#if this seems specific it's because i'm filled with dread

[papiliotao]

・❥・BEAUTY AMIDST AN ENDLESS NIGHT

♡ — Reader: GN

♡ — Characters: Albedo, Alhaitham, Kazuha, Scaramouche, Thoma, Tighnari, Venti, Xiao, Zhongli

♡ — Synopsis: on days where you feel as though the world is against you, your lover is there to cheer you up.

♡ — Content: fluff, modern AU, established relationship, generally soft

♡ — Word Count: around 200 per a character

♡ — A/N: the fact that I wrote this solely because I get sad for no reason sometimes. I'm sure there are people out there who can relate though. For anyone going through tough times, stay strong and keep going! I hope this fic will be able to cheer you up a little. (P.S. the parts for each character are arranged in alphabetical order if you're looking for anyone specific)

As your boyfriend, it is both ALBEDO’s duty and pleasure to remind you how much you mean to him whenever melancholic feelings of dread weigh your heart down. You watch as he flips through the pages of a worn sketchbook sitting in his small art studio within your shared home. It is filled with the most wondrous portraits of landscapes, wildfires, and even people. However, Albedo completely disregards those works. Instead, he opts to point out particularly detailed drawings strewn throughout the sketchbook. Intersecting lines form picturesque depictions of the memories you share with Albedo. On one page, your first date. On another, your first night together. But it is the final page he shows you that causes you to raise an eyebrow at him. It seems to resemble a rather average day in your life. In the sketch, you and Albedo are conversing in a mundane setting; there’s really nothing special to be seen. When you ask your boyfriend about it, he allows a gentle laugh to escape the confines of his lips. Then, he points out all the finer complexities of the work. From the lovestruck expression on his face to the way he flawlessly replicated your every feature, you begin to realize how much Albedo thinks about you on a daily basis. Upon reaching this epiphany, the feelings of insecurity and bitter frustration that have been permeating every inch of your mind dissipate ever so slightly, and it’s all thanks to Albedo’s love.

On days where it feels as though you’re drowning in a sea of your own sadness, you are thankful for your lover’s relaxed demeanour. ALHAITHAM’s voice is the only sound that cuts through the tangible silence permeating the air of your living room. He recites complicated words adorning the pages of one of his rather verbose books as you sit beside him, leaning against his muscular figure. Although you can’t understand half the phrases that leave his lips, you feel at ease. His calm voice lulls you into a dreamlike trance, acting as a temporary ailment to the negative emotions that threaten to overwhelm you. So instead of paying heed to the disturbing feelings of deep melancholy that plague your fragile heart, you direct all your attention to the alluring sound of your loving speaking and the feeling of his body pressed against your own, allowing yourself to get lost in every single intricacy of his mannerisms — the very subtleties that you love him for.

Everything about today has felt rather off. Happiness eludes you, avoiding you like an ancient plague, causing feelings of unadulterated sorrow to bubble up within the depths of your soul. Although you’re trying to conceal all your woes behind a carefully-crafted mask of smiles and feigned lighthearted laughter, your facade is akin to porcelain — delicate and fragile, cracking under the slightest pressure. And to no one’s surprise, KAZUHA is able to see through your meticulously-designed illusion of exuberance instantaneously. The subtle sighs and breaks in your expression prompt him to drag you to bed as soon as you’re finished with your daily tasks under the guise that he wants to cuddle. In reality, he knows that you’re having a rather difficult time, and he wants nothing more than to hold you and kiss the pain away, so as of now, you are wrapped in his warm embrace as he continuously presses his soft lips to the back of your neck. His snowy hair tickles your skin as he comforts you, and between each chaste kiss, he whispers sweet nothings into your ear, assuring you that tomorrow, the sun will rise again, giving way to a brighter day full of ecstasy and warmth.

Some days you can’t help but feel as though the world has been obscured by veils of endless blue. Everything feels mundane, and you just can’t bring yourself to smile. Thankfully, even in moments as perturbed as these, you are able to seek a small bit of solace by confiding in SCARAMOUCHE. To others, he seems brash and insensitive, but when it comes to you, he is attentive beyond measure. So when signs of melancholy begin to show through the cracks in your demeanour, your lover drops what he is doing and turns his focus to you. He insists on taking you out to a mysterious location, and although skepticism floods your thoughts, you eventually give in, agreeing to trust Scaramouche despite his enigmatic musings. Your boyfriend drives you to a quaint location situated in the middle of nowhere by the light of the setting sun. As you exit his car, you are greeted by the scent of the evening air, refreshing and cool, just what you need after a long day of feeling down. Scaramouche intertwines his fingers with yours, grasping onto you like a lifeline. He pulls you through a sparse line of trees, and although the darkness of the night obscures your vision, you trust your lover to guide you. When you clear the grove of vegetation, you are met with a sight that causes your breath to catch in your throat. Scaramouche has brought you to a cliff in a secluded area overlooking the city. Millions of stars adorn the velvety royal blue of the night sky, illuminating the world below, and the lights that glitter from the distant urban area fill you with a sensation of nostalgic ease. As you sit down on the soft grass beside Scaramouche, a sense of calm washes over you. Here, beside your lover and under the watchful gaze of the luminous celestial bodies up above, you finally feel at peace.

Amidst restless hours filled with uncertainty and unwanted negativity, THOMA is like an effulgent light piercing through the darkness that clouds your mind. He caters to your every need, doing anything your heart desires in order to remedy your pain even the slightest bit. Right now, he is standing in front of the stove, his back to you as he attentively prepares a meal. A mouthwatering fragrance drifts through the air as he cooks, and the warmth that fills the kitchen from the stove melts the icy cage of sadness surrounding your heart ever-so-slightly. When Thoma finally finishes, he plates the food in a meticulous manner and then shifts all his attention to you. The steam from the fresh meal caresses your cold cheeks as your lover peers deep into your eyes, displaying to you a wondrous sea full of olive green lights as you lock gazes. Before you can thank him for making dinner, Thoma leans over the table and presses a tender kiss against your cheek — one filled with all the gentleness and comfort of the sun on hazy winter days, making even the harshest of stinging winds just a little more bearable.

Whenever the world seems grey, shrouded in the gloominess plaguing your heart, TIGHNARI never fails to restore the beauty of the vibrant hues around you by bringing you bright bouquets of delicate flowers. Vivacious translucent petals tickle your nose as you breathe in the floral scent of the blossoms you are holding in your hands. The perfumed aroma that fills the air causes the tension in your shoulders to relieve slightly. A sigh of contentment escapes your lips as Tighnari takes the flowers from you and places them in a vase. His fingertips brush against your hands, leaving a tingling sensation in their wake. In a hushed voice, he begins to explain the symbolism behind each plant in the bouquet. From blush pink azaleas to the fragile and pure lily of the valley, your lover knows of the meanings behind each floret, listing them off one by one. You know that the only reason he’s rambling on and on is to distract you from the thoughts that wrack your restless mind, and for that, you are beyond thankful.

When VENTI first proposes the idea of going on a picnic, hesitance overtakes you. You know he’s just trying to cheer you up, but you’re not quite sure if you’re in the mood to go out. Nonetheless, he manages to convince you that leaving the confines of your house to breathe in the crisp, late spring air and surround yourself with the viridescent foliage of the outdoors will work wonders for your mood, so you allow him to drag you to the park, albeit somewhat begrudgingly. When you arrive at your destination, Venti sets a blanket down on the lush grass, and atop the checkered quilt, he places a weaved basket. Upon opening the basket, you discover that it is filled with all your favourite delectable treats, so despite the bitterness of the day, a small smile settles on your face. As you begin to grin, Venti sings you a song, imbuing each lyric with softness and tenderness, conveying to you that even in the darkest of hours, he will always be by your side. The wind tousles your hair as the sound of leaves rustling in a gentle zephyr rings out like a backing track to Venti’s angelic voice. For the first time that day, you feel a sense of ease settle over you.

XIAO isn’t great at comforting people, but each time he sees your empty expression, he feels his heart shattering into countless fractured crystal shards. Despite knowing that he’s not the most qualified to help you deal with your worries, you still decide to go to him to seek consolation, so in spite of the fact that he is rather inexperienced, Xiao tries his best. He tells you to rest and immediately tucks you into bed with a sweet yet endearingly shy kiss on the forehead. Before he leaves the room, he whispers a few honeyed words in a voice that somehow feels softer than usual, reassuring you that everything will be alright, and when he finally exits, he sets himself to work on all the unfinished chores around the house. He works diligently while you relax under the silky covers of your bed, and although it takes a while, when Xiao finishes with your trivial tasks, he joins you in bed, wrapping an arm around you and allowing you to bury your head in his chest, breathing in his comforting scent as you feel yourself drifting off into a blissful realm of alluring slumber.

On days where joy evades you, ZHONGLI never fails to find a way to comfort you. His presence alone is calming, but when coupled with his actions, you feel as though you can almost continue with your daily routine as usual. At the moment, you are sitting with Zhongli in your living room as your hands are wrapped around a teacup. Condensation graces your palms, and it would be unpleasant if not for the warmth seeping into your body through the delicate porcelain of the cup. As you take a sip of the drink, you allow an airy sigh of contentment to slip through your lips. It’s absolutely divine, reminiscent of the finest ambrosia, something straight out of the tales your lover is currently recounting. Your mind feels as though it is clinging onto his voice, hanging onto his every syllable to regain a sense of stability despite the fog that clouds your thoughts. He spins stories of downfalls and triumphs, some tales downcast while others inspirational, and in the midst of his narration, you find yourself transported to a different world full of fantasies — an oasis of reprieve hidden away from the monotonous and lamentable reality facing you.

Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed this, then reblogs and comments would be appreciated!

#r.archives *ೃ༄ #astronetwrk #favoniuslibrary #albedo x reader #alhaitham x reader #kazuha x reader #scaramouche x reader #thoma x reader #tighnari x reader #venti x reader #xiao x reader #zhongli x reader #genshin impact x reader #genshin x reader #genshin fanfic #genshin imagines #genshin fluff #genshin comfort #genshin headcanons

[hyper-fixated-delusions]

Of doodles and hearts.

Wanda Maximoff x fem!reader.

A/N: This little thing came from this prompt: “Wanda writing your name with hearts in her notebook with her own name.” I hope you enjoy and I apologize for any mistakes! :)

Word count: 1,442.

Masterlist.

Wanda had just finished her last class of the day and she was beyond elated that the weekend was upon her with how stressful the week had been with all the exams coming up.

Making her way through the halls a voice suddenly greets her when she makes it to her locker to put some of her belongings away.

"Hey Max."

Wanda hears and she turns to see her best friend Y/N Y/L/N standing beside her, a sweet smile on your face.

"Hi Y/N," Wanda greets shyly, your smile making butterflies erupt in her stomach.

"Any plans this weekend?" You ask and Wanda shakes her head softly, "so do you and Pietro maybe want to hang out? I was thinking we could get some food, watch a movie, and just chill at my place or yours," you smile with a shrug.

"Yeah, that sounds great Y/N/N. I don't know if Pietro has any plans yet, but I'm up for it regardless and we can do it at my house," Wanda beams, the prospect of spending more time with you making her happy.

"Awesome, your place it is then, I'll be there with pizza at 8, I'm excited to hang out," you grin. "Also, I wish I could stay with you longer to talk but I gotta get running, I still have a few others things to do here at school before I go, so I'll see you tomorrow, okay," you say and Wanda nods with a smile before you pull her into a hug, the girl relishing being in your arms more than she'd ever admit.

When you pull away and walk out of sight, Wanda squeals lightly hugging her notebooks to her chest in giddiness as she makes her way out of the school and to the parking lot, a smile present on her face as she walks to her car.

Once she's at her car the brunette girl throws her belongings into her backseat without a care in the world, full of excitement at the thought of spending some of her time with you tomorrow night, failing to realize that one of her notebooks did not make it into her car.

When Wanda makes it home from school the first thing she does is she gets herself a light snack then makes her way up the stairs and into her room.

Setting her belongings down onto her desk she begins pulling out the necessary materials to start her homework when she realizes something completely dreadful.

Her red notebook was missing.

Certainly to anyone else that wouldn't seem like such a big deal. She could just buy a new one, fill out all the missing information she needed with the help of her friends and move on.

Again, no big deal right?

Wrong.

No, the reason Wanda was panicking was because that notebook, that one specific red notebook happened to be the one that had your name written on it in several pages.

But that wasn't even the entire problem you see, Wanda would’ve been completely fine if only your name was on those pages but no, much to her luck that notebook also happened to hold Wanda's name in it besides yours with hearts and doodles around it.

It was safe to say she was losing her mind.

Rummaging through all her belongings Wanda is unsuccessful in finding the item so she quickly walks out of her room and to her brother's.

"Piet, have you seen my red notebook?" Wanda asks slamming her twin's door open, slightly breathless and pale.

"Jeez Wanda, can't you knock?" Pietro says, clutching a shirt to his chest as he was in the process of changing, "you're lucky I wasn't naked, you know!" The silver haired boy exclaims, "and no, I haven't," her twin sighs attempting to calm his heart rate, "Also why the hell does it look like you’ve just seen a ghost because of a notebook?"

Ignoring her brother's statement the brunette makes her way to the kitchen, the last spot she was at before going to her room, looking around her dining table, the cabinets and the countertops as if the notebook could've just gotten up and walked away.

"Where could it be?" She mutters frustrated, hand in her hair as frantic green eyes glance around the kitchen once again. "Maybe I left it in my locker," she says to herself, grabbing her car keys and making her way over to the door.

From the foyer, Wanda shouts up to her brother, "Piet, I'll be right back, I'm going to check at sch-" she begins, but as she pulls her front door open, her words die in her throat when she sees you standing there, hand in mid air ready to knock, "Y/N," she says surprised, "what are you doing here? I thought the plans we made were for tomorrow?" Wanda asks confused.

"Uh, yeah, they were- I mean, they are for tomorrow," you stutter, "it's just, I thought you might want this," Y/N says, hand slowly coming up to reveal the object Wanda has been searching for, "you must've dropped it on your way out, I found it on the ground by the parking space where you left your car."

Wanda gasps, cheeks flushing red as her eyes shut, "please Y/N, please tell me you didn't open it," the girl whispers embarrassed and at the lack of your response Wanda opens her eyes reluctantly.

"Look Max, I promise I didn't do it on purpose," you say hands up in surrender, "but when I found it it was already open face up and I- well I saw something that made me curious," you begin and Wanda winces, wishing the ground would open up and swallow her whole, "Wanda, I saw our names and doodles of what seemed to be us together, with a bunch of little hearts around them. Is there a reason for that?" You ask softly, not a trace of judgement in your eyes.

Wanda blushes even harder at the fact that you have discovered the secret little doodles she drew of you and releases a nervous breath of air, "Y/N/N, l- wow this is embarrassing," she begins, cutting herself short as she can't seem to find the words. "Okay, well here goes," Wanda says, steeling herself as she gets ready to confess her feelings, "Y/N, I like you." She begins.

