen your connection. Even after confessing, this dynamic remains, you are still a team, watching for each other.

- Everything about him indicates a slow burn. From obtaining his trust first and then his heart. Even after those two are won, he's still reluctant to the new dynamic. He will never deny those feelings even if he thinks that someone in his position should. Risotto is not just rationally intelligent but also emotionally intelligent so he knows that such desires of the heart cannot be stopped. He doesn't deny the feelings but he suppresses them. He knows how complex those emotions are and that's the problem, it complicates everything around him and you. But little by little, he starts giving in and surrendering to his love.

- At first, he analyzed you only from a strategic point of view (regarding your abilities and how you can work with his team) and in time, it escalated into a deeper and more emotional point of view. Because of this and because Risotto values other opinions and perspectives from his teammates, he seeks advice. No, he won't ask directly but he'll be more attentive when the others talk about you. However, the only one who Risotto might ask for an opinion is Prosciutto because he shares some morals and principles with him. Surprisingly, Prosciutto will put his rational arguments aside a little bit because more than the respect and admiration he holds for Risotto, he wants him to experience this sort of happiness.

- Risotto will not know how to react when receiving your affection, at first. There are many thoughts and morals that don't let him receive affection right. Many of those thoughts are regarding his line of work. He has made peace with the fact that he's not a good man, that he doesn't deserve good things. He's okay with it now, he did what he had to do.

- His preferred love language is acts of service. He's used to doing things for others (but even so he doesn't see how selfless he is) so acts of service are his way to show his feelings. He would do anything for his close ones so for you, his loved one, he would die for you, kill for you, protect you, anything, you name it. Plus, Risotto is always very observant and because his interest is your well-being, he pays extra attention to your needs. About receiving, it can be anything. Again, he doesn't see himself worthy of love.

- He rarely smiles so when you finally catch a glimpse of this rare occasion and compliment him, Risotto is lost. Any sort of comment like this will have him feel things he never felt before, in a good way. As a result, he starts smiling softly more at you in privacy.

- If you get severely injured on a mission, he still keeps his composure in your presence while helping you, patching you up, and even trying to heal you with Metallica. He's serious while doing it but it will be the only time in which his hands start trembling. After helping you, while you rest, he's still there watching over you fully neglecting his need for rest. As you sleep and he looks at your injuries, that's when his composure breaks. The guilt he's feeling is heavy in his heart, thinking how this way of life is not what you deserve and it's his fault.

- He's capable of many things, he's also a strategist but that doesn't mean that he doesn't have moments in which it all gets too much to process. That's where you come to the rescue. He doesn't want to pass his difficulties to you so it will take a lot for him to let himself tell you what's wrong.

- Secrecy and subtility are a must. But he'll get you (he'll make it), a dainty and thin silver bracelet with a charm that resembles some sort of blade. Whenever he's thinking of you and wants to let you know it, you'll feel that bracelet move a bit from his magnetism, as a reminder.

- As subtle as he thought he was, in time, every member of La Squadra will know what his feelings are towards you. Melone was the first to notice the way Risotto looked at you. Since his discovery, Melone couldn't keep it for himself and since then, they all started behaving suspiciously. They smirk every time you talk to Risotto about missions and other formal details, they try to let the two of you alone more, and so on.

NSFW

- Contrary to popular belief, he's not rough (not every time at least) or freaky behind closed doors. His usual and favorite approach is slow and deep. He likes to take his time with it as he sees sex as not just a way to get pleasure but a moment of deepening the connection you have already.

- He never wants to use sex as an outlet for his pent-up frustrations and stress but if you give him the green light, he might give into it when things get too much to bear. But he still holds back a little bit, worried about how rough he can easily get. If you're into this rough approach as well and it's noticeable, he'll feel less guilty but still careful.

- He can go on with the foreplay for hours. Risotto likes to feel the tension build. Enjoying the reactions and the growing desire gives him the most pleasure, more than the act itself. Because of this, he might sometimes slip into trying orgasm denial with you.

- At first, he doesn't see the point of experimenting with kinks because he's so touch-starved. He only needs you. However, gradually he will start asking you for consent about some ideas he has. Watch out for your hands. If you get them close to the metal bars of the bed, your wrists will get caught in metal bindings in the blink of an eye.

- Quiet in the beginning but soon you'll see him losing his composure and start grunting and growling close to your ear as he buries his face in the crook of your neck. Not only that but you'll hear sweet words of affirmation, unheard before as he gets lost in the feeling of you.

- Aftercare is obligatory. It always gets intense, sometimes even rough, and he's aware of his size too so calming you down and taking care of you is both a way of showing his gratitude and also a duty (don't get this one wrong, he sees the act of aftercare as important as the rest of his duties, that's it). The aftercare always ends with him holding your hand and kissing it as another silent expression of his gratefulness and adoration for you. It's his unbreakable habit.

- He has to admit, he likes to mark you. Not in a possessive way, that's why those marks will only be on parts that are not usually visible. But because he loves the image and concept of your skin reacting to his affection. You can leave marks on him as long as they're not visible, again, it's about secrecy and subtility. He might feel a bit proud, just a bit, when he looks in the mirror at the scratches you left on his back.

- Doesn't get bored of being on top. After all of that slow burn and build-up of your deep connection, of course, he wants to look into your eyes when you both let yourselves be engulfed in the pleasure. Might even get a little mischievous with it when he's in a good mood. "If you look away, I'll stop."

The only situations in which you are the one on top are when you simply ask for it or when you tell him you want to help him relax. Hearing those words coming from you while you start touching him with care and warmth is going to be the death of him.

- Not a fan of quickies. He needs the whole thing. As mentioned before, he needs to feel the tension built and loves taking his time with it. But also, above all, he wants to treat you right so a quickie will never be enough for this.

#jjba #risotto nero #jjba risotto #risottonero #risotto nero x reader #la squadra #la squadra esecuzioni #jjba part 5 #jojo bizarre adventure #golden wind #vento aureo #jjba x reader #jjba headcanons #jjba fanfic

[yakichoufd]

Out of curiosity,what are your thoughts on Cyclops w/o his visor/glasses ? Like I love his iconic look, design and visible disability rep- but I do also adore the rare moments that we get to see his full face- especially when drawn well; gotta have that pretty boy cyclops/j

I like the few times we saw him without his visor. It shows how much self control he has (maybe a bit of vulnaribility too) and you can clearly see more how expressive his face is without his glasses. It is interesting but only because we rarely see him without his visor/glasses. That scene in x-men 97, where you see his opened eyes for the first time is quite emotional. He does it to connect with his son. Maddie told him their son has his eyes. So him showing them to Nathan is quite symbolic. It says "your my son". Saying "I love you son" without any barrier that could hide how sincere those words are to him is also touching. And having Jean who does it (cause well... she is the only one who can control Scott's power like this as far as I am aware) is also interesting. She stayed for Scott's eyes and she shows them to her adoptive son. It is a very intimate reunion we see, and it is sad because it is a goodbye one. So I love the different layers that scene has. Plus Scott's eyes are full of love and kindness in that moment. He looks very gentle which contrast with his more serious and deadpan look that his glasses/visor give him. I wanted to make a comic where Logan would have seen Scott's eyes for the first time and observes how full of love and tender they are. But I couldn't come up with a setting that was solid. Everything I came up with felt very clumsy and immature. And maybe it is for the best that only a very few amount of people know how he looks like. Logan doesn't need to know how beautiful Scott's eyes are to know who he really is. His Visor and glasses are part of himself. He needs them to see the word, to protect his loved ones and the world. So I abandonned that project! From my artist experience, I also prefer Scott with his glasses. It is part who he is and he looks less like himself without them. But maybe I need to learn how to draw him without his glasses. It is not easy!

#scott summers #cyclops #ask response

[nori-the-cat]

RIIZE as Romance Trope(s)

Remember, this tarot reading is for entertainment purposes only. Take this post with a grain of salt. ♥︎

★ Shotaro: Slow Burn

Tarot cards: eight of swords, two of swords reversed, and the empress

In love, Shotaro is surprisingly hesitant to make a move and can be unsure of his feelings. But when he is sure of his feelings, Shotaro takes a leap of faith and uses his confidence to express his feelings towards the person he likes. The reason why I think he's a slow-burn type of guy is that Shotaro knows his worth. He is caring, and protective, and seeks a fulfilling emotional bond. He takes time to feel assured of his own feelings.

Hence, I think Shotaro's trope is slow-burn but with a twist. He is someone who takes time to process his emotions but, when the time is right, he expresses himself wholeheartedly. He might be the type to write a love song, surprise the person he likes with a meaningful gift, or confess his feelings in a public, unforgettable way.

Channelled song for Shotaro:

★ Eunseok: Lovers in Denial

Tarot cards: ten of pentacles, two of cups reversed, and three of wands reversed

Eunseok might wait a bit longer for love, but when it hits, it'll be a super strong connection, deeper than most. He doesn't care about what others think is "normal" in a relationship. Instead, he's all about finding someone who truly clicks with him on an emotional level and shares his values.

Hence, I think Eunseok is "lovers in denial" kind of guy. The ten of pentacles suggest he craves a stable, secure relationship, but the reversed two of cups hint at trouble expressing his feelings or feeling misunderstood. This might cause some delays or bumps in the road to love. Basically, he might have hidden feelings he's afraid to face, which could slow things down.

