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#his endings have vastly improved
7loveneverfails · 29 days
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What was that Brandon?!
Alright, not full canon.... it's fine...
I'm fine....
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texas-gothic · 27 days
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Dracula Daily Prep: Gather Your Paprikash!
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It's that time of year again. Even as we speak, Jonathan Harker has departed for Transylvania, and the unhallowed halls of Castle Dracula. And as he makes his way towards that foreboding country, he will encounter a singular, most enticing of dishes: Paprika Hendl, or as we might know it better, Chicken Paprikash!
This traditional Central European dish explodes in popularity each May as we all gather around our virtual mess hall to enjoy the spirit of this most influential of gothic novels. Perhaps you yourself are considering throwing together a pot this year? Well, if you are, let this be your guide.
So, first, let's discuss the most important of the ingredients here: authentic hungarian paprika. Now, the recipe I first used last year called only for Sweet Paprika, but I personally found that version to be a little bland. I'm remedying this by adding some Hot Paprika as well. However, this is just my personal experimentation. Hungarian Hot Paprika can in fact be very hot, so if you're not comfortable with anything too spicy, feel free to opt only for the Sweet Paprika.
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(Both of these I had to order online.)
Next, is another very important addition. As youre gathering your basic cornerstones of cooking (namely yellow onion, roma tomato, and garlic for this recipe) you may find yourself passing up on something that could vastly improve your dish. I'm talking, of course, about Hungarian Wax Peppers. These peppers range in heat, from meak and mild to slightly hotter than you'd average jalapeño. As per instruction, you should only use one. But on my end, I found the single pepper to be a little underwhelming, and I had trouble picking out it's flavor. So, this year, I'll be using two of them.
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I got these from Central Market, an upmarket gorcer on Westheimer. They're a cousin of HEB, and you can find one or two in every major city in Texas. If you're elsewhere, try an alternative like Whole Foods, or try to find a European or International food market in your area.
Next, let's talk chicken. You can't have Chicken Paprkiash without the chicken, after all.
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You're going to want to go with dark meat cuts for this. Traditionally the dish would use a mix of legs and thighs. Personally, I suggest using only the thighs, which you'll want to get bone-in and skin-on. The thigh provides a flater surface for browning than the leg, as well as more meat.
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(A note on food safety, raw chicken will usually only last 2-3 days in the fridge. So you'll want to grab that fairly close to the day you're actually cooking this. If not, you can do what I'll be doing, and sticking it in the freezer until about 24 hours before I start cooking.)
So, as you gather your meat, produce, and spice you're probably asking yourself, "what on Earth am I going to be eating this with?" And the answer to that is spaetzle! A popular dumpling present in lots of Central European cooking, this is exactly what you need to tie this all together.
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Now, while you should be able to find some in the international isle of most major grocers, you might also have to visit an international food store, or perhaps something more upmarket. If none of these options work, then there are a variety of other side dishes that work just as well. Egg noodles are a very popular choice, and in my very American attempt last year, I found that mashed potatoes work especially well.
Now that you've got all these things together, you're very nearly done. All that's left is the thickener. Paprikash is thickened using a blend of flour, heavy whipping cream, and sour cream. We'll get onto preparing this mixture in my post on actually cooking the paprikash, but until then, acquiring them should be a cake walk at any place food items are sold.
Now that will conclude the actual grocery list for just the Paprikash itself, but I do have one more pointer on how to really liven up this meal. Now, if you're under 21 or if perhaps you take after our dear, depraved, beloathed Count
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Then you can skip this next bit. As a wine professional myself, I find that a well paired glass can add a tremendous flare to nearly any already great dinner. In the case of something like Chicken Paprkiash, and keeping with the Central European theme, I could hardly think of a better match than a good German Pinot Noir, also known as a Spatburgunder. Pinot from Germany typically has a very light body and a refreshing acidity that plays very well with the rich and creamy sauce of Chicken Paprikash. The palate of earth and red fruit should always pair nicely with the smoke of the paprika, as well as being a general good partner for any chicken. I myself am going with this 2020 Rheingau from August Kesseler.
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And with that, we are done! Hit those checkout isles and make sure to get home before dark. Terrible things have sway over the world once the sun has gone down. So if the crowd does keep you locked up until nightfall, make sure to graciously accept any crucifixes given to you by kindly, elderly grandmothers and inn keepers. But whatever you do, make sure to pop in on Friday, when I'll be sharing a step by step guide on taking these ingredients and turning them into a dinner that will make our good friend Jonathan go red as a fire truck!
Happy Dracula Week everybody!
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weebiewrites · 10 months
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Things in the Miraculous movie that were way better than the show
Everything
Ok but actually, adjustments made in the movie that vastly improved the show’s canon:
Marinette’s awkwardness being equally applied to everyone she interacts with. Having her reputation be that she is a walking disaster makes Adrien’s (and Alya’s) kindness to her more impactful. Also makes Chloe’s bullying more believable. IN GENERAL makes Marinette’s character more believable.
In the same realm, the entire school and world not revolving around how perfect and cool Adrien is fixes SO. MANY. THINGS. The only person at school who seems to care about his status is Chloe, which not only makes his overall character less annoying, but also adds to Chloe’s characterization.
Speaking of Chloe, making her an actual character and not a bitch who torments her classmates relentlessly for no reason? Like yeah she’s still a bitch and a bully but she has sense of decorum and won’t take it too far if her reputation is on the line.
Sabrina having agency? Hello??
The subtilization of Marinette’s crush on Adrien. Like, hello, she has a lot of shit going on! She doesn’t have time to be swooning over her classmate all day! Yet another thing that makes her more believable.
TIKKI AND PLAGG CHOOSING THEIR OWN HOLDERS. Fuck Fu. Kwamis are literal eldritch gods, why wouldn’t they have a bit of agency?
The entire sequence of Marinette saving Fu. A clever way to have Fu meet the holder while still having Tikki be the one who chooses. Also way better storytelling for him to not intentionally put himself in danger to find a holder, makes the whole thing more organic.
The addition of the rule that the Tikki and Plagg only awaken when there’s a miraculous-level threat. Gives actual purpose to the role of the Guardian, imo.
Unpopular opinion but Tikki’s personality change was great. Once again, literal eldritch God!
Not to harp on this, but once again, the kwamis still having some level of control and AGENCY even when their holders are transformed. Tikki being in Ladybug’s yo-yo and actually guiding her was cool af and WHY WOULDN’T SHE BE ABLE TO DO THAT???
Ladybug and Chat having more general abilities BUT not having their special abilities right away. The sequence where Chat caught the invisible bullet? Cool af. And Ladybug NOT having the reset button right away really raised the stakes and honestly just felt right. It was really rewarding and triumphant when she used it towards the end.
The earrings/ring glowing as a way to communicate when one of them is not transformed. Such a good and cool idea.
Adrien and Marinette frequently hanging out together in a group with Alya and Nino without it being weird!!! Jesus!! Let the kids be kids!!!!!
Gabriel Agreste being less of a piece of shit.
Chat Noir’s “You’re my sidekick!” To, “I’m your sidekick!” progression. Followed by Ladybug’s, “we’re partners!” Immaculate.
Marinette gaining confidence as Marinette from being Ladybug AND ALSO SPECIFICALLY from her partnership with Chat Noir. LET THE SUPERHERO CHILDREN HAVE A MEANINGFUL AND UPLIFTING PARTNERSHIP FFS
Speaking of, LADYNOIR HANGING OUT
LADYNOIR PLAYFIGHTING
Ladybug liking Chat romantically maybe before the 5th fucking season? Making Chat’s first confession less cringey bc she actually really likes him back and totally wants to kiss him? Being internally conflicted ab it?
Marinette confessing right after she gently lets Chat down for the first time, literally perfect angst set up
Adrien BEING ABLE TO STAND UP TO HIS FATHER. Fuck Sentiadrien.
Gabriel being capable of feeling human emotions
Identity reveal
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cocklessboy · 1 year
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I see a lot of people saying that gender-affirming health care like top surgery for trans people like myself should be freely available (which is correct), but one of the reasons they often give is that top surgery is very safe and has a very low rate of complications compared to other surgeries. And I often see transphobes clutching their pearls over the few people who do have complications. What about them?! What if you're one of the unlucky ones?! Should we really let those transes risk it??!!!
Setting aside the fact that no one raises such concerns over other types of surgery, I'd like to use myself as an example for anyone who needs one.
In May of 2022 I had top surgery (double mastectomy). The surgery was done by a gynecological surgeon, not a plastic surgeon, because that way my insurance would cover it.
The surgeon did his job and removed the breast tissue, but he did not make it look pretty. I have dog-ears at both ends of both scars (extra bits of skin that hang off in a very unappealing fashion), my chest still looks unnaturally flat with no muscle or fat despite a lot of working out, and one of the stitches didn't heal properly and was left as an open wound through "secondary healing" for several months before it finally healed over into a very large scab (and eventually a very large scar). My nipples are uneven and irregular and look... well, just awful, really. Due to bad genetic luck, I wound up with keloid scars which, instead of getting smaller and lighter over time, have instead expanded, becoming thicker and darker. Worst of all, I now have chronic nerve pain in my chest. My GP thinks the surgeon must have hit a nerve during the procedure, and now I have random sharp pains all over my chest even now, nearly ten months later. The pain might improve with time, or it might not.