"I've liked you for some time now and I know I haven't explicitly said that I'm gay or whatever. I mean, truthfully I still don't know what I am," Wanda whispers scared, "but what I do know is that I'm attracted to you," she begins again full of resolve, "I feel so comfortable around you, no one makes me laugh harder than you do and I guess falling for you was inevitable. Also, I know you're my best friend, so it's okay if you don't feel the same way, I completely understand. I just really hope this doesn't ruin things between us and if you don't want to see me anymore, I get it-" Wanda rambles breathlessly, her words cut off as you cradle her face and pull her into a searing kiss.

"Hey Max, breathe," you say softly as you pull away all too soon for Wanda's liking. "I like you too," you beam, "I just never said anything, because like you said, you never explicitly implied you were into girls," you shrug, thumbs rubbing Wanda's face softly, "but now, that it's out in the open, I so do want to continue seeing you. Because now I’m thinking, instead of going through with the movie night I had planned with both you and Pietro tomorrow, I take out you on a first date instead, what do you say?" You ask with a smile, arms going around Wanda's waist.

The girl beams with delight, nodding her head as she moves her arms around your neck, "yes Y/N/N, I'd love that."

"Okay, then its settled, I'll pick you up tomorrow at 8, sound good?" You ask softly.

"Sounds perfect," Wanda whispers just as softly, pecking your lips a couple of times.

"Also Miss Maximoff, who knew you were such the artist, your work is on par with that of Picasso’s,” you grin, “the way you managed to capture my essence in those doodles, unmatched! We should have those drawings framed and put in a museum," you tease with a smirk and Wanda smacks your shoulder.

"Ass," she mutters, cheeks red and you let out a laugh before leaning down to press a kiss on her lips.

#wanda maximoff x reader #wanda maximoff imagine #wanda maximoff x you #wanda maximoff #wanda maximoff x female reader #wanda maximoff fluff #marvel #my fic #no beta #my writing #Of doodles and hearts

[sophierequests]

hey!

i literally binge read all your kaz fics so i was wondering if you could write a kaz x reader where the reader is a love interest? defiantly something fluffy if possible

maybe as a prompt the reader is a uni student and none of the crows no about her but they’ve noticed kaz sneaking out to see her so they follow him and they finally meet? no pressure at all, just a suggestion!! 🫶

i can't deny it any longer

Navigation┃Main Masterlist┃Requests

Pairing: Kaz Brekker x f!Reader

A/N: Hi, love! I noticed your Kaz binge and I really appreciated it <333 I'm so glad you like what I write. I got way too deep into this request, but I really adored writing it, so I hope you like it. Even though it's a bit long. This is just filled to the brim with pining and fluff, but I'm not sorry. Thank you for the request!

Summary: An unlikely friendship gets revealed, and the Crows intend to make more of it.

Genre: Fluff and Comedy

Word Count: 6.6K (This is the longest fic I ever wrote and I have no clue why dsaljh)

Warnings: Mentions of alcohol, feelings and ripping peoples' eyes out :D

None of the Crows dared to speak on the walk back to the Slat. The job had been a complete disaster, and Kaz was fuming. Not even Inej, who had never feared Kaz’s outbursts before, attempted to talk him down. This was going to be a fun evening.

When they finally reached the Slat, he didn’t even spare them one word before he limped up the worn staircase that lead to his office. They didn’t go after him. It was best to allow him to sort things out on his own, rather than giving him another reason to lash out at them. Instead, they huddled together in the living room area to assess and treat their wounds, also bringing a few bottles of whiskey into the equation while they were at it.

Half an hour later, they heard heavy footsteps accompanied by the clicking of a cane coming down the stairs. All of them readied themselves for the berating of a lifetime once Kaz would reach their floor, but the footsteps didn’t come closer. The footsteps started to fade and become barely audible until the front door of the Slat was slammed shut. The rest of the Crows just gaped at each other with questioning glances, only Inej silently slipping towards the window, trying to spot him in the colourful crowd outside. But he was already too far away for anyone to see him.

“Phew, that was a close one,” Jesper exclaimed enthusiastically, taking another sip from his drink. “I doubt that I could have dealt with another one of his tirades on gun safety or no gambling on the job.” His voice mocked Kaz’s stern intonation, but no one seemed to latch onto the joke. He only earned a dismissive look from Wylan, who was still busy dusting the soot off his jacket.

“Where do you think he’s going?” Nina asked, her head turning to the Suli girl still residing at the window. As much as the Heartrender wanted to be mad at him, she knew that Kaz wasn’t necessarily skilled at taking care of himself or knowing when to stop, so she still felt a certain sense of dread.

“He’s probably off to get his head smashed in because he can’t take a loss,” Matthias grumbled, leaning back into the cushion of the couch, a prominent frown on his face. Nina only gave him a jab to the rips in an effort to reprimand him.

“I have absolutely no clue.” Inej began with a huffed breath. “But I’m sure that he knows exactly where he’s going.”

“What does that mean?” Wylan raised his brows.

“He’s been secretly going out a lot recently. Specifically at night or when he thinks that no one is watching. I began noticing it three weeks ago and I didn’t think it was that odd. However, by now I’m starting to get a bit worried. He always leaves when something went wrong and I just can’t seem to figure out where he’s going.”

“And you’ve been keeping that from us the whole time?” Jesper questioned, a devilish grin settling on his lips. “That is perfect blackmailing material, Inej! Kaz Brekker, sneaking out in the middle of the night to do what? Does he have a second identity that he’s been hiding from us? Is he off to go on secret jobs? Or maybe he’s visiting his secret partner?”

“Kaz Brekker having a secret partner?” Nina snorted, very much enjoying the way this conversation developed. “You don’t really think that’s likely, do you?”

“That’s the thing that you hold to be the least likely?” Wylan muttered amusedly.

“Have you ever tried to track him?” The Sharpshooter directed his question at Inej again. He was determined to know everything and would not stop until he did. “I mean, we evidently all care about his well-being,” his tone was audibly sarcastic, even though everyone knew that he actually did care, “so it would be best to keep tabs on him.”

“I did once. Somehow he knew that I was there and he told me off. From then on I didn’t feel like it would have been appropriate. He obviously doesn’t want us to know, and I think we should respect that.”

“Well, I think we should follow him the next time. Just to check up on him, of course” By now Jesper was fully convinced of getting behind his friend’s secret nights out. He exchanged a devious glance with Nina, whereas the other three Crows just rolled their eyes. They would definitely tag along, though.

On the other side of Ketterdam, you were busy finishing your last exam of the semester. It had been quite the straining term, so you were glad to finally be done with it. Once you left the exam hall, the light of the day had already subsided, announcing a bleak evening.

Normally, you wouldn’t have gone straight home after taking an exam, but none of your friends had to take the same exam, so they wouldn’t have been down for your usual visit to the local pubs. And going out alone was absolutely not an option that you would consider. Well, you would have considered it if you had the chance to visit a particular club. However, walking around the Barrel at night as a young university student with basically no self-defence skills didn’t seem like the best idea if you plan on finishing your degree. Realistically, you also had only one good reason to drop by the gambling den anyway. A reason that you were way too invested in and that probably didn’t even like you back.

You bit the inside of your cheek as your mind was invaded by thoughts about Kaz Brekker. The friendship between the two of you was fairly unlikely to anyone else. The Bastard of a Barrel being friends with a plain university student. But after you had caught him red-handed while he tried to steal classified institute information, yet still decided to let him go, he became instantly interested in getting to know more about you. At first, you assumed that he only wanted to get close to you since you had easy access to quite a few institutes and libraries. Well, it turns out that that wasn’t exactly the case. Your small flat became something close to a retreat to him. Whenever things at the Slat started to weigh down on him, he would come to you. It was an odd picture, watching Dirtyhands, one of the most feared men in Ketterdam, sprawled out on your couch, ranting about his day, but by now it was almost like a habit.

For some reason, the young crime boss had managed to fully capture your interest. In other words, you were completely and utterly besotted with him. And it was humiliating to say the least. He would never be able to love you back. Not the way you did at least.

You had been so lost in thought that you hadn’t even acknowledged where you were going until you stood at the main entrance of your flat building. You were definitely in need of a nap. After climbing the mountain of stairs leading up to your door, that is. But when you were just about to pull the bundle of keys out of your pocket, you heard a chair scraping over the floorboards inside your room. Maybe you had to scratch that well-deserved nap.

With cautious steps, you crept towards the door, pulling out the delicate dagger you kept attached to your belt - of course, a gift from Kaz. Even though the University District wasn’t too far away from the Barrel, there never had been a break-in close to your flat unit before, so the prospect of a stranger currently rummaging through your belongings scared you greatly. Slowly you pressed down the handle, allowing you to see inside the cramped flat. As your eyes roamed the small space, they were met with another pair of eyes staring back at them. You were close to letting out a shriek until you realised who the stranger was.

The dark-clad figure stretched out in one of your armchairs, discarding the book he had been browsing through. He acted as if it was completely reasonable for him to be in your home without you knowing about it. You closed the door behind you, considering whether you should scold him or whether you should be glad that he was here.

“Put the knife down, love.” Saints, how you hated him addressing you with these damned cutesy pet names. “You’d be more likely to accidentally pluck someone’s eye out than to actually defend yourself judging by the way you’re holding it.” Bastard.

“I’d say plucking someone’s eye out would be a great way to defend myself.” You dropped your bag at the entrance, walked over to the living room and sat on the armrest of your couch to calm your aggressively thudding heart.

“Not if you do it by accident. That would probably count as aggravated assault if you’d ask the Staadwatch.”

“As if you care about that the Staadwatch has to say.” He chuckled in response to that. He didn’t laugh - you weren’t even sure if he could - but a chuckle from Kaz Brekker was enough to make your head spin. Pathetic. “On another note, please tell me that you didn’t break in through the window again. I’m running out of excuses for all the scratches on the window sill.”

“I promise that I didn’t break in through the window.”

“Thank you.”

“I picked the lock on your front door this time.” You groaned, whilst simultaneously biting back a grin. “And I would also advise you to get new ones. They are way too flimsy. Very easy to outsmart. Especially for people with ill intentions.”

“Aw, that almost sounds like you care about me, Brekker.” He didn’t have one of his usual cocky comebacks at hand, so he merely gave you a warning glare, knowing that you weren’t afraid of him. As crazy as it sounded, you fully trusted him to never harm you.

For the first time this evening, you allowed yourself to take a proper look at the man across from you. It wasn't unusual for him to look like an utter mess when he pays you a visit, today he seemed just a bit more burnt out than what you were used to. There were prominent bags under his eyes, a stark contrast to the marble-like paleness of his skin. His hair was slightly dishevelled and it didn't help that he continuously ran his hand through it. All in all, he looked like he should've retired to bed a long time ago. Instead, he was here.

“Didn’t you have a job today? Shouldn’t you still be off completing some teenage criminal business?” You inquired, not necessarily caring too much about the bloody details of his work, but wanting him to continue talking. He scowled and that already told you the reason for today’s visit. “Ah, it went well I assume.”

“Don’t get me started.” You got him started. In fact, his rant almost took one hour, only allowing you to give some sparse comments in between. You would have to lie if you said that you were actively listening to what he was saying. As soon as he started telling you about how his ‘Plan F’ failed, you had already forgotten the initial intent of the mission.

“If I had stayed at the Slat any longer I would probably have ripped somebody’s eyes out,” Kaz gnarled and judging by his expression he was being completely serious.

“Good to know that coming here calms your murderous tendencies, Kaz. Even though, I believe that a good night’s sleep would have done the same thing.”

“Are you implying that you would like me to leave?”

“I’m implying that you look like you haven’t had a proper rest in forever.” You pushed yourself off your makeshift seat, walking over to the cabinet where you kept your alcohol and grabbing one of the rather fancy wine bottles. “Actually, I’m quite glad to have your company. Drinking alone is always such a bummer.” A bit clumsily, you filled up two wine glasses and handed him the slightly fuller one, which he sceptically accepted.

“Are we drinking to celebrate or to forget?” He smirked, raising the glass to his lips and taking a brief sip from it. The eye contact between you never faltered as he spoke. It almost made you forget what you actually wanted to drink on.

“Depending on the exam results, we might have to be a bit ambivalent with our reasoning.” You mirrored his previous movements, the velvety alcohol numbing your throat. You didn’t expect him to remember the fact that you had an exam today, he had so much on his mind without your insignificant ramblings, but his muddled expression told you that he did know.

“You took your final exam for this semester and the first thing you do is go home with the intention of drinking alone?”

“And you just returned from a botched job that cost you a thousand kruge, and presumably a whole bunch of nerves, yet the first thing you do is walk from the Barrel to the University District to stay at a lousy flat?” You gave him a self-satisfied smile, which he only returned with an eye roll.

“Seems like we both tend to go for the unreasonable.” He replied, a foreign sense of sobriety clouding his usually stern and cold eyes. Something clicked inside him after that conversation, but he didn’t have the will to tell you. Not right now.

Kaz only left when he caught the way your head began to slump to the side every other minute and how the time between your yawns got shorter and shorter. When he strode through the streets, he was somewhat startled by the fact that the sun had already begun to rise. He had spent the whole night with you, something he had never dared to do before, the apprehension of becoming too close - too attached - to you constantly lingering in the back of his mind. Tonight felt just right, though. Maybe he could allow himself one more weakness.

Breakfast at the Slat was surprisingly calm. As of now. One Crow was currently still missing, much to the delight of his friends’ mental well-being. Nevertheless, it still made some of them feel uneasy. What did they have to expect once Dirtyhands would join them? Was his absence just there to give them a false sense of security?

“He can’t possibly still be asleep.” Wylan groaned, genuinely just wanting to put the whole situation past him. He hated confrontation, especially when that confrontation was coming from Kaz, but he also hated the uncomfortable tension that was emitting from every single one of his friends.

“I doubt that he slept at all.” Inej returned, her voice still heavy with slumber. “I didn’t hear him coming back yesterday, so it must have been pretty late into the night. He wouldn’t go to bed at that point.”

The firm shutting of the front door made their heads turn. Realistically, it could have been anyone, it’s not like the Slat was inhabited by the Crows alone, but they all had a sneaking suspicion about who it could be.

That suspicion was confirmed once they heard the clinking of a cane coming up the stairs. And this time, the noise approached them determinedly. Kaz entered the room quietly, acknowledging the presence of the others with a mumbled greeting. There was no malice when he spoke, none of his usual venom could be found. Perhaps it was the veil of tiredness that was visible on his features, but he didn’t seem to have the intention of berating them. He looked…at ease?

“Good morning, boss,” Jesper was the first to speak up, causing Inej to give him an alarmed glance. She did not want this to get blown out of proportion, especially not because of one of the Sharpshooter’s humorous comments. “Are my eyes deceiving me or is there a certain lack of a frown on your face?” Alright, here they go again.

Kaz, who had made a beeline to pour himself a cup of morning coffee, didn’t show the underlying discomfort questions like these evoked. It was obvious that all of them were suspecting that something had changed - Saints, it was a miracle that none of them had brought his occasional disappearances up earlier - but he couldn’t allow himself to feed their theories.

“That rang true until you opened your mouth, Jesper.” He groggily replied, deciding that it would be best to avoid them for the remainder of the day.