This is not to say Eunseok is a bad person or potentially a red flag. He just needs time to process his emotions and confront those feelings. Once he confronts those emotions and accepts that he has romantic feelings for a person, he's in fact the sweetest person.

Channelled song for Eunseok:

★ Sungchan: Beauty and the Beast

Tarot cards: seven of wands, five of cups, and nine of swords

Sungchan has a lot of emotional baggage. By a lot, I mean many things he needs to learn and heal from. Once he learns to embrace his sensitive side and acknowledges they are his strengths and not weaknesses, he might be the most emotionally intelligent among the other members.

In love (seven of wands), it can represent someone who fights for what they wants and doesn't give up easily. This reminds me of when Beast and Gaston had a fight. Similarly, this also shows Sungchan can be competitive and fight for what he wants until he gets it.

Adding to this, Sungchan not only has emotional baggage, but he also has difficulty letting go of past relationships (five of cups). He also overthinks situations or struggles with trusting others (nine of swords). This side of him is again, something he needs to work on. It is also likely that he dwells a lot and ruminates the past. In a relationship or romantic aspect of his life, if he continues to dwell on the past, it will likely stop him from finding "true love" Similarly, Beast is also like this.

Another reason why I think Sungchan fits the Beauty and the Beast love trope is because Sungchan might crave a love worth fighting for, someone who can offer him the security and understanding he needs to heal and fully open his heart. This is very much like Beauty and the Beast. Belle has always been there to nurture the Beast. It is likely that Sungchan also craves or needs someone to nurture parts of him that lack care or tending. Once he feels secure and loved, his protective and resilient nature can translate into unwavering devotion and a willingness to fight for the relationship.

Channelled song for Sungchan:

★ Wonbin: It was right in front of you all along!

Tarot cards: temperance, the high priestess, ace of pentacles

Wonbin's romance trope is one where they both won't know they're fit for each other. But they've been in each other's life all along until one day they realise there is more than friendship to the relationship.

Wonbin also sounds like a romantic dreamer (thanks to the High Priestess card). He's probably looking for someone super interesting and smart, someone who shares his ideas about what love should be. But hold on, because Temperance is also in the mix. This means he won't jump into just any relationship. He'll take his time, think things through (like the High Priestess again!), and wait for a love that feels balanced and perfect, just like him.

He's also the type to observe, see, and wait. He calculates the risk of being with the person he likes until he realises "What's the wait for?" and confesses his feelings when he feels sure of the person. However, he still has tendencies to look for the "perfect person". Hence, the time he spent waiting, observing, and seeing could be a waste of time. Deep down what Wonbin truly wants is comfort, emotional connection, and a good banter.

Channelled song for Wonbin:

★ Seunghan: Fake Dating

Tarot cards: the magician, the high priestess, and four of pentacles reversed

Seunghan is a charmer and he knows how to entice a person. I bet you he knows how to sweep a person off their feet. He is that charming.

Seunghan is charming, confident, and knows how to win someone over (the magician). He is also someone who is selective and has high standards for a partner (the high priestess). Hence, I think the trope fake dating suits him well because he would not mind taking on a role to be someone's boyfriend for a night. This is because he is someone who desires freedom and experiences within the relationship (four of pentacles rx).

In many ways, fake dating will give him the freedom and experience to experience love and he doesn't have to commit yet. Plus, fake dating sounds like a one-in-a-lifetime fun experience. But, this trope is risky. Seunghan might be the one who suggested the fake dating idea and ends up falling in love first.

Seunghan might be naturally charming and resourceful (The Magician). He might know how to make someone feel special and use his creativity to impress them. However, The High Priestess' influence suggests there's more to him than meets the eye. He might crave a deeper emotional connection and be selective when choosing a partner.

Channelled song for Seunghan:

★ Sohee: Friends-to-lovers

Tarot cards: king of wands, ace of wands reversed, and ace of swords reversed

Sohee might exude confidence and leadership qualities (King of Wands) in most aspects of his life. He might be decisive and take charge in professional or group settings. However, the reversed Ace of Wands and Swords suggest a hidden side when it comes to love. Perhaps Sohee struggles to express his romantic feelings or initiate connections. He might have a strong desire for love (upright King of Wands) but be held back by self-doubt or a fear of rejection (reversed Aces).

Despite these challenges, the King of Wands' influence suggests a strong potential for passion within Sohee. He might just need someone who can help him ignite that spark and create a safe space for him to express his true feelings. Perhaps a patient and understanding partner can draw him out of his shell and encourage him to take a chance on love.

Sohee seems like the kind of person who takes love slowly. He might be shy about opening up and sharing his true feelings. That's why a friends-to-lovers situation might be perfect for him. He needs someone he can trust completely, someone who already knows him well. Feeling comfortable and safe is key for Sohee to open up his heart.

Channelled song for Sohee:

★ Anton: Strangers-to-lovers

Tarot cards: nine of swords reversed, five of wands, and four of pentacles

Anton might need a little extra time to get over past worries, but once he clicks with someone, he's a rock-solid partner. Honest communication seems important to him, and he might crave a relationship that's both secure and playfully competitive.

The cards tell us a few things about what Anton looks for in love. The Four of Pentacles hints at a desire for stability and security. He might be looking for someone to build a future with, someone who brings him peace and comfort (thanks to the reversed Nine of Swords). But wait, there's more! The Five of Wands suggests he also enjoys a little friendly competition. Maybe playful arguments or teasing become his way of connecting and bonding with his partner.

I go back and forth between Anton's romance trope as friends-to-lovers and strangers-to-lovers. Although the explanation above fits friends-to-lovers more, I think strangers-to-lovers would allow Anton to grow in the relationship and learn about his partner while he learns about himself. Anton is also someone who likes a good challenge, hence, being with someone new is not a bad idea for him. However, this someone new could be a friend of a friend. So, it's not really a complete stranger, but someone new that he can learn from and grow together.

Channelled song for Anton:

This was a requested reading from user @moomoobug

#kpop #kpop tarot #kpop tarot reading #riize #riize tarot #riize fluff #riize x reader #riize imagines #riize headcanons #riize scenarios #riize shotaro #riize eunseok #riize sungchan #riize wonbin #riize seunghan #riize sohee #riize anton #shotaro #eunseok #sungchan #wonbin #seunghan #sohee #anton #Spotify

[allgirlsareprincesses]

A Tale of Two Disguises: Fairy Tale Motifs in Bridgerton Season 3 (Part 1)

It’s Polin Season! In the midst of this Friends to Lovers renaissance and rewatching the Carriage Scene™ for the 847,000th time, I find that I MUST give the fairy tale meta treatment to our beloved Bridgertons. Not only did the show explicitly relate its central couple to the Eros and Psyche myth, but there are a number of other fairy and folk tale motifs scattered throughout the season.

While we only have the first four episodes so far (Shonda, you cruel, cruel tease!), it seems clear that the theme of the season is disguise. Our leading man and lady have both put on masks to protect them from society, but those are slowly being peeled away as they draw closer together. I would argue that aside from Cupid and Psyche (ATU 425), the story also relies heavily on Cinderella (ATU 510), both romances in which the true self is revealed.

To begin with, Colin arrives back in town with a flirtatious new swagger, but apparently no intent to actually court a mate. In this way, he is very similar to the mythical Cupid, who is described as:

“that winged lad, the naughty child who has been so spoilt that he despises all social restraint. Amed with flames and arrows he flits in the night from house to house. He severs the marriage-tie on all sides; and unchastised he perpetuates endless mischief.”

Now I hear you, you’re saying that sounds nothing like Colin! And yes, but the point is that he has no qualms about flirting with one lady after another (or bedding prostitutes), metaphorically slinging Cupid’s arrows everywhere he goes, because that is the role he believes he must perform. The point of his character in Apuleius’ narrative is that Cupid has power over gods and men, to make them fall in love with one another, but he himself is never prey to such feelings.

UNTIL. His mother, Venus, tells him to make the beautiful Psyche fall in love with a monster. In some versions, simply the sight of Psyche is enough to make Cupid fall in love. In others, he accidentally pricks himself with his own arrow when he sees her, thus becoming the victim of his own schemes.

Similarly, Colin agrees to help Penelope find a husband, but soon finds that he himself has fallen in love with her. There is even a subtle reference to this when he gifts Gregory the bow and arrows. In the shot, Gregory turns with the bow pointed directly at Colin. He is in the sights of Cupid’s bow, about to be hit with his own weapon!

Once Cupid has fallen for Psyche, she is borne upon the wind to his palace, where she is served by invisible servants and her new husband visits her only in darkness when she cannot see him. By these means, he keeps his true identity hidden, leading Psyche to eventually question whether she has indeed married a monster. In her fear, she brings an oil lamp to his bed, and when she sees that he is in truth the handsome god Cupid, she accidentally drops hot oil onto him. Thus injured, her husband awakes into the realization that she has betrayed his confidence and uncovered his identity.

Similarly, Colin is concealing his true self behind the mask of the rake, hiding his desire for emotional intimacy even from Penelope. Not easily fooled, she writes as Lady Whistledown questioning whether this is in fact his true self. Once their “lessons” begin, Colin rather scandalously invites her into his home (his palace), a place that only intimate family members should be allowed. He then asks her to imagine invisible guests and musicians, just like Cupid’s invisible retinue.