I basically had almost every possible complication one can have from this surgery short of infection or death. Some of the aesthetics might be fixable with more surgery (though plastic surgery will be expensive). Some are probably permanent. I might never feel comfortable taking my shirt off in public again. I might have to tattoo over the scars.
And pay attention to this next bit, because it's the most important part of this whole post: I do not regret the surgery. Even with all the complications and the ugly state of my chest and the pain. If someone said they could push a button and make it so that the surgery never happened and I'd have a perfect, unmarred chest with C-cup breasts again, I would tell them to take their button and fuck right off. Because even with basically the worst of all possible outcomes, that surgery was the best thing that ever happened to me.
I don't feel good about taking my shirt off in front of people now. I do think my chest is ugly. But it's a male chest now. When I put on a t-shirt, it rests flat against my chest. No one will ever mistake me for a woman again. I'll never have to wear a bra or binder ever again.
The dysphoria I felt from having breasts was so severe that a hideously scarred chest and chronic pain are vastly preferable. The euphoria I feel when I look in the mirror with a shirt on is something I never knew I was capable of feeling.
And it's my fucking body, and it's up to me what I do with it. If I wanted to tattoo myself from head to toe, or file my teeth into fangs, or have a doctor break my legs and surgically implant extensions to make me taller, that's my right because it's my body. The fact that all those things are regarded as basically acceptable (if a little weird), but I had to have a dehumanizing interview with an old cis psychiatrist who hates trans people and wants us all sterilized just to get a piece of paper giving me permission to have my tits removed, is fucking absurd.
Top surgery (of any kind) is generally very safe, and complications are rare. But even with the worst outcome, a trans person will basically never regret it.
And frankly, if a cis woman wants her tits cut off, or a cis man wants a pair of boobs to play with on his own chest, more power to them because literally who gives a fuck what people do to their own bodies? I saw a dude on TV when I was a kid who'd tattooed his whole body to look like a cat, filed his teeth into fangs, and had loads of plastic surgery to surgically implant whiskers and make his face look more feline. It was weird! But literally no one said that should be banned because he might regret it. It's his body to do whatever weird shit he wants with.
The next time someone clutches their pearls and kicks and screams about how you can't let someone permanently alter their body in a way they might regret, feel free to point to me and my complete and utter lack of regret.
(Or have a little fun with it, go hard in the other direction, and say you absolutely agree, which is why we should ban ALL non-emergency surgeries until the patient has been FULLY evaluated by three psychiatrists - along with tattoos and piercings. Oh, and ballet lessons for anyone under the age of 25, since ballet changes the structure of a child's body FOREVER.)
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whenthewallfell · 1 year
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~The Many Legs of Peeta Mellark, or A Weirdly In-Depth Look at Panem Prosthetics~
Concept art for Peeta’s leg because I can (details below the cut)
Catching Fire: though the leg itself is removable, the cover is non-optional and the access panels can only be used by Capitol technicians. Due to how ornate it is it can get a bit heavy after long periods of wear, and there’s limited movement in the ankle which impedes walking. It’s designed to mimic the shape of the original leg so it fills out clothes nicely, but flashy enough to be worthy of a Victor should anyone see it. A very pretty prosthetic, but only slightly better than a peg leg. Mockingjay: this is what the prosthetic looks like without the fancy cover. It’s very no-nonsense with an advanced ankle component that has better range of motion without the casing, and features a rubber tread on the bottom of the foot blade to allow for better traction when chasing down and murdering his one true love. Although a vast improvement mobility-wise, it’s been permanently bolted to his leg and the control panels are all welded shut. Everything about this is short-term - they don’t care what happens to him once he’s killed Katniss.
Post War: when he’s caught in the explosion/fire from the bombs that got Prim his leg melts and fuses to his stump, so the doctors end up having to amputate even more. He’s given the choice to try out an experimental implant, which he accepts. This is vastly different from the other ones because he’s got so much autonomy - he can change the settings himself, remove the foot shell, opt in for a leg casing if he wants (he doesn’t). All in all it’s a very low maintenance leg, which suits him just fine, and because it’s an implant it finally feels like a part of him again.
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haunted-xander · 4 months
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Sometimes I think about Urianger's role in and feelings on the Thancred-Ryne dynamic and I think watching it kills him a bit inside. For several reasons.
Like, to begin with there's the guilt he's been carrying with him since he ushered Minfilia to the first, how he effectively killed the person Thancred cared about the most in the world and who's "death" ended up causing Ryne's entire Situation. He looks at what's happening between them and can only think "I caused this" even though that's not really true. No one person is responsible for this outcome, it's a culmination of several circumstances and the consequences of them. Logically, Urianger knows this. But it doesn't matter, because his guilt is overpowering his logic.
And also, like. What Thancred is doing here, the way he's knowingly letting Ryne be and stay hurt because he literally cannot bring himself to tell her his feelings, is the exact same mistake Urianger made with Moenbryda. Of course, the circumstances are vastly different, and the potential consequences to Thancred telling Ryne the wrong things or her misinterperating it is far greater (being a matter of literal life or death), it's still the same sort of paralysis they are trapped in.
And he knows it. He sees it. But he can't say or do anything about it, he doesn't have the right to. He acknowledges the mistake, but he hasn't really improved upon it yet. He still doesn't voice his thoughts and feelings as he should. He's also non-confrontational by nature, he doesn't argue or try to change peoples minds, he probably doesn't think he has any place to.
So, he tries to help in what little ways he can. Because he doesn't want it to become Monebryda again, he doesn't want to know he stole not one but two people from Thancred. So he does what he can. He tells Ryne little tidbits about Thancred, things that help her understand him but are safe to share. Nothing too deep, nothing too personal. Just small things, things that are purely factual, because he can't afford to give her a false image of who Thancred is. He teacher her fun and interesting things, because Thancred isn't in the mindset to provide her with non-essential skills.
I like to think Urianger has brought it up with Thancred at least once, during one of his stays. But nothing would've come of it. Not really. Unlike Y'shtola, Urianger isn't pushy, he'll bring it up once or twice and when he sees this won't go anywhere, he gives up. He wants to help, but he knows that persistance only does do much, and he is not the person who has the resiliance needed to push and push until Thancred finally budges (because he won't budge, it won't help anything but to sour things further by adding aditional stress to an already strained dynamic).
And like. Urianger gets it. He gets it because he's been the same way- not saying what he should to someone he loves more than anything else because she was meant to figure her life out herself, and 'steering' her in any direction by telling her his feelings (regardless of if the 'steering' is intention or not) will go against that. He gets it. He gets it and it's all the more painful for it. He knows it can't just be fixed by acknowledging it or with encouragement, something needs to happen to break the stasis.
I think this is probably why he stayed behind while they went off to Nabaath Areng. This is the very last chance they have to say what they want to, and he can't afford to be the anchor anymore. This is about them, not him, he can't let their resolution be buffed by his presence, so he stays behind. Which was probably for the best. Ryne got nervous when Urianger said he's staying behind, probably not too excited about being alone with Thancred (well, not alone, but WoL doesn't count) so soon after she had ran away crying. But she needs to be nervous. For anything positive to come out of this Thancred and Ryne both can't afford to be too relaxed. As sad as it is, the stress is necessary for anything to happen. He knows it. Does he like it? Absolutely not, but nor does he like his other plots. At least no one dies this time if it goes right.
#urianger had an integral part in the thancred-ryne situation and i think its very important to remember that#like i think he served as a very important buffer that prevented the dynamic from becoming even more strained than it already was#but also like. ryne NEEDED to have at least someone she can be comfortable around without the stress of her circumstances souring it#urianger is uniquely suited to play that role. even with his guilt regarding minfilia he never showed anything but genuine kindness for her#it helps that she didnt know about his hand in the situation existing to begin with (as shes surprised when he tells her in ahm areang)#THATS ALSO IMPORTANT BTW. like this man had a DIRECT hand in making this happen (even if it isnt fully his fault. minfilia made her choice)#AND LIKE. the parallels between uri-moen and thancred-ryne. they both love these girls so so much but cant bring themselves to say anything#urianger has been through the pain before. he knows. but he hasnt improved much himself. what right does he have to scold thancred?#silent support is all he can give. pushing thancred would make him a hypocrite and risk making it worse. hes not suited for confrontation#y'shtola and uriangers approaches to helping both have their merits but it needs a balance#too much pushing and the dynamic just gets worse but too forgiving and nothing will ever change#and yes i know im just repeating myself but ITS IMPORTANT OK#GOD#urianger augurelt#thancred waters#ryne waters#final fantasy#final fantasy 14#final fantasy xiv#ff14#ffxiv#xander rambles#xander being insane about ryne#urianger actually this time but. its related to ryne so. it gets the tag
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nerdykeppie · 9 months
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Launching Tuesday - Historically Queer, our next enamel pin collection!
We Have Always Been Here.
Ten pins - two pairs, five single pins, and the La Maupin mega pin (she needed extra room for her headdress) - each with multiple unlockable colorways.