“He’s totally hiding something,” Nina whispered as they listened to his footsteps disappear upstairs.

“Oh, he so is. But I suppose we’ll find out soon enough.”

To their dismay, Kaz’s secret trips stopped for the following days. But roughly a week after the uncomfortable breakfast encounter, Inej barged into the living room area, a devious grin on her lips - unusual for the normally holier-than-thou Wraith.

“He left! He’s on his way towards the Financial District.” Without wasting any more words, the Crows scrambled to their feet. It looked almost comical, five young adults that were barely done with their teenage years hurrying out of the Slat to stalk one of their friends.

Inej obviously led the party, tracking Kaz from a fair distance without eliciting his attention. Against her initial suggestion, he didn’t choose to stay in the Financial District, rather sternly crossing right through it. His target destination seemed to be the campus of Ketterdam University. But what kind of business would he have here?

They watched as he approached an outdated flat building, entering it without a second thought. Great, now they only had to figure out what room he would be in. They, meaning Inej.

“Am I dreaming or did Kaz Brekker just knock and act like a normal member of society, instead of breaking into my home as usual?” You quipped, beckoning him to come in with a warm smile. It was embarrassing to say, but even one week of him not coming by felt like an eternity of being deprived of his presence.

“I apologize, the next time I’ll just resort to throwing a brick through your window to not make you question your grip on reality.” It was a stupid joke, a terrible one even, yet you couldn’t help letting out a laugh. A laugh that made Kaz’s mind go blank whenever he heard it.

Today’s visit had no specific reason. He was starting to accept that he didn’t need a specific reason to come here, other than just simply wanting to see you. He wouldn’t say that out loud, and neither would you question it. It was enough to just be here. To hear you laugh at his dry humour. To listen to you talk about your day. Hell, even merely to enjoy the comfortable silence, as long as you were here.

Your usual routine was barely about to begin when one of the tiles on the rooftop next to your window crashed against the cobblestone a few stories lower. The sound of the tile coming down didn’t concern you. The rustling coming from right outside your walls did. You looked over to Kaz, who did not look particularly concerned. A knowing grimace graced the sharp lines of his face.

Without any warning, he pushed himself off the armchair, striding towards the window and forcing it open. You couldn’t see what he was searching for, but you spotted the exact moment when he found it. Judging by the way his jaw clenched you could only pray that he hadn’t gotten both of you into trouble.

“I know that you’re here, Inej.” Inej? The Wraith? What was she doing here? “I know that all of you are here.” His hoarse voice called into the darkness of the night. All of them? This made you a bit anxious. You joined him at the window, though you weren’t able to see anything since respecting his boundaries with touch also meant giving him enough space to move freely.

You almost jumped when a hooded figure appeared at the small platform in front of your window. The person pulled down their head-covering, revealing the apologetic face of a young Suli girl. This had to be Inej, Kaz’s unofficial second in command. He had told you quite a few things about her, but being face to face with her - well, sort of - was completely different. After she had pried her eyes away from Kaz’s menacing stare, she turned to look at you, and you could swear that the faintest hint of a smile flashed over her face.

“Kaz, listen, we’re terribly sorry for invading your personal affairs like that. We were just a bit-”

“You were what? Concerned about my safety? Or just way too curious for your own good?” His voice sounded dangerously low, a tone he had never used in your presence. “Leave. I’ll talk to you - all of you - once I’m back at the Slat.”

“Kaz, let them come in. It’s not a big deal.” Even though you weren’t sure who else the ‘they’ would entail, you didn’t feel like creating an argument over no harm done.

“They followed me here to satisfy their need for gossip and you don't think that's a big deal?"

"It's not like that." The Suli girl interrupted. "We were genuinely worried about you sneaking off in the middle of the night and just wanted to make sure that you were okay." He didn't completely believe that, but as his gaze turned to meet yours again, he let out a sigh.

"Fine." He lamented, audible enough for everyone to hear before trudging back to the couch in hopes to ignore whatever was about to happen.

Almost soundlessly, the Wraith slipped into your flat, looking around carefully as she took in her surroundings. She offered you her hand, in an attempt to at least give you the decency to introduce herself.

"Please forgive us for disturbing you like this, especially in the privacy of your own home. I'm aware that this isn't the ideal first impression. I'm Inej, one of Kaz's…friends." She was careful with her words, knowing that Kaz was listening in on everything she said. But you didn't care about his grudges. You had always wanted to meet his Crows, the few friends he was keen on telling you about, so their sudden appearance was actually quite delightful.

"Don't bother worrying about this. It's fine, trust me. There’s room for all of us, and some more company doesn’t hurt." You tried to reassure her, but a knock at the door announced the arrival of the others. Upon opening the door, you were met with the four remaining Crows, who gingerly shuffled into your small living space, greeting you with muttered apologies you didn’t pay any mind to. They were quite an interesting crowd, you had to note. The blonde mountain of a man entered first, accompanied by a radiant young woman, dressed in a red dress that fit her perfectly. Your mind immediately wandered to the many times Kaz had been talking about Matthias Helvar’s broody nature and Nina Zenik’s hatred towards his haircut - that had to be them. You identified the last two people as Wylan Van Eck and Jesper Fahey. The shy redhead, who had been the most apologetic out of the group was quickly pulled away by the charming Zemeni man, who only gave you a curt nod as he pushed past you to the seating area.

Even though Kaz was already on edge about your hospitality, you still went out of your way to hurry to the kitchen and bring out a few more glasses and a decanter of water. You wouldn’t allow yourself to be seen as a negligent host, especially when it came to the friends Kaz had told you so much about him

The whole group sat scattered around your minuscule living room area, occupying every seat but the empty space next to their boss on the couch. He noticed your hesitance and slid a bit further towards the armrest, wordlessly telling you that it was okay, maybe even a bit welcome to sit next to him. Without thinking too much about it, you accepted his offer, attaining some stunned glances from his team.

"I'm so pleased to finally meet all of you." You beamed after finally settling in and introducing yourself briefly, earning a pleading look from the man sitting next to you. A look you bluntly chose to ignore. "Kaz has been droning on about his Crows since I've known him."

The man who you had rightfully assumed to be Jesper shot a teasing glance at Kaz. Any intention of a comment leaving his lips was quickly extinguished by one of Kaz's muttered threats, which you couldn’t completely make out, but that seemed to be enough of a warning to shut him up.

“I wish we could say the same,” The Heartrender spoke up, her voice soft and pleasant as she gave you a calming smile. “But Kaz failed to mention that he had other…friends.” Her tone was reluctant and you could basically feel the man in question tense up next to you. The realization dawned on you that they were probably all thinking that you were romantically involved. A thought you had nothing against, in all honesty, but you didn’t intend on admitting that in the near future.

“Not that we would have believed him had he told us earlier.” Matthias’s thick Fjerdan accent added dryly.

“But of course, we’re very happy to hear - and see - that he isn’t the secluded hermit he makes himself out to be.” The Sharpshooter snickered, satisfied with the way this situation had turned out. “Even though we are kind of hurt that you didn’t think about introducing this gorgeous lady to us. Were you just going to keep her hidden away from us until you suffer a probable untimely death? You should have brought her to the Crow Club to meet us sooner. I’m sure she wouldn’t have minded.”

“You must be really lovely company if Kaz decided to keep you all to himself.” Nina directed her attention back to you. You felt your heartbeat pick up its pace. She was definitely insinuating exactly what you thought she was. It only got worse when you recalled that she was very likely listening in on the accelerated thudding inside your chest.

“Maybe I just didn’t think that she would enjoy your company, Zenik.” He retorted smugly, causing the Grisha to frown. I wouldn’t want her to be affected by your questionable influence.” His last sentence reeked of sarcasm and you knew it, yet the girl on the other side of the room put on her best offended expression.

“That’s rich coming from a man that doesn’t shy away from ripping people’s eyes out if they wronged him. Talk about enjoyable company.” You were no stranger to the Barrel’s brutality, even though Kaz didn’t necessarily talk that much about the bloody details of his job, so this information didn’t significantly faze you.

“If she gets along with Kaz this well, she’ll get along with us just fine,” Wylan added, enticing a chuckle from his boyfriend, who had one arm slung around his shoulder. You didn’t miss the faint hue of pink on Kaz’s cheeks after the Merchling put additional emphasis on the ‘this well’ part of his statement. Was he seriously flustered?

However, his theory seemed to ring true. The rest of the evening was spent chatting about your respective lives and a lot of jokes - most of them made at Kaz’s expense. The teasing about him sneaking out to meet you seemed to be ceaseless, and it affected him more than you would have expected. Maybe that was the reason why he was so reluctant to introduce them to you.

When the night gradually came to an end, you picked up the mugs of tea and coffee that had begun to accumulate on the living room table, moving to bring them to the kitchen. Inej, who had been rather reserved for the majority of the evening, was set on helping you. It seemed like she had something to get off her chest in private, so you blindly agreed. Your heart stung a bit when you thought about the possible discussion topics she had planned to hit you with. It was no secret that she and Kaz were quite close, but he never told you about the true nature of their relationship. For all you knew they could have been in a steady relationship for years now. However, you didn’t nurture that thought for your own good.

The two of you sauntered to the kitchen, putting all the glasses and mugs into the sink to be dealt with at some point later. She carefully closed the door behind her before she let her back rest against it. She really did want to talk to you. Mentally, you were already prepared for the worst.

“Y/N, I bit my tongue the whole evening and would really hate to pry, especially after the unlucky circumstances under which we had to meet for the first time, but there is a question that I just can’t get out of my head.” Shit, this was going to hurt. “Are Kaz and you, uhm, seeing each other?” Your cheeks instantly turned bright red. Nothing ever happened between the two of you, other than yearning glances on your part and comments that could be interpreted as flirty on his, but it had gotten painfully obvious that you weren’t entirely satisfied with that.

“Kaz and me?” You sputtered, trying to act like this was the most incredulous suggestion to ever exist. “Oh, we’re just friends - well, if you can call it that - I promise there is nothing to worry about!” Inej cocked her head to the side, mustering you with a bemused expression as you were still wrestling for the right words. You had expected her to be relieved or to not believe you and end up lashing out at you. What you hadn’t expected her to do was smile.

“What should I be worried about?”

“I mean, uhm, you and Kaz-”

“Oh no, absolutely not.” She laughed, throwing her head back as she realized what you were so unsure about. “There is nothing between me and Kaz. He’s my friend, but nothing more.” These words felt as if something heavy got lifted off your shoulders. At least you were not about to be stabbed by the Wraith for having a crush on someone she could’ve been with. Now, you would just have to deal with the feelings not being mutual.

“The same goes for me and Kaz. We’re just friends.” You tried to lie to yourself.

“I think he might be on a different page.”

“What?” Her way of speaking made you realize why she and Kaz were friends in the first place. Both of them would rather die than speak in coherent sentences.

“None of us believed that Kaz was seeing someone when we became aware of him sneaking out. To us, it would have been more likely for him to have a second identity. So when we followed him tonight, we didn’t expect…this.” She gestured around the room, her hands pointing up and down your body. “He seeks you out when he’s stressed - not because he needs to get away from us, he has his office for that and knows how to keep us at an arm’s length - but because he wants to be here. The six of us have been friends for so long, and I don’t think that he ever looked at any of us the way he looked at you. It may not be obvious to you, and I wouldn’t blame you, that man is more than emotionally constipated, but whatever feelings you harbour towards him, I’m sure that they are reciprocated.” Your head felt light. Could she be right? Could Kaz Brekker ever feel even slightly the same as you did?

“I’d like to believe that, Inej, I really would. But I promise that the feelings between us are merely platonic, and it’s better that way.”

“What a shame. It would do Kaz some good to have something consistent - something good - in his life.” With that, she pushed herself off the wood behind her, giving you an encouraging wink before she returned to the others.

Unbeknownst to you, Kaz had suffered a similar fate whilst you were talking to Inej.

The five remaining friends had waited for the door to close behind you and the Wraith, their heads snapping towards Kaz when they heard it click.

“So, Kaz-”

“No matter what you were planning to say, keep it to yourself, Zenik.” He wasn’t having this at all.

“Are you two dating?” Wylan asked eagerly, prompting Kaz to groan in displeasure.

“Y/N and I are not dating. And after all the trouble you five caused me today it’s bold to even imply that.”

“Come on Kaz, we may lack your skills in deduction, but we are not blind. We all see the way you look at her.” Jesper taunted his friend playfully, wriggling his brow suggestively.

“I look at her the same way I look at all of you.”

“I sure as hell hope you don’t. I don’t want you to give me heart eyes.”

“I’m not giving her ‘heart eyes’, Jesper.” There was audible disdain in his voice as he repeated Jesper’s words to him.

“If telling yourself that helps you sleep at night.” Even Matthias joined in on the teasing. He truly was done for.

“What did I do to deserve this?” Kaz rubbed his eyes with his hand, hoping that once he had removed it from his face, his friends would stop pestering him about this.

“That list would be too long for us to go through now. Especially if you intend on keeping your love interest.” Jesper was really playing with fire at this point.

“I’ll say it one last time. She is not my love interest. We are not in a relationship. The relationship we have is just as platonic as the relationships I have with you.”

“Because slipping out in the middle of the night just to see her is very platonic?” Nina grinned sheepishly. “Just admit that you like her and ask her out, for Saint’s sake. What are you so afraid of? Rejection? Being honest with yourself? Is that the way to defeat the mighty Dirtyhands? Should we send a message to Pekka Rollins?”

“That’s enough.” Kaz’s voice turned cold. Spying on his private business was one thing, but acting as if he owed them a heartfelt confession was too much. “This is none of your concern, it never was in the first place.”

Before he could add anything more, the kitchen door creaked open with you and Inej emerging from the room behind it. There was a shared understanding to not bring that topic up for the remainder of the night. They still hoped that one of you would make a move, but they couldn’t force you to, so they just had to drop it.

After an hour or so more of talking, they chose to leave you alone again. The Crows said their goodbyes, already inviting you to get drinks at the Club during the next week. All of them wandered towards the door, except for one.

“I’ll join you later. Go back home.” Kaz ordered, provoking Nina, Jesper and Inej to exchange giddy glances. But they still left without asking any questions. Once they were finally gone, he turned to face you, visibly wound up over everything that happened today. “I apologize for their behaviour. That was completely unacceptable, and them simply showing up with-” You silenced him with a simple hand gesture and a smile.

“Kaz, it didn’t bother me. I actually appreciated having them around, even if you didn’t- They are precisely the people that I would expect you to be friends with.”

“Fine. But I hope they won’t make this a habit.”

“Are you afraid of having to share my attention, Brekker?”

“No. I just don’t see the point in seeking relief from a headache just for the headache to follow you everywhere you go.” He replied sarcastically, relishing in the dizzy feeling your laugh gave him. Maybe he should listen to his friends for once.

“Oh, hold on a second!” You paused, hurrying over to dig in the drawers of the cabinet standing in your hallway. After a bit of rummaging, you pulled out something small and shiny. He couldn’t make out the exact shape since you kept it concealed in your fist, but he suspected that it might be for him. “Open your hand.”

“Why?”