Then, Penelope discovers his diary, just beside the lamp as Psyche also discovered Cupid’s true self. The shadow husband thus revealed, Colin appears and is furious at Penelope’s apparent betrayal. He knocks over the lamp and is injured by the shards of glass, just as Cupid was injured by drops of oil. This wounding is a critical part of animal husband tales, where the heroine approaches him with “flame and steel,” painfully stripping away his mask or animal skin so that it is impossible for him to hide from her.

Typically, at this point in the tale, the husband would flee, but Colin stays. There is still another betrayal yet to come with the revelation of Penelope’s alter ego, however, so I would not be surprised if we yet saw Colin retreat from her in pain, even temporarily. Further, the betrayal typically happens as a result of the bride’s lack of faith in her husband, so Penelope will need to learn to fully trust Colin as well.

The Cupid and Psyche tale is of course explicitly referenced in the dance performed at the Queen’s ball. To the extent that the dance is a retelling, it seems to focus on the ending of the tale, when Cupid awakens Psyche from a deathlike sleep and then raises her to Olympus, where she becomes a goddess as well. This then is where we are headed: the revelation of Penelope’s secret may cause her to fall into a metaphorical death state (maybe the fainting scene in the trailer?), but Colin’s love will ultimately lift her up to her rightful place among the gods.

Another interesting feature in Apuleius’ story is a moment when Cupid’s mother Venus offers a reward for the capture of Psyche, in punishment for wounding her son:

“Ho, if anyone can produce in person, or give information as to the place of concealment of a certain runagate princess, a slave-girl of Venus, Psyche by name, let him hie to Mercury the crier at the rear of the Murtian Sanctuary, and receive by way of reward seven times a Kiss of Bliss and once a Kiss honeyed-beyond-measure by the interjection of her alluring tongue.”

Basically, Venus places a bounty on Psyche. And WHO in the Bridgerton cast has explicitly associated herself with Venus? None other than Queen Charlotte, whom we know from the Part 2 trailer will be offering a reward for the identification or capture of Lady Whistledown. In the tale, Venus plays the role of an avenging goddess who is enraged both by insults to her family and by romances that occur without her approval and orchestration. Once again, this sounds exactly like Queen Charlotte, so expect her to play that destructive goddess role throughout much of the season.

While animal husband tales focus on the revelation of the true man behind the beastly disguise, Cinderella tales center around the exposure of the true bride. A typical Cinderella story includes the following:

Persecuted heroine, usually by family

Help or helper, usually magic

Meeting the prince, usually with true identity disguised

Identification or penetration of disguise, usually by means of an object

Marriage to the prince

Throughout all three seasons of Bridgerton so far, we can clearly see Penelope being persecuted by her family, with her wicked mother and two foolish sisters easily fulfilling their quintessential roles.

As for the helper, Penelope has had several, but her most notable is Madame Delacroix, who both assists her caper as Lady Whistledown and then also supplies her with her transformative new wardrobe. In this way, she fulfills the role of the Fairy Godmother to Penelope’s Cinderella.

Meeting the prince of course is somewhat different since Colin and Penelope have known one another for years. Still, it is true that Penelope’s full identity has been disguised, since she has hidden her role as Lady Whistledown from him and the rest of the Ton.

Identification or penetration of the disguise has not occurred yet, in my opinion, but it likely will in Part 2 of Season 3. In the book, Colin follows Penelope and discovers her secret, and it may be that something similar occurs in the show. It’s unclear yet as to whether there may be an object involved, although if there is, I suspect it may be an issue of Whistledown itself, or perhaps the pen she uses to write it. Further, Eloise is heard in the trailer giving Penelope a midnight deadline to tell Colin the truth, just like how Cinderella's magical disguise will fall away at midnight.

And of course, we know we’re headed toward the eventual marriage with the prince! But meantime, there are a number of other familiar features of the Cinderella tale, not least of which are Penelope’s three separate flights from three balls. She runs first from Lady Danbury’s Four Seasons Ball, then again when her arrangement with Colin is revealed, and a final time after Debling turns her down. In some versions of the fairy tale, Cinderella actually does attend three different balls, fleeing from each one before midnight and only losing her slipper on the last one.

Of course, while she leaves behind no shoe, Colin races after Penelope each time, and finally catches her carriage on the last one, kneeling before her and confessing his feelings. This, like the relation to the mythical Cupid, leans on Hunter/Huntress motifs common throughout folklore. Often, one lover will chase after the other, and then they will trade places and the hunter will become the hunted. And only very rarely do these lovers come together as equals in the end.

So I will end there for now! Cannot WAIT for Part 2, after which I will try to update this with any new observations!

#polin #bridgerton #bridgerton season 3 #bridgerton meta #fairy tales #folk tales #mythology #eros & psyche #cupid & psyche #eros x psyche #cupid x psyche #cinderella #atu 425 #atu 510 #penelope featherington #colin bridgerton #queen charlotte #venus #penelope x colin #colin x penelope #regency romance

[so-that-was-okay]

Pretty tired of seeing adult characters being infantilized. Do it in fics and your hcs if you want to, but stop treating them as if adults shouldn't show emotions and be vulnerable, especially men, and then complain that them acting like actual adults is OOC. So many young people are unable to see a grown man show his tears, his frustrations (other than by punching walls and people), or any emotion, really, without being reduced to a little fragile thing that has to be protected.

When I see Buck and his raw nature, and how he's so often infantilized (and I don't mean in a fun way, because of course he's a cutie), it removes his adulthood and his growth from the narrative and, yes, encourages ageism in real life. Buck is 32. He's an adult man with emotions he doesn't always hide and it doesn't make him act younger. Same goes for any man on the show, especially those who fans find cute.

Yes, Buck is flirting with Tommy and makes sexual innuendos as an adult who knows what he's doing. And no, it's not OOC, you just deaged and sanitized him so much in your head that him acting like he's been acting on the show since season 1 is shocking you for no reason except your own doings in your head. And even if he's just expressing his desire with a funny choice of words and phrasing, he's not a little kitty trying to be saucy. It's a grown man feeling sexual desire and attraction for another person. It's very simple, but also very normal for an allosexual person. We've seen him do that for 6 seasons, and he'll keep on doing it until the end. It's Buck.

#evan buckley #evan buck buckely #bucktommy #tommy kinard #i really need younger fans to stop projecting so much on adult characters #only to reverse who the characters really are #this is not about you #this is about people who can relate not people who want to change what is written #so they can shape canon characters into their very own OOC version and then complain that what's on screen doesn't match #idc if you want to make him act like a blushing virgin in your fics #but then don't make this fandom a hell hole because you can't separate your fantasies from the original material #also there should be a real discussion about fiction and reality and how there's a lot of nuances there #representation is real #characters are not #that's all

[rocksibblingsau]

Actually, honest question on Chaz cause being the only Smooth Jazz troll we ever see, has some semi lonely implications. And the actual idea of Chaz, whose people may be very very very nomadic and feeling very out of place in spaces, and t!Branch also feeling out of place and just....genuinely bonding over vibing together, talking bout dangerous stuff, ways to keep safe....like I could honestly see them just....intimate together, not even hot and nasty, just lowkey vibing while really physically close. Like knowing the other gets them, removes some kind of physical boundary and they just....can't stop touching each other, like holding hands, or arms, or laying on the other, or messing with their hair. Just super intimate stuff, but also like....completely platonic? and then Synth being their energetic enabler and respecter of boundaries makes his way in and suddenly its either Synth and Branch, Branch and Chaz, Synth and Chaz or if all of em are in the same place, Synth Branch Chaz and everyone is busy trying to figure out...the everything, but its literally what you see is what you get. Just pure powerful Best Friends who looked at Boundaries and Respectfully stepped all the way over for each other in the best way. All getting used to touch and companionship in a different way. Branch getting more comfortable in his skin with people who don't judge him nor blame him, and being comfy expressing his want for touch and physical affection. Chaz also enjoying the physical affection with the actual emotional weight and understanding that these touches mean something more than just the physical, emotional grounding weight he craves. Synth enjoying the calmest slowest vibes and how its ok to slow down, and learning to enjoy a longer drawn out sensation than a constant build towards a drop, and this one doesn't really have to end, so he can really slow down and enjoy it. Its good for them, and they don't really give it too much attention past what it requires. Its the best kind of Mindless Affection, cause its fully conscious, fully consensual and fully enjoyed as it is.

This is actually so sweet???

According to Chaz in the episode 'Smooth Operator', Chaz is the only Smooth Jazz Troll. While he might have been lying for sympathy, I'd fully believe that he is a sub-genre that broke off from Jazz itself, which may be somewhere in the world of Trolls.

I think Chaz being the only Smooth Jazz Troll would explain why in the "noncanon" media like Trollstopia and Remix Rescue he's obsessed with turning other Trolls into Smooth Jazz Trolls, because there are NO other members of his genre. That's gotta be incredibly lonely and I think Techno Branch would sort of understand how it feels to be the odd one out as he was a grey troll amongst Pop trolls and he's a Pop troll amongst Techno trolls.

While in Remix Rescue, Chaz not wanting his music remixed is shown to be because he doesn't care for any other genre, I could see Chaz being protective of his genre because his songs are the ONLY songs of it. Not only that, but any art student might know the feeling of making a piece they really like, only for their art teacher to draw on it and 'fix' it. Chaz would prefer his songs stay unremixed, and I think Branch would respect that. He'd ask Chaz how he'd like for people to incorporate Smooth Jazz into their genres and Chaz would likely say if they wrote their own take on Smooth Jazz then that would likely be okay. He's extra protective because his genre is quite literally in its infancy. It doesn't have hundreds of years worth of artists and songs for people to be drawing this inspiration from or remixing since it's old and popular, it's just him. One guy.