We launch Tuesday, 9/12, at 3PM Eastern, noon Pacific. Follow us on Kickstarter to be notified when we launch -- or just to help out! The visibility to Kickstarter from having followers on our campaign helps a lot. :D
Featured in this campaign:
Enheduanna, oldest named author. Incorporating trans themes into writing thousands of years old.
David & Jonathan, king & prince whose love surpassed the love of women.
Sappho, Lesbian poet. She should need no other introduction.
La Maupin, also known as Julie d'Aubigny. The original disaster bisexual. Opera singer, swordswoman. May have burned down a convent.
Publick Universal Friend, American religious figure. Going by gender-neutral pronouns since the year the Declaration of Independence was written.
Anne Lister & Ann Walker, the Gentleman Jack & her wife. Acknowledged as the first same-gender marriage in modern Britain.
Dr. James Barry, British surgeon. A transgender man, Dr. Barry performed the first C-section done by a European in Africa in which both mother & child survived. He is also credited with vastly improving conditions for wounded soldiers in the British military.
Nikola Tesla, Serbian-American genius. Listing Tesla's inventions would take a series of posts. Liked pigeons better than people.
If you don't see your favorite historical figure, don't fret! We've planned multiple sets of Historically Queer figures. We can't use them all up at once. :) Help ensure we can make future sets by helping us create this one!
Frequently Asked Questions under the cut.
Hey, what flag is that on Sappho?
That's the Sapphic flag, created by @tepkunset. NerdyKeppie's owner, Spider, is a butch lesbian who uses that flag for their art.
Hey - what about [historical figure]? How could you forget [historical figure]? This is erasure!
We didn't forget, we promise - this is the first of several installments of this project. After the absolute stress of the last Kickstarter when we had 300+ different SKUs by the end of the project, we decided to take a more focused approach to Historically Queer. We attempted to provide a good cross-section of identities, and will continue to expand in future projects. Spider has a huge folder on his computer full of planned pins and reference images.  
But historically...
Yes, we know that it isn't totally proper to use today's terms to discuss people who lived a long time ago. But also, how else do we talk about our community history in a way that's understood, and celebrate our shared queerness, other than to use the words and iconography which are understandable to us now? We celebrate our shared history with the words and understandings most accessible to all of us, and we hope that by providing not just the pins but a few elementary facts about these historical figures, we'll encourage people to read more about them in their original context.
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I read the post where you answered why you didn’t like Malleus and remembered that you placed Leona really highly on your favs list, and Leona is my favorite so do you mind me asking why do you like Leona?
[My TWST character tier list is here.]
[Anon is also referencing this Malleus post.]
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THERE’S A REASON WHY L*ONA IS IN “Unfortunately Enjoy” TIER 😭 I think for like... over a year (2020-2021)? Probably closer to 1.5 years?? I really disliked him and swore up and down that I'd "never in my life simp for the fake cat". This was largely in part due to book 2, which to this day I believe did Leona a HUGE disservice and made him look very unintelligent and uninteresting. Then I was drip fed new Leona content as it steadily came out (vignettes, voice lines, event stories, his return in book 6) and my opinion of him vastly improved. Book 2 was just a really bad introduction to him and it greatly soured my first impressions. sjfyofqebfeiafns B-But now I'm too embarrassed to openly declare, "Yeah, I like a sad muscular l*on man. So what?" Some would say that's tsundere behavior... BUT I SAY I'M COMPLETELY JUSTIFIED FOR ACTING THIS WAY BECAUSE IT ISN'T EASY TO CONFESS WITH YOUR WHOLE CHEST THAT YOU LIKE KINGSCHOLAR OF ALL TWST CHARACTERS
... Anyway! For a much more expanded explanation, I'd recommend this post! It already states a lot of my thoughts, and I don't want to repeat them in yet another lengthy lion-related post. What I'll do instead is summarize the key points for you, plus add some commentary about Leona and Malleus at the end.
Admittedly, he is pretty. VERY pretty. I'm saying this as someone who normally really dislikes hair longer than shoulder length, the "wild"/bad boy aesthetic, and kemonomimi. Leona breaks ALL the rules and still somehow manages to wear everything and anything well because of his sheer confidence and natural grace. His physical features are also very striking... The sharp bright green eyes, the small waist and large chest (there's NO reason why he HAD to be built like that), his stupid smirk, etc.
His pettiness and sarcasm. Leona has, hands down, some of the funniest lines 🤡 I love that he has the balls to speak callously to everyone, including fellow dorm leaders and royalty. His best moments, however, are when he whips out the sarcasm on statements which are so patently untrue--like when he says he is a 'delicate prince' and a 'lost child', both moments from book 6. It's also hilarious whenever Leona speaks in a formal way, showing that he does have the education and the knowledge of how a prince should present himself, but just actively chooses to not make the effort and only does so mockingly or when social grace calls for it.
HIS BIG BRAIN FOLDS, HOLY COW (err, book 2 aside). Leona works smarter, not harder!! He's always one step ahead of everyone else, even if he appears sleepy or disinterested at the time. He figured out the trick behind the "indestructible" golden contracts, he sussed out Jamil WAY before book 4 ever came out (saying that Jamil has "eyes that always glare" and implying that Jamil poses a threat to Kalim's life; this is from Jamil's School Uniform vignette), he takes what he learns in textbooks and so easily translates it to real-world experiences (ie advising the first years on how to more efficiently mine magestones in Vargas Camp), etc. Additionally, Leona knows when to step in and when to be hands off. It's not done out of cowardice or laziness, but rather because he's thinking strategically. For example, he could have resisted capture at the hands of the Ferrymen, but he didn't because it would be smarter to just go with them willingly. It saves everyone a lot of time and energy, and it’s this kind of intelligent thinking that makes Leona really stand out.
He knows how to lead. There are many different types of beastmen, each with own beliefs, values, and traditions that are unique to their own group. As a result, it is very difficult to unify all beastmen within the Sunset Savanna under one rule. Guess who doesn't have this problem? THAT'S RIGHT, IT'S LEONA. There's a variety of beastmen in Savanaclaw, and he effortlessly rules over them and commands their respect.
He actively thinks about how to improve the Sunset Savanna. Leona's ideas are not always the best (like, yeah, you could introduce new technology to the country but expect significant social pushback from the people, who prioritize living in harmony with nature). However, I can really appreciate that he did not entirely turn his back on the people who feared his powers and talked him down. I think he eventually realized the flaws in his way of thinking and actively chose an energy and mining lab internship in hopes of researching ways to slowly implement changes that will benefit the Sunset Savanna while also remaining respectful of the people's beliefs. He is concerned about Falena's lax way of ruling and consistently brings up ideas in various voice lines about how they can improve the Sunset Savanna and its relationships with other countries and tourists. In spite of everything he went through, Leona never wants to hurt those who hurt him with their comments and comparisons to his elder brother. He does not ever want to tear down the system that kicked him down again and again, only wants to challenge it by proving his own merits and the merits of the other downtrodden that he leads.
As much as he wants to deny it, he cares about his underclassmen and goes out of his way to help them. There are sooo many examples of this that it cannot possibly fit in one bullet point. (I would really recommend reading the elongated post linked above, as I go into more detail on this.) Suffice to say, Leona has been shown guiding, instructing, and mentoring many other characters including, but not limited to: Epel, Ruggie, Jack, and various Savanaclaw mob students. This really hits me in the heart because I love reliable big brother characters 😭 EVEN THOUGH LEONA IS TECHNICALLY A YOUNGER BROTHER...
He understands his strengths—and he understands others' strengths too. This man is fully aware of his magical might and powerful presence. He uses every last bit of it to full effect and to attain his goals, whatever those may be. One of my favorite uses has to be In Fairy Gala!! He distracted some pixies by simply demanding water and their attention so his partners in crime could escape—and what’s more, this was a plan he came up with on the spot because their mission was being jeopardized by unforeseen events. Leona is also good about pinpointing people’s best attributes and then helping them hone it. This happens a lot during club practice, bur it also occurs in book 6 between him and Jamil. Speaking of…
THAT WHOLE BOOK 6 CONVERSATION WITH JAMIL DESERVES ITS OWN BULLET POINT. This part was peak mentor mode Leona 😭 Sure, maybe he wasn’t the kindest with his wording, but I felt this was the wake up call Jamil needed to hear. What really got me though was the part where Leona tells Jamil there’s still hope for him… “unlike me”. (I believe this part was translated differently in EN to make Leona’s ego sound more inflated (ie “I’m not like you”) which saddens me immensely.) It paints the image that Leona is still struggling to believe his efforts will amount to anything and that he believes more in his juniors than in himself :(( (which informs my headcanon that Leona mentors younger students so that they can have the bright future he doesn’t think he can have for himself).
Emotional complexity. When you get down to it, what started off as a very basic story of jealousy and inferiority complex actually resulted in a deeply flawed, traumatized, and scarred individual who continues to doubt and put himself down but is slowly recovering. Leona is smart and charismatic—he is everything a leader should be, but he doesn’t truly see his own worth. (Ironically, the only people who do are the ones who look up to him and follow him.) And now… Leona’s actually got his eyes set on graduating! He has his internship plans set! I think he’s made such big strides since book 2, and it’s been so rewarding seeing him regain his willingness to try and succeed return to him.