“Kaz. Just do it.” He stretched out his arm, letting his gloved hand hover a few inches away from yours. In a matter of seconds, something long and partially heavy was dropped into his palm. It was a silver key.

“What is this for?” He questioned, pulling the gift closer to him to inspect it further. This caused him to miss the flash of embarrassment that rushed over your features.

“It’s a key to my flat.” You confessed meekly, his eyes snapping to meet yours. “I had a copy made after last week. Just so you don’t have to break into my flat anymore.” His face remained calm, but his mind was running wild. You gave him a key to your flat. A key that would allow him to see you whenever he wanted without having to risk getting caught whilst trying to pick your lock. “But you don’t have to accept it if you don’t want to. I just thought it would make things easier. Even if your little headaches might stop you from visiting me that often since they know where I live now.”

“No, I, uhm, thank you. It will at least make me look less like a creep.” He chuckled. If there ever was a right moment, this would be it. “But we should probably consider a different place to meet each other once in a while. Just to keep the others off my case.”

“Oh? What are you suggesting?”

“I heard there’s a new waffle place opening up this weekend, so maybe you would like to see if it’s any good? With me, I mean.” Kaz prepared for the bone-crushing reaction that would follow his offer. You wouldn’t say yes.

“I’d love to.” Saints, he did not expect that.

“It’s a date then?” The words were supposed to be sarcastic, but his brain was just beginning to work through the implications of you agreeing to go out with him.

“It’s a date.”

When he eventually managed to force himself out of the comfort of your flat, he still held the little silver key in his hand, constantly turning it over in his palm. It would take him some time to work through what had just happened. You gave him a key and accepted his clumsy shot at asking you out. The Crows would never let him live that down.

And as if his thoughts had summoned them, they were already expectantly waiting for him at the entrance of the flat building. Jesper was the first to notice the key.

“Please don’t tell me that this is what I think it is.” The corners of his lips were pushed up as high as humanly possible.

“She gave you a key to her flat?” Nina squealed, resisting the urge to engulf him in a hug.

“Voluntarily?” Wylan added in disbelief.

“And I asked her out. Are you all happy now?”

“You did what now?”

#kaz brekker x reader #kaz brekker fluff #grishaverse fanfic #grishaverse x reader #shadow and bone #shadow and bone x reader #six of crows x reader

[hilariousrabbit]

Critic of Stage in Playful Land - The Worst Event in Twisted Wonderland

I'm not gonna lie, I had high hopes for this event. The cards were gorgeous, I loved the new outfits, and we even got new characters! I'm quite a huge fan of the gothic circus aesthetic, so I was even more hyped for what's to come. Of course the stakes would be high for something like this, but unfortunately...the execution of this event has completely brought it down.

This is gonna be a very long and angry critic, so beware! I might be mean too!

The translation screenshots provided are from Ekala on YouTube. TW: Insensitive portrayal of human trafficking

The first part of the event felt SUPER stretched out. I understand, the main cast may have been overwhelmed with homework and losing the basketball match against NRC. But I also feel like they could have summarized this quicker? Plus, Fellow Honest also talks A LOT. I know it was supposed to be extended flattery to the point where it became suspicious, but it was taking so long to get to the main point that I quickly became bored.

The character's reasons for going were also very strange...but let's focus on the Octavinelle twins for a second. Floyd and Jade wanted to visit the amusement park specifically because it seemed suspicious. The twins are seen as a very shady duo, and having conflict with an even shadier duo (Fellow Honest and Gidel) is bound to be something that would be super interesting to watch.

Similarly as to how Idia played a crucial part in the Masquerade event, I thought they would have a larger role in this story, and I was disappointed when they just frolicked around the amusement park. They're not the type to just walk right into a dangerous territory without a plan/strategy, and it felt really weird seeing that happen. With them doing no preparations for this situation whatsoever, it feels like a waste to even state that detail in the first place. Speaking of that...I had heard some other fan theories on the role Ortho would play in this event. Some speculated that he would be representing the puppet in this event, as he isn't human. But then again, none of that ends up happening in the event because there was no thought as to how these characters would be used. My friend made an interesting point about the character choice in this event. They speculated it was just the company gathering up characters that haven't been in many events before book 7 ended, and I honestly wouldn't be surprised if this was the case.

When the main cast was exploring the park, it was just filler content. Nothing interesting happened, at all. They explored the park that was filled with references from the Pinocchio movie. Now if this was any other Disney film, I would be like "Yeah alright, that's from the movie. That's cool". But if you know what happens in the movie, then it might be a different story. I was deadass filled with dread when they put the references in, and I was so uncomfortable. Especially during this scene:

Also this was uncomfortable to see. Like okay...I didn't need to know that.

Anyone who watched the Pinocchio movie must have known that something bad was bound to happen (most likely some form of human trafficking). So when Fellow Honest's intentions for selling guests as wooden dolls was finally revealed, the entire story went from 0 to 100 real quick. And not in a good way. I know the previous filler was supposed to put us in their shoes, and how we as the viewer could also get distracted from the carnival's attractions. However, there should have been a better way to transition these two contrasting moods of the story. Plus, I can't help but feel like this is an unnecessarily cruel twist compared to the original movie. When it comes to more darker/sensitive topics such as human trafficking, there should be some sort of caution as to how they portray these kinds of things. I felt like this was solely added for shock value to make up for the slow pacing in the first parts of the event, and I can't help but feel really uncomfortable about this. I also REALLY don't like the possible implications of this line:

The insensitivity of the topic of human trafficking is further fueled by how the chase is played out. They needed a reason for characters to be kidnapped one by one, and I know that's usually how these types of events play out. But considering the severity of their situation, I feel very weird about it. Also, the characters are unusually calm about being sold as a literal slave? And the topic is just not dealt with seriously at all.

Important Detail: The Playful Land theme park functions as a ship, which sails away from land as soon enough guests are lured into the park. This is literally a human trafficking ship, there's no sugarcoating this.

Another part I'm upset about is how Kalim dealt with the entire situation. I'm unfortunately used to Twisted Wonderland dumbing down his character for cheap laughs but this has really gone off the rails. Ace gave him a clear reality check. They were at risk of being sold as dolls to whatever rich freak paid money for them. It was clear that Fellow Honest wouldn't converse on the subject over a fancy dinner. Honestly...I need you guys to read this for yourself.

So when Ortho came back, why in the world did Ace apologize to Kalim? Sure, what he said was harsh but it was completely true! There was a real threat to these characters and it wasn't being taken seriously.

For some reason, every time there's a chance for Kalim to develop, all of that is just completely reversed. Even if this was an issue before the event was released, I also feel like the writers forgot one very important thing...

Kalim has literally been kidnapped before! SEVERAL TIMES TOO!

He was targeted several times because he's from a rich family, they were planning to do malicious things to him for the sake of MONEY. Literally, just like Fellow Honest! He should know better than anyone else how horrifying it is to be taken away from the ones you love, and having no idea what will happen to you. But noooo instead he went full on Steven Universe on Fellow Honest! I'm not even taking the excuse that he's desensitized to it because he was putting the lives of his classmates at risk by giving this human trafficker a fucking chance. While he's not the smartest in the group, his character IS compassionate. How did he give more compassion towards this stranger he met a day ago instead of his own classmates?! How did they botch his character this badly?!

Lastly, when Fellow Honest's reasoning is stated in the story...I really have no words. He engaged in human trafficking, because his former teachers told him that he wasn't a good mage? ...I'm sorry? What the fuck kinda reasoning is that?!

He's literally committing a random act of malice because of his own personal issues. I can't even say that he was merely projecting his hatred onto students alone, as there were other guests attending the park too! I don't know how old they are, or if they're even in school anymore, so these are literally just random victims to me! It looks like the writers attempted to add a tragic backstory for this character in order to get the audience to have some sort of sympathy for him, but this just makes him look fucking stupid.

During this event, he talks about school being worthless and about how he and Gidel had a hard time surviving because they didn't get an education. Like...he chose to drop out of school. Of course that would happen! What was he expecting?

This event made an attempt to go into class dynamics and it's just...oh my god. Let's do a character comparison for a second. Ruggie grew up in a poor area, but because of that he was always on that grindset. Instead of bitching about how educated people are entitled and snobby, he takes advantage of every opportunity around him. And this includes the education at Night Raven College! He even takes financial advantage of others if necessary! He doesn't mind working for others as long as he can get something out of it.

Now let's talk about Fellow Honest's unique magic. I'm not gonna lie, I do think that concept is pretty cool! However, let's take a look at how it's implemented in the event. Now this is where I get critical of this. Having an increased amount of optimism doesn't mean being dumbed down. I'm still confused on how none of the characters were at least a little bit skeptical when walking through the park. There were red flags all across the park, free food, surprise gifts, a whole ass outfit for free, and a freaking 10 minute roller coaster! It was clearly too good to be true, so I can't understand how nobody among the main cast doubted it even for a second?

Also the reasoning why a magic-sensitive creature like Lilia didn't sense his magic before is so bullshit. I'm sorry, they just needed a reason for him to not notice this in order to make this event work.

And then when the cast started talking about how great school was for them, and even offering him admission to Night Raven College... Sorry just a moment, I just need to...

He is a literal human trafficker, and they decided to sympathize with him because of his bad school past?! WHAT???

I'm not even taking the excuse that the main cast are based off villains. HOW CAN YOU JUSTIFY THAT AT ALL?!?!?! HOW???

We don't know how many people he has done this to. It's clear that this isn't the first time this amusement park has hosted customers. If this was merely his first attempt by means of survival then it might have been a different story, but he's experienced at this. There's a good chance that he has turned people into dolls before.

And then after a super prolonged chase scene and even more battles, we get to Kalim going full-on Steven Universe on Fellow Honest. Then his employer deducts his pay because of the damages in the park...and he finally had enough. He frees everyone, asks them to destroy the park, and now he's a good guy and he's gonna open a school!

...

Now I'm confused about this for a couple of reasons. So first of all, how did his opinion of schools completely do a complete 180 after talking with them for a few moments??? Change in a character doesn't occur this quickly, and we've seen this be the case with multiple characters in this game. Even if this was meant to be rushed for the sake of this being an event story, not even Rollo had a change in opinions after his event! So what was up with this?

The second reason is that Jack specifically stated in this event that his brother can't use magic but is still attending school. Magicless people DO get educated, and there's many pathways for them to choose from.

They aren't barren from society like Fellow Honest thinks they are. Take a look at the people in Epel's hometown and in Fleur city, they're pretty happy! I don't think the concept of schools for lower magic users/non-magic users is as revolutionary as they're making it out to be, and I feel like this is a super last-minute decision on the writers behalf.

Another thing is that...

Fellow Honest has NO REMORSE AT ALL for what he did.

He wanted to quit because he just didn't wanna work for the higher-ups anymore, not because he actually realized what he was doing was fucked up! Yeah sure, he might be focused on his new goal to open up a school. But is he just gonna ignore the fact that he fucking SOLD PEOPLE AS DOLLS? HUH? How am I supposed to wish him well on his newfound journey when this entire thing is just left unaddressed!

I'm also confused about another thing. Fellow Honest asked the cast to destroy the amusement park after he freed them, promising to turn the park boat around to Sage Island if they did so. This caused the boat to sink, and Ortho had to push the entire park back to shore.

They were able to get back to shore before any serious damage was done, so can anyone tell me why Fellow Honest and Gidel decided to ride off into the sunset WITH the park? It's literally sinking as they speak! So...huh? Where will they even sail to? It's pretty hard to not notice a huge ass amusement park sinking like this in the middle of the Sage Island, especially when it's right beside the port! What is going on?!

Who the hell even wrote this? I can't with this event man...

I know the lesson of this event is to realize the importance of going to school and being a good kid like in the movie. However...let's step back for a bit. The target audience for Twisted Wonderland is young adults and teenagers, and the fanbase DOES consist of these people. I don't think they need reminding of why education is a privilege...? Pinocchio was specifically made to scare little kids, so it just does not translate well to their target audience AT ALL. While I do love Twisted Wonderland, I really do feel like this is their worst event yet. I hate how almost all the characters were dumbed down to make this story work, and I don't care if it was because of Fellow Honest's unique magic. When it comes to sensitive topics, Twisted Wonderland is usually good at portraying them appropriately. So I really have no idea what happened with this event.

I think the company saw the positive reception with Rollo Flamme, and decided that this type of new character was something to be implemented yearly. Surprisingly, Fellow Honest and Gideon seem to have a large fanbase in Japan...so they probably took the popularity of these characters as their next material to work with. This could have worked out wonderfully if they were to treat this like its own story rather than a remake of the movie, but unfortunately that's not the path they decided to go with.

I have never felt this way about any other event, and the urge to write this critic was STRONG. I have no idea whether Yana wrote this, or if another employee just decided to pull some last-minute shit with this entire event. Regardless, I'm praying to god that this is merely a one-time occurrence and that the next event will be better. I think for the sake of my sanity, I need to pretend this event doesn't exist.

Thank you for reading my thoughts on this.

#twisted wonderland #stage in playful land #twst #twst wonderland #twst event #playful land event #I was really in denial at first but... #I was trying to give them the benefit of the doubt for almost the entirety of this event #PLEASE tell me i'm not the only one who's thinking this #when the shock value from this event worn off #I was just like...what did I just watch? #when you step back and look at it...it's really not good #there were more points I would have added in this post but it was already super long and I was really close to the image limit! #thank you for reading #I would love to hear what you guys think of the event

[catgirlshauna]

um hi pookies i wrote my first long smut in a while LOL here it is

warnings: cnc, slight noncon, dubious consent

you only came to this party because lottie begged you to. she had texted you a few nights prior to tonight.

lottie matthews (math class) *your phone*

“wanna come to a party w/ me?😔”

loml *lottie's phone*

“uhhh when”

lottie matthews (math class)

“friday, at 8”

loml

“isn't that kinda l8 lol”

lottie matthews (math class)

“PLS…… 😩” “i don't wanna go alone u know those guys flirt with me 😓”

loml

“fineeeee 😒”

lottie nearly jumped for joy at your response, she would of course… never tell you that. you met her outside of your house, though you don't remember telling her your address, you just figured shauna shipman from lit. gave it to her so she could text you about math.

lottie matthews (bad @ math)

“wear something cute, pleaseeee? don't dress all prudish, it's boring !!”

loml

“i am NOT getting down with some man tonite LOTTIE 😤”

lottie matthews (bad @ math)

“i just want u to have fun and open with urself”

you couldn't really argue with that… so you picked out the loosest sweatpants you owned tied together with the belt string, and a crop top you deemed just cropped enough to be exciting, but not slutty. you hoped. you sent lottie a picture of the fit, hoping it'll please her.

lottie matthews (bad @ math)

“cute!!! that's perfect. i'm omw to pick u up now <3”

loml

“ok”

you sat at your front door, waiting for the dreaded ‘here :)’ message from lottie. and as soon as it came, you were up and out of the door. lottie pulls up in what you can only assume is a custom wrapped tesla that her father told her to get. you stop your jaw from dropping and get into her car.

it smells like incense and cinnamon, meaning you can't help but take a deep breath in through your nose as the air cycles through. lottie feels giddy, she wonders what you'll sound like when she's fucking you numb.

the drive to the party is surprisingly short.. it was near your neighborhood, which felt oddly specific but… oh well! you weren't going to question it. much.. when you arrive, lottie even goes as far as to open the car door for you, a saccharine smile gracing her lips as she grabs you by the hand and pulls you inside. immediately you're hit with the smell of musk, weed, alcohol, and maybe vomit.

you two do end up separating about fifteen minutes into the party, as lottie goes off with her other friends and leaves you to fend for yourself at the drink table. it's a build-your-own cocktail moment, with various clear and slightly cloudy liquors. you make yourself a dirty shirley temple and find yourself sitting on the couch next to natalie scatorccio, who's clearly only there for the free drugs and alcohol.