Synth initially wanted to remix his music, but when he hears Chaz's reasoning he can't fault him for being protective of his hard work. I think Synth would ask if he'd ever want to make a song with the intention of it being sampled, or letting him record bits to use. Chaz would probably need to think it over but until then he's open to coaching Synth on the structures of his genre.

All of this to say...

Techno Branch could fix him.

#sibblings qna #techno branch au #trolls branch #trolls chaz #trolls synth

[anxious-witch]

Dead boy detectives characters as their big three in Astrology-Charles

Text in the pictures and more explanation under the cut

So, this, unlike Edwin's, aren't canon, just my hcs, although Charles is imo implied to be a Taurus in a scene where Edwin says Taurus and Aries are highly incompatible. Because I refuse to believe this boy is Aries and even less so that Crystal is a Taurus so.

Taurus-Sun

~ Strong will & aesthetic sense, very tactile

~ Loyal & great at taking care of what they love

~ Patient & present, drinks in life with no rush

Sagittarius-Rising

~ Wide-eyed truth seeker, lives life as a quest

- Spontaneous, adventurous, philosophical soul

~ Inclusive & generous, magnet for opportunity

Cancer-Moon

~ Soulful & deep, needs emotional security

~ Sympathetic, extra sensitive & very protective

~ Sentimental, strong ties to the past & family

So, he'd be a perfect balance of earth, fire and water in his big three. Taurus Sun, aka he is grounded enough to have a stable base people he cares about can lean on. Fiercely loyal, once you have his affection, he'd anything for you(cough like fight a demon or go to Hell cough). As a Venus sign, he cares about his apperance, but still keeps it comfortable. Hence why he looks so effortless cool throughout the series. Also Tauruses often love to indulde in little pleasures, such as food, so it's no wonder Charles complains about missing spaghetti. He is a creature of comforts.

His down to earth attitude balances well with Edwin's Capricorn qualities. Both are grounded, but when Edwin focused solely on the goal, Charles is there ti be present in the moment and notice what happens around them and react accordingly. Like with the Night Nurse, where Edwin froze, because he had no idea how to face this kind of threat. Charles was present and his protective instincts kicked in immediately. 

Then we have Sagittarius Rising. I knew he had to be some sort of fire sign, because that boy has so much inner fire to keep him going. And Sagittarius is exactly that. Rising signs are all about how one is perceived, and Sagittariuses are positive and friendly, with boundless energy. One could say that Charles' statement of being "aces with people" fits perfectly here. They are always here for the new adventure and experiences, especially when they are surrounded by people they love to be around.

Last but not least is Cancer Moon. Cancers are known for having many emotions, even having a reputation for crying often, although that's not necessarily true. Having it as his Moon, that represets emotions, especially hidden ones, does mean Charles has lots of feelings. He is sensitive to feelings of others, and in normal circumstances, should be of his own. However, he, similarly to Edwin, isn't a fully realized Cancer Moon at the beginning of the series. He bottles up his feelings, hiding behind his more "desirable" Rising. But eventually, the dam breaks, and he cries and/or lashes out.

Also, interestingly, Cancer Moons are known to be very possessive, which we see when Edwin is spending time with Monty or the Cat King. 

With his full potential realized(which I think, he has more work to do than Edwin does as things stand rn) he'll be a wonderful friend, attentive partner and somehow who freely expresses his emotions, both good and bad.

#dead boy detectives #charles rowland #payneland #....kinda #dbda astrology #rio rambles

[shakingparadigm]

(this is copy-pasted from a ramble I had in sleepy's dms like months ago so please forgive the inconsistent grammar/punctuation etc!)

till's feelings are akin to an edelweiss, persevering despite the horrid conditions and all the forces that should have brought it down. it's around the same meaning as the clematis flower. both flowers are defined by their ability to bloom in harsh conditions, which mirror the behavior of loving and finding meaning within each other amidst an inhumane society. edelweiss are more associated with devotion though, and in My Clematis the clematis is seen as a source of hope and strength. mizisua and till to mizi are symbolized by flowers because they have (or, well, had) hope. their feelings bloomed as a result of an extremely human response to seeking some sense of companionship, connection, some belonging in such a strange and otherworldly civilization where it's incredibly easy to feel used and alone. which is why it interests me that even though he has this same desire, ivan's love is symbolized not by an earthy, organic piece of life, but by pieces of cosmos, falling stars. meteor showers are ivan's signature. (putting on my pretentious cap because once again I am going to apply meaning to something that probably isn't that deep)

Ivan is incapable (quite a strong word for it, but it's their words, not mine) of feeling proper human emotion, that much is stated in the patreon posts regarding his character. Why? I have no idea. I theorize it to be his harsh and ruthless upbringing that caused him to close himself off completely in order to protect himself. it started off very early too. or maybe ivan just had no concept of proper human emotion in general. I imagine that while he was growing up, there wasn't exactly any room for the humans he was surrounded with to exhibit any emotion lest they were targeted or punished somehow. Or maybe he was just born that way. anyway it's established that ivan is different from the other humans in this way, that's a similarity he shares with only one other character: Luka (Luka actually does have a stated reason as to why he seems so artificial however). It's why Ivan just goes limp in the grasp of the alien that held him over the edge, despite tears welling in his eyes he remains emotionally vacant and quiet. This moment is his first sight of the meteor shower. Ivan associates meteor showers with very significant experiences in his life (mainly near-death experiences according to the posts). Perhaps those meteor showers gave him some sort of relief, too, an escape from the hell he was living in. maybe he was just fascinated by them, the way they were so far beyond his reach yet burned so brilliantly. just like Till. he saw till's incredible resolve, his refusal to back down and remain passive. Ivan goes through the motions of his "life" doing whatever it is someone wants him to do. they want to sell him? okay. they want to throw him off a building? okay. sing this song, enter this competition, behave and pose for the picture. okay. But Till would rather be beat over and over again than to have his autonomy taken away. He doesn't even sing the songs he's assigned for the competition, he writes his own. His individuality is a blazing, passionate thing that's only bolstered by his natural talent. And to once again refer to the posts: Ivan is deeply fascinated by those who have qualities that he lacks. When he saw Till pick himself up off the ground, he saw stars in him. He saw the blazing fire, the brightness, the fascinating qualities that were far beyond his grasp, something he could only ever admire and hold onto in his hardest moments, but never to hold.

There's also the fact that meteor showers are fleeting. They're beautiful, ethereal spectacles, but they don't last. They're not meant to be held gently in your hands and cultivated like a flower. They appear in bursts of light and leave a lasting impression on whoever sees them, but eventually they disappear. Just like Till leaves Ivan behind, the palm of his hand disappearing from Ivan's grasp, his departure leaving a lasting impression. Ivan knows what they have together will not last, he knows Till's heart belongs elsewhere, yet he clings onto the imagery of the meteor shower because it's all he has. Even if Till doesn't love him back, he's the sole reason Ivan is able to feel to this extent at all. It's a blessing and a curse, so even if it hurts, Ivan continues to hold on. He even includes meteor showers during his performance in ROUND 3, sparkling gloves seemingly made of stardust reaching out to them as he desperately sings to his very own star. VIVINOS and QMENG said themselves that Ivan was persistent. He holds no anger towards Till's feelings for Mizi, he won't drive a wall between them because he respects Till's feelings and Mizi as a person, but he won't let go, either. Falling stars are fleeting, but the impact they leave behind? Not so fleeting at all. That feeling could last forever if it truly meant something to someone.

#god this is a bit dated #alnst #alien stage #alien stage ivan #alien stage till #ivantill

[novabl]

I honestly feel so bad for doumeki and how people disregard him, alot of people forget that D is also human, he feels pain, he gets angry, he feels joy and he also bleeds like a person but people just think his some kinda robot that isn't meant to feel any kind of emotion.

A perfect example of this is people's reaction to doumeki and how he is treating yashiro at this moment ( I love my boy yashiro and I understand why he did what he did) but that doesn't excuse his actions towards doumeki and doumeki has every right to be pissed with him, but people still feel that he doesn't have the right to be mad because he was the one following yashiro like a lost puppy and that he deserves what he got.

No one deserves to be treated like that, that was just so damn painful to watch and the fact that doumeki doesn't even hold that against him shows just how pure he is, he only ever gets upset when yashiro sleeps around partially because he gets jealous but mostly because he doesn't like the fact that yashiro sees himself as nothing but a sex doll, even now he's sleeping with him partially because of jealousy but mostly because he's protecting him....he loves yashiro so much that he's willing to sacrifice his own happiness just to always be with him to protect him, doumeki isn't as complex as people think he's a pretty simply guy he never does anything without a reason and his only reason for still because in the Yakuza world is because yashiro is in it, I just hope they sort themselves out and finally admit their love for each other because yashiro is at a breaking point and the next time they meet he may snap and not in a good way.

What do you think about this? Am I reading too much into this?