Looking back on it, it’s so ironic how things ended up working out. Initially, I was totally on Lilia’s side when he insulted Leona and said he would never be the kind of leader Malleus is. Now I’m realizing how Leona does many of the things I don’t see Malleus doing (despite Lilia claiming Malleus is more fit to be king than Leona is).
Malleus isn’t harming his people by any means, but it’s more like he’s… stagnant? Complacent? He’s satisfied with the status quo and is comfortable resting on his laurels. And because of that, Malleus doesn’t really seem to consider what he, as a leader, can do for others, be it for his dorm members or doe his country. (Part of this is also how isolated and opposed to change Briar Valley is, of course! That kind of culture definitely shapes Malleus’s thinking.) He tends to avoid situations which involve navigating social complexities rather than dealing with them himself. Think of Ghost Marriage, when Sebek proposes in his place. Think of Fairy Gala, when Silver is the one that ultimately resolves the conflict between the diurnal fae (who have historically not been friendly with nocturnal fae) and NRC. Malleus is so sheltered that has not truly been put in situations where he has to make tough decisions or where he has been challenged. He has never had to claw and scream and beg for people to see his worth.
Leona has been through that emotional wringer, and though he’s been hurt so badly, he still came out the other side. In running from the shadow of his family—of his older brother—Leona found solace in this new kingdom, Savanaclaw. It’s a place to build himself up, to stew over the ideas he has that have yet to be realized, all with a safe mental distance from home. It’s through the many hardships he has experienced that has refined his wit and given it a place to practice, to be used.
When it comes down to it, Leona and Malleus are two sides of the same coin. Both arrogant princes, the second born and crown prince, respectively, wishing for the other’s circumstances. Leona desperately wants that respect and recognition that Malleus has. Malleus longs for the intimacy and camaraderie that Leona is so easily able to cultivate and command. Leona has been forced to adapt, to learn, to grow from his scars. Malleus struggles with the concept of change (understandable, given his background) and actively denies reality if he finds the truth to be unpleasant. He’s not used to facing dilemmas that cannot be solved with magical strength, and has not ever been challenged in such a way. Malleus doesn’t know how to deal with that, which is partly why be panics and loses himself to emotions in book 7. (By the end of it, I’m sure he’ll be given the chance to see the error of his ways though 💦 or at least I hope he does??)
Their characters are very different, and that’s not a bad thing!! If anything, it makes their dynamic so interesting to observe and it offers varying interpretations of the same “prince” trope. I definitely know which of the two I prefer 🤡
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tawaifeddiediaz · 3 months
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something about the diaz home as a symbol of everything sacred to eddie.
something about the diaz home representing eddie's privacy and his life and by extension, christopher's, and that it's a constant, recurring motif of a life that he's built with his son. and it's always interesting to see that his home is always warm (in terms of lighting, color combos, etc etc) and welcoming, which feels so vastly different to the other two homes we've seen for him in eddie begins
something about the way he has to physically open the door to let people in to his life, and how many shots of that we've had of just him opening the damned door since. something about the way he physically lets shannon in in 2x07, or the way he braces himself with chris' encouragement before opening the door to ana in 4x08, or the way he happily lets carla in in 4x13 or the way he softens and smiles when he opens the door to buck in 6x12. it's in the way the only people we've really seen in eddie's home as "not guests" are the ones that he chooses to let in.
in that same vein, we can always tell when there's someone in there that doesn't quite belong. 5x11 is a prime example of this, and not just because of the episode title, "outside looking in." it's evidently obvious that the only reason taylor's in his house is for buck's sake, and maybe that's why we never see eddie actually letting them in. 5x03 is similar to that, in the sense that ana stays for three days with chris at the diaz home, but when eddie comes back, it's a metaphorical and physical mess that he's left standing in the middle of, alone.
and it's very, very interesting that we've never seen his parents in his house. ever. and yes, it could just be the fact that they rarely come to los angeles period, but i just think it's interesting in terms of eddie's journey with them, that the closest we've gotten to them physically being there is that facetime call with his dad, and that phone call with his mom - both of which happen after he goes back to texas in 5x17 where he point-blank tells his dad he's trying to be better for himself, and his dad meets him halfway. it only happens after his relationship with his dad starts improving.
i just constantly think of the diaz home front door, and now that i've thought of it, there's so many other moments that scream at me:
buck unlocking eddie's door in 4x14 and swinging it open to the party, and then later standing in the open doorway almost like he's protecting eddie and the life he's built in this one way because he couldn't protect him in the other way
buck unlocking eddie's door with his own key in 5x13, then bursting through yet another door to get to eddie, just to step in and sit with him in his grief - and how much that scene symbolizes that eddie may have built this life but it was after burying demons that later just crawled up through the cracks of his new home.
buck standing inside the diaz home after eddie gets home from therapy in 5x14 like this is a regular occurrence.
the way eddie's discomfort is visible in that split second scene we get of the police officers storming his home in 2x15
eddie asking shannon to leave through the back door because he may have let her into his life but he's not ready to let her into chris' and thus, he doesn't truly let her into his life - and actually, even the shot of eddie, chris and shannon at the end of that episode takes place outside the diaz home. which is...telling methinks.
eddie opening his door post-date in 4x07 to buck meeting him at it (always meeting him halfway), and just. the domesticity of it, set off by the warm lights, the discussion they have, and the looks on their faces the whole like
eddie opening his door to buck in 6x12, looking apprehensive for a second before he realizes who it is and his smile grows and eyes turn into heart-eyes and buck just pushes past him without waiting for eddie to step aside, only to go and swing his feet up on the coffee table like the diaz home is his, too.
there's so many examples but @sevensoulmates and i put this whole meta together because the symbolism in this tv show is off the charts
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ladykailitha · 3 months
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The Harrington Pattern Part 7
Hello! It's Tuesday and that means more Steve and Eddie. And it's looking like the story will end in chapter 12. It might take one more than that, but it's definitely almost done.
So what will that mean? Well, I'll start working on working on another story to bring it back up to two, but will still only work on the others on WIP Wednesday because I'm trying to get down the amount of WIPs I have running. I have far too many.
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6
Day two of the Fair. Will sees Steve and Steve reveals a little trick. And Steve has to be stern mom again.
@mira-jadeamethyst @rozzieroos @redfreckledwolf @emly03 @itsall-taken
****
Steve picked up his usual set and went to the Renaissance Fair. This time they were the first to arrive and they stood there waiting for the rest of them to show up.
He had left the spirit gum with Mrs Sinclair and she was able to do an even better job then he had yesterday putting the ears back on.
The bow and quiver had been left behind today because sadly the poor bow had been a mangled, tangled mess by the time they left the fair yesterday.
Max and Robin’s cutlasses had fared better because they never left their sides, but even slung over Lucas’s shoulder, the poor aluminum just couldn’t bare the brunt of the crowds. And today was going to be even busier.
Steve looked at his watch and then back at the growing crowd waiting in line.
He tapped his foot nervously when he saw the familiar van pull into the lot. And the merry band of fellows hopped out, wearing the outfits they had yesterday. The ones that made Steve green with envy on how well they were put together.
It was like they had just walked off the set of a Hollywood movie.
He was good with a needle and thread, but whoever made their costumes should be making money off it, they were that talented.
Jeff came around to the other side of the van where Steve could see him and his ears looked great too.
“Looking good, Lawrence,” Steve whistled. “The ears are vastly improved.”
Jeff bowed dramatically. “Why thank you, my liege! I had my sister help me pick out the right color and type I needed and then I did it myself.”
Gareth snorted. “After practicing all night.”
Brian elbowed their youngest member. “It’s just like trying to get a beat right, you have to practice. Don’t give him shit for that.”
Gareth grumbled, but muttered a half-hearted apology to Jeff. The older teen just grinned at his friend.
Which after how crazy yesterday was, Steve wasn’t looking forward to a repeat if Jeff took offense to Gareth’s comment.
Eddie had been unusually quiet during this conversation, so while they milled around waiting for the remaining third of their group, Steve came up to him.
“Hey, you okay?” he asked, leaning down and forward to get a better look at the metalhead.
Eddie pursed his lips, but he nodded.
“You know, I have been dying to ask...”
Eddie smiled softly. “Who’s my tailor?”
Steve cackled. “Yeah, that. God, I would gleefully sacrifice one of the teenagers for the material alone, let alone the thread.”
“Which one?” Eddie asked, coming a little bit more out of his shell.
Steve reared back his head. “What?”
“Which one of the teenagers you would sacrifice?” Eddie asked again.
“Dustin,” Steve said without hesitation. “I figure virgin,” he counted on his fingers, “check, most annoying, check, and the one who would be the biggest... ‘value’ as it were, double check.”
Eddie laughed outright. “You don’t have to sacrifice any of them. Brian’s sister works at a big theater, the kind that do plays, as their costumer.”
Steve sighed and rubbed a bit of the black velvet between his thumb and forefinger. “You guys are so lucky.”
Eddie laughed again. “Trust me, even Bri had to pay for the privilege.”