“wow, did lottie get you to come here? the little prude who's never seen at parties.” she jokes, clearly a little high and a little bitchy. you resist the urge to roll your eyes, until they flit down to the dab pen that rests in the palm of her right hand.

“can i… hit that?” you know you sound a little desperate, but you need to feel high to feel normal. natalie only flashes a knowing smile before handing it to you. you take a deep puff, one that would kill your lungs if you weren't so healthy right now (an absolute lie).

lottie, who's been wandering the party to make herself seem less suspicious, comes down the stairs only to see you sitting with- with natalie scatorccio? why her? lottie sucks in a deep breath through her teeth and lets it out through her nose. she needs to get you more pliable, and fast. she makes her way towards you, crouching down in front of you.

“hey, having fun?” she asks, placing her hands on your knees. she takes your nearly empty drink from your hand and takes a sip, deducing what cocktail you made yourself just by taste. “i'll go fill this up, ‘kay?”

you're too high to care, but your mouth starts to feel dry… you look up at her and smile.

“thanks, lottie.” your words are a little slurred, but otherwise understandable. lottie smiles in return and walks off to the drink table. as she makes your drink, she adds a dash of powder that most definitely isn't a crushed up roofie. she walks back to you, handing you the drink.

“i'm gonna be around, okay? you sit and… talk to your friend.” she waves her hand towards natalie, who's still vegged out on the couch.

lottie will be more than around. she’ll be right around the corner, watching, waiting for the roofie to kick in, before she swoops in a few minutes later to ‘check’ on you.

“oh, baby, are you sleepy? did that pen knock you out?” lottie thanks god that natalie is always packing some serious weed varieties. you end up nodding, and with her help, standing. you say your goodbyes to natalie and let lottie practically carry you to her car. the drive back to her house is quiet, mostly because you've fallen asleep. not fully, lottie knows, but enough. she parks her car out front, not giving a care in the world to who might see her as she carries you out of the car and into her large home. she doesn't waste any time, taking you straight to her room. she sets you down onto her bed, gently, of course, and brushes her thumb over your cheek to ease you into sleeping.

lottie quickly enters her bathroom, taking another pill, a much stronger pill, and dissolving it in a glass of water. she brings the water to you, urging you awake so you can ‘stay hydrated’. you groan in disobedience, but drink the water anyway. as soon as you do? your head hits her fluffy pillows, which feel oddly like they've been fluffed up just for this moment. you start to feel hot, extremely uncomfortably hot, and wiggle around on the bed with a groan. you can't speak, for some reason, but look at lottie pleadingly. she only nods, as if it's completely normal, and starts to undress you. what you didn't tell her to do… was undress you all the way. you're left naked on her bed, almost completely paralyzed as she stares down at you.

“you poor thing… you must be so warm… so hot?” she mumbles, brushing her fingers over your ankle. you might not be able to move, but every sense is heightened, and you want to jerk away from her touch. her hands start to brush over your legs, massaging your calves, squeezing into your plush thighs. you let out little whimpers, though, every time her squeeze on your thigh tightens to something painful. you swear she’ll leave bruises with how brightly red they shined on your skin. she tuts every time you make a noise, only squeezing harder. you bite your lip, which is numb, and nearly bruise it by how hard you're actually biting.

lottie decides she’s teased enough, given you enough foreplay. she drops her pants, then her panties, taking her shirt off as she drapes herself over you. skin against skin, you stare up at her in bewilderment. her cock is hard already, pressing against your stomach as she starts to trail sloppy, wet kisses to your throat and jaw. she's moaning into your skin, absolutely obsessed with how you taste. how she knew you'd taste. she runs her palms over your nipples, rolling them into hard little nubs. you can't stop yourself from trying to buck up against her, your cunt unbelievably wet from her teasing. she starts to breathe a little heavier, before guiding her cockhead to your waiting hole. her dick is average, but rather thick, and takes a bit of easing as she pushes in. you let out a real moan this time, feeling the stretch of her cock as she bottoms out. you rock your hips against hers. she groans and bites into the flesh of your neck, rocking into you at a faster pace as she wraps her arms under yours and pins her front to your front, effectively pushing your bodies as close together as possible while still being inside you. your poor pussy clenches around her, fluttering in a way it never has before as one of her cock-veins rubs against your walls. you want to moan and moan for her, to do anything it'll take for her to let you cum. and she listens, to those broken little slurs you make begging for her to fuck you harder. you don't know why you've become a bitch in heat, but you don't care… you love letting a woman like lottie matthews fuck you raw, and yeah, you don't really know why everything that happened tonight suddenly ended up in her bedroom. and yeah, you don't care, either.

lottie’s hips start to stutter, and her thrusts turn slow and sloppy. she presses a kiss just under your ear, before whispering the most horrifying words you've ever heard.

“i can't wait to see you pregnant with my baby.” you start to squirm under her, whining, trying to get her out of you. there's no way you're letting a girl you just met a few weeks ago get you pregnant! lottie, however, growls and bites into your shoulder again. she sucks and sucks until the bruise borders on painful. “you're mine, understand?” her words start to slur together in pleasure, and suddenly she slams into you one last time, her cock brushing against your cervix as she fills you up with her cum. she slides out, almost all the way, before slowly pushing right back in, fucking her load into you to ensure you get pregnant. you're still squirming, but you've grown tired, really tired… you stop. lottie stops.

“i can't wait, baby.”

#yellowjackets #lottie matthews #nsft

[montygatorshusband]

Hello! How are you?

Could I please request a oneshot

Sans x female reader (angst or fluff or a mix of both 😅 or whichever you like)

Sans is sick with a cold / flu and the female reader takes care of him?

If you can't or don't want to, then no problem, it's okay! Thank you!

Have a great time! 😁

Hiya! I’m doing well, hbu?

AHHHH MY FIRST REQUEST I'M SO EXCITED!! ALR ALR I WANNA GET STRAIGHT INTO IT!

Warnings : Sans puns

You groggily wake up in the Snowdin inn (Or as Sans calls it, the Snowdinn) to a phone call. You rubbed your eyes and answered. 

“Papyrus, can’t you get Sans to read you a bedtime story? It’s like 2 in the morning…”

Papyrus sighed on the other line.

“It’s not that human! Sans is sick! He seems to have the flu. While I, the Great Papyrus, could easily take care of him, he requested you, and you specifically!”

You pinch yourself. You're not dreaming. Who knew monsters could get sick? But your stomach soon filled with dread.

“Is it bad?”

The sound of metal falling on the ground startled you. 

“Nyeh! Cursed bowl full of inconspicuous water! Sorry human, a bowl full of inconspicuous water fell off the stove! I was going to make some spaghetti for Sans. I was going to use that water! But Sans obviously knew he was going to get sick, and so in a brilliant move, he went through space and time to give me a bowl of hot water! And I’ve soiled it!”

Well, you weren’t too worried. If it was bad, Papyrus would have been panicking. Probably.

“Mhm. Tell Sans I’ll be there in a bit Paps. See you.”

“Farewell Human!”

“And tell him I’ll check his temperature.”

You really don’t know if that would work but oh well. Better safe than sorry.

You got your faded ribbon and muscle glove and headed out to Sans and Papyrus’s house. How do you take care of a sick skeleton exactly? You didn’t even know monsters, much less skeletons, could get sick. Do you just treat them like a sick human?

You enter their home and head up to Sans’s room before noticing he was just on the couch, covered in ketchup and not wearing his jacket.

“Hey Sans. You doin’ ok?”

Sans looked over and shrugged. 

“Good as I’ll ever be. Wanna do some Netflix and chills?”

You roll your eyes, smiling, as Sans laughs at his own joke. He’s used that pun before and it caught you so off guard and you got so red he asked if your SOUL moved up to your face. He just wanted to see you do that again! But, you manage to not blush.

“Aww don’t give me that look.” 

You sit down next to him and offer a hug. He accepts it and puts his head down on your chest. Maybe it was just because you lived in Snowdin and it was somehow perpetually cold, but Sans did seem very warm. He swore his favorite place to lay was your chest to hear your heart, and maybe that was true. But it was also just comfy laying on your breasts. 

“Ah! Welcome human! You came just in time to taste test the spaghetti!”

You gave a polite smile and you and Papyrus talked while Sans fell asleep. As much as you liked Papyrus, the fact that not even Sans could get past the fact that his brother's cooking wasn’t very good is a testament. But you and Undyne also agree that Papyrus is improving, Sans even more so.

“Hey Paps, can you get some napkins so I can clean some of this ketchup off?” 

Papyrus got some napkins and handed them to you. He went back to the kitchen to continue cooking the spaghetti. You wiped the ketchup off of the places you could and sighed. Silly Sans. 

You remember when you first met. You had just left the ruins, and Sans was messing with you. Stepping on branches behind you and appearing and disappearing in the distance. Then he tapped your shoulder, so you whipped around and hit him with your Toy Knife. You were so surprised and scared. Blood was dripping everywhere. But then Sans just took a sliced bottle of Heinz ketchup out of his jacket and simply said ‘Damn. In Heinz sight, that wasn’t a good idea.’ 

You grabbed a blanket and put Sans’s head on your shoulder and covered him up. But to your surprise, a thermometer fell out of his pocket. You grab it and notice it’s covered in warm water.

“Sans.”

You could tell Sans was doing that little gremlin smile that he does whenever he gets you with a whoopie cushion. 

“You're not sick, are you?”

Sans got up and shrugged, putting his jacket on. 

“Alright alright I admit. I feel fine. I guess you could just say I was feeling… bonely.” 

Man. You should have known that bowl of inconspicuous water was, in fact, very conspicuous.

GAHH I’m sorry it was so short :( BUT! Since sans simps are well and alive (I presume at least) more Sans content probably on the way.

#undertale x reader #undertale #sans #sans X reader #sans x you #papyrus #sickness #x reader #y/n #female reader #sans X female reader #request #requests open #oneshot #fluff #sans fluff #the great papyrus #Papyrus #eeeee <3 #Bowl of inconspicuous water #Bowl of conspicuous water

[beautifulpersonpeach]

BPP!

I won’t even beat around the bush. This is a Jimin Fishing ask inspired by this lovely Twitter thread:

https://twitter.com/pjmngallery/status/1671537322075082753?s=46&t=0p2xrEO4ePcaUttUPmcMmA

So BPP, please do us the honour and drop your Jimin is so sexy pictures 😋

***

Hi Anon,

Your link.

I appreciate you being upfront about this being a fishing ask. But rather than post pictures as I usually do, I'd rather fill you all in on what I've been doing recently.

I've been watching fancams...

Jikook and rapline member fancams, specifically. Because, before anything else, I'm a fan (ARMY), and I need my fix of their god-tier performances on a regular basis. Coincidentally, I was going through my playlist of Jimin fancams before deciding to open up my Tumblr on a whim to answer a random ask, and yours seems most appropriate for what I was just doing.

So without further ado,

Jimin:

ON era Jimin is so fucking underrated. Timestamps of note: 1:10 - 1:38 (for peak Jimin energy), 2:43 (for Namjoon's walk), 2:43 - 4:02 (for jikook and Jimtonin concentrate).

*

I'm still gagged. The passion? The abs? The fact this man was singing live while maintaining that energy? The immaculate synchronization with the background dancers? The masterclass in charm and fan engagement he showed? The fanchants???? First of Park Jimin then BTS? Y'all, I'm gagged still, months later. Park Jimin did that shit with Set Me Free Pt 2. I'm looking forward to the rest of his music this year and next.

*

Also, streaming his MVs are good and all, but his music show live performances shouldn't be neglected either. First of all, they're very good performances. It's clear Jimin put a lot of work into them and the quality shows. Second of all, the streaming filters on music show channels are less than on HYBE channels on youtube, for whatever reason. Just FYI.

*

One of the first times I saw him perform live. And no offense to everyone else, but the difference in skill he showed here, in a song that wasn't even his, compared to everybody on that stage.... I had to pay attention.

*

Pardon my language but he's a beast, a serpent, if Lucifer had a love affair with blonde hair dye and tight skinny jeans, he'd be Jimin in this Gayo performance. Wholly demonic and entirely cherubic at the same time. There isn't a single idol in existence who has his energy.

*

Nobody is immune from Kitty Gang Jimin and I'm no different.

(In 2026 I want him in blood red dreads beaded in cowries, his back tats fully on display, and a military scar running up his left arm.... but I'd be alright with his angelic visuals and persona kept intact and that highlighted instead :))

*

Anybody who says they don't know why BTS is on top is lying. BTS has Jimin. Enough said.

*

In this one performance, you see at least 8 sides of his personality. He's incredibly aware, expressive, and empathetic.

*

Endeared.

*

Endeared Pt 2.

*

Anyway, I miss them. Jungkook will be dropping new music soon, but I also really want something new from Jimin and Namjoon, so I hope we get that too before the end of the year.. maybe just before Tae's release or right after. I need it.

If you've read and watched the fancams to get to this point, here's a few random Jimin pics from my gallery just because...

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#I hope you're doing well anon #jimin #park jimin #bts #bangtan #kpop

[crisiscutie]

Hello, I'm the creator of the Irregularity AU here!!! I gotta say you made the AU more amazing. I actually didn't meant that Y/n went back to multiple crucial points in the FF7 timeline therefore gave birth to many small worlds of the FF7 universe (Like the theory where your different choices can create alternate realities and in another world,you went the other way)

She only went back to the start of FF7 Remake since it's the timeline that was reversed but still what you wrote is much more amazing. It's interesting that Y/n went back to many important points in time of FF7 timeline like CC or Pre Nibelheim

FF7 Remake is complicated, there's the theory of multiverse (Example: Zack lives bitches!!!). I watched an analysis of the game on YouTube once and it actually made sense in a way. Aerith and Sephiroth somehow sent their consciousness when they were in AC timeline back to the past and their past vessels,specifically the start of FF7's main story therefore we got FF7 Remake. In a way it does explain how Sephiroth and Aerith seems to know more than they should've had, meaning the reality had been tampered with in some ways

I noted that Sephiroth wasn't even physically present in the entire game yet somehow he killed President Shinra,bc he was encased in mako energy at the Northern Crater. Then how did he does it? FF7 Remake is like a fever dream

Anyway great job you did there with writing Irregularity AU!!!