First, I want to reiterate that people can have whatever opinion they like. It is important to have diverse opinions in fandom to get all different kinds of perspective. That being said I do wish there were more Doumeki defenders out there but it is what it is. I have noticed an uptick in people who want to defend Doumeki based on the asks and comments I get and hopefully one day they’ll make posts themselves. I don’t see myself as a Doumeki expert or anything like that. i just try to see things from his pov in an empathetic light but I am sure I get things wrong since it is all a guessing game. I also do criticize Doumeki myself a bit. I don’t think it is his right to decide who Yashiro has sex with and I wish there was less dub con in the sexual emconuters he initiated but I also think at times I criticized him based on my real life morals instead of through a saezuru lens. But I also criticize Yashiro as well because no character is above criticism to me. What Yashiro did in volume 6 was wrong and he knows it was wrong. He purposely acted in that way so Doumeki would leave him so he was well aware that he was being an asshole to Doumeki even if he has an excuse for it. But I disagree that Doumeki follows him around like a puppy just to be by his side. In volume 6, he follows Yashiro around to keep him from committing suicide!!!! I feel like that is glossed over a lot for some reason and Doumeki is just reduced to only caring about being with Yashiro even to the detriment of Yashiro. I also am not a big fan of the take that he deserves whatever since he sticks around because as I have said before, the same can be said about Yashiro. Yashiro isn’t Doumeki’s hostage and like I mentioned is getting quite a bit of space from him and is still choosing Doumeki. I actually think Doumeki is a very complex character (as complex as Yashiro) and he does seem to harbor resentment towards Yashiro at times. But so what? Why do his negative emotions get demonized so much? Why is he not allowed to have his emotions cloud his judgement at times and get forgiven for it (of course based on what he does) just like Yashiro or really all of us in real life? At the end of the day, I hope to see more Doumeki centric posts but until then I am just going to enjoy the fandom. It is only a manga at the end of the day.

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

Why did Felix hide from LB and CN in S5?

My dear anon, I wish I could provide you with an explanation full of such profound wisdom and clarity that you would speak my name with reverence for years to come. Alas, I cannot because, when viewed as a complete whole, Felix's season five actions make absolutely no sense from any perspective other than, "Well, if he acted logically, then the season would be over in about five episode or, at the very least, Adrien would have learned the truth which would lead to an identity reveal and we can't have that!"

To explain, let's quickly go over the various assumptions one might have made as season five went on and why they all fall flat by the end of the season:

At the start of the season, Felix's hiding away made some sense if you assumed that he was hiding from his uncle. This was a logical assumption since Gabriel should have viewed Felix as a massive threat that must be eliminated. After all, Felix was clearly no fan of Gabriel's and Felix also knew everything one would need to know in order to bring about Gabriel's downfall. None of that actually panned out - Gabriel basically ignored the Felix issue for the entire season in favor of being the world's most obnoxious Adrigami shipper and Felix, well, we're about to get into that- but it was initially a valid assumption.

Continuing along the logical path from our ultimately erroneous fear-of-Gabriel assumption, one might think that a person who was terrified of Gabriel would go straight to Gabriel's enemies for protection. However there was an argument to be made that Felix feared Ladybug and Chat Noir's wrath just as much as he feared his uncle. This was also a fair assumption. Felix had just betrayed them plus, in those early episode, most of us assumed that Felix was going to refuse to make sentimonsters of his own, so he'd have no protection if Ladybug and Chat Noir immediately went on the attack. These assumptions all proved false in the end, but they were all reasonable when the season started.

Another initially valid assumption was the assumption that Felix's ego mania and self-serving world view meant that he only trusted himself to take down Gabriel. After all, past seasons had shown Felix to be clever, resourceful, and deeply devoted to his mother, so it made sense that he'd be working on some brilliant plan to bring his uncle's downfall and restore his aunt if only for love of his mother. You could even add an assumption he even wanted to keep everything quiet for sake of the family image or just a simple desire for personal privacy.

These assumptions and all of the others stopped holding water after Emotion. In that episode, Felix was shown to be fine making sentimonster, fine outing his own secret identity to the world, and fine confronting his uncle directly without a real plan for stopping him long term. The closest thing to a grand plan that we get in Emotion is Felix demanding Ladybug give him her miraculous:

Argos: Ladybug! Good. Now we just need to wait for Cat Noir and you'll both give me your Miraculous! Ladybug: (livid) So that's it then?! You're working for Monarch! You're the reason why I lost the other Miraculous in the first place! And why he took them!! You gave them to him without any regard for the consequences it might have with the people of Paris! Argos: True, except I work for no one.  I only helped Monarch cause it served my plans! I needed the Peacock Miraculous and today I need yours and Cat Noir's so I can make my wish!

But if this was his master plan, then why did he do the Red Moon thing? That took Gabriel by surprise, but it didn't knowingly do the same for Ladybug or Chat Noir. Without knowing their identities, there's no way for Felix to reliably find them during the Red Moon incident since he's snapping everyone he sees out of existence, making it somewhat likely that he'd accidentally snap the very people that he's looking for. You can't even go the snap-everyone-and-look-through-what-remains-to-find-the-miraculous route because he snaps the person and all of their accessories, too. Otherwise he could have snapped Gabriel and gotten all the miraculouses back in one go, then grabbed the Ladybug miraculous as a fun little bonus.

In other words, everything about the Red Moon plan was focused around making a big, flashy entrance for Agros and little else. It's not even focused on stopping Gabriel since Felix doesn't seem to have planned to snap everyone away long term or at least I think that's what's going on here?

Kagami: Happy? When there's no one left?? Adrien: How can I be happy without my friends, without my father, without the girl I love?! Argos: You really think I'm that evil? (goes to open the trash bin where he hid Marinette...) Ta-da! (...only to find it empty; Adrien and Kagami peek inside, too) Huh? That's weird. (snaps his fingers in hopes of bringing back Marinette) Huh?! I don't understand! (backs away from the trash bin) She should come back! (continues to snap his fingers) Something's wrong! I can usually bring back whoever I want, but it's like she's nowhere! Like she's completely gone! (apologetically) I'm sorry, Adrien! Kagami: Sorry? You're sorry?!?! Adrien: You're not even in control of your own power! Don't you realize what you've done? Bring everyone back! NOW!!! Argos: Okay, okay, alright. I never meant to hurt you two...

Well that was anticlimactic....

Note how Felix doesn't take this opportunity to explain the danger his fellow sentimonsters are in before bringing back the people holding their remote controls? And what about his mother? Did he snap away his mother, too? And did he initially plan to perma snap everyone or not? If not, then what was the goal here?

This episode is confusing and could even be argued as a single, giant plot hole because it reads like a mental breakdown episode, but it's also a meticulously planned attack that was hinted at all the way back in Multiplication. So which was it? What was the master plan here? What's going on? Did the writers seriously do all that Felix stuff back in season four without fully thinking through how to make that work in season five?

After the mess that is Emotion, Felix basically gives up on whatever he was supposedly doing in Emotion. There's no master plan to stop Gabriel or make the world-changing wish or anything interesting. Instead, Felix is just there to be Kagami's Adrien replacement. Much like Adrien, Felix has motive beyond "date the pretty girl and do whatever she asks of me." I guess it's a family trait.

One would think that this would lead to Felix making some interesting new plan to stop Tomoe or even joining forces with Ladybug and Chat Noir since he knows that Tomoe is in on whatever Gabriel is doing (Kagami wouldn't exist otherwise), but that's not what happens. We don't even get Felix going full senti's only because Adrien is left in the dark, a fact that doesn't seem to bother Felix or Kagami. They're too busy being in love to actually do anything to back the nonsense claim that they care about Adrien, but it's hard to blame them when it is so glaringly not their fault.

Letting these two have the sort of active role that would make sense for their characters would ruin the story the writers are trying to tell. We'd probably never get that whole "girl power" Bug Noire thing the show wanted to end the season with because Gabriel would have been stopped way sooner. It would also mean that Adrien knows things and the show can't allow that to happen even if it makes everyone involved look like massive tools. Let this be a reminder to you that you have to let your characters shape the path your story takes. If a character knowing X ruins plot Y, then you can't have both.

In summary, Felix's actions initially made some sense depending on your point of view, but as soon as he became a real part of season five, his character stopped making any sense. The reason for this seems obvious to me: you cannot write Felix logically while also actively including him in the show, keeping Adrien in the dark, keeping Gabriel a threat, and keeping Felix from flat out winning because the peacock is so ridiculously over powered. They wrote themselves into a corner and dumbed Felix down to get around the fact the same way Alya got dumbed down to make the Lila stuff work and Nathalie got dumbed down to make Gabriel's plot work. These writers aren't consistent at writing things like lore or characters, but they are incredibly consistent at the type of bad writing they have to fall back on. Expect to see more of these issues in the future.

#ml writing critical #ml writing salt #ml season 5 salt #felix deserves better #I wanted my morally gray freedom fighter! #I've been binging Agatha Christie novels and you can definitely tell from the start of this post lol

[thoughtfullyrainynightmare]

Jealousy

Summary: He cares for you deeply, and that is precisely why he's keeping your relationship a secret. Because some would use his feelings for you against him, by hurting you, at least in his mind. But when he sees your colleague being friendly to you, his judgement fails him, and he has to whisk you away Pairing: Nacht x gn!reader Length: ~0.7k Fanfic type: Oneshot Contains: themes of jealousy

Nacht Faust, the oldest child of the now fallen House of Faust, was an idealistic, calculating man whose emotions ran deep; deep as if the roots of the old trees in a forest that had existed for longer than anyone could remember. But he was also a troubled man, burdened man. Burdened by the depths of the emotions, the weight of regret, that he held in his heart. All the emotions he didn’t let climb up those roots, and to the surface of the woods for all to see.