Steve’s eyes lit up. “Oh?”
“Yup!” Eddie said, rocking back on his heels. “We had to pay for all the material and patterns ourselves, plus at least twenty-five percent of labor. These duds may be pretty, but lo they be also pricey.”
“Well, it was certainly worth it,” Steve murmured. “You guys look fantastic.”
Eddie’s cheeks colored a pretty pink. “Thanks. Um...mine is actually based on a character from a short story. Brian’s mom is Polish, but she loves sc-fi and fantasy so she gets this magazine, right?” Steve nodded. “So, anyway she’ll translate into English for Brian to read. It’s about this male witch and he has this minstrel friend named Jeskier...” he pronounced it strange, like yes-keer. “I’m probably pronouncing it wrong. But he’s so cool.”
“So you’re this minstrel guy?” Steve asked, suddenly understanding.
Eddie hummed excitedly. “Brian even went as one of the male witches. Not the main one though. But it’s still fun, you know?”
Steve smiled back. “Yeah. I never would have thought about going as a specific character before. Maybe we can plan something for next year.”
Whatever cloud leftover that was lingering over Eddie vanished in the light of Steve’s bright smile.
Eddie bumped his shoulder into Steve’s. “What’s on the docket today, pretty boy?”
Steve blushed bright red, but before he could answer, Claudia’s station wagon pulled up next to them. The four kids piled out, happily chatting and laughing. Well all but Mike.
Mike had always been a reserved kid, but as he got older, the more withdrawn he seemed to get. Will seemed to do the opposite. The kid was really coming out of his shell and into himself. And maybe that was the reason for Mike’s shrinking back.
Steve just shook his head and turned to Will. “Still no Jonathan?” he teased.
Will rolled his eyes. “He said and I quote ‘I’ll see about maybe Saturday’.”
Steve winced. He couldn’t make Jonathan come, but he could see how much Jonathan coming would mean so much to Will and it made his heart hurt just a little.
“Can’t force someone to have fun,” he said with a shrug. “It really is his loss.”
Will nodded sagely, like the mature person he was forced to become far too soon. “But! He did give me the ten dollars I needed for the staff to make up for it.”
Steve smiled. All right, maybe Steve didn’t have to stop by and give the elder Byers boy a piece of his mind.
He turned to Eddie. “Hey, you want to traverse the fields of commerce with me and Will to go get his staff?”
Eddie grinned. “Hell yeah! I didn’t get to go yesterday.”
Will grinned back. He turned to El and Mike. “You going to come with me. right?”
Mike shook his head. “El wanted to see the weavers this morning, but no one else wanted to go with her and with Steve’s dumb rule...”
“It’s not dumb,” Steve said. “Just because the Upside Down is gone, doesn’t mean there aren’t things that can hurt you.”
“We’re fifteen,” Mike protested. “I think that’s old enough to go by ourselves.”
Steve looked around at the other kids and they were all looking everywhere but at him. “May I remind you that we are literally standing on the ground where human monsters were trying to open a gate? Bad guys come in all shapes and sizes and even if you think you’re safe, is El? Or Will?”
The kids looked down at their feet and mumbled their apologies.
“I just want everyone safe and having a good time,” Steve finished. “You guys can do whatever you want, but do you know who your parents would blame if something happened to you?”
Dustin raised his head sharply. “But there are other adults here, why would they blame you?”
Steve barked out a bitter laugh. “Because I’m the fucking babysitter.” He walked off to get in line and everyone just followed behind quietly, suddenly somber.
Robin fell in step next to Steve and wrapped her arm around his shoulder. “Hey, dingus.”
Steve just ducked his head.
“It’s just a tricky age. You remember what it was like at their age,” she murmured.
“I was getting drunk every weekend, smoking, and having sex,” Steve grumbled. “I don’t want that for them.”
Robin kissed his cheek. “You’re sweet. But they’re going to have to figure it out on their own.”
Steve’s shoulders rounded. “I just want to them to have fun and we keep having knock out drag out fights before we go in and I–” he left out a deep sigh.
“You can’t be held responsible for what they do,” she said.
He snorted. “Tell that to Joyce or Claudia. Just because I’m the oldest.”
She hugged him tightly. “You’re not anymore and you know Eddie would do anything for those kids, too. Plus, this is exactly why you told them to find any adult. Let all of us help shoulder the load, too.”
Steve let out a low shuddering breath. “I’ll try. I just keep butting heads with Mike. Always Mike. And I don’t know what to do, he’s just so prickly and even outright hostile.”
“So don’t do anything,” Robin suggested.
He frowned. “What do you mean?”
“Let Eddie handle it,” she said. “He did a fine job yesterday. So let him do it again.”
Steve pressed his lips together and then nodded. “Okay.”
She kissed his cheek again and went back to talk to Eddie. Steve paid again for the tickets. Well, not all of them. Thankfully Eddie and his friends were paying their own way.
He turned to Will. “You ready to go get your staff?” He smiled broadly to hide the hurt of Mike’s rebellion.
Will smiled back. “Hell yeah!”
Eddie came bounding up to them. “I’ll meet you at the shop, there’s something I need to do really quick about tomorrow. They’ve messed up the schedule and me and Jeff have to go see someone about it.”
Steve nodded. “Yeah, just ask Jeff where the shop is, he should remember which one.”
Eddie smiled again. “You betcha, big boy.” He flounced back to Jeff and Steve watched him walk away.
When he turned back to Will, the young man was looking at him with curiosity.
“What’s up?”
Will furrowed his brows. “I’m trying to decide if you know about...” he pursed his lips trying to find a way to say what he meant without outing Steve in public. “What you feel about a certain someone?”
Steve looked back at where Eddie had melted into the crowd and then back at this all too perceptive boy. He put his arm around Will and started them walking toward the shop.
“If you’re asking what I think you’re asking,” Steve started slowly, “I’ve known I like both for awhile now. It was just easier to focus on the one. The one that was socially acceptable, you know?”
Will nodded. “I can see that. And then he came barreling into our lives and a good kind of upside down happened?”
Steve smiled fondly. “Yeah. He is so sweet. He’s everything I thought I wanted in Nancy.”
Will grinned. “You do have a type.”
He scuffed Will’s hair a bit. “Yeah, yeah.”
They walked in silence for awhile before Steve spoke up again.
“I feel I should give you a heads up before we get to the shop,” he said with a wince.
Will looked over at him in confusion.
“I may have talked the merchant in to holding it for you by giving them a ten dollar deposit to hold it.”
Will’s jaw dropped. “You can do that?”
Steve laughed. “No, not really. By I can be persuasive and he was willing to do me the favor.”
“Thanks, Steve,” Will murmured. “You’ve done so much for us, I think we take you for granted sometimes.”
Steve half shrugged. “My parents suck and while some of you have actually decent parents and older siblings, I don’t mind being the babysitter the one you guys look up to and come to for advice.”
Will smiled. “Any tips on how to tell your best friend you have a crush on them?”
Steve threw back his head and laughed. “Look, the one time I did that I was drugged up on truth serum and literally couldn’t lie. I don’t think that’s going to help you.”
“Too bad Robin bats for the other team,” he said with a smile.
Steve smiled back. “Nah, I think her telling me that is what made it easier for me to realize that having those feelings can’t make you a bad person. Not when she was so amazing.”
Will cocked his head to the side. “That’s fair.”
“Come on you,” Steve said, “let’s go get you this wizard staff.”
Will stopped in his tracks. “You said it right. You never say the DnD terms right.”
Steve raised a finger up to his lips and winked. “I do it because it drives Dustin up the wall and Eddie just loves explaining it to me, so I kill two birds with one stone.”
Will laughed. “Yeah, okay.”
As they wove their way through the crowd, Will smiled to himself. Steve and Eddie both liked boys, knew they liked boys, and were still unapologetically themselves. And maybe he could be too.
But first, he was going to get that wicked staff he saw yesterday because he had two brothers looking out for him. His biological one and Steve. Someone who cared so deeply that even when he should have walked away, he stayed.
And Will always could use more people that just...stayed.
****
Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13
For those that don't know "The Witcher" was an original short story in a Polish sci-fi/magazine in 1985. I couldn't figure out if Jeskier was in the original tale, so shush if he isn't.
Tag List: @spectrum-spectre @estrellami-1 @zerokrox-blog @gregre369 ​@a-little-unsteddie @chaosgremlinmunson @messrs-weasley @chaoticlovingdreamer @maya-custodios-dionach @danili666 @goodolefashionedloverboi @val-from-lawrence @i-must-potato @carlyv @wonderland-girl143-blog @justforthedead89 @vecnuthy @irregular-child @bookbinderbitch @bookworm0690 @anne-bennett-cosplayer @yikes-a-bee @awkwardgravity1 @littlewildflowerkitten @genderless-spoon @cinnamon-mushroomabomination @dragonmama76 @scheodingers-muppet @ellietheasexylibrarian @thedragonsaunt @useless-nb-bisexual @thespaceantwhowrites @paintgonewrong @mogami13 @beelze-the-bubkiss @croatoan-like-its-hot @retro-vagabond @sani-86 @pansexuality-activated @y4r3luv @dauntlessdiva @vampire-eddie-brain-rot
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sebastiansallcw · 1 year
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May I request an Ominis x reader amoretentia piece? I’ve seen sooo many for Sebastian, and while they’re all amazing, I would love to see some fluffy, maybe flustered Ominis!
warnings: none!