Ah, okay, my bad. 😅 I want to watch that analysis! I will try to search for it! And alternate reality is what I love about the remake. Lots of interesting things the writers are trying to do differently so it wouldn't be the same story with pretty graphics. I'm excited for the new things they'll come up with for the next two games in the remake trilogy. But at the same time, the OG game was full of interesting, major events so I'm worried some important moments will be cut or altered too drastically... But anyways, thank you! I still love your AU, so I came up with another scenario for it! And I see the other spicy AU you got cooking up in my inbox too~! 😏

Content Warnings: Physical Abuse, Blood and NSFW themes, slight non-con under the cut (i mistyped the last word with an n)

༻❁༺ A new opportunity to remake.

Within your AU, I like to think that the darling, having traveled so far back in time, will be lulled into a false sense of security, because Sephiroth is just a cruel mastermind. Eventually, she'll believe she has escaped him. As she's presented with a new chance to reintroduce herself to Cloud, she wouldn't notice the sudden darkness forming in her room as she stares at Cloud from her window. She's made a terrible, terrible mistake in assuming her security... When Sephiroth steps out from the darkness of her room, she's filled with dread as she slowly turns to watch his menacing prowl toward her. The possibility of meeting Cloud again, which she had been so eagerly anticipating, had been cruelly taken away from her.

Cloud will remain in the area with unease, as if something should be happening, but he couldn't figure out what.

Now with AC Sephiroth and 7R's Seph's conscious as one? He'll dispense a cruel, eternal punishment on the darling.

༻❁༺ Not the reunion she wanted.

He'll summon Masamune and kick her down, and put his boot down right on her lower stomach. His eyes will soften with delight as he rambles about how happy he is to reunite with his darling once more. Pride will radiate from him, as no matter how much time or space shifted, it couldn't prevent their reunion. He'd then ramble about his darling's womb, how he couldn't wait to plant his corrupted seed within it, to start his dynasty to rule time and space as he puts more weight on her lower stomach... Then, with a wicked smile, he watches his darling squirm in terror and discomfort, before mockingly questioning her ability to escape him this time as Masamune draws the slightest hint of blood from her delicate neck.

He'd remember how, (in the AC timeline), his darling hung around Cloud and his friends, daringly interacting and smiling at other men... It's a shame that Sephiroth needs to correct his darling before she could greet Cloud this time. Did his darling really think the warmth caress of his touch was inferior to any other? The cold steel of Masamune draws more blood, threatening to turn the darling's stinging cut into an agonizing wound at any moment.

Before she can ask how he caught up with her, his darling will hear him chuckle, saying no matter how much she ran, he could always catch her.

Before his darling knows it, he's eye-level with her, his soft, glossy lips almost brushing against her own as he slowly spreads her legs apart. He'll lovingly trace her inner thighs while staring her down. She can try to kick and move, but his magical prowess prevented any movement. She can open her mouth, but only quiet whimpers will come out. As Sephiroth plants a tender yet passionate kiss on her lips, tears will spill down her cheeks. After all what she's done, it meant nothing. This is only the start of her eternal punishment...

Meanwhile, Cloud lets out a heavy sigh, feeling a strange emptiness as he leaves the area and continues his mission.

Side Note: I still like to think Aerith assisted with the darling getting away from Sephiroth initially considering how she would be her best ally.

#yandere sephiroth x reader #yandere sephiroth #sephiroth x reader #ff7 sephiroth #sephiroth #c.c rambles #Irregularity AU #tw: noncon #tw: physical abuse #cloud strife #final fantasy 7 #final fantasy x reader #ff7 x reader

[soundbulb]

as with all sweeping statements about writing, you need to take it with a grain of salt, but I've devised that an over-commitment to autobiographical writing is the easiest way to ensure you won't make consistently good work. it's easy to clock in young authors, and some of it's symptoms are clumsy pacing, even line to line pacing and over crammed phrases. it's easy to point out in songwriting, but I think of musicians like [REDACTED] and [REDACTED] and [REDACTED], how they're writing is painfully mediocre despite people saying they're known for this quality. part of this is because they're supposed to be able to play at weddings and target playlists, but beyond that what they're really known for is their willingness to talk about their lives, but if you just look at the writing it's overwrought and clunky; filled with words that don't lend to their story or atmosphere. autobiographical writing carries the ethos that you write things because you believe they're true, not because it serves your work; you write things because that's the way you think it happened, not because it's a good creative decision. you only offer your perspective on your life. shouldn't be surprising then that this usually makes for dull, myopic writing.

memoirs are their own art, and there's tons of ways to do them. I'm not talking about the literal autobiography. good memoirists will even tell you the driving motivation behind their writing ethos isn't literalism or "writing things as they happen". fiction is also best served when you accept that there isn't going to be a Truth in your writing. you're efforts for truth are really efforts for verisimilitude; you just want things to feel real, so you might have to sometimes write something that's true. (most of the time verisimilitude isn't best achieved through truth). your details should be focused, which isn't to say overly strategized, but they shouldn't be wasted on things that feel unrelated but are "true". I think of the way surrealists use details, how they intuitively build the emotional world we live in, choosing to connect objects with deeply held states of existence that are indescribable, but signaled through these objects. the ceiling fan in twin peaks that can best be described as dread, but it's both more specific and more wide reaching than that; how the phrase "powder blue" begins to land the further you get into toni morrison's song of solomon, as this mix of danger and belonging; how the first story sets up the profound confusion and alienation of invisible man. writing is unique in it's direction of attention; in order for your audience to know something is in the room, your narrator has to notice it. every description comes with the implicit fact that your narrator's attention is drawn to it, and the question: why? that doesn't mean that everything needs a cut and dry reason, maybe the reason is just that it commands attention. but your attention can flesh out an entire setting, an entire character. now imagine if you wasted that ability on things that were there, or true, but don't build anything. now imagine if you wasted that attention on feelings, words, scenes that have happened, but don't build the story. this is what makes mediocre writing so infuriating; the hint of deliberation that makes you pay close attention to things only to find they're presence is evoking nothing but the fact that the writer literally saw them. if the purpose of your attention being drawn to something is only to build out a room as it literally was, and not to make the room seem the way it did, THAT is bad writing. things feel realer when they're specific, when they evoke an emotional response, not when they're rote reproductions of reality.

#writing #t #ht #I'd leave the artist names but people aren't normal on the internet so I don't want to

[nomoreusername]

Caption Gally (Part 3)

Summary:As Gally and your rivalry continues he does something that changes it.

Pairing:Gally x female reader

I still can't believe it. Y/N seriously just slapped me before kissing me. What the shuck was that about?

Then, I saw Minho's face, and I knew he had something to do with it.

"Minho. What did you tell her?"I asked frantically.

"Whatever do you mean?"He asked in a tone that says he did something.

"What did you do?"I repeated.

"Why would you assume that? Is it because she just walked up and kissed you?"He asked as if it would be anything else.

"Minho. You have three seconds to tell me,"I warned.

"Okay. She was talking about you so much that I accidentally told her your secret,"He admitted. Except, his face said he did it on purpose.

"Why would you do that?"I asked in disbelief.

"Easy. She wouldn't shut up about you. It's obvious you two have some feelings for each other so I helped out. You're welcome,"He shrugged.

"No. That is not something to be thankful for. What is your problem?"I questioned.

"Oh please. You two shanks are always talking about each other. Plus, she kissed you, didn't she?"He reminded me.

"That's not the point,"I scowled.

"Sure it is. See you at dinner or not,"He shrugged, jogging off. I swear I am going to strangle him.

----

Three days. It had been three days since Y/N had decided to waltz up and kiss me, and she was pretending nothing happened. I was only more confused now. What was the point of that?

Which is why I didn't even bother with the fight ring on Greenie night. I just had to find her. I don't know what I would say, but I'd figure it out. I always do.

Except, it seemed like I'd have a while to do so because as I looked around she was nowhere to be found. She pops up at the most inconvenient times, but the one time I'm looking to actually speak to her she just vanishes into thin air.

"Y/N's hanging out by the Maze walls,"Minho spoke up, coming out of nowhere. Once again, everyone but her is around me.

"What?"I asked.

"Y/N, you're looking for her,"He stated. Not asking. No. This shank was positive I was looking for her. He was right, but that's not the important thing to focus on. "She's by the Maze walls. Specifically, the East one,"He added.

I stared at him in a way that said I blame him for this mess. He was unaffected as he walked off.

I stood there before taking a breath. Each step filled me with dread, but I had to talk to her. Even if the thought makes me sick to my stomach there's not exactly another choice, is there?

No. There isn't.

Despite this I dragged my feet the entire way there. As promised she was sitting on the ground leaning against the wall. For a second I thought she was actually asleep.

"What's up Captain Gally?"

I guess not.

"I feel like you should know what's up,"I pointed out.

"Maybe I do. Maybe I don't,"She shrugged.

"Are you actually going to make me say it?"

"Say what Captain Gally?"She asked, feigning ignorance. She is so incredibly frustrating sometimes, and this is probably at the top of the list.

"First, you hit me-"

"I hit you all the time,"She interrupted.

"You know what? This is pointless. I'm going to-"

"I'm sorry for hitting you,"She spoke up. "But I'm not sorry for kissing you. This time not because I wanted to get under your skin. I like you Gally. I really, really like you,"She confessed.

I didn't have the best idea of what to do in this situation. I guess this isn't something I could just figure out. You can't exactly plan for having feelings, can you?

"I really like you too,"I settled on. It was simple, but it was the truth. There's nothing more powerful than that.

Except for love, but we'll get there when we get there. I'm in no rush to see where this leads. For once I'm just looking excited about what's happening in the moment.

#gally tmr #gally x y/n #tmr gally #gally x reader #gally maze runner #gally #the maze runner #one shot #tmr #mini series #part 3/4

[mean-scarlet-deceiver]

(I’m copying and pasting some stuff from a conversation on the Chapter 6 post with @whumpster-fire. The reason I’m doing a separate post is because WF did their research and therefore uncovered a, shall I say, “historical spoiler” in the Nobby-verse. It’s there for anyone to find, but I’m going to refrain from reblogging the conversation so that people can avoid the “spoiler” if they want to.

Though this post is also going to be mildly spoiler-y in a more general way for the series. Not, however, in a way that I think is relevant for regular readers of this blog or anyone who is up on some basic Furness Railway history.)

Oh, buddy. You are singing my song. This has occupied space in my brain for ages now, and you put words to it very well.

I've long been frustrated with the commentary on Gordon's family situation as if it were in any way uniquely awful because hello?? And while they all have massive griefs in varying ways, yes, I find something specially brutal in Edward's front-row seat for the slow but inexorable destruction, not only of his immediate family (bad enough, to be sure) but also of virtually all his first railway's fleet. Like a whole 20-year trickle of horrible news. And I also can't help but wonder... There was surely a time when picking up an assignment to Barrow was a treat, especially in the periods when Edward was getting bullied by the NWR main line—chance to see some friendly faces, catch up on the news from home... when did that change? When did the bad news become such a steady drip that he started to dread going back over-the-bridge? While undoubtedly carrying guilt even about so much as that, because in his secure position the least he can do is show up (it was the '30s in the UK; they hadn't discovered feelings yet). 

I hate to continue to be a downer in this conversation, but no, I don't.

Not through the NWR, at least... even though it is technically canon-compliant (and makes a lot of sense) for the NWR to have scooped up lots of condemned LMS engines during this era!

But my gut says that it just doesn't fit the picture on an emotional or narrative level.

Donald and Douglas's achievement in rescuing even one of their own is presented as a watershed in the cultural history of the railway. I'm inclined to believe it really was—that it opened up a new vista for the engines. Edward having done something similar decades before just kind of undercuts that for me.

Christopher Awdry pretty obviously did not think there were a lot of Furness stock on Sodor (even though it would make sense). Not that he made an explicit statement, but the whole point of the  Victoria and Edward story in TaV seems to be that they bonded over their pleasure in encountering another FR survivor. Thomas's driver didn't tell Victoria that she could look forward to meeting other FR stock on the island in general (even though, again—if he'd said that, it would have made a lot of sense!), he mentioned Edward specifically. And Edward went from a week of taking no notice of Victoria to trying to get her on his branch line within ten seconds—I'm not exaggerating—within ten seconds of discovering who she was.

It's hard to make narrative sense of why, if there was an ex-FR contingent on Sodor, Edward is the standout, the only one of the lot who is part of the famous eight. He doesn't have that strong personality to stand out of a group of his peers—he's a supporter, a lieutenant if you will. That's the role he fills among the known Sodor engines. If there was a smaller coterie that he was part of, he'd had served that role in that group. You know? But the whole tenor of canon is that he used to be very alone, and then he became indispensable to the 'famous eight' dynamic. None of that feels compatible with a 'little Furness' band on the island.

I mean, I love the big lugs, but let's just be blunt: Edward was so hard-up for friends that he got cozy with Gordon, Henry, and James. These were among his best options on the entire island. If he still had any of his original 'family', I just cannot see him caring quite that much what these idiots thought of him, not even so early as the strike, certainly not so late as the incident in 'Cows.'

In short: the dynamic I see between Edward and the rest of the NWR is that he went all-in on unstinting generosity with his second family. And this is probably due to the perspective of an engine who lost his first family completely.

So, you seem to be referring to some of my old FC1 posts, and tbh I abjure them in part, but I still maintain that there is a slightly... weird dynamic between Edward and FC1. FC1 is consistently very kind to Edward when they do interact and seems to think a lot of him. Despite this, Edward does not seem to let himself rely on that very much... at all. FC1 does not appear to have been involved in Edward proving himself fit to rejoin the fleet. Edward, despite being Mr Deputation ("it's when engines tell the Fat Controller something's wrong") doesn't do this in the Thomas situation—he just intervenes on his own. He does confide in FC1 during the strike, but only after FC1 initiates the conversation; in other situations, I am struck more by Edward's slightly painful anxiety to please and to show a happy face. And, even more relevantly to this discussion: Trevor! Edward does not appear to think for a hot minute of going to FC1 with this problem. FC1, who presumably has a country estate. FC1, who has a ton of contacts. FC1, who despite my harsh analyses in the past I will now concede has established a fair record by this point. But nah. Doesn't occur to him. If Edward had ever brought up similar concerns in the past, and FC1 had proven willing and able to help in any way, then I feel like going to FC1 would be his first move here. But he didn't.

The above bullet point also feels like a pattern that makes a lot of sense if FC1 had been unwilling and/or unable to help when the ex-FR engines were steadily condemned. Because, as you say, I can at minimum definitely see Edward proposing they borrow, lease, or buy some over these years (even if, also as you say, he might have been reluctant to push too hard). If FC1 never went this route, it just seems to fit the overall dynamic very well. It needn't have been hard-heartedness on his part: During the Great Depression all his humanitarian principle was probably well-employed just in keeping his own engines safe, without the need or ability to take on more. And Edward probably understood this. But it would have fed into the sense that he may have developed as early as the shed confinement days that, when it comes to the things that cut him the most deeply, he'd better not look to FC1 for salvation. (1952: 'Oh I'm gonna be overhauled after all? Cool. I didn't dare ask.')

This is all to say, I agree with you that Edward would have tried to get the NWR to buy some of his old colleagues. But I don't believe it happened.