It had never been his intention to let people see them, his fears, doubts; the way he was vulnerable. Because he was. After all, he was just a mortal man too.

But… you had done something he thought impossible. You had dug your way through the hard ground, all the way to those roots, and seen them. Turned the ground, the soil, and breathed air and strength into him, in the way you had loved him.

Him. Someone who bore a sin as dark as the pitch-black night.

It was… unbelievable. Ludicrous even in its absurdity.

But… as much as he feared his ink black heart to taint your hands, he didn’t wish to let go either. A selfish wish. A need. A want.

A wish that was hidden in the shadows, because being associated with him would be a burden. A danger. Which is why you had to meet in secret. Always in secret. To not let the tender emotions of the heart to climb to the surface for all the world to see.

But… not wishing to show it, just how much he cared for you, out of the fear of losing you because someone might use it against him. Hurt you, to hurt him. It didn’t mean that he felt any less for you, as you walked the streets, just like anyone else, while he walked in the shadows.

And it was during one of those sunny days of early summer, that he saw you at the market, just going about your day. You were there, but there… was also a man, who was… seemingly keeping you company. Walking so close to you.

His side… almost brushing yours… and it wasn’t even that crowded. There was no reason for him to be walking so close to you. Smiling at you, in that way. So tenderly and kindly. In a way that Nacht didn’t think he could.

It was just too much. But when the guy went to pat you on the back, Nacht’s patience snapped.

His shadows raced across the market, and enveloped you into their hold. He popped his form up from them, just long enough to glare down the man with his ice blue eye. To make a point. To make a stance. Before sinking back into the shadows with you, only to reappear some streets away in a more secluded area.

“Nacht?!” You huffed while appearing back on the cobble streets. “What are you doing?”

“Protecting you. That guy was up to no good.” He simply stated, as if it was a fact.

“What? No,” you laughed. “Him and I work together. He has a family, a wife and kids,” you continued while still laughing at the absurdity of the moment.

His eyes fell to the side, thinking if his judgement could really have failed so badly.

“He was just being supportive,” you continued while making your way to him, and taking him by the hand.

His jaw tensed for a moment, as he was trying to take in the slip up he had just committed.

“But you were very gallant in coming to my rescue,” you mused while running your thumb over the skin of his hand. “Very brave and gallant.”

He stayed quiet for a few more moments, until his lips parted, and he spoke with a whisper: “Only for you…”

Though you knew that wasn’t exactly the case, you took it, for now. Because he was your knight cloaked in shadows.

How you’d explain being swept into the shadows by him to your colleague was another matter, but… you’d cross that bridge, once you got to it.

#black clover fanfiction #black clover x reader #nacht x reader #nacht faust x reader #black clover oneshot

[ssunsationn]

Weird (regarding final spouse reading)

tl;dr: felt a literal force sweeping through me when I was doing the reading

Guys, I know it’s been well over an hour since I posted it but I just can’t shake this feeling off. I’ve already asked another tarot reader if she’d ever had a similar experience and I’m still awaiting her answer

Pile 3 in the final spouse one actually flipped me over and roasted me like a pig over fire. Nah not actually but that’s my poor attempt at trying to lift the mood- imma ask for some extra protection just in case UNLESS they wanna reach out in a dream tonight

I literally felt a force go thru me- like fly thru me as I wrote the last few things for the last pile. It literally made me straighten up in my seat and my eyes widened in shock like “oo was I not supposed to touch that nerve?” Kind of guilty face.

No gust of wind could’ve gotten in my room and no fan was on

Suddenly, I was in an interrogation room with a pitifully looking boy, like looking beat up and tired- and the room was even clear until after I “regained” myself. I don’t wanna admit it but I’m lowkey scared.

The thing that flew thru was like a legless AND faceless grim reaper looking thing, almost like it was guarding the boy. It floated around him like a white fog… I don’t remember exactly what I was writing but I know it was near the end and that I wrote too much

It was the 3 of us amigos: the boy, Ghost friend, and me. I was in the lawyer seat and both of them were seated on the other side

It was only after I deleted something abt their “growing up” (notice how I can’t be using “adolescence” to describe it either—maybe think of it as lacking vocabulary…)

Shit…or maybe lacking vocabulary bc of poor education- orphanage?

Yk the image of a dark grey orphanage keeps showing up. I keep thinking about other circumstances (without trying to mention f*m*ly bc they seem super sensitive when hearing it so I’ll censor it) like the could’ve been’s or possible combinations but only that shows up

So a lot of emotional suppression it seems. It also seems to be less frightening when I address (this situation) with indirect words, bc perhaps the kid-them can’t put it together. Their comprehension at that age can’t be as well developed

I think you guys kind of get the point of where the hurt might be coming from for a certain pile. I feel very reluctant to addressing them directly. If they have memory loss, I’d prefer to say the pile at the top and then indirectly address them as I am writing this

There’s no way I’m trying to play around w spirits n stuff 😭

Maybe they’ll come back with a less ambushy kind of feel and I’ll talk to them. Maybe it was me for violating their privacy- IM SORRY PILE 3 spouse, I didn’t mean ill intent in any way. Maybe you feel that way.

I don’t know if I was talking to a reflection of this person’s younger self or their inner child (since it’s more gender inclusive)

Whoever this kid was, he could only nod, blink, and shake his head. His facial expression looked a combination of pitiful, wary, and asking for help. I can’t tell.

Thanks for listening guys, this…this has been probably one of the freakiest experiences of my life 🫠

#maybe I’m crazy idk #yeah I sure as hell sound crazy #I gotta get this out tho #chest of the miscellaneous #thanks for coming to my teddytalk

[cheshiresense]

[From Here]

Dithered over which pov to write next, figured I’d try Yuzu.

-0-

When Yuzu gets a phone call from Ichigo that they would be having two guests for dinner tonight, she is delighted. In all the years she’s known him, her brother has only ever introduced one person to them as something of a friend. Mizuiro is half a sibling at this point, trusted enough to be around them even when Ichigo isn’t, but before him, and after him, nobody else has ever caught Ichigo’s eye enough to warrant an actual invitation to dine with their family.

“They’re related to ghost stuff,” Ichigo adds bluntly, and Yuzu understands that to mean that these two will at least be tougher than the average yakuza on the street, even if they can’t match up to her brother.

“I understand!” She chirps back cheerfully. “I’ll let Karin know. I can’t wait to meet them!”

Then she hangs up, rolls up her sleeves, and gets to work in the kitchen. No guests of her brother’s will ever accuse them of being ungracious hosts on her watch.

(Karin comes home from soccer practice half an hour later. She laughs, as Yuzu does, when Yuzu tells her of their impending guests.)

-0-

Two hours later, Yuzu is putting the finishing touches on the meal when the sound of the door being unlocked carries through the apartment.

"Welcome home, Onii-chan!" She calls out, plating the last dish before carrying it over to the dining table. "Dinner's ready!"

She can hear Karin leaving their bedroom and coming down the hall on deliberately heavy footsteps. She appears just as Ichigo comes in from the front, Mizuiro a step behind him, with two men bringing up the rear, vaguely middle-aged at first glance, younger at the second, and then just ageless the more you stare.

They're tall, is Yuzu's first thought, but everybody's tall from her perspective. Still, they're taller than Ichigo, especially the one in the very back, and bigger too, even if they've got that same elegant dancer's gait her brother walks with, the one that whispers danger in the hindbrain even to those who don't know what to look for. They're also both blond, one darker than the other, but both with hair that nearly reach their shoulders. One wears modern clothing, the other more traditional, and one is empty-handed while the other carries a cane, but both of them take in the whole room in one calculating sweep that misses nothing. And they're both already smiling politely as they walk in, one with a harmless playful edge, the other with a harmless mysterious air, but both as fake as each other.

Yuzu exchanges a glance with Karin just to check she's not seeing things. Karin gives her the eyebrows that means she's noticed too.

Mizuiro had given off a far less dangerous aura when Ichigo had first brought him home. And he still feels much less threatening than these men now, no matter how much Guest One and Guest Two are probably trying to play it down. But back then, Mizuiro had also come in with sharp eyes and a guileless skin-deep smile, and that at least is exactly the same.

Their big brother sure does have a type. Yuzu sometimes wonders if Ichigo goes out and picks the most suspicious and unsettling people he can find to entertain him, or if he just somehow attracts them with his innate charm.

"My sisters, Karin, and Yuzu," Ichigo introduces without suspense, then jabs a thumb at Mizuiro. "And Mizuiro lives next door but he eats with us when we're here."

Then he gestures at the two men. "This is Hirako Shinji and Urahara Kisuke." He pauses for a brief half-second, and his eyes flash gold in Yuzu's, and Karin's, direction. "Hirako's a bit like me." He pauses again, and a funny half-smile hitches at one corner of his mouth. "They both are actually."

He says nothing else, so Yuzu takes that as her cue to sketch a neat half-bow paired with a bright smile. "Hello! It's nice to meet you!"

Beside her, Karin parrots the motion, if in a more perfunctory manner, but they weren't raised in a cave, so they know how to be courteous.

The men murmur back their own greetings even as their gazes shift back and forth between them and their brother like they're trying to pick up on a second unspoken conversation, but it's not as if there's anything for them to hear either way.