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Y/N carefully stirred the potion in front of her, following the instructions of Professor Sharp to a tee. His voice rang in her head anytime she stood over the cauldron, a shortcut always leads to shortcomings. Y/N adored Potions class, with all its intricacies and challenges. Amortentia. The most powerful love potion in existence–crafted by a bunch of students, Y/N couldn’t see what would go wrong. Students whispered about how the room became fragrant as steam rose from each cauldron, pearl sheen liquid, in characteristic spirals.
Y/N stood beside Ominis, her eyes flickering over to his cauldron every few moments. Professor Sharp suggested to Ominis that studying with Y/N would improve his skills vastly–so one day after class, he approached her. Y/N sweetly replied, willing to help him out. He never noticed how her voice sounded before, he never paid much attention to her throughout his years at Hogwarts.
Just another student.
As the two began meeting to help study for Potions, it turned into hanging out. They ditched the library and would go on walks to collect supplies for next class ingredients. Ominis always stood cautiously at the edge of water as Y/N would collect leeches and tongues from dead toads. Yet, he always ended up running away when she began to chase him with it, autumn leaves crunching beneath their shoes.
Moments spent in the Undercroft, lighting candles to give Y/N more light to read her book. She read the book aloud to Ominis, who began to admire her voice.
In class, Y/N would make sure he gathered the proper ingredients and measurements before crafting. Maybe it was an excuse to feel her hands brush over his or to feel her warmth beside him, as she reached over for a bottle. Last week, Ominis almost created the most putrid odor from adding too many troll bogeys.
Ominis began to appreciate Y/N, more than just a tutor.
“Now, it appears no one has crafted the potion correctly; however, I brewed my own for this very reason.” Professor Sharp announced, his eyes scanning over each cauldron. Y/N sighed at the cauldron in front of her, her cauldron lacking the spiral steam.
“I assure you, Y/N, you most definitely brewed the closest potion to Amorentina in this class.” Ominis leaned over, whispering to her. She smiled, nodding her head.
“Thanks, Ominis.” He knew how much effort she applied towards this class.
“Y/N, let’s begin with you since you seem to have something important to say.” Professor Sharp eyes landed on her.
Ominis wondered what she would smell. The two developed a friendship, but not enough to talk about feelings. He knew some fond childhood memories, while she listened to him ramble about his friendship with Sebastian and Anne.
Whoever she would smell would be deemed lucky.
He heard her footsteps walk towards the professor’s cauldron. “And what do you smell?”
She leaned over, sniffing the potion. It took several wafts before any scent struck her. “I believe I smell…Blown out candles,” She thought for several more moments, “Perhaps autumn leaves and…like a lake.” Y/N pulled away.
Ominis felt his cheeks heat as she spoke. It did not take much of him to put together that they spent moments like those together. He tugged at the collar of his shirt, a sudden rush of warmth washing over him.
Other students shared what they smelt, parchment, rain–he wondered what he would actually smell. The professor called Ominis forward, wafting the smell of the potion towards him.
“I smell dark chocolate,” He announced, his mind flickering to her sharing chocolates with him any time they sat down in the library. “Plums,” The smell of her shampoo, the rich sweet aroma that instantly made him aware she was coming near him. “And…pumpkin.” All she would drink is pumpkin juice. He could hear her lick her lips after several sips.
Poppy nudged Y/N as Ominis spoke, her cheeks red.
Something about admiring Y/N felt like opening a window, letting light into his life. Everything felt better, each day. The warmth, getting kissed by the sunlight he never once felt before her. Ominis sucked in his breath–after class, this would be it.
As they walked out of class together and to the Undercroft, Ominis decided to take a chance. His heart beating rapidly, afraid it might pump out of his chest, his hands grew sweaty. She had her arm linked with his, something they began doing shortly after tutoring. He loved the warmth.
His mind raked with ideas of how to ask her for a date. Too early for Yule ball, there’s always Hogsmeade, even take her to Feldcroft with Sebastian and they can bask in the meadow. Anne always mentioned how beautiful the flowers get. Perhaps Sirona would have an idea of what romance meant, but how would Ominis even convey how he felt about Y/N?
"Y/N, there's something I need to tell you," he said, his voice trembling slightly.
Y/N turned to look at him, her eyes filled with curiosity. "What is it?"
"I know we've been spending a lot of time together, and I just–” “Ominis, did you smell me in the potion?” She interrupted.
“Perhaps–yes,” His voice was shaky. He wished he could see her face, wondering if she was looking at him. Wondering if she wanted to kiss him as much as he was itching to kiss her. He dreamt of what it’d feel like to feel her hands cupping his cheeks, feel her breath against his face, or be in close proximity because of her laugh–be the reason she laughed. He can picture the feeling of her grabbing his hand with every laugh, more gasps of excitement and clamping her hand over his shoulder, playing with the tips of her hair.
“Ominis,” she started, “I like you, a lot.” The infliction in her voice, pure genuine emotions. Her voice filled him with warmth. He felt her hand let go of his arm, running down to intertwine her hand with his.
Relief flooded through Ominis, and he felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. "Really?" he asked, his heart racing with excitement.
"Yes, really," She squeezed his hand. “I just don’t tutor anyone.” She hummed. The sentence made Ominis feel special, wanted,--one of a kind. She held him through the Undercroft, both of their hearts racing.
“Y/N–”
“Can you kiss me?” She whispered. Ominis felt his throat tighten. Nodding his head, he moved his hand to her face. His thumbs caressed her skin before tracing the outline of each of her features. He imagined she was blushing with how warm to the touch she felt. His thumb brushed against her lips before leaning downwards. Her lips tasted of pumpkin juice, just how he imagined.
“Ominis, would you be interested in–”
“Yes.”
She laughed, “You didn’t let me finish.”
“I was hoping it’d be to kiss you again.”
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sketch-twentytwo · 1 month
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“Danganronpa is the latest and greatest in Killing Game Entertainment! As they are the pioneers of their craft, they try to incorporate bigger and better gimmicks into each season. With the fiftieth season and beyond—the V0-series if you will—came the ‘implementation’ feature! As Danganronpa moved to virtuality to host their seasons, it became possible to program not just avatars for our Players, but false memories, talents, and personalities as well! All of this has allowed the characters to come to life before the audience’s very eyes! “See, there’s a special little agreement that one must sign before the game that’s part of the audition contract! It gives the Player the option to keep all of the artificial junk that Team Danganronpa stuffed into their head under the condition that they win! It’s an optional prize, but who wouldn’t want to keep their very own—very special—Super High School Level talent!?” A single checkbox makes Shuichi Saihara’s world spin. A single check mark makes Kokichi Ouma’s world break. --- Or, the killing game ends, but not everyone is back where they started.
After six years(?), I have finally returned to rewrite my post-game, saiouma fic which you can read [here].
The story follows, Shuichi Saihara after the events of V3. He discovers that the killing game was all a virtual reality simulation and all of his friends are alive, except anyone who didn't survive til the end AND sign off on keeping their in-game memories before the game has been reverted to their pre-game state.
It's a story of self-discovery in the wake of an identity crisis sprinkled in with the frustrating romance of two teenage boys!
It's been an arduous five months of work, but I've come to deliver 60K+ words to you, dear reader! Even if you have already read this fic in the past, I would strongly encourage you to give it a once-over/another chance. I have VASTLY improved the pacing, plot, characterization, and grammar, and I'm quite proud with what I've been able to create! I used to be very insecure with my writing style but in the past six(?) years, I have improved in both my confidence and prose.
Give it a shot, leave a comment, and just let me know what you think! Any and all feedback is greatly appreciated and I hope to continue working on this after taking a bit of a writing break! :D
(Alt. Image under the cut)
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actual-changeling · 3 months
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Hey, about your meta on how Aziraphale emotionally manipulated Crowley in the final 15: You explained how Aziraphale didn't defend his position to Crowley after he said "I think I understand it a lot better than you do" because he knows he's in the wrong.
Sorry if you've already answered this somewhere, but can you elaborate? Theories aside, I've always interpreted Aziraphale in the final 15 as someone who genuinely thinks they're doing the right thing.
If Aziraphale knows he's in the wrong, why would he go to Heaven in the first place? What would his motivation be? And what made you think he's aware?
Thank you!
A good question!
It's a central issue when it comes to Aziraphale because a big struggle of his is that he can belief two technically incompatible things at once.
There is always his initial belief, e.g. heaven is fundamentally good and angels cannot do the wrong thing, but then he is confronted by an experience he cannot ignore that shows him the opposite, e.g. God and heaven being fine with killing Job's children for a bet with Satan.
Now, he could take those two beliefs and realize what Crowley (and most demons) probably realized at some point: heaven lied to them and is not infallible, so when reality proves to be different than what they were taught, they can make up their own mind—there are more options than what they were presented with.