That leaves the possibility that he did participate in some more 'underground' rescues after the No-Where train. This I find more plausible. Maybe the F.R. rogues sent out a couple of engines through Tidmouth or Brendam harbors—where the L.M.S. would be less likely or able to look for them!

But I would still add some cautionary words. I don't think it could have gone down more than a few times. I don't think Edward initiated any of these—if they happened it would have to be a sort of deal like my Nobby-verse where Coppernob is masterminding the plan and giving everyone marching orders—and this is because of The Twin Engines and "Saved from Scrap." The whole tenor of the latter story suggests to me that Edward never rescued anyone from death before. It's 1952, and he has to fly solo; Nobby's nowhere around, and any allies from the old days are gone too; Edward is now the Old Guy who has to be the one to Do something if anything is going to be Done. It's also interesting because, unlike Nobby, Edward is not a schemer. His approach is just to go to well-off people who have the power to directly help, and then… ask them to help. Nobby’s smokebox is breaking even as I type those words. It’s such a naive, stupid thing to do! (But… is it?)

The contrast between the two approaches is so delicious, and it does resonate so well with canon, that I am inclined to explore that. Like, I do not believe the NWR ever purchased an FR engine post-Grouping, but I can believe that Edward was appointed deputation and successfully campaigned for the NWR to repair some engines who otherwise would have been sent to Horwich, where they were as likely to be scrapped on sight as to be mended. Or, better than appointed, a self-appointed deputation. I kinda want it to be 1932 and someone, maybe even Poppet, needs a part replaced and Nobby starts spinning his overly-elaborate webs but when it comes time to tell Edward what role he’s to play he’s just like “... right, I’m not doing all that. I’m just going to ask the Fat Director—it’s not an expensive repair and I’m pretty sure he’ll say yes.”

And then there’s a long silence. Everyone in the Strand is simultaneously thinking

1) Nobby will bloody well kill us if we go back to him and say that we let some ‘Gull just completely overturn his plan by SPILLING ALL THE TEA TO A DIRECTOR

and also

2) … but this does sound sooo much easier

Yeah, I do think there is unexplored potential for major angst in the background of Douglas bringing Oliver over the bridge. I don’t think so much with Edward, as his family has been gone so long and I think he’d have the best sense of perspective as to how the situation is different for Oliver than it was for anyone else. I think it might have hit more like a brick for engines whose loss was fresher, like Gordon. And… BoCo.

Who also spent ‘68-’69 in the same position we’re talking about: His siblings are getting scrapped, right over the bridge. They must have been close-knit. They were physically close. I have no doubt BoCo was hoping that “second spot” available on Sodor in '68 could go to one of his own, and then Oliver shows up. Not that I think BoCo would begrudge Oliver, but also… yeah. It's the same pattern we’ve been discussing with Edward in the ‘30s, except this time around there is a Fat Controller actively seeking to acquire engines. And still BoCo can't help anyone.

That’s something that keeps my brain up at night.

#ttte analysis #ttte headcanon #murder cw #death cw #ttte coppernob #ttte edward #the fat controller #ttte donald #ttte douglas #ttte boco #*oprah pointing to each engine at the sheds in turn* and YOU get some free therapy! — and YOU get some free therapy!

[pinkmoondoll9shihtzu]

all the talk about demons is really interesting to me so i wanted to share my demon story (although im not traditionally religious so i usually resist the term demon bc i feel like it has really specific connotations to most people... but my experience with a negative parasitic entity)

lived in a 200 year old house in an extremely spiritually active area of land where weird shit happened often and there was a creepy vibe always but this was the worst thing that ever happened there and the most sinister by far. most of the creepy energy just felt like nature spirits which are indifferent to human life. but basically my sibling had an extremely bad drug addiction and a lot of mental health problems and his room became extremely unpleasant to go into, there was a terrifying energy always like if you went in there to get something it felt like you were about to be grabbed. he moved out in very upsetting circumstances and after he was gone I think the negative entity which had accumulated in there feeding off his unhappiness had nothing left to consume so it started to come out. the first thing that happened was only mildly weird, the door to his room like locked and unlocked itself on its own when my sister tried to go in. now that i'm typing this i realize i cant actually remember a lot of the details, and stuff like the door being locked inexplicably is fairly normal weird old house stuff, but it felt so sinister and terrifying at the time, we were all aware of it even though it wasn't directly expressed. the thing that made me realize there was an actual entity in that room coming out was my mom woke up and found a tissue box on the foot of her bed. it wasn't the one from her room because that was still there, and because it was blue (my brother's color) we realized it had come from his bedroom. so this thing took the box of tissues out of my brother's room and put it on the foot of his mother's bed to torment her. idk this sounds so mundane typing it but it was legit one of the most chilling things i've ever experienced. i felt that the entity was like a black hole, nothingness that fed on nothingness and created more nothingness.. like the exact opposite of a living creature. I tried to force it out by visualizing my energy pushing it out of the room and i think it partially worked.. idk hmm....... i hope this isn't too much demon stuff i dont wanna bring down the vibe of your blog.. this is 2012 3arth n01ses btw i just didn't want this to be findable via my blog bc its personal family info

it's ok i dont think it brings down the vibe ^^ i like to talk about this stuff especially as i feel very protected at this stage in my life i am inclined to pass along some of my feelings towards ~the spiritual war~ as many people are looking to gain insight. to me it feels very objective to analyze & discuss..

and i relate to this story a lot o_o i've experienced poltergeist activity and it's no joke,.. when an entity becomes strong enough to start messing with the physicality of this realm it is absolutely horrifying even on the most minor scale. there's been a few haunted houses i've lived in where it's happened but this story really reminds me of when i was living in new mexico at my exes house..

my ex and i shared a room that was a newer addition to the house. but the main part of the house was over 100 years old & an alcoholic man had killed himself in my exes childhood bedroom during the great depression. i could not fucking be in this room, like, the second i stepped in there i was filled to the brim with dread & discomfort like the walls were closing in on me. no one else seemed to feel any type of way about this room, but my exes dad had said something interesting about it. it was next to the bathroom & the house was so old that the pipes were made of clay, so in winter they had to dig underneath the house to like, repair the pipes or alleviate pressure on them or something?

anyways the first winter i was there one day my exes dad mentioned that he saw a tiny shadow man run across the yard into the hole under this room. to me it instantly felt like something ancient. and i felt the man who killed himself in that room was being tormented by this thing. because in present times this is still a very dysfunctional household, especially concerning addiction. that room especially just felt so fucking heavy.

one time i was going to the bathroom at midnight, my ex was out with friends, her parents were sleeping in their own room. as i walked past the haunted room the door was open and i heard a voice say "hello!" but it sounded distant, like it was echoing, but not echoing in the room, it was echoing through dimensions. i became TERRIFIED & i ran into the bathroom, i sat there listening with the door open just to try and assess the situation, like maybe my exes dad woke up or something? then i heard loud footsteps walking out of the creepy room towards me. i slammed the bathroom door shut. the footsteps stopped and there was no more sound after that, neither of the parents were awake. i was so shocked. its still hard for me to believe.

but i do feel the man who killed himself in that room gave the entity a huge surplus of energy to work with. and it was causing all types of chaos in that house. i also find it interesting how it waited for my ex to be out of the house before presenting itself to me. because it was rare for us to be apart at that time. since it was her childhood bedroom i feel the entity has a special attachment to her. and it's very similar to your brother. i'm sorry your family has had to go thru this ): but you're not alone.. and you seem to be taking a higher path from my own observations it seems you've learned a lot from this experience and allowed it to elevate your cosciousness rather than falling victim to it. so good for you, your soul is strengthened, really the best case scenario from this.

thanks for another message...your intuition is on your side <3 PMD9 xxxxxxxxx

[mr-viwick]

decided to put this short angst fic here after thinking about it for a while

CW: zending (especially the bad part), angst, sad feels

part of a personal interpretation of Stanley, I hope it turned out well

Red Door

“When Stanley came to a set of two open doors, he entered the door on his left.”

Stanley didn’t even have to listen to the words of the Narrator anymore, he knew exactly what voice-lines would come and even if the Narrator wouldn’t have said anything, by now the words were practically burned into Stanley’s mind, he’d hear them anyways. He let his gaze wander from left to right and back again. Which way would it be today? There was barely any path he didn’t know, the endless cycle of resets had been going on for far longer than he could describe and there was barely any outcome he didn’t know. He let out a huff and marched towards the right door, immediately being met with the Narrators disappointment as soon as he had moved past the doorframe. It was fun in a way, to have the voice be irritated at his actions, upset even. Stanley made his way towards the employee lounge, not giving the room much attention, despite the Narrators sarcastic remarks about the beauty of this room, instead his thoughts drifted.

It wasn’t like Stanley would always disobey the storyline, no, he had enthusiastically worked his way towards ‘freedom’ multiple times, getting exactly the ending the Narrator had in mind for him. But there was something this path couldn’t possibly give, something he only had when he actively strived off the set path of that ‘freedom’. Stanley walked past the maintenance room and directly towards the larger one filled with countless boxes, the voice throwing a displeased insult at him just shortly before he stepped on the cargo lift. “Look Stanley, I think perhaps we've gotten off on the wrong foot here.” There it was, part of what he’d been looking forward to, he’d been addressed directly. Stanley lifted his head. “I'm not your enemy, really, I'm not.” A sigh and he jumped down, landing on the metal catwalk with a loud clunking noise, the Narrator wasting no time to chastise him for interrupting his speech. “Are you that convinced that I want something bad to happen to you? Why, I don't know how to convince you of this, but I really do want to help you, to show you something beautiful.” Stanley had no doubt that’s what the Narrator wanted, after all he knew where he was going to end up, where he was aiming to end up. “Now, listen carefully, this is important. Stanley walked, through the red door.” Determined, he walked towards the red door, finally following the narration, walking through the repeating corridor until he was guided to a familiar room with a round platform and a variety of colourful and calming lights. “Here! Yes! Oh, it's beautiful, isn't it? If we just stay here, right in this moment, with this place... Stanley, I think I feel... happy. I actually feel happy.” Stanley sat down on the hard floor and tilted his head up, his expression remaining neutral. The room was wonderful, yes, but not the reason he came here. Still, why not enjoy it for a while and let his thoughts drift before the inevitable end of this path.

By now Stanley knew very well that the Narrator wasn’t nearly as much in control or all knowing as he believed himself to be. The endings were perfect proof, especially the bad ones since for the most part he seemed to not remember them, as opposed to Stanley who very much recalled every second. Though it was likely for the better that he forgot, especially things like the skip button. Stanley let out a huff. He’d only taken that path a few times while he had experienced the remaining ending almost countless times. It was… unpleasant. Not because of the Narrators slow descent into losing his mind, no, that was dreadful as well, but not his main reason of avoidance. It was something specific the voice said, something he understood too well. The Narrator had an intense fear of not being listened to, having no proof he was real. The fear has escalated in the skip button path and he had rambled on and on about the regret and dread he had felt and that he wanted Stanley to feel the same. Stanley hadn’t been concerned about the threat, not at all to be fair, but he had been shocked, because the Narrator had described an equally intense fear of his own, one that had only been in the back of his mind then, but became stronger over time. The Narrator may have forgotten but Stanley could remember the cracking walls of the room becoming less and less sturdy each time he pressed that damned bright yellow button. He could remember the days, maybe weeks spent wandering in that desert, slowly losing his mind without the ever present voice.

Stanley opened his eyes to look at the hypnotic pattern of colours flowing through the room, deciding it would be time to get up soon. Part of him dreaded what would follow soon, part was thrilled. He enjoyed the freedom ending, he really did, but all he ever was in that story was a protagonist whose actions got narrated, nothing else. But when he didn’t listen to the instructions given, when he decidedly disobeyed, he would be spoken to and not about. It was the recognition as a person instead of being treated like the lifeless part in a story, the proof that in some way he was real too. And so he began to climb up the staircase in a steady pace, waiting for the voice to react. “Please, no, Stanley, let me stay here! Don't take this from me!” The desperate tone tugged at him as he walked heavy step after heavy step upwards, reaching the highest part soon enough and stopping just at the edge. Stanley looked down and took a deep breath. The pain came suddenly, as always, and he whimpered as he opened his eyes to see he was laying flat on the floor. His body ached and protested as he lifted himself up, his steps a little less graceful on his way back towards the staircase. The pleading was even worse now and Stanley grit his teeth, there was no way to stop the cycle anyways, he’d come back here sooner or later. His foot stepped into empty air and he felt the breeze drift by as he fell for the second time, just shortly before the impact. Stanley dragged himself up the staircase two more times, knowing for certain the next time would be the final one, his body stung with each movement and he took just a moment at the top to stay there before he threw himself over the platform. He could see his vision go red, managing to form a wry smile just before his consciousness faded and the game reset.

#cw sui themes #the stanley parable #tsp stanley #tsp zending #angst #sad #sad fic #writing

[soyces]

Morning Tea (Johnlock) Pt 2

tags- fluff, angst :)))))

Chapter One(Sherlocks point of view)

I  wake up to the sound of the kettle whistling and footsteps. But I don't move because I almost physically cannot, my head is pounding almost as if I were talking to Moriaty or Anderson…god do they give me a headache. I struggle to get up from my bed which seems to be filled with clothes and some sort of wrapper? I put the pieces together and realized that I must have slept with someone from the bar- but these were not only my clothes…but Johns? I sit up rather quickly and scan the room which is quite hard when you feel like you have just been hit in the head with a hammer. I crawl from the bed to my clothes and manage to put my trousers on with much effort and energy. I scatter through the room to find my dressing gown and stumble my way to the loo. As I'm sort of walking I can hear John making his way to the window, I glance at him then quickly look back at him once more. Has he always looked that way? I wasn't sure what he looked like but he looked nice? I don't think I've ever referred to him in that way… I shake my head and try to focus on something important rather than how a person looks. Peeing. Yes, let's try completing that without cracking my skull open. As I walk in I glance in the mirror and realize how dreadful I look so I quickly fix my hair. As I'm looking at myself in the mirror I think about John, specifically what his clothes were doing in my room…did he leave them there? Did he sleep in my room? My brain struggles to put the puzzle together almost like a riddle, I've never liked these guessing games, and was never good at them either. One thought that pops into my head is that maybe John was the “mistress” from last night…but I erased that thought and finished doing my business( i dont think youd want to know the details…) and I stumbled to the kitchen. I tried to stay quiet but ended up tripping on one of my wires connected to my glass capsules filled with something I cannot remember now. But I don't think I want it touching my skin- I hear John say something but it sounds muffled and loud at the same time? I respond 

“Shhhh- just…quiet please John” I almost dont recognise my own voice…and my breath is horrible lord- I try to put the kettle on but trip yet again and fall onto the cold kitchen floor. I can hear John rush over to me as he notices the situation. I notice a small smile curl on his face and that's all my mind is filled with. His smile, it's always been there but I'm only now noticing how pleasant it is to look at- I snap back into reality and hear John say something and then I hear myself asking for his help. Then before I know it I'm in my chair and John is hovering over me. I feel a bit annoyed with myself for not being able to make tea for god’s sake- I look around our lounge, looking at all the scattered papers and bullet holes i left in the wall, the faint smell of tea and cigarette smoke lingers in the air. I’m just hungover, big time. I can hear John and Ms Hudson chatting in the kitchen. I've never really seen the point in small talk, if you're going to talk, make it something important, not something about the weather! After I finish complaining to myself I realize John has made me a cup of tea. Eargrey with a little bit of honey. I awkwardly thank him and watch him sit in front of me. We sit in silence as we drink our tea looking at seemingly nothingness before John decides to speak. 