It's just that the introduction was short, names and little else, so Yuzu knows that they're equally untrustworthy, which makes sense because Ichigo couldn't have known them for more than a week or two. But the little else he'd tacked on had been a sign as well— not just that they're like him in some ways, in different ways, but also that Ichigo likes Hirako more than Urahara. Nevertheless, the fact that he'd brought them here at all means that they're interesting enough to make them both tolerable.

Yuzu understands, as does Karin, but they give no indication of it as everyone shuffles around to wash their hands, and Yuzu quickly scoops out a bowl of rice each for everyone in attendance.

"Onii-chan never invites anybody over, so I made a lot of extra food today," Yuzu tells them happily. "Please eat as much as you want!"

"Everythin' looks delicious," The darker blond, Hirako, grins at her, and this time, the expression seems more genuine. At the very least, it gives her a warmer feeling than the other blond, Urahara, who also smiles and trills agreement but radiates more distance than an overseas phone call.

Everyone settles around the dining table, although Mizuiro spares a moment to pull an exaggerated moue of aggrievement. "Never invites anybody over? Have I been forgotten, Yuzu-chan?"

Karin rolls her eyes while Yuzu giggles merrily. "You don't count, Mizuiro-nii-chan. You already eat with us almost every day anyway."

Mizuiro drops the act in favour of a smirk, though he looks pleased too, to be counted as family, as if the novelty of it still hasn't worn off. To be fair, it had taken a whole six months before Ichigo had been willing to leave him in the same vicinity as Yuzu and Karin on their own, and Yuzu knows that being trusted like that by her brother is no small feat.

Conversation drops as everybody begins digging in, and Yuzu lets her gaze drift casually over to their guests as they too pick up their bowls and chopsticks.

It's Urahara she lingers on first because he's the one who lifts his bowl to his mouth, only to stop at the last second, chopsticks poised. His expression doesn't really change, and the lapse only lasts a fraction of a second before he's moving again, smoothly pretending to eat a mouthful before lowering his bowl again, chewing and swallowing thin air masterfully. Even Yuzu only spots it because she's been watching the whole time from behind lowered eyelashes as she grabs some eggplant from one of the vegetable dishes.

She lets her gaze drop completely when she feels the man's eyes move from the food to her and then to Ichigo. Still, she can't quite suppress a pout, although she supposes she can't be too disappointed either since Hirako at least eats a good five bites of his rice before suddenly stiffening, glancing down sharply even as his eyes flicker with the same burnished gold colour that her brother possesses.

Then he looks up, looks at Urahara, looks at her, looks long at Ichigo, and then-

-he laughs. It's a bark of one that echoes with a snarl, except the mirth in it is also entirely genuine, enough for Yuzu to glance up with startled eyes. But the rest of the table does as well, so at least she doesn't stand out. Of course, that doesn't prevent Hirako from grinning at her, all teeth, with a bite that would feel like claws at her throat if not for the fact that it's coloured by something even warmer than when he'd complimented her spread. Appreciation, maybe.

"Is it the rice?" He muses candidly, and then actually eats another bite. "Nah, can't be, it was from the same cooker. It's the bowl, right? Not bad, I can't smell or taste anythin'."

Yuzu blinks and shares another look with Karin, who looks largely bored by the proceedings and hasn't stopped eating. Soccer practice always makes her hungry. But she also shrugs in agreement that Hirako is being sincere, so Yuzu relaxes and looks at her brother next.

Ichigo also hasn't stopped eating, although he isn't shovelling food into his mouth as speedily as Karin is. He swallows, glances leisurely at their guests, then looks back at her. "Not bad. Nothing in the food though?"

Yuzu frowns. "It's the first time you've invited them over, Onii-chan. I didn't want to scare them off."

Also, they're tolerable, and Ichigo even likes one of them, so she'd chosen the mildly poisoned bowls over the severely poisoned ones.

Ichigo just looks amused. "They don't scare easily."

Yuzu pouts again before glancing at their two guests, who are both watching them openly now. Hirako still looks like he's just heard a grand joke, while Urahara seems more than a little bemused, but neither of them feels angry.

Her big brother really is an excellent judge of character.

"You really didn't notice anything at all?" Yuzu asks in earnest, peering at Hirako before squinting at Urahara. "Then how come he did? And did you already shake the poison off?"

Hirako snorts and reaches for the communal chopsticks to swipe another chicken wing. "My... constitution's pretty good at negatin' toxins. And Kisuke's trained for this sort of thing."

Trained? Yuzu stares wide-eyed at Urahara long enough for the man to stop exuding caution and start manifesting awkwardness, which isn't what she wants so she hastily blurts out, "Are you really? So you can identify any poison? But the one I made is an original, so you shouldn't have come across it before."

Urahara stares back at her for a long blank-faced moment, not even bothering to stitch on a smile anymore, and like this, he matches the flat undercurrent of his emotions much better, like ice over water, except the water is the ocean and you don't know how deep it goes or what's waiting underneath.

"Ah," The man finally says, lifting a hand to his hat for a moment and pressing down on it so that his eyes are hidden. Then he looks up again and eyes her like he's seeing her for the first time and is pleasantly surprised by what he's found. "I may not know the exact poison, but I could still tell there was something off. Also, it's plant-based, isn't it?"

He pauses, and then, just like Hirako, he picks up his rice bowl again and swallows a decent mouthful, chewing almost thoughtfully beforehand. "And refined with reiatsu. That's actually more difficult to hide from me. Your technique is clumsy too. Give me an hour and I could probably also tell you the strains you crossed to make it. For now, at the very least, I can say there's definitely wisteria in this."

Yuzu is rendered speechless for a full five seconds. And then she snaps out of it and rounds on her brother with the best puppy eyes in her arsenal. She knows they don't actually work, but Ichigo tends to give in to her when she pulls them out anyway because it means she really wants something. "Onii-chan, you'll invite them back again, won't you? Urahara-san is amazing! I could learn so much if he teaches me!"

Ichigo's eyebrows go up for a moment in a way that speaks of indulgence, but he also glances lazily at Urahara before going back to his food. "Ask him yourself."

Yuzu pulls up short, always slightly stunned whenever her brother refuses her, even when it's not a direct refusal. But generally speaking, if she or Karin wants something enough to ask for it, Ichigo has always been the sort to simply make it happen for them. The only times he's ever refused is when he'd thought it too unnecessary - Karin really shouldn't have asked for a flamethrower for her birthday, it's unwieldy and she can't hide it in her backpack, plus they know how to make Molotov cocktails already anyway, which is almost the same thing - or when he'd considered it important for them to get what they want on their own, usually because it would make for a useful life skill in the future.

Never has it been because of a person.

But for the first time ever, this situation seems to have fallen into that exact category, which... She looks back at Urahara with more curiosity than before. For someone Ichigo only finds tolerable, something about this man has... impressed him? Is that what's going on here? Not even Mizuiro has ever succeeded in that before, so for once, Yuzu has no precedent to draw from.

Well, that doesn't matter right now. The important thing is that Urahara will probably remain in her big brother's life for some time to come, which means-

"Urahara-san!" She shoots to her feet, chair clattering back with the force of it as she bows. "Please teach me more about poisons! It's okay if it's just a little bit, whenever you have time. I promise I'll work hard! And of course, I can pay for the lessons!"

She does some mental tallying. There's a bake sale coming up for her club, and the venue they've chosen is close enough to the Karakura border to attract people from the neighbouring town. If she plays her cards right, some thugs from nearby yakuza groups probably wouldn't mind donating to her cause. Pretty little girls offering pretty little cakes are bound to reel in at least a few idiots.

Of course, she'll have to ask Ichigo to get rid of them afterwards. It's better not to risk putting anything too lethal into a school bake sale, just in case of an accident, so she'll have to stick with upset stomachs at most. Once they've paid up, Ichigo can make them disappear. Those upset stomachs can get really gross, and blood and guts aren't much better if cleanup gets messy, so Yuzu would rather not deal with that part.

Unlike her siblings who don't mind it, Yuzu is unfortunately something of a clean freak. Karin always taunts her about having inherited their father's delicate constitution, and Yuzu can't even refute it, no matter how insulted she feels. It's seriously unfair because she can gut a fish in the kitchen no problem, but human intestines make her gag.

"I-" Urahara starts, jolting her out of her thoughts. The man looks taken aback all over again, and like he's missed a step somewhere. He even feels a bit nervous as he whips out a paper fan of all things, one that hides half his face from view. His gaze bounces between her and her brother, emitting enough anxious vibes that Yuzu suddenly wants to give him an emotional support dog or something. "I'm not sure I would be the... best choice for this sort of thing, Kurosaki-san."

Yuzu is unsure who he's talking to, but just in case it's her, she rearranges her face into the most kicked puppy look of disappointment she's capable of. "Why not? You know your poisons, and it looks like it'll be hard for me to kill you. Onii-chan can only teach me so much, it's not really his area, so I've only been able to trial-and-error it for months now. But I'm a quick learner, and I swear I'll listen to anything you're willing to teach me. Or, is it the money? Just name your price."

Even if she can't come up with it all on her own, she's certain Ichigo will help pay the rest. Honestly, even if it's within her budget, he'll just pour the same amount she shells out back into her bank account. The only reason they have to go in a big circle like this is because Ichigo wants them to learn how to handle money responsibly.