However, doing so would require Aziraphale to do several things.
become self-aware enough to realize that he made wrong choices
accept that he can still make wrong choices and that being an angel gives him no moral superiority
understand that "angel" and "demon" as categories are fundamentally meaning- and useless
move away from seeing heaven as the one true authority and build his own moral compass
find an identity for himself that is completely separate from heaven, angels, and demons
learn how to have healthy relationships without replicating the dynamic he had with heaven
Crowley was forced to learn all of this in quick succession before, during, and after his fall, and he's been in a good place for millennia at this point
Aziraphale, on the other hand, was never actually confronted with a situation that would explicitly force him to change his thoughts and behaviours. He got comfortable on earth, was mostly left alone by heaven, could do what he want, and had Crowley around—who, no matter what he did, always eventually came back to him.
Aziraphale benefited from Crowley's severe abandonment trauma and fears and decided that he does not have to make himself uncomfortable because Crowley will do it for him. All of the points I have listed above would vastly improve his relationship with Crowley and with himself, but they would mean making himself uncomfortable.
It would mean having to work through feelings of shame, self-hatred and guilt, learning how to actually listen to Crowley and treat him like an equal, understanding and accepting that he has hurt not just Crowley but probably also many humans throughout the centuries (e.g. the entire situation with Elspeth and Morag).
In short, it's a never ending journey that will make you feel really bad at times but is ultimately necessary to have healthy relationships and a content life.
Aziraphale KNOWS all of this, otherwise he would be at peace being exactly like the Archangels are. He wouldn't even TRY to convince Crowley that his morals are wrong and his own correct because why try to convince someone of something you are 100% sure of?
We never see any of the other angels and demons having those morality discussions because they are at peace with who and what they are. On top of that, it's not like Aziraphale does not notice when he hurts Crowley or makes him intentionally upset—he does notice, and he does not like it.
BUT, and there is, unfortunately, a 'but', he prioritizes his personal comfort over Crowley's wants, needs, and emotions.
For example, he coerces him into giving him the Bentley and leaves him alone with Gabriel, two things that deeply distress him. When Crowley does not do what he wants, he threatens to withhold his presence/affection and punishes him with rejection, which is him abusing Crowley's trauma for his own comfort. Any moral arguments are not about Aziraphale making a realization, they're him trying to come up with EXCUSES so he can justify continuing to think/do x-thing even though reality is telling him that he's wrong; Edinburgh is a great example for that.
In the final fifteen, we basically see how far Aziraphale is willing to go to protect his own comfort. I made a rough little list of his initial belief, the reality he gets confronted with, and the conclusion he comes to/decides on:
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However, Aziraphale has finally reached the one boundary Crowley will never be willing to cross, not for him, not for anyone else. He will not go back to heaven and he sure as fuck has zero desire to be an angel again. Aziraphale could pull out whatever manipulation tactics he wants (and he does) but Crowley will not change his minds and is rightfully upset that Aziraphale is asking that of him.
So where does that leave us?
Belief 1: Returning to heaven and taking that position means he will be in charge and can change heaven so it is 100% good the way it is supposed to be. It's the right thing to do as a Good Angel.
Belief 2/Reality: He knows heaven is cruel. He knows there was a revolution with thousands of angels trying to change heaven and they failed. He knows that demons are not inherently evil and that angels are not inherently good. He knows that Crowley wants to save the world, that he makes choices are are kind, that he saves people, that he cares—and he won't go back to heaven. He knows he does not want to be without Crowley.
If the Metatron had given them the time to properly, actually talk about it, I think Aziraphale would have come to the conclusion that Crowley is right about heaven and has been all along—but the Metatron was purposefully hurrying him along and so they didn't.
When Aziraphale panics like he did then, he (like many other people) stick with the belief(s) that feels safest, the one that is instinctual, the one that requires the least amount of thinking. For Aziraphale, that is do as heaven tells you, so that is what he argues for. He gets stuck in that corner and when Crowley rightfully sets boundaries, he panics even more because that hasn't happened before, Crowley always relented in the end.
So he panics more and more and more, says increasingly hurtful things and becomes more manipulative, which in turn makes Crowley more upset, and they spiral until Crowley reaches his breaking points and accepts that he is choosing heaven over him.
Again.
By the time we reach the "you don't understand what I'm offering you", Aziraphale is out of arguments. I mean, what's he going to say? No, you the demon who fell for trying to change heaven don't know better than me, the angel who never faced any punishment from heaven whatsoever?
He pushed his angelic superiority as far as it will go and resorts to what he always resorts to once he is out of arguments.
Rejection. Silent treatment. I will never talk to you again, we're not friends, it's over, you're at liberty to go, if you won't you won't, then there is nothing more to say.
The Metatron has planned the entire encounter very carefully, he intentionally does not give him time to think, urges him to talk to Crowley immediately, enters the bookshop immediately after Crowley leaves, keeps walking when Aziraphale tries to change his mind, enters the lift first with his hand above the button.
Don't allow him to think so he will do as he is told, and it works unsurprisingly well.
I hope that helped clear that up, he is definitely very. convoluted in his decision making at times.
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So far all the ProhibitedWish content I've written Jake has either not been mentioned or already dead. But what if....human AU (cuz I guess technically it's the only AU where Jake being alive doesn't fuck the timeline too much) where essentially Jake keeps hearing things about Scarab or seeing glimpses of his relationship with Prismo before they officially "get-together" vs. Jake actually meeting the guy (including maybe a bonus where he just watches Scarab do something totally unhinged before he knows who he is then promptly is introduced to him) I would just love Jake pushing Prismo to pursue Scarab and then after finally meeting him and being like blindsided by what an maniac he actually is vs how Prismo has been describing him this whole time.
Spent my shift at work kind workshopping/brainstorming:
Set up in glimpses with Prismo and Jake regular meet-ups up to catch up. This is after Jake has already met Lady and they've had the Pups (not sure how old they're gonna be probably still kids at least). It begins with Prismo just complaining about the new auditor and what a hardass he is, Jake offering ways for Prismo to maybe befriend the guy, maybe help him to lighten up. Like inviting him to Prismos parties.
This is the cusps of change for their relationship where Prismo and Scarabs relationship becomes less outright hostile. Slowly Prismo begins actually following Jake's advice to try and befriend the other and does finally take the initiative to actually invited Scarab to the next party though he doubts he'll show up. But Scarab actually attends but spends the entire time alone in a corner before leaving early, before Prismo can interact with him all that much. Prismo reports all this to Jake who again encourages him to approach Scarab first, "maybe he's shy!". Except Scarab doesn't show at the next party, Prismo tries to pretend he isn't disappointed.
Prismo isn't that keen on the idea. Then not quite sure how I wanna make this work but Scarab has his breakdown leading to the fallout leading to his demotion, this is hot gossip in the company. Prismo ends up calling Jake after he attempts to speak to Scarab about it leading him accidentally poking some sore spots and leading to a fight. (Vaguely the idea is Scarab is on the roof he and Prismo kinda get into it ending with Scarab getting emotional and demanding Prismo leave him alone.) Prismo calls Jake as he smokes (smt he only does when he's extremely stressed and the guilt is eating him up) Jake whom encourages him to go back and talk to Scarab more.
Prismo does so and both he and Scarab are able to clear the air and force some awkward apologies out but they come to an understanding
Jake seeing this makes sure he can attend the party after that much to Prismo's delight. Usually if Jake can find time to make it to parties, (since this is after the kids are born he's not as much of a party animal anymore so his attendance is spotty) Prismo would be glued to his side. But Scarab actually shows up this time around. Jake waves Prismo off to allow him to spend time with his prickly coworker (Jake never sees Scarab his view always blocked by a guest or Prismo himself). When Jake is leaving he spots Prismo has made his way to the balcony having a quiet conversation with someone else, laughing and seemingly at ease so Jake leaves him be to head home for the night.
Prismo and Scarabs relationship vastly improves after this. Jake continues to give Prismo encouragements and maybe advice he himself had found useful when wooing his Lady (though he doesn't tell Prismo this, he figures his pal deserves a smooching partner too)
This is where it gets vague but thinkin Jake hearing stories about Scarab from Orbo and Cosmic Owl when they all maybe go out for drinks and about how crazy and harsh he is and this is where it begins, Jake gets it in his head that Scarab and Scrabby, that Prismo keeps telling him about, are two different people (Jakes got a wife, kids and a Finn to take care of cut him some slack for not remembering a faceless coworker) So Cosmic Owl and maybe also Orbo always have new stories for Jake about their borderline psychotic coworker. But in that same vein Prismo always has a new story about how cute his Scrabby is.
Finally Prismo wants to introduce Jake to Scarab after they've begun officially dating. I'm thinking Jake might own or co-own a gym with Jermaine (more like a rec center; they got classes for kids, stuff like self defense, ect) he sees some dudebro hitting on some smaller guy. When the bigger dude starts getting aggressive Jake is ready to step in only for the smaller guy to put the fear of God in the larger man with some choice words and a sharp smile. (I've got more to the scenario that might include Scarab mildly strangling the guy with weights but point is my mans is homicidal) Jake is equally impressed and frightened.