“Do you have any memory of last night?” He asks with a certain tone that makes it seem he’s been racking his brain about this topic all morning the same way I have been. There's a pause and I take a breathe then start to speak. 

“Well…from what I put together is that we went to a bar…for my birthday. We drank, a lot-”

“Yeah I got that much…”

I sigh “Alright… And we spent a lot of time in the bar and- well..”

“My clothes were in your bed, yes…”

I pause once again, I know he's not an idiot but he seems upset- does he regret it…? I notice he's running his hand through his hair and looking a little more angry but I cannot seem to figure out why… I mean sure the situation is awkward but I don't see a reason to be angry. He puts his mug down and looks up at me, his face is puzzled and upset. I notice him wanting to say something but going silent suddenly. 

“Yes…?” I ask to try and make him feel less awkward about saying anything.

“This can never happen again. We are partners, friends, colleagues but we cannot be more-” He says in a tense and angry voice. His words seem to hit me hard and I am unable to understand. My face scrunches up with confusion and a little bit of sorrow. 

I open my mouth to say something but stop myself to collect my thoughts that have started spinning in my head like a washing machine. Then I finally said something.

“Do you…regret it, John? I ask, looking at my feet and twiddling with my mug.

He grows silent. Oh god- He regrets last night…

“I-...You wouldnt understand why-” He suddenly speaks with a tense yet soft tone, not looking me in the eye. My stomach sinks…why wouldn't I understand? Is this about Mary…?

“Try me.” I say putting my mug down and clasping my hands together as I lean back in my chair.

He’s still silent, he is not saying anything and it's getting on my nerves. I should be more patient with him. But I can't help getting angry at things I don't understand, especially when it comes to John. Then I hear him sigh and start to say something.

#sherlock fanfic #fanfic #writing #fanfiction #bbc sherlock #sherlock holmes #johnlock

[oceangirl24]

15, 38 and 48 for the asks!

Hi! Thanks so much for the asks!

15. What’s your favorite AU that you’ve written?

Ooo, I haven't written an AU in ages. Years ago, when I was big into the seaQuest, I despised the direction the show took in the second season and came up an AU for it. The first attempt was... not good. lol I did start a rewrite a few years later but unfortunately, I never finished it (although I still have the handwritten notes for it). Do I remember a lot of details? Nope! But it's still up on FFN.

38. Did any of your fics get surprisingly popular (whatever that means to you)? Which ones? Why do you think they were so successful?

Warning: Long response, may veer off-topic slightly 😆

This is an interesting question. Honestly until I joined AO3 in 2021, I never thought about popularity or stats. I really didn't know it was thing. I was always on FFN so maybe that's why.

Based on stats across the board on the three sites I post on, it's easily Autumn in Philadelphia.

When I began AiP in 2002, it was one of a kind. No one else wrote Jonathan Turner as a central character and, to my knowledge, Audrey was the first published OC love interest for him. The popularity of the story back then surprised me as it was the era where OCs were heavily criticized and almost every one was labeled a dreaded Mary Sue. I still tear up over those OG comments wanting J and A together, some a decade plus after the last chapter was posted.

Coming back after 19 years away, the BMW fanfiction scene is very different. There are a ton of Jon & Shawn fics now, although I'm not sure how many are Jon-centric. Once I crossed over to AO3 and saw popularity was a thing I noticed that readers seemed to want extremely specific tropes handled in very certain ways for Jon and Shawn in order to bring in the kudos and comments, especially. Since I go in a very different direction with these tropes and have a very different story to tell, I knew I was fighting a losing battle but trying to get out of stats chasing mode was so hard.

Side note: When I started to write again on FFN I contacted everyone who supported me on the story back then, knowing they were likely out of the fandom and their accounts inactive. I just said thank you so much for commenting back then and it was rereading those comments that brought back me back to this story. The response was surprising because I didn't expect to hear anything. Some people responded right away with excitement. Some I heard from months later saying they never check FFN anymore but when they saw who the PM was from, they had to respond. Many said they would be reading. One person said AiP was the first fanfic they ever read and how much they loved it. Audrey was remembered fondly. Someone remembered the RPG I had forgotten about. How cool?

Now when I look at stats, I tend to focus more on FFN due to the detail of their stats and every month I have 5-10 people going through the whole story. Which floors me as it is not a short read. It is a complicated story.

Somehow, it's even closing in on 3K on WattPad which amazes me. BMW is largely Reader X or SI. (Are those the right terms? lol).

Maybe popular isn't the right word here. Longevity. I'm really surprised by AiP's longetivity.

Why? The level of detail maybe. Character development? How different it is? No clue.

48. What’s the last fic you read? Do you recommend it?

In a previous answer, the last read was Darlin' by @mrsmungus. Just before that, I read (am reading) Aftermath by  MantaI305ApollosChariot. I dropped off on the MCU movies a while ago, but I really love her Wanda-centric fix-it story. She's amazing at filling me in on canon and what her changes are and why. Very enjoyable to read.

#my asks #boy meets world fanfiction #seaquest

[tlbodine]

The King in Yellow

Robert W. Chambers was a prolific author of the 19th century, with dozens of novels and short story collections to his name. But if you've heard of him at all, it's almost certainly because of his 1895 collection, The King in Yellow -- a cluster of stories whose influence has far surpassed the fame of its creator.

What is The King in Yellow? How did it gain such infamy? And where can its ideas be found lurking, more than a century later?

There are ten stories in Chambers' collection, spanning genres from Gothic horror to Romance, all mostly centered on artists of various kinds. The first four of these stories (and certainly the best known) carry references to "The King in Yellow" -- a play that is universally censored. Even though it isn't performed anywhere, just about everyone involved in the art scene in the book has heard of it, and many have read it, suffering deleterious effects as a result. Because, you see, the censorship of this play has less to do with its contents…and more with what it might do to those who read it.

The specific contents of the play are left mostly mysterious, with only a few small snippets to hint at its contents. Far more explicit (and intriguing) is what happens to the people who come into contact with the text.

In the first story, "The Repairer of Reputations," the narrator is recovering from a brain injury after falling from a horse. While getting treatment, he reads "The King in Yellow" and becomes obsessed, falling into a delusion with the certainty of a conspiracy that would place him in line to a throne of succession -- if he just could get his cousin out of the way first. The story relies heavily on the unreliability of its narrator, and it's easy enough to assume that his brain damage (and not the play) is responsible for his break with reality…or is it?

The other stories tease at The King in Yellow similarly, from different angles. In one, a group of friends are driven variously to madness and suicide under the creative influence of the play. In another, a man in church thinks about the play and falls into a waking nightmare (or is it reality?) In one, a couple discover the play on their bookshelf after bringing home a related work of art, only to be filled with dread about what might happen next.

The rest of the collection does not directly reference the forbidden play, but it does share some similar vibes -- from the unsettling surrealism of the events to the artist characters to the vague hints that there is a great deal more happening in the world beyond the confines of the story.

It's hard to say for certain what Chambers had in mind when he sat down to work on these stories. They certainly seem to draw on the work of earlier writers of Gothic horror and fabulism, like Edgar Allan Poe, Ambrose Bierce and Charles Baudelaire. He may have also been inspired by "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, which had come out just a few years earlier and crafted the link between yellow and a specific kind of madness. Given the (then) futuristic and dystopian elements of "The Repairer of Reputations," and the over-arching themes of artists, censorship, and messy interpersonal relationships, it's reasonable to conclude that Chambers was making a larger statement on art and culture.

Regardless of his own influences, the influence Chambers had on the future of cosmic horror is inarguable. H.P. Lovecraft was so inspired by Chambers that he included references to the work in his Cthulhu Mythos story "The Whisperer in Darkness" in 1931. Later, August Derleth would make the ties between the King in Yellow and the Lovecraft mythos more explicit, forever linking them together -- and creating a more monstrous, physical manifestation for the King himself.

All of that is interesting in its own right. But I'm more interested in the underlying conceit of the story itself -- the idea of a work of fiction that could destroy the mind of someone who came in contact with it.

Forbidden Knowledge

The theme of forbidden knowledge (and the consequences of learning it anyway) is a common one in folklore, from Adam and Eve's banishment from Eden, to Prometheus's stolen fire, to Bluebeard's too-curious wife. But in these ancient tales, the focus is a bit different: A person in authority warns you against doing something, you do it anyway, and they punish you for the transgression. Sure, you may sometimes find more than you bargained for (such as the myth of Pandora's box), but the punishment is being handed out by the authority you disagreed with.

Not so for The King in Yellow.

Considering the effect it seems to have on those who come in contact with it, its universal censorship seems to be a helpful thing. After all, if something could cause that much harm just by proximity, then banning it outright would be a good thing, right?

Unless, of course, its notoriety is what draws people to seek it out in the first place.

Unless it's the rarity of the object, and the difficulty of the quest, that attracts people already prone to a certain kind of madness -- or those people project their delusions onto the thing.

There is a principle called an "information hazard" or "info hazard," which refers to knowledge that, if it were allowed to spread, would lead to harm -- because it would put power into the hands of people who could not yield it responsibly. For example, the exact formulation of particular poisons or bomb-making materials could constitute an information hazard because they might fall into the hands of kids or bad actors. (the logistics of whether or not controlling that information actually works is a subject for another essay)

But what about knowledge that is itself inherently harmful -- not because it will be used for nefarious purposes, but because it hurts the person who learned it? Haven't we all had the experience of learning something we wished we didn't know, and from which there's no return? It's the horror of overhearing a friend saying something cruel about you when you shouldn't have been listening, writ large to a cosmic scale.

The universe is vast and unknowable, and you are a small and simple ape. If you have the misfortune of catching a glimpse at the wider world, the greater truth of the universe, you may not be happy with what you find...and you may not be able to leave it alone.

A Horror History of Tales to Drive You to Madness

The concept of art inciting violence or driving a reader/viewer insane crops up in modern horror in a variety of different ways.

In John Carpenter's 2005 short film Cigarette Burns, produced as an episode of the Masters of Horror series, a rare films dealer goes on a worldwide quest for a notoriously disturbing film titled La Fin Absolue du Monde. This film reportedly aired once and was meant to be destroyed after inciting a homicidal riot at its premiere; but it was not destroyed, instead passing through several owners and wreaking absolute havoc on the lives of everyone it's touched. We catch discordant glimpses of the film throughout Carpenter's movie, but the story makes it clear that the actual content of the film is not what gives it power. Rather, it's the evil act behind the film's production that makes it so dangerous.

The same could arguably be said for The Ring franchise of films adapted from Koji Suzuki's Ring trilogy (beginning in 1998). The initial conceit of the story revolves around a cursed videotape that kills anyone who watches it seven days later. In many ways, Suzuki's work straddles the border between ghost story and cosmic horror, and The Ring in particular spawned a number of pale imitations.

The story evoked in Cigarette Burns also seems to be the inspiration for the 2018 Canadian horror film Antrum, which claims to be recovered footage of a cursed film released in the 1970s. The film is bookended by documentary-style warnings and history. The film itself (which mostly tells the story of two kids who inadvertently summon the devil) is fairly underwhelming, but with that kind of build-up, it would almost have to be.

Part of Antrum's gimmick is that there are unrelated scenes from a purported "snuff" film spliced into the footage by an unknown person. Snuff (a film where a person is killed live on camera) plays a role in Cigarette Burns as well. But we cannot talk about snuff in the context of forbidden films without David Cronenberg's 1983 film, Videodrome.

Videodrome tells the story of a television exec who unwittingly stumbles on a satellite feed that appears to be broadcasting scenes of torture and murder. Intrigued and thrilled, he decides to investigate further and begins airing the footage as well. Unbeknownst to him, though, he's tapped into something quite sinister -- a sociopolitical weapon used to control the population. If you can make violent pornography destroy the people who watch it, society will be improved….right?

In a similar vein on a much smaller scale is 2012's Gut, directed by Elias. A disaffected office worker gets a thrill when a friend shows him a bootleg snuff video of unknown origins. Is it real? Is it fake? By the time it worms its way into his thoughts and forms a destructive obsession in his mind, it doesn't natter. Violence ensues.

Not all snuff films are sexual in nature. Consider the box of home movies in Sinister (also from 2012), evidence of grisly murders of multiple families. In watching, he unwittingly invites a demon into his life -- the evil force responsible for those murders in the first place.

At the fringes of these stories are other types of cosmic horror tales, all centered on the horrors of forbidden knowledge that pierces the veil of our understanding of reality -- from Lovecraft's work to Darren Aronofsky's π to Junji Ito's Uzumaki.

So what gives? Why our persistent fascination with being destroyed by what we should not know?

Horrors of the Information Age

Cosmic horror has been enjoying a resurgence in the last 20 years, and I don't think it's wholly surprising.

We live now in an era when the collective knowledge of mankind is, arguably, at your fingertips at all times. We have greater and more widespread literacy than ever. With that, unfortunately, comes the spread of misinformation. Our odds of stumbling across something ghastly are also higher than ever. A generation ago, nobody was likely to accidentally find grisly crime scene photos, a live streamed murder, a videoed terrorist decapitation, or anything else. Now, you can stumble across those things, and once these traumatic images have been seen, you cannot unsee them.

Sometimes you want to spread them. You want to pass them to the person next to you, maybe for the same reason you'd hand off a carton of sour milk. "Hey, does this taste rotten to you?" You want to know if the image is real. You want someone you can talk to about the emotional experience of seeing it. You want someone to share in that trauma.

There are also pockets of forbidden knowledge in our society, a handful of places where we are not allowed to tread -- certain subjects that are illegal to search for -- coupled with an all-seeing, vigilant watchman who will see us and judge us for our sins. When you know that whatever you search might land you on a government watchlist somewhere, it's plausible to become obsessed with that knowledge, or develop a compulsion toward that information, even if you don't even want to know it in the first place. That's a human nature thing that I think is reflected well in cosmic horror.

But what of The King in Yellow's other proposition -- that a sufficiently powerful story could drive someone to madness? Could a story really incite someone to violence the way Cigarette Burns would suggest?

Contrary to the worries of fandom antis, I'm not convinced that a work of fiction can cause an act of violence. Barring any supernatural involvement (tortured angels, for example), I don't think any piece of media can jump over the gate of free will and force you to do anything.

But I can see why artists might like to pretend we wield that kind of power. I don't think it's coincidental that Chambers wrote primarily about artists, and that authors and filmmakers would be so intrigued by the idea of a piece of art so influential it could take over a person's brain. It's a fiction...but it's a compelling one.

#the king in yellow #deep dive #story analysis #horror analysis #horror #long post #horror fiction #horror movies #horror history #literary taxonomy