"That's not-" Urahara stops again, then snaps his fan shut, and then all of a sudden, it's like a wall comes up, and everything about him shuts down. He straightens, features as unreadable as the rest of him, and then he turns to Ichigo so that it's unmistakeable who he's talking to this time. "Kurosaki-san, is this really alright?"

Ichigo's basically finished eating at this point. Karin gets up for another bowl of rice. Mizuiro watches them like he's binging one of his romance dramas. And Hirako has his head propped up against one loose fist, eyes half-lidded but intent.

In response, Ichigo only shrugs. "I mean, you can say no. But like she said, I can't teach her much more than I already have, and it's not like she's gonna find a better teacher than you at this point, right?"

"And where did you learn it from?" Urahara asks, grey eyes riveted on Ichigo with the sort of focus that feels like he might've forgotten anyone else even exists.

Ichigo actually quirks a smile, sardonically amused. "Same place I learned everything else."

He doesn't expand on it, keeping the conversation on track instead, much to Yuzu's delight. "Anyway, if you're asking for permission, obviously it's a yes. I wouldn't have let her ask in the first place if I wasn't okay with it. And she's smart. You could do worse for a part-time student."

Urahara remains motionless and unblinking for another few seconds. "...Was this why you invited us for dinner?"

Ichigo shrugs again. "Not really. It's not like I knew you knew poisons. I just thought my sisters should meet you, that's all."

"And why's that?" Hirako interjects, also watching Ichigo with gleaming eyes that never waver. "Cuz ya don't seem the type to let jus' anyone get close to your nearest and dearest."

Ichigo turns to him, and his eyes are fond in a way they very rarely are when aimed at anyone not Yuzu or Karin or Mizuiro. It's not quite on the same level, but it does make it even more obvious that Hirako has her brother's favour.

"I thought it'd be good if they knew a few Shinigami," Ichigo says offhandedly, although judging by the slight stir of surprise from both guests, they hadn't expected he would just come out and say it. Or perhaps they're surprised he's talking about it in front of Yuzu and Karin and Mizuiro? But they're family. Yuzu doesn't know everything about Ichigo, but that's just because she doesn't want to know that much about her brother's life, not because Ichigo wouldn't tell her if she or Karin asks.

"You seem like you might bring trouble to my doorstep one day," Ichigo says, somewhat out of the blue, and all at once, Urahara tugs at his hat again just as Yuzu gets a sense of shifty-eyed discomfort all but waving support lights over the man's head. Hirako sort of feels the same, but in a less... personal way.

So whatever's going on, Urahara's probably the one in charge.

Ichigo seems to sense it too, or he's long guessed it considering his not great feelings for Urahara. Either way, he scoffs, and the light in his eyes says he's annoyed, but not annoyed enough to do something permanent about it. Yet. "Yeah, that's what I thought. So I figured it's better for you to know who you should do your very best to protect if shit goes down around them, because otherwise, I might not even feel like hearing you out. Understand?"

Hirako glances at Yuzu, at Karin, even at Mizuiro, then he turns back to Ichigo, solemn in a way Yuzu hasn't seen since they met, "I understand."

It sounds like a promise.

Ichigo hums, satisfied. Neither of them prods at Urahara for an answer, and Urahara doesn't give one. He feels flat again, like a scrap of paper.

"So like I said," Ichigo continues briskly. "If you wanna teach her, knock yourself out. You can send me the bill."

Yuzu beams at him. Looks like she won't have to waste any cakes.

From his seat, Urahara heaves a sigh, and now he just seems tired and still a bit baffled, but he also finally looks at her again like he's assessing her potential. Yuzu straightens and adopts her best imploring face.

This of all things makes Urahara's mouth twitch, and he even feels amused, except it's the sort of amusement that's all wrapped up in razor-wire mockery. That bit doesn't show on his face of course. Still, Yuzu's fingers suddenly itch with the urge to swap out his bowl with the other one after all.

"So clumsy," The man muses, one finger tapping at the cane leaning against his chair. "...Very well, I suppose I may have a few things I can impart to a budding... chemistry enthusiast. On one condition however. And I don't want money."

He looks at Ichigo again, except he doesn't say anything. Ichigo seems to understand anyway because a grin pulls at his lips, a touch too savage to fit on a human face, and aimed at anyone else, Yuzu knows they wouldn't even have time to pick out a coffin.

Urahara seems to be an exception. It makes Yuzu wonder if he's just that strong, certain in his ability to forever remain stronger than her brother, or if he's simply gambling with his life, and it's Ichigo instead who's decided to be uncharacteristically patient.

She hopes it's not the former, because she has no faith in anyone who thinks themselves capable of staying ahead of her brother forever. But if it's the latter, then maybe she'll have enough time to wheedle out everything Urahara knows of poisons before Ichigo snaps and kills him.

"That seems a bit unbalanced," Ichigo remarks.

Urahara inclines his head, and this time, his voice rings of the same vow that had reverberated in Hirako's earlier. "Upon my blade, my life before your family's, should the worst come to pass."

Ichigo laughs, soft and without humour. "This trouble must be something else. That, or you don’t think your life’s worth all that much. But fine. We'll hash it out tomorrow. Keep your word, and I might even go along with whatever you and your people have been cooking up. But Yuzu gets to bug you for lessons any day of the week from now on."

And once again, between one breath and the next, Urahara trades the gravity for the false affability from before.

It's like watching a performance, Yuzu thinks.

She glances at her brother and watches him watch Urahara, still annoyed, still a bit like he could put a knife through the other's ribs if it wouldn't mean the hassle of mopping blood off the floor.

Ichigo likes Hirako. Yuzu does too, even though they just met not even half an hour ago. There's something about him that makes him approachable and friendly despite the very obvious beast lurking beneath his skin. But that too might be part of the charm because Yuzu's long used to the same thing from her brother. Knowing even just that much, it's not a shock that Ichigo has clicked with him - a fellow monster - in a way he never has even with Mizuiro.

But Urahara is different. Urahara is treated with tolerance only, with irritation and discontent and even derision, on and off. But Yuzu knows that her brother has killed people for a whole lot less than that, and yet here Urahara sits at their family's table while Ichigo looks at him from time to time, tolerant and irritated and discontent and derisive, and he can't stop looking.

She wonders if even her brother is aware of what he's doing.

"I'll leave my number," The man offers, complete with a genial smile. "And you may stop by my shop anytime. Allow me a few days, and I shall have some reading material organized for you."

Yuzu perks up, nods, and finally sits back down, then gets up again to fetch two extra bowls of rice, this time clean of any poison. Hirako snickers but accepts his with a nod. Urahara does the same, with that same winning smile, and then dinner restarts, this time uninterrupted.

Well, who cares if Ichigo is aware or not? He’ll figure it out sooner or later. And besides, it’s all the same in the end— people who push her brother too far will face the consequences, and those who don't will not. That's just the simple truth of it.

But in the meantime, Urahara at least won't be going anywhere, which means Yuzu can finally get some guidance for one of her favourite hobbies, and honestly, that's all she really cares about.

#bleach #myscrap #stunted empathy verse #kurosaki ichigo #kurosaki yuzu #kurosaki karin #hirako shinji #urahara kisuke #kojima mizuiro #this excerpt should be called #no child raised by a monster could possibly be fangless #or normal #and yes ichigo protects his sisters well but also he says the best protection is teaching them how to protect themselves #and the twins just extrapolated from there b/c they may be softer compared to ichigo but that's not rly saying much #anyway yes yuzu and karin have their own little abilities #they're not as strong as ichigo but they have their ThingTM #yuzu's very good at sensing emotions tied up in someone's reiryoku #also kind of obsessed with poison #as she once told her big brother: making poison is just extreme cooking #ichigo didn't rly mean to raise her like this but it's the niche she's growing into and she owns it #and ichigo doesn't see a problem with that #you should encourage your kids' hobbies after all #also lmao this may end up kisuke/ichigo/shinji instead

[its-your-mind]

HEY. HEY.

HEY @re-dracula WHAT GAVE YOU THE RIGHT TO HAVE JONATHAN ACTUALLY READING THAT PASSAGE OUT LOUD BEHIND SEWARD DESCRIBING THE SCENE, HUH? WITH THE TEARS IN HIS VOICE AND THE PAUSING AND THE SHORT LITTLE INHALES AND THE VOICE CRACKS? WAS IT TRULY NECESSARY??? I WAS ALREADY CRYING. I DIDN'T NEED THIS TOO. WHAT THE FUCK.

#dracula #dracula daily #re: dracula #re dracula #to be clear this is meant in sarcastic jest this episode was a beautifully crafted piece of art and I'm blown away by the cast and #the producers and the editors... holy fucking shit I know today's was a short episode but I think it's taken its place as my favorite so fa #it beat out jonathan fuckin dropping out of the sky in front of drac with his fuckin knife out in order to protect his wife which was ALSO #very good and made me cheer out loud in my car but THIS #also why does jack get to narrate all the dope ass dramatic scenes #I wonder if Mina was like #no really y'all this dude has the best voice and grammar structure for storytelling #we gotta let him keep doing the phonograph thing and I'll just keep copying it down later #tbh she's so valid for that also y'all are so valid for casting jonny sims in this role bc he SHINES when he's describing emotional shit #he NAILS the middle ground between conveying the emotion of a scene and still being a separate narrator #it's almost like he did a whole podcast of that one time ANYWAY my point is y'all are incredible and I am so fuckin glad y'all decided to #start this project