Oddly enough he and the little maniac end up leaving the gym at the same time, walking in the same direction and going to the same Cafe or park. And then Jake watched gobsmacked as the same little maniac walks right up to Prismo, who scoops him up to greet him affectionately while being scolded by an exasperated yet fond Scarab. Jake is floored. Prismo sees him and waves him over and Jake smiles and simply goes with it. Scarab seems decent enough if not mildly psychotic when pressed.
Prismo goes to the bathroom, leaving Scarab and Jake alone. Scarab pins Jake in place with a knowing gaze. They have a small interaction (not unfriendly but Jake is SWEATIN) Prismo comes back and asks what they're talking about and Scarab tells him about the man at the gym he dealt with. Prismo only responds with stars in his eyes, thoroughly enamored with Scarabs...meaner tendencies. Jake is mildly concerned for his friends taste in partners but simply glad to see him happy only watches the two weirdos with amusement.
The end lmao
(Perhaps I shall actually have time to write and polish this if my schoolwork would stop beating me with a stick)
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meanbossart · 2 months
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A long over-due ask compilation (Art & Music)
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It's vaguely based on a short story from the book "The Consumer" by Michael Gira, specifically "The Boss". I think it came up in conversation with a friend or something when I was picking a new username, so that's how we arrived at it - this was almost a decade ago so, my memory on it is a little hazy!
{MORE UNDER THE CUT]
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HAHA thank you so much!!! Glad you enjoy what I do 😎🍻
I BELIEVE this little guide I put together over here might be helpful to you, also! I touched on pretty much everything you brought up.
As for reference material when it comes to facial expressions, I have a mirror next to my desk which I glance at often and make weird faces at LOL and for consistency, it's really a matter of learning to dissect and remember facial structure. It's just something you end up developing an eye for when you've done it for long enough! Naturally, if we're talking about drawing existing characters, it's always helpful to just look at some pictures of their mugs and take a minute to define what features about them make their faces recognizable - I touch on this at the link above as well!
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I do plan on making a "drowstarion" (love that, by the way LOL) playlist eventually, life's just been kicking my ass and I hardly have the time 😭and when I do, I just wanna draw.
Otherwise I don't have any other playlists floating around at the moment, BUT the one my boyfriend made for his Vellioth comic can be found here, and it might scratch a similar itch!
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Thank you! I believe this was in reference to this post. Something like that takes me about... An hour??? If we're talking just the colors, at least. Though that's a really rough estimate because I take a lot of breaks, so my sense of time when I work ends up pretty skewed. Even if the application of the colors themselves took less than 20 minutes I probably spent 2 hours just staring at it LOL.
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My friend, I have no idea. I'm in a constant battle between "I want to draw more realistically" and "I want to simplify my art so I can draw more/faster". What you see is the result of that ongoing brain-tug-of-war.
Also, just the way I assume everyone else develops theirs - they see stuff they like and emulate it until their art is Frankensteinish enough to be it's own unique thing!
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I'm far from a Type O Negative buff, BUT I'm happy to share some of my favorites with you! They're quite scattered across a couple of their albums so I'm not sure I have a favorite, but I would say October Rust is a good starting point.
In no particular order, these are my most listened tracks of theirs: -Love You to Death -Black N.01 -Haunted -She Burned Me Down -Can't Lose You -I Don't Wanna Be Me -Be My Druidess -September Sun -Tripping A Blind Man
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Alas, I was one of those people who was already drawing in kindergarten 😅 though I would say I only started taking it seriously when I was around 15-16 years old. As someone who has tried their hand at several other hobbies since reaching adulthood, I get what you're saying that it can kinda feel like... You missed the wagon? I've felt that way about all kind of things lol
That said, I've seen adults managing to develop their art skills extremely fast and effectively before. Understanding where and how you need to improve, and how to follow lessons/guides best is something that is vastly improved by maturity and knowing how to best hone your time, attention, and resources - and those are skills we completely lack as children. So, I sincerely believe that as long as you commit yourself, you can definitely get to a point that you're happy with in a couple of years if not less.
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JUST DO IT BUDDY we are all just people looking through a screen and you won't ever see, talk, or meet 99% of the folks who ever clap eyes on what you post. Whenever you start getting nervous about sharing something, take a minute to ask yourself why you're nervous, and if none of the reasons have any genuine substance besides being afraid of what people "might think", just go ahead and post it. You're no mind-reader after all, and if you are, I doubt you can hear what a guy from Argentina or wherever is thinking about the art you made.
Point is, nobody online can touch you 🤷and if someone doesn't like what you do, they can simply choose to not interact with it, and if they do you can block and move on. There are zero reasons for you to feel "bad" about putting up a doodle when our experiences on the web are so easily curated nowadays.
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tenpintsofsundrop · 10 months
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What would Dick Grayson be like in bed? (Titans Kink Headcanons)
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A/N: So originally I was going to publish all of these for all of the characters in one long post, but I got tired/creatively stalled out about halfway through, and it's just been sitting in my drafts unfinished for weeks now. So I have decided to post them for the characters one at a time so that way I can catch up on them and have the energy to complete them really well. The reader is meant to be completely gender neutral, and I don't really know how to put warnings on this, because there is mentions of kinky topics throughout, but it's basically just a list of kinks? Like, the content itself is like a warnings list for a fic. Main warnings are for kinky topics, Daddy kink, and discussions of BDSM.
DC Titans Masterlist
...
So... one of those things that is totally obvious to me from the source material is that Dick Grayson is Daddy.
Not just when it comes to Daddy kink (although he definitely does enjoy being called Daddy for sexual gratification). He is the living embodiment of the title of Daddy. And tbh, I think he would love being called Daddy in a non-sexual context - which might sound weird if you've never been in that kind of relationship before. But when you try it out with him, you would probably love it.
It's something he would find comforting. You calling him Daddy in completely non-sexual contexts when you have no sexual intent behind it - it would make him feel good because it brings the joy of having a long term partner who feels comfortable calling him that. And he would definitely also love the casual dominance of it. He would love feeling owned by you because he gets to wear that title 24/7.
But he would be likely to say that it's something the two of you can only do in private - like in text messages or when nobody else is around to hear it, because he holds the title very sacred and he doesn't want others to mock him for it, because it is like a safe space for him. Even if he would 'laugh off' any mockery of it, he would feel hurt deep down inside.
But anyway, speaking of casual dominance - it's something he is obsessed with. I think he loves BDSM as a lifestyle, and for him, when he has a partner, it definitely doesn't stop in the bedroom - he loves setting lifestyle rules for you as a way of taking care of you.
He will set rules about when you eat (to make sure you never miss a meal), what you eat - he wouldn't ban you from eating junk food, but he would limit your intake of sugar and make it mandatory for you to eat a certain amount of healthy foods, and if you have a bad habit of consuming too much caffeine or soda, he is sure as hell gonna use sexual punishments to curb it.
His goal with casual dominance and the rules he makes will always be to take care of you and improve your quality of life - including your physical health and your mental health.
Is he always dominant?
I think that he vastly prefers being dominant because he is a control freak who hates giving up any kind of control, and funnelling those feelings into a BDSM relationship can keep him from exerting his intense need for control in other areas of life - like having emotional fits when other people don't do what he wants and violently beating up criminals. And on very rare occasions, when he is with someone he knows very well and trusts, he will play the submissive role. But I don't think he would ever be a submissive in a long term relationship.
If his sub misbehaves, I think he would avoid using pain as a punishment. I genuinely think he wouldn't be into spanking or any other type of painplay, because at the end of the day - even if he's strict about rules, it really makes his soul ache to hurt you.
One of his favourite punishments is overstimulation. He loves giving oral simply for the fact that he loves overstimulating you with his tongue for hours, and he loves vibrators and even fuck machines for the same reason.
He would use attention denial or ignoring you as a punishment - denying you of affection, or going as far as to ignore you completely if you want to talk to him at all (unless it's an emergency, of course).
He would also use this punishment in combination with overstimulation - setting you up with a vibrator pinned between your thighs and leaving you alone until you're whining and desperate, begging for his attention and ready to apologize for whatever rule you have broken.
I can also see him being into semi-public sex. He would be the type of dom to enjoy putting a remote control vibrator in your underwear just to push the button and watch you squirm at the most inconvenient times. He would also love taking you out to dinner somewhere nice and teasing you under the table, living to see you squirm and become desperate for him.
He would love any kind of bondage - tying you up in different complex ways, blindfolds, gags, all of those kinky things. As long as it doesn't hurt you, he would love seeing you vulnerable and wanting - he would love seeing rope against your skin. (And he would absolutely have the patience and intellect to learn complex shibari just to tie you up.)
And lastly (one that is obvious to me from the show) - Dick has a breeding kink.
He wants to be a father so badly, even if it's unconscious for him - it would come out when he feels you squeezing around his cock. And whether you can get pregnant or not (and whether you want kids or not), he would be obsessed with roleplaying the act of knocking you up. He would be obsessed with seeing his cum leak out of you, and telling you how he's gonna knock you up while he's deep inside of you. The first time you tell him to ditch the condom while having sex, it drives him insane, and it's the best sex of both your lives.
(A/N: I think that's a good round-up of all my headcanons for him lmao.)
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